Daily Ooos: Thursday, February 2

[faerywings]

Happy Groundhog's Day!
Every day should be a celebration of groundhogs, and squirrels, and chipmunks, and bunnies, and raccoons, and well - all animals. They all have the same ability to predict the weather (not at all *G*) so let's enjoy them, each and every one.

Almost my entire afternoon was spent sorting my mom's photos. I was able to sort them by decade and then some of them I gathered into groups by theme. All of my dad's fire dept photos- all of the parades they marched in, etc- went into one group, b-day parties from the 70s into another. Just doing that took hours and hours. My parents were never big on taking photos and I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.
I am off to clean for my friend this morning. I'm not sure if she is back at work or not, she was very sick the last time I was there- long covid. If she is there, it will take me longer since we end up chatting. Her DS has late-stage Lyme and I have some books on it to lend her. I wish I could do more to help. It's such a brutal disease and then to have sooo many people think that it doesn't even exist, it's hard.

I am trying to get myself ready to deal with the Polar Vortex passing through the next few days. Not looking fwd to that. But this little guy~> is going to come in handy


Hugs and love to you!

 

[faerywings]

@LSlycord All of the photos: I feel like it's not a rabbit hole, it's a full-on warren of rabbit holes. Warrens and warrens of holes LOL! Thankfully, I found a few in there that my aunt had dated. That helps a tiny bit.
How do all of you do this? I am finding little hints in the photos-- I dated one batch by searching for the year that ET came out. That Christmas was the ET Christmas, my mom got me *everything* to do with ET, even shoelaces Bwuahaha! But other than that, I am at a loss.
I am in awe of you, Kay, Eva, etc- how you are able to get so much information going back generations.
That is awesome about the job! Did you call Medicare? IIRC correctly- you *have* to keep Medicare as your primary insurance, but you can use other insurance as supplemental. Let us know what you decide!
Yes- we had a hippie emoji, but Cait would be more like the witch or spider hahaha! She calls it Office Goth. Good to hear you are back to normal, Brian will be there too soon.

Thank you all so much for being upfront and honest about losing your parents. You make me appreciate the time I do have with mine. I mean, I know that time is always limited but hearing you talk about your relationships makes me more conscious of living "in the now" with them-- even when they make me batty

@BrightEyes That's all great news from your Dr, especially about the BP. Also really good to hear that the nerve test is canceled.
*sighs* that is a bummer about your arthritis. Not much you can do for that other than heat and pain meds?
My brother is exactly 2 years older than me so he has that advantage. But he remembers details that no one else can. He remembered going into a store on vacation ( he would have been 7 or 8) and my dad dropped coffee and he knew what aisle he was in or something kooky like that, SMH. Not me, I remember generalities if I am lucky.

@taxed4ever Happy birthday to your Gary! I know that you make it special for him, you guys are such a cute couple
Gary is still sitting on the fence about retiring one day? How is his knee holding up? He has to be getting ready to relax at some point, right??

@bcgal00 Hope that the snow wasn't too much of a pain for you to get Jen's car. I am glad that insurance should cover most of the repair. Give the pups all some pets from me!

@vickyday I really don't; understand how anyone's brains work at 1 am, let alone to do taxes. Me and numbers- we do not get along at any time, but in the middle of the night-- nope! I hope your stomach is feeling better today.

@Cherylndesigns sounds like you are off to a good scrappy start to the month

#cheer-2

 

[vickyday]

Happy Groundhog's Day!
Every day should be a celebration of groundhogs, and squirrels, and chipmunks, and bunnies, and raccoons, and well - all animals. They all have the same ability to predict the weather (not at all *G*) so let's enjoy them, each and every one.

Almost my entire afternoon was spent sorting my mom's photos. I was able to sort them by decade and then some of them I gathered into groups by theme. All of my dad's fire dept photos- all of the parades they marched in, etc- went into one group, b-day parties from the 70s into another. Just doing that took hours and hours. My parents were never big on taking photos and I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.
I am off to clean for my friend this morning. I'm not sure if she is back at work or not, she was very sick the last time I was there- long covid. If she is there, it will take me longer since we end up chatting. Her DS has late-stage Lyme and I have some books on it to lend her. I wish I could do more to help. It's such a brutal disease and then to have sooo many people think that it doesn't even exist, it's hard.

I am trying to get myself ready to deal with the Polar Vortex passing through the next few days. Not looking fwd to that. But this little guy~> is going to come in handy


Hugs and love to you!

No shadows gonna be seen here today.....again! Rain, rain, rain..........I'll take the rain over a snowy vortex, however!
Sounds like you've got a good handle on the photos! Now for collecting the stories from your parents! Except I guess you will have to scan them, too. If you can, have them write it down. I love looking at my mom's handwriting! I so wish I had kept her recipes!

 

[LSlycord]

Good morning!:javafix1: Have I told you how much I love our smilie faces?! They make me smile every single time!

Not a lot going on today. Going to try to get a couple of the February challenges done. They are such fantastic challenges this month. They are always fantastic challenges though!

Syd is coming home tomorrow afternoon. Brian turns 60 on Monday so we are celebrating this weekend. We are going out to eat tomorrow night and then Saturday night Syd and I will cook. I'm trying that Beef Wellington again but using filets instead of a beef tenderloin. I can stomach the price of filets for something as special as a 60th birthday! #birthday I'm also going to do French onion soup, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and then finish with creme brulee so I will at least get a grocery list together for that and I might even drive over and get the groceries!

I have an interview tomorrow morning with the company that wants me to come back and contract. They would like to convert this position to an employee sometime in 2023 so they want to be sure that I'm interested in that. Well, yes, yes I am. Still haven't heard anything from the two companies that were so interested and did multiple interviews right away. Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with American business. #crazy-2

We are heading to 80° again today. But then back into the '60's and 70's for awhile. That and pollen is what we have in store for awhile.

 

[vickyday]

@LSlycord All of the photos: I feel like it's not a rabbit hole, it's a full-on warren of rabbit holes. Warrens and warrens of holes LOL! Thankfully, I found a few in there that my aunt had dated. That helps a tiny bit.
How do all of you do this? I am finding little hints in the photos-- I dated one batch by searching for the year that ET came out. That Christmas was the ET Christmas, my mom got me *everything* to do with ET, even shoelaces Bwuahaha! But other than that, I am at a loss.
I am in awe of you, Kay, Eva, etc- how you are able to get so much information going back generations.
That is awesome about the job! Did you call Medicare? IIRC correctly- you *have* to keep Medicare as your primary insurance, but you can use other insurance as supplemental. Let us know what you decide!
Yes- we had a hippie emoji, but Cait would be more like the witch or spider hahaha! She calls it Office Goth. Good to hear you are back to normal, Brian will be there too soon.

Thank you all so much for being upfront and honest about losing your parents. You make me appreciate the time I do have with mine. I mean, I know that time is always limited but hearing you talk about your relationships makes me more conscious of living "in the now" with them-- even when they make me batty

@BrightEyes That's all great news from your Dr, especially about the BP. Also really good to hear that the nerve test is canceled.
*sighs* that is a bummer about your arthritis. Not much you can do for that other than heat and pain meds?
My brother is exactly 2 years older than me so he has that advantage. But he remembers details that no one else can. He remembered going into a store on vacation ( he would have been 7 or 8) and my dad dropped coffee and he knew what aisle he was in or something kooky like that, SMH. Not me, I remember generalities if I am lucky.

@taxed4ever Happy birthday to your Gary! I know that you make it special for him, you guys are such a cute couple
Gary is still sitting on the fence about retiring one day? How is his knee holding up? He has to be getting ready to relax at some point, right??

@bcgal00 Hope that the snow wasn't too much of a pain for you to get Jen's car. I am glad that insurance should cover most of the repair. Give the pups all some pets from me!

@vickyday I really don't; understand how anyone's brains work at 1 am, let alone to do taxes. Me and numbers- we do not get along at any time, but in the middle of the night-- nope! I hope your stomach is feeling better today.

@Cherylndesigns sounds like you are off to a good scrappy start to the month

Mostly I am like you. I can remember generalities but not details. I've never been detail oriented! And I have done the same as you for dates.....like looking up the year ET was out. Sometimes, if I can only remember the general date (guessing at the age by the size, etc) I will look up the place to get information like where it is. Sometimes that stirs some memories. Pump your parents as long as you can!
I've always been a night owl, so my brain starts functioning more in the evening, LOL! The stomach feels better, so far, this morning.....but I haven't eaten anything yet, either! That is always the kicker! I still have a slight headache......rain, rain, GO AWAY!!!!!

 

[vickyday]

Good morning!:javafix1: Have I told you how much I love our smilie faces?! They make me smile every single time!

Not a lot going on today. Going to try to get a couple of the February challenges done. They are such fantastic challenges this month. They are always fantastic challenges though!

Syd is coming home tomorrow afternoon. Brian turns 60 on Monday so we are celebrating this weekend. We are going out to eat tomorrow night and then Saturday night Syd and I will cook. I'm trying that Beef Wellington again but using filets instead of a beef tenderloin. I can stomach the price of filets for something as special as a 60th birthday! #birthday I'm also going to do French onion soup, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and then finish with creme brulee so I will at least get a grocery list together for that and I might even drive over and get the groceries!

I have an interview tomorrow morning with the company that wants me to come back and contract. They would like to convert this position to an employee sometime in 2023 so they want to be sure that I'm interested in that. Well, yes, yes I am. Still haven't heard anything from the two companies that were so interested and did multiple interviews right away. Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with American business. #crazy-2

We are heading to 80° again today. But then back into the '60's and 70's for awhile. That and pollen is what we have in store for awhile.

Have fun celebrating this weekend! Happy Birthday to your DH! I'd be interested in your asparagus recipe. I'm thinking wrapping it in bacon might be good?? What do you think?

 

[BrightEyes]

Another early wake-up for me... 4 AM!!! Tried going back to sleep but that didn't work. Will probably take a nap later on today.
I was talking to Sis on the phone yesterday afternoon - telling her about the box of books that came with Mom when we moved her over here. I opened it and found the Memorial (funeral) books for my grandmother and granddad!!! Didn't realize they were in there! Sis asked me to scan the important info from both and send to her. I am glad to now have the correct dates for both of them. The box also had several John Wayne and Hickock's movie DVDs. I did get the Rx activated and refill Rx at the base pharmacy yesterday... they will be ready on Monday afternoon. Forecast is for a storm front to move in late on Monday! Ugh... will have to wait to see how strong it is as to when I make the trip over to pick them up.

@faerywings I saw the box of photos from your mom... Sounds like you are on the right track in sorting them by themes, parties, etc. Yes, I am having to use "clues" on some photos to date them (great take on ET gifts to get that date). I used what school grade I was in for dating some of mine. And, yes... do take the time to talk with the parents about their memories. I treasure the memories I have of talking with my grandmother when I was in my early teens about the Spanish flu/her 1st husband's death and the years after that.

No, there is not much else to do for the arthritis except heat and pain meds... and gentle stretching.

@LSlycord Sending Happy Birthday wishes to Brian!!! Milestone birthday for him!!! Wow.. that is some meal you are going to be fixing to celebrate. Glad Syd will be there this weekend for the celebration. Bummer that you haven't heard back from the other 2 companies you interviewed with. Nice that the one with the contract employee job is wanting to convert it to a full-time employee this year... hope that works out for you.

@vickyday Hope the tummy stays settled today. I used to be a night owl when the kids were young - as that was the only time I had to myself to get things done. DH used to work the evening shift and would get home around midnight - so that was also "our time together". Now it seems like I am an 'early bird'...

Time for more #coffee-4then I need to work on some of this month's challenge LOs.

 

[vickyday]

Good Morning Ladies,
Early to bed.....early to rise.....makes one healthy, wealthy and wise! I don't think I am either of those! However, we can probably all say we are wealthy compared to other countries!

I went to bed at 11:30 last night after being up late doing the taxes the Tuesday night! I went right to sleep, which is unusual for me! Unless I am dog tired! So, i'm up early today!

No plans other than going to Ilene's. Carolyn has a Dr. appt. so she cannot join us. I'm taking some soup over and she has sandwich fixings, so that will be our lunch. We are in a puzzling mode so no Qwirkle or Rummikub for a bit. I've been working puzzles here, too.

Ha! My belly is growling so I think I will fix a couple of biscuits for breakfast and enjoy them with my coffee!

Have a great day!

 

[vickyday]

Another early wake-up for me... 4 AM!!! Tried going back to sleep but that didn't work. Will probably take a nap later on today.
I was talking to Sis on the phone yesterday afternoon - telling her about the box of books that came with Mom when we moved her over here. I opened it and found the Memorial (funeral) books for my grandmother and granddad!!! Didn't realize they were in there! Sis asked me to scan the important info from both and send to her. I am glad to now have the correct dates for both of them. The box also had several John Wayne and Hickock's movie DVDs. I did get the Rx activated and refill Rx at the base pharmacy yesterday... they will be ready on Monday afternoon. Forecast is for a storm front to move in late on Monday! Ugh... will have to wait to see how strong it is as to when I make the trip over to pick them up.

@faerywings I saw the box of photos from your mom... Sounds like you are on the right track in sorting them by themes, parties, etc. Yes, I am having to use "clues" on some photos to date them (great take on ET gifts to get that date). I used what school grade I was in for dating some of mine. And, yes... do take the time to talk with the parents about their memories. I treasure the memories I have of talking with my grandmother when I was in my early teens about the Spanish flu/her 1st husband's death and the years after that.

No, there is not much else to do for the arthritis except heat and pain meds... and gentle stretching.

@LSlycord Sending Happy Birthday wishes to Brian!!! Milestone birthday for him!!! Wow.. that is some meal you are going to be fixing to celebrate. Glad Syd will be there this weekend for the celebration. Bummer that you haven't heard back from the other 2 companies you interviewed with. Nice that the one with the contract employee job is wanting to convert it to a full-time employee this year... hope that works out for you.

@vickyday Hope the tummy stays settled today. I used to be a night owl when the kids were young - as that was the only time I had to myself to get things done. DH used to work the evening shift and would get home around midnight - so that was also "our time together". Now it seems like I am an 'early bird'...

Time for more #coffee-4then I need to work on some of this month's challenge LOs.

Yes, after the kids went to bed was when I would read or whatever.
Hope Arthur has eased up on you today! If I am crocheting my thumbs bother me. Other than that, so far, he is not bothering me too much! I'm sure that will change the older I get!
Another great find in your mom's box! More info for your story!
Glad you were able to get the RX business taken care of!

 

[LSlycord]

@faerywings I'm so glad that you are having this time with your parents. The pictures...when I pick them up and hold them in my hands...so many memories. I look at the pictures and see not only the people but the furniture. In a picture of my grandpa, my brother and I, I saw the round ottoman. I used to roll around on the floor on that ottoman. I loved that thing. And then I see furniture and I remember the story about when we got the new furniture...Dad got it for Mom for Christmas and I thought she would be mad because we couldn't afford it. But she was so happy. And that's what happens to me when I look at the pictures. I guess maybe I'm more like your brother. I'd say Brian is back to normal and I am better than normal...which is good. Funny thing is that when I was sick, my blood sugar numbers were great. Usually the numbers are bad

Have fun celebrating this weekend! Happy Birthday to your DH! I'd be interested in your asparagus recipe. I'm thinking wrapping it in bacon might be good?? What do you think?

@vickyday I think that wrapping it in bacon would be very good. I'll get the recipe and post it here later. Really not much to it. I'll add some parmesan in addition to the prosciutto and that's about it. I am glad that you are feeling better this morning...hope that food doesn't mess that up! And, I'm with Chris, if I started working on taxes at 1:00...well that's just a hard no!

@BrightEyes great news from the doctor. And the new Rx to pick up on Monday will give you somewhere to drive that new little red car!

@taxed4ever happy birthday to your Gary. LOL about "if he ever retires". Sydney got into a "heated discussion" with a friend at school. Knowing Sydney, I can't quite imagine her in a heated discussion. It was about retirement...she said that some older people just need to have some work because it gives them value and structure. I laughed and asked, "Did you feel like you have real life experience with that with your mom?" Poor Heather with her bad internet...that is the MOST frustrating thing in the world. I hope it is working for her today!

@bcgal00 I hope that you were able to stay in yesterday. Hopefully Jenn's car is fixed before she needs to go to Vancouver! And yes, I'm lucky that there are plenty of birds around me.

Ok ladies, I'm heading off to the gallery. We have several new people which I always love! Have a great day!

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning ladies. I ended up staying up later than I meant to last night. I put a series on to watch at bedtime and I thought I'd stream one episode of Woman of the Dead (subtitled German Netflix murder story) and ended up watching 3. I watch subtitled shows by myself b/c D hates reading the text. He rarely truly focuses on the tv screen so it makes sense that he would have a hard time following a slow. Today I go for a hair trim. I am going to try a different stylist at the mall. I didn't mind the young woman who cut my hair last time at their other salon but it wasn't quite what I wanted so I'll give this other one a try. With my fine thin hair it is really challenging. We got another couple of inches of snow last night. Remi is thrilled of course. It will start to warm up, around 40ish by the wkend so next week it will all melt but for now it looks pretty. A friend was saying that this year we got much less snow than normal so it'll be interesting to see what next year brings. It is so interesting, living in a city with such a different climate than on the coast.

Dinner today will be easy, BBQ salmon patty on a keto bun with homemade mayo, pickle and hot sauce and salad.

Jen asked if they would keep her car another day or two and put her new visors on. They will tape up the cracked area until the part comes in, so she can keep driving. They say there is nothing wrong with the motor but the sound it makes is not the same as our car. It is much louder. She is going to have them listen as she starts it up and I will be there with mine so they can hear the difference. Something maybe is loose or out of place, who knows.

@faerywings Sorting the photos is a big job, sounds like you got a lot done. My old photos will remain a mystery b/c there is no one to ask for info. They will be fun to scrap but there won't be journaling unless its just random stuff about the time period. Hope your friend is feeling better. Long covid is nasty. I feel fine now but it took months and I think my kidney function may never go back to what it was but it is ok, I just have to go to the bathroom a lot more now. I heard that that is a common result from long covid. At least the brain fog is much better.

@vickyday We are the opposite LOL. You prefer the rain and I prefer the snow. I hate the rain. I spent too many years on the coast where rain is very heavy and often.

@LSlycord Sounds like a fun wkend ahead. Your menu sounds yummy. Good luck with the interview tomorrow. I have to say, it is just not American business, it is Canadian business too. Everything is different now. Enjoy the 80's. We'll be there too before you know it. Unfortunately we found out the list for pool service is end of July so we might not have a pool for half the summer b/c we need a new liner. It's crazy how long it takes to get anything done out here.

@BrightEyes I wasn't up quite as early as you but I was awake around 5ish and watched tv off and on until 7 when I finally got up. Hope the arthritis is feeling better.

Remi is anxious to get out in the snow to play and I need to wipe the snow off the feeder and get some fresh seed out. HAGD everyone.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

I can say "good morning" for a change. Slept good last night and was up "early: for me.

We have a computer tech coming over this afternoon to work on my Mac. Ava worked on it for about 3 hours the other night and we're afraid we got a lemon. It's refurbished and we've had such good luck with refurbished things from Amazon. Anyway, we can't figure out how to update it and Ava doesn't think it has terrabytes on it, like it was advertised. Oh well, I have 80 more days to return it. Neither one of us have been able to figure out how to even get PSCC on it. All I could get was LR and that's all Ava could get, so I didn't feel so dumb. LOL I've been extremely stressed out over this - didn't even sleep much the night before. I was ready to have Ava box it back up and she was going to return it to the UPS store. Chuck doesn't give up so easily. He found a guy in town who is coming out today. Ava and I think it needs a new IOS (operating system). Again, that was misinformation if that turns out to be the case. SO, that's my sob story and why I've been kind of quiet for the last two days. I obsess over things like this. My next step, if this doesn't work out, is to get a new Dell and a dual monitor. I found out I DO have enough room on my desk because I have my laptop and the new Mac sitting on it right now. I've had my laptop for quite awhile and it's been acting up and is probably going to start giving me problems, soon. The GOOD news is that "Cheryl's iMac" is showing up on "my devices" on my phone and my watch. At least, we have it set up right. Thanks for letting me vent. Like you have a choice.

Chris @faerywings how fun to get all of those pictures. I've been loling over your mom thinking Cait to wear those clothes to work. As if - as the kids say. Too bad she couldn't use some of them for Halloween but I can just see what some of them looked like - especially your grandmother's. Little button up cardigans and lots of pearls - that's what my grandmas wore.

Linda @LSlycord good news about the job scene! Happy birthday to Brian too. Glad you're both feeling better and that Syd is coming home. Good times and family fun.

Kay @BrightEyes you're getting more bad weather? Ours is moving out - it's supposed to be farily warm again by the weekend. It was in the 40's yesterday.

Chris @faerywings batten down the hatches if this weather is coming your way. We've had not much but terrible ice. They were asking people to not go out unless it was absolutely necessary. Thankfully, we didn't get much snow, just an inch, maybe not even.

I did get my end of month stuff done, Chris @faerywings even if I have been battling with my OCD! The "O" has been my nemesis over this computer.

Hugs to all.

 

[taxed4ever]

@faerywings - LOOOK SHE'S BACK!!! Thank you to whom ever found this smiley!!! I just love her and she has been missed! I am super late getting in here as I have been prepping DH's birthday supper and decorating his cheese cake. I decided on making him a stew, he just loves that kind of comfort food, but when I went to add the beef broth I realized I had none grrr!! So off to the store, then getting lots of text messages for Gary saying Happy Birthday which turns into txting with everyone for way too long! Then Heather's boys face timed me as they have a day at home the teachers have a ProD day. Sheesh its taking me forever to get going on this dinner. Soon my DH will be home for lunch, so I am unable to find time to do personals today. Sorry but I will catch up with all of you tomorrow. Thank you all for the Birthday Wishes for my Gary!! I will pass them along to him, he feels like he knows all of you already so it will make his day! #kiss3

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Trudy @taxed4ever Happy Birthday to your Gary!!! I agree - I love her!!