...the Beast and I tidied up the house a bit since we will soon be having new neighbors moving into the (now) empty lot next to our house. LOL! It will be the kids. Our kids...the Princess, Johnnycakes, Chewlee and Gunner. Of course, it will be in their RV which is roomy enough for a camping jaunt but will eventually get on their nerves if it's for too long.
Personally, I would have loved something like this for when we traveled from Chicago and down through Texas and then across New Mexico, Arizona and into California. We were on the road, taking our time, for six weeks. We were tenting and had our VW bus and were hauling a trailer filled with the things we would need immediately to set up a household once we decided where we were going to put down roots. We had a blast, actually. Saw a lot of interesting places and things but were so ready to settle when we hit San Diego and fell in love with it. But I digress....
The Beast decided the bedroom needed cleaning up (the dog hairs were almost out of control, even on the bed) and I had to do some straightening up of my desk and my storage box that I keep my jammies and stuff in. It's just easier to keep them in there since I often forget if they are in my drawers to take out what I need after my shower. I often take my shower late at night and the Beast is asleep by then. I don't want to disturb him so I started keeping my undies and pajamas in my computer room. It came in handy after my surgeries on my legs since I was so restless at night and also needed to be close to a bathroom. I just slept in my recliner. It was also easier to keep my leg elevated above my heart like I was supposed to.
I found that hard to do in our regular bed since I would turn over and the pillows would be disturbed and often end up on the floor. I didn't have the same problem in my recliner since it was so comfy that I slept like a log and my leg stayed on the pillows elevating it. I sometimes wonder if part of the reason I slept like a log was not hearing the Beast snore or the dog. It was dangerous for me to try to get to our bathroom since Baron slept on MY side of the bed and would also wake me up to let him out. When I had my leg surgery (I had one on each leg, separately), that was impossible so I had to wake the Beast. When I started sleeping on my recliner, Baron would wake the Beast instead. LOL!
Now, he's gotten used to waking the Beast and only on occasion will he wake me. I don't get mad at him...he's just a dog, after all, and he just wants to go out to do what he must. He doesn't usually take more time than he needs to although he will sometimes stop to sniff the air a few times. Who knows what he is smelling? Once, when he was in the middle of taking a leak, he suddenly stopped, turned rapidly around and chased some animal out of the yard. It was so sudden that it surprised the hell out of me. But he trotted back, looked behind him once or twice, then finished up what he had been so rudely interrupted doing and came back up to the back door. He just went for a little bit of water before he hit his bed and plopped down for the night like nothing unusual had happened.
I'm really wondering what it's going to be like to have the kids so close. I do hope I get to see more of Chewlee and Gunner, that's for sure. It will be nice while it lasts since after that they will be living out in the boonies. It will be a bit more difficult to go to see them, especially without an invite and/or a phone call to make sure the Princess will be home. But, for a while, they will be close at hand. *Grin*
Dinner tonight consisted of a boneless, breaded pork chop with country gravy for both it and the mashed potatoes. I was out of tomatoes, so no salad but we had some good, buttery, cinnamon sugar apples as a side dish. It was really tasty and filled the hole. In fact, neither of us snacked on anything after that so it was both satisfying and filling.
The Beast keeps vacillating on whether or not he's going to go down with his cousin, Bev, to see his cousin, Butch in Florida. I keep telling him he needs to go visit him while his cousin is alive. That way, he won't have to feel bad about not going down when he dies. I know he won't. But I will make sure we send some flowers. I wish it were going to be different but I don't think so. Not when there are so many cancers in his body. Lungs, brain, lymph nodes, and more. I don't think he would be gone for more than a week at the very most and I told him....go and do some fishing with your cousin.
You both did that together a lot. Give him some comfort just by being there. He knows in his heart he is going to die and he's probably afraid. Go and help him out just by being with him. He loves you like a brother. You know he's a jerk but you love him anyway...or despite it. I hope the Beast thinks about what I said and goes. But, with the Beast, you never know. He doesn't feel about family the same way I do.
Time to get this posted. I've lost my TV twice tonight so far because of cloud cover and a possible storm that may or may not hit us. The weather people just can't make up their minds...lol. Oh well. What will be, will be.
Love you all. Hope your weekend was enjoyable or at the least, peaceful. Be good. Be grateful for waking up every day. ***Hugs***
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Got Some Fun News Today....
Found out today that the kids will be moving their RV on our lot next door and setting up housekeeping for a few weeks....until they close on the new house. Since there house will be closing in a few days and they have to be out of it, they really don't have a choice....LOL. It will be interesting to see what happens since the Beast can be a bear at times. I'm hoping the Princess will show me how to make her chicken enchiladas. They are incredible!
It will be nice if I get to see a bit more of Gunner, too...and Chewlee. If Bevie comes down to pick up the Beast for the trip down to see his cousin, Butch (he has stage 4 lung cancer and I told the Beast he MUST go and see him), then she will get to see them all, too. She hasn't seen the Princess in years and it's been a couple years since she got to see Chewlee. A few years ago, Chewlee made the trip with us to see Auntie Em and Bevie for her 90th birthday (not Bevie, Auntie Em).
It makes me happy although it will be strange, too, in many ways. I know the Princess is anxious to get back to the gym and there is a class that will be starting there that Chewlee wants to attend (it's for kids). I believe it's only once a week however (on Thursdays, if I'm not mistaken). Either that or that's when it starts...LOL. I may volunteer to watch Gunner for those days that she goes there if it helps out any. It would only be for a few hours and then Jonathan can sleep a bit longer. He works nights these days.
It may take a bit before Gunner is happy to be here without his mother closeby or his sister here. Guess we will just have to wait and see what the Princess decides to do.
Nothing going on here today. It was quiet and I watched The Lord of the Rings (again) and then the first Hobbit movie. Ticks me off that they didn't show the second part of that either yesterday or today either. It's dumb because they leave you hanging halfway through the story. It's frustrating when you've read the book..sheesh.
Going to cut this short so I can get the three hints I promised done. No keyboard problems today, thank goodness! Weather was hot but not too humid. We were supposed to get rain today but it was a no-show. Not that we missed it at all.
Love you all. Be good. Be kind. Be happy. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: (If you have problems with ants in your pet food dish...) Petroleum jelly will keep ants out of a pet food dish. Simply rub a small amoutnt on the rim around the bottom of the bowl.
HINT#2: (With winter coming up in the not too distant future, keep this hint in mind...) It's hard enough having to dig out your driveway and scrape off your car after a snowstorm. Save yourself the trouble of worrying about car doors freezing closed by spraying WD-40 in the lining. Once in the beginning of the winter should do it.
HINT#3: Instead of scraping away frost from your car's windows and windshield, spray them with rubbing alcohol when you go out to start up your car. By the time you come back to drive, the frost will easily wipe away.
It will be nice if I get to see a bit more of Gunner, too...and Chewlee. If Bevie comes down to pick up the Beast for the trip down to see his cousin, Butch (he has stage 4 lung cancer and I told the Beast he MUST go and see him), then she will get to see them all, too. She hasn't seen the Princess in years and it's been a couple years since she got to see Chewlee. A few years ago, Chewlee made the trip with us to see Auntie Em and Bevie for her 90th birthday (not Bevie, Auntie Em).
It makes me happy although it will be strange, too, in many ways. I know the Princess is anxious to get back to the gym and there is a class that will be starting there that Chewlee wants to attend (it's for kids). I believe it's only once a week however (on Thursdays, if I'm not mistaken). Either that or that's when it starts...LOL. I may volunteer to watch Gunner for those days that she goes there if it helps out any. It would only be for a few hours and then Jonathan can sleep a bit longer. He works nights these days.
It may take a bit before Gunner is happy to be here without his mother closeby or his sister here. Guess we will just have to wait and see what the Princess decides to do.
Nothing going on here today. It was quiet and I watched The Lord of the Rings (again) and then the first Hobbit movie. Ticks me off that they didn't show the second part of that either yesterday or today either. It's dumb because they leave you hanging halfway through the story. It's frustrating when you've read the book..sheesh.
Going to cut this short so I can get the three hints I promised done. No keyboard problems today, thank goodness! Weather was hot but not too humid. We were supposed to get rain today but it was a no-show. Not that we missed it at all.
Love you all. Be good. Be kind. Be happy. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: (If you have problems with ants in your pet food dish...) Petroleum jelly will keep ants out of a pet food dish. Simply rub a small amoutnt on the rim around the bottom of the bowl.
HINT#2: (With winter coming up in the not too distant future, keep this hint in mind...) It's hard enough having to dig out your driveway and scrape off your car after a snowstorm. Save yourself the trouble of worrying about car doors freezing closed by spraying WD-40 in the lining. Once in the beginning of the winter should do it.
HINT#3: Instead of scraping away frost from your car's windows and windshield, spray them with rubbing alcohol when you go out to start up your car. By the time you come back to drive, the frost will easily wipe away.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Strange Day....
My dreams were filled with memories of different times in my life. Scared the hell out of me like they were nightmares or something...worse, an omen of impending doom. *Shudder* I woke up after just about 3 hours and it took me about two to finally settle down. Then I don't remember dreaming at all and I don't think my sleep was very restful after that. But at least there were no dreams that I remembered.
The Beast made us pancakes for our late breakfast. They weren't quite up to his usual standard and, when I mentioned it, he said it was probably due to the pancake mix being old and more like a brick. He found it difficult to mix because so much of it was hard. But it filled the hole...LOL. Late lunch was just balogna sandwiches but we used the Chicago Italian bread along with mayo, lettuce and some sliced tomato so they were very good and filling. The Beast had wanted to go get some sliced ham but he had just bought the bologna two days ago but he'd already forgotten. Sheesh! And he thinks MY memory is getting bad!
He did end up buying some ham later in the day but only because he wanted to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for us for lunch tomorrow when he gets home from church. He does a good job on them so I'll let him. I usually try to make lunch for him but I'll make a nice salad for us so we'll have a fairly healthy lunch. At least it will include some roughage...LOL!
Dinner was leftover spaghetti with some garlic knots since we didn't have any more Texas toast left. But the spaghetti tasted awesome. Since there's not much left now, that will go out tomorrow to the trash as it will be four days old then. Oh well. I really should have just gotten rid of it today but I wanted to make sure that neither of us would want just *a little more later.
Having a problem now with my keyboard so I have to bring this to a close. My keyboard is solar but it's also charged by regular light. I don't think it got much of either today so it's causing me a lot of problems and this is taking three times longer than it should with how it's messing up. Sorry. It means no hints today...again sorry. I will give three tomorrow and make sure that my keyboard gets charged up.
Love you all. Have a wonderful Sunday. ***Hugs***
The Beast made us pancakes for our late breakfast. They weren't quite up to his usual standard and, when I mentioned it, he said it was probably due to the pancake mix being old and more like a brick. He found it difficult to mix because so much of it was hard. But it filled the hole...LOL. Late lunch was just balogna sandwiches but we used the Chicago Italian bread along with mayo, lettuce and some sliced tomato so they were very good and filling. The Beast had wanted to go get some sliced ham but he had just bought the bologna two days ago but he'd already forgotten. Sheesh! And he thinks MY memory is getting bad!
He did end up buying some ham later in the day but only because he wanted to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for us for lunch tomorrow when he gets home from church. He does a good job on them so I'll let him. I usually try to make lunch for him but I'll make a nice salad for us so we'll have a fairly healthy lunch. At least it will include some roughage...LOL!
Dinner was leftover spaghetti with some garlic knots since we didn't have any more Texas toast left. But the spaghetti tasted awesome. Since there's not much left now, that will go out tomorrow to the trash as it will be four days old then. Oh well. I really should have just gotten rid of it today but I wanted to make sure that neither of us would want just *a little more later.
Having a problem now with my keyboard so I have to bring this to a close. My keyboard is solar but it's also charged by regular light. I don't think it got much of either today so it's causing me a lot of problems and this is taking three times longer than it should with how it's messing up. Sorry. It means no hints today...again sorry. I will give three tomorrow and make sure that my keyboard gets charged up.
Love you all. Have a wonderful Sunday. ***Hugs***
Feeling Nostalgic......
As September approaches, I can't help remembering that we lost our Mother on Grandparents Day which was on September 9th that year. I got the news early in the day just as we were leaving to work at a Water Festival on the Intracoastal. We had our kids with us (who were also going to work at various booths) and I broke the news to them and the Beast. I resisted crying although my heart was broken.
After we were done and were turning in the money we had collected, I was away from the eyes of everyone except the Beast's cousin and a friend and I broke down in the RV that was serving as the command post. I had been brave all day long although I found out that it had worried the Beast since he knew how much I loved my mother. I did fly up for the wake and then the funeral. All of us kids gathered together at my brother's apartment to share memories and cry together. It was a day of heavy drinking although none of us got drunk. I didn't understand why until one of the doctors I worked with said that it was the hurt we were feeling that kept us mostly sober. It was more complex than that but it WAS unusual until he explained it.
My sister-in-law, Kathleen, acted like our caregiver and made sure we all ate and encouraged us to rest when she saw anyone *fading*. It was a horrible time and yet it had us siblings bonding tightly in our grief. At the funeral, an uncle of ours who stayed with me when we accompanied our mother's body to the crematorium, said to me, *I had no idea that you kids were so close!* He said that because HIS kids all lived close to him and he thought you had to be close in proximity in order to be *close*. We were scattered all over the country at the time. We were all worried about each other having a relative to stay close to them....just in case. That's what blew his mind...the caring we showed.
I hadn't slept a wink since I had arrived in Chicago from Florida. But after the post-funeral get-together with the relatives and friends that had shown up, I went home with my sister, Bee and almost fell into a coma from exhaustion and grief. When I awoke the next day, we talked and talked and then it was back to my brother's apartment for another day until I had to return home.
My sister, Bratfink, was in charge of Mom's ashes and took them back to California with her. She scattered Mom's ashes on the mountains per Mom's wish. Mom loved California and the mountains in particular. She lived there during the same time that my family did. Bratfink had a brief little *ceremony* with some of her friends attending and, just as she went to scatter the ashes, a whirlwind appeared and grabbed up the ashes and scattered them down the mountain. It caused a bit of a stir since you almost never get a whirlwind on the mountainsides and everyone kind of gasped. Bratfink felt it was something that my mother's spirit had sent to help in the scattering of her ashes.
My mother at least got to know her grandkids but I was so sad that she died at the age of only 56 and never got to see her great-grandchildren. When the Princess was born (she was the first), I looked at all of her beautiful brown hair and her gorgeous eyes and I knew my mother would have loved her instantly. I actually cried just thinking about that.
For a long time, I missed my mother so much. We hadn't always been friends. It took a while before we *buried the hatchet*, so-to-speak, over my rebellious years but I loved the person she was and learned to enjoy my time with her. She had moved down to Florida when my sister, Cee, came down after her divorce. Mom took care of her two children and the house while Cee worked. After that, Mom took a job herself as a housekeeper to two doctors. I would drive down on Mom's day off and we would go to Fuddruckers for food and a couple drinks before I took her back. I usually brought the kids with me so she would have time to spend with them. I even brought Cee's kids when I could.
I would call her or she would call me and we swapped jokes and news. When she left that job to move back to Chicago to care for her mother, I missed her company big time! I had my dream job by then...writing radio scripts, TV scripts, newspaper ads, brochures, etc. for an advertising agency. My son, Mustachio, even appeared in one TV commercial for a Rehab Center. He still has the tape that was made for him so he would have a copy. I had it for several years before I finally gave it to him. It needs to be copied to a disc now since it's on a VCR tape...LOL. No one has those any more I don't think. Not even my son!
But here's why I got into this mood. Grandparent's Day is coming up and I actually wonder if my kids would cry if I suddenly died. Although we had warning with Mom and knew she was terminal once she became ill, it was still a shock to all of us. I think they all know that I love them for many reasons, including keeping them from being abused when their father was drunk. I took the blows because he got so angry that I *interfered* with his going after them (for no reason other than he got so paranoid when drinking). I had many a cracked rib, a broken cheekbone, ...I really don't want to relive all the abuse I took. Why did I stay with him? Oh, I left him a couple times but ended up believing his BS to get me back. All because of my Catholic roots and the belief that *marriage was forever*. I know, I know...I was stupid.
But when the Beast had his strokes, what was MY thoughts? **There IS a God!** There was a funny incident that occured when he was in ICU. He woke up and was puzzled where he was and why (a stroke is painless). There was a black nurse in the room and he asked, *What am I doing here?* She said, *You are here because of all the terrible things you have done in your life!* Later on, when I tried to find the nurse (to thank her actually since it seemed almost like she knew him), I was told that there had been no black nurse or orderly on at the time this occured. One of my sisters suggested that it was probably an angel sent to warn him that he had better change his ways. I almost believe that.
So now, with Grandparents Day on September 13 this year (no, I don't think that *I* am going to die!), it just got me wondering if any of my grandchildren will think of me and, perhaps call or send me a gift of flowers or even one of the candles that I love (fragrantjewels.com). A neighbor bought a couple different ones and they smell AWESOME!!! I always wanted some of those fruits that were made into a kind of bouquet but Mustachio once tried to order them for me but they don't deliver into our area (the closest store is located in Huntsville, unfortunately). I know it seems kind of ...well, petty, to want to be appreciated so that I know I am being thought of but I would prefer it while I am alive rather than after I am dead. Don't you think?
Time to wrap up this missive. I've shed my tears for the day. A habit us old folks easily get into...LOL. Love you all. Really! Be kind to those that are not. They need it the most. You never know what devils they are fighting. But a small act of kindness is worth so very much. ***Hugs***
After we were done and were turning in the money we had collected, I was away from the eyes of everyone except the Beast's cousin and a friend and I broke down in the RV that was serving as the command post. I had been brave all day long although I found out that it had worried the Beast since he knew how much I loved my mother. I did fly up for the wake and then the funeral. All of us kids gathered together at my brother's apartment to share memories and cry together. It was a day of heavy drinking although none of us got drunk. I didn't understand why until one of the doctors I worked with said that it was the hurt we were feeling that kept us mostly sober. It was more complex than that but it WAS unusual until he explained it.
My sister-in-law, Kathleen, acted like our caregiver and made sure we all ate and encouraged us to rest when she saw anyone *fading*. It was a horrible time and yet it had us siblings bonding tightly in our grief. At the funeral, an uncle of ours who stayed with me when we accompanied our mother's body to the crematorium, said to me, *I had no idea that you kids were so close!* He said that because HIS kids all lived close to him and he thought you had to be close in proximity in order to be *close*. We were scattered all over the country at the time. We were all worried about each other having a relative to stay close to them....just in case. That's what blew his mind...the caring we showed.
I hadn't slept a wink since I had arrived in Chicago from Florida. But after the post-funeral get-together with the relatives and friends that had shown up, I went home with my sister, Bee and almost fell into a coma from exhaustion and grief. When I awoke the next day, we talked and talked and then it was back to my brother's apartment for another day until I had to return home.
My sister, Bratfink, was in charge of Mom's ashes and took them back to California with her. She scattered Mom's ashes on the mountains per Mom's wish. Mom loved California and the mountains in particular. She lived there during the same time that my family did. Bratfink had a brief little *ceremony* with some of her friends attending and, just as she went to scatter the ashes, a whirlwind appeared and grabbed up the ashes and scattered them down the mountain. It caused a bit of a stir since you almost never get a whirlwind on the mountainsides and everyone kind of gasped. Bratfink felt it was something that my mother's spirit had sent to help in the scattering of her ashes.
My mother at least got to know her grandkids but I was so sad that she died at the age of only 56 and never got to see her great-grandchildren. When the Princess was born (she was the first), I looked at all of her beautiful brown hair and her gorgeous eyes and I knew my mother would have loved her instantly. I actually cried just thinking about that.
For a long time, I missed my mother so much. We hadn't always been friends. It took a while before we *buried the hatchet*, so-to-speak, over my rebellious years but I loved the person she was and learned to enjoy my time with her. She had moved down to Florida when my sister, Cee, came down after her divorce. Mom took care of her two children and the house while Cee worked. After that, Mom took a job herself as a housekeeper to two doctors. I would drive down on Mom's day off and we would go to Fuddruckers for food and a couple drinks before I took her back. I usually brought the kids with me so she would have time to spend with them. I even brought Cee's kids when I could.
I would call her or she would call me and we swapped jokes and news. When she left that job to move back to Chicago to care for her mother, I missed her company big time! I had my dream job by then...writing radio scripts, TV scripts, newspaper ads, brochures, etc. for an advertising agency. My son, Mustachio, even appeared in one TV commercial for a Rehab Center. He still has the tape that was made for him so he would have a copy. I had it for several years before I finally gave it to him. It needs to be copied to a disc now since it's on a VCR tape...LOL. No one has those any more I don't think. Not even my son!
But here's why I got into this mood. Grandparent's Day is coming up and I actually wonder if my kids would cry if I suddenly died. Although we had warning with Mom and knew she was terminal once she became ill, it was still a shock to all of us. I think they all know that I love them for many reasons, including keeping them from being abused when their father was drunk. I took the blows because he got so angry that I *interfered* with his going after them (for no reason other than he got so paranoid when drinking). I had many a cracked rib, a broken cheekbone, ...I really don't want to relive all the abuse I took. Why did I stay with him? Oh, I left him a couple times but ended up believing his BS to get me back. All because of my Catholic roots and the belief that *marriage was forever*. I know, I know...I was stupid.
But when the Beast had his strokes, what was MY thoughts? **There IS a God!** There was a funny incident that occured when he was in ICU. He woke up and was puzzled where he was and why (a stroke is painless). There was a black nurse in the room and he asked, *What am I doing here?* She said, *You are here because of all the terrible things you have done in your life!* Later on, when I tried to find the nurse (to thank her actually since it seemed almost like she knew him), I was told that there had been no black nurse or orderly on at the time this occured. One of my sisters suggested that it was probably an angel sent to warn him that he had better change his ways. I almost believe that.
So now, with Grandparents Day on September 13 this year (no, I don't think that *I* am going to die!), it just got me wondering if any of my grandchildren will think of me and, perhaps call or send me a gift of flowers or even one of the candles that I love (fragrantjewels.com). A neighbor bought a couple different ones and they smell AWESOME!!! I always wanted some of those fruits that were made into a kind of bouquet but Mustachio once tried to order them for me but they don't deliver into our area (the closest store is located in Huntsville, unfortunately). I know it seems kind of ...well, petty, to want to be appreciated so that I know I am being thought of but I would prefer it while I am alive rather than after I am dead. Don't you think?
Time to wrap up this missive. I've shed my tears for the day. A habit us old folks easily get into...LOL. Love you all. Really! Be kind to those that are not. They need it the most. You never know what devils they are fighting. But a small act of kindness is worth so very much. ***Hugs***
Friday, August 28, 2015
Not Sure Just What Caused This.....
I ended up most of last night due to a case of diarrhea. I think it may have been caused by the rub that Dennis had on the pork roast. It wasn't a case of IBS, thankfully. I can tell THOSE after all this time suffering with them. This one I could control until I got to the bathroom. With IBS, there IS no control. You are helpless and that's when you need to wear the special *diapers* so that you aren't soiling everything as you run to the bathroom. I really was glad it was something normal, if you can call it that. At least I didn't have to clean areas of the carpet, floor and change my clothing AND the diapers.
BUT...we had absolutely nothing in this house to help STOP it. I ended up, when I felt halfway normal again, running to the store for some Milk of Magnesia. It's really amazing that you can use that to stop diarrhea, as well as the other things that it is used for. Upset stomachs, constipation (amazing to me) and a few other things. But I took it as directed and it really DID help.
What I found funny was this: when I was a kid, I hated the stuff. It tasted so chalky and nasty to me. I would gag when my mother gave it to me and my mouth tasted awful so that I would drink a big glass of water or milk afterward. Today, when I took it (it actually said to take it at bedtime but I couldn't wait that long), I didn't find it nasty at all. Maybe it's because of some of the other things that I have had to choke down in my lifetime but it was very easy to take. Yes, I shook it up well since you never know how long it's been sitting and the *chalk* settles to the bottom of the bottles. It was a nice white so I knew I had shaken it long enough. Trust me, I wanted it to get to work. Maybe it was because I wanted it to work...and fast! LOL! But I just found it kind of interesting that I didn't find it bad at all. Yes, it tasted chalky still to me. But I only felt like I just needed a sip of the Sprite Zero or my coffee to rinse that out of my mouth. I didn't want to dilute it at all so it would help it work on my system.
I asked the Beast to find out (without telling Dennis why or tell him that I was up all night and why) just what spices were in the rub he used. The Beast could just act like he was curious. I would like to find out if there was something different from spices I use in my cooking. Something that might be responsible for what happened to me. It started about an hour after we got home. First my stomach started this gurgling and I could feel what felt like a lot of gas moving through my system. My first thought was *Ut oh....this is not good.*
Dennis had checked the meat thermometer to make sure the meat was at the right temperature so I wasn't worried about that part. I told you the menu on yesterday's blog and the only unknown was the rub (it was not something normally used around here). Dennis is very proud of the fact that he has rubs from all over the country and some from overseas. He has them all stored in a fridge out in his *barn*, as we refer to the extra large (and 2-story) garage he built to house his RV while the house was being built. Although his RV is sold now and living in Texas, he had planned on turning it into a place for long-term visitors. He has the hookups for appliances, a shower, the start of a loft bedroom area and a bathroom...and the drainage necessary into the septic tank, which is extra large to accommodate whatever the demand might end up being.
When he was telling us about the various rubs he has, he never did say which one he used for the evening meal. And...duh!...neither the Beast nor I asked. Anyway, since taking the Mof M, I have been slowly but surely seeing it taper off. I have been drinking extra water to make sure I don't have a problem with dehydration. I love drinking ice water so that hasn't been a problem for me.
At least there has been no stomach ache or pain. Maybe it was just that the gurgling prepared me mentally but I am grateful for that. With my IBS, I have major stomach aches and they are really painful. With those, I have to take pain pills just to get any sleep at all.
Today was my grandson's 23rd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOC! LOVE YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH! I can hardly believe that it's been that long since he was born. I remember it since it was just days after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. We weren't hit directly by it, we just got the winds at the fringes. But it was enough to make a HUGE tree across the street get uprooted and it fell on a neighbors house. Thank goodness that the root system was so monstrous because it actually made the tree fall over in almost slow motion. Their roof was damaged and part of the structure but it could have crushed the house and injured the family inside. As it was, it scared the hell out of them but it would have scared me too. We lost our pink grapefruit tree...not immediately. The storm damaged the tree more than we thought and, once it started dying, carpenter ants helped it's demise along.
We worried about the mango tree out in back of the house with the winds. That thing was monstrous and it would have done a LOT of damage to our house if it had fallen. We were grateful that we just lost a branch or two on it that the Beast painted over with some kind of special paint to seal it off so the tree wouldn't be attacked by insects. It would always get full of mangoes every year and they were fabulous mangoes. Our biggest problem was thieves stripping the tree at times while we were at work and no one was home. Since we had a corner house and were on a canal, they actually came with a truck and a cherry picker to get all the mangoes. It would take them less than an hour to strip the tree. Until we notified our neighbors that were usually home that we did NOT authorize the picking, they thought we had done just that. After that, they called the police about them and that was the end of the thefts.
One funny thing happened from Hurricane Andrew, however, to our next door neighbor. They got the second alligator in their pool. The alligator fled the canal, went right through the screening on their patio and dived into the pool to escape the turbulence in the canal waters. We watched the Wild Animal Control people that came out lasso the alligator and wrestle it out of the pool. It was both amazing and frightening to see. I give them a lot of credit for their skill at doing it and they took the gator far out into the Everglades to release it so that was another alligator gone. This was the second time one had been removed from their pool. After that, they had special panels put up on the bottom of their screened patio to prevent any more alligators finding their way in. I don't know why none of them did it to us. Maybe it was the big mango tree that blocked them or the fact that we always seemed to have a lot of kids around. Maybe they just liked the neighbor's pool better. LOL!
Anyway, Doc is our only grandson and I remember his birth being such a relief to my DIL, Raven. He was two weeks overdue and we had her and our son, Marcus, at our house during the hurricane. Lots of women give birth during that time due to the drop in barometric pressure but Raven kept saying she would be fine. I just said I didn't want to have to deliver my own grandchild...LOL! But he arrived a few days later (they ended up inducing her due to his size), and was a healthy baby. He is now a Marine and is one of the sweetest, most loving person you would ever know. He has such a good heart. He is the apple of his parents eyes. We are all so very proud of him.
I hope he has had a great and happy birthday. Love you, Doc! And, yes, I will always call you that. I have since you were born and that is what I will call you forever. It's my *special* name for you. I had my reasons then but they have changed over the years as you got older. You will always be special to me. I hope you know that.
Well, time to get back to bed and try to get a few more hours of sleep. Another hot day for us tomorrow but no rain is predicted. None until Sunday anyway. Unfortunately, it WILL be humid. *Sigh* Ahh, I will survive it. The nights are a lot cooler right now. Around 60- 62 or so. Nice for sleeping, though.
Love you all. It's Friday so be glad it's the end of the work week for most of you. Drive carefully. If you go out to have a drink or two, remember....don't drink and drive. Be safe. Have a designated driver. I always have one...the Beast can't drink since he had his strokes...LOL! ***Hugs***
BUT...we had absolutely nothing in this house to help STOP it. I ended up, when I felt halfway normal again, running to the store for some Milk of Magnesia. It's really amazing that you can use that to stop diarrhea, as well as the other things that it is used for. Upset stomachs, constipation (amazing to me) and a few other things. But I took it as directed and it really DID help.
What I found funny was this: when I was a kid, I hated the stuff. It tasted so chalky and nasty to me. I would gag when my mother gave it to me and my mouth tasted awful so that I would drink a big glass of water or milk afterward. Today, when I took it (it actually said to take it at bedtime but I couldn't wait that long), I didn't find it nasty at all. Maybe it's because of some of the other things that I have had to choke down in my lifetime but it was very easy to take. Yes, I shook it up well since you never know how long it's been sitting and the *chalk* settles to the bottom of the bottles. It was a nice white so I knew I had shaken it long enough. Trust me, I wanted it to get to work. Maybe it was because I wanted it to work...and fast! LOL! But I just found it kind of interesting that I didn't find it bad at all. Yes, it tasted chalky still to me. But I only felt like I just needed a sip of the Sprite Zero or my coffee to rinse that out of my mouth. I didn't want to dilute it at all so it would help it work on my system.
I asked the Beast to find out (without telling Dennis why or tell him that I was up all night and why) just what spices were in the rub he used. The Beast could just act like he was curious. I would like to find out if there was something different from spices I use in my cooking. Something that might be responsible for what happened to me. It started about an hour after we got home. First my stomach started this gurgling and I could feel what felt like a lot of gas moving through my system. My first thought was *Ut oh....this is not good.*
Dennis had checked the meat thermometer to make sure the meat was at the right temperature so I wasn't worried about that part. I told you the menu on yesterday's blog and the only unknown was the rub (it was not something normally used around here). Dennis is very proud of the fact that he has rubs from all over the country and some from overseas. He has them all stored in a fridge out in his *barn*, as we refer to the extra large (and 2-story) garage he built to house his RV while the house was being built. Although his RV is sold now and living in Texas, he had planned on turning it into a place for long-term visitors. He has the hookups for appliances, a shower, the start of a loft bedroom area and a bathroom...and the drainage necessary into the septic tank, which is extra large to accommodate whatever the demand might end up being.
When he was telling us about the various rubs he has, he never did say which one he used for the evening meal. And...duh!...neither the Beast nor I asked. Anyway, since taking the Mof M, I have been slowly but surely seeing it taper off. I have been drinking extra water to make sure I don't have a problem with dehydration. I love drinking ice water so that hasn't been a problem for me.
At least there has been no stomach ache or pain. Maybe it was just that the gurgling prepared me mentally but I am grateful for that. With my IBS, I have major stomach aches and they are really painful. With those, I have to take pain pills just to get any sleep at all.
Today was my grandson's 23rd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOC! LOVE YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH! I can hardly believe that it's been that long since he was born. I remember it since it was just days after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. We weren't hit directly by it, we just got the winds at the fringes. But it was enough to make a HUGE tree across the street get uprooted and it fell on a neighbors house. Thank goodness that the root system was so monstrous because it actually made the tree fall over in almost slow motion. Their roof was damaged and part of the structure but it could have crushed the house and injured the family inside. As it was, it scared the hell out of them but it would have scared me too. We lost our pink grapefruit tree...not immediately. The storm damaged the tree more than we thought and, once it started dying, carpenter ants helped it's demise along.
We worried about the mango tree out in back of the house with the winds. That thing was monstrous and it would have done a LOT of damage to our house if it had fallen. We were grateful that we just lost a branch or two on it that the Beast painted over with some kind of special paint to seal it off so the tree wouldn't be attacked by insects. It would always get full of mangoes every year and they were fabulous mangoes. Our biggest problem was thieves stripping the tree at times while we were at work and no one was home. Since we had a corner house and were on a canal, they actually came with a truck and a cherry picker to get all the mangoes. It would take them less than an hour to strip the tree. Until we notified our neighbors that were usually home that we did NOT authorize the picking, they thought we had done just that. After that, they called the police about them and that was the end of the thefts.
One funny thing happened from Hurricane Andrew, however, to our next door neighbor. They got the second alligator in their pool. The alligator fled the canal, went right through the screening on their patio and dived into the pool to escape the turbulence in the canal waters. We watched the Wild Animal Control people that came out lasso the alligator and wrestle it out of the pool. It was both amazing and frightening to see. I give them a lot of credit for their skill at doing it and they took the gator far out into the Everglades to release it so that was another alligator gone. This was the second time one had been removed from their pool. After that, they had special panels put up on the bottom of their screened patio to prevent any more alligators finding their way in. I don't know why none of them did it to us. Maybe it was the big mango tree that blocked them or the fact that we always seemed to have a lot of kids around. Maybe they just liked the neighbor's pool better. LOL!
Anyway, Doc is our only grandson and I remember his birth being such a relief to my DIL, Raven. He was two weeks overdue and we had her and our son, Marcus, at our house during the hurricane. Lots of women give birth during that time due to the drop in barometric pressure but Raven kept saying she would be fine. I just said I didn't want to have to deliver my own grandchild...LOL! But he arrived a few days later (they ended up inducing her due to his size), and was a healthy baby. He is now a Marine and is one of the sweetest, most loving person you would ever know. He has such a good heart. He is the apple of his parents eyes. We are all so very proud of him.
I hope he has had a great and happy birthday. Love you, Doc! And, yes, I will always call you that. I have since you were born and that is what I will call you forever. It's my *special* name for you. I had my reasons then but they have changed over the years as you got older. You will always be special to me. I hope you know that.
Well, time to get back to bed and try to get a few more hours of sleep. Another hot day for us tomorrow but no rain is predicted. None until Sunday anyway. Unfortunately, it WILL be humid. *Sigh* Ahh, I will survive it. The nights are a lot cooler right now. Around 60- 62 or so. Nice for sleeping, though.
Love you all. It's Friday so be glad it's the end of the work week for most of you. Drive carefully. If you go out to have a drink or two, remember....don't drink and drive. Be safe. Have a designated driver. I always have one...the Beast can't drink since he had his strokes...LOL! ***Hugs***
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
My Dinner's Out Seem To Always End Up Here......
*Sigh* This afternoon, the Beast came into my computer room and said, *Dennis and Diane invited us over for dinner. Dennis is going to call me and let me know exactly what time in a few minutes!* I knew what that statement meant. He had accepted the invite without even asking me.
I love the two of them. We've been friends for over 30 years now but I would love to really GO OUT to dinner every once in a while. Diane has been going to the gym to try to lose weight so her cooking has become a bit...well, a little *too* healthy at times. I shouldn't really complain since it usually ends up a good meal for a diabetic, especially at night so I don't have a spike in my blood sugar. Tonight's meal consisted of a spinach and pear salad (was actually good and the pears were from one of our pear trees), a pork roast with a special rub that was slow roasted in a wood burning oven outdoors, a sweet potato, and steamed broccoli. Diane used something to spice the broccoli and it was tasty without any butter or salt on it.
They used the juices from the meat (which had been caught in a pan underneath the roast) as a kind of au jus gravy. All-in-all, very good but the roast (to me) was a bit dry and tough but it WAS tasty. It may have seemed tough partly because I was given a thick piece of the roast. The end feeling was....healthy. I like a little bit of *un-healthy with my meals, though. I would have loved a piece of bread or a biscuit. I had eaten spaghetti for lunch and the Beast forgot to throw in the garlic bread so I didn't even get that at lunch. I miss Diane's brioche rolls she used to serve with dinner.
However, there's hope. The Beast is going to make a new recipe that he found for a loaf of brioche bread. He is going to make that tomorrow. I'm hoping it turns out the way it's supposed to. If it does....YUM!
Nothing special going on here. We did work on reinvigorating some of the flowers that we could. Then the Beast just HAD to run up to Lowe's gardening center and pick up a few more for the half barrel that we have next to the drive and get some that were in bloom and are supposed to last until the first frost. We'll see. He also ended up buying us a new Dutch oven (which we actually needed). This one is cast iron but with a ceramic coating on the inside of the pan and the lid. He DID go ahead and season it, as suggested, then he used it for making his spaghetti sauce. Our lunch was a late one but that's kind of how things go here anyway. I put the leftover into the fridge and it will be awesome tomorrow. This time *I* will put the Texas toast in the oven so we will have that with it.
Got to get to bed now so love you all. Have a great day tomorrow and I hope you have good weather. ***Hugs***
HINT #1: Here's a unique way to remove blood stains, in case you've tried everything else and it's failed. Mix unseasoned meat tenderizer with a bit of water to form a thick paste, then apply it to the stain. Let sit for a half hour, then rinse and launder as usual.
HINT#2: If you've gotten gum on your clothes, try rubbing them with egg whites using an old toothbrush. If that doesn't work, you can also try placing a piece of wax paper on the affected area, then ironing the wax paper. The gum should transfer from the cloth to the paper-problem solved!
I love the two of them. We've been friends for over 30 years now but I would love to really GO OUT to dinner every once in a while. Diane has been going to the gym to try to lose weight so her cooking has become a bit...well, a little *too* healthy at times. I shouldn't really complain since it usually ends up a good meal for a diabetic, especially at night so I don't have a spike in my blood sugar. Tonight's meal consisted of a spinach and pear salad (was actually good and the pears were from one of our pear trees), a pork roast with a special rub that was slow roasted in a wood burning oven outdoors, a sweet potato, and steamed broccoli. Diane used something to spice the broccoli and it was tasty without any butter or salt on it.
They used the juices from the meat (which had been caught in a pan underneath the roast) as a kind of au jus gravy. All-in-all, very good but the roast (to me) was a bit dry and tough but it WAS tasty. It may have seemed tough partly because I was given a thick piece of the roast. The end feeling was....healthy. I like a little bit of *un-healthy with my meals, though. I would have loved a piece of bread or a biscuit. I had eaten spaghetti for lunch and the Beast forgot to throw in the garlic bread so I didn't even get that at lunch. I miss Diane's brioche rolls she used to serve with dinner.
However, there's hope. The Beast is going to make a new recipe that he found for a loaf of brioche bread. He is going to make that tomorrow. I'm hoping it turns out the way it's supposed to. If it does....YUM!
Nothing special going on here. We did work on reinvigorating some of the flowers that we could. Then the Beast just HAD to run up to Lowe's gardening center and pick up a few more for the half barrel that we have next to the drive and get some that were in bloom and are supposed to last until the first frost. We'll see. He also ended up buying us a new Dutch oven (which we actually needed). This one is cast iron but with a ceramic coating on the inside of the pan and the lid. He DID go ahead and season it, as suggested, then he used it for making his spaghetti sauce. Our lunch was a late one but that's kind of how things go here anyway. I put the leftover into the fridge and it will be awesome tomorrow. This time *I* will put the Texas toast in the oven so we will have that with it.
Got to get to bed now so love you all. Have a great day tomorrow and I hope you have good weather. ***Hugs***
HINT #1: Here's a unique way to remove blood stains, in case you've tried everything else and it's failed. Mix unseasoned meat tenderizer with a bit of water to form a thick paste, then apply it to the stain. Let sit for a half hour, then rinse and launder as usual.
HINT#2: If you've gotten gum on your clothes, try rubbing them with egg whites using an old toothbrush. If that doesn't work, you can also try placing a piece of wax paper on the affected area, then ironing the wax paper. The gum should transfer from the cloth to the paper-problem solved!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Writing This Early.....
I'm posting this early since I am very tired today. I had a wonderful start to my day. Woke up at 8am to the Princess and Gunner. The Princess was talking to the Beast while Gunner was sitting in the Beast's recliner. I played peek-a-boo with him for a bit after getting my coffee. He was so sweet. He got into my lap and tried to eat an ice cube but couldn't keep it in his mouth (the ice cubes are not the square ones but shaped like a sailboat base). He finally gave up on that and I made him some ice water in his bottle. He loved to shake it so that the ice rattled. He would get the biggest grin on his face.
He would get down, walk around then come back and want to get into my lap. I picked him up and he would start to rock so I made my leg into a bucking bronco (only not a wild one....LOL). He is just so sweet and lovable. I couldn't help but kiss his neck and he would lean into me shyly but with a big grin. Just as cute as a button!
But, alas, Johnnycakes got home to an empty house so he texted the Princess to find out where she was. He loves having her home when he gets home from work and while he unwinds before going to bed for a few hours of sleep. He also loves to have Gunner to himself for a while so they can bond. LOL! Like they aren't already! Gunner adores his daddy but....as soon as Chewlee gets home, he is really happy. She plays with him more, sometimes feeds him his dinner and gives him his bath before he gets ready for bed. She loves being a big sister. Which is a big departure from her first reactions when she found out her mother was going to have a little boy. She was just miserable but she was startled the first time she held him shortly after he was born. Her comment? *He's smaller than I thought he would be!* She warmed up to him though because he was just so darn cute. And he adored her. How could you not love someone like that??
The rest of the day was just folding the Beast's underwear and mating his socks, followed by giving the birds some broken up pieces of bread on their platform (rather than throw it in the garbage like the Beast was going to do). The birds made a big rush for it so I guess they knew what it was...LOL! The mourning dove was back, chasing off all the other birds that were trying to feed. It didn't even want to feed when it was doing this. It actually laid down on the platform, in front of the main tray to keep the birds from it. It's part of the reason I put out the bread all over the platform. It couldn't guard everything!
The Beast got dressed and headed for church and I made some chow mein that he could eat when he got home. We didn't have any chow mein noodles so I made some rice for him (and enough for me and even to add to Baron's evening meal). I had made sure to put all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher so I could turn it on after the Beast ate. I finished eating before he did. I ate late so he wouldn't have to eat alone. It's nice when there are sports on that he likes to watch because then he eats in his recliner. I can then eat at my desk while I peruse my FB page.
Well, time to get this posted and get to bed. I have no idea why I feel so tired except that I didn't take a nap today. Love you all. Have a great Hump Day (I remembered to remind the Beast to take the garbage bin out front since it's collection day tomorrow). Be nice to everyone. Remember, you have no idea what kind of burdens they may have. ***Hugs***
He would get down, walk around then come back and want to get into my lap. I picked him up and he would start to rock so I made my leg into a bucking bronco (only not a wild one....LOL). He is just so sweet and lovable. I couldn't help but kiss his neck and he would lean into me shyly but with a big grin. Just as cute as a button!
But, alas, Johnnycakes got home to an empty house so he texted the Princess to find out where she was. He loves having her home when he gets home from work and while he unwinds before going to bed for a few hours of sleep. He also loves to have Gunner to himself for a while so they can bond. LOL! Like they aren't already! Gunner adores his daddy but....as soon as Chewlee gets home, he is really happy. She plays with him more, sometimes feeds him his dinner and gives him his bath before he gets ready for bed. She loves being a big sister. Which is a big departure from her first reactions when she found out her mother was going to have a little boy. She was just miserable but she was startled the first time she held him shortly after he was born. Her comment? *He's smaller than I thought he would be!* She warmed up to him though because he was just so darn cute. And he adored her. How could you not love someone like that??
The rest of the day was just folding the Beast's underwear and mating his socks, followed by giving the birds some broken up pieces of bread on their platform (rather than throw it in the garbage like the Beast was going to do). The birds made a big rush for it so I guess they knew what it was...LOL! The mourning dove was back, chasing off all the other birds that were trying to feed. It didn't even want to feed when it was doing this. It actually laid down on the platform, in front of the main tray to keep the birds from it. It's part of the reason I put out the bread all over the platform. It couldn't guard everything!
The Beast got dressed and headed for church and I made some chow mein that he could eat when he got home. We didn't have any chow mein noodles so I made some rice for him (and enough for me and even to add to Baron's evening meal). I had made sure to put all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher so I could turn it on after the Beast ate. I finished eating before he did. I ate late so he wouldn't have to eat alone. It's nice when there are sports on that he likes to watch because then he eats in his recliner. I can then eat at my desk while I peruse my FB page.
Well, time to get this posted and get to bed. I have no idea why I feel so tired except that I didn't take a nap today. Love you all. Have a great Hump Day (I remembered to remind the Beast to take the garbage bin out front since it's collection day tomorrow). Be nice to everyone. Remember, you have no idea what kind of burdens they may have. ***Hugs***
Monday, August 24, 2015
Today I Found A New Fun Place To Explore...
I know many people have stores around them that seem or advertise that they do buy all kinds of surplus or overruns from stores and factories. I've seen the advertisements in different cities but never actually got to go through any of them. Today my sister, Cee, took me to this place called Little Lots and, after looking around a bit, I knew that's what this place is like. But the place is HUGE and I barely looked around at ONE of the Annex stores. The main section looks to be larger than even our Super Walmart, which is around 10,000 sq. ft.
The Beast has been to this place before and he explored the main store. I don't remember what he bought but he ended up with a couple free items because of what he bought. I just bought two candles (the big ones in the jars) for just $2.00 each and was told I could choose any cup I wanted for free. I found an insulated one and asked if even these were included and was told yes. But we looked around at other things they had and some were good deals, others weren't so much. But I want to go back there one day soon and take the time to really look around. I haven't found a store that had such an interesting selection of unusual items (they had a small Tiffany style lamp that was actually for a tea candle that would have been adorable as a decoration for just $2.)
I've been looking around at my house and thinking I would like to switch some of the things around and make a change but nothing has peaked my interest like this place. I may just take down the little figurines I have and replace them sometime soon. It just requires some extra cash and, with our trip to Chicago in October to see family and friends, there's very little of that for a while. But at least I know where the place is now and how to get to it. Thank you, Cee! I remember some of the things that the Beast told me he had seen there so I'm anxious to see all the treasures I may find there.
I made us a salad before dinner and then made up some potstickers to eat. We were all out of Wasabi which was a bummer but the Beast added it to the list of things we need. We like to add that to our soy sauce for the potstickers (these were pork) for a little extra *zip*. I missed it when I ate mine but they were delicious anyway.
The weather was hot but not as humid as I thought it would be. The Beast only worked outside for a little over an hour before calling it a day. He tires easily and had to take a little nap while I was gone. He spent about a half hour in the garage putting new tires on his dolly so he won't have to refill the one tire that keeps going flat on him any more. He put new solid rubber tires on it and then had to rig up a special way of keeping the tires on the rod because he couldn't find this one replacement part in the right size. But it works just fine and you really can't tell it's not the way it's supposed to be. He can be so creative at times....LOL. The guy in the parts department there, when told what he was going to use since they couldn't find the proper sized replacement, was like *Duh! That's brilliant! Why didn't *I* think of that?* If anyone else has the same problem in the future, he'll remember I'm sure.
All in all, it was a nice day. I watched TV for a couple hours before falling asleep after dinner. I woke up around 10pm to the Beast having already gone to bed. So I went through my FB page to see the new postings since this afternoon when I first checked it out and now, after I finish this, I will head back to bed for the night (I hope!).
Love you all. Have a great week. Be careful. Watch your weather since it looks like it's going to be kind of so-so all week. Be prepared. Most of all, just be kind and thoughtful to everyone. Karma is a real bitch! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: The whole point of jewelry is to enhance your beauty. So if you're self-conscious about your neckline, by all means steer clear of a dramatic choker. Try bracelets and elegant headbands instead. If those daily crunches are starting to pay off, wear a flashy belt or a bright scarf wrapped around just above the hips to draw attention to your slimming waistline.
HINT#2: For an inexpensive way to remove mascara, eye liner, and shadow, try baby shampoo. It contains many of the same ingredients as eye-makeup removed and works just as well. Dispense a small amount on a tissue or cotton ball, rub over closed eyes, and rinse with water. (This may be a repeat so I am adding an additional hint).
HINT#3: If you find you're often stiff after exercising, you probably just need more water. Dehydration is a major cause of post-exercise muscle soreness. Drinking water regularly while you work out should keep water levels high enough to combat pain.
The Beast has been to this place before and he explored the main store. I don't remember what he bought but he ended up with a couple free items because of what he bought. I just bought two candles (the big ones in the jars) for just $2.00 each and was told I could choose any cup I wanted for free. I found an insulated one and asked if even these were included and was told yes. But we looked around at other things they had and some were good deals, others weren't so much. But I want to go back there one day soon and take the time to really look around. I haven't found a store that had such an interesting selection of unusual items (they had a small Tiffany style lamp that was actually for a tea candle that would have been adorable as a decoration for just $2.)
I've been looking around at my house and thinking I would like to switch some of the things around and make a change but nothing has peaked my interest like this place. I may just take down the little figurines I have and replace them sometime soon. It just requires some extra cash and, with our trip to Chicago in October to see family and friends, there's very little of that for a while. But at least I know where the place is now and how to get to it. Thank you, Cee! I remember some of the things that the Beast told me he had seen there so I'm anxious to see all the treasures I may find there.
I made us a salad before dinner and then made up some potstickers to eat. We were all out of Wasabi which was a bummer but the Beast added it to the list of things we need. We like to add that to our soy sauce for the potstickers (these were pork) for a little extra *zip*. I missed it when I ate mine but they were delicious anyway.
The weather was hot but not as humid as I thought it would be. The Beast only worked outside for a little over an hour before calling it a day. He tires easily and had to take a little nap while I was gone. He spent about a half hour in the garage putting new tires on his dolly so he won't have to refill the one tire that keeps going flat on him any more. He put new solid rubber tires on it and then had to rig up a special way of keeping the tires on the rod because he couldn't find this one replacement part in the right size. But it works just fine and you really can't tell it's not the way it's supposed to be. He can be so creative at times....LOL. The guy in the parts department there, when told what he was going to use since they couldn't find the proper sized replacement, was like *Duh! That's brilliant! Why didn't *I* think of that?* If anyone else has the same problem in the future, he'll remember I'm sure.
All in all, it was a nice day. I watched TV for a couple hours before falling asleep after dinner. I woke up around 10pm to the Beast having already gone to bed. So I went through my FB page to see the new postings since this afternoon when I first checked it out and now, after I finish this, I will head back to bed for the night (I hope!).
Love you all. Have a great week. Be careful. Watch your weather since it looks like it's going to be kind of so-so all week. Be prepared. Most of all, just be kind and thoughtful to everyone. Karma is a real bitch! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: The whole point of jewelry is to enhance your beauty. So if you're self-conscious about your neckline, by all means steer clear of a dramatic choker. Try bracelets and elegant headbands instead. If those daily crunches are starting to pay off, wear a flashy belt or a bright scarf wrapped around just above the hips to draw attention to your slimming waistline.
HINT#2: For an inexpensive way to remove mascara, eye liner, and shadow, try baby shampoo. It contains many of the same ingredients as eye-makeup removed and works just as well. Dispense a small amount on a tissue or cotton ball, rub over closed eyes, and rinse with water. (This may be a repeat so I am adding an additional hint).
HINT#3: If you find you're often stiff after exercising, you probably just need more water. Dehydration is a major cause of post-exercise muscle soreness. Drinking water regularly while you work out should keep water levels high enough to combat pain.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Watched A Movie Marathon....
I spent a large part of today watching the Jesse Stone movies on Hallmark Channel. Tom Selleck plays a sheriff (Jesse) in a small town called Paradise. It's actually kind of dark and moody but I do love Tom Selleck. *Grin* I've seen some of these before but still like them. Am I weird? Well, if so, I really don't care....LOL. I just like to see Tom Selleck. He IS a good actor, too, so that's a bonus.
The Beast went out and bought himself a machete today to chop down some of the big weeds that have grown in our planters. They were especially thick in the section that we didn't use this year to plant any veggies in. Even though he thought he had pulled out the asparagus in that section, I saw there are some still in there but they've grown too tall and reedy to be useful or edible. We may just empty out all the soil in them and fill them up again with new soil for next year. We'll have to do that before the weather gets too cold. These old bones don't do cold!
Anyway, I worried about him since he can be clumsy at times. One of my sister's said to just wait for him to start screaming and call 911. LOL! He sometimes screams when he's frustrated (and swears like a sailor!) so I would have to check to make sure he was bleeding first. But he only managed a small cut on one finger (dammit!) so far. He'll be back out there tomorrow so there's still hope! (I am SO bad!).
I spent the day washing and refreshing a few blankets. They do get musty after a while. Tomorrow it's the towels that are in the closet since I haven't rotated them and I noticed they are starting to get a funky odor. It's just been easier to put the clean ones on top instead of on the bottom like I used to always remember to do. I've just gotten lazy about that. I've already done the sheets. Now if I can only get the big bin of sheets down from the attic.... I think there are some towels in there, too. *Sigh* This is one of the times I really miss my great-nephew, who was always so helpful. RIP my darling boy!
I am planning on going over to sister Cee's tomorrow if she's not got anything planned. I want her to take me over to this place called Little Lots where she found the candles I like for just $2. instead of the $5. that I usually pay. They aren't as fragrant as others that are more expensive but we've had bills to pay the past month and more for the next month. *Sigh* With our wanting to take the trip to Chicago in October, it's going to be a squeaky thing. Especially if we rent me a car to get around (we will put it on our charge card). That way, it won't hit us so hard since it won't have to be paid until November. <Always thinking!>
It was hotter than we were told it would be today. The Beast greased himself up on his face and neck with a high SPF lotion before he started working on the yard (and mowing the lawn). He had his normal long-sleeve shirt on, too. He has to wait for two months from his face treatment for skin cancer until he can get his arms done. I know she wanted to do his face first because of how close it is to the eyes and brain (for the spread of skin cancer in those areas) but his arms are just awful. It will be nice when you can put your hand on them without feeling those!
Well, love you all. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Mine was peaceful. Be kind to everyone this week and don't expect anything in return. It's nice and should make you feel good about yourself. ***Hugs***
The Beast went out and bought himself a machete today to chop down some of the big weeds that have grown in our planters. They were especially thick in the section that we didn't use this year to plant any veggies in. Even though he thought he had pulled out the asparagus in that section, I saw there are some still in there but they've grown too tall and reedy to be useful or edible. We may just empty out all the soil in them and fill them up again with new soil for next year. We'll have to do that before the weather gets too cold. These old bones don't do cold!
Anyway, I worried about him since he can be clumsy at times. One of my sister's said to just wait for him to start screaming and call 911. LOL! He sometimes screams when he's frustrated (and swears like a sailor!) so I would have to check to make sure he was bleeding first. But he only managed a small cut on one finger (dammit!) so far. He'll be back out there tomorrow so there's still hope! (I am SO bad!).
I spent the day washing and refreshing a few blankets. They do get musty after a while. Tomorrow it's the towels that are in the closet since I haven't rotated them and I noticed they are starting to get a funky odor. It's just been easier to put the clean ones on top instead of on the bottom like I used to always remember to do. I've just gotten lazy about that. I've already done the sheets. Now if I can only get the big bin of sheets down from the attic.... I think there are some towels in there, too. *Sigh* This is one of the times I really miss my great-nephew, who was always so helpful. RIP my darling boy!
I am planning on going over to sister Cee's tomorrow if she's not got anything planned. I want her to take me over to this place called Little Lots where she found the candles I like for just $2. instead of the $5. that I usually pay. They aren't as fragrant as others that are more expensive but we've had bills to pay the past month and more for the next month. *Sigh* With our wanting to take the trip to Chicago in October, it's going to be a squeaky thing. Especially if we rent me a car to get around (we will put it on our charge card). That way, it won't hit us so hard since it won't have to be paid until November. <Always thinking!>
It was hotter than we were told it would be today. The Beast greased himself up on his face and neck with a high SPF lotion before he started working on the yard (and mowing the lawn). He had his normal long-sleeve shirt on, too. He has to wait for two months from his face treatment for skin cancer until he can get his arms done. I know she wanted to do his face first because of how close it is to the eyes and brain (for the spread of skin cancer in those areas) but his arms are just awful. It will be nice when you can put your hand on them without feeling those!
Well, love you all. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Mine was peaceful. Be kind to everyone this week and don't expect anything in return. It's nice and should make you feel good about yourself. ***Hugs***
Saturday, August 22, 2015
He's Still Complaining....LOL
The Beast can now actually go outside without a hat on, which he did this morning for a bit. But, what was he thinking when he looked in the mirror and came dashing into my computer room to tell me...*Look at my face! I'm peeling!* I just looked at him and said, *Oh really? Gee, I hadn't noticed. Honestly, did you forget about that part? It's not like this is the first time you've had this done.* He then said, *I really didn't remember this happening.*
I told him to just use a Scrungee on his face when he showered and then apply this lotion that I handed to him. It has aloe in it and will not make his face sting. It will also keep the skin nice and supple (although that's totally wasted on him...LOL). That made him feel better and it DID help when he took his shower. But you can see a few spots that are still peeling. He looked closely at his face as he applied the lotion and said, *Do you think you could vacuum my face before I go to church? I don't want to scare the kids!* I just laughed. He CAN be funny at times.
While he was out with some of his church friends, I went to the store to pick up a few things for dinner and two prescriptions that were ready for pick-up. I also bought myself some new undies (I needed some that fit since the others I had were for when I weighed a bit more). I hate baggy undies! I put on the boot cut jeans I bought last week or was it longer? I forget. Anyway, when I originally tried them on, I was concerned about how it fit at my waist and my butt. When I put them on today, I discovered that they were a bit long for me (and I am long legged). But I just folded them like a lot of the kids do and wore them anyway....without wearing my boots. It was nice and warm and sunny so I wore my sandals, thank you very much!
I went to the pharmacy first, thankfully. I had gotten a phone call that my *prescription* was ready and I thought it was the balance of my Neurotin (for the neuropathy in my feet). But, no! It was the new prescription for Plavix. But the gal said they could give me the balance today since they got their delivery yesterday. I was glad I needed to do some shopping so I told her I would be back before I checked out. After picking up some salad mix (greens), cucumbers, green onions. corn on the cob and cherry tomatoes, I went and bought some nice pork chops since I had a taste for them. I remembered the Beast wanted some yeast for some no-knead bread that he wants to make. I meant to pick up one of those seedless little watermelons but forgot since they weren't right there in a big display that I noticed. They sometimes put them out front of the store so you pick one up when you come in to shop. (Sure enough...that's where they were. I saw them when I went to the car).
By the time I picked out my undies, the prescription I really needed was ready so I got those and then went and paid for the groceries. The Beast was home when I returned and was glad I remembered the yeast since he kept forgetting. I made us some lunch and then went to check on my FB page to see what was new on it. Later, I made our dinner which was a nice salad, pork chops, corn on the cob and a nuked potato. I found out that our sour cream was spoiled...not moldy at all but it had separated badly so I poured it down the sink and we ate our nuked potatoes with just butter, salt and pepper. I grabbed a couple of pepperoncini just because I could....lol.
The Beast had gone to Publix to get some of their canned dog food, which Baron likes. He mixes it with the chicken he makes for Baron and some veggies that he nukes. Baron just loves cauliflower, can you believe it? When we give him the California blend (carrots, cauliflower and broccoli), Baron will eat the cauliflower first and the broccoli is his last choice. The Beast bought him a knuckle bone, too, and gave it to him after he had eaten his dinner. Baron went crazy with it until I finally let him into my computer room. He can't seem to eat them unless he is on a rug. It doesn't scoot around like it does on the wood floors or the tile. I've watched him when he tries to eat one in the living room and it's hilarious to see. He tries to get a good position so he can bite down and it goes shooting a few feet away! Too funny!
The Beast called the vet and made an appointment finally for Baron. I can't remember now if it's for Tuesday or Wednesday, I was just relieved that he finally did it. When it comes to Baron, HE is the only one that can take him to the vet for anything that isn't just booster shots. That IS his best buddy after all!
We are going into the time of year that tornadoes are more likely to occur in our area so the Beast check to make sure the solar batteries are fully charged (yes, they are) and that we have gas for the big generator (no, not enough). He and Dennis had a big discussion the other day about generators since Dennis doesn't have one yet for his house. Every time we have a tornado around here, we lose our electric service for a couple days. The Princess said they have to invest in one, too, since the neighbors told her that, because they are so rural, it takes a longer time for their service to be restored. They said the usual time is four or five days. After cruising through the area, I can believe it. I think they try to restore service to more populated areas first. Guess you can't have everything when you want to have acreage. Their 10 acres is probably one of the smaller properties.
Tomorrow we will have much hotter weather than we have had for a couple days. Heck, our low tonight is only going to be around 72 so you know what it will probably be like. It's the humidity (from the rain the past couple of days) that will make it uncomfortable. I've noticed that my antiperspirant isn't quite doing it's job as well as it should. Just what I need....NOT!
Time to head to bed. Love you all. Have a fantastic Sunday. Hope you aren't in one of the areas that they say will be having some really nasty rain and possible tornadoes. If so, please be careful and stay informed. If a tornado is seen in your area, for heaven's sake, take shelter. ***Hugs***
I told him to just use a Scrungee on his face when he showered and then apply this lotion that I handed to him. It has aloe in it and will not make his face sting. It will also keep the skin nice and supple (although that's totally wasted on him...LOL). That made him feel better and it DID help when he took his shower. But you can see a few spots that are still peeling. He looked closely at his face as he applied the lotion and said, *Do you think you could vacuum my face before I go to church? I don't want to scare the kids!* I just laughed. He CAN be funny at times.
While he was out with some of his church friends, I went to the store to pick up a few things for dinner and two prescriptions that were ready for pick-up. I also bought myself some new undies (I needed some that fit since the others I had were for when I weighed a bit more). I hate baggy undies! I put on the boot cut jeans I bought last week or was it longer? I forget. Anyway, when I originally tried them on, I was concerned about how it fit at my waist and my butt. When I put them on today, I discovered that they were a bit long for me (and I am long legged). But I just folded them like a lot of the kids do and wore them anyway....without wearing my boots. It was nice and warm and sunny so I wore my sandals, thank you very much!
I went to the pharmacy first, thankfully. I had gotten a phone call that my *prescription* was ready and I thought it was the balance of my Neurotin (for the neuropathy in my feet). But, no! It was the new prescription for Plavix. But the gal said they could give me the balance today since they got their delivery yesterday. I was glad I needed to do some shopping so I told her I would be back before I checked out. After picking up some salad mix (greens), cucumbers, green onions. corn on the cob and cherry tomatoes, I went and bought some nice pork chops since I had a taste for them. I remembered the Beast wanted some yeast for some no-knead bread that he wants to make. I meant to pick up one of those seedless little watermelons but forgot since they weren't right there in a big display that I noticed. They sometimes put them out front of the store so you pick one up when you come in to shop. (Sure enough...that's where they were. I saw them when I went to the car).
By the time I picked out my undies, the prescription I really needed was ready so I got those and then went and paid for the groceries. The Beast was home when I returned and was glad I remembered the yeast since he kept forgetting. I made us some lunch and then went to check on my FB page to see what was new on it. Later, I made our dinner which was a nice salad, pork chops, corn on the cob and a nuked potato. I found out that our sour cream was spoiled...not moldy at all but it had separated badly so I poured it down the sink and we ate our nuked potatoes with just butter, salt and pepper. I grabbed a couple of pepperoncini just because I could....lol.
The Beast had gone to Publix to get some of their canned dog food, which Baron likes. He mixes it with the chicken he makes for Baron and some veggies that he nukes. Baron just loves cauliflower, can you believe it? When we give him the California blend (carrots, cauliflower and broccoli), Baron will eat the cauliflower first and the broccoli is his last choice. The Beast bought him a knuckle bone, too, and gave it to him after he had eaten his dinner. Baron went crazy with it until I finally let him into my computer room. He can't seem to eat them unless he is on a rug. It doesn't scoot around like it does on the wood floors or the tile. I've watched him when he tries to eat one in the living room and it's hilarious to see. He tries to get a good position so he can bite down and it goes shooting a few feet away! Too funny!
The Beast called the vet and made an appointment finally for Baron. I can't remember now if it's for Tuesday or Wednesday, I was just relieved that he finally did it. When it comes to Baron, HE is the only one that can take him to the vet for anything that isn't just booster shots. That IS his best buddy after all!
We are going into the time of year that tornadoes are more likely to occur in our area so the Beast check to make sure the solar batteries are fully charged (yes, they are) and that we have gas for the big generator (no, not enough). He and Dennis had a big discussion the other day about generators since Dennis doesn't have one yet for his house. Every time we have a tornado around here, we lose our electric service for a couple days. The Princess said they have to invest in one, too, since the neighbors told her that, because they are so rural, it takes a longer time for their service to be restored. They said the usual time is four or five days. After cruising through the area, I can believe it. I think they try to restore service to more populated areas first. Guess you can't have everything when you want to have acreage. Their 10 acres is probably one of the smaller properties.
Tomorrow we will have much hotter weather than we have had for a couple days. Heck, our low tonight is only going to be around 72 so you know what it will probably be like. It's the humidity (from the rain the past couple of days) that will make it uncomfortable. I've noticed that my antiperspirant isn't quite doing it's job as well as it should. Just what I need....NOT!
Time to head to bed. Love you all. Have a fantastic Sunday. Hope you aren't in one of the areas that they say will be having some really nasty rain and possible tornadoes. If so, please be careful and stay informed. If a tornado is seen in your area, for heaven's sake, take shelter. ***Hugs***
Had Nice Chats With Son And Bro-in-Law....
While I was scrolling through my FB page, my son popped up in chat on there. Seems he just got back from his job in Texas. He told me about a couple funny things that happened to him and his boss while they were there, especially one that occurred while they were headed to the airport to catch their flight back to Nashville. They ran out of gas in their rental car out in the middle of nowhere...ended up getting the loan of a golf cart from complete strangers. They found a gas station, got some gas for the car and returned the golf cart to the trusting strangers. But my son, Marcus, found it funny that the people were so trusting that they would return it.
I got knocked offline and, when I returned, my son had gotten offline so we never said goodnight to each other. But I left a message to tell him I loved him. A bit later, it was my brother-in-law (who was up late like I was), that I ended up speaking to. We chatted for a bit since I hadn't talked to him in a couple years (we hadn't gone anywhere in that long), and I found out he's now a great-grandparent, too. We agreed we are all getting old...LOL! I saw some pictures on his FB page of the grandkids and even pics of his kids whom I haven't seen in FOREVER. They have kids now that are married! Shock! Shock! I really only remember them as little kids. *Sigh*
We said goodnight a little bit ago and I keep thinking about some of the things we talked about. His brothers and his sister. Aunts that are now gone. His one remaining aunt that lives in Washington state near her daughter.... You get an idea of how old you are getting by how many people you loved are now not here. Sad. I still feel like a teenager in my heart and in my head but ...don't walk past a mirror! LOL. I have no idea who that old woman is that keeps following me around and standing in front of me in the mirror. She is OLD. I am STILL young!
The Beast went to the Princess' new house today and took the tour with her (the people are no longer living in it). He left out of here around 7am and then ran an errand to the home of one of the people from his church afterward. He said the house is HUGE but needs a lot of TLC inside. I told him it's a good thing they are young. They have the energy to do all that needs doing. The kids may pose a problem for them but maybe not. At least Gunner can be left to play in a room with his toys, the cartoons on and the gate they have for him. Until he learns how to climb it or open it, that should allow them time to do the painting, etc. that needs doing. Chewlee will be in school but on the weekends, she will be able to play with him and keep him distracted.
Today was another peaceful day with no problems and no real chores to contend with either. I like these days. I had made tuna salad yesterday (still some left in case the Princess stops by again) that we made for our lunch. The Beast made something with ramen noodles, chicken, pineapple. water chestnuts, and who knows what else in it for our dinner. Very tasty.
He also took some pictures of the birds feeding at the new feeder location. I told him I heard a *thump* outside last night and wondered if it was the possum trying to get to the new platform. I didn't look since I really wasn't all that curious. I was tired and wanted to get to bed at the time.
My son, Mustachio, called me earlier in the day (was after he got off work), and it was nice to just chat. He thinks he finally settled his case with Workmen's Comp. I'm glad for him since it looks like he's definitely going to be going on strike. He said the company has turned down all the things the union has presented (even the modified ones). Their biggest concern is the amount of time alloted to each job (which from what my son tells me is ridiculous for some). So now he will have a much needed cushion (without going into his 401K) for rent, food, etc. He's glad his car is paid off already and his insurance is paid ahead. Even tho' Sheepie (and her dog) are living with him, he says he will be okay. Sheepie still isn't employed but she's looking. We'll see how that goes. At least they are getting along well and that's a big plus.
Time to get this posted and get my butt into bed. I'm tired and need to be up early. Love you all. Remember to be kind. If you can't find a nice person, be one! *Wink* Have a great weekend! ***Hugs***
I got knocked offline and, when I returned, my son had gotten offline so we never said goodnight to each other. But I left a message to tell him I loved him. A bit later, it was my brother-in-law (who was up late like I was), that I ended up speaking to. We chatted for a bit since I hadn't talked to him in a couple years (we hadn't gone anywhere in that long), and I found out he's now a great-grandparent, too. We agreed we are all getting old...LOL! I saw some pictures on his FB page of the grandkids and even pics of his kids whom I haven't seen in FOREVER. They have kids now that are married! Shock! Shock! I really only remember them as little kids. *Sigh*
We said goodnight a little bit ago and I keep thinking about some of the things we talked about. His brothers and his sister. Aunts that are now gone. His one remaining aunt that lives in Washington state near her daughter.... You get an idea of how old you are getting by how many people you loved are now not here. Sad. I still feel like a teenager in my heart and in my head but ...don't walk past a mirror! LOL. I have no idea who that old woman is that keeps following me around and standing in front of me in the mirror. She is OLD. I am STILL young!
The Beast went to the Princess' new house today and took the tour with her (the people are no longer living in it). He left out of here around 7am and then ran an errand to the home of one of the people from his church afterward. He said the house is HUGE but needs a lot of TLC inside. I told him it's a good thing they are young. They have the energy to do all that needs doing. The kids may pose a problem for them but maybe not. At least Gunner can be left to play in a room with his toys, the cartoons on and the gate they have for him. Until he learns how to climb it or open it, that should allow them time to do the painting, etc. that needs doing. Chewlee will be in school but on the weekends, she will be able to play with him and keep him distracted.
Today was another peaceful day with no problems and no real chores to contend with either. I like these days. I had made tuna salad yesterday (still some left in case the Princess stops by again) that we made for our lunch. The Beast made something with ramen noodles, chicken, pineapple. water chestnuts, and who knows what else in it for our dinner. Very tasty.
He also took some pictures of the birds feeding at the new feeder location. I told him I heard a *thump* outside last night and wondered if it was the possum trying to get to the new platform. I didn't look since I really wasn't all that curious. I was tired and wanted to get to bed at the time.
My son, Mustachio, called me earlier in the day (was after he got off work), and it was nice to just chat. He thinks he finally settled his case with Workmen's Comp. I'm glad for him since it looks like he's definitely going to be going on strike. He said the company has turned down all the things the union has presented (even the modified ones). Their biggest concern is the amount of time alloted to each job (which from what my son tells me is ridiculous for some). So now he will have a much needed cushion (without going into his 401K) for rent, food, etc. He's glad his car is paid off already and his insurance is paid ahead. Even tho' Sheepie (and her dog) are living with him, he says he will be okay. Sheepie still isn't employed but she's looking. We'll see how that goes. At least they are getting along well and that's a big plus.
Time to get this posted and get my butt into bed. I'm tired and need to be up early. Love you all. Remember to be kind. If you can't find a nice person, be one! *Wink* Have a great weekend! ***Hugs***
Thursday, August 20, 2015
A Nice Start To My Day...!
I was just waking up this morning (around 8:30am) when I thought I had dreamed of hearing a baby. As I roused, I thought to myself, *Did I hear Gunner?*. Then I thought, *Naw! What would he be doing here this early?* So I got up, pulled on my jeans and a shirt, grabbed my coffee cup and opened the door to a big surprise. I WAS Gunner....and the Princess, of course. It seems she had dropped Chewlee off at school and come to our house for some coffee rather than go home to an empty house and listen to how unhappy her tired little boy was to not find his big sister there to play with. Yes, he misses her a lot.
So we all sat at the kitchen table while Gunner and I played *peek-a-boo* and what I call *Gunna getcha!* and he laughed. Then I made us some toast that he gobbled up with a big smile on his face. I even peeled an orange and watched him stuff each section into his mouth so that he looked like a little squirrel. He had finished his milk so I gave him some ice water in his bottle to help wash it all down with. I really think he liked hearing the ice cubes more than he wanted the water, though.
When they left after about two hours, I hated to see them go but the Princess and Johnnycakes had to stop by the realtors and he had texted her that he was on his way home from work. It was a nice start to what was otherwise a kind of dull day. The Beast was still feeling sensitive to the sun (but not as badly as the previous two days) so he waited until we were getting cloud cover to re-do the bird feeder platform. He was determined to get that done today. He found his safari hat with the circular brim all the way around it (wide) and donned his long sleeve shirt, gathered up his tools and went boldly out in the cloudy day. He winced but at least there was no swearing. LOL!
The way he did it was ingenious. It's on a pole with a platform that is large enough that the possum won't be able to climb the pole and reach out to the edge of the platform, even if it WAS an acrobat. I can tell you one thing...if by some strange chance it was desperate enough to give it a try, it would never get down without killing itself. There's just no way it could do it.
The bad thing was that, when the Beast took down the bird feeder from it's original platform, it STUNK!!! Water had gotten inside it (from the possum pulling off the feed tube tops) and the seed that was inside rotted from the heat. Some of it that was on top of the seeds sprouted! LOL. I told the Beast he should have saved those and put them on the platform for the birds since it's good for them, too. But he was so grossed out by the smell coming from the feeder that he wanted no part of any of it.
The birds enjoy the larger platform. You can tell since there will be three or four of them on it, all of them feeding, at the same time. Usually it is only two per side but that's more cooperation than we used to see unless it was just the small birds. This time the Beast has the feeder side placed so the birds can be more easily photographed. I made no comment about that since I would have thought he would have considered that when he put up the first platforms. I enjoyed watching the mourning doves feed. They may not be brilliant colored but they are so peaceful and the sound they make is adorable as they pause between grabbing some seeds. They then sit there and kind of look around before they fly off to feed their chicks or whatever they are up to. It's funny but the larger birds also seem to take longer before their chicks are ready to fly and be independent. The little ones are all pretty much hatched and fledged already.
After he threw the spoiled seeds away, I took out the garbage so he wouldn't feel he had to do it. I then cut up some onion and green pepper to saute with the Italian sausage that we were having for our late lunch. I cut up a much bigger onion than we needed for just a couple sandwiches so I chopped up about half of the onion, chopped some celery and made us some tuna salad for lunch tomorrow. I made myself a half sandwich of it a little bit ago and it's just perfect...LOL.
My poor son, Marcus, called me during his lunch hour today to answer a question I had asked him on his FB page and what happens? My cell phone dies in the middle of our conversation! When that happens, it shuts itself completely off and takes forever to recharge. But it does last me (normally) about four days unless I get a LOT of long telephone calls. Then it's a little more than two and a half days. *Sigh* I hadn't even checked to see what the charge was when he called or I could have plugged the phone in and at least finished our conversation. Sorry, Marcus! Love you, son.
Time to jump in the shower and get ready for bed. Love you all. Be happy. Stay healthy and be kind to everyone. You never know what they might be suffering or what heartaches they may be living with. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: When repotting a plant, use a coffee filter to cover the drinage hole at the bottom of the pot. The coffee filter will let water through, but not any of the soil. It's also biodegradable, so it will eventually disappear.
HINT#2: For an inexpensive way to remove mascara, eye liner and shadow, try baby shampoo. It contains many of the same ingredient as eye make-up remover, and works just as well. Dispense a small amount on a tissue or cotton ball, rub over closed eyes, and rinse with water.
So we all sat at the kitchen table while Gunner and I played *peek-a-boo* and what I call *Gunna getcha!* and he laughed. Then I made us some toast that he gobbled up with a big smile on his face. I even peeled an orange and watched him stuff each section into his mouth so that he looked like a little squirrel. He had finished his milk so I gave him some ice water in his bottle to help wash it all down with. I really think he liked hearing the ice cubes more than he wanted the water, though.
When they left after about two hours, I hated to see them go but the Princess and Johnnycakes had to stop by the realtors and he had texted her that he was on his way home from work. It was a nice start to what was otherwise a kind of dull day. The Beast was still feeling sensitive to the sun (but not as badly as the previous two days) so he waited until we were getting cloud cover to re-do the bird feeder platform. He was determined to get that done today. He found his safari hat with the circular brim all the way around it (wide) and donned his long sleeve shirt, gathered up his tools and went boldly out in the cloudy day. He winced but at least there was no swearing. LOL!
The way he did it was ingenious. It's on a pole with a platform that is large enough that the possum won't be able to climb the pole and reach out to the edge of the platform, even if it WAS an acrobat. I can tell you one thing...if by some strange chance it was desperate enough to give it a try, it would never get down without killing itself. There's just no way it could do it.
The bad thing was that, when the Beast took down the bird feeder from it's original platform, it STUNK!!! Water had gotten inside it (from the possum pulling off the feed tube tops) and the seed that was inside rotted from the heat. Some of it that was on top of the seeds sprouted! LOL. I told the Beast he should have saved those and put them on the platform for the birds since it's good for them, too. But he was so grossed out by the smell coming from the feeder that he wanted no part of any of it.
The birds enjoy the larger platform. You can tell since there will be three or four of them on it, all of them feeding, at the same time. Usually it is only two per side but that's more cooperation than we used to see unless it was just the small birds. This time the Beast has the feeder side placed so the birds can be more easily photographed. I made no comment about that since I would have thought he would have considered that when he put up the first platforms. I enjoyed watching the mourning doves feed. They may not be brilliant colored but they are so peaceful and the sound they make is adorable as they pause between grabbing some seeds. They then sit there and kind of look around before they fly off to feed their chicks or whatever they are up to. It's funny but the larger birds also seem to take longer before their chicks are ready to fly and be independent. The little ones are all pretty much hatched and fledged already.
After he threw the spoiled seeds away, I took out the garbage so he wouldn't feel he had to do it. I then cut up some onion and green pepper to saute with the Italian sausage that we were having for our late lunch. I cut up a much bigger onion than we needed for just a couple sandwiches so I chopped up about half of the onion, chopped some celery and made us some tuna salad for lunch tomorrow. I made myself a half sandwich of it a little bit ago and it's just perfect...LOL.
My poor son, Marcus, called me during his lunch hour today to answer a question I had asked him on his FB page and what happens? My cell phone dies in the middle of our conversation! When that happens, it shuts itself completely off and takes forever to recharge. But it does last me (normally) about four days unless I get a LOT of long telephone calls. Then it's a little more than two and a half days. *Sigh* I hadn't even checked to see what the charge was when he called or I could have plugged the phone in and at least finished our conversation. Sorry, Marcus! Love you, son.
Time to jump in the shower and get ready for bed. Love you all. Be happy. Stay healthy and be kind to everyone. You never know what they might be suffering or what heartaches they may be living with. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: When repotting a plant, use a coffee filter to cover the drinage hole at the bottom of the pot. The coffee filter will let water through, but not any of the soil. It's also biodegradable, so it will eventually disappear.
HINT#2: For an inexpensive way to remove mascara, eye liner and shadow, try baby shampoo. It contains many of the same ingredient as eye make-up remover, and works just as well. Dispense a small amount on a tissue or cotton ball, rub over closed eyes, and rinse with water.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
What An Idiot!
You would think he would know better but today, a little after 10am, our garbage was finally picked up. The Beast, thinking he was over the worst of his *face problem*, decided he would go out and return it to it's proper place close to the garage. Nope! He didn't get a quarter down the driveway when he ran back into the house swearing up a blue streak! I couldn't help it....I laughed.
It was still bright and sunny out then so he really should have known it wasn't a good idea. But you can't tell him anything. I ended up going out and bringing the garbage bin back to the house. I had to go out anyway to pick up a prescription at Walmart. I also picked up a couple of other things I wanted including some new underwear that actually fits me now. No baggy rear ends...LOL!
The bad part was that the weather started to change when I had to follow Dennis to where he dropped off the pickup that he bought at a *barn find* while he was in NY. It's a 79 Ford Bronco pickup that was worth 3 times what he paid for it *as is*. He bought it as a project and is in the process of restoring it to it's original shape. He was having the engine rebuilt and his transmission. He worked already on doing a bit of body work and will have it painted after that work is done. I gather he also is putting new windows in it. By the time he's done, he will have invested almost $10K in it and says that the people that love this truck and try to find them (not many were made) will pay $35K for it. Not a bad investment if it's true. But it keeps him occupied and it will be worth more than he's invested in it regardless. I know how meticulous he is at anything he does so he will come out ahead of it all. He already had some people make him offers for the truck just as it was when we dropped it off.
We got back to the house before the rain came down and I was a bit ticked off because I couldn't get online. So I took a nap and woke up around 8pm. I still didn't have internet until almost 10:30pm but I played my game while I waited so it was okay. We only had some soup and crackers for our late dinner since neither of us was very hungry. But, I confess.....I had come French onion dip and chips around the time I got my internet back (the storm clouds were clearing).
I finally got on FB to check out the postings and make a couple comments here and there. Then I got stuck on a site that wouldn't allow me to go back to my page so I said the hell with it and decided to do this post instead.
Dennis did come in to tease the Beast about his face (it looks awful). The vivid red will fade but then he will have small scabs on his face (the actual skin cancer sites) for a few days. I figure he will stay at home until Sunday, at least. That's when he goes to church and he will only have a small scab or two by then. But his skin will look much better. In two weeks (from yesterday), he has to go have his arms done and they are loaded! That's going to be miserable around here from what I remember the last time he had to do this to his arms. He's tried to be careful and always wear long sleeves whenever he goes out in the sun (like mowing the lawns). He hates to have to do that all the time but he hates the way his arms feel when the skin cancers start. The problem is that the shirt only helps a little. He still gets them no matter how careful he is.
I had to yell at him a bit to get him to go because he didn't realize how serious skin cancers are or that he could die from them. Neglect them and they can penetrate the muscles and get into the blood stream. He already is prone to cancer (he's had bladder and prostate cancer) so I don't understand why he wouldn't keep up with regular doctor's visit for these areas. I can't wait for him to have his colonoscopy....lol. It may seem mean but he should have one. He hasn't had one since he was a teenager. I DID tell him that it wouldn't be as bad as that one was (it was almost gruesome!). The worst part is drinking the stuff they give you to clean you out.
He will probably get angry with me if he finds out that I turned him in to the doctor about that. But the doctor was surprised that his doctor that die his surgeries didn't give him a referral for one after that. It would have been a normal thing. Now he has to wait until the Beast has his next appointment to refer him. He said he wouldn't tell him that I told him how old he was when he had one last. But he made a note in the computer to give him a referral to have it done. I know him and he will be sticking very close to a bathroom when he starts getting *ready* for it.
I have to have one again in about seven or is it eight? months. No clue really but my doctor said they would drop me a note to remind me. Since I had a couple of pre-cancerous polyps (he said they weren't really cancers, just had unusual cell changes that would probably have turned into cancer), it's better to do it yearly just in case. I agree. I don't enjoy it one bit but at least you are asleep when they do it so it's painless.
Time to get this posted. Love you all. Remember your loved ones and cherish them. Life is short and you know that either you or them won't be around forever. Be kind. ***Hugs***
It was still bright and sunny out then so he really should have known it wasn't a good idea. But you can't tell him anything. I ended up going out and bringing the garbage bin back to the house. I had to go out anyway to pick up a prescription at Walmart. I also picked up a couple of other things I wanted including some new underwear that actually fits me now. No baggy rear ends...LOL!
The bad part was that the weather started to change when I had to follow Dennis to where he dropped off the pickup that he bought at a *barn find* while he was in NY. It's a 79 Ford Bronco pickup that was worth 3 times what he paid for it *as is*. He bought it as a project and is in the process of restoring it to it's original shape. He was having the engine rebuilt and his transmission. He worked already on doing a bit of body work and will have it painted after that work is done. I gather he also is putting new windows in it. By the time he's done, he will have invested almost $10K in it and says that the people that love this truck and try to find them (not many were made) will pay $35K for it. Not a bad investment if it's true. But it keeps him occupied and it will be worth more than he's invested in it regardless. I know how meticulous he is at anything he does so he will come out ahead of it all. He already had some people make him offers for the truck just as it was when we dropped it off.
We got back to the house before the rain came down and I was a bit ticked off because I couldn't get online. So I took a nap and woke up around 8pm. I still didn't have internet until almost 10:30pm but I played my game while I waited so it was okay. We only had some soup and crackers for our late dinner since neither of us was very hungry. But, I confess.....I had come French onion dip and chips around the time I got my internet back (the storm clouds were clearing).
I finally got on FB to check out the postings and make a couple comments here and there. Then I got stuck on a site that wouldn't allow me to go back to my page so I said the hell with it and decided to do this post instead.
Dennis did come in to tease the Beast about his face (it looks awful). The vivid red will fade but then he will have small scabs on his face (the actual skin cancer sites) for a few days. I figure he will stay at home until Sunday, at least. That's when he goes to church and he will only have a small scab or two by then. But his skin will look much better. In two weeks (from yesterday), he has to go have his arms done and they are loaded! That's going to be miserable around here from what I remember the last time he had to do this to his arms. He's tried to be careful and always wear long sleeves whenever he goes out in the sun (like mowing the lawns). He hates to have to do that all the time but he hates the way his arms feel when the skin cancers start. The problem is that the shirt only helps a little. He still gets them no matter how careful he is.
I had to yell at him a bit to get him to go because he didn't realize how serious skin cancers are or that he could die from them. Neglect them and they can penetrate the muscles and get into the blood stream. He already is prone to cancer (he's had bladder and prostate cancer) so I don't understand why he wouldn't keep up with regular doctor's visit for these areas. I can't wait for him to have his colonoscopy....lol. It may seem mean but he should have one. He hasn't had one since he was a teenager. I DID tell him that it wouldn't be as bad as that one was (it was almost gruesome!). The worst part is drinking the stuff they give you to clean you out.
He will probably get angry with me if he finds out that I turned him in to the doctor about that. But the doctor was surprised that his doctor that die his surgeries didn't give him a referral for one after that. It would have been a normal thing. Now he has to wait until the Beast has his next appointment to refer him. He said he wouldn't tell him that I told him how old he was when he had one last. But he made a note in the computer to give him a referral to have it done. I know him and he will be sticking very close to a bathroom when he starts getting *ready* for it.
I have to have one again in about seven or is it eight? months. No clue really but my doctor said they would drop me a note to remind me. Since I had a couple of pre-cancerous polyps (he said they weren't really cancers, just had unusual cell changes that would probably have turned into cancer), it's better to do it yearly just in case. I agree. I don't enjoy it one bit but at least you are asleep when they do it so it's painless.
Time to get this posted. Love you all. Remember your loved ones and cherish them. Life is short and you know that either you or them won't be around forever. Be kind. ***Hugs***
The Beast Looks Like A Lobster.....
Wow! When the Beast came home from the dermatologist, he just looked like he had a couple red spots here and there. But, as the time went on, he turned a bright red. It was only uncomfortable for him but not painful. I asked him just where the doctor had applied the cream and he said, *All over my face and arms!* I guess! I was surprised but she said his skin cancers are so wide spread that it was necessary. He has to return in two weeks to be checked and retreated.
It was rainy and overcast all day so, when the rain had stopped, the Beast thought he was safe to go outside for a bit with Baron. Plus, he had to push the garbage bin out front. He ran back in screaming (no joke!). Even though there was no sunlight per se, the UV rays were enough to cause him a LOT of pain. He's to another 24 hours to go through this so it looks like I am the one that has to go to Walmart to pick up my prescription balance (they didn't have enough of my Neurotin when I had them refilled the other day). I also have to call my vascular doctor to find out why he didn't send in a refill for the prescription he had issued me six months ago. I'm hoping he may not think I need it any more.
I fell asleep (again) shortly after dinner and didn't wake up until 2:30am. That kind of shocked me because I didn't feel I was that tired but I think since we ate at 7:30pm that the Beast must have shut off his TV and gone to bed around 8pm. With the house so nice and quiet, it just let me sleep longer than normal. But I still have a bit of tired left in my eyes so will head for bed again as soon as I finish this.
Before we ate, the Beast took a cool shower (tepid) because he felt it might help him feel a bit better. His skin was still hot to the touch afterward but he said he DID feel better. But he looked like a freshly boiled lobster! It was too funny to look at. He's hoping he looks less like one tomorrow but I figure it will only get a bit better (I remember that from the last time he had this done).
More overcast tomorrow since rain is still in our prediction but also a bit more heat, too. How it can do that without more sun, I have no idea but I figure they must have an idea. I just haven't stayed on the weather channel long enough to see why or how they figure that. But the Beast will more than likely stay inside all day. We have discovered that our irritating possum is back, digging into the bird feeder so he's come up with an idea how to correct the problem so he won't be able to get back up on the platform. However, he won't be able to go outside to fix it tomorrow with the restriction put on him for another 24 hours. After the hurt he experienced today, I don't think he will even be tempted....LOL!
I figure I will be busy tomorrow so I need a bit more rest for these eyes of mine. They feel a bit dry so I will put some eye drops in them before I go back to sleep. The Beast may feel he wants to cook since he will feel *house bound* and will need an outlet for his energy. I won't fight him if that's what he feels like doing. I may just make this banana cream cheese pound cake recipe that I found a recipe for online. It sounds good but I do need to pick up a few things for it at the store. tomorrow. I even need to pick up a small bottle of rum for the icing. LOL!
Love you all and I sure hope you have a great Hump Day. I will try to get this posted earlier tomorrow (today now) and I'm putting up two hints today since I forgot them yesterday. Sorry about that! Be good. Be kind. And be sure to tell those you love that you do every time you speak to them or say goodbye. Today is a given but tomorrow is only a promise. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If you find that everything in your brown sugar box is one giant lump, place it in a ball of foil and bake it in a 350 degree oven for five minutes. It will be back to its oldl self in no time.
HINT#2: To get rid of mineral deposits and iron stains in your dishwasher, run it through an empty wash cycle using powdered lemonade mix instead of detergent. The citric acid in the mix will eliminate your problem.
It was rainy and overcast all day so, when the rain had stopped, the Beast thought he was safe to go outside for a bit with Baron. Plus, he had to push the garbage bin out front. He ran back in screaming (no joke!). Even though there was no sunlight per se, the UV rays were enough to cause him a LOT of pain. He's to another 24 hours to go through this so it looks like I am the one that has to go to Walmart to pick up my prescription balance (they didn't have enough of my Neurotin when I had them refilled the other day). I also have to call my vascular doctor to find out why he didn't send in a refill for the prescription he had issued me six months ago. I'm hoping he may not think I need it any more.
I fell asleep (again) shortly after dinner and didn't wake up until 2:30am. That kind of shocked me because I didn't feel I was that tired but I think since we ate at 7:30pm that the Beast must have shut off his TV and gone to bed around 8pm. With the house so nice and quiet, it just let me sleep longer than normal. But I still have a bit of tired left in my eyes so will head for bed again as soon as I finish this.
Before we ate, the Beast took a cool shower (tepid) because he felt it might help him feel a bit better. His skin was still hot to the touch afterward but he said he DID feel better. But he looked like a freshly boiled lobster! It was too funny to look at. He's hoping he looks less like one tomorrow but I figure it will only get a bit better (I remember that from the last time he had this done).
More overcast tomorrow since rain is still in our prediction but also a bit more heat, too. How it can do that without more sun, I have no idea but I figure they must have an idea. I just haven't stayed on the weather channel long enough to see why or how they figure that. But the Beast will more than likely stay inside all day. We have discovered that our irritating possum is back, digging into the bird feeder so he's come up with an idea how to correct the problem so he won't be able to get back up on the platform. However, he won't be able to go outside to fix it tomorrow with the restriction put on him for another 24 hours. After the hurt he experienced today, I don't think he will even be tempted....LOL!
I figure I will be busy tomorrow so I need a bit more rest for these eyes of mine. They feel a bit dry so I will put some eye drops in them before I go back to sleep. The Beast may feel he wants to cook since he will feel *house bound* and will need an outlet for his energy. I won't fight him if that's what he feels like doing. I may just make this banana cream cheese pound cake recipe that I found a recipe for online. It sounds good but I do need to pick up a few things for it at the store. tomorrow. I even need to pick up a small bottle of rum for the icing. LOL!
Love you all and I sure hope you have a great Hump Day. I will try to get this posted earlier tomorrow (today now) and I'm putting up two hints today since I forgot them yesterday. Sorry about that! Be good. Be kind. And be sure to tell those you love that you do every time you speak to them or say goodbye. Today is a given but tomorrow is only a promise. ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If you find that everything in your brown sugar box is one giant lump, place it in a ball of foil and bake it in a 350 degree oven for five minutes. It will be back to its oldl self in no time.
HINT#2: To get rid of mineral deposits and iron stains in your dishwasher, run it through an empty wash cycle using powdered lemonade mix instead of detergent. The citric acid in the mix will eliminate your problem.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Do You Remember?
Do you remember paper bags for your groceries? Using them to wrap your books? Tupperware? I sold Tupperware for a year and had a blast! Would love to have them again. Do you remember city parks? Looking forward to when they opened the pool? Having to leave the pool and come back in again? Remember the baby pool that was really just a shower and no water ever stayed?
Do you remember the kids in your neighborhood that you played with as a kid? Who kissed you the first time.....and where it happened? Did you play red rover? Handball? Remember how your parents called you when it was time to come in? Mine could lean out a window since my house was where everyone congregated.
Do you remember when computers for home use came into play? Remember the old video games? My kids built their own computers from scratch. It was amazing to me. Now they both work in the field (my boys) but different aspects.
Do you remember the huge cell phones that were the first to come out? They were HUGE. The Beast had one and I was afraid to use it. Within a few years there was an amazing change. Technology was changing the way we lived. Computers, cell phones, iPads, too many gadgets we use without thinking how amazing they are.
I remember my Brownie camera and how incredible I thought those sepia toned pictures were. Do you remember those? Do you remember riding your bike anywhere without fear? City buses? The first time you rode a subway? Taking a train to the suburbs? Or the Bluebird buses? I rode the *L* to within a half mile of my high school. That's a city thing but even the kids in the suburbs rode the train.
Remember getting your permit to drive? Taking the driving test? Your first car? Mine was a station wagon that really belonged to my mother but I used it all the time. The car used more oil than gas but I ran errands for her and was able to use it to pick up my cousins for adventures. We had a ball cheering the car on every time it made it up to another 10 mile marker in speed. When it hit 60, we would all cheer! We would visit Crystal Lake and rent canoes. We were awful at that...LOL. I took my siblings to the zoo for picnics a lot. Never got tired of that.
Having a problem with this site so I will just say love you all and be kind to everyone. Have a great week. ***Hugs***
Do you remember the kids in your neighborhood that you played with as a kid? Who kissed you the first time.....and where it happened? Did you play red rover? Handball? Remember how your parents called you when it was time to come in? Mine could lean out a window since my house was where everyone congregated.
Do you remember when computers for home use came into play? Remember the old video games? My kids built their own computers from scratch. It was amazing to me. Now they both work in the field (my boys) but different aspects.
Do you remember the huge cell phones that were the first to come out? They were HUGE. The Beast had one and I was afraid to use it. Within a few years there was an amazing change. Technology was changing the way we lived. Computers, cell phones, iPads, too many gadgets we use without thinking how amazing they are.
I remember my Brownie camera and how incredible I thought those sepia toned pictures were. Do you remember those? Do you remember riding your bike anywhere without fear? City buses? The first time you rode a subway? Taking a train to the suburbs? Or the Bluebird buses? I rode the *L* to within a half mile of my high school. That's a city thing but even the kids in the suburbs rode the train.
Remember getting your permit to drive? Taking the driving test? Your first car? Mine was a station wagon that really belonged to my mother but I used it all the time. The car used more oil than gas but I ran errands for her and was able to use it to pick up my cousins for adventures. We had a ball cheering the car on every time it made it up to another 10 mile marker in speed. When it hit 60, we would all cheer! We would visit Crystal Lake and rent canoes. We were awful at that...LOL. I took my siblings to the zoo for picnics a lot. Never got tired of that.
Having a problem with this site so I will just say love you all and be kind to everyone. Have a great week. ***Hugs***
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Remind Me Never To......
...eat cabbage soup three days in a row. No matter how good it tastes, it has some serious gastronomical consequences. Not just gas. The gas is just a small part. It also can cause your tummy to blow up a bit and, when your bowels start moving....whoa! That and the gas you expel at the same time make you feel like you are going to end up flushing yourself down the toilet....all of you....LOL.
The Princess dropped Chewlee off for a couple hours late this afternoon and I had just laid down to take a bit of a nap. But I stayed up while she played a game of Clue on Pogo. I didn't help her at all and she finished all seven sections of the hidden object game (the last one is actually a 15 point *find the difference* picture...and that one is murder!) in less than 20 minutes. I usually take around 25 or 30, which is still not bad but she is really good at hidden object games. We also watched some of the new cartoons that are now on Nick Jr. I hadn't seen some of them before and they were kind of funny. Chewlee and I laughed at the same places, I noticed.
Chewlee asked me if I had been laying down all day and I told her I hadn't but that I had gotten a bit of a stomach ache after I ate. I didn't DARE get up because I knew I would pass gas and she would never let me hear the end of it! And there was no Baron in the room to blame it on, either...LOL. The Beast's new printer got here, of course, so he was anxious to try it out before he covered it and used up the inks in the old printer. He made me up three small pictures of Gunner that I had wanted and then he made me up a 16X20 picture for my wall. Now all I need is a frame for that one. Chewlee saw the picture of Gunner that the Beast made up for me and she said that she wanted one of him like mine for her wall in her bedroom when they moved into the new house. So the Beast made one for her even though I told him afterward that he should have waited until they got into the house because, unless the Princess frames it up right away, it will probably just get messed up in the move. He just shrugged and said he could always make up another one later on.
When Chewlee left, I could hardly wait to get in the bathroom and *let loose*. Wow...did that feel good! I will not wait that long if it happens again. It was a true *what a relief that is* moment. But at least Chewlee wasn't there to tell me how bad it stunk up the place. She can be very graphic about that kind of thing.
Another hot day tomorrow but I plan on going out early to grab up a couple of tomatoes that are ripe and check my green pepper plant. I want to make us up a nice salad for when the Beast gets home from church (and maybe some hot wings). The cabbage soup is being drained and tossed out since it doesn't freeze well at all. I tried freezing a bit of it just to check and see if I remembered it well. I did. The cabbage gets too mushy.
Love you all and I hope you have a truly great Sunday. Fall weather will be on us sooner than we think (and that makes me a bit sad) so have a bbq if you can while you have the chance. Remember to tell the ones you love that you DO while you have the chance. Things change and you may not have another chance. ***Hugs***
The Princess dropped Chewlee off for a couple hours late this afternoon and I had just laid down to take a bit of a nap. But I stayed up while she played a game of Clue on Pogo. I didn't help her at all and she finished all seven sections of the hidden object game (the last one is actually a 15 point *find the difference* picture...and that one is murder!) in less than 20 minutes. I usually take around 25 or 30, which is still not bad but she is really good at hidden object games. We also watched some of the new cartoons that are now on Nick Jr. I hadn't seen some of them before and they were kind of funny. Chewlee and I laughed at the same places, I noticed.
Chewlee asked me if I had been laying down all day and I told her I hadn't but that I had gotten a bit of a stomach ache after I ate. I didn't DARE get up because I knew I would pass gas and she would never let me hear the end of it! And there was no Baron in the room to blame it on, either...LOL. The Beast's new printer got here, of course, so he was anxious to try it out before he covered it and used up the inks in the old printer. He made me up three small pictures of Gunner that I had wanted and then he made me up a 16X20 picture for my wall. Now all I need is a frame for that one. Chewlee saw the picture of Gunner that the Beast made up for me and she said that she wanted one of him like mine for her wall in her bedroom when they moved into the new house. So the Beast made one for her even though I told him afterward that he should have waited until they got into the house because, unless the Princess frames it up right away, it will probably just get messed up in the move. He just shrugged and said he could always make up another one later on.
When Chewlee left, I could hardly wait to get in the bathroom and *let loose*. Wow...did that feel good! I will not wait that long if it happens again. It was a true *what a relief that is* moment. But at least Chewlee wasn't there to tell me how bad it stunk up the place. She can be very graphic about that kind of thing.
Another hot day tomorrow but I plan on going out early to grab up a couple of tomatoes that are ripe and check my green pepper plant. I want to make us up a nice salad for when the Beast gets home from church (and maybe some hot wings). The cabbage soup is being drained and tossed out since it doesn't freeze well at all. I tried freezing a bit of it just to check and see if I remembered it well. I did. The cabbage gets too mushy.
Love you all and I hope you have a truly great Sunday. Fall weather will be on us sooner than we think (and that makes me a bit sad) so have a bbq if you can while you have the chance. Remember to tell the ones you love that you DO while you have the chance. Things change and you may not have another chance. ***Hugs***
Friday, August 14, 2015
Kids Here Are Back In School......
I don't know about these kids being so excited to be back in school. I both loved it and hated it. I got to see almost all the kids I went to school with all summer long since I went to one of the city neighborhood schools. What I did love was learning new things and not having to do so much housework while school was in during the week. Weekends were a different story but that's not what this is about.
Chewlee and Chance were both excited about being back in school. Chewlee may not have been quite as excited since she started a new school so it means making new friends. But Chance will be getting to see friends from school last year and some new ones, too. They both love learning new things also so it will be good for them. I haven't heard how their first and second days of school was for them and am anxious to hear all about that.
I notified *the girls* (we are all old broads now...lol) that I would be there in October for our luncheon get-together. Two of the girls already emailed me that they would be there too and that they were so glad I would be there. Health problems (mostly surgeries) kept me from the last three so I am truly happy to make it this time. There was one back in late June but I didn't make that one because of my emergency surgery that started out as my appendix but ended up having a section of dead colon removed, too. I had to have a colonoscopy and both my surgeons would not clear me to fly up for that one.
Sister Cee has to have a colonoscopy (I don't know if she's got that one scheduled yet or not) but I offered to be the one to drive her there and bring her home. I know she dreads it even though the worst part of it is drinking that crap they make you drink to clean you out. That's miserable but the actual colonoscopy is a snap. I have to check with her to see if she's made that appointment yet.
The Beast and I talked about replacing his printer....the one he uses to make up photographs, which is a specialty printer. The one he has is getting old and he's got two weddings he will be photographing coming up (for his church). The specialty inks for that (and the papers) are quite expensive and we noticed that it seems to be taking longer for them to print out now. The worst thing for him would be to lose that printer while he was doing up pictures for those weddings. He found a better model printer on Amazon and a much, much lower price than he had to pay for his 12 years ago. But it seems everything in that category has come down in price and even the inks are cheaper now. So, I encouraged him to go ahead and get a new printer while they were on sale (and have a big rebate, too). He then went out and bought a stand for it (the printer comes tomorrow via UPS) that also neatly holds all the various papers plus his disks he puts all the pictures on and the holders for them. That whole area looks much neater now and will be easier for him to use, too.
I told him I want him to make up a couple pictures for me to send to my family. He says he will but he was puzzled why I wanted the ones I do. I told him I had heard the complaints about him and his pictures that no one sees unless they come to our house. No one can print out the pictures I have sent via email...not ones good for framing. Most of the ones I want printed up I will just bring with me when I go to Chicago in October. I only have to mail out one, actually. That's the one for Bratfink since I won't get to see her. I have a lot of *my* family here now. Seems strange to me still....LOL.
I woke up a bit ago and decided I had better do this post before I head back to bed. I'm tired and I was up helping the Beast quite a bit to get his area fixed up for the new printer. He'll be futzing with that for a couple hours tomorrow once it gets here. It means I will be making dinner for us because he will be too excited to think about eating. He's like that when he gets a new *toy*. Since we will be gone about a week, I have to think about getting a couple new outfits and I have to check and see what sweaters I still have that fit me. It will definitely be cool while we are up there. Knowing the Beast, with the leaves turning colors, he will probably be heading for the forests to take some *significant images*. It's a gruesome trip up there and back (Chicago area) and will take us 12 hours so we are leaving out of here VERY early in the morning. We want to be able to get my rental car and not have to drive in the dark. We will be dealing with shorter days and the time change, too. It will NOT be fun mostly because the Beast doesn't like to share driving.
Oh well. Love you all. Is it just me or has summer just zipped by? I don't feel I have done much in the way of *summer* things this year. Guess I haven't. And I so wanted to try S'more's at least once this summer. Can you believe I have never had one? How did that happen? LOL! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If your household scissors are getting dull, sharpen them back up by cutting through several layers of aluminum foil at one time. It's that easy!
HINT#2: It's hard to get bits of lint and hair out of Velcro....unless you have some duct tape. Firmly press it into each side of the Velcro several times to easily clean it.
Chewlee and Chance were both excited about being back in school. Chewlee may not have been quite as excited since she started a new school so it means making new friends. But Chance will be getting to see friends from school last year and some new ones, too. They both love learning new things also so it will be good for them. I haven't heard how their first and second days of school was for them and am anxious to hear all about that.
I notified *the girls* (we are all old broads now...lol) that I would be there in October for our luncheon get-together. Two of the girls already emailed me that they would be there too and that they were so glad I would be there. Health problems (mostly surgeries) kept me from the last three so I am truly happy to make it this time. There was one back in late June but I didn't make that one because of my emergency surgery that started out as my appendix but ended up having a section of dead colon removed, too. I had to have a colonoscopy and both my surgeons would not clear me to fly up for that one.
Sister Cee has to have a colonoscopy (I don't know if she's got that one scheduled yet or not) but I offered to be the one to drive her there and bring her home. I know she dreads it even though the worst part of it is drinking that crap they make you drink to clean you out. That's miserable but the actual colonoscopy is a snap. I have to check with her to see if she's made that appointment yet.
The Beast and I talked about replacing his printer....the one he uses to make up photographs, which is a specialty printer. The one he has is getting old and he's got two weddings he will be photographing coming up (for his church). The specialty inks for that (and the papers) are quite expensive and we noticed that it seems to be taking longer for them to print out now. The worst thing for him would be to lose that printer while he was doing up pictures for those weddings. He found a better model printer on Amazon and a much, much lower price than he had to pay for his 12 years ago. But it seems everything in that category has come down in price and even the inks are cheaper now. So, I encouraged him to go ahead and get a new printer while they were on sale (and have a big rebate, too). He then went out and bought a stand for it (the printer comes tomorrow via UPS) that also neatly holds all the various papers plus his disks he puts all the pictures on and the holders for them. That whole area looks much neater now and will be easier for him to use, too.
I told him I want him to make up a couple pictures for me to send to my family. He says he will but he was puzzled why I wanted the ones I do. I told him I had heard the complaints about him and his pictures that no one sees unless they come to our house. No one can print out the pictures I have sent via email...not ones good for framing. Most of the ones I want printed up I will just bring with me when I go to Chicago in October. I only have to mail out one, actually. That's the one for Bratfink since I won't get to see her. I have a lot of *my* family here now. Seems strange to me still....LOL.
I woke up a bit ago and decided I had better do this post before I head back to bed. I'm tired and I was up helping the Beast quite a bit to get his area fixed up for the new printer. He'll be futzing with that for a couple hours tomorrow once it gets here. It means I will be making dinner for us because he will be too excited to think about eating. He's like that when he gets a new *toy*. Since we will be gone about a week, I have to think about getting a couple new outfits and I have to check and see what sweaters I still have that fit me. It will definitely be cool while we are up there. Knowing the Beast, with the leaves turning colors, he will probably be heading for the forests to take some *significant images*. It's a gruesome trip up there and back (Chicago area) and will take us 12 hours so we are leaving out of here VERY early in the morning. We want to be able to get my rental car and not have to drive in the dark. We will be dealing with shorter days and the time change, too. It will NOT be fun mostly because the Beast doesn't like to share driving.
Oh well. Love you all. Is it just me or has summer just zipped by? I don't feel I have done much in the way of *summer* things this year. Guess I haven't. And I so wanted to try S'more's at least once this summer. Can you believe I have never had one? How did that happen? LOL! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If your household scissors are getting dull, sharpen them back up by cutting through several layers of aluminum foil at one time. It's that easy!
HINT#2: It's hard to get bits of lint and hair out of Velcro....unless you have some duct tape. Firmly press it into each side of the Velcro several times to easily clean it.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Coffee, Coffee....And More Coffee
I mentioned the other day that the Beast had bought some Guatemalan coffee from Amazon that we hadn't tried yet (but we now have). I was pretty sure that he ordered it because it was cheaper than either of the other two that he had ordered prior to that (which, in truth, were not bad). Turns out that was part of the picture. The other was that he thought we should kind of move up the ladder of various different coffee brands to see if there was anything that we might like as well as we did the Kauai coffee that my BFF, Carol, got us *hooked* on.
I laughed and told him that what might happen was that we would forget just how good the Kauai coffee was but I doubt we would find one that had just the blend that we liked about it. That's when he surprised me and pulled out a big container of the Kauai coffee beans (a vacuum container) and said, *That's why I saved this for us so, if we think we might have found one, we can make some of the *good* stuff and compare it.*
We made a pot of the Guatemalan coffee today and I have to say it was okay but nothing to write home about. It was supposed to be a dark roast but was actually NOT as far as my taste buds could say. I usually like a dark roast since it has flavor (that's when you are using the stuff sold in cans that you buy at the stores). This was on the weak side as far as taste goes so I told the Beast to put another scoop of coffee in it when he makes it next time (I'll remember to do that if I make the next pot). So then the UPS guy shows up here with a box from Amazon addressed to ME. The Beast brought it in to me and made a joke about me constantly ordering things and here was ANOTHER box for me. Since I almost never buy anything, I just shot him *the look* and proceeded to open it. The Beast asked me what it was and when I told him I had no idea since I hadn't ordered anything, he stayed to see what it was. Well, it was a bag of Kauai coffee but with no packing slip inside but I KNEW where it had come from. I handed it to the Beast and he laughed and said we would surely have enough now to go a long way into testing other varieties for a while.
I sat down and sent my BFF, Carol, a thank you email and told her she shouldn't be doing this since I knew she had to be financially helping out her son during the slow months for the flower shop. You help your kids out first of all (you sure don't want them moving back home with you, do you? LOL!) I didn't say that in my email because I know that wasn't on her mind...but it DOES occur to every parent, I know. I love her to death but I hate for her to keep on sending me these things because I worry about her and her hubby hurting financially when I know she is helping out her sons when they need a help.
Since her son lives in San Francisco, where everything is truly expensive, that could be a BIG financial strain on anyone. If the shop has NO sales in a week's time, for instance, then there's also the issue of all the flowers and greens that have to be replaced. That could be an awful burden. Plus she just sent me a nice check for my belated birthday present that helped me buy a few new clothes that I needed. I appreciated that beyond even being able to put into words. I know that the son that lives in Hawaii doesn't need any help right now because he finally had all the condos rented out so that strain was gone. But the flower shop is a horse of a different color entirely.
I kid her about getting us *hooked* on Kauai coffee and she calls herself our *dealer*. I do truly love the coffee but that's one item she doesn't have to keep buying for us. If and when the Beast decides that it is our true coffee of choice, he will break down and buy it for us (at least, I sure hope so). It's just that he has never really tried a lot of different coffees...and I don't mean Hills Bros., Maxwell House, etc. He's tried enough of those, for sure. But the Kauai coffee was his first venture into a truly different type of coffee. He said he knows when I am not happy with the coffee that is being made because I start drinking my cinnamon tea. I really hadn't noticed doing that because I just would get a taste for the cinnamon tea so wouldn't drink any more coffee. I would just stick with the tea until bedtime. He may be right about that. I just never made the same connection. I do know that today I had only three cups of coffee and not my usual 8-10 cups. He may just have to start noticing when I do that, too!
I had a bit of a stomach ache today but knew that was because I didn't have anything to eat until this afternoon when my stomach finally told me it was empty and was yelling, *Feed me! Feed me!* I was busy working on some crocheting I was trying out (a new pattern) and didn't notice the time. When I finally ate, the tummy ache wasn't any better but I think I OVER-ate then. No happy medium for me. Duh!
It's cooling down at night now with the cool front that's kind of stalled over the Ohio valley area. So now I am wearing warmer jammies to bed so I can sleep with my lighter cover and not end up curled into a ball to keep warm. I know...I am weird but that's me! It's at least part of me...lol.
Tomorrow our high is supposed to be around 90 and each day after a bit hotter. But, each night is supposed to be getting cooler. Very strange weather for us indeed. I sure hope that we don't get an early fall this year. I feel like we've barely had any summer. An early fall would mean an early winter. I do NOT want that to happen. I just HATE the cold.
Love you all. I'm going to head for bed now. I hope you all have a great Friday. TGIF and all that. Drive carefully. If you see someone without a smile, be sure to give them one of yours. It will add a lift to your day and theirs, too! ***Hugs***
I laughed and told him that what might happen was that we would forget just how good the Kauai coffee was but I doubt we would find one that had just the blend that we liked about it. That's when he surprised me and pulled out a big container of the Kauai coffee beans (a vacuum container) and said, *That's why I saved this for us so, if we think we might have found one, we can make some of the *good* stuff and compare it.*
We made a pot of the Guatemalan coffee today and I have to say it was okay but nothing to write home about. It was supposed to be a dark roast but was actually NOT as far as my taste buds could say. I usually like a dark roast since it has flavor (that's when you are using the stuff sold in cans that you buy at the stores). This was on the weak side as far as taste goes so I told the Beast to put another scoop of coffee in it when he makes it next time (I'll remember to do that if I make the next pot). So then the UPS guy shows up here with a box from Amazon addressed to ME. The Beast brought it in to me and made a joke about me constantly ordering things and here was ANOTHER box for me. Since I almost never buy anything, I just shot him *the look* and proceeded to open it. The Beast asked me what it was and when I told him I had no idea since I hadn't ordered anything, he stayed to see what it was. Well, it was a bag of Kauai coffee but with no packing slip inside but I KNEW where it had come from. I handed it to the Beast and he laughed and said we would surely have enough now to go a long way into testing other varieties for a while.
I sat down and sent my BFF, Carol, a thank you email and told her she shouldn't be doing this since I knew she had to be financially helping out her son during the slow months for the flower shop. You help your kids out first of all (you sure don't want them moving back home with you, do you? LOL!) I didn't say that in my email because I know that wasn't on her mind...but it DOES occur to every parent, I know. I love her to death but I hate for her to keep on sending me these things because I worry about her and her hubby hurting financially when I know she is helping out her sons when they need a help.
Since her son lives in San Francisco, where everything is truly expensive, that could be a BIG financial strain on anyone. If the shop has NO sales in a week's time, for instance, then there's also the issue of all the flowers and greens that have to be replaced. That could be an awful burden. Plus she just sent me a nice check for my belated birthday present that helped me buy a few new clothes that I needed. I appreciated that beyond even being able to put into words. I know that the son that lives in Hawaii doesn't need any help right now because he finally had all the condos rented out so that strain was gone. But the flower shop is a horse of a different color entirely.
I kid her about getting us *hooked* on Kauai coffee and she calls herself our *dealer*. I do truly love the coffee but that's one item she doesn't have to keep buying for us. If and when the Beast decides that it is our true coffee of choice, he will break down and buy it for us (at least, I sure hope so). It's just that he has never really tried a lot of different coffees...and I don't mean Hills Bros., Maxwell House, etc. He's tried enough of those, for sure. But the Kauai coffee was his first venture into a truly different type of coffee. He said he knows when I am not happy with the coffee that is being made because I start drinking my cinnamon tea. I really hadn't noticed doing that because I just would get a taste for the cinnamon tea so wouldn't drink any more coffee. I would just stick with the tea until bedtime. He may be right about that. I just never made the same connection. I do know that today I had only three cups of coffee and not my usual 8-10 cups. He may just have to start noticing when I do that, too!
I had a bit of a stomach ache today but knew that was because I didn't have anything to eat until this afternoon when my stomach finally told me it was empty and was yelling, *Feed me! Feed me!* I was busy working on some crocheting I was trying out (a new pattern) and didn't notice the time. When I finally ate, the tummy ache wasn't any better but I think I OVER-ate then. No happy medium for me. Duh!
It's cooling down at night now with the cool front that's kind of stalled over the Ohio valley area. So now I am wearing warmer jammies to bed so I can sleep with my lighter cover and not end up curled into a ball to keep warm. I know...I am weird but that's me! It's at least part of me...lol.
Tomorrow our high is supposed to be around 90 and each day after a bit hotter. But, each night is supposed to be getting cooler. Very strange weather for us indeed. I sure hope that we don't get an early fall this year. I feel like we've barely had any summer. An early fall would mean an early winter. I do NOT want that to happen. I just HATE the cold.
Love you all. I'm going to head for bed now. I hope you all have a great Friday. TGIF and all that. Drive carefully. If you see someone without a smile, be sure to give them one of yours. It will add a lift to your day and theirs, too! ***Hugs***
Making Plans.....
Today I told the Beast that I wanted to go to Chicago for the reunion with the girls that I hung out with during HS (and for a while after we graduated). One of the girls has been my closest friend for all these many years. I've been through the four times she was widowed (the last time she was just forty) and her current marriage which has lasted longest of all the others combined. She had married older men. Two were murdered, one died of natural causes and the fourth, the one she truly loved, had a heart attack. It was so sad. But, when she married her current husband, he was much closer in age to her and they have been a happy match.
Christina is the type of friend that you can go without talking to or even seeing but, when you meet up again, it's as if we were just together last week. She has the funniest laugh and I love it. I just wish her current hubby, we'll call him Denny, was healthier. He has gained a LOT of weight over the years and he is an uncontrolled diabetic (Type 1). He also now has a problem with atrial fibrulation (but does not have a bad heart valve). It just seems he gets worse and worse. Even with a LOT of insulin, his blood sugar reading is seldom below 500 and that is horrible! It is slowly killing him so Christina will probably be widowed again. She is now 70 years old but, if you met her, you wouldn't believe it. She not only looks good but she is also very vibrant and active. She never had any children so she is the *neat* auntie to her nieces and nephews.
She came from a truly poor family and is one of eight children. She lost one of her sisters a couple years ago to cancer and she is the one that spent the last couple of weeks with her sister before she died. It was truly sad. One day I must tell you her history. It's extremely interesting. She has been married to a doctor, a mobster, a movie extra, a pie king (his family is one that is well-known in the midwest and is the husband she loved the most, I believe) and her current husband, Denny, was a car salesman (top seller at all the different dealers he worked for) and....get this...he's extremely dyslexic and can't read). She actually filled out all his forms for him when he had a sale. But they made a good living from it and she sold most of her jewelry from her husbands and they bought a house that they've owned now for over 30 years. It still looks like new, inside and out.
Anyway, the Beast wants to drive up to Chicago and then rent a car for me so I can get around without asking someone to pick me up or bring me back to where I am staying. I have to call my former sister-in-law to find out if I can stay with her again. I love her to death and we girls (my sisters and I) decided after the divorce that she would remain part of our family and we would disown our brother if we had to. She is the sister of our hearts. We also encouraged her to date the man she is now married to. We love him a lot and he's been wonderful to her and the kids. They have also done a LOT of traveling in other countries. Life is good for them. My brother was a real jerk.
The Beast wants to go to visit his sister and brother that live up there. His brother has MS that manifested itself when he was in his early 20's and married just a few years. His wife, thankfully, has a wonderful (and high paying) job. Since his brother is mostly confined to a wheelchair (he has good times and bad) and shakes a lot at times, he hasn't been able to work since shortly after the MS showed up in him. I gather the kind he has is genetic and there are others in the family that have had it. The really sad thing is that he is a very talented artist. I am amazed at some of the things he has built (models of old sailing ships he made by hand) and the paintings and drawings he's also done. It's incredible because of the way he shakes but....when he concentrates, that seems to disappear like magic. From what I've read, that seems to be something that is not unusual for MS victims.
His sister is the one that lost her husband to cancer. Not unexpected because it's something that's rampant in his father's family. His father and a couple uncles died from various forms. The family was even studied by some university because they felt it was genetic. Her husband was only in his late 40's. The Beast and his sister are 19 years apart in age. She recently sold her home in Bolingbrook (5 bedrooms and she never had any kids!) and bought a condo in a town called Downers Grove. It's where she grew up so she was happy to be back in a familiar place although Bolingbrook isn't far away.
If I stay with my sister-in-law, she lives further south in a really nice area. She has a house with a heated pool, two stories and I just love it. She deserved something really nice and a husband that adores her.
I can hardly wait until tomorrow to call my gf's and let them know I will be coming. I already have the notice that Jamie sent out to all of us and know where we will be meeting. I can hardly wait now! We all get a bit wild and crazy when we get together and the years just fall away! I haven't seen any of the girls for three years now. It will be wonderful to see them all. We normally meet up in late June (and they did but I had just had my surgery and the doctors wouldn't clear me to fly). But they decided that, since we are all getting to be old broads now, we should meet together more often. We've already lost a few of the girls that were part of our crowd. We are down to almost the core group of us that have been meeting yearly since our 25th reunion....and that was over 25 years ago!
Time to close this for now and get some sleep. I love you all dearly and hope to see my siblings while I am in Chicago and maybe even a cousin or two. Be good. Be kind. Remember that everyone has their own kind of troubles that they are bearing so kindness goes a long way and costs you nothing! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If you find sitting at your desk is causing lower back pain, try slightly elevating your feet. An old phone book is perfect for the job. (Unless it's one of the small ones that many areas have...like our area. *Sigh*) But a nice thick book works, too. I sometimes use a nice firm pillow.
HINT#2: Making turmeric....a Southeast Asia relative to the ginger root...part of your diet can pay off in many different ways. It reduces cholesterol, and lab tests have indicated that it may also inhibit tumors. It's also a natural antibacterial agent and helps detoxify the liver. You can mix the powder into drinks or baked goods, or even sprinkle it on ice cream!
Christina is the type of friend that you can go without talking to or even seeing but, when you meet up again, it's as if we were just together last week. She has the funniest laugh and I love it. I just wish her current hubby, we'll call him Denny, was healthier. He has gained a LOT of weight over the years and he is an uncontrolled diabetic (Type 1). He also now has a problem with atrial fibrulation (but does not have a bad heart valve). It just seems he gets worse and worse. Even with a LOT of insulin, his blood sugar reading is seldom below 500 and that is horrible! It is slowly killing him so Christina will probably be widowed again. She is now 70 years old but, if you met her, you wouldn't believe it. She not only looks good but she is also very vibrant and active. She never had any children so she is the *neat* auntie to her nieces and nephews.
She came from a truly poor family and is one of eight children. She lost one of her sisters a couple years ago to cancer and she is the one that spent the last couple of weeks with her sister before she died. It was truly sad. One day I must tell you her history. It's extremely interesting. She has been married to a doctor, a mobster, a movie extra, a pie king (his family is one that is well-known in the midwest and is the husband she loved the most, I believe) and her current husband, Denny, was a car salesman (top seller at all the different dealers he worked for) and....get this...he's extremely dyslexic and can't read). She actually filled out all his forms for him when he had a sale. But they made a good living from it and she sold most of her jewelry from her husbands and they bought a house that they've owned now for over 30 years. It still looks like new, inside and out.
Anyway, the Beast wants to drive up to Chicago and then rent a car for me so I can get around without asking someone to pick me up or bring me back to where I am staying. I have to call my former sister-in-law to find out if I can stay with her again. I love her to death and we girls (my sisters and I) decided after the divorce that she would remain part of our family and we would disown our brother if we had to. She is the sister of our hearts. We also encouraged her to date the man she is now married to. We love him a lot and he's been wonderful to her and the kids. They have also done a LOT of traveling in other countries. Life is good for them. My brother was a real jerk.
The Beast wants to go to visit his sister and brother that live up there. His brother has MS that manifested itself when he was in his early 20's and married just a few years. His wife, thankfully, has a wonderful (and high paying) job. Since his brother is mostly confined to a wheelchair (he has good times and bad) and shakes a lot at times, he hasn't been able to work since shortly after the MS showed up in him. I gather the kind he has is genetic and there are others in the family that have had it. The really sad thing is that he is a very talented artist. I am amazed at some of the things he has built (models of old sailing ships he made by hand) and the paintings and drawings he's also done. It's incredible because of the way he shakes but....when he concentrates, that seems to disappear like magic. From what I've read, that seems to be something that is not unusual for MS victims.
His sister is the one that lost her husband to cancer. Not unexpected because it's something that's rampant in his father's family. His father and a couple uncles died from various forms. The family was even studied by some university because they felt it was genetic. Her husband was only in his late 40's. The Beast and his sister are 19 years apart in age. She recently sold her home in Bolingbrook (5 bedrooms and she never had any kids!) and bought a condo in a town called Downers Grove. It's where she grew up so she was happy to be back in a familiar place although Bolingbrook isn't far away.
If I stay with my sister-in-law, she lives further south in a really nice area. She has a house with a heated pool, two stories and I just love it. She deserved something really nice and a husband that adores her.
I can hardly wait until tomorrow to call my gf's and let them know I will be coming. I already have the notice that Jamie sent out to all of us and know where we will be meeting. I can hardly wait now! We all get a bit wild and crazy when we get together and the years just fall away! I haven't seen any of the girls for three years now. It will be wonderful to see them all. We normally meet up in late June (and they did but I had just had my surgery and the doctors wouldn't clear me to fly). But they decided that, since we are all getting to be old broads now, we should meet together more often. We've already lost a few of the girls that were part of our crowd. We are down to almost the core group of us that have been meeting yearly since our 25th reunion....and that was over 25 years ago!
Time to close this for now and get some sleep. I love you all dearly and hope to see my siblings while I am in Chicago and maybe even a cousin or two. Be good. Be kind. Remember that everyone has their own kind of troubles that they are bearing so kindness goes a long way and costs you nothing! ***Hugs***
HINT#1: If you find sitting at your desk is causing lower back pain, try slightly elevating your feet. An old phone book is perfect for the job. (Unless it's one of the small ones that many areas have...like our area. *Sigh*) But a nice thick book works, too. I sometimes use a nice firm pillow.
HINT#2: Making turmeric....a Southeast Asia relative to the ginger root...part of your diet can pay off in many different ways. It reduces cholesterol, and lab tests have indicated that it may also inhibit tumors. It's also a natural antibacterial agent and helps detoxify the liver. You can mix the powder into drinks or baked goods, or even sprinkle it on ice cream!
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