WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR APRIL 2017

Hi, I grew up with a very basic American food upbringing, sadly canned and frozen veggies and tuna casseroles were standard fare. it wasn't until college my food horizons expanded when I lived with wonderful cooks from England, India and Malaysia, I learned to cook and love varied food with lots of spices and vegetables. So glad I did!

NYKAREN

Kate UK

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Mia: Your artwork is glorious and lifts my spirits!

Becca: Happy Easter! :flowerforyou:

Karen: Poor Easter Bunny! :laugh:

GrandmaM: Welcome to a great group of supportive women.

Lanette: No bunnies around here. I don't think they'd stand a chance against the predators in our neighborhood. Thankfully, I haven't seen any raccoon signs at all. We had a neighbor who fed them along with feral cats. I think she did a lot to attract both the cats and raccoons into our area, and then we had to deal with the consequences. This woman has moved away and the cats have gone with her. There is one yellow tiger cat that is feral and still lives here, but he's the only one. I see the former neighbor once in a while at the grocery store.

I got a call from my son today and enjoyed the conversation. He's planning to come for a visit here, but isn't sure when. We bought a new mattress so he'd be comfortable and we're ready to be hosts any time he can come.

Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

Tibetan proverb: "The secret to living well and long is: Eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure..."

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

Good Evening My Dear Friends,

Carey, that’s how many of the charities here are. And like you say, when they sell things the prices are outrageous.

Margaret, thanks for your prayers. I am always thankful to have someone pray for me, over me or have their prayers surround me.

Allie, you know we are all with you and support you in your decisions. I’m sending prayers for you to have the strength to act on your decisions. I know it’s not easy. ((((Hugs))))

Penny, what a cute picture of you as a child. I took a look at your webcam again and OMG is it bright there! How can you sleep??? LOL

Heather, so glad you had a good time at the cricket match. The pictures were great.

Mia, your bottle tree is stunning. You are so talented.

Sarah, glad you enjoyed your unplugged weekend. What a treat!!

GrandmaM, welcome. It sounds like you are off to a good start so keep it up. Come here often for support.

Janet#2, Mia is sooooooooo cute. I just want to wrap my arms around her and smother her with kisses. So glad she is doing well.

to any Newbies. Come often and join in the chat. This thing works!! Please sign your post with what you want to be called. It makes it easier for us to respond to you. Also a location is great, be it specific or general. We are happy to have you join us.

We had a pretty low keyed day today. It was absolutely beautiful weather but I stayed in as usual in this pollen. I woke up last night to go to the bathroom and then sneezed for about ½ hour. Ppffttt I have a busy week with meetings, getting things ready for house guest and getting ready for the cruise. I’m getting excited.

Sending love, good thoughts and sunshine to all of you.

I Love you
DJ
Myrtle Beach, SC

For those of you that express shock or something at 13 grandchildren ......that's nothing. My 13th was my moms 107th grandchild. No kidding. She had 42 grandchildren. 53 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren. She's only 83 so she might see even more! Needless to say she doesn't even send out birthday cards. In those 107 there are no name duplications except three children named after their grandparents. Kind of amazing.

We have never all been together at one time. Now that would be wild!

Marcelyn
Happy in Houston with 13 and not looking to beat moms total.

Katla – I’m not positive that replacing the SIM card will work; but, at least she would know what to ask about when she takes her phone in. Sometimes knowing what might be the problem saves a lot of hearing ‘well, you should have purchased insurance’ (so they can upgrade you in a phone and plan). It is like dealing with DirecTV; ‘if’ you tell them you are going to go to DISH and/or vice versa – they get pretty reasonable about giving you a better deal.

My BF does our taxes; and, she usually has filed for extensions every year. We’re always the ‘last’ one she does. Drives me ‘crazy’; but, she was a former IRS Agent, so she does know some tricks and tips. I’m just glad we don’t have to ‘go it alone’. She went back to work a couple of years ago for a CPA; now only works 3 days a week. But, we still haven’t done much ‘hanging’ around together. I think she is just happy not to have to ‘go anywhere if she doesn’t want to’.

I do a ‘lot’ of praying to “St. Anthony” to find things for me. LOL!!!! I can look all over the place, sometimes will call Louis to ‘ask’ if he can remember where ‘he’ saw them last. I get totally ‘blind’ when I try to find something and can’t. Leave the room, come back in, and there they are, like someone has come in and laid them down. If whatever had been a snake it would have bitten me.

LOL! I think DMGD’s boyfriend was planning on getting her a ‘baby goat’ (maybe a miniature one); but, her Daddy told him ‘no way’. They don’t need another animal to have to take care of. He had fixed up the fence/pen for it; but, I think he thought better of it.

Penny – Seeing you and your sister with little ‘kitties’ reminds me that Mimi always gave us ‘kittens’ for Easter. Sometimes at Christmas. My parents did not seem to mind; but, they were 'our' responsibility. Oldest sister got to the point, very early on in life, that she did not care for them. Middle sister always had a cat; one she named after her boyfriend’s mother, “Dorothy”, which was also the name of the woman who lived across the side street from us. We always thought that she would poison our cats. She’d come outside and call the cat, “Here, Dorothy, Dorothy, Dorothy – when she was outside in the yard; then when she would turn around; she’d say, Here Dorothy, here kitty, kitty, kitty!” Seemed like all mine got up in the engine of the car; or Daddy would back over them if he did not kill them by turning the motor over. But, one I kept inside so he would not kill her. Black cat, green eyes – named “Kissy Kat” because she would ‘kiss you’ (on command). She ‘loved’ water and when I was in the long 6’ claw foot tub; she would jump up on the dresser and then slide down the back and get in the water with me. She'd even lay down in it, too. She disappeared when she was 3 or 4 years old; so she probably got poisoned by the neighbor lady. All the 3 cats we’ve had since we were married (1st one was because DYS wanted a ‘kitty’) and the subsequent 2 have lived 15 or more years each.

Mia – Where did you get those ornaments for your ornaments for your bottle tree; do you blow your own glass?

KYKAREN – We had a housekeeper who cooked the ‘middle of the day’ meal; which we’d eat leftovers the next day or two for supper. When I was little (or even older) on Saturdays she made my favorite – Southern Fried Chicken or Chicken and Dumplings (thick ones she cut out of biscuit dough). I never learned to cook them. Told me to let the chicken rise to the top of the grease before turning it over. I never could do it like she could. When my DOS was little ... he 'loved' "Stuffy Fried Chicken" (his name for Kentucky Fried Chicken). Daddy would get her to make an extra batch of biscuits on Saturday so we could split them and toast them on Sunday mornings before church. My mother’s biscuits were hard and flat like ‘hockey pucks’. Nannie-L said it was because she ‘handled them too much’. Thank goodness for Pillsbury Grands frozen biscuits (or alternatively) Mrs. “B’s” Biscuits (also frozen).

Diane – I missed our DYS when he went to MSU (2 states away); he got a job in Missouri; transferred to TX, came back to LA; and, has never been east of the MS River since. But, he has never been happier either. Now has a ‘family’ and we just ‘love them’. Wife of 2 years; and, 11-year-old 4th granddaughter. So now they are 21, 16, 11, and 10.

Karen from Virginia – My DOGD gave me a pair of ‘flamingo’ slippers that she found at Wal-Mart. She and her boyfriend were shopping for groceries when she saw them and told him to buy them and she’d pay him back. She knew that if she went home and came back – they’d be gone (and they were). Cracker has gotten hold of the several times and I had had to put the stuffing back in and sew them up. I even put some extra stuffing back in so the necks would not flop over. She looks at them every time I wear them; but, she knows she’ll be ‘in deep doo-doo’ if she tears them up again.

Sarah – Hope the herbal tea helped your UTI. At least you are much more relaxed, so it was definitely worth it. I can remember years ago Louis and I went on a Marriage Retreat through our church. Totally cut off and unplugged. Had to write letters to one another. We did ‘cheat’ a little and watched TV and napped some. I think what happened when we got home is something that I will always get ‘kidded’ about.

When we walked in the door that Sunday afternoon (before we went to pick up the boys) the phone was ringing. It was my Daddy who asked if I had talked to my oldest sister and I told him ‘no’. He said, ‘Mama died this morning’! I got hysterical; then, he realized why … and then he said, ‘NO, … not your “Mama” … “YOUR
Grandmamma” … MY “Mama!” We always had called our mother “Mama” and he had never referred to his Mama as anything ‘to us’ other than ‘your Grandmamma. He called her “Mama” when he was talking directly to her … but “Mama” was ‘our’ Mama! It’s funny now; but, it took me a couple of hours to ‘settle down’.

Grandma M – Good for you! Especially quitting the smoking! You Rock, girl!

Lanette – We see a pretty good number of rabbits out here; but, Tux usually takes care of them. Sometimes he will present parts of his ‘kills’ to our back doormat to let us know that ‘he is doing the job he was hired/rescued to do.

I’m a ‘spicy’ eater; DFnL got me started on putting ‘hot sauce’ on just about everything I eat. My mother could make the best ‘salmon patties’. I think my DMnL’s were better; because she took them time to pick out the bones. When mother made them, I always got at least one little round piece of bone. UGH!

I had a friend whose neighbors never had any of their cats ‘fixed’ so they’d come over to her house to find shelter for their kittens. She would pick one she really liked and adopt it; but, then find homes for the others. Her grandchildren would give them to their friends. Then she started paying to have the ‘fixed’ (when they really could not afford to do so). Here, if a feral cat is ‘fixed’ they notch one of the ears. Her middle grandchild (of that family's child) used to 'baptize' them in the cooler. We went out to sit on the carport one day and caught her doing it. Dunking them 3x ... 'in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy "Ghost".

Michele – We don’t cook Easter meal; we would if DYS and his family came to visit; but, do have a fresh ham for Thanksgiving (even ‘if’ they don’t come home). I cook it the day before; and, we have sandwiches the night before, the day of, and until it is gone. I also make soup stock or vegetable soup with the bone. Boil it until the meat comes off and then we let Trey have the bone for Luna. She’s the biggest dog, so we don’t give it to Cracker for fear they’d fight over it and Cracker would come out on the losing end. Actually, if the guys kill a deer with a small rack (which is rare); that is good for them to chew on.
Louis is a painter (house painter); I am the ‘artist’.

Joyce – It is a shame that your pastor/preacher won’t allow the choir to sing on Easter; but, wants to preach instead. Growing up Baptist we either had a ‘pastor’ or a ‘preacher’; but, rarely one that was both. Or ‘good’ at both, maybe I should say. Not until the one that came and became friends with my Mother and Daddy. He left right before my Mother passed away; and, came back to give her Eulogy along with the current preacher. He really said a good Eulogy for my Dad; referring to “Wings on High Places”. Good book/story about how you are always looking up at the mountains and something will pop up in the most unusual place on your way up; then you get to the top of the mountain and see a ‘higher’ mountain; but, to get there you have to ‘gone down in the valleys’. In most Southern Baptist churches a 'committee' of members go out to 'pick' a 'new' preacher/pastor. I don't know how we got the one we had from the time I was old enough to go through GAs (girls) and for boys (RAs); but, his only redeeming factor was that he was a 'good' pastor. Such is life!

Lenora

Sharon: Glad you only had a dusting. I spent an hour shovelling snow today, but then the sun came out and melted all the ice on the sidewalks.

Michele: I'll trade you... I could handle 77 degrees and a pool

Becca: Love the pic of you and your sis

Marcelyn: I'd need genealogy software to keep track of 107 grandchildren!


Carey - Northern Alberta
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James