Senior Golden Sneakers
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Isn’t it a collision of circumstance that brings highly charged dramatic events and holidays together? I have many family events that have been punctuated by holidays and trauma. In addition to counting one’s blessings, a bit of caution and reserve might be wise. These things never come easy for me. I tend to want to go full- on! My heart goes out to Buzz and her friend. To a degree we all suffer with our friends. My brothers girlfriend, fiancé was killed on Easter Sunday years ago. He never really got over it. My best childhood friend was killed in horse riding accident on Christmas Day. No real coincidence but it feels like it was.
Anne: my Irish grandmother used to say treacle was what we called molasses. Maybe not really but she was good at making do...she wasn’t a great cook. She sang a lot while cooking and made a lot of what ever she was cooking. We ate it and sang along with her.
Jackie: I would be frustrated as well with sweet little Betty. But that little girl has had a very confusing life. She is doing the best she can. She is so appealing, she is scary cute! I know you are patient and loving. Something should kick in soon. Until then, a huge plastic sheet under the pee pee pads? Sort of a drop cloth like painters use?
Sandy: the grandsons are at the wonderful age of really enjoying Christmas. Charley isn’t quiet there yet, I guess. I know you are having a great time with them. Take lots of photos to share with us.
Very little baking for us fatties here. I will do something for Christmas Day. Pecan pie and cranberry bread to serve with Christmas Day brunch. John will get a fruit cake that he will slowly eat all by himself during holidays.
On we go. Santa’s on his way.
Patsy
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PATSYs got a point JACKIE. You can buy over here big square fabric pee sheets with plastic backing that are washable. During Jilly's training I would put one under the paper peepads so that any accidental over the edge drips were caught. I'm sure you will have them in the UK because the UK is usually ahead of Canada in ideas.
I did consider using molasses Patsy but decided not to risk error and went for the lighter fruit cake recipe instead. It looks good. Will pick up Brandy on Friday for pre soaking and crushed almonds for the marzipan.
The MMs arrived home last evening to much text moaning about the freezing weather and threats about becoming snowbirds when they retire. Watch out BUZZ! I've still got the plants. Maybe Sunday pick up when the weather warms up again.
Mikes friend is getting wed on a Caribbean island next year. He's booked seats for thirty guests on the plane plus hotel booking. Mikes got two weeks to decide if he can afford this trip. He can't really with his huge alimony payments but he's tempted because Rob is his best mate. Mike would just be a guest, Robs brother is best man.
Hi LIN and SANDY and JERI,
Anne - who's going nowhere. (Well Roy asked me yet again on Sundays phone call to hop on a plane and return, but he's only looking for a housekeeper. "I'm all alone" he plaintively said despite a stepson and daughter in law in the next street. I haven't seen him for 10 years and I think he has no imagination thinking me still young and fair.....if I EVER was!)0 -
Last night wind and rain woke me several times and of course in the middle of the night the imagination takes over so I wonder if perhaps the roof is blowing away or the garden room filling with water. Of course neither happened but my poor garage doors, as old as time, were forced open by a gust and must have then crashed open and shut until one began to disintegrate but thankfully a kind neighbour pushed a heavy rock in front to keep them from opening again. SO, just as I was thinking once the tiles are laid in the garden room there's nothing more needing my attention or money I now have to look for options to replace those solid wooden doors which have probably swung on their hinges for over 40 years with something modern and lightweight.
Waiting until after 10 this morning to walk was worthwhile because the sun finally came out at least long enough for us to enjoy a trek on the moors with George splashing through puddles big enough to be labelled lakes and Betty looking like she's beginning to enjoy herself and even did the necessary toilet.... hooray at least for today! Of course you are right Patsy, this little girl has been through so much but is adjusting well to home life apart from this little hiccup. She has me laughing at her puppy behaviour that she must have missed out on before like just this second when my mouse began to drift off the edge of my desk because she had tried to chew its cable. Everything similar has to be put out of her reach but I adore her for trying! My bran muffin recipe from Canada calls for Molasses and these days I can only find it in a health food shop in the UK so if it's not in my cupboard I add honey but it's not the same.
Anne, nothing wrong with such wonderful memories which I sometimes think keep us going as we get older... great times and friends never to be forgotten. I wonder if you could find your friend Sylvia on an internet search or maybe Mike or Mark could help. Type her last known name into a google search and see if she pops up, perhaps in a census. Just a thought. There's something very comforting about baking I find and understand completely why you would enjoy it so much.... as well as the eating of!!
Buzz, that's so sad for your friend even without the coincidences of dates. What can you say? A few years ago I knew someone whose severely disabled daughter passed away in her 60s. He had spent most of her life as her carer, an all consuming commitment that he wouldn't have had any other way. Those of us around him thought it perhaps a happy release for both of them but of course the inevitable happened and without anything to live for, or so he thought, he died within a couple of months of her passing. I suppose what I'm saying is her disability was not an issue for him, he just loved her to bits whatever.
Sandy, of course you will work things out with Babe. Look what you've achieved thus far in spite of his son's interference and influence. As you say.... one day at a time! Are you out spending your bingo winnings today?
Lin, so how did your fans and hands day go? It's something that fascinates me so I always love to hear how you are getting on. Who knows, perhaps when my hips are brand new and my back recovering (hopefully) I'll be able to try such movements to increase my agility which has certainly deteriorated in the past year.
That's now reminded me to get some stretches in before I make myself a sandwich for lunch and perhaps watch a lunchtime political chat show. Our heads are spinning in the UK over this whole leaving the EU debacle (a polite word for it!!) but I continue to do my best to understand arguments on both sides however confusing.
The rain has returned so another afternoon indoors tidying or maybe google searching replacement garage doors!
Jackie0 -
JACKIE did you read my just above you comment on the cloth pee pad squares! They worked a treat for Jilly, I've tried ever so hard to find Sylvia but to no avail. No sign of them in the Derby area so they could have moved anywhere. She's the same age as myself so who knows. Her eldest daughter I was told became a GP but the only one of the same name lives in London and of course she could easily have married and changed her name. Every so often I try to find Sylvia because as with all my old friends I was and am awfully fond of her.
Anne.0 -
Anne, missed your post as we were both typing the same time. I will look for those washable pads thanks, sounds a great idea but don't think I can live with the whole carpet bring covered. Poor George still picks his way across it as if it's a minefield!
About 20 years ago I managed to find a school friend I lost touch with when I moved to Canada via the Friends Reunited website that had every UK school listed. I asked if anyone knew where she was and my message reached her living in France with a French toy boy lucky girl!!
Jackie0 -
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Thanks for the link.
Here's the cloth pee pad Jilly once used. I bought three large size at the time to cover quite a bit. She only used one at a time whilst the other two got rinsed out. I believe they are good for 40 washes, whatever all three survived. Anne.
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Good morning, sorry I missed posting yesterday. Tai Chi and Qigong were wonderful but the afternoon class went long, which is fine, but I was kind of tired at that point and needed to do some things when I got home. Listened to a webinar on the implications of the tax law and then fell asleep. So class was over five hours in total. Today it is library ladies, a stop at the store and then home for laundry, bill paying and the like. Our Tai Chi instructor is at a conference for the remainder of the week so no lesson today and tomorrow we will have Sifu’s DVD and perhaps some student led activities. Does not usually last two hours so kind of good as I just heard from a friend, who I see a couple of times a year, and we are meeting for coffee at the book store. She is so busy, we usually just text once in a while.
Now, my rambling is over.
Anne, I love your stories and do wish you could find your friend. Your friendships sound so wonderful. Keep looking! You are baking such interesting things. My most exotic Christmas baking was a fruit cake that was pretty much all dried fruit and loads of expensive mixed nuts. I loved it. A number of family members wouldn’t try it because it was fruitcake and they seemed to detest it on sight. My Grandma used a lot of molasses, both dark and light. I think the brand we had was Briar Rabbit?
Jackie, oh darn, replacement garage doors. That sounds like quite a project. We of course have light weight doors and use garage door openers. We had a detached garage on a farm we lived on, once upon a time, and the doors swung open and closed. They were kind of flimsy and they were propped open with concrete blocks most of the time. Good for Betty settling in and having a long delayed puppyhood. I have no experience with doggie pee pads. I hope they are not needed long term. Hi George, don’t want to ignore you!
Buzz, I am so sorry for your friend. My very dear friend was taken my ambulance to the hospital on Christmas morning. The day has really never been the same for the family. And not for his close friends. How are you doing now dear one?
Sandy, hello to you too! Not that long until you travel again but at least you are going in the right direction once again. Good job. You know on Facebook when I mentioned I checked my logins and one seemed suspicious? It was on Thanksgiving and was Schaumburg (sp?) IL. And I did not login on any of my devices that day. So glad I changed my password. Hummmmm.
Patsy, pecan pie sounds wonderful. That was always my favorite pie to bake. I took one to the Thanksgiving feast (but not homemade) and no one wanted even a sliver. A case of over abundance I think. People took some home for another day.
Well, must move along now. Hugs and happiness all around.
Lin
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Happy Thursday!
Won a little money at bingo which is good for my son's birthday tomorrow. We actual are celebrating Saturday at their house with pizza and angel food cake.
(I wonder why I can't lose weight) My youngest child's birthday is today, he is 46, where Rob will be 47. Yes a year apart almost to the day. I had all four of my children by C Section and asked the doctor to have my youngest on his brother's birthday but it was Thanksgiving that year and he declined. Hard to believe how old my children are, where does the time go?
I have my meeting today and maybe a stop at Walmart but nothing more.
Lin, I not sure what that meant with your login but I am glad you changed your password. All seems okay on my end so I don't think I was hacked. To be safe I will change my password as well.
Anne, that is some big pee pad, even Daisy might fit on that one. I watch a show called The Little Couple and he and his brother invented a pee pad that when opened has a fire hydrant on it for boy dogs. Not sure if it is for sale yet but they will probably make a fortune.
Jackie, first I tried to sign up on that site with Chrome but couldn't get on so I switched to Edge and got as far as getting a password but then again couldn't get on. I am now back on Chrome and this time I was able to get on. (almost lost my post in trying) Interesting, I have couple of old friends I would like to try and find. Thanks for the link.
I better eat and get moving, have a great day.
Sandy
One Day at a Time0 -
I got into that site JACKIE but had no luck. Maybe at our age, Sylvia and Norman are no more sadly.
Anne.0 -
Anne, it's very much pot luck I'm sure and unless your Sylvia has gone on to the site in the hopes of finding you or anyone else you won't link up there. I saw a video on you tube not too long ago where a girl had always wondered about her parentage because she looked so different to her siblings and sent her DNA to a company only to find her real father had his DNA with them too. They said if they had chosen different companies they wouldn't have found each other. Turned out he was her mother's first love and never knew she existed and certainly look very happy in each others company now.
I see those pads are sold on Amazon but will check tomorrow in case our pet superstore sells them. A great idea to get a much larger size, thanks.
Sipping a cuppa and searching google for replacement garage doors!
Jackie0 -
Thursday is as always, good to be with you all! Cloudy but without rain. Drops could be falling at any moment.
Katie is bored with all this rain so she is acting out. Stealing socks from my laudndry basket. Chewing on my house plants...she eats the leaves on my jade tree, barking endlessly at nothing, wanting to play ball and have me play with her and her various stuffed animals. I must give up any thought of chores or tasks other than playing with Katie. She is a full time job.
Finished watching The Christmas Carol last night. Next I will watch a cute little movie called “Prancer.” It is live action and very well done with a live reindeer. When we lived in Alaska, a special trip to the Arctic area, we saw reindeer herds and a couple grizzly bear. BIG GRIZZLY BEAR! One of life’s peak moments.
I have spent hours trying to find old friends on the internet. Unsuccessful and upsetting, really. I will have to just honor that friendship in memories.
Note to Jackie...we had a garage door with an opener but as you know it is rainy here. The wood swelled and got very heavy. It burned out the opener and swelled shut. Very annoying and troublesome. Something to think about.
Patsy
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My friends' daughter has been in a facility for 58 years, and I cannot begin to imagine the guilt as well as grief they are probably undergoing, even though they should not feel that way! I am so grateful for my fairly normal "inconveniences" rather than life-shaking ones!
I got so involved in "stuff" today I forgot to make dinner plans.
. I certainly learned not to trust the first few things that come up in Amazon! I did much better on an original vendor's site than Amazon! Waste of my day again. Enjoyed all your posts, though getting my reply in was chore! It kept typing right to left (backwards ) for far too long! I think the cables in my building were being worked with this afternoon! Anyway, I'd better go down and order some carry-out to eat up here, which I'd just as soon! XOXOXO
Buzz
......................Always Believe Something wonderful Is About to Happen!.............................0 -
Mark rolled up this afternoon looking bronzed and after a short love-in with Jilly Bean staggered out with two large cacti. It's barely made a hole in the jungle that's left but I should get rid of the rest over the weekend. He also solved my Canada Revenue worry. It appears to be their mistake. I certainly don't own any property anyway! Letter mailed and signed by both of us.
Let me know if your superstore sells the cloth plastic backed pee pads or not JACKIE. A bit pricey but well worth it in saving the environment, ones sanity, and the cost of constantly buying Dettol and worrying about running out of disposable pads. I still think you will have one clean little girl by January. Any ideas on what to do with these squares once they aren't needed anymore? There's got to be something!
LIN my very favourite dessert is fruit cake and I'm astounded how many people in Canada can't stand it. The same goes for Christmas pudding (MJs task). It's so delicious with Brandy sauce or sweet white sauce laced with Brandy. When MJs parents were alive they used to pull the most awful faces when the Christmas pudding was brought in with Brandy ablaze. It was quite funny watching them and they never did try a mouthful. Fancy, a whole lifetime of no Christmas pud or cake!
Well it's about teatime,
Anne.0 -
Anne, we never had any type of Christmas pudding but literally more than a dozen varieties of cookies and many types of homemade candy. It was a busy time of year. I helped my mom when I was at home and after I was married I started my own elf sweet shoppe. The goal was to have loads of different things and you would make up big plates of various cookies and candies. I thought they were quite beautiful and was proud to deliver them to friends and neighbors. Oh another memory, my Grandmother’s sister would send her a small fruitcake each year. She was a Canadian who lived in Alberta. You always knew what was in the little package from Bonnie. My Grandmother liked that fruit cake, I suspect it was because her sister sent it to her.
Sandy, I meant nothing towards you personally about that strange login. I did wonder if you thought location services could be that far off. Me in Iowa, login shown as Illinois? That’s all, I should have explained. Sorry.
Hey, my mail has arrived. Time to trudge the half block to the mailboxes. It is wet out there. Ick! My sinuses seem to be unhappy about winter this year. I know, suck it up Butter up. Haaaaaa.
Hugs.
Lin0 -
Sunshine!! Not to last long but at least we're drying off a bit today and I managed to walk George and Betty to the Hurlers and back. Once we were in the open near the stones I let Betty off her lead but she tended to stick by my side unsure of her freedom.... fine until in the distance a man walked with his Spaniel and she looked ready to run over barking so back on her lead. Less than 5 minutes back home before she pee'd on the carpet leaving me with the impression we are going backwards so since our local pet store doesn't sell washable pads I've purchased from Amazon and added a long paragraph of directions to my property together with my mobile number. Let's see what happens this time!!
Anne, the descriptions on Amazon suggest the pads can be used on furniture when our dogs have been out in the rain or car seats but once I've seen and felt them I will see if I can think of other uses.
It never crossed my mind that our fruit Christmas cakes and puds were quite so British although I know German and Scandinavian cakes as well as eastern European are more pastry, fat with a little fruit and dusted with icing sugar so perhaps that's where the influence in North America originates.
Patsy, I'm sure Anne finds the same as me and you what absolute time wasters our pups are but such fun!
The old garage doors have done just as you describe, soaked up the increased rainfall, expanded, become weighty and burst under the pressure! I'm hoping a cheaper metal up and over style will do.
A trip to the Arctic is on my bucket list but it seems I'd better hurry before it melts away... tragic!
Since I'm on my iPhone I can't easily turn back a page so will for now say hello to Sandy, Lin and Buzz and get off my sofa and rear!
Jackie1 -
I'll generally comment later, but for now that's a great idea JACKIE for the pads, especially as Jilly loves going in Michael's car to the pet store for her treats. She gets quite vocal if we don't go in the car somewhere on his arrival, and we have to laugh because we know exactly what she's telling us. They really DO take over our lives these young dogs. Also on the furniture for protection BUT as long as they don't think, "ooh, a new place to pee on a cold day",lol. Think I'll forget that idea ! I thought maybe under the door mat to help with muddy paws. Anchor with the door mat though so WE don't skid on it, plastic being slippery!
Anyway, I'm up terribly late for me, and Mike will be here before I know it so must scoot. I think I relaxed and overslept after Mark solved the Canada Revenue business.
Happy grocery shop girls,
Anne.
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Can't resist one last memory. Did you, as a child JACKIE, have great luck in finding the silver sixpence in your dollop of Christmas pud? As a child I was extremely lucky in this. "Eat slowly" mum would say, "watch out for the lucky sixpence" and there it was! Amazing, lol. I wonder how many kids swallowed the lucky silver sixpence and got rushed to the docs who would assure their worried parents not to worry seeing that as Christmas pud is mainly currents, sultanas and raisins it would soon pass on! Dad called Christmas pudding - plum duff. Mary Jo tried Christmas pudding, unlike her parents, on marrying Mark. She's been addicted ever since and is our pud maker, but she refuses to enclose a silver dime, wrapped or not, in the uncooked mixture. She calls it unhygienic, well yes, but it stops the fun of losing a filling or worse, a tooth at Christmas dinner wouldn't you say, lol,
Anne down memory lane AGAIN.0 -
That made me laugh Anne and yes, we always added a silver sixpence in fact it was a tradition to make a big ceremony of dropping one into the mix when the puds were being made. As the girl in the family I had to help in the kitchen regularly while my brothers went out to play and at the time I did resent it but am so glad now because I like to think I've always been able throw most recipes together without weighing ingredients. A not so lucky sixpence was swallowed by me when very small and playing under the dining table rolling it towards the wall and watching it come back at me. Lesson learned, keep mouth firmly closed when playing such games! I must have been very small because I remember my grandmother, who was babysitting at the time, grabbing me by my feet, hanging me upside down and slapping me on the back. To no avail however because I ended up having a chest x-ray in case I had swallowed it, which I hadn't. Once out that sixpence hung around the house for years afterwards as a reminder!!
Jackie0 -
Happy Friday! Spending a lot of time on the computer looking for a drug prescription plan since my supplement is going up in price in January. In checking with friends my supplement seems to be the cheapest so I will keep it and see if I can lower my drug plan. They make things so complicated for us seniors.
I really do not like fruit cake of any kind, I just hate fruit that comes out of jars. So whenever anyone gave us a fruit cake as a present it was re-gifted to someone else. Sorry. We had no Christmas puddings so life is different in the UK compared to the States. I am sure we all loved our own traditions and that is all that matters.
Jackie, Betty hasn't been with you long, so it will take time to re train her not to do her business indoors. If she spent her whole life in a cage she must certainly be confused. I remember George giving you a hard time when you first got him and look at him now.
Anne, forgive me again but sometimes my memory fails me. Mark and Mary Jo are married how long? So your grandson is their child correct? Mike has been married but no longer?
If I am being too nosy just tell me, I understand.
Lin, no offense was taken about the login, I was just curious on how you got Schaumburg as a location. Where does it say the location, I don't see it when I log in. Again sometimes those messenger things have spam attached to them so I try not to open any links. We both changed our passwords so I think we are both safe.
Buzz, I hope today is a good day for you and you can start enjoying your facility again. There seems to be so much sadness there lately but life has to go on. Will any of your children be coming in for the holidays??
Patsy, Daisy is exactly like Katie. She is nine years old and still thinks she is a puppy. She wears Babe out so hopefully at his son's house she will tire herself out playing with their beagle.
I have some bills to pay, games to play and start mentally packing for my trip next week.
Have a great day.
Sandy
One Day at a Time0
