Good morning everybody. Hope your day is starting out well. I have half of my chores done and will finish up after posting. I have to go upstairs and do the cat stuff now that he is parked in Jack's office and I have the bed to make. I have the upstairs bathrooms to do today so will just do those when I go up to make the bed and clean the litter box.

Jean: Sounds like you had a busy day. I cleaned the downstairs and we toggled between the race and the CUBS game, mostly watching the CUBS. Yesterday was their last home game so they had a bunch of special stuff and it was fun to watch. The CUBS organization have a charity called Cubs Care and they do all sorts of things with it, one of which is a bunch of kids stuff. Yesterday they had a bunch of kids from the Boys' and Girls' Clubs come onto the field after the game and the players stripped off their jerseys signed them and gave them to the kids. It was a really nice thing to do. Our family is Chicago Cubs fans and we are holding our breath as they are in first place to win their division this year with only 6 more games to the end of the season and they are 3 1/2 games ahead of the next team. Oh, how close is Guttenburg (sp) Iowa to you? The reason I asked is when the old announcer for the Cubs started with WGN years ago he started a seventh inning stretch where he had the fans stand and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He passed away a few years ago, but they have filled in with celebrities and the like continuing to do it. This year they had a contest for one fan to win the privilege of singing it and the kid was from Guttenburg, Iowa.

I am finishing up Jackson's sweater sleeves and then can sew it together and that Christmas set will be done. I am then going to start on something for my oldest sister for her birthday, which is December 26th. I may try and make her a sweater or maybe a poncho.

My older sister called last evening and said she had gotten a call that my stepfather has passed away. Jack took the call and just passed along the info to me. The man was abusive to us and a real pig and was the cause of my mother's early death and some of my emotional problems so the only thing I plan on doing is sending a condolence to his kids. They are not to blame for the man being so horrible. There is no way I am going to send flowers and certainly not go up there for the funeral. All I can say is the man is now paying for his behavior and will for eternity. I have forgiven what he did, but forgetting isn't something you can easily do.

You gals have a wonderful start to the week. I am going to tackle those chores.

Faye

I guess that we will be having some Summer weather at least for the next few days. Tues. should be in the high 70's and Wed. is supposed to beat the record high and get to the mid 80's. Planning on a Commissary run Tuesday and then to the Cape on Wed. Jack is planning a swim...I hope it is as warm down there as it will be here. Sometimes when you cross the bridge to the Cape the weather is totally different.

This past weekend we were in Maine, Kennebunkport to be exact. We were given a weekend at a beautiful B&B right across from the ocean. It was lovely and our room had a small sitting room then the bedroom and we were on the 4th floor....the view was incredible! Got a picture of Sunrise from our windows on Sunday...the reddest Sun you ever saw.
Friday nite we went to an Italian restaurant and I ordered Spaghetti with Clams, Mussels, Shrimp and Scallops. Well it came in a round 1 qt casserole with a flatbread type covering over the top and down around all the sides.
The server took a knife and proceeded to cut around the top of the casserole and took the top off and my entree was inside. What a presentation.
Sat. nite we were treated to dinner at a AAA 5 Diamond restaurant called the White Barn. We will savor the elegance of this evening for a long time to come. Drove in and were met by the parking valet and then another gentleman came down the stone steps to greet us and escort us inside. We were again greeted at the front desk and escorted to our table. We were seated against a back wall which provided us great viewing of all that was going on in the restaurant as well as a view out the back window with it's exquisite flowers.
It was a Prix Fixe meal which meant we had Appetizers...we both chose Lobster Bisque with a Shrimp Fritter...delicious. Then there was Intermezzo which, for me was Lemon-Ginger Sorbet...it came in a dish shaped like a flower blossom with the Sorbet in the center and Jack had Pumpkin Sorbet with a Spicy Port Sauce.
Our entrees were a fish assortment for Jack and Tenderloin for me. My meat was so tender that I could have eaten it even if I didn't have teeth. LOL
Oh by the way, each course came with it's own utensils which were removed even if you didn't use them. And presentation of each course was like a ballet. For the two of us it meant that each dish was presented and placed before us in sinc by two servers ( if there were 4 of us then it would have taken 4 servers to present a course. If you left you seat for any reason when you returned the server would be right there with a clean napkin to place in your lap.
Then came dessert but first was a pre dessert of a small, think tall shot glass, of coffee jello with a caramel frothe over it. The real dessert for me was Creme Brulle and Jack got a really rich Chocolate Mousse. Coffee ended the meal but not really. The came by with a silver serving tree with and assortment of chocolates on each branch. It was incredible!!!!

Then we came home on Sunday and I have been doing laundry and housework ever since. Back to reality!

This weekend was a gift from our kids and I don't know how we can ever thank them enough for the thoughtfulness and generosity!

Faye: Glad you had such a good time in Vegas and haven't stopped your knitting spree. Happy that Fortune is feeling better.

Jean: Hope your weather will get back to a more normal pattern. Fall after all is supposed to be cooler. Actually I am looking forward to a more Fall like weather pattern.

Gloria

Good morning to you all! Hope your day is starting out well.

I saw that my stepfather's obit is in the paper this morning and they actually mentioned not only my mother, but myself and my siblings as well, which was a shock. I hope when he is buried next to my mother she rolls over and punches him right in the nose! lol At least I can be humorous about it all. My mom has been gone 10 years so it is all water under the bridge. Though Jack won't like it, I am going to walk over to Walgreens this morning when they open up, get a condolence card and send it to the oldest daughter.

Gloria: Maybe Jean and Susan and I should bow in your presence now that you have come up in the world. Sounds like you had a really incredible experience! We are cooking like a Christmas turkey down here. I took Fortune out for a short walk to go to the bathroom at 5 AM and it is so humid and sticky, I was sweating just having a bathrobe on. It is 76 right now and supposed to get up to near 90 again today. My birthday is Friday and I remember as a kid always getting winter clothing for my birthday because it almost always was chilly by my birthday. Down here, you never know.

Jean: Sounds like you are in the same boat as we are weather wise. I saw an article yesterday that is predicting places on the Atlantic coast will be underwater by the next century because of the rise of the ocean level. I guess if Gloria and Susan live into the 150+age range they are going to need houseboats to live in.

I have all but two rows of the collar on the baby's sweater done. I still have a sleeve to knit then the button plackets, but I got bored doing the sleeve that I finished yesterday so thought I would do the collar this morning and maybe the plackets as well, sew on the buttons even then do the last sleeve and put them in and sew up the side seams. It will then be on to my sister's sweater vest. I found this one, which will be fast and easy as her birthday is the day after Christmas. I have tons of that honey colored yarn left from Tom's sweater so I am going to use it up for it then get her a hunter green turtleneck to go underneath it. She can then wear them to work.

Well, this isn't getting those chores finished nor the cat taken care of this morning!

Have a good one ladies and don't let anything stand in the way of being happy today!

Faye

Good morning, ladies! I'm glad to be checking in this morning. Had a really bad asthma attack Thursday night as in call the EMRs. Fortunately they know the way to our house and have a key (a nice benefit of living in a small town) so they could get in. They were able to give me a breathing treatment and oxygen so I didn't have to go the the hospital this time. Went to the doctor Friday as a follow up and he put me on 20 day Prednisone burst - so far I've gained 7-1/2 pounds since Friday. I can easily gain a pound a day on it but it makes breathing so much easier it's worth it. Unfortunately the weight doesn't just drop off - maybe half of it will be water and come off in a few days, any more will be real work. Also double my dose of Advair to get me past this.

Faye, your knitting projects are always so nice. I hope people appreciate how lucky they are to have you making things for them. My socks are coming along slowly - at the rate I'm going they should be finished in July...a great time for wool socks.

We had a real pea soup fog this morning...wasn't any when I got up but it came rolling in about 6 am - must be fall! I really hate the fog horns, they sound so mornful.

Good morning gals! Up early again this morning and took out Fortune for his morning constitutional walk since we have to stand and watch him out on the deck all the time now. It is still very humid and miserable here. Even though it is quite warm, it isn't the heat but that humidity that really gets to you. I would imagine it would really be difficult for someone who has problems like Susan to live here in this.

Susan: Glad you are feeling better. I know it is always so scary when you have a bad attack. It is a good thing you live there and not here as you would be dead before the EMT's got here. I do have to say they were pretty quick getting here when Jack had his heart attack. I have never seen so many men in my house at one time though. I think I counted 8 or 9 all squished into my living room trying to work on Jack. They brought the fire truck too, which I don't know why unless they were planning on me riding it to the hospital!

Jean: I agree. I think the big mouth should be suspended for intimidating a student in the first place. The rules have to be followed and the staff have to be consistent with them but you still have to applaud the kid for not letting the little bully coward push people around. Funny how bullies are almost always cowards themselves. When I was in jr high, I had a couple black girls that were harrassing this really shy overweight girl in gym class when we went to the showers. I got up in their faces and they threatened me. Well, I had an in with the asst principal and went straight to him about it. These two girls were twice my size and I was no shrinking violet. I wasn't afraid of them, more that I didn't want them doing something to the other girl in retaliation. It all got sorted out and they actually left us alone after they were talked to. I even became friendly with them eventually. Not buddy, buddy, but saying hi and stuff in passing.

Jack has to go to an oral surgeon on Monday. He has a tooth that lost a filling right before vacation and he never said anything then the tooth cracked the beginning of the week down to the gum so to the dentist he goes. We have fairly decent insurance so I hope it doesn't cost a huge amount. The one rip off thing is the deductible. It is $50 for an individual, but $150 for a family. Since it is a new plan and we haven't used it, I am not sure whether they would charge us $50 per person rather than charge us for a family if we both used it in the calendar year.

I guess I better get hopping and get chores finished so I can finish the sleeve and attach it on the baby's sweater. I am including a pic of it with the hat sans the one sleeve. It is so cute. I was bored knitting sleeves so I knitted on the front plackets, the neckband and put on the buttons. I also sewed in the one sleeve and the seams so all that needs doing is knitting the other sleeve and putting it in. The sweater turned out so cute! It is one of my favorite projects so far.

Lucky Jack IV - at least he'll keep you busy knitting as fast as he is growing. He'll be adorable in that sweater and hat.

I gave the EMTs a key to house when Stan was so sick before he started dialysis. He was falling a lot and too weak to get up. There was a short period he had to be by himself between me going to work and the aide arriving and then when she left until I got home and I was afraid he'd fall. He could alert them, but if they couldn't get in it didn't do much good. Even though we live in a very safe neighborhood (got the 2006 VA Safest Neighborhood award), I don't like to leave doors unlocked even during the day. I occasionally take them a cake or some cookies (like when the church has a bake sale since I don't bake). One reason they bring the fire truck, unless you can explain clearly what you need won't require a trip to the ER, is to get extra people there so they can carry someone out. One time they had to carry Stan from the 2nd floor - it took 6 to do that! When I would tell them he just needed to be picked up, on the EMTs would come. Once it was the fire chief in his car - wanted to get away from the station!

Another thing about living in a small town...we have a sheriff and state troopers, no police department. In some of our small towns, the "good old boy" network is still active. My friend's nephew moved to Mathews County. He had been on the police force in a much larger city but took a job with the sheriff's office. He got called in for writing too many tickets. Just supposed to look the other way in most cases! He eventually quit and moved back to the city.

The doctor feels my allergies may be causing the asthma to worsen, plus GERD also worsens it. GERD is getting worse so that I may have to have OP surgery to tighten up the opening between my stomach and esphogus. Meantime, we're trying some new medication for GERD. My "moon" face from the Prednisone is really depressing me - as well as the weight gain. And I'm being very careful not to eat more. Of course, ADVAIR is also a form of steroid and we've doubled that to the highest dose. Sometimes you can't win!

Jean, it seems the guilty often escape punishment. I hope that kid gets something and the one that punched him gets off!

Good morning gals. I wasn't feeling well last night (hormonal stuff) so I went to bed early. I woke up this morning and because I had my contacts out and used my old glasses I misread the clock thinking if was 4:30 so I got up and went to the bathroom and came down with Fortune, got on my bathrobe and took him out, came back and fed him and then started dinner prep by cleaning a chicken and getting it into the slow cooker for chicken and noodles. I looked at my Lucy clock above the sink and it said 1:45 so I thought the battery was kaput. Turned around and the digital clock on the stove said the same thing as did all the clocks. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, in an alternate world! Ahh, well, I will just do my morning chores now then sit down and knit.

Susan: GERD is the worst and I feel for you. I know it has to cause you misery along with the other issues you have. I hope you can get it all sorted out.

Jean: I am waiting for the church to want the bell choir to be on call 24/7 in case they want to use you. It seems it is getting kind of ridiculous. I don't imagine they realize what it takes to put a performance together? It isn't like a single person playing an instrument or even a band or orchestra playing together where everyone has their own instrument to play their own part. Bells are unique as they combine both, single performer with a group performance and it all has to come off perfect or it doesn't come off at all. I have a feeling people think it is easier than it is so they think it shouldn't be a problem for you to be at their beck and call whenever. I feel for you. I feel for that poor kid. Since he is a legal adult he is going to take a big hit for something he did to protect someone else and the little snot got away scot free to bug someone else.

I guess I will get the dishwasher unloaded and then go upstairs to Jack's office and clean out the cat box. Have a good Thursday everyone!

Faye

Dropping in to wish Faye a HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hope you have a great day and more important a better sleeping night!

Jean: That can definitely be a pain to have to play at 3 services a week. It wouldn't be so back if you could split the playing ie: half play for one time and then another group play another time but I can see where that wouldn't work.

Today I tackled the gas grill which has been giving me flash buring and other fun things. I took it apart and was cleaning out the tubes to check for spider nests when I noticed that the burner had a crack in it. Took it out and back to the small grill store where we purchased it (as it turned out 9 yiears ago). The gentleman was alone and when I showed him the burner he just took it and started to take of the tubes that attach it to the grill itself and proceeded to attach a new burner....10 minutes. He then looked us up in the computer and that's when we found it was 9 yrs old. It if had only been 7 yrs old it would have been covered by the guarantee but we had to pay the $40. This is the same place that we took the grill rack that I thought was to far gone to clean again and he said just cover the rack with foil light the grill with the cover on for 15Got min. and the rack would be just as good as new. It was! Not a bad place to do business with. This grill is just a work horse and although we paid a bit more for it 9 yirs ago it was worth it. These two things are the only things that have needed attention.

Got to get ready for the Red Sox game tonight....they could clinch the division tonight. Maybe I should not count my chickens before they are hatched!!

Gloria

Good morning gals. Fortune kept jumping on and off the bed so down I came and out we went. I decided to heck with it and will just knit on my sister's vest. I started it last night while watching the CUBS game.

Gloria: The Cubs are still 2 games ahead of Milwaukee and have tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. I think that if the CUBS win tonight and Milwaukee loses the CUBS clinch. That would put them 3 games up and Milwaukee can't come back. So it can hinge on tonight. The CUBS lost all three to the last place Marlins, but I guess a lot of the clubs tops in their division are having a time of it. None of the division have been decided yet so it is all down to the wire. It sure would be nice for them to win the division and fight their way through to the world series. They haven't played in one since something like 1932 and not won since 1908 or something like that. Since the other oldest ballpark/club has now played and is over their curse (your Red Sox) it is our turn to get to the series.

Jean: I bet the parents of the autistic kid coddle him. I do not understand why parents think that kids with disabilities need to be overly spoiled and given in to. Jack had a cousin who was his mom's age and had down's syndrome. He was so obnoxious I couldn't stand to be around him. Jay was a baby when we saw him last and I found it funny that he really liked Jay a lot even though he was jealous of the attention Jay got.

My birthday is going to be a quiet affair. Kelly is tied up in some big merger thing with her company so wants to do something next week, Jay called last night and I told Jack not to buy me anything. We spent a lot on vacation and now are faced with this oral surgery expense and have a couple of other hefty condo expenses crop up along with getting Christmas stuff so I told him not to go buy me anything. I don't need anything, don't want anything so I am perfectly happy. Besides, I am going to Indiana to see the baby in a month and that is a great present.

We have municipal elections next Thursday and I sure hope someone can boot the current no good thievin' mayor out on his butt.

Guess I will get the downstairs chores done and knit awhile.. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

Faye