Morning everyone. we got back late yesterday. I had such agood time watchng my grs graduate and soooo proud. hes really a nice kid. graduated with honors. the ceremony was held in the sports center ,there was a least 2000+ people there. and we were in the 2nd row so got to see everything. I'll post pictures as soon as i get them from my dd. the trip up and back was beautiful,sunny and things are turning green. my dd is having a graduation party here on the 26th. with the whole clan comming for a bq,to celebrate graduation, my grdd birthday and my mil 93 birthday. hope its anice sunny day. im not going to do a diddly dang thing today im pooped. ttfn rosey
Freda - you were right. The prodigal kitty has returned. He looked skinny and didn't object to dry food (happy to get it), but he didn't say where he'd been or what he'd been doing. I'm relieved!
I've wondered about social security, too, only insofar as feeling annoyed by it all. I don't understand how a non-working/non-fund contributing spouse can receive 1/2 of the worker's social security as well as the worker getting all of his/her amount.... and how does that work after the worker's death? And how do the Congressional folks and their spouses (McCain comes to mind and that REALLY irks me!!) collecting social security justify all this???????
Such a GORGEOUS day! Springtime in Colorado is the best...
Have a lovely, all... Rosey - I think you deserve to put your feet up and REST.
Freda, I'm wearing jeans and sweater today because it is chilly today. On work days reappearing so quick, I thought I'd run for president on the motto "5 day weekend, 2 day work week". I figured I'd get elected (yuck) and then that would probably kill the economy.
K3, on you feeling better. That's a relief. Double on being 1st in your bridge game.
Mary, glad you like your new computer. A new toy is always fun.
Carol Sue, I bet many DHs would like the thermo that has a girl stripping in the heat. I bet your DH will be bummed next winter.
Mary, isn't the obtuse SIL the one that has cause marital difficulties in the past? Or am I remember that wrong. He made a stupid mistake. Not having the kids honor mom on mom's day is something that isn't forgotten. I'm gla dyou had a nice time with her after you got off work.
Isabella, my DH once said that I wasn't his mother when my kids were little. He never said such a thing again. Now he makes a big celebration (food wise) out of it. I think it is because he likes $$$ food and cake.
Bobbi, enjoy your morning with your hands in the dirt. You do make a pretty garden.
Amara, welcome to this thread too. This is a great group. Not a lot of diet chat so that's why some of us diet chat in the challenge thread.
Rosey, enjoy your gorking day and rest up.
Donna, glad Sabrino returned. You and he bonded. I bet SamCat was relieved too. Um, maybe not.
I spent most of my non-work hours yesterday identifying where my home network problems were. Broke a couple things, put a bandaid in place until new equipment arrives from Amazon tomorrow. I'd be more detailed but Donna would go "blah, blah blah". Suffice it to say it wasted good reading/quilting/playing with the huskies time. Today is a cloudy, chilly, drizzly day. I like summery days better. My father had his surgery this morning and all is good. My sister said he feels much better. That's a relief.
Hello Goldens!
Wow, it took me over an hour to read all the posts that happened while I was gone! What a great group. I will try to get caught up but forgive me if I miss anyone.
For those of you who don’t know, I tied 33rd – 48th place out of almost 400 players in my division in Vegas. Pretty good finish in a very tough tournament. Of course, I was mad at myself because I played bad in the last couple of rounds….. competitive spirit – can’t be satisfied with “pretty good”. (Karenfl, you know what I mean!)
My Mom’s day was a little weird. I was playing hard and I missed the contact with my kids. Both the boys tried to reach me but I missed them. Bummer. I had set up my computer to video chat with the dgs’s but the internet connection wasn’t good enough.
Rosey, I am so sorry about your friend. I have been thinking of you. I am also overjoyed at your victory in walking with only your cane. Talk about a competitive spirit….. No keeping you down!
Isabella, sorry about BIL. Such a hard thing to have a loss in the family like that. I hope that your BIL is at peace and at rest.
Bobbi. LOLROF about the roast. It is a wonder to me that we all didn’t get sick more often when I was young. I was taught to soak chicken in water in the kitchen sink for most of the afternoon before cooking… ew, but it was how my granny did it and we didn’t know better. You are going to be a frugal queen!
Donna, careful now! You are going to have all kinds of neighborhood friends. Tee Hee. A couple years ago I put in a little catnip in an empty flowerbed as a favor to our mouse controlling feral friends. BAD IDEA! I had stoned wild cats and the often visiting skunk lounging noisily (or worse) in the back yard at all hours. Who knew that skunks liked catnip?
Marie, so glad to hear that you are back in shape. I love the fact that you are in your pool. Missed you while I was gone. When is your trip?
Caddyk, is the RV ready? I am going to spend the weekend getting mine ready and getting things arranged to put the hitch in the truck. I am so excited! Planning the first trip on Memorial weekend.
Lynn, oh, I am so glad that you posted the Chopped results! It sounds like so much fun. We are thinking of including a Chopped Grilled event in one of our camping trips. It would be a blast! We would provide some very limited pantry elements and everyone have a go. Probably have a rule that each basket must have a meat, veggie, starch, fruit and a condiment.
Karenfl, so glad to hear that you are feeling better. My mom was sick with a cold virus for almost a month and I was really worried about her.
Freda, missed you guys too! I am so glad that you will be watching the kids’ sports in jeans from now on. MT had 80 degree temps while I was gone and it was 76 when I got home at midnight last night. Wow.
Carol, what is “city chicken”? You were ahead of your time with the soup thing….. I am pretty sure that my gma got her SS and survivor benefits. I was so angry when I found out that my FIL had chosen the option for his union pension that it would end when he died. How selfish – he was 19 years older than my MIL. Apparently he also didn’t “believe” in insurance. Crazy.
Gayle, I am sorry that you are still struggling. I hope that things go better with the audit. Remember that they always find something wrong.
DeeLee, enjoy the trip and don’t kill dh in his sleep! Funny how travel is so stressful
Well, I am off to find some (fit for the public – sort of) clothes and get the suitcases empty. Blech. Then I hope to get my garden in this afternoon. Little gs is chomping at the bit to come home and see me and I will probably let him “help”. Off to face the day.
Oh, Lynn and Marie….. Back on both of the challenges starting tomorrow! Gotta get this weight off!
Rie (AKA the pool playing fly fishing camping granny)
Last edited by Riemontana; 05-17-2012 at 02:32 PM.
REALLY quick drive by/hola! Just about ready to go home for the day...
I saw an article that said to put soap chips down where you don't want deer and other wildlife to graze (as in gardens, etc)... supposedly, it will deter them.
Rie - glad you're home, safe and sound. Marie - thanks for your restraint (as in "blah, blah, and blah...." LOL)
Went to see dear parents yesterday afternoon. They both have Alzheimers but it kind of manifests in different ways. DM seemed pretty sharp actually. She and my DH disagreed about some minor fact. She looked at me and asked, “Why is he still arguing with me?” LOL!!! I cracked up and said, “Welcome to my world.” The aging parents are tough.
Marie - It is definitely okay to roll your eyes on the phone when talking with your parents - or anyone else for that matter!
Rie - congrats on your wins!
Rosey - congrats on GS graduation - with honors!
Karen 31 - loved the Ode to Bathing Suit Shopping. That is the worst. I sew in my own cups on the ones that smash you down.
Karen 3 - congrats on coming in first at bridge - and feeling better. I didn’t do well at bridge this morning and I have bridge again tonight. I’m just not able to concentrate like I used to.
Hi everyone! I've spent much of today learning about my new computer. Marie, I didn't see your suggestions before I went shopping but I did get a HP. I'd had a good experience with one before and that is partly why. I could have gotten a slightly cheaper one but for about $70 I got what I thought might be better. Not really sure...think it's just the touch screen and the wireless key board and mouse that made the price go up. It has a huge hard drive but only 6 gig memory which I think is probably not much difference from 8 gig? but I had wanted 8 gig when I started shopping. It is the lowest series of the touchscreen..it's the 520 they have a 600 and a 700 series, and from a review I read they are better. The only problem I really have with it is that the touch screen doesn't scroll sideways easily...it tends to drag and the review I read complained of that too. Otherwise I am not quite used to the touch screen...sometimes get it too large and it slides around on the page which is irritating,....but at times I really like it when I control it properly. So guess it's mainly a matter of getting used to it. I don't use it often. Otherwise now that the restore of my files is done downloading it seems fast enough. I can't tell much difference from my old one but it was fairly fast. It's a 23 inch screen which is the same as my previous monitor.
Marie, I agree about Dells after my last experience...from the beginning it felt cheap although it worked well except for the color fading in and out and I wasn't sure at the time if it was the computer or the monitor. It was my first computer that didn't quite make it to 3 years (July). I usually have them 4-8 years. Somethings I like to do I've heard I can't do on a Mac so am not sure about them. I have used them at my oldest dd's house as she is sold on them. I might like one some day. This one makes me thing of a Mac on the touch screen as it has the little icons at the bottom only in this case the are apps like on an iPad. I haven't used them much yet.
My latest news is that I think I've got another bladder infection. And here I was just thinking the other day that I was doing so well as haven't had one for a few months now. Haven't started my on-hand antibiotic yet as want to drink cranberry juice and water and see how it goes for 24 hours at least. I must have forgotten to pee after my tub bath. I didn't go to Bible Study tonight because it's a very long ways from the sanctuary to the restroom and with a UTI, sometimes one doesn't have much time plus I am starting to not feel so well.
Dh had to go to the doctor today as his lab showed a slightly low thyroid. You may remember he's been complaining of being very tired. So while it's not really low, the doctor started him on med (Synthroid) because he has some symptoms.
Rie - Sorry you missed your kids on Mothers Day. Perhaps you can make it up with a long video chat some time soon. Two of mine forgot and texted me the next day. The same two do that most years. But I still love 'em. And I know you want to win all the time, Rie, but I think you're doing very well and I'm proud of you.
Donna - I think I must have missed something. I don't understand about the SS. I thought when your dh died the surviving spouse gets a choice of either 1/2 the dh's or her own SS. I went to the website but didn't find any info on that, just how to apply etc. Maybe I missed that too. I'm sitting here feeling like I'm about to jump out of my skin and not feeling like hunting for info.
Glynne - Feel sorry for you with State there. Don't know how they are in hospitals but in the nursing facility where I worked it was very stressful. On the floor was bad enough but the last few years I had a job where I was very responsible for things they would ask about. So they'd be calling me all the time to show them where it said this or that in the charts/care plan and it better be there and also on the other care forms that each discipline followed. I did well but I got so tired of it that the when I finally quit it was right after we heard they were in the area. I loved the job (well until the last year or so)but I hated when they were there.
Can't stand to sit here any more and I've yakked long enough anyway...you all have a nice evening.
late night check in....cause I did a dumb thing. I bought on Ebay the first 4 series of British Doc Martin.....watched them from early afternoon until just now...."Absolutely Bloody Hirarious"! Have 6 more DVDs to watch and then get season 5......24hrs of watching...love you but am busy.....k3
Just a quick pop in tonight--- been a busy day today. We went and bought a dresser with a huge mirror on it this morning, then I went with my sister to pick up cakes for the graduation/birthday dinner tonight, then over to pick up her new puppy, So cute!! A little Shichon. Then to the store this afternoon to pick up stuff we need for the trip this weekend, then the dinner tonight. Back home and getting stuff ready to load in the 5th wheel and finishing up laundry! We are hoping to leave in the morning if all goes well and then be back Monday. I'll have my laptop with me and the rv park has wifi so I will try to let you know how everything is going. Everybody have a good weekend if I don't get a chance to post anything..
I couldn't help myself and had to look this up. Mom served it sometimes when we were kids.
City chicken From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (also known in some locations as mock drumsticks or mock chicken) is an entrée consisting of cubes of meat (usually pork), which have been placed on a wooden skewer (approximately 4-5 inches long), then fried and/or baked. Depending on the recipe, they may be breaded.
History: The origins of the dish are from Germany the word "Huhnstadt" or translated "City Chicken" dates back to the early 1700s when raising chickens within city limits became illegal due to over crowding and health issues. Inexpensive cuts of pork served on skewers became a substitute for chicken as a meal. A similar dish known as "mock chicken" was described as early as 1908. The first references to city chicken appeared in newspapers and cookbooks just prior to and during the Depression Era in cities such as Pittsburgh. City chicken typically has cooks using meat scraps to fashion a makeshift drumstick from them. It was a working class food item. During the Depression, cooks used pork because it was then cheaper than chicken in many parts of the country, especially in those markets far from rural poultry farms. Sometimes cooks would grind the meat, and use a drumstick-shaped mold to form the ground meat around a skewer. Today, cooks use better cuts of meat (usually pork loin, beef, or veal) than they had in the past. Despite the name of the dish, city chicken almost never contains chicken.
Distribution: The dish is popular in cities throughout the eastern Great Lakes region of Ohio and Michigan as well as the northeastern Appalachian regions of Pennsylvania and Upstate New York, and at least as far south and west as Louisville, Kentucky. City chicken is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Binghamton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Erie, Pittsburgh and Scranton, hence, the dish's 'urban' title. In Canada, the deli-counter version is popular in the Ottawa Valley and Kitchener area.
Variations: Pork is the base meat in the common versions of the dish, although recipes vary regionally. For example, Pittsburgh-area preparations are almost always breaded and usually baked, while in Binghamton, the meat is usually breaded and then deep fried. The Cleveland version is generally baked without breading, but the meat is dredged in flour, browned in a pan, then finished in the oven, and served with gravy. Grocery stores in both in the Greater Cleveland area as well as those in the Pittsburgh metro area include wooden skewers with pork cubes specifically packaged as city chicken. In Ottawa, Canada, at least one variation involves skewers of three kinds of meat: pork, veal and beef. Another Canadian variation, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was composed entirely of veal.
I was just waiting for someone to clue me in on city chicken, never heard of it before. Thanks Gayle.
I planted 1/2 the flowers yesterday and need to get out right now to put the rest in. Then we need to get the remaining rummage sale items packed in the jeep and my car for tomorrows city wide rummage sale. We don't have a lot of valuable 'treasures' left so we looking forward to just unloading junk.
I thought we were over the hump yesterday as far a catching up in our budget.............wrong. We had to have a new well pump/tank put in at the tune of $620.29. Darn.
Rie...sorry about your added expense, hope you can sell it or find a cheap hitch.
P.S. My wireless router came yesterday and I had to hook it up myself. (DH never helps with computer hook-ups) Now to figure out how to use the Kindle Fire Tiffany gave me for birthday/mom's day.
Burning sunlight....later
Can you pick up a virus when using a Kindle?
Which anti virus programs do you all use? Paid or free, which ones give the least trouble?
DBF and I got back from our stay in the country and we're quite relaxed - lots of hiking, fires, cooking, and just hanging out. :-) The good news is since we were hiking so much, I didn't gain any weight. Hope to lose a couple more pounds by Memorial day, the unofficial beginning of summer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by maryea
Donna - I think I must have missed something. I don't understand about the SS. I thought when your dh died the surviving spouse gets a choice of either 1/2 the dh's or her own SS. I went to the website but didn't find any info on that, just how to apply etc. Maybe I missed that too. I'm sitting here feeling like I'm about to jump out of my skin and not feeling like hunting for info.
SS was set up back when only the husband worked outside of the home. When he died, there was no $ for the widow to live on, hence the program was devised so she/kids wouldn't be destitute.
Say the husband is retired and collecting his full amount and the wife is collecting 1/2 of that amount... when the husband dies the wife would either receive the husband's full amount as widow or her own full amount if she also worked, whichever is higher.
I'm sure they didn't have rich people like McCain in mind when this program was set up HAHA.
Worked yesterday, off today, work the weekend. Today is ketchip day. Got a lot to do. shop, clean,clean..
Andi, Glad to hear that you had a fun vacation, and Congrats on not gaining any weight. I know that is hard to do when you don't really have a lot of control of food. I'm also sure that SS didn't put into account that rich people would draw SS too. But they pay it, so they have the right. Of course it wouldn't make a dent in a bucket for them, while most of us count on it to live. Most things come out of necessity. Medicare was started because insurance companies were not insuring old people.
Bobbi, Hope you have a good day to plant the rest of the flowers. It's chilly here again. Make a lot of money getting rid of the "junk". I have a lot that i'm getting rid of too. I want that stuff GONE! I've become very spare in my old age.
Hi gayle, Glad to hear from you. It is always stressful when the state comes in. They usually come to the floors where there are the most problems, and fortunateally, our's usually doesn't. We don't see them too often, but when we know they're comming we clean! Ha! Always a good thing.
Hubby is calling me for shopping, so I'll finish this later,
Just about ready to lather the lard and get ready for work.
KarenFL - I had to laugh. I watched the entire series of "Behaving Badly" from Netflix Instant last night, all of it. Judy Densch is one of my FAVORITES, and I thoroughly enjoyed.
I decided to be a grown up and learn to use this asinine and stupid fingerpad thingie on the laptop. I HATE IT! I can't play Queen's Jewels, because the finger thingie doesn't move fast enough, my hand cramps, AND the font goes whacky for no reason and either gets really tiny or really big. I HATE IT. I am, however, trying to give it a chance and to get used to it.
Nothing else. I'm glad today is Friday, because I'll be totally wiped out by tonight and will probably be in bed by 9. Old, old, old, dontcha know?
Rie, congrats at placing so well at the tourney. Next year you will play great the last couple of rounds. The catnip story is hilarious. I will be sure to NEVER plant any. I can just picture Pepe La Pew lounging in your garden, just daring you to rip it out.
Donna, what are soap chips? I'd love for Bambi to stop grazing in my flower beds. And go into your computer setting (control panel) and double click on Mouse. You can set the tracking speed of your trackpad.
Deelee, that has to be difficult with both parents having Alz. You are a special woman to enjoy the humor in some of the statements. I'm the queen of rolling my eyes while I'm on the phone at work. It's the only way to deal with the idiots that have my number memorized. Too bad they can't memorize their job as I repeat the same instructions over and over again.
Mary, is your new HP got Windows 8 on it? I heard that OS is supposed to be mostly touch screen. I think that would be cool. I hope you feel better fast. UTIs are a special kind of pain and torture.
KarenMO, such an adorable puppy. Have fun on your trip.
Gayle, thanks for the city chicken info and all I have to say is YUCK. I think I'll pass on wasting my precious calories on that.
Bobbi, bummer on the added expense. Our well water tank bladder shredded a couple years ago and DH replaced the tank in the pump house. I remember the tank being about $90. But our pump was good, just the tank died.
Andi, thanks for the info on SS.Very interesting. So on the McCain issue, since congress doesn't pay into SS and they have their own retirement pot of gold, hopefully he can't collect on both.
Freda, enjoy your day off.
I'm very happy it is Friday and that I'm ready for the solar eclipse. I have my solar eclipse glasses and know to be ready at 6:15 pm Sunday for the show. How awesome I am in the 200 mile wide band that gets the view. I'm ready to see the "Ring of Fire". So that is all I have for weekend plans. Gorking will take priority.
Marie
im pooped. ttfn rosey 
on you feeling better. That's a relief. Double 
The same two do that most years. But I still love 'em. And I know you want to win all the time, Rie, but I think you're doing very well and I'm proud of you. 
