Soda Shoppe for MAY 1,2020

[CallieOK]

Merry Monday,

Sound as if it was a nice Mother's Day for all - except for Phyllis' vertigo. Hope that's settled down and you can enjoy your steak dinner.

My Mother's Day was a real treat because I spent it at son's house with All My Children (and Grands). The best part was lively group conversations with real people in person. Second best part was eating food Somebody Else had fixed.

Have been doing the usual Monday Domestic Duties today.  Dryer is "yoo-hooing" so I'm off to take care of that.

Hoping Everyfriend is having an Enjoyable Day.

[Denver]

A good Monday HELLO to ALL.

I am not moving all that quickly today.....just savoring my loving thoughts from my family and friends.  I loved reading how everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day. 

PHYLLIS, I am sorry to read that the darn vertigo came and ruined your day.  I hope you and David can enjoy the nice steak dinner today!

JANE, the gift of doing your yard for you sure makes me smile!  I have hinted on past Mother's Days that I would love a hanging basket of outdoor flowers or the like instead of floral arrangements that are so pretty and loved, but only last a few days.....obviously no one paid attention to me.... so maybe I can try to slip that in again to the conversation and they will pay more attention for next year😘. When I read the instructions of how we might be able to recover our lost messages, I was SO HAPPY, but sadly, it did not work for you😢😢

CALLIE, being with the entire family is WONDERFUL... and yes, a big bonus that you get to eat delicious food prepared by someone else.  I am happy for you🥰

AMY, I had to chuckle at your comment about TV Dinners.......yes, we are VERY spoiled these days.  I would think they might have improved over the years, but it does sound like it! Hahah.  My hubby was willing to fix me anything, or go pick up anything I wanted for dinner yesterday, but I chose a nice ham sandwich on a loaf of fresh baked bread from Kneaders, a sandwich shop and my home made potato salad for our meal.  The topping on the cake was a big l glass of chocolate milk to go with it.  I was one happy girl! 

I must tell the story about the bread....we went to pick up a pizza at a Dominos and ate it in our car as we watched planes coming and going from a local airport..... On the way back home I went through a drive through at Kneader's to see if they had a loaf of their delicious Rye Bread?  The lady was so sweet....she told me they are not making the rye bread right now because they can not get the flour.  After we chatted a bit she asked me to drive through the pick up window anyway as she had some for me.  She gave me a loaf of their white bread....so, so sweet of her.  It looked amazing and I sure did not want it to go to waste, hence the reason I wanted a sandwich made with it.  It was delicious....so soft, but firm and WONDERFUL!  Now I will be buying their white bread on occasion as well. 

I sent our Shirley a email a bit ago, as I just heard they have opened up camping in the State of Colorado, and she will be so happy to see this.  She and her boys have reservations here soon and they were worried they might have to canceL them!

OK, I have to go get busy and cut up some chicken to get ready for the freezer and for dinner tonight.

Have a great day, EVERYFRIEND. 

Jenny

[JaneS]

JENNY, with all that's going on here, I forgot to mention how pleased I was to read of your visit with your family...including Michele.  It made me smile to read that she felt well enough to go visiting!

And CALLIE, your visit with "All YOUR Children" sounds delightful!  What fun you must have had!

Now, I'm off to Dreamland and I'm sure ready for it.  I had guys in my house right up to early supper time so no nap today!  But they are so nice and so helpful that I can't complain and the floors are looking great!

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthful tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[Lloyd Hammond]

Rosemary I enjoy all post's I like to be friendly, I always say I am a lover not a fighter. but your post relay set good. I wonder where our common since went. as i grew up we used to just wanted to be a friend and help. seams like somany people want to hook and crook. if I was at least twenty years younger I would go to Alaska in the part where you can still homestead and get away from the rat race. ( but too old to cut the mustered anymore). so will do the best i can. Have a good day everyone,

Lloyd

[Amy]

Good morning everyone..

To the south of us they did get snow yesterday ,but none here
Today is starting off cold but no new snow or rain it looks like.

Have a multitude of things that I would like to get done.just hope I can accomplish some before the day is through.


Enjoy your day everyone and stay safe!

[Lloyd Hammond]

well I am back I do not reamber good any more,but some times a good thought comes back,like now. someone was talking about cut flowers not lasting long. here is a formula  following that will make them last much lounger. ( take a quart of warm water (test on your arm as for baby formula for temperature) put two t spoons of sugar in and three or four drops of bleach in it. cut about 1/4" off of the end of steam @ a 45 degree angle. put the flour's in it and change and repeat ever 4 or 5 days. they will last lot longer worth the effort. ENJOY.

Lloyd

[Gloria]

Good morning everyone, a sunny cool one . We had a fast moving Tstorm yesterday, some hail in it too. Rain coming down so hard and fast I could not see out my windows. At least it stopped so I did get on Skype for my daily chat. The screens and windows were running with water. 41 now and hope it warms up.

LLOYD  last night I slept good and woke at  6:30 to daylight. Hope you slept better, too.

AMY  I always enjoy the 2 hours my CNA is here. We do laugh a lot and enjoy each others company. If I make my own TV dinners and freeze I can eat them but cannot eat the ones from the markets. Too many preservatives in them and they burn my throat. If I could eat them my freezer would be full of them since I cannot cook anymore.

PHYLLIS  sory that vertigo  paid you a visit again. Prayers that you felt good enough to coohe steaek dinner. At the ptice of a good steak these days cannot afford to throw it away.

ROSEMARY  I can go outside here where I live and walk around the parking lot to get fresh air and exercise. I try to do that every day if it is not too cold or raining. Of course with a mask on.

JANE  I always type on Notepad and copy/paste in the post box and still have lost a post. I should keeep the  note pad up till I know it posted. Bad habit to delete after I copy it. If I did not comment on what others post I would have nothing to write about in here.

CAROL  I try to post a JL greeting in here for all holidays but at times I have forgotten. I do love her greetings and there are so many to pick from.

CALLIE  this was the first Mothers day I spent alone. I did see both sons, one Friday and the other Saturday but no hugs. Neither one wants to get too close to me because they both go into stores where I am home all the time. I also had a Skype chat with my daughter.

JENNY  glad you got a loaf of fresh bread even if it wasn't the rye you wanted. Oh boy will Shirley be happy at least one campground in open.

LLOYD  when we had nosey neighbors I used to say I wanted 100 acres withour house in the middle of it for privacy. My daughter now has 40 acres in Arizona and loves the privacy after living in San Diego over 40 years.

AMY  by now I imagine you want no snow till Christmas Eve.

Have a good day every one and stay safe.

[phyllis]

At the ptice of a good steak these days cannot afford to throw it away.

Amen to that, Gloria!  I was still feeling a little "puny" (as my Dad used to say) but I wasn't going to waste that steak so I fixed it last night and just had a nice fresh salad with it.  It was good and though my stomach didn't want more than a little bit of it, I still enjoyed it.

Thank you, everyone, for your well wishes.  Meniere's Disease is something that no one seems to have an answer for....at least, no doctor that I've talked to has been able to give me an answer.  Tried many meds. and "fixes" and nothing seems to work.  It is what it is.  Mother's Day here was a beautiful day ....no storms in sight...no obvious trigger that could bring on an episode but one came anyway.  Oh, well, it is over for now and I appreciate your kind thoughts.  I'm doing OK today.

My grocery order "picker" just called and everything is ready for pickup later on this morning.  I can't believe it but he said I will be getting toilet paper!  I feel like it is Christmas!  I have requested it every time I've made out an order and have not received any but was lucky this time.  The only glitch is he said the only available was a pkg. of 48 rolls!!      I don't know where I'll store all that but I'll find a place!  It's a good thing TP doesn't spoil.   

Take care, All

[Shirley]

Well, Gloria, guess I'll have to wash my mouth out with soap for all the griping I have done about Cox... and it took me buying & installing a new router to fix the problem. Not a single tech help suggested it might be the router, can you believe??? Not jumping off & on now. Andy had to reset every device that connected, including my trac iPhone (it uses wi-fi when home). He told me last night if I could get the new one so he could install before 11:00 am, was the only time he had free until next week. He keeps booked solid from time he gets up until well after midnight... nothing like being retired, huh? I insist he take money for MY jobs & it does count up to buy him lots of fun stuff. He just got a 3D printer. Anyway, got to register the new one, it didn't come with "lifetime" warranty like the old one, so will go online to register the new & see if they want to buy back the other (both Netgear). Hope this is the end of this problem for a while.

Got to get a new battery in the RV before I can take it to the people that put the new roof on it last fall.... has a place that looks like not sealed down & don't need it to leak! Had plenty rain to test it this week!

Phyllis, hope you are better & stay that way, no fun having the dizzies.  I bought a big box of paper towels & Puffs when at Sam's Club a few weeks ago. Been using up the Puffs with allergy drippy nose. My daughter sent a huge box of Charmin, actually had it routed here from Amazon as she gets the monthly shipping of paper stuff. Also routed me a 3 pack of Clorox wipes that I prefer over all other sanitizers. I will put one tub of them plus a roll of TP in a tote for use in the "outhouse" when camping. The wipes work in seconds while the sprays take 10 min.to sanitize. I will be prepared to do whatever it takes to be out camping.

Jenny, the boys are so happy to get the good news about camping. They are hoping the fire restrictions will be lifted, they go across the road & drag back downed trees to have a fire every night. Andy's son plans to come out the last part of our week & wouldn't be surprised if they decide to stay a few extra days if they can catch one of the sites NOT reservable. Youngest son will have to be back since he is still working, home or office. Thanks for the news.

I told my friend here in town that I don't often brag, but I've found something I can do better than anyone.... NOTHING!  I think it must be because being the last of 5 kids, I was taken by our mother to all those cooking schools & different groups she belonged to and sat without moving... do you remember those wooden chairs that fold up if you move???  Well, I sat still & learned how to entertain myself in my head. Still works even when wi-fi out & we are confined.

I'd better get a move on, have laundry to do but going to Sam's Club & see if they have any meat, want to make a pot of taco soup & their Angus hamburger is the best, also have a stack of bird books & birthday card for a great grand so will deliver that as I go. I am ready for a nap since I got up early-early to get that router, only one Walmart had it in stock.

Hope everyone has a Happy DAY.... the cats are seriously unhappy with winter back & rain to boot.... And this is the end and not a single "no connection" notice the whole time!  Hope saying won't jinx it.......

[Rosemary]

Good evening everyone,

I am so glad everyone enjoyed their Mothers' Days.  Denver, I entirely agree about cut flowers - i say this every year before my birthday, Mothers' Day, etc and no-one can be listening, as I am still sent floral arrangements. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but especially with having house cats, flowers are a bit of a nuisance to be honest.  I much prefer plants that I can put into the garden - or if not that, then some body lotion or soap, as I always enjoy the 'treat' element in having slightly fancier ones than my usual supermarket versions. Of course I always say lots of thank yous for the flowers anyway - it's the thought that counts - but cut flowers are extremely expensive here, and I am always sorry when my hard up children have spent so much on them.

Jane - how interesting that you have such a long Scottish ancestry. It sounds like your family came mainly from the west coast, I hope you are one day able to visit Scotland - I have a guest room in my house in Edinburgh!

Well today Scotland is alternately sunny and showery. I have been to the post office to send off another 'treat' package to my mother, but I have also finally given up waiting for her to ask their housekeepers if she can add things to their online food order, and emailed the Regional Manager myself. She is fantastic, so helpful, and needless to say she had the things my mother wanted ordered right away. I think Mum was pleased, even though she had told me not to ask - but I really can't be sending yoghurt through the post!

I also found out that although her local computer shop is closed, the owner is still doing repairs - he asks people to drop their equipment off at pre-arranged times. They leave it in the storm porch of the shop, so no contact - he then has a look at it and hopefully fixes it, then kindly delivers it back to your home. It is only 5 minutes drive from my mother's sheltered housing, but of course she is not allowed out and I just knew she would not ask the staff, so again I contacted them myself, and of course they were more than happy to pop it down there in their cars, so now I just have to fix a time. She is really lost without her computer, especially when their TV reception is currently so poor.

In between all of this I have read most of my new book, The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange by Sue Lawrence. It is the one about the lady who is kidnapped and kept prisoner first on the remote Hebridean Monach Islands, then on St Kilda. It is an excellent read, very well written and of course based on a real event. Lord Grange wants to get rid of his wife Rachel partly because he wants to marry his mistress, but mainly because Rachel has found out about his support for the Jacobite (Catholic) cause. He is supposed to be a pillar of Edinburgh society and of the Kirk (Presbyterian Church), so if people found out his secret affiliations he would be ruined. I wasn't sure I'd like the book but I am racing through it. I just cannot imagine how dreadful it would be for an Edinburgh lady to have to live on these remote islands almost 300 years ago - the life there was so basic, the islanders living on a very poor and limited diet based on oats, which were often rotten, and seabirds. If there are big storms they can wash all the topsoil away so that even the oat crop fails. And the native language is Gaelic, which of course Rachel does not speak, so she is isolated.

Phyllis - I am glad you finally got toilet paper!  There was a lot of panic buying of that right at the start of this, goodness knows why. We needed some a week or so before the lockdown, and found the supermarket only had packs of 24. I was dithering about whether to look elsewhere, as I would never normally buy that many, but my husband said 'oh just buy it' - and he was proved right when there was none in the shops for weeks. They have it back in stock now everywhere, but we have been well supplied and still have some left. Really the only issue here now is baking supplies, goodness only knows how long it will take them to sort this inability to stock flour. But I have plenty from my wholefoods shop so i am not complaining. 

Jenny - that bread sounds wonderful, I think you chose the perfect meal. Sometimes the simple things are the best, aren't they? I often enjoy a boiled egg and some Marmite toast.

Lloyd - I love your posts, they are so friendly.  I also would like to live somewhere remote, but unfortunately my husband travels a lot for work (or at least he did) and my youngest daughter still stays at home when she is not at university, and she usually gets jobs in Edinburgh during her holidays. One day I hope I will be living in the countryside with a bigger garden - though I keep telling my husband it had better happen before I am past looking after it...  Alaska sounds amazing - the nearest I get to it is reading the Kate Shugak books by Dana Stabenow. Kate is a native Aluet private investigator who lives off-grid with her half Husky, half wolf dog Mutt. Like most mystery books, I enjoy these as much for the details of life in Alaska as as I enjoy them for their plots. Stabenow is a great writer and a native of Alaska herself.

My Mum has just told me that one of the other residents of her house decided, against all orders, to go out to the shops. He was only discovered because they had an unannounced fire alarm practice (which two of the ladies who were actually in their rooms didn't even notice!) As a result he is now confined to his room for seven days. I know it must be extremely frustrating not to be allowed to have your usual outings, but doing something like that puts all of the residents (and the staff) at risk, not just himself - plus, he has been in hospital several times over the past year with severe chest infections, so he is extremely vulnerable. And they are lucky to have a lovely walled garden that they can walk in, or sit out in, whenever they wish. The staff are all so nice and helpful too. I am very relieved that my mother seems willing to comply with everything, as she is normally quite active and goes to the library, the shops, and for walks - but I think she sees the sense in staying put, and I do try to make sure she has everything she needs. The children and I call her as often as we can too.

And now I must get out for my own walk before dinner. The days fly by. I hope everyone is having a good one today.

Rosemary

[Denver]

Good morning EVERYFRIEND🌞🌞
It is a beautiful sun shinny day....

I just saw this on Face Book and thought you might enjoy seeing it. 

WATCH: Graceful Giant Oceanic Manta Ray 💚👀 spotted off Pensacola Beach yesterday!! ~ https://30a.com/stingrays-in-the-gulf-of-mexico

 I got a air fryer for Mother's Day and I cooked fried chicken in it last night.  It was very easy to do and we really enjoyed it.  The clean up was very easy.  I am quite pleased with it.  I look forward to more adventures with it.  Normally people start out with French fries, but I jumped right in and gave it a good whirl.

A food truck is coming to our community tonight.  It is a pierogies  truck.  We have not decided for sure, but I think we are going to place our order and have some.  The fancy plate is $16. 6 pork perogies, cabbage roll, kraut and a kielbasa .....Bob is getting this
and I am going to get cheese and onion pierogies and a kielbasa, for $10. There is going to also be a Kona Ice Truck.  That is nothing I care about and I wonder how many of the old folks in here will be? Next week the food truck will be BBQ.  I bet that will be a huge success as everyone seem to love BBQ. 

SHIRLEY, I knew you would be so happy to read the news about camping opening up🥰🥰

ROSEMARY, your posts are so interesting and I am very happy to have you here in our group💐

PHYLLIS, sorry you really did not enjoy your steak dinner that much.  Puny is a word I know well from my growing up years and still  today.  It kind of sums up the feeling pretty well.  I hope the vertigo is much less today and you can recoup a bit!  Nice to have TP availability back in Our lives, isn't it.  I heard that Costco here is starting to have a pretty good selection of things in their store now, except beef and it is pretty scarce. 

AMY,  of course you have multiple things to get done.....you busy, busy girl😘

JANE, it really was great to have Michele here....she said it felt funny to be out and about, but she sure enjoyed it.  Tomorrow she has chemo again and will find out the results of her MRI🙏🙏🙏🙏

LLOYD, if I buy cut flowers I always do exactly what you say to do, but a floral arrangement is not that easy to do.  After a couple of days when things start looking a bit spent, then I take them out, cut the stems off and do up you mix.  Thank you for the idea as many might not know about this. 

Have a good day....I am off to get me some sun😘

Jenn

[Carol]

I have an online meeting over ZOOM with the quilting group tonight.  It went well last month and it keeps us off the crazy streets. 

Is anyone else having really different dreams?  My dream was all about the year I was stranded in the state of New York and I spent a night in a hotel before catching the return flight - it was Christmas Eve and so I was prepared to be lonesome.  A wonderful family (they were Italian) invited me for dinner and I went to their midnight mass.  They were so sweet - I could never thank them enough. Have not thought about that night for years. 

Otherwise, we are strictly sticking to the rules - no one is coming in the house.  Only shop in store when hardly anyone is there or else put up with online pick-up groceries.

Jenny:  We have a wonderful Sourdough loaf from Kneader's.  Also, I highly recommend the Chocolate Croissant from Panera.  It helps everyone's mood.     

 

[CallieOK]

Good Evening,

It's been a "normal" Tuesday.    I'd almost forgotten what it's like to get my hair done, do an errand, and have a spic and span house because the housekeeper came. 

I wore a mask while away from the house and housekeeper wore one while she was working.
 I'm still not going to the big grocery stores.  The parking lot of the one near me is always full.  I was almost the only one in Walgreen's this morning.  They had paper towels and toilet paper but a limit of 2 packages per customer. Very few boxes of tissue (Kleenex, etc.), though - and the same limit.  No hand sanitizer or Lysol spray, etc. available.

Carol, There are four bright yellow goldfinches at my feeder almost every day - and I think their mates are there, too, although I've only caught a glimpse of the yellow feathers on the brown coats of one.  Doesn't seem fair for the females to look so drab - until I remember that would be a protective look while setting on the nest waiting for eggs to hatch.

Today is damp and dreary so the bright yellow birds and red cardinals were a happy note.

Jenny,  I had forgotten to mention how special it is that Michelle was able to participate in the family gathering for Mother's Day.
The food trucks sound really interesting.  I've seen pictures of them in larger neighborhoods but not in smaller gated ones like mine.

Rosemary,  how great that the place where your Mother lives will get the things she needs that can't be mailed. After a friend suggested it, I began using fruit flavored yogurt on my morning cereal instead of milk.  We have a local dairy store that sells its own yogurt and their strawberry, blueberry, black cherry and peach flavored ones are delicious.  I'm now completely spoiled!

Shirley,  I'm not sure what a "router" is - but I needed a new "box" from Cox for my t.v. recently.  So far, it's okay but I'd just as soon click the number to change channels instead of giving vocal directions. Clicking the number is doable but the station is in a list that appears and I have to work the arrows to pick the one I want.
Where did your daughter find Clorox wipes?  Son hasn't been able to get me any so I've been making my own - using directions that were in the paper.  Guess they're okay but I'd like to have the real ones.

Off to mute the news until the weather comes on.  I'd like to challenge all the stations to spend an entire broadcast without mentioning the virus. However, then they wouldn't have anything to talk about, would they?  Oh, well....

Enjoy your Evening, Everyfriend.
 

[JaneS]

Hello Everyfriend!  I'll be off to bed in a few minutes. I'm exhausted!  I knew the guys were coming to work on the floors this morning but I forgot I also had an appointment with the kinesiologist today.  Cathy called and asked if I wanted her to come a little earlier this morning so I could get a showe before we go to Debra's this afternoon.  She meant early before she went to work for the morning.  She came and I made it before the guys got here!  I tried to move things ahead of their work all morning and then left right after lunch and didn't get home until they were gone for the day.

The trip to Debra's was worth every minute of it but exhausting!  Since the orthopedic dr. said "no restrictions" she did some work on the healing arm and gave me some more exercised to do. Since I came home, al I've done is feed Mickie and me, go for a walk and a whole lot of NOTHING! 

Now I'm going to bed and I hope, to sleep until I have to get up and ready for the guys again tomorrow.  Another "one of those days" coming up. 

It sounds like you've all been busy today and I'm not taking time to comment because my eyes are drooping.  Just keep up the good vibes!

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[Lloyd Hammond]

 Gloria  where dose your daughter Live in Arizona? our youngest son and his wife  live on the reservation, used to Live at lachie right out side of Page.he also Has a small parcel of land right out of Page, about 5 acres. right between to two lanes of the main highway just west of Flagstaff he Owens about five acres there also. H he has already got retirement pincushions from two defferant jobs vested and he is working on a third one. hope his health holds when he retires to enjoy life. good night and sweet dreams. see you all tomorrow.

Lloyd

[Gloria]

Good morning everyone.Looks like we broke another temperature  record last night, got down to 33, record was 35. Been a cold May this year . Wonder where the global warming has gone?

PHYLLIS  wow around here we are lucky to get a  4 pack of TP. My son was telling me last week that a store he went in was selling single rolls-no paper around them for $1.50 a roll. Like they opened a big package and selling each roll alone.Talk about taking advantage of people. 

SHIRLEY  righ now the Cox workers cannot go into homes and would talk you through things. I would not be able to even move things to get to the plug to unplug it. Wow a 3D printer, those are fascinating and quite expensive I think. Sunday is supposed to be in the 70's but now they are saying it will rain Sunday. Nothing like spoiling a warm day.

ROSEMARY  looks like you like reading as much as I do. We have a library in this building but right now the door is locked so cannot get any books out. So glad I have my computer, at least I can keep my old brain working with it. I enjoy your posts.

JENNY  I would love some pierogies, just the potatoes and cheese. My MIL  taught me how to make them years ago and we made some with the cabbage and even blueberry filling that we dusted with powdered sugar for a dessert. Lo  of work and dirty pans  but so worh it. Both of my sons make then a couple of times a year and always bring me some.  Wish  hey had  a food  truck and different ones come here. Maybe I would eat better since it  is hard for me to cook anything. My CNA does cook for me at noon  when she gets here and most times I warm it in mid afternoon. Even cicken is hard to fine here. Markets are limiting how many packages a person can buy  of any meat.

CAROL  I don't ever remember a dream or if I did dream.  I like the Bear Claws from Panera. The son of my next door neighbor owns a couple of those and at times he brings her some of the food and she has shared it with me. In the fall when my son gives me more apples than I can eat I give her some. Cannot beat a just picked apple.

CALLIE  watching the news these days makes me wonder what is happening in the world besides the virus, that is all they talk about. Getting old by now. At least I do pay attention to the weather.

JANE  glad you made it to Debra's and feel better even is worn out. I am beginning to feel like a hermit being closed up here but at least I can go  outside for fresh air and some exercise. I would rather walk where there is something to see besides cars. 

LLOYD  my daughter lives outside of Kingman, about an hour  away, Off the grid in the mountains. Has 40 acres and peace and quiet. They both like it that way.   

Have a good day and stay safe.

[Amy]

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday went well.....all but the weather which it gave us..snow..hail then snow again   Can't plant seeds until the ground warms up! We did get a surprise....neighbour phoned and said Floyd is coming over...not to come in but just to talk. He she had made a lemon pie and sent it over..and it was delicious!
Today is do a quick shop as this weekend is the long weekend and although people are told to stay put we all know they won't. Then home to tidy up and sew.

Better scoot and get ready to go out..

Enjoy your day everyone and stay safe.

[Lloyd Hammond]

It is 50º and cloudy here now and high of 67º is what it is supposed to be, supposed to have thunder storms this afternoon. supposed to have rain through Sunday.I guess the old saying is correct. rain on ester Sunday rain seven Sunday's in a row. we have a good start here. Have a good day.

Lloyd

[Lloyd Hammond]

I forgot to tell you all Nancy has the feeder out for the humming Birds and they are back at least two of them. so fun to set here and watch them. the feeder she has has 6 or 7 feeder spots. one of them comes to eat and another gets on the other side eating for a bit then one gets up and dive booms the other and off they go, just like kids wrestling. i spend a lot of time watching them. and they are not afraid of us when it is warm enough I set out on the deck and watch them. some times they fly very close like letting they know they are there.

Lloyd

[phyllis]

A cloudy and cool morning here but no rain, no snow, no hail, and no wind!  I'm happy.

Rosemary, I couldn't find the Sue Lawrence book at my online library.  I would love to read it.  We never saw St. Kilda but did spend a wonderful week on Lewis and Harris at a little hotel in Stornoway.  We drove all over the island.  Strange and beautiful.  Loved every bit of it but will always remember the stark and mysterious beauty of the Standing Stones at Calanish.  I enjoyed the Scottish people there very much and it was the first time I actually heard Gaelic being spoken.   

Of course, our big library is still closed.  I'm gratefully reading all the eBooks that I can download but it is hard to get many of them because the waiting lines are so long.  I did manage to snag Louise Penney's latest Armand Gamash book.  I'm not enjoying her books as much as I once did, I'm sorry to say. 

Lloyd, I always loved the hummingbirds even though they are cantankerous little things.  One day I was watering the garden with the hose on light spray and a hummingbird came quite close to me flying in and out of the spray several times just taking a little shower bath.  He/She didn't seem to mind that I was there at all.  It was a lovely experience.  We can no longer put up the hummingbird feeder. The ants became such a mess to clean out of it everyday.  Tried several different things to discourage them but nothing ever worked to keep the feeder clear so we gave up.

It is a "free" day so I'll see what mischief I can get into.  Take care, All.

[JaneS]

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I've been up and moving most of the morning since about 6 a.m.  I'm going to be wiped out again tonight.  But the floors are beautiful!

I have stuff gathered together to make what I think will be a pretty good supper from a recipe I got on line.  I'll let you know how it turns out. 

All of a sudden it got quiet!  They must have taken lunch break. 

I'm getting some other stuff done that has been yelling for attention.  I just can't stand that screeching in my ears so I'm trying to quiet them down.  Isn't it amazing how "stuff" keeps hollering for attention?  And it never takes in mind that you might have other stuff to do or you might be too tired to attend to their needs.  And it keeps GROWING and taking up more and more space!

PHYLLIS, it sounds like you're feeling better.  I'm so glad!
SHIRLEY, the bad weather is what you get for bragging about having Spring!

EVERYONE!  I read everything but my memory is gone.  I blame it on the "screeching stuff".  I have to have something to blame it on.  I'm not that old....yet!

Enjoy the rest of your day and make it your own in every way!

[Rosemary]

Good afternoon all, I hope everyone is having a good day?

I was dashing about the garden at 8pm last night trying to cover up the tender plants, as we were forecast snow and sub-zero temperatures. Woke up this morning to brilliant sunshine, and although it is cold there was no frost, and there has been no snow. Better to be safe than sorry I suppose.

Phyllis, I doubt of that book would be available in your online library yet, as it was only published on 19th March. In fact I have just now checked our library online catalogue and they don't even seem to have a hard copy yet - so maybe it will come through in due course?  I finished it this morning and very much enjoyed it right through to the end. You might enjoy another of Sue Lawrence's books that I have read - Down to the Sea - which is set in Newhaven, just along the coast from us at Leith, in Edinburgh (though at the time of part of the story (1890) Newhaven was a separate village and few of its inhabitants would ever have gone into the city)

I have now started Ghost Trees by Bob Gilbert, which is about the nature and wildlife of the inner city - specifically Poplar, which is part of the old London East End. If anybody watches Call the Midwife, that is where it is set. The author moved there from North London when his wife was ordained as an Anglican priest and assigned to a parish there. It is very interesting, as Gilbert sees so much wildlife - plants, birds, mammals - flourishing there, in the most unexpected places, and he traces the history of the area, its land use, industries, and people, so he talks about everything from the docks to eel catching, the Bryant and May match factory (who knew there was a deformity called 'possyjaw', caused by the potassium then used in the manufacture of matches?), and the long tradition of boxing, with many East End families being involved in it for generations. He is especially interested in trees, and in the chapter I have just finished he walks almost every road and housing estate in the area, looking for the original Poplar tree.

I am so glad you were able to visit Lewis and Harris. I have not yet been to them myself, I would love to. St Kilda is a very long and weather-dependent boat trip from Skye - much as I'd like to see the archipelago I am not sure I could face the journey. As regards Lewis and Harris, have you read Alistair McIntosh's Poacher's Pilgrimage? McIntosh was born there, and a few years ago he went back to walk the entire length of the island. His book is about that walk, but also brings in his thoughts about current affairs, God, spirituality, his childhood.... He was brought up in the Free Presbyterian Church that dominates Lewis, but is now a Quaker, activist and peace worker and lives in Glasgow. I saw him talk about his book at the Fringe, and it was a wonderful experience; he ended by reading Sorley MacLean's poem Hallaig, which is about the Isle of Raasay (where Maclean grew up) and particularly about one of the villages destroyed by the Clearances. Seamus Heaney memorably translated the poem from Gaelic into English. It was so moving. Last year my husband and I finally went to Skye and took the boat to Raasay. We did the long cliff top walk to Hallaig, seeing sea eagles along the way. It was so quiet that we could hear two men on a fishing boat talking far down below on the water. I am so thrilled that I was able to see the remains of the village.

I was also interested in what you said about Louise Penney, as I too enjoyed the first few Gamache books but found the later ones increasingly irritating. I think it was all those Very. Short. Sentences. I know she uses them for effect but she overuses them so much that they just become annoying. I haven't read any more for a while, though my mother still likes them. Penney is an immensely popular writer so I have to be careful what I say about her!

Gloria - it must be so frustrating having a locked library. I feel the same every time I walk up to the main road and see our branch library here locked up. As it has big floor to ceiling windows you can see all the books locked up inside, and although i have more than enough to read here, I of course immediately want the ones I can see through those windows! I just don't know when they will be able to reopen.  Of course they do have ebooks; I'm not that keen on them but I would still read one rather than have nothing to read. The main problem, I find, is that they only have newish books, not the 1950s novels that I love.

Do you get the programme Last Tango in Halifax in the US? It is massively popular here. I remembered last night that I had missed the last episode of the series that ended recently, so I found it on i-Player. It was lovely.  It's about a couple who, in their youth, were friendly but each married someone else. They meet up again in their later years and get married. They both have complicated extended families, and very different views on some things. The husband is played by Derek Jacobi, one of the best UK actors there is. The Yorkshire countryside is also beautiful.

Lloyd - the first time I ever saw a hummingbird was at Berkeley in the early 1980s. My friend was doing a Masters there and I was staying with her. I walked up into the Botanic Gardens one morning. They were so beautiful, and I sat down on a bench then realised a hummingbird was right inside one of the big flowers a few feet away. I was transfixed - we don't have these birds in the UK.  I am having a lot of problems with feeding the birds here at the moment, as we have a rat who has taken to coming up from the brook to hoover up the bits of seed that the birds drop. We don't really mind, it never comes anywhere near the house (the feeders are right at the end of the garden) but one of our neighbours is going nuts about it and keeps complaining. I really do think some people should just stay in the city, as I have no idea why people who seem to have no interest in nature whatsoever want to live out here with the garden (to which they do nothing), the river and the woodlands which I love so much. SO last night my husband was out there trying to fill in the various rat entrance holes with gravel and sand (my sharp sand for planting out shrubs...) and I was sweeping up the seed. I really don't want to stop feeding the birds altogether, I get so much enjoyment from their visits, so I have moved the feeders so that they now overhang the actual water rather than the garden, but I will have to stop putting seed on the bird table for a while. The last thing we want to do is put down poison that may affect other animals. I think with the river right at the end of the gardens it is almost inevitable that there will be rats around.

I think that's enough complaining from me!

Hope you all have a good day,

Rosemary

[Radioman34]

Here at the residence we are in total lockdown. We can walk around the perimeter of the grounds but dare not cross the line that marks the border between our property and the outside world. One of our residents walked across the street to a variety store and was spotted by one of the staff.  The end result was that he was put into a 14-day  quarantine  and is confined to his room for that period. There have been several episodes like this, so they mean business in enforcing this quarantine. It seems a bit extreme at first, but if you take into account that our facility has not had a single incident of virus attacks then perhaps they are doing something right.

[Lloyd Hammond]

well I can see both sides of the coin so as to speak. we go to town as we like and need to get what we need. Our sons wife's mother died with the virus, but she was in a hospital. If you want to get sick go to doctor or hospital. when we go we ware mask's when we get out of the car.you see lot of folk's here, man and or woman with out any thing on to protect them selves. so I think if god wants one self with him he will make it happen. time to wish you all good night and sweet dreams. I am going to go give my self my shot and take my night time pills and go to bed see you all in the morning,

Lloyd

[Denver]

Good evening.  I attempted to post a couple of times today, but got interrupted😩

We enjoyed the dinners last night.  Bob really liked the cabbage roll and of course I did not order the meal that included one😢  I had a bite of his and I have to say it was very good.  He also shared one of his pork pierogies and it was good.  I think it was a big hit with the community so I expect these food trucks will continue.  We already know next week is a BBQ Truck.

Michele had chemo today.  Each one becomes increasingly harder for her to do.  She puts up a strong attitude, and she is dedicated to beating this darn cancer, but it does get her down and she dreads the remaining ones 😢. Who wouldn't?  This was her 31st one😢😢 The initial report on the MRI was quite positive however it will now be reviewed in a conference of her oncologist on this coming Friday. 

Have a good evening.

Jenny

[JaneS]

I'm tired and ready to sleep tonight.  I spent the late afternoon and early evening putting things back in place only stopping for supper and a walk with Mickie.  Then I got interested in a movie.  It was one of my all time favorites...."Quigley Down Under" starring Tom Selleck.  It was good as usual!  But it wasn't over until 11:30 and now I'm off to bed.

I wish you all a peaceful nights sleep and a happy, healthy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[Amy]

Good morning everyone.

So far a nice day but they are calling for rain later on. I hope to get some gardening done when it warms up today but we shall see. Lots to do inside if I don't get out. Need to make a delivery today and that is it. We did get to the grocery store yesterday ,no problem or line up just in and out!

Lloyd, we also wear our masks when out...rather be safe than sorry out there.

Jane I bet your floors look so nice and hope you can rest today.

Jenny, happy to read the MRI was positive and hope Michelle will soon be done  the chemo. I know it is a difficult time for all.

Don, great to see you here!!! Miss reading your posts.

Rosemary, we haven't put any plants out here yet. When the weather decided to stop playing hide and seek with the warmer weather  we will put the garden in.

Better scoot...enjoy your day everyone..

[Gloria]

Good morning everyone. Another good night for sleeping for me, wow 2 in a row. There was frost on the cars this morning. This is mid May, supposed to be warming up now.

AMY  that lemon pie, did it have the merengue on top? Yummy.

LLOYD  I had forgotten the old saying about rain on Easter and then 7 Sundays of rain. We used to have a humming bird feeder in the front of the building and we all enjoyed seeing them Then the manager made the lady who out it up take it down saying they made a mess. Anything we enjoy she takes away from us.

PHYLLIS  enjoy your free day yesterday? Nice doing just what you want to and not what you have to.

JANE  if I did not comment to everyone who  posts I would have nothing to write about.

ROSEMARY  the last place I lived I had a bird feeder at a kitchen window and I loved wathing the different birds especially the beautiful red Cardinals and blue jays. Here in the front of this buidin all I see is the parking lot and the cars, not the place for birds. Miss them.

DON  so far here we have no cases either. We have to wear a mask when we walk out the door  of our apartments. Better to be safe that get that darn virus.

JENNY  Michele sure is a fighter, bless her. Our Lord is really trying her but too much.

JANE  I remember seeing Quigley Down Under. It was a good movie and Tom Slelick did a good job in it.

AMY  around here no one p;ants in their gardens till afer May 30. Seldom have a frost or freeze after that but with the odd weather this year who know what it wil be like.

Have a good day and stay safe.

[Rosemary]

Good afternoon everyone,

It is a lovely sunny day here and the forecast is for warmer temperatures, so i have put the bedding plants back out on the garden table, but they may well have to come in again. Also moved the mini greenhouse back onto the balcony (or rather, got David to do it...) - and I might sow some more seeds in peat pots later on - my borage seeds arrived in the post a few days ago.

I am over half way through Ghost Trees, which is very good, with lots of interesting stories about London's local history as well as wildlife and nature observations. One that really opened my eyes was that, in the first world war, the British army was very worried about running out of acetone, which was used in ammunition, as most of it was normally imported from America and mainland Europe. A research chemist at Manchester University had discovered a way of distilling it from starch - but at the time grain was also in short supply and needed for food. Then this scientist discovered that you could use conkers from the horse chestnut trees - and that is what they did, with school and youth groups being sent out to collect as many conkers as they could. The factory that used them (it was normally a Nicholson's gin factory) was right there in Poplar.

At the end of the war, the Prime Minister, Lloyd George, asked what honour they could bestow on the chemist for having made such an important contribution. The scientist, who was Jewish, said he wanted no honour, but instead hoped for 'the repatriation of the Jews to the sacred land they had made famous'. Lloyd George introduced the man to his Foreign Secretary, Lord Balfour. In 1917 the famous (or possibly infamous, depending on which way you look at it) Balfour Declaration was signed, and this led to the foundation, in 1948, of the modern state of Israel. The first president of the state was Chaim Weizmann - that very same research scientist. Isn't it amazing what you can learn from a book about trees?

Radioman - my mother's sheltered housing has exactly the same rules - house or garden and that is all; one of the residents was caught going to the shops (of all places - they have everything provided for them, all meals cooked, and the staff will happily order extra items for their rooms as they know they can't shop for themselves at the moment) and he is currently having to stay in his room too. They just cannot risk anything being passed on to the other residents - or the staff for that matter.  I do understand that it must be so frustrating though.

At the moment we are not required to wear masks. Our First Minister has said that they 'may be' a good idea in crowded shops or on public transport, but that it is really important not to rely on them to protect yourself, they are more to protect others if you should cough or sneeze. She still says the really vital things are social distancing and hand washing. We hardly go to the shops - I do use the two very small local stores, but they are generally quiet and I am in and out asap. We do a fortnightly trip to Aldi and Home Bargains, and as we go late in the evening they are usually pretty quiet, but I still stick to the 2 meters rule as much as I possibly can. They have strict controls on how many people are in the store at one time.

What a pain it all is, we all long for it to be over. The only comfort I can think of is that even the notorious post World War One influenza did end eventually, and they had much less medical knowledge and research than we do. And in the meantime I know I am so lucky to have our little garden, the countryside to walk in, and lots of books.

We watched the next Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer last night, it was very funny. One of the participants was Nick Hewer, who apparently used to be a judge on The Apprentice and is now the presenter of Countdown. He was the worst baker anyone had ever seen, but he was so funny and willing to have a go. I don't think he had ever baked before in all his 76 years. Pru Leith (one of the judges) said his Devil's Food Cake looked more like a cow pat, and to be honest she was right. Watching him try to make choux pastry was hilarious, but he was such a good sport.

Well I think my washing machine is sadly calling, so I will stop for now.

Have a good day all,

Rosemary

[JaneS]

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I'm really sorry not to be regular in her but things are happening and needing attention.

AMY, no rest today!  The boys are back doing the finishing touches and another guy showed up to do some electrical work.  And after they go, I have things to clean and things to put back in their natural place and everything gets washed first so it takes forever. 

While they're here, I'm spending time on the computer and spending a lot of my hard saved cash on things like area rugs and door mats.  And waiting for deliveries and putting them in place.  I must say all this extra activity is making me sleep better.  Or maybe I'm sleeping better because they tuned the mattress over when they put it back on the bed.  Whatever it is, I'm grateful for the extra winks.

We planted some little plants on Sunday and because the weather won't stay warm overnight, I've been going out every night and covering them just in case there's a dip.  That's one more thing on the agenda but the veggies will be worth it!

ROSEMARY and RADIOMAN, it sounds like the two places that you either have contact with because of your mother or that you live in, are extremely vigilant and that's good!  Some places in the US are being investigated for negligence and that's NOT good!

I made the recipe that I mentioned a while back and it was really good.  It called for Kielbasa and I didn't have any but I had a nice stick of Elk bologna from my SIL and I used that.  UMMMMMM!

You all have a lovely day and come back and share the details!  We're interested!  (Or are we NOSY?)  Either way, we wanna know what you're up to!