Not too long ago, Tom was cleaning up the kitchen (he does that sometimes, maybe even more than I do) and asked if we had any dishcloths.  I said we did and looked for some, but couldn't find any and I had a lot of kitchen stuff in my linen closet.  Today I took all of the kitchen stuff from the linen closet, sorted things out and would you know, I could not find one dishcloth.  I have no idea where they went because I had a lot of them.  I have oodles of towels that you hang on the oven handle, lots of dish towels (who needs them with a dishwasher), two or three of my bath towels (I have a couple more), wash cloths - but no dish cloths.  I will have him get some when he goes to the store.  I think I have a couple in my dirty clothes that Tom had used but were quite dirty so I removed them from the kitchen.  When I don't do the cooking or laundry, I lose control of things.

Patricia, I have two bedrooms, bath, kitchen and living/dining area on the first floor.  I have a walkout unit with a bedroom, family room, storage, shower bath, laundry/furnace room in the lower level.  The lower level is Tom's area.  He has the bedroom and bath down there and works in the family room.  I don't do stairs well so seldom go down there.  When I was more able, I had a porch swing and chairs on the patio.  It was like sitting on the front porch we had when I was growing up because the deck was the overhead for the patio.  I miss being able to do that, but I do go out on the deck and sit in the shade.  As the sun gets near to me, I move, then eventually inside.

I should diet, but I don't.  I'm not that heavy, just too short for my weight.

Mary Ann

The house just passed a bill ending Internet privacy so Internet providers can sell customer information....

Mary Ann - you have plenty of living space for both you and Tom to be comfortable, without bumping into each other all the time  I can see that the layout of your condo is perfect for privacy.  Even a room for Annie, if she ever comes back there to live. 

That was an interesting history on Tom and his two brothers.  Three boys, all born within two and a half years, must have kept everyone busy!  Now I understand why you referred to Tom as "my boy".

Be sure to keep us posted on the results of Annie's DNA.  I'm curious about mine and my husband's, so will probably do it soon.  I've heard that it takes a long time to get the results back?

Patricia - It sounds like your apartment is quite spacious. Three walk in closets is amazing!  I don't have any walk in closets . . . just the old fashioned flush with the wall, sliding door variety.  This house was built in 1960, so the design is typical of houses from that era.

Gloria de - My husband sounds a lot like yours.  Very easy going and always ready to help.  He doesn't mind cooking or doing household chores, but is not the greatest at cleaning up the kitchen.  I know I'm lucky, so I'm not complaining!

It has been interesting and sometimes fun to read your notes - I am catching up on weeks of neglect. 

wJoan:  You mentioned rain and heavy snow and I am sure that is good for moisture in the ground - hopefully, your area will not have fire danger. 

Take care everyone. 

I'm not sure where we'd put Annie if she decided to return, but we'd make it OK.  While Tom does use the family room for his work, he uses one end of the room - by the slider.  If Annie came back, I'd turn the hideabed around to face the back wall and put a bookcase behind it so she'd have some privacy.  I've already told her what I would do, but I doubt she will leave what she has.  Oh, the second bedroom on the first floor is my computer room and there is no room for a bed. 

Now, I'm going to the DNA site and compare our backgrounds; they're very similar but not alike.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone.  It is another clear and beautiful morning and we are once again headed up into the 80's this afternoon.  I am awaiting the delivery of my new recliner in an hour or so.  You can now follow the schedule of the delivery truck and there are pictures of the driver and helper, which I think is a very good idea.  Before I came into my office to eat my breakfast and work on these discussions I decided to get the sausage muffins made and into the oven so Pat will have them for subsequent breakfasts.  She alternates between the sausage muffins and strawberries and loaded scrambled eggs and strawberries.  This evening is our Wednesday night dinner and we are having grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and all the trimmings.  There will not be a Wednesday night dinner next week as it is Master's week and about everything seems to stop around until the golf tournament is over. The rest of today should be pretty laid back and restful.

We did get in to see the doctor yesterday and the news from the MRI was not very good.  Pat has spinal stenosis up and down her spine with some areas worse than others but about all of her spine involved.  He told us that steroid shots are probably the only treatment that might help as there is likely too much involved to try to fix with surgery.  So we will see the pain doctor at the Neurological Clinic as soon as she can get an appointment.  It was too late to get to the Church for the Adult Fellowship and luncheon so we stopped at Cracker Barrel, which was on our way home and had our main meal for the day.

Marilyne, in our last house we had the sliding shelves put in all of our lower cabinets and they work wonderfully well.  Just yesterday Pat and I discussed have them installed in our cabinets in this house as the shelves are deep and it is difficult to get the things from the back and it is painful for Pat to bend down to get to them.  I am thinking of getting some estimates of the cost and then we will decided weather it is worth the expense.  I am not very strong anymore and some of the appliances and skillets and other dishes are very heavy it seems. 

Patricia, it sounds like Farrah had quite an adventure yesterday with the owl and pine siskin.  I keep getting those vehicle service extended warranty letters.  Since I got a 20 year warranty on the motor and transmission on my Hyundai Sonata I don't need it and even if I didn't have it I wouldn't fall for the scam.  Nice to read you are getting out of the minus temps at night.  You sounds like almost a new person and a person with much less to deal with in terms of things. 

June, as you see above, Pat did not get good news from the doctor. A very nice comment to Patricia about becoming a butterfly. 

Mary Ann, a very interesting and informative posting yesterday.  You have obviously played a very large roll in the lives of your Nephews and in Norm's life.  Some nights we turn the TV off after the news and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and just listen to our audiobooks.  We use a clean dish cloth daily and usually a fresh kitchen towel.  I like the old fashioned dish cloths and terry towels that actually absorb water.  We had some plush ones and ones that didn't seem to hold water and we got rid of them as they completely annoyed me.  You all are going to think I am an old fuss-budget and I hope that is not true but I know what I like and don't as does Pat. 

deAngel, we husbands aren't perfect and I am like yours in sometimes not seeing all the nooks that may need cleaning but my wife misses nothing.  However, I am much neater when I cook and put things away as I use them and into the dishwasher or hand wash them as I did with the sausage skillet this morning.  I do not like to see clutter. 

Larry, the lower cabinets in this place aren't too convenient whether we can get down on our knees or not.  I have a corner cabinet between the sink and stove where I put my plastic containers, actually, it is hard to just "put" them there, it is more likely that I "drop" them in there.  The door to that cabinet is about a foot wide and even if I could get down to get anything, I can't get my shoulders close.  I have a turntable in the other corner and I might use something from there (hand mixer, for instance), Tom does not.  I have one more cabinet where I am trying to keep "my" pots and pans and I could probably use a pull-out shelf there.  The dishwasher is on that side of the kitchen and I have four drawers, one on top of another, to complete that side.  I have a U-shaped kitchen.  The kitchen is a one-person kitchen. 

I'm sorry to hear about Pat's spinal stenosis; that is serious.  I don't know of anyone who has had that so I can't give you any wrong advice.

I used to get letters wanting me to add on to my car's warranty, even before I sold it at 13 years.  One year the letter was forwarded to me while I was in Florida, so Norm called them to see what the cost would be.  The car already was several years old.  We had no intention of extending the warranty, but Norm was curious as to the cost.  I think the cost was close to a thousand dollars, so who knows what it would be at 13 years.  I don't go for those extended warranties for anything.

Because I did not marry, I did play a big part in the lives of my nephews.  I lived a couple miles from them when they were small and all three stayed with me at times when they went to JC.  Tom lived with me for six years before he was married and now he has been with me nearly four years.  Tom's mother had told the boys she expected them out of the house by the time they were 18.  Tim and friends lived in a house on the west side until he married.  Tom lived in an apartment with friends until he came to live with me because he was going to college, then seminary and wanted to save money.  Terry stayed with me while at JC, then went to Michigan Tech in the UP and married after he graduated.  I was included in most of the family activities. 

Tom and I are going to Holland late afternoon to see the babies.  I haven't seen them since they are home but I did see pictures of both of them after they got home.  I know both James and Alicia have their hands full; one baby is enough, let alone two. 

The sun is shining today, so it's a nice day.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, some years back I purchased a small stool with wheels.  Do NOT use it to stand on tho.  It really is a God send to me.  I can get into my lower cupboards in the kitchen and also use it when I clean out the frig.  Not sure I could do without it.

Gloria.
Sorry you had to go into the hospital again. Happy that they fixed you all up and out so fast.  You have good medical in your area.  Ours is just getting to big.  Competing with the way that Mayo Clinic is run which is good but ours just don't know how to do things.  Depend to much now on Texting things only or have to get on a service were you can read on the Tech.Care service.  No way to talk to a doctor now only with a Appointment to see to talk.

Breathing and sleeping better last night.  Even though I don't feel like doing it after all the messed up drugs the Dr. put me on.  Making me sleep and get dizzy.
But my birth day to close to put it off.  Anymore taking those road test are as bad as going to the Dentist.  Have to take them in town North that I am not use to driving in.  But anyway it turned out good.  Now have to take them every year  Just do the eyes and go out on the roads doing a driving test.
Can relax again.  Never use to let things like this bother me.  Can't think how I could manage with out a car.

Good morning from the Interior!

After having worked so many years in retail, I know that extended warranties are a money maker for the stores but are pretty worthless otherwise. Often a retail chain will put an arbitrary amount of extended warranties or store credit cards or add-on sales a store clerk must sell per amount of customers. I know Sears, when I worked there had four of each per 100 customers. An example of an add-on sale would be if you bought a sewing machine, did the clerk also sell you thread or fabric as an additional sale?

I don't know how many complaints I dealt with customers regarding pushy clerks. What the customer doesn't realize is that the stores put penalties on the clerks if they don't keep up with the amount of sales per customer allotted to them, from loss of hours to eventual layoffs. Everything is computerized and on camera, these days and corporate is tough on clerks.

I also have trouble bending and it is nice to have the shelves pull out and up. I don't use the top two shelves in the cabinets because the only way to reach them requires a chair and wobbling.

I did my email organizing yesterday and today. I was getting upward of 300 daily emails and while I had an efficient system, I found myself not reading stuff and just slotting it for the future. I also noticed that my email took it upon itself to delete items at the end of each month even though I was using the bare minimum of the space allowed me.

I discovered that I could have a monthly archive of everything on Google, not just email and have it sent to my Dropbox app. So I set up a Google folder on Dropbox, and yesterday, everything was archived there. So that evening, I went through and unsubscribed to a lot of blogs, sites, and news programs I thought I would read but didn't. I had already archived and now unsubscribed from the excess.

Today I had 62 emails instead of 300 so instead of just slotting them into folders, I went through and fine tuned my deletes and deleted the mass of items and folders on my email that had been archived elsewhere yesterday. I genuinely want to read and not be overwhelmed by my emails. I also do not want to spend over an hour daily just keeping my head above email water.

A popular idea now is a capsule wardrobe where you have fewer pieces that when combined make more outfits. I am attempting to apply that principle to my house and my life. Speaking of purses, I had a bunch along with two briefcases and a number of cloth bags I was using for groceries to overnights to storage. I donated the briefcases, all purses but two and all cloth bags but three.

My new philosophy is only keep what I love and will use. The majority are items from my previous work life and no longer needed. I just had a hard time giving them up. Now I realize I will never again use them, space is limited and why not give someone else that responsibility?

Mary Ann - Good that you got to see the twins today. I'm interested in hearing how they're doing?  How long does it take you to drive to Holland?  I looked on my Michigan map, but couldn't compute the milage?? (or is it "mileage"?)

Patricia - You get 300 emails  every day??  Wow, that would be totally overwhelming for me.  My email server is Eudora, and always has been. However, it's not supported on the newer Apple computers like my husband's, so whenever I get a new computer I'll go to Apple Mail.

Until then, I'll stick with Eudora, since I've had it since 1996.   My personal emails arrive in my IN Box, along with other mail that's important to me on a daily basis. I only get an average of 10 to 25 new emails a day.  Everything else goes into the Junk Folder, which I scan whenever I think about it, to make sure that nothing of importance was sent there by mistake. I also have folders for different friends & family, appointments, Paypal, ebay, Facebook groups, online orders, Photoshop, etc. 

The remainder of my hangers from Amazon arrived today. 202 hangers for pants, tees, sweatshirts, coats are the last to be switched over. Tonight or tomorrow, I'll take them down, (the old hangers); to the donations table along with my cookbooks, magazines and "stuff."

Marilyne, under the section Blogs, I had 14 separate folders. Some were multiple carryalls such as Arts & Crafts, Recipes, Organization or Home. My Computer section has 37 destinations such as security, sites or websites. I have 4 folders under Books and Amazon has 13 folders in that division. Corel has 9 for photos, photo programs, and software. They are not all necessarily Corel but it makes a good name and I understand the types of items stored in that destination. My PinInterest folder is huge with seven separate folders.

I used to use Yahoo for business until that was completely overwhelmed by email theft. I also used Outlook for noncreative type emails and then Microsoft became unreliable and outlook became dangerous enough that many browsers said it was unsafe, unsecured and a possible site for identity theft. Gmail was used for "creative" endeavor type emails.

But when the other two went belly up, everything went to Gmail, causing chaos. Now I have it cleared up. And I'm not going to just sign up for all the stuff anymore. I have been downloading Paint Shop Pro tubes, graphics and software since 2000. Nikon and ON1 and Google plus for almost that long, hence my Dropbox app. These are items I'll always keep along with Amazon and trivia quizzes or word of the day.

Marilyne, do you save or toss most emails? I had been using Gmail as a filing cabinet until I realized they were coming along behind me and deleting! That really angered me as they boast about the amount of available storage and upon my checking, I was using about an 8th of that. Where did they come up with going through personal accounts and deleting each month?!?

I know, I know it's too much, but a lot of the chaff has been cleared. Then again, I haven't started with my home office....

Marilyne, it turned out that we did not go to Holland today as James told his dad that Thursday would be better.  It's OK with me, especially my evening programs are overtaken by March Madness.  I am not a basketball fan.  So we will plan on tomorrow evening.  We will go to Papa Murphy's and get an unbaked pizza to take with us and that will be our supper unless Alicia makes a salad or something.

Holland is about 40 miles from Grand Rapids.  It is on Lake Michigan, although the kids don't live that close to the lake.  If necessary, I could live in Holland as it is a very clean city.  It was settled by the Dutch and a lot of their prominent names are Dutch, starting with Van or Vander or Van de, all variations.  Many names end in -ma. 

We had a very nice day today with the sun shining but I am not so sure about tomorrow.  I just looked at radar and rain is nearby with lots of rain west of us.  Tom likes to drive in bad weather and that's OK, but it's the other drivers I fear.

Patricia, I would not be able to handle 300 e-mails a day.  I usually get up to 12 or 13 and some of them are reminders of bills due or someone sends me some forwards, things easy to pitch or save.  I have too many e-mails that I've saved and I'm trying to clear out a lot of them.  I am not as disciplined as you are.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I became disciplined after having three days and only a few crates and bags to pack everything up and store it on the balcony. I have probably a thousand paperbacks and hardbacked books still out there as well as 23 art prints that are quite large and heavy. I have two sets of shelves and my papers as well as a few odds and ends yet. They have already sent notes around as to what can and cannot be permanently stored on the balconies and several folks, myself included, need to get a move on.

I just finished hanging my stuff on the 202 new hangers and have 75 left. I also pulled three more black pea coats out for donations. Basically, it is my office stuff, my costume jewelry and my stuffed animals that need going through now and then I will hopefully be done. My real jewelry is done and my stuffed animals only need a crate as I looked at them and want to keep them, just not in sight.

Who else can say they have a snufflusagus from Sesame Street? I always tried to avoid trite with my stuffed ones, but a few stuffed bears such as Winnie the Pooh in his red sweater snuck in. I also have a stuffed howler monkey and a stuffed flamingo, all of these were gifts from a distant time. I need a Jan like you have to help me with this. A few friends have tried but they got caught up in what they wanted rather han helping me decide and my friend Matt's idea was to drive his truck up alongside and throw everything down to it! 

Patricia, for  years I asked for help in sorting things out in my storage room and the only response I got from Norm was "throw it all away".  All of the kids lived out of town so that was no help, either.  It wasn't until I talked about it so long that Jan offered to help.  Jan has a lot on her plate right now as Terry was hospitalized in California (he is home now) and both of her parents are headed toward Alzheimer's, she has a job heading a hospice unit and she has no family help either as everyone lives out of town, including her sister and brother.  It's just the way the world turns these days.  It used to be families stayed in the same towns or at least in the same areas, but now, the further away the better - it seems.  When things settle down with Tom, and he's doing fine, I may ask him to get down any boxes that are high up and I could go through them.  I think I could easily decide to keep or give to Goodwill.  I've had some practice anyway.

When Tom came here 3 1/2 years ago, I got rid of a lot of stuff on the first floor, however, in those years, other things have shown up and I'll have to decide what to do with them too.  I am not really a hoarder but I am a packrat, I guess.  I don't buy anything at all, not even clothes and I try to tell the family for gifts I want SERVICES!  Easier said than done.

Mary Ann

I know what you mean. Although at the time, my parents and older sister lived in town, no one helped in the three years I went around trying to get assistance for my daughter. Then when my daughter died, the family decided I would be the one to help with my mom as dad was having difficulties.

It was put forth as I didn't have a family and my older sister did, that I would be the better choice. So I took care of my mom in late Alzheimers and my dad until the almost daily strokes put him in a nursing home. My sister felt I should be the one to physically care for them but she was right there when it came time to deal with the wills.

I don't think families help each other anymore.

Patricia - So sorry that your family let you down when your daughter was so sick.  Sometimes family members disappoint us when we need them most.

Glad you're getting things cleared out of your apartment, that you no longer need.  I've been in the process of doing that very thing, for such a long time.  There doesn't seem to be any end here, of 45 years accumulation of "stuff".  On top of all that, we have one bedroom downstairs off the basement,  that's filled with plastic bins containing our older daughter's things.  When she got divorced about eight years ago, she and her youngest daughter moved into a small apartment, and stored everything here.   

wjoan - I just saw your message about your stool with wheels/  I'd love to have one!  Do you remember where you bought it?  Maybe an office supply store like Staples or Office Max carries them? 

Marilyne yes....  an office supply store.  You will love it.  So many uses too.

Hi everyone on an overcast morning with an 80% chance of rain later today.  However, we will get back up to the lower 80's as well.  The morning will be busy with picking up and returning my friend from Assisted Care so we can have coffee.  Then I will return back downtown to the Church for our Thursday Wisdom Group.  I did finally get my new recliner yesterday.  They were about 2 hour late from meeting their delivery window but I was home anyway.  It just delayed my afternoon rest period.  We had a nice dinner at the Church last night and then Scott and Jennifer came out for a couple of hours.  Scott took my old recliner back to his house and it will be given to Jennifer's boyfriend, who is in the process of buying a home and has no furniture. 

Thank you all for your concerns regarding Pat's back.  I know others of you are living with severe back or other types pain and can relate.  Other than occasional twinges by turning wrong I have never had back problems and feel very fortunate.

Joan, it sounds like the stool is just the ticket for you. 

JeanneP, we have a nice system with most of our doctors that is called My Chart and we can write non-urgent questions or needs to our doctor's.  We can also see test results, including the previous tests to compare.  Glad your road testing and other requirements turned out well.

Patricia, I understand about the high shelves in cabinets and not getting much good from them.  Fortunately I can still reach up and get things off the front of the high shelves and we use the back part for things we very seldom use.  It is wise for us to stay off of step stools or chairs and reaching.  I often wonder why I keep so many emails as I very seldom go back to them and occasionally just go through and delete all of those more than a year old.  I do use a lot of folders that help me keep things I may need for reference.  I have been unsubscribing from a number of sites that send constant emails as well.  As far as I know I have never had a problem with Gmail deleting anything but trash and spam as have some email going back many year. 

Marilyne, I haven't heard anyone mention Eudora email for a long time.  Folders are very handy. Pat's aunt has used a mechanics stool in her kitchen for many years as she has suffered neuropathy and couldn't stand for any length of time.  She is a tall person and could reach the counter and stove while sitting on it and could easily wheel around the kitchen..  If a person is short that probably wouldn't work.  When I moved here I discarded the step stool we had and got one that has a high handle on it so I can fold on as I go up or down the three steps.  However, I still don't feel comfortable beyond the first step. 

Mary Ann, I hope you and Tom have a wonderful visit and the twins are in a good mood for you.  I am sure they are still pretty tiny.  The March Madness basketball games are on TV until Saturday.  It looks like the golf tourney starting today in Texas should be a good one as the very top golfers are playing.  I guess they are tuning up for the Master's next week.

Larry, we have one major hospital that merged with another and they have something similar to your My Chart and ours is called MyHealth.  If I have a question for any of my doctors, I go to the site and type in my question and soon i have a response.  I like it very much, saves phone calls and waiting and, as I call them - 1 if by land, 2 if by sea (press 1 for English etc).  When I've had a test, like with yours, the test results are there for me to print out if I wish.

It has been a rainy, raw day so far and radar shows more of the same.  Fortunately, we will be inside to visit James and family.

Mary Ann

Larry.   Yes we have a system called.  (Christie Care). About the same as yours. but that is what they want us using all the time. I don't like the system. Had some blood test done the other day and they tell me it is on there. I look and know nothing. all Just numbers.  2 were to low but not idea what they were. Finely called and said I have to come in and have them explain  if they cant do it a better way.  I am put out a little anymore with the Health system as I have always been use to having doctors that you saw, they sat and explained everything. Now they want to keep passing you from one to another at this medical centre. Only certain ones can talk about things. Most now not allowed to give just a simple shot. have to go to a Specialist. Take a test and have to go back to Primary who then gets you appt. with a Specialist on whatever the problem is.  I had 4 Dr. involved along with MRI and then one suggested Therapy 3 times a week.  All this for a pulled nerve in my thigh.
I just quit the meds. did some exercises at home. Took some advil for a week and now seems to be hardly noticed.  My primery told me to do that at the start. Now she is just as confused as to why all these doctors got involved.  Did get the insurance and the Bill the other day and the Medical Centre bill came up to $9740.00 See what the insurance pays.  I for one don't blame Obama for the health problems

Today, I finally had my appointment with the cardiologist.  They cancelled on me a month ago, so I've had to wait for about two months.  Anyway, he seemed surprised that I wasn't breathless, weak or tired, because my pulse rate/heart rate is so low.  It was 46 today, but often is lower.  Never higher than 50.  I don't think he believed me when I told him I feel great.

Anyway, he wants me off the BP med that I like, that has worked well for me.  It's a beta blocker, and I guess bb's lower a person's heart rate?  I have to start taking Cardura, which is an alpha blocker.  I also have to have an echo cardiogram.  I'm not happy about the change in meds, because I've had adverse reactions to every bp med I've ever taken, except for the beta-blocker.

Larry - I hope that Pat's spinal stenosis, can be addressed, and will give her some relief.  Since you will likely continue on with the cooking and clean up, consider getting rid of all your heavy cooking equipment.  It was such an effort for me to lift the stainless steel electric skillet that I liked and had relied on for so many years.  Also washing it after use was a real pain.  Same problem with my slow cooker/crockpot.  I could see an accident waiting to happen, with those two appliances! I got rid of them, and replaced the skillet with two of those light weight ceramic coated non-stick fry pans.  One is large and the other small.  I love them both, and so easy to cook, clean and handle.  (They aren't like the old teflon pans of yesteryear!) I got mine at Tuesday Morning, but you can get them at any store than handles kitchenware.

Jeanne, I suppose every system is different regarding reporting test results etc.  My test results are posted on MyHealth and I can print them out if I want to.  Along with my results, there are average or desired numbers.  I can compare my results with what is desired.  I like my system very much.  I had one doctor who did go into detail with my results but that was over 60 years ago.  I liked that but when he retired and I had a new doctor I got a card in the mail that said "everything OK".  I knew if I wanted to know more, I could call him and get that information but knowing everything was OK was enough for me.  Now with getting my results by e-mail I do get a bit more information.

Marilyne, my pulse rate was high and the last time my doctor checked it, it was going so fast he couldn't count it and informed me I have A-Fib.  I took a BP med before this ever happened and because of the fast heart rate, I take Eliquis, a blood thinner.  I can take Tylenol or similar but I cannot take aspirin, nor Aleve or Advil.  My pulse rate when I have it taken these days is in the 70s and the doctors seem happy with that.

Tom and I went to Holland to see the babies today.  On the way there we ran into a hard rain, so hard that Tom had to put the wipers on high.  Coming back things were dry until we got near Grand Rapids and with more traffic, we got spray from the tires on the pavement.  It was fun holding both girls; they are so tiny.  They were born Feb 7 so are nearly 8 weeks old.  Eleanor slept most of the time, but Johanna had her eyes open and seemed to be looking around.  Johanna weighs 6 lbs, 4 oz, and Eleanor weighs 5 lbs, 2 oz.  Their hands and feet are so tiny, but I did count five fingers and five toes on each limb!  I was supposed to take something from Dot and left it on our dining room table.  I think they might not fit in them right away anyway; they are onesies.

Mary Ann

I almost said good morning, but it is evening here, 8:59 PM. I wasted the whole day waiting on Fedex to deliver my new smartphone. It was supposed to be two-day air and left Indianapolis Tuesday, arrived in Anchorage at 11:18 AM today, and it hasn't budged from there according to the tracking number. They were supposed to deliver by 8 PM and I have to sign for it. Now I suppose it will be until 8 PM tomorrow! Since it's from Amazon, I'm not paying any freight, but still...

I have never had a smartphone before so this will all be new to me. My Tracfone has over 2000 minutes and is activated until midyear 2018, so it will be my home phone and my new phone will become my play phone at least until I get used to it. This is very similar to the feeling I had with my first Kindle.

We have MyHealth here as well with doctors and the hospital. I remember some stuff on there from when I had laryngitis at 60 but really haven't used it since then or paid attention to it.

We had a snow dusting last night and I see it is having some thin flakes now. I want spring and I want summer, not snow!

Hi everyone.  The sun is now shining after a rainy start for the day.  It looks like the rain is over for the day.  I didn't get up until 7:30 this morning.  Today is going to be a catch up on rest day as have nothing on my calendar that should require me to leave the house.

Mary Ann, your MyHealth sounds very much like MyChart system here.  We had a similar system with Kaiser the last few years before we moved.  Glad you got to hold those precious babies yesterday.

JeanneP, I have to agree with you about the referral system.  We still are able to sit down with the doctor and have test results explained. However, our primary care doctor now has a PA working but we both like her and for many things we don't really need to see the doctor so no complaints.  I think doctors often order more tests than needed just to protect themselves from the lawyers.

Marilyne, both sides of my heart are paced so my heart rate stays at about 60. However I have always had low blood pressure.  The cardiologist said she wants the lower number to be in the range of 60 to 65 but when I saw the doctor the other day it was 49.  Several years ago we got rid of our everyday dining service as the plates had become too heavy.  We have some lighter weight skillets and cooking pans.  Pat bought a set of Cuisinart pans and skillets a few years ago and they are not too heavy except for the big skillet.  We not longer have an electric skillet.  I love the non-stick frying pans and also have two muffin pans that are make from silicon that I really love.  I use them for the sausage muffins and there is no sticking and cleanup is a breeze. 

Patricia, when we have been told something will be delivered on a particular day it is frustrating waiting and then not get it at all.  We ordered a new TV for Pat's sister a couple of days ago and it is suppose to be delivered to her tomorrow.  I know she will be terribly frustrated if it isn't delivered.  At least the tracking is helpful so we don't stay in the dark about where our package is.  I bet you are going to love your smartphone.  I use mine for about everything I can do on my computer.  If I have a question about doing something I can usually find a video or explanation with a Google search.     

Patricia, occasionally I want to ask my doctor a question or even tell him something and it is much more convenient typing the question in MyHealth than calling and waiting for a call back after hours.  I think what he does now is read my question then ask one of the triage nurses to reply, however, in his name.  I get quicker answers via MyHealth. 

Annie just left.  I had paid for a DNA test for her as she has been trying to locate her mother's birth parents.  A woman in Texas contacted her and thinks she may be descended from the same woman.  Annie's mother had never wanted to find her birth parents, mostly because she felt it disloyal to her adopted parents.  She has now gotten into the spirit of the thing and has applied to open the adoption; she is now 54.  The woman who contacted Annie thinks the woman is still alive but she's not sure about the birth father.  I'm excited for Annie.

Patricia, I hope your new Smartphone arrives today.  That's disappointing when it doesn't come when promised.  I have about 800 minutes plus I'm good to Feb 2019 on my TracFone.  I am thinking of getting another TracFone and transferring my minutes and time.  I see no reason to get another type of phone and have to make monthly payments when I use the TracFone so seldom.  I carry it in my purse and charge it ever so often. 

Tom and I went to Holland last night to see James, Alicia and the girls.  I took a couple of pictures and I'll send it to Jeanne Lee to have her put the picture in here, if possible.  The girls are so tiny but did very little crying while we were there.  Johanna had her eyes open and seemed to look around and Eleanor slept.  They will be seven weeks old next Tuesday.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of Eleanor and Johanna.  They're still so tiny and fragile, but it won't be long before they catch up to normal weight. 

Very interesting about Annie's birth/grandmother.  I can imagine that everyone is excited to hear from the woman from Texas, who might be a distant relative.  We all have unusual situations in our long-ago genetic backgrounds. I've discovered some important things about my mothers side of the family, but still much more to learn. I'm curious about what my DNA will show, but haven't done anything about it yet.

Good morning from the interior. We had light snow all night so Spring is still deciding whether to commit fully or not.

I found this morning that the phone hasn't budged from Anchorage and there is no longer a scheduled delivery date. I called, spoke to three people, endured three waiting periods with tinny music, and was finally told that they would submit a report and wait to hear from Fedex. All this on my pay per minute Tracfone. They seem to feel that since it is in Alaska, that it must be a short distance away. Now it's a waiting game and I am not happy. 

MaryAnn, I haven't used the program as I rarely use doctors unless forced to. Doctors seem to follow the same style as those involved with my phone order. My sister who retired from nursing, said unless you speak their language, they tend to dismiss you. And being handicapped means re-explaining to each and every new person because while all that info is in the chart, they need to go over it each and every time just in case it magically resolved. After 65 years, I'm fairly certain any magic has passed me by.

We so not have the primary doctor system here as the state doesn't allow it. You do have incentives given by an insurance company if you use their listed doctors but that is about it.

I am also waiting to see photos of the twins! It's alway fun when you can see and hold and play with a baby or child and then give them back to their parents...you get the good times! 

I would love to find out about my DNA. There is a fairly strong facial resemblance between my sisters and I now that we are growing older. And I could be my maternal grandmother's twin from when we were both younger. I also share many of my medical issues with an ancestor who died during the civil war. My immediate family is said to be half Irish and the other a mix of Irish, Scot, and Welsh as my father's mother was Welsh and his father Scot-Irish. Of course that is not as documented as my maternal side is.