2020: One Day At A Time, We Will Achieve!!
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We don’t usually decorate on the Cape because we’re usually leaving for FL or already there by now. We went up into the attic and brought down a couple of wreaths and some decorations. If we’re going to be here all month, we might as well look a little festive. Anything that lifts the spirits is worth doing. I’m planning to make some peppermint bark. I’ve never made it but the recipe looks pretty easy. It’s so expensive to buy it pre-made.0
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For the first time, I just saw a visit Baltimore travel promo. We get promos for visiting Myrtle Beach and parts of FL but this was the first time I’ve seen Baltimore as a vacation destination.0
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I don’t usually put up a tree because we are never home for Christmas. I do put out other decorations around the house and DH always puts out lights and a display in the front yard. It’s looking more and more as if we will be staying home this year, so we may put the tree up. I really don’t enjoy putting up a Christmas tree but DH wants to do it. Of course, that means he will get it out of the closet and haul it downstairs, but the actual decorating will be left mostly to me. There’s no good spot in our house for a tree without moving a lot of furniture around and making awkward furniture groupings, which is another reason I’d rather not bother with it. I much prefer setting up my Dickens Village. That gives me a lot of pleasure. I didn’t do it last year but I may do it tomorrow. It’s a lot of work but very pretty when it’s up. I typically leave it up until the end of January.
DH had a conversation with his sister this morning and told her we were concerned about coming due to her son and his wife and their refusal to curtail their social activities. She understood and even agreed with him, but she doesn’t feel she can persuade them to stop. Unless they quarantine for the 2 weeks before Christmas, I don’t think we are going. I don’t think they will be willing to do that, although they seem to want us to come.
Tomorrow I am going to attempt to make caramels. DH’s family always made them at Christmas and every year talk about making them, but never get around to doing it. Mainly because the traditional way of making them entails standing over a pot of boiling, sugary liquid, stirring for at least half an hour or longer. I’ve found several recipes that claim they can be made easily in the microwave without all of the stirring in about 10 minutes or less, plus additional time for the liquid to cool and solidify. I make divinity in the microwave successfully, so I’ll give this a try too. I ordered precut wax paper wrappers from Amazon and they should arrive tomorrow, so if they turn out I can wrap them and then give most of them away.0 -
I can still remember the last year we had a tree. One cat drank the water, one cat ate some needles, and another tried to crunch on the lights. Somewhere I have a photo of Schultzey toward the top peeking out. LOL! There is now a TALL cat tree on that spot.
All the candy making sounds like fun. But I've got to get back on the wagon sooner rather than later.0 -
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, up to 90% effective in late-stage trials, is being manufactured in Baltimore
https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-hs-astra-zeneca-vaccine-20201123-gofgqt3jsngfhjadn7sognm7ny-story.html0 -
Are you planning on getting the Covid vaccine when available? DH and I plan to get it when it’s offered to us. The only vaccine I ever had a reaction to was Shingrex. A friend warned me to expect a sore arm. That’s what happened and I felt fatigued for a day. I was glad I got it, even with the side effects. The same thing may happen with the Covid vaccine but a day or two of feeling lousy beats getting Covid any day. I’m surprised that so many people seem reluctant to get. They may change their minds if conditions worsen without it. Experts say get whichever vaccine is available first to you rather than holding out for a specific version.0
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I will definitely take the vaccine whenever it is available to me. It seems to me that all of the versions have similar efficacy ratings and side effects, so I don’t see any point in holding out for one over another. Like you, the only time I’ve had a negative reaction to a vaccine was my second Shingrex shot. I had flu-like symptoms with fever and chills for about a day. I also remember that my last tetanus shot made my arm incredibly sore and it lasted for 3 weeks, but I didn’t feel bad. The side effects from the COVID vaccines don’t scare me nearly as much as the illness it prevents does.
My caramels are made and cooling in the pan now. Hopefully they will have the right texture when I attempt to cut them up later. They were actually very easy to make in the microwave.0 -
Just another "ground hog day," or same old, same old.
I quit decorating a few years ago. I'm usually too tired from doing other things to put up decorations that have a limited time use. I am so tired right now from doing stuff around the house. It is not energizing like working with people.
I plan to take the vaccine when it becomes available to me. Just remember that you can't have the second one a different one from the first.0 -
Caramels turned out perfectly and were really easy! I’m going to make another batch to give away to friends. DH has claimed all of this batch, lol!0
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The experts also say the second shot is a necessity. If you don’t get it, the first shot is pretty much useless. I would think the Pfizer shot would be the hardest to get. Most places that give vaccines don’t have the freezers for the extreme cold it needs. It sounded like hospitals have the freezers so most would probably go there. The other vaccines just need normal refrigeration and pharmacies and doctors’ offices could safely store them.0
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Count me into the vaccine. This may be in the famous last words category - but - I don't get side effects. DH got them from Shingrix. I didn't. I am just hoping that the new administration gets a reasoned distribution plan in place. Apparently there currently is none. I also hope that they don't make us choose between competing vaccines and that it doesn't take literally years to get like it did with Shingrix. Shingrix was given to a whole lot less people, which worries me for the covid vaccine.
I decorate the house all year round. There are themes. The first quarter is winter/cardinals. The second quarter is spring/butterflies. The third quarter is summer/sunflowers. October is Halloween. November is Thanksgiving. And December is Christmas. DH only recently noticed (now that he's mostly retired). I kid you not. They aren't magazine worthy decorations but rather things I enjoy.
Nothing outside because DH would have a fit. The outside is his domain, so to speak.0 -
I drove by a restaurant yesterday that had a completely enclosed heated tent set up. Do they think that qualifies as outdoor dining? Are people really idiots when it comes to science or just trying to fool the populace?
I have a spreadsheet of Christmas chores. I made some real progress on it this weekend. Now I await some gift cards from amazon. With any luck, I'll be able to finish my list next weekend.
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We woke up to a dusting of snow this morning. It’s just a coating on the sidewalks but I had planned on not seeing ant snow this year. So goes the best laid plans. And now the sun is out. We have some errands but I’ll give the sun a chance to do some melting.0
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I was up late watching the news on the chemical plant explosion near our capital city. Traffic was held up for over 4 hours with I-77 being the only thing open. Can you imagine sitting in a car for over 4 hours in 29 degree weather, not to mention what do you do if you have to use the bathroom.
I am not working today as it is the day the kiddos do work at home, while the schools are sanitized. I blessed a friend in TN with a gift delivered directly to her from Amazon. Today, I'll get the office gifts ready as I work tomorrow and next week is in question.0 -
Jean, I’ve never been stuck in traffic for 4 hours, but I have had a few occasions where my usual 20 minute commute turned into 3 hours due to ice on the roads. We don’t handle ice well here in north Texas. We lack the equipment to deal with it and most drivers lack the skills and patience to drive in it safely, so it’s a nightmare when it happens. My last employer had a so-so record on closing the office when the roads got bad overnight, but the worst times were when the ice hit during the workday. We usually weren’t allowed to leave until the roads were already terrible and long after many other employers had already let their staff go. By that time the roads were icy and there were accidents everywhere, thus making my 20 minute commute more like 2-3 hours of white knuckled driving and praying that I didn’t hit anyone, get hit, or run out of gas. I am so grateful that I no longer have to worry about that!0
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Heck, we don't handle ice well in Maryland. Surprised us when we moved here as we didn't really move all that far. I remember being in Sun Valley and seeing all the snow moving equipment come out. Now that's impressive!! Anyway just one more reason I was glad to start working from home.
They are supposed to come tomorrow to fix our furnace. I drove two cats to the vet this morning to board. About 20 miles each way. I would normally see maybe one ambulance (since my route goes by a hospital). Today I saw FIVE in FIVE completely different locations. One had a police escort. DH said "what do you think it was" which I thought was sort of a "duh" type question. Covid no doubt.0 -
I’ve had more than my share of bad winter driving. The worst is black ice. A thin coat of ice forms on the roadway but you can’t see it. If you hit it, prepare to go flying. Two things I love about retirement are I’m usually down south before the first snow storm or if not, I have the luxury of staying home until the roads are sanded, plowed and safer. When I was working, the town would sometimes delay opening a couple of hours to give the plows time to clear the parking lots. Less frequently, the town might close early if the storm was really bad. I only lived 5 miles from work so my drive wasn’t as bad as most.0
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You would think that if you lived in an area where snow and ice are familiar road problems that people would know how to handle it. I'm cautious but there are those who like to "play" in it and make it worse for others. If I'm at home and it snows, I usually stay put unless it is a necessity to get out.
Ice, especially black ice, is a major culprit here along with people who do not adjust their speed when approaching a bridge, etc. I totaled a car on black ice. The road was fine until I topped a hill where the weather was worse. I tapped my break for a curve and the car went flying, hit a hillside and rolled. I spent a long time in physical therapy for neck and back.0 -
At my first job in Baltimore I had one co-worker with retinitis pigmentosa (sp?) and one who'd flipped a car in the snow so I - the most cowardly of bad weather drivers - was the designated one who had to go in to the office during bad weather. Of course this was pre computers. There are all kinds of advantages to computers. LOL!0
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Why are all female Republican office holders young, slim and have long hair?
Even the one who tried to take the Congressional seat in my district. She's black but young, slim and has long hair (her campaign photos looked like pin up posters). And she doesn't live in our district.
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I have no words ---well, except to note that in addition to being outrageous she's young, slim and has long hair.
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Big news in Baltimore:
Records prove Johns Hopkins University founder owned slaves, shattering belief he was a staunch abolitionist
https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-md-johns-hopkins-slaveholder-20201209-54pkjy2a6jgrhkmpo6hub2lkuu-story.html0 -
I have to say, she reminds me of Amarosa. I’ve probably spelled her name wrong. She was on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice and she had some kind of PR job in his administration the first year. They had a falling out and I think she wrote a tell all book.Why are all female Republican office holders young, slim and have long hair?
Even the one who tried to take the Congressional seat in my district. She's black but young, slim and has long hair (her campaign photos looked like pin up posters). And she doesn't live in our district.
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Maryanne, I just noticed you’ve logged in every day for almost a year. You’ll reach that mark this week.0
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I have to say, she reminds me of Amarosa. I’ve probably spelled her name wrong. She was on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice and she had some kind of PR job in his administration the first year. They had a falling out and I think she wrote a tell all book.Why are all female Republican office holders young, slim and have long hair?
Even the one who tried to take the Congressional seat in my district. She's black but young, slim and has long hair (her campaign photos looked like pin up posters). And she doesn't live in our district.
She is a little reminiscent of Omarosa.
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