Genuine January, 2016

[treegirl]

Hello all-

Lav, I think it's just going to be you getting the snow. They keep 'downgrading' us up here. Darn - I would love to see about 8 inches, but it's not to be. And then 40 degrees on Tuesday!? Crazy. Good luck - I hope that your power stays on...

Pauly - happy Friday!

Dill - thanks for the Rickman tip! And I was going to write to you about that planet line-up - thank goodness it goes for a week or so now; we might get a chance to see it.

Star - good luck with your son's move!!

I'm just back from the long trip to the airport, taking HB there to go to MN (of all places!). I'm looking at a week to myself, and I have to say that it's OK by me. Sometimes it's hard living with another person, period.

Doggy girl hanging in there - I hope to get some weight on her now...she looks pretty skeletal at the moment. But her eyes are bright and attitude is good. Dear neighbor came over and 'sat' with them while I was away this morning. She said that the dogs gave her a lot of comfort, as if they know that her dog passed.

OK, off to figure out where I am in my life! More later -- good luck with the storm Lav!

[dill]

Hello All, late check in for me. I got up and out early to avoid any possible late afternoon snow.

Pauly, I live in Ohio. South-western Ohio actually. I used to have that in my profile so when you said you didn't know where I was I thought I might have to take a look and re do my profile. I wonder if it was lost when the site went thru all the changes?

Cyn, I think we have until late Feb. to see the 5 planets. I have had nothing but clouds since I first heard of it!

Star, good luck with your son's move. I am sure it will be a good thing for you all!

Lav, Keep warm and safe! I'll be thinking of you tonight.

[Lavande]

Hey kids!

Just checking in while I still can, ha ha!
The snow started at 6 pm & it's supposed to keep snowing until Sunday morning. If that's true then we are in for a gigantic hit
I cooked up a bunch of food & bought a brand new jar of peanut butter so we'll be OK
My son is doing at least a 48 hour shift in DC - feel very sorry for him but he always makes the best out of these situations. I fed my DIL & grandsons an early dinner then sent them home to hunker down with the Insanity Twins!!!

Pauly, Mr Rogers was indeed a unique individual. He had a way about him that always made my kids calm - nice! Happy birthday to your daughter.

Cyn, I just heard from a friend who lives in MN. He was concerned about our weather here for a change!
Glad to hear your girl dog is getting along. Enjoy the quality alone time

Dill, all that firewood YB gathered last summer is coming in handy! Prayer for the power company - please, ha ha!!

Have a peaceful night everyone!

Lav

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

The snow missed us! Yay! We had one day of snow this week and it was enough for me.

Lav, hope your power keeps on.

Dill, the move went well, now for a job.

Cyn, thank goodness your doggie is on the mend. Enjoy your time alone.

Have a good one.

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Nothing here yet but huge winds. We are to get 3 - 8, which will make me happy if it shows up.

Lav - the snow already started, and is going to Sunday?! Wow. Good luck - hope you can read this today!

Dill - I hope you didn't get hit with this storm. BTW, I received a link to a StoryCorps story that was highlighted by an NPR station that I support. It is a Dad talking to his veteran son about what happened after he came home from the war. It gave me real insight to the emotions that you and Mr Dill might have gone through with your son. Also on the page are several other stories about the cost of war on families - one story all the way back to Vietnam. As usual when I hear the Storycorps pieces, I need a hanky. Here's the link, if anyone is interested: Zach Skiles and Scott Skiles | StoryCorps

Star - glad to hear the snow missed you, and that the move is done. That's a big deal! Good luck to your son on the job search.

Pauly - hope you are doing well today.

Well, off to get some things accomplished around here, now that doggies seem to be a little more 'normal'. Knock wood.

Wishing all well, and a cozy AF Saturday --

[treegirl]

Lav - meant to say good luck to your son - he must be some strong dedicated guy to do a 48 hour shift. Though he probably doesn't have a choice, right? Stay warm-

[Lavande]

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!

Ha ha, they are saying this is the 3rd biggest storm in recorded history BUT the power is still on so I am grateful

Just made my way out to the chickens & brought some of their scratch grains & layer feed back in to bake up some seed treat for them. You add in nuts, dried fruit, eggs, molasses & anything you want & bake it in a tube pan. They get hours of fun pecking!!!!!

Hello to everyone & glad the snow has missed the rest of you.
Have a great AF Saturday!

Cyn, my son is a dedicated FF/Paramedic for sure

Lav

[dill]

Hello friends, altho we had the cold and wind from the storm, we didn't get any snow. The storm is over and the sun is shining brightly. Maybe we'll get to see the planets tomorrow!

Lav and Cyn, keep warm and dry! Cyn, thanks for the link. I listened to it twice and teared up the second time thru. What a loving father.

Pauly and Star, hope you are doing well. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your children's job searches! I did not know Mr. Rogers was a marine!

Granddaughter is here so this will have to be a quick fly by.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Lav, interested to hear about where you are at with the storm. When I lived farther north we often got two feet of snow and it was so common it was never on the news. But, we had a great street department, and no one went into a panic. I think the huge populations in the cities and not having the resources to manage all that snow makes it so much worse. I hope you are doing well. I liked the idea to make your chickens a little blizzard treat to keep them busy, happy, well-fed and warm. May your power stay on!

Dill, have fun with your granddaughter this weekend. No plans to see our grandson this weekend. I went to my son's and helped him get organized and threw so much stuff away going through boxes, drawers, filled with papers, old mail, etc. We shopped, lugged it up to the second floor and I was exhausted. Took a nap at home, then made dinner. Busy day.

Cyn, eight inches of snow sounds about right for a cozy week, hope you get your wish. Glad to hear the doggies are feeling better. I meant to look at the sky today to see the planets, but was a little late, the sun had risen. I will try again tomorrow.

Hey Pauly, hope your weather is calm.

Plans today are to exercise, mean plan, grocery shop and rest. Hope you all have a great day.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Sunday to all!

We never lost power, so grateful for that. This morning is sunny, no wind. Now we just have to do something with this 2+ feet of snow. The roads are reported to have 5-8ft drifts blocking them locally so we won't be going anywhere today. I have no idea how my son is going to get home from DC this morning but he loves a challenge.

Star, we lived on the 3rd floor of an apartment building when we were first married. I still remember dragging groceries up 3 flights of steps. Of course that was 40+ years ago, ha ha. No way I could do that now. I hope your son likes his new place.

Greetings to Dill, Pauly & Cyn! Hope you are feeling better Pauly
I hope everyone has a nice AF day.

Lav

[treegirl]

Morning all!

Lav - I hope that your power stayed on throughout the storm - it sounds like you were in the worst of it. What a nice treat you made for the chickens! I remember last year when you did this - do you bind it all together with coconut oil? I hope your son did OK in the storm - it can't have been safe or pleasant to try to be either FF or Paramedic in a blizzard.

Dill - so glad you listened to the Storycorps -- there were so many on that page that had to do with homecoming from war... most of us have no idea what life-long struggles that war puts all families through. Hope you enjoy your time with gdaughter!

RE: Mr Rogers - Here is a link to Snopes (the website that tracks rumors). I had heard the thing about Fred Rogers years ago, and then heard that it isn't true. He never served in the military - but he did become a Presbyterian minister! He is an interesting guy, and worth reading about - here's the link Mr. Rogers Rumor Neighborhood : snopes.com I used to watch his show when I was in college - just before exams. It made me feel like everything was going to be OK!

Pauly - how's things with you?

Star - wow, that sounds like a lot of work for you yesterday -- glad that it wasn't during a snow storm! What are you planning for meals this week? I made the sausage/zucchini recipe recently - I could use some more slow-cooker ideas!

I saw about 10 snowflakes yesterday, that was it. Sigh. Just more brown around here, with a little dusting of white from a week ago. But it is nice to see the sun - it's been dark and gloomy for a few days, I forgot what sunshine looked like. I was startled in the middle of the night when boy dog had to go out - the stars shining brilliantly! And then when girl dog had to go out at 3 AM, the full moon was blazing - it looked like someone left the yard light on.

Take care all, and good luck getting plowed out, Lav.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Cyn,I did read that it was a rumour after I posted it,been sick,not sure if itwas a bug or iI ate something weird,its passed but my head still feels heavy,Louie has an ear infection poor thing, Kell called off work to take him to the doctor yesterday and I don't know what's gonna happen cuz they fired a girl for the same exact reason before,even with a note she has been looking but there's no good leads for another shop,dang,oh well something will come along,it was weird yesterday cuz I was laying on the couch and Winslow was by me and his tummy was whistling and gurgling too,can dogs and people get the same illness? Glad you survived the snowstorm, it didn't look as bad on the news as I thought it would, but maybe cuz I'm not in it hope everyone has a peaceful, calm Sunday,I watch Lou later so we shall see,hope he's not a grump

[dill]

Hello friends, I put in a long day with my granddaughter today. She just left. I am too tired to post really but wanted to just say a quick hello.

Star, I looked for the planets this morning but I only saw 2. Maybe there were intermittent clouds. Also, I was only looking from the window. At 9 degrees I just wasn't motivated to step outside to look for a better vantage point! I think we have until February 20th to see them.

Cyn, I only listened to the one story but I will go back and listen to more. Thanks for the heads up on that. LOL! You watched Mr. Rogers before taking exams! I can totally understand that! I used to have a reputation at my work as being the female version of Mr. Rogers when I was in a preschool classroom or doing a group with preschoolers. I always made it a point to speak to the young ones slowly and in simple sentences. I was pleased when someone compared me to Mr. Rogers! Thanks for that Mr. Rogers link.

Pauly, I bet dogs and humans can get some similar bugs, but I don't know for a fact. Aren't you the one that said a few days ago the Mr. Rogers is kind of a thing lately? I think you are right. I've been noticing his name mentioned in more than one place. I think I will look for some old epis on youtube next time granddaughter is here and see what she thinks.

Lav, I'm glad you survived the storm and didn't lose power! Now you just have to deal with the aftermath. Do you have a long driveway? Does YB have a snowblower?

Looks like I managed more than a quick hello after all! Have a peaceful af night.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

No snow here, today it is actually going to be in the 40s with rain. OK with me.

Pauly, hope you feel better, your poor dog too! I guess you could both be sick if you ate the same thing! I used to feed my dogs people food so it is a possibility. I think it is ridiculous to get fired if you call off on occasion for a legitimate reason. Then you know you work for a terrible place. Your daughter will find a better job soon. I heard Target pays $15 an hour and has benefits. I know it is not what she is trained for but I love working for a big place, lots of protections in place for employees. I am all into the job search and places to work as my son is looking, starting today with two interviews.

Lav, you have your power, yay! Now you can be cozy and just chill in your house. THat is the part of blizzards I like, no guilt for staying put and being cozy!

Dill, know you had fun with your granddaughter and hear you on the exhausted piece. That is why I do not want to watch my grandson for days, then go back to work. Too much for me. Any special plans this week? I have a busy 5 day work week, and look forward to getting through it making good choices.

Cyn, I love cooking in the crock pot and made that zucchini soup last week too, and french onion soup with lots of garlic, a real antioxidant brew! I think a white chili sounds good and a vegetarian chili sounds good in the crock pot, too. This week I am making roasted chicken breasts with citrus and roasting veggies, and a lot of salads this week too. I am really trying to lose a few pounds, so lots of veggies and proteins are on my eating plan this week. How has the MBSR meditation been going for you? I want to get a few new meditation tapes to listen to, so will order some this week.

We get to start thinking of February names? Any ideas?

Have a good Monday.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

Looks like the tundra out there & feels like it too at 12 degrees. At least the sun is out

Pauly, I sure hope you are feeling better by now.
I am very careful with leftover foods in my fridge. If something is not used up before it hits it's one week birthday then I throw it out. I keep an eye on expiration dates too, they do mean something. I had a vet once tell me that dogs can pick up things from us but we don't pick up things from them. Not 100% sure if that's accurate but that's what she told me.

Dill, yes we have a snow blower & it was in use all weekend. The driveway is long enough but YB did get it opened up. I will be able to get my car out of the garage but his is still blocked with snow. He will be using his truck this week

I was happy to hear my son finally made it home from DC last evening. He was on duty for a whopping 60 hours - goodness! He is due back tomorrow for his regular shift.

Cyn, be happy this storm missed you for the most part. I hope you & your doggies are doing well.

Have a good day at work Star & get that crockpot plugged in. This is perfect weather for soups & stews

I guess I will see if I can get to Curves at some point this morning. I am assuming the parking lot has been plowed out, ha ha!
Have a great AF day everyone.

Lav