WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Jeepers]

Hope your hubby's friend stays well. Also hope he didn't pick up any little nasties while he was in the hospital. I'll bet the dog has been on cloud nine at your house. 

 

I love free shipping too. From what I hear, postal rates have really gone up the past couple of years. Amazon has spoiled me. I didn't used to mind a couple of bucks for shipping but now the shipping is as much as the product and sometimes more. Amazon has spoiled me on free books too. Now I have to think real hard about paying for a book. Sigh.

 

Remember back in the day when they would say allow 6 to 8 weeks for shipping and so much $ for shipping and handling. This week I made two small orders to Amazon and both orders arrived on the same day that I ordered. With free shipping. I can't figure it out. I guess Santa's elves are picking up the slack and working over time this year. 

[Mt_Rider]

   I've joined Jeepers in the Not-Sleeping-Right party.       

 

This past few nights....on Thursday, thot I took the one half of Unisom but was up til 3 with nary a wink.  Finally took one-half and slept for 6 hrs.  [ I like 8 ]   On Fri I took one for sure and still woke after only about 6 hrs.  I might have had half-hour nap that day.  Last nite I was so tired.  Took one half pill and went to sleep by 1 AM.   Okay....  DH had to leave by 5AM for morning shift at restaurant and I woke up when he left.  I usually sleep right thru him getting up/ready/leaving.  Rolled over and ......    did NOT go back to sleep.  4 hours of sleep?  

 

Good for nuthin' ...as they say....all day.  Read Kindle mostly.  Watched Flight For Life land and take away someone in trouble at the intersection in front of us.  Ate oatmeal.  Ate turkey sandwich.  Then finally fell asleep from 3-5PM.  Well that helped.    Going to take a whole pill tonite...for next few nights.  See if I can get back on a functioning schedule.  Hope you can do the same, Night-Owl Friend Jeepers

 

--Drive safe, Annarchy. 

--Hope your dh's friend is well now, Miki.  Good thing his dog had a "hotel" to stay at..  

--Thanks Homesteader.  Gonna look up migardener.com ...  Have seeds from our experimental container/greenhouse last year.  [peas do not like hot house] but not sure what we'll try to use for the skin this time.  Can do more now I have seed starting table set up in basement again.

--Can sympathize with anyone dealing with/has dealt with dementia.....so difficult/so sad. 

 

MtRider  ....and I comin' or goin' ???

[Littlesister]

Have a safe trip Annarchy.  

 

Miki, glad your DH's friend is doing better and out of hospital. Praying he will stay well now.  Hospital is no place to be right now. 

 

Mt. Rider, I know what you mean about not sleeping.  I feel like I have a new born in house. DH wakes me up about 3 or 4 times during the night. I am lucky to get 3 to 4 hours sleep at night.  But the rule is, if you have to get up, you are to wake me. He can't get back into the bed on his own. Legs are really weak and the surgery on right leg didn't help any. Out of physical therapy now going on 3 weeks as with the grafts for his leg from the skin cancer removal made the right leg weak as well. So I feel like the progress we were making went down the tubes. He goes to doctor on the 4th. Hoping he can start therapy again after that visit.  Stitches come out then. 

 

Today I worked in garage to get things cleaned up.  Then came in and did my end of month book work, and payed bills. Fixed dinner which was easy as we had veg. soup that I had canned. Easy supper tonight.   Got all my change that I was going to keep and decided to put in bank on Tuesday. Have to wait till first as I have a check to cash that can't be cashed till the first and I have to make appt. to go into bank. Don't think they will take that much change at the drive through window. 

Was hoping to hear from our friend about the ramp. But he never showed up over weekend and tomorrow we are in for some bad weather, hard rain and high winds. I did get the small Christmas tree and the door wreath out of shed and then forgot to get the Christmas cards out. Want to get an early start on those.  I need to make a run down to the church as well to get my Sunday school book and to give the office some cards that I don't need. They are always needing cards.  Thank you, get well and sympathy cards. I don't know where all these cards came from but in my cleaning and going through things, I found boxes of them and I don't use that many.  So off to the church they go. 

[Jeepers]

I feel for you Mt. Rider. I know Miki has sleep issues from time to time to. Sometimes I feel like I'm 'lapping' myself. You know, when you are in a race and you think you are ahead of the next guy heading for the finish line, only to find out the next guy has already run one lap around the track and is on his last leg of the race. You cross the finish line thinking you won the race only to discover you still have one more lap to go. Sigh. That probably didn't make a bit of sense except in my head. I must be thinking about my son's old track and field days in high school. Sheesh, that was only 30+ years ago. 

 

Anyway, have you tried melatonin? I've read where it is supposedly helping with Covid. I don't know though. I can take it but it tends to give me nightmares. I'm already a vivid dreamer. Sometimes I dream in color and sometimes I can smell what I'm dreaming. Like if there is food or perfume in the dream. Maybe that's disturbing my sleep. Along with the vivid dreams. I have some cool dreams but would trade them to have normal sleep patterns...I think. I can't do the PM type OTC meds. They give me restless leg syndrome really bad. That's worse than not sleeping at all.

 

I talked to a cousin on the phone today. Her brother is in the hospital. He had knee surgery about a month or so ago and it never healed properly. It's all infected. He ended up in the ER. He was admitted and is now on IV antibiotocs. Crimony, that's the last place he needs to be. Probably where he picked up the infection in the first place. They are afraid it might get in his blood stream. What's that called? Septic or septis or septicemia or something or other. I'm not sure how old he is but has to be in his mid to upper 70's. He isn't married and his only daughter isn't allowed to visit him. That's probably a good thing right now though. She has a toddler. Prayers for him would be appreciated. 

 

Well, it's 7:30am and the grocery store just opened. Looks like I 'lapped' myself again so I'm headed for the shower and will grab some breakfast and grocery shop. I still have to pick up the containers I ordered from Wal-Mart so I'll do that too. I need to stop in the new Dollar Tree too. I only need a little note pad. I'm too cheap to buy one at Wal-Mart. I'll probably end up with a cart full. But it's only a dollar...

 

Hopefully I can stay awake all day and go to bed at a decent hour. And sleep. Might turn out to be a productive day after all.  

[TheCG]

On 11/29/2020 at 7:14 AM, Daylily said:

One of my grandmas had a bit of dementia and my parents eventually put her in a nursing home. She was happy there. She told everybody that visited her that Daddy owned it and she was in charge of the kitchen. All the staff went right along with her.  But Daddy made me promise to put him in a nursing home if he became unable to take care of himself. It didn't come to that because he died at 75 from sepsis after surgery for blocked bowel.

 

Hope your mom will be ok too!

Luckily, Mom's not showing signs of dementia.

 

Grandma...would tell you that she never did anything or went anywhere and spent all her time alone in her room.  Got kicked out of 2 different nursing homes because they couldn't handle her.  After she died, the nursing home staff at the one she'd been at for while started laughing when we told them that (the aunt and uncle who were local had checked into it while she was still alive) and pulled out the photo album showing that she was at everything all the time.  She was always a live wire.

[snapshotmiki]

I hate drama! And have had more of it in the last 2 months with our "company" than in my 30 years of marriage. It's exhausting and overwhelming. Not sure if we are near the end or not, but she sent him to jail and we went out and rescued his service dog before she sent him to the pound. She is leaving for parts unknown tomorrow. Don't know what's next but he is the same age as us and has to take care of himself. I know I'm just venting--well entertainment anyway.

 

Had to pick up a small order at Walmart this morning and hit the liquor store. No wait, that's not what I meant. LOL Was supposed to return the live trap and go to the bread store, but she texted saying she was going to call animal control --on a service dog. So I came home and we went on the rescue mission.

I am washing covers and sheets this afternoon. Guess we will see what happens when he gets out of jail.
I mean what the heck! We are in our 60's and have never acted like these folks! People!

We sure needed a 100# pit bull to take care of as a fourth dog.  Sigh

[Jeepers]

Miki   I hate it when others dump their drama on my doorstep too. It's all I can do to take care of my own. How does Oreo get along with the Pit? Dang, you just got rid of a cat house guest. Not saying you run a 'cat house'. 

 

They moved my cousin out of the local hospital he was in, up to Indianapolis late last night. He isn't happy. The infection has gone into his blood stream. They were supposed to do surgery to clean it out today but postponed it until tomorrow. I really don't like that hospital because it brings back bad memories. It seems like everyone I know who has been in there (including my mother) has died or died soon after they were released. Not that the hospital is bad, it isnt. They just get the tough cases I guess. 

[Mt_Rider]

Ack, Miki!  So this is a separate guy and dog and a "she"......not the guy and dog that just went to the hospital?  Girlfriend, you have too many friends with dogs!     But it's kind of you to rescue the dogs....as long as they behave and get along with your dogs!  Whew, "boring" seems real nice after a taste of DRAMA!

 

I did get a good nite's sleep ....took a whole Unisom.  Melatonin is too mild or...just not the right stuff for me.  Tried that a decade ago.  Sounds like Jeepers, Miki, LittleSister and I ... [and my mom] all neeeeed regular sleep.  My friend in MN also.  Her 105 yr old mother has an alarm on the mattress that wakes her to assist her mom to bathroom at night.  Some nights they sleep well.  Other nights....not so well.    

 

   Not a good time to be in hospitals.  Will pray for your cousin with the blood infection issue.  Nasty to go to docs for care and somewhere, something wasn't sanitary.   

 

LOL TheCG.  Sometimes the dementia moments can be humorous.  Gotta take it as it comes.  My dad's always "losing" my mom.  She says he can look right at her in the chair and not see her.  Continues his search.   

 

We got down to MINUS ONE DEGREE last nite.     But sunny and not bad today.  Not enough to melt the snow in the trees/upper driveway.  WAY too much melted from the roads.....which are now VERY dusty again.  Had to wear N95 the whole distance I walked.  I think it affects my stamina cuz had to reel the dog in from sniffing the ditch.  Needed to hang onto her body harness....stabilize with walking stick on other side to make it back to the car.  I think 5 vehicles went by while we walked three-tenths of mile both ways.  Sheeeesh! 

 

MtRider  ...need another good nite's sleep!

Edited December 1, 2020 by Mt_Rider

[Littlesister]

Seems everyone is having issues with friends and family members. Bad timing with all the stress everyone is already under with this corvid mess. But this to will pass.  We all need to take a step back and breath,  Turn it all over to the Lord and let him bear the burden for us.  This has really been a rough year.

 

DH stayed in den today and watched tv all day. Which is what he does all day anyway.  Our friend is going to start building the ramp tomorrow and Wed. Will take 2 days to get it done.  Because it is in garage he wasn't going to use treated wood. But when he went to price what he needed the treated was $7.00 cheaper for the panels he needed. So we are going with treated wood. 

 

Changed the bandages on DH's arm and leg.  The one on leg is still dripping. Everything soaked through every time I change it. It is just one small place on the area that is leaking it is nothing more than clear liquid with a tinge of yellow. Doc. said it was fine and will do that for a while. Seems the stitch broke when he rubbed it over the bed one night. 

That ramp is costing me more than I hoped it would be, but is a necessary evil. Thinking I will just leave it up after we don't need it any longer. Don't want to pay to have one put in again if we ever need it and he is fixing it so I just remove a couple of screws and can move back the part that goes down in front of washer and drier.  Won't need the foot stool anymore to reach down in bottom of washer as I can stand on the ramp and reach the clothes in the bottom of the washer. That washer is deep. 

Still have to finish cleaning out garage but have a really great start on it. Boxing up some things to go to the Good Will. Lots of stuff to hit the trash can as well. 

Then I need to get back on the house again. Seems all I do anymore is clean house, now the garage and take care of DH. I'm tired tonight. Heading off to bed as soon as DH takes his medicine.   DH is already in the bed watching TV. 

 

And we did not get that hard rain they were talking about. Did get the rain and the cold weather is coming in now. Though we did get some rain last night.

Went to Food Lion and the shelves were pretty much wiped out. They were not stocking anything but meat. TP was slip and limit of 2. I did go ahead and pick one up. First time in a while that I bought any. But want to keep my supply up.  Got paper towels and napkins also . Shelves for canned goods were slim as well. Spices were all but sold out. 

[Jeepers]

I finally had a productive day today. I went to the new Dollar Tree. The Ohio Dollar Tree stores are nothing like I've seen on Youtube. Ours are so small. The one good thing about the new one was it's very clean and we'll stocked with what they carry.

 

I probably over did it but I don't care. I'd tell you all I got but it's still out in the Jeep.  A few highlights were deep Styrofoam bowls for soup etc. The ones I normally use barely hold a can of soup. My soup bowls are in Indy. Got a little pin light thing on a carabiner to put on my key chain. I really need it at the Indy house because when I go in the front door it's very hard to see where to put the key in the lock at night. I got another little tape measure for my purse. I lost the other one. Also some little hand sanitizer bottles for the purse. Some camouflage bandaids and some vitamin D-3 gummies and vitamins C lozenges. I also got a little tube of itch cream and one of the triple antibiotic cream. I can't use it but someone will I'm sure.  They had little bottles of Lysol cleaner. I got four of them and little bottles of Dawn dish wash detergent. I got six of them. I'll share them with my DIL. Nice size to refill. G-son likes to help with dishes and if he gets over exuberant with the soap, not much will be wasted and mom can refill it. I added some gloves. The heavy ones like you use to wash dishes. I'm sure they will come in handy for dirty work like in the garage or yard. Got some more salt/pepper shakers. They are small but a good size for me since I don't use that much. Only a dollar for two. A pair of tongs I don't have any. And a real skinny rubber spatula to use to debubble a canning jar. And one of those little rubber brush things like you baste meat with. I saw a neat other use for them but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. Anyway, I have it in case I remember. I bought some of the Gossner milk. I got a whole and a 2% to see which I like better. Whole milk usually tears up my stomach so I mostly drink skim milk. I'll see if I can handle it then stock up. I think they had 1% too. But what really got me excited was the juice endcap. They had V-8 Splash. I love the mango flavor. I bought a case (12) of that stuff. And I mixed a case with different flavors to try. They were only $1.00 for the regular small size bottles. I was thrilled to get those. Especially that cheap. I got some paper lunch size bags. I saw somewhere on YouTube where a lady put some flour in the paper bag, folded it down and put a piece of tape across the flap just to hold it in place. You don't fold the ends in. Air still has to escape. Then she sealed it in a food saver bag. I'm going to try that. I know I got some more stuff but I can't remember what. It would have been a good haul video if I did those. Oh the note pads I went for. I got two of those. I have plenty of sticky notes but my lists are getting longer and longer. 

 

I came home and ate and rested. Then I went to Wal-Mart. I needed to pick up those food prep containers I ordered. I did some prep shopping there too. I got some snacks to seal in jars. Namely animal crackers, oyster crackers, ginger snaps for nausea and some Nilla Wafers. The Nilla Wafers store well. I had some sealed in a half gallon jars for about two years and they were as fresh as the day I put them in there. The ginger snaps are already hard so they should be fine too. Don't know about the animal crackers. Guess I'll find out. I'm thinking about those little honey graham bears and cheddar cheese fish, what ever they are called. Also got some Kraft mac and cheese. Not great but will add variety if things (food) get boring. Also some Au Gratin potatoes for the same reason. 

 

Wal-Mart had a lot of empty shelves. It looked like the last time the shelves emptied out. The coffee creamer case was nearly empty. There was only a couple of packages of off brand paper towels in the twin pack. The toilet paper was nearly gone. I got the last two packs of Northern. The cleaning aisle was nearly empty too. A stocker was putting Lysol wipes on the shelf. He only had about six boxes of six to the box. They were the big containers. I almost got two but I didn't. I got a dozen of the small containers and that will last me a long time. Plus I have some Lysol cleaner and spray. So I didn't hoard. Canned veggies was slim pickings and so were the dried beans and rice. They were nearly gone too. I forgot to check the flour but they did have sugar. The bottled juice shelves were nearly empty. I think the most shocking was the frozen food case. There were mostly just empty cartons in there. I did find two of my brand of Brussel sprouts. That was thrilling. There is still plenty of fresh fruit and veggies but the bins are not nearly as full as they used to be. I got some of those little oranges. I've been craving them but they look awfully small. Guess I'll find out about those too.

 

About the only things I haven't been able to find since March are the sandwich size pepperoni and vanilla coke. Some things have been hit or miss but those two things have been MIA for a long time.

 

When I came out of the store it was pouring down rain. And cold. I had gone in one end of the building but I had to go to the other end to get those food containers. I got turned around and went out the wrong set of doors. So I had to roam around the parking lot looking for the car in the pouring down rain with a cart full of boxes and food. I usually park in the same aisle or two so I can always find the car. I did that this time too but came out the wrong doors. Sigh. I looked like a drown rat by the time I got the car loaded up. 

 

As I was driving out of the parking lot I glanced down at the gas gauge. Crimony, the needle was almost on empty. How did that happen! I always fill it back up when it's around half way empty. I figured I'd wait until tomorrow to fill it back up. But I couldn't. It was warring on my nerves. Pulled in the gas station and it was $1.79 a gallon. I haven't seen it that low in years. Got in the car to go home and the radio said that rain we are having is going to turn into snow tonight. 8-10 inches of the wet heavy stuff. Supposed to get some lake effect snow too. We are in a weather advisory until Wednesday night. I didn't even know it. I guess that's why my snow plow guy called me today to see I still want to use him. Glad I said yes. 

 

Sorry this is so long but I had a busy day. Well, it's 4:00am and I'm still up. So much for going to bed early. 

[snapshotmiki]

20 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Miki   I hate it when others dump their drama on my doorstep too. It's all I can do to take care of my own. How does Oreo get along with the Pit? Dang, you just got rid of a cat house guest. Not saying you run a 'cat house'. 

 

Oreo gets along great with Smith!  Now.  They are best friends.

And speaking of cats, (she is taking the one we re-homed with them), when I walked outside this morning, the original calico mama manx was sitting there.  I just said no, turned around and walked back in the house.  I can't start again!

 

17 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

So this is a separate guy and dog and a "she"......not the guy and dog that just went to the hospital? 

Same guy, dog and woman.  She left today (I hope), dog is with us and haven't heard from the fellow that was in hospital then jail.  Too much!

 

I got 9 and a half hours sleep last night! Woohoo!
Already did laundry.
Made s/f jello and pudding.
Made a turkey pot pie with all leftovers.
What I haven't done is walk or exercise.
I need to cut collard greens before our second hard freeze tonight.
Paid bills.
Dropped off turnip greens to a friend.  She gave me two poinsettias!
Need to call Ninja about my air fryer/ toaster. It doesn't toast well anymore.

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by snapshotmiki

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Any one else having trouble finding fresh carrots?   (Do we have a thread somewhere about shortages in our areas?)

 

We're getting hit with our first real snow this year, so I am hoping the carrot-run was just people making soup due to cold, snowy weather and turkey soup (leftovers from Thanksgiving).

[Littlesister]

We didn't get the rain like they said we would, but we did get the cold weather. Wind still blowing. But that is what is making it feel colder than it really is. Wind will go right through you.

Miki, Glad to hear the two pups are getting along well.  And 9 hours of sleep, that is great. I know you felt better. 

 

Our friend started the handicap ramp. It should be finished tomorrow.

 

OOTO, The other day when I was in Food Lion they had a lot of fresh carrots. All the produce was good.  The paper products and can goods were slim pickings. I didn't check the sugar and flour as I have plenty o both right now. I didn't buy much on this last trip. Just eggs, milk and bread. I did pick up an extra pack of TP and Paper towels just to keep my stock up. We haven't bought any TP since the pandemic started. Just paper towels, kleenex, and napkins. I am hoping I am now good on all paper products for the winter now. Going to start having the things I can't stock up on delivered to house soon. This cold air this time around is really causing my neck and hands to hurt. Neck is getting stiff. 

 

Got into the office today, trying to go through things. I need to just shut my eyes and pitch things in trash.  I have so much stuff and though it is in notebooks, one is old study lessons that I either took on line or in Church. So all Biblical stuff but just trying to decide should I keep it or pitch it. Then I have my DIY notebook. on candle making, making soap, making laundry detergent, how to make olive oil lamps. And so much more that would help us out in a SHTF situation or if we can't get things at stores, I have instructions on how to make it. But still there are like 8 notebooks of different things. Recipes in one and canning recipes in another. Just not sure if I would ever use all this stuff. Do I pitch it or keep it.  

[Homesteader]

The last 3 weeks Aldi hasn't had 2# carrot pkgs for .99. I remember earlier in the pandemic the Ag dept was talking abt all the fields being plowed under due to lack of pickers and disrupted transportation. Maybe carrots is one of the victims? I did notice that the romaine lettuce is much smaller at Aldi. I remember articles talking abt lost produce crops due to covid. The replanting would require early picking so that there was always fresh produce even though sizes would be much smaller. We may be seeing that delay now.

[Jeepers]

Did you know Amazon has adult Rolling Stones coloring books? I didn't either until now. Some are even color by number. Guess what form of entertainment 'someone' is going to have during TEOTWAWKI with her wind up light source when the power goes out. 

 

I was looking for adult Amish coloring books. Quilt patterns would be pretty too. But I got distracted. A.D.D. works for me. 

[snapshotmiki]

Sigh. Haven't heard from the fellow in jail.
DH's dad fell and broke both side of his ankle this morning at 86 years old and tested positive for covid at the hospital in FL.
My chest freezer is still missing and customer service and the actual fed ex facility can't even agree on where it may be.
Still no walk.
Went to town for decaf tea for DH and hit thrift stores (and fed ex).
Home now and just exhausted.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Miki,

[Jeepers]

Oh Dear Miki. How awful, and exhausting.  

[Mt_Rider]

Yiikes Miki.  Hope your FIL gets good care for COVID and ankle injury.  Is he usually healthy..hope so. Glad your guest dog gets along....looks like you might have him for a while.  AND the chest freezer missing.  You haven't had the best luck with appliances lately.  Hope the new stove is working well for you.  Ever get the small appliance...forgot which....the new one didn't work?  Whew,  

 

JEEPERS...I'm seeing OH in the news.  Are you buried in snow?  Good thing you said yes to snowplow guy, indeed!  Lake affect huh?  We experienced that off Lk Superior....but the build up of clear ice on the shoreline ....that iridescent blue color was amazing!  Do you get that?  Stay safe and I hope your power lines hold.

 

We've had snow off and on ....hasn't been much but hasn't been warm.  That's for sure.   

 

MtRider   ....debating WEATHER or not to go out and walk.  I repeat:   

[Littlesister]

Miki, You have had a rough time of it lately.   for FIL to get better and not have anything more than a mild case of the corona virus. He didn't need that at his age. Nor did he need to take that fall. He will have a hard time of it with the ankle for awhile.  Miki, I think you need lots of them right now. We are all here for you as you go through these trying times.  And hope you do get another good 9 hours sleep in again through all of this. You need it. 

 

Going to be down in 30's here tonight.  Our friend should be finished with the ramp tomorrow. He was going to have it finished today, but he had an emergency doctor visit this morning. His B/p was 180/110 and they would not fill his prescription till he came in. He had been out of it for a month and could not get them on the phone. So he walked in.  He and doc had words as doc still was not going to fill the RX for B/p. He did end up agreeing to filling it and wants lab work again that he just had. So the RX is only good for 4 months. That gives him time to find  a new doctor. I gave him the name of our doctor and told him to call. though our doctor did shut down his office as they are doing remodeling. Building in bad shape. So would have to see him at Maryview hosp. for his first appt. at least.  We had a telephone conf. with him today as doc. didn't want DH going to Maryview hosp. Nurse is going to send us the lab slip to have done between now and March before next appt. 

Can't seem to hit the right buttons tonight. Getting tired now. 

That ramp comes down in front of washer and drier. I am washing clothes now and it will be a challenge standing at a slope to do laundry. But it is a necessary evil and no other way to do the ramp in garage. My washer and dryer sit just inside the big door. And that is where the ramp ends.    Hopefully we won't need it by end of next year if Dh will do his therapy both at the therapist and at home. I have to push him at home to do the exersizes. He does have shortness of breath if he does to much but he needs to get that heart muscle stronger also. Just going to take it a day at a time as soon as the plastic surgeon releases him to start back on the therapy again. 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Littlesister
Hit wrong thing

[Jeepers]

We sure did get snow! About a foot of it. Supposed to get a total of 15 inches by the morning. It's the heavy wet kind from the lake effect mess. Mailboxes are down or tilted all over town. Mine is tilted but not down yet. I tried to move it back to the upright position but it seems to be frozen in place. Every year it's the same thing. If the snow plow guys would just slow down a little. The weight of the snow being forced on them is what takes them down. I've seen it happening many times when I've been behind the big snow plows. I will say my town does a great job of clearing off the streets. They even brine them before the snow starts. If they would just slow it down in the residential areas. 

 

I had to go out for a post office run. I stopped by Arby's for turkey, bacon, ranch sandwich. Nice change from beef. Their driveway sort of slopes down to the street. It was all ice. The Jeep started sliding toward the street and I couldn't stop it. So I aimed it into the snow bank that their snow plow guy had made. I needed to stop before I slid into a busy street and caused a wreck. And of course I got stuck. I was rocking the Jeep with forward, reverse, forward, reverse etc. and turning the wheel this way and that way. Nothing helped. Then I remembered I have 4 wheel drive. I activated that and a couple of backward and forwards and I got unstuck. I've used that a number of times and, so far, it has always saved my bacon. Fortunately, I was only rolling when I got in the snow bank. I do love my Jeep. Especially in the winter. 

[euphrasyne]

The older teen passed her test and got her learner's permit so we have a new driver in the house.   I've spent this week trying to normalize the routine with moderate success.  The baby is sleeping a 6-7 hour stretch at night now so all things are possible. 

 

I've been thinking about my ex-FIL a lot lately.  He died about two years ago around Thanksgiving.  He was a 7th generation Methodist minister retired and got his PhD in psych to spend the second half of his life working with MR children.  He basically preached when he talked, but it was in a good way and he was a jovial guy.  One story he told over and over through the years was about the rain in Texas.  They lived on the edge of the desert and were often in a bad drought.  Everyone liked the local preacher to pray for rain and said he had a line to God on it.  Well one Sunday he comes in and starts to pray for rain but stops and tells the congregation that they really want the rain, they are prepared to ask God for it.  "But you don't actually believe it will happen.  You want this so bad that you are actually praying for it and depending on it, but you do not BELIEVE that it will happen.  How do I know you don't BELIEVE?  Not a single one of you brought an umbrella to church today."  

 

I prepare for the worst, but do I ever prepare for the best?  What do I actually Believe in?  (from a non religious aspect) That umbrella haunts me sometimes. 

[TheCG]

Just so you don't worry about me: I'm going to disappear for a bit.  Trying to limit computer time outside of work and an online course or 2.  If I wander off for too long, feel free to send me a message. 

[Jeepers]

That's a funny yet beautiful story Euphrasyne. He must have been a very nice and caring man! Glad River is sleeping through the night. That sure makes a big difference. And congrats to DD on getting her permit. I remember those times. Scary when they go out on their own the first few times when they get their license. I used to tell son that I trusted him behind the wheel but it was the other guy I worried about. That was only half true.  

 

TheCG, thanks for the heads up. Best of luck with your courses! Yep, someone will give you a nudge if you are gone too long. But try not to be. 

[snapshotmiki]

Did a return for freezer that was never received. Ordered another to pick up tomorrow (wish that had been available the first time.) Says it's in stock so we will see.

Still haven't heard from the fella in jail and we called the jail. He is supposed to get bond today. This needs to be over soon!

Not much sleep last night again.

Today, I hope to pick up some leaves and throw them in the rose garden. And pitch my pumpkin that was a decoration on the porch. The wild animals will be happy!

Might decorate porch for Christmas.