Good morning, yes Hillary is selling her book. I could care less about her opinion.

Our snow stopped yesterday, the sun came out, my driveway was cleaned out, the city snowplow scraped snow and ice into the end of the driveway so I did some shoveling. Today it is record cold for us and frozen over streets. But we are not snowed in.

I am meeting a friend this morning and we will try some cribbage. The normal Mah Jongg game has been cancelled due to lack of players willing to come out in the cold and one lady with a different get together she wishes to attend. Should be fun. I have played on the computer but that is not the same as real life.

Coloring at the library this afternoon. Wahoo.

And there is a book club tonight. I have never attended at this particular library. I did finish reading the book but due to the very cold temperatures, I will likely pass.

Jackie, oh my, plans just go out the window when the unexpected happens. Lots of plants? Good reason to readjust I think. If they are things you truly want.

Anne, I am glad you have someone doing snow blowing for you. Especially good since you have furnace service today. I hope Jilly doesn’t get a sore throat from all the barking excitement.

Sandy, did you purchase a new bed? Where will you put the current furniture if you don’t get it sold?

Buzz, continued prayers and best wishes for DD and for you. ❤️❤️

Patsy, earplugs. You need something to screen out the barking until Katie calms down. I am sorry she is so sensitive to changes in her environment.

Must get moving. Need to stop at the post office before meeting my friend for cribbage.

Hugs and best wishes. ❤️❤️

Lin

Hi all! Just checking in. Haven't had a chance to catch up with you-all, but I guess I'll just follow along for a bit and will eventually figure it out. I'll share a bit of what's been going on with me as well as we go along. Best wishes!

Brrr, a cold start to the day but I walked George and Betty early because we are expecting rain later and my barometer is falling fast! The wind was bitter but we managed a good hour's stroll and I chatted to other dog walkers as they passed by. Last night's meeting at the pub with other allotmenteers was fun and there were a lot of new faces who seem keen and interested in the community side of growing veggies so after a few drinks and chats we all headed home feeling full of enthusiasm.
The auctioneer wasn't impressed with the vintage fishing gear apart from one rod so at the moment I'm going to keep it all together and perhaps find a fishing group I can donate it to.
My other white Wyandotte isn't looking too happy and like her sister who died, seems to spend a lot of time sitting still with eyes closed. Generally our vets aren't interested in seeing poorly hens because living in a rural area they are looked upon as roast dinner!
Housework today once my feet have warmed up but otherwise a quiet time.

Lin, you don't appear to let the icy conditions and cold stop you getting out and about so I'm thinking you have a chunky vehicle that copes well. My old Ford Maverick was a dream when it snowed but unfortunately had to go because it eat up fuel and gave out too much in the way of emissions.

Oops, back in a bit, got a visitor!
Jackie

My friend Christine dropped in with a bundle of newspapers to line the henhouse before the bedding is layed on top. It acts as insulation so although they perch at night I think it must keep them cosy, at least I hope so. The rain has since arrived and Christine was telling me she has just been riding one of her ponies on the moors, an elderly boy who seizes up if he isn't exercised.... I know that feeling!! That somehow reminds me, a couple of weeks ago I watched a BBC documentary called Prince Charles, Inside the Duchy of Cornwall and in it appeared neighbours who farm just up the road from me, Michael and Margaret Hooper. If you get the chance to see it you might recognise the area Michael rides his pony from photos I take on my morning walks! I think Anne in particular will be fascinated by the work he has done to build up the Duchy and also to see Poundbury in Dorset with its wonderful architecture that proves the point my local fields crammed with little boxes called houses look awful!

Back to Lin.... no I didn't really want everything that Sue pushed in my direction and did my best to persuade her to take more with her but got the impression panic was setting in to be clear in time for the new owner to move in on Monday. I did say if she felt I could help I would but actually think I might be more of a hindrance. Some cuttings only taken recently I've put in my greenhouse but there is a rather expensive rose and also a Mahonia both with nursery labels still attached so once I have her new address I plan to send a card with a voucher from an upmarket supermarket that's a favourite of hers and suggest she treats herself since I am aware she is struggling financially.

Buzz, knowing how much J & G travelled the world I doubt they would have been in Britain at the time of the Lisbon treaty that is sending the EU towards Federalism, a central government with its own army and as far as I'm concerned stomping on our British democracy. At the moment there is an awful lot of rhetoric from Scotland's National party with threats of leaving the Union but they had a referendum a few years ago when the majority chose to remain. Then there is Northern Ireland DUP still fighting their religious war in their heads with the Republic so we have to be seen to keep the borders open between the two. Now the 3 of you will be even more confused!!

Sandy, sounds like you are having a great time with your family.

Patsy, knowing how much effort you put into your family celebrations I'm imagining you will be busy today preparing for John's birthday, with a lot of intervention from Katie of course.

Hi Karen. Lovely to see you popping in again. Look forward to learning what you are getting up to these days.

Must get on. It's after 2pm and I've not even had my lunch!
Jackie

Patsy, please send along my wishes—Happy birthday tomorrow John. 👍🏻🥳🎁

I have been less than productive today. I ran out to shop at Trader Joe’s this morning and then packed up to go to a morning book club at the Senior Center. Got there, checked in and looked over the things they are selling in the craft room. The office person came in and said, no book club is always the third Wednesday of the month no showed her that the calendar showed it on the 13th. She said sorry, no one else had mentioned that. If I had ever been there before I would have realized it was an error. Haaaa. Oh well. I went to another library and picked up a book club book for their Brown Bag group which is a week from tomorrow. If the weather is horrible, no worries, I just won’t go. I stopped for some organic tomatoes and then came home to hunt for some little tiny beanie things I want for the centers of some paper poinsettias I am making. Finally found them!

I am reading the newest book club selection, working on cards, and will admit to not watching the televised coverage. I will listen to some summaries on national news this evening.

Karen, wahoo, good to see you pop in for a visit. See you soon I hope.

Sandy, wow, you got that shopping accomplished quickly! Well done. Hope you have had a wonderful day.

Jackie, sorry you ended up with more than you really wanted. When someone is intent on giving away things before moving, I think they get quite insistent with their friends. They want a good home for everything. Certainly your home is a good one. And yes, one of my vehicles is an SUV which is very handy in the winter. If it was just my little car, I would stay at home much more.

Anne, lucky Jilly finding a service person willing to play her favorite game. She does just twist people to her will. Too cute by far! What’s up today?

Buzz, I remembered the really old floppy discs. We had a computer with no hard drive so one drive had the operating system on a disc and the other one could be used for document storage. And I worked for the university for a bit and they had those totally huge discs. 8” I believe. Oh my, how things change.

Must run along.

Wishing everyone the best health and much happiness.

Hugs.

Lin

Good morning, just a quick post because I've a lot to do today, but would like to share with you a surprising thing I'm finding about online grocery shopping. I've just made out my list for tomorrow and it will be roughly my 35th order.
1. The food is very good, and in particular the veggies and fruit are very fresh with the meat and fish well within the sell by date.
2. I don't have the hassle of walking, or catching a bus, or driving a car to the store.
3. No hunting and wasting time at different stores for bargains. My delivery service offers reduced prices weekly on various items.
4. No unloading and stumbling in with bags of groceries and we aren't encouraged to tip the delivery men as they are said to be well paid
5. No wasting time looking for items on store shelves. This service seems to have everything I fancy.

The funniest thing of all is I find my weekly food bills are DOWN despite a $10 delivery charge. We order one day with delivery the next, your choice of time, and have several hours to add or modify an order.

Boring post, but if anyone is contemplating this route my experience is GOOD.
Anne.

I cannot figure out how it gets so darn late, but MFP website has been frozen on my computer all evening, so I just logged off and on and all's well. Skimmed through everyone's posts, and I'm smelling the wonderful odor of cedar, JACKIE! Too sleepy to add all my thoughts to today's happy posts, but am including the latest blurb from my long-suffering DD, and what a wonderful shock this is, indeed:

" Just back from hospital. Pathology report shows no cancer. Lowers lymphoma chance way down. Very atypical for lymphoma all along. This has been insane and we are in a good shock. Sending panel of blood to mayo clinic. They'll do work up. We are all in shock and know not what to think. Could be late onset MS.
I'll take anything (maybe) over pcnsl. " (The latter was the type of CA they were looking for!)

Now I'll get to Happy Sleep for the first time since May!!!
Buzz
...........................Always Believe Something Wonderful is About to Happen! .....................

A very cold day but at least it's bright with lots of sunshine. I had to dig my winter gloves out to wear on our morning walk and have to say I was really glad of them! Halfway round I met a couple I sometimes see who told me their little dog Maggie May had been bitten by an adder snake not so long ago and had to spend 3 days on a drip before coming home from the vet. They had been enjoying a lovely walk on the far moors when it happened and were over 2 hours away from their car so a worrying time as she went down hill so quickly. Today she was running round as normal sniffing out the rabbits and no worse off for the incident! It was so nice to catch up with them I didn't keep an eye on the time until nearly back to my car when I realised I was going to have to rush so as not to be late for a hair appointment.... just made it in time! Always a mistake grocery shopping when hungry which is what I did on my way home so have just unpacked a Stollen cake, Christmas cake, bread rolls and pitta bread on top of my regular shop. It's so cold my chooks are tending to go to bed just after 4pm to get out of the wind so I've been down early to throw some corn out for them the brought in dry towels that were washed earlier and am now going to clean out the fire ready to relight it.
My window cleaner turned up yesterday in a force 8 gale that froze us both as we talked outside. He showed me a huge lump growing on the back of his leg where he had just knocked it falling off his ladder at the previous house. Of course I was terribly concerned but he just laughed saying that's nothing, I used to play rugby! The good news is I've given him my dad's fishing rods and reels because he goes fishing every Friday night with a group of friends and thinks they should make use of most of them. I told him I don't want any money, just to know they will be in the hands of fishermen is enough.

Buzz, such brilliant news for your DD as the roller coaster continues but at least it's climbing high this time! Let's hope if the hospital stops looking for cancer the truth will out and the real culprit show itself. Of course it could turn out to be one of those mystery conditions that goes away without anyone finding out what it was but thank goodness, right now you can rest easy.

Lin, my first question to George mark 2 was the same.... have I got to find someone to construct the greenhouse but no, they deliver and put it together, I just have to get the base layed. Black Friday means a great saving as they will deduct VAT but include staging and shelves plus I think he said blinds too! Here's a picture


If only my garden could look like that too!!

An introverts book club; now that sounds different and rather interesting as in who thought of it in the first place because I'm thinking it would be more appropriate to encourage an introvert to interact in person. At least it gets people reading though which has to be a good idea.

New bed day for Sandy! Photos please!

Anne, you have found a gem with the company delivering your groceries. I know several people here who tried it but soon got fed up with the poor choices in their boxes and went back to shopping in store. It's always been in the back of my mind to use if I should ever get housebound rather than being shipped off to the dreaded care home!!

I must get the fire lit before my feet turn to ice!

Jackie

Hello sweet friends! Looks kind of dreary out today. I am sure there is a shower or two in those clouds.

We had a lovely birthday evening and dinner. Nice visit with our kids. John was very appreciative of all your birthday wishes. You all are extended friends to him. By that I mean most evenings he will ask over dinner...”so what’s new with the sneakers?” He knows everyone and is constantly amazed that we ladies have kept in amiable but distant contact as long as we have?

I too have a lot of laundry. Wet dog towels and somehow just more general laundry. How knows how or why!

Buzz: I am so delighted to hear about your daughter’s diognoses. You know, she really could have had a condition that just slowly healed on it’s own. The science of health is indeed a mystery.

Jackie: how beautiful! The proposed greenhouse is a beauty. Great that it will be very close to your house. I know you will out there a great deal. Install a doggie door so the fur family can enter in and out as you dig and plant to your heart’s content.

Sandy: your new guest room will be wonderful for visiting family. It is lovely how it all worked out. You also have a great family and nice that they will be more comfortable.

Must run! Dryer just binged to tell me it is time to fold and put away.
A warm affectionate hug to all you dear sneakers from both John and me.
Patsy☘️

Laugh of the day.
Went out in the melting snow to collect the rubbish bin.
Passing the corner of the house a huge lump of snow fell off the roof right onto the middle of my head.
I'm towelling my soaking hair.
Groceries arrived. Great as ever. Jilly doesn't like the new delivery man. Barks non stop as I pay with my debit card.
Anne.

Again, after 1 AM! I'm too disorganized, though there's usually a good excuse! Tonight I screwed up 2 bill-paying dates and became frantic when my bank couldn't deliver on the 18th!
Love both SANDY's new guest bed and JACKIE's soon to be new cedar cabin! ANNE, is your delivery service named "Instacart"? I found them to be fussier than I picking latest dates and fresh beautiful items! Ordering as often as you do, is it cheaper to pay their yearly fee? I only ordered when they offered free delivery, since I gave a nice tip to the delivery person, usually a student. LIN, you are well worth the extra cost of food and health, and look at your self-control! PATSY, be sure to tell John he has honarary membership in our sneaker bunch!
I slept til 11:30 AM, this morning. What a shock! Was mesmerized by the interrogation of that female Ambassador, Yovanovitch, and believe she will end up being one of the best witnesses to this leader's infantalism! Yet another of his cronies, Stone, has been found guilty in court of law, as I hope he, too will be found, stealing from his "foundations", cheating his "students"..conning his followers, country and his world, putting his own profits ahead of his country's security! How did we get this bum? Today was a good day!
Latest email from DD..."I rewrote the update last night after listening to the recorded appointment and came away with a different idea of what I heard second time around. He seemed to add autoimmune encephalitis to the picture while only shifting lymphoma (pcnsL) down slightly. we still have little idea of what is happening.".......is this crazy-making?
OK, finished "mea culpa-ing" so I can go to bed NOW!!! I do think the low barometric pressure affects my breathing. I'm huffing and puffing just to stay upright!
Buzz
........................Always Believe Something Wonderful is About to Happen!............................

Love the bed Sandy and the words on your little pillow made me laugh out loud!

Patsy, believe me, I know I will struggle to keep Betty out of my greenhouse once it's installed even without a doggy door so promise I'll keep the door open when I'm pottering in it. What I don't want is the neighbourhood cats setting up home so will have to ensure I close the windows at night!

Lin, I think I will see how plants get on in the winter months before installing electricity but can always get one of those little fuel heaters if we have a particularly cold spell. My mind is buzzing about what has to be moved round the garden but if I can organise myself, the spot I have in mind for its construction is sheltered and generally climate change is giving us wetter winters rather than colder. Oh-oh, that's tempting fate, especially when I see the number of berries on the trees still hanging everywhere. My crab apple tree is laden so that's a job to do soon.... pick and create jars of jelly.

Buzz, your DD is going full circle with the different possibilities so I do hope she gets a definitive diagnosis very soon. As for Teflon man, I think decent people are appalled by his bullying tactics but still he gets away with it. We have our own drama unfolding with an interview to be aired with Prince Andrew excusing himself from his dealings with Epstein or as he says, kicking himself (only because he's been caught out!) and from what I've seen so far there isn't a jot of truth in what he says.... that old saying about Pants on Fire comes to mind but it seems anything goes these days with these powerful people!

Anne, no damage from that lump of icy snow I trust! A similar thing happened to George early this year but he turned and bit chunks out of the pile surrounding him!

Lunchtime and we have a drier day than forecast so I must get on with some chores.
Happy Saturday.
Jackie

Thanks for the giggle LIN! I hope Santa was missing delivering gifts. The "reindeer" looks awfully happy and well fed !!!!!!!!!
Anne.