MaryAnn, Marilyne said it all, please keep us informed.

What you describe is the way it is for me. I did once blacken both eyes while mistakenly trying to powered thru an episode and blindly walked into the corner of the kitchen cupboards. You wouldn't believe the offers I got to take care of the blankety-blank who hit me. I couldn't convince some folks I did it to myself!

MaryAnn, It s after 9. but I Had to come in and say, I am happy to see the twins have arrived.  I will pray for the babies, at lest they have a little weight My cousin was 2lbs. and she grew into a big girl.

Patricia, Taffy had put one felt mouse by my PC and another by my chair in the living room. They sure make life interesting. I sent you and email, I thought you might get a laugh out of.  I generally do not forward mail.

I am getting ready to head to bed and read and watch some TV I also do a word search game every night

Patricia, when I had my black eye from the bathtub incident, I went to the doctor afterward and as I walked to his office, some of the nurses said, "I'd like to see the other guy".  Then I told them what really happened. 

It's fun to be the center of attention sometimes, just not often or always.

I hope to hear the names by tomorrow.  Tom left the hospital some time ago and he did not know them at the time.  And Tom is now officially "Grandpa" and he's happy to be called that.

I have a cat sitting on top of my chair.  And he was on my bed for quite a long time.  He usually does not spend the night on my bed, but I fixed a towel for him to lie on, so who knows?

Mary Ann

Congratulations MaryAnn to you and the proud couple.

Thanks for all of the good wishes about the babies.  I just heard through the grapevine that both girls have red hair, which should be no surprise since both James and Alicia are redheads.  I still don't know names.  I had said the girls would be in ICU but they are in the Neo Natal area for a week or two or three.

Hal, I hope your wife came through her surgery OK.  I remember my dad calling me from the hospital that he had a kidney stone and was there.  I don't remember if he passed it or if the doctors removed it.  Long time ago.  I understand they are very painful.

I read in the news today that there are to be high winds in our area and waves on Lake Michigan would approach 15 feet.  I looked a bit earlier and it is not windy yet.

Mary Ann

[/color]Good Morning Everyone,  from the Wintry Rocky Coast of Maine.   
All is well here !

Best wishes toe Mrs. halkel  as she has surgery this morning...  May it be swift and effective. 

Wow MaryAnn....    The twins were born....  I wish them all
the very best and that they all get  home from the hospital soon.    Twins.    What fun!!

Sandy

Hi everyone.  We had a very rainy evening with some lightning and thunder.  Right now it is 54 degrees and headed up to 73 this afternoon and there is only a 20% chance of more rain today.  We did get the items done yesterday that I mentioned including voting.  Our friend from Church was elected mayor and received just about twice as many votes as his opponent.  There were around 2,500 people in this small town that voted.  This morning Pat has PT at eleven and I will go to dinner at the Church tonight.  Our granddaughter said she wanted to attend this week so added her to the count and she and our son will come out to the house afterwards. 

Marilyne, if you do need a pacemaker let me assure you it isn't a bad procedure.  I have had one for around ten years and have had it replaced once.  My heart is paced on both sides now about 98 percent of the time.  Do you have other heart problems?  I need to check out Whole Foods and the hot trays as getting meals are becoming a struggle for us. 

Good morning Joan.  I appreciate seeing you check in each day to know you are OK. 

Mary Ann, It sounds like you and Tom enjoyed the meal even needing to pay a little more.  Pat and I have only a few dollars left on our Ruby Tuesday gift card that I got at Christmas. It sounds like Kendrick has found a new toy in your bathroom.  Glad to hear the new babies are safely born and the ordeal is over for James and Alicia.  Soon the fun begins in caring for the two infants. 

deAngel, enjoy today before the big snow storm hits tomorrow.  Pacemakers have helped many people keep going for a long time.  I remember when Tiger Woods split with his long term caddie.  It looks like Tiger's years of playing well may have come to an end. 

Patricia, sorry that you were ill the last couple of days and hope today is much better for you.  For many years my normal blood pressure was also generally about 90/60.  However, have changed one of my medications and it is running a little higher now.  I have gotten dizzy but never passed out when getting up quickly.  Are you going to see a cardiologist?  I am sure you enjoy hearing Farrah purr as she continues her socialization with you.   

Larry  ... 
I have eaten at whole foods and like very much their
many choices of food...      If cost is not an issue,  then I hope that you give it a try.      You might just find out that it is
cheaper to eat from the whole foods deli then it is to actually buy food to cook at home.    (In the long run)   plus
load up on your own specialties    along side the tak out from whole foods.

I often try "new ways to eat",  which requires my loading up on new food...   but lately,  I have found that when I try something new,  I usually end up tossing it out and going back to the my old ways.       

I would love to be able to eat at Whole Foods,  but because of
taking warfarin,  I am really restricted to the type o
foods that I ingest and it is still easier for me to do my own grocery shopping.    (As much as I hate doing it!)  .... 

Good luck in finding a new way to eat and still enjoy
the process!

Sandy   

Good morning from the Interior where the weather remains the same. I am definitely sick, sinus I think as that's where the headaches originate. I'm crotchety like an old bear in his cave.

Farrah loves my new pillow, its plump, for side sleepers and she has started coming in at night to sleep behind me on the pillow and then leave again after a bit. She's also happy that I found where I'd stashed her tube toy on the balcony, cleaned it up, and now she plays with it. She especially likes fishing her treats out of the cylinder, so she's having a good time at least.

My bathroom issue is not the toilet paper, but that she licks the shower curtain and the plastic bag in the trash can, she also licks tape if I don't keep it out of her reach. The vet told me they use milk in preserving plastics, paint and other items. Dogs will also sometimes have this problem as well. I'm just lucky Farrah stays out of the bathroom unless I'm in there and I watch her around the wastebasket or tub.

MaryAnn, I'm so glad that Alicia had the twins without further problems and everyone is getting the care they need. I smiled when I remembered one of my favorite stories where the husband, unknown by his wife, put a small black dot behind the ear of one of his newborn twin daughters. The crux of the story was that the wife was jealous because he could tell them apart and she couldn't so she secretly put a small red dot just behind the toes of one of her daughters, and they never told each other what they had done. It was very like an O. Henry story.

Larry, I've still not arranged for the physical I know I need. Or a dentist for my bridges. Something always comes up first. I know, I need to and I will.

Tis 25 and snowing. 

We just got back from having lunch at the hospital with James, Terry and Jan.  The babies are in Neo Natal and getting along well.  They will still be in the hospital for several weeks, at least until they reach five pounds. They are using CPAPs but no additional oxygen.  Both have red hair.  Names are Johanna Grays and Eleanor Rose.   The 'h' is pronounced in Johanna - as Jo hanna.  I forget where that name comes from and I think it was a name they both liked.  Eleanor is a name that Alicia has always liked.  We don't have either name in our background of names.  The 'Grays' is for Grays Reef in northern lower Michigan, north of where their family lived in Boyne City and Petoskey and was a favorite place when they would be sailing on the Lake.  The 'Rose' comes from the same area.  I kidded James about Johanna being 25 and telling people she's named after an area in northern Michigan.  Both James and Alicia like Holland very much and intend to stay there.  I saw pictures of the babies, but don't have any.  If anyone is on Facebook, James has posted pictures there - probably under James Tock.  Be my guest!

Alicia's parents left Saturday so they were not here for the births. 

Patricia, that is a cute story about the couple identifying their twins.  Since these girls are not identical, there should be no problem.  James said that women with red hair have "something" that gives them trouble when pregnant and maybe that accounts for Alicia's BP troubles.  As soon as the babies were out, her BP went down.  James said there were many doctors and nurses for the babies and Alicia.  She did not join us for lunch, feels good, but is very tired.  I hope you feel better soon, very soon.

When I went in the bathroom this morning when getting ready for the day, there was Kendrick sitting, looking at the toilet paper.  I told him "don't even think about it".  I haven't looked since I got home so I wonder about its condition.  I'd like to know what he is lacking that he goes after paper (not only TP).

Several people have mentioned Swann's for ordering food.  I'm tempted and if the food is already prepared but not cooked, that would be OK.  I know there are several choices for foods for a week (Blue Apron, for example) that a person must prepare.  It sounds good, but I am not sure how I'd fare if I had to fix my own now.  Once in a while, OK, but two or three times a week, I'm not sure.  Those thoughts have kept me from ordering.

We have a Trader Joe's in the south end but no Whole Foods.  It isn't worth it to me to travel 15-20 miles for groceries and I am satisfied with the produce available at Family Fare.  After all, I can pick out my own produce as I could/would at Trader Joe's.

I think I should quit before I run out of space!

Mary Ann

MaryAnn,   Congratulations to the family on the birth of the twin girls.  I like the names they have picked out.  I am glad that they all seem to be doing well.  Nice that you all could have lunch there.

Most of the frozen food from Schwans is cooked.  Just a matter of heating it up, mostly in the microwave.  You do have to cook some of the things, but there is no preparation involved.  You have to bake the pot pies and cook the veggies.  I have never had any of the steaks or roasts, but I assume they are mostly cooked and just need heating up.  I get the tilapia fillets and they are frozen and you cook them frozen.  They are very good if you like fish.  I usually will put a coating on them and then bake them in my toaster oven for about 30 min.   Today I got a box of the mini-cheeseburgers and you wrap them in a paper towel and put them in the microwave. I have never had them from there. They are also on a soft roll and about the size of the little sliders.  I have been hungry for a good hamburger.   Their regular hamburgers don't come with a roll, and I don't have any hamburger rolls, so that is why I got the mini ones as they are on a roll.   Looks like a little dinner roll.  Will let you know how they are. 

Yesterday, I was watching the web-cam at the Duluth canal and it was terribly windy and the waves were so big, some of them were going over the sides of the walls.  Plus, there was a lot of snow on the ground.  Today, it was all calm again.  And, I did notice that a lot of the ice at Grand Haven was gone this afternoon.  Still snow around, tho.

It is a pretty sunny warm day here, but we are supposed to get hit with a snow storm during the night.   Since the ground is warm, they are not expecting too much to lay on the roads.

Patricia, I am sorry to read that you are still not feeling well.  I get sinus infections every once in a while and they are not fun.  Feel better soon.

Joan, glad you were able to get your errands done and to glad you got to eat lunch out.

Have a good evening.

Joy

Mary Ann - Interesting update on the twins.  I'm pleased to see that they didn't choose any of the odd, made up names that are popular now.  My daughter has a friend named Johanna, but it is pronounced Yo-hawna.  Her parents are from Germany, so maybe that's a common name there? (Or was, as this friend is about 48 years old!)

I'll be looking forward to further reports on the twins.  Both of them having red hair is nice.  As the years pass, t will be interesting to see if they look at all alike, or completely different? 

Kendrick's sudden interest in the toilet paper is funny. I have read that as soon as a cat discovers that the roll moves, and the paper comes streaming out, that they are fascinated by it, and  love to make it move!  So far Winnie has never touched the tp in either of the bathrooms.  He does love to go into the bathroom right after one of us has showered, and lick the water off the tile shower floor.  Sometimes when I first open the door to leave the bathroom after showering, he will be sitting there waiting for me . . . then he hurries into the shower and drinks his fill!   

Mary Ann, James said that women with red hair have "something" that gives them trouble when pregnant and maybe that accounts for Alicia's BP troubles.
My red-haired dil unexpectedly went into pre-mature labor with my first granddaughter, who was born 9 weeks early.   I don't remember what the problem was - but it was something she could expect to deal with during future pregnancies.  So she was put on bed rest for the next two.

Second one was barely 3 when her mother had to start this for the third time.  She solemnly reported:  "The "dokker" told Mama to take off her feet and lie down on her head" (stay off her feet and spend time in bed).   

Callie, the story about red-headed women and pregnancies seems to be true.  James' cousin had a baby in 2016, also courtesy of fertility clinic and had troubles all along and said "no more" and I asked Alicia if she felt that way and she said she did not.  James also mentioned the possibility of adoption and foster care leading to adoption.  Cute remark by your 3-year-old granddaughter - out of the mouths of babes!

Joy, thank you for the information about Schwan's; I may try them.  Heating something isn't a problem and I can cook and put things together but I haven't cooked for a family so it isn't second nature and I am not fond of cooking. 

Marilyne, the TP  was intact when I looked and I think it is when the end is loose and flutters in the breeze when the heat is on because the register is just below the roll.  My shower is in the tub so Kendrick is not tempted to lick the water.  Neither Johanna nor Eleanor are family names but my grandfather Tock's next younger brother was Johann, pronounced Yo hann.  And we have Johann Mc who pronounces her name as Jo ann.  James said they are not against nicknames, so we went through the possibilities and came up with several, especially for Eleanor. 

Speaking of nicknames - James is 27 and I've always called him Jamie.  He does not mind but when he was born, his parents insisted he was going to be James, not Jim or Jimmy.  It was so easy to call him Jamie.  Annie is really Catherine Anne and the Anne is for my Ann but with different spelling.  They had a dog at the time named Cadence, nickname Cadey, so they called the baby Annie because Katie was out of the question (Katie/Cadey).  When she was about 10 and the dog had died, Annie said she wanted to be called Cate.  She's very nice about letting several of us continue to call her Annie, including her maternal grandmother. 

Mary Ann

Johanna and Eleanor are both old English names and there was a strong German or Frankish influence due to some Royal brides. but only until WWI when the Kaiser, Queen Victoria's nephew, declared war on England, "The houses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Windsor have provided five British monarchs to date, including four kings and the present queen, Elizabeth II. The name was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I."

That's interesting, Patricia, as we have mostly English, Danish and German ancestry.  Alicia's father's nationality is Polish but I don't know about her mother. 

Polish is a new ancestry for us but one great-nephew married a woman who has Chinese ancestry, so our world is getting larger, not smaller.

Mary Ann

That's really nice MaryAnn, My generation was still inbred with only Irish, Scottish and Welsh or Australian slash English but the following generations are different and I no longer know all of the newer generations.

I've posted a few photos again,

http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=11.msg73376#msg73376

We are finally getting a good snowfall this winter. It is still snowing heavily here at 5:30am and will probably continue until 10am. I am surprised that someone has been out already and removed snow from the public sidewalk for the whole block. I didn't hear a thing. I still have a lot to shovel out later on today; last I heard we are getting around 5 inches here.

Okay, I just got my laugh for the day already. A news item this morning states that a deer crashed into a local Giants Food Store last night. A couple of guys go a hold of it, covered its head with a jacket to keep it from panicking and steered it back outside. After leaving it along the side of the building facing a field, the doe headed off towards a StarBUCKS!

Hi everyone.  It is a windy, sunny and chilly morning.  The high today will be only in the mid-50's and it is to get to 33 degrees tonight and then will begin to warm up over the next few days.  As far as I know now this will be my typical Thursday, i.e., pick up friend and go to coffee and then take friend home and then go to the Church for the Wisdom group.  That will be it for today other than needing to fix a batch of sausage muffins for Pat.  I have put everything together this morning so Pat can quickly cook her breakfast of scrambled eggs.  I had to cut up a new package of green onions as we had used up all we had. We did have a good dinner at church last night and then a nice visit with Scott and Jennifer afterwards.

Sandy, I just read yesterday afternoon that our Whole Foods store will be closing in a couple of weeks.  Apparently the business isn't profitable at that location.  However, there is a Fresh Foods store just down the road a little ways that is apparently similar.  Old habits are hard to break when it comes to what a person likes to eat. 

Patricia, it sounds like you need some medication for that sinus problem.  I  feel for Farrah is you are crotchety.  Is she leaving you alone?  Is it harmful for Farrah to lick the plastic bags, etc.? 

MarsGal, I have a good friend that lives in Maryland and he was expecting quite a bit of snow during the night.  I wonder if the deer was served at StarBUCKS? 

Joan, your weather sounds like the "same old".  You will really enjoy Spring when it arrives.  We just haven't had any winter down here and sure hope it doesn't affect the peach crop this Spring.

Mary Ann, it sounds like the twins are doing well.  Nice that you got to see and have lunch with the family at the hospital.  Those are cute names although I wonder about the Grays but they didn't ask me. 

Joy, hope your mini hamburgers turned out well.  Do you leave the roll on the hamburger as you microwave it? 

Marilyne, the cat we used to have like for us to turn on the water as a slow drip or light stream and he would stand in the tub and lap the water as it came out of the faucet. 

Callie, what a cute story of the second child describing the situation for her mother. 

Before it even stopped snowing completely, the snow started to melt. I wasn't expecting that. Anyhow, I still had to shovel some snow, including what the snowplow pushed up onto the sidewalk after someone had so nicely cleaned it earlier. It has turned into a very heavy, wet snow. Most of my car and a bit of snow around it still need cleared off, but I don't need to be in a hurry to do that.

MarsGal. Good Afternoon, right now we are in the  middle of a blizzard, we now have 8in. and will have another 8 by the time this is over. I can only see out my sliding glass doors. I am on the North Fork of Long Island.

Good snowy afternoon everyone!

We are still in the beginning of it with lots more to go.

Larry,  sorry  to hear that that Whole Foods is leaving...  Ours does a huge business....

The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine's total population.

We have warmed up from the minus sixes to the plus sixes and lows are still in the mid teens. Yesterday we had snow, the skies and everything was pure white. Now with the skies clearing, more blue showing, we will probably drop again.

Larry, a cat, has a sandpaper-like tongue, design to bring food and water downward and not back up. If you ever see a slow motion filming of a cat drinking water, you will see the tongue swirl up the water with the tongue curled in a cup position and then it pours the water down the throat.

A cat doesn't have the ability to bring lodged items back up. That is why yarn, string, tree tinsel and similar things can be so dangerous and strangle a cat. Plastic can come apart in pieces and also strangle slash suffocate  a dog, cat or child. I keep the bathroom door closed unless I am inside.

No Farrah has got closer as I've gotten ill. She seems more affectionate and of course now occasionally snuggles with me on "her pillow" between her appointed rounds. During the day she plays with her cylinder and loves it when I place food or her treats inside.

Cats love running water, it is instinctive, probably a failsafe in the wild eons ago to find fresh water. And vets and others saying having food only left out with little exercise can lead to obesity, rather like us humans! If a cat has to work for it's food, it is happier and healthier. They rely on their curiosity and experts say indulging that sense keeps them motivated and keeps them sharp.

Farrah certainly seems to enjoy finagling the small pieces out of the lower slots in her big, blue, tube! Of course, she eats so little that I put only about 1/4 cup in her dish. She regularly jumps four or more feet from table to the counter to couch, so I know she is getting her exercise. It is fascinating to watch her pause, shift into position and then leap! It is precisely like a bigger cat does.

Gloria, are you able to ask a friend or neighbor to come and visit occasionally? I know the weather is frightening, but it seems if you are prepared and Taffy is there with you.

I feel sorry for those of you heading into more severe weather. We don't have those types of storms here. Even in the past when we had more snow it was too cold to manufacture the humidity necessary to generate a blizzard. Now in the Southeast, with their climate, they might, it's possible there, but they are 400 miles from here.

I sometimes forget what it was like when I lived in the lower forty-eight, it was very like and is in many ways, an entirely different country there. We identify in people, geography, time settings and climate, more with the Yukon Territory in Canada.

Marilyne, we have many businesses here with automatic doors, and sometimes, moose will occasionally step in the right place and follow right on in! Try getting a thousand or more pounds, animal out without wrecking the place! That happened at a Dennys, one of the private nursing homes and a sporting goods store. At the last, they said he was sent to reconnoiter!   

Today though I am staying home.  We got some snow last night, not much but enough to cover my car.  Sun is out now so maybe clean it off. Think it is 38 deg out side.
Should do a little housework. Been putting it off to long. Its already 2:30 so will not be much done.  Needs a good Spring cleaning.  Going to try and find help for that. Get everything done and then hire one to come in twice a month.



Don't want to drive anyway.  After doing the MRI last week they have me on 2 diff drugs that are really making me tired and a little sick feeling.  Trying to take care of that nerve problem I have had for quite awhile down the left side of left leg.  Strange thing.  4 Dr. so far have been involved in this thing.

I have to mention that on the North Slope, at pipeline camps, a polar bear would wander into a Quonset hut or occasionally into a housing unit. Since they are incredibly dangerous,(Polar bears have been known to patiently wait for eight hours by a seal hole in the ice, waiting for one to surface.); this posed many issues.

One worker on the back side of the housing unit was settling into sleep when he noticed an odd snuffling. A polar bear was only a few feet away from him, and all he could do was cover up quietly and wait for it to move on. That must have been terrifying!

JeanneP - I'm sorry to hear about the nerve problem in your left leg.  What did the doctor say it was, after seeing the MRI?  It sounds like peripheral artery disease or neuropathy??
Good idea to get help with your housework.  I'm thinking about doing that too. 

Patricia - It wasn't me, it was MarsGal who posted the story about the deer, who first went into a food store, and then moved on the Starbucks!    Every so often we see a story on our nightly news about a moose, in some Alaska city, who decides to visit a couple of local businesses!  With everyone now-a-days having a camera at the ready, there are many live video's taken and many end up being shown on the news at night.  There are probably a lot more on YouTube?  Seems to me I remember the video of the moose in the nursing home?  There was also one that went inside a McDonald's, and had to be gently escorted back out.  I'm sure he/she was attracted to the smell of burgers frying!

I like hearing about Farrah, and her various activities. These felines of ours are such fun to watch, as they go through their little routines!  Not only does Winnie like the wet shower floor, but he loves all other types of water as well.  He's the only cat I've ever had who actually wants to go outside when it's raining.  He doesn't sit in the rain, but will settle down under the porch awning, and just sit and watch the downpour for long periods of time.  Later, after it stops, he wants to go out again and visit all of the spots in the yard where water has pooled, such as empty flower pots, or anything else that holds water.  Then he drinks from each and every source!

Sorry, MarsGal! 

There are more visible moose in Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula so that was probably where the majority of those stories came. Moose are fascinating animals and they say that Fairbanks has an annual inside the city limits population of about 200. That's not surprising as we are surrounded by water and trees and city life offers some protection from wolves.

I'm glad you like to hear about Farrah. She is amassing a bit of a fan club. I always like to hear about Winnie, Kendrick, and Taffy, cats are interesting creatures and we are lucky to have them!

Kendrick likes to sit in front of the slider and watch the world outside.  I have a raised deck so he can't see the edge of the pond well so if he sees a bird, he races down the steps and watches from the slider downstairs.  Or he'll go into my bedroom and I have cleared off half a table by the window.  I was worried about letting him out on the deck in the summertime, but so far he hasn't shown an inclination to jump off.  I let him out the slider door recently when there was still snow on the deck.  He gingerly put a paw out on the deck and rapidly brought it back in.  I've offered to let him out in the rain, but he hasn't taken me up on it.

Mary Ann