MarsGal - Sounds like Shan is providing lots of excitement and entertainment around your house.  He must be so happy to be inside where the action is! Nothing quite like a kitten racing through the room, to get everyone's attention.  Is there a lot of space in your house, so that Lucy and Oscar have staked out their own territory, or do they stay together most of the time?

joan - Just terrible that Candy spent the night outside the station!  I would think in a big city like Portland, that the train station would be open 24 hours, with all concessions (and bathrooms!) available inside.  Just out of curiosity, I'm going to find out if the big station in San Jose is open all night?  I would think that trains would be coming and going all night, but maybe that isn't so anymore?

My older daughter is an excellent cook, and prepared some delicious meals when she was married and had a home, and was raising her kids, but not so much anymore.  My younger daughter has never been married, and never was interested in cooking for herself, so eats most of her meals out or take out.  Son is just like his dad . . . does a great barbecue, and that's it! LOL!

Larry, she did sleep on the train abit.  She really slept last night tho.  We just got up so she had a good nights sleep.

Patricia, I also had my hair cut today.  People cannot tell when I’ve had my hair cut, but I can.  I have a relatively new stylist as the woman who cut my hair for over 30 years retired.  I hate to say it, but I think I like the results from this new stylist better than the former one. 

After the hair cut, Tom and I had breakfast at the restaurant next door to the hair salon.  It always amazes me; I have my hair cut every five weeks and go to the restaurant every five weeks.  The server there has been there for ages, but she remembers that I want decaf and Tom wants iced tea.  If I was there every week, I’d kind of expect her to know what I wanted, but every five weeks?  Today I had a half order of French Toast.  The restaurant is a “breakfast” place and only open until 2 pm.  It is a very popular place, lots of “seniors” but some younger too.  I usually get an omelet or some version.

Patricia, I think I’ve had sangria, but I’ve never attempted to make it.  I have seen it done often on the cooking shows, but each cook has a different method.

MarsGal, it looks as if Shan is making himself at home and may be the controlling cat.  I think you will have a lot of fun with him.  Kendrick often comes on my bed shortly before I plan to get up.  Today was no exception.  And I was limited in time because of the hair cut (9:15 am).  I wanted to get out of bed about 8:15 to get dressed.  That cat was dead to the world.  I could not budge him.  I usually to not pick him up, but I managed to pick him up and transfer him to the other side of the bed and he sat there as if in a stupor. I could put my side of the bed in order, but a 15# cat is heavy and I could not make that side of the bed.  He was still there when we left but he met us at the door when we returned.

We’re talking Thanksgiving preparations. We will go to Holland to be with James, Alicia and the girls.  I think Annie/Cate will be with us.  Her friend and his two children are invited but we don’t know if they will come or not.  Since I am the only one with a consistent income, I’ve offered to foot the bill.  James and Alicia will furnish the house! 

I want to have a picture taken of all of us for me to send as Christmas cards.  It will be a four-generation picture even though not direct (I’m the oddball).  We don’t know yet if James and Alicia will have friends join us. 

Larry, I would be very happy to find a store nearby that would furnish the whole meal.  I think, so far, that we will furnish the turkey, although James will get it in Holland, and we’ll make the green bean casserole.  Who furnishes the rest, I don’t know.  I think I am the only one who likes whole cranberry sauce so I’ll have Tom get a can.  I’m not fond of the sauce without the whole cranberries.

Marilyn, I did know how to cook, but I’d say my specialty was more to the baking area.  Before box mixes, I used to make cakes from scratch and made a variety of them.  I also made a decent apple pie.  I also could fix a “meat, potatoes, vegetable, salad and dessert” meal.  But leftovers?  Other than reheating them, I was lost.  A nephew’s MIL could look in the refrigerator, pull out various things and make a delicious meal or soup.  I think now that Tom thinks I’ve forgotten how to cook because when he leaves here around mealtime, he always offers to fix something for me.  Depending on the meal, I usually refuse because we always have something available.  Even if it’s bread and peanut butter!

It’s a bright sunny day but it is chilly.  I think we are not to go over 45 degrees.

Mary Ann

Mars Gal, here is an easy and very tasty recipe for Sangria which I make during the summer if I have guests who like wine.  I bought the Guide to Spanish Cooking  titled "Dining in Spain" during a trip to Spain about 1975. 

                                            Sangria
1 quart red wine                          1 lemon, sliced thinly
1/2 quart carbonated water           1/3 cup sugar

Pour wine and carbonated water into large pitcher or punch bowl.  In another bowl, crush the lemon slices and add sugar together.  All to the wine mixture.  Add ice cubes and stir well shortly before serving this satisfying thirst quencher.

Salud!
Sue 

Larry,  the grocery store that I mentioned having the Thanksgiving dinner to-go was  Weis Markets.  I doubt that they are in your area. They are mostly in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  I think their main office  is in Sunbury, Pa.  near the same area where Jane S. lives.    Not sure if they are in any other states around the area.  They are nice stores.  There is one right across from the Walmart where I go, and if I am able to get there, I go there for my produce as I don't like Walmart's produce that much. However, since I have been ordering online from Walmart, the produce hasn't been to bad.  But, I still prefer Weis for my produce.  My DIL shops at  Weis a lot, so she gets me some things sometimes.

That is a good price as compared to the one that Marilyne mentioned.... Whole Foods at $119, I think she said. 

Joy

Larry, I was curious and did look up where the Weis stores are located, and they are in the surrounding states to Maryland and Pennsylvania...............  New Jersey,  New York, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Still pretty much considered local, I guess.

In my search, I did see where they are offering the same on-line  and pick-up ordering like Walmart in some of their stores.  Haven't gotten to my area as yet.

Joy

Good morning from a chilly, plus nine with no snow expected, Interior! I purchased everything I needed, but two items yesterday so plan on staying in today. Farrah still hopes for treats when I've left a while. It is sinking in that canned food, and no treats other than an occasional, tuna bit is the new normal.

MarsGal, Lizzie made 2 pounds at weigh in yesterday so the foster home will be scheduling snips as they've termed it and are now accepting adoption applications. I will be sorry to see her go as she has been a joy to watch and seems very smart. I'm learning about kittens thru her as all of mine have been older.

Two things both the kitten and her mother love are a long bright orange men' bootlace and those plastic bendy straws. The ones I got for Farrah are a hit. It sounds like Lucy and Oscar will soon have a new entrant in those middle of the night races!   I am so happy for you! And so envious as well!

Thanks for the sangria links, I needed those! I can always count on help at Norm's! 

Larry, Pet Pride, who initially took in Farrah, believes she was taken from her mother too soon to learn proper kitten behavior and then was severely abused. She just didn't learn certain feline traits and now at five years, never will. Trust is a precious commodity in her world. Their vet and mine, says she passes all the tests, hears and sees well, figures out ways to get what she wants or needs, so it is how she relates to people that's damaged.

On trips to the vet and in the waiting room, she has ignored other animals from inside her carrier. No hissing frightened or defensive behavior. She doesn't wail during taxi rides, so that is nice and probably from the taxi driver's viewpoint as well. So not unique as such but her coping skills are different.

Thanks Sue for your sangria recipe, too.

I've always thought f myself as a meat and potatoes type cook. I rarely follow recipes, and there is usually an idea percolating. For example, I went to a gathering where the hostess had canapes, bits of soft white cheese on a cracker with a type of peppery fruit topping. I loved it and of course, asked about it. She had seen it at the cheese counter in Fred Meyers so brought the crackers, cheese, and jelly.

I immediately thought of using it as a meat rub and for slow cooking. On my grocery shopping trip, I found the jelly. It is called Pepp'ricot. It's  apricot and jalapeno preserves. It isn't hot, but it has just enough of a buzz. I also found another one that was a Blackberry jalapeno preserve. They are from the brand, Pepperlane. So now I need to find a type meat to use with either or both.

Joy, that is another grocery I haven't heard of. While Anchorage, which is three times our size and much closer to Seattle, has a range of groceries, we only have Walmart, Safeway and Kroger's, Fred Meyers. Of the three I prefer Freds. You can have tailgate delivery but Freds charges way too much for the privilege and I don't have a car. All three stores send out to the Bush and villages but that cost is prohibitive considering you are paying double the cost of goods plus ten percent and for the plane delivery. Normally I get by with the many ethnic and organic and farmers markets.

Patricia, the nearness of the ethnic stores would interest me, but we have none in our area.  It seems all the growth of stores, even subdivisions, is south and we live far north.  I know I would not drive 20-plus miles to go to a store.  When we had a mall near us, my motto was "if I can't find it at North Kent Mall, I don't need it".  The mall is no longer there, I no longer drive and at my age, I don't need it (or much).  Both our Meijer and Family Foods stores do carry ethnic foods, but in much small quantities and/or varieties than a 100% ethnic store.  The only store I recall being in our end of town did not make it and it was a well known local name whose store in the south end did very well.  I think the fact we had only one mall near us was the reason shoppers went to the south end where all of the malls are.  Big malls and I've only been in one that I know of.  I think the "ethnic" people all live south!  Funny how that goes.

I just made an appointment to have my eyes checked.  This is more or less routine.  My optometrist wants to see me twice a year.  She's very thorough but I'm having trouble reading on the computer and I think my eyes are getting old.

Grand Haven is pretty right now, a little color in the leaves, but not the bright colors I think should be there.  Unfortunately when the trees lose their leaves, the fir trees will still be there, right in the way.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, the trees are a pretty russet shade, aren't they? I believe the earlier camera positioning was higher and to the left. I thought it was apparently moved to show the entirety of the dual piers.

Here all the mall groceries are on the east or west sides of town with the Industrial areas to the north or south. The city is similar to a donut with everything on the outskirts rather than centralized. Walmart, Freds, and Safeway to the east and Safeway and Freds to the west.They have ethnic food departments, but it is Americanized ethnic foods.

The Ethnic stores, groceries, barbering, tailoring, etc. are everywhere in that they are in old bowling alleys, repositioned houses or other older buildings rather than the newer malls. They are congenial, attentive, have good food and reasonable prices, and will stop and explain the menus or other questions you might have. In other words, they consistently give excellent service.

They seem to be primarily Asian, Vietnamese, Hmong, Han or Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Thai and a Japanese hibachi steak restaurant. Then you have East Indian, Italian, 3 generation now with a newborn grandson says their advert!; Mexican, (Not Americanized, from Puebla); German beer garden and a few others such as "Strictly Hawaiian." which I count as ethnic.

We used to have a Trader Joe's, Popeye's chicken, other pizza and hamburger fast food places, and themed restaurants such as "Boston's." They all folded for different reasons, probably franchise issues but I've heard a few of them are on some of the local military bases. People seem to prefer better service, less themes or trademarks.

We initially had two farmer's markets that were only open during the summer months. However, they, the farms, got together and started offering subscriptions and purchased a building called just, "The Co-Op" which offers year-round selections from most local farms and strictly organic offering too. It is a tad expensive, but it is local, and it is fresh!

Marilyne, the cats all have their favorite spots, but every once in a while they trade up. In the winter, Lucy is particularly fond of sleeping upstairs in the afternoons on her pet bed (it came with her).

Patricia, my vet apparently is going old school. He told me around six months to get Shan fixed. He is a little over 2 pounds now.

Joy, I haven't paid much attention to the Weis offerings for the holidays; we usually go out to eat or to my sister's if she feels like cooking a big meal. I believe Wegman's is another chain that offers full meal packages. I think they have made it down to a few places in Maryland.

Larry, I am happy to hear that your eye surgery went well.

MarsGal, he probably wasn't still in school when they came out with new techniques. According to the American Veterinary Society, males don't start spraying to mark boundaries and attract mates until after five months so you should be fine. Females, however, can become pregnant starting between 3 to 5 months.

Shelby, Lizzie's mother at an estimated two years, has shown signs of several pregnancies. They announced today that since Lizzie who is ten weeks old today and made 8 pounds yesterday, will be spayed on Thursday along with her mother. So, they requested folks to have their adoption paperwork ready to apply.

Kendrick was five months old when Annie got him.  I don't remember how old he was when spayed (not long after she got him), but in the meantime, he sprayed.  Annie lived here then and watched him very carefully and had a spray bottle of something to overcome his spraying.  He now marks everything in sight by rubbing against whatever, including me.  He even rubs against a paper that might be sticking out.  I'll tell you, this place is his because he's marked everything! 

I bought another "lounging" scratch pad like the one I threw away because it was in such bad condition.  I put a little catnip in the pad and he almost went crazy.  Last I looked, he was sleeping in it.  I do have to remove the outside paper so it will be a better size for him, but that doesn't seem to bother him. 

Tom came home from driving for Uber tonight and he's in bed.  He often gets up early in the morning and drives then.  The clientele is better and less competition.  Weekends are best.  I wish he could give up his day job because it isn't very productive, but I like that he's able to take me to my various appointments.  Fortunately, I don't have many, but I need him to get me from Point A to Point B.

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone on an overcast and humid morning here in South Carolina. We do have a potential for some rain showers today and a much better chance tomorrow, unless the forecast is changed again. 

My eye surgery followup went well yesterday.  Yesterday morning for the first time I realized what the yellow haze over the eye was all about as when I closed my yet to be operated on eye everything was nice and white and when I reversed that things had that yellow hazy look to them.  We did go out to dinner last evening and Pat still had to drive.  The doctor told me I could start driving tomorrow, although may do so when we go to the Church this evening as it will still be daylight.  As we were coming home last night after dark the headlights of the oncoming cars were like sparklers as my eye was still dilated.  Pat will probably have to drive home this evening.  Neither Scott nor Jennifer will be having dinner with us as Scott has to work and Jennifer has come down with a nasty cold. Fortunately, she made it back home before it hit her. Nothing else on the schedule for today than dinner at Church. 

The tech was just here and delivered and set up the oxygen concentrater to go with my CPAP machine. I visualized it to be a small machine but it is about the size of a suitcase.  They had sent a backup tank of oxygen in case of a power outage  but I declined it as we seldom have a power outage and I am not dependent on oxygen.  My monthly costs have just gone up again for this device. 

Joan, sure glad that journey is over for Candy and she is safely situated in your apartment for a few days. 

Mary Ann, glad you like the way your new hair stylist fixes it.  It is nice when we are recognized by servers in a restaurant.  We have the same experience at the Pizza Hut and this one server gets our drinks on the table almost before we sit down and remembers what we want.  We were only able to spend a couple of minutes with Scott last evening there as they were super busy. He did tell us he is to have Saturday off so we should get to spend sometime with him that evening.  Pat and I are like you in that we always foot the bill for eating out with the family.  I am just thankful that we can do it. 

Sue, I think I have had Sangria only one time that was made by Pat's cousin on one of our visits to Florida. 

Joy, thanks for checking on the Weis Markets locations.  The man who was just here was talking to me about Thanksgiving and he mentioned getting take out Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel and we are going to check that out.  We had a Thanksgiving dinner on a Thanksgiving evening at Cracker Barrel and it was very good.  I think we will check that out.  We will be picking up a good sized grocery order this evening at Walmart after our dinner at the Church.  This service is much appreciated. 

Patricia, Farrah is going to consider you as a mean mother when it comes to treats.    You obviously have been a great gift to Farrah after a rough start in life for her.  I don't think we have more than one or two ethnic stores in our town although there are probably a few across the river in Augusta.  The biggest town in our county, which is the county seat of Aiken, has less than 30,000 people and the whole county has just a little over 160,000 people and it is a big county. 

Mary Ann, if you use the Chrome Browser there is an extension called High Contrast that is really helpful in making the messages font much darker and easier to read.  I am using it as I write.  It can easily be enabled and disabled from a little icon on the address bar.  It needs to be disabled to view pictures but works great for the written words.

Marilyne, I expect Shan will soon stake out his own territory. 

Candy has put her application in here for an apt.   They cannot file it tho til after the 25th as she will not be 62 til then.   The Mgr. seems to think the list will move fast and right now there are only 13 on the list.  Hope she is right.

joan, I hope an apartment becomes available ASAP for Candy.  If she wanted to rent a place in Pasco or any other city near there, are they expensive? 

My daughter pays $1,390 for her apartment in San Jose, and that's considered a real bargain here! It's a one bdrm, and very small, but it's rent controlled, so it can only go up 5% a year. The high tech industry here in "Silicon Valley" has inflated housing costs to the point where people who don't work for tech companies and make the big bucks, can't afford it, and are moving away to the Central Valley or to other states.  My older daughter & granddaughter live in Merced, near Fresno.  She only pays $800 for a two bdrm, which is why they live there.

I have a doc appointment with the ENT this afternoon.  I DREAD it!  He's going to look at my vocal cords, which is an extremely uncomfortable procedure. 

Marilyne, this is a HUD complex so it would be just right for her.  There  are other HUD bldgs. but she turned them down.

Good morning from the Interior! Farrah surprised me this morning when we had a fire alarm, and she didn't run and hide. I almost gave myself a concussion as I was showering when it went off and straightened up to hit my head on the showerhead.

It is in our leases, and we are told upon move in that the alarms and sprinkler heads are sensitive. You do not put anything on the top shelves near the sprinklers, and you always, always, turn on the overhead fan while cooking. If you forget and your alarm goes off, you open your balcony door until the signal shuts off.

You do not, open your outside door to let everyone know it was just you as that sets off the entire building's alarms. This causes excruciating ear pain from the shrieking and reverberation of the bells. You have to evacuate the building to across the parking lot. Or hang a bright towel over your balcony if you are bedridden or shut in and can not leave on your own, (The firemen already have an invalid list that they use.). The alarm is shut off by the firemen when they arrive.

They check the board to see where the alarm originated and they verify that apartment. They politely lecture you and send the building a  bill. The building office sends you a letter and lets you know if it happens again they will bill you! This is all stated explicitly in the lease, and you hear it from the management upon move in, yet it happens several times a year and always a false alarm!

Progress in the civilized behavior department. Oscar is now allowing some playtime between him and Shan. Lucy is beginning to come out of hiding; she ate breakfast with the other two today. Shan was better about staying with his dish and waiting until another was finished before checking out the leftovers. I learned that if I hiss at him when he bites my hands, he stops. Unfortunately that doesn't extend to the ankle attacks. Shan spent the night out of his confined space; it seems Oscar kind of objected to me putting him in there last night.

Today is Library day. Tomorrow I am going up to Home Depot for another HEPA air purifier and Pet Smart to check out some toys for Shan,like t here aren't enough here already  . I also need a new printer. My old one stopped printing. I changed out the cartridges but it died again. Not using it enough I guess. Oh joy, none of the newer printers use the same cartridge number as my old one. I think they do this on purpose.

MarsGal, it looks like Oscar and Lucy are accepting Shan.

I have a printer that works fine but it is not compatible with my computer. If I want something printed I must send it to Tom for him to print. That is a pain in the you know where. I am going to try to resurrect the next older computer to see if I can get the printer to work with that one - it used to.  I'm not always sure about technology.

Lots of whitecaps on Lake Michigan and wouldn't you know, there is a surfer on the lake.

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone.   We are finally getting some rain this morning, fairly light but good prospects for the rest of the day.  This is going to be a busy morning as had to fix Pat's breakfast, coffee and take care of other morning kitchen chores.  I will be going to coffee in a little while after picking up my friend.  I need to stop at the credit union ATM to get some cash and pick up a prescription and a couple of other things at Walmart.  When I get downtown I will drop off my friend at the cafe and go on to the Medical Supply store to exchange the new headgear they gave my wife last Friday.  It is just a couple of blocks away and then I will return to have coffee.  We are not having the Wisdom Group today.  Yesterday the pastor announced in our weekly newsletter that we will have police protection at all of our Sunday services.

Last night I used the oxygen concentrator for the first time and what a loud machine.  In addition to the sound of the motor in it there is a huff and puff sound every few seconds.  I was afraid it would keep Pat from sleeping but she said this morning it hadn't bothered her. 

We had made plans to meet friends in Greensboro, Georgia, about an hour and 15 miinutes away on Saturday.  I may go alone or Pat may decide to try to make the trip after taking a pain pill.  She is experiencing a lot of spasm and other pain in her back and can hardly get around.

Joan, I hope it doesns't take long at the 25th for Candy to be able to move into your apartment building.  Conditions can change with people on the list.  My SIL was on a list and at the time she was called her daughter talked her into moving in with her as she was buying a house.  She did that and I didn't work out and after a few months she then had to move into an apartment.

Marilyne, does your daughter work for a tech company?

Patricia, glad that was a false alarm.

MarsGal, it isn't taking the cats long to adjust.  The printer companies really have a nice scam going with the ink cartridges.  I have a problem now in trying to use a remanufactured cartridge  and the HP printer won't accept it although it did other cartridges.  It is not an old printer.

Mary Ann, sometimes the printer manufacturers just won't update their drivers when new versions of Windows are introduced.  I expect you have already done this but if not go to the website of the printer manufacturer and see if they any updated drivers for your printer.

Larry, I will follow your advice when I get back from the eye doctor, but both my printer and computer are HP.  I've had this happen before and I am sure if I looked in my storage room, I'd find another printer that was not compatible with a computer.  And, yes, changing from one printer to another makes it necessary to have a different cartridge.  My printers have been laser printers because so much is black and white.

Today I finally am going to get my eyes checked.  I put it off and I don't know if my optometrist can do anything or not - old eyes, you know.  I'm not good at explaining my problem and I'm not sure she understood.  She is a very thorough person so I feel it is me rather than her.

Tom is out driving but will be back in about 15-20 minutes.  The office is across the road and up a hill, say a block away, but I can't walk that far.  Tom can come back home and work instead of having to work in his car.  He just called and will be here in about 10 minutes.

From various people posting about buying T-day dinners at various places, we are looking into it too, however, if James and Alicia invite several friends, that is out because I don't want to buy for 10-15 people.  There will be five family and I am happy to supply for us.

If I haven't mentioned Lake Michigan, take a look.  Whitecaps as far as you can see.  The specs say there is no wind, but gusts of 13 mph.  Earlier I saw a surfer but no one is on the lake now.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann,  those huge whitecaps just gave me the shivers !!!   Looks like it is sooooooo cold. 

Joy

Mary Ann - I looked at Grand Haven too, but was too late to see the surfer!    The surfers love it when the weather gets wild!  During the winter, the waves are huge in the Santa Cruz area near me, and the water is extremely cold.  This draws surfers from around the world.  They have a big surfing competition here in the winter called Mavericks, that is exciting to watch. 

Larry - That is so very sad, that you will be having police protection at your church services from now on. I certainly understand why and think it's the right thing to do, but so sad that our country has come to this.

Marilyne,  I had the same thoughts when I read about Larry's church having police protection.  I just don't know where all this is going to end. I understand the reasoning behind that, but it is such a sad and disturbed world we live in now.  Pretty soon, it won't be safe to go anywhere.  If you don't feel safe in church, then I don't where you can go anymore. 

Joy

Joy - My daughter is working at UPS right now, and she told me that a possible shooting is in the back of her mind all the time.  Last winter, a gunman, (former disgruntled employee), entered the UPS facility in San Francisco, and opened fire, killing three or more and wounding others.  The one my daughter works in is a huge facility in San Jose, which is the next biggest in the Bay Area, after San Fran.  Thousands working there 24 hours a day, over the holidays, and people coming and going all the time.  Needless to say, it worries me, but also makes me very sad to think that our world is now a place of caution and fear.

Joy and Marilyn, I have the same thoughts as  you do concerning guns in churches - and also schools.  I also feel it is dangerous to go anywhere because if there is a crowd, who knows what nut will join the crowd and start shooting!

I just watched an interesting program on PBS.  It was "The History of Cooking" and the chef was with a woman who is the cook for the James Polk Presidential Home.  What was most interesting to me was that she used lard.  I have heard that lard isn't as bad for you as once thought, but I haven't rushed out to buy any.  The cooking utensils were cast iron and hung over the flames. Everything looked delicious.

I went to the optometrist this morning for a routine check and nothing has changed, which makes me feel good.  She dilated my pupils and four hours later I'm still under the effect!  I can read the bold print, but those posts not bold are harder to read than usual.  At least I don't have to have new glasses, however, she thought I was using my older computer glasses instead of the newer ones.  I am now using the newer ones, but until my eyes are back to normal, I won't know if the newer glasses are better or not.  The frames are alike which is why I have been  using the wrong glasses.

Grand Haven has about the same temperature as we do and now the water is getting to be the same as the air. We are at about 40 degrees, give or take a degree.  So it is cold!

Mary Ann

Hi all.  just checking in.  Candy is catching up on her sleep and is doing fine.  I had her take some Vit. C for a few days to help with any chill she may have had.  She is her vivacious self again and full of pi.. and vinegar.  LOL

Mary Ann, I had to smile when you mentioned you were wearing the old computer glasses instead of the new.  The other day I had been working on the computer then watched TV.  I thought something was wrong with my eyes  when Larry looked over and said “aren’t those your computer glasses?”  The glasses are almost identical.  I was relieved when I put on my regular glasses and everything was normal.

Good morning from the Interior!

I share your apprehension about guns being readily available. It's not something that will be solved in our lifetimes.

I recently ordered from Amazon, a push button cat fishing toy for Farrah that should arrive today. I think she'll enjoy it and a photo is below.

They are again speaking of a huge storm coming from Siberia and traveling east to hit our area on Sunday. It sounds pretty dire with strong winds, expected trees down and power outages but we shall see.

Patricia, your cat toy is similar to something that we have for Kendrick.  Ours may be the same principle but maybe less expensive.  He does enjoy playing with it, but I think the person who must hold the stick doesn't enjoy it as much as he does!  Ours does not have a push button feature and that might make it easier for the fisherman.  I bought another scratch pad box that he can lie down in and he likes that.  I am likely to find him in that box, his bed or on his tower at any time. 

Jean, as I recall, I had both computer glasses out and I knew at the time which was which and the older ones seemed to have better vision. I am now using the "new" ones, however, I've had them for some time.  My problem has been my inability to read clearly the print of the computer, especially the Windows 10 news paper.  Many people in S&F bold their posts and that helps so much.  I think my eyes are back to normal now.

Mary Ann