Hi Everyone.  This morning started out for me at 33 degrees and will only get into the 40's this afternoon.  This will be a good morning to wear my new Christmas sweater to church in lieu of a suit jacket as will need my leather coat.  Other than going to Sunday School and Church this morning this will be a quiet day for us and a normal evening.  I have no intention of staying up to see the new year start as it can do that whether I am awake or asleep.  It amazes me that up to 2 million people will stand out in the cold in Times Square in New York City for hours just to watch that big globe fall at midnight.

Hal, we are getting some of the same hyping on the weather.  The forecast for the whole next week calls for no zero rain just very cold nights into the mid or low 20's. 

Gloria, I can't understand the thinking of standing out in the cold awaiting for the clock to strike twelve so you can say Happy New Year.  We will be staying home where we are safe and warm and likely I will be asleep at midnight. I don't think 68 degrees in the winter is warm enough as the walls get cold and it chills the room more.  We find that 72 is a comfortable temperature for us although we put it down to 68 at night.  Pat is able to be comfortable in her easy chair and doesn't lay down on the couch.  She has no trouble taking naps in her easy chair, something I never do. 

Sandy, we need to get some darkening blinds for our bedroom as the afternoon sun this time of the year some in through the cracks in the wooden blinds and it get too warm and too bright.  It interferes with my afternoon naps, although not too much as I still try to rest every afternoon. 

Callie, I bet that was a surprise to find your car had slid out of the driveway. 

Amy, thanks for the info on your hot tub and hope the repairman can get it fixed soon. 

deAngel, I certainly agree with you that going to Times Square this year makes no sense as it will be so cold.  Maybe that many people all packed together will create some warmth in the crowd and also be a good place for pick pockets.  I did not search for the term Big Duck, Flanders.  However, thanks to Amy's link I just saw it and that is something.  It has an interesting history. 

Jenny, my favorite meal at Texas Roadhouse is the 6 ounce sirloin steak with a big Texas sized baked potato and a house salad.  I love their rolls and I do like the honey cinnamon butter they serve as it is always soft and spreadable.  I hate to be served cold butter that will not spread.  If you have the meal before 4 pm it is only $9.99, which is a good price for such a good and plentiful meal.  After 4 pm they raise the price by $2 and I think you get the same meal. 

Hal, glad to see your cough was starting to break up and hope it is even better today. 

Jane, hope you can have a restful afternoon and evening. 

Lloyd, it sounds like it will get colder and not warmer during the day.  I remember our cows getting into the yard on occasion.  As our pasture was on the other side of the road  and up a bit from where our farm house and barn were located during most of the year we had to take them down our fairly long driveway and turn onto the country road and get them through the gate to the pasture.  They usually were not difficult to herd as they knew where they were going but on occasion they didn't play nicely.  We did have a small pasture where the barn was located and if I recall correctly during the winter they stayed there and ate the hay we put out for them.  Sorry to hear of the little accident you had in dealing with the cows. 

Good Morning Everyone from the
Icy cold, but Sunny rocky coast of Maine!

I have found an absolutely fabulous Ceramic Heater
from LASKO

https://www.amazon.com/Lasko-758000-Cyclonic-Ceramic-Heater/dp/B000QC77A8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1514730482&sr=8-9&keywords=lasko+ceramic+heater

To subsidize the heat in my corner apartment,  which
is needed when the temps get down into the lover teens and
falls below zero...  Add wind chill to that and I need
this additional heater.     The management here gave me
this heater to use.    But I am going to purchase one
on my own for future use.     

It really works fabulously and is very quiet.   I highly
recommend it if a heating subsidy is required where
you live.   

Thank Goodness this is the last day of 2017....
I am looking forward to  the new year.   Imagine...
it is almost 2018 ...
   

Wowzer !!! 

Sandy

Larry this weeks forecast shows one day (Monday) with a 10 percent chance of rain, but on the news last night they showed the highway department treating the highways with de-icer fluids.  We must have more money than brains in Texas if we can afford to do this with no moisture forecast.  10 percent is normally a shrug and ho humm.  We have already reached our high for today, 52, and it is presently 46.  Compared to our friends up North we are having a heat wave. 

I am going to skip church this morning, I still get coughing fits and I am sure other members don't want to listen to one of them and wonder why some idiot would bring his cold in so they could catch it.

I always like the ribs at the Texas Road House, a little messy but I ask for extra wet towels.   And they are fall off the bone tender and normally nice and meaty, not a lot of fat.

I have to get out and get the paper in for the wife, she like her Sunday paper and she hasn't stirred yet, 9:15.  Coffee is done and I am heading in a get a cup.  My old pup is still sound asleep on her bed.  She is getting like a teenager, like to sleep in.  She doesn't even raise her head when I walk into the rooom.   She does get up and come over for her morning pet and rub down when the wife comes in.

Lloyd, you are bound and determined, aren't you? 

Amy, happy you didn't get anymore snow.  Now if you could just find someone to fill your wood box fox you......

Good morning everyone, had one of those nights where I could not get to sleep. Finally about 4 this morning I finally did but feeling sleep deprived this morning. This bitter cold temperatures are getting the best of me. I have the heat up to about 80 and still feel cold. At least the sun is shining for a change.
On New Year's day there is a group of “polar bears” that take a dip in the ocean. This year because of the cold they will postpone it to a later date. They have been doing this for many years and this is the first time they postponed it.

One thing I want to know, was there and news at all from or about JOAN? I did not go back to read all the posts I missed, still trying to get things installed into the PC. Not as fast at doing it like I used to be.


It is 1°but feels like below zero. I hope the ones going out to celebrate New Year's Eve tonight do not freeze. On local news they said that Providence and the ones putting on the big celebration tonight have thousands of hand warmers to pass out to those who attend. They will be allowed to take a blanket with them. Then they would like those that do to leave them there for the homeless.
They are even planning to drop a ball from the top of a building like in  Times Square. Going to be freezing for the Patriots game today. Those players make enough $$$ to put up with it.

SANDY  I agree with you about the weather this winter. Been many years since we have had such a long spell of this frigid temperatures.

CALLIE I drove in all kind of weather when I was working but now I worry about family members driving on slippery roads. Foolish I know as they have all been driving for years now. Ice of any kind is hard to drive on no matter what kind of car you have.

AMY  we all have a thermostat so I do push it up. I can no longer be cold, I don't care what she wants when it comes to being cold.

GLORIA de  I agree with you about being outside tonight. On the news the announcer said to stay outside no more than 20 minutes and go inside to warm up and go out again. Of course the merchants will like that as they will spend money. We did not get much snow yesterday,  along the shore they got more. On one of the highways here there is a big milk can. Years ago it was a place to stop for ice cream. It was moved but no one has done anything with it. On one of the buildings in Providence there is a big blue bug that has become a landmark. It is an exterminator who owns the building and put it up years ago. They have it decorated for different holidays, right now it has Christmas lights on it. They had a contest for kids to name it so it is called Wiggles Woodaway.

JUNE  I send prayers for you to get rid of that cough.

JENNY  my daughter is doing great. The surgeon wants her to go for radiation treatments to make sure  there is no cancer. We did talk on the phone every day but not the same as seeing her.

HAL  I think it was Shirley who mentioned the Vicks.  Since then I have read it on some health tips. Stew or soup is what is called for on these cold days.

JANE  taking advantage of sales and discounts and stocking up is smart. I try to do that as much as I can, too.

LLOYD  you learned a lesson about drinking and driving, too bad more people never lean that.

Lloyd, as Nancy said, you are an accident waiting to happen and you've probably been that way all of your life!  Slow down!

Our temp was 4 degrees F when I got up about 6:30 this morning and now, at 12:30 past noon, it is around 8 degrees - depends on what I read - and it is cold.  The only saving grace is that the wind is calm and the sun is shining.

Tom took me to church this morning and picked me up and then we went to Mr Burger for brunch.  We had a decent attendance at church considering it is New Year's Eve Day.  Today was the last week for the minister who has been with us for five weeks (during Advent) and next week we will have a former Associate Minister.  After that, I don't know.  I wish the committee would get an Interim Minister soon. 

I cannot imagine standing out in cold near-zero temperatures for hours just to see a ball drop in Times Square.  I have in the past stayed up until midnight so I could see the ball drop but I don't know what I'll do tonight.  No one will be home to keep me company.

Dot is still under the weather and hurts bad!

Mary Ann

Just checking in to let you know I am still coughing, and staying at home. I'll have a light lunch delivered to the apt. as I do not feel like I would be good company. I don't even care much for myself.  I am just grateful there is no temperature connected to this stuff.

Hal, I find using Vicks in my nose helps delay the cough. Tonight I'll try it on my feet.

Thanks to all who have offered advice and support. This too will pass, and the New Year will be filled full of new Hope for all of us here and for the world in general.

God is always in charge, thanks be to God.

Good Afternoon,

No ice or snow and the sun is shining - but it's bitterly cold in Central Oklahoma.  I haven't stuck my nose out the door since Friday - except to get the mail and fill a bird feeder yesterday. 

All of my Christmas decorations have been put in boxes or storage tubs but those are still in my guest bedroom.  Grandson is coming one afternoon this week to put them in the garage cupboards.  Will be nice to have some one-on-one time with him.

Miss Ellen will be working (restaurant hostess) about 4 blocks from Times Square tonight.  She wasn't working this job last year and spent the evening with friends on a party boat in NY harbor.  I hope she can get home to her apartment without too much difficulty tonight.
I'll probably be awake and may tune in to see what's going on in NYC (if I remember the time difference!).

I remember one New Year's Eve when #2 son had a friend spending the night and we had gone to a card party. Neighbors told us that the boys had gone out on the front porch at midnight where son played Auld Lang Syne on his trombone and friend sang along.   

Gloria,  Miss Emily will be driving back to school tomorrow.  I hope the Kansas roads aren't slick.

Gentle hugs to those who are aching or not feeling up to par.

Wishing Everyfriend Everywhere an Enjoyable Day and.......

A Happy New Year 

In case I don't get back this way tonight, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, or at least a better New Year than 2017.

Mary Ann

Good late afternoon started out sunny, but that lasted about and hour. I think the last time I looked the temp. was 16 now it feels and looks like snow..

Gloria , I still have Vista, I just talk to you folks and play games, I do very little else on here.  I am satisfied.

June, I am the one that told you my cardiologist told me to rub Vicks on  the bottom of my feet and put warm socks on at night. I had asked him for advice to get ride of the cough I got in Sept. and it was the end of Oct. and I was coughing continuously.  I think it helped as the cough got better, altho, I still get fits of coughing, but nothing like before.

Maryann, glad to see Tom was able to take you out to day.  Also happy to see you had a nice time with your family. Know Jan was missed at the gathering.

Callie, at lest Miss Ellen was warm for News Years, was still near Time Square, years ago a couple of blocks would have been as near as some people could get. Maybe this year, I do not know, as there is so much security.  Prays for safe trip for Miss Emily. 

Happy New Years to all my friends, and prays and hugs for all  in need.

We had an airport adventure yesterday at Denver - not a good one.  We were booked on a really cheap flight to Tucson with a connection in Salt Lake City.  Of course, the Delta flight was changed so much that it would never make the plane from SLC to Tucson.  There was no help - I was told that we would have to spend the night at the airport in SLC and they would book us on a mid-morning flight  Finally, someone right there told me she would send us on a United going straight into Tucson.  Hooray.  However, she told us to go to Gate 95 and run.  That was just awful and when we did arrive at Gate 95, we were told to run to Gate 55.  We have been worthless all today - we just can't do that in that altitude. But... the flight was flawless - and I do know what can and should be done.  Kudos to the people who really helped us.  Made it to the car and drove back then this morning I shopped for fresh veggies, etc. 

Jenny:  It is perfect here right now.  You can do it.... you might want to blindfold Bob and tell him you are taking him for a surprise destination.

Mary Ann:  Rusty we are.  You would not believe how weak we both feel today. 

Larry:  I need to look at the settings - have been making cheese soup today.  Hi to Pat!!! 

Gloria de:  Huge duck!  Do the children get their pictures by that duck?  Don's doctor told him to keep drinking red wine - they talk about Italian wine every visit. 

June:  Did you get a renewal today?   Send me a renewal right away - thanks.

Sandy:  That sounds like a comfortable heater for you - do you think you may add some humidity to the room too?  We seem to feel better with a bit of humidity - and it stops shocks from friction on the rug. 

Happy New Year !!

   Happy 2018... a New Year and Better Year!   

   

Carol, were you on the flight where there was a bird in the cockpit of a Delta plane?  I don't remember where it was, but it seems to me the plane was far from its destination and made a loop back to Denver.  I don't know if it would have helped in this situation, but I always booked a wheelchair and let the wheelchair person run, but not me.  I know I'd never make any flight if I had to run.  I really am not flying any longer and I don't care about going too far from home.  I'm glad you made it to Tucson OK.

Gloria D, we had sunshine most of the day but I think we never got over 15 degrees.  I'm used to the cold temperatures (Michigan does get cold) but now that I'm older, I don't tolerate it as much as I used to.  I have a nice warm coat, too.

Mary Ann

Happy New Year Everyfriend
New Year is the time when,
Supposedly All your hopes are new,
So are your aspiration,
New are your resolutions
And new are your spirits,
So here’s wishing everyone a
Very promising, fulfilling

New Year 2018
Mycheal

Happy New years Eve dear hearts. How we used to celebrate this night when we were young and foolish, lifted many glasses of Spirits with our very best friends of many, many years. I am the last one left of the group. I treasure our happy memories, and look forward to seeing them all again where liquid spirits are not needed to be joyful.

I don't know how to find a place to watch the ball drop in New York.........if I manage to stay awake that long. We have a different T.V. company here. I'll have to call downstairs and see I someone can help.Or is there a station to look for on the Internet ?

As I recall,the last New Years Eve I spent here it was very noisy for hours late into the night.....fireworks galore, and from my third floor windows I don't miss much.

Time to have a bite to eat, then enquire downstairs for t.v. help. I love you my friends. June

I think I've caught a cold!  I'm going to bed and see if I can sleep it off.

JUNE, I think NBC has the activities from Times Square.  I could be wrong but that's what I think!

I just googled it and it's ABC...Good Night All!

I hate to be a spoil sport but I am off to bed before those Yankees drop that glass ball.  Bet it doesn't break this year either.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and may the new year bring your nothing but happiness, good health and all of God's Blessings.

Nite, nite, God Bless and Sweet Dreams.

  Happy New Year  Everyone !!

A new page for Soda Shoppe begins HERE