Category: The Weekend Wrap

The weekend really did fly by for me. I had planned a lot of downtimes so I could rest my eyes, and I will admit to sleeping a great deal on Saturday. On Sunday I was still experiencing sensitivity to light, so I walked around wearing my winter hat and sunglasses, thus shielding my left eye.

My God-son is holding his own. He was due to get his shot this week, but unfortunately, the Covid Virus got him first. His family is also ill, and they have all been so careful social distancing and wearing masks.

I know many of you think that Covid is not real. But it is very real to me. Not just my God-son and family have been hit with it, but one of my closest friends and her family were also stricken.

The weather here has been lovely. It reminds me that Spring is on its way! I am so ready.

I feel quite sad about Prince Philip of England. It’s not so much sad at his death, more, I think at a loss in my own life. You see, all of my life Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have been the head of the British Monarchy. All of my 62 years. It just seems very sad that things are now changing. I am not one that handles change well anyway. Now Queen Elizabeth is without her Consort. Change.

I guess this is about all from me. Being quiet means sleep and perhaps a movie or two. But not much else.

Life this past weekend was pretty busy. I spent a large portion of both Saturday and Sunday cooking.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking, but I am finding that this type of marathon cooking makes me tired.

But in the end, it was all worth it!

It all started several months ago when they had turkeys on sale for 37¢ a pound for a turkey. I already had our Thanksgiving bird, but I just couldn’t walk by this deal.

A close to 12-pound turkey for just $4.39!

So on Wednesday I took it out of the deep freeze and put it in our second fridge to thaw. I was not planning to make stuffing, but Jack requested it, so on Saturday I made it, so it would go into the bird cold.

On Sunday I stuffed the turkey and rubbed it down with butter, and placed it in the oven covered with aluminum foil. I used my new Pampered Chef probe thermometer and the baking began.

While the turkey cooked, I peeled potatoes and cooked the green beans for Green Bean Casserole. I really love the Green Bean Casserole, but I have never made it. Mandy explained it to me and I ventured into making it. Both Jack and I enjoyed it.

My freshly roasted turkey!

I made my own turkey gravy, set out the condiment tray, and placed the silverware and plates on the table. At 1:30 we sat down to a full turkey dinner, complete with champagne.

After I boned the turkey and did round one of the dishes. I had made lemon cream tarts for dessert and those were delightfully refreshing.

Believe it or not, Jack wanted to eat at the usual time this evening. So he got my special turkey and stuffing sandwich made with mayonnaise and cranberry sauce.

I made a nice broth with the turkey bones and I am thinking about making a turkey pie. More cooking.

Have a great week!

Sunday never really dawned. It simply got lighter, but the rain started and continued all day.

I attempted to bring Arnie outside several times. I even got out my umbrella and walked him, but the lawn is a mass of puddles. And Arnie was having none of it.

It brought to mind a time many years ago (17 years to be exact) when Greta was a young puppy, hated the rain and despite her own doggy raincoat, refused to do her thing!

This is the cutest picture that we took of that day of Greta and it still makes me smile. Arnie wouldn’t even put on the rain jacket, so I held up the umbrella and he still looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

It must really stink to have 3-inch legs when you are walking through deep puddles, all in an attempt to relieve yourself!

Aside from the non-stop rain, it was a very quiet and peaceful weekend. I even managed to sleep in until 7:30 in the morning! Something I have not done in a very long time.

I hope you all had a great weekend and that it was a lot drier than ours has been!

This weekend was a rather quiet one for me. I did the usual things, like laundry and meals, and taking Arnie and Lili out for walks. But I stayed home and was not running around doing errands.

We had a brief respite from the wind yesterday, but it is back with great furry now and I can hear it outside our window.

It’s cold too. Which causes my old boy, Arnie to run outside and run back in, often without accomplishing what he needs to do. So, out we go again!

This week will be a busy one for me. I get my new glasses tomorrow, Tuesday I have an online meeting, Wednesday is another online meeting, Thursday is a dental appointment, and Friday I get my hair done.

Yes, this will be my busiest week in a very long time. I hope that slowly, things will return to normal.

After writing my Friday Five, I was off to spend a little quality time with my two grandchildren. I left early on Friday morning and drove quite happily down the highway to Mandy and Matt’s home.

I was feeling rather lighthearted as I drove along. I have not driven this route since Christmas Day, and it was so nice seeing all the spots that I know so well.

I arrived early, and as this was school vacation, both Savi and Quinn were home and ready to greet me!

I’d brought a craft project for us to work on (which was not a big hit) and I also brought with me stories I’d written some time ago about my first dachshund called “The Shubi Tales”.

Those they liked and I ended up reading to them for a while. (Note to self: Go through these stories now and correct punctuation and grammar!)

We had lunch, played a new game I’d gotten called “Memory Chess”, which was quite fun. My little darlings ganged up on poor Oma and beat me! But this game is a good one and we enjoyed it.

Late in the afternoon, we all got ready, and off we went for our first restaurant meal since this Covid Nightmare began.

We went to “The Tuscan Village” where they had these marvelous Igloos outside, where you could have your meal. The Igloos are disinfected between customers and are also lit with Christmas lights that change color and are also heated.

I had this marvelous cocktail, an Espresso Martini. It is deceptively delicious and one does not quite realize it packs quite a punch. I had two! And I will say, standing up found me feeling a little light-headed. Thank goodness I was not driving!

Mandy and I shared an appetizer of Calamari, and we each had a wonderful haddock with risotto. Also, Matt had gotten Asparagus on his plate and I took that as he cannot eat Asparagus.

Now I should have stopped there, but I splurged and ate cannolis! They were delicious, but I am sure I will burn in WW hell for this meal! However, that being said, it was so spectacular to be out, in such a festive environment eating such delicious food!

Afterward, Savi’s friend arrived and we were watching the new “Tom & Jerry” cartoon when Mandy asked if this green plastic cup was mine? Yes, yes it was. I opened it, only to find my dental retainer gone!

We looked around and there was Mandy’s dog, Winter, with my retainer in her mouth! The funny thing was it almost looked like she was wearing false teeth!

Do not let this innocent face fool you!

We jumped up and Mandy went one way and I went the other in hopes of capturing the dog! That little American Eskimo puppy was so fast that she outran us both! Fortunately, Savi’s friend, Kinsley, grabbed the dog and we got the retainer back, completely unharmed.

I did not put it back into my mouth, however, until I had brought it home and completely sanitized it!

The next morning, I woke early and looked outside. It was snowing! In fifteen minutes the road was covered, so I jumped into my clothes and loaded my car (remembering all the stuff I had forgotten at Christmas), and began my trip home.

The roads were not good. I’d expected the back roads to be messy but hoped the main highway would be easily drivable. This was not the case. As I traveled further north the roads became worse and worse. I never drove over 45 miles an hour. There were crazy drivers who sped by going 65-75 MPH, and I am sure that one or two of them were the ones I saw off the road in a ditch. Why do people do this?

I stopped and shopped, for groceries and gasoline and then proceeded home. I’d departed Mandy’s at 7 AM and after shopping and the drive, I did not get home until 11:30. But I did it! And not a skid or slip along the way!

The rest of the weekend I watched mindless TV and cooked meals. Oh yes, and the inevitable laundry, that seems to multiply overnight!

The week will be filled with doctors and dental appointments. The usual when one is advancing into their later years!

My hope is that New Hampshire will get enough vaccines so that people over the age of 60 will be eligible sooner. (currently, my group will be in May or June) Right now our neighboring State of Maine considers 60+-year-olds being in a high-risk group, while New Hampshire sees us being just as hearty as a 55-year-old. Trust me, this is not the case for most people I know.

So that is it for my Weekend Wrap! Have a good week everyone!

This past weekend was Valentine’s Day. I bought Jack a new snow shovel, and I bought myself a dozen long stem yellow roses. My personal favorite. I made Jack a steak and myself a nice piece of haddock and we washed this down with Cook’s Brut Champagne.

It is a cheap bottle, but for some reason, both Jack and I noted that the taste was actually pretty darn good for a California bottled champagne!

This weekend was also our Ice Fishing Derby here in Meredith. It was odd as there was only about a quarter of usual entries. We did have a “Bob House” just below us on the ice, and this must have been a family gathering because at one point I counted 14 people/children and two black labradors. They were having such a great time.

I also watched the movie “Dr. Zhivago” with Omar Sharif. I think this was his greatest role. He could convey so many emotions with just his eyes. And Julie Christie as Lara was simply amazing!

Watching this movie always makes me think of a friend, who has been gone a very long time now. It was his favorite movie. This was all about a time in history that he knew so much about.

I am still worried about Arnie. He is eating, but he cries a great deal of the time. Due to holidays and snowstorms, I may have to wait to take him until Wednesday, but I think that I will be taking him in for a health check.

I hope your week is happy, healthy, and that you all stay safe.

The weekend flew by and I found myself once again cooking three actual meals or perhaps I should say 6 meals, as Jack does not eat what I eat. So, I’ve been busy.

I also decided that I needed to finally take down my little Christmas tree. This small tree was my Mom’s tree before she passed away. I use it now for many reasons, but remembering her is definitely one of them.

As I came close to the tree, I noticed that a lot of the lights were out on the tree. Now that’s no good! Usually, I wrap the tree up in plastic and store it until the next year. However, with these lights being out I decided to strip the tree this year and then get new lights for it for next year.

After the tinsel and garlands and ornaments were all off of the tree, I started to take off the lights. Two strings were dead, and half of the lights on the third string! Only the star shone brightly!

I went through and found replacement lights for the tree and ordered those. They were on sale, and once I am sure that they work, I will pack them with the tree.

But, the tree is down and the twinkling lights are gone. Time to get back to regular life once again!

I saw on the weather channel we are due for 6-12 inches of snow on Monday and into Tuesday. Ugh, more snow! So, I went out to the grocery store, picked up milk, bread, and eggs, and a few other things, and came home. I am now prepared for the storm!

I started my new book. This one is about Karen Carpenter and her struggles with Anorexia. It is so sad that she died so young (age 32) from this horrible illness. It makes me think that so many young girls are fat-shamed and they resort to starvation and other things to be what they think is perfect.

Oh my goodness. I finally watched a few episodes of “Sex and the City”. How did I miss watching that? Perhaps when it was on before I was too young to understand it.

But the last two days, I have laughed and laughed and really enjoyed the comical situations these women bring upon themselves. I know not everyone will like this show, but it is light fluff and cracks me up.

That pretty much wraps it up for now. I hope you all have a good week and if you are looking for a vaccination, I hope you can find one.

The weekend sort of slowly went by for me. As I am still getting over a winter cold, I chose to keep quiet, drink lots of fluids, and rest. At least half of the weekend. On Sunday it was sheet changing day and of course bed-making day right after.

I’m still engrossed in my book about ABBA, and it brings me back in time to when life was much easier. I had my girls in the 1970s and I listened to the radio a lot. ABBA was one of my favorite groups back then. And even now, all these years later, I still love so many of their songs.

I’ve also been watching movies, old TV shows, and just not focusing on too much happening in the world. I feel the hate each time I watch the news, so I avoid that at all costs.

Will it get better after the Inauguration? I doubt it. One thing that Covid brought to us all is depression. I do not see that going away any time soon.

So getting lost in books or old movies is a good thing for me right now. My brain just hurts from all the strife in the World.

Luckily, I have nothing happening this week. At some point, I need to make a grocery store run, but that’s about it.

Have a happy, healthy, and peaceful week.

It’s been almost a year that we have been on Covid Lockdown, one way or another. We wear masks that obscure smiles, we no longer linger in the grocery store to visit with neighbors or friends. We’ve all been isolated from all the ordinary things in life that brought us joy. I never thought about any of this in my life. Who would ever imagine having to live like this?

That being said, I have to say that my daily dressing habits have drastically changed. I used to get up, struggle to get into my jeans, a turtleneck, and sweater, to face the day. Once I was staying home all the time, I discovered leggings. Not just any leggings, but fleece-lined leggings.

At first, I would wear these just at home. But after losing 60 pounds, and having a knee-length winter coat, I began to wear them out to shop or get the mail!

You see, wearing a mask, hat, and long jacket, I am pretty unrecognizable! So in these days of Covid-19 why not be comfortable?

Our lakes are freezing, which means the sounds of an auger being used to open a hole in the ice for fishing can be heard each morning. There are people skating and enjoying the day. Small groups. No one wearing a mask. I suppose they feel safe outside.

I go out with Anneliese and Arnie every time they go out, in my down parka, hat, and gloves. At 22 degrees (F) it is cold. At least the sun is shining today and we are not expecting snow for a while. Thank goodness. I just paid our plow bill for December and the first part of January! Eeeek!

Well, that’s my weekend. Hope yours was a good one and that you are remaining safe and healthy!

The weekend seemed to fly by despite it being a rather long holiday weekend. Neither Jack nor I stayed up to welcome in the New Year. After 2020 tricking us into believing THAT would be a good year, frankly, we both feel it’s almost best to ignore the change of the year. Who knows what 2021 will bring.

Jack watched his usual crime shows all through the holiday weekend, and I worked on my Genealogy. Quite interesting, as my sister and I finally found our finals links to John and Priscilla Alden who came over on the Mayflower. We’re so happy about this. Both our Grandmother and mother had worked for many years sitting in Libraries trying to find this link. I cannot imagine doing what Mel and I have done without the aid of computers!

I got a fantastic flashlight for Christmas from Mandy’s brother! I have never had such a good flashlight. It is small, so it fits in my purse, but has a really bright sharp beam! It’s made by Tactical Outfitters! I use this every time I take the pups out at night.

On the doggy front, Arnie’s tests are still cooking. The good news is that it is not a bacteria that is antibiotic-resistant. The next result will guide us to the right drug to get rid of this bacteria.

So in the meantime, I am shoving these horse-pill size antibiotics into Arnie, which he hates. The little bugger has figured out how to eat the treat, and then spit out the pill!

Anneliese is hanging on. The antibiotics for her UTI have helped. I am grateful for this.

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in for the New Year. I weighed myself last Tuesday and well, let’s just say that my celebration of Christmas, which lasted the entire month of December, put on a few pounds. However, at midnight on January 1st, I was back on track! Fingers crossed for at least a little weight loss.