HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOY!
Wishing you a lovely day today and a wonderful year to come!

I'll catch up to you in August!

Subways up here have what I call bread sandwiches.  Hard to find much meat in them.

Happy Birthday, Joy🎉

Happy Birthday, Joy, with many more to follow.  I hope yours lasts as long as mine did - over a week.

Joan, The Subways I've had were in a bun and had enough meat for me and veggies.  Tom would get one for me and my only request was "no cucumbers".  I like pickles but not cucumbers - wonder why!

Mary Ann

Mary Ann,   was hard to find the meat here.    Lots of other stuff tho.

joan - I don't care for Subway either.  The handful of unidentifiable stuff that they put on top of the meat, never looks fresh, and is hard for me to chew. If you request "no veggies", that's when you notice how thin and tasteless the meat is - especially the turkey. Yuck!   I read that they are closing hundreds of Subway shops across the country, and I can see why.

Marilyne, no great loss  IMHO.  LOL

Marilyn and Joan, I don't feel the same way about Subway that you do.  Tom would sometimes meet a friend there and he'd bring a sub back to me.  They closed the one we went to.  I had heard Subway was closing many of their places.  MaryPage Drake told me of a place in her area that she preferred but if it was in my area, it was 15-20 miles away.  There is no place worth driving 15-20 miles for a sandwich unless I'm meeting others, which I do with my retiree group.  If Tom brings a Jimmy John sandwich, I will be happy. 

I've been watching the Weather Channel with some pictures of the volcano in Hawaii.  It is hard to believe about the destruction. 

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I've also been following all the news on the Hawaii volcano.  It's really a shocking sight, and of course nothing can be done to stop the devastation until it stops on it's own.  Since California is part of the Ring of Fire, I'm always tuned in to any earthquakes or volcanoes.  We have a couple of inactive volcanoes in California.  They are NOT extinct, so could flare up at some time in the future.  That would be Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta and I think there are a couple of others that aren't as well known.  Lassen would be the most likely since it was active in the 20th century.  There are also volcanic areas underground in different parts of CA, that occasionally will create geysers, or hot springs that bubble to the surface.  They are mostly in unpopulated areas, or in the mountains, but some in the desert near Palm Springs.

I'm always in awe of the disasters that are caused by nature or natural occurrences, that human beings cannot control . . . tornadoes, hurricanes, firestorms, floods, earthquakes, tsunami's and of course volcanoes.     

Gosh, now you got me exploring. There are more volcanoes in the US than I knew, but most are extinct. Wikipedia has the list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanoes_in_the_United_States

The one that really is scary (aren't they all?) is the Yellowstone volcano. I know that for more than a few years now, the ground under the one end of the lake has been rising a bit. Now a usually dormant geyser is active, more than it usually is when it does when it is active, and there are the earthquake. 

I've also been watching the Hawaii volcanic eruption. Seems amazing to me that people would want to build homes in an active volcano zone. The homeowner's insurance must be terribly expensive if people can get it at all. Maybe they are mostly summer/second homes?

Thanks to everyone for their special Birthday Wishes.  I have had a  really nice day.   Had phone calls from my sons  and friends and grandchildren.  Dinner last night.  Beautiful flowers from son and DIL.  And, to top it all of some delicious decadent cup cakes and wine with another son and DIL tonight. 

I appreciate all your kind messages and feel blessed to be part of this nice group of friends.

Joy

MarsGal, thanks for the link to volcanoes in the US.  I found we have one very inactive one in Michigan in the Keweenaw Peninsula which is in extreme northern Michigan and last was active about a billion years ago.  I saw something about Ahmeek, a town on the peninsula, so clicked on that.  Norm and I had a science teacher in high school who had a summer place in Ahmeek which is on Lake Superior.  Norm and the teacher were good friends so one year he, a friend of his and I drove to see the teacher.  Another teacher and his wife were there along with another teacher.  Since Dad was a teacher, Norm and I knew all of them but I think Norm's friend was a bit intimidated by them.  The teacher's place was an A-frame and I don't remember where any of us slept because there were seven of us and the A-frame wasn't that large. 

Joy, I'm glad you had such a nice birthday, especially hearing from everyone.

Tom brought my amaryllis pots upstairs and they are now on the deck.  If we have a cold spell, I'll move them close to the building.  I don't take care of them like I should so I think I'll see if the editor of our Assn newsletter will put something in to the effect I have them and will offer them free to whoever might want them.  By next month, they might have some leaves on because tonight was the first feeding they've had since last fall.  I have one with a bud and I am sure at least one other should blossom.  They're beautiful and I like them, but I just don't take care of any of my plants as I should. 

Mary Ann

Joy, I shan't sing it, but...

Thank you, Jackie.  Very pretty.

Joy

Hi Everyone.  It is another beautiful morning and we will be in the low 80's this afternoon and party cloudy, although it is to be sunny this morning.  I have a busy morning planned as have an appointment with my podiatrist to get my toenails trimmed.  I should get a discount as only have 8 nails left to trim but sure that won't happen.  I then plan to stop at Lowe's to put some painting supplies so that Elizabeth can paint our front porch columns, which she prepared last week.  Then I hope to stop at Costco for gas and a couple of items and finally at the strawberry stand to get another half gallon of strawberries.  That will be plenty for today.  I did wake up around 3:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so finished listening to an audio book and then got up and ready for the day.

Mary Ann, I think a lot of the golf courses may be open only to the members and their guests.  However, I know there are also a lot of courses that welcome others as the expense of keeping up a golf course is very large.  Jason Day did win another tournament in January, the Farmer's Insurance Open.  I have never tried the sandwiches from Jimmy John's. 

Joan, do you have a Firehouse Subs in your town?  If so give them a try as they put lots of meat on the sandwich and they are delicious. 

Marilyne, I have probably tried most of the chain sub shops and by far the best is the Firehouse Subs.  We have several Subway places in our area but think I have only eaten there a couple of times since we moved here. 

MarsGal, I think they are expecting something big in terms volcanic action in Yellowstone as there are areas where the ground is extremely warm.  I agree with you on wondering why anyone would build their home close to an active volcano. 

Joy, nice to read you had such a nice birthday. 

Jackie, that was certainly a beautiful card you made for Joy. 

Joy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY  to you.

Larry, not to my knowledge.  Will ask son and find out

Thank you,  Joan. 

Joy

Larry, just checked with Dan and he said he never heard of it.  Must be a Southern Chain.

The Subway here doesn’t skimp on the meat or cheese.  We like Firehouse Subs but our favorite is Jersey Mike’s philly cheese subâ€"-plenty of everything and so tasty.

Going to be WARM here today.  Supposed to get up to 88F which means I will stay in where it is cool.

Joan, I know you don't live in Spokane, but I found a Firehouse Sub there, also a Jersey Mike's.  And I found a Jersey Mike's here, but it is in the south end.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, thanks but Spokane is about a 3 plus hours drive so won't be going there for anything..

Hi Everyone.  It looks like it well be another nice day here in the mid-80's.  Pat has a doctor's appointment this morning and then we are going to pick up Elizabeth to come out to do some more projects for us.  I picked up the paint and brushes yesterday for the porch columns.  Then we she will install the two remaining slide out shelves we have for our bathroom.  There are several other things we will ask her help with as well.  It was such a relief yesterday to get my toenails trimmed and my toes no longer hurt. This evening is our Wednesday night dinner and then visit with Scott.

Joan, Firehouse Subs are all over the United States, including one location in the State of Washington.  It started in Florida by firemen and uses the firehouse theme in its restaurants.  There are now 1,269 restaurants.  So just wait and one will probably open in your town. 

Jean, Jersey Mikes used to be our favorite sub place but we have not had good experiences with them here.  You are going to be a couple of degrees warmer than we will be today.

Mary Ann, I didn't do any research except to find the States and number of restaurants that Firehouse Subs had over the country so I didn't know where that location was in Washington. 

Good morning to all the early morning friends.

I think there is a Firehouse Sub shop in our big local mall.  Jersey Mike's, I have never heard of.   Just recently,  Sonic appeared in our area. There aren't too many of them around here. I have tried to go there a couple times, and I guess it must have been at one of their busy times, as it has been so crowded, I didn't wait around.  Keep forgetting about it when I am in that area.

Larry, so nice that you have Elizabeth to do some much needed chores for you.  I would like to find someone just on a " now and then" basis to help me clean out some cabinets and my walk-in closet in my bedroom. So many of these agencies want you to sign up for a certain amount of hours.  I only need someone every once in a while.  I hate to bother my family, as the weekends are the only times they have to do their own chores.  I have been waiting a long time to get my windows washed and new curtains put up.  I bought the curtains a while back and they are still in the bag. 

It is a pretty sunny morning, so hope I can get to sit outside for a while today. 

Hope everyone will have a good day.

Joy

We have had a number of new eateries opening in the area recently. Jersey Mike's is one of them. The next time I go up to the Vitamin Shoppe, I'll have to check them out. I don't go up that way often, but every once in a while I head up to Bed, Bath and Beyond or Wegman's or the Vitamin Shoppe. They fit in a small store area beside a car dealership where I never expected them to build. Good thing there is a light there, otherwise it would just about be impossible to make a left-hand turn. The Carlisle (or Harrisburg, depending on which end you are on) Pike has gotten horrendous to travel. They have improved signalling and lanes, but it is still a very, very busy road. When I head up to that area, I almost always take the back roads as much as possible.

This morning I went over to feed George's cats. When I got back I changed and immediately went out and mowed the front yard. I knew if I ate lunch first, I'd talk myself out of going out otherwise. The gnats and such are terrible this spring. Unfortunately, the one can of bug repellent I have is plugged and the other is about worthless to repel anything at all. So, I guess a new can of Deep Woods goes on my shopping list. The county hasn't done any black fly spraying along the creek and river yet.

I've seen TV commercials for Jersey Mike's, but don't know of any in Northern California . . . the same with Firehouse Subs.  Nationwide chain restaurants eventually migrate to all corners of the USA, so I imagine it will be only a matter of time until they arrive here.

Spring is finally here, and I realize that I have very few warm weather clothes left over from last year, so I've spent the morning, ordering some clothing items from a couple of my favorite catalogs. It's nice to be able to order online, but it sure is time consuming!  Better than trying to actually go shopping, but half of the items I order have to be returned for fit, so it's a mixed blessing.

Tom took me to the lawyer's so I could sign the fifth amendment to my Trust.  It sounds like a lot of amendments, but I had not brought it up to date for many years and that was the first amendment.  Tim died in 2014 so I revised it again (#2).  Norm died in 2015 (amendment #3).  Terry died last year so amendment #4.  And I got to thinking about amounts to be left and I decided by this time, some were too much so amendment #5.  I like to think this last change was a wise change and unless someone dies before I do, this should be the last revision.  Afterward Tom and I stopped at Panera's for lunch.  I had a turkey sandwich and Tom had a chicken sandwich.  As usual, I brought half of my sandwich home and I had that for supper.

I was fortunate to see ships go through both the Soo Locks and the Duluth Canal. 

We had some thunder a while ago but nothing happened.  Looking at radar, we may be in line for a storm yet, but it would be while we would be in bed.  At one time our temperature was 80 degrees.  That's kind of warm for this time of year.  I know we are not the only area to have such high temperatures. 

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone. We are to have a sunny day getting into the low 90's this afternoon.  I guess summer is here.  Yesterday was a very busy day.  While Pat was at the doctor's office I made a quick trip to Aldi's.  Her appointment took quite awhile.  Around noon we picked Elizabeth up and she came out and had lunch with us and then went to work and painted the three columns on our front porch, put the bug spray barrier around the outside of the house and did a couple other errands.  I took her home around 3 pm and then at 5 we went back to the Church for dinner.  It was just Pat and I at dinner last evening.  This morning I will pick up my friend and we will go to coffee.  I have to get some money at the ATM and want to stop at the Dollar Tree after I have taken him home to pick up some sunglasses and toothbrushes to donate for our mission team that will head to Bolivia early in June.

Joy, we have had Sonic's here in the South for years. I like their icy drink and have gotten it occasionally in the past.  Think I had only stopped at our local one a couple of times since we moved here.  When we moved into this house Pat decided to not put up any curtains as we have the slated blinds that look nice. She just isn't up to dealing with them anymore although recently has been talking about putting some on the two windows we have in our bedroom to help shut out some of the afternoon sun.  I have always liked curtains but then I was not the one who had to keep them clean. 

MarsGal, I think all of the Jersey Mike's are in small places with only a few tables as most of their business is takeout.  Trying to mow with a lot of gnats or other flying creatures is not a fun experience. 

Marilyne, having to return clothing is the downside of online shopping for it.  I need to go through my clothes and donate what I can no longer wear or do no longer wear.  I agree it is better than trying to shop in the stores, which I truly dread. 

Mary Ann, glad you got your will amendment taken care of on your Trust.  We consulted an attorney when we moved here and he looked over everything and told us what we had was fine so think we are in good shape.     

I hear mowing outside so the lawn guys have finally started.  It used to be they began around April 1, however, with the prolonged winter, we are well into May. 

It is to be a dry day today, however, overcast sky.  The temperature will be in the high 50s to low 60s and I will not be wearing shorts today.  Tomorrow will even be cooler - in the 40s.

I looked at Grand Haven a while ago and I could hardly see the lighhouses because it was so foggy. 

Larry, how fortunate you are that Elizabeth has come into your lives.  I'm sure she does a much better job than some stranger you might hire. 

We have birds that have built nests under the deck and Kendrick spends a lot of time at the downstairs sliders watching the birds.  When he's on top of the deck, outside, he goes to a spot where he can hear the birds and he talks to them from above.  I know they wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole!

Mary Ann

Good morning Larry and Mary Ann - Yesterday I thought things were going to warm up, and the predicted 80 degree weather would begin.  Not so, however.  That intense dry wind from the East kicked up yesterday, and is supposed to continue on through Friday.  In the Fall, the East wind means forest fires, or urban wild fires, such as we had in October of last year.  This time of year, East winds bring pollen, or spread pollen, and we all suffer from miserable allergies.  We all literally breathe a sigh of relief when the wind shifts and blows from the direction of the ocean!

Sonic Burger, is another fast food place that we don't have anywhere near us.  I know they are in Southern Cal, and in the Central Valley, but as far as I know they aren't here in the Bay Area.  I did look up Jersey Mike's and Firehouse, and see that there are a few here, but none anywhere near me. The popular franchise hamburgers here are,  In 'n Out Burger, and Jack In The Box.  Quiznos, opened here a few years ago, but then most of them closed.  I've never been to one.

There is a Sonic Burger across the river, close enough from my sister's house to walk. I've never stopped there. I've heard of Jack In the Box, but there aren't any in PA.

I just got a card in the mail from something called GrubHub. They apparently do home delivery from participating restaurants. Jack In The Box is one of them. This, according to QSR Magazine, was just posted online in the last day or so. https://www.qsrmagazine.com/ordering/grubhub-taking-jack-box-delivery-national There is an article it it about Jersey Mike's too.