Short Post

This is a late day posting.  Don't know where the day has gone.  Boyfriend had follow-up appointment with eye doctor.  His vision on the eye is blurry, but that's because of a swelling.  Eye drops will fix this.  We're confident, because I went through the same thing with my last cataract surgery.  All's good.

Took  a trolley after the appointment.  Then went through Culver's drive-thru for hamburgers and fries.  Had what we call a winter picnic in the car.  Then we came back home, to rest and relax for the remainder of our day.

Just finished supper.  Now it's the time of day when we both settle in with our laptops.  

Another horrific school shooting in Michigan today.  Literally makes me sick to think of what our young people have to fear and endure.  All we can do is pray for one another.  

L--O--N--G BLOG

First cup of this morning's coffee is a warm-up of yesterday's.  Can't stand pouring good coffee down the drain.  So easy to pop a cup in the microwave.  Know for sure my Gramma wouldn't have wasted good coffee.  

A pretty day outside for the end of November.  No sign of snow in the forecast.  Kinda feels like we're living in a twilight zone.  The first day it really snows, I feel like sipping hot chocolate all day long.  The Christmas movies are responsible for that idea, cuz every movie the characters are drinking homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream.  Some put a candy cane in the cocoa.  Peppermint tastes yummy with chocolate.  We're known to put a shot of Peppermint Schnapps in our hot chocolate, and that feels so good in the tummy.  We don't make homemade, but rather the packets of sugar-free where you just add the hot water, nuke it, and then stir.  

Watched the movie, Royally Wrapped for Christmas, yesterday.  Love the movies where royalty falls in love with the commoner.  Find the royal life intriguing...the butlers, the maids, the beautiful large bedrooms decorated for the holidays.  There are so many angles from which to watch a movie.  There's the plot itself, then the characters, clothes they wear, the decorations, the palaces, the common homes.....I find something in all parts of a movie.  And, to think I can sit in my recliner and watch movies on my laptop.  Life don't get no better than that......for me, anyway.  

Nothing too newsworthy in our corner of the world.  The daily paper wasn't delivered again today.  The newspaper moved from its hometown to the state capitol, and now there are problems, one after another.  They do manage to get their billing statements out on time, though.  Hmmmm.  Go figure.  

One thing I notice is that my pocketful of patience is pretty much depleted.  The slightest glitch can piss me off in a hot second.  Maybe that's how older people got labeled as grumpy.  Things are so screwed up, that it takes tolerance to adapt and accept the insanity.  

Am keeping a close eye on the latest reports of the new variant Omicron.  Japan announced it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors.  Drastic travel restrictions are being put into place across the world.  Cases reported now in Scotland, the Netherlands and Canada. 

We've all learned alot since the initial onset of the coronavirus.  I've noticed that there are a great many of us who now claim to be medical experts.  Oh, at first I was caught up in the hooplah, but now I've had two Moderna shots and am thankful to have that vaccine, which might not prevent, but may make the illness moderate rather than fatal.  Therein lies the difference, for me.  If all the vaccinated people will be dead in three years, then those who are left will have no medical people to rely on to take care of them.  Imagine that for a world.  

Did a bit of research on history's pandemics.  The earliest recorded one was in Athens, Greece in 430 B.C.  (yup, that's before Christ).  Symptoms: fever, thirst, bloody throat and tongue, red skin and lesions.

The Antonine Plague appeared in 165 A.D. as smallpox.  This plague continued til about 180 A.D.  Symptoms:  fever, sore throat, diarrhea, and if the patient lived long enough, pus-filled sores.

The Cyprian Plague of 250 A.D. with recurring outbreaks over the next three centuries.  Symptoms:  diarrhea, vomiting, throat ulcers, fever and gangrenous hands and feet.

The Justinian Plague of 541 A.D.  Recurring over the next two centuries, killing about 50 million people, or 26% of the world population.  

Leprosy of the 11th century.  Symptoms:  slow-developing bacterial disease, causing sores and deformities.  Leprosy still afflicts tens of thousands of people a year and can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics.

The Black Death of 1350.  This pandemic was responsible for the death of one-third of the world population.  This was the Bubonic Plague that spread rapidly through Europe.  Dead bodies rotted on the ground and created a constant stench in cities.

The Columbian Exchange of 1492.  Following the arrival of the Spanish in the Caribbean, smallpox, measles and bubonic plague were passed along to the native populations.  As many as 90% of these indigenous people died.

In 1520, the Aztec Empire was destroyed by smallpox.

First Cholera Pandemic of 1817.  There would be seven cholera pandemics over the next 150 years.  Symptoms:  Small intestine infections.  A vaccine was created in 1885, but pandemics continued.

The Third Plague Pandemic of 1855.  Starting in China, moving to India and Hong Kong, the bubonic plague claimed 15 million victims.  This pandemic was active until 1960 when cases dropped below a couple hundred.

Fiji Measles Pandemic of 1875.  One-third of Fiji's population died, a total of over 40,000.

Russian Flu of 1889.  By the end of 1890, 360,000 people had died.

Spanish Flu of 1918.  At the time, there were no effective drug or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans died.

Asian Flu of 1957.  Over six months, 14,000 people died.  A second wave followed in early 1958, causing an estimated total of about 1.1 million deaths globally, with 116,000 deaths in the United States alone.  A vaccine was developed, effectively containing the pandemic.

HIV/AIDS of 1981.  Treatments have been developed to slow the progress of the disease, but 35 million people worldwide died of AIDS since its discovery.  A cure is yet to be found.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) of 2003.  Symptoms:  respiratory problems, dry cough, fever and head and body aches.  Spread through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes.

Covid-19 of 2019.  This is where we are today.  This isn't the first global pandemic, it's part of the human condition.  

TODAY AND ANCIENT GREECE

People, including myself, who love words are called logophiles.  The word comes from two Greek roots--logos, meaning 'word' and philos meaning 'someone who likes something very much.'

When I was inducted to a local sorority lots of years ago, we had to memorize the Greek alphabet.  Always thought alpha and omega were way cool Greek letters, meaning the beginning and the end. 

The Greek alphabet system was developed in Greece around 1000 BC, with roots going way back to the Phoenicians.  Interesting how our lives today are still wearing remnants of these ancient times.  

The Phoenicians best known legacy to the world was their oldest verified alphabet, which made its way across the Mediterranean Sea and was used to develop the Greek alphabet and, in turn, Latin.  That lets us know that the language of the Catholic Mass, which is Latin, has the same roots as the Greek language.  Small world.

The Greek language has had a considerable impact on the English language.  Here are some Greek words we use every day......

Kudos--to give high recognition for an achievement.

Phobia--an exaggerated fear of something.

Plethora--an over abundance or excess.

Genesis--origin, which is why the first book of the Bible is called Genesis.

Dogma--a set of principles impossible to dispute.

Ethos--In Greek, it means 'accustomed place.'  In English, ethos refers to the disposition or characteristics of a specific ideology or person.

Anemia--having less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood.  (Interestingly, I have the opposite case and am being monitored.  If my number goes up by one more, the treatment is simply removing some blood out of my body.)

Acme--refers to the highest point of achievement.

Agora--an open market place found in the cities of ancient Greece.

Eureka--This word was founded by the famous Greek mathematician, Archimedes.  Eureka refers to a celebrated discovery.  When he discovered that the water displaced by submerging a part of his body in the bath was equal to the volume of the submerged body part, he ran out into the street shouting 'eureka, eureka.'

Marathon--long-distance footraces.  

Marmalade--comes from the Greek word 'meli' meaning 'honey' and 'milo' meaning apple.

Music--literally means art of the Muses, the nine Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences.  The concept of a museum was intended to be a shrine for the Muses.

Narcissism--comes from the Ancient Greek mythological figure of Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with himself when he saw his reflection in a lake.  (Do you know a narcissist?  someone who boasts and flaunts his/her level of education, knowledge and accomplishments?)

Planet--another word for the heavens, comes from the Greek verb planomai, which means 'to wander.'  The Ancient Greeks thought planets were wandering stars.

Oh, there are more words that come to us from ancient Greece.  And, now, Omicron will join in.  It blows my mind to think there are those who are arguing and fighting over the name of this latest Covid variant.  So much sarcasm in today's society.  And even the word 'sarcasm' is the Greek word for 'flesh.'  Sarcasm metaphorically describes the act of stripping someone's flesh off with a sneering comment.  

THINKING OUTLOUD

Sounds like OMICRON, the South African Covid variant, will be an everyday word.  United States borders closing on Monday, according to the news.  Wouldn't doubt there will be lock downs again this winter.

The multi-colored Christmas lights are lit on our balcony railing.  The boyfriend strung the lights in scallops, and they're so pretty.  We were both thinking about what we're gonna do for Christmas by way of decorating.  This afternoon we agreed that neither of us feels like putting up the village, putting out my collection of 100 Santas, nor putting up the Christmas Tree.  Our reasoning is that neither of us feel like investing what little energy we have into the fuss of putting stuff out and nobody seeing it.  With the introduction of another round of virus, plus Dale's upcoming second cataract surgery, we'll be doing zero entertaining through the holiday season.  

Then I think to myself, well, what if this is our last Christmas together?  What if something happens to one of us?  Oh, at this age, a person entertains all the possibilities.  Then the other half of my brain tells me it's okay if we both agree.  That in itself is a beautiful memory.  If one of us is gone next year, then the one left can remember how we decided not to put a lot of Christmas stuff up.  That works for me.  Will put out our trusty ceramic tree plus a lighted garland on the fireplace.  Not entirely grinchy.

Just squeezed a real lime into my gimlet.  Gets me thinking how I'm always adding condiments or enhancements to my drinks and foods.  In that regard, the boyfriend and I completely opposite.  When we have tacos or taco salads, I've gotta have the jalapeno peppers and hot Ortega's taco sauce.  Ketchup and whole grain mustard are essential to my existence.  Heinz 57 or Worcestershire sauce on steaks, and do not think I'd eat a french fry without gobs of ketchup.  Need pepper on everything.  The hotter, the better, for me.  I add hot pepper flakes to pizza and spaghetti.  

Don't know what got me thinking of Outback's bloomin' onion, but think I'll find a way to make em at home.  Last time we went to Texas Roadhouse, we had one.  OMG, could make a meal of one.  Absolutely love onions, eat em every day.  Every week's grocery list has green onions, plus we have the big red and yellow onions.

Tonight's supper was made by the man of the house.....roast beef, potatoes, carrots, gravy in the crock pot.  Ooooh, that sounds mighty fine.  All I've eaten so far today were a few Wheat Thins and Kwik Star's crab dip.  That stuff is delicious.  I know that cuz of my Jannie Girl.

OLD-FASHIONED ME

Something doesn't quite ring true with me that the day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday...the retailer's holiday.  Suppose my opinion reflects my old-fashioned way of thinking. 

Watched the Macy's Day Parade.  Lifted the spirits to see the celebration like other years.....some sort of semblance to what life was like before Covid.  The floats and the people in the parade were extraordinary in talent and beauty.  The Christmas floats were especially stunning, when the artificial snow fell.   

Thanksgiving dinner, delivered to our door, was delicious.  Here's a picture that shows my meal, except for the slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of Cool Whip.  The cranberry-jello salad really hit the spot.  Had enough leftovers for supper.  Actually, we saved our pie till then.  

Cuddy snoozed and snuggled beside me and my blanko after dinner.  Got a text about 6 p.m. that he was going back home.  His leaving took the air out of my balloon, but there are December dates when he'll return to live with us.  

Football was on the telly, I played mahjong solitaire, read a book, and so we spent a quiet Thanksgiving.  We talked about how we used to feel sorry if our mothers were alone for a holiday.  They'd tell us not to feel that way, they were just fine.  Well, it took us to get older ourselves to realize that being alone isn't a bad thing at all.  After living and giving during an entire lifetime, there's nothing quite like solitude, no hustle or bustle, no expectations, no have-tos......just being able to sit back, take a deep breath, and be glad all the hooplah is behind us.  

I'm learning, too, that we tend to put our own feelings on other people.  We expect them to feel as we feel and do as we do.  That's not a good thing.  Each of us sees things from our own perspective, and sometimes when people think they're doing good for someone else, they're actually treading on what's not their bees-wax.  Am sure I've been guilty of that in the past.  Sometimes when we try to do good for others, we're actually interfering.  Wisdom comes with age.....for sure.

After eating the delicious pumpkin pie, my interest turned to Christmas movies on YT.  Don't watch the old movies, prefer the latest ones this year.  There are some really handsome actors, and that plays a big part in movies for me.  Am a sucker for handsome actors.  

Would imagine the stores are packed with people searching for bargains.  Can never understand how giving presents and receiving presents over the years has changed.  Most presents are returned because the recipient isn't satisfied.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have not appreciated a gift.  Again, that's the old-fashioned in me.  

Guess this officially kicks us into Christmas.  The local campground holiday displays are up and running.  A beautiful tribute to the holidays that provides that extra something to the community.  We always must remember to be grateful for what others do for the betterment of us all. 

THANKSGIVING EVE

Fifty-six years ago on Thanksgiving Eve, Dale's brother Wayne was killed in an automobile accident.  Today we've been talking about how we remember him as a young guy and not being able to picture him as a 79-year-old man.  

Each of us has our own accumulation of holiday memories, some good, some not so good.  Thank heaven that time heals our heartaches, but really never erases them.  It's like having an illness and being in remission.

Spent a quiet day at home.  We're planning to watch the Thanksgiving Parade on the telly in the morning.  After this week's tragedy in WI, the word 'parade' sickens me.  This is one of those times we question how Our Creator can let awful things happen to innocent people, especially little children.  All of life seems beyond understanding.  The nightly news sickens me.  How society has changed in a mere fifty years is unimaginable.  Guess that's why there's an off button on the remote.  Of course, there are two remotes and two people.  

Tomorrow at noon our Venny turkey dinners will be delivered to our door, per our request.  Asked the social committee for extra dressing and gravy.  Can't fathom what it must be like at the airports and the interstates with the millions of people traveling home to be with their families and friends.  So much chaos simply to be together.  

Am sending each of my faithful followers my loving wishes and prayers for a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.  You give me a reason to fulfill my passion for writing.  You have no idea the joy it brings me when I hear from you or you leave comments.   

Will close for tonight.  Think I'll be dreaming about the dinner that awaits tomorrow.  Will probably be mumbling "please pass the dressing" in my sleep!

PONDERING THE PAST

Made a kettle of vegetable chowder for supper.  When I use the word 'kettle,' it reminds me of daddy calling it a kittle.  Start my chowder with a roux of butter, flour and milk.  Then saute celery, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, green onions.  Add  whole-kernel corn, creamed corn and cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Sometimes use bacon and other times cut-up wieners. Dale loves my chowder, and that's why I fixed it.  Full of vitamins.  Soup will stay on the stove for a couple of hours till it's time to eat.  The taste gets better the longer it rests.

Fuzzy One

The fuzzy one is here.  Learned today that he'll be staying with us from the end of December into March.  Blessings abound.

Stayed up last night until 3 a.m. watching YT Christmas movies.  Had me a mini movie marathon.  Cuddled in my recliner with a fleecy blanket (Christmas present from my niece) and shut out the world.  Am a fan of Mr. handsome Christopher Russell, and he starred in Christmas Unleashed.  Am a sucker for rom-coms.

Snorkel

The city crew put up Christmas decorations downtown this morning.  Best to get the wreaths, white lights, and garlands of evergreen in place before the sleet, snow and frigid temps.  Am a sucker for the ambience of falling snow.  When we were younger, we'd bundle up and go for walks in knee-deep snow amid falling flakes.  We wore snorkel hooded jackets.  That's when winters were harsh, temps sank to -40 chill factor, and snow was measured in feet, not inches.  Now, we get weather alerts on our phone if there's a shower with thunder and lightning on its way.   

Darkness is now setting in.  Electric fireplace adds cozy.  That, too, reminds me of when we were young and had a wood-burning fireplace.  Went to the woods, cut down a tree, revved up the chain saw, cut up into chunks, loaded em in the pickup, hauled the load back home, had to unload the pieces of wood and put em in a pile.  Then we carried the wood in the house, put in the fireplace, burned, and finally carried the ashes out and dumped 'em.  Now, we have a remote that turns the fireplace on and off and controls the flame level.  Who says it's tough getting old?

A nice surprise came to us as we were leaving the eye doctor's office this morning.  Each of yesterday's thirteen cataract surgery patients received a cup of fresh-cut fall flowers..........a random gesture of kindness.

ONION SKINS

 All went well with the cataract surgery.  Thanks for the good wishes.

Learned something interesting today.  Watched a YT video put out by a gal who lives off the grid.  She showed how to save onion skins, the outside crunchy parts.  She either makes tea out of them, or she soaks them overnight in water and then uses that water to water her plants.  The purple onions are preferred, although the yellow and white are fine.  Never ever thought of saving onion skins.  Guess they're filled with stuff that's beneficial to our good health.  Think I might give my Christmas Cactus a drink of onion skin water and see what happens.  Right now the cactus has buds.  She doesn't get anything but water,  so maybe this would give her a boost.  

Have a casserole in the oven.  Actually, it's a tater tot casserole without the tater tots.  Found a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer, so substituted that for the tots.  Didn't have a bag of mixed vegetables, so used frozen green beans.  Didn't have cream of celery soup, so substituted cream of mushroom.  Thought the boyfriend needed a good supper.

Got an uplifting phone call this afternoon.  Cuddy is coming back to spend two nights with us starting tomorrow morning at 10.  Staying till Thursday.  That'll make my Thanksgiving complete.  Will give me a chance to show the little fuzz bucket just how thankful we are to have joint custody.

Would talk about stuff that's happening in our world, but, nah, not gonna.  The telly is filled with sensationalism, and we all have enough of that.  Prefer to keep upbeat and focused on happy side of existence.

In one of the books I'm reading, I wrote down a quote.....Don't think about what's going to happen next.  Those are profound words, cuz we have no control over the future whatsoever.  Thinking that way comes as easy as breathing, and I don't understand why that is.  Either we think about what has happened or we think about what will happen.  Both get us absolutely nowhere.

STICKY BUNS

Gave the boyfriend a haircut this afternoon.  About the only time he behaves is when I'm around him with sharp objects or electric gadgets that could cause bleeding.  

There's a new drive-thru/walk-up coffee shop in town.  On Sunday they feature these humdinger sticky buns.  I'm hearing about 'em, not actually eating 'em.  The mere sight made my butt an inch bigger.  

There may come a Sunday when we break down the barrier and do a drive-thru.  Guess there's a gal in town that does the baking.  

Bought some unsweetened applesauce, so we could have something that resembles a dessert.  Put the little containers in the fridge, but decided it's better room temperature or warm.  

If someone told me I was terminally ill, I'd do a couple of things.....get some cigarettes, a Texas Fifth of Vodka, a bag of lemons, a jar of olives to make gimlets, and then I'd eat five of these sticky buns.  It's not a joke, but one must keep the funny bone lubricated and moving.

Sure's been a windy day.  Leaves were flying like butterflies on the balcony.  The weekend is getting ready to button up.  Gotta be at same-day surgery for the boyfriend's cataract surgery at 6:15 in the morning.  That means setting the siren.  

Hope you enjoyed looking at the sticky buns!  

KUDOS TO FAREWAY

Vegetable soup bubbles away in the crock pot. Got up late, had French Toast with syrup.  Hadn't had that for a long while.  

Yesterday we picked up our online grocery order at Fareway.  I'd set up an account on the Fareway app, introduced myself to its application, placed the order, set a time for pickup.  Flawless.  Cannot praise the process enough.  For us, it's the perfect answer to grocery shopping.  All we had to do was drive up to the store, a gal brought the groceries out, she put them in our trunk, thanked us, we drove away, came home, parked the car in our underground garage, put the groceries in a cart, took the elevator up to our unit, and all we had to do was put the groceries away and return the cart to the lower level.  Best part is, we have not one complaint about the items we ordered.  Produce was fresh, as was the milk.  Fareway gets an A+. 

We visited in depth about the luxuries we Americans enjoy, yet all we hear is harping and barking about this, that, and the other thing.  Sometimes I think theory outweighs fact in the human mind.  We also decided there's no sense in us not moving forward with modern times.  If there's something that will make our lives easier, we're gonna go for it.  Want to experience all we can while we're here.

Football is on the telly.  A few minutes ago I emailed my Venny newsletter column to the editor.  Will now watch my YT friends who gather to chat.  I have a favorite gal, her name is Lee, and she lives in Massachusetts.  Feel as though I know her. She's the real deal.  Guess it's Thanksgiving and time to itemize our blessings.  So many of them to be thankful for.  Two beautiful words in any language are Thank You.  Imagine Our Creator enjoys hearing them as much as we do.

WHEN WILL I LEARN?

 Another crazy day in the lives of D & T.............

As part of his pre-op for cataract surgery this next Monday, the boyfriend was tested for Covid at the drive-thru clinic.  After hearing what others said about the test, we expected a stick to be stuck up his nose and on into his cranial cavity.  What a bunch of holy baloney.  All I will say is this.......the world must be filled with pansy asses.  

I was driving.  The garbed nurse comes out, asks for name.  Jokingly, I said, "The little boy here needs a Covid test."  She goes back inside the clinic, comes back and says the appointment is for a man in his 70's.  To which we replied, yes, that's right.  She says, "But, you said little boy, so I thought there was a little boy in the back seat."  OMG, my frickin' crazy humor once again backfired.  Lord knows how many times I've been caught expressing humor in medical situations.  That's another whole story.  When will I ever learn.

It's only fair that I praise those in the medical field risking their health to take care of the health of others.  This nurse was standing out in the cold, administering tests.  When the test was completed, we made sure to thank her for her contribution to the betterment of humanity.  

After the pre-op and test, we went to Casey's for tenderloin sandwiches.  They're spectacular.  Went to a park for a winter picnic.  We always balance have-to's with want-to's.  

We were taken back to our working years this morning when the alarm went off.  OMG.  About blew my brain out the back of my head.  Appointment was at 9:05, but we needed our morning java fix, take showers, and go across town to the hospital.  

Now that that's over, the boyfriend is good to go, has to be at same-day surgery by 6:15 Monday morning.  So pleased to be early on the docket.  The admission nurse called this afternoon to say  I'll be able to go in the hospital with him, with mask.  Putting a mask on is no great shakes for me. After all, it covers up my aging face.  

Read this morning where Austria will be the first European country to invoke another mandated lockdown.  Italy, too, has spiking numbers.  Knowing that my dear dear high school friend lost his son to Covid.....well, that brings the pandemic right close and personal.  For my own sake, I must refrain from sharing my opinions about anything pertaining to the present-day human condition......heaven knows, don't want to lose any more friends/family because I just might have a brain of my own.

Nite nite.  Gettng to be time to start reading another book.  Finished one a bit ago.  

ACADIA

Knowing my affection for Maine's Acadia National Park, Cuddy's mommy and daddy brought me back this pottery art that's made in the shape of the park.  Notice the gorgeous geode central to the piece.  I will hold this gift dear to my heart, right along with Sir Fuddy Duddy Cuddy Buddy.

Think tonight's entertainment will be time spent on YT taking tours of Acadia and my favorite places in Maine, like Bar Harbor, Portland, and Rockland.  Just call me an armchair tourist.

DEEP THOUGHTS

Am later than usual.  Right now I'm looking up at the beautiful moon, which I consider to be God's Eye.  If we humans search for some explanation of the unknown, the phenomenon to life, why not grab hold of visible elements that light up our life.  To me, the moon is a precious and most powerful part of my life.

Remember working back with the Juvenile Court.  Officers who were on call over full-moon weekends were assured of many calls.  Never failed.  How the full-moon affects all of us, as well as other creatures of the earth, is another of life's mysteries.  

The editor of our Venny monthly newsletter dropped me an email this morning to see if I have anything for my Along The Way column.  Spent the day putting together a fun Thanksgiving memory.  I like to wait overnight to make edits.  After time lapses, the written glitches become obvious.

Laid in bed till 3 a.m. last night reading.  Honestly, once my brain gets tangled up with an Agatha Christie mystery, am as good as gone.  How in the world one woman could come up with a variety of circumstances, plots, situations, characters, places, historical data, incorporate the French language....well, have never read anything like it.  Thank you, Great Spirit, for steering me toward her writings as my latest project.  

Have another batch of beads soaking in Dawn.  Buying used jewelry requires sanitizing and cleaning every bead.  No way will I give a gift that isn't perfectly clean and shiny.  For me, the cleaning is simply another step of the process.

Heard today of another death in the town where we lived.  Acquaintances are dying like flies.  Makes me want to kick myself in the pants and do something constructive, but all I want to do is read and piss around making sun-catchers.  Migod, if my mother would see me, she'd disown me in a hot second.  Maybe that's why in the back of my mind I feel a titch of guilt for enjoying my life.  Sometimes we balk at the way our younger generations are approaching life, and then I think that maybe it was we who had things all wrong.  Looking back, all the stress, wear and tear, the trying to please others, the b.s., and for what?  We live, we die.  Why were we taught to bust our bums in between?  Don't get me started.

When I was younger, I remember reading about an old lady in the rest home and how she wrote a book in late-late life.  Thought that was ever so cool.  When I think about it, I've been writing now going on 16 years, so I might be just like that little old lady.  But, who's gonna read my writings?  I have all 15 books printed in hard cover, and I'd bet my bottom dollar that if I croaked tonight, not one person would bother reading 'em.  Why do we try so hard?  Guess that's what was instilled, or rather pounded, into our heads when we were little.  

The boyfriend is in the kitchen stirring stuff in the electric wok.  That means that an Oriental supper is on the way.  Asked him what he was fixing, and he said it was a surprise just for me.  Awwwwww...............

Thanksgiving is coming up.  This is my favorite holiday, in that it's focus is on being grateful for what and who we have in our lives.  More than ever before, life is precious.  Friends are precious.  Close relatives who really care are precious.  The list of things I'm grateful for is endless.  Every single one of my readers is on that list, and I pray for each one of you at night before I go to sleep.  I may be a quiet soul, but my heart is extremely deep.

Can't imagine closing my eyes for the last time.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

The little fluffy one has returned to his home.  Felt like my heart was being ripped out when he left.  Actually had a melt down....sat here eating donut holes like a wild woman on the brink of starvation.  Shrinks call that emotional binge eating.

Have an annoying onset of itchy, blurry, dry eyes.  Feels like there's sand in my eyes and they're driving me crazy.  Can hardly read.  The eye doctor says to put over-the-counter eye drops in several times a day to keep the eyes lubricated.  We buy Systane, and that seems to work fairly well.  Never ever thought the day would come when I'd need to buy artificial tears.

Sure is windy out.  The boyfriend is intent on putting up Christmas lights on the deck railing today.  Weather will be changing, and it's smart to get 'em up now.  Pretty colored lights will lift the spirits.  Aren't we all sickened by the direction America is going?  If a simple string of lights can bring a bit of joy and hope to just one human heart, then it's well worth the effort. 

Will leave you with one of Maxine's zany bits of sarcasm.  Kinda makes one want to go in the kitchen, make a batch of creamy chocolate fudge and eat it all in one sitting...... 

PRIEST HOLES

After winning four games of Mahjong Solitaire on the AARP website last night, I told the boyfriend we oughta head for a casino.  Most nights bring zero victory and then BAM!  AARP games are free benefits, so why not partake.  The game forces my brain to remember where tiles are located on the board so I can find two the same, and that's how the board eventually empties.  My scores pale compared to the daily big winners, but am not in it for the competition.  The only competitor left in my life is me.  https://games.aarp.org/games/mahjongg-solitaire

Learned something new.  Agatha Christie, in "Then There Were None," refers to the priest's hole in old English manor houses.  Hmmmm.  Google time!  Have been a RC all my life and not once have I heard the term.  Here's an explanation found in the National Catholic Register.....  "It was a capital crime to celebrate Mass in Elizabethan England.  Priests were publicly hanged for doing it.  Nobles and higher gentry could find their lands and estates confiscated by the Crown for the 'crime' of worshiping as Roman Catholics.  So many of the great houses of England, especially in the North Country, were built with hiding places cleverly concealed from searchers.  There, they could quickly pack away their clerics and rosaries, vestments, Douay Bibles and even the prie dieus (prayer desk) on which devout Catholics knelt and prayed."

This reminds me of the Underground Railroad here in the U.S.  Maybe that's where the idea of secret hiding places built in homes originated.

For those not familiar, the Douay Bible is a translation from the Latin Vulgate into English by members of the Catholic seminary English College, in Douay (also spelled Douai), France.  It's the foundation on which nearly all English Catholic versions are still based. 

In Agatha Christie's book "Then There Were None," she refers to a "swan song."  That's a methaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort or performance given just before death.  The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death since they have been silent (or alternatively not so musical) for most of their lifetime.

Just love discovering these terms that I'm not familiar with.  The best part is having the internet at my fingertips to look for their meanings.  Maybe I'm an archaeologist at heart, always digging up something. 

CUDDLE KIND OF DAY

Quite nippy out.  Sky color graduates from a gun metal gray to a light blue-gray.  Football is on the telly, and, as usual, my fingers are turning pages.

Cuddl Duds

A few minutes ago, ordered a Cuddl Duds crew neck and leggings set on eBay.  $20 delivered to my door.  Have three pair in my pajama drawer.  They're perfect for lounging around the house.  Can't remember the last time I pushed a shopping cart up and down the crowded aisles looking for something to wear.  Ordering online is simple, 'specially now with Covid.  Being around others hacking and sneezing, kids sitting in the carts slobbering on the cart handles....omigod, deliver me.  

A person doesn't need as many clothes as when we were going to jobs every day.  My priorities have changed, and the key word to my wardrobe is "stretch."   Can't imagine wearing tight-fitting jeans anymore.  A person had to suck in a deep breath to get the waist buttoned.  Would very much like to salute the inventor of leggings.  They've pretty much taken over my life in ankle length and capris.  Again, it's that stretchable feel that's so appealing.  

Am watching a bunch of crows flying out in the harvested bean field.  Can't help but wonder where the tiny hummingbirds are right now.  Sure do miss 'em.  

CUDDY STAYS TWO MORE DAYS

Woke up in the middle of a crazy dream this morning when the boyfriend lifted Cuddy off the bed to take him outside.  Was right smack dab in the middle of a verbal altercation with church ladies of the past. At the point where I awoke, my frustration with their bossiness had peaked.  Migod, how stuff haunts a person.  Where is all that suppressed angst stored?

Yippee skippee!!!!!  Just received a text message asking if the chipmunk can stay with us until Monday afternoon.  In a split second my heart flipped from sad to happy.  Could sit here and write volumes about my love for the little fluffy bug, but my readers must get tired of my wooing and cooing him.  

Another dreary day out there, typical November.  A couple is walking by, and they're wearing hoodies tied under their chins.  

Received in the mail Agatha Christie's autobiography, which I'm reading between her published books. Thought I ordered a paper back for the price, but it's hard cover in really good condition.  The first fifty pages are already answering puzzling questions....like, why does she incorporate French phrases in her writings.....and where did she learn to speak French.  An amazing woman with an ultra-imaginative mind.  With so many books, one would think she'd have followed a plot formula.  Not the case.  Every story is light years different than the last.  The characters are plentiful to the point where it's difficult to keep them straight.  One day I found myself writing lists of the names and what part they were playing in the story.  Am constantly googling words, both English and French.  Have started translating the French and writing the phrases in the books to help the guy who's reading the books after me.  

Staying hunkered in this weekend to avoid any Covid germs flying around from person to person.  Gotta take care of the boyfriend until his eyes get fixed.  We're cautious to the core, but that approach to life has done us well thus far.  Careless we try not to be.  Have reached the age where we have to put ourselves first and let the rest of the world take care of themselves.  

FIRST FLAKES FELL

Guess what we woke up to this morning?  Yuppers, a dusting of snow.  Good thing I took a picture, cuz it's already melted.   

PRAY WITH ME

Sadly, the deadly effects of Covid-19 have hit home.  

Last week we learned that our classmate's son, age 37, passed away from severe Covid, after refusing vaccination.

Today we learned our dear friend is hospitalized with serious Covid symptoms.  Yes, he was vaccinated and told that he most likely would not have survived had he not been.  

DOUBLE RAINBOWS

Double rainbows this morning on our living room wall.....brought into being by my twinkly sun catchers.  

Over the years, we've seen double sky rainbows.  Legend tells that a double rainbow represents the material world and the secondary rainbow, the spiritual world.  Perhaps an internal awakening? 

Weather forecast is for colder temps to be heading our way.  Last evening I sat out on the deck and read for awhile.  That's significant for the 8th of November.  Memory serves us very well this morning about the foot of snow that fell on this date back in 1985.  Yuppers, actually over a foot fell and pretty much put a damper on everything.....including a surprise birthday party that was planned for months!  Mother Nature holds the trump card in her hand, and once in awhile she plays it as a reminder of her might and control.  

Had chili for supper last night, topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped green onions, chili powder and red pepper flakes.  Yumm-O.  My chili is topped off to the hilt, the hotter the better, both temperature-wise and otherwise.  Like to put chopped ripe olives on chili, too, but didn't want to open a can for myself.  Fritos would've kicked the chili out of the ballpark, but none in the cupboard.

Best scoot and start fixing the scalloped potatoes and ham casserole for supper tonight.  Like to bake it early, let it sit so the flavors marry, and then reheat at mealtime.  I learned terms like 'let the flavors marry' from watching the cooking shows on the Food Channel.  If nothing else, maybe it seems to others that I know what I'm talking about when I don't.  

Ta-ta for today! 

FRENCH FLAIR

Funny how things eventually reveal themselves.

French spelling:  Haricots verts
(French pronunciation:
Hairy-co-vare)

The sentence read, "A dish of haricots verts had been upset over a man who was sitting at the table next to ours."  My first thought was......what is that.....I phonetically pronounced it in my head and then resorted to googling.  Haricots verts are green beans.

Then it hit me.  If you've watched the Food Channel show, Chopped, you'll remember hearing the chefs refer to green beans in French as what sounds like hairy-co-vare,  Of course, that's it.  The French spelling is haricots verts! I'll be darned, learned something before 10 a.m. today.

Am not a fan of canned green beans.  The best green beans ever were the way my Mother made fresh from the garden.  She creamed 'em with half-and-half.  I do like the green bean casserole with mushroom soup and French fried onions.

Detective Poirot speaks French phrases alot in Agatha Christie's books.  I keep my phone next to me so I can look up the French words.  One phrase he says all the time to his partner Hastings is "mon ami" meaning "my friend."

Nothing on the radar, another day snuggling with the fuzzy one.  Tomorrow is the boyfriend's birthday.  We'll be celebrating at home with me preparing his favorite meal......scalloped potatoes and ham.  I make the dish from scratch.....make a roux (roo)  out of flour, butter and milk.  Interestingly, the word "roux" is a classical French cooking term.  

Might as well end today by saying goodbye in French.......Au revoir (oh ruh-vwah).

SELF-RELIANCE

Spent a quiet Saturday at home.  Finished reading Agatha Christie's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."  What a read......couldn't put the book down.  

Finished the book, then got on YT and watched "Our Family Wedding."  A Spanish gal and black guy fall in love, and the story is about them wanting to get married.  Family interference on both sides just about ruins the couple's relationship, but love prevails.  

Today's Sunday.  Clocks are turned back one hour.  Heard that this may be the last time change, but don't know if that's fact or more false news.  Between false news a/k/a lies and muddled manure, how's the average mind supposed to cope.

We're a sleepy crew here today.  Cuddy will be staying with us one more week.  His parents sent photos yesterday of Ralph Waldo Emerson's home and Louisa May Alcott's home.  A copy of Emerson's Self-Reliance lives by my bedside as one of my choice reads.  It's the kind of book one can pick up and read snippets, then put it back down.  Perhaps Emerson's Self-Reliance, as much as any other book, has shaped my approach to living life.  

Makes me shiver to think what will happen to my cherished books when I depart this world.  Maybe that's why I'm known to pick up old worn-out books in thrift stores.....thinking maybe they once belonged to a lonely soul who's long forgotten.  Books contain the wisdom of other humans, and that's how past generations live on to guide and sustain us.  The more tattered the book, the more appealing to my heart.  I imagine the fingers and hands that turned its pages and the eyes that followed its words from beginning to end.

Sadly, when I take inventory of the devoted readers on both sides of the family, they add up to zero.  Not too promising a future for my beloved library of dearest friends.

GOOD MOVIE

Just spent part of the afternoon on You Tube watching the free 2011 movie, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."  A most intriguing, entertaining and inspiring story I highly recommend watching to the very end.  It leaves me with words to live by and believe in.  Best part there's the 2015 "Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," but as of yet it's not free.  

You Tube has a wealth of movies to watch, past series, travel documentaries, and just about anything imaginable.  We each have our own Chromebook.  Come evening, we plug in our earphones and together spend the hours in our own separate world.  Who could've imagined such luxuries during our lifetime.  Heck, I remember what life was like without television.  Am ancient enough to remember what life was like before running water.  

Yup, a water pail with a dipper sat on the kitchen counter.  We filled the pail at the water pump outside the house.  Who could've imagined the day would come when we'd be buying bottles of water.  However, we save many dollars by refilling our water bottles.  Oh, they say we shouldn't do that, but what else would we expect the corporate crooks to tell their consumers.  Where we live the water is as good as it gets, and we conserve where we can.  Every bottle we refill is a dollar saved.  We've always got water along with us when we go for our trolleys.  

Sure is getting dark earlier.  Tomorrow night we turn our clocks back an hour.  The only way I remember which way the clock goes is by the saying, "Fall back, spring forward."  

STAY SOLID AS A ROCK

On a recent Wisconsin trolley, we stopped to photograph this roadside Monument Rock.  

According to a WI historian, this rock is real proof of what is called the Driftless Region.  Any ice sheet would have destroyed this rock spire, formed by the prolonged erosion of surrounding rock over thousands to millions of years. 

It boggles the mind to think that this rock dates back to what geologists refer to as the Ordovician era which dates back some 485 million years ago. This was another of our discoveries.  We were merely driving along and there it was in front of us. 

These natural earth formations tend to ground me, or shall I say they center my soul on what really matters in life.  Seems like everything we've known has become fragile and close to extinction.  It's good to know that we, like this monumental rock, can withstand the high winds that life throws our way.          

WIN SOME.....LOSE SOME

Yuppers, my big idea to throw out a World Series bet has cost me $20.  Oh, well, like they say, a fool and his money are soon parted!!!!!  Nah, just kidding, my betting buddy has handed over his share of dollars to me in the past, so this is a return for him.  The Atlanta Braves skunked the Houston Astros 7-0 in last night's game.  

My daddy was a baseball player.  I grew up sitting on the bleachers watching local teams play.  The team players called daddy Chinky or Chink, but never did hear the reason why.  Baseball is one sport I understand.  In high school, remember cheering for our football team, hollering out things like "first in ten, do it again" and had absolutely no idea what it meant. Never liked football, never will.  The only time I'm interested is when I have a bet going.  Maybe my luck has finally run out.

Two Venny gals joined us for supper last night.  Fixed a chicken hot dish, lettuce salad, foccacia bread with butter, and raspberry-blackberry pie topped with Cool Whip and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.  Today we're having leftovers, which are sometimes even better.  The pie was bought at Fareway and mighty delicious.  The only time we have desserts is when we have company over.  For sure we'll be buying this berry pie again.  Was probably one of the best store-bought pies ever.

Solved an annoying problem yesterday.  My Resound hearing aids weren't connecting to my I-phone app for whatever reason.  Deleted the app and reloaded it, yet nothing.  Fiddled around until I decided to call Resound support.  Got the nicest gal on the line, and for about a half hour she gave me instructions what to try.  Then, finally we got 'em connected and working again.  Drives me nuts when something doesn't work, and I can't rest until it's corrected.  Don't wear my ears all the time, only when we go out and are with others.  So embarrassing to have to keep saying, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

There are those who shy away from assistive devices.  Not me.  Am grateful for anything that makes my life easier.  Sooner or later, if we live long enough, we'll need repairs, new parts and help of some sort.  Remember when we were getting our hearing aids, I almost got red ones.  Figured why try to hide em, rather flaunt em and set a positive example for others in the same boat.  Finally opted for the gray to match my hair.

PUPPY LOVE AND POLLYANNA

Think I may have captured the perfect example of puppy love......... when he changed positions, he made sure to put his other leg on me.  He's a little lover.

The fuzzy one's parents are visiting the East Coast and sent photos of them  in New Hampshire standing by the sculpture of Pollyanna.  Remember the series of books written about the orphan girl Pollyanna who lived with her mean aunt.  The little girl was known for playing the glad game, as she always found the good in the bad.  Once in awhile we hear someone referred to as a Pollyanna because of her incessant optimism.  That's what's known as the Pollyanna Principle...being able to focus only on the positive.

It's fun for us when his parents travel, cuz they share their photos.  Wouldn't otherwise have known about this sculpture.  Goes to show there are alternative ways to see what's out in the world.  Sharing is a beautiful thing.

FINDING THINGS ALONG THE WAY

Remember the other day I wrote about cemeteries and graveyards?  While out on a trolley Saturday, we noticed one of those tree-stump gravestones, stopped to take a photo.

Like I said, there's a lot of history to be found in these Stone Gardens.  When we stopped to read the inscription on this really large stone (to the right), we discovered the burial site of the first white woman settler in the area.  Born 1814, died in 1891, age 77.  That's what I call real history.  
 

Note the husband's name was Phineas.  That name sparked a memory from the Howdy Doody days.  Remember the marionette, Phineas T. Bluster, the mayor of Doodyville? 

Phineas T. Bluster

Some of us get a rush from discovering things along the way.  It's what makes life interesting, knowing there's some bit of information just waiting to be found.  By stopping to take a picture, not only did we discover a bit of history, but we dug up old memories of the Peanut Gallery days.  It's always fun to relive the fun times when we were kids and life was so uncomplicated.