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

[lynxstch]

Watching Hogan talk about the vaccine now. He is wearing a mask and the comments on Facebook are complaining that deaf people who lip read can't see his lips. The man can't win.

What channel was he on? All local channels here are still on the impeachment proceedings, since 2:00 at least. That makes 3 days this week my General Hospital isn't on

 

[easyas123]

I pulled up the local Baltimore channel we usually watch, WBAL (www.wbaltv.com) - I just watched it on their website (well, I missed most of it).
I had the proceedings on until I couldn't stand it anymore and went to music, so I missed most of it, didn't even know it was on until Breezy_Carol mentioned it!
I think you can still pull it up, although I imagine it would be on most Baltimore/Maryland based new channels.
Looks like the limitations on visits to Nursing Homes & Hospitals might be loosened a little bit- I'm sure that is welcomed news to many.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Slipping thread!

I hope your governor's message, Carol, Easyas, and Lynxstch, is coming across well and makes safe good sense. I am sorry your show is not on, Lynxstch.

I'm soon going to be ordering some scrapbook albums on Hobby Lobby.com. Dad has been sorting through a bunch of his older photos (that he wants to keep, I have no need to hold onto) We also have some pictures we'd both enjoy putting into a new album together. A positive, extra pandemic project. It also makes for a QOTD!

QOTD for Thursday, 2/11: Do you save pictures and/or cards? How do you store them?

Right now, Dad has a ton of old cards filling two old photo boxes! I have any cards/church related stuff/other sentimental paper as part of my scrapbook albums (along with regular photos). I am super old fashioned and do not do Facebook or anything like that. I absolutely get how such sites are super handy to help families stay in touch for which I am grateful. Any pictures I want prints of, I order from CVS. Last year, among other things, it was so freeing for me to let go of any saved items (pictures/cards, whatever) that truly did not bring me joy to look at. That was of not use to me and certainly not aiding me in serving God. Literally letting go of that stuff was amazing! I did redo my scrapbook albums to where they are now filled with only positive memories

I am not a fan of having my own picture taken. Post plague, it will mean a lot to me to get to have some pictures taken of Dad and I together that we can hang up and/or put into a scrapbook. More priceless will be the memories made in them

How about all of you?

 

[PollyannaMom]

QOTD: I really enjoy scrapbooking, but don't make time for it often enough. I love looking through old albums as well!

I don't save all cards, but I generally scrapbook the photo Christmas ones, and keep a few others for crafting. I usually save birthday cards, and even have an album my mom made was I was really little of some "welcome baby" and early birthday cards.

 

[tazdev3225]

QOTD: I don't save cards for some reason. I do have my High School graduation cards but I had a Scrapbook for those years.

As far as Pictures I have tons. Those that are older are sorted and scanned into my computer and then transferred to an external hard drive. I am working on a couple boxes my mom gave me but she wasn't good about ID'ing them on when they were taken so it's a lot of guess work and my scanner isn't working right so it's on my list of things I need. All my hard copy pics are in photo boxes for now but also in the hard drives. Since the digital age I have printed some and plan to frame a few when the downstairs is finished. If I have been on a big trip they are sorted, ID'd and put in the hard drive. Then I type up a list of every single picture. Every picture I have is cross referenced in several categories: people, places, animal, food, etc. People are broken down into family, extended family and about 6 other categories. I go through all the new pics every couple months to make sure the files are updated. Then I make sure the hard drives are updated. My family thinks I am a little obsessed. The memory cards are also categorized and stored with what is on them and in one of the documented files. Like I said the family thinks I am obsessed, bored, need a job or insane. It makes me happy.

Honestly I can take over 3,000 pics on a trip to Disney. Scotland averaged over 3,000 pics a trip. I look at them quite a bit to reminisce but if I want a picture of say a butterfly I can go to Butterflies, if I want a Red Admiral I then know they are and I can just look for a Red Admiral. With over 100,000 pictures it saves me time.

I am actually in the process of going through all the pictures to make photo books for my kids and the Scotland trip I made a book for my mom. I think she likes it, I can never tell.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hug, PollyannaMom, I love that you have that early album from your mom, what a sweet gift she made for you.

Wow, TazDev, I admire your picture inventory skills! Hugs, what makes you happy is a happy thing! Pictures can definitely take on extra meaning as years pass along with your own growth!

When I was younger, I did save almost every single card. I wish I had held onto more cards from my grandparents. During my college years and shortly after, I pared down. I also remember making a huge mistake one time of sorting both cards to keep and toss into two (identical) white trash bags. Yes, you know what happened. I accidently tossed the wrong bag! That was okay, because honestly it was mostly "stuff." Still a good lesson to learn of be careful of what you are tossing! As I said above, last year was when I truly was able to go through saved paper/photo memorabilia and only save what actually matters to me long term.

 

[Snowysmom]

One more dog story. When my older DS was a baby we had a westie named Spunky. He loved our DS. We would put DS in his walker and he would wheel all over the kitchen. We had a ranch so no stairs. Spunky would get one of his toys and shake it at DS and growl playfully at the same time. DS would laugh and then shake one of his toys at Spunky and make sounds. Those 2 could go on for a long time like that. It was so funny.

I don't save cards at all. DH has lots of pictures that he puts in rubbermaid containers. I have some old family pictures in photo albums. The ones we have taken since digital cameras are just saved on the memory card. DH would save every single card we ever got. I have to make sure that cards are looked at and put up on the mantel for a while and then thrown out. I tell him to take a picture and leave it on the memory card if it is a special card that he really likes. We do save the grandkids Christmas cards with the family picture. It is nice to see how they have grown each year.

Today is a sunny day, around 35, with a bit of wind. We are watching to see if we will be getting a big storm next week. Sunday is supposed to be snow showers.

I am off tomorrow so this is my virtual Friday. We will be shopping for younger DGD's birthday present. She turns 2 at the end of the month. I also need to look for a new office chair. My right hip and lower back are not happy in the chairs at home. If I have to work from home then I need to be comfortable.

I really need to step back from the news. Our governor is really making me angry so I have to let it go. I was really stressed and out of sorts yesterday. He really is all about control. He is up for reelection next year and I suspect he will go into the private sector or become a lobbyist. If he runs again I want to give him his stay at home orders. I am not the only one who feels this way.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Love the Spunky story, Snowysmom! I hope you caught at least one of such moments with your DS on film or recording. Hugs, I have not been a big fan of my own state's governor during this entire time. I wish him the best, as I do everyone, keep him in prayer and that's it.

FYI, remember these are my time, on HM&M tonight at 6pm is The Color of Rain (I am trying again to DVR it. Hopefully this time the cable box will cooperate). At 8pm is Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas.

Grr, the cable box just went out again. So glad Spectrum is coming tomorrow afternoon! Keeping in prayer this time the issue gets resolved!

 

[Snowysmom]

We do have some of the playtime with Spunky and DS on video, the old style video.

I need to take a look at Hallmark movies. It has been a while. Time to chill out.

Have a nice evening.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

@lynxstch, I usually watch Hogan on WBFF 45 but everything had the impeachment. I watched on Facebook.

@FlyingDumbo, I just saw those movies are on tonight. I had forgotten.

QOTD for Thursday, 2/11: Do you save pictures and/or cards? How do you store them?

We have a lot of photo albums from when the kids were growing up. I made Shutterfly photo books of some of our big trips and both kids' weddings. I have fallen down on the job as I don't enjoy uploading and organizing pictures and making books. I need to do one for our last two cruises. DH does more with printing his pictures. I save close family picture Christmas cards and other cards from immediate family.

@tazdev3225, I am impressed by your picture organization.

 

[Kirby]

I don't save most cards. Sometimes I save them if the sender has written a long note inside or I've kept cards from my DH or children. I usually keep Christmas cards that have a personal note inside or are the family picture kind.

The majority of my early photographs before digital are in photo albums, each with the date and name of person in the picture if applicable. Once digital came along, I've stored pictures on a flash drive. DS bought me one of those portable storage external drives to put all of my pictures on. I've made a ton of photo albums of trips, family reunions and other stuff. I've made "A Year To Remember" books starting in 2015 to document what was going on each year. Both kids have a book of their high school years, and a book each of their years in Boy or Girl Scouts. I hope one day to start scanning all of my pictures and make books from the time we got married, I did scan all of our wedding pictures and made a photo album of them. I also hope to make a family tree book from the pictures my mom had once my sister and I have gone through them. She's coming over again Saturday morning so we'll go through at least one if not two more tubs of pictures.

I really don't have any funny dog stories but my first dog was a mutt named Frisky. My dad's mother bred and judged dogs. I would get her out in the backyard to take a look at Frisky and judge her. She looked her over, pointed out Frisky's good qualities and told me she was a Heinz 57. I was so proud and told many people as a child that I had a Heinz 57. Later, when I was older I realized that all it meant was that Frisky was a mutt but that was okay, she was a good dog.

When Frisky died, I vowed, as any 12 year old can vow, that every animal I had would have a name with a letter of Frisky's name. So our next dog, a beagle/dachshund, we called her Rags, short for Raggedy Ann. One Sunday we came home from church and found that she had nosed the lid off of a box of Valentine chocolates and eaten each one without disturbing the brown wrappers that they were sitting in. Didn't make her sick, she must have had a strong constitution.

Our next animal was a cat that we name Igmo, we had a hard time coming up with an "I" name. As a kitten he disappeared for a couple of days. We searched and searched to no avail. Then standing outside I could hear a cat meowing. We found him across the street up in a tree in the neighbors back yard. Their German Shepherd had treed him, we're not sure when but when we got Igmo home he sat in the litter box for a long, long time.

After DH and I were married, a friend of ours dropped off a Golden Retriever puppy one afternoon. I came in from work and there was this huge three month old puppy laying in our family room. He was bigger than the normal dog for that breed and we loved him to death. We named him Sam. A year later, DS was born and they were inseparable. He passed away earlier than normal, we only had him for six years but we still miss him.

We were petless for a couple of years but DH was talking about getting another dog. He was interested in a Blue Heeler. His sister saw in the local paper that a couple were giving away Blue Heelers so we called them up and went to take a look at them. There were two males left, the couple told us that they were a Blue/Red Heeler mix. We took one and got down the road about a mile, turned around and went back for the other one. We called them Kirby and Yancy, so my vow was fulfilled.

Our last dog was Dixie, we think she was a Black Lab/Chow mix. Kirby and I found her in the ditch where she had been left one morning. She and Kirby became inseparable.

We haven't had any pets for a couple of years now and have decided that, for now, we don't want any.

Our artic freeze came through last night. Freezing rain coated the streets but a lot melted by late afternoon. There was a huge pile up over by Fort Worth, it shut the whole freeway down, 130 cars were involved. And on farther down towards Waco, 121 miles away, the same freeway was closed due to ice. Most of the freezing rain is southeast of us now. I'm hoping to get to the grocery store tomorrow, probably with everyone else. Maybe I will just do another pickup instead for tomorrow afternoon. The forecast is for freezing drizzle on Saturday with a chance of snow on Sunday and Monday. My weather app says a low of 0 on Monday night. Brrrrrrr!!!!!!!! That is very cold for us.

DD made chili for dinner with cornbread. Hope DH gets home soon. It's 27 out now so what water was left on the roads has definitely frozen by now.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Glad you have that, Snowysmom!

I was glad I remembered Thursdays are Christmas movies on HM&M, Carol, or I would not have realized they were on. I hope you (and anyone else who watches) will enjoy and that my cable box will let me enjoy tomorrow!

Kirby that is sweet that you fulfilled your Frisky vow. I like Rags for Raggedy Ann Thank you for giving Dixie a home!

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning all. Few snow flurries falling, but we missed the 1" of snow and ice on top of it they said we would get overnite, thankfully. I am stiff and sore from clearing snow again yesterday--I really can't wait for Spring--only 37 more days!

I loved all the pet stories

as to the QOTD about pictures and cards..I'm not a big picture taker or saver, never was. We have a couple of framed pics of the grandkids, and 2 collage pictures of them I made, and a big storage tote in the cellar of old family ones, but other than taking a few pics with my phone, that's it. We only save special cards, and the photo ones half the family sends at Christmas time

Have a great morning everyone!

 

[sparkle78]

QOTD for Thursday, 2/11: Do you save pictures and/or cards? How do you store them?

I saved the kids‘ birthday cards from the relatives. Just recently, we went through the 2 plastic storage containers in their closets of mementos. I took the 14 year old’s cards and separated them in to piles from Aunt D, from Aunt G, from Grandma k, etc. then they picked 2 cards from each relative to save, this greatly reduced the number , but also gave them a few treasured items.

Christmas cards, i like to save the photo ones from friends and put on a fabric wrapped bulletin board in a hallway by the guest bath to enjoy throughout the year.
the ones with notes from dear friends, i randomly put in the Christmas decorations totes to discover when i decorate the next year

photos - shutterfly books

 

[easyas123]

QOTD for Thursday, 2/11: Do you save pictures and/or cards? How do you store them?

I am not great about displaying photos. I've got tons of them in boxes here & there. I have the graduation photos of the boys, and the basic training photo of the youngest hanging in the house. I'm not huge on taking photos of myself and my husband...we are NOT the type to take a lot of photos together, nor were we ever the type to go and get family or couple photos taken. I think the only 'formal' photos we have are our engagement photos - his idea, I could have cared less!- and our wedding photos!! We have a couple of casual photos together, nothing I display. Same with family photos with the kids. There was a time I scrapbooked, and those are stored away in a tub somewhere (see how bad I am!?!?) I do have, somewhere, several postcards from my grandmother from China, Egypt, Switzerland and god knows where else. That was back in the 70's and 80's when sending postcards was still a 'thing' that people did with frequency...and I have a few photos of her, my very dear cousin and myself at EPCOT, where we went one day because she knew she could enjoy several glasses of champagne whilst on her scooter that was literally, and figuratively how Gram rolled I'm pretty sure I got my wanderlust and love of champagne from her! I've got the boys graduation announcement from school somewhere, too. In any event, I would say about 95% of all our photos are in boxes. I really should at the very least put them in some kind of order.

Good morning all - hope everyone has a pleasant day. I'm headed down toward the Delaware Shore later this morning to deal with some contracts and paperwork for the office. I've got a grocery order coming later today from Food Lion - we've got the firewood stacked and ready for the upcoming cold, icy weekend and no where to go and nothing to do but stay home - yawn, it's starting to get on my last nerve - Hey! I should get started on that photo consolidation and order! I won't, but I should!

 

[sparkle78]

Yep, my mom is sorting through photos of my teen years now , putting them into albums. About 20 years ago, i had already sorted them into groups for her, she is just now putting them in albums and writing next to them.
me - I’m baking. I’ve got some flour and other baking supplies leftover from Christmas baking and thought i would make some choc chip cookies , brownies , Hershey peanut butter blossoms and then deliver them to a few girlfriends tomorrow

 

[sparkle78]

Oops forgot to add what I should be doing is grocery shopping and scrubbing out the shower

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Hello again friends. It's been quite the week. Thank you all for your condolences and posts and messages. I apologize for not responding to any yet, but I will hopefully catch up in the next week.

First off, I am very happy and grateful to hear that LJ and Lily are coming home (or probably already are home by now )

DH has been at his mother's house most of the week, along with his brother and sister. My FIL's visitation was on Wednesday evening. It's very sad how we have to do it now with COVID - guests aren't even allowed into the room. They have it roped off so they can maybe step in a foot or two and there's a sign up to please refrain from approaching anyone. Of course, we pretty much ignored that and Mom was hugging MANY people over the rope! We, the family, went early so we could go up to Dad and then compose ourselves, plus we thought Josh could see him (if he wanted to) and give him the picture he drew "for Granpa to take to Heaven." The lady at the funeral home pinned it to the lid of Dad's casket and many people commented on it...


(That's a bag of State Line potato chips on the left; on the right is a 1982 penny, an apple slice, and a can of Moxie soda )

My mother had come with us, with the intention of taking Josh home before everyone started to arrive, but surprisingly, Josh wanted to stay. We kept asking Josh if he wanted to go home and he refused, so after about 45 minutes, we sent my mom home and Josh stayed with us the entire time! He truly surprises me sometimes. Very quiet, but he did talk to people - one of the cousins commented that he looks like his Daddy and he said, "I actually look a lot like Granpa, too." He wouldn't go up to the casket but I did see him staring at Granpa quite a bit. I hope that doesn't bother him in a few days/weeks/months.

I have to say, I did like his casket. A nice simple deep grey-blue with silver handles. Very tasteful and the color was gorgeous. And DH had remembered that they still had the ashes of their last dog in the house, never did anything with them. Dad loved that dog, so they took the urn to the funeral home and had him put in with Dad. So it's a comfort knowing that Dad has his dog and Josh's "I love you!" with him.

We had to get up early yesterday morning and go to the house, where the limos (that Mom insisted upon) were picking us up. Josh stayed home with my mother to do school. When we arrived, I saw a cardinal in the bush next to the garage and I was just stunned by that. I've often heard of the legend of the cardinal, but I had never had it happen to me and I've never seen a cardinal at their house before. It flew away before I could get a photo, but I'm a believer and there is no way that was a coincidence.

So the limos came and we went to the funeral home for the procession. Thankfully only 4 cars total, as we had to go all through the town and on the highway. It actually took quite a while to get to the cemetery. I think we were all disappointed when we arrived at the cemetery chapel to see nine chairs all spaced 6 ft. apart. We couldn't even sit together! I sent DH up to sit "next to" his mother and brother and sister. Dad got full military honors, as he was an Army veteran, so for once I did get to see the flag folding and presentation (my grandfather, a WWII Marine, didn't have a service, so the VA just sent his flag to my grandmother). When they play Taps, though...OMG, that just gets me. And at the end, the "cemetery man" told us we could start at the back, go up to pay our respects, and go out the side door. My SIL and nieces and I all just looked at each other, then I stood up and motioned to them to come with me. I didn't want to go up alone! We just stood there and cried for a minute, I said "I love you, Dad," and we went out to wait for everyone else. We were all glad in the end that we had the limos; it was nice to have someone else drive and not have to worry about it in the state that we were all in. I think Josh could have gone to the service, though. I think he would have liked to see the soldiers.

So we just spent the rest of the day at the house...we did tell a lot of stories about Dad. He was truly funny and we are all going to have some wonderful memories of him. There is definitely an emptiness, though. We keep expecting him to come inspect something DH and BIL are trying to put together for him, or something that they're fixing. Or to see him sitting on the sofa, watching a Western and drinking a can of Diet Moxie. This is going to be very weird. I'm even feeling this one very hard (trying to step back, though, for the actual immediate family). One thing we want to do is get a big bag of State Line potato chips and some Moxie soda, and have a toast to him. A wonderful, warm, beloved man. I already miss him terribly.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

❤ That is beautiful, Apirateslifeforme. Much prayer and condolences to you and your family. Proud of Josh and all of you! God indeed is forever with you all!

Thanks everyone for more photo stories.

Love to all for a bright and Blessed Friday.

 

[sparkle78]

Apirateslifeforme. Funerals during Covid are difficult. I’m glad you got some closure. Prayers to you and your family