The Friday Five February 10th

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This week I realized that although I accomplished a lot I learned so much, and I am ready for Winter to be over! So here is this week’s Friday Five.

  1. Heidi had her first-year Vet appointment. She had all her shots and stepped on the scale, tipping it to 27 pounds! So I am cutting down on her treats, and adding in vegetables. Aside from her belly, she is in perfect health.
  2. I had gotten baby Heidi these nice foam steps when she came home. Well, Heidi thought the foam steps were toys! One she chewed and the other is safe so far. I sent away and got some heavy-duty plastic steps for her.326804943_579742657071360_5472845817506170059_nShe is a little concerned as she learns to use them and acts very much like a gymnast who is going up to the vault!
  3. I needed to get my garage door repaired, and take a load of trash to the recycling center. And all was accomplished with little fuss.
  4. I’m now 14 pounds down and going strong. I feel pretty proud of this.
  5. Lastly, today is laundry day. You know, wash and dry and hopefully fold and put away. The whole enchilada! I just hope that gets done. Then maybe, just maybe, I’ll tackle my closet.

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Keep Learning

When I was young, I would sit around my grandmother’s dining room table and talk and drink tea. One thing Grandma always said, was no matter what, always keep learning, and always know that you can accomplish whatever you set out to do.

On Friday the warnings of severe weather had me alert, but I freely admit to having no knowledge of furnaces, thermostats, or frozen pipes.

In the afternoon we were down to -10 outside and by bedtime, it was -20 with a stiff wind.

When the master bedroom temperature fell like a lead balloon, I tried everything I knew to get the heat on. By 6 PM, we had no heat in the Master Bedroom, and the temperature in that room was 52 degrees and one of our sink faucets would not respond.

On Saturday, I was panic-stricken. This would not go well. At 8 AM I attempted to call 14 different Plumbing and Heating businesses. I left messages and did not get one phone call back.

However, on call #15 a nice woman’s voice greeted me. I told her what was going on and she said hold on, and she put me on speakerphone.

Q: What is under your Master Bedroom?

A: A garage. (Design flaw)

Q: Is there any way to warm up the garage?

A: Yes, we have radiant heat in the garage floor.

Instructions: Go down and turn up the heat in the garage to 76 – 80 degrees. Then come up, and turn on the sink faucets in the master bath. Just a trickle mind you, but on. Set the bedroom thermostat to 76 degrees. Leave the door open from the bedroom, and the closets, and cabinets.

I went around the house doing as I was instructed. By dinner, I was too tired to even want to eat. I fell asleep. I woke to the sound of running water in the Master Bath. After that, I didn’t wake up until 12:30 AM when the dogs wanted to go out. So I took them, (It was only -8 F)

By Sunday, the pipes are all thawed. The temperature is currently 23 degrees F outside, and I have learned so many valuable things. Just call me Maribeth the Frozen Pipes Fixer!

Grandma was right. Keep learning, keep believing and there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished!

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Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandma Honey

February 4th would have been my Grandma Honey’s 125th birthday. It isn’t easy to imagine her at that age. She passed from this world into the next 38 years ago. She was a very important woman in my life and taught me so much. Even now, I miss her like crazy!

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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.

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Grandma Honey and Papa Fred. Theirs was indeed an epic love story! They met when they were less than ten years old. Grandma was friends with Papa’s sister, Kätchen, and spent a lot of time at the house teaching Kätchen 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.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandma Honey!

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The Friday Five ~ February 3rd

letitsnowThe week sped by. I took Jack for tests, and then Thursday found me going for my six-month check-up.  But here’s what else is going on.

  1. I think the best news was finding out my medical insurance will be continuing with the same doctors after I turn 65 and go on Medicare. I had gotten a letter in error and thought I was being kicked to the curb.
  2. My physical went well, and so far I am good to go for another six months.
  3. I do have two stopped-up ears. They’ve been bothering me, and Amie (my Nurse Practitioner) said that my ears are full and not draining. We’re trying some meds to dry it up and drain it, but if we have no luck then it’s off to have tubes put in. Hopefully not.
  4. I really have enjoyed not having any major health problems! Yay! I sure hope that continues!
  5. Lastly, it is freaking cold and only due to get colder. I have plenty of food, the car is gassed up, and I also have all my cold-weather gear out and ready for use when I walk the dogs. Lili is fine with this, but poor Heidi just wants to be inside. I can’t say I blame the little girl!

So that’s it for the week. Here’s hoping that the frigid weather does not last long!

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The Friday Five ~ January 27th

letitsnowI was getting ready to tuck into bed when I realized I had not written my Friday Five. So I got up and here I go.

  1. This week we have had snow and more snow and the snow that turned to mush, and currently, at 10:30 PM everything is ice.
  2. Now the poor pooches have trouble with ice and I actually stomped down a snow bank to make an area for Heidi, who simply gives up on the ice.
  3. Jack has been having a few health problems, so I made sure I got him in to see his Primary Care doctor. There are tests he needs.
  4. So after all the snow, I think we have probably had close to 20 inches! It’s probably the most we have had sort of all at once, in many years.
  5. We are due for more snow over the weekend. Ugh. I am now ready for winter to be over!

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Fake Meat

I went out on Wednesday morning to gather the items I would need to get through yet another snowstorm. As I checked the vegetables, meats, and deli products it hit me.

First the jump in the prices of everything, including cabbage and potatoes, which have always been cheap staples. Their cost was sky high.

My dislike also extends to the new fad of “fake Meat”!

I am here to tell you that as much as I enjoy an occasional hot and sour soup with tofu (fake meat!) I don’t like fake meat. I like the real thing.

I love a good, tender, steak. I love Babyback Ribs, and I love chicken and turkey as well. I adore fish. Why should I have to eat fake meat if I think it tastes like crap?

These fake items are gaining places on our grocery shelves. Today I couldn’t get any bologna. The middle case of the meats was filled with fake meat. It got me thinking. I can’t be the only one that feels this way.

I learned that Elisabeth Hagen, Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is in charge of the food supply, All I can say is, it would do us all a lot of good if you did your job better.

Ah well, enough complaining for now. I keep looking to get back to the life we once had and I haven’t been able to do that yet.

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The Seasons ~ Winter

 As we started 2023 I was hopeful that we would get away with less snow than usual. This would lighten our plowing bill. Alas, this was not to be. The last snowfall was 6-8 inches of weighty snow, and today (Monday) it is snowing again, and in the end, we have 18 inches of new snow. This is the most two-day snowfall we have had in many years.

January SnowstormOn the left was this morning and on the right was this afternoon.

It’s pretty, but to get it functional we will need plowing, sanding, and an area to be snow blown for the dogs.

I took Heidi out on the small path I had shoveled, and she felt feisty and leapt into the snow. This would have been fine, but the snow is so deep she disappeared! Just her little black nose stood above the frosty white snow.

I laugh now because it was so funny, to see Heidi’s surprised little snout come to the surface. But the poor little baby did not like that deep, wet, cold, snow!

My work all day was to rake the roof some and keep the satellite dish clear, as well as encourage Heidi to use the snowy yard for all her important needs. I’ll tell you, it is a wet and cold job.

We are supposed to drive to Manchester tomorrow. That will depend on the road conditions. I am not looking forward to that hour-long drive down and back.

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The Friday Five ~ January 20th

letitsnowThis was a hectic week for me. Between doctor’s appointments, a dental appointment, and visiting my favorite hair stylist today, I am glad for Friday’s snow as it forces me to cancel Heidi’s grooming. I could drive in the snow, but I do not like to. Anyway, here is this week’s Friday Five.

  1. Since the beginning of the year, I have lost ten pounds. What does this mean? It means I can once again zip my winter jacket.
  2. I finally caught up with my laundry. That was on Tuesday and I was feeling so happy about that.
  3. The next day I filled the car to go to the Recycling Center. I came upstairs to say goodbye to Jack and he asked where I was going. Shoot! The Recycling Center is closed one day a week…Wednesday!
  4. Thursday I shopped and got a few things as I prepare for the storm.
  5. I also had my hair done. My hair stylist tells me that I need to find a way to release stress. Apparently, your hair becomes brittle and actually falls out if you are under stress. And apparently, I am. It’s funny. I met my Grandmother’s 99-year-old sister. We looked so much alike except she had thinning hair on the top. I fear That will happen to me.

That’s it for the week. Those of you here in New England, take care when shoveling snow. We’re due to have 6+ inches!

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Friday Five ~ January 13th

20200206_160117January has been cool and really with not too much snow, although as I type it is lightly snowing outside.

I began to follow Weight Watchers again after gaining a bit of weight following an increase in my medication.

I took the bull by the horns and started once again on this diet. And yes, for me it is a diet. A lifelong diet as I struggle to get it all under control.

Anyway, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1.  I recently printed up a new Phone/Address Book. Jack and I have reached that stage of your life where you check the Obituaries each morning, and if you are not listed, then it is a good day! Unfortunately, many of our friends have passed away. The Address Book is much thinner. Sadly so.

2.  I drove Jack to the VA on Wednesday for bloodwork. It was a pretty day, just cold. I put Heidi’s sweater on her, and she came with us.

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She almost always rides well, but she was doing a wee bit of howling on Wednesday. On the ride home, she was nice and quiet.

3.  In some ways it’s good I’m back on the wagon with WW, as I really have very little appetite. My loss this last week was 8.2 pounds. I know I won’t be a big loser like that each week, but it was a good jump start.

4.  Do you know what I think was the hardest thing to have coped with during the Pandemic? How to cope as you were shut away from your family. I remember standing in Mandy’s kitchen delivering supplies just before the USA shut down. I was so afraid I would bring the germs to my daughter and grandchildren.

5.  The Pandemic hit me very hard. I was afraid. Not just scared, but terrified! During the first six months, I clenched my teeth so hard that my jaws ached. I began to stay inside my house. I became a recluse. I have previously discussed the fact that although some will say I am an extrovert, I am, in fact, an introvert. Currently, I still feel quite a bit of anxiety about being out in the world again and how to get my life started. I guess it is baby steps.

So that’s it for this week. I wish you all a happy and healthy weekend!

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The Friday Five ~ January 6th

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Here we are the first Friday Five of 2023. This week sped by, and I wonder if 2023 will as well. So here is this Week’s Friday Five.

  1. Last year I began using Storywoorth to write down many of the stories of my life. I started with my grandparents and worked forward. I included some of my favorite stories and recipes.2023-01-05_08-48-08
  2. I originally was doing it just for Mandy, but my family and friends asked for copies. And I also made copies for Savannah and Quinn.
  3. Several people told me to write Book #2! More stories and more recipes. And on January 3rd, 2023 I started Book #2!
  4. Then I went to the Post Office and a book written by Davis Paton arrived from Scotland. Here’s a little more about him.
    “David Paton first gained recognition as the lead singer and bassist of the group Pilot, writing their hit songs, including ‘Magic’ and the number one ‘January’ in the mid-1970s. He then went on to collaborate with various major artists such as Kate Bush, The Alan Parsons Project, Elton John, and Paul McCartney. He has always had a genuine passion for writing, playing, and producing all types of music, with an emphasis on collaborating with other musicians. Still highly active in music, he lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.”
  5. Christmas is over and the few decorations I put up are now down and put away for another year.

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