Cold Saturday

[Colliemom]

Morning all. 3° with a real feel of -4°out there this morning. I expect it to drop a few degrees around Dawn when the sun comes up, unless it’s cloudy. Still dark out, so can’t tell. Having a bit of an Arctic blast for a couple of days again. Yesterdsy was nice as we hit 40°, which this time of yesr is mild. I actually walked the dogs with just my wi dopants over my fleece pants.. Didn’t need my heavier ski bibs or snow pants. We took a long 2 1/2 mile walk, as I knew today would be too cold to go.

Martha, that’s great that you are walking a couple miles. Wear a good pair of walking shoes. Your leg muscles will adapt in time. I’m glad that we can get back into our longer walks as I can feel it in my muscles from not doing long walks everyday right now. Plus I’m wearing boots with cleats on and not as nice as just walking with shoes, but my boots are comfortable.

Barbie, sounds like you are in your element right now. Glad you and Gloria are getting along so well. Have a great time the rest of this weekend. Judy, glad your issues are fixed and you are back in business. Karen, glad to hear you are feeling better too. Anita, I too think your condo manager will be short lived. Doesn’t sound like she knows too much about managing Condos. Unless she’s being told my the management company to do the survey or something. Crazy idea. Lyn, loking at tbe pool out your window sounds lovely.

Fence contractor worked most of the day on Thursday and got 8 posts in. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but he had to hand dig through frozen ground as his auger needs a new bit and he won’t have it till spring. These are 8 foot posts, so he’s digging down about 3 1/2 feet. Once he got through the frozen part, no issues beyond that. He did take a break for a couple hours as had some business to take care of. Texted me yesterday and said his arms were really feeling it, so he was going to clean his tools etc. I don’t blame hm. I know how he feels as I used to have same issues when we were called back to work at the park and were tackling the grounds cleanup after the winter. Takes about 2 weeks for the muscles and your body to get used to physical work again. But once you push past that, no problem. There’s no tine line on this project.

I’m heading to the basement this morning since it’s going to be a cold day. Prep and start painting the last room down there. Got a light shade of green and anxious to see how it looks. Got the house cleaned yesterday, so that’s out of the way. Hope you all have a nice day.

[Othersharon]

Just hearing the church chime noon so where did the morning go?! I’ve spent the last 3 afternoons taking advantage of the warmer temps by chipping ice off the back driveway. Yesterday I got all but a little bit left to do but at this point I may just let Mother Nature take care of it! Sure glad I have a chiropractor appointment on Monday! I tried to be careful with my back and I think I was semi successful since it’s not yelling at me this morning! My Covid test came back negative so that was a relief. And my son went back to work the other day and is feeling fine as is his wife. Other then that no real news from me! Just wanted to touch base with you all. Seeing your posts keep me going most days. Have a great week end and stay safe!

[OregonLuvr]

Came home yesterday after my eye doc appts. Was fun to catch up with my friend and just kind of relax. Eye appts went well, she said I dont have to come back for 9 weeks, yay. I was tired last night and went to bed around 8 and think I just died. Still working on getting my stamina back but will just continue to pace myself, should be right as rain soon I hope.

Construction on my walk in showers starts Monday so need to take all the towels, rugs, everything off the counters, etc out as I can already tell there will be lots of dust when sawing the tubs to get them out. So will just clear it out for now.

Was going to go to the grocery store today but rethought that idea as everyone will be there buying snacks etc for tomorrow. So will probably wait until Monday.

[Bethers]

Karen, I rethought the store today also. Nothing I must have. Just would have been a reason to go somewhere. Ha, the 20% chance of rain must be 100% now as I'm hearing a few raindrops on my roof. The 73* felt really warm walking Ty earlier because of the humidity. Raindrops just stopped lol

Nothing exciting here. New phone is working fine. I just realized I haven't made a call. Best check that out. I'll call my other phone and talk to myself lol

[chalet05]

Good morning!

Just to clarify, I live in an apartment not a condo. I'd complain more about some of these things, like the sidewalk still covered in snow, but due to lack of housing available in the area, I need my lease to be renewed!

Sun is out! I'm getting outside today and may take the Sling for a ride. I will risk the grocery store. Extended forecast looked clear, but now 1-2 inches of snow predicted Monday night - won't hold my breath.

Need to get a move on!

[JudyJB]

Today is pasty day, and I might do a load of laundry. I am working on the pie dough for the pasties right now, but will not cut up the veggies until later. Oops, just looked at the clock. I slept in so long today and have been moving so slowly that later is coming quickly!

Not much else happening, except that yesterday I made a week's reservation for a cottage in Danby, North Yorkshire. I chose this farm cottage because it is very close to the church where I want to take gravestone photos and is also the place listed as his residence on my gg-grandfather's marriage records! He was married in this church in 1845, and his new wife was also baptized there in 1821. His occupation was listed as "husbandman" which meant he cared for animals, no doubt sheep. Neither my gg-grandfather nor my gg-grandmother could write their names, so the record has their "marks" on it. Obviously, these were very poor people who had never gone to school. They migrated to Ontario, Canada a year or so later and raised 9 children there.

The cottage has a full kitchen, so I can cook a few of my meals and save money, not that this little country place was expensive to start with, but having a refrigerator, stove, and washing machine will be very nice for a week. I can get groceries delivered or shop at the tiny Coop grocery store in the nearby town. I love looking in foreign stores for unusual foods.

[Shirlv]

Afternoon All, it’s a sunny pleasant day. I have the balcony door cracked for some fresh air. I stay home on weekends and leave shopping for those who work away from home. I got Chinese carry out and made salmon cakes so am set food wise for the weekend. I am salt restricted and miss snacks which are too salty. I tried an air fryer recipe using oyster crackers and ranch seasoning package. Recipe says use whole pack but I use one tablespoon of seasoning. The whole country must be using the same recipe because I couldn’t find the crackers. Silly me, Amazon had them so am stocked. Karen, sounds like you are slowly getting back to normal which is good news. I had four request when shopping for an apartment. A walk in shower, a highrise toilet, a walk-in closet a space for a freezer. Management was very accommodating. Anita, management politely asks tenants to clean up after their pets and have bags on posts and trash containers. One day an anonymous tenant taped a note to the entrance door that said “if your dog sh&% in front of my apartment again and you do not pick it up I will pick it up and put it on your car” (just a thought). Lol The note disappeared quickly. Such is apartment living. Judy your rental cottage sounds wonderful. Did the Qi Gong dvd so am gliding around the apartment. Be safe

[chalet05]

Shirl, thanks for the laugh! Pretty sad here when dog poop station is right there!

Judy, you being able to visit that church with the family history gives me goosebumps! I was happy to be able to visit all but one of the churches my German g-g-grandfather ministered in the U.S. I did visit the town of that one, but no one was around to tell me where it is or had been. That also reminds me for my trip to Kansas, I need to go on to Missouri since I finally found where my 3rd great grandmother is buried.

Now I'm going to get a move on - found Kansas basketball game to watch earlier.

[JudyJB]

A story--I knew in 2018 that Mary Easton and Joseph Carter were my gg-grandparents and were married in Danby in "Danby Church." When I got to Danby, I went to the North Yorkshire Dales Ntl Park Visitor Center just down the road. Two ladies were at a desk in this tiny museum and asked why I was there. They told me there were only two churches in Danby and that one was too young, so while we were chatting, one of the ladies got on the phone and then handed it to me. It was the lay "reader" from the church. She lived about a block from the pub hotel i was staying at and said if I came by she would give me the key to the church!! For those friends who thought I was nuts for traveling alone in a "dangerous" country all by myself, this was the first time in my life some stranger offered me the keys to a church.

Anyway, I went to her house, and she invited me in. Her husband had her car for the day or she would have taken me to the church, but I suggested I drive her there. We went, and I was able to take a lot of photos inside and out. She also directed me to the town where records were kept. I went the next day and got all the marriage and birth stuff. Plus, in the middle 1800s, a group of people had copied all the baptism, marriage, and burial records from 1585-1812! It is called the Danby Register. Over the next few years, I have been able to trace ancestors all the way back to 1600 using that 356 page book which is indexed and even online!! Only problem is their habit of naming kids after parents and grandparents, so there are a lot of duplicate names, which I need to verify, among some other facts. I am hoping gravestones will help, as will another visit to the records office.

One puzzle I want to solve is whatever happened to Mary Easton's mother Jane. Mary was born out of wedlock, and her baptism lists her mother as living in the "coal pits." There is a story there!! I know who her parents were, but cannot find out what happened to her. Did she die? Get married? Immigrate to Canada? There is an Easton Lane in this tiny village, and I am hoping to find more Eastons who might know more of the history of this family.

This is a beautiful part of England--think the program about a vet called "All Creatures Large and Small" on PBS. Here is a video of the church, St. Hilda's, and area I found on You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYL5I8Qj4Do

[Bethers]

Anita, I planned on agreeing about goose bumps, then Judy made the second post. Judy, I now have shivers, too. Such an awesome story. And I do believe most people are helpful and kind. Just not so sure about those in our own country anymore. My cousin's went to Germany and near countries a few years ago and were able to meet some of our ancestors that they've found through ancestry.com. I was thrilled to get the info from them and wished I was along on that trip

Hearing all the dog poop stories so upsets me. It's one reason I won't even think about complaining about the dog rules here. I've never seen poop left inside this small park. And not often outside on my favored canal path (where most of us look the other way if the dogs go in the long grasses, but do pick up on the trails/road). And occasionally I bring a garbage bag to pick up trash left by the fishermen. Funny, but Ty will pee in the back of our site after dark when he needs a last potty break but when we're going for a walk he waits to even pee until we get to, and usually past the gate! I was talking to another guest and his dog won't even pee until she's outside the park even on their last time out in the evening Dogs never cease to amaze me. Another reason to blame bad owners!

After the muggy morning, then rain drops, Ty and I walked in mega winds a bit ago. I wasn't expecting them, but now I'm feeling them in the rig also.

I'm afraid to say this, but the meal (first from this company) that I had for dinner last night was excellent. Here's hoping the others follow along. Then I'll be able to buy every couple/3 weeks and probably throw in the freezer for lunch or dinner on my busier days. But I can't judge from one meal. But just the fact that it was nicely seasoned and I'm buying low calorie so that's a plus too!

[chalet05]

Judy, that is indeed an awesome story! The Germans had that habit of naming children the same generation after generation. When I started researching at courthouses and history centers, people were always helpful. The funniest was a woman in one clerk's office who wanted to know why in the heck I wanted that information - it was said sort of tongue in cheek. These were mostly small town America places. I wish cousins and I had followed through with a trip to Germany. Genealogy stories fascinate me.

Took the Sling through town to give the tourists a thrill. Grocery store wasn't bad plus I had a good conversation in the parking lot.

[JudyJB]

Beth, after you try a few more meals, please let us know the name of the company and which meals you chose. I get really tired of my own cooking and need to try something different without going out to dinner.

People, especially women, are so afraid to go somewhere by themselves. I got a lot of good practice traveling solo in the 90s because I had to do some for work. On my first trip to London by myself, I got lost one morning just before lunch. I needed to catch a cab, so I poked my head inside a restaurant where the head waiter was busy setting up. When I asked where the cab stand was, he took off his apron and walked me to the end of the block! And in another town in 2018 in Yorkshire, I drove into the parking lot of another church. This was a bigger town and a bigger church, but a lady there was waiting for a group of visiting bell ringers so she guided me in. When I said I was just wanting to look at the church because an ancestor had been baptized there, she said she had the key to the belfry but not the church. However, she called the organist and in five minutes he was there to open up the church.

And finally, when i once entered a small museum, the couple there asked me if I had found parking. I said I thought where I parked was OK but I had put out my US handicap placard, but was not sure it was legal in Scotland. They took my name and license plate number and called the police. When I tell that to Americans, they always ask if I got arrested! In reality, the man came back in ten minutes and told me that the Aberdeenshire police had put me on a list and I could park anywhere I wanted!! ANd they had not even seen my handicap permit.

[Acadianmom]

Anita, you probably have good conversations everywhere you go in the Sling. If I ever see someone in a parking lot with a Sling I'm going to ask them if they know you. lol

It was 75 today but it's suppose to get down to 32 over night. The cold front must be getting here because I hear the wind picking up.

During the Super Bowl would be a good time to go to the store. There is usually so much hype about the half time show and I haven't heard anything. I was talking to my son about that and he said it is some old rappers. He doesn't watch football so don't know if he's right. One year I taped the Super Bowl so I could fast forward through the game and watch the commercials. The last few years the commercials haven't been as good.

Martha

[snowball]

it's been an interesting day ... woke up and actually felt warm thought did I leave the pellet stove up all night??? so went to see what the thermostat said set at 65 and temp was 70 oh my that never happens.... after breakfast I go into my room make my bed do different things read scriptures piddle on FB and could hear mom talking on the phone seems the furnace wasn't turning off... called various people one guy came over to see what he could do decided that it was either the blower switch on furnace or a switch inside the thermostat nephew came over turned off the power to the furnace so it wasn't blowing all the time .... I was relishing being warm no sweatshirt most of the day ... it got up to thinking close to 75 on one of the thermostat's then my youngest brother walked in his thought when he looked at the thermostat was that it was not level may be causing the problem so his thought was to wait for the house to cool down and then have nephew turn the power back on ... it's cooled down not sure how far but power is back on and sweat shirt is back on but the furnace hasn't clicked on not sure if it's gone down to the 67 that mom keeps the house at... will look when I go through the hall... if that doesn't work my brother will contact someone he knows to check the furnace out but he told mom it's the original furnace unfortunately they aren't made to last forever she has gotten a good 47 years out of it .... here's hoping she doesn't need a new furnace...
What town will you be going to Anita in Missouri? one of Larry's great grandfather's in buried in Rolla never been able to see his grave stone... would like to get more information on the man... the Irish also re use the names in a family I don't know how many Hugh's James and Patrick's not to mention other names he has in his family... I would love to go to Ireland and Germany for the sake of finding the ancestors
That cottage sounds great Judy... it's sad that we have to worry about not getting a lease renewed if we bring up things that taken care of...
I'd always thought Swiss steak was made either with onions or with tomato when I went to look for a recipe to check the procedure I couldn't find one using onion's but found one for cube steak and onion gravy so loosely followed that it was so yummy I used the left over French Onion soup from last week to put over the top of the cube steaks and baked for an hour so yummy
I too hate to pick up poop in the tall grasses.... weeds ect... so hard to get...
you all have a great day getting cold that heated throw is going to feel so good
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

Got up this morning and went over to attend the "thunder gourd" class. It was really a fun class! We got to pick out the gourd with the design on it that we wanted. The instructor is the guy who invented thunder gourds. He cuts out designs with a laser machine and then glues them back on either raised up or set back in the same spot for a 3D effect. So we got to do the gluing on our gourds ourselves. I picked one out that had a large bear paw and 2 bears on it. Once the laser-cut pieces (bears) were glued in place, we painted the gourds. Then finally put the mylar material on the cut-off bottom of the gourd and attached a long thin spring to hang from the center of it. When you shake the gourd, the spring wiggles and makes the thunder sound that echoes inside the gourd! Really cool! Well, he had some extra pre-laser cut gourds that we could purchase for $40 so I looked thru them and found one with cats on them! I have been looking for something cat-related here to give to my cat-sitter, since she won't accept money for watching Lola and she has 2 cats of her own. Bingo! I bought it and will make it when I get home, for her!

I also checked out the contest winners' gourds which were amazing! Then bought some alcohol inks to paint gourds with and got some small gourds to work on later. My roommate did well today again. She finally sold her $420 piece! Most of her gourds are between $100 and $300 dollars each.

Tonight I didn't feel good for awhile. Sick to my stomach. I think it was what I ate for lunch that wasn't sitting well with me. Finally took a Pepto and it settled down some finally.

Tomorrow, I will sleep in and then head down to Tucson to visit my brother and SIL til Monday. Not sure if they will be watching the Super Bowl or not. I don't care one way or the other. I used to just watch for the commercials too but I also noticed that the commercials are boring and not nearly as entertaining as they used to be.

Judy, that is some great info you have uncovered about your ancestors! I barely know the names of my great-grandparents. I do know that way back when in Sweden the boys last names would be like Anders son (Anderson) and the girls last names would have *dotter* instead of *son*. Sounds confusing to me!