WOMEN AGES 50 + FOR SEPTEMBER 2015

gawworthington

I am so excited I got accepted into Hogwarts - a challenge. I was wait listed last term. I am a person that works harder when I have a competition to work with.

jmkmomm

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pipcd34

I have a great husband who is doing everything for me, I am truly blessed. I didn't know I was only able to pick up a cup of coffee, nothing else. Oops. Because I was sleeping sitting up with my head in the corner, I was slowly pushing air mattress away from the wall. We put a dresser pushed up against one end and a big heavy tv against the the other side. We will c if that works. He hasn't mastered on the art of the ponytail, I have been able to get someone at the gym to put one on for me. I will finally b able to c what I have underneath the bandaid

pipcd34

janetr7476

Sylvia, tiny black yoga pants and tiny jacket is the bomb. You go girl. Hope you feel better soon. And poor Bruno.

Pip - so you take the bandage off yourself? Great stats for only a couple days post- op.

MNMargaret - I think that's way beyond my bucket list too, but what an adventure.

Janetr OKC

mtowne002

margaretturk wrote: »

Joyce When someone is as sick as Charlie they can only think of themselves.

I agree with Heather in getting help. He came home too soon and now you have the stress of caring for a very ill person.
It is not selfish of you to take a break you need it so you can give him care. Found it interesting that he finally ate when you were not present. Sounds like he is trying to control you because his body is so out or control. We have the same problem with our son. He tries to control us in unhealthy ways because his own health is so out of control. Knowing this helps, but does not always make it easier.

I have made the decision to find a new choir. I have sang in a church choir for twenty years. The current choir director teaches music to children as her day job. The problem is she treats us like we are those children. She has outstanding voices in her choir who know what to do with little direction. She does not trust that which is too bad i.e. I find her too bent on short term and loses sight of the long term. I unfortunately have used her as an example of what not to do when I am working with children as I sub. (That is a red flag for me). She tries to make up for it by being over complementary that I just find annoying. The main reason I will find another group is she takes the joy out of singing for me. I know what I am looking for in a choir director. Hopefully I can find it.

This is what I am looking for in this order:
1. The most important thing is the message we are delivering as we sing.
2. Singing is fun.
3. We work on the technical parts of the song with #1 and #2 to guide us.


This is what I am looking for. I have had too many directors who say #1 is what they are about only to get lost in the technical aspects of singing. I agree there are skills to develop in singing. Just not at the expense of the message.

Thanks for letting clarify my thoughts on this matter. It will help as I seek out a new choir.

MNMargaret

Hey Girls,
I'm behind a hundred posts and super tired from a busy day at work...just wanted to let u k that all went well today. They still love me...their words were we knew it was a complete accident bc you exude happiness and interest in your job and customers more so than anybody. We really didn't even want to do a formal notice about this and we downgraded the mistake to a late call out which was two points. Ten points in ninety days and you get an official written warning..to keep it I. Perspective..so alls good...more later..I really hope all of u have been doing fab since Thursday night..but for those who haven't mucho Higgs.
Mindy

janetr7476

cityjaneLondon wrote: »

England lost the rugby - in the last minutes of the game. Poor DH.

Heather x UK

Oh no, hope DH is not too upset so there is not a repeat episode

Janetr

oceanmelody

Pip, thanks for the updates! I have a feeling everything is gonna be okay.
Wow, so much great info about holidays. I am trying to become more flexible in my thinking about many things lately, including holidays. One thing I won't do is go shopping! Not a fan of Black Friday madness at all.
Had a productive day--made 7 pints of escabeche and started drying tomatoes.
Also, everybody keep the pictures coming--I love them--the wedding stuff, the hiking stuff, the glamorous gowns, the elk...this Eastern girl has only seen elk a few times and they are magnificent creatures. Cannot imagine anyone stupid enough to not have a healthy respect for them and their wild nature.
Betty

mollywhippet

Meg, I totally agree about the bigger clothes being ugly. I used to grumble about it all the time. They would have smaller clothes in all sorts of beautiful colors. Apricot, soft mauve, robins egg blue, teal, but the big stuff only came in primary colors and white. Nobody looks good in primary colors, I think. And the same with styles and patterns. Small clothes got beautiful pattern and colors. Big clothes got what was left over at the tent factory. It's really frustrating. I hated shopping. It's a lot more fun now.

We just got home from rushing Bruno to the PetSmart vet over in Joplin. They gave him a shot for nausea. They wanted to do more testing, but it was closing time, so they agreed it could probably wait till our regular vet opens on Monday. If he gets worse we can take him back tomorrow. For now he's in his crate do he can't eat. They didn't want him to eat till tomorrow, but he can have water. So, we are staying home tonight instead of going back to the lake. I'm a little worried that he might have drunk water from a toilet right after I cleaned it this morning. I flushed them afterward and closed the bathroom doors, do I don't think so, but I can't think of anything else he could have gotten into. I hope it's not that.

Well, I think I'm going to bed early. Have a great night!

Sylvia

miakoda40

DJ Myrtle Beach, SC -

DamitJanit wrote: »

Mia, how wonderful that your pillow found its way home!!! Did you call or did the hotel do that on its own?

No, the pillow didn't find it's way on its own. It took 5 phone calls (2 to find it and 3 to get it to a UPS store) so I was rather surprised that it actually made it.

Mia in MI

DamitJanit

Call me crazy but I love to see other people happy and succeeding .

Good Evening Ladies,

Barbie, I love your pictures. See what you miss by walking in the middle of the night? LOL I feel the same way about all the ladies here. I used to also visit another thread or two but eventually started only coming here. You guys are the best!!!!

MNMargaret, yeppers, I’d say it’s time for you to make a change of choirs. Best get looking ASAP. Sorry about that, but I’m sure you’ll find one to your liking. ((((Hugs))))

Heather, your day sounds wonderful including your walk. A good idea for DH to work off the stress while watching cricket.

Joyce, you do need to get out of the house for a bit just for your own sanity. I am so impressed with all that you do but wish you could get some help. ((((Hugs))))

Becca, beautiful pictures. You mean you aren’t a “tree hugger”???? I hate that innocent animals are harmed by humans weather it’s elk or ducks.

Janetr, I feel the same way about you and all the ladies on here. It is for sure the best thing that has happened to me in this journey. Thank you all.

Meg, I hope Lena didn’t bring home any sickness to share with ya’ll. I agree that most if not all holiday food is anything but diet friendly, but gosh some of it is soooo good!!!

Sylvia, good for you running around the lake in your spiffy, skinny clothes. Don’t ya love it???? Hope you and Bruno will be okay.

Vicki, congrats on getting your house back to yourselves. You are so nice to open your home!!!! I hope it lasts.

Plantlady, welcome back. There are so many new ladies here, so please tell us a little about yourself and sign your posts with the name you want to be called.

Allison, good for you on sitting to read a book. You need to take some time for yourself.

Pip, I’m so happy that you have your guardian angel there with you. Maybe he missed his calling as a nurse? Even looking at your bandage makes me cringe. Glad you are getting along so well.

Mindy, so glad all is okay at work. Get some rest.

Sylvia, I hope Bruno has a good night and is better in the morning.

Tomorrow I have a Chinese Auction for charity at the Women of the Moose. I just hope the items are better than last year because there was really nothing I wanted to bid on. The first one I attended had lots of neat stuff.  Not that I need anything else in my house. My soup that I started yesterday was dinner tonight and it turned out really yummy. Took a few hours to get to sleep last night so I'm off to bed soon.

Sending the best thoughts to all of you and I hope all of you have a healthy and happy day.

Words I live by:
Savor. I have to slow down and savor every bite.
and
Opportunity. Each day offers new opportunities for good health and happiness if we just look for them and choose them.
I Love you,
DJ
Myrtle Beach, SC

janetr7476

Mindy - soooooooo glad all is well with the job. A good attitude, quick smile and great personality causes employers to hang on tight. Very proud of you, great job

Janetr OKC

exermom

Did an hour of Kelley Coffee Meyer's Workout today. The plan for tomorrow is to do a pilates Internediate DVD.

Made banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Lynette and then another batch but this time I used butterscotch chips. I liked the butterscotch better. Now I'm making one of those spinach feta quiches for myself. This not having a microwave really stinks. It's more that I'm used to it. I remember that I wasn't used to a dishwasher and when we remodeled our kitchen in our first house I didn't want one (I was used to not having one). Vince talked me into getting one. When the one in this house broke, I couldn't wait to get the new one.

Cheri - I'm so glad we gave you the push to celebrate with your family. I know that there will be times when you'll think "what in the world was I thinking?" but remember that we are always in your pocket. You can do this!!!

Well, Denise booked her flight down here for Christmas.

Penny - the first year I was on my own, I couldn't even afford to buy garland for my tree so I bought a bag of popcorn and strung that. I thought it looked so pretty that I still do it today. Only this year I'm so far behind doing it. I haven't even started. Usually, by now I have it done. But there was just so much going on with Vince's surgery, all the company and all, that I haven't even started. At least I do have the popcorn popped.

Cathy - no, this isn't a closed group of any sorts. Welcome! Jump right in. Penny is right we are a "close" group. You'll love it here

Cynthia - congrats on your wedding, even if it is belated. The wish is still the same

MNMargaret - what a beautiful idea of adding straw to the manger!

Lisa - did you get one of those credit card readers that take the chip?

terri - your hard work certainly paid off. Congrats! Thanks for posting those pics. Your daughter looks so so happy

Sylvia - oh no! Goodness, you better take care of yourself, you're too important to us here

Mary in MN - "Father, forgive them for they know now what they do (or say)". That lady is probably jealous, I know I love looking at the beautiful colors. If it's too much for her to scroll thru the pictures, I'm surprised that it's not too much for her to read the posts. I'd say pity her

DJ - I've always said that if they want zero population growth, have men have children. Actually, one would tell the other what's in store and we'd have a population deficit!

This is really the only thread I participate in too

Joyce - I agree that Charlie needs to wear something. I remember my father wore a mens depends and there were times when he just couldn't get to the bathroom. How embarassing it must have been for him!

Becca - love your pics of the animals

Meg - now I find just the opposite to be true. I see so many cute things in plus sizes but then when I look in the smaller sizes, they don't have them. So sorry for your friend. It's so hard to lose a loved one -- even if it is a furry loved one, it's loved just the same

Sylvia - hope Bruno gets better fast. That's something else that you don't need to deal with right now. Will we get to see a pic of you in your yoga pants and new jacket?

Pip - it doesn't surprise me one bit that Alison sent you something. That's just her nature to help and make people feel good

Vicki - before I invite them over, first I'll run it by Vince and then Jess. See, Andy was a heroin addict. It looks like he's trying to clean himself up. He's also a medical mess -- no joke. I ran into Amanda in WalMart the other day and she said they'd been to the ER three time since they've been down here and they've been here less than a month. It appears that the optic nerve in Andy is going due to his diabetes and kidney failure (he's on dialysis). He does admit that part of this is his own doing being involved in drugs. Jess said that she has a funny feeling about him, she doesn't trust him. Now that could be because she dated his brother and his bro wasn't all that dependable. She might be transferring her feelings onto Andy. I don't know, I really don't. Guess in a way it's a good thing that his mother moved down here. She can help out because I don't think he'll be able to drive having lost sight in one eye.

I did a body pump DVD the other day and I didn't realize just how much I miss body pump.

Kathy - it's been way too long. Welcome back!

Mindy - they know when they have a good employee. So happy for you

Betty - you couldn't get me in a store in Black Friday if you paid me. Used to be (way back when when everything was 50% off) I would go shopping the day after Christmas, but not now. By Christmas the stores are sold out of everything.

Michele in NC

miakoda40

Becca - I feel so sad to see that woman didn't get what you were trying to tell her about the elk. If caring for a living being that is not human makes you a "tree hugger" then keep on hugging those trees. I'll be right by your side doing the same.

Mia in MI

AEPHubinc2015

Hi all,

I'm looking for a group to join. You guys have been together for so long, I'm wondering if you're up for someone new.

I'm a 63 yr. old yoga and meditation teacher with 30 lbs to lose. I've been on this site on and off, but mostly off for the past 3 months. Started back with renewed determination a week ago.

Have been sticking to a healthy 1200/day diet for the entire week and at least half an hour on the stepper every day, some days an hour, in addition to my yoga practice and the classes I teach.

I'd lost 3 lbs. and was feeling great about it and then today it looks like I gained a pound. How does that happen?

My metabolism has been slow all my life. Even when I was doing 8-10 hours of high level aerobics and weight training every week. Losing slowly or plateauing for long lengths of time are familiar to me. But gaining?

Love some input.

Thanks,
Aliza

fanncy0626

Thanks for the support and love that each of you have given me with the picture situation on the other thread. Sylvia asked if anyone on the other site stuck up for me or said something and one of the other ladies did. She didn't address the situation but she posted a picture of tulips from her trip and said that she would post pictures of her jogging but doesn't want to carry her phone and can't take pictures. It made me feel better. I love our group and have only just started to go there for advice on lifting. I'm afraid to go back but I also don't want to be bullied out.

Thanks everyone!

Mary from Minnesota

jmkmomm

Mindy, so glad your status at your job is OK. You must be a really good and valid employee for them to do this. Business is just to big these days and they leave out compassion.

Sylvia, you take care my dear. This nuts worries about you. And then Bruno to, poor thing.

Pip,my our shoulder looks fantastic. And I love that flowery thing you have covering up your girls.

Well Charlie ate a fairly decent supper for him at this stGe of he game. For him a month ago it wouldn't have been . But I was proud to see it all go down. He is drinking enough of a variety of good things now, I'm not worried about dehydration. He used to be almost all Diet Coke and an occasional thing like his sugar milk (milk with a LOT of sugar). Now it's OJ, Gatorade, V8, buttermilk and a decent amount of water. If we could just get the blood pressure under control now. He is eating enough it shouldn't be like that now. Before all this happened, he would 'comtrol'his ulcerative colitis with Pepto Bismol, gas X and Lomotil along with his prescription medicine. Now he isn't taking hardly any of his over the counter stuff. So he wants to try to go out tomorrow. I told him he had better be taking that OTC medicines routinely tomorrow if he wants to do that.

I enjoyed my time out with my daughter looking at new phones. Looks like we wil more than likely get a contract this time. I wouldn't mind just going the same route I had always gone and just getting a new home. With the no contract hones, you can get any hen you want, even the new iPhones, you just have to pay for the phone, the whole price! bUt. Would be OKmwith that. Wouldn't get an iPhone. But she can't afford a good phone on he no contract plans. So we will g on a family plan, with just two,so people. Yep, would be cheaper if we had more people. My phone is about 5 years old s am excited to see what I can get. I am ignorant about these plans. We will be getting about 3 GB and I have no idea what that is. Michelle looked at both our phones and the usage we had this month and said 3 GB will,be fine. I Just defer all those questions to her. Bless her heart. She wanted to fix supper for us tonight. So she told me to go sit down and let her take care of everything. So she calls us in and there is a chicken breast and green beans on our plates. I offered to whip up some instant mashed potatoes and some left over gravy or bring out a salad but she wants me o love those things for the meals I fix here at home. So when she left, I reheated a serving of potatoes and gravy I had in refrige with some gravy and got a salad. No wonder she can't keep a boyfriend or husband!

jPyce, Indiana

fanncy0626

Aliza - welcome! Yeah, weight fluctuates and can be frustrating. Salt, water retention in muscle tissue as they repair... Lots of reasons. Some people only weigh once a week because of that! Congratulations on the 2 lbs lost though!

Mary from Minnesota

fanncy0626

Joyce- I had to laugh because I could picture you going to the fridge as soon as she left! lol

Mary from Minnesota

GodMomKim

Janetr – thanks… thinking of your ex-DIL and family ((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))

Penny – oh my that hubby did not recognize your voice! Oh what a great thing the hotels do… I have never heard of such a thing… maybe I should come to the pole for the holiday! So if DHubby finds Arctic Elephants maybe he can take a pic for you to post here?

Heather – thanks….. My god son and god daughter would love to have me, but their mom has 10 (their 4 and 2 sets of grandparents and 1 aunt and uncle) and feels that is more than enough. I went there a few times, and she ended up asking me not to come as it was just too much work - (she’s “special”)

Heather, or anyone else who knows… so a friend made me “red lentil soup” it was bright green, I know only a little about lentils, they come in different colors – I know, but are the different colors different in flavor or consistency?

Miriam – I would love to be a mom! I looked into it but my income is too low -
Mary – thanks for the invite!

Katla - I live about an hour drive south east of the city of SF, on the Bart line, so there is the city, the Livermore wine country, 2-3 hour drive to Yosemite, I could keep you busy with wonderful activities….

Irish Terri – I should have been born into your family!!!!!!! That ‘s the one I want – any stray 55-60 single men who would like a nice CA girl? I’d marry into that family in a minute!

Vicki – thanks for the invite…

Sylvia – I wonder about the college student idea… hmmmm thanks!

Pip – WOW! Alot of walking! And You have a “peach” of a hubby

Cheri – good job ! You will have great stories about Thanksgiving when you get home.

I do decorate, inside and out – I write cards, make cookies, and gifts, about 90% of the gifts I give are homemade…. So I embrace most of the holiday (being a non-christian I do it secularly) All of the stories of what you do and traditions is so helpful, and I know that this year’s thanksgiving and Christmas have to be on a pretty tight budget, but Mary your comment about a white Christmas made me think that a white Christmas is something I have always wanted to experience, so watch out Christmas of 2017 – SNOW! There is a stray cousin in CT (Milford) who would take me in…hmmmmm

Cynthia – Congrats on the wedding!!!

Cathy – welcome

Terri – great pictures!!! The brides look so happy! And I love the idea of the glad in the bowl… gorgeous! Speaking of Gorgeous, the woman in red is too.

Mary – poo on them! Post more and bigger pictures here I love love love love them and actually am thrilled to find pictures on the pages as I can feel like this is partly a picture book.

Margaret – so if you find a new choir that means you are changing churchs? Or do you sing one service and go listen a different service?


Becca – I’m not a fan of tattling but …. If it saves an elks life to send the picture of the neighbor feeding the elk to the powers that be --- maybe sending the pic is a good idea.

Michele – Invite them!!! Even if they have other plans it could mean the world to them to be invited.

Mindy – so glad it worked out and your great attitude paid off in more than one way!

Pip – you are doing so great!!!

Betty – I had to look up escabeche and it said it was a poached fish… so what did you make?


Aliza – welcome

There is a wonderful garden center here, about 2 acres of plants under 100+ year old oak trees, what a beautiful setting.. so they do special events there as well as sell plants, and this weekend is quilts in the garden..they set up lines from tree to tree and hang quilts made by local quilters all over the garden… I invited a client who is a quilter to go with me and she invited a few other quilters and we all went and then to lunch… a delightful time!

September Goals:
Walk everyday –try to hit 180 miles (dog is injured- will skip this this month)
Log everyday –
Twice a week do floor exercises
Weekly fun things –
W1 –
W2 – went hiking, went to nephew’s football game
W3 – went hiking, football game!
W4 – hiking, football, quilt show
W5 -
Kim from N. California

dreamwriter

Hello, Ladies. I'm back from vacation in British Columbia. I knew I would never get caught up on the posts so I hopped back in on Pg. 58. It was all I could do to keep up with my food journals and some days that didn't happen.

Lillian - Don't fret. You didn't raise them. Aaaah.... Christmas. This year dinner will be at my sister's. She hasn't had Christmas in over 20 years, this should be interesting.

MNMargaret - I love the idea of intentional acts of kindness.

TerriRichardson - Congrats on gaining a new DDIL. They look happy together. You looked very lovely in your wedding finery.

Sylvia - I am sorry that you are still having problems and relieved that you are going to a specialist.
$12 is nothing compared with your pain.
I am glad you were feeling spiffy in your tiny clothes.

Mary from Minnesota - That woman has a problem. Post your photos until the cows come home.
We're all here to support each other. Sheesh! Some people's children.

Becca - Some people are just not willing to understand. They do so much harm by feeding wild animals. Also people don't realize how easily a child can be harmed by an animal of that size. Keep advocating for animals and for children. Love that you are a "tree hugger".

Joyce - You have to take care of yourself. You must refill your own cup or you won't have anything to give. Have you read "Breaking the Vicious Cycle"? It is very interesting.

I've been in B.C. for the past 2 weeks. We were busy grandparenting the 4 year old DGS. His Dad tattooed at the Montreal convention and was joined by his Mom and 14 yr old brother and some friends. They spent a day in Montreal, then headed to New York where they had lots of adventure. We discovered that while we loved it that 12 days in someone else's house is exhausting. My main goal was to get to know him better and bond more fully. Mission accomplished. I discovered that I could navigate Richmond contrary to DH's belief that he would have to drive every where.
We took DGS to Vancouver Island to my niece's wedding in Nanaimo. It was a very intimate wedding. 17 of us including bride and groom. Visited with DBIL, the bride and groom. The next day an old friend drove up to share breakfast with us.
Walks on the wharf, fish off the boats, playing hot wheels, checking on our son's tattoo shop in Steveston, kindergarten tales, parks, playgrounds, hot chocolate, hugs and sticky kisses. It was good. I even got in a visit with my favourite cousin. Due to my DGD's issues she didn't make time for us.....oh, well.
I had a phone visit with my ex sis-in-law (MY sister of the heart). She does so many amazing good works around the world. Next stop for her is Nepal to erect pre fab houses there. She says she feels stronger now than when she was in her 20s. She is definitely one of my heroes.
I missed all of you ladies so much.
Take care all
-Sharon
Grateful to be home in Lethbridge.

dreamwriter

Almost forgot . I wanted to ask if any of you had watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I'm finding the idea of a 10 day juicing reboot interesting. Thoughts?
-Sharon

MattiesZia

Hello ladies and thank you in advance for this group and being here for support! I'm super new to MFP and hope yo gain all the inspiration and courage I need to lose the 30 lbs and get back to feeling great. I am a fit 50+ but meno crept up and here I am... any insight is so appreciated and tips on how to post and participate in this group would be lovely.

MattiesZia

Oh, and I'm in AZ.

October Goals:
1. Keep my food log.
2. Cardio exercise 60 minutes each day. Strength train 3 times a week
3. Reduce 12 hour work day to 8 (that's going to be tricky)
4. Drink more water
5. Give up my wine, at least until the 30 is gone.
6. Increase my sleep; work to be in bed by 12AM, up at 7AM.

CynthiaT60

Good morning everyone,

Sylvia: how is Bruno today? So glad you feel spiffy in your new clothes.

Pip: Alison's sending out presents?? <antennae up>

Kim: don't have much experience with red lentils; seem to remember they cook a little faster. Maybe the flavor is a little less strong. The quilts must have been beautiful.

Sharon: I watched the movie. A full-blown juice fast wouldn't be for me, but I bought a good juicer and we enjoy the extra vegetables we drink that way.

Thanks for the wedding congrats!

Today I'm taking a test in the online course I'm following, and later I'm turning pages at a Bach concert. I will enjoy that. Nothing else planned; will do my best to stay within my calories..

Hope we all have a good day!


Cynthia :flowerforyou:

Lagopus

Good morning lovely ladies! I have too much to say this morning to comment on what others have written. That will have to come later.

Hubby and I had a lovely evening out yesterday. This was for the annual mutton-cabbage stew party they throw every fall at the former school in the tiny village where we have our holiday home. We've been to about four of these events since we finished building the house and moved in, back in 2010. A couple of the old-time residents do the cooking, everyone pays a bit, we eat and talk, make new acquaintances and renew old ones, generally catch up on what's going on in the neighborhood. After the meal we have a raffle, then everyone walks home in the dark.

The menu is old fashioned Norwegian farm food. Cabbage and mutton simmered for hours until the meat is falling off the bone. (Yes, there are bones, and the cabbage has usually reached a consistency that makes it indistinguishable from the mutton fat - until you get it into your mouth. Sorry if that's TMI for some. It's tastier than it sounds.) This is served with boiled potatos and washed down with whatever beverage you brought along. No fresh veggies. For dessert there is usually a selection of standard Norwegian homemade cakes, far less sweet than American layer cakes, low in sugar and with whipped cream instead of frosting, decorated with berries. Good farm fare that evolved in a place where life was extraordinarily tough.

Everyone is expected to contribute a prize for the raffle. The raffle tickets are 160 wooden sticks called "oars" (tongue depresssers, actually) with a five-number sequence on each one, running from 1-2-3-4-5 to 796-797-798-799-800. You buy as many as you want, then numbers are drawn until all the prizes have been handed out. All the proceeds from the dinner and the raffle go into the community treasury, which is used for upkeep of the old school, establishing and maintaining trails along the shore and up the mountains and other things that benefit everyone who visits or lives here.

Fewer people attended this year, about 24, but spirits were high. They managed to sell all 160 oars – which has never happened before. Hubby and I bought eight oars and won three times! We went home with canister of herbal tea, a framed picture of a seagull (one so nice we will actually hang it on our wall) and a flashlight, very handy when we went home in the dark.

After the raffle, Rolf, our local goat and sheep farmer read from a recent book about a refugee crisis from long ago. Norway was under German occupation during WWII and most of the people in northeastern Norway were forced from their homes. The book, entitled "Only the church was left standing", is a collection of personal recollections from that time. The passages our farmer read were by two refugees who passed through our little hamlet. "We were given a warm welcome there. The village had a functioning school and there was room for us in several houses."

After Rolf finished reading, he described what he'd heard from his parents about that time, and what became of the refugees who stayed. Others chimed in with recollections from early childhood: how they had helped drag a boat out of the water and hide it in the trees up on the mountainside; where the resistance movement set up their illicit radio; how three families shared one little four-room farmhouse; who was born in which kitchen. Such a wealth of history!

For those of you who weren't with us a couple months ago, here's a picture of the village. The school is in the little cluster of houses to the right of where the road makes its leftmost bend.

Penny, feeling happy even though she's not at the

Lagopus

CynthiaT60 wrote: »

Today I'm taking a test in the online course I'm following, and later I'm turning pages at a Bach concert. I will enjoy that.

Oooh, Cynthia, what's the course and what's being played at the Bach concert? I'm teaching an online course right now and Bach is my all-time favorite.
/Penny

CynthiaT60

Hi Penny, the course is an introduction to communications theory and the Bach concert is cantatas 32, 35 and 58, and two organ works (Prelude and fugue in E-flat (552) and Wachet auf (645)).
Cynthia

Lagopus

Mmmm, nice! I've occasionally turned pages for my mother at the organ, and know those two pieces well. Mom and Dad (probably Mom) chose the St. Anne as the processional for their wedding. I haven't sung any of the cantatas, though.

TerriRichardson112

gawworthington wrote: »

I am so excited I got accepted into Hogwarts - a challenge. I was wait listed last term. I am a person that works harder when I have a competition to work with.

I have applied. Waiting for my owl. I used Game of Thrones to help me build up for my op. I love a challenge.
Penny This has brought back fond memories of our Northern Lights Cruise in 2013. We are working our way through our bucket list
Cynthia Good luck for that test.
Mattie Welcome to this great group. Entertainment and support in one place.
Kim If you were in Ireland around Christmas you would be very welcome. However, single men of that age are like hens' teeth. And competition would be fierce.
The glads are DD's favourite flower, not the easiest to persuade to curl round the inside of a bowl. She initially wanted coloured ones but I persuaded her that the white was more elegant. The planning was hard work but their shining eyes on the day made it all worth while. My baby is 45, so we are ecstatic at their joy together.

Out of time for the moment. We are off out to lunch at my ED's house. Type to y'all l8r.
irish Terri