Norms Bait and Tackle

[Marilyne]

It's a little early for me to post,  but I wanted to check in and say Hello, before our power is turned off for the entire day!  Our utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric, is replacing a power pole and new wiring, at the end of our street.  An all day job, scheduled to begin in about one hour at 9:00, and last until 4:00 . . . maybe longer if it's not completed.  Very little we can do here, without electricity.  No TV, no computer, no telephone, and no AC.     The only real worry is the food going bad in the fridge.   I have a lot more in the freezer than I usually have, so I am concerned about that. 

Ordinarily, we would just leave for the day, and plan to eat lunch on the wharf in Santa Cruz . . . but the restaurants there are all closed for the duration of SIP.   Same applies to everything in San Jose.  Maybe a long scenic drive somewhere is the answer?

I suppose I sounded overly dramatic in my post yesterday.   I've always been one to ask the question, "What If", and then ponder over all the possibilities.   Plenty of time now, to do a lot of "pondering".      It was very interesting to read all of your responses, and fun to have a different type conversation going on here in Bait & Tackle.  I'm glad that so many of you joined into the discussion.

I'll return late today or tonight, when everything is turned back on again. 

[Sandy]

Good afternoon from the cooler
rocky coast of Maine....  love it when it is
cooler..


I don't do what if's?   
Mainly because I choose not
to live with regrets ("I have had
a few,  but too few to mention!")

I am a "My Way" person.   Most of the
time things worked out ok,
for the time...  But I moved on
when they stopped working.

Now I hAVE NO choice... No
time or desire to move on..
I like very much where I live,
and  most of my family are close. 
 

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Literally been on the go all day sorting piles of paper stuff, printing pages and pages of legal documents, on the phone bookings, enquiries as to how to pay, when to pay, booking dates and confirming, still need some papers read, dated and signed, friend coming over tomorrow 5.pm, she will put her signature as to being a witness, Heaven knows what legal stuff i am getting myself into, but i have started the ball rolling and there is no going back now plus i have paid substantial moneys already and booked dates...I have had to sit down and take a breather, almost 7.pm and i have not eaten since breakfast, plus my MS body has again completely packed up, still a lot of phone calls to make but i really cant do anymore, my MS body wont let me...my brain has also once again gone on overdrive as to getting all things in place, still such a lot do do and little time to do it in....and at the moment I really cant move at all, so much pain, so much spasms, electric shocks inside top right leg, the stomach i am too bent over, my legs ae giving way underneath me, collapsing......not even to get some food..

[angelface555]

I couldn't agree more Sandy! That old song sung by Doris Day, Que sera sera, that's how I am these days.
A fun fact about that song is "Que Sera, Sera" is a song written by the team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that was first published in 1956. Doris Day introduced it in the Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much, singing it as a clue to their onscreen kidnapped son.

I used to sing that all the time and never knew the backstory until now when I looked up the spelling.

[FlaJean]

Jackie, I'm saying a prayer for you.  I know it is difficult and I hope you are able to hold together to do what you need to do.

We drove up to Crestview to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for lunch.  We had the best roast beef I think I've ever eaten.  We had enough food left for another meal.  It is the first time we've been in a restaurant in months.  We did order take out once but their menu was limited at that time.  All employees were wearing masks as were the majority of customers except when eating, of course.

It is thundering and getting dark.  So much for the 20% chance of rain.  It has turned into 100%.  I'm glad we got home before it started.

Marilyne, I hope all goes well with that electric work.  Maybe take a ride and stop by a hamburger place for takeout.  When I was a teenager, girl friends and I loved stopping by "Big Boy" for a hamburger, milkshake and fries and flirting with some cute boys in another car.  Fun times.  You kind of got me to thinking about the past with your conversation.

Jenny, I didn't know you had relatives in Panama City.  We probably live about 50 miles from there, but Larry likes that dealership better than one that is a little closer.  We live in a small town that has a Walmart, a couple of grocery stores and a couple of small shopping centers and banks. To shop we have to cross the MidBay Bridge ($3 each way) into Destin.  Since we moved here 4 years ago, they have opened a Starbucks and Panera Bread.  We are growing! 😊. But people here are nice and very little crime.

I've enjoyed all the posts.  Love to read what everyone is doing.  Hope Rammel is still around.  If you are---Hi, Rammel.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Good i got some mince out of the freezer this morning to thaw, i have a whole lot of minces in the freezer and the dates say just a short freezer life so i took some out after x amounts of weeks, months just to see if it looks ok, smells ok, as one has to be careful with meat, especially when ones immune system is constantly under attack by MS..Anyway i managed to muster up a meal, and to cook it in the saucepan....melted butter, added a little water then gravy stock jelly cube, added some sugar snap peas, a few slices of courgette - zucchini, a shake of black pepper, anyway it went down a treat.." filled a hole.." as my late father often said...Think i got out one beef and one lamb mince, couldn't be bothered reading my label writing so just grabbed the first couple cling-filmed meats that were the nearest so had a mixture of both, and just took pot luck..anyway it was quick, tasty and filling....

[CallieOK]

Good afternoon, Everyfriend,

I've really enjoyed reading the posts about different activities and rememberances.

FlaJean,  I've always liked Cracker Barrel. The nearest one is out on I-35 and is now surrounded by other restaurants and businesses that "attract" the big semis.  Haven't been out there in years. 
Coming back from a tour of New England, we stopped in Lebanon, Tennessee for a tour of the Cracker Barrel warehouse.  Most of us thought "Ho Hum - just something to break up the long day on I-40" but it was fascinating.  There were long long aisles of various items they use in the restaurant wall displays - most of which are "originals" bought at estate sales.  Another area had mockups of walls in their restaurants.  When a new display was needed, the decorators chose items and placed them on these walls - then shrink-wrapped them and shipped them to the location so the workers there could put them up exactly as they were planned.
Then we ate in the original Cracker Barrel.

Jackie,  your mince combination sounds very tasty.  We might call that "Fridge/Freeze Fallout".  I'm so impressed that you can get lamb; that would be a rare specialty in this area - and very expensive.
Does "courgette" refer just to zucchini or could it be any kind of what we call Squash?
My mother used to say my sons were the only kids she knew who liked leftovers or  what I called a "little dabba dinner" (a little dab of this and a little dab of that). I told her that was probably because there was more meat than vegetables.   


 If I could go back in time, it would be to my 19th birthday and I would "redo" the rest of my college years.  However, I probably wouldn't have ever gone to Texas to teach, met my husband and have the wonderful family I have now.  So - no real regrets but I do sometime wonder what it would have been like if I'd made different choices back then.

Actually made a list of Projects du Jour before I went to bed last night. All had to do with food prep and I didn't want to have the oven on any longer than necessary.  I put a chicken breast in the 1 1/2 quart slow cooker, then made a pan of cookies from the roll of dough I had in the fridge.  After I took them out, I baked some frozen biscuits (I like to split them, spread with butter and reheat in microwave).  I divided the cookies into two baggies to share with a neighbor who is recovering from two pelvic fractures and another neighbor who has been very kind about helping with watering while the HOA sprinkler system has been down.
By that time, the chicken was done so I made a Chicken/Spinach casserole which I'll share with recuperating neighbor. I put my share in individual casseroles - will have one for dinner, which I'll reheat in the toaster oven, and freeze the others.
The oven was off before noon. 

Off to see if there's anything in my mailbox and then settle in to read until time to reheat the casserole.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Just going to make myself a hot milk chocolate drink before bed...Just turned midnight and i am still going through folders of paperwork for tomorrows phoning session...i have got to get everything straight...I have always been an organised person but i have piles of papers and bills all over the place and some fit under different categories so always get moving from one place to the other as and when they get dealt with, no wonder i am " running around in circles." well maybe not running, more like crawling...lets see how much i achieve tomorrow....going to make my drinking chocolate now at ten past midnight...

Callie...
... " fridge freeze fallout " i haven't got a name for my version but i will work on it...Well think i might be living on mince for the next couple of weeks, if only to clear the freezer compartments..

We call the long thick green veg courgette...i done a quick and easy wok meal the other day and just put a piece of this and that into the wok, mushroom, courgette, sugar snap peas, spinach, sliced salad potato, sliced fresh tomato...no meat nor pasta this time..

Well been two or three days now since i lay'ed off taking my so called GP prescribed water tablets after my blood test showed dropped kidney function after nurse vampire ( actually she was quite gentle unlike one i had a month or so ago, ) turned up at my home to take blood a few days ago, think it was a week ago...i feel it is best being ones own advocate, sometimes it pays off, sometimes not...Besides i already empty my bladder enough times throughout the day with my MS without adding diuretics as well..besides it is doing nothing for my leg balloon swelling from my previous cellulitis attack, which thankfully the three sets of antibiotics - penicillin meds seems to have eventually gotten rid of it, the infection, apart from the skin scaring and discolouration.....

Oh well, time just turned 1.am....best drag myself to bed to get 4 or 5 hours of beauty sleep...

[Denver]

A early evening HELLO to all.

Our day started off great.  Boston son and two grandson's who are here staying at their mountain home in Vail, came down to spend some time with us.  We had a wonderful visit and had lunch together out at one of our favorite Pho Restaurants.  I had a lunch planned but they insisted they really wanted to go for a nice bowl of noodle soup.  They are on their way back to Vail now😩, but it was wonderful to be together. 

JEAN, my husband was raised right on Panama City Beach.  We had a beach cottage there for nearly 50 years, but decided to sell it after Bobs mother passed away at the age of 102, and the area had changed so much that it was not as enjoyable to be there as it once was and it became nearly impossible for our sons to get there very often.  Now we rent a home on the water and as many of our family meet there when ever it is possible.  We had plans to be there this summer, but COVID took that away from us 😢😢

JACKIE, I know you have a LOT to do to prepare for your move, but I hope you will not push your body as much as you did yesterday!  I understand it is easy to do, but as you know it can really take a toll on you 😩😘

PATRICIA, I was not aware of the history behind  "Que Sera, Sera" , but I loved the song and have used that saying many times over the years😘

MARILYNE, I do hope the power was not down any longer than necessary!  Not fun to be so totally isolated this time of year and with these limited availability times. 

I have not heard yet how Michele's last chemo went today, but it was a very hard lead up to it for her.  Bless her heart she is just DONE with the awful effect it has on her......as anyone would be.  This is her third time of completing the grueling 12 weeks of treatments done over 24 weeks. 😩😥  I can not thank you all AGAIN for your continued support and prayers for her over the past couple of years🙏🙏

I wish you ALL a good rest of your evening.

Jenny

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Oh no, all our " new deaths " numbers ( yesterdays ) are going up again, USA - India - Brazil - Mexico - UK......welcome back to the real world Jackie..

Who was it that posted here yesterday " Que Sera Sera, " whatever will be will be...

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus

[Beverly]

Jackie - You certainly had a busy and stressful day! The place where you are moving does sound like a better situation for you.

I hope everyone is okay. Not a single post since Jackie's.

Donna will be here Sunday. Her house closing is Monday. Both she and her husband are retiring at the end of the year. They'll be moving here in September. Both of them work for the state and have permission to work from home. Not much different than what they've been doing. They've worked from home since March because of this virus. She's already making plans for the house and is excited about moving here.

We've lost a good friend and neighbor. He was Chape's sports buddy and a big Patriots and Red Sox fan. His problems began with a fall and escalated from there. Very sad as he couldn't have any visitors at the Rehab including his wife.

Chape gave me a scare today. He was extremely dizzy after he got up and it didn't go away. Our neighbor drove him to his cardiologist who checked him out and he's fine. Most of the dizziness is gone tonight. They think it may have to do with his kidney problems.

We're having a much cooler week. The downside is dreary, cloudy days.

Marilyne - Hope you got your power back. I've been wondering if that's the reason for you not posting today.

Jenny - How nice you got to visit with your son this morning. I'm looking forward to times like that now that Michael and Donna both have homes here. Michael's will be less often because he'll only be here part-time. My thoughts and prayers are still with Michele.  I know the effects of chemo are awful.

Donna had her 6 month CT Scan and is still cancer free. Feeling blessed!

Good night all.

[Marilyne]

Good Evening everyone!  I looked in this morning, but decided to come back later and say hello.   So now it's MUCH later, and I'm just getting back.  I spent most of the morning talking on the phone to my two daughters, and then to my dil!  Unusual, as none of us talks on the phone much anymore, but mostly we email or text.  I guess we seemed so out of touch with everyone yesterday, having no means of communication, so it seemed we had been away somewhere, instead of right here.    One good thing . . . yesterday was an unusually cool day, for this time of year.  There was heavy fog along the coast, and a strong direct wind was blowing from the West, that was actually a damp cold. So we didn't miss our AC at all!  Same weather today, only a little warmer.

Beverly -  I'm so sorry to hear about Chape's friend.  So many people are in the hospital with serious illnesses, not related to Covid-19.  Yet their loved ones are not allowed to visit.  A good friend of AJ's, died a few weeks ago in a hospital for Alzheimer's patients.  When the the end was near, all his wife and children could do was stand outside and wait.  Oh how hard that would be, after a long marriage together.  When AJ had the stroke in April, I was not allowed to visit for the three days he was there.  Fortunately he recovered quickly, and was allowed to come home.
I hope Chape will be feeling better tomorrow, and that his dizziness will be gone.

Jackie -  it sounded like today was going to be a very busy one for you.  I'm glad that you're signing the necessary papers, and hope that everything ran smoothly for you.  Good that your friend was there to help and give you some support.  I'm know this was a big decision for you, but it definitely sounds like the right thing to do at this time.   Your Park Home, will sell eventually.

Already nine O'clock here, so best that I switch to my favorite music channel, and read for awhile, and then go to bed early for a change.   Nothing on TV tonight that I wanted to watch except for some movies I have recorded . . . but I just didn't feel like sitting for two hours.

[Denver]

BEVERLY, good to see your post.  I know you are concerned about  the dizziness that Chape is expierencing.  I do hope he is feeling better tomorrow and it was a passing thing.  I am sorry to read about the passing of his friend.  So happy to read that Donna is still cancer free.  I still keep her in my thoughts and prayers.  Our family is so hopeful that Michele's next scans will prove her to be cancer free as well🙏🙏. I am happy for you and Chape to have two of the kids living near to you. 

JACKIE, sadly the numbers are rising in many of our states.  There is so much unrest going on as well, and I find it frightening.  I do hope your day ended up going as planned and you got your papers signed and done. I am sure holding good thoughts for you that your decisions will go forth smoothly for you and you can get this move done and be settled in to your old "stomping grounds" very soon.  It will be so good for up you to be able to get out on your scooter at anytime you decide to. 

MARILYNE, I almost missed your post.  Sure glad you made it through the day with out your electricity and how nice the weather cooperated and you did OK with out the AC. 

I wish you all a good night of rest....pleasant dreams to all.

Jenny

[FlaJean]

Another summer day.  Hannah, the tropical storm in the Gulf is strengthening, but it is heading towards Texas.

We need to go grocery shopping today as we haven't been for several weeks.  Well, I need to get myself going before the day gets away from me.

Jackie, you are in my prayers that all will work out for you.

Marilyne, I know you are glad to have your electricity back on.

Beverly, I hope all is OK with Chape.  Those dizzy spells are no fun, that's for sure!  Speaking from experience.

It will be good to get the grocery shopping done and then relax.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

I'm going to have a whopping sky high phone bill..
I have always been a " to do straight away " and a very organised person, a pile here, a pile there, sort of person, now the piles are getting smaller..and in not so many places...

[FlaJean]

Callie, I've been meaning to tell you that I wish you could send those Hummingbirds this way.  we had a lot of them last year so my husband put up several hummingbird feeders and nary a one.  i'm disappointed.  We had several pretty ones last year.

[CallieOK]

Good Afternoon,

FlaJean  I've only seen two hummingbirds this year.  Maybe I can shoo them your direction when they migrate.

I have seen a couple of cowbirds I'll share.  They lay their eggs in other birds' nests and don't raise their own youngsters. 

Jackie,  Your courgette sounds like what I'd call a zucchini. One year, my husband planted cucumbers near some zucchini and we had some really weird looking veggies.  Didn't know whether to slice and bake with parmesan cheese or make pickles.

I either forgot or failed to notice that you really are moving back to a familiar area.  Hooray for the progress.
I understand the pile making and am so glad you're managing to "take them down".
I finally realized that, when I get stressed over something I can't do anything about, I find something to organize. Doesn't mean it will stay that way but I guess doing so makes me feel in control.

Marilyne, glad you made it through the "no-electricity" time.  Strange time of year for the company to do that, IMO.

Beverly,  hope Chape is feeling better. Vertigo for any reason is NOT pleasant to deal with!

Jenny, so happy you had a good visit with Boston son and grandson.  I haven't eaten out in such a long time that I've probably forgotten how to behave in a restaurant.  I'm keeping Michele and her family in my prayers. She is One Brave Lady!!!!

Janie,  hope Mickie is adjusting to the new "rules".  Wonder if a ramp to the bed would work? 

Weather gurus keep bragging about temperatures being lower than normal for this time of year.  Then they "spoil it" by telling us the humidity is higher.  That means it feels just as hot as it usually does.  Whatever! 

Have been on the computer "organizing" files almost all afternoon.  Time to get up and move around.

Stay cool and stay well, Everyfriend.

 

[Sandy]

Jackie,

Well it looks to me like you
have taken the bull bull by the
horns and are going to move on
back to an area that you once
lived.   

I know that it is going to
be hard making the move, but
if you are going to a place
where you can get out and
move around and meet people and be
able to shop for your self,
then I know that you will
make that work for you..

congratulations and enjoy !

When are you moving?

Sandy

[Beverly]

We had a beautiful day today........no dreary skies and plenty of sunshine. Of course it was warmer but, then, it IS summer!

Chape was quite dizzy during the night and this morning but it got better as the day wore on. He had some bloodwork done as the doctor is trying to find the reason for the dizziness. He's had bad cases of vertigo before but this isn't like that.

Marilyne - I'm sorry to hear about AJ's friend. It's really sad when family members can't be with them. My long-time childhood friend (my age) is in a nursing home with Alzheimers. I hope the quarantine ends while she still has some memory. She was able to see her latest great-grandchild through a window. I don't know if she understood who he was but in the video she is smiling and holding her hand against the window.

 Jean - I've been watching "Hannah" also and I hope she doesn't decide to visit Florida.

I've never had a hummingbird feeder at this house. I didn't feel I had a good place for one. I tried putting one on a shepherd's hook but it wasn't sturdy enough. I used to love watching them when we lived in Vermont. Now you have me re-thinking it. Our crepe myrtle tree is large enough to hang one.

Time for bed. Wishing everyone a good night's sleep.

[Sandy]

I am glad to hear that
you soon will be settled in your new
place, which is a familiar place.....

It sounds like it is just what you need
and want. 

Congratulations  Jackie! 

Sandy

[Beverly]

Jackie - It sounds as if this move has been well thought out. I hope everything goes smoothly. I've moved many times and know how stressful it can be even though I was younger and healthy.

 

[Marilyne]

Jackie - I feel happy for you that you have found a new place to live, but I also feel bad for you because you are suffering so with your MS.  I'm sure that this flare-up is being brought on by the extreme stress and worry as to the  decisions you're making right now.  I know that it's hard to move forward, and think about anything else, when you are in pain.  It might be best to see your MS doctor ASAP, as he/she, might be able to help you get through this.  Until then,  you will accept the pain for now, and be aware that it will subside, when this move is completed. I'm thinking about you and hoping for the best for your future.

[CallieOK]

Jackie, Bravo,  and for "taking charge" and getting yourself to a better place for you to live!!!! 
I "downsized" eight years after my husband died and, although I knew the minute I walked in here that this was the right place, I still felt as if I was "staying here" instead of "living here" when I first moved in. I decided to give it a year and then, if I still felt the same way, I'd consider another plan.
Long before that year was up I knew this was the best decision I'd ever made and - nineteen years later, I still feel the same way.
May it be so for you.

 

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Callie...
... you made me laugh...for a second i thought it was somebody's Birthday...thought we was celebrating, then realised it was me...

Beverley...
.. its all happening quickly, when i make up my mind i dont dither....
************************************************************************************

I have always said we have to take whatever life throws at us, ( illness - illnesses ) that no one can nor will go through this life unscathed...

Our life reads like a book, we have a beginning, a middle and an end...we just dont know its ending..and unlike a book, the author knows its ending, we rarely have that pleasure about the ending of ours...

[FlaJean]

I had a post written but we had a loud clap of thunder and lost our electricity for a few minutes.  Thank goodness it was off for only a few minutes.  It is stormy and rainy.  Has been raining most of the day.

Hanna is the first hurricane of the season and is headed towards Corpus Christi/ Brownsville.  Corpus Christi is a coronavirus hot spot and they sure don't need a hurricane, but I'm glad it isn't heading this way.

Jackie, Sounds like you have a good plan.  Hoping and praying everything works out perfectly.  Richard is up there saying "I'm proud of you, Jackie".  I hope you don't think me presumptuous to say that but the thought just popped out.

I fixed one of those meal in a bag by Birds Eye "Beef Lo Mein".  I'm glad it was finished cooking before the electricity went off.  Larry is a picky eater but he really likes that meal and it is so easy to prepare.

I hope everyone is having a good day.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

FlaJean...
...not at all..I do know my Richard would not want me to be all alone by myself, his sole purpose was to be my provider..take care of me from the day we first met..and he done a good job of providing for me..he was 100% reliable to the end, never let me down nor anyone else in all the 20 years that i knew him...Richard was a man of not too many words, but he would be pleasantly surprised at all i have accomplished since the day he has been gone...He would never admit to me that he was proud of me but, i know he would be once he knew i alone took care of his cremation and done him proud that the way i organised his final send off, would have been to his approval..

I am off to bed now, had my hot chocolate drink...time now  here in UK is 11.50 pm...Strangely my MS is at its best when i am in bed, i wouldn't know that i even have it, apart from MS bladder emptying's through the night, plus i dont sleep for too many hours, but then i was always an early riser...just not this early..

[Marilyne]

Jean - Thanks for the tip, on Birds Eye Beef Lo Mein.   I already know that AJ will like it - plus, I'm running out of ideas for easy meals.  I'm hoping that it will be available the next time I order online from Safeway.  It's almost 4:30, so I have to start thinking about what I'm going to prepare for dinner tonight.  Not a huge selection left to choose from, so I might have to resort to opening cans!   
I haven't been keeping up on "Hanna", but  hoping it stays away from you, and Beverly and shirleyn. 

Hello to Beverly, Jenny, and Callie too.      Jackie, it looks like you're feeling better, and a bit more positive today, which is a good thing. 

[MarsGal]

I like the Bird's Eye Beef Lo Mein and the Shrimp Scampi. They are nice to have in the freezer for when you do not have time or don't feel like cooking from scratch.

I've been trying out a few of Amy's Organic Soups. They are nice but expensive. Last evening I had the Mushroom with Porcini. Very tasty. Several days ago I had the Quinoa, Kale and Red Lentil. Good, and just ever so slightly spicy. One more to go and that is the Yellow Lentil soup.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

The tables were turned..

This is a lovely story of a St Bernard dog which usually rescues people, which collapsed on Britain's highest mountain Scafell Pike, who  needed rescuing herself..Daisy collapsed, it took 5 hours and 16 members - rescuers, who had to carry her over obstacles on a stretcher which included a waterfall...As we all know, it is usually the very large and very heavy St Bernard's who come to our rescue, us humans, and not the other way around..as they say " one good deed deserves another "...Link to story...https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-53543367#:~:text=A%20St%20Bernard%20has%20been,and%20was%20refusing%20to%20move.


https://www.itv.com/news/border/2020-07-26/a-woof-rescue-for-wasdale-mountain-rescue-team-on-scafell-pike

[Marilyne]

MarsGal - The only Amy's Soup flavor I've tried is the split pea.  It's good and very filling, but I prefer the Andersen's Split Pea.  You may not be able to get that brand in PA?  It's the signature soup from Anderson's Restaurant, here in CA. It's in the small Danish community of Solvang, outside of Santa Barbara.

I looked at the Charlevoix cam this morning, but no sign of the Sunday Boat Parade.  I can see that I was mistaken when I said it was every Sunday.  Apparently it's held once a month?  I'll have to do some research and find out when the next one will be.

Jackie - A wonderful heart warming story about the St. Bernard!  I'm sending the link on to my dog loving friends.