The New Water Cooler

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  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Your party menu sounds yummy. I love all those foods. Strawberry pretzel salad is the best but I get it only when someone else makes it which happens once in a lifetime! Russ makes a wonderful Calico Beans. One of our favorites too. It sounds like the party is coming together so less stress for you.

    Flurries still flying around here but not sticking to the ground. I'm still tired and coughing so I take afternoon naps to take the edge off. I cleaned the bathrooms today and will dust in the morning. Russ said he would vacuum and steam mop tomorrow morning for me. I didn't even have to ask so I am very grateful! My sisters will arrive around 2:30 and we will eat around 3:30 or 4pm. It will be relaxing and I haven't seem them in 2-3 weeks so we can catch up.

    It will be a relief for C when he has handed everything in and is done with high school. College is busy and crazy but is the step to a good job and independence so is a different motivation. Singing at college may give him a peer group with common interests and help him plan his time since he will have a lot going on with classes too. Less free time you have, often the best time management occurs.

    Well Happy Easter to you. I hope tomorrow is relaxing and tasty for you.
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Easter blessings to you and yours! I wish you were close enough to come here pretzel salad and a visit!

    Are you feeling better? Did your sister ever feel recovered after her stone procedure?

    Just waiting for Zach to get ready so we can head out for my folks.

    Have a great day. Hugs
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    We had a nice Easter. I hope you did too. My sister Becky wasn't feeling good but came anyway. As the dinner progressed she was falling asleep at the table. Eventually she went and laid on the couch with a blanket. She was coughing a lot! Rather than going home she proceeded to stay and rest on the couch. I gave her meds and sent some home with her. She is going to do a COVID test today, hopefully. If she is positive I will be very upset. I have a head ache right now but could be from two cups of caffeinated tea this morning. My cold is better but still coughing but not as much or as hard.

    Snow is falling and sticking on the ground! It looks like December/January here. My bulbs are coming up so I hope this doesn't ruin them.

    I wish we could visit too. Maybe we should do a face to face messenger call sometime? That would be fun.

    Happy Monday!
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Oh no. Stupid Covid. I hope not, but I guess it’s the fourth wave. Easter was pretty good. Just a quick check in. Hopefully more later!
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    I took Charlie to the vet this morning for his extreme scratching. We wanted to know if he caught a parasite in FL or if the new plants and pollens down there just got to his allergies. She didn't find parasites but put him on a medication short term to see if it helps him. If the itching persists we will do allergy testing. He has had two doses and I think it is beginning to help. I'm suppose to call the vet by Friday and report to her if he is improving or not.

    I'm hoping for warm temps Saturday so I can ride. A friend I've reconnected with on FB but haven't seen since high school wants to ride with me so we made a time to go. It will be fun to see her. She is single, has grown kids and is an all around very nice person.

    I spent the afternoon reading and napping then made a one pot pasta for Russ and I. He appreciates it when I cook and I should offer more often but I don't enjoy it. Not an excuse I know. Who really does like putting a meal on the table most nights?

    I ordered a deer and rabbit repellent spray to put on my plants. I just know the animals are going to eat my bulb blooms before I see them. I'm hoping this will help and keep them away.

    I hope you are having a good week.
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Oy. My sister fell at the airport yesterday (was going to travel for work surprise) and she broke her tibia. Yikes. It is obviously not great she is staying home even today. She never misses, so she is obviously feeling horrible. This will be an added strain on her. She never slows down. And honestly being forced to slow down will be an added burden for her. People are like - oh well - it will force her to take care of herself. Mmmmmmm.... it will make her feel like a burden and will honestly probably make her feel worse being unable to do her normal. I wish it were as simple as it is forcing her to slow down. She is not built that way. She is also super upset because she is not feeling like she can use the crutches well (she has put on a good bit of weight in the last few years) and I worry that will cause her additional injury trying to do something she is not able to do. Sigh.

    That's so amazing all the people you have connected and re-connected with.

    Hope your pup feels better soon. How are you feeling?

    Take care!
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Sorry to hear of your sister's fall. Is she in a cast? Is her husband helpful at home? It is difficult to have injuries that interfere with daily living, especially when you are the one that does it all and takes care of the details.

    My cough seems to be returning today and I'm not sure why. It has been better for a few days and now I'm coughing frequently. I have to go to the bathroom a lot so I don't wet my pants. I hate that!

    Charlie seems to be doing better, scratching less, since starting the new med yesterday morning. I'll call the vet tomorrow and report in. He still scratches occasionally but not as vigorously or as long.

    I went to the gym this morning and rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes and did some upper body work and abdominals. I talked to two MN friends for over an hour each on the phone too. There went my day... I'm also doing my laundry.

    Windy again today but hope to have warmer temps this weekend. It is suppose to cool down next week again, boo hoo!

    Do you live close to your sister if she needs help? My sisters won't ask for help even if they need it unless the doctor orders them to do so for a health reason.
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    My sisters husband is amazing. He will always takes wonderful care of her, so I’m not worried he’ll stop now. And I live very close to them. If she’ll allow me to do anything I am close by.

    I hear you about the bathroom and coughing. I have had big problems with that myself.

    More wind.

    Friday eve.
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Getting my hair cut today. Afterwards, Russ and I are going to the National Park Visitor Center to get trail books so we can begin hiking as many trails as possible in the next year or so. We hope to hike a short trail this afternoon. It is going to be in the 50's so a good day to start. Rain is predicted at some point today or this evening. Hopefully we can hike before that happens.

    That is good your sister lives close and you know her husband will care for as she needs it.

    What is the date of the grad party? Do you have the details worked out?
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Our open house is 5/21 in our garage and graduation ceremony is 5/22. Many of the cards I have seen are also 5/21, some the week before and some during the week (the are very few venues so weekdays it is for some)

    Details are coming together. Bernie needs to start smoking the turkeys, I am worried about getting them done, but he is being very unworried. I know that is his gear, but mine needs to see progress.

    We actually had some rain last night.

    District music today and tomorrow morning and then Prom.

    Hopefully more grad progress.
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Our hike was vigorous, up and down large hills to get to Lake Michigan. I did not recollect how hilly it was. I made it to the overlook and back but it was slow and it did me in for the rest of the day. My cough is more frequent again so I did not ride my bike today and am taking it easy. I sprayed my plants outside that are coming up with rabbit repellent. My deer repellent isn't here yet.

    Russ is putting the stands together to hold our metal troughs for the raised veggie garden. We may go to a movie on the local national park later at the theater (promo movie and history of the park). It's a free showing and then it will be released to the public, I think. If I'm still coughing quite a bit, we won't go.

    It sounds like your party will be great. Bernie will get the turkeys done, but hope it isn't the day before.

    We had a rain storm last night. This week is suppose to get colder and possible snow again. Such a strange spring.

  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Caleb said they had a good time and they obviously looked adorable, er amazing. ;). Long night waiting for them to make their way from dance to post prom to breakfast to finally home. We all had a quiet day yesterday.

    What do you want to grow this year?

    The wind has been so bad. I do not remember having weeks of red flag days. 60 mph day after day. Yuck. And dangerous. Nebraska doesn’t usually have a lot of field fires, but have had many in the last weeks. Scary.

    Another week starting and Michele working at home. She must feel really bad.
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    I hope your sister feels better soon. It must be hard for her.

    I'm glad prom went well. It definitely takes the weekend with recovery and all.

    It has been windy here too. Temps are getting colder again and rain and snow possible this week.

    I plan to grow at least 3 kinds of tomatoes, various peppers, herbs and some chives if possible. Maybe some lettuces. We will go to a starter plant sale at a local organic farm in May and see what they have.

    That is scary about the fires. The west usually burns all summer. That would be horrible if NE and surrounding states had fires. Are you getting much rain?

    I listed my ebike on FB Marketplace today. Hopefully I get some interest at some point.
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    I can’t ever recall having so many news stories about fires. I think it is more unusual here. We haven’t had much rain at all. Not nearly enough.
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Well I hope your town stays safe and all of the midwest and west this summer. We have had a lot of precipitation for the past year. MN was a drought last summer and I don't know if they caught up, but at least they have had lots of snow and rain storms this spring.

    I just turned on the CBS morning news. The author of the book Unmasked was being interviewed. He is the detective that solved some of the famous cold cases like the Golden Gate Killer, Laci Peterson, and Jamie Dugarr murders. My sisters and I will be seeing him at the National Writer's Series in Traverse City in May. This will be the second Writer's Series event I've been to. I enjoyed the last one quite a bit. In his book, he also talks about the impact on himself and other law enforcement when they work on these horrific, tragic cases over their careers. I think we hear him May 10th.

    Russ is sick now too. My sister went to her doctor yesterday and got an inhaler to help her breathing and an antibiotic. It's obviously a virus so I'm not sure about the antibiotic tx but may be she suspected bronchitis or pneumonia coming on too. Becky is a smoker and coughs daily without being sick so she has had difficulty breathing with her cold. The doctor told her this cough lasts up to 3 weeks or so. I got mine in FL, Russ from me, and I don't know where Becky picked it up because we weren't around each other until Easter and she was already sick.

    Snow headed our way! Have a great day!
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Oof. Sorry the others are sick. No fun. Just plugging through the week. Trying to figure out what I hope to accomplish this weekend.

    Did I mention that the invite for honors night came out and it is only for the honorees and two guest. I’m so sad and mad. I had already invited the folks and it was something they were excited for. I can’t believe it. The school hasn’t restricted attendance on anything all year but this? Such malarkey. So disappointed.

    Caleb is really feeling the siren call of not wanting to do school work. Of course it doesn’t help that teachers and counselors tell them this semester doesn’t matter. FFS. Not that I want him to stress himself out unnecessarily, but it does still matter and the school should encourage the students. And yes I know they do it. It’s not stories. Ready to kiss it buh-bye.

    Hump day
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    Both my sisters and the two of us are still sick. Ugh, this is lasting awhile. Stay healthy in NE.

    You will be so relieved when graduation happens and you are done with the K-12 system. I get your disappointment about the two invites only. Remember when we could only have 3 invites for high school graduation for my boys if the seating was inside? Drove me crazy because it discriminated against kids who have parents are divorced and remarried. Obviously who ever made that rule was either single or had an intact family and was unaware of the impact. I hope your parents handle it ok. There is nothing you can do and you and Bernie should be there.

    It is so hard to study and get everything done at the end of senior year. The school may play it down but colleges look at final transcripts and check to see if a student let everything go once they accepted their college placement. I'm sure C didn't so it won't be a problem for him. Spring fever doesn't help either although our spring is non existent here.

    Today I went back to the bike store and bought my rack, gear bag and lock. I'm set.

    TGIF!
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    You are right. I can't wait to put CHS behind. I'm sure there will be plenty of grips about upper-academia, but for now all my ire is at CPS.

    It's finally Friday and I am counting the minutes. It is a million degrees at work today and my brain is boiling. It was like this last Friday, and then I swear they turned on the air for one day on Monday and it was glorious. And then it's been inching back to Hades everyday. Not inching, diving. So hot. I hate hot.

    I am freaking out about feeling more stiffness and pain in more areas. I have been struggling with the pain in my left shoulder for a number of months, hoping it is that frozen shoulder I read about and that it would resolve, but the last few days my right thumb and and right shoulder are starting to give me problems. For goodness sake! I guess I have to go in. But I know it will just be a medication offered and I often don't adjust well to meds. Meh.

    Caleb got an email from work about whether he wanted to start working (his intern/summer work) on May 9 or May 16. (Forehead slap). He doesn't graduate until 5/22 and he discussed plainly in his interview that he was available 6/1 after they return from a final Acapella competition in Nashville. He replied on the email reminding them of what was discussed. We'll see if it's an 'issue.' Zach still hasn't heard and it's been two weeks since he had to come in. Also, meh. I can see the recession racing at us. Last summer our backlog on Behlen Country was over 60 million. Today we are at barely 4 million which is less than a week. Feast or famine. Feast or famine.
  • mizpaden74
    mizpaden74 Posts: 3,803 Member
    Hope today saw improvement for your sisters and that you are happy with your new bike.

    Oh, and got rain last night. Too much. Like 7 inches in a few hours. So now we're flooding. And Wayne (we're the folks farm) not a drop.

    TGIF!
  • jrbanta
    jrbanta Posts: 4,346 Member
    The trees are finally budding and the grass is turning green. I think signs of spring are arriving. We have the garden troughs placed where we want them. Now we need to fill with compost, etc. and Russ will build a fence around them too keep out hungry wildlife. We will do mostly starter plants but may do seeding for lettuce if we decide to plant it.

    I rode 8 miles yesterday to get some exercise. My cough did increase when I got home. I took a hot shower and took a nap in the afternoon. Today I hiked with Russ and Charlie around our property to use different muscles. This week I have something almost every day. Tuesday we vote to recall our county commissioner and get someone different in there. Wednesday I see orthopedic doctor to check my knee and discuss future replacement of the other one. I will be riding with my sister and her friend if the weather is good later that day. Chiropractor on thursday and pedicure on friday.

    I made a peach and blueberry galette that we will eat after dinner. I made the crust yesterday and rolled it out today and added the fruit and baked it. It looks beautiful and yummy. This is the first one I made and I will make more. I'm thinking I should make some crusts to freeze and then pull out when I feel like making one or have good fruit. Especially during strawberry season in June.

    I hope the jobs at Behlen work out for the boys. Why don't they keep AC on if it is already hot?