I like Tuna but have to skip anything that has Mayo in. That and cream cheese, Cottage cheese. eggs.  Yet funny, I can now eat Yogurt so finding I can use it in some things that ask for Mayo


It is 89 deg here also.  Just ran to the library and pickup up 4 movies. Weekend going to be just as hot. Be a quiet weekend. Lots of things going on in Town but will skip them.

Did a stupid thing today. Made that Beef,potato cabbage casserole. Covered the dish with Siran wrap and put in the MW for 5 min while the over heated. I then just moved it to the oven leaving the wrap on. At a little of the under part but tossed the rest out. Thing was I made in in 2 dishes and so the other one is O.K for baking later.

I copied your recipe MaryAnn, although I don't like tuna so I probably will swap in some chicken instead and perhaps occasionally change the type of cheese. I have been deprived. I have never had a tuna melt and I have never had an Orange Julius.

Patricia, from the vast number of Tuna Melt recipes I saw (and I did not read most of them), there are all sorts of Tuna Melt recipes made in many ways.  The recipe I posted had a picture but it did not want to copy for some reason, but the picture looked the most like what we were served at Mr Burger except for the filling and I would use more mayo. 

I think you were the one who posted something about substituting yogurt for mayo and it worked well.  Jeanne, you might try that if you want to try the recipe.  I'm even getting hungry for more and maybe I'll pick that when Dot and I have brunch Sunday.  I haven't told her what interest our Tuna Melt generated.

When I got the mail today, I ran into a man resident who I haven't seen in years.  He has trouble walking so uses a scooter.  We had a nice chat and I found he is a year younger than I am.  His wife must be in the same ball park.  They don't live so close to me that I would see them often.

Mary Ann

Thanks, MaryAnn. I have made my own condiments, especially mayo but it can be a real chore. Substituting yogurt is an easy, simple, tasty, sweet or savory replacement for mayo, sour cream and for binders and fillers. I even add it to sauces and spaghetti sauces.

This afternoon, my brunch was a peach, gala apple and a pear cut up, drizzled with pure maple syrup and then I dumped a big bunch of plain yogurt on top. It is one of my favorite meals and uncomplicated which I love. And there is enough for tomorrow.

Tom fixed a hardy lunch today so I was able to eat light tonight.  The other day I discovered I had four tomatoes.  I can't get rid of four tomatoes in a week unless that is all I would have.  But for supper, I did chop up one tomato, seasoned it and put Buttermilk Ranch dressing on it.  It was good!

Now it is time to fix the cat's food and water, then I'll go to bed.

Mary Ann

Angel, your brunch is my usual evening meal without the sweetening.  I vary the two fruit: plum, mango, apricot, prune, date. Tasty and easy.

Hi everyone. It is another clear and sunny day up this way and we will probably get to 90 degrees this afternoon although we are starting the day in the 60's.  This morning I plan on attending a meeting and then stopping at Aldi's to get a few items.  Later this afternoon and evening I will watch some college football.  Yesterday afternoon Jennifer came over and had dinner with us and  spent the evening.  She played a game called Farkle with her grandmother. 

Mary Ann, Tom sounds like the shoemaker who never had time to take care of his families shoes but took care of others.  However, it sounds like he is there for you when you need him and glad you don't let the other stuff bother you. 

Marilyne, the pull out shelves are great.  I ordered two more of them last evening and next month will order two or three more of them.  It sounds like you have very nice ones that your son built for you. 

JeanneP, can you eat regular cheese like Cheddar?  It would be a big change in our household if we couldn't eat the things you mentioned.  Is there a college football game in your town this weekend?

Patricia, I will take your word for yogurt being a replacement for mayo and will stick with the mayo.  I like the sound of your brunch except for the maple syrup and yogurt.  I like fruit just plain. I eat apples almost daily and have done so for years and years. 

Bubble, do you also put yogurt on your fruit or just enjoy it for the fruit taste?

Larry, if I were perfect, which I certainly am not, I would complain.  As it is when I get to a point I cannot stand things, I take the bull by the horns and do a little work.  We both have the problem of not being able to stand for long periods of time.  Norm had peripheral neuropathy in his feet and legs and Tom is starting to get that too.  I also feel I have a touch of it, but not in the same manner as Tom.  So we both have good excuses for not doing something.  Tom does stand when he gets dinners. 

I'm showered and shampooed as a start for the day.  Now I am drying off. 

It looks as if we will have a nice day today.  Rain is several states west of us so we may have that tomorrow or Monday.  We do need it; the island in our pond is large. 

Mary Ann

Larry, 2 diced kind of fruit in the yogurt.  Very healthy and not too heavy for an evening meal.

I just watched this short video made from one of Paul Harvey's commentaries and felt it was worth sharing as he hits the nail right on the head.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Az0okaHig&feature=player_embedded

Woke up cold this morning at 5 and could not go back to sleep.   Will put the comforter on the bed today, that is for sure.  From one extreme to another here.  LOL

Good morning from an Autumn drenched Interior. We first saw the swans and other ducks and birds return from the Arctic summer nesting grounds earlier this month and now the geese are in the latter stages as the ones from further north have joined the ones here at the sanctuary. And small groups have finished resting and left for more southern climes. Some geese simply remain and overwinter at the sanctuary or along the rivers. Soon the cranes will come down, rest and feed and then travel South.

Many of the songbirds have already left while some hawks and Ravens have returned from the mountains and settled in here for the winter. The chickadees, redpolls, pine siskins, juncos and fox sparrows among others, have banded into their larger multispecies winter flocks and their wind riding antics have Farrah pinned to the table lookup so as not to miss anything.

I love autumn but dislike winters. Not the weather so much as the absence of light. It goes from 24 hours to 19 hours of daylight to about 3 hours during some of December, January, and parts of February even with the winter Solstice adding back the minutes. Barrow, at the tip of the Bering Sea, has it worse. They have six months of darkness and six months of light each year. Imagine what it was like before electricity. About four hundred miles south, the southern portions of the state are very much like Washington and Oregon in regards to climate and light.

Larry, I love yogurt and grew up eating it often. My mother was the one who taught me how to use it in so many ways. I really like the plain varieties except for perhaps vanilla. If I didn't make my own, I would go broke! I purchase pure maple syrup because I use it sparingly and simply don't care for the thick, heavy gruel of commercial syrups. I use applesauce, molasses, yogurt, pure maple syrup, and honey regularly in baking and cooking. Fresh fruit is a big part of my daily diet and now I'm trying to branch out into ones I previously wouldn't have purchased. I grew up in a home where food was grown just outside and put up in the fall and enjoyed all winter while game was on the table rather than storebought.

I left home and started buying all that stuff my mother would never have had in her house, all junk convenience foods. I wonder if that is where my chemical allergies began? I started noticing food issues in my late thirties and forties but never connected it to anything until 2014 when I ended up in the emergency room with analeptic shock.

Sorry, I get to preaching on that subject and go overboard. 

Patricia, I can believe your allergy problems started with getting processed food.  Especially when  you changed at an advanced age.  I think we did not have any fast food places when I was young but we did have to buy certain things even then.  My mother made everything from scratch, even mac and cheese, which is what I had for lunch today  - from a box.  My introduction to fast food may have been more gradual than yours.  I do know I'm allergic to corn and at the time I found that out, corn was in so many things - flour, cornstarch, stickum on envelopes etc, etc.  I ignore the allergy for sweet corn, which I also had for lunch and it was delicious and sweet, and pop corn which I have very seldom.

Our bodies get used to certain things and when there's a change, the body rebels.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I left home when I first married at eighteen and had to try all that stuff like Chef Boyardee and the like. I enjoyed McDonald's, Wendy's and Pizza Hut but almost immediately noticed issues that I considered part of stress or pregnancy or being sensitive to lactose, (Which I actually am, surprisingly). I had all sorts of vague rationals. I never connected it to how my diet had changed and so suffered possibly more severe reactions.

I understand what you mean about corn. Powdered milk is the same, it is everywhere!

Larry I enjoyed the commentary by Paul Harvey.

Patricia,  I found it interesting how you think your allergies began.    I am one who can eat almost anything without any problems. 

But, I have a friend who had mercury poisoning.  It took a very long time to find this out.  Many doctors, allergists, homeopathic medicine, and finally ended up with a chiropractor, who dx. her problems.  Maybe because he had the same thing.  But, what I am getting at, is she cannot eat anything with Soy in it.

They determine about the amount of mercury from tests on her hair.  She had to have all the mercury fillings removed from her teeth from years ago.  Luckily, with the doctor she goes to having the same thing,  she is better, but still has a long way to go.  Stress adds to her condition, also.  She can't get over tired, or over-stressed.  She does go to a heated pool to swim in and that helps her nerves a lot.  And, she walks several miles a day. 

Since hearing this, I will take notice of some of the ingredients in things I buy,  and I am amazed with how many things have Soy in it.

She makes her own bread and a lot of her own food items, but there are just so many things she can't eat.  If she does try something different she really gets sick. No kind of dairy products. She makes her own Almond Milk and mayonnaise.    She has a hard time gaining any weight, and she is so thin.  Lot of people are happy not to gain weight, but she would just love to be able to gain a few pounds.   She has a hard time explaining her condition to a lot of people, as they just can't understand what is wrong with her.   

Just wondering if you have ever heard of this condition.

Joy

From Lifehacker,

"If you always leave Bluetooth on your phone on, you might want to rethink things.

A vulnerability known as BlueBorne was discovered this week by security research firm Armis. With it, researchers were able to infiltrate Samsung Galaxy Phones and the Google Pixel as well as an LG Sports Watch and a car audio system, all by exploiting the Bluetooth connection.

Other devices are also vulnerable. Specifically, iPhones and iPads that haven’t been upgraded to iOS 10, as well as a number of other Android, Microsoft, and Linux products. A BlueBorne attack reportedly only takes 10 seconds to do and can give a hacker control of your Bluetooth-enabled device, even if it isn’t connected to anything when the attack begins.

Google and Microsoft put out security patches to get rid of the vulnerability this week. If you haven’t updated your phone in the past few days, you should go ahead and do that right now. No really, do it now.

The issue brings up a much bigger problem: you shouldn’t be leaving your Bluetooth on in the first place.

Wired notes that when you leave Bluetooth on, it’s constantly open to and waiting for other devices to connect to. That’s great when you want to sync your Fitbit or listen to some jams on your wireless headphones, but that also means that your device is constantly available for nefarious things to try and connect to it as well. Sure, use it to connect to your headphones or car. But if you’re not using it, you should power the feature off.

The way BlueBorne works, it constantly scans for devices that have Bluetooth on, and when it finds one that has relevant vulnerabilities, it can hack into the device exceptionally quickly. Once connected, hackers can take control of the device and even steal data from it.

The attack can also spread from device to device. So, while attackers would technically need to be in Bluetooth range of your phone (33 feet) to pull something like this off, they can get some extra distance when there are other infected devices around as well.

Even though this specific vulnerability has been patched, it’s only a matter of time before something similar pops up.

The easiest line of defense? Don’t leave your Bluetooth on. Wired compares leaving Bluetooth on to leaving a door to your home unlocked. Yes, it will be easier to get in when you get home if you just don’t lock it, but you’re also making it much easier for robbers to come in and steal everything you have while you’re away."

http://lifehacker.com/stop-leaving-your-smartphones-bluetooth-on-1817176967?utm_source=lifehacker_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2017-09-16

Joy, actually I had because mercury or lead poisoning were two that I was tested for. I had an initial $8000. outlay at the emergency room and then of course more to an allergist, nutritionist and others. The results turned out to be, lactose intolerant, IBS, and evidently to chemicals added to food to preserve shelf life.

On the upside, my doctors said my health now is comparable to someone in their twenties and the downside is what I cannot touch. I'm told that these type of chemical issues in varying degrees are becoming more and more common in infants and the elderly as is Crohn's disease that a friend of mine almost died from. It was touch and go.

I cannot drink soy milk but I find I can eat yogurt and mayo or some other condiments such as catsup or relish that I make myself. It's the chemicals used commercially that sicken me. But I'm lazy. I eat only fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and all fresh get washed well in a solution of apple cider vinegar and water.

I do have an OMG NO! list that I keep posted on the fridge door and one in my purse. Unfortunately, most cheeses, ice cream, raisins and many fried foods, (due to grease); are on it.

I share the issue with your friend that most people don't believe me or think I'm just some "New Ager" or something similar. I shared awhile back about the luncheon I went to where the hostess assured me of what was in the food. I ended up becoming very ill. And I think she, the hostess, still blames me and not her food.

I also wrote a complaint to a local grocery manager because a Starbucks clerk assured me that the drinks didn't have dairy in them. She had simply rinsed out the pitcher and called it good. I later heard that the entire coffee staff got a memorable meeting over that one as they would have had the bill if I had gotten worse than I did.

Patricia, along with allergies we did not hear of years ago, how about peanut allergies?  I don't know when I first heard of the peanut allergy, nor did I hear of anyone who was chronically ill because of some food.  I'm not even sure I heard of allergies at all.  My air-born allergies were diagnosed in 1960.  I had the 100-patch test and that's when I found I was allergic to corn and melon and conveniently, I did not care for either one.  Maybe that was my body telling me I shouldn't eat those foods.  I do ignore both foods when I want to - I eat sweet corn on the cob (not canned corn) and I eat watermelon if it is offered.  Rather selective!

Now I'll tell you my latest tale of woe.  For about three mornings, I've woke up realizing I had some bites on my body, mostly in the torso area.  Today I showed Tom one on an ankle and another on my upper arm.  We decided it was from a flea.  Kendrick is an indoor cat but I have let him out on the front stoop and unless he "escapes" that is as far as he's gone.  Tom went to the store and got a spray, sprayed my bed (stripped it first), sprayed the floor, things the cat uses and I don't know what else.  Tom has washed the bedding already.  Annie is coming tonight to use her stronger vacuum and we'll have to decide how to de-flea the cat.  He's going to be very unhappy when he can't go out the front door.  I don't know what to do about the deck but there are no "beds" of plants out there.  My indoor plants are out there, however. 

May all of our troubles be little ones!

Mary Ann

After putting the comforter on the bed, I started making spaghetti sauce.  While he meat browned with the herbs and garlic, I sliced up the roma tomatoes fresh from the store.  It cooked a few hours before I tasted it and just had to ad a pinch of salt.  Tis now in the frig and will cook some more tomorrow and then have for dinner on Monday.  Been a few years since I made this sauce as I cannot stand for very long, but for this I managed.  LOL  Is worth it for me.

Joan, your sauce sounds delicious.  I could almost smell it!

Annie came here and give the first floor a good cleaning.  For various reasons, Tom isn't sure it is fleas but in the meantime, the cat's things are on the deck and he's inside.  In the process of washing my bedding, Tom discovered a pen and now my sheets have big black blotches on them.  I'm lucky because the pen could have leaked on my quilt which Jan (Terry's wife) made for me.  I have other sheets and we'll see what we can do about the inked ones.  I told Tom he could have been more decorative with the splotches.  I hope I don't have any new bites in the morning.

I've had enough excitement for today.

Mary Ann

In Alaska, there are no fleas, ticks, chiggers or lice. We do have the poisonous and deadly brown recluse and black widow spiders in the Interior.  We used to say no snakes but two years ago, garter snakes were seen in Juneau. We used to say no bedbugs...well, you know the answer to that one. 

Anyway, MaryAnn,  I'm scratching in sympathy for you. This, according to WebMD is what human flea bites look like as well as another group of nasties.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/ss/slideshow-bad-bugs

Mary Ann, one could smell it all over the building.  LOL.  Tasted good too.  My sister used to travel from Lake Tahoe to Novato, CA just to get some.   She was never interested in cooking much.  My youngest son <Dan> is quite a good cook these days.  All my boys are.  Not sure what happened to the girls.  LOL

From PetMD for cats.

Before you spend money on flea treatments, find out if these pests have settled on your cat:

Watch for any signs of movement in her fur. If you spot tiny bugs bouncing off her coat, it’s time to fight fleas.
Comb your cat with a fine-toothed metal flea comb from head to tail several times a day. This will skim off adult fleas and their eggs and ease her itching.
Then, dip the comb in a mixture of water and liquid dish detergent to kill the fleas.
How to Prevent Fleas

Your cat's warm, furry coat and nourishing blood supply are a flea's dream home. Protect your pet with a flea barrier to prevent these tiny pests from settling in. There are a few different types:

Products you put on your cat. Spot-on treatments are safer, more convenient, and more effective than traditional dusts, shampoos, and sprays. You can buy them from your vet or online. Ask your vet where on your cat to put the product, how much to apply, and how often to use it. If you’re not getting the treatment from your vet, read the product label first to make sure it's safe for cats. Some common active ingredients and brands include:

Fipronil (Frontline Plus)
Imidacloprid (Advantage)
Selamectin (Stronghold/Revolution)
A flea collar with flumethrin and imidacloprid (Seresto) can also work well.


Medicines your cat eats. The pill nitenpyram (Capstar) kills adult fleas on your cat within 30 minutes. It doesn’t have any lasting effects, though. Spinosad (Comfortis) is a fast-acting chewable that starts killing fleas before they lay eggs. It provides a full month of flea protection to help prevent future hatchings.

De-Flea Your Home

A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Those can roll right off your cat and onto your carpet, couch, or comforter. Give them the chance to hatch, and you'll have a full-blown flea infestation on your hands.

A thorough cleaning of your home can help you solve the problem:

Vacuum every day. Clean the carpets, cushioned furniture, and cracks and crevices in the floor to suck up any eggs before they can hatch. You'll also get rid of live fleas this way. Just don’t forget to throw away the vacuum’s bag or wash out its canister with warm, soapy water when you’re finished.

Wash at least once a week. Strip off any bedding, sofa covers, and other fabrics your pet has touched and throw them straight into the washing machine. Use hot water so no bugs will survive the wash cycle.

Treat Stubborn Fleas

Fleas that stubbornly stick around despite treatment may call for more serious measures.

Clear the decks. Take all pets and family members out of the house, and then coat carpets and other surfaces with a flea spray. Sprays that work the best have the ingredient methoprene or pyriproxyfen. If you’re worried about chemicals in the house, try a natural citrus spray. Keep pets, kids, and everyone else away until all surfaces have dried.
Make sure all your pets get flea treatment.
Call a flea expert. If fleas are still around, you might need an exterminator to address the problem.

Even in large numbers, fleas are tiny and pretty easy to kill. After a few weeks of thorough cleaning, they should stop bugging your cat -- and you.

WebMD Veterinary Reference Reviewed by Amy Flowers, DVM on 4/, 017
Sources © 2017 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

Patricia, the bites look like both the flea and chigger, however, not in the quantity shown in the pictures.  The bites are isolated, although I do have two that are close together.  I had Annie look at my back and she said there were no spots there, probably because I might have been lying on my back.

Kendrick occasionally scratches, but not continually.  Annie did comb him quite thoroly tonight and found no fleas or eggs.  He is wearing a collar now but I don't know where it came from unless Tom bought it when he went to the store to get flea "repellent".  Tom had put all of his toys (scratch pads) on the deck and sprayed them and they are now in the house.

I'm not going to worry about it, but I will be concerned.  I had thought the bites were from small spiders but I had not seen any of those.  I have had bites before, but only one and that's why I considered the spider at first.

Tom has gone to bed and will get up early to drive, then go to church.  Our church will start at 10 am until we get an interim minister so we will be going later.  I don't like the later hour, but I have to go to church when it's open.

Mary Ann

Just checking in - we drove to Minnesota all over the state for two full weeks of visiting - only 4 nights with cousins so the motel bill was fairly high - but oh, so worth it for catching up with relatives.  The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) are jammed with traffic - several towns friends and relatives used to go to for groceries, etc. are filled with designated immigrants and stores are now closed for blocks.  Other than that - Lake Superior is still superior and Duluth dipped the thermometer just for us to remember a little.  Beautiful evergreens and miles of scenery - we met with my 102 year young auntie, Don's 97 year young cousin (living alone & very active). 

However, we drove straight back (960 miles) because of the terrible smoke in South Dakota and Wyoming.  Never again to drive straight through. 

Back home and we are still unwinding.  Don caught a cold so we are not seeing anyone until he is better.  We have two very ill neighbors.

Hi everyone. The morning starts out with a nice clear sky and anticipated mid-80's for this Sunday.  I did attend the meeting yesterday and then stopped at Aldi's and finished up stocking the larder so we are good for a week or more in the eating deparatment.  I expect today will be our typical Sunday.  I am ready for Church but Pat isn't up yet and I am doubtful she will make it for Sunday School as it takes her awhile to eat her breakfast and then get ready.  I didn't watch very much of the football games yesterday.  I will probably watch some of them this afternoon.

I am running short of time this morning so am not going to make any individual comments on postings.  I did read them all before I got up this morning and happy to see that all seems well. I still need to read the Sunday School lesson.  I'll be back tomorrow.

Good Sunday morning.

MaryAnn,  sure hope you are feeling better this morning and didn't get any more bites during the night.  Sure hope you have gotten rid of whatever it was that bit you.  I know how uncomfortable bites can be.  And, especially, not really knowing what bit you. 

It is supposed to be quite warm today.  Too warm for the opening day for the Ravens Football games.  Lots of hope for a good winning season for the Baltimore Football team. Lots of excitement down in the city. The local news showed people getting ready for their tail-gate parties.  I do follow the Ravens, but it is a little too early in the season to get real excited for me.

Hope everyone will have a great day.

Joy

Good afternoon, on and other bright sunny day.  Jose is suppose to be off shore on tuesday.  According how close will tell how bad the wind will be. The ocean will be very rough no matter what and very high tides. Which will cause flooding.

MaryAnn, last week when we went to Friendly's I saw tuna melt on the menu but it was made with sourdough bread.
I comb Taffy twice a day in the summer and I do get a few fleas once in a while and she is and indoor cat. I think she gets then when she lay right against the sliding screen door. I have a stray cat that has been living around here for the past 5 years, and everyone put food out for him.  He is scratching all the time.

Larry, sorry Pat cannot go to church.  I sure do realize those good and bad days the last couple of weeks.

Joy, I do not watch football, but I have the golf channel on all the time.  My husband was always watching ice hockey.

By the way it is AntennaTV, I watch Johnny Carson every night. I like that station it has a lot the old TV shows on, another one we have they are showing the old ED Sullivans shows.