Just need to talk to my friends (213)
Comments
-
Good morning, all. It was a good 15F below average temps yesterday and quite unpleasant. Overnight we got some sort of wintry mix with freezing rain on top. I don't think I'll be heading out anywhere soon.
Lorita— I'm picturing how quiet it must be in your neck of the woods if you only see a dozen cars. I pass 21 just on my way out of the cul de sac with 8 homes.
Iris— LOL, I am actually buying her an ottoman for Christmas. She's hard to buy for; I got her a safe last Christmas. Mom does have a very nice Stressless chair and ottoman in her massive kitchen where she reads after lunch. She watches TV in the evenings in the living room which doesn't have an ottoman yet. It took a while to convince her as she prioritizes how it looks vs how comfortable it is. I guess it's the decorator version of her wearing uncomfortable shoes because they're pretty.
My knee has gotten pretty bad. It gets bad if I walk more than about 1.5 miles in a day. I avoid NSAIDs because of my BP and Tylenol doesn't cut it. PT and using a cane to off-load weight on the bad side helps.
Ron— I'm sorry you're up so early so often. You beat me up and I'm at least one time zone ahead of you. Can you nap?
That's a beautiful setting. Is it a working farm?
Carl— I'm always suspicious, but I wonder if the dealership. When I needed to get a new fob for mom's Honda when she first moved here (newly diagnosed and angry dad hid them because he wasn't allowed to drive), the dealer in PA had all her records. She bought the car in MD; it had been serviced there and in FL. Maybe they read the wrong line on the display.
I once couldn't renew the registration for my car because a clerk at the dealership where I bought it transferred the plates to a new car for another customer who bought the first car around the same time had sloppy handwriting and someone at the DMV misread a 2 as a 3.
I'd say swapping is still kind of risqué. And probably risky as well.Gothic G— enjoy your decorating. I may do one myself since it's so icky out. Are you a theme-tree person (Goth, perhaps?) or more of a sentimental hodge-podge person?
________________________________________________
DS took the day off. He was supposed to work a 13-hour shift but the combination of the rash (which is miserable when covered) and steroids is making him pretty miserable. It is starting to look a bit less angry. Given the weather, I'm kind of glad as the roads look really slick. You can't drive on ice. His commute is on country roads the no shoulders to speak of.
His doc thinks eczema and prescribed a steroid cream and a prednisone taper starting at 40mg. I did consider a food allergy, but the doc thinks not— it's not a diffuse rash and it's going on 3 weeks since it started.
I'm listening to a Christmas channel and trying to conjure up some holiday spirit. I've only ordered a bunch of glasses cleaners for stockings. They're from a place called Nerdwax and feature wipes that look like different things. DS's looks like a slice of pepperoni pizza, my friend who grew up on a potato farm got a russet potato, his girlfriend got an orange cat that looks like hers, etc.
I hope all have a peaceful day.
HB0 -
Pretty pictures, Ron. I didn't realize you were out in the country. Being rural presents the possibility of seeing a lot more sky - do you ever see the Milky Way? The International Space Station? I've seen the space station many times. So fun to watch. Ron, does your other son live close by you now too?
Regarding "my" team, Iowa State, last night our football coach announced he is going to Penn State. Disappointing for sure. Wonder how many players we'll lose now. 😢 We've had a good team, and will again, but are we in for a mass exodus? Just this week we had several top high school players commit; will they de-commit? Of great interest to the Cyclone faithful (they call us Cyclone Nation), it took 54 days for our Athletic Director to find/hire Matt Campbell. This time, approximately 54 minutes after announcing Matt was leaving, there was an announcement that a new coach was hired! How it went down:
"Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers is set to become the Cyclones' new head coach, the school announced that he agreed to a six-year contract on Friday, Dec. 5.
"Jimmy Rogers is a rising star in college athletics who has very strong ties to the Midwest both as a player and as a coach," ISU athletics director Jamie Pollard said in a news release. "He has been on my shortlist ever since the first time I met him. He immediately impressed me with his interest in Iowa State University and told me during our first visit several years ago that he wanted to be the next coach at Iowa State.
"Since our initial meeting, I have stayed in close contact with him and have been very impressed with his work ethic and understanding of what it takes to be successful at Iowa State."
Also of interest on the athletic front, today our #10 Cyclones play #1 Purdue in basketball.
That's all I got for now! Have a good weekend everyone!
Beth
0 -
HB, I’ve always been an early bird but lately I have woken up a lot due to pain and it reaches a point I’m flustered and just get up, usually between 3 and 4. My Dr suggested some heavier pain relief medication, but I refused because both he suggested was addictive. Both my son and daughter in law work in Springfield all day, so it is not a working farm. The fruit trees they give away to co-workers and friends and also the eggs which all they ask is if they want they could chip in a dollar to help with feed, but they aren’t required to pay anything.
Beth, my oldest son is in Dallas and calls every week but I do not see that often. Yes, living on a mountain sometimes I feel like I can almost reach up and touch the sky. It is beautiful to watch the sunset and sunrise. I haven’t been outside much especially at night, but hopefully by springtime I’ll feel more like sky gazing.
Ron
0 -
good afternoon
I’m ok Lorita. Yesterday was just kind of a busy day.
I made chicken fritters today something to eat on
0 -
We had heavy fog this morning. Sometimes we get freezing fog, and then it is good to stay indoors because freezing fog can make an invisible glaze of ice on the roads. It was 35 degrees this morning and the ground wasn't frozen, so I just turned on the fog lights and drove carefully.
Got my first Christmas card of the season today. The envelope was addressed by a 6th grader. I remember holding that child when she was a month old, it's hard to believe she has grown so much.
0 -
Tony Bennett was cool in the 60s…also the 50s, 70s, 80s etc……
0 -
Hi, we had FOG this Morning - so heavy you couldn't see any distance Finally burned off some.by noon. How the meteorologist can predict where fog will.be beats me. Disagreeable day out there.
I woke up about 2:40 to let Stormy out and got something in my eye. Put in drops and more drops for an hour until it got some.better, then to sleep. Eye is still not comfortable. I.think it is the blepharitis. Iris, you said you have this, too. Have you ever used the twice daily drops they advertise on tv to get rid of it? I need to call My eye.doctor to see if.I can use it. I think it may be a prescription drop.
Just put ingredients in to make a loaf of bread. Sounds like tomorrow will be a soup day -going to.be really cold. Didn't see the.moon last night except in Ron's pictures-thank you, Ron.
Hope everyone is safe and well today.
0 -
Carl, they.grow up so fast. One of Carol's daughters who was.three when I met her now. has a 50 year old son and grandkids. I looked.in the mirror this morning and saw all those past years - scary stuff!!
I have a couple of.birthday cards to send next week to friends I worked with. Guess it is about time for Christmas cards, if I do that this year.
0 -
Ron, I'm sorry you had a bad night. Isn't it awful?!
What goes on in the milk house? Milking?
I slept eight hours all night without waking once.
Iris
0 -
Oh, I love a foggy day. So mystical…..
0 -
Zetta, how are things in Idaho? Haven't seen a post from you lately. Good night, sleep tight.
0 -
Iris - That was my first thought about 'road diet' - must be an LA thing. It took me years to stop referring to freeways with a 'the' in front of them - 'the 405', the '101'. In northern California you'd say 'I'm taking 101 to 405', etc., not 'I'm taking the 101 to the 405'. Even now I'll sometimes lapse and a 'the' will come slip out.
Ron - I can see that green/yellow as a reflection of the moon. I hadn't thought of that. It's a nice photo.
HB - I'm sorry about your knee, it sounds really painful.
A gothic Christmas tree would be fun, and I love The Nightmare Before Christmas (a lot), but no, no themed Christmas tree. We have a zillion ornaments - some are ours, some are Peggy's, some were my parent's, my aunt's, my grandparent's, so very random.
The tree is in our 'atrium' - it's an indoor/outdoor room right in the middle of the house. I know it sounds kind of weird, and maybe it is, but I think a PNW knockoff of an Eichler. We don't have anywhere near that amount of glass (we don't get that much sun!!).
We have sub-areas on our tree though, mini-themes - we have an ocean area, an orchestra area, and perimeter santas all along the bottom.
Judith - I had a feeling Tony Bennett was always cool. It always seemed so effortless for him.
I'm also thinking of you, Zetta. How are you?
0 -
What a lovely full tree, GG!
Time for bed. Good night.
Iris
0 -
Good morning………..I think it’s morning.
I’ve been having the Holidays blues without Lou, wonder if that’s my sleeping problem more than the pain? I love being here with family, it’s just not the same.
Ron
2 -
The freezing fog has made it to North Alabama this morning. My kitchen window views, can’t see the barn door which is normally visible from the right window.
0 -
Good morning all. I see Ron has beaten me to the punch as it were.
Beth— I hope the change in team staffing brings your Cyclones success. I suspect the high school athletes who are committed will honor that as it might be hard to get a spot at similar level with scholarship money at this point.
Ron— It makes sense that you'd be feeling the loss of your dear Lou around this time of year. However attentive and caring your family is, they can't fill the Lou-shaped hole in your heart.
$1 for a dozen eggs is chicken feed, indeed. (I beat Carl to it) That's a steal. When I used to buy eggs at the bar from a man whose homeschooled children raised them "as a science project", he was charging about $3 when I could get them at the store for less. We'd stop in for the burger special and some eggs on Tuesdays. The eggs were amazing though. Sadly, the bar closed. The local beer store carries eggs. He charges $6 and they're just not as good.
Mint— Chicken fritters? That sounds interesting. I've had oyster fritters in the past but not chicken. Are they like the turkey stuffing balls or more of a batter situation?
Carl— We had freezing fog yesterday. 0 stars/ do not recommend. I got my first Christmas card last week. It was from our troop's retired Advancement Chair. They're having the sort of active retirement that caregivers envy— Hawaii at Christmas, hiking in 4 different National Parks, a visit to the cape to celebrate MIL's 90th, visits to FL to see their younger son's project installations and TX to see a rocket launch her older son was involved in. They deserve it. She was a hands-on caregiver to her mom with dementia and cancer for several years. At one point, she and her husband were living in different places through the week to keep her mom among familiar people.
Lorita— I'm sorry about the issues you had with your eye. And in the middle of the night. Gah.
Iris— I'm glad your sleep seems better. You must be relieved.
Gothic— That tree looks almost too perfect to be fresh-cut. It's so pretty. My living room tree is a bit like that. A few old family ornaments, school projects, souvenirs and random things. This year I splurged on a new tree for my office as the Barbies have outgrown their 4' tree. This one is a pink 5-footer. I don't have much hope for fullness as the box it was shipped in is about the size of 2 of DH's shoe boxes laid end-to-end. I expect it's going to need considerable floofing.
Your house sounds cool. I love those MCM designs with courtyards and interior atriums.
___________________________________________________________________
I updated my iPhone the other day and it's come with a learning curve. Some of the apps look and work differently. I'll need to update mom's when I see her; I hope she's OK with it after. She's tech averse and talking her through using it can be a challenge.
I hope DS feels up to work today. He was home all day and grouchy from the rash and prednisone. He says the forced air heat makes it feel hotter and itchier, so he resets the thermostat which causes his very lean little old man dad to suffer and complain. I may need to go shopping or something to avoid their drama.
I hope it's a pleasant day for you all.
HB0 -
good morning
Iris I hope you got another good nights rest.
I’ve experienced two times when it was very scary trying to drive. Once was fog, I worked three to 11:30 PM. I still lived at home then which was way out in the country. The fog was so thick that I could not see the road signs. There was a bridge right before where I needed to turn off the main road. So thankfully, I could tell when I was on the bridge and I remember, I rolled down my window and was straining to look for the sign. That was scary. The other time was snow. It was falling so heavy. It was like the opened up and they were just dumping buckets. I had no I was on the road. I knew some people that lived not too far from there and so I thought when I get to their house if I can find the driveway, I’m going in there. But I just got a little farther down the road and it was fine. It was normally snowing. we had a blizzard either I think either in 76 or 78. that same area semi trailer became buried. The man did survive and was found. That is the worst blizzard I’ve ever experienced so far. I was stuck at work at least three days it could’ve been longer. I’m not sure I used to know. I work 3 to 11 and we were smart enough to know that we might be at least Stuck for a day and so most of us brought . Red Cross brought us work so it was already getting bad. Red Cross wouldn’t take you home. They would only bring you. I had to ask someone to take me home, no one volunteered.
HB sorry you are dealing with a bad knee. I know that’s not any fun. The fritters you just chop up chicken pretty small pieces. I use chicken . Then I add two eggs 1/3 cup of mayonnaise 1/3 cup of Panko crumbs is what it calls for. I usually double the Panko crumbs. Then you can add whatever seasonings you like. I usually use salt, pepper, little deal, onion powder, garlic powder, and I think yesterday I added a little time let that mixture in the refrigerator for two hours or more for best flavor. And then I just take a sheet and parchment paper. And then I just spoon it out into patties on there and I bake it at 420 minutes one side flip and then do 20 minutes the other side. You can fry them because that’s actually what the recipe called for. Anyways, I think they’re pretty tasty. I freeze them. They reheat well in the air fryer so it makes sandwiches for me or either. I just eat it as a patty with food.
well I see it’s time for me to head out to church so I’m off of here. They were giving freezing rain but now they’re just giving snow less than an inch to start while I’m there so that hopefully we’ll be OK. Hope everyone has a peaceful day.
0 -
Morning, all of us had a good nights sleep. Waiting for the morning news shows so I will stop and let Sheena out and get some juice..
GG , your Christmas tree is lovely.
Mint, driving a distance to and from work is sometimes hard. Been through that being 25 miles from work. Glad we are retired.
0 -
Your tree is stunning! And I love the atrium!
0 -
We got another winter storm - 3 1/2" of snow this weekend (9" last weekend). Not a fan!
0 -
Good morning. I got 8 hours of sleep.
JeriLynn, your freezing fog looks like what we called ice fog when I lived in Alaska. I didn't know it got that cold in Alabama.
I'm off to a Christmas play at a theater this afternoon. So long.
Iris
0 -
I’ve been meaning to talk about Tony Bennett and keep forgetting. When I worked at the airport in Shreveport some of the Casino’s there always had big name attractions. To name a few I remember meeting was Tony Bennett, Neal McCoy and Jessica Simpson. Out of those three Neal McCoy was the most down to earth, he was like talking to a neighbor. Tony Bennett had a handler that did all the talking for him and Jessica Simpson came through with a baseball cap pulled down and a old jacket Ike she was trying to ignore everyone.
Ron
0 -
Finished shopping for gifts yesterday. I like finding what I think will be an enjoyed present. Several are honored by donations. This year that included an organization that supported dolphins.
None of the gifts are significant and I refuse to give anything asked for. If someone needs something that is handled at another time.
Quiet day today…maybe a little Tony Bennett later or some Dave Brubeck.
0 -
Cold and grey here today with a stiff north wind. Watched news shows and the Buccaneers game - they lost. Chiefs later tonight, Eagle.
Had a !ong visit with our vet while he waited for a client coming from Edmond. He says big dogs like mine usually have a life of nine years. Sheena is almost twelve and Stormy is almost eleven. He said Stormy has hip dysplasia and Sheema's back legs aren't strong enough to support her getting up from a wood floor. Makes me so sad but we will do all we can to help them. They are happy.He says a new puppy probably wouldn't work especially with two older dogs. At their age they can't tolerate the cold weather like before. They do stay inside most of the time. They get Dura Flex, glucosamine, vitamins and probiotics. We will do all we can. If Sheena lays on a rug it helps her and plus their beds I have rugs for them.
He said he had seen several deer in this area which is good. In the past I have seen them in the pasture with the girls.
Night is getting ready to fall so will say good night.
0 -
Tony Bennett could sing duets with almost anyone, and so can Norah Jones. When they sang together, it was heaven.
I saw Alison Kraus with Union Station in a little club in Kansas City, before they were famous. It was a former retail store on Main Street, the kind built about 1900 where the front door was inset into the front of the building and flanked by display windows. We sat at little tables on wooden floors, drank, flirted, and enjoyed the music. Edward Hopper would have painted it, but I just remember the good times.
We never were much for big concerts and crowds. DW and I went to see Linda Ronstadt at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas but the marijuana smoke was so thick DW couldn't stand it and we left early.
I slept most of the day today. It's cold and cloudy, and I guess I was tired.
I know how you feel, Ron. I ate dinner at the Chinese restaurant DW and I used to frequent, and it was pretty lonely. Hope you sleep well tonight.
0 -
Ron - I'm sorry you've got the holiday blues, but I completely understand why you'd feel the loss of Lou so acutely this time of year.
JeriLynn - Freezing fog! 😦 I've encountered freezing rain (didn't like it), bu† not freezing fog. I looked it up, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like that either. The color of the sky + your lamp make your kitchen look very cozy.
HB - 0 stars for the freezing fog sounds about right.
About the iPhone - I purposely haven't upgraded my phone to the latest because I don't want all of that stuff. I know I have to upgrade, but I'm kicking and screaming about it.
It was odd finding such a California MCM-looking house in the PNW. When we were looking for houses here, our real estate agent almost didn't show us this one because he thought we might think it was too quirky. Little did he know!! We both spend a lot of time in the atrium because it's so light in there.
Mint - all of that driving in the snow and the fog sounds harrowing.
I'm glad you explained chicken fritters, I had no idea what they were. The only kind of fritter I know are apple fritters.
Lorita - My aunt always had big dogs, she had Labs and a very large Poodle mix. And they always had issues with their back legs when they got older. Her Poodle mix, Napoleon (he looked a lot like the Bouvier des Flandres/Flandoodle at this link), especially had this problem when he got older.
Carl - I know of Alison Kraus because of her duets with Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin). My sister was a big Linda Ronstadt fan.
Thanks you guys (about the Christmas tree)! With all the colors … it makes me happy just looking at it, and I love seeing everyone's ornaments on it. The place where we go has a lot of really pretty trees, of all heights and shapes. 5 1/2 feet is about as big as we go. When you look at the trees up close you can tell where they cut branches to get the tree to be that perfect Christmas tree shape.
Today was a low-key day for me. We all deserve a day of rest, right?
2 -
I went to a Christmas play with a few of my friends, it was an original story sort of like the Scrooge story. Afterwards we went to dinner and I had cioppino, so good, and I brought some home. Now to bed.
My friend that I went to the play with has an older Shepard mix whose legs bother him, she has to give him pain meds, but she thinks the meds don't help.
Iris
0 -
Good morning
Ron
0 -
Watching the movie "Into Thin Air - Death on Everest." I am thinking the movie doesn't really explore relationships/"who" the people are; I may read the book too. For example, the man who fell and died early in the film - I have no idea who he was.
Apparently there are over 200 bodies remaining on the mountain. It's very difficult to remove them.
BBL
0 -
The book is nearly always better than the movie. The exception is when the movie was made first and the movie script is rewritten as a novel. That's why there has never been a movie of "Catcher in the Rye." Salinger wouldn't sell the movie rights and see his masterpiece defiled.
I saw a cardinal getting a little water from the nearly frozen birdbath this morning. Then some smaller birds came to drink, and the cardinal returned and chased them away. Birds are no better than people.
I'm off to Branson to see a Christmas show this afternoon. TTYL
0
Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more
Categories
- All Categories
- 602 Living With Alzheimer's or Dementia
- 324 I Am Living With Alzheimer's or Other Dementia
- 278 I Am Living With Younger Onset Alzheimer's
- 17K Supporting Someone Living with Dementia
- 5.6K I Am a Caregiver (General Topics)
- 8.3K Caring For a Spouse or Partner
- 2.7K Caring for a Parent
- 227 Caring Long Distance
- 161 Supporting Those Who Have Lost Someone
- 17 Discusiones en Español
- 5 Vivir con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- 4 Vivo con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- 1 Vivo con Alzheimer de Inicio Más Joven
- 12 Prestación de Cuidado
- 3 Soy Cuidador (Temas Generales)
- 8 Cuidar de un Padre
- 23 ALZConnected Resources
- View Discussions For People Living with Dementia
- View Discussions for Caregivers
- Discusiones en Español
- Browse All Discussions
- Dementia Resources
- 8 Account Assistance
- 15 Help