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...