slidergirl

Went and ordered my winter tires yesterday. I have to leave my car at the place all day tomorrow - good thing I can walk the mile home. I could have paid for a flight to Europe or a week's cruise for the price. At least I only have to buy them once every few years. Bad thing is that I have to buy new "rest of the year" tires this Spring. Question for all y'all: has anyone done a ship's stop in Kotor? There is a cruise on Celebrity that does roundtrip from Rome to Kotor, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Zakynthos, and Naples. It's on the Beyond. Looks like that ship is going to alternate between that cruise and one that does Turkey and a few more stops in Greece, but that one is $1000 more. The solo rooms they have on the ship look interesting - has the floor-to-ceiling window to a little veranda, way better than the little inside things others have.

Never heard of silicone on shovels. What brand did you use, if it worked??? I guess I have to get serious about buying those new winter tires now...

Apparently, with the changes at the top of CNN and the Discovery merger (or whatever it was), CNN is thinking about ditching the series that it gets from other production companies, i.e, Stanley and also United Shades of America (one of my faves). If Anthony Bourdain was still alive, they'd be thinking of ditching No Reservations also since it was another production company. CNN is doing a lot of shuffling people around and firing people lately, so who knows what is going to happen. Ugh, it hasn't stopped snowing yet. It's that thick "cement" snow and it's sticking to my driveway. Shoveling may be coming my way...☹️

Onboard purchases - rarely do. But, I bought a pair of silver hoop earrings in the ship store. I was drawn to them because they were just within the size limit for what I could wear at work at the hotel. Over the years that I've had them - when I'm abused by guests or treated with disrespect by management or made to feel like a commodity ("we can always find another one"), if I have those earrings on, I can eek out a little smile and remember a calm cruise.

Lois - safe and hiccup-free travels back home!! With another cruise so close, you just have to wash the laundry and put it back in your bag!! 😸 Cynthia - I'm not sure what to think about Stanley. Something on that last one was lacking to me, don't know what. It seemed like they were trying to cover more area than they usually do and things were cut short. He needs to get back to the same energy of the first season. Not to say I didn't like to watch, it just seemed different. It's a dark and snowy day today, one of those days where you can't keep your eyes open because you feel like napping. Not going anywhere today, so it'll be some laundry and more kitchen clearing of not-used stuff. OOTD: black Vuori joggers and my old Hobie Surfboards Tshirt.

I had a lot of 'treaters last night - more than what I remember. My block had everyone out on the driveways to give out candy, some of us dressed up, some not. I thought I bought enough candy and I ended up with about 10 pieces left. My candy survey this year showed Tootsie Pops in first place with plain Hershey bars second. Usually Tootsie Pops are on the bottom so I have a couple left for me - not last night! I dressed up as a hippie wizardess - my tiedye onsie, my tiedye hiking boots, my Natural Life long hoodie kinono, my mongolian goat scarf and my Disneyland wizard hat. I put black around my eyes so I looked really spooky. Lots of the neighborhood women asked me where I got my boots! LOTS of the adults with the kiddos were toting their own adult beverages. It was a good 90 minutes for all. By 7pm, it was down in the upper 30s, so it was nice to pack up the table & chair and go in and warm up.

You might be thinking of neoprene rashguards. There are also lightweight SPF 50 shirts. Look at Athleta for their shirts. I've had a few of them for years. Then, I bought one down at Ron Jon surf shop in Cocoa Beach. It's a nice light long sleeve T but with SPF 50. I wear it all the time at home when I'm outside. As far as wearing something to the pool/beach, I've got some paddle shorts to put over my bottoms and then one of my SPF 50 tops. I'm simple and it's all I need.

Melissa - hope your chemo went off with little after effects! Cynthia - would Santa Margherita be a good place to just relax on the beach for 2 days? Yes, I'm already thinking of another trip! I may offer to take my GF who has never been to Italy and give her the "tourist special" with me as tour guide. then, I'd stay a little longer myself and do a little more exploring, If she can't do it, I may do it myself and maybe a little cruise involved. I was looking at flights from SLC last night to CDG and AMS (nonstops and I'd connect) and they were already getting filled up! Sounded like last night's Searching for Italy was all for the season 😢 It did bring back some memories of those hillsides. The walnut sauce the son in the family from the hills sounded really good (and healthy) - I may have to look this up to make. A focaccia store reminded me of the one in Vernazza, across from the apartment I stayed in with my 2 friends. We'd go there and get some foccacia, then next door from some tomatoes & lettuce, then next door for some meat & cheese for at least 1 meal a day. Ah, memories. I'm posting some photos of my dinners I made for my Dinner with Stanley. The first one is my own recipe of Ribollita. It's Tuscan, but it was the first cold night so I wanted to make it. Second is the mini cavatelli with scallops & shrimp I made for Puglia night (didn't have the fregole pasta then). Third is my meal from last night for Liguria - trofie with ligurian pesto, foccacia with olive oil & rosemary, and a nice glass of Aperol Spritz. I might have to make one of my days off in the Winter "Italian Night" so I can keep cooking. Doing this every Sunday has been fun, trying to figure what to make. Oh, the dish is one of my new ones from My Place. OOTD: jeans & long sleeve Tshirt until later this afternoon, then my big Natural Life multi-color hooded kimono and my Mickey Mouse Wizard Hat so I can pass out the Halloween candy to the kiddos.

Melody - I LOVE those OOFOS! Looked it up - none in my size 😢 I hit every possible store up here, looking for my trofie pasta - no luck. Even World Market (which has some interesting Italian pastas and sauces). I decided to drive down to the Valley to my Italian store. I found my trofie AND the fregola pasta that I wanted for the other week (but used the mini cavatelli instead). I'll just remake my shrimp and scallops with the brown butter and fregola another night. I also picked up a nice little bottle of basalmic - I was getting a little tired of my Trader Joe's one. Hit the pastry shop next door and bought the last 4 lemon ricotta cookies they had - couldn't resist. BUT, I did resist the urge to go 2 doors down to the hat shop!! Did make a pass at TJs and got some flavored sparkling waters, some salad stuff, some frozen veggies and Bambas. Didn't go overboard with it. The snow we got stuck to the ground - 3 days later I still have some around. Ugh. More coming Wed-Fri. At least Halloween will be dry, but cold. I'll just set up my portable campfire next to my rocking chair in the driveway to hand out the candy to the neighborhood.

Just a little note: Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy will be from Liguria Sunday night, so there could be a little bit of Genoese sights and food for you to get familiar with. On CNN - time is dependent on where you live.

Cynthia - so sorry you came down with whatever crud you encountered. Just mellow out until it goes away! Mama Kat says chicken soup, fluids, and if your throat gets sore, some cognac... For Sunday with Stanley, it's Liguria time. All the goodies from Genoa down to Cinque Terre. Focaccia, trofi with pesto, anchovies, minestrone (supposedly), more seafood, a cioppino-like dish. Everyone should be able to get into this one!

MJC - those topiaries made me think of floats in a Rose Parade on new years day! Everything has to be made from flowers and plant material.

Welcome back! i wonder if those are the old Tumi bags Delta used to give Delta One - i have a couple of those that I do use for chargers & adapters & cables. On my trip this summer, Delta One had this bag from 'Someone Somewhere'. it's an eco-socially conscious business that uses artisans in mexiso to make bags, kind of like Cotopaxi does. A nice cloth envelope bag, but no zipper. i'll have to find something to use for it now that i have 2 of them. When i flew first on Aliatalia back when they were in business, they gave out "gender-specific" amenity bags from Ferragamo. nice pink zipper bags for women. They are still in the travel closet, waiting for assignment.

sharon - it's sad to hear about your BIL's situation - good that the furniture is intact, but he's going to have to watch out for mold and mildew as things dry out everywhere. Good that no damage was done. Stanley was on at 7pm here. i was a little lazy on the dinner, so i did some grilled veggies and some shrimp. orichette would have been nice, but too many carbs for today. i wasn't very hungry, anyway. i did switch up my Aperol spritz for a Limoncello spritz. While it was good, i think the Aperol is better. it was fun to see Elizabeth Minchelli's daughter, Sophie, in the episode. I used to exchange emails with her mom in early times going to italy for food suggestions. kind of nice to see women who got me started on my food travels become 'big guns' and get their due. The snow stayed on the ground but not the roads and the sun is out. i've got to get to the pharmacy today to pick up a new med. So, ootd will be jeans, long sleeve T and a baseball hat. it's supposed to get up to 38 today, so i'll take my new fleece with me if the sun doesn't warm me up enough. it's supposed to snow Tuesday and Wednesday, so i won't be going anywhere.

i'm suffering from a case of "everyone is cruising and I'm stuck at home" syndrome!!! I like that red dress! Not my thing, but it is very nice on you. If I had to go somewhere where formal dress was required, I'd do something like that. Good bargain shopping Melody! Good to hear that our 2 traveling "sisters" have made it to their starting locations. An airport lounge has become a must for me now! Spoiled by the free food & beverages, quiet space, comfy seats, sometimes a chair massage (Air France pier M at CDG). I got all depressed last night. CNN was showing episodes of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. Marseille and the French Alps with Eric Ripert and Lyon with Daniel Bouloud. As much as I like the shows, I get depressed at thinking about his suicide. UGH!!! Snow has arrived. The spaces between my fence pickets is over the top with snow, so probably 4-5 inches worth. Thick and heavy stuff so little trees are bent over. Happens every early season. But, a few of our local moose are out and about, nibbling on the newly-accessible branches. I'm not going anywhere today. Remember - Stanley Tucci visits Puglia tonight!

Safe travels Lois!

A good number of COVID folks have acquired GERD (aka silent heartburn), which makes you cough but you don't actually feel heartburn, While on your trip, go pick up some Prilosec (generic is omeprazole) and see if it starts to decrease the cough. It has to do with stomach acid getting up and irritating the esophasus and making you cough. I'm on prescription strength of it. It has helped a little but not knocked it out. Last night I had a full blown 5 minute session where I was almost barfing. I feel for you!

I'm so happy you enjoyed the class! I'm thinking most of these classes are very small, which makes it a great experience. I have to sign up for the portrait & editing class for November - the last chance I'll be able to really do classes since I start for Winter season on Dec 2.

lois - have a great time!! About Our place - the plates and bowls stack nicely and easily. i didn't buy the large plates since my existing Dansk stuff has the rust in it so they kind of match. The Midi size plates are fine for myself. The Demi bowls make really good pasta and salad bowls. And the 25% off sale isn't bad, either.

i've been dinged many times on CC for having these: No desire to share a table with strangers - prefer a single. No desire to "mingle" - i want to be by self to relax and refresh myself. No desire to eat in the MDR - I prefer to do vegetarian and the menu is worefully lacking in that department - how many times can you eat pasta? And a requested 'vegetarian' dinner is usually pretty boring, MUCH rather eat in the buffet where i can custom make a nice entree-size salad and different prepared vegetables. No desire to eat with the Captain - I have no need brag about that to others. No desire for towel animals or constant refreshing the cabin when I leave - not done at home or hotels so i don't need it here. Plus i'm a big believer in reusing my towels. And, yet, I enjoy a cruise now and again. just give me a cabin, in relaxing place inside and a relaxing place outdoors where I can read, listen to my tunes, and "veg out'. i also love my land trips.

Be sure to keep track of expiration dates and put in new as needed, too!

sharon - when I was married and had my house with a nice-size kitchen, i loved to cook. now, my tiny house has a minuscule kitchen 😢 I now go on cooking binges and try my best. I did give away a bunch of my kitchen goodies because I have no room to place or store. I just got tired of what I had, so I'm just updating some things so it feels a little fresh instead of 20+ years old. Went and got my 1st Shingles shot yesterday. So far no issues but a sore arm. Greg, my pharmacist, said it's usually the 2nd shot that make people sick. So, I wait 2 months for that one - maybe a Christmas present to myself! Today and tomorrow are the last days to wear a Tshirt outside for awhile - Saturday it turns down to low 50s then Sunday the 30s and snow with the rest of the week in the 40s. I'm NOT ready for this!!

Tessalon Pearls. I wish they worked for me, but they never have - tried then over the years when I've had bronchitis.

This week is puglia, i believe. Easy food options to make - orichette pasta, broccolini, broccoli rabe, more seafood, puglian focaccia. i'll have to decide and then head to the store! when liguria comes up, i've got my trofie with pesto at the ready.

Sharon - i got started on Our Place last year when I needed a new fry pan. Saw one of their ads and decided to look it up. Bought one and i really like it. I use the steamer function all the time and I can make my soups in there. Eggs for me were tough since it's a big pan so I bought their mini pan - perfect for my eggs, grilled cheese, etc. I'm enjoying the stuff.