This weekend was really mellow. Besides losing the electricity on Saturday and part of Sunday, we also spent an inordinate amount of time watching the TV.
Since Sunday night was the debut of Season 8 of Homeland, we spent both Saturday and Sunday watching season 6 and 7 to catch up.
I have actually watched all the seasons from Season 1-7 in recent weeks, and I have to admit that I found things I had missed the first time around.
Again, what a great show!
This week I am concentrating on seven of my favorite bird photographs. Since starting my bird feeding, I have been engrossed in watching them and photographing them. They bring such joy to my life. Here are a few of my pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
1. Mr. Cardinal
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2. Mr. Blue Jay
3. Mrs. Downy Woodpecker.
4. Another Cardinal.
5. Mr. Hairy Woodpecker
6. Mr. Downy Woodpecker in the storm.
7. Mr. Downy Woodpecker. He is my favorite.
Just before I was starting dinner on Friday night our lights began to flicker. We looked at each other and thought, “Uh-oh!”
Mr. Arnie braves the icy storm.
Our weather on Friday was quite simply, sloppy. It started with ice and then skipped over to rain and then back to ice pellets and because we had not had enough fun, it started to snow and the wind blew and then flicker, flicker, and the lights went out.
The ice was thick and on everything. Probably this is the reason we lost our power!
My cell phone was nearby and I used that to get over to the candle, which I lit and then used that to get the large flashlight.
It was then that Jack and I jumped into action! Jack took the flashlight and went down to set up the generator. When we built our home we had the generator hard wired in. So, off he went.
Meanwhile, I got three long extension cords so we could plug the TV, satellite dish, and cable box in. The next extension cord went from the kitchen down the long hall to the office where I plugged the computer, router, and wifi in. Thus giving us internet access.
Lastly, I plugged the two laptops into the third extension cord. Now we have everything basically working.
Of course, we also have the two fridges and freezer going.
My Downy Woodpecker trying to get some food in the storm.
Here we are, the first Friday of the month of February! We all know that February is a quick month and I know it will go fast because it is filled with appointments. Anyway, here goes for this week.
Back in 2005 Jack and I took an Alaska Cruise. I had never been on a cruise ship. But when some friends of ours asked us to join them, we decided to go.
We set sail on The Diamond Princess. It was the largest ship that Princess Cruise Lines had back then. I recall getting lost a time or two. But we had a great and memorable trip.
I was so sorry to read the news below when I got up on Wednesday Morning!
The Diamond Princess cruise ship is seen anchored off the Yokohama Port in Japan. Ten people on board have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus.
Ten people a Japanese cruise ship that has been quarantined near Tokyo since Monday have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus.
Medics started screening all 3,711 onboard on Tuesday. Nobody can leave the ship for the next 14 days.
The ten infected people, who are all over 50 years old, were taken into isolation at a nearby hospital on the Japanese mainland.
They include two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kong citizens, one American, and one Filipino.
The Diamond Princess was quarantined because a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25 tested positive for the virus on January 31.
Here I am, cruising Tracy Arm, Alaska on The Diamond Princess. It was a beautiful ship and I found I really loved cruising.
I simply cannot imagine being confined to the ship for two full weeks just waiting. I hope that they do not have more Coronavirus victims.
I love the company, “Chewy“. I go on their website and I order the dog food I will need for 6 weeks. Then like magic, the food arrives via Fed-Ex and life is good for my furry friends!
Today my order arrived. I knew it was coming and I mentioned to Jack to see if the order had come. Yes, it had. The Fed-Ex delivery man had placed two huge boxes containing crunchy food and canned food and bottles of breath freshener, etc right outside our garage door. Had we not looked and simply backed up, both the boxes and our car would have been damaged.
Since the bottle cap had broken on one of the bottles, it had made a liquidy mess all over the cardboard box, I called “Chewy” to let them know.
They are gracious people and were very kind to me. A new bottle of breath freshener would be sent out and I filed a complaint about Fed-Ex with them. “Chewy” has always helped out when something happens to my order.
After the call, I set about putting all the food away. My little poochies now have plenty of food for the dreary month of February!
One note. I’m in a very rural area. I have not had great luck with Fed-Ex here. Things have been broken, drivers are ill-tempered and not at all helpful.
That being said, I LOVE my UPS Deliveryman. Kevin will walk the entire 600 feet of my driveway (since his truck wouldn’t make it in inclement weather) in a raging snowstorm to make sure I get my delivery. He is kind and helpful and I appreciate everything he does for us. In fact, I will see him next week when my new bathroom rugs come!
Happy Wednesday!
February 4th would have been my Grandma Honey’s 122nd birthday. It’s difficult to imagine her at that age. She passed from this world into the next 36 years ago. She was a very important woman in my life and taught me so much. Even now, I miss her like crazy!
Here she is, Mary Frances Daniell the day she married my Papa, Frederick Carl Prussman.
Here is a picture of Mel and me with our much loved, Grandma Honey, at Goodwill Park.
Grandma Honey and Papa Fred. Theirs was truly an epic love story! They met when they were less than ten years old. Grandma was friends with Papa’s sister, Katchen, and spent a lot of time at the house teaching Katchen to speak English. The family had recently arrived from Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, and aside from the eldest sister, Hedwig, who worked as a Nanny, no one spoke a lot of English.
Anyway, Papa always said he fell in love with her then, and as a teenager, he would chase off any beau that tried to court her. My great grandfather eventually allowed them to become engaged but insisted that Mary finish college before they married.
They were married until Mary eventually passed from this life to the next. He joined her 8 months later.
This was a busy weekend for me. I went down to visit, play with, and enjoy my grandchildren and their parents. Before Mandy and Matt went out for dinner and a movie, I sat talking with them. I love that. It is always interesting to hear their views on things and they always leave me with things to consider.
They departed and I went up to the Lego room, where the three of us played Legos for well over an hour. Mandy also has Alexa and I admit it was very fun to ask “Alexa, play Magic by David Paton and Pilot”! And she replied “Playing Magic by David Paton and Pilot” and the song played. I asked Savannah if she had ever heard this song, and she said, she had on a commercial. Smart kid!
Dinner was fun, Mac & Cheese for Savi and Quinn wanted chicken noodle soup. Chicken noodle soup? I didn’t even know he knew what that was! But he did and he loves it!
I ate something new. Italian chicken meatballs. They were 3 points for 4 meatballs. So, I cooked 8 thinking 6 points wasn’t too bad for the protein portion of my dinner. Then, while eating with the kids, Quinn asked if he could have one of my meatballs. He loved it and had two!
I always love being with the kids because I learn more and more about them and I feel that special bonding.
This time was so wonderful. In the evening, Quinn covered my legs with a blanket and then climbed up and sat right in my lap, snuggling.
Quinn and me. Well, that’s my sweater behind his head!
I have never been one of those grandmothers that demand affection from their grandchildren. When they want it, I am here. Well, this time Quinn wanted me and I was there. On Sunday morning as I was getting ready to leave he told me how much fun it was to hang out with me! Friends, that was the frosting on my grandmother’s cake!
I stopped to get some groceries and arrived home to dogs who were happy to see me. In fact, Arnie hadn’t eaten much while I was gone. After a bit, they were all back to normal.
We got some interesting news from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Punxsutawney, Pa. – The results are in: On Groundhog Day 2020, in Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil could not find his shadow. And as the legend goes, this means we’re in for an Early Spring.
Courtesy MSN
The Pennsylvania Groundhog isn’t the only weather-predicting rodent in this quirky American tradition, but he is the most famous.
And according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, his opinion is the only one that matters.
This is only the 20th time out of 124 in his recorded history (there are 10 years where no record remains) that Phil hasn’t been able to find his shadow.
Even so, Phil is usually wrong, and meteorologists aren’t too sure Phil’s suspicions are right either.
But it is fun to watch all the same. There is a funny movie with Bill Murray called “Groundhog Day” that will make you laugh.
So, that was my weekend. A good one all around.
Taking a break today so I can go down and see my grandchildren. I’ll be back Sunday and hopefully, I will get something up.
Meanwhile, everyone, have a great day!
It’s funny, but after doing a Thursday Thirteen, doing a Friday Five is a tad tricky! Since this is the last Friday in January, here we go!
So that is all for this week. I am off to see Savannah and Quinn over the weekend and I can hardly wait. It’s been far too long!
My beloved, Mr. Arnie!