Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[NYCgrrl]

Hello everybody! Happy Sunday!

Sorry I haven't been around. Sometimes life just gets in the way and I don't even log in here for days and then when I do I just lurk.


Cases are rising here, El Paso is the latest bad hot spot for Texas. From what I have been hearing on talk radio is that small/large family gatherings are accounting for quite a few of Covid cases because of lack of wearing masks and social distancing. I canceled going to my son's future inlaws for Thanksgiving because of this. I heard from a friend today that her DIL has Covid. Getting too close for comfort!

I have most of my Christmas shopping done, most of it online. I have really missed going to the Christmas/holiday markets this year. I almost went to one Saturday but decided it wasn't worth the risk. All of the big ones that I would go to have gone virtual. I want to shop and touch what I'm buying.

My mom is doing okay, some days are better than others. Today was a good day as far as being able to hold a conversation with her.

I can't seem to get my act in gear today, I just don't want to do anything constructive, a little down in the dumps. I guess we all need one of those days every now and then. Fortunately my DH is grilling steaks and baked potatoes for dinner.

Thanks for a snapshot view into your pandemic life, El Paso style. To try and keep the blahs away I’ve been spending more time on the phone than normal. Also more chatty with store employees than my norm-at least when I see them in person, LOL.
This too shall pass
.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good to see you Kirby! Prayers for your friend's DIL and always your Mom as well.

Thanks everyone for all the extra Sunday posts

 

[AuntieMe3]

Oh...I forgot to mention my friend with Covid is feeling much better has tested negative and is off her quarantine. Two of her kids ended up testing positive as well but none, thankfully developed any symptoms.

Also another good thing....hubby has decided to quit smoking. He stopped a few years ago for 3 years and then started up again when he was hanging out with a friend who is a smoker and kept encouraging him to do it again. Thankfully he's not close to that guy anymore and decided he needed to quit for good this time. He hasn't had an actual cigarette in a week but he's doing one of those electronic cigarettes to curb the craving for now. This is what worked for him last time, he used the e-cig for a couple weeks and then he was done. I'm hoping he can make it stick this time.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Wonderful to hear all-around, AuntieMe3! Prayers for your husband to quit for good. I hope you both are enjoying our warm (but not hot) Sunday weather!

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Shellsbutt (I really like your name! )

Happy Sunday to all. I'm sorry I don't keep up with the thread as much as I should. My only excuse is that after a day of online school and battling the Monkey to get his work done, I'm worn out and don't really feel like getting online and trying to post a decent response (as opposed to "posting-for-the-sake-of-posting"). I don't want our thread to die out, though!

@lynxstch, wow, what a bad customer service day! I'm so sorry that you experienced all that! What is it with the fast food joints lately? I'm hearing some bad things about some of ours here lately...yesterday someone posted a photo of their sandwich from Dunkin, the paper separator was still attached to the egg...

Had our usual Sunday at the in-laws' house today. It's too cold to go outside so we all had to wear our masks inside. They've not been having good days there either. You know that hydraulic bar at the bottom of screen/storm doors that pull it closed? A few days ago, the pin holding it to their entry storm door broke, so now there's nothing keeping the door from swinging wide open. Then we discovered that my FIL's new motorized gravity chair was too close to the wall in the living room, so when he tried to recline, it put a hole in the wall. A nice big hole, clear through the wall. And then when my SIL arrived, she forgot about the bar on the storm door and swung it open. There's a door right next to it that leads to the garage, and the handle on the storm door aligns perfectly with one of the panes of glass in the garage door. Yep, she swung that door open with such force that the handle went right through the glass. So now, the one thing that my in-laws were calling their handyman to fix has now become three things. (Personally I think they should just replace the entire garage door. It's the original door from when the house was built in 1971. Their house just plain needs work.)

Josh keeps crying that he doesn't want to go to school tomorrow and Tuesday. Says he wants to be with me. Nope, he needs to go until he can't go anymore. He needs the interaction with other people for a while. (And I need time for errands, of course )

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Slipping thread is not allowed!

I've begun watching Write Before Christmas. I'll see the rest tomorrow. I do love that Jessica uses Christmas cards to say thank you to people who have made a difference to her. Her brother in the movie, Carter (I just Googled the cast and his name is Madison Smith) is quite handsome!

Apirateslifeforme, prayers the handyman comes swiftly and does a good job at your in laws house! Hugs about Josh. I hope he has a good school day tomorrow

Sweet Dreams everyone

 

[NYCgrrl]

Morning, All.

Been putting this off for a bit but now it’s time for me to pull up my big girl panties and face reality. Have a teleconference with my lawyers and financial advisor late this morning to change some of my legal documents and update the annual budget. Should all go as foreseen everything should be signed off by the end of the week.
DGD has her last final this morning so I’m making her a “big“ breakfast: baked oatmeal with blueberries and Concord grapes and her regular smoothie. Hope it inspires her.

I don’t see the pandemic restrictions ending anytime soon so am trying to make 4th of July plans with them in mind which of course DGD finds mind boggling. Told her to think on my ideas of places to camp (Fire Island, Cape Cod, or Westchester county), and which 2 of her girlfriends she’d like to invite, and get back to me before the year’s end. She of course named the water access only spot we cancelled for our first trip to WDW but I reminded her we no longer have car access. Maybe she’ll do some research on her own and find a new spot?

Enjoy the beauty of this day.

 

[sparkle78]

“enjoy the beauty of THIS day “. I like that NYCgrrl

It’s been awhile so let’s do another question of the day
QOTD: what is one of your favorite sayings ?

- when people say how are you ?, I like to respond with surviving. This causes them to pause , since they are expecting great , and you ?
- signing off emails, peace and prayers
- fiddlesticks, when I’m frustrated and don’t want to cuss

 

[Snowysmom]

Welcome Shellsbutt. This is a nice place to tell your good and your not so good. Everyone is so kind and supportive. I am sorry to hear about your kitty. It is tough not be to be able to get into the vet with your pet. I am dealing with this with my 15 year old dog with pneumonia and other assorted health issues. Sending thoughts and prayers your way for good news for your kitty.

I am online early today since I don't have to work this week. Time to go out to breakfast and then car shopping. DH wants me to pick out the car and deal with the whole process. I told him I am the finance person. I will pick out the car, test drive it, he can talk with the sales person, and then I will come in when it is time to fill out the financing. We both have our jobs. LOL! After car shopping I want to go to Target, CVS, and Dollar Tree. I have every day planned out with where to go , what to buy, and what to clean at home. My goal is to have a space downstairs for an exercise bike by the end of the week. DH has his orders.

@NYCgrrl I am so impressed by how you handle life, the good and the not so good. You just dig in there and get it done.

@APiratesLifeForMe2 I hope once Josh gets up on Monday he looks forward to school. I think it is hard for the little ones this year. My oldest DGD says she does not like school this year. She is all online. It makes me sad.

Happy Monday everyone.

 

[easyas123]

QOTD: what is one of your favorite sayings ?

Mine are mostly family related ---
"So there I was"....I realize it may sound odd but whenever one of the boys is about to launch into a retelling of one of their fathers hunting or fishing stories they start by imitating him and using that phrase! It just makes me laugh!

"Dear, I need some more Yuck"...again, probably pretty odd, but it was what my grandmother would say to us when she needed one of the grandkids to refill her scotch glass. She called it 'yuck' because she thought it would keep us from trying it! Gram had very strict scotch rules, two ice cubes, no more. 2 fingers of scotch, no more. That woman was a pure jewel, dang I miss her. 22 years ago in Sept. she died in her bed on the second night of a 3 week family vacation, she always did demand the attention be on her!

"What airline today" - what the shuttle driver asks after we've parked and are headed to the airport in the parking shuttle for vacation!

Welcome to all the new posters! It's nice to see you here.
Took a 8 hour car trip - up & back - up to Lynxstch's neck of the woods. Managed to beat the rain & wind home as well, and traffic was light. We had to pick up some stuff from the butcher up here, and pay the bill!
Stopped at the Christmas Tree Shop as recommended by Pirateslife & other...the one we went to was in Hagerstown, MD. Picked up a item or two - boy it was crowded in there for sure. Had the unfortunate experience of grabbing a sandwich from Sheetz. We didn't want 'fast food', and wanted to get back down the road and home by 3PM so we grabbed a sandwich from them. Not to great, BUT I'm a born & bred Wawa patron so perhaps that clouds my opinion?
Stopped for a quick walk around this area:
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/casselman.aspxwhich we go by frequently but haven't stopped in years.

 

[Shellsbutt]

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome! I'm not sure how to reply to multiple people in posts, and I've been on the DIS for 7 years, lol. My nickname Shellsbutt was given to me by my older sister of course. I was the younger sister always following her around and she thought I was a brat, probably still does. So it's just kind of stuck over the years-my name is Shelley. I'm not looking forward to this afternoon with Xena but hopefully we'll have answers in a few days on whether the mass is cancerous. If it is, not sure what we will do. I've said on other threads here that my husband lost his job back in September, so we are surviving on unemployment at the moment. The vet appt last week was around 600 for shots, x-ray, exam, etc and the one today is around the same for needle aspiration and anaesethia block. We can't afford to spend much more than that as it is. So it becomes the difficult decision about paying bills vs trying to save my cat.

It's forecast to be around 70 here this afternoon, but that seems optimistic since it is currently 40 degrees as I type this. I think going for a walk in my local park is a good idea before the rain tomorrow. I need to go give my cat Felix a snack since he is patiently waiting by my laptop and giving me that look.

I will try to reply to people on their own posts, I'm not trying to ignore anyone. I hope you all have a great day and week! Goodbye from the crazy cat lady

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Good morning.

Can't find the firestick remote anywhere. Cleaned out the disgusting cabinet under the tv. So dusty. Did not find the remote. So many Disney videos I can't bear to part with. They are historic. I think we have a VCR somewhere. Also found all the DVDs of the kids years in marching band. Currently watching MSOM (Mighty Sound of Maryland) 2006 and 2007 seasons. Ahhh memories.

Yesterday got a start on ordering some Christmas gifts. And ordered cards from Shutterfly. Have been getting them from Walgreens but decided to switch.

DH is out buying a kerosene heater. We are thinking of using it on the screened porch for outside dining.

BUT I'm a born & bred Wawa patron so perhaps that clouds my opinion?

We are Wawa lovers too. Were glad to find them in FL when we were going to MIL's condo. Could stop on the way from the airport and pick up food for the next morning. Have started to develop a taste for ROFO now too.

QOTD: what is one of your favorite sayings ?

I can often be heard saying "Geeze Louise." DH said if we ever get another dog we should name it Louise.

Another thing DH and I both say, and it comes from a very early Disney computer game we had for the kids. I think Goofy was delivering pizzas. He, and now we, say "Here's your pizza, Enjoy!" It is such a common occurrence that when DS and DSIL picked up pizza while on vacation, they were wagering on who would say it.

And for our new members, QOTD is question of the day. Just to get conversation going. And anyone can ask one.

Shelley, you snuck in on me. That is a hard decision about Xena. We had to make the decision about a dog years ago partially because of the expense.

 

[PollyannaMom]

QOTD: what is one of your favorite sayings ?

I have a few in my signature. Probably my favorite is the Downton Abbey one -
“The business of life is the acquisition of memories.” I have it typed out and in a double frame with a vacation photo of DS (when he was about 10 years old) In the other side.

I'm a firm believer that experiences are better than “stuff” (which, of course, is a little harder to live by right now - but we're concentrating on making different kinds of memories.)

 

[easyas123]

Have started to develop a taste for ROFO now too.

It's a requirement if you live in MD for more than 3 months!

Wawa
ROFO
Sheetz
Starve
is my list of gas station edible-ness ratings!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning Love seeing lots of extra posts!

NYCgrrl, I also admire your outlook and wish your DGD the very best as well!

Prayers for Xena, Shellsbutt. Hug to you, as well.

I like what you said PollyannaMom about experiences being better than stuff. Along the same lines I add the importance of small moments. Time with someone you love or care about truly is precious. The running around or hurrying to get something done often can wait.

It's already 72 here! Lovely Monday. I'm off to soon watch online Worship from yesterday (thank you Carol) and then finish up Write Before Christmas. to all.

 

[AuntieMe3]

It was a nice place, totally safe with social distance tables and lots of room for everyone there, didn't feel crowded at all. There was live music, really good food and best of all a great time with our great friends, something we all needed I think. We've been hanging out with them but just at each other's houses so it was nice to do something different.

You guys....after posting yesterday, hubby and I got a text from someone we saw Saturday that he got a positive test result (we were only with him for a very short amount of time but still....). I guess he hadn't been feeling well earlier in the week, took the test Friday even after feeling better, decided to go out on Saturday because he was feeling better, and then got the positive test result yesterday afternoon. No one even knew he tested...he's in his early 20s a friend of our really good friends son, so I guess he thought it was ok to go out even though he just tested. Ayi, yi yi.... Hubby and I both informed work so we both have the week off and I sent a message to my Dr asking advice on what to do....isolating, testing and when we should do it....etc. I'm so upset we let out guard down and hoping we don't develop any symptoms. Like I said, we only saw him for about 30 minutes but we hugged him hi and goodbye with no masks. Also our friends who we were with all evening sees him more often than we do so they've been exposed more than we have....not sure if they are isolating and testing like we are. DD sort of scolded us before we left Saturday evening....she said you guys realize there's still a pandemic going on, right? We laughed it off but she's right....we should've been smarter.

So for my answer for the QOTD today it's Ayi, yi, yi..... I actually do say it alot.

 

[easyas123]

You guys...

That stinks - I hope you guys make out ok. Don't Beat Yourself Up About It! What is done is done at this point - we will all learn a bit from your experience so thank you for sharing it, not everyone would. Good reminder for those of us - I put myself at the top of that list - who have perhaps let our guards down a bit. Covid fatigue I think they call it.

We were gifted tickets to a event on Friday - something we heard about and thought would be super fun. I am wondering if it will be canceled/postponed...and I'm wondering if it isn't, should we still go? It's a wine tasting. With SLOTHS. Real, live sloths. I mean - come on!

 

[easyas123]

A little levity -

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hug and prayers, AuntieMe3! ITA with what Easyas123 said as well! Thank you, Easyas123 for posting that.

Carol, loved "Come and Find the Quiet Center" Hymn. It brought back good memories of signing it at my own church. I so enjoy your church's service, thank you again.

I did finish watching Write Before Christmas. Honestly, I felt it had too many storylines! I could have done without the Jax part altogether! I did like that Jessica wrote him a thank you card and his brother was very supportive of him. I was very happy for Jessica and Luke (loved how they volunteered with children waiting to be adopted) along with Jessica's Aunt Lila and Tom+dog Blitzen (so cute). I would have enjoyed more of a completion to the Carter/Angie storyline.

Enjoy Monday all!

 

[lynxstch]

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome! I'm not sure how to reply to multiple people in posts, and I've been on the DIS for 7 years, lol. My nickname Shellsbutt was given to me by my older sister of course. I was the younger sister always following her around and she thought I was a brat, probably still does. So it's just kind of stuck over the years-my name is Shelley. I'm not looking forward to this afternoon with Xena but hopefully we'll have answers in a few days on whether the mass is cancerous. If it is, not sure what we will do. I've said on other threads here that my husband lost his job back in September, so we are surviving on unemployment at the moment. The vet appt last week was around 600 for shots, x-ray, exam, etc and the one today is around the same for needle aspiration and anaesethia block. We can't afford to spend much more than that as it is. So it becomes the difficult decision about paying bills vs trying to save my cat.

It's forecast to be around 70 here this afternoon, but that seems optimistic since it is currently 40 degrees as I type this. I think going for a walk in my local park is a good idea before the rain tomorrow. I need to go give my cat Felix a snack since he is patiently waiting by my laptop and giving me that look.

I will try to reply to people on their own posts, I'm not trying to ignore anyone. I hope you all have a great day and week! Goodbye from the crazy cat lady

Hi Shelley..first,,you are not the only crazy cat lady on here,,I am one also! I lost one of mine last Friday, his name was Tiger. I hope Xena's mass isn't cancerous. You have a tough choice to make if it is, but I have also been there and done that. You have to do what you have to do.
Second..when you want to reply to multiple people..find the post you want to answer to, click the quote button , then go down to reply and click insert quotes..you can add multiple quotes and reply to each on in one post if that helps you out!