HC 1/12/12

Good morning all. I hope all is okay with Viny and Pat this morning. It makes me worry when he didn’t start us off this morning.

I was going to do what JoAnn does on a snowy morning, take my coffee back to bed and watch the news. Well, it hasn’t snowed yet so I’ll have to wait til tomorrow to do it.

I ordered Kindle Fire for Dummies book and it came. I am hoping this will make it easier to use. I am really having to push myself to use it, with no books on it yet all I can do it read my email, can’t figure out how to get to the rest of the web. I have read the user guide app but it doesn’t go into depth.

I hope everyone is doing okay. Will be back later.

Edit: I also had just a blank box so I tried again, hope it works

Good Morning Sue and all who drop in later.  Sue, I too am concerned about Viny & Pat when he isn't here this morning.   Your picture gave me an x but doesn't show up, wonder why?   I'm listening you in regards to using your kindle, and trying to decide if I want to venture out and get one.  If you're having problems, I sure will.
It's 48º here this morning, beautiful sunny day, but cold after the hard rains we had yesterday, We had hard rains yesterday and a tornado in nearby N.C..  Snow is shown coming across the mtns. of Tn. & N.C,  not getting close to us, but it looks like Carolyn may get some snow.  Hope we hear from her today.

I'll come back later, enjoy your day .

Good morning everyone....no snow here...just clear and COLD!  The norther blew in late yesterday afternoon and the temps drops 20º in about an hour.  The winds were northwesterly and about 30 mph.  Yesterday was garbage day and I could hear trash cans rolling down the street.  Today is clear and cold...currently 29º but with bright sunshine to go along with the wind.

Now is the correct day...Happy Birthday to Viny's Pat.  I too get worried when he doesn't open us on weekdays.  Hope all is well with them.

Sue...I've got only a red x in a box...no picture. 

Today is a stay at home, do laundry day.  I already have my hang up clothes going...nine pairs of pants and six tops.  I may divide it into two dryer loads so I won't have so much to hang up at one time.  My least favorite laundry load.  I shoul take advantage of having so much to rearrange my closet....but it's one hanger at a time from the top racks using my handy-dandy pusher-puller thingy....and that'll take a LONG time.  Got to get those bank books balanced and pay a couple of bills....and make a few phone calls etc etc etc.  And I need to start my collection box for IRS stuff.

Hoping to get a lot accomplished today.  Am making spaghetti for dinner....I'm spaghetti hungry and should be able to get several servings to put in freezer containers too.  I sent the last of my southwestern stew home with Rob for his lunch at work today.  I have about a cup of the broth left with a few veggies and found a partially eaten chicken breast so will put that meat in it.....and maybe have a grilled cheese with it for lunch....the soup is pretty skimpy!

Has anyone ever used store-brand Velveeta?  The WalMart brand is half the price of the name brand....just wonder if it performs the same.  I like to keep it on hand for quick mac n cheese.

I;d better get busy....have an employer report to file on line and I always have to think so hard doing it....need to get that out of the way!  I'll peek in on breaks....

Y'all be a blessing to someone today...

vammie

Good morning Sue, and all to come by today,

Sue, watching the news, this morning, I could see that the snow is headed your way, today and tomorrow, which is the same time we should be gettting it.  It must be a large front for it to be getting here around the same time you get it. 

Where did you order your Kindle for Dummies from?  I think that would be some help for me too...... 

I was up till about 3 AM, but not by choice.  We no sooner got into bed, last night,  when an attempted suicide call came in that DH responded to.  I could hear the traffic on his  radio, and knowing the bridge that was jumped, that it would be too late to help.  It was difficult to reach him and required some ropes and climbing.   Please keep this young man in your prayers.  DH didn't get home till about 2:30, but we talked till around 3:00. Always so sad....

Viny, hope today goes better for you than yesterday morning did and that you can check in today to let us know how Pat is doing. 

Carolyn, how are you and DH doing?  Hope you can check in, today.  Take care.

I hope everyone will have  a nice Thursday.  Have remembered you and your intentions and loved ones in my prayers. 

I'm determined to get the bills, checkbooks and files done today, that I put off from doing, yesterday, so want to get an early start.

Take care and God bless,

Jo Ann

Vammie, I have used the Aldi brand of that cheese for years and am satisfied with it. The only thing I am picky about is cream of mushroom soup. If I eat it as soup it HAS TO BE CAMPBELLS. For cooking I will use the cheaper house brands.

JoAnn, how sad. I feel sorry for the poor young man and his family. I am sure they are wondering if they could have helped before it got that far. I know my cousins wondered that when their brother committed suicide. And it must affect your DH too, to see things like that. DH is a railroad fan and when people committ suicide by jumping in front of a train the engineers have to go for counseling to deal with it.

Marti, I guess I just expected to pick it up and use it but it didn't work out that way. It didn't come with a case so I am making one out of fabric scraps in my stash. That is the most fun thing I've done with it, LOL

The snow started about 20 minutes ago and the roofs and sidewalks are covered already, the ground is still warm (at least not frozen) so it isn't building up on the grass yet. I don't have to drive in it, nya nya!!

Good morning Marti and Vammie.

I wrote my post so early, but couldn't get it to actually post so had to wait till now.  So glad I checked back to see that you and Vammie had posted in the meantime.

Marti, I got a Kindle Fire as a gift,  and think I'll like it, but if you want primarily an e reader, it might be better to get just the Kindle or a Nook.  The fire is like a smaller i Pad and you can do lots and lots with it besides ordering and reading books.  If that's what you want, then the Kindle Fire is for you.  You can read emails, and access the internet from the Fire, and it is a little heavier than the other e readers.  I'm keeping the Kindle Fire and think I'll enjoy it, but since Christmas, just haven't had the time to sit down with it and actually use it.   I'm hoping to do it soon.  Also, if you do buy any of them, I think it's really necessary to get the cover that goes with it.  In that way, you can hold it more like a book.  The one I got for my Fire is by Rocketfish and I like it a lot.

Vammie, I thought you were finished with the cold winter weather and into warmer temps at this time of the year...   I guess not.  I know when we visited K and J in TX in April, we loved the weather at that time of the year.  Not too hot, jusst right.

I've used Velveeta, but don't know how the WalMart brand would compare.  At half the price, it might be worth a try. 

See you on breaks....

Jo Ann

EDIT: Sue, I can't keep up with the posts this morning between typing and getting phone calls.  LOL  Didn't see that you were back.  Lucky you being so crafty and making a cover for your Kindle. I'll bet it will be better than any you can buy.  lol

Yes, it's always so sad and very hard on the family.  You're right, they have stress debriefing available for the firefighter/emts. 

It's dark, and we're getting some snow, too.  Not much of a covering yet. 

Jo Ann

Another GORGEous day here.  But very cold.   I know Jo Lynn is colder but 17º is cold enough for me.

Sue, I don't do near what my Nook can do I suppose.  The kids love to play games on it and I have to even admit I don't know how to play most of those.  Like Angry Bird is the most popular game in the world and I will have to have H. show me how to play it....or L.   He can do all those games too.  I am able to see your picture and it's beautiful.  We are going to have snow coming in this weekend.  We really need it in the mountains.

Marti, I worry about Viny too.  He needs to check in with us, even if he is feeling overwhelmed and depressed.

Verna, I will do laundry too.  Oh and yesterday I bought  a sausage roll that has onions and peppers in it.  I thought it might be good in spagetti. 

Jo Ann, I'm sorry about the young man.  We've had a real bad week here in our little community.  A head on crash killed 2 young men in their 20s and put my DS's neighbor in the hosp.   The young men were on their way up to the Mt. to Snowboard and the older  man was coming back from skiing.  The young men hit ice and slid broadside into the other man.    Killed them both instantly.   The secretary called me from the church and asked if I'd bring a salad for after the funeral today.  One of the boys was a brother to one of our drummers.

Then Tues. a 20 yr. old committed suicide just about a mile from us.  I didn't know him but he was he son of one of my DD's friends who used to work where she worked a few yrs. ago. 

Then we got a call that a friend of ours was found by a co worker on the floor, unresponsive.  It ended up they had to life flight him to a Seattle hosp.  They have done brain surgery on him to stop bleeding in his brain.  Because he was working alone, no one knows if he fell from a ladder and hit his head or had a stroke or what but it doesn't look good.  He was about to retire.

That made me think of Viny and how glad I am that he will be retireing in  a few days.  Life is so unpredictable and we have to grab each day and hold on and enjoy each other while we can.

And with that, I must go enjoy the fact that I am able to do the laundry and get that salad ready to go.

Have a good day everyone.  Barb

Good morning...

Sue ~ I can see your picture and it is really pretty. Wouldn’t it be lovely to take a walk there? I love those "Dummies" books; they explain things so a person can understand them. I have found with user guides (for various things), that they are presuming that I already know how to do some things and I usually don’t! Maybe you can start a side business making Kindle covers.

I hope the reason Viny hasn’t popped in today is because he is busy celebrating Pat’s birthday with her.

Yes, Barb, it was colder here this morning. However, the sun is shining and with the little of snow on the fields, etc., it is really pretty. We are due for a weather pattern change starting next Tuesday. The weatherman says that we will have significant amounts of snowing about every other day starting then. We sure could use the moisture. I love your positive attitude about things. Thanks for the reminder to be thankful for what we have and are able to do. I’m sorry for all of the losses in your community. Those things always hit our small communities so hard.

Verna ~ I have not tried the store brand Velveeta; but, I don’t buy Velveeta very often. If you try it, you will have to let us know what you think. There are some things that I will buy store brand and other things that I buy name brand.

Marti ~ Did you make it to the gym today? I saw on the news about the storms down in NC.

Jo Ann ~ Those types of calls must be so hard for Frank and his crew. My oldest brother was a State Patrolman and I remember him telling how hard it was when he got those kinds of calls. I hope you don’t have to go out in the snow today.

My friends and I are going antiquing tomorrow. We have heard of a couple of new shops that we want to check out and then we will hit a couple of our favorites, too. I also got invited to lunch today (in the next town over) to celebrate another friend’s birthday.

Until later...

Jo Lynn

Hello everyone.  I hope you are all fine.  Sorry to hear of such bad news from your communities Barb and Jo Ann.  And I hope Viny is ok!  Happy Birthday to Pat today.

I went to an eye doctor today in Helsinki.  The cataract on my left eye is quite bad already.  The doctor was rather surprised as I am only 58, but he says it can happen.  The one on my right eye is not yet affecting my vision.  He went through all the options with me, but we came to the decision that it is better to get this one removed soon.  So I am scheduled for the 16th of February.  I will need a two week leave from work because of the risk for infection.  Since this is a private clinic, I have to pay most of it myself.  The only way he could have put me on the queue for the public (free) hospital is if my vision has been extremely bad - he mentioned that that level was only a half a step away from being legally blind.  Because of my age and that I still have many years of working life, I should get this done now.  So I will have to pay 1700 euros from my own pocket plus new glasses on top of that.  Ouch. 

We had a planning meeting at work tonight.  Long day, and I am really tired, so off to bed I go.

Take care, everyone!  lusi

lusi, I had a feeling you would need a cataract removed. I know several people your age who had them removed and the difference in their vision was remarkable. Too bad about paying out of pocket, I think 1700 Euros is about $2176.00 but the surgery is so necessary.

BTW, everyone says the surgery is a piece of cake. We will all be thinking of you that week.

JoLynn, you should see the cover I made. It works but I don't think anyone would pay for it. I looked for instructions online but ended up winging it. The one I made is just a prototype, I'm sure I could improve it if I made more. I actually thought I could sell them on Etsy if it came out okay but it's not up to that level.

Still awake here.. Thanks, Sue.  I know it is an easy surgery, and I am relieved that it is just a cataract!  I was beginning to imagine all sorts of things.  

My sister said when her husband had this a few years ago, the bill to the insurance company was more than 20,000 dollars, so this is not so bad.  Makes me wonder, though, who is getting all of that extra money in the American health care system.  The 2000 dollar cost is quite realistic.  So who is getting the 18,000 dollars?   I can be thankful that this country has socialized medicine.  Inflated medical costs like that could not happen here.  Even the private clinics have to remain honest!

OK, now it really is time for me to go to bed.

lusi

Right after I was on here this morning, I got a call saying our friend had passed away last night.   He never regained consciousness.  I guess he and another guy had been working together and had just gotten back from having coffee.  The other guy was outside the building doing something and when he came back inside, he found our friend on the floor unconscious. 

Lusi, I too know a lot of people who have had cataract surgery younger than you.  My eye Dr. says if you live long enough,  most of us will have it at some time.

Verna, I forgot to tell you that the stew was good with Pork.  I think I would leave out the mush. next time though.  DH liked it.  And Maureen's idea of hominy in it sounds good too. 

I had another one of those nights last night where I couldn't sleep.  And I'm so dumb, I continued to read a book that I am 200 pgs. in and really don't like.  Why don't I just stop and get another book out.  I mean, I have tons that I haven't read.  I did finally pick up my nook and read the book I'm reading on it.  I don't like to read it in bed though.

Sue, If I hadn't had a gift certificate for a cover, I would never have pd. what they want for them.  In fact, I was going to ask my sister who quilts to make me one.  The one I have has a little pocket in it which is nice to keep notes or wipes for the glass.  But I just think some pretty little quilted ones would be so nice.  I am trying to think if I saw anything like that at the Bazaars.  Hmm, not sure.  I saw so many creative things, it's hard to remember.

I heard something I thought to pass along to you guys last night on TV.  They were talking about how to get repairs or cleaning or whatever done around your house.  They said you should go room by room and look at everything as if you were a prospective buyer.  If you saw things that you would not want to see if you were looking for a home, you should fix or clean that . 

Speaking of TV, there is a new series starting tonight.  I think it's called Finder.  It's right after Bones.  And it's on the same time as one of my very favorite shows, Doc Martin.  Does anyone else watch that ?  It's on PBS. 

Well, I'd better get off here and finish my laundry.  I just can't get anything done.   I had to drop off the salad at the church and then go to 3 stores.  DH went with me.   He sat in the car and ate donuts while I was in one store.  Yesterday these were things I was going to do and he wanted to go to another town so.........we did that instead.  He wanted to run the car through the carwash and go out to lunch.   So today I played catchup.   I am thankful to have a DH who wants to be with me...I am thankful...I am thankful......really I am..... 

Barb, my BFF loves Doc Martin and I have just found it on PBS. I watched part of a few episodes but they are in season 3 and I am lost. I don't know who is who, not even sure who Doc is.

So sorry about your friend, I wonder if they will ever know for sure how it happened. Something similar happened where I used to work. One of the police officers was found dead in the men's room. He collapsed of a massive heart attack and was alone in there at the time.

I might try another way of making the Kindle cover, now that I know what will work. I just need to add another piece of fabric when I sew the main ones together. I made mine out of fleece. I could add a little pocket for a screen wipe.

I am curious to know what they sell for, think I'll look on Etsy.

Edit: looked at Etsy, they are WAY nicer than what I made but cost $25-$30. Mine was free.

Hi!   I'm such a bad BB participant lately, the extent of my participation includes reading the posts.   So many things I would like to comment on, but with the little one here, I just get on here quickly and then I still hear "grandma, where are you?".   And I have so many of the "have-to" chores I'm trying to get done.   Did get some laundry done and I folded 2 loads tonight.   The one drying now will have to wait till tomorrow.   I did ask if everyone would want dinner out tonight, 1 less thing to worry about.

On the babysitting, Sue, just don't get yourself too tied down.   The other grandma and I were able to swap when we shared the duties and that is a lifesaver.   The only problem I would have if I were you is if Jack is retired, it would really put a crimp into going up to the summer home.   This is going on my 6th year and I will babysit after June, but not something I'm locked into.   And another thing, you are smart having the kids be brought to your house.   I wish I had done that long ago, but I went over there till they moved here which was only a little over a year ago.   It's so nice to be able to do chores in your own house while they nap.   My best time was only doing 1 day a week, which was last year when Ava went to pre-school.   That was special for me and her.   With doing 3 days a week and getting her to and from school, I'm more like a mom since I help with reading and homework and have to get breakfast and lunch.   At least Kim does get her hair fixed and get her dressed before she leaves.   That really helps.   She's the best little girl though, I will probably miss it when it's done.   But then it will be so special to spend the night or just come for a day.   it's sort of a catch 22 when you're watching the GK's because you get to spend so much time with them and grow so close, but at the same time, you are cutting short your free time.

Talking about medical care, I can't believe a statement I got of expenses paid.   So if I call anyone questioning it, they will probably think I'm crazy since I'm not paying the bill.  But what would you think of an injection costing $546?   This was for the pertussis, whooping cough, etc and was given at a regular doctor visit in the office.   Verna, who should I write a letter to?   No wonder insurance keeps going up.   Would someone without insurance be charged the same amount.   Maybe that's why we're having a whooping cough outbreak - how could some of these poor people afford that for a shot?

Happy Birthday to Viny's Pat.   I hope he and she are celebrating and he's ok.   I too have to wonder what she thinks about him retiring, especially if he is concerned about her eating.   I had a neighbor who was heavy and would sit down easily with a bag of chips and dip.   One afternoon, I stopped by and that's what she was having in front of the TV.   Her DH eventually left her for another woman and this friend went to work and lost so much weight and married a co-worker.   Think we were in early 40's.

Hope Carolyn is ok, not too tired.   I should be on sometime tomorrow.   Going with DH to eye appt in the morning and then I have PT in the afternoon.   I like to drive him home after his eyes are dilated.