I set my DVR to start recording Queen Elizabeth's funeral service, at 2:30 AM here, on Sunday night, but didn't start watching until I was well awake on Monday morning.  Watched every minute until it was over, and then spent an hour or so, looking at commentary from various news sources around the world.

I'm still totally awe struck by the beauty, the precision, and mostly by the love and respect that the British people have for their Country, their former Queen and their new King Charles.  I couldn't help comparing the UK, to the USA, and the difference in attitude, respect, and love of country.

I could write all day about that subject, but won't of course.  I'll only say  that I enjoyed every minute of the service.  No other country does Pomp and Pageantry like the British!
All descriptive adjectives apply   . . .   spectacular,  emotional,  awesome,  beautiful,  sorrowful, and flawless.   A perfect and a fitting tribute to the Queen, who devoted her life to her Country.   

She was exactly 3 years & 1 month older than I, and I followed the small Princess Elizabeth all of my life.  What a shock when suddenly she was reported very ill and just like that was gone!  I feel the anger portion of grieving, because I did not have enough time and blip, it was all over.  A blessing for her, but not for me and others who have followed it all, for all these many years.

I have never heard what it was precisely that killed her.  Or was it just old age?  I am wondering if it may have been congestive heart failure, which I have.

HELLO to ALL 🦋🦋

My goodness, JACKIE.  That certainly is impressive to have made it to that age and STILL be out and about and have all your facilities!  Bless her heart.

MARYPAGE, I am also anxious to hear what brought the Queen down so quickly.  I in no way expected her to pass on the day they first announced that she was not feeling well. 

MARILYN, I could not say it any better that you did.....the way you felt about Queen Elizabeths final farewell.  it was a wonderful tribute to a first class lady.....every bit of it.  I heard often that she had corrugated the whole thing.....what a wonderful job she did.  I did the same thing.....sat down and watched the entire program. 

I just came from seeing my dietician and my pulmonology cardiologist and they BOTH were just blown away by my loss of 14# on the keto diet  that I have been on for a month tomorrow.  My blood glucose levels are in the non dietetic range now, and they will take me off of the last drug in another month.  They STILL can not find the reason for my need for oxygen other than the high altitude here in Colorado.  I am wearing another Holter Heart Monitor as the last one I wore for a week supposedly had no information on it. 😩😩 I am feeling pretty happy about all of this.

I hope you all are doing well today.

Jenny

Jenny - It's good to see you posting here again!  you've had a busy couple of weeks with lots of activities,plus all of your doctor appointments.    Too bad you have to wear the Holter Monitor again, but hoping it doesn't bother you as much as it did before?   Glad the Keto hist has worked so well for you and Bob.   I've heard a lot of good things about it.   Sorry about the passing of your dil's father.

It will be a wonderful treat for you to visit Mackinac Island!  I also loved the movie, "Somewhere in Time", and have always wanted to visit the island, and stay in that beautiful hotel.    My younger daughter saw the movie just last week, on TCM, and she absolutely loved it!   Now she wants to go on a trip to the island!      It is a magical story, that never grows old.   
I liked your quote from Queen Elizabeth,  "Grief is the price we pay for love". 

Marilyne, "Somewhere In Time" is one of my very favorite movies, and I cry everytme I watch it.  For the longest time, I looked for it on DVD, and it seemed to not be available anywhere.  But hurrah for the "almost hated" Amazon.  I was able to get a copy on DVD. 

I spent so much time watching the Ceremonies for the Queen, I didn't get to my computer at all for 2 days and incurred "late fees" on two of my bills.
I would hope that somewhere, sometime, somehow there will be available all of the individual ceremonies on DVD. 

Good Thursday Morning to everyone.  We've been blessed with cool weather in the low 70's the past couple of days, but  starting today, the temps will be rising again!  Expecting mid 90's over the weekend, which is typical for this time of year.

Joanne -  It never occurred to me to look on Amazon, for "Somewhere in Time",  but will definitely check it out. 
I'd like to get a couple of DVD's for Christmas presents.  Younger daughter will be pleased, and I think my older daughter will like it too.

Jenny - looking forward to what you think about Mackinac Island, and the hotel?    Since most of us will never be able to visit there, you can give us the "grand tour", with maybe a few pictures? 

Jackie - I read your message about the your 105 year old friend! Wow, that is pretty amazing, but I do believe that Junee our S&F member,  is heading in that direction.   She is now 100, and in good health, so she has a good chance.

Mary Page - You're doing well also, and I'm hoping you reach your goal of living to 100, and having that big family birthday party!    As for the seemingly sudden death of Queen Elizabeth . . . they say her health had been deteriorating rapidly, since the passing of Prince Philip, in 2021, but never said exactly what was wrong?   I remember that sad photo of her wearing a mask, and sitting all alone in the corner of the Church pew.   

Well, I went and did it. I signed up for one of those grocery delivery services on a yearly membership. So much for the exercise I get pushing a grocery cart around every other week. At this point I am not sure what kind of weather we will have this winter. First we were told it will be extra snowy here. Last I heard, they are saying it will be milder.

I put the heat on this morning partly because it was a little too cold for me and the cats and partly to make sure the boiler is working before it really gets cold out. The weather forecast is for it to get down into the 50s and 40s at night and not reaching 70 during the day at least until next Saturday. We haven't had it this chilly in September for a few years.

Good Afternoon from a cloudy but warm central Oklahoma.

Marsgal,  I began ordering groceries delivered almost a year and a half ago - with the yearly fee for free delivery - and I am thoroughly spoiled!!!  What service are you using?  My supermarket uses Shipt and I can select "preferred" shoppers from the ones that deliver my order.  I've chosen two and, although they don't know my last name and I don't know theirs - they have both become "text-friends" while filling my orders.  Both will even take pictures of the fresh produce or look for something I can describe but not name and it's GREAT!

Jenny, great to see you back again.  Macinack Island was on My List but I had to stop that kind of traveling before I got there.    Hope your trip is/was wonderful and looking forward to hearing about it.
Glad the Keto diet worked so well for you.  My nephew/wife swear by it.  A diabetic dietician gave me  a "managed carb" diet plan (no assigned foods) years ago and I lost more than 30 pounds over a year - and have kept my glucose at an acceptable level ever since.

I, too, wondered what the Queen's final health issue was - considering how well she looked while greeting the new Prime Minister just two days before her death.  All of the ceremonies were fantastic but I particularly liked the second service in the chapel.

I think I've mentioned that my dear dil's cancer had returned - 11 years after her radical mastectomy.  The first med spiked her liver enzymes to an unacceptable level and she had to wait almost 8 weeks for them to get low enough to try a 2nd med.
She'd started that one a week ago and, sadly, learned yesterday that it, too, was spiking her enzymes.  She goes to her doctor Monday for = as she said - "Plan C".  She has been feeling pretty good and I'm really uneasy about what comes next.

I've been muttering and mumbling while trying to sort out some Estate business.  Why in the world can't legal "assistants" (i.e. Secretaries) list things in chronological order in final papers?   

I spent one day this week in the kitchen - making round steak/potatoes in the slow cooker and tenderized chicken breasts into Chicken Cordon Bleu (only with Swiss cheese instead of blue....) and peeling/slicing some big yellow squash (squashes?  ) .to microwave.

Off to put together something for dinner and get ready to watch my OU Sooners take on Kansas State. 


 

Callie, I used Insta-Cart several times then eventually switched to Giant-Direct/Peapod for my groceries. Giant is headquartered close by in Carlisle, PA and services stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Giant Direct groceries come in a dedicated Giant Direct or Peapod truck from a more central location nearby rather than the closest grocery store. Both Peapod and Giant are subsidiaries of the Dutch company Ahold.

Insta-Cart is interesting because it services more than just a grocery store. It partners with a number of stores including PetCo, RiteAid and CVS, Lowes, The Vitamin Shoppe, Sam's Club, Costco and B. J's. Wholesale, BestBuy, Michael's (the craft store) and more. The young people who delivered my groceries used their own vehicles and my groceries were run through the local store cash register. I don't know if they or someone else picked the groceries.

This morning it's cool and foggy, but will burn off later, with the temperature going up to mid 80's.  Then 90's for a couple of days.  Summer continues on through October, here in California. 

Callie - Sorry to hear about your dil's diagnosis, and that the first  two chemo meds caused problems.   Hoping that Plan-C, will work for her, and that she will go into a long term holding pattern. 
I don't know whatever happened to Jean's (FlaJean) daughter's sudden cancer diagnosis?   I'm still in contact with Jean, but she is very weak, and unable to write more than a few words.   I will keep you posted.

MarsGal - I've looked into a few options like InstaCart and other delivery services, but for now, we will continue to shop at our local stores.   Fortunately, we live only a few long blocks from a large Safeway Market, Walgreens,  Petco, and other smaller stores and restaurants. So only takes a few minutes to drive to these and others, and get what we need.  I will likely change my mind in the future.

Hoping that Jenny and Bob are enjoying their visit to Mackinac Island?  I meant to check the weather in Michigan, but forgot about it until now.  I don't think any of the major storms have gone in that direction?             

Bubble...
...good morning, happy to see you back...

Thank you Jackie,  it's good to be active again. I was getting depressive, especially since I was unable to sit long enough to do some Paint shop.

Just a quick check in to let you know I am still alive and kicking‼️

We have enjoyed a wonderful trip.  Going to the funeral on Saturday and seeing family and friends was so nice.  What a shame these events only occurs at sad times but what a w day of celebration of life we had🙏🙏

On Sunday we left Naperville heading East thru Chicago to Indiana, then turning north for my dream vacation of going to the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island. As we passed through the Grand Rapids area I thought of Norm, Dot and Mary Ann.  I always hoped seeing them would included with this drive.  😩😩

We enjoyed our day on the Island on Monday in spite of all the rain.  When I was rocking in the rocking chair on the beautiful veranda, the sun came out for a few minutes and it was delightful.  Yesterday, Tuesday we drove across the Mackinaw Bridge and entered the UP of Michigan. What a beautiful area. 

Our time is winding down.  We are in Green Bay now and of course we stopped as we entered Wisconsin to buy some cheese curds!  We visited Lambeau Field.  They only do tours on Friday and Saturdays of home game weekends😩😩. This IS definitely not a home g@me weekend @ the p@+k will be in London. I wanted to get inside to spread a little Bronco juju around, ya know🤪🤪🤪🤪

I hope you all are doing well. 

Jenny

Jenny, what a delightful trip you're having!  That area was on my "Travel Bucket List" but I "aged out" before I could get there. 
I agree on sad occasions being nice for family get-togethers.  Makes for good memories.

Bubble,  I didn't realize you were away because of health issues. Thought it had something to do with Rosh Hashana.  So happy to see you back again.

Mandi has been told to stay on the meds she's taking and will be tested to see if enzyme levels go down. She'll have a Scan later in October to see if anything has changed.  She's feeling okay and has been getting out and about more.

Other son/dil are currently at the beach in Orange Beach Alabama (dil says you step one way and you're in Florida - step the other way and it's Alabama).  She posted a picture of the beautiful Gulf water with a clear blue sky overhead and said the cloud bank on the distant horizon was the hurricane.  Fortunately, it won't be anywhere near them - although they have had some wind on the waves.  Hope their flight home isn't affected - although I don't think they'd mind "having" to stay a few days longer. 

Neighbor and I spent a lovely evening on her patio.  We've both noticed a lot of tiny bees around her fountain and my hummer feeder.  (I'd had to have a "discussion" with one who insisted on "supervising" my filling suet feeder and cleaning bird bath earlier in the day and she had had several who didn't like her watering the flowers next to the fountain).
Bees have emptied the hummer feeder and I plan to bring it in for the season when it's dark enough for the bees to call it a day.  We're advised to take those feeders in around the first of October anyway - to "encourage" the hummingbirds to migrate.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

Callie, I will be absent again on the 4th and 5th  fasting for Yom Kippur. The computer will be turned off then.

Hello from a very tragic and wet Florida. We are one of the fortunate ones who escaped the wrath of Hurricane Ian. When it came across the state the worst of it went south and east of us.

I am hoping Shirley N. is okay. She lives in Winter Garden and I haven't seen any news from there.

My sister-in-law (Chape's youngest sister) lives in Port Charlotte. She wasn't in the zone of mandatory evacuation and she and her husband chose to stay with their home.    Their house is above street level and was spared the worst of the flooding. Winds in Port Charlotte reached 110+ mph. This morning there was someone's roof in their front yard plus a lot of other stuff! Thank God they are okay, but have no power and the street still has several feet of water. She's been using her cell phone but once that runs out we won't have any contact. Over 2 million people are without power.

I'm also concerned about Johann McCracken. She lives in Myrtle Beach and that area is being hit today. I'll see if I can reach her on Facebook.

Bubble - I'm glad to see you are posting again.

Everyone should remember that there are phone chargers that plug into the car. Pass the word to those who may not know or forgotten.

Good reminder...THATS what I had to do when we had no electricity for a week...a year ago

Well, we have finally been told, and on the Evening News, no less, what Queen Elizabeth died of.  And we saw it typed (typed?) on her death certificate: Old Age!  That's a new one to me!

Thanks, Rammel. I hadn't thought of that but I'm sure my sister-in-law has. I've avoided calling her so as not to use up the cell phone battery! She posted on Facebook a few hours ago. What I'm concerned with now is if she stocked a good supply of water. I'm sure any water they can get is contaminated. I don't know when they will be able to get out of their house because of the flooded streets. I've seen the videos of Port Charlotte. Awful! I also have a friend in Punta Gorda and don't know how she fared.

Hi Cotton Candy!

MaryPage - That's a new one on me, too! When my paternal grandmother died in 1915 the diagnosis was "consumption" (tuberculosis) My father was only 2 yrs. old.

It sounds like they're not releasing the actual cause or causes.

Beverly - So good to see a message from you when I checked in here tonight!  I've been thinking about you and hoping that  that you were okay.  It's mass chaos and  devastation in Florida right now, and makes me wonder if things will ever be the same . . . if people will be able to return to what once were their homes and neighborhoods and begin to rebuild? 

I saw that you mentioned ShirleyN, and realized that you must have missed the bad news about her passing?  I posted here about five or six months ago, that she had passed away from Lymphoma.  She had been in remission for a long time, but it returned, and she only lived a short time after that.   

Actually, while I have never heard of Old Age being the official cause of death previously, I have thought of it in regard to myself.  My doctor sort of kind of (I am not very savvy about matters medical) explained to me that my heart conditions (arrhythmia, atrail fibrillation and congestive heart disease) are affected by my lung condition (C.O.P.D.) and some other stuff I have that are causing other organs and bits & pieces to sort of disintegrate (perhaps not the best non-medical word) and I gather one thing in us failing sort of causes a falling dominoes sort of failure situation, well, I really did think maybe Old Age sums it all up fairly well!

"About a week after the end of the national mourning period and three weeks after she actually died, Queen Elizabeth's death certificate has been released to the public with her official stated cause and time of death. According to the document released by the National Records of Scotland and obtained by People, the queen died of old age at 3:10 in the afternoon. Her husband Prince Philip, who died at age 99, also has old age listed as the cause of death on his death certificate.

Aside from the listed occupation—Her Majesty The Queen—the document doesn't look much different than any other death certificate. It is signed by Queen Elizabeth's only daughter, Princess Anne, who was with her during her final hours."

Marilyne - Oh my! I'm sorry to hear that. I knew the lymphoma had returned. I met Shirley and Danny when a group of us had lunch at the Columbia Restaurant near Tampa. Norm and Dot were there and also Papa John and Cornelia. So long ago!

The water has receded from my sister-in-law's street and she posted some pictures. So much heartache for so many in Florida. It will take a long time to recover.

It was a beautiful day here with sunshine and cooler temps. This was the first time in months I've been able to open up the house and "air it out". Donna and Mike came over and cleaned up the debris blown off the trees. My yard is nice and tidy again!

My daughter Lauri is flying in tomorrow night for a few days. I hope there are no glitches with her flight. She's flying into Orlando.

More sad news this morning of the passing of Jean Feller, one of our long time members here in Seniors and Friends.
Today I received a message from Jean's husband Larry, that she passed away yesterday afternoon, September 30.

She posted many beautiful pictures in "Photos Old and New", over the years, of her garden, her house, and the birds that came to their feeder. Many of you knew her from her posts here in  "Bait and Tackle", and also in "Library~Bookshelf, Movies and Television". 

Marilyne...
...is this our FlaJean who has passed away...if so, i am very shocked and saddened to hear of this news...

So sorry to hear that Jean passed away. I know she had been ill recently. My condolences to her husband, family and friends. I enjoyed reading her posts.

I'm so sorry to learn about FlaJean.  My prayers and sympathy go out to her family

Beverly, so glad to learn you and your family are safe.  Hope Lauri's flight gets there.    Son/dil have been in Orange Beach, AL for the past week.  Ian didn't affect them (other than maybe making the water a bit rough for fishing/swimming/etc.) but I was a bit concerned about their flight home from Pensacola to OKC through Atlanta.  However, Flight Status indicates they should be on their way and arrive on time. .

I am so sorry to hear of Jean's passing. I loved reading her posts. For several years she lived just north of me in Ocala. I regret not meeting her then.

Marilyne - Have your heard anything about her daughter, Gigi, who was going through treatment for cancer? So sad for Gigi losing her mother at this time.

Callie - Hope your son and DIL are safely back in OKC. Lauri's flight was delayed two hours but she's in the air now! This messed up her shuttle plans. Orlando airport is about an hour and a half south of here. Daughter Donna and SIL are driving down to pick her up.

Chape's sister said her neighborhood has pulled together and are helping each other. They had stored plenty of water and also have a generator. They can drive out now but she said there's no place to go! No stores, etc.

My brother's granddaughter and her two children live in Ormand Beach. She had to evacuate. She had the chance to check her house today and is very upset. Someone stole her propane tanks. The good definitely outweigh the bad, but people do get desperate at times like this. On the whole Florida is truly pulling together!