Category: My Life

1. The Hodgepodge falls on the last day of February this year, a leap year. How will you spend that extra day?

Getting ready for our vacation, and going to Weight Watchers. We are trying to pack lightly, and so a lot of thought is going into this. At least this year I have my Kindle, so I won’t be lugging around heavy books.

2. What has recently required a leap of faith on your part?

There are times I feel that every day is a leap of faith. I pray each and every day for guidance from God, in my life.

3. We’re one week into the season of Lent…are you marking these 40 days in some way? Giving something up or adding something extra to normal life? How’s it going so far?

I am giving up cookies and cakes during the Lenten Season. Not that I really eat them much, but I figured every little bit helps.

4. When was the last time you sat beside a fire?

Last night. I sure love a good fire in the hearth!

5. Surf and Turf is on the menu. Do you order as is or do you ask for just the surf (lobster), just the turf (steak), or a menu so you can select another option?

Menu. If it’s a good seafood restaurant I would order whole belly fried clams! My favorite. Since I am a New England girl, I can cook a good Lobster any time, and tossing a steak on the grill, or making a prime rib, is not tough either, but I just can’t get those clams right.

6. If you could have any television program back, not in reruns but in new episodes, what program would you choose?

Friends. We sure enjoyed that show!

7. They say an elephant never forgets. These days would you say your memory is more like an elephant or a gnat?

I find as I get older, my memory just isn’t all that good. But not gnat worthy either.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I leave on Friday for our trip. We cruising to the Western Caribbean, while our wonderful house/dog sitter just moves in. I am a little nervous, because we are due for snow here in the northeast and I don’t want flights cancelled. We may yet, have to drive to an airport further south from here.

At 7 AM on Monday the alarm clock went off and Hubby jumped up from the bed. “I’ll give you a million dollars if you let me stay in bed”, I moaned.

The covers came off and a smiling face greeted me. “No go, Princess. Get up. It’s time to ski.”

What is it about Hubby? He is 20 years older than me and yet he still has twice the energy that I do! I crawled out of bed and I dressed quickly. It was chilly in the house, and all I wanted was coffee.

I came out to the kitchen, and the coffee was almost done dripping. Don’t you just love that smell? Coffee!!!

We drove down to Gunstock Mountain, and I was surprised at the number of cars there. It is vacation week for our New Hampshire kids, and I expected more people. We hiked up to the lodge, and began the transformation into our ski gear.

It funny. This year I have actually skied more than last and I see more and more people that I know.

I actually have to thank Hubby for the morning. The snow was the best that it has been all year, and we got the first run down the mountain on the best trail. It was so good, in fact I insisted that we do it again!

We went to the top of another slope and started to ski down when we came upon an older woman who was lying in the snow. Her friends stood around her, not knowing what to do. Hubby and I sprung into action. He took off to alert the Ski Patrol, and I stayed with the woman and her friends to do some very basic first aid. My diagnosis is probably a separated shoulder. I sure felt bad for her.

After the Ski Patrol came, we went back to our skiing and in some ways Hubby was getting me to race down the mountain! I have to admit, the last two runs, had me breathing heavy, and my legs turning to jelly!

It was all good!

Upon arriving at home, I opened our snail mail, only to see that my dental insurance was not correct. I’d had my usual cleaning earlier this month, and when I called to ask about the $170.00 balance, the Insurance Company told me I had no Dental Insurance! Huh? I pay nearly $40.00 per month for this insurance! So I called the company Hubby used to work for before retirement, and they are working on the glitch! They could see right away that I did indeed have insurance!

That ate up my entire afternoon though and when I was done all I wanted was to chill out a little. But that was when we discovered the Direct TV Channel guide was missing. So after much hemming and hawing, I found one on Wikipedia and printed it out.

I’m almost afraid of what will happen next!

Our host is Gattina. Come join us and tell us what YOU did this past weekend! After all, you never know when you will need an alibi!

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Oh, where do I begin? It was a busy weekend, and yet it also provided me with plenty of time to rest, and plan. Let’s see.

On Friday, we did ski. It was not the best of conditions, but I somehow managed to ski without falling, so that is something!

Friday night we were supposed to host a meal for our house/doggy sitters, but everyone was feeling lousy with the community cold, so we decided to postpone that.

On Saturday, I was feeling a little under the weather myself. So I didn’t do too much. I did read my new download on kindle, “The Vow”. What a great story. I could hardly put it down, which is why Jack was forced to eat pretty crappy meals. I just didn’t want to stop to prepare my usual fancy fare! lol!

There was literally nothing on the TV, so I read. Oh..wonderful! Unless you have been unable to read for any length of time, you will not understand my elation at being able to read again!

I heard back from my cousin, and he is coming up in March to fix my laptop computer, and get it all working again on XP! I’m going to make Sauer Braten for him!

Now, I have just put a banana bread in the oven to cook, thus using up all my rotting ripe bananas, and I will serve that to Hubby tonight with some boiled potatoes, green beans and salmon!

We’ve started our packing lists, in an attempt to pack lightly for this trip. I mean, we’re going to the tropics. how many clothes do we need?

After dinner on Sunday, I plan to read some more. I imagine Hubby will drag me from a warm bed Monday morning to go skiing! Ugh! Oh well, soon we will be swimming with Flipper (a dolphin) and my life will be very happy!

Have a great Monday, Everyone!!!

Friday Fill-Ins are sponsored by my cousin Janet. Come on and join the fun!

And…here we go!

1. I’m feeling Very sore from all the skiing.
2. I want nothing more than to rest and relax!
3. I need a hot cup of tea and a good book.
4. I was thinking how happy I am because I heard my grand daughter’s heart beat today!.
5. I wish I could eat as much as I like and not gain weight.
6. I’m reading “The Vow” A true story about a young couples love and devotion after a tragic accident.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to climbing into bed and falling asleep, tomorrow my plans include to start getting my vacation clothes out and Sunday, I want to have a slow day. I sure hope I get it!

This week I am writing about some of the things happening in my life. I seem to use this list to organize myself.

1. I burned my finger last night! Holy Moly! I even got a nasty blister!
2. I found a lovely ocean blue dress today, to wear on our trip. I love it and feel like a million bucks in it!
3. I just closed the sliding glass door on Arnie’s tail! Oh that poor boy. I try to be so careful with the dackels, but occasionally I get one. Yikes! At least Arnie is still wagging it, and snuggling with me!
4. The Weathermen are forecasting snow for Friday. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but I have a beauty shop appointment and hate to drive in the snow!
5. You know what I am looking forward to the most during our vacation? Kicking back and relaxing!
6. Oh yes, and hot sunny days!
7. I’m so glad that our house sitter is coming to live here with the puppers.
8. Friday is spaghetti night, when all the people who will help care for the house and pups are coming!
9. I am not doing too well losing weight right now. Hubby says I just need to exercise more.
10. He wants to ski today, but we are due for a fair amount of rain.
11. I’m watching what I eat and once we return from our vacation, I will get seriously back on track.
12. I’ve been enjoying something new. A low-fat version of a fried egg sandwich. I mean, it is so good!
13. I’ve almost finished reading “The Descendents”. I have enjoyed this book so much. Here is a little secret, it is the first book I have read, cover to cover in ten years! After ten eye surgeries, my eyes have trouble focusing on normal print, and they do get tired, even now. However, the Kindle is wonderful and makes reading fun again!!!

And…here we go!

1. Finally, I have my computer back, and I have found more questions than answers on it!.
2. Windows Vista is a royal pain and sure takes some getting used to!
3. Dad says: hurry up.
4. MB is my favorite nick name for me.
5. It took a long time, but after 12 years I have a brand new love seat for me and the dackels in our family room.
6. I sleep with three dackels and Hubby though I wouldn’t have it any other way.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to shutting the computer down and reading my book, “The Descendents”, tomorrow my plans include laundry and Sunday, I want to drive down and have brunch with Mandy and perhaps feel my grand daughter move! Won’t that be something special!!!!

Yesterday I go the call. The laptop was ready to be picked up. Vista working system and all. I am not exactly thrilled with the new working system, but it goes like this.

I wanted Windows XP when I got this laptop from Toshiba a year and a half ago. I also wanted the rescue discs. All arrived as requested, and I never thought to check out the back up discs.

Flash forward to this past weekend when my laptop was hit by a nasty virus, which systematically went through the machine, hacking all my links. Rendering it almost useless.

I brought it in to be backed up, and then have the hard drive wiped and reloaded. I was so happy, because it would make everything so much easier for me with a clean machine!

Except, I did not count on the fact that my computer’s back up disc’s were Window’s Vista. Yes, I bought a machine with XP, but originally the machine was a Vista machine that someone in China had loaded XP onto.

My computer person assures me that all is well. Nothing really is different (HA! It sure is!) and that even her 80 year old father can master Vista. What I am finding is that Vista is a challenge. I’m not really sure I like it. I am willing to give it a few months to learn it, and after that, if I still hate it, I will buy the upgrade to Windows 7.

The biggest problem right now is that while I work on the computer to get all the systems reset, I can’t read my book “The Descendants”! I am really enjoying that. It’s a great read!!!

1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson…who would you most like to meet and why?

Abraham Lincoln. He had such a hard life, and yet, he kept persevering. He accomplished so much during his presidency, as well. I would also tell him to stay home from the play!

2. What’s your favorite chain restaurant?

I tend not to like chain restaurants. I like family owned places. But up here in New England we have a chain called “The Weathervane” and it has so many yummy seafood treats!

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home blog last week and she gave me permission to steal borrow it-

When you look back on your life, do you imagine you’ll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good?

Good or not, I am hoping I learned from it. We cannot always meet out goals, but learning from what we experience is so important.

4. Grapefruit-take ’em or leave ’em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?

I LOVE grapefruit! I eat 1/2 every day. Except right now, I must not eat any for a whole month while I am on some medication!

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?

I want to go through my own closet this week because I need to find out what fits before I go on vacation.

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people…who would you like to see round your table?

This is tricky. Are famous people any more real or interesting than my friends or family? I think perhaps, Prince William and his bride, Kate. And toss in Mark Harmon, just because I think he is gorgeous!

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?

It used to be terrible, but now I have been making myself do it, and I have gotten very good! So a solid 8!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I feel so blessed to have my family and friends in my life. They support me when I feel down and share my joy when I am celebrating. I wish I could share that little biy of widom with peopl. Ooops, I just did!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!