Good evening. We did have some sun today and in low 50’s. Tomorrow supposed to rain all day but sure hope I can get out and take pants to get anti theft tag removed and get my nails done. We shall see how I feel in the morning to get out in the rain.

I knocked off the sprayer under the top rack of the dishwasher and one piece was missing to put it back on. My poor husband finally found it and got it back on, but then couldn’t get the rack back in straight. He finally got it slotted in and I could run the dishwasher. I had fixed cheesesteaks for dinner so clean up wasn’t bad at all.

Jean: I used WM delivery for several months, but they kept screwing up the order and got a nasty lady calling me when I complained so I told them to keep their stuff I was shopping elsewhere. We just have lousy shopping here. Today they screwed up from Kroger. They gave me oj with calcium, which Jack doesn’t like and I ordered sliced olives and when I went to put them away they were whole teeny tiny ones. They didn’t have my husband’s 2-12 can soda boxes so they gave him one 24 box and charged him more, which they’re not supposed to do. So, it’s mostly employee issues at the stores. Sounds like it’s cool where you stay that you’re able to watch the stuff going on.

Everyone have a great evening.

Evening
It's been a long day. First church, in which I'm not proud of my piano playing. Jean, yes practice, practice practice. I'm going to give it one more try and then I'm asking J to please come back and do it. The arthritis in my thumbs are a big part of it but the keyboard is another part of it. It's hard to transition from one to the other. It's the feel of the keys that get me and not being used to the sound is the other. This one is set for a grand piano which is okay but I'm not used to that richer tone/sound. I told bil I was going come out Friday to practice but I don't have a key to the church. He said I could use his. He's not there all day.
Bil called a meeting with the Elders to talk about his retirement. Sigh. I knew it was coming. He will participate as long as he can but he wants to hire an interim pastor to help him when he needs it. and let us get used to the new pastor before he completely retires. I think his decision will be based on his next CT or MRI scan.

Sis told me this afternoon that nephew has gone to a different rehab facility in California. and before that he rear ended a car but he was not drunk at the time nor had alcohol in his system. So thankful for that. She is wanting to try a different approach for recovery. I looked it up on line and it sounds great. I told sis it was like he couldn't handle the outside world after the recovery. We shall see if this one works. She still doesn't believe that he drew a fist, but that's okay. The least said the better.

Jean
Ah a warm 79 degree day in Hawaii sounds divine. It sounds like you have a nice view too. It's been cold and wet here today. Sis in Atlanta had snow last week!

gma
Did you get the information I sent you? Silly me didn't include my name. I will send that in a bit. Have you started a new project or will you wait till after vacation?
-----
this is about it for me tonight.

Good Morning! The sun is hiding and we are supposed to have rain showers off and on. At least it won’t be a whole day of rain and it is warm. Yesterday we went up and down a “mountain” to view a blow hole. The road is so narrow in some places that if you meet another car one has to back up to a point where it is possible to get past each other. We were lucky enough not to have to back up and were able to follow another car around winding curves. Several curves had “blow your horn” signs. Needless to say we won’t be doing that again! Nothing is planned for today except maybe some shopping for souvenirs.

“Gma,” we came home with an anti theft tag from Sears one time. The clerk acted like we stole the item until Bob showed her the receipt. Of course she didn’t apologize. I’m glad Jack could fix your dishwasher rack. I don’t know if I ever shared about dropping the spoon in the garbage disposal which blew a hole in the side and water ran all over the cupboard onto the floor. Thank goodness we had a spare disposal and Bob could put it in. There are momma whales, with babies, to watch every morning. The babies try to imitate what the mother does, so cute to watch.

Ceejay, I’ve only played a keyboard a couple times but give me a real piano any day. I’m sure it was very hard for your bil to discuss his pending retirement but it is good he encouraged hiring someone to help him. I hope your nephew gets the program figured out in the new rehab place. I feel for your family dealing with him and your bil’s illness. The sun is out so maybe the rain clouds will move on.

Hope you enjoy a marvelous Monday, or at least I think it is Monday!

Jean
Love to hear about the whales. I would love to see one in person. Maybe one day. I'm going to try one more time Sunday to play but after that I'm done. No point in me making a fool out of myself. Honking before going around a curve would be kind of frightening to me.

Since I've been told I'm sinning about telling someone about my day that involves another person then this is all I have to report. Plus I have a headache
Oh I did use a new machine at the gym this morning and I really liked it. It's low impact cardio called a new step I think. It's like an eliptical but you sit down on it.
Also got my taxes done this morning. Yep a refund but I did have to pay the accountant.
Have you ever written a text to a friend and as soon as you sent it saw that it was sent to the wrong person? I did that this morning and am in trouble over that with sis. I was texting my bff and sent it to my nephew. It was an honest mistake but sis went balistic. Even apoligzed to nephew and told him why. He will be more forgiving than she will. Ooooooops gossiping again.

Ceejay, I have sent emails and texts to the wrong people. I just apologize and forget it. Don’t beat yourself up over it. I support you 100% in not playing for church if you are not comfortable doing so. It’s been many years since I have played in front of anyone and I would be a wreck! The whale is not a pretty animal but they are so awesome up close. I don’t think I can get a picture on here. Would you message your email address to me?

I just tried to message my email to you and it said you refused private emails.

Jean
Yes, I will exchange iniformation with you. Are you on FB.
To be honest this is the first time that I've played for church. The church I grew up in didn't have any musical instruments.
I apologized to nephew and he would be understanding. I'm not concerned about that but I think from now on I'm not saying anything to sis about her kids.
There were a few Jean's so I didn't know which one to choose. I think I fixed the problem about accepting messages.

Good evening. Jack is in bed, but I hear him coughing still now and again. It rained very hard today all day into the evening. Luckily he wore his winter work coat and it reflects rain or he’d have gotten soaked. I didn’t budge from the house.

I got my sister and girlfriend’s birthday presents. I am taking my bff’s and will give it to her on the cruise even though her bday isn’t until May so it will be about a couple weeks early. Because of Valentine’s day I got a deal at Zales on a really pretty white sapphire necklace that’s a key and a bracelet that has a heart lock with a little key. The necklace was a hundred dollars and the special was $19.99!! Not surprisingly, they sold out. Everything pretty much was 50% off so for my sister I got this thin gold cuff bracelet that had tiny little diamond bumblebees on each end. It’s so cute and will go with anything. She is a legal secretary so has to dress up everyday. Her birthday is in April and I’ll just ship it to her before we leave on the cruise. I got a steal on it too. I just happened to see my email saying they were having this short sale. Love it when I find sales.

Jack mailed the boys Valentines so they’ll have them in time. I’ll still have to do Easter but then I’ll be done with everybody until June.

Jack went to the ortho doctor on Tuesday and he injected gel into his joint in his bad knee. He said it lasts about 6 months and can be done repeatedly without trauma until it doesn’t work anymore. I told Jack if he could do it until he retires then he can get a new knee and won’t have to worry about rehab or recoop time from work. I think he’s thrilled it isn’t hurting all the time.

CeeJay: I am sure you’ll get a handle on your piano playing. Truly hope this new place can get in his head and help him work out living outside of rehab. It’s tough no doubt about it. You know the old saying goes, “I can say whatever I want about my family, but don’t you dare.” Mothers always tend to see the good side even if they know it’s not true. I think we blame ourselves for our kids mistakes even as adults, but there comes a time where their mistakes are not something you did but they did. It’s tough to admit they aren’t perfect. I have learned to be extra careful about texts. I have done that and it’s embarrassing. All you can do is apologize.

Jean: I read an article that talked about whale babies grandmothers even care for them. They are multigenerational animals. I always enjoy the dolphins following the ship. You can see them quite often and I remember when we did a day cruise on my husband’s air craft carrier whole schools would follow the ship. Hope you continue to have good weather. I have dropped silverware into the disposal and turned it on, but thank heavens never blew a hole in it! You just had an extra disposal laying around? For some reason that made me chuckle.

Everyone have a good day tomorrow.

Well, I will try this again. *sigh* It’s a beautiful day, sunny and 80 degrees with a breeze. We went on a whale watch boat that served lunch: shredded pork or grilled chicken sandwich, “several” different kinds of beans salad, garlic bites, fresh fruit, chips and salsa then a brownie as we were leaving the boat. It was a three hour trip and we saw lots of whales, both moms and babies.

Ceejay, yes I am on Facebook, first name with last which is Bennett. It is probably wise not to discuss children with your sister. I would bet your nephew has forgotten about your comment regarding him. It’s good he is understanding.

”Gma,” you have to be the queen of sales! There used to be a Zales in Sioux City, not sure if it is still there or not. That is where Bob bought my engagement ring many years ago. I had it put into a ring with Beth and Jason’s birthstones. I hope the shot will keep Jack comfortable for a long time. There are a lot of people walking around here who walk like they hurt; there are lots using the walkers with the seats. We have dolphins here too but the whales are the main attraction while they are here. For as huge as they are they are so graceful gliding through the water. We had the extra disposal because my old one would plug up from time to time. Someone told Bob it didn’t have enough horsepower. I wanted a new sink so had the new disposal ready. I still don’t have the new sink! My goal, when we get home, is to organize for painters, carpet, counter tops, and sink! First I need to pitch, pitch, pitch!

Bob is watching boats come and go from the harbor while the other two are napping. Guess I will go read my book. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Good morning. Very jealous of Jean today. It is 14 with the windchill. The house is cold this morning because the wind is blowing so hard and the condo is drafty. Jack said he is freezing at work today so he’ll be glad when the day is over so I guess everyone is cold today. Weird thing it’s gonna be near 70 in a couple days.

This weekend is clean house top to bottom. Jack has to pick up a grocery order tomorrow morning but other than that nothing but cleaning. I am fixing him a valentine’s dinner of filet mignon, augratin potatoes, corn on the cob and rolls. Hope you all have a nice Valentine’s.

I have to put the birthday gifts in their gift bags and put my sister’s in a box until April and my friend’s with our vacation stuff.

Nothing else going on here.

Jean: My engagement ring came from Zales too. It was very unique because it was square not round. I adored that ring, but lost it 30 yrs ago in a car fire. I have always liked their stuff and have a lot of their jewelry. Do the people that do the tours say why there are so many whales in that area? I could be a beach baby except for one thing. The sun and I are enemies. I have gotten sunburned sitting in the shade wearing 30 sunscreen. Funny how my favorite places are sunny and tropical.

Everybody have a good weekend.

Morning
It's a cold 9 degree's this morning. I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit before I go weigh in. The sun is out though so that's good. We've had snow twice this week but just a dusting each time.
I've been depressed this week but I've recovered that I hope. I hate being this way. Life in general I think.
I like the new machine I've been using at the gym. It gives me a good cardio with out hurting my knees or my lower back. It's called a new step.
Made chili last night and I didn't realize how hungry I was for it. Ate two big bowls. Now weigh in is going to be off today because of it but that's okay.

Jean
How long will you be in Hawaii?

gma
Wow, you made some good purchaces at Zales. There is a Zales in the mall and I'm going to return my quilt today at Penny's so I may have a "look see". The quilt is the wrong color of brown.

Good Morning! The wind is blowing already this morning but it is supposed to be warm and sunny again. We have nothing planned except to shop in a cluster of neat shops close to where we eat a very cheap good breakfast. It is a little hole in the wall literally but the food is so good. Then we have reservations at a hoity toity restaurant for tonight. Not his choice but one of the few that will take reservations. The other couple think it is the cats meow and promoted it for Bob’s birthday.

“Gma,” the whales come down from Alaska every year, usually December through April, to have their babies in the warmer water and mate. There is no food for them here so they head back to Alaska, as soon as the babies are strong enough, to eat fish and crill. It is amazing to me how they know where they are going. A few stop along the California coast but most come here. Maui is their goal because the water is supposed to be warmer than around the other islands although they do see whales too. Bob burned a little on our first boat trip but I didn’t for some reason. He turns tan overnight so will go home looking like he’s been on vacation. I tan but try not to spend much time in the sun; I am wrinkly enough!

Ceejay, it is cold where you live, but it will warm up! I wish we had a gym for ”old” people but ours has different classes for the young at heart skinny minnies. Also have a 24 hour gym but have heard it is mostly the athletic kids go there. I’m sorry you have to return your quilt. We leave here on the 20th and will be home the 21st. In years gone by we have left at midnight but this time we are leaving at 5:30 arriving in Chicago at 5am. The trip will hopefully be less than eight hours because of the trade winds. If all goes well we will be back home early afternoon. Good luck at weigh in!

I need to get dressed and put my face on. Hope you both have a great day!

Went to the Valentine's breakfast at church where the men cook for the women. We had an okay crowd. The food was good and I ate to much as usual. Afterward I practiced on the piano and friend went up to the sanctuary with me cause it was dark and I didn't know where the light switches were. It was light enough. I adjusted the piano just a bit to where it sounds more like mine and put the settings back for the regular pianist tomorrow. Bil came but looked as though he didn't feel good. The pain block is working where it was injected but now the other side is causing him grief. Poor man can't get a break.
This is about it for me.
I'm tryiing to figure out what I'm doing wrong to unblock things on this sight.

Good Afternoon! The sun is shining but it is very windy by the condo. We went on a whale watch trip after breakfast; thought maybe it might be canceled because of the wind but it was hardly blowing there. This was the same boat we have purchased ten ride tickets for in the last few years. Two years ago they had all new crews and we were disappointed in their performance so didn't buy this year. The ride today wasn't that great either. When we first used this place the naturalist was adamant about people sitting on the whale side of the boat stay seated so the opposite side could stand and see the whales to take pictures. Not a word said today nor did they offer the complimentary water or pop during the trip. They still wanted their tip at the end though! One guy ahead of us gave them $20 and Bob wanted to tell him we had had better rides earlier with no tips requested. Don't think we will go with them again. Did some more souvenir shopping on our way back to the car and now nothing planned except supper somewhere and a couple games of revenge cards, we beat the guys last night! My watch is slowly dying and I finally took it off. Bob offered to get me a new one but will wait until we get home.

Ceejay, I’m glad you enjoyed the breakfast! I always enjoy anything I don’t have to cook and eat too much. I admire your bil for attending even though he doesn’t feel good.

We don’t have a beach right here but there is one about a half block away so we are going to walk down there and see if there are turtles. Sometimes when it is windy they come up on the beach, fun to watch them. Enjoy the rest of the day!

Jean
How exciting to see the turtles. I've seen a few on t.v that are huge.
-----------
Nothing exciting going on here. Went home with sis after church on Sunday, but was very uncomfortable. I never know what is going to set her off. I understand that she has a lot of her plate at the present. Her other son came out to cut down a small tree and in the mean time a picture of the other nephew's baby popped up on FB. She's a beautiful baby and looks a lot like her daddy. His comment was I hope she doesn't turn out like her dad. So he's tired of it too. But our lives goes on.
I've lost 3 inches over all this morning at weigh in but due to my over indulgence of food my weight was back up. I noticed a sign that was advertising their product for sugar craving and asked about that. Dougnuts are my source of cravings lately so I got those supplements and some supplements for joint pain. I've taken all this before and thought I could do with out it BUTTT. my body tells me differently. I'm going to start calling this my wellenss plan. I'm going to do the whole plan this week and see what happens.
Went to the gym yesterday and rode the New Step. Felt kind of bad that one of the workers was showing some people around and said that the New Step was for their senior's and it was also used for rehab. But hey I'm a senior.
I have a man from church that is coming over this afternoon to clean out my dryer. It hasn't been cleaned since I bougt it at least 10 years ago. And I want him to do some other things too.

Good evening! It rained here all day. For some reason tonight’s the first time I’ve been able to get in here. I’d get as far as loading the website and it would lock up and go no farther. Not sure why.

I fixed pepper steak and it came out great. It was pretty easy too because you can buy beef strips and not have to cut it up yourself. I buy bell peppers and cut them myself but buy pre chopped onions. You could buy pre cut peppers etc from produce. I like them to be big enough so Jack can remove them if he wishes. He doesn’t like bell pepper just the taste it gives food. He ate them all tonight though.

He has an appointment on Thursday with his hand doctor as the trigger finger has gotten very painful. I don’t know what he can do unless they do surgery. Not sure he can give him another cortisone shot.

CeeJay: Glad you got some practice in. Sorry to hear about your bil having problems again. I love chili, but Jack’s not over the moon about it. good bowl of chili and a slice of cornbread, yum! The poor woman sounds overwhelmed, but you can’t take it out on people who aren’t part of the problem. Good luck with your program.

Jean: Glad you had a nice vacation this year. We are definitely ready for ours. Sometimes the little dives or diners have the best food. There’s a couple of restaurants on the ship that has the fancy pants one bite food. I refuse to pay $45 a person for a plate of one bites. That’s interesting and makes sense about the whales.

Have a good evening all.