A few pictures of the Christmas snow

Outside all was snowy and white



Inside was warm and cozy, and I'd been looking for that can of compressed air.



Plants had been put in the greenhouse for safekeeping.



Even the reindeer with pearls in her antlers and red baubles, too was watching all that was happening, and Frosty with his two small reindeer were a bit surprised when it began to snow, as were we.

There was a total of 3" of snow that night. And it was the first official White Christmas in Fort Worth. It was a magical night.

Our outside Christmas tree.

Vince's Slap Chop Rap

I couldn't sleep the other night and while surfing the vast wasteland of tv this came on. I couldn't figure out wtf! I was pretty sure I wasn't stoned and hadn't dropped acid, but couldn't figure out what in the world. I found this just now. I think it is hilarious. I'm telling you that Vince is something else. And the dj who put this together was a man after my heart. The dancers are hysterical. *LOL*



OH Yes...we are in a winter storm warning again, and it is snowing like crazy. We are the new North Pole, I think. *grin* I love snow and so it is fine with me...also, I didn't have to get out today!

Our First Ever White Christmas!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We had a white Christmas for the first time ever in Fort Worth! When I recover from all the festivities...rest up...I'll post some of the pictures. We even have snow that fell on Christmas Eve on the ground today! It was a most unusual Christmas for us.

Everyone in the house is exhausted and still in pjs and eating leftovers. Time for my trip back to the sofa and tv.

Ice Sculptures in North Pole Alaska

I said the ninja cat would be my last post until after Christmas, but my cousin sent this link from North Pole, Alaska. She used to live there and misses it terribly. The ice sculptures are very cool. This is from her email. I hope you enjoy them.


http://christmasinice.org/index.shtml

"This is just down from my house. Click on the links to see some beautiful ice carvings. I don't know why they don't have all the ice carvings pictured, but the ones they do show you will enjoy. There is also a link to see how they harvest the ice; the pond is only a mile from my house.

In March Fairbanks has a much bigger one, I will send the link to that one when it opens."

Last Post until after Christmas

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Oh Good Gravy

I was somewhere on the net today and I truly do not remember which blog owner it was that couldn't spell roux. I'm not trying to put them down, but it was not spelled anywhere near how it is supposed to be. I hope they drop by and see this. Making a roux is fun and it is pronounced ru...like roo. It is a miracle stuff that makes food and gravy wonderful.

It is equal portions of butter and flour.
A blonde roux is very light in color and a dark roux is very dark and sometimes I just get tired of stirring to get it to be just right.

When I make breakfast gravy it is a white roux...just flour and butter cooked until it is thick and then add the milk slowly while stirring. Sometimes we add some sausage to the gravy and yum.

I make a medium roux when the roast beef is done and moved to a cutting board to rest. Then I deglaze the pan by putting some canned broth or even water to where the juices have cooked down and left the brown bits from cooking the roast. I mix the butter and flour in with the dark part. Those bits are very much the tastiest stuff ever. The gravy for a roast does not have cream gravy like the morning gravy. It is darker and if you have some demi glace...or this recipe from Saveur, well, you're ready for a heavenly experience. I buy it at Central Market, because I just don't have the time to make it from scratch. Plus I don't get to eat meat enough to merit all that work...plus I just love going to Central Market. There are so many unusal things there.

Just remember when you are making a roux to cook the flour/butter mixture to get the raw flour taste out of the sauce...whether it is a blond roux, a medium roux, or a dark roux. I've seen jars of rouxs in the grocery store, but have an aversion to even trying the product. It just doesn't seem right for some reason...that being it looks like axle grease and would probably be a waste of money.

There is another little trick I learned from Martha Stewart's show last year around Thanksgiving. You mix equal parts of butter and flour, that I thought she called buerre blanc, but apparently I'm mistaken. But it makes the BEST gravy ever. Butter at room temperature is mixed by hand with an equal part flour. It can be dropped by little balls into the gravy to thicken and it makes it so rich. I was a little goofy from working on it for a while. My daughter's mil and sister were watching me make and taste over and over and asked how it was. I just could only tell them it was good gravy. That got a biggo laugh. It has about 20 million calories in it, but it is worth it. I may not have told ya'll that I truly love good gravy.

Here is a sensible link if you want to make great gravy.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/sidedishrecipes/r/pansauces.htm

I found that link when I couldn't remember the word "fond" to dazzle you with my "culinary skills". My daughters and son are wonderful cooks. This year I may sit back and watch them make great food. We are still having that brined pork roast for Christmas Day. and my wonderful husband got us a ham so we can have sandwiches and ham for breakfast.

I'm starting to feel like it is going to be a Tuesday to remember tomorrow. The side effects of the Methotrexate have already begun. Sometimes it doesn't bother me nearly at all and other times..it is hang on to your hat. This is going to be one of those day. Maybe we are caught up enough I can take a day off and rest, sip 7-Up and eat little dry crackers....starting right now.

Being called to the principal's office

So, on the assisted living front with my mil in full baying mode life is not so good. Yesterday she interrupted a church service, to let them know all about it. From now on my husband and I will have to wear a disguise if we were ever to go back. Actually, he is down at the facility talking to the administrator of the facility right now. Her doctor has finally gotten around to prescribing something a little stronger than Zanax twice a day and hopefully this will calm her down some. Sheesh! The other residents are complaining about her. She can't go home, but there are a lot of homes out there that are certainly not as nice as this one that costs a fortune every month, and we are trying to figure out what they do for that much money.

I told my husband this is like when the kids were in school and they would do something goofy and we would get the call from the school. She really needs to be in the Alzheimer's ward. It is more expensive, but this just isn't working out. The hospital is keeping my fil again today. I think they are shocked at the level of dementia he has, and they are having other doctors come in to evaluate him. His primary doctor has NO idea how bad it is with him or her, and I'm pretty mad about that. She used to complain how he wouldn't talk to her when she had an appointment, but would look at the computer and give her a prescription. I guess he was practicing medicine by osmosis or something.

Is it naptime yet? The mysteries are overwhelming....

Yesterday my husband's father had to go to the emergency room because of chest pains. The assisted living place called an ambulance for him and called us. They had called about 20 minutes before to talk with my husband about how things are going with them out there. They told my husband how his dad was just the nicest guy and everyone just loved him, but not so much with my husband's mother. They suggested we still not come around for a while because my mil gets so upset and gets wanting to go home.

We went to the ER to meet his dad and find out what is going on. At first the ER doc didn't think there was too much. We talked with her and she took a history. At last a doctor who cared enough to ask some questions. I don't have a high opinion of his personal physician. Anyway, they kept him overnight and will keep him again tonight, and his cardiologist will see him tomorrow. They are treating him with IV Lasix, because there is some swelling of his ankles and lower legs. He had a heart attack in 2005, but for some reason hasn't been to see the cardiologist in a long time. All the turmoil of the past couple of weeks is taking its toll on him, actually all of us. My mil has not been very kind lately and is continuing without stop telling anyone within a hundred miles that she wants to go home.

My husband does not want his father in the same room with her when he goes back. There is an Alzheimer's unit and in our opinion that is where she needs to be. My fil is much worse mentally than he was just a couple of months ago. He is not making any sense anymore. Hopefully that is caused by the fluid and the strain he has been under lately. He still recognizes us, and lights up when we come in the room. However, he was unable to answer any of the doctor's questions last night.

Regarding my mil, I have no idea why they do not call her physician and get something a little stronger...like Haldol or some other anti psychotic. When the assisted living placed called her doc when she was being so nutty about having to move out there, he prescribed Xanax every 8 hours. That is a drop in the bucket compared to what she needs. I truly feel for her that she had to leave her home and everything there and go live somewhere that isn't like home at all, but that is the only alternative. The problem is that they are no longer in any shape, form or fashion able to care for themselves. We thought they were eating when we were bringing food over, but they would eat what we brought and then just act like everything was fine. We found there wasn't anything much in the house they could remember how to cook and to eat. There was plenty of food they just couldn't figure out what to do to get it to a state they could eat. Peanut butter and crackers was all they could manage we discovered while they were telling us they were just fine and all.

It has been a difficult couple of days for everyone after all. Our daughter called and she was in town visiting a school friend who is very ill in the hospital. The doctors aren't too sure what is wrong with her, but she is hemorrhaging and her white count is low. The docs don't know, but think possibly it is cancer. Our daughter came by this morning to visit for a few minutes and have breakfast. Pedro called on the phone this morning to tell us he was doing the in-laws yard today. I tried to get him to not do theirs and come do ours. Nope...he will do ours on Thursday. That is our day. I finally just gave up and said ok. I hope he is here when the daughter who is mysteriously fluent in Spanish gets here. She says he doesn't speak Spanish very well...another mystery in a life filled with them.

It has just got to be naptime soon.

PS-I hope Pedro has a blast raking all the leaves while they are wet from the rain on Wednesday. I'll remind him I wanted him to come on domingo and not el jueves. Pedro just wouldn't listen to me.

So much to do and so little time

The countdown is on. Tried to call my youngest...she hasn't called back...yet. We were wondering when they were going to come in for Christmas. I know when the others are coming, but not the cow tail one.

It seems the closer Christmas gets the more I find to do. A small bed of pansies and violas and cabbages were planted this afternoon out by the backdoor...much later than we usually get them into the ground. I know we were much more organized last year. However, we didn't have as many distractions from the in laws, bless their hearts, but could just get on with it. Caring for them came to be my husband's work. It must have filled a need he had to have a lot of complicated paperwork to keep sorted out for them. He hasn't had a lot to do since he retired four years ago. All he had to do to get the power of attorney and to be named their in charge of everything guy, was a maze of complications for sure. Also, last year I didn't know about the rheumatoid arthritis...just thought I was tired a lot..or lazy, more like it. That is getting better since I started water aerobics. Much better indeed. However, from time to time I do still get very fatigued.

I'm sure I won't be attending the Friday water aerobics class any longer. The instructor for that class is very negative. Today she was complaining about the people in the class who didn't show up. For one thing it is the week before Christmas and most of us have a ton of tasks to complete. I know I do for sure. She was downright tacky in the way she treated us until I said that it might be wiser to be glad we were there, if the others were not. The others stopped attending that class because of the way she treats people. Our other teacher is such a sweet young woman and actually knows a lot about which exercises are helpful to us. This week I asked for more balance exercises and she came up with some fun ones and they do help. While I was waiting for class to start I thought I'd swim a lap or two. Well, I found out I don't remember how to swim and that really threw me for a loop. My mother and I used to go to the pool for lessons in the hot summer mornings. I was even allowed to take life saving lessons. And now! to think I couldn't swim. It was awful and too cold to swim in my home pool. I'm going to stick with it and learn again, by golly. I think it is almost criminal for parents to not take their children to swim lessons. My half sister can't swim and that bothers me, but now I can't either.
*getting off my soap box now and getting back to normal sort of*

Got some silver plate polished tonight. I haven't a clue why I ever bought a silver plate coffee service, but I did and it really needed a shine. Also, finally got the creche put up and it looks great on the serving cabinet next to the dining room table. The palms were a little crunched up, but opened up with some help. Our Joseph was in fine shape as were the others. Someone who comes by this blog had a problem with her Joseph once.

So many things to try to still get done. The little cedar in a huge pot outside doesn't have the red shiny balls and gold tinsel on it yet, either. Maybe tomorrow.

For our dinner I'm thinking of making the Orange Preserve Cake mentioned in the "Father Tim" books. I bought Jan Karon's cookbook, as well as, all of the series a while back and never really looked at the cookbook too much. For one thing I live in the South and know how to make pickled cucumber salad, but when I read the recipe for that cake it sounded so good, and not chocolate for a change. Don't get me wrong I love chocolate for sure. Anyway, if I can find 3 nine inch cake pans I'll let you know how it comes out. I'm not going to be ready by tomorrow night when my brother and sister in law have our annual Christmas get together. This year the theme is to bring something around your house you no longer want and it has to be a pretty good gift...no old socks or stinky tennis shoes. Last year the theme was items from "As Seen On TV". That was fun, however, ours was "As Seen At Sam's". They were a hit. So this year, I have some pewter ornaments for the tree I'm going to share and a lighted sleigh. I have no idea where the sleigh came from so I guess it fits the criteria alrighty and it is still in the box. I'm sure someone will love it. It might make a nice place to put a small vase of flowers in or something. Oh yes...it is a Chinese Christmas, too.

At some point I am going to have to clear out this computer room so I can make sure there is enough for everyone. When $20 is the limit...well, it is easy to forget what it was that was ordered for who and has it got here yet.

Our weather is supposed to turn on Wednesday. That is the day my kids from the Houston/Galveston area are flying up here. It may storm, but I wish it wouldn't. Our house if full of boxes they have had sent to our house so they don't have to bring it with them. I'll have the paper, bags, scissors and tags ready for them when they show up. On Christmas Eve it is supposed to get really cold and stay that way over Christmas Day. It will be nice to have some really cold weather. I remember Christmases when it was nearly 80 degrees...that isn't very Christmasy.

Enjoy your day of whatever you plan to do and I wish you a Christmas filled with family and friends and fun and plenty to eat. We can excercise later and I know an aerobics teacher I'd be happy to send to you. *angelic smile*

The Race is On

I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland right now. We have been so busy, but the assisted living place told my husband it would probably be better if we didn't visit right now. That is one less thing today. They, the in laws, are settling in and actually went to a Sing Along the other day. We, on the other hand are going to weigh about one ton each by the New Year from all the parties and food...and the YMCA is going to be open on New Year's Day. I told them I wouldn't be there. I don't drink, so no horrific hangover for me, but that is a family day of football, blackeyed peas, cornbread and leftover ham, not a day to work out. *note to self to buy a ham* Our actual Christmas dinner will be a 9 pound pork roast that will be brined and cooked with brown sugar bourbon glaze...and lots of vegetables. I am going to make my praline sweet potatoes and if nobody wants any, well they'll just miss out.


Our kids will start to arrive December 23rd. I guess the other one(s) [her boyfriend is coming with her, and when they retire they are going to go to chili cookoffs and ride motorcycles] will come about the same time. We are going to spend Christmas Eve with everyone at our son's home and have dinner with them. That will be fun. I'll probably be the designated driver for that event.

Today is our 45th anniversary and I guess we are going to try to make some inroads at the house. However, I've been whining for a new Fossil watch that is water resistant and the one I'm looking at is resistant to 100 meters...far deeper than I'll ever go voluntarily. It has lots of sparklies on it, too. So, actually not a good watch for snorkeling, either. Eels and barracudas like sparkly stuff. And I get to go with him to return some clothes we had ordered for his mom to Coldwater Creek. There is always something there I like. I wonder what he might like?


Anyway, I'm late for a very important date and will see ya'll when I can find a few minutes to surf. Ya'll are in my heart and thoughts...especially the one with the weird indention at the notch in her throat. She can put a quarter in it...isn't that something! I've looked at mine and it isn't as fat as I thought, but I couldn't put much of anything in that notch...not even say a dime....whereas she can keep spare change in hers. She is hilarious, too.

Just got home from running errands and found there is hardly any Christmas decorations left in the stores!! The time has flown like crazy. I had to take back a little yard stake that was warped to Garden Ridge and they had spring stuff out. Same deal at Sam's and Hobby Lobby, no ornaments. We had plenty, so it wasn't a panic day. Got the tree decorated last night after getting home from scouring the in laws' house to find stuff that if they were to be broken into it wouldn't be the end of the world.

My husband didn't want to take that much, but I convinced him we would never be able to restock it if something happened to it.

Oh gosh..I just looked at the time and I have to run. Meeting in an hour and I don't have a clue where it is. Laterz all.

Day off

Today was a long day and even though the maids came it is still hard as heck to get everything put where it needs to go. They don't know where to put stuff and will just clean around it. As you have noticed if you have been reading the epic saga of the in laws, everybody needs a nap. So, my thinking is this...we made spaghetti sauce tonight....I foolishly thought we were going to have spaghetti, but was surprised with elbow macaroni instead of...you know the long spaghetti. So we had Beefaroni our way...and there is enough sauce left to make the real deal one night soon. That was really funny when I got to the table. Hubby finished the dinner I'd started, but I hadn't gotten the pasta out yet. I had said one day this week we had a lot of elbow mac and some other kinds and penne. I guess the gigantic pink glass jar I store the spaghetti in just didn't register with him. It was sweet and I was speechless...and then laughed. I wondered why he kept asking me if I wanted a spoon...silly me.

Happy dreams tonight and hope you get done all you want to get done tomorrow. Our tree is in parts on the floor where it is going to be. I'm just not up for decorating it yet.

Do you buy a real tree or a reusable tree? We used to buy a real one, but the fear of a fire was too much for me, especially with three little ones in the house....but let us know what you do about a tree.

I'll be lollygagging on the sofa watching old movies and such.

The Beat Goes On

Things did not improve much on the mil front today. She is still going on about going home. She has no idea how close she is to going to the Alzheimer's ward. The staff called last night to tell us my husband's father fell as he was coming out of the bathroom. They checked him over and he didn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from it.

Tonight they called to tell my husband she threatened one of the staff with her walker. That is very serious behavior. However, it might work out better if my fil is in the regular assisted living and she is in the Alzheimer's ward. It is allowed for him to visit her, if he wishes. My husband is going to show him how to get to the dining room so he can get a cup of coffee and maybe meet some of the guys out there, but mainly to get a break from her harping continually. I've seen people playing card games and dominos in the public areas. I don't think he would be able to remember too much how to play, but while he was with me yesterday he seemed to understand a lot more and to talk more.

It is very sad and terrible what is going on in their lives now, and I hope I don't live that long. Far better, to my way of thinking for my body to go before my mind. I'm pretty sure there won't be too much problem with that. All those years of smoking and drinking and carrying on...well, let's say I probably won't make it to 92. However, my dad made it to a very ripe old age and he was an alcoholic and had a stroke. What finally done him in was bladder cancer. Whuda thunk. It has been a very long time since I've had anything to drink and 2 years 8 months and some days since I quit smoking. April 1st will be the three year anniversary of quitting. Every now and then I wish for one, but then I smell somebody who smokes and yuck. The carrying on was never that much and probably won't be a contributing factor in my demise. All the worrying with the people I've had to care for in my life probably will be.

All of the turmoil has been so hard on my husband. His b/p was up the other day to 195/95 and he has low b/p normally. It came down during the day and was down today, but this has been very difficult. We both feel for his mother and her wish to live in her own home, but even if we got 24/7 care unless we hired nurses...and I'm not sure if an LVN would be enough or not. The aides cannot administer medications, and someone would have to buy their groceries, and it goes on and on. We gave it serious thought, but it seemed the assisted living situation seemed the best way to go for all of us. My husband doesn't have any brothers or sisters to help with them, either. It is the two of us struggling to make sense of a bad situation. We have followed all the rules and regulations. If we had continued with the way it was we might have been open to elderly abuse charges for not having someone with them all the time, and we just can't move in with them or them with us. It is hard for us, too. We haven't been anywhere in a while. A couple of years ago we got away for a few days to Port Aransas, but they were better then. We can barely get away for a movie now days.

Celibacy

It was a pretty unbelivably Gosh awful day. It was moving day for the inlaws and OMG. My fil went with me as sweet as could be and like a little lamb. He had lunch and something warm to drink while I was doing something.

On the other hand my husband was left with his mother. I wouldn't say she is hard headed and strong willed, but it took hubby, the lady that helps her, three constables, and two Medstar ambulance guys to finally pry her out of the house. It was most unpleasant and she was in a royal snit by the time she got to the Assisted Living place. Then I became the subject of her venom and it was ok. It doesn't bother me...I just tell her what the court, her doctor, a nurse and a couple of social workers said...which was that neither of them is able to care for themselves or each other at all...ever...even with help. They may move her over to the more disturbed ward or she may decide she loves it there, too.

My little fil was just happy as a clam all day. When I was taking him to the room, they had put him in a transfer chair...like a wheelchair without the foot business...he was waving and telling the ladies hello and all. We didn't see any gentlemen on our way back. I really think he will be very happy to live there. Anyway when the "fire breathing dragon" got there it got so bad I went to sit in the hall. She followed me and was stamping her walker up and down and telling me how she was going to go home. I wryly commented that she seemed to have had a miracle cure of the arthritis in her hip. She has osteoarthritis and it is extremely painful to walk. That is just how mad she was. Hopefully it will get better in the next few days.

I can't bear to leave you with the dreadful goings on of the day, so here is a joke I got in the mail today. It made both of us laugh and I hope it does the same for ya'll.

Celibacy

Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by circumstances.

While attending a Marriage Weekend, Walter and his wife, Ann, listened to the instructor declare, 'It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

He then addressed the men, 'Can you name and describe your wife's favorite flower?'

Walter leaned over, touched Ann's arm gently, and whispered, 'Gold Medal-All-Purpose,right?'

And thus began Walter's life of celibacy.........

Pink Glove Dance

I got this in an email and it is cute and for a good cause.

"Our daughter-in-law, Emily (MacInnes) Somers, created, directed and choreographed this in Portland last week for her Medline glove division as a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. This was all her idea to help promote their new pink gloves. I don't know how she got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate, but it started to really catch on and they all had a lot of fun doing it. When the video gets 1 million hits, Medline will be making a huge contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?"

There was some concern that if you watched the video on my blog it might not count, so here is the link to where it is on You Tube...actually it is linked to You Tube when you click in the picture box. The URL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

As of 10:26pm today there have been 4,452,012 views. It is getting on up there.

The Thing From Which Memories are Made

When we left water aerobics today, some of us are faster than others leaving the locker room. I took my time today and made sure I had everything I had brought with me. Last Wednesday I left my bathing suit. This morning there was quite the hustle and bustle looking for my bathing suit. We looked high and low and I finally got out my old bathing suit, which if I'd looked at the size I'd have not worn it. It is vastly smaller than the blue one.

As I was walking into the Y the bathing suit situation was still on my mind and I was so vexed that we couldn't find it. My instructor, who is an absolute angel and so sweet and nice saw me and said "Good Morning, Amber." I misunderstood her and started telling her about the bathing suit fiasco. We laughed after she said, "I just said good morning." I asked her to throw me a towel if the bathing suit I had on exploded off my body, since it was several sizes smaller than the one I'd been wearing.

After class I was walking back to the front of the building and I was taking my time looking out the windows at the grey skies and misty cold weather when one of the little ladies from my water aerobics class started walking with me. She slipped her arm in mine and we walked silently for a bit and then she started singing, "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". There were so many things that happened this morning, but my memory will be of walking arm in arm with a little old lady down the hall at the YMCA singing Christmas Carols. That is the stuff from which memories are made.

btw-they had my bathing suit at the front desk. Thank You, Jesus!

Foiled but We Persevered

I was foiled at my attmept to get the h1n1 flu shot this morning. I'll try again at 2pm, but will try to make it down there at 1:30pm...maybe get a head start on them.

Update:

We returned to the health center at 1:30pm and there was already a line. We stood in line for a little more than 30 minutes and I was number 89 and hubby was 90. Yay! The workers only gave out 100 tickets for the vaccine. One more thing down.

I'm nearly done with my shopping, too. Got the book I ordered for my grandson today. It is the The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do. It shows how to make lots of cool things a boy should know in life. There are directions for a periscope and lots of other good stuff. Probably I should have ordered one for my hubby. He loves stuff like that...guess it is the engineer in him. After the shot business we went by Sears and bought a 4' air hockey table for TJ..but Gramma is the one who wants it, really. I wonder if we buy gifts because we like them or because they are the ones the child really wanted. Usually TJ loves what he gets for Christmas from Gramma and Grampa. But he really loves the extravaganza his dad puts on. I might have mentioned our grandson might be a little on the spoiled side...but not that much. He is still positive we are too poor to buy a whole lot of things.

I called our daughter in Galveston while we were standing in line at the health center, and it was snowing down on Galveston Bay. I wonder if PJ got snow. It is supposed to get down to 24F tonight in the Houston area. I told my dil we probably could just get her "C" gift certificates to nurseries for new plants after tonight. I know I had 5 bags of mulch to put in my flowerbeds, but they are still in the garage. My husband doesn't understand the whole point of mulch. He thinks it is something I just made up out of thin air...or as an excuse to spend money. Pedro was her yesterday and he probably would not have charged much to put it out. I'm not up to trying to call him. Bless him...his English is probably better than my Spanish. Sometimes I call "C" to translate for us.

Tonight it is going to be pizza and then kicking back on our new furniture to watch some tv. I didn't remember doing it, but I must have set up a surfing movie to tivo...cuz it is there. I love the documentary surfing movies. "Endless Summer" got me hooked and it has been a love affair ever since. They are making such good ones now...and some of the old school guys have become really old themselves. Age and sun have taken a heavy toll on Bruce Brown in the newer movies. "Riding Giants" was an eye opener and "Step Into Liquid", and the one tonight is "Billabong Odyssey". Laird Hamilton tells what his life was like and there are pictures of him as a boy, they tell how some of the finest surfers have died by waves and being caught by the leg rope in rocks. I don't know where they find the courage. I've never surfed and never will, but I love watching the riders on a long run in the curl. I can hardly wait.

Hubby's folks are moving on Wednesday or Thursday. He is going to tell them this weekend. It will probably be a tough one for all of us, but they won't remember at all...and will be shocked and so upset on the move in day.

Update again-after he went over to heat up their dinner he was nearly nutz from listening to his mother go on and on and on. I'm pretty sure he won't have any troubled feelings about putting them in the assisted living place. None.

Small world

I'm going in the morning to try to get the H1N1 shot. They have FINALLY decided Tarrant County can have some of it. I think everyone in Dallas has been immunized. They got all and we got none until now. The reason I'm interested in getting the immunization is I have to take those yucky meds that suppress my immune system and my doc told me if I could get one to do it.

I was so looking forward to a slow day, but the shot thing will be early (9ish) and then to water aerobics and then home to clean and iron. We are drowning in unironed clothes and sheets, but we got new furniture today, by golly. It is very large. It did look large in the store, and it grew on the way here to ourlandish proportions. So, ironing while watching tv is out. Bummer...maybe I can rig something around in the kitchen so I can watch tv and iron.

Today I went with our lunch bunch for our little Christmas outing. It was good to see them and we lunched at a little restaurant in our big park. The trees were beautiful...reds and golds everywhere. We get together once a month and I don't see them much any other time. They all belong to the Woman's Club...very exclusive in our town, and I'm not a member. They have asked, but I'm not sure how I could work it in...and I mean that literally.

One of our other groups had a little get together tonight that was pot luck...I bought a cheese, sausage, and ham with crackers plate and others brought other neat stuff. It was good to sit and chat with people we haven't seen in a while because we have been so busy.

Our calendar is full and I am grateful and happy for it to be so. There have been times when we had nothing to do and not that many friends. Now we have friends and they like or are interested in the same things we do. Found out at lunch one of the ladies who lunches with us and lives a block from me was at that Garrison Keillor show the other night. We could have ridden together. Small world.

Tiger Trials

I don't know about you all, but I'm worn out with the public lashing of Tiger Woods for fooling around. It is on everytime I turn on the tv all day and most of the night. No wonder some people I know do not watch tv.

People are acting so pious and holier than thou like men in even semi high positions haven't ever ever laid a good looking woman. Heck..my old husband fooled around and he wasn't anyone special. I do not think it admirable in any sense of the imagination, but it wasn't like he cheated on his score card at the Masters or something truly evil.

IT IS SNOWING!!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

AND MORE TO COME TOMORROW!!

I know this isn't a big deal for you guys who live up north...but is big deal to us!
More pictures later...I must go to that meeting at 10.

Oh gosh...

One of my sadistic friends sent this to me this morning.

Click here for a surprise.