Norms Bait and Tackle

[patricia19]

Joy, I'm so sorry I missed your birthday and hope it was an enjoyable day for you! So, I'm sending you belated birthday greetings in hopes that the rest of your birthday month is a happy one!

[patricia19]

Today will be cooler with scattered showers, which would have been our past Marchs' standard weather. But the next few days will be more in line with the mid-sixties and early seventies. My leg is healed and only aches when my osteo does, so that's good news.

I've been picking up the boxed holds on my balcony and in the hallway walk-in for a trip to the downstairs boxes room. That stuff has sat in taped boxes in the corner of my balcony since 2013, not that I procrastinated much.   

 Now, my kitchen, I have an excuse for. I had purchased and received kitchen cupboard and refrigerator shelving, and glass condiment holders in early February before the fall. Best laid plans, right? Anyway, that's what I've been doing lately. Actually, that's what I've been doing, one way or another, since 2013! This summer, I hope to finish it.

I have an issue with my freezer. I'm so used to putting things by and kept for some rainy day. However, I no longer eat as I used to and have been cutting back and trying to use up what's already set by. I'm trying to make and use smaller single servings, and it's not easy to change a generational mindset. I've given away a lot of stuff already, and I'm ignoring or trying to ignore all those new interesting freezer recipes.

There are no Amish here, to my knowledge. Although in the Big Delta area, we have several Old Russian Believers settlements that are the Russian Orthodox version of Amish. As well as some Mennonites that moved here some years back. They're between twenty-five and fifty miles from here, but when the farmers' markets reopen, they'll come up for that. Here's a smattering of what's or will be available soon.

https://www.localharvest.org/fairbanks-ak

https://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?lat=64.8337&lon=-147.7186&scale=8&ty=0

[MarsGal]

Joy, I hope your birthday was enjoyable. Sorry I missed it.

Patricia, on researching Amish in Alaska, I found that a group made a trip in 2010 to scout for a settlement. They decided not to settle in Alaska, but a side affect of the the trip is that now Alaska sports two Amish furniture stores, one in Anchorage and one in Wasilla.

Hurray! I have found a home for my tools and garden stuff that I won't take with me if I move. Habitat for Humanity has a place just across the river that takes donations. So, if and when the time comes, they will be getting handyman tools and some garden tools that are still in good condition. I'll probably find a few other things too.

I've been ever so slowly pitching stuff into the trash and collecting other stuff for Dirty Dogs to pick up and haul away some time this month. On my agenda for next week is to call my plumber to make a few minor fixes and call the animal control guy to remove the ground hog under my porch. I am sure it is still there even though I haven't seen it except for that one time two weeks ago.

It feels like I am dragging my feet, but I don't want to go overboard either and get rid of stuff I will need if I stay here. The applications for the senior independent living housing were sent out day before yesterday, finally. If accepted I will be put on a wait list. While the housing is a bit out of town, it does sport a nearby medical facility, a vet just down the street, a nearby Giant Food Market, and an Al's Pizza and Sub restaurant (his only full size restaurant) close by. I know Al from his original sub shop a few miles from me and always enjoy his pizza and subs. Not too far away, just up Route 15, is the BJ's Wholesale that I like, a Walmart, and two shopping malls. I will not have to drive the whole way across Camp Hill to them. I am hopeful.

[patricia19]

Good morning everyone! We're predicted to reach a sunny seventy today, and I will attempt the kitchen re-organize this weekend. Other than that, not much else is scheduled.

[MaryPage]

I wrote a whole long post and posted it and I thought it took, but when I came back later it had disappeared!

Must have gone the way of most of your post, Jenny!  Gremlins?  Really odd.  Well, I have mush to do, so will try to remedy the matter by recreating my post later!

[FlaJean]

A bright sunny day here in Northwest Florida.

Marsgal, sounds like you have a good plan.

Patricia, you should be getting some nice weather now.  Do you still fix your individual meals and freeze them?

After many months, we went out to eat Thursday at a little restaurant called The Local's Eatery in Niceville.  It is situated on Boggy Bayou.  we ate outside and enjoyed seeing a few boats go by.  It was surprisingly busy for late afternoon.  Beautiful weather and good food.

I've been suffering with something called microcytic hypochromic anemia so haven't felt normal for weeks---very tired.  Larry is a big help in some areas but not cooking. 😊. My doctor says I need to eat more meat.  During this pandemic I just haven't been eating as well as I should, but I have been feeling slightly better this last week.

The neighborhood is very quiet today.  Son-in-law will probably be over soon to mow and trim the lawn.  Have a good day all.

[CallieOK]

Good Morning,

Just finished watching Oklahoma State University Commencement via live-stream.  It was in the stadium and I probably had a better view from my recliner of Sir Carson receiving his diploma than his family did sitting in the stands.

Miss Ellen flew in Thursday for the Big Weekend.  She/sister have surprise plans for their Mom tomorrow afternoon and then the whole family will have a cook-out at #2 son's house.

All well in my world.
Wishing Everyfriend Everywhere an Enjoyable Day.

[patricia19]

Jean, I've been cutting back from meal prepping, my freezer is full, and the past three months when I couldn't stand upright for longer than a moment didn't help! Instead of cooking for four or six and prepping the rest, I'm working my way through what's already there. I've downloaded to my Kindle library some cookbooks for one or two. Since I lost those twenty pounds, I don't want to regain them, even if it was inadvertent.

My new obsession is grindable salts and different peppercorns; I have pink Himalayan, sea salt, and kosher salt in grindable forms. I found a two-pack grinder set at Amazon and double ordered, so I have four grinders. My peppercorns are Tellicherry whole black pepper and my new favorite, Rainbow peppercorns, a four pepper blend. Both peppercorns and salt come in 2.4-pound packages for a good price. And probably more than you ever wanted to know, right?     


My other plan is to forego dried spices and try a kitchen garden of herbs. I mainly need new soil and pots. We have a variety of organic shops and farmers' markets re-opening at the end of this month, so the plants and or seeds will be available. By law, Alaska has barred any sales of propagated seeds from outside the state, so I know the roots will do well here.

I'm sorry for your anemia, and I understand it can be dangerously tricky. My body is sensitive to ferrous sulfate, a type of iron, and promptly gets rid of it. So, while not anemic, I have a shortage of folic acid, generally found with iron and, consequently, low blood pressure, 90/60 which means I have been prescribed folic acid vitamins and special iron pills. It's not really threatening as is yours's, but as a child, if I moved suddenly, I'd get dizzy and almost pass out. Now, I rarely, if ever, move suddenly...

Hi Callie!

[Shirley]

I was going to send you an e-mail, Jean, but since Patricia has the same problem lurking I will tell my tale right here. We have an anemia that runs in the family, SORT of kin to the anemia that ran through the royal families & worst for the young czar of Russia.... Enough families in the past & present generations have the problem we just do what works.

I was in the room when a nurse was telling my father's brother, "if you had been taking your iron & calcium pills you wouldn't be laying here..." She was packing his nose to stop the bleeding. I knew anemia ran in both sides of my family, Mom, her twin sisters & later MY sister all had to take Vitamin B shots. I was over the top anemic but since I was never still, doctors never checked me for anemia until I was pregnant with my 2nd kid. We tried 8 different types of iron before finding one that didn't cramp my tummy so bad I couldn't stand up. AND, the old chiropractor my mother went to & sent me to, told me to try bone meal (powdered) to make the iron absorb better. Well, I couldn't handle the bone meal in all the suggested hosts (like OJ, cereal, etc).. so I asked the pharmacist if I could buy the largest gelatin empty capsules, filled them with the bone meal & I was a new person! This worked so well I didn't change until "they" no longer made that iron pill and we moved and I couldn't get the same bone meal. I asked a pharmacist what was the nearest formula to that iron & he came back with Fergon. I tried & it worked. Then I found online that Puritan's Pride carried a bone meal tablet that worked as well to help absorb & the two kept my osteoporosis "no worse" for about 30 years.

I am due a scan again but concerned because I have not taken vitamins for the last few years & afraid osteoporosis has gotten worse. No reason to think, but one thing I did notice before being diagnosed with osteo was that the heart burn was as bad as when I was pregnant. I had quit taking the vitamins after passing through the change without any problems. SO I started taking the vitamins after that first scan that showed full blown osteo. The tech was shocked, the doc was shocked & I knew what I had to do & starting with the vitamins.

No more anemia & no more problems with osteo. I've had some falls, nothing to do with age, just clumsy, the last few years & NO broken bones. So, my cure for the day and I have suggested to others that found it worked for them as well. Luck to you both, the vitamins are over the counter or order thru Amazon. I have a link for the bone meal because they want to sell you all the "designer" type pills. I tried everything on the market before finding these, and my grocery store & also Walgreens carry the Fergon iron. Can't tell you what a difference they made when I needed so bad. The nurse for my Cardio doc says not to worry about taking the iron, even though I have the heart issues & SHOULD be on a blood thinner, not the same thing. I do only take a 325 Bayer now & then for blood thinner, think it is better for ME than those really bad thinners. I did try 2 of the thinners after the stents & had terrible side effects so quit. I am one sassy old lady, but at 86 I don't let anyone push me around. 

By the way, signs of anemia can be short winded, crave ice, no appetite, weak, tired, etc... I'm sure other  symptoms since my long ago diagnosis. Yawning in a crowd tells that your body is crying for oxygen. Iron carries the oxygen in the blood. I will wait until after a blood test before hitting the vitamins again, but it takes a special test to uncover a special type anemia. But heart burn has returned & I know what that means.

[patricia19]

Shirley, I could be a vampire with my earlier, youthful red hair, deathly white skin, and Celtic heritage. I don't tan; just burn and peel back to white.

Maybe I am a vampire as a bright sun gives me migraines without black sunglasses lenses....hmmm.

I don't have anemia so much as a sensitivity to one form of iron. So, I take it in another form.

[Marilyne]

Good Mother's Day morning to everyone, whether you're a mother or not!  I'm happy to see so many messages here the past couple of days.   

Jean - So sorry that you have not been feeling well.  I looked up "microcytic hypochromic anemia", and I see that the symptoms are very debilitating, but they are treatable!   I do hope that the right mix of iron, vitamins and other meds, will help you to feel better.   I can relate to what you said about Larry - "He is a big help in many ways, but not when it comes to cooking".   Same with AJ.  He helps me with the housework, such as washing floors, vacuuming, and anything that requires bending or lifting.  He also keeps the yard in reasonable shape.  However, he doesn't like cooking a meal.    So I still do all the kitchen stuff.   He does fix his own breakfast, which is cereal, juice and an occasional muffin or other dairy goodie, that I can't resist buying.

Callie  - Good to hear that Sir Carson, is now graduated, and ready to start on his future career!   Wonderful that Miss Ellen came all the way from NYC, and that she will be spending some personal one-on-one  time with you.  Hope you have a nice time today, at #2 son's barbecue cookout! 

Jenny  - I know  that you and Bob enjoyed your pizza dinner with Dave and the kids.    That was sure nice of Dave's old friend, to send them something special like that. I have been hoping and praying that Michele would feel well enough to go home for Mother's Day, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.  It must be hard for the kids to visit her at the hospital, but I hope that she has a chance to see them today. 

Mary Page, Patricia, Shirley, MarsGal and Jackie  - hope you all have a lovely day!

[FlaJean]

Shirley, thanks for that information.  I notice that Fergon says it is easily digestible.  That sounds better than what I have presently.😊

I love all your posts.  Have a good day all.

[CallieOK]

Happy Mother's Day.

Waiting on #1 son to arrive.  He's doing the baked beans in my oven and visiting before we go to his brother's for the cookout.

Amy,  Ellen and Emily arranged a Spa Afternoon for their Mom today. I think their aunt (#2 son's wife) is also going. They'll join us for the cookout.

Marilyne,  Hubby was a big help with housework, lifting, and other "chores". However, he stayed out of my kitchen and I stayed out of his yardwork.  Worked well for both of us.

[Amy]

Callie, what a lovely gift!! Well thought out  and likely well appreciated by their Mom. Enjoy the cookout!

[MaryPage]

I do hope I don't hit a wrong button or something and lose this post.

First, Happy Mother's Day to each and all.  Hope it has been splendiferous for you.

Well, mine has, even though we are not getting near family members yet. Chip has yet to get his 2nd shot, which he will do on May 19th; and we all feel like petrified bunnies when it comes to Covid.  It has so many changes, we just don't know for sure what's coming up next.

Debi came over and we did the balcony to sidewalk visiting.  She brought quiche, fruit salad, miniature pumpkin raisin muffins, armloads of iris and a smaller bouquet of not yet opened peonies.  Oh, and a Mimosa.  First drink I've had since the Christmas season, when I had some egg nogs.

Bay waters are brown this afternoon.  Not this morning.  That means they've been having too much rain up on the Susquehanna and they've had to open some dam spills and let the water come down here.  This is one of the worst of the things that pollute our water and kill off our fish and shellfish.  As a result, we are not all that fond of the Susquehanna.  When we had a Senior Net bash up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, we had a choice of a boat ride on the Susquehanna or something else.  I've forgotten what the something else was, but I took the boat trip.  It was very pretty along the river there.

I've had lots of pretty cards. I am horrified at what people have to pay for cards these days.  I invent boxes of my own cards for the myriad birthday greetings I have to send out; also for Christmas cards.  Saves me simply heaps.

Is the birthday girl the Joy who lives here in Maryland?  i send greetings also.

We have no Amish community here, but the huge one in Pennsylvania operates a market & restaurant here from early morning on Thursdays until mid-afternoon on Saturdays.  They ride down here and back in vans owned by non-Amish and stay in motels.  I haven't been to that market in over a year now, but I always buy some of their bread pudding when I do go.  It is very like my grandmother's.

Callie, I prefer yardwork to cooking.  I suppose I should have found a cook for a husband, but I didn't.

[patricia19]

To all the moms,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2waKDGZC2w

[FlaJean]

Patricia, that video was adorable!

[MaryPage]

Yes, Patricia!  Thank you so much!

[patricia19]

From Grammerly,

Did you know: The rule of thumb for paragraph length is 200 words, although there is a lot of wiggle room in this guideline. The longest published paragraph on record is Molly Bloom's soliloquy in Ulysses, which rings in at 3,687 words.

[MaryPage]

And I've actually read it.   Proust could write a long paragraph,too; not to mention a long sentence.  What do they call it?  Conscience train of thought writing, I think.

[patricia19]

This parrot has a nervous habit of plucking his feathers, but he loves to dance

Daddy was listening to reggae. I'm digging it I think I will allow some more of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbkfdcioeMU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCZQp-ylTJo

[patricia19]

And I've actually read it.  Proust could write a long paragraph, too; not to mention a long sentence.  What do they call it?

Conscience train of thought writing, I think

Conscious or Consciousness train of thought

I'm bad at mathematical processes, very bad, but I love grammar,  vocabulary, and literature!

Grammarly is my editor,  https://app.grammarly.com/, and I also like Wordsmith,  https://www.wordsmith.org/    a word origin site for those so inclined.

[Denver]

A good Monday HELLO 🌷

We are having more rain turning to snow tonight. This has certainly been a strange spring.  Cannot complain  about the moisture as we all need it so badly, HOWEVER it sure would have been nice to have had a sunny warm Mother's Day.

PATRICIA, thank you for  the darling video you shared....nothing finer than mama's with their babies💞 With your fair skin I bet you will burn in a flash?

JEAN, I am sorry to read that you are not feeling well.  I am not familiar with the name of your problem, but will check it out.  Take care and hugs to you.  I was sure happy to read you and Larry got out for a meal at one of your favorite restaurants.

MARSGAL, you are doing fantastic getting through things....both to the trash and to other places that will accept them. Proud of you girl🤩🤩

SHIRLEY, we can always count on you to share info with us about most any issue.  Thank you. 

MP, always sorry to read when any of us loose a post!  It is hard to go back and try to remember what we wrote😩 Your Mother's Day visit and yummy food sounded wonderful. 

Michele was feeling much better yesterday, but sadly only one of the three PT'S were there yesterday. 😩  She miss three days of some workouts due to her extreme headaches and nausea.  We hope and pray she can empress them enough this week to convince them to let her out of there.  Due to weather the children were not allowed to go see her yesterday.😡 Only way for them to see her is if she can be rolled out in a wheelchair😢

JANE, who posts in the Soda Shoppe shared news about JOY, so I hope she won't mind me sharing it here.  "Joy is in rehab and she did not have the cataracts removed yet.  She is having too much pain in other parts of her body (I think legs and feet especially).  They are dealing with that but they can't even start that until she quarantines from Covid.  Her DIL said she would be happy to keep me informed and will call me with any news."  I do hope we will hear something good about this soon.

I need to get back to my exercises.  Trying to do them two times a day on the standing ones, and do the sitting one many times a day. 

Have a wonderful day 💐

Jenny

[patricia19]

Jenny, yes, I do burn easily, have dehydrated skin, and really bright sun can give me a migraine which is why I have very medically dark sunglasses that fit over my regular glasses. My dad had the same issue but no one else in my immediate family.

[MarsGal]

Good morning everyone.

Gee, some exciting YouTubing last night and this morning.

I watched for the Black Brant VII rocket launch from Wallop's Island until they scrubbed it at three minutes to launch. They will try again tonight. Tonight will be their fifth try for good launch weather. After that I switched to the Sao Paulo International Airport and got an eye-full. The camera was focused on the terminal with the banner saying something about an incident. At first I couldn't see anything unusual, but eventually I discovered the dark shadow behind several of the regular flights. Well it wasn't a shadow, but a huge plane. Just when I got my tablet out to translate the text, it was removed and the banner came up saying Antonov An-124.And I just found a news clip about it.  https://www.aerotime.aero/27903-antonov-an-124-freighter-exceeds-runway-in-sao-paulo

Here is a video clip that was posted, but it doesn't show it coming in, just getting into the terminal. It will give you an idea of just how big it is compared to the other planes. There is a really good side shot of it about 4:35 minutes into the clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8h_8YfOSL4 Skip to near the end to see it take off.

[patricia19]

MarsGal, that was an amazing aircraft! At one point, I was mesmerized by a portion of the video showing the careful maneuvering from among other parked planes.

[MarsGal]

Yes, I was glad I caught it. I forget which news clip I saw it on, but this plane is one of those that have been busy getting vaccines delivered around the world.

I forgot to mention, too, that I had the pleasure of seeing tall ship Appledore IV, with its' sails unfurled, pass the Marine City webcam early this morning on its' way from Bay City to Detroit. Right now it is about 3/4 of the way across Lake St. Clair, running at about 3.5kn.

[MaryPage]

My clan has birthdays in every month of the year, but May, my own month, contains the most.  I get writer's cramp just writing addresses on envelopes.  Today, my great granddaughter Kiersten turns 14.  Kiersten lives in Yukon, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City.  She is a truly lovely young lady.  A dancer.  Granddaughter Kim's only child.  Time goes by too fast, and the precious visits prove this point indelibly.

Today is also great grandson Solo's 6th birthday. Solo's proper name is Solomon, and he is named for his paternal grandfather.  My granddaughter Judith IS a huge Star Wars fan, so this naming thing for her second son turned out perfectly for her.  They live in St.Louis, Missouri.  There must be something about the 12th of May, for Solo is also a dancer.  Unlike Kiersten (we call her Kiki), he takes no classes, but dances through his days. Literally.  He is like a whirling Dervish.  Or is it swirling?  I would describe him best as a Force of Nature.

[MaryPage]

Oh, MarsGal, there are few things in this world that thrill me right to the core, but Tall Ships remain one of these.

We have quite a few visits from them from all over the world.  At the moment, our harbor has The Lynx.  We have seen her before.  I plan to have Chip drive me down to see her, but just to drive around the harbor and enjoy from that vantage.  There are tours to be taken, but I am too old and frail for that these days.  We'll pass Mason's Lobster Rolls, and I'll ask Chip to run in and pick me up a Connecticut one.  All over town, except Mason's, they serve only the Maine.  Maine lobster rolls are good, but consist of cold lobster salad.  I was raised on the Connecticut way: hot lobster drenched in lemon butter.  Oh, just to Tell you makes me swoon!

[MaryPage]

https://www.capitalgazette.com/entertainment/ac-cn-lynx-annapolis-2021508-20210508-didihkjlqnd6td4w2rgnh62rsm-story.html