Good Morning all,

I've got another Dr. appointment this morning. Hopefully this is it! I'm really tired of wearing this boot. It's really keeping me from doing the things I want and it seems like I've been wearing it forever. whine, whine.......

Lynn, Good news so far, and i hope it continues.

Donna, The salad does look wonderful! Who says you can't eat healthy and enjoy it too!

Isabella, I don't bake pies. My DIL does but I seldom ever do. Like Zo, I usually just do the crisps. The smell of fresh baked pie is awsome though. with all the baking you do I don't know how you stay on a diet. You have will power of steel!

Zoe, I didn't get to go pick apples this year either, thanks to the "boot". I've had to buy ones from the store also. Love the honey crisp! My new favorite. I bake (when I do) with the splenda. I think it's just as good. I serve it to my company too and they don't seem to know the difference. I always buy the lf/lc ice cream too. I guess your taste buds adjust, because I think it's really good. And if you only buy the lf/lc things, that's what's in the house to eat.

Hi Gayle, Hope work is treating you right!

Where are our other friends? Hope things are going well with Karen.

Freda

Hey Karen, You were posting the same time as me. Glad to hear from you. Stay away from the flu! Looks like it's going to be a really bad year for it. That woman cave sounds great! What kind of exercise equipment do you have there? My #1 piece of equipment is a TV. Without it i'm not sure I could do all the exercise I need! ha!

Hi Freda, I have set up my basement with a treadmill, gazelle, mini trampoline, ab lounge and a TV with lots of fitness DVD's! I love the Richard Simmons and Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds DVD's. I just need to plan better and make it a HABIT to go and do that everyday! I set it up downstairs so that it will be nice and cool in the Summer to exercise. But it has been so hard to get back in the swing of things since we moved here.

I hope you get good news at the Dr. today. Keep us updated.

Good Morning Girls!
It's dreary here today, expecting more rain and all the corn fields surrounding us have not been harvested yet. Too Wet!
DH stopped and picked up some apples for me last week when he went over east looking for a new deer stand. He picked up a bag of Honey Crisp (over $10.95 a bag, yipes!) and a bag of Sweet 16. We have our own apple trees that I use mainly for applesauce, these bags are just for eating fresh.
Lynn... Oh My, I didn't realize you were having so many medical problems. Prayers for your second test. As far as heel spurs, I have them too along with plantar Fasciitis and the doctor said the heel spurs would just grow back and he didn't recommend the surgery. What does your doctor know that mine don't? Does that stop you from walking? One good thing about golden years, I never get colds any more, haven't had one for years. I think we get immune to a lot of the cold germs. I haven't had the flu for many years either, maybe it's because I don't work any more. We live out in the country so I don't see neighbors. We always take sanitary wipes with us to the stores and wipe off the handles of carts and promply wash when we get home.
Karen...loved the pictures of your pool and the lengthy process of re-doing it. (Karen sent me Kodak slides, very interesting). I'm curious, why are you filling it? Don't you have cool weather in Missouri?
Freda...I know what you mean about the last few pounds, they are hard to get off.
Zoe... I've only tried the Elk Roast, I think I purchased too big a pot. It's huge, big enough for a small turkey. I should have purchased a smaller one. I got a fantastic deal on it from ebay, $32.00 and free shipping.

Quote:

Bobbi, that waterless cookware is really amazing. I used to have a couple of pots, but they seem to have disappeared over the past few moves. I guess I need to stop moving.

Isabella...Yum, I can smell the cinnamon and apples in my imagination. And you're down 10 pounds, WOW! :hug:
Glynn, Jess, how's it going with you two? Eating anything interesting?
Jane...I appreciate the new threads you started, you are a fantastic addition to us 'Golden Girls'!

Zoe, I love apple crisp, too. I don't know which I like better-the pie or the crisp. The apples I had were wind fall from a friend's neighbor's tree and they are great for saucing and baking. People will say we don't grown apples in Newfoundland but I beg to disagree. Those apples were grown in Newfoundland and some of them were huge. Most of the trees are wild that grew from an old discarded apple core years ago. I got 8.5 pint bottles of applesauce made last night and this morning I made 3 large pies. They are looking very tempting sitting out there on the kitchen table, cooling down. As soon as they are cold they're going in the freezer for entertaining later on this year.

Karen31, you'd never say that was the same pool you posted pictures of earlier. Wow, what a change. I'm coming down there for a swim in May. :D I love the idea of your "Woman Cave." You certainly have it well equipped.

Freda, hope you have good news about your "bootie." If I had any sense I wouldn't be making pies, either. I'm just about drove crazy with the smell and the look of those golden brown crusts oozing and bubbling with the cinnamon apple filling. Oh, just writing about them has me nearly half crazed.

Bobbi, you must be my double when it comes to flues and colds and feet. I can't remember the last time I had a cold or the flu. I think it's because I caught every known virus known to man when I was a young teacher and now I'm immune. I also have heel spurs and plantar Faciitis. I thought I'd be crippled about 15 years ago but everything just subsided. I have to wear good shoes and slippers and never walk barefoot anymore. I usually take slippers with me when I visit anyone just to be sure I'll have something on my feet inside the house. (In Newfoundland, most people take off their shoes when they enter a home.)

We've been experiencing cold winter-like weather with snow and slush one day and cold and clear the next. It's way too early for this kind of weather. Wasn't it just last month I was out walking with a t-shirt and a light weight hoodie that I had to take off to finish the walk? I was out walking in a heavy drizzle this morning but I worked up a sweat and didn't feel cold. But when I got home my legs were like 2 lumps of ice where they'd gotten damp. I'm going to look for waterproof pants for the winter. Something lightweight but warmer than summer gear. My body was warm enough as I had 3 layers of clothing on. I hate winter. Well, some days I don't. http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/i...lies/laugh.gif Anyway, this isn't winter, it's fall, isn't it????

Catch you all later my delectable Golden Girls.

Hi Everyone,

On the run -- just dropping by to say, "Hi"

Lynn

Hi everyone..cold here today..lynn :hug: good luck on you tests..all this talk of apples and sauce and pies makes my mouth water and my blue eyes turn green..im jealous..we have apple trees that dont produce :?: congrats to all who are loosing..nothing new in my world..:wave: rosey

The Three Bears

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning....


Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.

He looks into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?'
he squeaks.

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He looks into
his big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!?' he
roars.

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and
yells, 'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you
idiots? It was Mummy Bear who got up first. It was Mummy Bear who woke
everyone in the house. It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee. It was Mummy
Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away. It
was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen. It was Mummy Bear who
went out in the cold early morning air to fetch the newspaper and
croissants. It was Mummy Bear who set the damn table.

'It was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray,
gave them their food, and refilled their water.

'And now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and
grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm
only going to say this once....


'I HAVEN'T MADE THE PORRIDGE YET"!!

Hi everyone! I decided to go ahead and fill the pool now because it is in between needing lots of heat or air conditioning. It is going to take 20,563 gallons of water to fill it and then it never needs to be drained. Once it is filled they will be here to hook up all the plumbing that goes to it. Then it will get winterized and covered until April or May. I will have to try to be patient until then. But as soon as I can uncover it I will and let the sun start heating it up! I just really didn't want to wait until Spring time to get started, when I can have it all done and just wait for the sun!

Hi ,

Great news, the Dr. said I don't have to wear the "bootie' any more and i can go back to work Saturday. Never thought I would be so happy to go back to work. It's raining and cold here this morning. I turned up the heat a notch to get the damp out of the air.

Karen, the "woman Cave" sounds very well stocked. Everything you need down there! I think it helps to have a set time to exercise. That way you just "do it". If I waited untill I wanted to, it might never happen. if you pick a time when you will usually be able to be there (first thing in the morning, noon....) you will be able to set a pattern. Watch a certain TV show every day? That's a good time too. Oh, are we all invited to a pool party this spring?

Isabella, We take our shoes off in the house too. Mostly because i work in the hospital and I hate to think that I would be carrying all those germs into the house. And shoes pick up everything! Roll call, how many of you take off your shoes? I know most of my friends don't.

Rosey, no news about the surgery?

Bobbi, never heard of Sweet 16 apples. i guess they are not sold in this area. But The Honey Crisp are very expensive here too. maybe they will come down in price late, since they are relativeally new. I got a sale on them this week for 1.25 lb. and bought several. They are selling for over 2 dollars here.

Hi Lynn, Hope you aren't working too hard!

Zo, Hope you're feeling better.

What happened to our new ladies? Hope to see you again soon,

Freda

Hi Everyone,

Cannot believe I did this to myself. Too busy! Try to check back tonight.

Lynn

:wave: To Lynn and Bobbi the busy ladies today.

Rosy, it it too cold a climate for apples or is it just your apple trees that are not producing?

Karen31,The Three Bears story was hilarious.

Hey, Freda, good news for you. My sister works in a hospital and she's almost OCD about changing her clothes when she gets home. She must be doing something right as she's hardly ever sick with flu or colds.


It's cold here again today. It's even cold in the house. I'm wearing a scarf around my neck that I had on while walking. I lit the wood furnace a while ago but it hasn't warmed up yet. By lunch it will be so hot I'll be ready to walk around naked. Although it was cold it wasn't windy this morning and when I walked by the bay the water was as calm as a mirror. There were 3 pair of loons floating and ducking and calling to each other and one lone seagull. I stopped and watched longer than I usually do because it was so peaceful this morning.

I'm home alone most of the day as DH has a bus driver's inservice with the school board today. School's out for the next 2 days for a district wide inservice for all teachers and school board employees. So no time constraints on me today to get dinner on the table by 12:15 pm. DH won't be home until 4 or 4:30. We'll have dinner tonight instead of our usual lunch time.

Must go and put another dish away. I'm slowly emptying the dishwasher. http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/i...ilies/grin.gif Catch you all later.

Here I am - feeling QUITE annoyed. I brought myself a packet of 100-calorie white tuna for my lunch today, and when I went down to the employee's lunchroom to make it, discovered that someone had cleaned out the refrigerator and my jar of Lite Miracle Whip was gone! Now, I ask you - how can a jar of Miracle Whip be bothering anybody? It's not going to go bad, smell, or leak. It just sits innocently on the door, minding its own business, and somebody has to snatch it? Well, I can't eat tuna without anything on it, so I'm left with a little baggie of seedless green grapes, a snack-sized baggie with exactly 8 Sun Chips in it (8 Sun chips = 70 calories) and a piece of pita bread (that my tuna was going to get wrapped in, but is now useless to me). Some lunch, eh???? :mad:
Luckily, DH is doing a pork roast for supper. And baking some sweet potatoes. So, I'll have a decent supper, anyway. (SO glad I taught him how to do the roasts). This is one time when I'm GLAD that he's home, and I can tell you that those times are actually kind of rare. I guess you could say that I'm STILL having some difficulty adjusting to me working and him not. The thing is that I kind of like a little time to myself now and then, and since he takes care of all the errands and such while I'm at work, he's ALWAYS at home when I get there. Always. I never have five minutes alone in that house. I've encouraged him to go places and do things - but if he gets away without me twice or three times a year, it's a miracle. I've gone down to visit my sister in NC without him for a week at a time, and out to see my son in Los Angeles, but unless I'm going with him, my DH doesn't budge - and if he DOES budge, it's only for a day or two. It's driving me a little batty, to tell the truth. So, am I the only one with this problem? I know some of you are retired along with your DH's - how does that work?
Well, Freda, I'm glad to hear that the boot is off finally - and I KNOW how glad you are! I'm with you 100% when it comes to the Splenda. I use it for anything that needs sweetning although I drink my coffee black, so I don't use Splenda every day. Just when I bake something, mostly. I can't tell any difference, either.
Karen31, that's some "woman cave" you've created for yourself. I don't think I'd dare put anything like that together - then when I didn't get down there to use it, I'd feel really guilty. (And you KNOW that I wouldn't get down there very often). ;)
Bobbi - it must be heavenly not to have to worry about colds or flu anymore. Maybe once I'm out of the workforce, I'll be a little less susceptible myself, but the way things are now, I usually get hit with at least one nasty, lingering cold-flu-allergy-something or other every darned year! Kinda stinks.
Isabella, I guess my ignorance is showing, but I wouldn't know WHAT grows or doesn't grow in Newfoundland.
Hi Lynn...let us know about those tests, okay?
Hi Rosey, yours too!

:hug:

Z

Hi all! Sorry for not posting the last few days, no excuse other than being immersed in the new book. When I go on writing jags, I put off everything, including laundry (thank the Lord my husband will do it) and housecleaning. Eventually, I come around to put things back where they belong.

Everyone seems so busy! All that cooking, too. Nothing quite beats apple crisps, tarts and cobblers. Makes me long for my apple tree back home in Wisconsin.

Sorry to hear you have plantar fasciitis, Freda. Like others here, I've also had that, years ago, and mercifully not since. My husband is suffering from it right now, and he has to walk to and from the subway every day. He says foot massages help. Or maybe he just likes having his feet massaged. :) Still, might be worth a try and if nothing else, it feels good.

I'm going to be reading through everyone's posts thoroughly now, with a pot of tea (sweetened with Splenda) at hand. I can't drink unsweetened tea and Splenda has been a godsend for the weight loss program. Anyway, lots to catch up on, looks like!

News about me... I had to buy a new dress. None of the size 22 ones from last year fit. So I went to Macy's and was shocked when size 18s were swimming on me. So I bought a pretty size 16 number that's perfect. I'm certain there's no way I should wear a size 16 at this weight (215). Would never have happened 15 years ago. Favorable sizing. *cough* Nonetheless, it was a psychological boost! So much so, I went back deep in my closet and fetched out my "before" jeans. Size 16s... don't fit yet. Even so, they're close, which is a bit mind-blowing. That, and having to buy all new underwear because the elastic in the stuff I had stored away had disintegrated. For the best, I'm sure.

Oh, and I want a Woman Cave, too!

Linda