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Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, Bush's Best Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans, Green Grapes and Chocolate Chip Cookies that my husband prepared.  Sorry about the previous type error with my last post.

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Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash

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Domestic Goddess: Is this correct, if one would like to post/share a recipe, we do so here?  If so, was searching to see if there were separate recipe categories?

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Library Bookshelf

Started by Marilyne, March 29, 2016, 03:20:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

CallieOK

Sue,  I mostly sleep on my side but, like Marilyne, my mouth is dry no matter in what position I am.
I know I sleep with my mouth open but I only awaken for that usual reason most of us "of a certain age" experience so I don't have apnea  Otherwise,  I would sleep soundly for at least 7 hours.
I also take blood pressure medicine that could be an issue because I often have dry mouth during the day, too.  Riccola Lemon Herb lozenges (sugar free in my case) are the most helpful things I've found to help with that.  They don't taste  medicin-ey and relieve the dryness very well.

Re:  sources for books. I get notices from BookPage monthly with a "Best of....." list.  Of course, I also get "suggestions" for different things "I might like".  I sometimes browse through the reviews on their web site and find that ones I think I'd like are usually available as e-books from my library.

Temperature is to be in the single digits and wind chills even colder for the next couple of days.  E-books, Here I Come!  :thumbup:

:party2: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE  :party:


Marilyne

Here's a witty New Years poem, by Robert W. Service. It will put a smile on your face! :)

The Passing of the Year

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cozy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.
   â€¢   
Old Year - upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter's chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.
   â€¢   
That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
Let us all read, whate'er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
Is it for a dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
What hath the Old Year meant to you?
   â€¢   
And you, O neighbour on my right
So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
What read you in that withered face?
   â€¢   
And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
What cold, confronting shape of fear
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
What see you in the dying year?
   â€¢   
And so from face to face I flit,
The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
Old weary year! it's time to go.
   â€¢   
My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that's true,
For we've been comrades, you and I --
I thank God for each day of you;
There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!



maryc

Good poem  for a new year Marilyne.

As for the dry mouth at night,  it is troublesome.    I've learned recently that if I moisten my lips before I go to bed with Carmex lip balm it help to keep my lips from getting so uncomfortable.    Sometimes when I get up  in the night I will refresh the lip balm and it has helped.    I have the stuff in the tube but what I really like the best is the very heavy balm that comes in a tiny jar.    Yes,  I am a back sleeper and know that breathing through my mouth causes this but since I haven't gone so far as to invest in a chin strap  :yikes: I'm just going to have to put up with it.   Callie,  I'm checking out the Riccola lozenges.  Good thought!   These extremely cold temperatures are causing  problems with dry skin too.   My thumbs at the corners of my fingernails have started cracking like they do in cold weather.    I use a heavy cocoa butter product made by Palmers that feels good on the hands but just doesn't get to the cracked fingers.   I use liquid bandage on those spots and it helps to heal.  We're going to have to change our subject here to "First Aid Helps for Seniors".   ;)

Marilyne,  Thanks for the tip on Off the Shelf.   Good idea.   The Book Page is another that often offers good ideas.

Mary C

Marilyne

mary - Another option for dry lips and also the cracked cuticles, is Aquaphor.  It's in a tube, and comes in all sizes.  I think its made by the company that makes Eucerin lotions?  The dermatologist gave me a tube of it, and told me to rub it in around my fingernails, where the skin is dry, sore and cracked. I like your idea of the liquid bandage, and I have some, so will definitely try it. 
For the dry mouth, I like the Xylimelts, Mild Mint.  You can get them at any of the major drug stores.   

maryc

Lots of good suggestions here.   I better write them down!   ::)    Life has been pretty crazy here this past couple of weeks.   Al's problem didn't resolve itself with the first medication and in fact the sulpha drug caused him a pretty good case of hives and didn't hit the infection.    We spent half a day in the Emergency Room yesterday so that he could receive IV fluids and a change of meds.     He seems much better today but I know that he HAS to drink more water, etc. and he is just a "sipper".   All the Docs  keep telling him to drink more and more and he just doesn't do it.   It is still cold though the weather folks said that today was to be the warmest day of the week and it is 20 deg. but dropping the rest of the week.   We can't complain because our house is warm and we have enough food.    I think often of those who don't have food and shelter.....has to be brutal!  I know that the shelters open extra hours and provide additional beds for this kind of weather but there are people who do have a place but heating is inadequate.

I'm still reading one of my Book Bub novels.   It is called Road Ends: A Novel by Mary Lawson.   A different but interesting family story.   Reminds me a little of the style and subject matter of  Anne Tyler or Jeanette Walls.   Could be depressing but one of the character's story keeps you going to see how she turns out. :)
Mary C

Marilyne

mary - Sorry to hear that Al is not doing well, and had to go to the ER for a change of meds and an IV.   It's very hard for some, to drink the amount of water that they need.  My Al is also a sipper!  He will swallow a pill with just one swallow of water, and that's it.  I'm a water gulper, and can easily chug down eight ounces, without stopping. Younger daughter is like me, only drinks even more.  Older daughter has thyroid issues, (Grave's Disease), that can cause diabetes and kidney stones.  She's been told to drink lots of water, but claims she can't swallow more than a couple of swallows, and that's it. ::)  Hard for me to understand.

As you know, I like both Anne Tyler and Jeannette Walls, so Road Ends, by Mary Lawson, sounds good! 

MarsGal

Yesterday I picked up The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote, Edited by Rodman W . Paul,  from the library. These are the real life letters from which Wallace Stegner wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Angle of Repose.

The book is every bit as lengthy as the novel, but I think it covers a longer time span and promises to be just as, if not more, interesting. The preface was in itself worth the wait for the book. The author while acknowledging all those that helped, also explained the extensive search for and gathering (either original or photocopied) materials and mentions India and sea navigation which the novel says nothing about. I will be starting the first chapter tomorrow.

CallieOK

MarsGal,  unfortunately, my library doesn't have "The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote".  I would love to read what she writes about Leadville!
I'm sure I've mentioned that we lived there for 15 years.
The part about Leadville in "Angle of Repose" was very interesting.  I think I know where The Ditch was but thought everything else was "generalized".  Of course, that's a fiction author's prerogative and I'd rather read that than "facts" that obviously come from some Chamber of Commerce leaflet instead of personal observation - as I've realized when reading other books set there.

MarsGal

Callie, I had to put in for an inter-library loan to get the book. Maybe you can try that route. The used books I've seen listed on Amazon and ABE Books are a bit pricey, unfortunately.

I was doing a Google on books about Leadville and ran across this one:Leadville: The Struggle To Revive An American Town by Gillian Klucas. Have you read it?

The other was mention of the bookstore, The Book Mine, which doesn't seem to have its own website. Love the name.

Marilyne

I finally got my copy of Angle of Repose, from the library - sent from another branch. The book is a total mess.  It's a paperback, and it is stained and dirty, and pages are difficult to turn. Readers have apparently laid it open/flat to hold their place, instead of using a bookmark.  It even has a weird smell!  (probably my imagination, because it looks so bad.)  It's the only copy in the county library system, and must be very popular.  Anyway, I cannot enjoy a book that's in such a condition, so will probably order the e-edition or check out another source?  Funny how I don't mind reading a well worn book, or antique book, as long as it has a hard cover.

I am most interested in reading the part about the Almaden Quicksilver mine, since it is practically in my back yard.  It's about ten miles away, in the hills that surround San Jose.  It's now a national monument, and is an interesting place to visit.  Still very rural and remote, in spite of it's proximity to the big city.

CallieOK

Marilyne,  I've only been reading e-books I can borrow from my library now that it's hard for me to get to the library itself.  Have yet to dip into ordering books from Amazon or elsewhere.
Leadville: The Struggle To Revive An American Town by Gillian Klucas   is available as an e-book but the OKC metro library doesn't have it.  I have "recommended" that they get it but, of course, there's no guarantee.
If the library gets it, I'll take a look to see what/who she writes about.

The nice book store that was in Leadville when we were wasn't called The Book Mine.  Of course, it could have changed owners several times since we left in 1977.  :)

Interesting that you live near one of the mines mentioned in "Angle of Repose" and so sad that the copy you got is such a mess.   

FlaJean

My son bought me the ebook from Amazon of Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff.  It was really interesting even though some of it had been reported in the press.  I thought it was well written.  Amazing that they allowed Wolff in day after day to just sit in the West Wing on the couch and talk to anyone and everyone.  Never a good idea and bet they regret it, but it sure makes for a good read.

Other than that book, I haven’t been doing much reading.  I just don’t seem to have accomplished much of anything lately.  Well, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Marilyne

Jean - We tried to get Fire and Fury, at either the library or ebook, but a long wait for both.  There sure are a lot of mixed reviews on it, but like everything else political, it depends on which party you support, as to whether you like it or not.

So far, in this new year, I haven't read much of anything.  I did receive the book, Manhattan Beach, as a Christmas gift from my dil, but I haven't started it yet.  I also have a book that she gave me for my birthday, way last summer, that I haven't read . . .  The Lilac Girls.  Actually, I started it, but I guess the story or characters didn't grab me, because I put it down and haven't picked it up again.  It sounds like my favorite time frame for novels - 1930's and 1940's - so I know I'll probably like it once I get into it.  Someone in this folder, or maybe another one, mentioned that parts of the story take place in a concentration camp during WWII, and were very depressing and graphic??

Callie - Was there anything in Angle of Repose, about silver mining in Eastern Nevada?  I thought I had read that there was, but didn't see anything in the contents that looked like any place in Nevada?

MarsGal

Marilyne, I don't think so. The Footes were in Deadwood, South Dakota for a little while. Arthur De Wint often went off to other mines to do inspections, though, so he could have gone to Nevada, very briefly, for a few of those. I'll let you know if Nevada is mentioned in her "Reminiscences". 

CallieOK

Marilyne,  I was the one who commented on the concentration camps in "Lilac Girls".  Two of the characters end up in one - but on opposite sides, so to speak.  I skipped over a lot of those parts.

Well, now, isn't this fun?   I had returned "Angle of Repose" and couldn't remember details about the locations.  So I just checked it out - used the "chapter finder" link to find what I wanted to know - and sent it back to the library!

Narrator lives in "Grass Valley CA" and talks about someone taking him into Nevada City.  There are separate sections for each place Susan and Oliver lived:  the New Almaden,  Santa Cruz in CA,  Leadville, Michoacán Mexico and Idaho (two sections "The Canyon" and "The Mesa" both near Boise City). 

Marilyne

Callie - New Almaden is about 10 miles SE, of my town, and Santa Cruz is about 15 miles to the West.  My oldest granddaughter and her family live in Grass Valley.  Nevada City, is a small town right next to G. Valley. (It's in CA, not NV).  So I'm familiar with three of the locations in the book.

I started reading Lilac Girls, again this afternoon.  I think I'll stick with it this time.  I know I won't like the details of the concentration camps, so I'll likely skim over those parts, as you did.

CallieOK

Marilyne,  I'll be interested in what you think about the sections of "Angle of Repose" that deal with the sites you know.

Glad you're going to finish "Lilac Girls".

Marilyne

maryc - It's been almost two weeks since we've heard from you?  You last message mentioned that Al had not been doing well, so I'm hoping that he is better, and that you're just busy trying to stay warm and comfortable. The pictures of Niagara Falls, that I saw on the news last week, were a sight to behold . . . frozen solid! :o Keep us posted on how you are both coping during this cold month of January?

maryc

I've been a lurker here for a while.  Al has been up and down and doesn't seem to progress steadily.  Anyway, I get notifications of activity here  (on Kindle) in my mail and can read what's posted but for some reason my posts sent from my Kindle don't always get through. I did sit down at the computer today to write but when I pressed the reply button the blank square for a message didn't open up!  Now that's a brand new one for me.  So I'm back to the Kindle and see if I can post today.    It's interesting reading about those of you who read the book about CO and have been talking about familiar places.  Nice to compare notes.  I did get new lenses for my glasses after my cataract surgery and my eyes are doing well though very dry and burning.  Again it is the cold weather and dry air in house.  The new great grandbaby due in March will be a boy....announcement yesterday!  His middle name will be same as Al's.  That is Mc Robert after his Uncle Alfred McR.  A good Scottish name. :)





Mary C

Marilyne

mary - I was starting to get worried about you, so good to hear that you and Al are both okay.  It must be extremely hard to get through these cold winters, as you grow older.
I can tell that you're looking forward to the arrival of your new grand baby.  Will he be living close enough that you can see him often?  His arrival in the early Spring, will cheer everyone up, after the long cold Winter.  Our son was born on March 20, the first day of Spring.

Are you reading anything good, that you can recommend?  After I finish The Lilac Girls, I have Manhattan Beach, but then nothing waiting for me at the library.  I'm going to start using my Kindle more, so I'll have more of a selection to choose from. 

JeanneP

I have been reading the posting daily but not doing much replying, fact not hardly on the computer at all.
Weather is just awful this winter here. So cold,fact only 12 deg today. Sun out a little so I will head over to the library. Had to go out to store yesterday and got caught in a bad blizzard. Came of of store and had left my lights on. Battery Dead. Man in a truck  jumped it and only took a second.
Been doing lot of reading and found a writer I like. Has quite a few books out and pickup one call Stolen Marriage. I thought it so good that I read it in 2 days. Finished it at Midnight last night. Her name is Diane Chamberlain. So going to see if I can find some more by her. Seems like most of my favourite writers or now either dead or quit writing and the new ones that are worth reading hard to find. Will be repeating to read some of the old ones again soon.
Hope you are all staying well and just bungling down with a good book. Bad weather seems to have hit everywhere.
JeanneP

FlaJean

Mary, good to hear everything is going ok with you and Al.  I’m finally going to have cataract surgery in late Feb.   My right eye is a “lazy eye” and that is the one that is bad.  So I’ve really put this surgery off because I still see ok with my “good” eye.  I use Optiv eye drops several times a day for dry eyes and it really helps.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on my iPad but mostly just interesting articles.  I have read several good short stories, and several good short Christmas “feel good” books during the holidays.

maryc

Thank you all for your concern for Al.  We had an appt with our family Dr today.  He is ordering some testing to learn a bit more about what the kidneys are doing .....or not doing.  Perhaps we'll know more soon.


Jeanne. It does seem like a nasty winter but on the bright side,the days are getting longer.  I'm sure that your location gets hit harder than we do.  Often Buffalo gets a lot more snow than we do here just a short distance away.


FlaJean,I read a few cozy Christmas stories in December.  It was easy reading and didn't take as much concentration. :) . Good luck with your eye surgery.  I hope your Drs staff will give you the good care that mine did.  They seem to provide every comfort to put you at ease for the procedure. 


Marilyn, We are pretty happy about the new baby.  They live about 15-20 miles away.  I'm reading a book now called The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan.  It's good with a few twists that keep you guessing.  Debby got it from Book Bub and shared it.  I saw a write up for Lilac Girls that sounded interesting but not sure I have the heart for it just now.



Mary C

JeanneP

MaryC

This is the coldest we have had in a long time.  Only got to 16 deg last few day. Tonight going down to 8below zero . Not had heavy deep snow but just days of 2 to 3 inch. I would just as soon have one big one and get it over with.
Just on the Phone to Daughter in Houston Area Texas and they are at 22 deg. Grandson was raising chickens for the FAA show and hatched 2 days ago. Had 16 but lost 3 last night.
They don't know how to handle really cold in Texas. Also like all the South. Homes are not insulated like us up in the Midwest. But I did notice tonight that it was still pretty light out at almost 6pm. I like that.
JeanneP

Marilyne

JeanneP - It must be hard for you to be alone, during one of these prolonged cold spells. Lots of stories on the news about the cold in the South, as well as the Midwest. I hope you don't lose power during any of these storms?  That's too bad about your grandson and his newly hatched chickens.  Probably happening to lots of the other FAA kids as well.
I'll check my library to see if they have Stolen Marriage, by Chamberlaine. 

FlaJean - My husband also has a "lazy eye". As he's grown older, his vision has become extremely poor in that eye, but his doctor tells him that his cataracts aren't ready to be removed yet.  He has dry eye, and has to do the Restasis drops, twice a day. 

Mary -  I'm also adding your book, The Mill River Recluse, to my library check list.  Good that you live close, so you can see your gr-grand baby, when he arrives. Nice that his middle name will be the same as Al's. Maybe he'll be born on St. Patrick's day, and they will want to change all their plans and name him Patrick!  That's what we were going to name our son, if he had been born a few days earlier, on March 17th.  However, we changed our mind when he was born on the 20th, and went back to our original choice. 


MarsGal

Marilyne and Mary,  I read Mill River Recluse several years ago and found it enjoyable.

Marilyne

For those of you who knew Jeanne Lee:  Her obituary was posted in Norms Bait and Tackle today by angelface.   Here is the link, if you would like to read it.
https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=34.msg118295#new

Marilyne

Another sad passing in our S&F community.  Hal Kelly (halkel), passed away yesterday.  Here is a link to the Tranquil Cove folder, where friends are leaving messages for Hal, and also Jeanne Lee.
https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?board=21.0

MarsGal

I finally got a hold of a copy of A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West: The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote, edited by Rodman W. Paul. The first part is a sketch of family, acquaintances, and Quaker life among the New York Quakers, both city and country. They were strong supporters of anti-slavery and women's sufferage. Friends and acquaintances included such prominent New Yorkers as Ellwood Walter (Mercantile Mutual Insurance Company, marine insurance and large landowner), Moses S. Beach (owner of the New York Sun newspaper at the time) and George Haviland (of the Haviland China family), as well as Henry Ward Beecher.

This was an era of expanding advanced educational opportunities for women. Mary Hallock Foote attended The School of Design for Women in New York. It was one of the most advanced schools available to women at that time. The footnotes (probably the editor's) comment on Coopers Union so I gather that the design school was part of it. Coopers Union was established in 1859. As a side note, Irving College, right here in Mechanicsburg, PA was established in 1856 as a liberal arts college for women. I think they began with two degrees, Bachelor of Arts and Mistress of English Literature.

maryc

Marsgal, The book you wrote about in this last post sounds good to me.  I've been quite interested in the Quakers.  It seemed to be that they were way ahead in their thinking about many things.  I've had a couple of friends who grew up Quaker and I admired their way of attitudes.
Mary C