Sunday Stealing

Why Do You Want To Know That Meme?

Stolen from: My Random Randomness



What TV gameshow/reality show would you like to be on? I’ve always thought I’d like to give Jeopardy a try.
What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD? I have no idea. I haven’t bought many over the years.
If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on? I’d make sure we could afford all the housing and care we’d need for the reste of our lives - and then TRAVEL.
One place you've visited, can't forget and want to go back to? We’re going back to the Canadian Rockies this summer - have been there several times. Spectacular.
Do you trust easily? Yes
Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think? I try to think first, then act.
Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days? The results of the elections last November, and the results.
Do you have a good body image? Just realistic.
What is your favorite fruit? I like almost all fresh fruits. Right now, we’re enjoying grapefruit from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
I’m always being asked… about my knitting.
The last big belly laugh I had was… I’ve just finished an autobiography by Carl Reiner. He’s one funny man!
What websites do you visit daily? My mail sites, A Word A Day, the Astronomy Picture of the Day, web cams from various national parks, Facebook, SeniorLearn, Seniors & Friends, the blogs I read via Feedly, various puzzles. Maybe I spend too much time on the computer.
What have you been seriously addicted to lately? The computer?
What's the last song that got stuck in your head? I haven’t gotten one stuck in a long time.
Favorite clothing? Soft clothes.
Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy? Not particularly. I prefer Cheerios or GrapeNuts.
What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground? Look around for the owner, check the nearest store to see if somebody lost it, and then spend it if I couldn’t find who dropped it.
Items you couldn't go without during the day? Coffee, water, iPad, cell phone, book.
What should you be doing right now? Answering silly questions.

Something to think about

One of my daily reads is A Word A Day by Anu Garg.  There's always something to learn about words at this site.  Occasionally, Mr. Garg puts some thoughts of his own.  Of course, he has a wonderful way with words.  I've been thinking a lot about this piece from last Monday, and just had to share it.

The beginning of 2015 means the starting of engines in the US presidential race. The elections will be held in late 2016, but around here we like to start early.

POTUS, the President of the United States, is a potent title. Stakes are high. If you have your eyes on the big prize, it helps to have endorsements from powerful people. And if you can manage to get the nod from the ultimate power, things should be breezy.

In the last election for the US president, no fewer than three presidential hopefuls received the baking of god. Clearly god likes to hedge his bets. Not sure why he changed his mind later on and dumped all three endorsees.

All the religious posturing by these politicians to convey their goodness should be an obvious turn off. Unfortunately, many voters want the candidates to wear their religion on their sleeves. Contrary to what they believe, religiosity doesn't necessarily imply goodness.

Religion is a personal thing. People should be free to spend as much time as they want in their places of worship or in their homes, praying to a god of their choosing. Why get government involved in the business of god (or god in the business of government)?

Why not vote for the most capable candidate irrespective of whether she bows to a particular god, or how often, or how long? Mixing religion and state is like mixing water and petrol. It spoils both. And it creates a hazard.

At one time both the religious leader and the political leader was one and the same person. In some places that’s still the norm and the results are disastrous.

Appreciated

      For several years, we have given some extra money to support the Women’s Basketball program at UTC (the University of Tennessee Chattanooga). It’s not a lot, and we’ll probably start increasing our gift.
      Tonight, the phone rang. It was a young man asking for “Mr. Z.”. After a few minutes of conversation, John hung up with a smile. It was a student on scholarship at UTC calling to thank us for our gift to the University.
       What a great thing for the University to do. It’s good for the students to acknowledge support. And it’s nice for us to know we’re appreciated.

I can't believe....

I can’t believe it is not considered child abuse for a parent to refuse to have a child vaccinated to prevenet disease.


I can’t believe that it’s not against the law for any child who has not been vaccinated (other than for medical or religious reasons) to attend a public school or any public school activity or function.


I can’t believe that a parent who professes to love a child would willing risk the child’s catching a life-threatening disease, when a simple protection is available.


For the sake of your child, get the appropriate vaccinations!

Tuesday miscellany

Not a whole lot going on around here today. After missing a grocery trip last week, I really did need to get there today. Nothing like getting back in the rut. We went to dinner at O'Charley's with Tina and Missy, and that was fun.
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I heard the news about the new Harper Lee novel, and will be preordering it.
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Did y'all see the wonderful full moon tonight? Our weather guy told us that we'd be able to see Jupiter just to the left of the moon. Really spectacular.
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John and I both have bad knees and were wearing knee braces today. His was the left, mine right. We might be able to do something in a three-legged race.

Sunday Stealing (on Monday)

Nosy Meme

Stolen from: FYeah Surveys

Average hours of sleep: 6-7 usually
Last thing I googled: Glacier National Park webcams
One place that makes me happy: Near the ocean
How many blankets I sleep under: One light-weight cotton blanket and a duvet.
What are you wearing right now: Soft clothes
Last book you read: The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan
Favorite fictional character: Atticus Finch
Last movie I watched in the cinema: I’m not sure - maybe The King’s Speech.
Dream vacation: The next one, but first class all the way
Dream wedding: One that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Dream pet: Somebody else’s kitten
Dream job: The one I have now - being retired.
How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? Usually I feel every one of my 78 years.
Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never trying, of course.
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Sometimes it’s just taking the easy way out, and not making waves.

Super Bowl Sunday

This is the first time in ages I've been in the room for the whole Super Bowl.  And even kept the sound on and watched the commercials.  I really didn't care about the game - although, as John said, it was a pretty good game.


We didn't turn it on until the kick-off, so missed any of the pre-game stuff.


As to the commercials, we were pretty much unimpressed.  The biggest disappointment was the Budweiser commercial with the puppy and the Clydesdales - definitely not up to last year's.  As a group, we thought the car commercials were the best.  Our favorite was the Dodge commercial, celebrating their 100th year.  The 100-year-old folks were great.  The two Doritos commercials and the Viagra commercial were the only other memorable ones.  We muted and/or were out of the room for the whole half-time show.
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While the northern part of the country is being covered with snow, we've been getting lots of rain.  The temperature has risen several degrees (52-55F) from 5 pm to midnight, and we've gotten probably 2-3" of rain.  They're saying that it's supposed to change and the temperatures are supposed to be in the 30s tomorrow.  I'm just glad all this moisture isn't falling as snow.

Saturday Six

1. Margaret said Bobby had a good day today.

2. Matt was there for the weekend.

3. We finally got the results from duplicate yesterday. We were high for the six tables. Amazing.

4. It was chilly here all day.

5. We went to the ballgame (UTC 71, Mercer 59). There is such a draft in the arena - I always have on layers, including a turtleneck, and sometimes a hat.

6. John “cooked” tonight - Bojangles chicken (Yum!).

Friday news

We did the usual YMCA and coffee this morning, and then went to play duplicate. The scores haven’t been posted, but I think we did pretty well.

It was windy and chilly today, but with bright sunshine. They using that four-letter word starting with “s” for Sunday night. No accumulation predicted for the valley areas, and certainly nothing like the amounts that have covered New England, but it still always panics folks around here.
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Update:   I talked to Margaret tonight. She said Bobby had had a good day, and was resting comfortably. He’s been having some welcome visitors and has enjoyed talking with them. Also his brother has been here from Texas to spend time with him. He’s been able to walk short distances in the house using a walker. She was most pleased about having found a sitter, well recommended and well experienced. The sitter spent some time there today, and will start on Monday. Margaret will be able to go back to work - at least part time. They’re settling in to a routine, and we can all hope this will work for a while.

Miscellany on Kate's birthday

I finished Alison’s sweater last night, and got it blocked this afternoon. I’m looking forward to seeing it dry and really finished. I’m working on a hat out of the same yarn.
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Good news for granddaughters! Sarah has a job. Now she just has the South Carolina bar exam coming up in February.
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Margaret says that after a rough night, Bobby had a good day, talking with visitors, etc.
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Best of all, it’s Kate’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Wednesday sunshine

Swim, coffee, massage.

Who needs more? Maybe a nap?

Catfish for supper.

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Margaret said Bobby had several visitors today, and was more alert and enjoying the company. Also that she's learning more about being a caregiver. I think she's been very pleased with the hospice folks. I've told her that she needs to be sure to take some time for herself and get enough rest.

Thanks

Thanks for all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers you have sent. All are greatly appreciated.
Bobby came home from the hospital Monday night. We had gone to the house that morning to clear space and to be there when Hospice delivered the bed and other equipment. We spent the night and stayed until midday today. Some of his family came to the house this afternoon. Margaret is coping well with all that needs to be done. We’re just trying to do as much as we can to support her, without getting in the way. I’m sure we’ll be going there frequently to help when we can.
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It’s been chilly here - it IS January, after all. But I’m SO glad we’re not getting the terrible storms they’re getting in New England and other parts of the country (and world). Be safe, wherever you are.

Home

Bobby is home, and

Hospice is here for set-up.

Things should be calmer.

Hospice

Please think good thoughts for

Bobby, Margaret, the boys.

Now with Hospice care.

Sunday Stealing

Easy A-Z Meme

Stolen from: FYeah Surveys



A. What are your favorite smells? New rain, bread baking

B. Can you go a whole day without caffeine? I probably could, but I wouldn’t like the withdrawal headache that ensues.

C. Who knows more about you than anyone else? John

D. What song did you last listen to? I had the “light classical” channel on Music Choice.

E. Do you wear socks to bed? No

F. Can you change a car tire? At one time I could. Now I belong to the Auto Club.

G. If you could choose one color to wear for a whole year, what color would you choose? It would probably be blue or black or purple.

H. Do you cook often? Almost every day - at least one meal.

I. What’s your least favorite season? Summer

J. Can you sew? Yes, but I don’t any more. I made all the girls’ clothes when they were little, plus my own and all of John’s sport shirts (before the days of knit shirts).

K. What is your favorite fruit? Tough question - I don’t have a favorite, I love almost all of them. Fresh and local, preferably.

L. Are you health conscious? Probably not as much as I should be

M. Do you think you’re very conscious of the feelings of others or more self oriented? I hope a good balance of both.

N. Do you curse a lot? More than I used to.

O. Do you remember lyrics easily? No

P. Can you roll your tongue? Yes

Q. Is there a certain food you often crave for no reason? Not usually, but I do on rare occasions.

R. What was the last book you purchased? Being Mortal by Atul Gawande - an excellent book

S. Where was your last vacation? A river trip on the Queen of the Mississippi, up the Missippi River from St. Louis to St. Paul.

T. Last movie you watched? Did you enjoy it? The DVD of Saving Mr. Banks. We liked it a lot.

U. Think of your oldest friend. If you met them now do you think you would still become friends? We’re such kindred spirits, I’m sure we would.

V. Paris, London and New York… which one would you live in, which would you visit for a day, which would you visit for a fortnight? I could visit NYC for a day (probably wouldn’t want more); I’d like to visit Paris for a couple of weeks; and I guess I could live in London. Since I don’t really like big cities, I probably wouldn’t like to live in any of them.

W. Do you usually sleep with your closet door open or closed? The closet door is always closed unless I’m actually getting something out of it. It’s not a phobia or anything.

X. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, how did it happen? HA!HA!. I slipped off one step and broke all three bones in my ankle (pins in that one) (1983). I fell going up a step to my front porch in 2012 and shattered my upper arm (three surgeries, pins & plate, partial repair, and total reverse replacement of shoulder).

Y. How do you like your eggs? Any way but raw.

Z. What was your last argument about and who with? I don’t argue much - it just doesn’t accomplish anything.

More of same

It was another cold, dreary, rainy day today. We skipped the Y, but went to coffee with the swim gals. Haircuts were absolutely necessary today, too.

We played duplicate and ended up in the middle…again.

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Bobby spent another day in ICU. Margaret hopes he’ll be moved to a telemetry room tomorrow so they can start the testing and therapy. We hope all goes well.

Tough stuff

Bobby got moved to Chattanooga this morning, and he’s in the hospital here now. We got to see him for a minute and spend some time with Margaret this afternoon, and she‘s staying here. He is stable. They’ve seen the liver specialist. He’ll be doing three days of intensive testing and trial therapies, and then will make more decisions about the future. Tough things to deal with.

Hugs

Please keep Bobby in

Your thoughts. He’ll be moved to a

Hospital here soon.

Sneezy Tuesday

I have no idea what blew in this morning, but I have sneezed and blown literally all day today. I sneezed probably 25 or more times just while I was trying to eat breakfast. And it’s continued all day long.


We’ve had temperatures in the 60s for a couple of days, so there is probably something out there thinking it’s spring and putting out pollen. I haven’t had this much trouble with allergy in years.


The sneezing let up during the day, but has returned this evening. My poor nose is just raw. I’m just hoping for some sleep tonight and for it to go away tomorrow.
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Please send good thoughts for our son-in-law who is having some health problems.

The Swim Team

Swim class was a little strange this morning. We wound up with about 14 or so - a big group. There were two relatively new gals, and two brand newbies. We love getting new folks to come in. But then the instructor didn’t show up. Oh, dear.

Well, we manage on our own. I got us started. Renna, Johnny, and all the other “old timers” kept us going. We give ourselves a pretty good workout.

What a great bunch this is!

Fun weekend

It was a lovely day today, in the mid 50s. The new yard guy finished cleaning up the leaves - plus the roof and gutters. There are still some on the trees, so he'll come back next week for a touch up. I don't know when the city leaf-pick-uppers will be by, though.

Sue, Margaret, and Carol went to a glass show in GA yesterday, and came here afterwards. John and I went to the Lady Mocs game with Stephen (UTC 83, WCU 52). We all met here for pizza for supper.

Sue and Margaret stayed here overnight. It was fun to have them here, even for a little while. They left about 10 this morning, but not after they had found some photograph albums to go through. Lots of laughter and "do you remember"s. They also found an album with photographs from my trip to Ireland back in 1990 (with an artist group - not John). I'll be going through that for memories and thinking of places for us to go see this spring. We've also started talking with Ann & Al about our trip to the Canadian Rockies with them in late summer. So travel plans for the year are progressing.

No bridge tomorrow - the Civic Center will be closed for MLK Day (city holiday). But two basketball games for John to watch (Lady Vols vs Notre Dame on TV, and the Lady Mocs vs ? on the computer). Then there will be lots of in-person games the end of the week and weekend. Busy season for us.

Sunday Stealing

Name Your Favorite…

Place - home or Canyon de Chelly
Person - John and our daughters
Color - blue or green
Food - almost anything that somebody else cooks
Smell - I don’t like “scents”. Maybe bread baking or new rain or freshly cut grass
Book - Monte Walsh by Jack Shafer
Movie - To Kill a Mockingbird, The Wizard of Oz
Music artist - Andres Segovia
Thing to do when bored - I don’t get bored. There are always books to read and knitting to do.
Genre of literature - Mysteries, nonfiction
Magazine - Smithsonian
Texture - It depends on what it is that has texture. I like all different textures I can think of in one place or another.
Time of day - Mornings
Day of the week - When you’re retired, they’re all pretty much the same. I like the days I go to swimming.
Thing to learn about - I like to learn about almost anything and everything.
Thing about yourself - Curiosity
Lifehack (a time saving, efficiency technique for life) - Live life in the present, enjoy and love what you have.

Friday Four

1. We didn’t accomplish much today, except for the morning trip to the Y and Panera.

2.Attendance was down at the pool. The overnight temperature was about 30, and the folks on the higher elevations were afraid to drive in the dark because of possible black ice. It’s a reasonable concern.

3. We made a decision about another trip for later this year. No reservations made yet - we’re gathering more information.

4. It’s looking to be a busy travel year, though.

Sleep, etc.

I didn’t sleep well at all Tuesday night. I did get a good nap yesterday afternoon, and was afraid that would keep me up again. But, I got a good 8-hour night last night - the usually potty breaks, but always back to sleep. It’s amazing how that brightens one’s outlook.

I had only two things on my agenda today. To my surprise, getting my lab work (preparatory to my physical exam next week) was accomplished in a timely, painless manner. And I got to my massage appointment a few minutes early.

A good massage therapist is a wonderful thing to have. I often thank the friend who recommended her.

I’ve deliberately not napped today - hoping for another full night’s sleep. We watched two more episodes of Newsroom. We have just one more episode of Season #2 to watch. It was due back to the library today, but I think we can afford the overdue fine. Then I can put in a request for Season #3. What a fabulous program this is!

The sweater for Alison is coming along quite nicely. It’s interesting to work on, doing the usual things with different techniques. And it’s going to be SO gorgeous!

Let’s all sleep well tonight.

Breaking up is hard to do

Habits are hard to break. Smoking, overeating, not exercising, drinking, shopping, playing video games, etc. Well, at least I don’t smoke or drink alcohol any more. Nor do I shop or play video games.

It’s just such a teeny, tiny habit. I go to the grocery stores (which I hate) every Tuesday morning. Is this something I could actually stop? Let’s face it - when I go to two grocery stores and spend less than $75.00 total, a bunch of which includes a half-dozen birthday cards and a $10.00 sweater - I’m obviously not buying a lot of groceries.

Our freezer is crammed full of food. There are only a few perishable things (eggs, milk, etc.) that I might need on a regular, if not necessarily weekly, basis.

Do you think I might need to stop going to the store weekly? Do you think I COULD stop?

Monday night

The Lady Mocs won.

Rain continues. Football on

TV. I’m to bed.

A week's worth?

I thought I’d pretty much done a slug day, but when I thought about it, that wasn’t the case. I did a whole day of house-wife-y things.

I fixed our usual big Sunday breakfast (bacon, scrambled eggs with chorizo, toast and cinnamon toast); did the week’s laundry; and fixed a supper of pasta and Italian sausage.

That might even be a week’s worth.

Sleepless in Chattanooga

The incredible itching I've been having on my feet and ankles has been waking me up about an hour or so after going to bed.  Then I'm up for an hour or two, taking Benadryl and applying astringents and various lotions and oils.  I have my physical exam scheduled in ten days, so maybe the doc can help with this.  I hope we can find out what's causing this and what I can do to alleviate the itching.

Second Friday

It got up to 38* this morning. Our swim class instructor was out sick this morning, so we had to “teach” ourselves. We give ourselves a pretty good workout - just don’t want to do it all the time.

Grandson Matt got a screen shot of John and Margaret at the basketball game last night. It finally got forwarded on to us. I had recorded the game, so we’ll have to look for it. They don’t get on camera often, but I do see them occasionally (their seats are in the 7^th row, behind the visitor’s bench). I don’t know that I can do the technology enough to show it here. Maybe some day.

We went to play duplicate this afternoon and felt like we did pretty well. We were in the middle, but played some good defense. We still need to be a little more aggressive.

Missy “cooked” for us tonight (Bojangle’s chicken). She and Tina came over to share with us. Lots of good food and laughter.

Thursday Thirteen

1. Brrrr!  9 F when we got up this morning.
2.  No frozen pipes, though.
3.  Bright sunshine
4.  Braving the cold, I went out for my mani/pedi.
5.  Went to the post office to mail sweaters to Kate - the one I finished for her friend and Randy's that needs some mending.
6.  Went to the library to pick up our reserved copy of Season #2 of The Newsroom.
7.  Home for lunch and no nap.
8.  Three robo spam calls on my cell phone from New York area codes purportedly from the "IRS", threatening me with a law suit if I didn't give them some personal information.  Needless to say, I hung up on them.
9.  We watched episode #1 of The Newsroom.
10.  Margaret and John left to go to Knoxville to the Lady Vols ballgame.
11.  Lady Vols beat Texas A&M.
12.  Most of the news today was about the awful terrorist attack in Paris.
13.  They had some delay getting home from K'ville because of road repairs on I-75.

BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Predict 10 degrees.

Already down to 16.

Please stay safe and warm.

One of those days...

One of those days when I have nothing to contribute.  Better luck tomorrow.

Monday, Monday!

After an unusually busy Monday, with no nap, it’ll be nice to hope that I sleep through the night (except for potty breaks, of course).


I had to skip coffee this morning to go to the orthopedist. He said the shoulder is doing well. I had asked him last visit about my knee, so x-rays were done of the knees, too. He said basically my knees were shot to hell, and that there were some docs who would encourage me to have both replaced. He said I should get more weight-bearing exercise, i.e. walking, bending, etc., and lose weight. Well, of course. The trouble I have is only with the left knee, and it just hurts with some lateral motions, and I don’t have pain with weight bearing. So I think I’ll not even think about knee replacements any time soon.


I was going to go to see the PA at my family doc’s office for the swelling and itching problems with my feet, but the wait would’ve been more than an hour. So I put that off until tomorrow morning.


Bridge was okay. Nothing spectacular in the way of scores, but some interesting hands. And the annoying loud-mouth of the group was unusually quiet.


The Lady Mocs beat Harvard and the and the Lady Vols beat Vanderbilt. Basketball was good today.


And all this with no nap. I’m off to bed, hopefully to sleep.

Sleepless in Chattanooga

Not much sleep last night.

Staying up, no nap today.

Hope to sleep tonight.

Lazy Saturday

It was almost 1 a.m. when John and Margaret got back from Knoxville, then we took a while to unwind. So it was nearly 2 when we got to bed. We were all up this morning by a little after 9. Margaret went "antique-ing" (junking?)with Tina, then went home.

It's chilly, dreary, and raining all day. We stayed in and read/watched football/napped/computered/knitted/whatever. After supper, the rain came in heavy - and there was even thunder. It’s supposed to get very cold later on in the week.

Five for Friday - a good day

1. Swimming and coffee- it felt good to get back in the pool, then have coffee with the gals.

2. Hooray for haircuts.

3. Mmmmm for massage.

4. UT Vols 45, Iowa 28.

5. Lady Vols 63, Missouri 53.

Welcome 2015!

It's hard to believe we're 15 years into the 21st Century.  Amazing!


I hope your football team won today - or at least had a good game to finish the season.  (Unless your team is playing Tennessee, of course.)

Goodbye - Hello

Goodbye 2014
Hello 2015
Funny how we mark this one special night, when it's basically just like any other mid-winter night.  In any case, I wish you a Happy, Healthy New Year.

New Year's Eve Eve

Alison, Joe, and

Margaret make for special

Times. Tomorrow, too.

Non-commandments

CNN Living had an article about the atheists' list of 10 non-commandments.  They sounded like pretty good guidelines for living to me.  I offer them for your consideration:


Here are the "Ten Non-Commandments":

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.

2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.

3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.

4. Every person has the right to control of their body.

5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.

6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.

7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.

8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.

9. There is no one right way to live.

10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

Rainy Sunday

The Lady Mocs beat SIUE this afternoon, 59-49, in a classic tournament in San Antonio. We play South Dakota State tomorrow. The Lady Vols won, too.

We'll almost be back to "normal" next week. At least tomorrow, it'll be swimming, coffee, and bridge - and maybe haircuts. Alison and Joe will be here Tuesday night, leaving Thursday morning, so we'll see what happens with them in the middle of the week.

It sounds like it's raining again. I hope I get to sleep tonight. I've had those "not sleep until 2-3 a.m." nights three out of the last four. Definitely not my usual. But I had no nap today, and no even half-caf coffee after about 2, so maybe that'll do the job.

Balloons

It’s amazing how much fun can be had with simple things.


For his birthday, Sue sent John three bunches of helium-filled balloons - some mylar and some traditional rubber. The rubber ones stopped floating within a couple of days. But now, a month later, most of the mylar ones are still flying high.


Two of the balloons have lost some or almost all of their buoyancy. John took the first one, and gradually shortened its tether, maintaining neutral buoyancy. We enjoyed watching it wander about the house, floating on the various air currents. And then it disappeared - totally vanished. Even the cleaning lady couldn’t find it. Oh, well - it’ll show up sometime.


And then the second one started to sink with the weight of its tether. John freed this one, and for several days, it has been happily wandering from room to room. And then, voila!, while searching for #2, he found the first one. It was on top of the shelves in the dining room. We love solving mysteries.



Even #1 still has a little lift, but rests comfortably on the floor in the living room. And while #2 floats happily, visiting different rooms, the other dozen balloons are straining at their leashes, awaiting their turns to be free.

Boxing Day

You may know about Boxing Day.  If you don't, click here.
Our celebration of Boxing Day consisted of doing almost nothing.  The big event of the day was "adjusting" the chili and getting half of it into the freezer.  We'll do the rest tomorrow.  We're taking it slowly this year - trying to avoid what happened a couple of years ago when we dropped a bag.  Of course, it popped open - what a mess!  So far, so good.

Another good day

I hope everyone has had a good Holiday Season. There’s still a little bit left to celebrate, and then start a New Year.

It was a very quiet day here. We took Tina with us to Margaret's - spent most of the afternoon. We had a delicious turkey dinner - just Margaret, Bobby, Tina, and us. Matt, Clair, and their three dogs showed up after we‘d eaten. It was good to see them for a little while. And we got home just after dark - still full of good food.

Happy (rest of the) Holidays to all!

Christmas Eve chili

We slept later this morning (8 for me), then went to the Y. I got about 40 minutes in the pool, so I felt pretty virtuous. When we got home, I started making this year's batch of chili. This turned out to be one of those times when things got out of hand - way too much "fixings". So there are two big pots of chili simmering on the stove all day, instead of one. Oh well - just that much more to enjoy. We thought we’d get it into the freezer tonight, but not yet. It needs more beans and more chili powder. It'll have to wait until Friday, though, until we can get to the store. But I managed to get it into the refrigerator, so it's okay. Oh well, it's kept us busy today.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Rain on the roof

Last night was one of those “I can’t get to sleep” nights. It wasn’t all bad. I found the HDNet channel, and I got to watch the original Sabrina, one of my favorite movies. I DO love that dress (if you know the movie, you know the one I mean).

Even sleeping later than usual, I got to the grocery stores this morning, but it was early (9-10). The crowds weren't too bad, and I didn‘t have much to get.

Shortly after I got home, it started to rain. And we've had rain all day - even thunder - but nothing severe, so far. I’m really glad it’s fairly warm. This would be awful if it were cold and this were snow.

It is nice to go to sleep with the sound of rain on the roof.

Rainy Monday

We had our only class of the week this morning.  I'm going to try to get to the pool for some water-walking or some such a couple of times.  We went to bridge, and had some okay cards. 

We just got an e-mail that granddaughter, Alison, and husband Joe, and granddog Otto will be coming through for a couple of days at the beginning of next week.  Hooray!!

Winter Solstice

Days get longer, so

This is a favorite time.

More daylight is good!

Sunday Stealing

The Christmas Meme

From the archives!

1. Do you send Christmas cards?
Not any more.
2. How soon do you start shopping?:
I don’t shop - ever!
3. Who do you shop for?:
See above answer.
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree?:
No more. I think the last one was about 15 or so years ago
5. If so, is it fake or real?:
We had had an artificial tree for a number of years. The fire hazard was what made me decide to stop having a real tree.
6. Do you like tinsel?:
I loved tinsel on the tree - as least what I called tinsel. Other people called other things “tinsel”.
7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?:
We used some of each, but mostly store bought.
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?:
No
9. Do you put lights on the tree?:
We did when we had a tree.
10. How about popcorn and cranberries?:
No.
11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?:
No
13. Do you hang up your stocking?:
Not any more
14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?":
We never did do that.
15. Christmas Movie?:

Maybe Holiday Inn or White Christmas
16. Character from any Christmas Movie:
The Grinch
17. Christmas Song:
The Christmas Song, by Mel Torme
18. Christmas Memory:
The Christmas morning we woke up in Antarctica
19. Give or Receive?:
Give
22. Ham or Turkey?:
Turkey
24. White Lights or Colored Lights?
Colored
25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights:
Still (I hate blinking lights)
26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year?:
Probably naughty
27. What do you want for Christmas this year?:
World peace would be nice. Having people realize that “different” doesn’t mean “bad”.
28. When do you open your gifts?:
Christmas morning.
29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten?:
Our Christmas trip to Antarctica.
30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten?:
I can’t think of one.
31. Who gives you the most gifts?:
We don’t much give gifts any more.
32. Have you ever had a secret Santa?:
No
33. Do you like wrapping gifts?:
I used to love doing it, and was very good. Not any more.
34. Do you put change in those red buckets?:
No. We give to our favorite local charities.
35. Do you burn a yule log?:
No
36. Can you name all the reindeer?:
Probably not
37. Do you bake cookies?:
Cookie baking got delegated to Kate and Jean.
38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause?:
I AM the mommy, and I’ve kissed Santa Claus.
39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?:
Yes
41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?:
No
42. Have you ever left Santa cookies?:
No
43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap?:
No
44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?:
John. Sometimes we go to Margaret’s for Christmas Dinner.
45. Where do you celebrate Christmas?:
At home, then see #44.
46. Have you ever had a white Christmas?:
Yes, but at our latitude, it wasn’t much.
47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?:
All the horrible commercial stuff being over.
48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?:
No

Disappointing, then nice.

Today started out to be sort of busy, with the expectation that John’s cousin Marty and husband, John, would be staying here overnight. We’re about half-way between their home in the Tampa area and their youngest daughter in Cincinnati.

We didn’t find out until after swimming and coffee that they were having to cancel. They got delayed in leaving home and had to cancel. Phooey! We haven’t seen them in several years, and were really looking forward to their visit. Oh, well - maybe they’ll get through here sometime soon.

So we had pretty much an unplanned rest of the day. It was nice.

Three for Thursday

Three awesome things today:
1.  Massage - always awesome
2.  Jean and her friend Jamie came into town to meet us and Tina at Old Saigon for lunch.  Awesome lunch and visit.  Jean brought our box of cookies that she and Kate baked last week.  Yum!
3.  We went with Tina to the String Theory Concert at the Hunter Museum tonight.  How could Mendelssohn and Brahms and the Pacifica String Quartet be anything less than awesome.

UTC Lady Mocs 54, #7 Stanford 46 !!!!

After swimming, we had our annual Christmas brunch. All our gals are such good cooks, and the covered dish food was excellent, as always.

But the best Christmas present of the season came later. The UTC Lady Mocs beat #7-ranked Stanford 54-46! It was a huge win - the gals really beat Stanford. And it was sweet! Unfortunately, Stanford will play the Lady Vols on Saturday, and I’m afraid we sent them off to Knoxville in a really bad mood. It was worth it, though.

GO LADY MOCS!!!

Happy Hanukkah - plus Christmas

Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends!
=====================================
Ten Things You Might Not Know About Christmas, by T. Steelman
 was a piece in addictinginfo.com in 2012.  I've just seen it for the first time, and felt it was interesting and worth repeating.
There are so many traditions associated with Christmas. Many of them we just take for granted, accepting the “prevailing wisdom” as to their origins. But sometimes things are not what they seem. Here are ten things that you may not have known…
1. Christmas was once against the law in America. When the Puritans came to this continent they brought their objection to Christmas with them. They believed it was a creation of man, not Christ, so it should not be considered a holy day. They weren’t too keen on the revelry that went along with the holiday, either. Christmas was celebrated in America by Anglicans but most Protestant groups forbade it. It wasn’t until June 26, 1870 that Christmas took its official place on the American holiday calendar.
2. Christmas trees were forbidden as a part of the celebrations until as late as 1640. Since the tradition of bringing evergreen boughs or trees into the home at the Winter Solstice was pagan in origin, the early Church forbade them. The first recorded instance of a Christmas tree dates to 1510 when the town of Riga in Latvia brought a tree into the town square, decorated it and then burned it. Thankfully, we have relegated the burning part to the Yule log. Approximately 30-35 million Christmas trees are sold each year in the U.S.
3. Speaking of “Yule,” that word is believed to originate from the Anglo-Saxon for “wheel” (though scholars are not completely certain). A mid-winter festival known by this name has been celebrated since well before 1000 CE, marking the Winter Solstice. The term “yuletide” as a reference to the Christmas season dates back to about 1475.
4. Christmas songs date back to the 4th century: St. Hilary of Poitiers composed Jesus refulsit omnium for a Christmas Mass. The Renaissance brought lighter songs and the earliest English carol came in 1410. It was composed by Ritson and is found in the Ritson Manuscript. One of the oldest carols that we still sing today is “O Tannenbaum” from Germany. The most popular Christian carol is “Silent Night,” while the most popular secular song is “White Christmas.”
5. The date on which we celebrate Christmas was chosen by Bishop Liberius of Rome in 354 CE. The actual date has been debated since the formation of Christianity. The biblical account says, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Shepherds in the Middle East would have only had their flocks in the fields from Spring into Fall. In December, the animals were brought in close to shelter to protect them from the cold and rain. The likeliest date for the birth of Jesus is March, 6 BC.
6. Santa Claus is an amalgamation of several figures: St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra (modern-day Turkey), the Norse god, Woden, and the Celtic Holly King primary among them. The beard, the cloak, the reindeer… these are associated with the aforementioned figures. Our modern Santa was created by cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1860 for Harper’s Weekly magazine. Every year he added more to Santa, including his home at the North Pole, the “naughty and nice” list, and coming down the chimney. When the Coca-Cola company started using Santa Claus in its advertisements, it built even more on the lore.
7. Gift giving at the Solstice did not originate with the Magi. During the Saturnalia, which had some influence on our own modern Christmas holiday, gifts were exchanged among friends. As for the Magi… the Bible doesn’t say that there were three of them. There were three kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh – so it was just assumed that there were three men who brought them.
8. Mistletoe was a sacred plant to both the Druids and the Norse. According to Norse myth, when the god Baldur was killed by a mistletoe arrow, his mother Frigga wept white berries which brought him back to life. The mistletoe was then blessed by Frigga so that whoever stood beneath it received a kiss. The Druids collected mistletoe by cutting it with a gold sickle, catching it in a cloth before it could hit the ground. The sprigs were placed over doorways to protect the dwelling and bring blessings.
9. The first Christmas cards appeared in 1843, designed by John Horsley, and sold in London for one penny each. The image on the front was of a family raising a Christmas toast which caused the Puritans to denounce it. But cards became very popular anyway. A German lithographer named Louis Prang brought the tradition to America in 1860, printing the cards in his press in Boston. Nowadays, more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in America alone!
10. Santa’s reindeer are based upon the eight-legged Sleipnir, the Norse god Woden’s flying horse. The reindeer received their names from Clement Moore in his poem, “A Visit From St. Nick” in 1823. Rudolph didn’t join them until 1939 when Robert L. May wrote a verse for Montgomery Ward. Gene Autry recorded the song that Johnny Marks adapted from the poem, releasing it during Christmas week, 1949. It became the second best-selling song of all time until the 1980’s, selling over 25 million copies.
Though we know a lot more about Christmas traditions now, that shouldn’t stop us from celebrating them. Embrace all the origins and stories and archaic reasons we do what we do. Celebrate in your own way and enjoy the season!

An afternoon off

We had been told that bridge would have a delayed start this afternoon due to some function at the Civic Center where we play. We got there at the reset time to find that it would be at least another 45 minutes or more before we could have the space. So we came home. We left my car for routine servicing while we played, so we’ll just went back to get it when they finished it.

Oh, well. We got an afternoon off instead.

Quiet weekend

Last night, I watched My Fair Lady on TCM - uncut and without commercials. I don't know long it's been since I've seen the whole movie. It is so good (even without Julie Andrews) and such wonderful music and lyrics. A sheer pleasure!

Jesse and his lady friend (Caroline) were home last weekend for a Christmas visit. They came to Chattanooga to see us for about an hour. That was a treat. They brought a Xmas present - a painting Jesse had done for me at one of those "wine and painting" parties. It's an owl and very cute and colorful. I used to collect owls, so it's very special for me. Thanks, sweetie!

Today we did about as close to nothing as possible. I got the laundry done. John watched the Lady Vols beat Rutgers and took several naps.

Sunday Stealing

The Have You Ever Meme

Stolen from: From My Random Randomness

1) Have you ever gotten lost in a maze?
Nope - although I have been lost in familiar territory
2) Have you ever been attacked by a wild animal?
Do mosquitoes count?
3) Have you ever ridden a camel?
Thank heavens, no.
4) Have you ever pet a rat?
I don’t think so. The girls did have a couple of gerbils at one time.
5) Have you ever been a member of a gym?
I’m a member of the Y - mostly for my swimming class.
6) Have you ever been in a helicopter?
Yes, and it was incredible - flying over the Igauzu Falls on the Brazil/Uruguay border.
7) Have you ever cheated at a test?
No
8) Have you ever ridden a tractor?
I don’t think so - amazing since our son-in-law owns one working tractor and 2-3 antique tractors.
9) Have you ever passed wind/gas in an embarrassing situation?
Probably, but I’ve managed to blot it out.
10) Have you ever played the bongos?
No, and it’s something I can safely say I’ve never wanted to do.
11) Have you ever handled a snake?
Not really handled, but I have petted one.
12) Have you ever assembled furniture by yourself?
Not part of my job description.
13) Have you ever been scuba diving?
Yes. We were certified divers at one time, then changed over to snorkeling.
14) Have you ever had a disastrous interview?
No, I don’t think so.
15) Have you ever sold your services?
Anyone who has ever worked for a paycheck has sold their services - so yes, I have.
16) Have you ever raised money for charity?
Yes, I’ve worked on finance drives for a local chapter of the League of Women Voters.
17) Have you ever won a giant sized cuddly toy from a fair?
Nope
18) Have you ever milked a cow?
No, I’m a city girl.
19) Have you ever used the phrase "back in my time" to someone younger than you?
I’m 78 years old, so of course, I have.
20) Have you ever invented a fairly unique meal or drink?
I’m a “pinch of this, pinch of that” cook, so I probably have cooked things that have never been replicated.

A football day

We played duplicate this afternoon and started off very poorly - didn't seem to bid or play well. But it did get better. Much to my amazement, we came in in the middle and actually got a portion of a master point.

We went to Carol and Stephen’s for pizza and to watch our UTC Mocs football team play in a playoff game against the Univ. of New Hampshire. They lost 35-30 (I think) - it was a close game. I hope, with this experience behind them, they'll do even better next year. Plus our school got lots of exposure on national TV. It was 11:30 when we got home, and I still had some stuff to do.

Plus I can never go straight to bed after we've been out. John's already crashed, but I'll probably be up for a while longer, then read in bed for a while.

Hugs!

Jennifer reminded us today that we should hug our kids. She’s right, you know.

So hugs go out to Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, and Florida. You know who you are!
---------------------------------------------
My alma mater and our local university, UTC (the University of Tennessee Chattanooga) football team will be playing in an FCS play-off game Friday night at 7 p.m.ET on ESPN-2. This is the first time in 30 years that UTC football has been in a play-off game. They’re playing New Hampshire in NH (in the cold). Needless to say, Chattanooga is very proud of our guys. Check them out.

Torture report

I haven’t read all that much about the report from the Senate Intelligence Committee (an oxymoron?) about torture. I’ve just read some of the newspaper articles, and seen some of the news programs on TV.

This is just something I’ve always believed we (the US) just didn’t do!! I was horrified when the news about Abu Ghraib came out, and thought “that can’t be right”. But, there it was…

I’m glad there was actually a bipartisan push to get this information documented and published - even if some didn’t want it released. The public needs to know that their government sanctioned these despicable things and some were even proud of it (does the name Cheney ring a bell?).

It will be interesting to watch the fall-out from these revelations. One possibility I absolutely love. The ACLU has suggested that the Congress acknowledge that crimes were committed and, to preclude any possibility of trials, issue pardons to those deemed to have committed the crimes, i.e., Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, the heads of the CIA, etc.

Who would think I’d ever quote John McCain, but..

When we fight to defend our security we fight also for an idea, not for a tribe or a twisted interpretation of an ancient religion or for a king, but for an idea that all men are endowed by the Creator with inalienable rights. How much safer the world would be if all nations believed the same. How much more dangerous it can become when we forget it ourselves even momentarily. Our enemies act without conscience. We must not.

Taking a break

I'm taking a short break from writing.  I'll be back in a few days.

Another anniversary

December 7, 1943 - “A Day that will live in Infamy”. A date we remember, even if we don’t remember the event. As we do with 9-11.

But a nice event happened on December 7, 1974. It was the day Marjorie came from Venezuela to spend about eight months as part of our family. And, as extended family, for the next forty years.

We had been part of the Teenage Exchange Program with the Partners of the Americas. Two of our daughters had already been to Venezuela. Margaret had stayed with Marjorie’s family for six weeks, and Marjorie’s sister, Ana, had stayed with us. Then we arranged (outside the program) for Marjorie to stay with us and attend school in Hendersonville. She had already graduated from high school in Caracas, but it was still an experience for her to go to classes here in the US, and for our suburban Southern school to have her as part of the student body.

Marjorie went home the following summer, but returned later to the US. She eventually got her green card and has settled in the Boston area. She is a wine specialist in shop there. She’s also a licensed Boston area tour guide, specializing in trips with Spanish-speaking groups. Now social media keeps us in touch.

Happy Anniversary, Marjorie!

Sunday Stealing

The Are You Meme

Stolen from: From My Random Randomness

1) Are you psychic in any way?
Not that I’ve noticed.
2) Are you a good dancer?
I wasn’t too bad, 100 years ago.
3) Are you a good singer?
Again, I used to be able to carry a tune, sing in the choir, and musicals in school.
4) Are you a good cook?
Unfortunately, yes - and we carry the weight to show it.
5) Are you a good artist?
I think so.
6) Are you a good listener?
Yes
7) Are you a good public speaker?
Again, I was in my day. I still don’t have any problem speaking in public.
8) Are you a good babysitter?
I obviously did a pretty good job with our girls, judging by the results. I’m not much for taking care of small ones any more.
9) Are you a good mechanic?
I can fix small things, but am not much with cars or major appliances.
10) Are you a good diplomat?
I think so.
11) Are you a good employee?
I think I was a much better employee than a manager.
12) Are you a good dresser?
This is funny! I do have some new sweats. I’m always clean and reasonably neat - never “stylish”.
13) Are you a good swimmer?
Again, I used to be. I’m still very comfortable in the water, and love my water exercise class.
14) Are you a good skier?
I never had the opportunity to snow ski, and never was able to get up on water skis. I got to be a pretty good ski boat driver, though.
15) Are you a good gift giver?
Only if the gift is money.
16) Are you a good musician?
I took piano lessons when I was little. My mother and sister both had perfect pitch. I didn’t. Now I can manage the car radio and a CD player (most of the time).
17) Are you a good comedian?
I’m a good laugher, but I don’t know that I’m a good comedian.
18) Are you a good cleaner?
Ye gods, NO! That’s why I have a cleaning lady.
19) Are you a good actor?
Not really
20) Are you a good writer?
I’m not too bad as a writer. I think I’m a better editor, though.

An exciting (?) week

I’ve not been writing much lately. Since the excitement of Thanksgiving, it’s been ever so quiet.

John and I came in first and second at bridge last week. And the cards weren’t too bad this week. It’s what keeps us coming back.

Tuesday was grocery stores, and Wednesday was just swimming and coffee. Good things happened Thursday when I had my massage appointment.

This evening, we went to an opening reception for the traveling show of the 2014 Tennessee Watercolor Society show. We took Tina, and then we went to La Altena for dinner.

John and Stephen are going to watch the UTC football game on the internet (hooked up to the TV) tomorrow. They were going to go to the game, but decided they were too old to sit out in the rain.

And that’s it for an exciting week in Z’s World.

What's up Wednesday?

Just about nothing! 

Ten for Tuesday

1. John was first in bridge yesterday.
2. I was second.
3. Good cards are nice!
4. After grocery stores, it was quiet today.
5. Rain.
6. We finished Season #1 of The Newsroom last night.
7. We’re third on the reserve list for Season #2.
8. Buddy did well with his surgery yesterday.  Hope that continues.
9. John got to row yesterday, and may again tomorrow.
10. I got the last of the turkey and dressing made into casseroles for the freezer.

Sunday Stealing (on Monday)

Stolen from: FYeah Surveys

What kind of job did your mom have when you were growing up?
She did only volunteer work until my father died when I was 13. Then she worked as a secretary at Baylor Medical School.
Have you ever known anyone that’s been on tv, including you?
I’ve been interviewed on TV for special events.
What was the most interesting animal you have seen in the wild?
Penguins in Antarctica
What holiday do you enjoy the most?
The Saturday after Thanksgiving when our family gets together and our family/friends week at the beach every summer.
What was the first video game you ever played?
I can’t remember the name right now - the one where the different geometric shapes fall down from the top and you have to fit them in at the bottom.
What is the one thing you own, that if it got lost, you would be bummed?
My car keys.
Do you have a favorite breakfast item?
I pretty much love all things breakfast - especially if somebody else cooks it.
What do you find yourself buying all the time?
I’m not a shopper. I buy groceries, prescriptions. Maybe just some sock yarn from time to time.
When was the last time you got a real letter in the mail?
I got thank-you notes from daughters for their birthday checks.
Do you have a most prized piece of jewelry?
I have several pairs of earrings that I wear more often than others, and I wear my wedding band all the time.
Do you own any board games?
Scrabble, Rum-I-Kub, Jenga (not all exactly board games)
What chore seems the most daunting right now?
No major chores ahead right now.
Were you born in the state you live in?
No. I’ve lived in three states, but visited all 50.
Have you ever lived in a house that has been broken into?
No
What is your favorite cheese?
I like almost all cheeses, but am particularly partial to what we call “stinky” cheese.
Who do you know that watches the most sports?
Everybody in our family except Jean and me.

The day after

Many thanks to Margaret, Kate, Wayne, John B, Sylvia, Missy, John P, Carol, Tina, Vicki, and Roger for helping us celebrate Thanksgiving and John’s birthday yesterday. We know the rest of you joined us in spirit.

Everybody worked and helped, even taking lots of leftovers home, so things were pretty well cleaned up by the time we went to bed. Margaret left early this morning. John and I just recovered and enjoyed the leftover glow in the house.

Again, thanks for making the day so special.

Happy Birthday, John - #80!

We've had a great day today. John says it was the best birthday he can remember. He was born on Thanksgiving Day, but several years after, the holiday was changed from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday in November. So his birthday couldn't fall on Thanksgiving after that. Since we celebrate (eat) on Saturday, this year OUR celebration fell on his birthday - making our day extra special!

We had a houseful of family and friends, and lots of cards and good wishes. Sue sent 18 (!) birthday balloons. Tina brought a birthday cake and a framed copy of a photograph of John rowing. John & Sylvia brought him a bottle of his favorite bourbon. Sue called and we skyped with Jean. (Margaret and Kate were here.) He got texts or cards from the grandkids. Just great!

We were 13 in all here. We had turkey, dressing, gravy, country ham, grits, scalloped oysters, green beans, corn, raw vegetables, various pickles/olives/etc., three cranberry condiments, rolls, wine, desserts too numerous to mention. Literally the groaning board. Folks took home lots of leftovers, and more will go into the freezer for meals later on. Fortunately, we love all the traditional Thanksgiving foods - whether the first time, or as leftovers in a month or so.

It's quiet now. Football games are wrapping up. We’ve made broth from the turkey carcass. The dishwasher has been run, and all the food put away. Margaret will head back home tomorrow. She's done yeoman work, and is so appreciated. A great day is winding down.

The day before

　

We had a nice dinner with friends yesterday - the usual Thanksgiving stuff, which we love. But the best part was being with friends and family. Sue and Randy came by for about an hour on their way home. Kate and Wayne are here now - through Saturday night. We’ll have our big Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.

Our Walmart parking lot was full at 7 last night, as was the Target center across the highway. You won’t find me anywhere near a store until next week sometime. John and Wayne went out for a walk and picked up a couple of things at Aldi.

John, Kate, and Wayne went to a local tavern/micro-brewery to try out some prize-winning brews. Obviously, they found some good stuff - and even came home with a growler. They were told the beer would stay good for 5-7 days, but (needless to say) it was gone by bedtime.

We got all the day-before-Thanksgiving prep done, and we’re ready to get stuff in the oven tomorrow morning.

Family, friends, and food

Lovely day! Carol

And Stephen, Sue and Randy,

Tina, Kate and Wayne.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you good family, good friends, good food, good books, and laughter

UTC LADY MOCS 67, #4 UT LADY VOLS 63!!

Margaret came over last night, and we made a grocery list and plans for today. This morning, she went to the store to pick up things I had skipped or forgotten to get yesterday. She made cornbread for the dressing/stuffing. I think that was all we/she could do this far ahead of our dinner on Saturday.


This evening was the almost annual meeting of the UTC Lady Mocs and the #4 ranked UT Lady Vols. We’ve done a home-and-home series of games for a number of years, usually with the Lady Vols showing their might over the lesser Mocs. Then two years ago here in Chattanooga, after Pat Summit’s sudden retirement and in Holly Warlick’s debut as head coach, the Lady Mocs played a super game and beat Tennessee. Jubilation reigned! Last season, in Knoxville, the Lady Vols exacted payment for the previous year’s game.


But this is a different UTC team with a different coach. The Lady Mocs came out roaring, and never let up. They led 37-21 at the half, and were behind only once briefly toward the end of the game. The final score was 67-63! And this was no fluke. UTC was just played better in this game. And it was SO SWEET!


Next home game is in midDecember against #5 Stanford.

Monday and an editorial

Today was a long day - starting with the Y and coffee. The cleaning lady was finishing up when we got home. John and I each had some good cards today - not all the time, but mostly. It is what keeps us coming back.

Then we finished up with basketball - the Lady Mocs vs. the Austin Peay Lady Governors (Austin Peay was a governor of TN in the 1920s). Our gals played awful in the first half, but came roaring back and won 76-65. They play the Lady Vols on Wednesday.

---------------------------------------

We didn’t see until 10 pm that the grand jury had reported no indictment on the officer in Ferguson, MO. We had assumed this would be the outcome. We kind of thought the grand jury would indict and let a trial take place. We didn’t think there was enough evidence to convict, but that going through the process would alleviate some of the tension. Obviously this is not to be.

We’ve really tried to stay away from the 24-hour cable news coverage on this situation. The racial divide in that community is not going to be healed by this situation, one way or another. And we think the blanket coverage by cable news has exacerbated the situation - and continues to do so.

The problems with racial inequality and prejudice in this country need to be kept in the forefront, so that the situation can continue to change and improve. But I fear that this constant TV presence only foments violence and that doesn’t help anything.

Let’s hope for peaceful, nonviolent protests.

Good eats!

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in the paper that our local Rotary Club was going to be smoking some Boston Butts and selling them to benefit the local food bank. I placed an order for one, and we picked it up about suppertime Saturday night.

It was, without doubt, some of the best smoked meat we’ve ever had. I don’t think we’ve ever had fork-tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth meat before. Definitely a WOW, and something we’ll put our list for next Thanksgiving.

We had some again tonight. John carved it off the bone, and that’s in the freezer for meals from time to time throughout the year.

Thanksgiving meme

1. Are you celebrating Thanksgiving at home or elsewhere this year? With whom will you spend Thanksgiving Day?
Most of our family dinner is done on the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day. We’ll be here at home, with our usual extended family and friends. We’re having dinner Thursday with friends. Our family comes into town on Thursday evening.
2. What do you have for breakfast on Thanksgiving?
Usually something like sweet rolls - nothing special.
3. Do you go to a Thanksgiving parade or watch one on TV?
Neither. There will be football or basketball watched most of the weekend.
4. Do you serve appetizers, lunch, or snacks during the day?
Food happens all weekend long.
5. What do you wear on Thanksgiving?
Whatever is comfortable and clean.
6. What's your Thanksgiving table like -- do you use special plates/silver/glasses, etc? Do you have a centerpiece? A color scheme? Candles?
I use a tablecloth, the “good dishes” (old family Russell Wright), my mother’s silverware, some sort of centerpiece, candles if I think of it and can find some. Definitely nothing “decorated”.
7. Do you serve buffet-style or family-style? What do you have to drink?
Buffet-style. We don’t have room for everybody to eat at one time, so we pretty much eat in shifts or as places at the table and football interest dictates. Drinks are to the taste of the individual - water, wine, coffee, soft drinks, whatever.
8. Once you're at the table, do you say grace or a toast or does everyone go around and say what they're thankful for?
Since we don’t sit at one time, there’s nothing that formal.
9. Do you have dessert right after the main meal or later on?
I like to have dessert later.
10. What do you do with your leftovers?

Eat them, freeze them, send them home with folks. We love all the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, so we’re happy to have them any time, and love leftovers.

A learning experience

Our young UTC Lady Mocs
Played against the “big girls” of Notre Dame today.
It wasn’t pretty.
They had quite a learning experience.
The final score was Notre Dame 88, the Lady Mocs 53.
We hope they learned well.

That was my morning

You know what happens when you carefully plan out a series of errands to fill a certain time span? At least two things won’t work, and the whole thing turns to sh*t! That was my morning.

I was going to the bank, to the drug store, to the library, and end up with my scheduled massage. Well, the bank thing went as planned, and the massage was wonderful. The rest…not so much.

I got my prescription at the drug store, but they didn’t have a knee brace in the size I needed. So I headed to the library to pick up my reserved DVD and kill some time before my massage appointment. It’s now about 9:45. Turns out the library doesn’t open until 11 on Thursdays. !@##$##$

So I head to Panera to get some coffee and read until my 10:30 appointment. I finally got my latte, and then promptly spilled half of it. Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

At least the massage was wonderful (as usual), and I did pick up the DVD (of the first season of “The Newsroom”). And then I scurried home to try to stay out of more trouble.

Warmer Wednesday

Lady Mocs 76, Butler 47 - obviously our ladies played very well. I hope they do well against their upcoming top-rated opponents (UT Lady Vols, Stanford, and Notre Dame). We have gotten the extra tickets for the Lady Vols game - John will pick them up tomorrow.

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We had a successful (if expensive) trip to Costco this morning. We hadn’t been in a while, so there were a number of things we needed. And we got to check products and prices for some future purchases. Plus we got our usual gourmet lunch.

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The husbands of three of our swimmers are dealing with health problems, and one of the swimmers is recovering from hip replacement surgery. And there are our other internet friends who are dealing with health issues. We’ll keep them all in our thoughts.

This and that

John got a good report from the cardiologist this morning. He has some irregularities, but it's not typical of atrial fibrillation, so..... They drew some blood to rule out an anemia problem. He's trying him on some medication, too. And he's to have a return visit in three months.

I did the grocery stores this morning, and took my car to be inspected. They're very efficient, and if you get your request for license renewal in by 2 pm (which John did for me on the computer), you should get your new stickers in the next day's mail. So that's done for another year.

We've had some mix-up in ordering the extra tickets we wanted for the Lady Mocs vs Lady Vols game next week. I've got a couple of phone messages out, looking for answers. It's always something.

Monday miscellany

We’re going to be setting some record low temperatures tonight and tomorrow. At least the rain was over before the temps started to drop. We had 2.25” of rain over the two day period. This morning, while we were at the Y, the temperature dropped 10 degrees - and it never went back up over the day.

John and Margaret were headed up to Knoxville for a Lady Vols game (big easy win over Oral Roberts). I went to bridge, but was still having the same lousy cards I’ve been having. We had two extra players, so when I was going to sit out a round, I left and came home.

Margaret got a big sack of yarn on her latest trip, so now I have a bunch of stuff to play with. I’d best get busy with the knitting.

Sunday haiku

Rain, rain, basketball.

Lady Mocs lost close ballgame.

Rain, rain, but no snow!

Sunday Stealing

Taking Stock Meme

Stolen from: The Blake Collection

Making: hats and socks 
Cooking: made oyster chowder for supper
Drinking: water and coffee (as usual)
Reading: The third volume in Ken Follett’s 20^th century trilogy
Wanting: John to get over his cold.
Looking: for yarn to reknit the toe on some socks
Wasting: time, as usual - I’m retired!
Wishing: The midterm elections had gone the way I voted. I wish the idiots in Congress would learn to cooperate and compromise.
Enjoying: the start of basketball season
Waiting: to start getting ready for Thanksgiving
Liking: the idea of leftover oyster chowder for lunch tomorrow.
Wondering: how the rest of the year will go
Loving: our family and friends and good times together
Listening: to BookTV
Needing: to be in better shape
Smelling: nothing, thankfully, but looking forward to the smell of turkey roasting
Wearing: warm, soft clothes
Following: women’s basketball
Noticing: the weather
Knowing: how to knit socks without reading a pattern
Thinking: about shopping lists
Feeling: creaky
Bookmarking: nothing new - e-mails, web cams, fb, senior learn, seniors&friends, blogs, games
Opening: jars can sometimes be difficult
Giggling: with the girls.

Enough said

From A Word A Day:

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed, and love of power. -P.J. O'Rourke, writer (b. 1947)
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p.s. UTC Lady Mocs 49, Villanova 45 in the season opener!

Medical stuff

All that was on my schedule today was the 6-month rheumatologist check. All seems to be going as usual. We talked again about any treatment for osteopenia, and decided it just wasn't bad enough to warrant anything - at least not yet. Keep taking calcium with D and doing as much walking as possible.

I've also been having trouble with my knee, so I asked about that. That's probably just bursitis. He recommended keeping it bent when sitting, heat, compression (like one of those knee "sleeves"), and (as y'all have mentioned) sleeping on my side with a pillow between my knees. We'll see how that goes.

Good stuff!

Busy day, but all good stuff.
             After swimming and coffee, some of the gals went to a jewelry show (I came home). Then ten of us met at a local tea room for lunch. As always, good friends, good food, good conversation, and laughter make for something special.
             Shortly after I got home, Rosemary and Daryl came over. Daryl has been painting and had asked if I would critique some of his work for him. It was fun getting to see his work, try to answer his questions, and make some suggestions for how to continue each piece. It’s an interesting challenge to me - looking at work that’s not at all like mine, and trying to see it in terms of the principles of art and composition. I think we all did a pretty good job.
               And then we topped it off by playing bridge for several hours.
How could it be bad?!?

Not a regular Tuesday

      We worked at the library book sale this morning. We had customers, but were never swamped. It'll probably pick up some this afternoon. The sale runs through next Tuesday, but this is the only day we've scheduled to work.
      The excitement came after we got home. We had lunch and then I headed out to the grocery stores. Of course, since it was afternoon, there were more people, and everything went much slower. I had to wait in the check-out line in Walmart for ages. But I got stuff, and headed home. When I pulled in the driveway, I realized I had left my purse in the seat of the shopping cart (in the cart corral in the parking lot)!
      I unloaded the groceries onto the side of the driveway and flew back to Walmart (probably getting a ticket from the speed camera near our house). The cart was where I left it, but no purse. I found a parking place and headed into the store. When I walked in, panting and breathless, and asked the lady at Customer Service if anybody had turned in a purse, she asked me to describe it, and then said: "You look like your picture!" She confirmed my name, and then went and got my purse. They said a "regular shopper" had turned it in. Whew! what a relief!
     The whole thing took probably no more than 20 minutes. But the panic factor was major! Then I headed back home to put up my groceries. John had just found the stuff by the driveway and was bringing things into the house - wondering what had happened to me.
     Too much excitement for one afternoon. With any luck, I won't try THAT trick again anytime soon.

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Veteran's Day addendum:  The wonderful Yorkshire Pudding has written a wonderful Armistice Day poem in his blog today.  Please click here and take a minute to read it.

Veteran's Day

On this day, as every day, we honor those who serve, who have served in the past, and who have given their all.

Especially thanks to our Jesse and Vicki's Taylor.

Baby steps

We got out in the beautiful weather this afternoon.  John is feeling better, and needed to get out after being cooped up in the house for two days.  I just need to get moving.  He didn't plan to do much, and I'm not able to do much.  I know I need to get my activity level up  No promises, but I'll keep trying.

Nothing much

John says he may be somewhat better today.  He did stay awake long enough this afternoon and evening to watch a few ballgames (although he went to bed at half-time of the LSU/AL game).
I managed to do absolutely nothing today - including cold cereal for breakfast and leftovers for dinner.
Exciting!

Follow-up

John has gotten fully into the cold.  He's spent most of the day in bed, asleep.  He didn't go out to dinner with us, and was back in bed shortly after we got home.  I hope he's feeling better tomorrow.  Usually he can sleep it off.  He's already taken many of the OTC meds, plus his prescription inhaler.
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He skipped our planned dinner with Carol and Stephen.  Tina picked me up, and we joined them.  We got to hear some about their 3-month cross-country trip.  And I know we'll hear more when John is able to participate.  We always enjoy dinners at Noodles & Pho, and tonight was no exception. 

Thursday Thirteen

1. First walk in the mall is pretty pitiful
2. Mani/pedi is always great!
3. Lovely fall day
4. The yard man came, mowed, and moved around the zillions of acorns and hickory nuts.
5. We both tried to get some trial prescriptions changed to mail delivery/90-day supply.
6. I think we were both successful.
7. Set dinner date for Friday with Carol and Stephen.
8. Sue, Margaret, and Sarah at Niagara Falls.
9. Sad news - next-door neighbors have to sell their house. They can no longer afford the payments and cannot refinance.
10. More sad news - Missy’s mother fell and broke her hip.
11. White Collar starts a new (and last) season tonight.
12. John thinks he may be coming down with a cold. Yuck!
13. Dinner tonight all out of the freezer and pantry. Good!

Nothing doing today.

Massage got cancelled.

Too bad, but rescheduled for

Friday. Still good day.

Election day

We cast only two winning votes in this election - one was a referendum to sell wine in grocery stores in Chattanooga (beginning in July 2016), and one minor constitutional amendment. 


I've always heard an old Chinese curse - May you live in interesting times.  Guess we'll be having that.

VOTE!!

Please vote today (if you haven’t already voted early)!


True, there’s no presidential election this year. But remember ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL! The people you elect to your city, county, district, and state offices have much more direct influence over your life than the President.


Think about it…they decide your sales taxes, your property taxes, the schools for your children, zoning ordinances, libraries, garbage pickup, police and fire protection, and on and on.


In my location, with my political beliefs, I will probably see none of the candidates I’ve voted for win their elections. I do have some hope for a couple of ballot issues. Even with that being the case, I want everybody to vote.


It’s really terrible how low the turn-out is for elections in our country. Let’s see if we can’t do better.


VOTE!

:Being Mortal"

I’ve just finished reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. It’s an amazing look at end of life issues, questions and discussions.


None of us wants to think about death, but - let’s face it - nobody gets out of this life alive. And whether or not we really think about it, we all have some thoughts about how we’d like to exit.


Gawande writes that the medical profession is focused on keeping the Grim Reaper at bay, and rarely gets into a discussion on how to deal with the inevitable.


He posits three questions that we, our doctors, and our families should consider as we‘re nearing that point. I think they’re worth repeating and thinking about.


1. What are your biggest fears and concerns?
2. What goals are most important to you?
3. What trade-offs are you willing to make and which ones are you not?


These are definitely things to think about - before our time comes.

Time

We changed our clocks and smoke alarm batteries.  Did you?