Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler
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Good morning everyone.
I can't believe it's already Friday. This week has flown by. Seems the busier I am the quicker the time goes by.
Our temps have stayed in the mid to upper 90s over the last couple days now. They say we should cool down some over the weekend though. The nights are nice and cool though, so we can turn the AC off and enjoy the fresh air. When I woke up this morning Dad had the windows open and the whole house fan running. Froze me to death! As soon as he left to go out for breakfast I turned that blasted house fan off!
I found another show to binge-watch. Ray Donovan. It's been on for four seasons. I started watching it last weekend and I'm already up to the first part of the fourth season. I'm enjoying it, but it is a bit racy and violent. Dad had started watching that show when it first aired, but stopped after the first season. He doesn't watch any series now. About all he watches is news shows, and usually only on his computer. He rarely even turns on his TV anymore. Says he's rather just read a book on his Kindle. He reads about 2 or 3 books each month these days.
I don't have many plans for the weekend. I got most of my shopping done last weekend. Just a quick stop at the store for some eggs, milk and bananas, and I'm good. I've been trying to eat a banana each day (for the potassium), so between my Dad and I we've been eating lots of bananas lately.
I think I'll make a pot of pink beans this weekend. It's been a while since I made a pot of beans for the week. I've been trying to push Dad to eat up some of the canned beans we have in the pantry. I think some are getting long in the tooth and may need to be dumped. I need to go through the pantry and weed out the old stuff again. I wonder how long dried pasta lasts. I need to look that up. We have boxes of macaroni and noodles in there that must be at least 5 or 6 years old by now (some bought by my Mom before she passed on). We just don't use that stuff much any more.
Yesterday a couple of us from work walked to the Burgers & Brew restaurant for lunch. It's about 6 blocks form work (it's across the street from the Iron Horse Tavern we went to on Wednesday). I had a cheese burger and it was the best burger I've had in a long time. I was really impressed with it. It came with sweet potato fries which were also really good. I rarely eat a whole burger in one sitting, but I plowed through the whole thing!
The area we went to lunch Wednesday and yesterday seems to be restaurant-central. There's a Mexican restaurant, three burger restaurants, two health food restaurants (I'll have to check them out one of these days), a pizza restaurant, a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant, a fish restaurant, and an Italian restaurant. Lots of choices and only takes about 10 minutes to walk there.
Last night I had to give Cisco his monthly flea medicine and heart worm medicine. Lately he's been difficult about the flea medicine (he likes the heart worm medicine as its in the form of a treat and taste good...apparently). The flea medicine I have have to squeeze onto his skin and he doesn't like it. Whenever he sees me go get it he refuses to cooperate, but last night I tricked him and got it out while he and Dad were out walking. When they got back Cisco came to see me and I snagged him. He didn't even see it coming. Ha! I don't know why he objects to that treatment. Maybe it stings his skin.
Cisco is still giving us the "why don't you love me" look when we feed him his weight control food. Dad picked up another brand yesterday, so we'll give that a try and see if he likes it any better. Dad has even purchased some doggy seasoning to shake on dry dog food to make it taste better. Cisco licks the seasoning off the kibble and then leaves the kibble behind. I think what we need to do is just no feed him for a day and get him good and hungry. I'll bet he'll happily gobble down the kibble the next day! It would just be hard to avoid the sad doggy face though! I think that dog has us wrapped around his paw.
I found a couple more tops last weekend while shopping, so I've been wearing my new tops this week. They are more form fitting than my old baggy tops and people are commenting on my weight loss. One lady I haven't seen for a while said she didn't recognize me when she walked up behind me. The weight loss seems to have stabilized now. I was getting worried with the rapid weight loss. It's never good to lose weight really fast. Hopefully it will now be a slow and steady loss.
Our neighbor nextdoor (Beevis & Butthead) have had a car parked on the street in front of their house for over a month now that has flat tires and broken windows. Our neighbor across the street from them finally got tired of looking at it and reported them to the county. The county gave them a ticket and ordered them to remove the vehicle or get in working order. Well, last weekend they put new tires on it and got it running. Guess where they put the old tires? They tossed them in the middle of their front yard, where I'm sure they will stay for the rest of eternity. I swear those guys are just so lazy and inconsiderate. I just don't get people like that at all.
Sheryl, I'd probably be whining too about the open door at the restaurant. The glass floors where you can see below sounds cool. I hope John agrees to go with you tomorrow.
Well, I think I'll go for a quick walk before I have to get back to work. Have a great day everyone!
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Good Morning, so far, so good. Norma called me on her cell yesterday as she was walking on the beach. I could hear the wind and waves in the background. Sounded dreamy. I logged onto Southwest Airlines and with her confirmation number, I was able to check in for her right at 4:50 pm, 24 hours prior to departure. I got the three boarding passes printed out and we're ready to go. I told John exactly what I was doing and that we are meeting Norma for lunch to give her the boarding pass and then we can go to Harbor Freight from there. He's all for it. I only mention Norma, really underplaying that there will be other ladies there too. John always wants to see Norma and Nancy, I've had no problem with him regarding the two of them, it's just other people that "scare" him. Even with one of his best friends and with the other John, he reneges on lunches and dinners.
The salmon was good yesterday, even though it arrived in last week's delivery. I should plan to eat the fish recipes first, I don't want to have to throw away salmon again, like I did about a month or two ago, because I waited too long and it stunk to high heaven. Boy, you can really tell when fish has gone bad.
Going to Shari's today, I plan to get the Northwest Steak Salad. That's a seasonal dish on the menu that Billie turned me onto. So, now, I'm thinking of Billie and I have not heard from her in ages. I email and get no reply, and I call and get voice mail and no response. I called Kit's phone and also got voice mail. Kit is here on MFP, so I'll try to message her through the site again. Last I talked to Kit, she said Billie was not doing well. I want to definitely go and visit before anything drastic happens.
I got an email that the glider will be delivered next Tuesday, via UPS. I received the cushions I ordered yesterday, via USPS. I saw Janelle, my mail lady, backing into the driveway, so I met her at the gate. She laughed and said she's glad to see me, this box is too big to fit in my barrel. We put down the box and hugged and visited for a minute or two. She said that I look great and I said thanks, I feel great too. Her husband recently had a cancer scare, but tests turned out to be clean, she is so thankful. I told her what was in the box and she said had she known I was in the market for a porch swing, her brother had one that he just gave away, free. Not knowing what it looked like, I probably didn't miss out on a great deal. But still, free swing.
John got up. I told him he had the morning for himself, but by noon we have to shower and get ready to go meet Norma. It's still a go.0 -
Good morning ladies, sounds like everyone is having a fairly good week. When I returned to work on Tuesday there was lots of catch up to do so I've been working late each day. I am at a fairly good place now though - there was only 1 contract I wasn't able to complete (missing parts) and of course the never ending deluge of insurance certs to order, save to the drive, etc. I haven't even touched the pile of new city business licenses that have been coming in. Oh well, job security. Seems there are more changes coming down the pike not in our departments but in management and in production. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Not doing much this weekend. Just enjoying the beautiful weather. I came across a book I started several years ago then put it on a shelf and forgot about it. It is about balance physically and spiritually. I am going to start reading it again and see where it takes me. We have a couple Jackie and Ken that are always really busy and hard to connect with. They aren't available to come to dinner until November so we decided to meet for dinner on Tuesday evening at an Italian restaurant called Villa Capri so we don't have to wait so long to see them. We don't usually get together with people on a weeknight but this is local and easy and they are worth it (and we have a coupon!)
My friend Jami and Joe are back from Paris and Barcelona today. She said it was wonderful and they saw everything they would ever want to see and would not want to go back (Italy on the other hand she would go back to again and again - me too!). Feeding their dogs the 2 evenings went well. Dan and I both went on Tuesday evening then Dan went alone on Wednesday evening since I had bible study. Her little dog Molly is doing SO much better. We are all really happy about that.
Debora, very sorry to hear about Alan's daughter having anger issues. I'll keep you all in my prayers. It is sad that Alan feels he can't confide in you and Ralph. I know it would be a blessing for all of you if he would. Family dynamics are tough sometimes.
Yes, I did finish my book. It was a really quick and enjoyable read about a restaurant owner who gives cooking classes and always seems to know what her students need (spices and food wise) to help them and how the group grows together, etc. The fact that I have taken several cooking classes made it even more enjoyable.
The steaks came out wonderful but funny thing - I sauted the mushrooms and in my hurry to get everything plated and served I forgot the mushrooms until we only had a few bites of steak left.
Man, was I mad at myself! Oh well, I served them with another meal a couple of days later.
Marcie, glad you had a 5 day weekend too.
Nice that you've had good lunches that you are able to walk to. How fun that you've found some nice tops and that people are noticing the weight loss. Interesting that your dad is feeling that he might be lactose intolerant now. There is a new milk that has been on the market around here for several months now called A-2 milk. It claims to be naturally lactose free. Neither of us have that issue but we tried it anyway because we had a coupon and it is really tasty milk. I highly recommend it. You might want to read about it. here is the link: https://thea2milkcompany.com/about-us/about-our-milk/
Apparently it is the type of protein in the milk (A-1 vs A-2) that gives us digestive issues. Let me know if you try it.
Sheryl, Glad you had another wonderful trip and an amazing time with Norma. Hopefully John went with you to the airport today. Look forward to hearing how it went. Too funny about the blue apron package being at the front door. Dan and I seldom use our front door since we come in thru the garage so he has made it a habit to check the front door each day to see if anyone has left a door hanger or a package or whatever just in case. We don't like to leave door hangers because it gives the look of no one being home. I also noticed that they have some interesting new things at Trader Joe's. We bought some new bars too. They may be the same ones. How is the bacon jam?
Well, I'm getting hungry so I'm going to go and make us something to eat then start reading the book I discovered. Have a wonderful day everyone! 0 -
Good Morning. Yesterday was wonderful, John cooperated all the way. In fact, he charmed the ladies at lunch. We had planned to meet at 1 pm, but I got a call at 12:15 from Norma that they were already there. So, we were ready, just jumped in the car and we were on our way. John continued to ask me where we were going and why, I reminded him again that we were meeting Norma to give her a boarding pass. He asked how she was getting to the restaurant and I said Linda was driving in from the Coast. He's always thinking, just can't remember. He's still with it enough to realized that Linda would be joining us for lunch and once in the car, I reminded him of the other two ladies traveling with Norma. I was afraid if I said there would be four of them before we left, he'd back out. He seemed fine all during lunch and after, so, I can point out to him next time that he's done this before and survived. Even enjoyed the experience.
We then went to check our Portland PO box, I still have that from when we first moved from Oregon to Washington. I kept an Oregon address for my business. Most of our important mail now comes to the house, but I check the PO box about every 2-4 weeks. And then, off to Harbor Freight. John can spend hours there, walking up and down the aisles. I think we have almost the whole store already in our garage and barn, John will pick up and look at something and I'll say, "we have that". "Yup, we have that". "We have that already too". It's an afternoon's entertainment. I have now made it a habit of taking a list of about 6 things that we could buy and stick with that only. We got everything on our want list, 2 more magnetic side trays for his tool boxes (with screwdriver holders), a set of extra long screwdriver bits, a tire inflator with dial gauge, and an inline regulator with gauge for the new air compressor. John asked to go by the river again, so we took Marine Drive all the way, from the Boat Landing by Blue Lake to Interstate 5, crossed into Washington on the drawbridge and then doubled back to the east to get home. Usually, we travel across the Columbia River via Interstate 205, a nice shortcut, but the day was gorgeous and there were a multitude of colorful boats on the Columbia and John loved the drive.
Got home and John helped himself to ice cream, his favorite and easy for him to get to, all the time. I was a bit more hungry, but didn't want to cook a full dinner. I cracked open the TJ's Bacon Jam and put some on crackers. OH MY, I have a new favorite. That stuff is like crack, so good and addicting. I finished my box of crackers and then ate some jam right off the spoon. Savory and sweet and smoky and BACON!!!!! We then had watermelon.
Isabella, that link was interesting and I may try that milk too. I'm not a milk drinker, but probably should be a little more. I find that I cough so much more when I have dairy, or cold, or extra sweet things. Those three categories are awful, so I'm playing with elimination to see what's what. Ice cream is the worst for me, all three. I ate a Danish the other morning and nearly died, too icky sweet. If I have a drink with ice, I have a fit too, and that's not sweet or dairy, just cold. It's so confusing.
Time for a refill, I can have my coffee without coughing.
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Sheryl, so very happy to hear that things went so well!! What a blessing! The drive sounds fabulous too! Crazy about the bacon jam. I don't think I'll try it. We often eat light and snacky when we go out to lunch also. Cooking dinner is just too much food after that. Let me know if you try the a2 milk. I'm not surprised that those things make you cough. Ice cream is a tough one for me too although I eat it at least once a week. I always drink lots of water right after I eat it - always have. 0
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HI all, it's been a few days since I was on here. I got stuff taken in to go to the State Fair. My grand kids got 4 blues and 1 red on their things. Thursday night I found out Friday was Grandparent's Day at Lucy and Paige's school so Ralph and I went. Ralph sat with Paige and I sat with Lucy and went to their classrooms after chapel. In our room, I was the only grandparent. The teacher asked us questions to see if we would match - didn't do real well. Then the kids had a language test. I took it and then left before the history quiz and Lucy said I got 100% so guess I remember my grammar okay. From there we went to El Dorado and did our errands. Made it home by 2 so I could get stuff put away and straightened the house. Saturday morning I watched Molly. She helped me make brownies for Sunday and get beds ready for Derek's kids. After she left, I could relax a bit and then we went to Derek's house. We were there till the boys woke up and then brought the kids out here. They are 5, 5, 3, and 1. I was told I could just use diapers and not worry about potty training so that was nice for me. The three year old had the hardest time going to sleep. I was going to get up at 5:30 and get dressed and then rest till they woke up. Deacon was up at 5:30. I put the boys in the nursery during church so just had to occupy the girls. And I set the table differently so I could help two and Ralph and my sister could help them. So it all went okay. Jim's didn't hurry off. Maggie took a nap and when she woke up I put Madden down. Deacon stayed awake until we drove home but he woke up when we got to his house. Parents got home about 8:30 so I headed home then. We don't do anything big but they seem to enjoy it. They loved that I had lunchables and yogurt for them.
Monday I did things to get ready for 4-H and went to it in the evening. It was elections and most were done with a unanimous ballot but they made it fun. Today I've started going through record books turned in, working on grandkid stuff, carted off some branches Ralph cut off to put a board in the window well so hopefully a armadillo would climb out. Instead, with more rain, he drowned and he had to pull it out. They are not cute. I realized it was in the window well cause I was in the basement and heard something. I thought it was a cat but it wasn't. I finished off the last two waffles - they kind of ice up when in the freezer too long but we got them gone. The last two had the most ice crystals on them.
Tomorrow we'll work on the Echoes and more stuff here. I like having the time at home but since the Sunday leftovers are gone, I have to think harder for meals. Ha.
Last week we had about 7 inches of rain - roads were never flooded in our area but the roads were sure messy when it was coming down. Oh, and I got my new phone last Thursday. I still haven't done much with it by make calls and text. I'm nervous about doing much else - ha. Give me time. I couldn't switch sim cards so need to get my phone numbers in it one by one.
Sheryl, so glad everything worked out with Norma and getting so much time to visit and getting John to go one time and him enjoying it. And I'm glad you found the Blue Apron package. Never a dull moment. I think I kind of felt like you did when I was looking for a can of Crisco today and I couldn't remember when I had put it. Glad your blood work was good.
Marcie, Cisco probably figured he'd get a treat if he woke you up. Good on staying strong. What a picture of your dad with Cisco and his friend with the big dog. Glad he has someone to walk with. Has your week been as productive as you hoped. Our State Fair started last Friday and goes through this coming weekend. We don't plan to go. Lori's family would like to and they bought tickets so hope they can. Nice to have a weekend without a lot of shopping to do. Nice that you can walk to so many places to eat and many are willing to do it. I'm eating at Red Robin this Saturday with two of my sisters. I've never been there but here it's good and the fries great so will give myself permission to enjoy.
Sneaky Marcie - catching Cisco off guard. Think you can make that plan work twice. Cool on the new tops and comments. I agree that slow and steady on the weight loss is the best way. Are you used to the new look? Sorry you have who you do for neighbors. They don't want to exert much energy, do they.
Oh my. Sheryl, did the glider come today? I hope it's easy to set up and you are already enjoying it. Bacon jam doesn't sound that good to me although I like bacon but sure glad you enjoyed it. Nice treat after a full day.
Isabella, nice relaxing weekend for you. Ho w nice. Especially after a busy work week. Have you finished the book. Glad the dog feeding went well. Bummer on the mushrooms but at least you could enjoy them later.
Well, since Sheryl is enjoying her coffee, I'll leave and have something to drink too.
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Good Morning, now that Autumn is almost upon us, BEWARE!! Back at the PBS on NM, Granny, Elaine and I seemed to have an accident every Autumn, sometime between September and December, we would take a tumble. Marcie, I think I remember you having a fall too, but maybe, I hope, I'm mistaken. Well, I fell at Lowe's the other day. I'm OK, just bruised knees and left arm and ego. Many employees came rushing over to help me, "are you OK?", "Just embarrassed!!" So, just be aware that Fall falling has begun. Be careful out there.
The glider arrived early, UPS pulled up on Monday. I got so excited, but when I opened the box and started laying out pieces for assembly, I found a defective part. The plastic part on the back of one of the arm rests was broken and had sharp edges. I spent the rest of the day repackaging the box. It's hard to get everything back in that box the way is was, but I did it. Amazon is great about returns and they sent me a return label and arranged for UPS to come back out and pick up the box. The same UPS guy came yesterday at 3:40 pm and picked it up. When he came Monday, he carried the box all the way to the front deck. When I saw it, it was labeled as "extra heavy, over 70 lbs." So, John and I put it on a hand truck to have it ready for him to pick up. Since it was the same guy, I mentioned that if I had known it was so heavy, I would not have asked him to carry it that far. I told him that I'd see him next week when he delivers the replacement and he asked if he could leave the next one at the gate, I said YES.
John had a bad morning and is now outside, I better go check on him. See you tomorrow.0 -
Good morning, it's been nice getting some sleep the last few nights. I feel like a whole new human being with a clear mind. We had a bit of rain yesterday and might get a little more today, that is good we need to keep our water levels as high as possible.
I decided to suck it up and start putting my house back together from the bed bug mishap back in March. We haven't seen any live ones in our bags yet, we did respray our bedroom before I started opening bags and inspecting things. Not everything can be heat treated, like makeup and shampoos, etc. I took a rag and saturated it with alcohol to wipe things down and kept the alcohol spray next to me in case I saw a live one.
I should have done all of this while we were treating the house but I was so covered in bites I didn't want to take a chance on re-introducing the bugs into my room. Now I have the chance of doing just that, what a dummy I have been. We took the plastic off the closet doors in our room, moved things around and put in a new bug strip and resealed the doors again. We are going to leave it another 4 months like that. We didn't see any evidence of bugs in the closet and are hoping we don't actually have a problem there. We still have the bedroom and hall closet we closed up to do. I got my living room back in order, that's all I wanted because I got tired of walking around all the stuff. I also got rid of a couple large trash bags of clothing we don't need anymore.
I have discovered a new style broom too, I love it because it's design is curved, and the sweeping is so much better than a regular broom. You can sweep with just one or two swipes toward yourself with a lot fewer brush strokes. I find my back doesn't hurt anymore when I sweep. It comes with two brooms and dust pans are not included, but my dust pan fit the handle just fine. Hubby got a broom for the garage and I get to keep mine in the kitchen, that's a win win. They are sold out on HSN, but I did see them listed on Amazon. Here is the link to HSN and it gives more in depth information on the Da Vinci Broom.
hsn.com/products/da-vinci-broom-2-pack-innovative-curved-brooms/8191220?sourcemailid=emorder20160822&utm_source=transactional&utm_medium=email&utm_content=purchase&utm_campaign=emorder20160822&cm_mmc=Email-_-transactional-_-emorder20160822-_-purchase&cm_mmca1=&cm_mmca2=&cm_mmca3=622505135C624CADB7049A2B1CB4C3&cm_mmca4=Target&cm_mmca5=000001022
Here is the Amazon link
https://amazon.com/product-reviews/B00O4GX7RY/ref=acr_offerlistingpage_text?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
I am so glad I bought these brooms, I just love how easy it is to sweep now. Between my new Da Vinci brooms, Don Aslet's microfiber mop set and my microfiber dusters by Campanelli I am set, it's so easy and fast cleaning the house. My arthritis is thanking me for all the help it's getting. Who new having products for specific jobs really is a benefit? I always thought you just keep a rag, mop and broom and you were set. Not anymore, I am being smart about what I am requiring my body to do on a daily basis.
qvc.com/qvc.product.V33533.html?item=V33533&ref=JF1&tpl=detail&cm_MMC=JELLYFISHFEED-_-For+the+Home-_-Vacuums+%26+Cleaning-_-Don+Aslett%27s+Super-size+Microfiber+Mop+with+8+Washable+Pads&V33533-000-000&cvosrc=pla.bing.&mkwid=s%7Cdc_pcrid_{creative}_pkw__pmt_e&CAWELAID=120240770002000559&catargetid=600006460006517039&cadevice=c
qvc.com/8-Piece-Safari-Microfiber-Dusting-Kit-by-Campanelli.product.V32719.html?sc=V32719-Zone&cm_scid=zone&cm_sp=MERCHZONE-_-Featured:+Recently+Aired+Items-_-4
We are taking a trip to Canton First Monday at the end of the month, it's a huge flea market near Dallas and I am so excited to go. We are heading to Waco to see the Silo's and the Dr. Pepper Museum since it's on the highway too. I had a friend that was going but she decided her wheelchair would be an issue so doesn't want to go. I kept telling her I researched it, they rent scooters, so it didn't matter because we could get through anything. She is the one that likes Dr. Pepper and told me about the museum years ago and said she could get the original recipe there. Now, I have tickets and no reason to go other than the fact I already paid for tickets. Oh well, I was able to get hubby to take some time off work at least so it will be nice to get out of here for a few days.
Well, time to get off here and get my day started. I hope you all enjoy your day today!
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Good Morning. Anew, good to see you and glad the new brooms and mops fit your needs. Ha ha ha, my remedy is not to sweep or mop!!!!
Very quiet around here and I don't have too much to say today either. I'll be looking for the UPS truck, have my hand truck ready and possibly start putting together the glider.
Getting started on inundating neighbors in the development and County employees again with letters and videos of our drainage problem. I never did hear about what their solution is about "not being in compliance", but, I see that nothing has been done to improve the situation. I think I'll even go to the State level with letters and videos. Someone needs to care. Next steps are contacting the news media and hiring a lawyer. UGH! I really hope to avoid that.0 -
Sannferris-Hopefully the news media will be what kicks it all into gear and a solution made. I am sure they don't want bad publicity for their housing project and I am sure the city doesn't want people to know they aren't doing their jobs. Do you have mosquitos breeding in that water? The health department might be interested in that if you do. Hopefully your new glider will have all good parts to it.
I want to do a kitchen favorites thread so I will open it up separately. In favorites, I don't mean crock pots or pressure cookers, but I mean other kitchen utensils that help me do the job I have and get it done easily and with great results. So tell me in the separate thread, what are you all's favorite kitchen utensils and why?
The A/C breaker broke again so that makes three in just 17 months. At least the last one was under it's one year warranty and it was only 5 months old. The tech put the same part number in the last time, but the connectors were different and he said it would work with the capping he was doing. I don't know what that means but the new tech bypassed the breaker and said he would hunt down the actual replacement part for Ruud to replace it with.
The dryer was getting way too hot so hubby took it apart and cleaned the heat sensor with alcohol and cleaned out the lint we couldn't get to the normal way and it seems to be better. We did go ahead and order the temperature hoo-dad to replace, so just waiting for that part to come then we should be good as new.
Then the riding mower broke again and hubby had to buy a pulley and belt for it. The push mower is getting a huge rust hole in the top of it so it will need replacing sometime in the next year or so. They are both Snapper brand and both very old lawn mowers that we bought used.
Today seems to be a nice sunny day and I'm sure enjoying my cold brewed coffee each morning. I get to use the coffee bar for the cups and syrups, lol. Hubby sure enjoys the coffee bar though and I have tea there too. So, it just depends what my mood is, cold coffee or hot tea.
Have a great day everyone.
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Good Morning. The glider was delivered yesterday and the box looks BRAND new, so I don't anticipate any problems with the individual pieces. I haven't opened it up yet, we'll put it together today.
Had a bit of a problem with a llama yesterday afternoon and called the vet out, that's why the glider is still in the box. John came in the house and said we have a llama sick and not breathing. He has called me outside many times and, thank goodness, I usually find no problems. This time, Mochadot, my profile pic, was still laying out in the pasture on her side and gasping for air and couldn't get up. I called the vet for an emergency call and they said he'd be here in 45 minutes. While I was still on the phone with the office, John came in and said the llama was up on her feet now, but I still had the vet come out to check her out. By the time he got here, she was fine and we determined that she was dusting in a dirt hole and got into a position where she was trying to get back up, uphill and couldn't right herself. She panicked and made the situation worse and threw up a bunch of green yuck (cud). Once she was up and recovered, all was fine. The vet checked her out and temp was normal, 101 degrees, and we gave her some hay and she ate. He listened to her heart, lungs and gut and said all sounds good. We'll watch her closely for a couple days, just in case she aspirated and got some food into her lungs. Symptoms will be coughing and a snotty nose and depressed, but so far she's not showing any signs of that. I can see her this morning, grazing with the others, so all is well. She's our youngest, 8 years old.
I talked to Nancy Thursday, she's still getting opinions on her back surgery. After more tests and more x-rays, it's her entire spine that needs to be rebuilt. One surgeon said that surgery that long (many hours and face down) would be too risky due to her weight. She said it's hard to burn calories when in so much pain. Another surgeon said maybe they can do it in segments and give her some relief so she can then exercise and lose the weight. I'll let you know what happens next.
She has hired a guy who comes in 3 days a week to care for her Dad. It's a blessing. Roy is fitting in well with the family and keeping my uncle very busy with activities and giving Nancy a much needed break.
Norma's home remodel is going very well. Her next door neighbor is a contractor and, fortunately, he has some free time right now to fit her in. George and his brother are removing the textured ceiling and making it smooth and painting and adding a ceiling light and fan in the living room. They have removed the remainder of the wall paper and getting ready for the flooring to come in next week. Norma said she is so excited that it looks so good and the process is going so well. She will paint one wall in the family room and after they lay the new floor in there, The big china hutch that was in her living room will go on that wall and then she doesn't have to move it ever again. It will be closer to the kitchen and dining area and she'll be able to easily use the dishes and serving ware that's stored in there. The flooring people said to paint after the flooring is laid because they will make a mess tearing up the old carpet and dust and lint will stick to new paint. That's why she'll only paint the one wall beforehand.
Anew, I'll have to really think about my kitchen gadgets. I'll make a mental note in the next few days and see what I use most. I take so much for granted, I can't think of anything right now.
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Sheryl, I'm so glad Mochadot is okay. Not fun finding her having trouble breathing. Glad it didn't take too long for the vet to get there. Have fun putting the glider together (you had a quick turnaround on your return). Oh my, Nancy must be in a lot of pain. Glad she has found some help with her dad. And Norma's remodel sounds good - (glad she has all the mess. Good luck on getting help with the drainage problem. This has dragged on a long time. And no more falling. We don't have to continue that trend.
Anew, three things broke, that should be enough for now. Sure nice that your husband can take care of a lot of the things. Glad you the coffee is still a big hit and you are figuring things that work well for you so you can do your work and feel better. Neat that you and your hubby can get away for a long weekend. Have fun. So glad no bugs - hope it stays that way.
The rest of my week sped by. Wednesday I concentrated on 4-H stuff so I could give it to Lori so they could get things finished up. I took it to her Thursday - she was home with both boys home sick - one ended up having strep. But all are on the mend.
Thursday Ralph and I went to town to celebrate my birthday. We used a Starbucks gift card (got hot chocolate since neither of us are big coffee drinkers), went to Office Depot, ate at Burger King mid-afternoon and watched Alan's kids - they enjoyed the play area and the ice cream we got. We went and got more boxes since we're buying books again and went to Atwoods and I finished up Deacon's gift. Ralph dropped me at Bible study on the way home and everyone brought snacks to celebrate there so a fun day.
Friday we did our usual town run. We got home by noon. It poured again a good part of the morning but we didn't get too wet. We pulled into the garage when we got home so I could unload without getting wet. I straightened the house, put everything away and other odds and ends. In the evening we went to a visitation and then had our pizza and salads. Today I got busy on Sunday stuff - mixed up meat loaf, cut up two pineapples, and baked, frosted and "decorated" a cake. Then I ate at Red Robin with two of my sisters. My younger sister's birthday is next week so we try and eat together the Saturday between our birthdays. Then we went to some different stores and looked around. I got home to find out Ralph had not gone to the State Fair. But that gave him time to mow the yard and with the sun out it was dry enough I could get all the trash carried out. Tomorrow all the kids will be here and we'll celebrate the three September birthdays. I did a mixup with where everyone sits - thought it would be good to try for a change so we'll see how it goes. I teach tomorrow - story of Lazarus. Being cheap, I cut up two kleenixes to used for my soft cloths to wrap his body in. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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Hi all, not much going on here which is a good thing! Dan and I went to the farmer's market this morning and got some yummy produce and some local honey. Then we went to Grocery Outlet and Trader Joe's. It was a nice time. When we got home I did some laundry and read. Now we are relaxing at the computers before we go and watch a movie.
Debora, Happy belated birthday!!! Glad it was a nice one. How did you like Red Robin? I've only eaten there a few times and got a burger each time but I liked it. It is pretty impressive that you got 100% on your language test at Grandparents day! I don't think I'd have done half as well. What type of new phone did you get? Dan and I still haven't gotten new phones yet. I guess we are going to hold onto our stupid phones until they force us to get rid of them. I am still reading the book - it is called Scaling Down by Danna Demitri - about balance physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a pretty in depth, hopefully life changing book so I'm probably going to be working on it for a while. So far, so good. Right now she is talking about putting the Lord first and everything else will fall into place.
Sheryl, NO MORE FALLS! Very happy to hear that you are OK. Hope putting the glider together goes very smoothly for you. Look forward to seeing what it looks like on your deck. Such a bummer that you have to continue to deal with the drainage issue. What is wrong with people?! Why can't they just do the right thing? So sorry to hear that Nancy is having such problems with her back. Back surgery is a very scary thing. Good to hear though that the guy helping with her dad is working out well.
Anew, great that you have been getting some good sleep. It always makes a big difference. Glad to hear that you are starting to get things back in order at the house and that so far there are no more bugs. If anyone could defeat them it is you! You worked so very hard at it. Smart to get rid of the clothes you didn't need anymore. That DaVinci broom looks really interesting. It must be popular because it was sold out on both sites. Your trip to Canton sounds like fun. Look forward to hearing all about it. I'll have to think about my favorite kitchen tools and gadgets. I'll look forward to your post.
Marcie, Hope all is well with you and that work is going well.
OK everyone, have a great night.0 -
Good morning, took all yesterday afternoon, but we got the glider put together. We had to take a lot of breaks in between because John gets so frustrated and upset, I say "let's take a step back and cool down, regroup". We only sat on it for about 5 minutes, John is so afraid that the small 1/4" studs that the bench part hangs on to make it a glider will not be strong enough to hold our weight. It's always something! The seat cushion that I bought is really too thick for this bench, but doable, still comfy. But, I will probably look for something thinner in the stores for use next summer. I'll put some pictures over on the photo post.
The llamas are all doing fine, no after effects from our ordeal Friday except that John is still obsessing about it. He can't remember which llama or what happened, but remembers that something happened and keeps asking me if the llamas are OK. It rained all day Saturday, the news reported that we got the most rainfall in one day since last January. I'm not so sure about that, I think we had some pretty wet days during Spring. Although, it did rain steady all day, usually, we have showers with breaks in between.
I'm out of bread and milk, but with the rain, didn't feel like going out to the grocery store. I am still totally in love with the Blue Apron meals, they have everything included and I did not need to go get bread or milk. Saturday, we had pork chops and yesterday, cod. I'll be going out Wednesday to meet Carol for lunch and Thursday, for a doctor's appointment, so I'll hit the stores on my way home on both those days. It's rare for me to make a special trip out just to the grocery store, I like to stop while I'm out for another errand.
I hear John up now, I figured that he would sleep in this morning because he didn't come to bed until very late last night, wee hours of this morning in fact.0 -
Ha! I looked out the front window and I see that the new glider has already been pooped on by a bird. It's officially ours, we're really poopy around here.0
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I finally, actually, physically walked outside and that was not poop, just a little feather.0
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Well, Sunday School class went fine. This group already does a good job with motions when we sing which is good since they don't all talk much. Dinner was good and the new seating arrangement worked - although we revamped it as we heard who was and wasn't coming. We had fun with the gift openings for the September birthdays. The three year old had a tractor theme. The 12 year old (well, he'll be 12 Saturday) had a sports them and I have lots of post it notes now. People hung around till 4 and then the rest of the day was quiet.
Monday I had the whole day at home after I walked. Got some things done - I keep trying. In tried out my new griddle for supper and had Molly come eat since she couldn't on Sunday and pancakes is a favorite of hers.
Tuesday is was off to town for my physical. All very routine. We did a couple of errands and then came home and ate - I thought we would eat out but we had plenty of leftovers so it was good to do. In the afternoon the guys got started combining corn. Always seem to be some glitches when they start but hopefully today goes smoother.
This morning was when I worked on the Echoes - keep making progress. Ava came with me today and was here until around 2. She played nicely while we were at the church. While she was here at the house, I was even to take care of a few little things. Left the phone calls to do later and most will happen tomorrow. I figure Ralph will be out till dark so that will give me a little more time to work. Had some tomatoes given us so made another batch of relish.
Last night the Ralph called and I looked out the window and saw a chicken loose. Ralph said one had flown out about 4 days ago. Of course, I didn't go out and follow it around so we had to hunt when Ralph got home. In looking under one evergreen tree and the lid to one his cups was there. During one of our rains, the cup was sitting on the car and the cup was in a whole different location. Can't believe we found the lid. Then he walked over by the one building and there was the chicken and he opened the door and the chicken went in. We're surprised something didn't get it in the four days.
Isabella, sounds like going to the farmer's market was fun. Elaine (from NM) sure keeps busy with theirs. Red Robin was nice. The burger was good as were the fries but I don't know if was a better burger than anywhere else. Hope your work week is going well.
Sheryl, yay on getting the glider together. The cushions do look thick. It almost looks comfortable to just sit on it without anything. Hope it turns into a great spot to relax. Nice that you don't have to go to the store. I had milk go bad which seldom happens but I used it in the pancakes I made. Did you have a good time with Carol today? Glad the poop turned out to be a feather.
Ralph said the combining is going well so he'll be late. I may go ahead and fix my supper so I have things started for him too. I'm fixing eggs with onions and peppers and have dinner rolls from Sunday to go with them. My sister sent me a bunch of letters that I had written to my folks way back when. They are interesting to read them but I don't think I'll keep them. When I had two small kids, I did some arts and crafts shows and sold baked stuff - especially peppernuts. My freezer must have been pretty full cause for one, I told my mom I had 25 loaves of cherry-nut bread, 28 loaves of date nut bread, 23 of cranberry-cheese and 7 dozen fancy sugar cookies and 12 loaves of whole wheat. Can't believe I did all that then.
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Good morning, yesterday was terrific. So good to get away and just visit with another woman who understands everything. Carol has gone through the dementia thing with her mother, so really knows how weird life can get because of it. We talked for 2 1/2 hours. Her husband, retired, has gotten another job. He had a part time job for a couple years but got laid off this past year. Being at home ALL THE TIME is driving Carol nuts. He is the type of person who needs to be right there by her side for everything she does. She likes to be alone once in a while. This new job is driving a school bus and he will work a split shift. Gone in the mornings and afternoons and give Carol time to do whatever she wants for a few hours here and there. He has passed the tests and got the special license and is in training all this week. Carol laughed when she heard what job he was going after because when he's driving, she's the navigator. He gets lost so easily and continually. But, we figured once he knows his route, he should be fine, just don't deviate from that route. The first rule he learned in training was NOT to let any of the students give directions...they like to make the bus late for school and miss their first class. Too funny, that cracked me up.
After leaving Carol, I went down the street to Lowe's and arranged for a consultant to come out and look at the garage door. I need them to mark where the threshold will be so I can get Jack to cut the concrete in the right place. I don't remember if I told you that the existing door does not have a threshold and the concrete floor is cracked and raised just enough that the new door won't quite fit. The "rough opening" is almost an inch too small. But if we redo the concrete in the doorway, it will be perfect. I'll see what the person that Lowe's sends out has to say about it.
Today, I'm going to my primary doctor to go over the progress or results of the new BP med dosage and make tweaks if necessary. I've been taking the lower dose for a month now. I've been using the inhaler, but don't see any improvement regarding that, so I'm still confused as to what is causing the breathing problems. She had diagnosed "Bronchospasms", so that covers a lot of territory. I looked it up and it's under COPD, which is what my Dad was diagnosed with having, but there are so many different respiratory problems that fall into that category.
I'll get all my readings and notes printed out to take with me.
Norma gets her new flooring started today. She has taken today off work, as well as Monday and Tuesday, (Friday is one of her regular days off), so she'll be home the whole time they are working. She ordered a dumpster and plans to clean out closets and "declutter" while she's home for 6 days. A Dumpster, She really means business!!! Her home will be totally clean and organized by this time next week. She'll get to show it off for Thanksgiving when the whole family comes over. She always has the family get-together at her house for Thanksgiving.
I came across a folder of notes from when John's mom lived with us. Debora, like you, I saved lots of letters and stuff and reading through them, I can hardly believe we did all that we did. I had forgotten things that happened that I didn't think I'd ever forget at the time. I mark things on the calendar now regarding John and someday I'll look back on that and think how did I forget about that? I still have boxes of stuff that we moved from Missouri with John's mom. I haven't looked in them for years, I should just toss the whole box without looking. If we haven't needed them by now, we will never need them.
Yes, Debora, the glider is comfortable without any cushions, I just bought them to make it cushier. I thought it might get hard on the butt after sitting for awhile, but I'm not sure I can get John to sit for very long anyway. The bench is marketed as a "garden" bench glider, so it's meant to be left outside in the weather, but I won't leave the cushions out.
I better get my notes ready for the doctor's appointment.
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Hi everyone. Wow, I guess it's been a while since I last posted! Time sure does fly.
Our weather has been so nice the last few days. Yesterday it only got to 80 degrees and today I don't think it will make it out of the 70s. We're supposed to be warming up again though, and it will be in the 90s by Sunday. Just that time of year before Fall sets in.
It's sure getting darker earlier now. Dad is going to have to adjust his dog walking time in the evenings. They usually head out around 7ish, but it's dark by the time they get back. They've been walking with a group of people who also walk their dogs that time of day, so the group will need to adjust the start time. He says Cisco's little legs just fly trying to keep up with some of those larger dogs in the group. It's good that Cisco can socialize with other people and dogs like that.
As I was leaving for work yesterday Dad told me he smelled something really awful in the food pantry. I poked my nose in there and about doubled over from the smell. After a little searching around I found an old potato on the ground in the back of the pantry. It had pretty much liquefied! I put it in a zip lock and on my way to work dropped it off in a trash bin in front of the grocery store. No way I was putting in our garbage can to wait until next week's trash pick up!
Dad took Cisco to the vet yesterday to get his anal glands expressed again and have his nails clipped. They weighed him and he's lost 9/10s of a pound since the last time they were there. At least its going down. Hopefully with his new dog food it will keep going down. Dad gave up on the weight-control food. Cisco just wasn't having it. A friend of his gave him a sample of the food he has always fed his dog (who loves it and it's healthy) to try on Cisco, and Cisco loved it too. We've switched over to that now and are keeping our fingers crossed that we've finally found something he will like. We've been really good about not giving him any people food. He just looks up at us when we are eating and keeps licking his lips at us, but we're sticking to our guns!
Yesterday I was reading all of your recent posts, and I Sheryl had mentioned falling (glad you are okay!) Would you believe after I finished reading the posts I went for a walk before going back to work and wound up taking a fall?! There is this bit of uneven sidewalk on one of the streets and I tripped over it and took an undignified fall (with witnesses of course!). Luckily, this time I didn't sprain anything. My big toe got the worst of it. It was bleeding like a stuck pig by the time I got back to work. I also have a few minor cuts on my right hand and a sore left arm, but nothing too bad. Leave it to me. The people who had just passed me by made sure to stop and check it I was okay. That was nice of them. I told them my dignity took a beating, but otherwise I was fine.
Our neighbor who lives across the street from us has a bee hive and he gave us a bottle of fresh honey yesterday. That was so nice of him. We told him if he ever has a hankering for kumquats he can help himself to our kumquat tree! I still don't have much use for them. They are good in deserts with lots of sugar added (a no-no for me), but I haven't found much else to do with them. Every now and then and pick a bunch of them and take them in to a couple of my co-workers who love them.
I was shocked yesterday to find our neighbor nextdoor who had tossed his old car tires in the middle of his lawn after being ticketed for having flat tires on a car parked on the street had finally hauled them off somewhere. I was just sure he would leave them on his lawn for the rest of eternity! At least I don't have to look at them now. Now that football season is here, their partying has picked up. They like to watch football and then spend the rest of the night getting drunk and BBQing till all hours. I sure wished he would move away. All of our other neighbors are so great.
I stopped by my pharmacy (the one that took so long to fill my prescription last month) yesterday after work to get a flu shot. They have signs out saying flu shots are available "NOW." Well, their definition of now is different than mine. The guy told me I would have a 90 minute wait to get the shot. I think it's time to find another pharmacy. Usually when I go in to a get the shot, they get it done within 10 to 15 minutes.
Sheryl, I'm glad to hear Mochadot is doing okay now. How scary! Your new glider looks so nice on your deck. I hope you get a lot of use out of it. I'm sorry Nancy is having such a bad time of it with her spine. It must be so painful for her. I hope they are able to give her some relief soon.
Debora, Happy Belated Birthday!! Sounds like you had a good day out and about. It's so weird how so much of the country is being deluged by rainfall and we are so terribly dry here. We did get a very small amount of rain early yesterday morning, but only enough to have to turn the windshield wipers on a couple times during the commute to work and to get the car windows dirty. I just washed the car last weekend and now it needs it again. Did you enjoy Red Robin. I like their basic burger there, but rarely go.
Isabella, do you like the honey from the farmers market. I see it at ours all the time, but they charge so much for it I don't buy it.
Well, I guess I will close and finish out my day. Have a nice evening everyone.
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Good Morning. I've had a great two days, Yay!!!
Thursday's doctor's appointment went well, I'm staying on the lower dosage of BP meds for awhile. I knew it would be too soon for her to lower it again or completely remove it, but at least, she didn't tell me I had to go back to the higher dosage. My BP readings were pretty good, a few high days, but I could relate those to something stressful happening at the time, like feeding that donkey or some event with John.
I told her that I didn't feel any difference using the inhaler, so I'm stopping that. We'll venture into something else to try to find answers to my breathing problem. She asked if I ever had my thyroid checked, No, so she thought maybe that gland is swollen and obstructing my airway. That will be the next tests.
Yesterday, we went to lunch with Jack and Gayla. I waited until 8 am to remind John and I stated it as a fact, not a request. I also told him that he needed to take a shower and I'd put out clean clothes for him. At 11 am, he got in the shower without me saying anything further, Yay!!! another triumph. I stressed a little up until then, because I figured he still had time to come up with a lame excuse and back out. We had a great time and good food. They took us to a Chinese buffet, delicious, but I overindulged again, as usual. John and I haven't been to an "all you can eat" buffet in many years because of the overindulgence and also because it's hard for John to figure out how it all works, but yesterday went well. John didn't complain and seemed to handle the buffet part fairly well, although he stayed by my side and asked me for help, but at least I didn't have to serve him. The food was really really good, surprisingly fresh for a buffet. They continually change out the platters for piping hot, freshly cooked food and had a huge variety.
Big news on Norma's remodeling...asbestos. They got the family room completed because that was an add-on that she and Don did after moving in, but when the crew started to remove the carpets in the bedrooms, they discovered that the flooring under it was glued with a black substance, same with the kitchen, so they had to have a special team come in and take samples for testing. If the test comes back negative, they will continue, but if it comes back asbestos, she has to leave her home and a "HazMat" team will come in to remove it and then the flooring job can continue. Big delay. She went to work yesterday to make up for taking off Thursday and will also work Monday-Tuesday, so she still has some vacation days left and can then take those days off again when the flooring resumes without being penalized. Very disappointing, but it will all get done eventually. She still has the big dumpster in her driveway for a week and will work on cleaning her closets and decluttering this weekend and in the evenings after work, instead of during the days that she was to be home for the flooring to be done. This delays her painting the walls, but she still will have it completed for Thanksgiving.
I've really got the bug now to clean out my house. Like I said before, I have boxes and boxes of stuff from Missouri for John's Mom. I'm going to start tossing.
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