Sunday Dec 17th

[Bethers]

Funny how little touches can make me smile. But frown also lol. I bought curtains for behind the couch and dining room table. I put the ones up behind the couch, but the couch (not the original) refuses to be budged so I can't have the curtains fall behind it. I may have to hem them, but I'm going to have the manager look and see what might be keeping it from moving. I need a different bracket for the one to put behind the dinette. The smiles are because I really like how these will look. Hopefully moving the couch will be easier than I can see. It's going to have to move when I work on the floor!

The sun is out. Ty and I had a good walk. He was able to run off leash for a bit which hasn't happened since our first week or so here because of all the rain and mud. We both need the exercise.

Happy Sunday all. Hard to believe a week from today will be Christmas Eve!

[OregonLuvr]

Good afternoon. Dense fog her and only 42 outside. I got my patio lights up yesterday and they look real nice. I couldn't get them to work with Alexa after trying multiple times. So I just forgot about them until this morning. Again multiple tries. So I chatted with Amazon. He had me disable my Kasa (lights) skill and then enable it.....voila, they are working now. Alexa turn on the patio lights...YES....
BUT......I had to go around and reprogram all my lights as they were removed from the Kasa app....sheesh. So got all 7 of the lights back online. Life is good again. I have to have my Alexa lights and switches. I did take it out of the guest room as nobody knew how to turn on or off the light ha ha Was easier just to remove that skill. ha ha

Made a pot of chicken vegetable soup while I was messing with the lights. Then my Fitbit wanted to remain asleep. Went thru all the troubleshooting and it is still asleep so stuck it back on the charger and we shall see. Think I am ready for a new one....Merry Christmas to me maybe.
Beth hopefully you just need more muscle to move the couch LOL...or it is bolted down I am sure you will find out. Shelia glad you are having a good time, a break is always welcome. I thought about a drive to the coast tomorrow but with all the dang fog I lose my motivation. That is ok tho I am going to some thrift shops tomorrow just to see what I can find. Might pick up a few cheap DVD's just to have in case of power failure or if nothing on tv to watch out of my thousands of options LOL and see what else I can run across. Already shopped on Amazon this morning so spent money and never left the house. I bought a few more Alexa wifi bulbs just to have on hand. I have lots of regular bulbs so I am good in that area.
Now going to have some lunch and see what else around here needs trouble shooting. Oh yeah printer was offline but that was actually an easy fix.

[Irmi]

Good afternoon Beth and all!

Beth, I hope moving the couch won't be too difficult and can't wait to see pictures as you progress making it yours.

Karen, you snuck in just before I posted. I am so technology impaired/ignorant and it amazes me with all the knowledge you and the others here have.

We had 4 inches of rain between yesterday and this morning and quite a bit of wind. During the service in church this morning, we lost electricity in the middle of the last hymn. We're quite sure it was because of the winds. The congregation sang a cappella for the next couple verses. Towards the end of the last verse, we got our electric back and I resumed playing to finish the service. The Father of our church and his wife held their annual Christmas open house, which was wonderful. They put on quite the spread.

Enjoy the remainder of your day.

[Othersharon]

And here it is a rainy chilly afternoon. I tried to post earlier but the furnace has decided to act up again. I’ve been in contact with my repairman but at this point I don’t know where or what we do from here. May need to call in the “big guns” as he calls them. It’ll take a couple of guys to replace some very old pipes that is suspected to have rusted from the inside and clogging the system. Since the furnace is a steam system it’ll mean a huge wet mess but something needs to be done. Luckily I do have 3 sources of supplemental heat so it seems to be a pretty fair job of keeping the basement and first floor fairly warm and carry some upstairs. So it may mean a merry Christmas to me when I write the check to them! But obviously it needs doing. I went to the hardware store earlier and got 10 forty pound bags of wood pellets to feed the stove in the living room so will have to keep an eye on it in order to keep it running. And the rain has moved in and from what’s being forecasted it’ll get worse better it all moves out tomorrow night. So with everything else happening today we never got out for a walk. I know Buddy misses it as do I. Luckily the backyard is fenced in so he can get outside to do his business. And I deal with a wet dog! Not to mention the kitchen floor! But grateful for small favors. He’ll dry and the floor can be mopped. The other night the church across from my house was hosting a live nativity but unfortunately apparently the live animals deal fell through so was just people. Buddy and I watched from my side of the road and then I ventured over closer and again he surprised me by staying calm. I think it’s on me with introducing him to new things, I remember how unpredictable and wild he would have gotten in the past and I don’t give him enough credit for his new manners. The lady at the hardware store said I could bring him inside today but at that point I just wanted to get the bags loaded and get home and unload them before the rain moved in. We’ll try going in another time. I think he’ll be okay and will be good. I had to get a new printer the other day but still haven’t tackled that job yet! I don’t imagine it’ll be a simple job to get my devices talking to each other! And I just didn’t have it in me to take on another frustration today. I’m definitely not tech savvy and don’t have much patience with it all. I still haven’t connected the Roku device I got awhile back! But not missing tv that much yet! Friends are down in Myrtle Beach area and are dealing with the coastal storm and surge of water coming in from the ocean. Just saw that they had water come up to their trailer and are watching a tornado about 2 miles from them. No word yet how things are going right now but my fingers are crossed that they don’t have damage. So that’s all the news from my little corner of the world! Hope everyone is doing okay today. I think it’s time for a glass of wine and figure something out for dinner. I think it’ll probably be leftovers since I didn’t start what I was planning on earlier!! Buddy’s easy to please! Just fill his bowl with kibble and he’s happy!

[BarbaraRose]

Good afternoon gals!

It will be cooling off here in a few days (barely 60*) with rain for about 3 days. Christmas Eve and Day will be back in the 70's and sunny.

I am very disappointed! I worked Friday and yesterday. Friday, I had a slight ache on my lower back where my sciatica would start acting up, but it was mild so I figured not a big deal. Well, yesterday, we were busy and the pain started again and gradually got worse. I went to sit down a couple times which helped but by the end of my shift, the pain was shooting down my leg! I was really hoping that shot would help for much longer than a month!

Been watching Tiger and Charlie Woods playing in a father-son tournament in Orlando the past couple days. Charlie is really growing up! He's almost 15 now and is playing really good golf! They didn't win but you could tell that Tiger was having a great time and so proud of his son! It was also fun for me to watch other older famous golfers playing with their kids. Even Lee Trevino (famous golfer way back when I was a kid), who is 84, was playing with his grandson! He still has a great swing! It was challenging yesterday for all of them with the heavy rains all day, but was nicer today.

I ordered a couple little things for myself for Christmas on Amazon. Can't spend too much because I have another leak in my radiator. Just got the Stop Leak I ordered that I used last time. Am hoping it works again, otherwise it could get very expensive!

Not getting much done today because I have a splitting headache, so am just hanging out on the futon reading a little and eating left-over pizza I got from Little Caesars last night.

The minister we used to have at my church who retired a couple years ago, came back to do the service today, so I watched that on YouTube this morning. He is also doing the candlelight service on Wednesday evening, which I will go to after work. I am not really into the new ministers there now but do like to see this guy because he has such great, meaningful talks and is also very funny.

Sharon, I hope you get your heat fixed! Not a good time of year for that to break down!

Karen, I don't know how you handle all that technology stuff! I do everything the old fashioned way; use a vacuum cleaner, use light switches, etc. About all I can handle is the TV remote!

Beth, it is so fun to make a new place your own by fixing it up and decorating! I look forward to that when I get an RV.

I guess I need to trim my fingernails because I keep hitting the wrong keys!

Have a good evening!

[BirdbyBird]

Barbie, did the doctor set you up for PT or at least recommend exercises for you to help strengthen your core muscles and muscles that protect your back?

[JudyJB]

Lazy day today. It rained hard all day yesterday and last night, and was windy then and this morning. Finally decided I could go out and take out trash at about 4 pm. Sun came out for a while, but still chilly. Been inside being lazy and working on a few tasks.

Going to get up my courage and try to get my bike off the bike rack and the tires filled with air. Want to go to Ding Darling Bird sanctuary, and best way is to drive around it, but only cars allowed, so will try to ride bike there, as I have done before, but I am older and a bit more scared of falling.

I was really lucky to work in IT departments for many years--not that I have any special IT knowledge or skills, but I edited and wrote manuals and courses, so there i was, completely out of my element as an English major!!! Saving grace, however, was having so many really knowledgeable people around me to ask for help. And for three years when I was at one Ford building, the Ford technical Help Desk people sat only a couple of rows of desks from me. That was a HUGE benefit while it lasted!! When I called them, and they asked me where i was, they often came right over to my desk and sat with me to teach me how to fix things I had messed up!! It was a lot harder when they moved the Help Desk to the Philippines. And now, of course, I have to rely on my kids.

[snowball]

went to church for one meeting then back to dd and then I got stuff ready to go they got it all loaded and we left around 12 I am guessing topped off the gas tank dd loves the nacho's at seven eleven so stopped and got some as there are none in Idaho for her to get her fix... then we started home... decided to go via way of Logan Canyon which is a really pretty route... it takes us past a really pretty lake when the conditions are right it is so blue... and the skies were pretty thought hey we will see the lake all blue NOPE low hanging clouds or inversion so it was a very gray lake not sure when I really dropped off asleep aware of Montpiller but not really and became alert North of Etna I'm guess a two hour sleep... been awhile since I've slept in the car even when with someone but guessing I was tired lots of activities over the weekend... now I have a bed to empty up which I guess I ought to go do
you all have a great trip
sheila