Just need to talk to my friends ,(193)

Iris L. · March 4

Thanks Barbara, I couldn't remember your real name. I have never started with Kindle, but my library does offer digital books. I'll have to see if your books are available. Ordinarily I never cared for romances, I prefer mysteries. But lately I have read a few romances by Nora Roberts and a few others, and I do get enthralled by the characters and the stories.

Lorita, I'm glad Gray Lady was able to get up. Did she lose a lot of blood giving birth?

Iris

harshedbuzz · March 4

testing

Mint · March 4

I have never made clarified butter Judith so not sure.

Iris my grocery stores di not catry the baking powder either. Got it on Amazon. I may have an issue with it though. It is calcium chloride. Calcium supplements make my stomach hurt. My stomach has been hurting every time i eat stew and biscuit. Next time i have stew will eat it over noodles and see what happens. Now i made zucchini muffins with it and mo problem. So i will have to play around with it.

Hope you and Gray Lady have a oeaceful day Lorita

harshedbuzz · March 4

I tried posting twice yesterday and neither post "stuck". They weren't saved as drafts either. I'm not sure if this was a function of the size of this thread or if the powers that be had sent me to AlzConnected jail.

Since I forgot what I meant to say yesterday, I'll start over.

@Lorita I'm so glad GL will be OK but sad you didn't get to have the new little one stay with you. I know you love your babies.

@jfkoc Ghee and clarified butter are slightly different. The butter for ghee is cooked until the milk solids brown before straining. This gives it a nuttier and richer flavor. There's also browned butter where the butter is simmered until the water is evaporated and the milk solid brown a bit but it's not strained. I have a friend who makes a shortbread cookie with brown butter that is lovely.

@Mint I can't wait to hear about the ghee. Are you using a regular commercial butter, European or Amish? I always see Amish butter in the store but have never tried it. We do have an Amish market in town Thursday- Saturday and they offer it but it's about 3 x the price my local dairy charges.

@ronald71111 I am glad you made it to church to start your week. I wish you luck with your implants; I'm in the 6 month post-graft period myself. I am more than a little salty that he wasn't able to insert the appliance when he did the extraction. Not only do I have to roam around looking like Alfred E. Newman, I was rather hoping to get the ugly part over with. DH only had a little faint bruising but mom's denture implant procedure had her looking like she lost a fight.

You're quite a guy to take Lou shopping for bras. I can't even get my DH or DS to the store to shop for them. Seriously. On the rare occasion I get DH out to buy shoes, I buy 2-3 pairs as I know it could be years before I get him into a store. I've been slowly Swedish Death Cleaning and found a brand-new pair of shoes for DH on the floor in my closet that I'd completely forgotten about. I need to introduce them as his boat shoes are looking sorry lately.

@JeriLynn66 Your granddaughter is adorable and those braids are the work of a talented stylist. I'm glad your packing is done. I hope your DH is feeling better and warms to the idea of the Care Bear puppy.

@ladyzetta A move to Arizona sounds like quite the adventure.

@Iris L. Good for you having boundaries with the neighbor. The whole situation just sounds so awkward. Ick.

@BethL I can see where it would be difficult to leave those gardens. Maybe you could convert a space downstairs for a bedroom with a bath or add-on. My friend and her husband bought a house a few years ago-- a mid-century modest rancher that the previous owner redid. He took down a wall between the main and 2nd largest bedroom to build a closet/dressing room and a huge bathroom with a stacking laundry pair. It's perfect for aging in place. My house is not.

@littleme It looks like you've been busy.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

I've thawed a turkey and plan to cook it later. Perhaps I'll have mom over. She has a rare 2-week break with no medical appointments-- just a haircut and I've turfed that to the family friend who drives her. Alas, this means mom'll be on her own more than usual which isn't good for her head. My niece was supposed to see her Friday but something came up and she flaked which is annoying. She was texting me about an appointment and her horrible drive home when I asked about having dinner with my mom. She forgot entirely. Sheesh.

DH finally heard back from his brother. BIL has been having angina. BIL has some serious and complex heart and CAD issues. TBH, I'm surprised he's still among us. He had some brand new procedure broken down into 3 parts late last fall and then another stent in January. A week ago he started with chest pain, on Wednesday he was sent home from cardiac rehab because of it but he didn't do anything until Friday at dinnertime when he went to the ER.

He reached out to DH via text to complain about waiting for a room. They don't generally talk. They exchanged some information and some jokes and then BIL went quiet which is understandable but stressful for DH. DH finally heard back last night that he's had some testing and is being sent to a larger teaching hospital to treat 2 more blockages. Ugh. I hope this works out for him. We were supposed to visit in the fall, but he asked us to postpone until he felt better.

Hope you all have a pleasant day.

HB

Lorita · March 4

Morning everyone, very warm and windy for the entire day they say. Fed Gray Lady and now she's just standing in the lot. Feel so sorry for her. She's always been such a good mother to lots if babies. They were so glad to see each other after she was able to get up.

h cysi mHad a call from Mike a while ago to update me on the st. iff(froThey fixed a bottle of colostrum and he said baby latched on and drank half of it- two cups. He has been trying to get milk from GL but there was little or none. Sidney feeds the bottle babies and there are ten of them. She uses bottle holders, of course. I can feed two at one time but feeding three requires bottle holders. Baby will be okay since he got colostrum and will get milk.

He told me that Billy the Bull won't eat with the cows. He comes up there but won't eat - hasn't all winter. He does eat hay. Thought if I could might get him up to feed. He lost his mom who took care of him so he's kind of scared. Only has vision in one eye. He is a loner now. Grass is coming so he probably will be okay. He is a big boy and I doubt I can get him up.

Iris, there's little blood loss if it's a normal birth and the baby was small. I can, but won't, tell stories about that. My legs are still sore today from bending so much last week.

The driveway alarm keeps going off from wind and it's really upsetting Stormy. They wanted out about 1 last night and when I let them in at 4 I heard lots of coyotes so guess that's why they wanted out. Need to finish my tea while it's hot. Back kater.

Mint · March 4

HB spring is here but whenever i have time going to use commercial unsalted butter. I tried the Amish butter at the local stand and i did not like it. My grandma made butter when i was a child and it was fine. This has an odd color to me and tasted like it had popcorn oil in it. I threw it out.

Hope BIL continues to improve.

Glad GL calf is doing ok.

jfkoc · March 4

I use Land o Lakes. Always....only. It is always recommended by the cooking sites.

What is the Difference Between Clarified Butter vs. Ghee - Recipes.net

harshedbuzz · March 4

@Mint Interesting. I've heard the Amish butter described as "gamey" and "tangy" which doesn't appeal. But popcorn oil? I couldn't throw that out fast enough.

@jfkoc I've heard a big part of why Land O Lakes is consistently good is the packaging which doesn't allow other flavors/odors to penetrate it. If I need unsalted, it's my go-to but for everyday cooking the local dairy is great.

HB

Iris L. · March 4

Lorita, my knees are still aching from my trip. Basically from climbing up and down the stairs of the tour bus, and from trying to rise from the many low toilets. I don't know why the toilets are so low, are all the New Orleansites that short?

Iris

Lorita · March 4

I know what you mean, Iris. We've used muscles we don't often use. When we had our stool replaced we had an ADD? One put in. It's quite a lot higher. My right knee and backs of my legs are sore. Seems like the chairs and divan are lower, too. I'm like Sheena and GL- takes a couple of tries to get up. I have bilateral Morton's Neuroma and I wonder if it's affecting mg legs. Guess I should have had those cortisone shots.

I think it may have been you who asked if I had my taxes done. No, those taxes I paid were on the car. I took the first step today, adding up donations from last year. I want to get them done and sent to the CPA to do. I only compile income and expenses and send to him.

JeriLynn66 · March 4

I don’t have my taxes ready for the Accountant either

David1946 · March 4

I had our taxes done for free by the senior center.

ladyzetta · March 4

Hello Rockers,

Lorita. Iam so sorry about Gray Lady and her baby, what you did saved both of their lives. When will the baby get to come back?

We are getting snow right now, not as bad as it has been but enough, I do not want to go out and drive in it. I did have to go to the eye doctor today for my last check up on my cataract surgeries. Both eyes have healed well, and I no longer have to put the eye drops in. I go back in 3 months just for an eye checkup.

The storms in Nevada, probably on the Donner Summit area have been really bad, lots of snow. And in Sacramento they have been getting a lot more rain than normal. If I wanted to drive to Sacramento right now it would not be easy a lot of the passes are closed now.

Iris. I was thinking about moving to Arizona last year. I was able to spend a month visiting my daughter and her DH. I enjoyed my stay, but the moving sounded like a lot of hard work.

Sara. You are right the move is major, but I have been giving it a lot of thought.

I think now is a good time for the move. My daughter and her DH have wanted me to live with them for a long time. My son who lives with me has been really good taking care of me. He does not want to move, so I decided now is a good time to sell my property, get a small place in Bend, Oregon for my son and myself and Molly, Sammy and Emmy. I want to get him set up in a 2-bedroom apartment close to where he works. Right now, he has a 60-mile roundtrip each day to work. It's not a safe drive for him during the winter. Then once he is settled, I will take my critters and go to Arizona. I plan on spending 6 months there then 6 months in Bend. Molly will travel with me, and the cats will stay in Arizona. A lot of things have to happen to make all this work. It will probably be a year before I can make the move. This way I will have my kids taken care of, so they will not have to deal with selling my home.

My daughter and her DH are having a home built and they will be moving into it next month, I even have a bedroom.

A lot of things for me to think about. One step at a time. I will be going to Arizona in April for a few weeks, then plans will be made.

Take care everyone, Hugs to all. Zetta

Lorita · March 5

Zetta, sounds like a good plan. Will you be in Bend in the summer or winter? You could spend winter months in Arizona's summer and Bend in summer.

Glad your eye surgery has been successful. Can you see a lot better?

The baby won't be back. He'll be with the other babies st Mikes. Gray Lady spent a lot of the day in the lot. Gave her some really good hay and she ate that. Later saw her at the big bale, then grazing. It's been a sad night and day for her but I'll let her out with the others after I feed her good in the morning and she'll be okay. Probably will be her last calf.

Question for any of you who have raised garlic. Discovered a patch of garlic next to the fence west of the house that's growing good. Daddy planted it years ago. When do you harvest it? Then do replant cloves to go have garlic next year? Looks like green onions. I have some of those growing out of some onions that I've had a while. Enjoy the Night.

Iris L. · March 5

Zetta, I will be traveling to Southern Oregon in late May. Please have the snow cleared away by then 😄.

littleme · March 5

Iris, I would be surprised (and VERY pleased) if your library has my ebooks. I haven't been able to get them into Australian libraries. I have just managed to get the paperbacks of the children's book accepted.

Barbara

Mint · March 5

Lorita sounds like GL probably shouldn’t have any more calves.

Lorita Ohio may be different than Oklahoma, I don’t know. Here we plant garlic late fall and harvest it in July when some of bottom leaves start to brown.

David nice that senior center helped you with your tax preparation. Think there are ways to get help here too.

Was a beautiful day yesterday. I was able to work about 45 minutes before lunch and then about 45 more in afternoon. Got a bit done and hopefully took it easy enough that my muscles won’t scream at me. Seems pretty good this morning.

Zetta hope things work out real well for you.

JeriLynn66 · March 5

Good morning Porch Friends,

I'm both sad and happy to tell you the Care Bear Puppy has gone to live on a farm with a dear friend in Scottsboro, AL. He will be well cared for and be among other working dogs looking after goats and chickens. He "took to" our friend right away. I gave her his bulldog stuffed toy, rope chew and the stuffed carrot chew toy he loved. She was going to keep him in the house last night. Her 4 year old grandson came with her to meet us to get Bear. So, animals, children, goats, a good barn and life in the life in the country with a good job and home. I managed not to cry in front of the puppy or our friends. We'll be able to visit as we are often in Scottsboro with my BIL. I'm sad though. He's a good puppy.

harshedbuzz · March 5

Good morning porch peeps.

It's another dreary and wet day here. We're a bit warmer than average, so it's not especially raw, just yucky. Days like today play hell with my knees-- it's looks like a 2-Aleve sort of day. The swales in the yard are puddles now. I do hope things dry out in the next month when it's time to start mowing the lawn. Right now, the side and part of the rear yard is impassable with a mower. I'd like to put a rain garden in, but the neighbor on that side doesn't understand the concept of storm water management. She lives in the only single-family house in the neighborhood without a basement-- coincidence?

I had my mom for dinner last night. As a guest, not an entree. I finally got around to cooking the "free" turkey I got at Thanksgiving. I meant to donate it, but the local food pantry ran out of freezer space. DH complains about the weird sides my niece, who hosts family Thanksgiving, serves and asked me to do a more "traditional" version. Our families have very different approaches to food. He wanted things I would never serve on a holiday-- Stove Top (which I'd do a side for a take-out chicken), canned green bean casserole and candied yams with the little marshmallows on them. I drew the line at canned gravy and instant mashed potatoes.

Inviting my mom served 2 purposes. She got out of the house, and I got a chance to be by her amused-horrified reaction to the menu. Mom was raised by a French American farm girl who learned to cook proper food for the multitudes. Like me, she'd never had some of these delicacies. I had a lot of yams left over, but mom ate the toasted marshmallows sheepishly as a dessert. Mom and I had to admit that the green beans were actually pretty tasty. I'm planning on pizza tonight which should be simpler and a lot less clean up. DH and I will have hot turkey sandwiches on Wednesday. Maybe I'll do turkey rice soup; it's the main reason I held on the turkey in the first place. DH is angling for noodles; he's not going to win this one.

BIL went home from the hospital yesterday with a referral back to his new interventional cardiologist. I'm happy they feel he's well enough to be home. He and his new wife deserve some ease in their lives. This is a 2nd marriage for him and a 3rd for her. They're very happy and a good match. The first 5 years they had her 90+ year old dad with Alzheimer's living with them until he needed 24/7 care. He got handsy as the disease progressed and they went through a series of MCFs before they found a place that could manage him. He no sooner passed than BIL had a few more heart attacks and she developed bladder cancer.

@Lorita Did you mean ADA-compliant toilet? (ADD usually means attention deficit disorder which gave me a chuckle) DH picked a "plus-sized" ADA-height toilet for our bathroom. I rarely use it as my feet dangle. DS has a regular one in the hall bath and I have a pretty one-piece number in the powder room. The latter seems really low to the ground-- on the plus side it's a workout for your quads and hamstrings.

@ladyzetta That living arrangement sounds like the best of both worlds. I hope it works for you.

@littleme I wouldn't be surprised if Iris is able to get an eBook via her library. Our county libraries have extensive eBook loans, Book-club totes, games, simple musical instruments, toys, Joy for All pets, and museum passes. It's a wonderful resource.

All Resources - Bucks County Free Library (buckslib.org)

@JeriLynn66 I'm sure you'll miss dear Bear, but kudos to you for finding a home that sounds like a wonderful fit for him. That might not have happened without your intervention.

HB

Lorita · March 5

Afternoon,

HB, that is what I meant - I knew it began with an A and had three letters. That would have been an odd stool, wouldn't it?

Thanks, Mint, I'll wait until mid summer to dig up some of the garlic. It's probably 8" tall now. What all are you going to plant this year? Doubt I'll plant anything after last year's failure on zucchini.

I agree, Gray Lady probably shouldn't have more babies. Toad fed this morning and left more feed so I'm going to leave her up until she wants out - she has hay and I'll feed her and she can rest to her heart's content. She's been a really good cow and friend.

Toad must have been at the clinic when they got back with the baby because he said the baby was so hungry when they fed him. He'll be fine. At least she got to have him and clean him up and at least feel him nursing although there was no milk. Toad said she was just worn out.

Just got the dishes done - hate doing dishes but when I get started it doesn't take long. I'm going to try (again) to keep them done each day. When I was in my teens Sarah's mother lived with us when her mother and dad moved to California. As soon as we finished eating my grandma, who also lived with us, would say "fly at the dishes". Hated to hear that but wish I could hear it again

. JeriLynn, I'm sorry Care Bear had to go live somewhere else. I know you'll miss him and he'll miss you, too. But, you know he'll have a good home so that's one consolation. I don't know how you gave him up except knowing he'd be well cared for. You have a lot of other animals around but there will always be that little empty space in your heart.

Maybe I'll work on compiling information about my taxes this afternoon. Really not in the mood but once I get started maybe I'll revert back to secretarial mode and get it done. Having everyone else in the house asleep doesn't help any though.

HB, all the talk about food has made me hungry. Before I became a vegetarian I always wanted turkey for Thanksgiving - but I never cooked one. Used to love marshmallows, too, but could not for the life of me eat one now. I think they may make them with plant gelatin now. In fact, I saw a couple on Shark Tank who had made something like marshmallow cream without animal gelatin. Sometimes I have trouble finding yogurt that's made without gelatin - no more jello or pork rinds either.

The yard is beautiful (even a little grass) with all the beautiful daffodils. Most of the trees are budded out except the maple by the side gate and the black walnut. Even see a few buds on the top of the big elm tree. I worry about that tree - it's old and huge and I worry that a high wind may blow it over and onto the house. When it was pretty young it tried to split and daddy put a chain around it. Of course the chain has broken but it's still there.

The Bradford pears are glorious this year - prettier than I remember them ever being (but I say that every year). I need to get down in the west pasture to see all the young cows and their babies and see the pear trees down there. I've almost let myself become a hot-house plant.

Sandy, I was thinking - how about a man's t-shirt. They're pretty thin and maybe some brands may be thinner than others, not sure. So enjoyed our visit - always do. Hope things are well over there today.

Haven't heard from Sarah - I've called a couple of times and texted her but no reply. I'll try Todd and see if he'll answer.

I'll stop for now and watch Match Game for a little while before I (may) tackle tax paper compilation. Hope everyone's well this morning.

Wish we could hear something from Jo - I know she's not feeling well or she'd post and let us know. Also, Ron, how are things in Shreveport today. Did you have any thunderstorms overnight? I know there were some south of us but probably went over into Arkansas instead of Louisiana.

Hope you and Lou are well. Back later.

JeriLynn66 · March 5

I'm stuck at home with the Contractor here to repair the bathroom ceiling from a leak. My builder was here this morning and he left a little scalded from being in the hot seat with me. I've been so disgusted with this roof and his slow responses. But I am holding his feet to the fire until the job is done correctly and to my satisfaction! It's rainy, dreary. I'm at the kitchen island working on Shop business, doing laundry, and cooking. Making a pot of white beans with smoked sausages, a pot of chicken and dumplings, made cornbread and a german chocolate cake, and got some multi-colored potatoes to roast with onions. That should hold us for a couple of days. Randolph is hauling the last two loads of equipment/stuff from the Shop up to the barn at Huntland for storage. Getting all this mess sorted and away will be a big job. We're going to take a little short getaway before that though... wherever he wants to go... OK, time to ice the cake. Back later

harshedbuzz · March 5

@Lorita

LOL, my MIL and DH always use stool to describe what I'd call a toilet. MIL spoke a whole 'nother language than I do. I'm not sure if it was a regional (Southern Indiana) or generational (she'd be 108) thing, but she used words and expressions that required me to translate. When she lived with my BIL and his wife after she got sick, I used to fly out to take care of her (and sometimes my nieces) 2 or 3 times a year. After a few years time I became fluent around expressions like divan (sofa or couch), bow window (pot belly) and horse's water (beer or other alcoholic beverage). She once told me she was having trouble on the stool and I had to call my poor husband, who was in Scotland, to translate. I woke the poor man up in the middle night.

There are marshmallows made without gelatin. Dandies are one brand you find online at Amazon and Walmart. My BFF is a vegetarian; she buys these for the daughter of the Afghan family her church sponsors because they eat a halal diet. She makes them from scratch for herself and at Christmas to give away. Homemade are amazing. You'd want a stand mixer to attempt this.

HB

jfkoc · March 5

Lorita....we used to make our yogurt. It is very simple. Re Sarah...maybe no news is good.

Jeri...the puppy has a great new home.

Zeeta....I have been thinking of you remembering how hard it was to get back to Bend from CA one year. Your plan sounds perfect.

How do I get back to the pics of Little me's books?????

Lorita · March 5

JeriLynn, what time is supper?. Everything sounds so good. You've been a busy lady! Don't you hate having to deal with contractors or anyone who dies work for you? That us, if you can find someone. I'll have to qualify that --Dakota finished the road and called me to look at it to see if it's okay. Drove the car down and it's perfect! I hope we get a good hard rain on it now instead of soft rain. He did a good job and wasn't as much as I thought it would be.

I've been trying for a year to get the electricity back to the barn. I talk with two different electricians but they never get back to me and I've had both do work for me before. It's just hard to find someone to do anything anymore.

I'm on a two month quest to get the window sticker for my car with no results. Just now talked to the Chevrolet Company in Wisconsin and they say they don't have access to the stickers. Have to go through the dealer.

HB, I say Divan, too, instead of sofa or couch. I think it's strange that people in different areas have different words for the same thing. Thanks for the information about the marshmallows. I'll order some.

ronald71111 · March 5

HB, all this turkey talk has me remembering how after Thanksgiving mom would use the carcass and make turkey and sausage gumbo. I am now wanting a big pot of gumbo just thinking about it.

Beautiful day in Louisiana, had a little rain here but nothing heavy.

I've read all the post every day, but just don't feel much like writing lately. Got to get out of this down in the dumps mood of mine.

Ron

JeriLynn66 · March 5

@Lorita I have been known to resort to my BEST southern drawl when dealing with workmen.

I only resorted to tears on the phone with the bank when my husband (who took care of all his father's business) passed away. And I don't mean genteel tears, I mean sobbing, wailing and hicupping between telling them how awful they were to treat me such a way when I really needed their help.... it worked. It was shameful, but it worked.

Lorita · March 5

We have to do what works, .JeriLynn. I've found men love to be questioned about to do things and how things work- even if we already know.

Ron, glad you posted. Yoh need to do it every day. Getting outside might help your mood, just sitting on the porch. Really helps my mood.

Sarah had the surgery. Can't talk but texted . Says she's in pain and bleeding.

VetEly · March 5

Bill went to be with God this morning.

Listen to Jamey Johnson song

"Lead me Home"

harshedbuzz · March 5

@VetEly

Please accept my condolences on the passing of your dear husband.

HB

Lorita · March 5

Oh, Shirley, I am so very sorry. I know Bill wasn't doing well but this is a shock. I wish I was near so I could be with you through this heartache. So many of us have been through our loss the last few years but it's still so very hard. Is someone there with you? You and Bill be in my.prayers tonight as always. Take care dear friend.