Thursday, September 25, 2014

Another quiet day

Such a quiet day - getting ready to pack.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Wednesday Haiku

Swim, coffee, haircuts.
So much for morning. After
That, Noodles & Pho.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Misccellany

Click here to read a short list of books chosen by and with comments by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I’m not much on book lists, but this one, with his comments, is interesting.
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I had my six-month dentist visit this morning. All looks good and, naturally, this makes me happy.
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More happiness this evening when we got a call from the cruise line about our upcoming trip on the Queen of the Mississippi. They were letting us know that they were upgrading our cabin to a bow suite. Well, now! I think we can certainly handle that.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Quiet

It was a quieter than expected Monday. The cleaning lady came, which is always a good thing.

The installer who was scheduled to install the new kitchen faucet called to say he had had car trouble and would be late. So I didn’t get to bridge this afternoon. John went and said he had had lousy cards. “J” came and got the faucet put in, taking him about half-an-hour. And it’s ever so much better than the old one. It takes such small things to make me happy.

I’d about decided dinner was happening “out” somehow or somewhere, but I wound up getting out the last of the split pea soup. No more of that until after Thanksgiving (and a ham).

There are lots of appointments to fill out the rest of the week.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Family, Friends, Food

Sunday is for family, friends, and food.  Not as big an event as we had at Margaret and Bobby's a couple of weeks ago, but still good stuff.


Tina's sister, Kendall, is in town for a few days.  We invited them over for lasagna tonight.  And, since it was lasagna, Margaret came over (she always plans on taking the leftovers home) to join John, Bob, and me.   Plus she brought green beans that she had picked and cooked this morning.  Yum!


The beans were delicious; this is a particularly good batch of lasagna.  I had gotten some salad greens and cut-up fruit yesterday, plus some tomatoes and small cucumbers at the farmers' market.  So we were good to go.


All in all, a very nice evening for John, Bob, Margaret, Tina, Kendall, and me.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Sunday Stealing

Alphabetty 2

A) What does the last text you sent say? And to whom?

“Hugs”, sent to Tina
B) What does the last text you received say? And from whom?
“xoxo”, from Tina
C) What time do you wake up most mornings?

With the alarm on M/W/F at 6 am; otherwise about 7:30 am
D) Are you afraid of walking alone at night?

Not afraid, but I don’t much walk anywhere.
E) What do you do to relax at the end of a stressful day?

Change into soft clothes, get into my recliner, look at the computer.
F) Where did your last kiss take place and with whom?

Kissed John good night yesterday
G) Do/did you get into trouble a lot at school?

No, I was one of the goody-two-shoes.
H) Do you enjoy your job? If unemployed, are you content being so?

I’m retired, and loving it. I enjoyed my last job up until the last year or so.
I) Do you often pick up on double entendres and innuendos?

Mostly yes. Sometimes I’m incredibly dense.
J) Have you ever been offered drugs but declined?

Not offered, but would definitely decline.
K) Have you ever met someone who has completely altered your way of thinking?

No, but someone might make me think more about something.
L) Have you ever been offered drugs and accepted?

See #J.
M) Tell us something weird that turns you on.

Come on - I’m 78 years old.
N) When did someone last admit romantic or sexual feelings for you? Was the feeling mutual?

John tells me he loves me every day, and yes, the feeling is mutual.
O) What is something you have given a lot of thought to lately?

The problems of some friends and family.
P) When did you last swallow your beliefs to avoid an argument or confrontation?

I don’t argue or confront about my beliefs, but I never swallow them.
Q) Do you usually initiate hugs?

I don’t know about “usually”, but I do sometimes and always reciprocate.
R) Are you a very affectionate person?

Yes
S) Can you roll your own cigarettes?

Why on earth would I want to do that?!?
T) What are you looking forward to?

Our upcoming trip on the Mississippi River.
U) Do you have any tattoos. Do you want any/more?

Only the two dots from my radiation treatment for breast cancer. And I definitely don’t want any more.
V) Are you mentally strong?

I think so.
W) Are you physically strong?

Not any more.
X) Do you think you’re a good person?

Yes.
Y) Name one thing you wish you could change about your life right now.

I would change my health/stamina/strength.
Z) What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Depends on the day of the week. M/W/F egg, toast, juice; T/T/S cold cereal; Sunday, breakfast meat, eggs, biscuits or toast, sometimes waffles.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Friends and Friday

We had a normal Friday, with just a massage to make the morning special.

I stopped on the way home and got some fresh rolls and some pulled pork BQ, slaw, and potato salad for dinner. Tina came over to help us eat it. Yum!

She finished up working on my laptop. It’s wonderful to have such a good friend to help with the computer stuff.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Thursday errands

This morning was an errand day. After John got home from rowing, we went back out to "do stuff". First to the bank to cash a check. Next to Lowe's: this is usually a quick trip because the folks there are so knowledgeable and helpful. They weren't really "on their game" today, though. Back and forth across the store, check-out twice, wait around for someone specific to help - but we eventually got several things, including a new kitchen faucet and arranged for somebody to install it.

Walgreen's was next to pick up the second part of my Rx for glaucoma drops and get our flu shots . That took the time to fill out some paperwork and wait for the couple ahead of us, but it's now done. John picked up an item at Batteries Plus, and we were headed for home. Then, of course, it was lunchtime, quickly followed by naptime.

A supper out of the freezer and pantry and we were ready for football.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Ten good things on Wednesday:


  • Swim class is always good.
  • Renna was feeling well enough to be back to the pool.
  • Dick saw the doctor, and no surgery will be required for his eye/face injury.
  • Workmen to fix the kitchen floor were here on time, completed the job in 1 ½ hours, and charged $150.00.
  • Bob’s divorce was granted with no problems.
  • Tina has resigned from the administration of Allan’s estate, and sales of items to settle the estate should start soon.
  • The weather is turning to fall - highs around 80, lows around 60, low humidity.
  • Nice naps were had by all.
  • Rain/fog picture from Carol/Stephen from Oregon.
  • Good dinner at Marco’s Pizza.
 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

My exciting life!

Tuesday - groceries.
Not much else, as usual.
Chicken for supper.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Computers

The last few days have been all about computers.

John did an update on his desktop a couple of nights ago. When he tried to start it up the next morning, it wouldn’t come up. He worked and cussed and cussed and worked, did a system restore, etc., etc., etc. Nothing seemed to work. In the meantime, my laptop on the household wifi was working just fine.

Tina came over yesterday and worked on it for several hours, including running a Norton fix, and things seemed to work okay.

Then, this morning, his computer was gone again. Only this time, mine wouldn’t work either. Well, boogers!

After some fiddling around, including a Norton fix, my laptop came up (missing some stuff off my desktop, but at least working). John’s never did.

After bridge (mostly mediocre cards), Tina came over for dinner and more computer consulting. After much work, including conversations with “Larry” in India, the desktop is finally working. And John says it’s better than it’s been in a long time. My laptop is doing fine, but still missing the small taskbar that I’ve grown dependent upon. Tina’s still going to work on that.

All in all, it was a frustrating couple of days, and thanks to Tina for keeping us “hooked up”. We were at the point of talking about new computers - maybe even Macs. There will be more on this later, I’m sure.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

No stealing

Celebrity Obsession
Celebrity: a famous person From Wednesday's Alice
01. First Celebrity Obsession or Crush
02. Favorite Celebrity Encounter
03. Most Cherished Celebrity Obsession

04. A celebrity you’d love to hang out with

05. A celebrity you’d love to sit down and have a conversation with

06. An artist you’d like to see live
07. A celebrity you respect purely for talent
08. A celebrity you feel you’d be good friends with
09. A celebrity you dislike that others seem to love
10. A celebrity you respect for what they’ve been through in life
11. A celebrity you share a birthday with
12. A celebrity you find annoying
13. Favorite under-20 celebrity
14. Favorite over-60 celebrity
15. The celebrity “fandom” that means most to you


This “Sunday Stealing” meme is about celebrities, and I’ve opted not to do this one. I think there’s generally a huge difference between “talent” and “celebrity”. As much as I respect talent (whether it’s something I like or not), I’ve never had much use for celebrity alone.
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We played duplicate Friday afternoon and came in first. Wow! Most of our top boards were on defense, and we loved that. We played again tonight with a small non-sanctioned group. We had a few good cards, but each of us did some really dumb plays. Guess that’s the nature of the game … any game, for that matter! We’ve played three times this week - and that’s enough - maybe even too much. Only playing once next week.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Me??

I got an interesting phone call at home this morning. It was from ….. ME!! At my very own home phone number. I grabbed the phone, anxious to hear what I had to say. Imagine my disappointment when it was only Rachel from CardServices, calling about the same old stuff.
I wonder how she got my number????

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Thursday Thirteen



1. Grocery shopping is such fun.
2. Walmart and Aldi are my friends.
3. We need a little red wagon to tote groceries to the door.
4. Little black ants have returned to the kitchen.
5. Fruit gets eaten best around here when it’s cut up (thanks, Sue)
6. I’m off anything FB until 1 pm tomorrow. I had to re-do my sign-in. The penalty is having to wait 24 hours to use the new sign-in and password.
7. This means no “Words With Friends”.
8. Great Courses on Biological Anthropology recorded in 2002 already has some out-of-date stuff on it. Love those new discoveries.
9. Birthdays - Jesse on the 10th, Matt on the 12th.
10. Duplicate bridge tomorrow and Saturday
11. Cooler temperatures forecast for the next few days.
12. This ISIS (or whatever) is a terrorist organization, doing horrible things. As awful as it is/was, I don’t think the beheading of two US citizens is reason for going to all-out war. And I’m afraid that’s where we’re headed. Let’s go after the people/nations who are financing these terrorists. And, for heaven’s sake, keep Dick Cheney away from any decision-making.
13. Because today is 9/11, I am reminded of what a wise person once said: Wounds heal with time, but the scar remains forever.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Roaches and pissants

I’ve been having some minor episodes of vertigo again, mostly when I first put my head down on the pillow at night. When I had a short episode while we were playing bridge Monday, I called the ENT doctor to get it checked out.

I went in this morning, after swimming. Of course, as might be expected, the symptoms wouldn’t reproduce, so the techs and doc couldn’t do anything about it. The doc did clean the wax out of my ears.

He wants me to take a balance test and an audiology test. These sound like good baseline tests to me, so they’ve been scheduled for right after our trip.

It’s always something (or as my family says "if it ain't roaches, it's pissants).

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

A nice day

We left about 9 this morning, heading to Jamestown, TN, to have lunch with Jean and her friend, Jamie. This is a little town, way away from everywhere, but it’s very scenic. Jamie’s house is in a horse-keeping enclave (although she doesn’t have a horse, yet). The house she builg is just lovely - small, with personal touches, nooks and crannies for her special things. The countertops are of unusual patterned stones, picked and polished individually. Just lovely - good job, Jamie!

We had a nice drive, a good visit, and a good lunch - getting home about 5:30. All in all, a lovely day.

Monday, September 08, 2014

Family and travel

John’s cousin Bob has been staying with us for the last week. He’s having some personal problems, and it worked out best for him to stay here. He’ll be here another week, we think.

Bob’s about 10 years younger than John, and we’ve not know him very well, due to age and distance. He’s recently moved to this area, so we’ve seen more of him. He’s a nice guy, and it’s been fun getting to know him.

He’s taking a road trip the rest of this week, going into Alabama, and then to Memphis (Graceland, BBQ, and blues). He’ll come back through Nashville to look around there for a day, before heading back here.

Jean’s visiting her friend Jamie this week, and we’re going to drive to that area to meet them for lunch tomorrow.

Family and travel - good things.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

Another week

Usual Sunday stuff around here- big breakfast, CBS Sunday Morning, laundry.

We went to 5 Guys & Fries for supper tonight (getting our saturated fats and sodium quota for the week). It poured down rain (about ¾”) while we were eating, but it had mostly stopped by the time we left.

And so another week begins.

Saturday, September 06, 2014

Sunday Stealing

From FYeahSurveys

Alphabetty

A. What are your favorite smells?
I’m not much for smells, but I do like the smell of bread baking, newly cut grass.
B. Can you go a whole day without caffeine?

Not without horrendous headaches.
C. Who knows more about you than anyone else?

John
D. What song did you last listen to?

Rocky Top (the Tennessee football game broadcast)
E. Do you have a crush on anybody?

I’m much too old to have crushes.
F. Do you like The Beatles?

I like a lot of their music, but I was past the time of “fandom” when they came on the scene.
G. If you could choose one color to wear for a whole year, what color would you choose?

Although I wouldn’t say it was my favorite color, I’d probably choose blue.
H. Do you cook often?

At least one meal nearly every day, usually two.
I. What was the last film you watched? Did you like it?

I don’t watch many movies, and I wouldn’t finish one I didn’t like. The last ones I remember seeing in the theater were The Help and The King’s Speech. Loved them.
J. Can you sew?

Oh, my, yes! But not for a long time. I made almost everything we wore - all the girls’ clothes, all mine, all John’s sports shirts, etc. I don’t even mend much anymore.
K. What is your favorite fruit?

Whatever is fresh and in season - blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelon, peaches. Yum!
L. Are you health conscious?

Reasonably so - I’m not obsessive. And I don’t get nearly enough exercise.
M. What is your middle initial?

I don’t have a given middle name, so my middle initial is W, the first letter of my maiden name.
N. Do you curse a lot?

Probably more than I should.
O. When was the last time you had a beer?

It’s been years since I had any alcoholic beverage.
P. Are you pro sports fan?

Not really. I do know something about the WNBA.
Q. Is there a certain food you often crave for no reason?

No, but I was really hungry for some fried catfish recently. Bobby fried some last weekend, and it was fabulous!
R. What was the last book you purchased?

One Summer: America, 1927 - on Kindle.
S. Where was your last vacation?

We went to Gulf Shores in June/July.
T. Do you share your fries?

Sure, especially at 5 Guys and Fries.
U. Did you ever play seven minutes in heaven?

I don’t know what that is.
V. Girls, when was the last time you went out without a bra? Guys, when was the last time you went shirtless in public?

I don’t wear a bra when I head out to the Y in the mornings. I’m going to be putting on my swimsuit as soon as I get there.
W. What's the longest you've gone "unplugged"?

It was a couple of years ago on a Mediterranean cruise - for two weeks.
X. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, how did it happen?

Broken ankle and broken arm/shoulder, both in falls, both bad, and both requiring surgery.
Y. How do you like your eggs?

Almost any way they’re cooked - over medium, poached, omelets, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, scrambled, frittata - I’m not too particular.
Z. What was your last argument about and who with?

I don’t argue much - it’s not worth the effort. I’m usually not going to change the other person’s mind, and he/she’s not going to change his/her mind. And, of course, I know when I’m right. LOL

Friday, September 05, 2014

Friday haiku


I’ve said it once, and
I’ll say it again. Massage
Is wonderful. Yes!

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Thursday Friends and Food

I didn’t write anything yesterday - just one of those days. The night before, I got only about 2 hours sleep. So I wasn’t worth much during the day. I went to bed about 9:30, and with some pharmaceutical help as insurance, I slept for almost 8 hours without even a potty break. And then another couple of hours after that.

I have no idea what causes those nights - there doesn’t seem to be any cause-and-effect that I can come up with. At least it doesn’t happen often, so I don’t obsess about it.

This was a quiet Thursday in any event. We got our much-needed haircuts, and John ran some errands with Bob.

The fun happened tonight with pizza night. Tina, Missy and her husband John, and Bob joined us for delivered pizza from Marco’s. Tina brought a strawberry cake from Whole Foods, and we pigged out. As usual, a fun time with good friends and good food.

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Regular Tuesday

I went to the optometrist and the groceries this morning. The doc had put me on drops for the early stage glaucoma, and this was a recheck. All looks okay, so he's calling me in a prescription. Sighhhh something new to add to the regimen.

It looks like we're going to be playing bridge twice a week on a pretty regular basis. We went to the Bridge Center last night (our regular game at the Civic Center was off because of the holiday). The results were posted late today, and we came in last. Oh, well…

Monday, September 01, 2014

Labor Day

We've had a quiet holiday weekend - after our wonderful dinner at Margaret and Bobby's on Saturday. John went out to row early this morning.


We went to play duplicate this evening.  We haven't been to the Bridge Center on Monday nights, since we usually play on Monday afternoon.  Obviously today, the Civic Center was closed, so no afternoon games.  We thought we'd try another day.  I think we'll probably wind up somewhere in the middle of the pack for today's games.


It's back to a more normal schedule tomorrow.  At least after I have an early follow-up appointment with the optometrist.  It's a check to see how I tolerated the eye drops he prescribed for my early glaucoma.  From there, I'll head on to the exciting grocery store trips.