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

[lynxstch]

At least now I feel like I accomplished something today. I got outside to use the leaf blower on the front porch, and as I was walking through the side yard, all the black walnut leaves on the ground prompted me to look up, and the gutters were full of leaves. Got the ladder out and cleaned both sides, they were packed! In the middle of it, along came a downpour, but since I was already wet, I finished. By the time I got done, and used the blower on the front porch to get rid of the leaves and cat fur, it was sunny again, lol

Wrote out the thank you notes for the rehab nurses and rehab OT and PT staff, and will get them in the mail tomorrow for the carrier to take.

Chewy brought 2 of my 3 orders this morning, sounded like a brick being thrown at the porch..they have to stop just throwing them..those boxes are heavy. The last one should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. My sister in law and niece had to go to Morgantown this afternoon to stay at a hotel overnite for a 7:45 appt, so she is going to check the Walmart and Krogers out that way and see if they have canned Friskies cat food.

Mr L did all his arm and leg exercises and is taking a nap before dinner, lol!

 

[tazdev3225]

Good evening everyone. I am home safe and sound and well rested from the trip. I will post a few pics tomorrow after I sort through them all.

I caught up with everything I missed but I do have a few grandparent stories.

My grandfathers both died when I was very young. My mom's father was a baker and owned his own bakery. He had rheumatic heart disease from scarlet fever when he was a child and died at the age of 49 years after open heart surgery. The surgery was a success but he threw an embolism. He was one of the earliest patients for this surgery and it helped the drs. realize what some of the complications could be so he was a hero in my eyes. I was only 6 so didn't quite understand what was happening at the time. I do have some fond memories and one not so fond memory of him. He would shoot cream in my mouth when he was filling the cream donuts and my love of sugar on strawberries came from him. He really was a very good baker and made the best Butter Cakes and chocolate chip cookies. My not fond memory came from when I was about 3 and he gave me a really hard swat on my bottom. I was a bit precocious at times and he told me I had to go upstairs, he was busy. The baking facilities were in the basement and he had an order to get out. I crossed my arms, stomped my little foot and said, "NO!!!" That did not go over well. If that wasn't enough when my mom heard what happened she gave me another swat for my behavior and refusing to apologize.

My grandmother, my mom's mother, was something else. She slept all day, drank like a fish and LOVED to go out and play Bingo. When my grandfather died she had a bit of a dilemma. She still had two small children. My aunt was almost 11 and my uncle was only 5. If the bakery stayed closed for a certain length of time it could not reopen because of the baking facilities in the basement. She married the baker that was filling in while my grandfather was ill and after he passed away. She wanted us to call him granddad and my mom flipped out. He became Uncle Ernie. My grandmother insisted we were to show him some kind of respect even though my mother said no. They took me on vacation to Virginia to visit his family and forgot to pack anything for us kids to drink so at the age of 12 I had my first beer. I didn't like it a whole lot. She did try to help me get over my fear of water though when we were at a pool. I went to Florida with her and my uncle to visit her aunt when I was in my teens. Greatest thing I ever saw was my 2X great aunt scold her. My kids loved her and my son took it really hard when she passed away. She did live to be about 82 though but was in very poor health at the end. She developed senility and had vision issues after a series of mini strokes. Ironically she died the day after her oldest son, my uncle. My mom likes to insult me by telling me I am just like her. I keep telling her that to me it's a complement. My grandmother was tough but she never lied, she just wasn't very diplomatic. She taught me manners and I learned them fast. I could have ANYTHING I wanted from the bakery as long as I asked Please and said Thank You. I took 1 cookie without asking once and was banished for 2 weeks. I never did that again but she also asked me if I learned anything from it and I did. I passed that lesson on to my grandkids.

My dad's father dad died when I was 8 and I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I adored him. He usually had a couples day stubble he liked to rub my face with and always smelled of cigar smoke and "funny" aftershave. When I was older I realized the aftershave was the smell of stale whiskey. He liked to call me a "dumb little Polock" to get me mad. My response was "I Am NOT, I'm a "Merican" Pisapalian (Episcopalian). His response was "You are not, You are my Duchess!" He did something to me when I was about 3 that got me really mad and I refused to speak to him or even look at him. He got so upset that he bought me the biggest Hershey Bar he could find. It worked, the man knew, give me chocolate. Actually my Gram told him to do it. When I was about 6 he gave me a picture of Elvis Presley and $5 that I could spend any was I wanted. My parents had no say in how it was spent. I bought a Pebbles doll and I kept her and my girls played with her when they were little. No one told me he was sick and when he died I was as broken hearted as I could be. I knew what death was at 8. He was an alcoholic but he used it to self medicate. He was a longshoreman and his pelvis was crushed in an accident on the docks. Hus identical twin brother died when he was 9 months old and I don't think he ever got over it. They had to put a mirror in his crib to calm him down for a long time. He also had to take on the role of Breadwinner when he was in his teens. His father died at a very young age and he had to help raise his 11 siblings. He even helped put a couple through college. He did not have an easy life but I adored him.

My grandparents were all very unique individuals but they loved me. What more could any child want. They never said it with words so much as with actions. And as the saying goes "Actions speak louder than words." I can totally attest to that.

I was lucky enough to have met 4 of my great grandparents. I only remember 1 but she was so great. I ran away from home to her house. She lived right behind us and I just had to cut through the alleyway to get to her house. My mom knew that would be the first place I would head. My great grandmother and my great aunt hid me under the kitchen table and told my mom they didn't know where I was. While my mom was frantically searching the neighborhood I had cookies and apple cider. When my mom came back around my great grandmother acted so innocent and said I was there the whole time. My mom wasn't real happy but what could she do. She was so relieved I was OK I didn't even get in trouble for running away. She did have a hobby though. She made crocheted doilies and when my great aunt passed away my mom inherited them all. Once my downstairs is finished I will be getting one to frame and hang in the living room surrounded by the family pictures. It's a legacy I hope to pass on to my granddaughter one day.

Wow that was a fun trip down memory lane. Have a good evening everyone.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I was sure I posted this all this morning, but here it was, still in the box at the bottom of the screen:

We caught up on a whole lot of visits between late May and very early July when all adults in our family were vaccinated and cases were down.

It was wonderful.

Now, cases are surging again. I don't know what's happening next.

I thought I had lost the quotes I just tried to do on my phone, and instead gained this one too! I must have quoted and lost it previously.

Anyway, I feel the same - very grateful that we got out to NY to see family when we did!

If I do drive up, I just get what I need. If I end up going in, I'll definitely "need" more than I went in for. LOL

That's me at Target (or Ocean State or Burlington...) as well. - I walk in for two things and come out with eight!

Did your grandparents have any special hobbies?

One of my grandmothers was also a coin collector. She was my "local grandma" so I saw her the most, and have the most memories with her. She took me with her to her coin club meetings a few times, and would always trade me any wheat pennies I found for nickels.

I also got my love of crafting from her. She came of age during the Depression, so she believed in making something useful out of everything! To this day, I have trouble throwing stuff out because I think of three different ways to use it.

I credit my "measuring spoons - what are those?" cooking style to her as well.

She worked (part time) well past traditional retirement age, and I feel that it really kept her young.

I could walk to her house anytime, and probably saw her every other day, if not more, but we also had a particular tradition where she came to our house every Friday night to watch Dallas and Falcon Crest with my mom. (I usually made it through Dallas. ) She would bring the ingredients for English muffin pizzas or some other treat, and we would make them together. - I found out years later that she had a similar tradition with my cousins on Tuesday nights.

I also remember going with her to visit a friend of hers who was older, and Grandma looked in on her and ran little errands for her. She was a retired schoolteacher and super sharp! There was always a puzzle in progress at her house, and she loved to hear about school and anything else I was doing. She didn't have grandkids of her own, and really loved that Grandma would sort of share us with her.


My other grandmother lived about a half hour away, and I used to go with my mom to take her out shopping on Saturdays. We would go to yard sales or the mall, and then have lunch at her house.

I remember loving the kind of bread she bought, and that there were always pickles and cheese cubes with my sandwich. She was generally the "fussier" of my two grandmothers, and seemed older to me, but she had the most fun tradition at Christmastime. - She would tie a string from one corner of her small living room to the other, and hang candy canes on it. We could take one off whenever we came to visit.

She had lots of crocheted things around her tiny house, and also had a red lava lamp that I always loved. - I bought an identical one to decorate our first apartment.

When she was quite old, she asked each of us grandkids to pick something that we would have after she passed, and mine is a class cat that sits high on a shelf in my living room.


I didn't get to know either of my grandfathers before they passed, but I did have my great-grandfather (father of the grandmother who lived locally) when I was little. He was in a VA nursing home, and I remember visiting him and his friends there, taking them pictures I'd colored for their bulletin boards and stuff.

 

[Kirby]

Lil Joe is home!!!!! It is so good to have him back around the house.

My nephew's tennis team won their matches today so they are heading to Nationals in Arizona. Don't know the date, maybe next weekend. It was so good to spend to evenings with him.

DH grilled thin rib eyes this afternoon. I added roasted new potatoes and air fried some yellow squash and zuchinni. Tonight is fend for yourself!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Enjoy every moment of your time off, Pea!

Extra hug on your mom, AuntieMe3 and great bargain shopping at Walmart! You sound like a wonderful Grandma Fee.

I'm very glad to hear a nurse is coming tomorrow to check on Mr. L, dear Lynn. Thank you for taking the time and care to write out all those thank you cards. You will absolutely brighten someone's day at that hospital with them. I pray you and Mr. L get some good rest tonight!

Welcome Home, Taz Dev! I do look forward to seeing your pictures and hearing about the fun you had Get some rest!

Hooray and Praise God that Lil Joe is home! What a Blessed relief for all of you, Kirby!

Wishing all of you lovely friends a good evening.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning all. This will be brief as I am tired and going back to sleep. Hubby was up most of the nite with the tv on again,,neither one of us can sleep like that, and he has to get out of that habit fast. We are going to be at least 93 today (hotter than Miami? geez) so nothing will be done outside. Nurse should be coming today , hopefully OT and PT will call.

Have a nice morning, will be back later to check in

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Good morning.

I have signed up for a shift on the Welcome Center this morning. I did it a few time before the pandemic but the duties have changed somewhat. Now I have to answer the multiline phone and transfer calls. Wish me luck. Then later today, dance lesson.

Yesterday was fun with family. DD brought left over crabs from a gathering she had Friday night, so we started with them. Then had hot dogs and hamburgers with my deviled eggs, DDIL's fried rice with fresh veggies from her mother's garden, and DD's broccoli salad. Dessert was chocolate chip cookies DGD and I bakes last week, and ice cream sandwiches from the grocery store. (They were mini size and chocolate ice cream. Quite good.) And tastings of several different beers throughout.

I am home safe and sound and well rested from the trip.

So glad to hear. Which beach did you go to?

Lil Joe is home!!!!!

I know you are all happy about that.

Have a great week everyone.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I woke up yesterday with a low grade fever (100, and controlled with tylenol), and all over body aches; slept most of the morning. Got a test; came back negative this morning. Feeling better today, no fever. Didn't exercise either day.

So, stopped in at Publix just a bit ago. Masks were 50/50, mostly younger people without them, including quite a few under 12s.

DH is now working from home; sees the nephro today to get the note so he can (if the neph gives him any grief, he'll just have the transplant team do it).

Having crab cakes and Mexican street corn (again) for lunch, and just salad or tv dinners for dinner. Tomorrow I have to go to Fresh Market (where masks are worn about 80/20), and get the meat at their weekly sale. Tomorrow is bacon cheese burgers and salad.

Hope everyone has a good day!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning!

I sure hope you are resting right now, Lynn and that the nurse will indeed come+ others call.

Wow, good for you, Carol! I admit that answering the phone, especially multiple lines would not be for me at all! I do love that your church (I take it this is at your church )? has a Welcome Center!

Prayers you are continuing to feel better, B&B!

Editing after having called my dentist's office. I felt awful cancelling this morning's appointment at the last minute. With the Delta variant raging, both my dad (especially) and I felt better with my rescheduling for September. I just spoke with the dentist's wife/receptionist who is so sweet and understanding. I apologized again (I don't like to ever put them or anyone out/impose). She brushed off my concern with kindness I now go in mid September at which time I pray things are safer here! Meantime, not completely a surprise (because the dentist has to be at least in his 70's) but very disappointing because truly he's the best, they are retiring Ani (wife) wasn't sure when just that they are taking more days off. I will absolutely have to ask whether anyone will be taking his place. I sure hope he has someone in mind even half as caring! I am so Blessed to have had his care for the last few years

Hugs to each of you for a bright Monday!

 

[lynxstch]

Its sunny and already 82, going to 92 or, 94, they can't decide which. Nurse called at 9 and said he would be here around 12:30 or 1. Then the PT lady called and said she would be here at 11:30 or 11:40, and its now 11:50, so she's already late. I wanted her here and gone so he had a little time to rest before the nurse came..that won't happen now.

I pretreated the spots in the spare room , and just finished shampooing the carpet, so at least that is done. I wanted to do our room today,,but I am already tired after making breakfast, doing dishes, helping him get cleaned and dressed up and doing that one carpet,,so it will have to wait for tomorrow.

@Bianca and Bernard..glad to hear your test was negative and that you are feeling better. Take care of yourself!

@Breezy_Carol good luck answering the phones..sounds like your family gathering was fun..and the food sounded delish!

Defrosted some Wahl Burgers to have for dinner tonite with salad and corn. Watermelon or fresh cantaloupe for dessert.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Lynn.

Informed delivery shows a postcard that was supposed to arrive on Saturday. I hope it comes today

Forgot to say earlier, Carol, God Bless all those precious kids and youth! They were wonderful leading worship yesterday. It always brings extra joy to my heart to hear and see children's voices lifted to the Lord! Music Factory=what a church music camp with some VBS mixed in, ought to be! Lol, I know I say this all the time. I truly wish we didn't live on opposite ends of the country. How grateful I am to get to view/listen from afar

Stay cool and well, friends.

 

[PollyannaMom]

@Bianca and Bernard, glad you are OK, and hope all goes well for your DH getting to continue working from home.

@flyingdumbo127, glad they could reschedule your appointment. Our dentist retired this past year, and we really miss him too!

@lynxstch, I hope the PT and nurse can coordinate their schedules so they don't overlap.


Not too much to do here today. Have to go with DH in a bit to drop his car off, and maybe a quick run to the post office. I was trying to help DS with some online stuff this morning, but we didn't get very far before he had to leave for work. - He and his friend are starting to look at apartments for rent, and it is definitely not as simple as the old days of looking through the classifieds!

 

[lynxstch]

PT lady was almost 45 min late,,stayed 30 min..and will be back 2 more times this week, 3 next week, and then 2x a week for the next 4 weeks. She said they will all coordinate their schedules once everyone gets back in the office. She said OT will be calling to set up a schedule..and Respiratory therapy will only be coming out once. Nurse is already 15 min late too,,holding up lunch, lol. Sister in law had no luck in the Walmart in Morgantown finding Friskies either. All they had was stuff neither her cats nor ours will eat. Chewy is still out of most of the variety packs,,wonder why ?

Well the nurse visit which was supposed to last 30 min..lasted almost an hour. He asked all the same ?'s the nurse last week did, which was unnecessary since it is all in their computers. He said they made it sound like the wound on his leg was still draining,,not looking like it is all scabbed over, which it is..also says that the pressure sore on his bottom is stage 2,,he looked and it's almost all healed and nothing needs to be done. He's coming 2 more times this week, but I have a feeling the nurse part will be discharged very soon! We are up to 93 outside now..hot hot hot..and now I need a nap,,and so does he..lol!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hugs, PollyannaMom. I hope you did find someone you feel comfortable with. So hard for sure and extra for me due to my TMJ issues. My current dentist has always gone out of his way with kindness to be sure my frequent cleanings are quick and work for me. Plus he does them himself because he knows that makes them much easier for me. I will miss him a ton. Prayers for your DS and his friend to find the perfect apartment! That is not an easy task!

Keep cool, Lynn and many prayers all the in home health care folks coordinate their schedules asap and arrive on time!

 

[AuntieMe3]

DH used about 12 large tomatoes, 20 cherry tomatoes, and lots of fresh basil from the garden, yet we still have more tomatoes! But definitely yummy!

View attachment 595695

View attachment 595696

Yum yum....looks delicious. We're having spaghetti tonight but Im sure it won't be half as good as what you had. LOL

I am home safe and sound and well rested from the trip.

Glad you had a great trip and are well rested.

That's me at Target (or Ocean State or Burlington...) as well. - I walk in for two things and come out with eight!

I did end up doing a drive up pickup and when I got there, there was no pickup parking so I had to go in. I had to force myself to just get in the pick up line and not walk around the store. LoL I spent enough at WalMart yesterday morning. LOL

Lil Joe is home!!!!! It is so good to have him back around the house.

My nephew's tennis team won their matches today so they are heading to Nationals in Arizona. Don't know the date, maybe next weekend. It was so good to spend to evenings with him.

DH grilled thin rib eyes this afternoon. I added roasted new potatoes and air fried some yellow squash and zuchinni. Tonight is fend for yourself!

Glad he's home. And rib eyes sound so good. I just had a Facebook memory picture of rib eye, loaded baked potato and roasted corn on the cob. Yum. I think we need to make that next time DH is home for a few days.

Feeling better today, no fever. Didn't exercise either day.

So, stopped in at Publix just a bit ago. Masks were 50/50, mostly younger people without them, including quite a few under 12s.

So glad you were negative and are feeling better today. I noticed yesterday and Walmart and Target, more people had masks on than not, which surprised me since it's not mandated here and people were very resistant when it was. I was glad to see it...my cousin just tested positive and she's been vaccinated so our family is all being super careful again.

Also I noticed you make a lot of Mexican street corn....yum. I have a really good recipe for Mexican street corn pasta salad if you're interested. It's soo good. My sister made it last year for niece's birthday, DD and DH were fighting over the leftovers....lol I've made it a few times since.


I slept terrible last night, not sure what the deal was but I was so tired this morning and stayed in bed until 10a. Just laid down for about an hour but didn't nap. Tonight we're having spaghetti and salad....bummed we don't have any garlic bread but I don't feel like going to the store so we'll make due without. LOL

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

So glad you were negative and are feeling better today. I noticed yesterday and Walmart and Target, more people had masks on than not, which surprised me since it's not mandated here and people were very resistant when it was. I was glad to see it...my cousin just tested positive and she's been vaccinated so our family is all being super careful again.

Also I noticed you make a lot of Mexican street corn....yum. I have a really good recipe for Mexican street corn pasta salad if you're interested. It's soo good. My sister made it last year for niece's birthday, DD and DH were fighting over the leftovers....lol I've made it a few times since.


I slept terrible last night, not sure what the deal was but I was so tired this morning and stayed in bed until 10a. Just laid down for about an hour but didn't nap. Tonight we're having spaghetti and salad....bummed we don't have any garlic bread but I don't feel like going to the store so we'll make due without. LOL

YEs, please share the recipe!
Hope you get some rest tonight.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Feel better, AuntieMe3

 

[frog3101]

Hello to all Quackers near and far.
just a quick little bump for our thread.
The heat was definitely turned on here today and will be again tomorrow. I think the heat advisory we are under expires tomorrow night around 8:00. I am just thankful we have AC, though as I think I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t do a great job in our upstairs. Better than none though for sure.
I did get some sorting and a small bit of purging done yesterday and today. a friend of mine is gracious enough to put my stuff on her yard sale when she has one (if you recall, I am OVER having yard sales…but they are something she loves to do) so it works out well for me and her. I get rid of stuff and she has more things to advertise.
Sadly it doesn’t feel I’ve ever made a dent. just will keep plucking away little by little. Tiny steps are better than no steps.
A good nights rest to all.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning QUACKers...71 degrees and very muggy feeling outside at 5 am. Going to at least 90 again today.

Hubby has a televisit with his PCP this morning, so she can look at his leg and make sure she thinks its okay. Then I want to clean our bedroom and shampoo that carpet. Getting them all done , 1 room at a time. I am just so tired. I go to bed tired, and wake up tired. And it doesn't help that he wakes up at 11, 1 and 3 most nites and needs help with something.

Will be back later this afternoon to check in..just wanted to say hello for the day..have a good one!

 

[PollyannaMom]

@lynxstch. I want to like your post (for the cute graphic) and sad-face it at the same time. - Not sleeping properly is the worst!