Today, my sweet Savannah Rose turns 13! Wow, I can’t believe how quickly she has grown and changed. I can’t believe how quickly the last 13 years have gone, and in many ways, I feel like I have always known Savi as if she has always been a part of my world.
I’m holding Savi the day she was born!
As she has grown and changed, I have marveled at her kindness, gentleness, and caring nature, and Matt and Mandy have done an excellent job as her parents.
Happy Birthday, my darling Savannah!
Many things have been happening in the last few weeks, keeping me on my toes. I’m still slightly wobbly, but I’m going forward nonetheless.
My daughter gets the award for going above and beyond. Savi was in a musical play in Derry. Right now, I am not driving too far. The vertigo won’t allow it.
Mandy and Savi!
So Amanda drove from Windham, NH, to Meredith, NH, and picked me up. Then we went to Derry for the play, and afterward she drove me home again. It was a long day and a lot of driving for my girl, but it was worth it. Savi was great, and I really enjoyed the entire day!
Savi and her Oma!
Not only did I see Savi, but I got to see Quinn and their three dogs.
Quinn!
I’ve been doing PT for my vertigo. It hasn’t done much, but since the MRI was good, I must wait until I can see an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist.
My sister and brother-in-law came up, and we worked on clearing the house again. We are close to being done, but I need to work on my closets, which have become slightly disorganized. (Melodie, do not tell Ron!)
My cousins, Janet and Dave, came up on Saturday, and we went to T-Bones for dinner. We all had a great meal. I love it there! Janet had a fusion salad. Dave had wings and ribs. I asked if I could get warm plain lobster served with butter. It was spectacular!
After that, we saw Juston McInney at the Colonial Theater in Laconia. He is a New England boy, and he was wicked funny. His routine was all about the stuff we think about and that happens. He is a nice guy.
The next morning, we dropped Heidi off with her groomer, Madison, and had breakfast at George’s. Needless to say, when Heidi returned, she was beautiful!
After weeks of rain and cloudy skies, we finally have sunshine! It is also supposed to be over 70 degrees today!
After watching my driveway deteriorate this spring, I have signed a contract to have the entire thing redone. After 25 years, it is time!
Boulders are coming up.
My very own San Andreas Fault!
After all, this is the Granite State! Life goes on.
Today is my British daughter’s birthday. I spent time with her last year and hope to return soon. Happy Birthday, Jessica!
Jessica and I.
But today, my daughter, Amanda, is going above and beyond, so I can see Savannah in her community play.
Since I am not driving these days, she is driving up from Windham, NH, picking me up here in Meredith, NH, driving me down to see the play, and then driving me home. It’s a lot of work for her, and I cannot express how grateful I am that she is doing this.
I can hardly wait!
I’ve been relatively quiet recently. I had hoped to have answers to all my questions, but so far, there are more questions than answers.
It all began over six weeks ago. I got up in the night, and my head was spinning. I managed to return to bed, but there was a terrible feeling like the world was spinning.
I have had brief episodes of Vertigo before and expected the feeling to disappear. But it did not.
I went to the doctor and we tried several medications, but nothing worked. Later this week, I’ll go to the Physical Therapist for an evaluation, and next week, an MRI.
I’m trying to stay positive, but being as wobbly as I am is a little tricky.
Meanwhile…
My four-year-old laptop started to fall apart—literally. The frame split. The upside was that I had a laptop that just needed the hard drive wiped and reprogrammed. Since I had plenty of time and reprogramming was something I could do sitting down, I went to work.
I never thought I could do the entire thing, but I did. The laptop is programmed, the email is working, and I even got the lighted keyboard working.
Although I am challenged in some ways, I have gotten a lot done, so it’s almost all good.
Oh yes. God bless Heidi. She has taken such good care of me.
I was minding my own business, then all of a sudden, 1975 was 50 years ago. I was seventeen then, and now I have entered my golden years!
With this in mind, here is this week’s Friday Five.
It’s been a crazy two weeks. I finally went in to see my Nurse Practitioner, whom I have been seeing for a few years. Here’s what’s going on.
Before the snow started, I decided to go to the grocery store and get a chicken. I wondered if my COVID-19-damaged taste buds were causing me a problem.
Then I thought longer and realized I was attempting to make some rather elaborate dishes. I decided to go back to basics.
Several years ago, I learned to make Julia Child’s roasted chicken. After bringing the chicken, I season it and then rub it with butter.
I am cooking it in the oven with a Yukon Gold potato for my dinner. It smells wonderful. I just hope it tastes good when the time comes!
Here is the recipe:
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound or larger. Adjust the timing) chicken
* 1 small yellow onion, quartered
* 1 lemon, thinly sliced
* Salt and black pepper
* Butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash the chicken in water and dry thoroughly. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper and stuff it with onion and lemon. Rub the chicken lightly with softened butter and season with salt and pepper. Tie the drumstick ends together and set the chicken breast side up on an oiled V-shaped rack or an oiled roasting pan in the oven.
Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, baste the chicken, and roast for 15 minutes. Continue roasting the chicken until the juices run clear, for 45 – 50 minutes, plus an additional 7 minutes for each pound. (In other words, a 3 1/2 pound chicken would take 70 minutes or 1 hour and 10 minutes of cooking time.)
Now look and see how pretty this is! Tasted good, too.
I started the weekend looking forward to making my pot roast. Oh, how I was looking forward to that. I sat at the table, cutting vegetables and tossing them all in my crockpot.
I added all the other ingredients and then became distracted. That’s my only defense, and not even a good one.
An hour later, I went to check the pot. I had not plugged in the machine and turned it on.
I turned it all on and reset the timer. I came into the family room just furious with myself.
Six hours later, the meat was done and tender, but the flavor was all wrong.
Since my episodes of Covid, I have lost my taste buds, and they have never returned. Also, things that made my tastebuds sing no longer appeal.
I need to get out my old recipe files and make the simple and appealing ones.
Meanwhile, I’ve been listening to music to ease my soul. Previously, I had put together a playlist with the Beatles and each member separately. Oh yes. I doubt we will ever have another group of men change the landscape of the music world!
Me in Liverpool!
When I first married Jack, I was well aware of our height discrepancies. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and in shoes, probably a little more. At the time, I was five feet 8 inches if I stretched.
So, at 29 years old, I bought my first pair of spikey leather boots. I had never worn heels, and the first day I wore them, I learned all about real pain!
The heel was 4 – 6 inches high. At first, I did well. We drove from New Hampshire to JFK, where Jack was based. I did not have to stand or walk.
This was before 9/11. On this day in 1988, Jack and I walked from the crew parking area into the Pilot’s Lounge. The lounge was on the lower level, where the suitcases went out to the planes and then went back in.
After showing me the Pilot’s Lounge, he showed me the airport’s underfloor before returning to the gate for our flight. For those who have never seen this, it was fascinating. But done in high heels, it was a challenge.
He showed me some back stairs into the terminal and escorted me to the gate. Then, he went off to do some pilot work.
I walked down the ramp and onto the plane, sticking my head into the cockpit to say hello!
Well, we flew to Atlanta, coming in at Gate A20. Before we took off on the next leg, we walked to the other end of the airport to a restaurant Jack liked for lunch. Then, by golly, we walked back to the plane.
It was then that I became aware that my feet, both of them, were on fire! On the plane, I removed the boots and let the cool air soothe them.
This went on all day, with the new bride me not saying a word but struggling to make it through.
Late in the evening, we returned to JFK, and after Jack finished his pilot work, we walked back to the car. It was cold and icy, and I told Jack I needed to stop.
I leaned against a car and removed those boots. I could feel my nylons tear, but I did not care.
When we got home, I wore soft cotton socks and vowed never to wear high heels again, especially those darn boots!
The boots went to Amanda. I wonder if they worked for her?
I cannot recall when I had to deal with the heavy winds like we had. As I sit here writing this post, waiting for the delivery of some patio furniture, I am listening to the wind howl! When Heidi goes out, her floppy dackel ears blow back like a flag during a storm.
At least the rain has stopped, and the sun is out. I am very grateful for that!
Tomorrow is a big day. I am going to make a chuck roast. I cooked roasts like this back in the day, but Jack was a snob and refused to eat them, but I found them rich and flavourful. I shall report my results with pictures, including my recipe.
My screened-in porch table arrived, and it goes so well with the chairs I got.
Now, I can sit with my tea or coffee and look out over the lake. That is, when it is warm enough.
