Larry, it is nice that Scott was feeling better.  I hope those spells become fewer and fewer as time goes on.

Patricia, I enjoyed those wildlife pictures you posted.  We  have Canada geese galore in the Spring and Fall here but I'm glad we don't have those large white geese that were with them in your picture. 

Tom has been OTB and brought back mine, part of which I've eaten.

Nothing special on my agenda today, either more of the same or we'll see what is in store for us.

Mary Ann

Larry, Dot is in seventh heaven because the Cubs won the World Series.  She lived most of her life in the Chicago area.  She said when she called her son who still lives in Chicago that her DIL was screaming in the background.  I may have been like that for the Detroit Tigers at one time, but I am not a sports fan any longer.

Looking at Grand Haven, all I could see was fog.

Mary Ann

 

Good Morning Everyone,
from the cool and rainy,  rocky coast of
Maine.      After that nice day that
we had yesterday,  we are in for
a few wet days.   

But the good news is,  come Sunday
thru long after the Election,  the
weather here is going to be very
pleasant  and dry ...  so it will
be easy for anyone choosing to vote
to get out to the polls.   

Hopefully we won't have to blame the
weather for the way things turn out.   

I went out and bought some pretty
blue lights to put in  the windows of
my corner apartment ...   Along with 
a white Christmas Tree...       I do
love blue and white for the holidays ...

Larry,  I am glad to hear that Scott is
feeling better  ...  this is a tough time
of the year for all those who have lost
loved ones... 

We just have to make do and
soon the New Year will be here with
the holidays behind us.   
For that I am always grateful.

I did manage to find yet another
leather purse  (small carry all)  that
I could not resist.   

Purses are my down fall...  I can't
seem to resist them.   But for only
$3...  such a deal!!

Have a good day, Everyone ..

Sandy

Thanks for the photo comments. I lived for a time directly across the street from the sanctuary public areas so really miss those walks I took after work in the afternoon and evenings. Only a small portion of the sanctuary is open to the public and it is peaceful. No one is allowed in many of the further acres as summer is a breeding season. MaryAnn, some of those larger were swans.

I wish I could go OTL weekly or more, but half the time I am too broke or someone else is. We do more out for coffee than OTL.

Larry, I am glad that your son and Pat have you during this time in their lives. You have such a close family and busy life!

Sandy, Fe is changing so rapidly in her photos! Babies are such fun aren't they and especially when you can give them back to mom and dad! I am both anxious and scared to see this election over with. I thought I knew people were crazy but this political season has blown that wide open!

I have that really weird compulsion to have a bazillion purses, clutches, handbags, and totes, too, Sandy Dapph.
But there is NO PLACE to put them!  So I have winnowed mine down to two (2) of those large plastic boxes full, and that's it!  Any more that come my way, will have to depart just as fast, or Replace others already in those boxes.
Funny the things we have a strong feel for, and that the list is different for each one of us.  Me, I never used cosmetics, so while for years my daughters and granddaughters have purchased warehouses full of those, I have had my books.  And I don't care much for or about clothes, except for having a thing for purses, shoes, and underwear.  I have lost the need to have a closet full of shoes.  Gave that up clear back in 1987, when the doctor said I must stop wearing heels.  Can't remember when I went to sturdy white cotton grandma-type underwear, but I did.  From about age 14 to about age 69 or so, I was the MOST glamorous thing you can imagine UNDERNEATH my simple clothing.  All silk Dior camisoles in the palest peach trimmed with real lace, and such like.  What in the World made me crazy for stuff no one ever saw?  In trying to figure it out, the psychology of it, that is, I sometimes wonder if it is because my grandmother used to always caution me to make sure my underclothes didn't have any holes in them when I sallied forth from home.  "You never know." she'd say: "You just never know when you might get hit by a car!"

Thank you for the nice comments!


The last seven avian sanctuary photos.

http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=11.msg58737#msg58737

MaryPage, Sandy, I have always thought of myself as having a bit of a magpie's nature. And it didn't help that my work was mainly in retail.  When I was younger, I had the lotions,, lacy underwear, shoes, and purses. I still probably have at least ten purses and will often stroll around that aisle in the malls. But the hundred or more $$  price tags for some that were not even good leather put a stop to that yearning.

I think that the idea of all that lace underneath those bland corporate pantsuits or blazers made me feel a bit more feminine, more for me and the confidence it gave me.

I have been thinking of your family and Greg and have been hoping those medical issues are for the most part in the past and healing by now.

Thank you, Patricia.  Tuesday, Chip drove me across the bay to Chestertown, where Greg was having his very first day at home alone (with a dog and 2 cats) after his October 12th quadruple bypass.  Anne had to return to her nursing job at the hospital.
Chip ran some errands and did some chores for Greg, while I worked on his bookkeeping.  We then left him to a nap and came on home.
Greg is 74, so this is not an easy road for him.  He is doing very well, but the progress is painful and slow.  One day he will be just fine, we all hope.
I find myself wishing I had the money I spent in the past on shoes and lingerie and purses.  Oh well!  I had a lovely time of it.

What a lovely clear sky (except for a few wispy clouds) this morning as I took the trash out. Now that the street light has finally been fixed properly, the light interferes, but I could still see the constellations and the brightest stars. I even saw the nebula in Orion, which is the first time I could see it after the light got fixed.

Today I have to get my root canal (from three years ago) redone. Not happy about it. This is money I was going to use to get new glasses or put toward getting new storm doors. I guess my mind got made up for me. I've already put off glasses for two years. I don't need a new prescription, but the coatings on my lenses have gotten rubbed and scratched enough to make it annoying to see through.

Hi everyone on another beautiful Friday in South Carolina.  Today will be COSTCO day as have a 10 am appointment there to see the eye doctor for my yearly exam.  I plan on picking up just a couple of items after the exam. Then this afternoon, if Pat feels up to it, she will go to the optical department to see about getting new lenses for her glasses and wants to look around as she hasn't been in a store for probably three months.  She will use one of the electric carts to get around so should be OK in doing this.  I will do some more shopping as we need to restock several things like meat for the freezer.  The housekeeper will be here this morning and the yard was done on Wednesday so things we will be back in order by the afternoon. 

Mary Ann, I was pulling for the Chicago Cubs to win but they sure had a steep climb by getting behind early in the series.  They have had loyal fans and this is their first World Series Championship since 1908.  Of course, Cleveland hasn't won for a long time either. 

Sandy, you sound like my sister-in-law in being a good shopper and finding the bargains.  It sounds like your window will be bright and festive for the holidays. 

Patricia, thanks for your kind comments.  I expect eating out where you live is considerably more expensive than it is around here, although it is certainly not cheap here either.  However, that is something we can still do and enjoy it.  We ate out last evening after Pat's chiropractic appointment.  We went to a Bar-B-Q place that has very good food and as we ate we asked ourselves why it had been so long since we had gone there as it is always good. 

MaryPage, had you mentioned Greg having the quadruple bypass before?  For some reason I don't remember it if you did.  I am glad he is doing better. Did he have a heart attack? After I had my first bypass surgery I felt terrible for about 8 weeks until they finally discovered it had a fluid buildup around my heart.  After they took the fluid off, something I hope I never have to have done again, I almost immediately began to feel better and was able to return to work within a few weeks.  However, those were a long 8 weeks.   I hope Greg will soon be back to a new normal feeling much better than he has for a long time. 

MarsGal, I do hope your root canal redo goes very well today.  Those are never fun. 

Good morning from the Interior on a so far, cold, dark day. Coffee has just finished, and Farrah has been fed and my all night on the weekly antivirus program has again come up clean. This isn't surprising as it continuously runs in the background getting rid of junk, and other unnecessary woes as well as seeking out rootkits and viruses. I run a weekly, second opinion virus checker as well because, after an attack in 2007 that destroyed the computer I had back then, I've made this a priority.

MarsGal, I don't envy your new root canal on an older one. I had that done due to a bone chip under the original channel, and they are very expensive! It must be the season for glasses as my new ones should arrive in a week. My next priority is a new haircut, a necessary job but I get tired of that steadily climbing expense as well. And in two weeks, paying a nice young man to come in and wash out cupboards and down walls before I again put my house back together again. It seems like cash just steadily dribbles away until "You ain't got nuffthin," as that song says!

MaryAnn, after telling everyone I never go OTL, only for coffee, I contradicted myself by meeting friends after my errands and eye appointment yesterday. We again had Boarshead sandwiches, a new enticement for me. After last time's sandwich's  Grizzly Bear's bite, I ordered a ham, turkey, and bacon on a French bread roll or Hoagy and it was so good. And three-fourths of it sits in my fridge right now for an extra meal or two.

My friend's husband had a Kotzebue-Cuban with jalapeno pepper slices that I wish I had ordered. The way he kept closing his eyes and murmuring, was almost obscene. He ordered a second one to take home before we left. The waitress said all of the Boarshead sandwiches are hot, just to differing degrees. I know my club had a spicy kick to it and the Grizzly bear burned my tongue!

I had to walk five miles yesterday as I was too stubborn to pay twenty or more for two cab rides. It is hard to believe that just three years ago, I routinely walked ten or more daily with ease. I rode the bus out to the Southside, but as it doesn't go all the way to my eye doctor on the outskirts, I had the choice of one, getting off at Alaskaland's park, walking across the river on a pedestrian's bridge and then walking three blocks.

Or two getting off by the University, walking  up to the highway overpass's walkway, then a block to Phillip's Field road and then four blocks to the eye doctor. If they weren't highly recommended, and I liked their service as well, I never would have done this. My ears and fingers were both chilled when I arrived.I then walked six blocks to meet my friends afterward. Next week I will see about Van Tran's services.

This town is like many where the city center is full of government and business headquarters while the growth is on the outskirts like a doughnut. And the buses tend only to go to the most accessible areas.

MaryPage, I am glad Greg is doing better, and he has a loving and giving family to help. That is so important! And Larry certainly can help as being the voice of experience! So many if you on this site, have active lives full of family and friends that I quite envy.

At the same time, I need periodic people breaks just to recoup, so I have the life I need. When I was working and wrangling staff, I looked forward to days where I never saw or spoke to anyone. I never understood why an introvert like me ended up in middle management, but it paid well enough, and I was never tempted to go higher or further corporately. I enjoyed my rut as one husband used to say about my ambition.

I am hoping everyone is well or well enough and enjoying their day!

Patricia, the Boarshead sandwiches sound interesting.  I like taste but I don't like hot.  I would not go to a Mexican restaurant with Tom because I was afraid things would be too spicy, but I finally did go and found something tasty without being too spicy. 

I remember when you used to walk all over the place and it's good you can still do long walks.  I never could and certainly cannot now.

It has been a very nice day here today with the temperature in the low 50s.  I had to go out the downstairs slider and Kendrick insisted on going out too - I could not stop him - and he stayed out for a while.  Later I went down to the slider and found him nosing around the plants.  I opened the door and he came in reluctantly - but he did come in.  I didn't scold him.

We're going to Panera's tonight and I'll have soup and either salad or sandwich.  I hope they have broccoli cheese soup.  Tom has worked hard today and I hate to ask him to cook supper.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, the brand sandwiches are from a Fred Meyers Deli and Fred Meyers is owned by Kroger, so perhaps you could find the Boarshead sandwiches and specialty products locally.

I'm glad Kendrick doesn't feel the need to run as much. I would be too nervous. Farrah has a new trick. Her carrier, made from a lightweight material, similar to sleeping bags, has a bottom zipper around three sides as well as the upper center zipper. Somehow she has figured out how to open the bottom zipper so she can escape. Since I have two more spraying dates, this is not good. Those heavier plastic carriers are so clunky.

As you may remember, I am taking some classes and one has to do with blending graphics. I was surprised to see the photo used for one lesson as it looks like the walkway from the Grand Rapids cam. However, the photographer calls it  South Haven. Just click on the one below to see full sized.

[attachimg=1]

This is the third time I've started this and each time I've been blown off! 

The scene you showed, Patricia, is of South Haven, which also has a catwalk.  The Grand Haven lighthouse is in the middle of the pier and the outer lighthouse is a building.  The Grand Haven catwalk has been taken down for repairs to the pier.  There is a question as to whether it will be restored and people are up in arms for fear it may not be.

Mary Ann

I hadn't realized they were two separate places. I had seen on the cam's page about the  catwalk's issues.

South Haven is on Lake Michigan, but nearer the Michigan/Indiana border. 

Mary Ann

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=South+Haven+Michigan+Map&fr=yhs-mozilla-002&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpics2.city-data.com%2Fcity%2Fmaps2%2Fcm6021.png#id=yst1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fref.michigan.org%2Fcm%2Fattach%2F9DDF2F0C-0A93-4C41-8C1B-8E90FF2B033D%2Fmap21.jpg&action=click

I hope this map holds up.  At the upper right corner of the box is Grand Rapids.  Go west to Lake Michigan and there is Grand Haven.  Go south half way to Holland, then at the lower left corner of the box is South Haven.  Go east and you come to Kalamazoo.  The map is very blurred to me but I know I have the locations right.

Mary Ann

I did not get the same picture I got when I typed in South Haven MI.  On this picture, go below the large map in the center and go down 5 rows and the third one in should be what I got and what I described.

Mary Ann

You Michiganders have a thing for the word "Haven," nineteen in the state in various forms! I see Grand Rapids is between Chicago and Detroit. Somehow I thought you were further west than that. The maps really help to put it in perspective. South Haven is 60 miles southwest of Grand Rapids and 29 miles from Holland, MI.

Everything is so close! The nearest large city to us is eight hours away over a couple of mountain ranges!

Here you go;

https://www.google.com/search?q=distance+between+holland+and+south+haven&oq=distance+between+holland+and+south+haven&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.20078j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Boarshead is a deli meat company.  I buy it at my local supermarket.  I really like their meats for sandwiches.

http://boarshead.com/

Yes, it's a Kroger or Fred Meyers brand as I said and they serve it in their deli here. Lunch meats, Canadian bacon, sausages, mustards, relishes, cheeses and sourdough loaves of bread. It is nice to go out and have someone make you a fresh sandwich that is not assembly line such as Subway and others. You can buy it in Fred Meyers stores, albeit more expensive. However, I enjoy stopping for a coffee and freshly made sandwich to enjoy with friends.

Hi everyone on this Saturday morning.  It looks like our high this afternoon will be 71 degrees but sunny and no rain.  I did go to my eye appointment and found I needed new lenses and that the cataract in one of my eyes had grown quite a bit.  I made the decision to go another year before dealing with it.  However, to replace the lenses they have to send my current glasses off for about a week.  Since that isn't going to work for me I had to purchase a new pair of frames and will put back my old ones, which I got last year, as a spare.  For some reason I was tired the rest of the day and really didn't accomplish anything else.  Nothing on the schedule for today other than to clean and fix up some fresh vegetables and plan for dinner tonight.  I know we are going to have ham and acorn squash and if I don't run out of energy I will make up some coleslaw.  I am looking forward to watching some college football this afternoon although I see that South Carolina doesn't play until 4 pm and Georgia plays at 7:30 PM.  So my afternoon rest period shouldn't be impacted by football. 

Patricia, I also have a program that scans for viruses and malware daily.  This must be the time of the year that many of us get our eyes checked and this year seems to be one for new glasses.  Nice you could go OTL with friends.  I know the Kroger we used to shop at before we moved featured mostly Boars head   meets and cheeses and used them in their deli sandwiches, which I enjoyed occasionally.  I am sure trying to walk 5 miles would do me in.  There is no way I would try to do even a mile anymore.  While I love people I still enjoy time to myself daily.  Cats are smart.  That was a beautiful picture you shared of Mary Ann's part of the country. 

Mary Ann, Panera's sound good to me.  I hope you enjoyed your meal.   

Patricia, yes, we are between Chicago and Detroit, but actually, we're only on the way to Up North.  You don't have to go through Grand Rapids to get to either city.  My dad was heard to remark that Grand Rapids was like a small town, I think because we are divided NE, NW, SE and SW.  I have driven near both Chicago and Detroit, but not into either city.  I think Indianapolis is the largest city I've driven in.  Michigan really is a very scenic state, maybe different scenery than Alaska, but we have lots of pine trees that contrast with the reds, oranges and yellows in the fall.  We are not flat like some of the midewest states are.  I really think that each state has its beauty and only we who live in those states appreciate it.  Alaska is much, much larger than Michigan.  Oh, you ought to go to our Upper Peninsula (UP) and towns are small and not so close together.  I loved my trip to Alaska and realize I saw only a small part of it.  I have seen much of Michigan, although not so much of Eastern Michigan.  My route goes to the Straits, then to the UP and west.  We also can go up to the Soo and cross into Canada. 

Larry, I enjoyed my Panera sandwich and soup (broccoli and cheese).

Mary Ann

Patricia, I forgot to mention that we have no Kroger store within 150 miles from us.  We used to have both A&P and Kroger.  I don't know if there are any A&P in the state, but the only Krogers I know about are in the Detroit area.  We have plenty of handy supermarkets in Grand Rapids.

I do not consider Subway sandwiches "assembly line" since they are made from scratch and we can pick what goes in them.  Tom always knows what I like on my Subway and we don't have the same tastes.

Mary Ann

Krogers moved out of Illinois many years ago. We're good stores. Great to work for.

Here they were Union. A big Union state one time. Not any longer. They moved because of that I think. We have so many bigger stores now.  None unionised.

Good Morning Everyone, from
the cool but sunny,  rocky coast of
Maine.

I got up at 5AM this morning  and started
in on my back room and have thoroughly
cleaned it out and organized what little is
left.       

I took a mess of stuff down stairs to 
give to the   thrift shop and low and
behold, it wasn't open !!!    So I had
to drag it all back up stairs again..   
(boo hoo) ...  But Monday Morning I
will take it down again.  I am getting
rid of allot of the "stuff" that I used
camping in my van when I drove
cross country in 2011.     

I never use it,  nobody wants it,
so I am getting rid of it.

I worked for about 5 hours arranging, 
rearranging and saying good bye to
my stuff  and right now I am really tired
but a weight has been lifted off
my shoulders.   

Oh happy day! 

Now to sit back and watch
some TV... 

Have a good day,  EVERYONE!
Sandy

Mornin all.  Nice day here today which is good.  Dan and a group of Vets will be riding in the Parade thru the Tri Cities.  Cool but nice and sunny for them.  Hope they take some pics for me. 

Other than that life is the same these days, not bad but not the greatest.   Oldest daughter had some surgery  done last week and is home recovering.  Her son and his wife are staying with her for 2 weeks to help outl  She had some sort of metal brace put in her neck.  Have no details on the whole procedure so not much to talk about.


all is well here and am glad.Hugs all around

In our Fred Meyers, you can purchase foods at the deli counter on the main floor, or you can go up one floor via stairs on one end or an elevator on the other, and pick out and purchase your sandwiches and drinks while you sit and look out over the lower mall floor. It is not as "fancy" as some of the restaurants or even local cafes, but the food is excellent, the area is clean, and you can people watch. The only issue I have is all the sandwiches start at nine dollars, yet both I have tried made two or three meals, so I guess for a senior, those are relative.

MaryAnn, in Subway, you move along, picking your bread, cheese, veggies and condiments before paying. That to me is an assembly line. I simply tired of Subway and Quiznos. In the Deli, you have a proffered menu, chairs, table and request a Grizzly Bear, Kotzebue Cuban, or the Alaskan,  etc.  and they make it up, and your number shows up on the electronic board for pickup. The flavors are not standardized. To eat out, even for lunch in the cafes and smaller restaurants will set you back close to thirty dollars, even pizza deliveries are around thirty, so this is nice.

Michigan is absolutely beautiful from what I've seen. Growing up around so much water has shaped my preferences. While I enjoyed the West, Colorado, the Dakotas, Wyoming; I actually prefer areas with loads of water features and of course mountains. I had a friend who while here, felt claustrophobic by our mountain ranges while I felt safe, protected. She is from Kansas, loves the storms, and I always felt while there that we were defenseless from those storms with no barriers.

I'm not sure what areas of Michigan I've been through other than knowing I have. I have traveled through western Canada and entered the US through Minnesota, gone through Chicago, several times and lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. I had an aunt in Ann Arbor when small that we visited but that was long ago, and I don't remember where that was or when. I also had or still have relatives in Indianapolis because I remember going by the speedway while visiting and hearing about it from my parents. I am more familiar with the south, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and the West, Colorado, Idaho, and Iowa.

Patricia, I guess because I can pick what I want in a Subway sandwich, I don't consider it an assembly line, but I see your thinking.  Subway does have tables and booths.  Yesterday at Panera's, you tell them what you want (we had soup and sandwich), they give you a number and an employee brings the food to where you are sitting.

I seem to have lost part of my message.  I had wanted to run some errands yesterday but Tom couldn't take me, saying we'd go this morning.  We started out by going to the Township Hall to give them my election ballot.  From there we went to Mc D's to get something for breakfast to eat at home.  From there we went to my bank to close out a credit card I was not using any more and to make arrangements for online billing.  Then we went to Walgreen's where I got my flu shot. 

We came home and I started to eat my Mc D's breakfast when Dot came to the door.  She asked if I was going to a funeral.  I had forgotten all about it.  I wasn't really dressed for a funeral, but I was coordinated, so I grabbed my purse and away we went.  The man was one who I had gone to both grade and high school with and his wife also graduated in my class.  It was a big funeral and afterward we went to the dining room of church for cake.  It was strange in a way that I saw only two classmates at the funeral, but we graduated 75 years ago and we don't have many left now - less than 50 people of a class of 255.  I still have not eaten my breakfast but it is breakfast burrito so will be good as a supper.

Tom has gone to Holland and probably will be back late. 

Mary Ann

I can read all this stuff  today without getting hungry!  We had an early supper..... A New England boiled dinner...... One of my husband's favorites, but I'm not that fond of it. Mostly, I don't care for cooked cabbage, except in things like stuffed cabbage.

Another beautiful and breezy day here. We could use some rain!

Yesterday we went for our flu shots and in the afternoon I got my hair "kinked", as Joan "Biscuit" Lavelle used to say. 

We don't have either Krogers or  Fred Meyers here. When I was in Pennsylvania I loved the Wegman's store.

I buy the Boar's Head meats. They also have Vermont cheddar cheese. We use Boar's Head  mustard......very good. The Publix stores here carry Boar's Head. I found this interesting piece:

"History

Company founder Frank Brunckhorst began distributing cold cuts under the Boar's Head name in 1905. By 1933, distribution of Boar’s Head products had grown, and Brunckhorst and his partners, Bruno Bischoff and Theodore Weiler, decided to open a manufacturing plant. The first plant was started in a small building in Brooklyn with only three employees.

Brunckhorst died in 1972. During the 1990s, the expanding company added processing plants in Virginia, Arkansas, and Michigan, and it began to shift its strategy toward its current business model that stresses exclusive relationships with major supermarket chains. In 2001, the company moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to Sarasota, Florida, in part because of its exclusive relationship with the Publix supermarket chain in Florida.

For many years, the voice-over in Boar's Head commercials was supplied by the well-known voice performer Joseph Sirola. In 2008, the company opened an "experimental" retail outlet in Brooklyn, which closed the following year."

This has been a very lazy Saturday for me. Time to turn back the clocks tonight. I don't look forward to it getting dark so early.