Rain... cooler..foggy

It rained last night... not a lot but things were wet. It was also cooler and later in the day it became foggy. Supposedly we will have more tomorrow.

I went grocery  shopping and Bob tagged along. I think I have everything for Sunday's get together. 

The off to the library to pick up Bob's "hold" items... when we got home Bob settled down with our taxes... again... It would help if things didn't change annually. I puttered around.. 

Dinner was another new recipe... ground chicken burgers with spinach and feta. They were great!! Green salad on the side...

 

warm house

When I got up this morning the thermometer read 79F... no heat ...no nothing... just from the heat outside yesterday! It looks like today will be just as hot until the "storms" move in. The rest of this week will not be great!!

This area needs the rain. We have gotten  grass fire warnings ! And I see way too many building fires ( houses and strip malls) on Facebook. Not just little fires... whole structures gone!

Today was busy... laundry... washing floors and so on... 

 

Getting ready

 Today is going to get quite warm... 85F or so. So I went out on the deck to finish up getting ready for our Easter get together. Nagged Bob into checking on the grill which is  sort of below the deck. He's currently changing  clothes... hosing down the grill and checking the tanks left him WET. We have one completely full tank and one partial...plenty for all the "white hots" we are planning to grill.

We are supposed to get at least two days of rain this week... no deck chair cushions on till Saturday!!  Bob and I discussed the menu and I am just about set! 

Put my box of short pile mohair out into the mailbox... with its USPS label.. headed off to California to a bear maker who is still making small(very small) bears!! Sad to see it go but I know I will never be using it.

 Made a batch of scones... will have to rethink some of the directions but they came out tasting great. Bob snarfed one down right away...

warmer today

So wish yesterday (rally day) had been as warm as its getting today!!

I spent part of the last few days de-cluttering some of my mohair fabric. I have mohair that could only be used to make very small bears and bear friends. Mentioned it on a Facebook bear supplies group and found someone who would love to have it. So I boxed it up... sent a PayPal invoice for shipping... and will mail it tomorrow.  One more thing my daughters will not have to cope with....

I am now searching for a bear maker that would want my leftover mohair pieces...

Spent time this morning adding PayPal buttons to my site for the next online bear show ... April 10th - 13th...

 I don't have to plan or make dinner tonight. We are joining one of my daughters at Oak Grove's  Moocho restaurant! 

While de-cluttering mohair I found a piece big enough  for a not too small bear... so I traced one of my patterns and cut it out... ready for another sewing session. 

While it is warmer, the weather reports mention rain over the next few days. Actually I am  glad .. we are in a fire hazard area. And all the blooming trees and greening grass will be happy. Tomorrow will be quite warm...80+F. Easter will be cool and dry...

No King protest

It was COLD when we headed to Independence Square for the protest rally... wore my winter coat and later wished I had taken gloves. My hands got really cold holding up my sign. Bob and I met our daughter and her family and set up two folding chairs at the corner of Main and Truman Roads. Rally attendees were along all four corners . It's a four way stop so cars honked as they stopped.

Since we were so cold Bob and I left a little early When our daughter  left, she found a coffee shop of the Square ( so she could warm up) that was offering a protest discount!! She stopped at the Scandinavian shop and the chocolate shop too! Her husband ,son and daughter went to the game shop... need to support shops on the Square!

It was great to see so many who felt the same way we do! Funny thing... the non-honkers didn't even look at the protestors!!

 

 

 

 

Mouse stories

 My teacher/daughter has mice in her school! Her students were very fond of the very tiny one that would scurry around and disappear into a hole. Much to their dismay he was found dead and desiccated. Now there is a bigger mouse which showed himself yesterday after having gotten into some of the snacks stored in a cupboard..... and then my daughter found him under her feet which were under her desk.

This time she reported it to the school maintenance person... and a glue trap was put down. Glue traps are not very humane really... they just catch the mouse by its fur..... but no poison for kids to worry about. My daughter plans on doing a release if one is trapped in her classroom ... outside!

But I can beat her mice story.  My Mother's farmhouse  in Nova Scotia would get inundated with field  mice in the fall. The foundation was stone with lots of access holes . One of my last visits I could hear them scrabbling in the walls. If I ran my fingernails on the wall they would get really quiet. Anyway I went off and bought loads of snap-type traps and set them up all over. One haul netted 7 mice which I threw outside for the barn cats. ( empty traps the next day). I felt like the great white hunter. As we sit watching tv at night one could hear the traps snap!!

Also cleared out cupboards the mice had gotten into!! 

ongoing stuff

I guess I haven't been posting much... let's blame it on the fluctuating weather!

I bought a cedar planter from a local man on Marketplace... delivery was included. Thank goodness because it couldn't have fit in the Malibu! Anyway... the new planter led to getting rid of all the sticks and leaves on the deck and rearranging the seating. Necessary too because I am hoping people will want to sit outside on Easter! 

I am not sure what I will put in the planter... yet... but the tents etc. at the various garden centers are showing up ... and truck loads of plants are being unloaded and arranged. Since I don't want plants to die because of a cold snap I am forcing myself to wait...!

Last evening my craft/quilting group met...lots of talk ongoing. One just returned from a trip to Las Vegas . No gambling just family getting together...The local person told us a ghost story from a hotel her family stayed in... and about Winslow, Arizona and the song... and about going through Bisbee on Rt 66.

While talk was going on my daughter worked on a needle felting kit for a Kiwi, I worked on the mouse and others did their diamond art pictures!!

Bob and I decided to use a coupon we got in the mail for Subway sandwiches for dinner tonight so that was two nights I didn't have to cook...hooray

Looks like we will be joining my daughter and her husband at the Women's march in Independence on Saturday . I will take my "no kings" poster along. My s-i-l is bringing a folding chair for me.. standing for a long time is the "pits".

Definitely colder

Woke up this morning to a much colder day... yesterday when I awoke the house was 80 F. Nowhere near that this morning and the furnace turned on!!

Back to de-cluttering...reading and working on a little gray mouse...

dinner was leftover creamy tortellini soup, fresh   green beans and a green salad.. healthy? Temps down to the 30's at bedtime.

 

Another fantastic day

Bob, our daughters and I will head out sometime this summer back to Rochester to visit with Bob's brother. Bob and I decided that maybe staying in a hotel ,again, was not the best idea. So we have been walking our fingers through VRBO rentals.  

It has been fun. We have "saved" some interesting ones...looked at google maps discovering neighborhood areas such as Swillburg" and seeing just what our old home area looks like now. 

We haven't had much time to be tourists during our previous visits ... but we will this time. I think a stop at the Strong museum would be fun... our last visit was 50 or so years ago when it was VERY new. When Margaret Woodbury Strong's duplicate dolls, toys etc were auctioned off to provide funds for the museum it threw the collecting world in a tizzy.

Maybe the  George Eastman museum?   Highland Park with all its many lilacs ( there's been a lilac festival for 128 years)?... Memorial Art Gallery?

Back to my book... Stephen King's "Talisman". I finally finished it and feel a little guilty about all the time spent on it... just a little. 

My daughter and I went to our friend's 95 th birthday... fun time... the room at her retirement home was packed! Cake and ice cream and lots of visiting with outh attendees.

The day was great... but it has dropped temperature-wise to 45 F and windy. It will be cooler tomorrow and then jump back up to 90 F Wednesday... Crazy Missouri!

another gorgeous day

Today is gorgeous out...lots of sun and blue skies... and little wind. So it was nice to head out to the Greenwood craft show. We hadn't been to Greenwood for a year or more so it was interesting to see what changes had happened.  

Out trip took us south on 7 hwy and then west on 150 hwy.  Lots of new houses and a big Q Trip at 7 Hwy and 50 Hwy .

The places to park were pretty full but we managed to find one! A big outdoor popcorn stand was at the door to the show... Bob said "no' because we still have loads from the Boy Scouts. A taste at the winery booth convinced me a bottle would be nice. 

I found a cute Easter bunny display piece for a friend's birthday party tomorrow. She will be 95 ! Amazing!!

Bob found some yummy cookies and I found some plant sticks with cute sayings. 

Afterwards we went upstairs and looked at all the antique booths. 

Made a batch of creamy tortellini soup for dinner... recipe was slightly different from one I had used before. Biggest difference was 8 oz. of tomato puree. 

BTW... the house is at 80 F. I turned on my bedroom ceiling fan hoping to cool things down at bedtime. 

Today... not much different

The morning started with stop at Aldi's for things one can't find elsewhere such as eggs for $1.66/ dozen!

And I did find a few things for my Easter loving grandchildren ( 19 and 23)  ...did I say chocolate? Deviled eggs?

We decided to go to our church's ( St. John LaLande) fish fry this evening... fried fish, french fries, mac and cheese, green beans, cole slaw  and a table full of deserts. It was being held by the Knights of Columbus.  Each table had a flyer for the women's auxiliary for half a pig raffle. We didn't buy one.. no freezer to keep all that pork!!

More de-cluttering and reorganizing up in the attic.

The temperature hit over 80 F... maybe a record. Warmer tomorrow... 

Tomorrow ... Greenwood's craft show 

 

Things we did yesterday and today...

Yesterday we headed out to Target for two prescriptions that were waiting for me and then off to the neighborhood Walmart with a huge grocery shop list. I had waited till we really needed loads of groceries. We are still doing a "where is it now" as Walmart continues its remodeling!! Just about everything is somewhere new!

Bob brought everything in from the car trunk and I put things away!! Good thing we went early. Our neighborhood was full of "ditch witches" digging holes  just inside the curbs for wi-fi stuff. One of the vehicles even spent time in our driveway. No way for us to leave!! Things were so  congested that the mail person didn't make it at all.

Today I finally went to the hairdresser... where she "trimmed" inches off!   Bob went with our daughter as a support person at the dentist... both things at the same time!!

The weather is on its upswing...currently in the 70's... tomorrow in the 80's and maybe 90's on Saturday... then typically Missouri the temps will drop somewhat. Tomorrow will be a great day for a big craft show in Greenwood. Afterwards we may hit Greenwood's antique shops!

I have been reading but when I started feeling a little guilty I decided to spend some time de-cluttering my work room. I have had some things for bear accessories way too long. Time to donate what I will never use. 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 Well.. according to ancestry.com I don't have a drop of Irish in me...but Bob's great-great grandfather came over from Ireland in the 1840's ! I did enjoy our visit to Ireland in 2014... we stayed in Dublin and Galway and visited the Aran Islands. We squeezed lots into our short one week stay.

 

 .....The pictures are from InnisMoor.... I still love the horse one. She followed us along the "road " we took to go to the oldest church on Innis. I fed her black berries growing alongside and when we went into what was left of the church she put her head through the window.  Second picture ... We had tea and cakes here!

Spent the rest of the afternoon reading a new Dana Stabenow  ( Kate Shugak) book... and being cold. The temp wasn't bad but the wind was.

My grocery list for tomorrow is lo-o-ng plus I need to pick up my prescription from Target so we will be heading out. 

 

 

 

  

Back into cold...

 I am looking out into our circle's backyards... a dusty of snow, loads of sun and cold temps ( 16 F). Nothing like what the weather people had predicted!!Except for the cold temps.

My daughters are still at home... working of course. One is modifying her non-profits website. The other is doing something online with the school ( kids didn't have school though they did have work to do on their tablets.

So far I am doing a puttering type of de-clutter, finishing a light pink bear and reading on my Kindle. 

Bob is puttering around on his computer and  found that the weather predictions mention an 80 F next week! Maybe it will be nice enough to spend our Easter get together out on the deck!! That means clearing off all the winter debris! We've been feeding the birds out there all winter... won't they be surprised?

 

John Knox Craft show

We went to John Knox's craft show today. Hadn't made it to many lately... but decided it would be fun. Bob went along. 

John Knox is a large retirement complex and the event center makes a great place for all sorts of shows. It is about 20 minutes away in Lee's Summit.

This time there was lots of different vendors and many of the ones that had been duplicates were gone.

 We came home with a large jar of salsa.The vendor has a commercial place and lots of Kansas and Missouri tests done.. and expensive ones too. He has four regular salsas with different heat levels and ones made from tomatillos. Got to try them all.. all except the really hot ones!

Found a vendor with stained glassed and fused glass items. Came home with two pieces for gifting.

Another vendor makes the most gorgeous cupcakes... almost too pretty to eat. Took a card and may have to order special ones for a birthday or something.

Tried samples of sweet non-yeast breads. The non-gluten were not for us- too dry and grainy, But the regular ones were great and we bought a loaf of banana pecan with a crunchy topping.

Spent time talking with a pair of basket makers... one of them is buying a scrapbooking and craft shop and will be offering different classes... In Blue Springs. We will have to go and check it out! 

Bob found his primary care doctor at a table offering honey products. He and his son have loads of hives and are getting more!

Two youngish vendors had lead pipe and plumbing parts lamps.. assembled or kits. Bob bought two..I see gifts in the future.

Last but not least was a table of nuts.. coated.. almonds, cashews , pecans .

LATER 

Both of us were a little tired and I didn't feel much like cooking. So a pizza was ordered and picked up. Love that the pizza places all seem to be having sales! 

 

Trip to the DMV

 We headed out to the DMV just before 10... hoping that this time would be pretty quiet. It wasn't... The room was pretty full  We signed in and waited for a text saying we were next. More people came in having signed in and were sitting in their cars.

Most people were not getting their driver's license renewed or replaced. Ten people in the queue in front of us.  My turn took a little over 5 minutes... eye test, sign recognition test, questions, picture, payment. We left the DMV a little over an hour later!!

Next month it will be Bob's turn.

My teacher daughter teaches the older kids on Thursday and Friday.  Many of them are fasting for Ramadan. She set up a spot in her classroom so that the kids could read or do art projects during lunch while the non-fasting kids eat. My daughter decided to fast with them today. She said everything went ok except not being able to have a caffeine drink ... The kids understood and were happy she tried!

 

 

My daughter's Kindergarten= First grade Code class will not be meeting next week...they don't have school because the teachers have  something . They said they didn't care... they wanted to come to Code! Nothing she could do but the kids did make her happy!!

Last night's weather was something else. Not much for the eastern part of KC south of the Mo. River... but hail the size of small baseballs to the west and north!!

We did have small pea sized hail which melted right away... the temp was 63 F .. and LOUD thunder and lightening!! Turned off the computers...  

Bob had a cardiologist appointment today... all went well! All set for 6 months.

The elephant is finished but today was too gray to take pictures... tomorrow...Though around 10 we are headed off to the DMV so I can renew my driver's license. I have the necessary "stuff" ..my special driver's license ( the one I had to get in order to fly), the Missouri reminder card and two pieces of mail with my address. Fingers crossed it won't be too busy!

Wow!

When we left on our errands Bob suggested I add  a jacket over my light sweater...It was way too much. The temps reached 80 F !! Here's hoping tomorrow will be as nice!!

We finished our errands. Our habit of combining errands will hold us in good stead as gasoline prices jump higher !!

One of the errands was to return a library book... "The Correspondent" . Bob really liked it and our daughter decided to borrow it too... putting it on hold. Well the list ahead of her was over 400 people.  Mid-Continent Library has many branches and will be buying more copies of the book... wonder how long our daughter will have to wait?

Our cul-de-sac has many little flags poked into the ground on our front lawns... plus lots of symbols spray painted in the road. They are adding Google Fiber... we already have AT&T and Xfinity. Can't see them dropping the cost with three now!

 

 

Spring??? Money??

The weather is on a sunny upswing for the moment ... much appreciated. I started noticing that my neighbor's magnolia tree has a few flowers... daffodils are sprouting... and grass is getting green All this is encouraging Bob to start getting rid of what leaves are left from last fall!!

As for money... going through Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle  paper's site Bob came across the NYS  unclaimed money site. He found two listings for his parents and filed a claim... and received a horrendous 6 page file he has to fill out. I won't tell you what but it asks for relatives four generations worth! Also death certificates for both parents...!

KCI .. the Kansas City Airport is investigating a purported bomb threat !! Partial evacuation.. FBI there..

I am working slowly on another thing for the April online show... this time it is an elephant. BTW .. the cat left for Ohio yesterday!  The little elephant is an unusual fabric... green fur with a blue backing. I'll have to make some tusks from polymer resin!

We have a round robin of errands tomorrow plus an estate sale! 

 

Interesting day... yesterday

Weather arrived... rumbling thunder and loads of rain off and on all morning  !! BUT by early  afternoon the sun came out and the temps rose to 70 F !

Then our teacher daughter called... with car problems. She took it to a local garage and they said it was a coil pack in #2. She and her husband picked one up at O'Reilly's and with Bob's overseeing things  ( in our driveway) they replaced it. Still a problem...so this morning my s-i-l and grandson came back having bought new spark plugs and  coil packs for all cylinders... The driveway became the place to work again....The one bought yesterday will be returned as defective.  Bob says new spark plugs were needed. 

No one has called so fingers crossed all is good!!

But it is much colder today... currently 44 F 

Received a text... it worked.  Hooray! 

Foggy

We were warned last night that things would be really foggy this morning ... and they were right!! But now... later on.. it is just hazy and 50 F.

We have been planning our Easter get together... it will be a different one... LOL...A thing we remember and  our kids remember  is white hot dogs at Bob's parents ( and their grandparents)... A summer staple at the cottage ( Seneca Lake; Finger Lakes, NY).

Bob's father was a district sales person for Tobins/ First Prize and the hot dogs were something they sold. Tobin's closed in 1975 at the plant in Rochester and  1981 at Albany.

So when we discovered on a trip back to Rochester that Zweigle's now makes white hots  ... we had them each trip. Now we will be having them on Easter! Plus other comfort foods as sides.

My grandchildren have never had them!! So it will be a first for them... May have to buy some regular red hots, just in case!!  Though their Mother assures me that they will love them.

 

 

WalMart remodeling

 The Walmart we go to is a neighbor hood one and they are remodeling... won't be done till the end of April.  Everything is somewhere new... what a challenge. I was there today with my list. The store clerks answered my "where" ! with a smile. I would guess they must have MANY such queries!

Many many more self-check out lanes... no cashiers today... lots of flowers. The non-grocery store items were way in the back... not sure where they will be now!!

Plus prices have risen with the moves!

While I worked my way round WalMart... Bob went to Ace  which is nearby for more bird food  ... and put out lots on the deck. When I looked out the kitchen window a squirrel was eagerly stuffing himself!

Finished the white cat and took a picture for the possible buyer 

 

Kindergarten testing

 Sorry Kathy.. I accidentally deleted your comment. Hickman Mills ( my daughter's school district) uses I-ready and two other child  tests to target gifted kids... including kindergarten. Testing is done upon teacher recommendation. Since some kids aren't tested until the fall, they don't start CODE till second semester... once in the program they are in it till high school.

 

TV/ Facebook weather people goofed?

 All kinds of nasty weather was predicted for Sunday night through Monday morning.... well nothing happened. The street was almost dry  and I don't think the temp was below freezing.... now they are saying tonight.

It's laundry day..... everything washed, dried, folded and put away.All set till the next time...

 

 

What to do today

 When I went downstairs this morning I found Bob already there ... thanks to a kerfluffle between the cats early early early! So my usual chores .. like emptying the dishwasher... were already done!

He went out for the Sunday paper .. on the driveway.. and we settled down to paper and bagels. Afterwards I spent some time working on the cat and putting away some things down in my "craft room". 

We have had some lovely days ... sunny and up to the 70's but today is gray and the weather people are predicting some really nasty stuff tonight and Monday. There was a dusting of sleet on the deck when I looked out. 
My daughter's school district warned the staff on Friday that it might be bad enough to close actual school and go online Monday ... so she was prepared. Though teaching kindergarten students online... even though very bright.. can be a problem.

Treated (?) ourselves to a Domino's pizza. Their current sale is so tempting and I didn't really feel like cooking. Did have a green salad on the side!

The cat only needs his back legs and to be stuffed.... feeling pretty happy with him,

 

 

 

 

DONE !!

 The 100 post cards are done.. addressed, stamped and copy written!

" Trump's tariffs hike prices. When families are struggling with healthcare, housing and child care, raising costs is the last thing we need! " 

When we stamped the cards we found we had missed some... the leftover stamps told us! So we went back through and found  we were still missing one... so back through again!  Success at last.

Rubber banded all 100 and we are now waiting for April 15th... the mailing date!! 

 Now I can get back to the white cat I'm working on... a special order!! 

Bob has ordered a new dishwasher.. from Home Depot. The one we want is out of stock until April but we can manage the leaking problem till then. If the problem get really worse we will not use it and do dishes by hand....

 

Still busy

Yesterday meant a trip to Aldi, post card writing and working on a new CAT! Bob made an Irish Soda bread... from a Christmas present mix. We wondered how it would taste but it was good especially with loads of butter or Aldi's chicken, cranberries and almond sandwich spread!! 

Today I came downstairs to the sounds of large equipment parked on the street behind... even a large crane....Didn't have any idea what the workers had in mind but soon found out as large tree tops and branches came down. Not all from the same property which was surprising  . Bob mentioned taking a walk to check things out but changed his mind when he saw all that they were doing.

More postcards with my morning cup of Irish Breakfast tea! 

We've been watching the "tree guys" from our kitchen windows. The crane has lifted huge parts over another tree to get to the grinder!  The arm of the crane reaches over 40 feet high!! Two big ones down... what's next? I hear the grinder still working away!

We  tried the RO  (?) spaghetti sauce for dinner. I had seen a competition where this one won... and when I saw it at Aldi's I decided to try it. When I looked at my receipt later on I found I had spent $7.44 on the jar! Shock... Well the sauce is good but not $7.44 good!  

 

 

 

Today is busier than expected

Bob took off this morning for the car's oil change appointment, a stop at the QT gas station and a hair cut which he really needed! He goes to an "old men" barbershop  which was evidently full today!  LOL

I stayed at home finish up the latest bear,  do his picture taking session and do postcard "stuff' - addressing and writing the message. My hands get tired and the postcards are supposed to be hand printed which makes it a little more time consuming.  We are almost halfway there.... Bob is looking into buying postcard stamps online.... deadline for this all is April 15th ... tax day...

We are up to 59 F  this afternoon... 

My teacher /daughter told us about a goose nest very close to her school. It was not noticed until eggs had been laid and the geese are not happy being visited by school children.  They can be very aggressive about eggs, babies etc. Our daughter is trying hard to keep her students away... and why!

 

Trip to Walmart

 I needed a few things so left Bob behind and headed to Walmart...three very different replies from asking for help. One barely acknowledged my asking where the Worchestershire sauce was... a second told me which aisle! But the best was the man I asked if he could get down a bag of Crafter's Choice from the top shelf... he had to jump!! But jump he did even though he was almost as old as I am!!

The regular checkout worker was delighted to have customer (me)... everyone else was going to the self-checkouts! 

MO DOT is adding a third lane on I70 both east and west of Blue Springs.... it seems like there is an accident almost daily.  Today cars were backed up for over an hour due to a bad accident... bet someone was speeding ( construction areas are 55) or not paying enough attention when entering the highway!

Finished the bear... served(?) Moocho leftovers for dinner... and then we settled down for some Antique Roadshow on PBS. 

Get together

 Bob and I are still fiddling around... me with bear making... him with computer stuff.

BUT.. yesterday's UPS delivered our batch of political postcards. They are to be addressed and a short message added. So we set up a place at one end of the dining room table and I have started! As I go past I do a couple. The sum total will be 100 ! They are to be stamped and mailed  as a batch in April.

We will be meeting our daughters for dinner at MooCho in Oak Grove tonight... The four of us haven't gotten together since Bob and I became ill. So looking forward to it!! 

Dinner was fun and we were all stuffed and took home "to go" boxes. 

While "All Creatures Great and Small" was on PBS/tv and managed to get my bear's head stuffed! I just need to add eyes, a nose and ears... and assemble him and he will be " fini " !

 

AS MS. MOON SAID ...25 th amendment.... time for the 25th amendment?

 

 

Little of this little of that

Spent the morning yesterday working on a bear and his outfit. Bob was fiddling on his computer...

I had an appointment with my podiatrist but then the office called... It was not busy and could I come earlier. Fine by me.. and the visit went well.

Bob spent the time while I was seeing the doctor on his cell phone with his younger brother in Rochester ... Jamie was trying to call his pizza place and ended up on the cell phone with Bob.. No one can figure out how that happened.

After the podiatrist we stopped at Lowe's to look at dishwashers. Our is more that 10 years old and has started overfilling and so water leaks from under the . We put a bowl under the door for now till we can decide what brand etc. We poked and prodded on all the dishwashers on display...all prices and all different insides!  Still not  sure which ! Met another looker... turns out he installs dishwashers for $90 ( Lowe's and Home Depot are around $150 ) ... so maybe we give him the job if Bob decides not to install it himself. He's installed lots of them...including our daughters!

Today was more bear making and going to Target for the cat's prescription. 

 

Settling down

My b--i-l is out of the hospital  and back home. BUT he  was stuck with the problem of what to do about his car which had ended up in a snowbank.... 

Well... the wonderful thing is... my elder daughter here in KC fixed everything. She found where the car had been towed to (impound lot)... paid for the storage etc fees. Got a tow truck operator to take the car to Jamie's house . The tow operator did not like the smell of Jamie's car but after much grumpyess by my b-i-l managed to get him to go out to the car in the driveway and agree to the gas smell.   The tow operator will come back and tow it to a garage.... and my daughter will take care of the bill.

Long range success!! 

 

Different kind of weekend

Valentines Day started off pretty much as usual... but our daily text ( and some  earlier ones in the week) were some what weird from my b-i-l in Rochester, NY. Obviously far from Missouri. The feeling about the texts  was felt by our daughters who are part of the daily text routine.

Bob tried to reach Jamie by phone and the weird-ness was magnified...We finally reached a friend who claimed Jamie was fine but another phone call to Jamie didn't make much sense.

Yesterday was received at phone call from the ER at Strong Hosp in Rochester. Jamie had run into a snow bank and the ambulance  thought he was confused and sent him to the ER. The ER physician assistant called Bob and he gave him as much info as we had. The PA decided to keep him overnight. This morning Jamie is still in the ER and we know nothing more...

Bob is 84 and Jamie is 72... not married, no children and few friends. This makes things difficult....

 

Later he was released and of course due to HIPA we got no info from the hosp.... and when Bob called his brother .. no reply. 

no coat

 We went to our neighborhood WalMart with a shopping list but no coats. The temperature is in the high 60's !!  This Walmart is in the process of updating... and it seems like almost everything is somewhere else. Had to ask people stocking and unloading where things were.... must have been used to it because they took me to where things were with smiles on their faces and a laugh at my confusion!!  They new layout has more self-serve checkouts and more regular checkouts!

So far Friday the 13th is fine!!

 Working on my bear and trying to ignore my thumb.... leftovers from Olive Garden for dinner plus some of the red cabbage I made the other day...and a green salad.

  

Thumb still inconvenient... plus 60 years

 Yes.. .the thumb still gets in the way and hurts when I try to do bear making things... though I did manage to cut out a cat!  And take pictures for my selling page!

We are celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary today ... going out to Olive Garden - thanks to a tempting email they sent!! 60 years sounds like forever... I started thinking about the actual ceremony... St. Anthony's Church in Nanuet, NY......Seems like everybody is gone.. parents, relatives,and so on. Only Bob and I and his younger brothers ...one of whom acted as an alter boy... are left...

Dinner was fun...we talked and  remembered different things about the wedding!  

When Carolyn called on her way home ( it was a late day due to parent-teacher conferences) she told us that all the lunch ladies at her school heard her mention our 60th anniversary and were amazed and sent us warmest of good wishes!!

 

 

 

 

 

forgot to post

 Somehow I sliced the top of my right thumb from the nail down about 1/3 of an inch. Aggravating and uncomfortable so no bear making for awhile...Luckily I have a few new books on my Kindle!

Bob is quietly reading a book he picked up from the library yesterday.

Today is the anniversary of our son's death... didn't sleep well last night ...

Since I can't push pins or sew I have been decluttering a bit ( and reading)...Spent time organizing my mohair closet and getting rid of lots of wire hangers.  

Both the kitchen floor and the entry way/lobby needed cleaning... so Bob and I went at it. He even got down on the floor to clean under the stove. Things look much better... especially the lobby which gets all the dirty/ salty water from our snow shoes or boots! 

 

Off to Hallmark's card store

Leaving Bob behind..(I wanted an anniversary card  and a Valentine card.   Thursday is our 60th wedding anniversary!) I am heading to our Hallmark card store. It won't have the same cards as Price Chopper!

When I got home I managed to sneak the card bag into a hiding place. Then back to work on a bear.

Bob headed out to the library.. to return things he says... but it wouldn't surprise me if he was doing what I had done!! 

Both of us kept busy the rest of the day 

Alexa says 64F high today

 Yes, Alexa said 64 F today... but the computer says 57F high. I'll take Alexa's !! If she is right... that means a walk in Blue Springs' Rotary Park!

We didn't make it to Rotary Park but tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer so maybe??

I managed to cut out three more bears... my mohair stash is getting smaller.. I've even started working on two of them.

This morning I took out a frozen container of " who knows what". It looked like cooked hamburger with some onions and garlic.but when it came time to turn it into something for dinner I found it was cooked Italian sausage. The end result was fine ( especially with a green salad) and the freezer has one less leftover something in it!

Also a little more decluttering... 

 

 

Not as warm today

 Here it is... 39 F at lunch time. Miss yesterday's 55 F !!

Trying a new recipe... creamy parsnip soup. I don't  have quite enough parsnips so I am going to shred two carrots and add them!!....It was good if a little bland. Next time more parsnips.

More bear work plus some decluttering.

My poor b-i-l who lives in Rochester, NY is having to cope with wind chill temps of -20 F. Bob says Rochester is headed for warmer temps!

 

WARMER !!!!

 At 10.40 am Friday the temp is already at 47 F.... Alexa says it will get higher!!...... and it did! Way over 50 F.

I finished my new smaller bear ... but haven't decided whether or not to accessorize him/her.. Later in the day I cut out 4 more bears.. Guess I am back to minimizing my fabric stash!

Dinner... crab cakes, baked potatoes with sour cream and/or butter and a lovely green salad! 

What a day.

 We went off this morning to CVS/Target to drop off my prescription... and decided to wait for it to be filled and to walk around Target to get some steps in!! Successful... plus found some Irish breakfast tea!!

I saw an add from UMB (bank) on FB for their Money market accounts... more interest than other banks.. so we went to the branch on 7 Hwy to open an account and deposit some of the  RMDs we had received. The bank was empty so we plus the bank person spent quite a bit if time just talking...

but when we got home I tried over and over to get into my Chase credit card account so I could check my statement.... disaster time.. the phone number on the account was our landline which does not receive texts for the Chase security code... hopefully after two help phone calls things have been changed ...was I frustrated ( and so was Bob)!  Maybe a glass of wine at dinner??

Some time was spent on my newest bear project...needs ears and to have arms, legs and head attached to the body. Once stuffed and he will be done! 

 

Tired of cooking....

Actually I don't really mind cooking especially when it has been so cold... that encourages me to try some new things. But today I actually am a little tired of cooking!

We are going to Olive Garden... soup or salad and bread sticks beckon . And there's always enough for a second go tomorrow!!

Went to my cardiologist this morning.... he forgot to sign a paper prescription and the pharmacy would not fill it.! It is signed now and I will drop it off tomorrow...btw he apologized  and I had a nice chat with his nurse practitioner!

 

Gas insert fireplace

 Last night Bob turned on our gas insert fireplace!! That made sitting and watching TV much more enjoyable!! We also ate dinner ( much to Bob's dismay since he prefers eating at the dining room table) there too!

So far the temp today is 32... not sure how much warmer it will get. But working on the newest little bear is nicer when it's warmer.

A text arrived earlier suggesting Feb 18 for the next quilting/craft group meeting... here. Everyone must be better...

On Sunday the doorbell rang... a young man running for the Jackson County legislature was ..."door knocking" . We invited him in and we all talked. According to Facebook he knocked on 74 doors that day! Great way to learn about  a candidate running for office. 

Vivien Howard of "Chef's Life" and "Kitchen Curious" talked about combining beans with rice  to make a perfect food... so I took out some chili that I had earlier, cooked rice and combined the two for dinner.... and some different spices.  Of course it will also have shredded cheese and sour cream... we'll see how the result goes.... not the best ...

The bear is all sewn together . I will probably stuff parts of it during TV time 

warmer... then colder

Today was warmer and we headed out on our errands...Target and it's CVS for catfood and pills then the second CVS for Bob's pills and the neighborhood Walmart next door to fill the holes in our fridge. Found lots of things with WalMart's yellow price reduction stickers...was that due to it being Monday?

Then home to put things away and to settle down with pieces of another bear.. smaller one this time. But... my grand daughter called! She is experimenting with bread and cinnamon rolls.... and trying to find a home for her M-I-L's last cat. She and her husband found homes for two but this one hasn't. The m-i-l is ill and has moved where she cannot have cats/pets. My grand daughter and her husband may have to release  the cat to a shelter ... they already have three cats .... currently the cat is in its own room so there won't be a problem with the other three.

Always something.. another batch of leftovers gone.. 

Heading towards warmer??

According to the local weather people we will be heading for a week of 40's! Hooray!

Spent yesterday working on a large bear!! He/she was almost finished last night when I was headed for bed  so I finished the bear  this morning!! I haven't made one this big in quite a while....a little over 14 inches tall standing....Turns out it is girl bear with a bow and flowers on the ribbon.

grilled cheese and tomato soup 

 

Box for the mailman

Hip hip hooray... a buyer wanted a bargain for all the rest of the fabric from my retiring bear maker friend. We came to an agreement and I packed it all up this morning. After she paid her Pay Pal invoice I deleted all the listings from Etsy...

Now I can give my friend some  more money and don't have to worry about it anymore! 

Now it time to work on a regular mohair bear.... and to try a new recipe for pork chops . I think I will have rice and apple sauce for sides...

We have been eating in our recliners in front of the tv ... the dining room is just too cold!! I thought we would be able to go back but the weather reports a much colder weekend ahead ..

The recipe turned out OK but not great. The pork chops were still not tender but the sauce was good.. Longer time next time and some more seasoning? Bob decided we were going to eat in the dining room... he did not want to manage his pork chop on his lap!! 

Travelling out

 Today we have things "to do" ... so we made a list. Bob needs printer paper  (Office Depot) and I want a look-see trip at Hobby Lobby. They are next to each other. So each can do what he or she wants.

Then it's off to the grocery store. The weekly sale flyer was in the mailbox yesterday  so I have an idea what sales stuff  we want/need in mind.

If these  mean enough steps we will head home...if not, we'll think of somewhere else!! 

Bob got waylaid ... replacing the oven's heating element... actually a reasonably easy job except for putting the oven door back onto its two hinges.  Bob purchased it online for $60.00 and the thought of what it would cost for someone else to replace it makes me shudder.

He turned on the electricity back on... set the oven for 300 degrees ... and we waited to see. Everything OK! 

Then we did our running around... both of us found what we needed at Office Depot and Hobby Lobby... and at the grocery store too! 

We treated ourselves to a Dominos Pizza... which means I didn't have to cook though I did make a green salad. 

Drum Major... it took both of us but we did succeed. One because it was heavy and two to keep the door balanced over the hinges!! 

Couldn't stop

 Just couldn't resist working on my needle felted bear!! And I finished him!

For some reason the house was colder today  even though the temps outside were higher. Bob was going to work on the pile of snow left by the snowplow but ended up in front of the tv playing XBox...

so all in all... it was a lazy day. Even dinner ( leftovers) didn't take much trouble!! 

Another day

 Today is a little warmer... we appreciate sny extra degrees we get!  Bob shoveled a lot of the driveway's pile left by the snowplow! And so off to the grocery store and Ave Hardware we went.  I shopped for fresh veggies, trash bags and tissues (for our runny noses).  Bob picked up another 20 lb bag of birdseed at Ace.

Still couldn't resist needle felting. I am working on a jointed bear... hopefully without much needle poking!

My grand daughter called on her way home from work at the DMV. Guess it was slow..people are staying home. So she is going to work on her taxes... good thing to do if you don't have to work!!

My teacher/daughter's online class went well... but she is ready to go back to the physical classroom.

Dinner was a nice green salad, carrots and leftovers.Tomorrow is another leftover night... and then we start all over again... LOL. At least that will be a new recipe I am going to try.

The new heating coil/ element with arrive tomorrow. Bob will replace it and I'll have a useful oven again!! 

 

 

no more snow....

We are still COLD... currently my computer says 6 degrees! It is lovely and sunny !

Our tortellini, spinach and Italian sausage soup last night was great... big bowls in front of PBS's  Sunday night programs!!  Much more enjoyable than any news programs!!

It seems like almost all the local school districts are either closed or set to AMI ( alternative methods of instruction). 

My daughter/teacher has kindergarten - first grade  gifted students on Mondays and has already figured out how to switch her planned program to online! She started out with emails to the parents preparing them!!

No needle felting for awhile... my hands are really "holey" and sore. But it was fun and they will be back to normal shortly.  Just heard Bob leaving the house with my Missouri yearly sales tax report!! In the mailbox it went!!

As I read about what is going on in Minnesota I wonder where the next "hot spot" will be.  Newspapers and news shows talk about an ICE  detention center in the southern part of Kansas City. So far, the city of Kansas City has added a prevention "rule" but I am not sure it is sturdy enough to keep ICE out.  Scary... lots of diversity and poverty in the area being considered. 

My daughter will be teaching online tomorrow again... too cold for school. 

Did some more needle felting...super sore left index finger. Poked with a needle too many times!

 

 

 

 

 

Overnight

We woke up this morning to more snow. I guess we have about 4 to 5 inches. Bob decided he needed to blow the snow off the deck...to make it easier to put out more birdseed. But... not as easy as he thought it would be... not plain snow but with a crust on top which he had to break before he could blow.

The birds were delighted when he was done and more seed was dispersed.

My little felted mouse  (yesterday) has gotten me going again!! Now if I could just manage not to poke my fingers! The needles are sharp!!

  

 

Hunkering down...

 When I woke up at 4 am for a bathroom trip we had maybe an inch of snow. When I gt up at 7.30 it was to the sound of my neighbor using his leaf blower on the little more than an inch of snow!

Yesterday's trip to the cardiologist went well... I really like him and he was interested in my 3 weeks of "illness". We're both glad I'm well... though he did find a small area that was still not over the pneumonia. Was told to get more steps in to "move things along".

Decided I really needed to do something... in this case I put myself into needle felting a mouse while sitting in front of the TV and a "Hunger Games" marathon! Finished him before the marathon was finished ( Bob switched the TV over to PBS' Create).  I haven't done much needle felting in awhile and managed to poke myself LOADS of times. But it was good practice for the Felted Fungi Week coming up.

Dinner put  dent in the leftovers... I think we are both looking forward to tomorrow's meal!

The final snow total isn't deep... maybe 3 -4 inches..  A late night text from our daughter said that picking up our grandson from work (10 -ish) made for a much more interesting trip than dropping him off at 3 pm.

  

 

Starting this afternoon??

 Aside from the cold...so far nothing has happened winter storm-wise. Yay!! But no guarantees!

Bob took Jack... the older gray striped cat to the vet for his three month check up. He is not as far up test-wise as the vet would like but he has gained a bit of weight. BTW he's almost 20.. Jack was fine in his carrier but when he realized where he was he freaked out!! Yowling etc.

My 6 month cardiology check up is this afternoon ...will we get home before the snow starts?

Most of the local school districts are open... but are beginning to worry about Monday .

If  anyone is bored... I came across this...  https://feltedfungiweek.com/   It's free  so I signed up...

 

Felted Fungi Week workshops are hosted all week from Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th February. With replays available here in the hub through 12th February. 

There some great projects!!

Dinner was supposed to be scalloped potatoes... but the heating coil in the oven burned out about 10 minuted into it!! I managed to salvage them so dinner wasn't wasted... but Bob will not be able to replace the coil until the winter storm is passed and he can get a new one!  RATS ! 

 

 

 

Weather alert posted in my emails

 FORGOT TO POST LAST NIGHT 

well.. who knows what we  in the east of Kansas City will get.

My teacher/daughter is thinking that Friday will be an online school day. Luckily she has fifth graders on Fridays and her gifted class can easily switch to online.

I am planning a grocery run early this afternoon... Bob has to take one of the cats for his checkup tomorrow morning. I have my own cardiologist check up Friday afternoon... car has plenty of  gas...

after all that we should be able to hunker down ... of course Bob has taxes to keep him busy!

Surprise... we received a text from our older daughter ( at work)... she was afraid she hadn't locked  the back door. The door to the deck and backyard and Harper ( the black and brown hound) would find her way out and might not be able to get back in...

so shoes, socks and coats on we drove  to Oak grove ( doggie biscuits in pockets as a treat) ... found everything was ok. Gave the dogs their treats... made sure everything was closed and locked  and headed off, grocery list in hand to Price Chopper. We joined a large number of older shoppers! Now we really can hunker down this weekend ( after the cardiologist check up) !

 

 

Getting busier

 well... getting better means getting busier and going for steps at the antique mall. Remember when seniors could be found at the mall doing laps??

We are having shrimp for dinner so I spent time de-shelling a bag full. I buy them frozen... thaw in the fridge and then do what's necessary. Only my hands end up "frozen"... but all in all , it's worth it. And dinner  later was delicious!

After that I dragged the box of "Sculpey" supplies up to a table and made a few items for my little mohair mouse.  I also decided that he needed some whiskers.  BTW I also made two red Sculpey hearts which Bob noticed and was about to eat!! They did look like chocolates! 

One of the warmer days

 Today was on of the warmer days. It actually reached 40 degrees... and since we really need steps we went off to the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall....We finished the rest of the rows.

When we left Bob suggested we head home in the opposite direction! So our loop home was much longer than usual and we went through Grain Valley! We hadn't been in this direction in  awhile so saw what and if there were changes!

Dinner was left overs... we do need to empty out the fridge! 

COLD COLD COLD... still

 Yesterday was reasonable but when I turned on my computer this morning it told me that it was 13 degrees outside. Way too cold!  Luckily today is MLK Jr. day... a holiday so no one ( the workers) has to leave his or hers nice warm home!!

Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer again... and warmer for a day or too.

Bob is working on my Missouri sales for 2025... I found him up before 7 am at work on them. Much to the cats' unhappiness. He hadn't fed them breakfast!

I read on the local Blue Springs Facebook page that a local pair of eagles is back. No eggs last year but there are hopes for this year. 

I did try a roasted brussel sprouts recipe I'd watched on Create. Bob had bought me the test kitchen cookbook for Christmas but I ( nor he) could find it . My version turned out ok but an actual recipe is better... at least for the first try.

If it's warm enough  another trip to the Brass Armadillo for  "steps" might be in order

 

 

Warmer today after a quiet day ( except for laundry)

After a quiet day( except for laundry) we decided another trip out would be a good idea. So we headed of to the Bates City Emporium. Bates City is about 15 miles East just off I-70. The Emporium is a  small but kind of fun antique mall.

We passed the Brass Armadillo  where we has gone the other day...Their weekend  sale meant a super full parking lot! Glad we went earlier!

The Bates City Emporium was also having a sale.. s few people but not too many. We enjoyed out traipse ... no purchase though we both laughed at a sign which said... 3 stages of life: want things, accumulate things and get rid of things. We actually are at the last!!

Missouri's MODOT is doing a big road work project - widening  I-70 to three lanes in both directions from Blue Springs to Bates City. There are all sorts of road things and very few exit signs. Bob actually missed our exit! We had to go to the next!! 

....It will be interesting to see what tomorrow ( Martin Luther King Jr.)  day brings .. though they are talking about -7 early in the morning...

 

 

cold cold and a bit of snow on the ground

 So we decided not to do much of anything but a load or two of laundry

Made the trip out

 We headed out to the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall this morning. It was fairly empty when we arrived but when we went home the parking lot was full and plenty of people.

Then it was off to CVS  ... yes, Bob was going to go yesterday but didn't. Nice chit chat with pharmacy workers about the increases in drug costs this January.

Then off to our "Neighborhood Wal-Mart" ... wanted to make sure we had everything "just in case:... We are due for snow squalls etc. this weekend.

Then home to put everything away! Chili for dinner...

Off to CVS at Target

Jack ( the gray striped cat) and I have prescriptions waiting at CVS ( Target) so a trip is in the future...

The temperature really dropped again.. when I first turned on my phone it read 21 degrees. The computer now says 31... much better. Though the weather person says Sunday morning will start at 6 degrees... Yuck

The Brass Armadillo ( the KC branch... there are quite a few) Antique  Mall is having a sale this weekend. Not that we need anything but a "walk-a-round" would be good for both of us. And if we are still "up to it" going to the much smaller Bates City antique mall would be good for us. So maybe you'll find us at one or the other tomorrow!

 

 

Vivien Howard... "Kitchen Curious"

Much to our delight Bob and I discovered a new Vivien Howard program ... Kitchen Curious on PBS' Create!! We've now seen #1 and 2... hope we can catch the next ... We had so enjoyed her earlier programs!

Spent the day picking things up and reading...I am going to have to figure out what to do with myself. No online bear shows until April and I really am not interested in making more.... at least not right now. 

 

Did the grocery shopping

Armed with my grocery list Bob dropped me off at the grocery store doors... He went and parked, then joined me. I know he just wanted to make sure I was ok. 

Anyway... the list was done... things put away! I am pretty much back to being the chef!!

Now I just need to "clean".... We've kept things tidy but not everything in is place etc.

Today reached almost 60 degrees... but tomorrow will be much colder.... 

 

 

January

 By the end of January Bob and I have to get Missouri's tax stuff finished and mailed off. Not much fun!

 I have decided which online bear shows I want to do....retirement(?) means less shows...hooray. But it also means deciding what to do instead of bear making and I really haven't come to a decision.

In the mean time Bob and I have packed up the Christmas decorations and managed to get the storage boxes stacked in the attic storage area. Bob is going to have to add a few light strands to the tree... or we will have to replace it. 

Tomorrow I am going to make my first foray out to the grocery store since before Christmas. Bob has kept things full... like milk etc.  but it is time for me to get back into the routine. I've written my list and Bob will go along with me.

 

 

 

Joanne Noragon...Cup on the bus blog

 I haven't seen any postings from Joanne ( Cup on the Bus) since August 1st... has anyone heard anything???

It is a wonderful sunny day ... still coolish 35 degrees... but so much nicer than gray rainy ones. Still getting Christmas stuff boxed up and put away... but since we were sick the whole time I  really miss the decorations!!

 

 

 

baby steps

 We are both enjoying baby steps toward getting better. Actually cooking dinner last night was another of those steps. 

Tonight dinner will be SOS ( Sh** on a shingle)... salad and so on. Neither of us had had SOS before we were eating in the dining hall at Syracuse University! But it's become a comfort food ... even my daughter and her kids love it!!

This morning Bob went to work taking down the Christmas lights both out front and on the deck. Each length is rolled into a loop and bagged.. all set for next Christmas.

I have all the table runners, cushions, Santa hats, gift bags  etc. put into a storage box for next year... hope I remember which items are in it!!

House is looking a little empty ....

Finally... getting better.

 It has been a rough Christmas season.  Bob and I have been sick the whole time... pneumonia for me.. probably flu for Bob.

We finally are feeling almost normal. We both lost 10 lbs ... food just didn't seem necessary. Luckily that seems to be ending. Bob went to the grocery store and made the fridge full!  Tonight it is salmon fillets, baked potatoes, peas and tomatoes with mayo... hmm...