Steel Magnolias #73

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  • Good afternoon, ladies! 31 degrees.

    Sunday it was 69 degrees and beautiful. Yesterday I went to yoga at 8 am and left the Y at 9:45 and it was raining. I stopped at Food Lion to get cat food and when I came out it was sleeting. By lunchtime, it was snowing. We got about 2 inches. There's ice under the snow so not a good thing. The kids have been out of school for 2 days - a total of 9 snow days since January 1. They have to make up anything over 3 so I guess they'll have to go a week later and give up a holiday. It hasn't gotten warm enough today to melt anything but it supposed to get into the 40s tomorrow. That's good since I have to go to work.

    The quilt show was great fun and there were many beautiful quilts. I'll post the link when the get the winners pictures online. I spent a total of $8 for 2 quilting stencils. I did order a book and dvd from my favorite English quilt teacher but I did that on her website. I went to her lecture since the class I wanted to take with her was full the first day it was posted.

    Lent starts tomorrow and we'll be turning the clocks ahead this weekend. Spring must be just around the corner.

    Have a wonderful evening!
  • Sitting in the airport waiting for 11:25 to get here. We've been here since 7:45, and it's now 9:21. I was the lucky one chosen to go through the extensive security and set the alarm off. The lady rubbed paper swabs over my hands and then put it in a machine. I'm not sure what they were looking for. The other Iowa couple left in the afternoon and he got sniffed by the dog. Bob was kind enough to go with me even though he didn't have to.

    Maggie -- No, I didn't bring the lei home. It's been over a week and it wasn't looking very fresh any more. Both bags were under 50#s, but the DUMB blonde in the office pushed the wrong button, and we were put in Zone 1, first to board after 1st class instead of hitting the paid in advance for checked luggage. So we each were charged $35 for Zone 1, then $25 each for luggage. I plan to send her an email and tell her to pay attention next time! I didn't sleep well last night so sure hope I can sleep on the plane.

    Susan -- Glad you enjoyed the quilting weekend! Hard to believe it's time to set the clocks ahead already and Easter is just around the corner. Hope your weather shapes up for you.

    Guess I will read for awhile and save my iPad for later. Have a great day tomorrow!
  • Wonderful Wonderland Wendsay
    GOOD AFTERNOON IN MARCH MAGNOLIAS ☺♫

    It snowed this morning but has stopped now but who knows when it will come back this day if it will at all. People talk about spring coming and Easter just right around the corner and it seems strange when it is snowing. I slept well last night and am feeling good today. Going out for lunch and a drive about the area.

    Back now from out outing and the snow has just all melted away now. I think we got a tad bit under an inch this go-round. Why O why doesn’t it just rain.

    Time for me to take off this white tipped nail polish. I don’t know why I even bother to go to all the trouble getting in on when the tips of my nails are white already. I scraped of the white polish on my right pointer fingernail and you can hardly tell it is missing even up next to another nail. So guess what ~ I am not going to the trouble again to white tip them. I’ll take this off and just put on a couple coats of clear polish.

    SUSAN What say you about the saying that "yoga is nothing without Hinduism and Hinduism is nothing without yoga?" I have always heard that saying and wonder if you have researched it since you are into it.

    JEAN What happened to you is one reason I don't like to fly. I was once taken into a room with 4 officers and I refused to talk to them until they brought a woman in and they wanted to see what I had in my purse. I dumped it out on a table and said have a look. My badge was in there and they thought it was a throwing star when it was x-rayed and then they grilled me as to were was my gun. I told them it was unloaded and in a locked compartment on a moving truck somewhere on the road headed to MT in the USofA. They apologized to me profusely and I thanked them for doing their due diligence because they could one day catch a terrorist ~ maybe.

    Have a good day my cyber friends.
    Always remember ~ Never, never, never give up
  • We are home and tired! Tomorrow is tax man day, and I need to pick up the gift shop money. Friday is the funeral in Bob's home town, deliver pineapples before and after, then head to Sioux Falls for Ian's Blue and Gold banquet and crossover into Boy Scouts. The weekend is mine, I hope. Have a great Thursday!
  • Good morning all. I didn't get in here yesterday as I had to chauffer a hurt husband around and do errands for him. On Tuesday he slipped on ice out on the plant and fell hard. He drove home and I took him to the medical place OJI uses. They don't have chest xray facilities so we had to call his boss and find out where we needed to go, which ended up Baptist Hospital where I had my breast surgery done. Well, night and day difference between the two hospitals. If you remember right I told you it took over 3 hours to get Jack's finger taken care of when he cut it. We were in and out including xrays and meds and such in under an hour. He only waited in the waiting room about 10 minutes. I went to the vending machine to get myself something to drink and it was right off the waiting room and I came back and they had taken him in. He didn't sit in the room forever either. When I got in there there was a nurse and a guy doing his temp and his BP and stuff and she took info and told him who would be coming in to see him and when she did they would give him something for the pain. In walks the PA not more than 10 minutes later and only about 10 minutes after that the gal to take him to xray. They are so much more efficient and I told Jack barring a heart attack or something where we could die within 10 minutes we are going to go to Baptist hospital from now on. Anyway, he has a broken rib. He is in a lot of pain, but they gave him meds to dull it. It doesn't take it away for sure, but they do make him sleep.

    Susan: Glad you had a nice time at the quilt show. Are the stencils plastic?? I don't know a whole lot about quilting though I used to watch this quilting program on PBS all the time just because I liked to see all the different quilt designs. I have never been able to sew, but then I haven't tried to take it up in my adult years either. I imagine now I could learn if I took some lessons, but I think I will just stick to knitting. It is going to rain here today, but supposed to be in the low 50's and start climbing so I am hopeful.

    Maggie: How is your winter weather? Alicia posted some pics of deers outside the hospital windows in her office and poor things were eating the bird seed they put out. I imagine they had a tough time finding food up there this winter with the constant snow.

    Jean: Glad you are back safe and sound and sorry you ended up paying for the baggage stuff. They rip you off so much nowadays. Did you see the article about the guy who wrote on a cocktail napkin and left it in his seat being snotty about the fact his pilot was a woman. It was totally chauvinistic, but she got him back because she knew what seat he was in and had an email address and wrote him back and was so classy about it and it was funny actually. She has been flying for 17 years and told him he had the perfect right to get off the plane and try to get on another flight if he didn't want to fly with a woman.

    Well gals, I am going to fix myself and hubby some breakfast. He is home until at least Tuesday. I have a dr appt this morning so he is going to have to take care of himself for a couple hours. Thank goodness for cell phones so he doesn't have to get up and answer a phone or call me if he needs me. Have a good Thursday. We are rolling right along. We are now under 200 days until the cruise. Faye
  • Terrific Thursday
    GOOD AFTERNOON IN MARCH MAGNOLIAS ☺♫

    It is going to be a day in the 50˚s this day and not a chance of rain or snow. Daylight savings time is coming soon so spring is getting nearer for sure.

    Will broke a tooth awhile back and his dentist appointment today they had a consultation on what can be done about it. It is an important tooth for it supports a bridge so they are going to build up that tooth which had broken off at the gum line. It will take 4 months for it to be strong enough to adhere to the existing part of the tooth and to do its job as anchor. Will was told that he will have to be eating soft foods during that time. I am already thinking of what I can fix and have thought of quite a few things that he will like. I know I will be making a lot of protein packed smoothies and there are those diet drinks, chili beans and chicken noodle soup for he does want to lose weight. I know he will miss his steaks and pork chops. HELP ~ Any soft recipes from you gals will be appreciated. We won’t be getting out on the road as soon as we had planned but this is important and needs to be taken care of before we leave here. I remember when our daughter had her jaw wired shut after that accident she was so tired of meal replacement milk shakes and wanted a burrito so I got a beef and cheese burrito & with some tomato soup and put it in the blender and she loved it. I don’t think Will will want a blender burrito. But he might want a burrito if the meat was cut up in tiny pieces. This will be an adventure.

    I am going to ask this manager of the local Walmart if he can order me some Snows Clam Chowder. I have some by Campbell but it just isn’t as good in my opinion. I know they carry it in other Walmarts here in the state so he should be able to get it wouldn’t you think. If it comes to it I just may have to order a case of 12 cans if the local manager can’t get it for me. But I bet he can since other stores have it in the state. The best ever that I have had is at a fish restaurant in an old wash warehouse halfway between Ventura and Santa Barbara along the Pacific Coast in CA. The Whales Tale out in Ventura also has some that is really good. Snows is the best in the canned version here in the Heartland. The best ever cheeseburger is made in a little hut in Ponca City OK we were there getting a burger once when we saw through the trees a house blow up. It was not very far from where we had our MH parked in a camp ground. Just across the ravine. Seems there was a leak of gas from the furnace and when the water heater came on ~ ka-boom. It was a big beautiful Victorian house reduced to toothpicks in a twinkling of an eye.

    DONNA FAYE I have heard good things about the Baptist Hospitals. Good place for Jack to be. Hopefully his rib heals quickly and he gets back to exact soon. Our temps are in the 50's and the snow has all melted. I don't know what is in the forecast but hopefully it is rain.

    JEAN They probably have that "dumb blond" working there to make that mistake so as to get more money out of the folks. Looks like you have a busy schedule now that you are home. Vacation's over, letdown follows. Going from those balmy breezes in the islands back to the cold mid-west must be a shock to the system. We are in the high plains and most of the bad weather goes around us these days.

    Have a good day my cyber friends.
    Always remember ~ Never, never, never give up
  • Good Evening! It's been an on the go kind of day. I got my nails done first thing this morning, stopped at the jewelry store to have a bracelet clasp fixed, went grocery shopping w/o a list, and home again. A friend stopped by just as I was going to vacuum so that didn't get done. For some reason both cats chose different chairs to sleep in so everything has fur on it. I sorted mail and paid bills after she left. I started a tickle cough yesterday and today have a head full of snot. I'm blaming it on the air conditioner in the car and air vent on the plane. The other gal was always hot and had the car and condo fans on high speed as well as the plane vent wide open. I caught it on the left side in the car and right side in the plane.

    "Gma" -- I hope Jack feels better soon! Glad he didn't have to sit and wait a long time at the hospital. I think we may get a refund on the Zone 1 seating charge. We'll see. I didn't see the article about the woman pilot. We've had a couple of old and showing their age flight attendants. Our last flight was two guys which was different. I don't care as long as they know what they're doing.

    Maggie -- Sorry, but I'm not a soft food fan; I like crunchy and chewy, so don't have any recipes except Jell-O or pudding. That's too bad about Will's tooth and the repair sounds like "hurt" to me. The dumb blonde admitted she had never prepaid baggage before. That should have been our first clue! Our seat assignments were in tact so we were happy about that.

    I'm tired and heading to bed. Weather is supposed to be freezing rain tomorrow, so we may be staying home. Have a happy Friday!
  • Good Morning! On the road to attend a funeral in Bob's hometown church. Later we head to Sioux Falls but not sure what we'll do in between. The banquet isn't until 6 and ceremony is at 7. The sun is peeking through the clouds and it's 35 degrees right now. Overnight freezing rain didn't happen.

    The road is bumpy with snow tracks, so it's hard to type. Hope you all have a great day!
  • Good morning to you gals. I am fixing myself some breakfast, Jack ate a bowl of cereal this morning and is playing Soduku on his Ipad at the moment and seems to be ok as long as he sits still. I have this expensive pillow from the place that sells those tempurpedic type mattresses and it conforms to your head and stays cool so I brought it down and put it under his left armpit to balance him so he isn't leaning over because his part of the recliner has the arm on the right side and the middle storage on his left. I am so tired though from not sleeping with him stirring a lot during the night from hurting and needing meds and then doing all the work here some of the stuff he does like bags and takes out the trash and carries clean clothes upstairs and all that. I told him no one will be visiting and the kids left for their cruise today so the downstairs is going to stay a mess until he goes back to work. It is too hard to work around him and be chasing after stuff for him and all that. I will get upstairs tomorrow or Sunday and clean the upstairs because he is sleeping downstairs at the moment in the recliner. He can't lay down as it hurts too much.

    I got my glittery sandals and they fit perfect and look great. I ordered this lovely big black and white striped handbag and some big sunglasses and they are great too. I got an email from my friend and she asked if Jack snorkeled as Tom would like someone to go snorkeling with when we are in Cozumel. Jack has never been snorkeling, but he told Tom let's go for it so I ordered him a mask, fins, and snorkel. We decided to get a single use film underwater camera so he can take pictures rather than buy a waterproof digital one. It is a hassle to have to take film to Walgreens as I order my vacation pictures from shutterfly online. I can just download them to my account and they print and ship them to me. On the other hand, the Walgreens is right across the street so it isn't inconvenient. She is using a cane now too so I told her we could gimp along together. We have booked this resort excursion that is all inclusive at Cozumel. It has a water park, the beach, pools, all your drinks including alcohol is free, you have a buffet lunch including salads, entrees and desserts, etc. We shall see if is ok. The one we did in Jamaica was Hilton and pretty fancy, but this is more family oriented so we shall see. I plan on doing some swimming and sitting and reading or knitting under an umbrella mostly. They do have a shopping area so she and I may wander around there a bit depending how far away it is.

    Jean: I can just picture your furniture all looking fuzzy from the kitties. I was so glad Fortune didn't shed, but Butterscotch sure did. I have a friend I went to high school with who worked in the insurance industry for years and about 15 years ago decided she was tired of it and became a flight attendent. She still flies all the time for Southwest Airlines. That is a job that takes a lot of energy I would think. She just did a week where she was in New Orleans, then someplace, then San Juan then Cinncinatti then Minneapolis, etc.

    Maggie: Hope Will gets to feeling better with that tooth. I guess you will have to stick to things that slide down easy for awhile.

    Everyone have a great weekend. I need to go and put my laundry in the dryer. Faye
  • Finally Friday
    GOOD AFTERNOON IN MARCH MAGNOLIAS ☺♫

    Will bought me the cutest buffalo that is 4 inches long and made out of some synthetic substance that looks quite real. It looks just like the big male we visit every day. Will got it in the toy department in Walmart of all places. I told him they should sell these in the museum shop It is definitely a keeper.

    Those 4 months Will has to eat soft foods foil my plans of fixing most of the meat out the freezer. I wanted to do that before we hit the road. Maybe I can give what is left it to our neighbor when it comes time to sell the freezers.

    I just ordered some neat things for the MH from a catalogue that offers things for folks who don’t have electricity since we camp lots of times where there aren’t any electrical plug-ins. Stainless divided picnic trays, stainless tumblers for cold drinks, (I already have a set of stainless straws) a non electric drip coffee maker that you can use on a stovetop, camp stove, cabin or RV and a hand cranked coffee grinder with an adjustable ceramic conical-burr that fits on the top of a pint glass canning jar. They have a few other neat items I can use in the MH that I plan on ordering at a later date. I have a set of heavy glass divided picnic trays that will surely sell at a garage sale later this year. We like using them when we eat outside or in front of the TV. They are much too heavy to take in the MH. I am having fun finding “lighter” things to replace some of my favorites that get used a lot.

    DONNA FAYE Actually Will isn't in any pain from that broken tooth but I haven't any idea if he will be after they insert that stainless rod down that tooth so the tooth will grow around it during that 4 weeks he has to wait until they put the crown on it. This is an anchor tooth for a bridge and that is why they are going to such lengths to save it. I feel sorry for your hubby with the pain he is having from that broken rib. I can't imagine for I have never had a broken bone of any kind much less a rib. Will has had lots and lots of broken bones he got when he rode rodeo horses back in the day. Hips, arms, legs, ribs ~ you name it. You can't tell by looking at him but he does experience some pain in the cold weather from those old injuries. I am glad you are very pleased with your "goodies" that you ordered.

    JEAN Hope your head is cleared up now for it sounds like you are being very busy since you got back. The cats missed you so used "your" places to sleep. Every time when Will gets up from his office chair Cecil jumps up into it when he is in the room. That cat is such a tease.

    Have a good day my cyber friends.
    Always remember ~ Never, never, never give up
  • Good Morning! The sun is shining and the temperature is heading up to the 60s, maybe. We have a lot of snow to melt and the streets will be sloppy. The scout ceremony was very impressive last night. Three high school scouts dressed in Indian outfits read the rites and the younger boys actually walked over a small wooden bridge with the next troop level scouts on each side exchanging their scarves and patches for the new ones. Afterwards I mentioned that I didn't remember Jason having that kind of ceremony and he said they just read it at a regular meeting. The "banquet" was pizza, lettuce salad, bars, and a decorated blue and gold cake after the ceremony. We all left with very blue tongues and teeth!

    "Gma" -- I know I don't appreciate how much Bob helps me around the house until he is gone for a few days and I have to do the chores. I don't know if I would like to snorkel or not. Kudos to Jack for trying. The kids did when they were in Maui but I think I will stay above the water with the whales. I know my granddaughters would like your glittery sandals.

    Maggie -- You are having more fun selecting items for the motor home. It's a good thing you like to cook and create interesting dishes. It sounds like Will has had many experiences in his lifetime. Did he ever ride in the Cherokee rodeo? That's a biggy around here. There's also one in Sioux City each year but I forget what it is called. We don't often sit in the chairs where the cats parked while we were gone. I noticed Ernie is back there again this morning.

    I need to get dressed and go pick up this weeks gift shop money. Hope you all enjoy your day!
  • Good morning, ladies! 41 degrees and sunshine after a rainy day yesterday7.

    Today I'm going to tea with Glory and then do a few errands.

    Faye, poor Jack! Not much they can do for a broken rib but medicate for the pain. Quilting stencils are plastic.

    Jean, back to the real winter world! I'm sure the gift shop and church missed you while you were gone.

    Maggie, to answer your question about Yoga and Hinduism. In this country, we mainly do Hatha yoga and it is not a religion. I have never seen yoga in any list of the world’s religions. Did yoga originate in a country whose culture had a predominate religion (Hinduism)? Yes. McDonald's originated in a country predominately Christian. Will eating at McDonald's lead to becoming Christian? Practicing Hatha yoga will no more cause you to becoming a devotee of Krishna than it will make you crave curried rice or dress like Gandhi. What did the developers of Hatha yoga intend it to accomplish? To convert people to Hinduism? No. “A healthy mind in a healthy body” is what we strive for. Hatha yoga was intended to be a method of simultaneously improving the body and the mind/spirit, including preparing the body for the physical demands of extended meditation. Among many other things, the spiritual side of Hatha yoga values not harming others, developing the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, and learning about the nature of your mind. I really enjoy it and my teacher is Christian.

    Have a wonderful day.
  • Simply Saturday
    GOOD AFTERNOON IN MARCH MAGNOLIAS ☺♫

    Today the weather is on the cool side with a high of 44˚s and a low of 25˚s with a 30% chance of rain. Rain would surely make my smile get bigger on my face.

    Saturday and I have some things to get done this day. I’ll make myself a list and check things off as they are accomplished. Nothing earth shattering but the same ole house work type things to keep a semblance of order. My little buffalo is sitting on my desk just looking at me. He looks just like Ferdinand in the field we visit. We named him that and don’t know what his owner calls him. The babies are just about full grown and I imagine they will be removed to another pen in the near future before ole Ferd gets an interest in them. The young male will sell for big bucks I am sure. When we visit Yellowstone, once again, we will see lots and lots of buffalo. We have lived at both ends of that place and know it quite well for we have been in there many times. We have a dear friend that is a “smoke jumper” there. That is his job as a fireman in that system.

    JEAN Cats do sleep around. Cecil likes to sleep across the doorway to the bathroom off our bedroom during the night. I guess different scout troops can do their celebrations how they want to do them. The one you described sounds like the leaders put some thought in it so it would be memorable to the scouts. Way back then Will did ride in the Woodberry Co Fair. The guy that owned the rodeo stock bucking horses and bulls was out of Cherokee. The majority of his riding was done in Nevada and Northern CA.

    SUSAN Thank you for the tutorial on Yoga ~ interesting. Your tea’s with Gloria sound so neat and a fun get together. There are a few of us that get together for lunch each month which is always fun. I think it is good for folks to get out with friends. My favorite tea remains to be Oolong. When I drink tea I put it in a tall ceramic glass that has a nice lid and thoroughly enjoy sipping it. Live is good.

    Have a good day my cyber friends.
    Always remember ~ Never, never, never give up
  • Good Morning! It's a cloudy, windy, gloomy morning here. We are skipping church this morning and don't really have a good reason. The bells are playing at second service without me since I missed three of the four practices. Bob said we may have to stand up as visitors next Sunday. I'm still working on laundry and my goal today is to get the luggage put away. You'd think with two of us the house would stay clutter free but it just seems to multiply. I have card club a week from tomorrow so need to do some deep corner cleaning and decide what to make for food.

    Susan -- I enjoyed reading your yoga explanation. There is a chair yoga class here, and I've thought about seeing what that is all about. The teacher also has a regular class that meets in the evening but it's the same night that I have bell practice. Your tea yesterday sounds like fun.

    Maggie -- On our last trip to Yellowstone there was a bus load of people taking pictures of the buffalo. A few of the more stupid ones were walking towards them and finally the tour guide came running after them yelling, "don't go any closer!" There were some calves in the mix and the moms were snorting around to get between their babies and the people. We were in the car and decided it was time to leave!

    Bob just came wandering downstairs so guess it is coffee time! Hope you all enjoy your day today!
  • Good morning to you all. It is cloudy, but it is in the 50's so as long as the temps stay up, I am ok with it. It is supposed to climbing this next week, which will be nice.

    The kids left on an 8 day cruise yesterday. I imagine as long as the weather is nice they will have a nice time. They have done several cruises too.

    The other kids got more snow so I am sure they aren't thrilled with that. I know they have to be tired of the cold and snow by now. I am so glad we are finally starting on some spring temperatures.

    I have been working on my knitting and when Jack goes back to work I can get more done. He ventured out to get us some lunch today, which is the first day since Tuesday that he has driven. He is feeling a lot better now, but he says he is bruised feeling across his chest sort of like when someone list too many weights or something. I told him it was probably masked from the narcotics he was taken and when we weined him off most of them then they cropped up. I told him to tell his doctor about it tomorrow and discuss it with him.

    Susan: I often wondered about doing Tai Chi. It looks like it is not hard on the body and though is not some kind of hard exercise, I think it is good for balance and feeling settled and such. Yoga would be difficult with me because of the knee I think. Since you have looked into so many types are pilates more difficult than yoga? I don't really know the difference of what they do. Hope your week is going to be good.

    Maggie: Are you just going to sell or give away the stuff in the house rather than store it somewhere?

    Jean: The toughest thing for me is carrying laundry up the stairs because I have to walk holding onto the rail. When I take laundry up I put the basket up about 3 steps then climb then place the basket up another 3 stairs, etc until I get to the top then shove it onto the landing so I can get onto the landing and then I pick it up and carry it into the bedroom. I think Jack is tired of sitting around and I am glad because that means he is feeling back to his old self, sort of. It is going to take time to get over the rib thing. He is excited about the snorkeling. I am like you, I will keep my head up where the air is. I know my Kelly goes scuba diving and always sort of panics and uses up her air quickly. I believe they are going to go scuba diving this cruise. Hope they have fun, me, NOPE!

    Tomorrow I am starting a walking program even having to walk with the cane. I need to get out and exercise and the weather is starting to cooperate so I am going to walk. It isn't going to expend a bazillion calories, but it will build up my stamina for the cruise and make me feel better no matter what.

    Hope everyone has a great start to the week. Faye