Jeanne, I know the Duluth schedule is not an exact science, but eventually the ships show up.  Those in the distance are waiting their turn.  I look at that site whenever I’m on the computer, but today was kind of busy as I was trying to copy and save some files from one computer  to another.  Some worked, some did not.

I had a gift card for Applebee’s so Tom and I went there for lunch today (or would that be “dunch”) because we were there late afternoon.  After we got home, I worked on my computers and since 5:30 have been watching TV.  I just got off at 9 pm.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone on an overcast morning.  Again today we are looking at staying under 90 degrees and there is no rain in the forecast.  I have a quiet day planned.  I don't know whether we will take Scott out for dinner or Pat will decide to fix something here. That will likely be the big decision of the day.

We had a wonderful time with our friends who visited here yesterday.  It was like we had never been apart but we have stayed in touch with occasional emails over the months.  We enjoyed having their 1 year old small dog, Crispy, here for the day.  It was very well behaved.  We went to Cheddar's for lunch and then, because of a long traffic backup on I-20 due to some construction on the east bound lanes at the Savannah River Bridge, we struck off from the restaurant and went downtown.  We drove through some beautiful old home neighborhoods featuring large homes and streets lined with crepe myrtle trees that are now in full bloom over here. 

JeanneP and Mary Ann, enjoy those lovely temperatures this week.  We are also enjoying less hot days although the humidity has really been up high.  Mary Ann, I have had the same thoughts when viewing the pictures of the flooding and then the fires that ravage neighborhoods.  I think I would take a fire before a flood any day as can't imagine dealing with all of the mud and mold that would develop from a flood. I am staying on higher ground even though we live in a river town.

We started off chilly this morning (50 degrees) and I considered turning on the heat, but did not.  It is now 60 degrees outside and 71 degrees inside.  I like 72 degrees inside.

I'm washed and shampooed and am drying off.  Tom had the oil changed in his car, then went for breakfast and brought back a cranberry muffin and coffee for my breakfast.

Instead of our usual breakfast or lunch with family today, we're going downtown tonight to have pizzas for a benefit for Hospice.  Terry's wife, Jan, is head of a Hospice group and she suggested it. 

The road people are here again today and will be working by us, it looks like.  They have one lane blocked, but drivers can drive on the other lane.  I think this is the first coat and maybe a second one will be put on.

The cat sounds like he got into the catnip but I know he didn't because it isn't available to him.

Mary Ann

Good morning from a sunny Interior! My plants have sprouted on the balcony and Farrah is cautiously exploring as we speak.

Mornin all.  We are still in the 100's here.  Heat wave is supposed to be over with by Friday.  Let us hope so.

Tom and I went to Pizza Hut for lunch again today,  They have a deal with a 9" pizza, two trips to the salad bar and a drink.  Tom gets the drink (iced tea), we both get salads and share the pizza.  It totals $8 for both of us.  Since my refrigerator is on the fritz and we won't find out about it until tomorrow, it's easier to eat out.  Tonight we'll go to a BBQ place downtown for a fund raiser for Hospice and Terry's wife is head of one of the Hospices in town.  I think I said earlier that we would be having pizza, but it will be BBQ.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone.  It has been a long night as awoke at 2:30 and was never able to go back to sleep.  Nothing bothering me and guess it was just one of those nights that I seem to be having more often.  It looks like it is going to be another nice day only getting up to 91 degrees this afternoon. 

This will be my usual Thursday morning with coffee with the guys and then to the church for the Wisdom group.  Yesterday evening Pat, Scott and I went to a Chinese Buffet that has a Hibachi grill for dinner.  I didn't have the Hibachi but ate from the buffet but Pat had the Hibachi and was pleased.

Mary Ann, that was a full day of dining out.  Hope the BBQ for the benefit of Hospice went well last evening and the BBQ was good and tasty.   

Larry, the benefit for Hospice was well attended, but we would not go to the restaurant again voluntarily.  For one thing, it was downtown and we try to eat in our neighborhood or area if possible.  The restaurant is in a building converted from another use, has brick walls and nothing to lower the sound.  You order from a menu on the wall and they call your name when your order is ready.  Only it was hard to hear any names.  The food was OK, but nothing to write home about.  Tom got ribs and said they were overdone.  I got a Turkey Reuben which was OK but very filling.  Actually all of their food was plentiful.  I brought half of my sandwich home and I don't know why because the refrigerator is on the fritz and we have a servicemen coming this morning.  I can't find the bill of sale for when I bought the refrigerator but I don't think it is 10 years old.  I am anticipating having to buy another refrigerator.  And I am going to pitch everything in both the freezer and refrigerator when I finish here.

As far as the benefit is concerned, Jan said the restaurant would give Hospice 50% of their profits.  The place was crowded and Jan said most of the crowd was there for Hospice so they made out OK, which was the purpose.

I think today is to be warm, maybe up to 81 degrees.  It will be good for the road people to not have temps near 90 degrees.  I think they're done with the first coat but they make it easy to get into our complex.  We have only one entrance. 

Mary Ann

Good morning from a cloudy slash  sunny Interior day! Yesterday Farrah was back to being in a panic and spent the afternoon and evening under the bed. Today she is friendly again, I am beginning to just go with the flow with her.

Tomorrow is our fourth of July potluck and I need to bake a white cake and prepare a cold mixed berries dish to go with it. It will be a potluck in the area behind our building and the company is supplying paper plates, cups and utensils. We are supplying the rest. I don't know why everything is getting earlier and earlier anymore. Perhaps they think people will be busy on the actual holiday?

Sandy/Dapphne last posted on the morning of the 26th. Has anyone heard from her?

Quote from: angelface555 on June 30, 2016, 03:38:45 PM
Sandy/Dapphne last posted on the morning of the 26th. Has anyone heard from her?

Hi Angel.... 
I am here and must apologize for not
posting...I have just been busy, busy, busy
but that is no excuse.   

All is well here.   Summer has arrived, but it is
still fair weather with only a little need for
AC days...   

I do believe that the HOT weather will be coming
in so I am prepared for that ... 

Thanks for asking about me ...  all is well!
Sandy

Thank you, I was just so used to a daily post, I apologise if I rushed my fences! 

Phew!  I got scared there.

Now I will be able to sleep tonight, Sandy Dapph.

    

Hi everyone on a relatively mild morning with 95 percent humidity.  We are headed up to about 90 degrees this afternoon.  A couple of times yesterday we heard some thunder and it looked stormy but we didn't get any rain.  There is only a small chance for today. 

This is the morning for the housekeeper to be here.  I plan a quick trip to Walmart for a prescription and then expect to stay home the rest of the day.  I did have a good nights sleep last night so ready to take on the day.  My morning chores are completed.  I don't know whether Scott will be coming out to spend part of the day with us or not.  This is the day that Sam died last year and he asked us Wednesday if we would be home today if he needed to be with us to help him today as he is not working. 

Mary Ann, glad the fund raiser was a success for the Hospice organization.  I dislike going to a restaurant that is extremely loud, which makes it hard to hear someone talking and especially hard for those with any type of hearing problem.  We encountered that Tuesday at Cheddars.  Even though it was after 1 pm when we got there the place was full and that is a lot of people talking which created the noise.  Sorry you have to discard your food from the refrigerator but better that than take any chances.  I hope you don't need a new refrigerator. 

Patricia, I think Farrah is playing a game with you to keep you off balance.    Hope you have a nice time at your potluck today. 

Sandy, glad to see your posting. 

Good Morning Everyone from the warm,
but not too warm,  rocky coast of Maine. 
Our weather will be in the high 70's and low
80's  for the next couple of weeks.   Still a
bit lower with less humidity then normal.   

Here is a picture of my Great Grand Daughter
"Fe", taken wearing  a gift from friends
in Turnkey....  Lovely outfit!

Click below to see it:
http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/gallery/89-290616190544.jpeg

And click here:
http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/gallery/89-290616190748.jpeg

"Fe" is growning so fast!    She has many loving arms
to hold her ...  That is the way it is when you live
in a big family.   The baby's never lack for
attention. 

Have a good day,   Everyone.

Sandy

 

Oh, how adorable can you GET!

Well, here it is July the One, and Chip has brought 2 large casseroles down from the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets for me.  We are having our huge family crab feast on Sunday afternoon at Debi's.  Becky arrives at BWI on Saturday.  Greg is bringing one of his lovely tenderloins.  This way, no one has to be on the road on Monday.  We can get up and put our flags out and jolly well pad off back to bed if we want to on the actual Fourth!
I can now officially report that June was unusual for these parts.  Every bit of it was heavenly.  Temps mostly in the seventies, lovely breezes, and when it rained, it did so mostly at night!  My darling favorite month of May was SUCH a washout this year, so June was like a sweet, sweet apology from the weather makers.
Today will be quiet and calm, as I have finished just about all of my chores, excepting some first of the month check writing.  Will mail those on my way out to lunch.  Chip has promised to take me to Grump's for that meal, leaving here at one.  Gorgeous day here on the bay.  Love & kisses to all from MaryPage.

Hi everyone on this Saturday morning.  We are in for more hot and humid weather today with little to no chance of rain.  I have a quiet day planned with nothing that I really need to do although will probably make a quick trip to Aldi's to get some fresh fruits and vegetables.  I still need to do my outside chores but after working in the kitchen and getting ready for the day I needed to sit down and rest so decided to eat my breakfast and write on the discussions.

I called Scott yesterday afternoon about 5 pm to see if he would join us for a good steak dinner.  He thought that was a good idea and came out later.  He was very down when he got here but seemed to be in much better spirits when he left.  He told us that good memories with his wife are beginning to push out some of the not so good memories of when she was so sick for so long.  Hopefully this will be a much brighter year for him.

Sandy, it looks like Fe is a very happy and healthy child.  You are so fortunate to be where your family is located so you can share in their lives. 

MaryPage, it sounds like a wonderful family weekend for you all.  Glad you had some good weather in June.  We basically had hot and humid with a few milder days.  Hope you enjoyed your meal at Grump's.  That is an interesting name for a business.

Ah yes, Larry, it IS an interesting name.  And a very different, FUN place to eat.  A fantastic place to take children.  Great food.  One of the best hamburgers around.  They consistently win that award, among others, as voted in by the readers of ANNAPOLIS magazine.  Privately owned by a dear couple.  He used to be the manager of Friendly's in Edgewater, and when he decided to open his own restaurant, they had whole family confabs for days trying to come up with a name for it.  Finally, one day a bunch of the neighbors were discussing it, and a 15 year old girl (she'd be 30 now!) said, "Hey, you were at Friendly's, why don't you name your place Grump's?"  And that did it!  I still clearly have fond memories of having my great grandson Jack's 4th birthday party there.  Jack is 16 now.  Tempus fugits.
As time goes by, we all tend to discard the sad or sour memories and, instead, remember the good stuff.  Actually, the very best thing of all is to live in the moment.  Rejoice in each bird you see winging its way on its daily chores, on every moment of sunshine glistening on drops of last night's rain, on the outline of yonder tree against the sky.  There is always beauty here and now, and it regenerates the spirits.  We are not meant to be dejected by thinking of the rough parts of our individual life journeys, but rather to notice the great moments of joy.  We all get PLENTY of both, but the winners are those who, like yourself, Larry, concentrate on the bits and pieces of intense pleasure we are gifted.

MaryPage, your post reminded me of when I used to walk, I did lots of it, when I could.  I had a route around our neighborhood and people used to ask don't you get bored walking over the same route.  I would tell them, nope! it is always a different view going because things change day to day  and come back over the same route is a different direction and you see things you missed going.  I think memories are much like that, going back over old memories brings to life something you hadn't seen the other times.  And many smiles as you recall loved ones.

Hal, for many years I drove to work and missed much of the scenery along the way.  Now that I am not driving anywhere, it is interesting to me to view the scenery that I missed in earlier years.  I did renew my license, however, Tom is willing to take me wherever I need to go and so far I have not missed driving at all.

Mary Ann

Supposed to start cooling down today.  We will see. 

Mornin all.  Cloudy and warm right now.  No plans except a friend is dropping by this afternoon.

Just read on Facebook where one of my Granddaughters will be graduating in Sept. with a Batchelors Degree in Criminal Justice.  She is excited as can be.    She has worked hard for this.  Am real proud of her.

Good Afternoon,  Everyone!

Well,  I did it again!   I walk down the street and
bought me a quart of chocolate and a quart of
butter pecan icecream,  two jars of skippy peanut butter
and some natural graham crackers.     

I brought it home and had a little bit of
everything.....   and of course,  I felt
very guilty.   

Erin has gone away for the fourth and
I am here with all of these calories
that I don't need,  and that I can not
stop eating.     

So I packed it all up and headed to throw it
away down the trash,  but instead I stopped
at one of my neighbors apartment,
knock on their door and asked  them if
they would like it.    Thank goodness
they did take it all!!

I am weak, weak, weak...   so I had to
dispose of it or I would eat it all in a
couple of days.   

I removed the temptation and I feel better
already!

Am I the only one who gives into
temptation,  and then has to give
things away?
 
Have a happy fourth of July,
everyone!

Sandy

Sandy.
What you bought was good but you just have to buy in smaller quantaties . There are things I have a weakness for also. Whole wheat Choc. cookies for one. Bakery baked fresh bread and good butter. Kit Kat bars and Milky ways frozen.
But I don't eat Ice Cream. Do like frozen Yogurt. All I buy just a little of and know it has to last for a week. Telling myself that stops me from eating to much at a time.

Sandy now I would have eaten all that, guilty and telling myself never again, but still finishing it off! I've learned with so many allergies and just some plain uncomfortable moments to just not buy those types of food.

If I didn't mention it before, Fe is so happy and cute in that outfit! Babies are fun to have and hold when you're not the parent! 

Larry, I am so glad for Scott that his times of sadness are not as long. Sometimes it's hard to move on without help, and he has you and Pat for that.

Farrah goes from skittish to gregarious daily, this morning I went "Win-Win" as she does when she wants to feed and darned if she didn't answer back, "Win-Win" and rush to the yoga mat where she receives treats! See, I am learning to speak her language! 

Now I am not an optimist and never have been except with children or pets, MaryPage. My older sister and I are both introverts and what I would describe as pragmatic realists and my younger sister is very social and lives to be with lots and lots of friends. She is the only one of us to own a TV and says it's always on for a friendly sound.

However, I spent the majority of my working life walking to and from and at one point ten miles to work and ten miles back with nary a problem until I fell on the ice in February 2014. I often saw birds, hawks, foxes, lynx, caribou and many, many moose along my walks. This was primarily by the rivers or along the forest bicycle paths. So many times I would tell folks about my encounters and many of them would say they drove by there daily and never saw anything. I would always say drove was the operative word! I miss walking about more than anything else I've lost to age!

I remember once crossing a small bridge and looking down to see a mother duck and six ducklings swimming towards the bridge. All the ducklings were in a line just ahead of Mama duck and when she stopped, seeing my shadow from the bridge on the water, all but one duckling stopped as well. That duckling went forth a small bit, stopped when seeing he was alone, looked from one side to the other, and slowly scooted back into his place in the middle of the line again!

Mary Ann.  Now did you have to buy a new fridge? Something is wrong with mine. What is happening is  that on the top shelf in the fridge is the thing like a shoot coming down from the freezer. It is dripping. Not much but about a cup every 2 days. I just have a dish sitting under it.  Now it is not a fancy fridge. No ice maker and all that stuff. Only cost now about 700 dollars. I keep a good freezer out in the building outside. The fridge maybe 7 year old.
Now I keep my MW right next to it and use it all the time. abut 4 times a day. I am wondering if that is part of the problem as it is in line with the freezer part of the fridge. Getting some heat to it.  It use to be on the other side of counter.  Will stop by the shop tomorrow and ask them. It is a Whirlpool brand.

Its not a big problem but I don't want water running out of the thing if I am gone for a week or so.  Still looks new as just me using it.  But things don't last as long anymore.  I gave my other one to a person for their garage. I had had it about 37 years and it is still running good.
I swear I hate buying the new modern stuff now.  All seem to be throwaway item.

Jeanne, I don't think the microwave is causing your freezer problems, if it is, it would be something wrong with the microwave.  The refrigerator/freezer has quite good insulation which is why I think the microwave is not the problem.  You might we wise to have a serviceman look at your freezer.

I needed a new control for the refrigerator and the cost to replace it was enough that I preferred to buy a new refrigerator.  I did not pay $700 for the new refrigerator.  This one did not come with an ice maker although Tom told me on the way home that he'd like an ice maker to tempt him to drink more liquids.  He would pay for it.  I am a middle-of-the-roader as far as things are concerned, so I did not get the low end of the line, but certainly did not not buy the top of the line. 

Tom and I drove to Sheridan MI to visit his former MIL.  She is legally blind because of Mac D, the wet kind, lives alone with two cats.  She is just a lovely person.  I went to Germany and Denmark with her in 2000.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone on this hot and humid Sunday morning.  I am starting my day with 85 degrees and headed up to 98 or more this afternoon.  I have a simple plan for today. 

I will go to Sunday School and Church this morning but Pat isn't feeling up to going as her sciatic nerve continues to give her great pain as does her shoulder.  I missed a couple of items at Aldi's yesterday so will stop on the way home to get those.  I have no idea of what lunch may involve as Pat is trying to change her diet and it makes it difficult to buy food out. 

MaryPage, thanks for the explanation of how the name Grump's was established. I liked what you wrote about the way to live our lives.  I spent so many years not being aware of much of the beauty around me that I now relish that beauty and feel I have now gotten to the point of being able to smell the roses and be so grateful for my life. 

Joan, it sounds like you Granddaughter will have a bright future when she gets her degree.  However, getting one in Criminal Justice certainly wouldn't be my cup of tea.  It is worth working hard for the things we want.

Sandy, for goodness sake forgive yourself as you, like all of us, are not perfect and sometimes we have a little slip on our path.  It sounds like you handled the situation well and your purchases were not wasted since you were able to give them to a friend.  It sounds like you are well on your way to getting back to your eating scheme. 

Jeanne, I didn't know you could buy ice cream in anything but half gallon cartons--at least that is what my eyes see in the grocery store.    I just finished up the wonderful COSTCO vanilla ice cream that we had in the freezer and don't intend to put ice cream back in there for awhile.  If it is here I will eat it.  I would be lost without the ice maker in our freezer.  However, it can be aggravating when it spits out an ice cube onto the floor when you think you are finished dispensing the ice or it misses the ice bin inside the freezer.

Mary Ann, nice you were able to visit Tom's former MIL. 

Patricia, we try to do all we can to help Scott but we haven't walked in his shoes and he has to find a way to move on from his grief.  I see Farrah continues her training of you to understand her language.  My wife and I are basically completely different in that i am an optimist and she isn't.  I think a lot of that goes back to our experiences as a child as mine were good and hers were not. 

It's going to be at last another day here in the hospital while the doctor manipulates meds and dosages, with the hope that I won't need oxygen a home.... yet.  So for now it's just a case of waiting to see what happens next.  I think I have my kids convinced there's not need for panic or getting upset.  They seem to be content with having me just send frequent reports for now and seem to be approving of steps and plans I've been taking for my own safety. 

So meanwhile, I'm waiting to see what happens next and I'm being a very good girl listening to what I'm being told.  Even the food isn't all that bad.