Mary Ann--Wish when I wake up at 3 or 3:30 a.m. I could roll over and go back to sleep.  But instead I have to get up and use my nebulizer so I can breathe.

Callie--Seems that when "storm" is mentioned folks panic and flock to the grocery store.

Vanilla-Jackie--I always enjoy your posts.

Janie--I am sure when you aren't busy the time drags.

angelface--Thanks for the link.  There's certainly lots of variations of chili.

June--Ray sometimes did the grocery shopping when I had something.  It took him 100 forevers, but that was fine with me--I didn't have to do it.

June,  I didn't mean husbands doing the grocery shopping by themselves.  They usually look very efficient, although it's pretty easy to spot one who's just learning how.  I meant couples doing so together.

I have always done the grocery shopping. At first, it was because neither of my two husbands had a clue. They would come home with several bags of chips and dips and lots of sausages and that sort. But no milk, dairy or toilet paper. It wasn't that they were trying to get out of anything which I thought at first. They literally hadn't a clue and their mamas brought them up that way. I know there are men who cook and clean, mine weren' like that, probably were not aware it was possible in males.

Then I had a child who only liked food that wasn't green and had lots of sugar and salt involved.

And finally, in my old age, my body lets me know regularly and swiftly what is and isn't going to stick around. That has been an entire learning process in itself.

I shop and eat for the dogs.  I told the vet several years ago what moochers they are and she said, "just remember, if it isn't good for you it isn't good for them."  So whatever I eat can be shared and that means it's usually good for me.  If I have something that I can't share, I have their treats handy and that's what they get.

We still haven't got the freezing rain that was promised.  I hope it doesn't come right when I have to go to work tomorrow.  We are actually supposed to have a warming trend this weekend...if the weatherguessers haven't changed that. 

Stay cozy, Everyfriend!

Our monthly pot-luck was good and of course lots of good conversation, too. The dessert table was sparse but lots of good main dishes, etc. The men all like desserts so they disappear in a hurry. One month we had loads of desserts and very few casseroles. One of my friends and I came to the rescue by going to Subway and getting several subs we could cut up into serving pieces. They also give out the prizes for best golf games and our foursome won 2nd place. We each got a whopping $3. Each couple puts in $2 when we play so we made a profit of $4.  Each month we play with a different couple (or twosome) at a designated course. There are so many courses here that we get to play at a different one each month. There's also a Po-ke-no game after dinner for those who want to play.

Callie - Chape seldom goes with me but when he does I send him to the produce dept. for fruit and other specific items.  Actually, he's a very good shopper but sometimes he comes home with things I wouldn't buy.

It's 62 outside at 9:30 p.m. Tomorrow should be a good day.

I don't know when I started doing the shopping.  I think it was after I started working and driving.  And I did it until a couple of years ago when I found it difficult to walk around the store pushing a shopping cart.  So Tom does the shopping and he has no schedule.  I find us without much to eat after a week or so.  Tom meets friends for lunch occasionally so he does not have to worry about the refrigerator being bare!  I always had something to eat but he doesn't shop like I did.  I had a list, but I also am an impulse buyer.  I am sure I bought more produce than he does because I like the produce bags to line my wastebasket in the bathroom and I never have any produce bags to use.  I want to say that Tom does a good job of getting what I have on the grocery list and he knows which brands I like.  He would prefer to shop at Meijer, our main supermarket here, but I prefer Family Fare because I got started there and it was/is not as busy as Meijer.  Also it isn't as large.  But Tom goes to Family Fare because he knows I prefer that store and their brands.  Both Meijer and Family Fare at local supermarkets with stores in other cities and states now. 

We've had a lot of rain tonight and I'm glad we are not getting as much as California is.

Mary Ann

Nancy is in bed and for quite a while,I have the T V put to bed and I am going to put me to bed Now. I am going to run a Bulldozer tomorrow. Planing on 9/10 hours. thinking of doing that ever day until the weather puts a stop to that. the good thing about it is I have only to bring my lunch box with food in it,no expense for me.

Lloyd

Mary Ann
Go shopping after you eat noon meal and wont tend to be so compulsory buyer.
Good Night and sweet dreams.

Lloyd

Well here I am finally, I was in early this morning and started to post and somehow got interrupted and never got back.

Larry like you I watched the first half and a little of second half and said Alabama had it in the bag and then find out that they lost in last second of the game.  Bummer.  But it was a good game, what I saw of it.

Larry I also went to my income tax site and started my taxes.  I had to stop when I was almost through with the mandatory interview and they wanted some of the wifes drivers license information.  I use OLT, have for the past several years.

June, we will be getting some of your weather here in Texas in the next day or so, that is where our rain is coming from.  Funny weather pattern, from you area South then it turns to the East.

Janie, hope you don't get the freezing rain.  Hate that stuff. 

Amy, good to hear DH feels like doing some manual labor, just hope he doesn't overdo it.

I am off to bed.  Tired.

Good night Everyfrienf
d and may God bless us, every one!

JOAN....
....I do very much remember how much you enjoyed listening to my stories after I came back from my " Alma Farm " dogs walks....sadly that is never to be anymore...I dont live there anymore, my MS wouldn't allow me to walk that far and sadly I dont have my dogs now, all three have now gone...If only I could have that part of my life back again, I would be one very happy woman...

Good Wednesday morning, Everyfriend.  There’s sticky buns to accompany your coffee or tea. I wish everyone a great day!!



Horseback Riding

A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse unassisted, and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the blond begins to slide from the saddle. In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the horse's side anyway. The horse gallops along, seemingly oblivious of its slipping rider.

Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blond attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot has become entangled in the stirrup, she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over.

As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness when to her great fortune Frank, the Wal-Mart greeter, sees her dilemma and unplugs the horse. And you thought all they did was say Hello.



. . . in a Faraway Palace
By Arie Leder
Scripture Reading: Esther 1:1-12

King Xerxes . . . gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials.
Esther 1:2-3
Life in a Persian palace was difficult to imagine for ordinary people, especially when the king showed off his wealth and splendor and entertained ¬nobles and officials with the best food and drink his kingdom could offer. Whether you lived in the suburbs of Susa or at the border of the empire, the palace was a faraway place. And what happened in the palace stayed in the palaceâ€"usually.
Like any grand king, Xerxes spoiled his guests. For 180 days he showed off the splendor of his kingdom, and then he gave a weeklong banquetâ€"at which his guests could choose their own wine and drink as much as they pleased.
On the last day of the feast, Xerxes demanded that his queen, Vashti, parade her beauty before this besotted crowd. Her refusal and its conse¬quences did not stay in the palace; this would affect all who lived outside, even those who might have thought they lived beyond the king’s reach.
“A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion” (Proverbs 20:2). Vashti lost her royal posi-tion, and the results would threaten even God’s people.
But it is also true that a king’s “favor is like dew on the grass” (Proverbs 19:12). As we will see in Esther’s story, a young Jewish woman will win the king’s favor, and she will use her position to save her people.
Let us seek the favor of God our King, that we may enjoy the bounty of his kingdom.
Thank you, Lord, that because of Jesus, we may enjoy your favor forever. Amen.



"Nothing so dispirits the demons as when their assaults are revealed. And nothing so heartens them as when their temptations are kept secret."

- The Desert Fathers

Good morning Joanie and Everyfriend!  Thank you for the wake up "stuff".  As usual, it's very pertinent.  We do need to seek God's favor and spread God's word.

I'll be off to Wally World this morning and,hopefully, have a little energy to pick up a few things after work.  If I don't, I'll be going back for the shopping tomorrow.

I'll go feed the doggies and eat my breakfast and then I'll be back to see who (besides Jackie) is up.

Good morning everyone..

We now have 6+ inches of heavy snow. The sound of the wind woke me up along with the pup laying across me with her bony elbows! Hubby said he will do the snow blowing today  so we shall see how he fares out after that. Said he feels a bit better after he has done some work as long as he doesn't over do it.
I am going to go and do some hand shoveling to help out.

Jane, Jackie, good morning

Joan, thank you for breakfast.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Good morning, Janie.  I wish you smiles at WM today.

Amy--Good morning.  I hope your husband doesn't overdo dancing with the snow blower.  It's nice of you to help out by dancing with the shovel.

It's errand day for me--and after that I'll see what transpires.

I am another one who doesn't post too often because what I have to say doesn't seem of interest.....not even to me.    But, I read all of the posts everyday and am always interested in what each of you write.   

It rained sometime during the night and I was surprised at how much of the ice and snow disappeared overnight.  David went to the grocery store yesterday and told me that the main streets are all clear of icy patches so I think we just might be able to get out for his delayed birthday dinner this evening.  It will be nice to finally get out for awhile.  My house has been comfortably warm and cozy during this latest storm but the walls are beginning to get a little close in for me.

Okay, Joan, you woke me up with the galloping horse, I wasn't expecting that.  Watch out for those blonds today, Janie! 

Amy, I still don't have my snow blower out of the shed but we are only predicted ice, ice & more ice for the next few days.  I'm off to get my "what-if" supplies today while it's in the 60s, bottom drops out tonight.

I thought yesterday was the last day for painting but a few more hours today.  Gr-daughter has a hair appointment before going back to work, so I will time my errands with hers to make it work.  I was trying to remember how old the older baby was when she went through the surgery and radiation for her thyroid, she is cramming everything in that she can.  My laundry & clean floors can wait, hopefully "ice" doesn't mean power out, may try to get a few loads wash & dried "just in case". 

This isn't getting the job done, must go feed some hungry cats & let them run today, they will shake their feet and not go out tomorrow!  Tom & Tiger stop at the door to feel how cold it is & shake both front feet before darting out.  Guess it gets the blood circulating since they don't wear fur lined UGGs. 

Good morning to everyone, make the best of your day, they don't seem to have 24 hours anymore... like a pound of coffee isn't 16 ounces, my days are shrinking. 

Oops, nice to see you, Phyllis.  Looks like my birthday will be iced over this year, but I try to convince my tribe to wait & celebrate with my daughter's which is 10 days later.  Happy BD to David.

Hi everyone.  I started my day with the temperature outside of 54 degrees and it is overcast this morning with very little chance of rain today.  Yesterday was a full day that left both of us worn out.  As usual the doctor's appointment took well over an hour, most of the time waiting.  She then had to go fairly close by and have a couple of x-rays done on her back and hip.  By this time it was after lunch and we decided to have our big meal at Cracker Barrel, which was close to where the x-ray was taken.  We had a good meal and then on the way home stopped at COSTCO.  I had my glasses adjusted and Pat started to pick out new frames.  I then started doing the list shopping.  Fortunately I had been able to get an electric cart to use and that really helped.  However, Pat decided she was too tired and her back hurt too bad to make a decision on the new frames so waited for me in the food court area while I finished the shopping.  It was around 3 pm when we got home and we both took naps but were still tired.  I went to bed early and had a good nights sleep and she did also.

Today has much less strenuous schedule.  Pat has an appointment at 9:30 to get her hair cut and then at 4 pm an appointment with the Chiropractor.  At 5:30 I will meet Scott and Jennifer at the Church for our Wednesday night dinner and then they will come out to the house for awhile.

Beverly, I always scroll back on the postings to where I last posted so that I don't miss reading anyone's postings even though I may not comment on them.  I try over a matter of a few days to say something to each poster and if I have missed anyone over a period of time I assure that it is oversight and not intentional as I appreciate each and every person who posts.

JaneS, that is quite a variance of expected snow yesterday.  I hope it stayed as snow and not freezing rain and see that you are OK this morning. .  I agree with you that lack of work is much harder than being busy at a job.  I wonder why it was so slow. 

Callie, I have always done some grocery shopping but now with cell phones if I have any questions I just call Pat and ask her.  With Pat's back situation I have basically been doing all of the grocery shopping except when she puts in the order at Walmart online and then I just go and pick it up.  I don't envy you having two meetings in one day. 

Jackie, I find your books interesting. Keep up the good work.

I have run out of time before I have finished reading the posting so will come back to it later this morning and post any additional comments then. 

Well between hubby and I we did get the drive way clean, then I went out back and did a trail for the dogs and to the wood pile..there was water under the snow making it very difficult to snow blow through. After lunch I will go get a load of wood just to have ready when the wood box gets low. Rather do it today when it is nice than tomorrow in the rain....not that I am made out of sugar..

LARRY HANNA....
...give it another year and I should have enough " books " to sell....I should make a mint, that should keep me financially comfortable till my end.....

Good Morning Everyone!

Back later....

Phyllis--I know you will be glad to get out.  Enjoy celebrating David's birthday.

Shirley--Painting is a job I REALLY dislike.

Larry--You sure had a busy day yesterday.  Enjoy your time with Scott and Jennifer at the church dinner and then later at your home.

Amy--You w--- so hard.  How about a nap this afternoon?

Vanilla-Jackie--I always like a good book sale.

halkel--Hi and goodbye.

I was out much longer than I wanted to be this morning.  The biggest wait was a mix up in one of my prescriptions.

I'm home and I'm tired.  The drive to work was uneventful.  Kelly Township (where I live) is very efficient in bad weather.  They had all the roads cindered so they weren't slippery at all.  And WM has a service that takes care of the parking lot so that was already salted and melting when I got there.  And by the time I was ready to come home, the temp was above freezing, the sun was shining and all the ice that was exposed to sun was melting. 

My daughter texted me 5 times this morning urging me to call off but I knew people from much farther away would be calling off and I felt safe to go so I allayed all her fears and reported my safe arrival so she wouldn't have to worry.

Now I'm going to see if there are any zzzzs left anywhere in this house and find out if they want to get into my brain for a bit. 

Phyllis, enjoy your dinner with David and wish him Happy Birthday from me.  Have something good to eat and tell us about it. 

Good Morning all, I am running late as I had a slow starter this morning. I am getting back into the habit of massage and exercise of legs and arms and feet in the early a.m. and that eats up about 30 or more minutes of the day. Then I had to dress and scoot down for a bandage change on the leg. Thing are Looking Good, and I am so thankful, it must be two or more months since this first started, and because of my bad arteries, I am truly lucky to be beating it.

Callie, I think my husband was unique in being the "shopper" in our domain. And of course he was "de boss" in all areas, and excelled in what he did. He worked for the government for most of his adult life, buying material of all sorts for the armed forces. Very strict. One of his guys told me that he was not always well liked, but always very respected. He lived by the rules. As to the grocery shopping, he was also a coupon clipper,and could have used an office for that alone.

We are having a mixed day weather-wise. Had some light rain in the early hours, now it is just stationary,no wind, no rain,no nothing. Like a dummy I missed Bible study this morning..can't seem to get back into my routine. I will go down to lunch at noon, and then I will probably come home and sleep some more.

Jackie, have you made a decision on the new dog yet ? I think he would be very happy living in your home.

Bis,I am still waiting for an appt. with the head nurse about my self-administering meds. The girl just brought in four more. I feel my body is more full of chemicals than it is of food. So I will soon trot down to the dining room and have the "real thing". I would have taken the meds down to take after, or with my lunch, but the girls have rules they are to stay with us till we swallow them all. I should not complain...they care for us very well.

Janie--I'm glad you had no problems getting to and from work.  I hope you found some zzz's.

June--Glad to hear the leg is looking good.  They sure take good care of you--making sure you get your meds in a timely manner. 

It's very quiet here this afternoon.  Folks must be catching some zzz's or eating supper or ??    I am going to go watch the news.  God Bless everyone.

Hello again. I did have a good lunch...pepperoni pizza, green salad, steamed carrots, and banana cream pie for dessert.Then home for a nice long nap. Wakened just now with a phone call from my beloved son Dan in Santa Cruz. He said they had a foot of rain in their mountains, but today was clear. More rain tomorrow.

Our sun is shining brightly now, so I will take myself out for a nice walk. keep well and happy my dear ones.

I did find some of the missing zzzs and I persuaded them to keep me company on the sofa.  When I woke up, I made dog food and then we all had supper.  I've been checking my email and answering some of it. 

It has been a quiet day for the soda shoppe. 

We did get some of the predicted rain and the temps moved into the 40s.  All the ice is gone and I'm still thinking about a visit with my sister this weekend.  I'm not planning it because every time I plan a trip to my sister's in Jan or Feb, it snows.  So I'm just thinking about it.On the off chance that I might decide to go, I've laid a few things out on the bed in the spare room.

Now I'm going to go watch some TV and share the chair with the doggies.

Have a lovely evening Everyfriend!

Janie, I too am "in" for the evening. Had a a good walk, a good visit with friends along the way, and I am tired..a good tired. So, I will have a light supper at home, some more book reading, and a pleasant nights sleep. And if I am awake, I will come back and turn off the lights.

I too am going to call it a night....morning comes early and I am not sure what it will bring......just hope not the rain ..

Sleep tight everyone...