11/17/2014
No I don't have the blahs because I have to go to work. Nope, I have the blahs because of the weather outside. Yesterday, Jeff and I picked up our leaves and filled three yard bags full. And then it rained, which is sort of okay because wet leaves don't blow around - yeah.
This morning when I opened up my blinds the sky is gray and it's lightly raining. It's a good day to be inside if you can. Because of the icky weather outside, I thought that I should use my "SAD" light this morning to help me be less glum. Hope it works.
Jeff started up our gas fireplace this morning to help take some of the chill out of the air. We have yet to turn on our heat. If you wear the appropriate clothing - long sleeves and pants, and are moving around the least bit, then you don't notice the cold - as much!
With this kind of day, I would prefer that Mother Nature gave us some kind of weather - rain or even a dusting of snow. I'm grateful that once I return from therapy, I'll be in for the day.
Jeff has a VAC flight tomorrow. He's flying a disabled Veteran to Kentucky and tomorrow is supposed to be our coldest day yet. Jeff doesn't want any ice on the plane in the morning. He can fly in snow and rain, but not with ice on the wings, well I suppose you could but that would just be stupid and dangerous.
There is a part of me that would like to see some of the white stuff. It would mark the beginning of winter for me. We don't own a snow blower partly because our driveway isn't very long and we always have at least one or sometimes two cars in the driveway, which cuts down on shoveling.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow is a good day for flying. The really good news about our plane is that the heater works really well. The a/c not so much!
P
Monday, November 17, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Cold Now
11/15/2014
In just the past two days, our weather has gone from mild temperature Fall to cold. Last week Jeff and I were tooling around town in the "zippy z" with the top down and wind blowing in our hair. The "z" is a wonderful car but I get claustrophobic if the top is down, it's such a small car. At some point in the winter, we take the "z" out to either Scott or Andy's house and leave it there for the winter.
We've made our first batch of vegetable soup, which was delicious by the way and our gas fireplace is turned on every morning. We haven't turned the heat on yet, but we did put the down comforter back on the bed! Even though we have two dogs in bed with us, they don't provide us with quite enough warmth.
We haven't had a frost yet, but once we do, leaf dumping from the oak tree becomes minimal. We're in the rake up the leaves at the moment and our next chore will probably be shoveling the driveway when it snows.
I hope it's nice and warm where you are.
P
In just the past two days, our weather has gone from mild temperature Fall to cold. Last week Jeff and I were tooling around town in the "zippy z" with the top down and wind blowing in our hair. The "z" is a wonderful car but I get claustrophobic if the top is down, it's such a small car. At some point in the winter, we take the "z" out to either Scott or Andy's house and leave it there for the winter.
We've made our first batch of vegetable soup, which was delicious by the way and our gas fireplace is turned on every morning. We haven't turned the heat on yet, but we did put the down comforter back on the bed! Even though we have two dogs in bed with us, they don't provide us with quite enough warmth.
We haven't had a frost yet, but once we do, leaf dumping from the oak tree becomes minimal. We're in the rake up the leaves at the moment and our next chore will probably be shoveling the driveway when it snows.
I hope it's nice and warm where you are.
P
Friday, November 14, 2014
School Calendars
11/14/2014
Our county's Board of Education has decided that beginning in 2015, the calendar will be marked as"winter, spring or summer" breaks. So going forward there will be no mention of religious holidays on the calendar. No Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur, etc. I think that's sad.
Have we become so socially "correct" that holidays celebrated by this or that group of people shouldn't even appear on the calendar? This "new" school calendar has come about because Muslims wanted their major holiday, Eid-al-Adha to be included. Apparently, the addition of one more religious holiday was just too much for the school board to wrap their heads around. So, rather than include one more holiday, going forward there will be no indication of anybody's holiday.
I think one of the beautiful things about people is their differences. We would be very bored if everybody was exactly the same, in their thinking and beliefs. Think of the movie, Solent (sp) Green. I love listening to Christmas carols, it's the music that I grew up with. Likewise, other people have music that they know and love.
While I don't have a dog in this fight, because the boys are no longer in school, I am sorry for the Board's decision, which I think is short sighted.
P
Our county's Board of Education has decided that beginning in 2015, the calendar will be marked as"winter, spring or summer" breaks. So going forward there will be no mention of religious holidays on the calendar. No Christmas, Easter, Yom Kippur, etc. I think that's sad.
Have we become so socially "correct" that holidays celebrated by this or that group of people shouldn't even appear on the calendar? This "new" school calendar has come about because Muslims wanted their major holiday, Eid-al-Adha to be included. Apparently, the addition of one more religious holiday was just too much for the school board to wrap their heads around. So, rather than include one more holiday, going forward there will be no indication of anybody's holiday.
I think one of the beautiful things about people is their differences. We would be very bored if everybody was exactly the same, in their thinking and beliefs. Think of the movie, Solent (sp) Green. I love listening to Christmas carols, it's the music that I grew up with. Likewise, other people have music that they know and love.
While I don't have a dog in this fight, because the boys are no longer in school, I am sorry for the Board's decision, which I think is short sighted.
P
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Thanksgiving
11/13/2014
It's time to pack up your spooky Halloween lights and toss out your Jack-O-Lantern, if you haven't already. To me it seems that Thanksgiving is the lost holiday. It is unfortunately wedged between Halloween and Christmas and doesn't receive much attention these days.
I can remember when Thanksgiving meant going to Grandma's house where the smells permeated the air as soon as you opened the door. I loved the smell of turkey cooking, still do as a matter of fact. Baked pies - pumpkin and pecan were on the counter and the refrigerator was filled with some of my favorites that we ate only at holidays.
Today's families are spread all over the country and large holiday dinners are getting rarer and rarer. Most families don't live close together and traveling at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas is a logistical nightmare, particularly if you intend to fly.
When the boys were young, I fixed the original Thanksgiving dinners that I knew from my childhood. There was I believed, no reason to mess with success. I served good food and lots of it, because who doesn't like leftovers!
Since it's just the two of us this year, I think that rather than try to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal, we will likely go to Bob Evans and let somebody cook for us. It just makes sense. We can always cook a turkey breast and make stuffing and gravy for our "leftovers". I won't be buying, much less baking, any pies. Sugar is my downfall and I just can't resist taking small bites out of pies. A few small bites soon turns into something major as you notice that there is very little pie left! So if there's no pie in the house, there's no temptation on my part.
I'm not planning on buying many Christmas gifts this year, but I will check out "on line deals" on Thanksgiving and/or the day after.
P
It's time to pack up your spooky Halloween lights and toss out your Jack-O-Lantern, if you haven't already. To me it seems that Thanksgiving is the lost holiday. It is unfortunately wedged between Halloween and Christmas and doesn't receive much attention these days.
I can remember when Thanksgiving meant going to Grandma's house where the smells permeated the air as soon as you opened the door. I loved the smell of turkey cooking, still do as a matter of fact. Baked pies - pumpkin and pecan were on the counter and the refrigerator was filled with some of my favorites that we ate only at holidays.
Today's families are spread all over the country and large holiday dinners are getting rarer and rarer. Most families don't live close together and traveling at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas is a logistical nightmare, particularly if you intend to fly.
When the boys were young, I fixed the original Thanksgiving dinners that I knew from my childhood. There was I believed, no reason to mess with success. I served good food and lots of it, because who doesn't like leftovers!
Since it's just the two of us this year, I think that rather than try to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal, we will likely go to Bob Evans and let somebody cook for us. It just makes sense. We can always cook a turkey breast and make stuffing and gravy for our "leftovers". I won't be buying, much less baking, any pies. Sugar is my downfall and I just can't resist taking small bites out of pies. A few small bites soon turns into something major as you notice that there is very little pie left! So if there's no pie in the house, there's no temptation on my part.
I'm not planning on buying many Christmas gifts this year, but I will check out "on line deals" on Thanksgiving and/or the day after.
P
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Veteran's Day
11/11/2014
Today, on Veteran's Day, we remember those men and women who have served or are serving our country.
Growing up, my brother, sister and I, were "Air Force Brats". Dad was a lifer in the Air Force and that meant that our family became nomads as we moved from base to base. When you are in the military, a move every three years or so is normal. One of the problems of moving around is that you don't form any lifelong friendships.
When we would leave a base, addresses were exchanged and perhaps even a letter or two. Then either our friends moved, or we did and then didn't keep in touch. We lived in England, Liverpool to be exact, the home of the Beatles, France, Kansas and California.
We lived on military bases as well as off base. Living on a military base had it's privileges. When we lived on the base at Vandenburg, home to the Atlas missiles, we had buses, manned by Airmen, that picked us up at home and dropped us off at the library, movies, PX or a friend's house. Since it was a closely guarded base, I don't believe our parents ever worried about us kids being out and about on our own.
Being in the military meant you were probably never very close to family. My grandmother lived in Illinois and once we were stationed in California, went to see her every summer. The anticipation of seeing Grandma was huge, when it was time to leave, there were tears as we drove away from the farm.
As children in a military family, you learned early on, that any negative behavior on your part, would be brought to your father's attention, and you for sure didn't want that to happen. It was easier to live on base because all of the children knew what it was like to be in a military family.
I was very proud to be a part of Dad's retirement ceremony. I, also remember, that since he hadn't worn his dress blues in years, his shirt didn't actually button at the neck and he was hoping that his tie would hide that flaw. Dad said that when the officer came down the line to speak to each retiree, when he got to Dad, he thought the officer's scrutiny was focused on his neck. He worried needlessly.
I have some great memories and visited a number of cities in Europe while we were stationed in France. Unfortunately, when you're eight years old, eating out was a real nightmare for Mom. My brother and I only wanted hamburger and fries and since that wasn't always possible, trying to order food for us fussy kids, made Mom cringe!
Happy Veteran's Day.
P
Today, on Veteran's Day, we remember those men and women who have served or are serving our country.
Growing up, my brother, sister and I, were "Air Force Brats". Dad was a lifer in the Air Force and that meant that our family became nomads as we moved from base to base. When you are in the military, a move every three years or so is normal. One of the problems of moving around is that you don't form any lifelong friendships.
When we would leave a base, addresses were exchanged and perhaps even a letter or two. Then either our friends moved, or we did and then didn't keep in touch. We lived in England, Liverpool to be exact, the home of the Beatles, France, Kansas and California.
We lived on military bases as well as off base. Living on a military base had it's privileges. When we lived on the base at Vandenburg, home to the Atlas missiles, we had buses, manned by Airmen, that picked us up at home and dropped us off at the library, movies, PX or a friend's house. Since it was a closely guarded base, I don't believe our parents ever worried about us kids being out and about on our own.
Being in the military meant you were probably never very close to family. My grandmother lived in Illinois and once we were stationed in California, went to see her every summer. The anticipation of seeing Grandma was huge, when it was time to leave, there were tears as we drove away from the farm.
As children in a military family, you learned early on, that any negative behavior on your part, would be brought to your father's attention, and you for sure didn't want that to happen. It was easier to live on base because all of the children knew what it was like to be in a military family.
I was very proud to be a part of Dad's retirement ceremony. I, also remember, that since he hadn't worn his dress blues in years, his shirt didn't actually button at the neck and he was hoping that his tie would hide that flaw. Dad said that when the officer came down the line to speak to each retiree, when he got to Dad, he thought the officer's scrutiny was focused on his neck. He worried needlessly.
I have some great memories and visited a number of cities in Europe while we were stationed in France. Unfortunately, when you're eight years old, eating out was a real nightmare for Mom. My brother and I only wanted hamburger and fries and since that wasn't always possible, trying to order food for us fussy kids, made Mom cringe!
Happy Veteran's Day.
P
Monday, November 10, 2014
Cooking for Men
11/10/2014
When the boys were all living at home, I had pretty much a hard set rule that dinner was at 6:00. Not 6:01, but 6:00 on the dot. The boys were raised with a strict schedule about mealtimes and they seldom missed a meal!
Okay, the boys are all men and have homes of their own. For several years, it's just been Jeff and I around the table - or on the sofa watching Judge Judy! The offerings today of frozen meals boggles my mind. Where was this stuff when I had to have a hot meal for everyone, every day? Luckily for the boys, over the years I became a master of throwing ingredients in a pot. The ingredients varied each time I made a casserole. It depended on what was in the cupboard and/or freezer. The boys ate with gusto pretty much everything that was put in front of them.
Cooking for two people actually requires more effort than cooking for an entire family. If you cook too much, you could be eating that dish tomorrow and perhaps even the day after that. I don't care how good the dish was on day one, it's not nearly as exciting by day three!
Scott and Jeff have been working on Scott's townhouse to get it ready to sell or rent. I know they work hard which is evidenced by the amount of dust/dirt on their clothes. Since this week was sanding drywall, they both came home covered in gray dust. This also came home hungry!
For the last couple of days that they have worked, I have had a meal prepared and ready to eat when they come in the door. Making meals for both of them brings back happy memories of cooking and baking for my family.
I was also lucky that the boys were not picky eaters. Of course it helped that I'm somewhat of a picky eater, particularly when we're talking vegetables. I am a peas, corn, carrots kind of girl. Brussels Sprouts, for instance - yuck.
Last night I fixed spaghetti and jalapeno cornbread. Scott had two helpings, so I guess it tasted good. I had also fixed a pumpkin cheesecake dessert, which required no baking, easy super easy to make and tasted exactly like pumpkin pie! Dessert was also a hit. Jeff's body can't handle sugar very well, but he did have a small slice with Cool Whip on top. I'm going to buy another box of this dessert, which I can make for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Today, Scott will be over sometime after lunch. I have already set out a package of taquitos (however you spell it) to cook after I get back from therapy. Dinner will be meat loaf and mashed potatoes.
It's a lot of fun for me to fix food that I know will be needed and appreciated when the days work is done. And, having to actually fix meals does keep me on my toes and gets my brain fully engaged on what I should make for the next meal.
Fun times.
P
When the boys were all living at home, I had pretty much a hard set rule that dinner was at 6:00. Not 6:01, but 6:00 on the dot. The boys were raised with a strict schedule about mealtimes and they seldom missed a meal!
Okay, the boys are all men and have homes of their own. For several years, it's just been Jeff and I around the table - or on the sofa watching Judge Judy! The offerings today of frozen meals boggles my mind. Where was this stuff when I had to have a hot meal for everyone, every day? Luckily for the boys, over the years I became a master of throwing ingredients in a pot. The ingredients varied each time I made a casserole. It depended on what was in the cupboard and/or freezer. The boys ate with gusto pretty much everything that was put in front of them.
Cooking for two people actually requires more effort than cooking for an entire family. If you cook too much, you could be eating that dish tomorrow and perhaps even the day after that. I don't care how good the dish was on day one, it's not nearly as exciting by day three!
Scott and Jeff have been working on Scott's townhouse to get it ready to sell or rent. I know they work hard which is evidenced by the amount of dust/dirt on their clothes. Since this week was sanding drywall, they both came home covered in gray dust. This also came home hungry!
For the last couple of days that they have worked, I have had a meal prepared and ready to eat when they come in the door. Making meals for both of them brings back happy memories of cooking and baking for my family.
I was also lucky that the boys were not picky eaters. Of course it helped that I'm somewhat of a picky eater, particularly when we're talking vegetables. I am a peas, corn, carrots kind of girl. Brussels Sprouts, for instance - yuck.
Last night I fixed spaghetti and jalapeno cornbread. Scott had two helpings, so I guess it tasted good. I had also fixed a pumpkin cheesecake dessert, which required no baking, easy super easy to make and tasted exactly like pumpkin pie! Dessert was also a hit. Jeff's body can't handle sugar very well, but he did have a small slice with Cool Whip on top. I'm going to buy another box of this dessert, which I can make for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Today, Scott will be over sometime after lunch. I have already set out a package of taquitos (however you spell it) to cook after I get back from therapy. Dinner will be meat loaf and mashed potatoes.
It's a lot of fun for me to fix food that I know will be needed and appreciated when the days work is done. And, having to actually fix meals does keep me on my toes and gets my brain fully engaged on what I should make for the next meal.
Fun times.
P
Sunday, November 9, 2014
You Know You're Getting Old When ....
11/9/2014
I remember when I was in high school and participated in the senior school play. I played a Swedish maid - no, not that kind with the short frilly skirt - the old lady in frumpy clothes and laced up shoes. My name was Magda Svenson and I was witness to a murder. As a teenager, I found it fun to spray my hair gray, and stomp around in the gymnasium in my old lady shoes.
Flash forward to the present day: I no longer have to spray my hair gray, Mother Nature is doing that for me! No longer a teenager, who was trying to make a fashion statement, I now opt for "old lady" comfort. I have never met an elastic waist piece of clothing that I don't like. Whoever thought that buttons and zippers on clothes was a good idea, has never met someone whose weight goes up and down, depending on the sugar intake! Elastic is so forgiving, oh and comfy too!
Now to the shoes. I am long past high heels. While they make your legs look wonderful, they aren't always comfortable. For both of the boys' weddings, I opted for dressy sandals with chunky short heels, which was a good decision on my part.
Thanks to my hip and back, lacing shoes is really difficult for me. I can get the shoes tied, sort of, but they never stay tied, and I hate a loose shoe. I finally gave in and bought myself some walking shoes with Velcro straps. You're thinking granny I know, and you'd be right. Easy for me to put on? You bet. A fashion statement? Not unless you're thinking old lady alert. Velcro shoes are easy for me to put on and I gave up caring about what other people think about me a long time ago.
So if you see me on the street, I'll be the lady with the elastic waist pants, probably a bit baggy and white Velcro walking shoes!
P
I remember when I was in high school and participated in the senior school play. I played a Swedish maid - no, not that kind with the short frilly skirt - the old lady in frumpy clothes and laced up shoes. My name was Magda Svenson and I was witness to a murder. As a teenager, I found it fun to spray my hair gray, and stomp around in the gymnasium in my old lady shoes.
Flash forward to the present day: I no longer have to spray my hair gray, Mother Nature is doing that for me! No longer a teenager, who was trying to make a fashion statement, I now opt for "old lady" comfort. I have never met an elastic waist piece of clothing that I don't like. Whoever thought that buttons and zippers on clothes was a good idea, has never met someone whose weight goes up and down, depending on the sugar intake! Elastic is so forgiving, oh and comfy too!
Now to the shoes. I am long past high heels. While they make your legs look wonderful, they aren't always comfortable. For both of the boys' weddings, I opted for dressy sandals with chunky short heels, which was a good decision on my part.
Thanks to my hip and back, lacing shoes is really difficult for me. I can get the shoes tied, sort of, but they never stay tied, and I hate a loose shoe. I finally gave in and bought myself some walking shoes with Velcro straps. You're thinking granny I know, and you'd be right. Easy for me to put on? You bet. A fashion statement? Not unless you're thinking old lady alert. Velcro shoes are easy for me to put on and I gave up caring about what other people think about me a long time ago.
So if you see me on the street, I'll be the lady with the elastic waist pants, probably a bit baggy and white Velcro walking shoes!
P
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