Started the day driving 219 miles home from my sister’s home in Connecticut. Traffic was light, and I listened to a combination of music and news, but 219 miles is 219 miles. That’s a long, long way. Four hours, and fifteen minutes.
My new pet peeve are drivers that ride your tail on the highway. I am no slouch. I was going 70 miles an hour in a 65 mile per hour zone and this crazy driver from Massachusetts, rode my bumper like crazy. She finally passed me, only to do the same thing to the man in front of me.
I stopped at BJ’s just as my gas tank empty alarm started. I made a round trip on one tank of gas!
I also needed to renew our membership at BJ’s and the nice Customer Service Agent, told me that Hubby’s Veteran discount to our membership is automatic since we signed up a year ago. I think it is great when businesses give discounts to our Veterans!
As soon as I came home I peeled peaches from the yard, and mashed them, chopped the skin of 1 orange thinly, added the juice of the orange, and cut up maraschino cherries, to rest overnight in the kettle, and tomorrow Hubby and I will make the Heavenly Jam. You can fine the recipe Here. Tomorrow we will cook the jam and can it.
I also managed to cook homemade spaghetti sauce, which I will freeze for the winter. I toss in lots of vegetables, and some ground beef. That recipe is Here. It’s a good one!
I also, somehow made dinner for the two of us. Weiss-wurst, oven fries and corn on the cob.
The weekend was wonderful. I had 4 days with my sister and niece.
The baby shower was a great success. Jinny got so many beautiful things for her expected baby, April. Just one more month.
Hubby and the dogs were all happy to see me when I got back. But I must say, as wonderful as my visit was, it is good to come home to all this love!
Friday found Melodie, Jinny and I going off to get a few things done. We wanted to get a new DVD player for Mel’s house, get a few last minute items for the baby shower and have lunch at Olive Garden. Mel and I stopped at Best Buy to get the DVD player and then we came out got into the car and watched the man next to us strap in his two girls. Then he drove off and my sister was checking for other cars,when she spotted a wallet. She quickly grabbed it and found no money, but all of his credit cards and his drivers license.
So she took it back to the store and we are hopeful he will return and get it back.
Lunch was great and then we came home to cook. We had one old family recipe for three layer bars, and one for Lemon Squares, that Melodie got from a friend. We even watched a DVD movie “The Fault In Our Stars”. Now the gifts are wrapped and we are ready for tomorrow!
It’s a busy but wonderful weekend for me. I am down in Connecticut with my sister and her family. This includes her husband of over 40 years, their two sons and their wives, two teenage boys, one teenage girl, and twin 2 year old boys! And currently we are waiting for the birth of the latest addition to our family, as Mel’s daughter is expecting her first baby, a girl, in a month. So here are 5 things on my mind.
This is the last picture taken of me and my gal Shubi. She was ten years old, and had been ill for quite a long time. On this day, we took her for a ride up north to visit a friend of ours, Jon, and all she wanted was to be held. Thus, this picture was snapped. I miss you so much, my darling Shubi. Our pets never do live long enough.
1. When was the last time you relocated? Did you move yourself or leave it to the professionals? Are you happy staying put or is there a move in your future? Best thing about moving to a new city or town? Least favorite and/or hardest thing about moving house?
We’ve been here for sixteen years. I love my home, but as Savannah gets older, I want to be closer. Hubby wants to stay here, so we will for now, and I do a lot of driving. Someday, I want to move closer, where we actually are closer to the world, the shops, and my Savi.
2. When were you last ‘moved to tears’? Explain.
Oh, I am menopausal, so I cry all the time. Movies, TV shows, Commercials. Yeah, I cry all the time.
3. Do you have rules about eating in the car…any forbidden foods? What’s the last thing you consumed in your car? Your go-to car snack when traveling long distance?
No rules. I do love popcorn and tend to eat that in the car. Must remember to toss in some dental floss!
4. Share a favorite song relating to cars and/or driving.
It’s from an old movie that Gweneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis made. “Duets”. It’s a fun song, even if the movie was a B-movie.
5. What’s your most frequently visited drive-thru…Starbucks? the bank? the pharmacy? some other window?
It’s a tie between Dunkin Donuts for coffee and McDonalds.
6. “He who hesitates is lost”…would you agree? When it comes to making decisions do you generally act quickly or do you more often than not fall into the ‘lost’ category?
7. When was the last time you got lost? Was it stressful or an unexpected happy adventure?
When I went down to Connecticut to see my Dad when he was dying. Coming home, I cried so hard, I missed my exit. After that I got a GPS.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I was thinking the other day about how people just are not nice to each other any more. I do not mean in their own circles and family, but in general public settings. Here is a good example. I was shopping for groceries and was in the Italian section. I was trying to remember the name of the sauce with no sodium (Hubby has trouble), and I had stopped to look. Well this lady came up to me and started to curse and swear, and called me every name in the book. Why? I do not know. She was rude and nasty, and guess what? I wasn’t even in her way! That’s what got me thinking about a general malaise as far as manners go. It makes me very happy that my daughter is diligent teaching Savannah manners. Without them, we are all lost.
I decided to write a list of sevens to tackle an array of things. None of it really goes together, but it tells a little bit about me.
7 things I can do:
1. Cook things from scratch (Love to cook!)
2. Raise sweet doggies
3. Be a loyal & loving friend
4. Make people laugh
5. Write small stories for kids
6. Sing
7. Acquire useless bits of trivia (trust me. This is a curse. No one really wants to know how Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara, or what Billie Bird did every day of her married life to Florence Zeigfeld.)
7 things I cannot do:
1. Snowboard (I can barely ski on two skis!)
2. Math
3. Drive large vehicles
4. Change the oil in my car
5. Chop wood (heck I live in the woods, this is important)
6. Sleep on the ground (well I can but don’t want to)
7. Believe in myself (although I am working on this)
7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Good personality
2. Loyalty
3. A good heart
4. Sense of humor
5. Blue eyes (I’m a sucker for blue eyes)
6. Strength of character
7. Sense of fun
7 things I say most often:
1. Ya know
2. Where’s Lili?
3. What do you want for dinner?
4. Sh#!
5. whatever
6. Oh, really?
7. Ya think?
7 Celebrity Crushes:
1. George Clooney
2. Jude Law, (although he is a schmuck)
3. I like Hugh Laurie for personality and those eyes!
4. Colin Firth
5. Hugh Grant (eye candy, not substance)
6. Tom Brady from the NE Patriots
7. Bradley Cooper
The hand continues to heal, and in the meantime, with one hand I’ve continued to do my thing. Blanch and freeze beans, and yesterday, with the help of my husband, we began the process of making Moon Glow Pickles.
Moon Glow Pickles
6 quarts cubed cucumbers (ripe and yellow)
(cut into quarters lengthwise, peel and scoop out seeds and cube)
3 large onions cubed
1/2 cup canning salt
2 green pappers chopped
2 red peppers chopped
Put in large pot cover with water and soak overnight, drain and rinse.
Then add:
12 whole cloves
2 TBSP mustard seed
6 cups sugar
1 quart cider vinegar
1 tsp. Tumeric
Cook until soft and kind of transparent. Pack in hot sterilized jars. Yield 10 pints.
So, today, Hubby and I will finish off and can these pickles. They are one of our favorites an a great way to use a cucumber that is overgrown and just sort of got away from you by hiding in your garden.
So, I am doing pretty well. I am finding it inconvenient more than anything. As long as I keep the hand quiet and not used, it’s okay. One thing is for sure, I am glad it’s over.
Today I actually walked Lili, made my coffee and got refills, dressed myself, answered email, and made my own lunch. All with my left hand, but still I am proud.
I am so happy that the surgery is over and from here on out, it’s only going to get better!
Friday found my hand going under the knife. Since I know my doctor well (she did both my Carpal Tunnels), I was actually relaxed and calm before. She is such a gifted lady.
My neighbor drove me, and this was nice. It gave us time to chit chat and get to know each other better. I cannot begin to tell her how much I appreciate her taking such good care of me.
The numbing agent took a very short time to work and then she lay me down, draped my arm and twenty minutes later, the surgery was over, the hand wrapped, and off I went with a pain prescription, and instructions.
I felt a little light headed, but okay. We drove back, got my prescription, and then home. I grabbed a pillow to rest my arm, and relaxed.
I fell asleep after lunch, and when I woke, all the Novocaine had worn off. Oh my gosh, the pain was so bad! I took the medication, sat down and did some deep breathing.
I slept some in the night, but this morning, I still have quite a bit of pain. But it is over and will only get better from here.
I was just hanging up the phone, this morning, when my hand gave out, and I dropped the phone and it hit my coffee cup, which went airborne, and splattered half a cup of coffee around the table, the floor and worst of all, across my laptop.
I sprang into action, unplugging the machine unplugging the battery, and then I began praying.
Good thing I did. My computer is up and running and I am heaving a sigh of relief! Let’s just hope my hand surgery goes as well.
