Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler

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  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    Hello everyone, this has been a fun week. I guess really fair "week" started last Friday with set-up. I helped with it and did some errands and made it home by noon and had the rest of the day to gather things together, etc. for the week. Saturday I was gone a good portion of the day - foods was judged in the morning and just visiting and stuff when it got done. I stopped by Walmart on the way home to look for a new pair of tennis shoes and was successful. On my way out, I saw some cash in the parking lot. It was $95.00. I took it back in and got it to the Customer Service desk. I hope whoever lost it got it back. I found some money several years ago in front of a Dollar Tree store and I gave it to the manager and happened to get to watch the person who lost it go talk to the manager. It was a good sum too so I'm glad to get things back to their owner.

    Sunday was probably the busiest day. I went for the church service. After it we walked down to the grocery store. Lori and I was going to see if our fitbits recorded the same number of steps but messed up so need to try some other time. At noon, arts and crafts judging started. At 2 was crochet and knitting. Julie got grand champion in the open class so that was fun. The grandkids had foods, crafts, crochet, knitting and swine and got a variety of ribbons. They are each able to take something to the State Fair so that fun too. Lori, kids and I went and had supper and then worked in the Clover Cafe from 8-10 and clean-up.

    Monday was nothing I planned to watch but I was going to help with data entry. Couldn't do it in the morning cause of some meeting (always some problems that come up). I had lunch with a friend (which lasted 2 1/2 hour) and when I went to help again, another meeting was going on. The swine show was that night. It was hot - one hog got hot enough, it had to be carried out but our pigs were okay. The kids all got red ribbons but we have good market pigs (just not show pigs).

    Tuesday morning I was back at 8 for another time in the concession stand. Three hours this time. We weren't real busy so had fun visiting too. I checked at the office that afternoon and was able to help a little bit and then I headed home. Was able to do dishes and go to bed a little earlier that night.

    Wednesday I walked and then headed to Newton - a little shopping at Walmart and then early to the dentist but figured I could read while I waited. I was scheduled for a cleaning but the 9:20 didn't come so since I was there, I was also able to get the place filled in the crown from having the root canal done. I think it only took about 10 minutes cause they didn't have to deaden it but it cost almost as much as the cleaning. Ha. Then it was back to El Dorado for the fair. I helped put checks for ribbons in envelopes, ate at Arby's and then just sat in the building with ac and read and dozed a bit until Ralph came (he was able to catch a ride both Monday and Wednesday). We looked around a bit more, then enjoyed the barbecue pork sandwiches they served and ice cream and then it was time for the sale. The kids all got around $500 for the pigs they sold so that was very good. The sale order was beef, swine, goats, sheep so we left while the goats were being sold. Found out later that one older man there (has been involved with 4-H for years) told his son he was feeling well so they left and he ended up passing away. He had health problems but still a shock but he died doing something he loved. Funeral is not till next week.

    Thursday I was back at the fairgrounds at 7 for clean-up of the buildings and helped in the concession stand cleaning up. Then I helped hand out buyers ribbons. At the end I was able to get for people in my club who weren't there. It was almost noon so I picked up a subway sandwich and headed home. We ate and then I unloaded the car, snuck in a nap and then got ready for Willing Workers in the evening. Good speaker and home before 10. I also quit wearing my "boot" and am wearing regular shoes on both feet gain. So far so good. I haven't worn hose for at least 10 weeks since I was always wearing a tennis shoe. Hopefully, it will all go well tonight.

    Friday I walked (on my own all next week cause friend is on a trip) and then came home and got Ralph and we went to town for our usual errands. We didn't get home till after 12 but this time I pulled a frozen deal out of the freezer to eat. I'll work back into cooking. Planning on BLTs this week as a 4-Her gave me some nice tomatoes - will slice a couple for Sunday dinner too.

    Today I straightened the house and got things put back in place. Got food as ready as I can for tomorrow. We finished up our pizza for lunch and I had a huge serving of cauliflower to get that container empty so I had room for the watermelon. Now we're headed for a wedding of a cousin's granddaughter at our church so supper will be there. I know they are serving a frozen fruit salad cause I saw it in the freezer the other night. It will be fun to go to a wedding that I don't have to do any work for. :)

    Oops, when I skimmed back to when I last wrote, some of this is repeat - sorry but not going to try and fix it. That would be too hard. We've had rain twice this week and days were cooler both times - only up to 71 today (really nice for another county fair - ours was nice and warm).

    Sheryl, cool on the park pass. If we were travelers, I'd do that too. Glad John has been willing to go with you more lately. Did you get all the plastic cleaned up? That deck looks so nice and being safe is good too. Sorry to hear Christina is having more troubles. I'm sure that's why she's not on Facebook much. Nice that her brother can be close and help - not easy or her at all.

    Isabella, yay on your full day last Saturday and feeling more caught up. What's the feeling by this weekend? Glad you were able to go home and relax after it and didn't have a lot of home stuff to do.

    Marcie, triple digits - that's rough. We have just had them a little bit this year. Wow, the bloating gave you a lot of extra weight and now you're going the other way - what we usually want. Happy Birthday to Simon. Glad you felt okay to give them names you liked. Simon suits him just right. Wow, everyone but your dad has appointments. I think having just one vet would be nice. Interesting strays in your neighborhood.
    Smart to purge the freezer when it will be picked up right away. Cool on how your dad thought to take a picture of the dog and post it. Glad you found where he belonged.

    Anew, have you figured out the problem with your truck yet? Cool on the headlights. We changed out one of ours and liked the difference too. I hadn't realized headlights could be so different. If you have to drive it night, it's good to see.

    Shery., yay on finding John's glasses. Spotting the creeper out of place - wow. Good job. Another great outing with getting the tool and eating out. Were you able to get the stand you wanted? 25% off is great.

    Anew, congrats on the new grandbaby. Is it a first for the family? How old are your other grands?

    Marcie, so sorry to hear about your cousin's diagnosis. That's a lot in one family to get cancer.

    Sheryl, interesting that John took the 24 hours to mean no water for that time. You work with him so well. The new shut off valve will be great.

    The wedding was lots of fun. The bridesmaids wore peach colored dresses. The bride's had a lot of sparkle to it. It was a nice ceremony. For the reception they served the bride and groom's favorite foods. So you could choose between Papa John or Pizza Hut pizza - all pepperoni. She prefers Papa John and he Pizza Hut (I asked when we went through the receiving line). Then there was a tossed salad and a frozen fruit salad which was thawed but very very tasty. (I think it was the recipe we talked about doing.) They had a small cake for the cake ceremony but the rest of us had glazed donuts. Then they had a corner when you could get popcorn since he "popped" the question. We saw one couple we know from Farm Bureau and another one we had met when Derek got married so was interesting to hear their connection with the couple. The wedding was at 4 so we got home around 7. I need to start the pork tenderloin but otherwise it's nice to enjoy some of the Olympics.

    Here's a funny. I put the names on the card that I had written down on my reminder card. It didn't seem right but I didn't pull out the invite and double-check cause why would I have written it down wrong. We got there and a young man took the card and then I saw something with their names and I had his down wrong. The young man probably wondered about me but I told him I needed it back. I stuffed it in my purse. In the program I noticed his dad's name was Mark (which is the name I used) so maybe thought I looked wrong. When I got home I looked at the invite and the groom's name is Kevin Mark so somehow I focused on the middle name. So, anyway, I found another envelope that fit the card = put on the right names and will put it in the bride's parent's mailbox at church tomorrow. Glad I caught my goof.

    If you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there. :)
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    edited August 2016
    Good Sunday Morning.

    Ha ha ha, Debora, I always hang in there, and love every minute of it. I so enjoy following your week, day by day.

    We did not get that particular tool stand, after measuring everything, that one would not fit John's bench grinder either. The metal top is open in the center and does not extend far enough to fit the tool, so the bolt holes won't line up. We could bolt a board onto it and then bolt the grinder to the board, that's still a possibility. Actually, we can do that with the stand that John bought months ago that turned out too small...we can bolt the appropriately sized board to it, and then the grinder, I think that would work out well. We used the 25% off coupon on a rear axle puller set, another set of tools that John had on his want list even though I know it will stay brand new in the case and never be used. He's just happy to have it in the garage. Harbor Freight packages their tool sets in very nice plastic cases and they display nicely, (most importantly, it keeps all the small parts to the tool together). It's amazing that they can provide a good tool in a very nice case for such a cheap price. This particular set was $27.99 and looks every bit as good as Snap-on which is over $200.00.

    Oh yes, I was able to get the plastic shreds picked up in the front yard with the shop-vac. I still haven't let the llamas into the front yard yet though, I want to be home and watching just in case they decide to chew on the new deck. We've been gone almost every day this week, so I'll open the gate for them this next week and see their reaction to the new area. Since they've been off of it for almost a month, they'll probably be most interested in the fresh grass. I don't expect any problems, they have never chewed on plastic or metal before, but you just never know. They loved chewing on the old wood of the old deck, and they like to strip off the bark from the trees. We have had to put something around each tree to protect them.

    I hear John getting up so I better close for now. I hope to be back soon, I think I have more to say, but can't think straight right now. ha ha ha
  • isyvanek
    isyvanek Posts: 1,039 Member
    Good morning Ladies! I had a fun adventure yesterday. A friend from Bible study named Sara and I went to the farmer's market in another town about 20 miles away because I'd heard it was a good one. We had such a nice time together. The market was nice but I still really like the one closest to me so won't travel back there any time soon. Got lots of fresh veggies and fruit and a jar of cauliflower curry "spread". This sweet older gent makes various vegetable spreads for $6 per jar. I will mix it with rice and veggies and maybe some chicken. I should get 2 meals out of it. After the market we picked up some Mexican food and went to my bible study teacher Jan's house to visit and watch some of the Olympics. When I got home I fed Dan the other half of my Mexican meal so I didn't have to cook and we sat outside and read for a while, used the computers for a while, then watched an odd old 40's movie. Today will be church then the usual cooking for the week. I will cook a small pork tenderloin for dinner. It came already seasoned so I won't have to do anything special to it.

    Monday Dan called me to come home from work because he felt really bad. Turns out he thought he was having a heart attack, his heart was really racing, etc. We got him in to see the doc that same day. She did an EEG, etc. and said his heart is good. She gave him a beta blocker in addition to the blood pressure med he is already on and also an anti-anxiety med. She said he has been so stressed for so long his body doesn't know how to stop anymore. He seems to be feeling better so we'll see how it goes. I think just knowing that his heart is fine helps him not to stress about it. He also plans to try volunteering somewhere so he isn't sitting with too much time to think all the time.

    Debora, wow, who would have thought that you could get even busier than usual!! Did you give the store your name and number in case no one claimed the money? I found $50 outside of the bank I worked at many years ago. No one ever came back for the money so the manager gave it back to me. Too funny about putting the wrong name on the card. I did that this week also. I was sending a b-day card to my friend's daughter. I wrote the correct name on the envelope but the wrong name inside the card. Good thing my hubby read it before I sent it and caught the mistake. That would have been really embarrassing! I plan to make your Prince Cabbage recipe to go with my pork tenderloin today. :)

    Sheryl, you are amazing at doing all these plumbing tasks, etc. We would never even consider trying plumbing stuff. You are also a great detective! Good job finding John's glasses. That was important!

    Marcie, congrats on the weight loss. I know that feels good! What an interesting variety of strays in your neighborhood! :D Dan and I just joined that local neighborhood site. It is good to stay locally connected. Smart of your dad to take a pic of the lost dog.

    Anew, I've heard that Texas is very hot and humid. I imagine it is a lot like FL. Hope the humidity breaks soon. Did you get your truck figured out? We replaced the headlights when I had the Accord and it did make an amazing difference at night! Congrats on being a grandma again!

    Okay, just for fun I thought I'd post this little "game" for us all to try. I'd enjoy it if you guys wouldn't mind participating. Here is a list of questions and my answers. You can answer the questions in your own post. I think we did this in the NM journal room once or twice. Have a great week everyone!

    Four names I go by: Isabella, Isy, Bella, Sunshine
    Four places I've lived: Long Branch, NJ; Basalt, CO; Poway, Rancho Bernardo.
    Four TV shows I watch: Dark Matter; Younger; Elementary; Devious Maids
    Four places I've visited and loved: Baraboo, WI; All of Italy; Florence, OR; Balboa Park, CA
    Four foods I love to eat: Pasta; brownies; skillet rice dish; ice cream
    Four vehicles I've owned: 2012 Hyundai Sonata; 2001 Honda Accord; 93 Toyota Corolla; 71 Plymouth Duster
    Four favorite drinks: Iced Tea; water; Cape Cod (Vodka, cranberry juice, and a lime); La Croix sparkling water
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    To Sheryl:
    Happy Birthday To You!
    Happy Birthday To You!
    Happy Birthday Dear Sheryl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Happy Birthday To You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Hope you are having a wonderful day to celebrate wonderful you!
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    Sunday was a nice day. SS went well, good message, dinner was enjoyed, and speaker in evening was good. Lori took some stuff to the Harvey County Fair in Open Class and got grand champion on her cookies so that's fun. If we have time we might go visit that air tomorrow but I may end up babysitting. Today was get ready for 4-H day. I did some other stuff in the morning and finally at 2 just concentrated on it and it took me a good two hours. We went to the nursing home to show off project stuff and only had 5 4-Hers come but they seemed to enjoy. And then we went to 4-H. Next month we'll start meeting at the church so we won't have to worry about whether the school is open or not. Next month is elections too - hope people are willing to do the job. The school secretary's daughter is too old for 4-H next year. :( Ralph went to a field day so he got supper there.

    Ralph brought in the eggs today and had the first brown egg so the ones he got 17 weeks ago are ready to start laying. That means it won't be long and I'll even more eggs. Glad I have a place to take them.

    Sheryl, glad you figured out how to adapt the stand you do have and could find a fun tool John has been wanting. I hope the llamas won't chew on the new porch.

    Isabella, how fun to visit a new place with a friend. And you didn't know you wouldn't like it better till you went. I don't even season the plain pork tenderloins much. I cooked it in a little bit of broth. Oh my, I'm glad Dan is okay and the doctor understands what's going on. The volunteering idea is a good one. I've worked at finding things for Ralph to do since he isn't wanted on the farm but he doesn't always like my ideas. No, they didn't say I could get the money if it wasn't claimed. That's why I thought I'd check on it but forgot last week, so.... Did you enjoy the Prince Cabbage? I need to still get mine made. I'm glad cabbage keeps well.
    Here goes
    Four names I go by: Debora, Debbie, Honey, Toad (many years ago)
    Four places I've lived: North Platte, NE, Grand Island, NE, Olathe, KS, rural Whitewater, KS
    Four TV shows I watch: Jeopardy, Braindead, Bones, Great British Bakeoff
    Four places I've visited and loved: Branson, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam
    Four foods I love to eat: Mashed Potatoes/Gravy; Cookies, Chocolate, Cantaloupe
    Four vehicles I've owned: Corvair, 2001 Grand Mercury, 2004 Grand Mercury, Grand Prix
    Four favorite drinks: Diet Dr. Pepper, Raspberry Tea, Diet Pepsi, Water
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    Good Morning. I'm looking over the list of Four and I can't come up with four in several categories, but I'll try.

    Four names: Sheryl, Sheryl Ann, Sher-ron (my Armenian grandma, I think she ran my first name and middle name into one another and with her accent it came out weird), Sheryl the Barrel (bratty kids in grade school)
    Four places I've lived: Pasadena, CA, Sturtevant, WI, Long Beach, CA, Brush Prairie, WA
    Four TV shows: Judge Judy, Inspector Lewis, Bones and Great British Baking Show (Thanks Debora for the reminder, I couldn't remember anything and I watch a lot of TV)
    Four place I've visited and loved: Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake, Smokey Mountains, Mount St. Helens
    Four foods I love to eat: BBQ ribs, Onion Rings, Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy
    Four vehicles: 1966 Chevy Nova, 1989 Pontiac Sunbird, 1973 IHC Travelall, 2013 Scion xB
    Four favorite drinks: Coffee, Water, Coffee, Water, (is that fair??)

    John's up early again, I guess I'll have to get up even earlier to have my "me" time. Sunday was a very lazy day, grey skies, overcast with drizzle, so I curled up in my big comfy chair for most of the afternoon. Watched TV and snoozed my birthday away. It was perfect. I went to bed early and John came and woke me up because the phone was ringing...I said let the answering machine get it and I'll listen to the message in the morning. It was Nancy, wishing me a happy birthday, but she said she wasn't surprised I didn't answer, she figured I was in bed already (it was 9 pm). She sounded good even though I know she's in pain. She has been having back problems and is going to have surgery on her spine soon. Another appointment on August 19th to schedule the surgery.

    Yesterday, I had my quicky blood test appointment, just a finger prick to monitor the blood thinner meds. (numbers were good and I stay on the same dosage). I asked John if he wanted to go and surprisingly, he said yes. So, we left early and went out to lunch again. There's a Kitchen Table Cafe near the oncology office. He got his usual favorite, burger and fries, and I got a Hawaiian Burger (added pineapple and teriyaki sauce) and a cup of soup. Wow, was that good, great burger and terrific soup, I could have eaten a big bowl of it. Ran some errands and picked up a few groceries on our way back. It rained most of the day, so we didn't do anything outside when we got home.
    Forecast to have showers today and then starting tomorrow warm up. By Thursday and Friday, we'll be back into a hot streak, in the 90's. Not nearly as bad as some of you are having it, but it's hot for us.

    Marcie, so sorry to hear about your cousin. Seems like cancer hits us all in some way or another. I hope he gets through treatment OK.

    Anew, congratulations on another grandbaby. Do they live close by? or back in Southern California?

    Isabella, I am so glad Dan is better. Not feeling well and not knowing what's wrong is the absolute worst. Knowledge is half the battle and puts our mind at ease.

    Debora, we are having our local Clark County Fair this week, but I doubt we will go this year. We went for several years, many years ago, but at this point, it's all the same stuff again, so I'll skip it. We went to the State Fair once and the County Fairs are just as good.

    Interesting note: Since Cookie has been outside, he has been most friendly with the ducks. He has stayed on the ground with them during the night. Sunday night, we noticed that he went up the ramp and was on the roost with the other chickens for the night. But, last night, he was back on the ground with the ducks. Poor guy, he has an identity crisis.
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    Boy, do I feel foolish!!!

    Back to the names I am known by, I forgot the very most obvious, especially by all of you NMers...Ferris
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    Tuesday morning Ava had another seizure so I went and got the other kids while they took her in. There's really not much they can do after it's over except up the medicine. But two big ones in two weeks is not fun. We had planned to go to the Harvey County Fair so took them along and their folks picked them up there and I went on to babysit for Derek's kids while they went and watched their baseball player play his last game. From there I went to Lori's to work on 4-H record books. Trying to get more done sooner. Wednesday we worked on the Echoes. I worked at home for a bit in the afternoon and then I met Lori at McDonald's and we worked on 4-H a bit more - have to do it in small amounts (and it won't happen if I don't push but they are willing). On the way in I had noticed my missionary friend from Africa was here so stopped by and said "hi". Thursday I was home all day and pushed to get some thing taken care of. And I think I did. I went to Bible study in the evening. And we are getting more rain. Not our typical August weather but we'll take it. Today Ralph and I are headed to town. I'm having breakfast with a friend, we'll shop, go to a funeral, finish shopping and then go to a visitation this evening. Too many funerals this week - they are all older people unlike the one in KC for the boy killed at the one amusement park. The going doesn't stop.

    Glad you hang in there Sheryl. It is always fun to hear about what all you guys are doing - at home or away. Yay on a nice relaxing birthday. What kind of soup did you have? We celebrated a birthday at Bible study last night and I ate way too much of the snacks but they were good - a couple forgot or hadn't checked their email but we still had plenty. Poor Cookie - from humans to ducks to chickens. He just gets along with everyone.

    Well, guess I should do a bit before we get ready to take off. Guess I'll get a bag out for my stuff since it is raining. Have a good day.
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    Good Morning. Wednesday, I finally got weeds sprayed in the north pasture. It's really a Spring job, but it was too wet then. Not spraying for several years really gave the weeds a lead on taking over. I did the south pasture last month. I have to stagger it so the llamas still have a pasture to graze in. I closed the gates to keep them out and also told John not to water anything. When I went to get John for dinner, I saw 3 llamas in the north pasture, John opened one of the gates. I was able to get them back where I want them using a treat. They will follow you anywhere for food.

    Yesterday was well into the 90's and I wanted to find someplace cool to go to, but we never left. I had paperwork to do and John worked outside anyway. We have all the fans going and John came in many times to stand in front of a fan and get something to drink. Today is going to be even hotter, but I still don't know if we'll go anywhere. Earlier in the week, I had thought about going to the Mount St. Helens' Bluegrass Festival, but when I got details, I think it's too expensive. BG Festivals used to be cheap entertainment, we'd pay $5 to $8 to get in. Now, it's $35 and no big name, famous musicians. Everyone performing are unknown to us, so I don't think it's worth the money.

    Debora, it was pot roast soup, almost like a stew, but still soupy. So good. The other choice was cheese tortilla, I bet that would have been good too. I usually get potato salad for my side, or onion rings, but soup sounded just right that particular day.

    My neighbor is harvesting her garden and brought a bucket of apples and carrot tops for the llamas. Last night, she left another bucket of apples, pears and some green beans and carrots. Anything that's bruised or not worthy of canning and preserving, she said the llamas can have. What a nice treat for them, since I didn't plant a garden again this year. I used to have an abundance of tomatoes and corn, which is a treat for the birds. And apples for the llamas, my apple trees didn't get pruned this past spring, so they are not loaded down with fruit like they have been in the past.

    I guess that's it for now. I'll go refill my mug.
  • isyvanek
    isyvanek Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited August 2016
    Hi everyone, thanks for indulging me in playing the name 4 things game. I enjoyed everyone's answers. I took Friday off from work to use up some vacation time which means I busted butt the rest of the week to get caught up enough to be gone for a day (sometimes I wonder if vacation days are worth it! :wink: ). It worked out well because Dan had a Dr. appt that day and I was able to go with him. The co-pay was $90 since we haven't met our $6000 per person deductible yet (thank you "affordable care" act!). The appt was so that Dan could get a heart monitor but this new Dr. said he thought it would be a waste of time and money and would not show any results. He said that our regular Dr. did all the right things and that they seem to be working. I guess that was a waste of $90. :( After the appt we went to lunch and had a coupon for 2 gyro sandwiches for $10 so that was nice. Then we stopped at Costco and Target.

    We went to our monthly free concert at the library today. The performer was really enjoyable and it was really fun sort of old time 20 and 30's rhythm & blues/folk music with his own spin on it. VERY enjoyable! He made his own guitars out of washboards and guitar necks. Really neat. His "foot drum" was an old suitcase. His guitar slide was the cut off neck of a wine bottle. Quite the character. :) We went to late lunch/early dinner at Souplantation (do you have those where you are?). Of course we overate but it was mostly healthy stuff so I don't feel too bad. We are now spending some time on the computer then we'll go settle down and watch a movie. I signed up for 21 days of free guided meditations from one of my nutrition sites. Dan has been joining me in doing them (I signed up in the hope that he would join me and that this would help him learn some stress relief techniques). They seem to be pretty relaxing so far. A couple were kinda hokey but still relaxing. We'll see how it goes.

    Debora, yes, I made the Princes Cabbage and EVERYONE absolutely LOVED it!!!! Dan said it was the best "coleslaw" he has ever had. :smiley: Just like with Sheryl, I sure wish you could send me some of those eggs!!!

    Sheryl, Wow, in the 90's sure is hot for you guys! Is it humid too? Funny about mentioning your NM name. :) I guess I could have put ivanek too. I remember a lot of people thought it was Ivan Ek at first. :wink: Neat that one of your cars was a '66 Nova. I think that was one of the cars guys were turning into "muscle" cars. And is one of those other cars a tractor?? Are you getting up even earlier so you can have your "me" time? Very nice that your neighbor is sharing their not as pretty produce with the Llamas. That must be a nice treat for them.

    Marcie, Anew, and other ladies, we miss you! Hope all is well and hasn't been TOO hot.

    OK, I'm going to go watch a movie with hubby. I'll try to check in tomorrow. Otherwise have a great week all!
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    Friday went as planned. I dropped Ralph at Burger King and went to Braum's. We both decided to treat ourselves to biscuits and gravy. She ordered hers and found out it was a B1G1 so be both ate for $2.14. I had thought about getting 2 biscuits but sure glad I didn't. One filled me up. Then Ralph and I got everything done but Dillons before the funeral. It was a nice funeral. After it we finished our shopping and got home about 1. We both took care of our own meal and I didn't make the best choices but finished up some dip that was in the fridge. There were a lot of people at the visitation. I knew some of the grandkids from 4-H. On the way home, I said I wish I would have seen Ginger and Ralph said we talked to her (guess she has changed a bit). Oh well.

    This morning we went to a teaching training for those that work with Good News Clubs. Ralph went to hear one of the teachers who is marrying a guy from our church. She was widowed 6 years ago and he was widowed 2 years ago. At the end of the morning, they served us lunch as a thank you for all we do. Baked potato bar with lots of toppings, fruit cup and 8 kinds of pies to choose from. Yummy. Then it was do food and straighten the house for Sunday. This evening we went to another visitation. Smaller family and the man has lived away for 3 or 4 years so there was no crowd at all. I hope there is a bigger crowd at the service tomorrow.

    Tomorrow is SS and church and kids here and church in the evening so it will be a full day.

    Sheryl, yay on getting the weeds sprayed. You do it when you can. Glad John came in often and cooled off on the hot day. Ouch on $35. Lori has been going to some plays this summer and I thought it might be fun to go see Mama Mia till I looked up the price. Ralph would pay $30 for an evening out so gave that up. How fun to get the treats for the llamas.

    Isabella, here you spent a week ago working on Saturday to get caught up and then had to work hard all week. But it was good you went with Dan. Ouch on the cost of the appointment but at least you can feel you've done the right stuff. The monthly concert sounds really fun. We do not have Souplantation here. Sounds like a place we ate in KC one time. Hope the relaxing is helpful for Dan. Glad they liked the Prince Cabbage - I made it again for tomorrow - only did a double recipe this time. A head of cabbage sure goes a long ways. I thought I had gotten a small one and have plenty left.

    Stay cool everyone. If we have hot days now, I remind myself fall is just around the corner.
  • jlhawki
    jlhawki Posts: 225 Member
    Hi all! Long time no chat :) I've been busy but not with anything special :/

    We had a bad storm and I'm still dealing with the aftermath of one of my trees losing 3 giant branches. I made the mistake of trying to lift the limb off the electrical line while it was still raining! :( I didn't realize that the 2 other limbs had already pulled the lines out of the wall of the house. I could have been electrocuted! (sometimes my stupidity/lack of thought shocks me!) The electric company took 5 days to get to me since I hadn't lost power, I was low woman on the totem pole. I spent the last couple of days, chain sawing it up. 13 yard waste bags later it is finally cleaned up. Luckily, the garbage men took 7 bags last time. Only 6 more and it will all be a memory!

    We took a long weekend vacation to Cincinnati a couple of weekends ago. It was fun and I was happy that although my hip hurt, it wasn't horrible enough to make me stop. The zoo and King's Island was a LOT of walking but I survived :) The boys were able to see an old friend who moved to Cincy (his mom and I are buddies) so that made it even more fun!!!!

    The boys start school this week (D.J. has orientation to HS on Wednesday) on Thursday. Can't believe my babies are both in High School! Last week we did something almost every day! I worked but we went out almost every night and tried to squeeze more in (esp. fishing for DJ!) On Wednesday, we drove to Santa Clause Indiana to go to Holiday World for the day. We spent 6 hours in the car for 6 hours at the park. It poured for about 30 minutes twice while we were there :( The rain made it not crowded so the boys enjoyed that! I spent pretty much the whole time in the wave pool relaxing ;) On Friday, we were suppose to go to a place called Fugitive beach (a old quarry with a beach and swimming) but it was cloudy and we decided to not go. Instead, we went to lunch, Skyzone and then cupcakes :) The boys took their friends and it was a fun time!

    Austin has his first job!!!! :) I'm so happy for him, he's a shoe caddy for the Men's Hair Saloon. He shines shoes (didn't know people still did that!) and cleans up the hairdresser's stations after a customer gets his hair cut. He seems to really enjoy it--he gets tips every time he works so he loves having cash! Not sure what his schedule will be, right now it's all over the place. One really nice thing is that the latest he will ever work is 8:30pm which means he could still come home and do homework. (not that he's into homework ;) )

    Love reading about everyone's days!

    Aero--you are the busiest retired person! Loved reading about the fair :)

    Marcie--so glad the extra fluid is gone and you are feeling better! Is Cisco better now that the fireworks are done?

    Sheryl--hope you have/had a great birthday! Love hearing about your animals and their personalities. Is Cookie crowing much? I had a friend whose cat's went into surgery as Billy & Jack and came out Thelma & Louise :) !!!!!!!

    Ivanek--glad Dan is ok! The guided meditation sounds good to me--I think everyone can use that in today's world! The library concert sounded fun :)

    Anew--glad you got your new appliances and that you like them! Congrats on the new grandbaby, hope everything goes well :)

  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    Hi everyone. I sure got behind on your goings-on! I think I'm caught up again. :)

    We're having triple-digit days again here. This round the heat is bothering me more than the last stretch of super hot days. You just can't please me. I'm either too hot or too cold.

    My new Galaxy S5 they got me at work is no more. I went to turn it on last Friday and it wouldn't turn on. I brought to the "phone guy" here at work, but he wasn't able to figure out the issue. So they will be buying me a new phone, and in the meantime they will configure a spare phone for me.

    Tomorrow we will be going to lunch to celebrate the arrival of a new attorney here at work. We'll walk there as a group. I can use the exercise (to work off the lunch). It's an Italian place, so I may splurge and have spaghetti.

    Jannie, it's nice when you can pop in. Yep, Cisco is no longer traumatized over the fireworks. The neighborhood finally stopped setting them off. Yay on Austin's job!

    Sheryl, how nice of your neighbor sharing the fruit for your llamas. Our neighbor has an orange tree, and never shares with us!

    Isabella, the meditation sounds like a really good idea for you and Dan. It really is relaxing when stressed.

    Debora, what with all the raves, I'm going to have to make a batch of that Princes Cabbage. Maybe for a potluck work.

    Well, I guess my break is over, so I'd better get back to work. Have a lovely evening everyone.
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    edited August 2016
    Good Morning. I finally got here while John's still in bed. I haven't gotten up any earlier, I just wake up whenever I wake up. (usually by 6 am) I haven't used an alarm clock in years. I did set it one time last year when I needed to catch a morning flight for one of those trips to California, but still woke up before it went off.

    I've been able to get John to go out with me on errands and then a drive. Has made our days more enjoyable, he's getting more and more frustrated with things here at home. I see a bigger decline in him recently. Starting today, the weatherman says we'll have a streak of 100 degree days, through the weekend. We don't have much humidity and the temps drops dramatically in the shade, and with a breeze. I usually stay in the house with all the fans blowing, but if I can, I'll get John in the car again and we'll drive with the A/C on. There's a nice park nearby with a "forest" of trees and we can walk in there where it's cooler.

    I think it was Isabella who asked about Souplantation? I think it was you because I know Pasadena had one, my Mom and Dad talked about going there. Maybe it's a Southern California restaurant. We don't have one up here, but once, I was checking the internet about the restaurant we do have up here called Sweet Tomatoes, and saw that it's the same company as Souplantation. So, I assume it's the same set up, but under a different name for the different area. Never did go there though, at least not yet.

    My Chevy Nova was my first car, my first love. License plate was RON 943, so I called him "Ronny". My Dad bought it new in 1966, I was 12, and we took a month long, across the country, trip in it that summer. I have great memories of seeing America in that car. In 1970, my Dad wanted a bigger car and bought a Chrysler and sold the Chevy to my Mom's aunt. She didn't like it because it did not have power steering and was hard for her to turn. So, My senior year of high school, I bought it back from her. I had that car until 1974, when I moved to Wisconsin and I sold it to a girl from our church. Unfortunately, she totaled it, I was so sad.
    The IHC Travelall is like a tractor, ha ha. IHC (International Harvester Co) started by making farm machinery and then moved into other trucks and cars. The Travelall is more like the Chevy Suburban, nice and big and roomy. I still have it, but it's in the barn waiting for John to work on the brakes. It may not get back on the road again until I sell it to someone else who can do the brake job. Love that car too, it was great to take out of town company to see the sights in, Big windows and sitting up high, like being in a tour bus.

    Debora, I'm with Marcie, I've got try that Prince Cabbage also, sounds great, thanks for posting the recipe. You got a great deal on biscuits and gravy, yum, one of my favorites, making my mouth water right now.

    I bought some fresh peaches that are sitting on the counter and the aroma is intoxicating when I walk into the kitchen. I have some peach yogurt and I think I'll add fresh peach to it. Time to go have my morning snack before John gets up.
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    Hi all. Yay it's Friday!

    It looks like our triple-digit weather is done now. Should stay in the mid-90s through the weekend.

    We've been on "spare-the-air" days for a few days now. The smoke from a wild fire to the north of us has settled in the valley. The sun has been covered by the sun and has had a weird color to it since Wednesday. It's been bothering my lungs and my eyes have been red and watery over it (I guess I should not complain, but I need to whine a little). Today has been a little better than yesterday, so hopefully this will be done soon.

    Work gave me my "loner" cell phone this morning. This one is a Galaxy S4 and doesn't have all the bells and whistles the S5 had, but it will do until they order me a new S5. One of the features I really liked about the S5 was that I could record my finger print and then unlock the phone by just sliding my finger over the on button. Can't do that with the S4. Have to type in a 9-digit password. What a pain.

    Tomorrow I take my car into the shop to get its twice yearly service. I was due to take it in on August 10th, so I'm behind. My car desperately needs a bath, so I'll run it through the car wash on my way home from work this afternoon.

    I don't think Dad was feeling well last night. He was up most of the night (unusual for him...I'm the night owl in this family). But by the time I got up to get ready for work he had already taken Cisco for his walk and then left the house to go out for breakfast.

    Yesterday my work group and I walked to an Italian restaurant to welcome a new attorney to the office. I was not pleased with my meal at all. I ordered spaghetti with marinara and I think they heard me wrong and gave me spaghetti carbonara. I only ate a few bites and called it a day. I guess I should have sent it back, but I didn't.

    Today I decided to walk to a restaurant across the street from that Italian place we went to yesterday. It's called Coconuts Fish Cafe and Yelp gave it rave reviews for it's fish tacos. It was pretty good, but messy. It had like 17 toppings, so I wound up eat it like a salad, with the tortillas on the side. I think next time I'll have them hold the mango. Not a big mango fan.

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    Sheryl, it's sounds like you've inherited our triple-digit weather. I feel for people that get that kind of weather when they don't have A/C in the house. Ronny sounds like he was a great first car to have. My first reliable car was a 1964 Mercury Comet. We bought it for $500 from a little old lady who had hardly driven it all and it was so fun to drive. My actual first car was not reliable at all. It was a Fiat and was very much a lemon. I'm sorry John is not doing as well. That's great that you can get him out of the house.

    Well, I guess I will get back to work now. Have a nice day everyone.
  • isyvanek
    isyvanek Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited August 2016
    Hi ladies, well so much for seeing light at the end of the tunnel at work. I am once again treading water trying to keep my head above water. None of the managers wanted to come in on Saturday so I was not able to work. Oh well, it will be there Monday. Maybe I'll skip my gym and go in really early Monday. We'll see. I signed up for a free week of Essential Oils talks and training videos being e-mailed to me. Hopefully I'll find some time to watch them. If I even get a little helpful tidbit of info it will be good. I don't have a lot of money to spend on a bunch of oils but I wouldn't mind adding another one or 2 to the few that I already use.

    A couple of months ago I won 2 free movie tickets from my carpet cleaner who has a trivia contest each month. Today Dan and I went to see an animated movie called Kubo and the 2 strings. It was beautifully filmed and very enjoyable. You could tell it was a labor of love. We went to lunch afterward to a nearby restaurant called Fat Burger. It was decent but I wouldn't rush back. It was a lot of food (and of course we ate every bit of it). We agreed that we need to start sharing meals when we go out. We'll see how that plays out. :wink: We are going to go to Jami's this evening around 7pm to play dominos. We are really looking forward to it. We haven't gotten together in a while. I bought a key lime pie from Trader Joe's and some whipped cream for us to have for dessert. I hope it is good.

    Thanks for all the good wishes for Dan. He still has ups and downs but things seem to be better. Today was a big day for him going into many "out of his comfort zone" experiences. He kept pretty calm and dealt with each one well.

    Sheryl, I remember those IHC vehicles now. We had a friend who had one and as you said it was very much like a suburban. Too bad about the ending for your sweet Nova! :( Happy to hear that John has been going with you for some nice drives. The temps have finally broken here at least for a few days and the days are getting shorter too, so hopefully it is getting better where you are also. Yes, Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes are the same company. I believe Sweet Tomatoes is the parent company name so you probably have the original.

    Marcie, Did they give you an ETA on when you will get your replacement phone? Hopefully you won't have to wait much longer. Bummer about getting the wrong meal when you went to the Italian place. I hate when you pay good money for a meal out and it is disappointing. That has been happening to me more often lately. Probably a good thing. Maybe it will cause me to eat out less often.

    Jannie, So nice to hear from you. Great that you got to have lots of fun evenings out with the boys before school started. Wow, 2 in HS now! Yes, crazy that you tried to pick up that branch. We have to be very careful with these types of situations. Thank God nothing happened. Did the boys help with the cleanup?

    Debora, Lots of visitations to go to this last few weeks. Do you think it is because of our age?! :wink: You live in a pretty tight knit community - that probably has a lot to do with it. When I made the Princes Cabbage I put in more cabbage than the recipe called for. I just didn't feel like saving the rest of the cabbage. It worked out well so I think you can probably put in as much as you feel like using and be just fine.

    Anew, hope all is well with you and that you are staying cool and comfortable.

    Ok all, I'm going to go get ready for our evening out. Have a great week everyone!
  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    And another week has sped by and I was sure I chatted during the week. I was wrong. :) I took my friend in for her knee scope Monday morning. I picked her up at 7:30 and I was home by 2:30 and I don't think the actual scope took much more than 20-25 minutes. I got to be with her before she was taken back and then while she got ready to leave. And the doctor talked with me when he was done. I laughed cause they said no hurry on leaving - when you are ready. She had the shakes and hurt and they got that under control and the next thing it's - okay sit up. Here are your clothes and you are out the door. We got a prescription filled and got her home and in the house. Her husband was waiting - he has a lot of problems and that's why he couldn't take her in. She's having a hard time staying down as much as she should but she's off work for two weeks so will take it a little easier.

    When I got home, DH and I headed off. It was our anniversary. We checked out the new Bed, Batha nd Beyond store and got some birthday gifts. We went to Big Lots for fun, ate at Chick-Fil-A and then went to Krispy Kreme for dessert. Guess we had two desserts cause while we were trying to decide what to get, they handed us a donut hot off the line. Yum. Then I had a custard filled roll with chocolate icing. Yum again.

    Tuesday I had the entire day at home - so nice and it felt like I got some things done - just don't have very many days like that. Wednesday morning was to the church and work on the Echoes. Wednesday evening I went to Lori's and did more 4-H - it takes several trips to their house. I was there a couple of hours. I did the dishes first and then worked with Thomas and then headed home. Thursday the morning was spent in town cleaning the Community House. The two of us worked three hours. I also took the afghan I had done back to the person I did it for. She knew I wouldn't take any money so she asked where she could make a donation so had her give to our women's group at church so it will help our missionaries. That was sweet of her.

    Friday was going to town and Ralph got his eyes checked. His prescription didn't change but they did dialate his eyes so I drove the rest of the time. I started straightening the house after we got home cause I knew today would be full. Our 4-H club had a float in the Watermelon Festival Parade. 7 4-Hers and 2 adults on the back of a pick-up but they had fun throwing candy and we advertised 4-H. There was a car show so we walked around it and visited with people we don't see often and headed home with oldest grandson. Took the meat off the rotissiere chicken we bought yesterday and fixed a veggie and pulled out some fruit and we ate. Thomas helped me set up a bed in the one room downstairs - finally got enough room cleared to do that - there's still plenty to do but it's better so Thomas plans to sleep in there tonight. He's at the Youth Group party now. Ralph and are will be headed it to eat watermelon and go to the variety show.

    Tomorrow is the Sunday everyone comes - celebrating 4 birthdays this month. There's a baby shower in the afternoon but I just went in on the gift. And then we have a missionary speaking in the evening so it will be another full day.

    Jannie, I enjoy hearing about your life - just the ordinary things going on. Bummer on losing the branches. Thankful you weren't hurt while working with them. What a nice getaway you had. How's is school going for them. You packed a lot into that last week. Special memories. Cool on Austin's job. Didn't know many got shoes shined. I hear a good job gets a good tip. Spending money is always nice to have.

    Thomas (oldest grandson) is waiting for his uncle to pay him. He has a big fine ($140) to pay since he left the scene of an accident. It was a half mile from home. He and another car stopped about the same time. Thomas thought he was first so started to make his turn. He saw the car coming and sped up so got him at the doors. He panicked and drove to the school but they went right back. It was considered to be his fault because if two cars are across from each other, the one going straight has the right away. Hard way to learn things. The car can still be driven but looks bad and they only have liability on it. So I'm not sure what the plan is.

    Marcie, you've had a lot of heat. We have not hit 100 much at all this summer compared to you. And today it only got up to about 80 - very nice for the parade. We got a lot of rain last night. Roads were better than I thought they would be today. Some areas got like 6 inches. We didn't get that much but the sump pump ran and there's water standing in the yard.

    Sheryl, so sorry you can see a decline in John. Hard to see happen and deal with. Seems like he's been more willing to go riding with you so that's good. I've been to a Sweet Tomatoes and really liked it but it was in Kansas City. Wow, you really remember your cars. I remember my first - a corvair mostly because it was a stick and my parents brought it down to college, took me to a parking lot for learning and left me with it. The poor people who rode with me got used to the jerking while I learned. Yum on the peaches - we got a few fresh ones that were yummy.

    Marcie, bummer on your phone giving out already. Hope the new one comes soon - at least you have one in the meantime. Did you have a relaxing time while your car was serviced? Neat that all who went to eat were willing to walk but sorry they messed up your order. Fish tacos - I should try them. Yours looked good.
    Isabella, sorry work has swamped you again but 2 days away from it is probably good. I can't believe how much you pack into a weekend. Hope you have time to watch the videos. Glad Dan is doing better. Playing dominoes sounds so fun and brings back a lot of good memories for me - that was my dad's favorite game.

    Back from the watermelon festival - it was good - ice cold and delicious. We got some shortly before they ran out so glad we didn't go any later. More people to visit with and they we went to the variety show. Now a lot of people but most did 2 numbers - all singing buy one and it was dance. It was fun and always ends with God Bless America. I was sure glad I took my sweater cause the building was cold and we came out to come home, it was quite cool outside too. Now I'm waiting to hear from grandson but don't expect a call for at least another hour.

    I don't watch the news a lot but had it on while I was waiting on Ralph and they were talking about one area that had 6 inches of rain last night and the flooding. Then they mentioned a business that was getting ready to open and the waters broke a wall of the building and one of the owners started taking and the name came up and it was a cousin of mine - wouldn't have recognized him since I haven't seen him for years but I quickly set it to record so I could show him to the family tomorrow. He's around the age of my older kids from my Uncle's third marriage.

    Well, I'll try and do better at chatting more but no promises. Have a good week.
  • anewstart22
    anewstart22 Posts: 885 Member
    Hi everyone, it's been a busy time for me and it doesn't look like the heat will be giving up anytime soon. I am sure appreciative for having air conditioning. I got out today and went into big town to do some retail therapy, lol. Didn't spend much but it was nice getting out and about. I get cabin fever during the summer because I am generally stuck inside.

    It is sad to see all the new fires in the West and the lost homes and lives out there. I hope they can get things under control sooner than later. Then there is all the historic flooding all over the nation. It is so sad.

    I sent the package to my son and his wife for the baby, a lot of baby clothes, it's exciting having a new one coming.

    My truck is fixed, it was a split hose which caused fumes to go out and the Evap Charcoal Canistor's sensor detected it. Hubby was thankful he didn't have to drop the tank to fix it, just needed new hose and a connector to change it out. Now I think my truck will be good to go for a while, I do need a new headliner in the truck thought. Mine is starting to split in areas that look like it's been cut everywhere. Those aren't expensive, it just takes time to work on and I would rather he wait until the fall kicks in and the heat won't be such an issue for him to work on it. Now, if I had the cash I would get a new paint job and my truck would be like brand new. Hmm, if only....

    It's good to see everyone here.

    Have a good day everyone.




  • arobed53
    arobed53 Posts: 2,004 Member
    Anew, sorry you're still having so much heat. AC is wonderful for that. Stay in. Yay that the truck repair was a fairly easy one and probably not too expensive. Go ahead and dream about the paint job. Dreams are free.

    Sunday was another cooler day. Woke up to 57 this morning. May have to put a blanket back on the bed. Thomas called me to pick him up from the party around 10 - said he didn't want me to stay up to later and then added that he was a bit tired too. :) Sunday morning I did our pills as usual. Ralph came in to take his and said I had the wrong pill case out for him. Somehow I set things different and put my pills in his and vice versus. But at first the thought was I had just put them away wrong and we panicked a bit cause I had taken "my" pills which we thought were his pills. So it was relief when we realized I had taken my pills but they were in his pill case. I'll get it changed today cause I have the cases that are more work to open. Then I started the potatoes and meat for dinner and about 30 minutes before leaving, I walked by and checked them and realized I had turned the potatoes on but not plugged them in. Whew, glad I got that one. Dinner was well eaten. 1 piece of case and some watermelon was all I had left. Well, there was a bit of potatoes so I just ate them as I was putting them away. I was surprised on the chicken so went back and looked and it was only 4 oz a person but I know some of the little kids didn't eat that much. But, even though I was the cook, it was good - just thrown in the crockpot. We celebrated 4 birtdays - no one had to rush off so not quite as chaotic as last time. And then we went to church last night - nice evening but a full day.

    I am home for the day. Will get a start on the meal I'm doing for a church family and otherwise just plug away on the stuff on my list and hopefully get the house straightened up and the chair put back in place. Have a good one.
  • sannferris
    sannferris Posts: 1,432 Member
    Good Morning, our heat wave is over. Thursday through Saturday were highs of 98, 102 and 100 degrees. Then, yesterday it only got up to 80, how comfortable that felt. Friday, I was able to talk John into taking a drive, so during the heat of the day (11am til 5 pm) we were either in the A/C'd car or in an A/C'd building. Had a great time.

    Today, I have an appointment with my PCP, for a general physical. I haven't had a physical for many years. When I was working and feeling good, I was busy and never saw a doctor. Then, when I got sick, once they determined cancer, I was off to the oncologist and never did get a physical. Now, the cancer is sort of under control but I'm still having trouble breathing, so I wonder if there's another problem going on. Or, maybe it's still the paralyzed larynx and I have to live with it and just be careful when I eat and talk and exert myself.

    This Thursday, I'll be joining my Women's Bible Study friends for lunch. It will be good to see them and visit again, but that will make 2 days this week that I will leave John home alone. We'll see how that goes.

    Well, I spent some time this morning replying to emails so now, John's up, I better close for now.