smitty34877

Good morning. It is going to be a day of snow,sleet and rain today. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes @puppycanducruise, @rafinmd, @JazzyV and @grapau27! A very Happy Birthday to Sue @DWAliaschief! In spite of the early hour I have received several phone calls and other birthday wishes. Everyone knows we are up early here. I plan to do as little as possible today and will be treated to a special take out meal later. Tana has had a difficult two days but we hope she is turning the corner now. I was grateful to have extra help yesterday when her good friend, a nurse as well, came for a few hours. @Cruzin Terri, I was so sorry to read about your need for another trip to Jacksonville. I hope all goes well today. @RMLincoln Prayers for both of you today. I am glad you missed the icy mix coming down today. Take care of yourself as well. @StLouisCruisers, Sandi, I am so glad you were able to help the neighbor with the damaged mail box. We look out for each other on this street as well. @marshhawk, ok where is the blue bubble, I enjoyed your descriptions of Rome. I like the gnomes too. I look forward to more! Thanks to all for the Daily

Good morning. It will be 30 later and that sounds good to me. I like the quote and have not been to the port. I often roast the vegetables here and would add some chicken to the sheet pan the way Debbie does. @dfish, the party sounded great and I know you and Sue will love your Hawaii cruise. Happy Birthday to Tyler! Sandi ,@StLouisCruisers. Thanks for the pictures as well. Thanks to all for the Daily

@atexsix,Bruno, I am glad your DD will receive more help on hospice and send both of you my prayers. I found that the support staff were very helpful to me both with my DH and our Tana. We have had to hire aides ourselves as the hospice aide could only come for a few hours with either patient. Take advantage of any help possible so that you can get a break.It was good to hear from you.

Good morning. It was 17 earlier but went up a whole degree since I had breakfast. I went to visit my BFF yesterday so that could be considered a play date. It was so good to leave the house behind for a few hours. Sweatpants are ok but I prefer my jeans. I leave the fun socks to everyone else. Singapore looks like a wonderful place to visit. I loved the pictures , Sandi @StLouisCruisers. Those early days with newborns are so precious. Your two grandsons have lead very exciting lives so far. @aliaschief, Bruce, thanks for the pictures and commentary on your fantastic cruise. It is fun to travel along with you . @kochleffel, Paul, I hope you are feeling better today. Maybe try the squash cure? There are no particular plans for the day here which is fine. I had a request for bean and cheese enchiladas for dinner later and that is an easy fix. I hope everyone has a good day and enjoy the football watching.

Good morning. It is all of 15 degrees now and apparently will feel colder with the wind chill.Cheese is always welcome here and disappears quickly. I will celebrate the days and would love to go to Bari, Italy. @StLouisCruisers, Sandi, I love the penguin pictures, thanks. I am sorry that your twin, niece and DBIL are ill and hope they start feeling better soon. Today I would like to escape the confines of the house. I don’t care what I do or where I go, I need to do something different! Have a great day everyone and stay safe

@seagarsmoker, I am very happy for you and hope you enjoy the work. It is great that you start soon! @Vict0riann, Ann, very sorry to hear that your Pat has to have an aortic valve replacement. I hope it can be scheduled soon so that you both can feel better.

@ger_77, I am so sorry to read of DH’s aortic valve problem. I sure hope it get fixed quickly. I hope you two will be able to cruise again in the very near future.

@Quartzsite Cruiser, Lenda, I was sorry to read about the loss of your two friends. My condolences. It is very hard to lose those who knew us when we were younger. @ger_77, Gerry, I am sorry about your friend entering palliative care. Cancer does so completely suck and sometimes it is incredibly aggressive.Sending hugs.

Good morning. It will be marginally warmer later but the snow and colder temperatures return tomorrow. Yesterday it took three of us to get the ice off the cars in the driveway. Like @kazu, Jacqui, we don’t get the sun until late afternoon here and nothing melted anyway. I found myself walking the dogs very gingerly as not all neighbors got their sidewalks well cleared. i have been to Newport many times but never on a cruise. My brother was stationed there while in the Navy and met my DSIL at one of the many bars. They were married at the Officers Club there after he returned from Vietnam. The bridge had not been built and I remember taking a ferry to reach Newport. My brothers’ family lives in Southeastern Mass and we often took day trips there. It is a great place to visit. I have pictures in my mind only! Garlic mashed potatoes are very popular here. They would go nicely with the beef stew that is in the crackpot for dinner tonight. My coffee is not particularly gourmet but I have to say that my one cup a day is one of life’s greatest pleasures. @seagarsmoker, I am hoping you get good news today. @marshhawk, I hope @catmando is doing well today and that you both can get some rest. The bird pictures were so beautiful yesterday. Stay warm and safe today everyone

Good morning. It is 17 degrees with a layer of ice everywhere. My first outing with the dogs was very cautious. I hear the sounds of scraping on cars and sidewalks as people try to get going for the day. @marshhawk, Annie, sending prayers and good wishes for both you and Chuck today. I hope all goes well. @ottahand7, Nancy, I am so sorry to hear about the bronchitis and the steroid side effects. It has to be hard to be so ill so far from home. I hope today is better. I salute Ben Franklin and Betty White and used to tell myself that the T in Boston , especially the Green Line was a cable car sort of deal. The recipe sounds interesting but today is a vegetarian chili day. We were in Edinburgh on a British Isles cruise with my DB and if I still had pictures, they were similar to Sandi’s. Stay warm and safe today

Good morning. The weather people are very excited because the snow materialized and the plows are out. I don’t think it will be more than a few inches here. The dogs were very excited as well and did a snow dance together. I remain grateful to be retired and I will not take the car out today. My DSIL works in publishing and as family members we benefit . He is able to get most of the ebooks we want if the company publishes them. It is a magical thing. I am fond of dragons. Hot and Spicy food no longer likes me but I do make some things for the group in that category. I also have the Spanish copy of the Cervantes book. I like Swiss chard but it is not a favorite here. Today I am making a few quiches for dinner later. The snow is beautiful when one does not have to drive. Have a great day everyone

Good morning. It is cold with a wind chill but not like the tundra.Snow may come later today and tomorrow. Or it may not.i worked with a woman who was an active member of the sorority mentioned and she was always busy with service projects. DH and I volunteered to assist a few times and it was great to be a part of. i usually brew a nice cup of tea in the afternoon on these cold days. The recipe looks good but we have chili often. Today we are having pasta and bean soup. The teenager and his girlfriend are helping out at the food bank today and I hope it leads to more projects like this. They both have good hearts and don’t quite know how to help out. I mentioned that there were three hospitals all near bus routes but they told me they didn’t want to do that. Tana and I had a good laugh. She seems to be a little better today . The nurse ordered a new inhaler yesterday and I was able to pick it up quickly. Every day is a new adventure! I am so happy to read that Joy and Allen got home in spite of delays, @Seasick Sailor. Take care out there everyone

Good morning. The excited weather person on the local news described the possibilities of snow squalls today in detail. I better get dog walking underway before they arrive, if they do. I will cheer Cesarean sections and kites and do not dress up pets. I like the quote and have not been to the port. Thank you Tina @0106 for our recipes. I hope the internet comes back soon for @dfish. I have made similar recipes and although they are not pretty, they are easy and tasty. Today we are having shrimp scampi with gnocchi for Sunday dinner. DD our baker is making a cake. We don’t usually have dessert so this is a treat. @kochleffel, Paul, I am sorry you are not feeling well and had to cancel your tour in St, Kitts. @kazu, I hope your elbow is feeling better and that the driveway can be successfully de iced. @summer slope, Dixie, Sorry to hear the biopsy results but hope the Mohs surgery can be scheduled soon. The weekends are hard here without an aide but the whole family has been pitching in. Yesterday my DSIL got groceries for both houses and our teenager was seen with the vacuum (!) and mop. Tana does not sleep well and has been more congested. I hate to call the hospice nurse on the weekend but I am not confident in my stethoscope skills. The woman who got back to us was new to me and assured me she would stop by today.We all have our fingers crossed that things are ok. Have a great day today and stay warm where applicable.

It is 51 degrees now with a little rain. I try to imagine the cold @ger_77 and @bennybear have to deal with in the winter . I think it must be something one has to personally experience to fully understand. It will get colder here in the next few days and bring snow but not like that! I will cheer Korean Americans and like peach Melba. We make black bean soup frequently here and look forward to the recipe. I have not been to the port. My brother brought me a large box with family “ artifacts” and pictures. He was clearing out his basement and wanted me to look through this and see if there was anything to keep. It was a lot of newspaper clippings my mom saved as well as some photographs. I will ask my kids if they want anything and will scan a few things of interest. Newspapers in the fifties and sixties were so different. There were engagement announcements for my brothers with pictures and even a small story about when my oldest brother went to Vietnam.I was transported back in time for a while. Thanks to all for the Daily and stay safe today.

Good morning. My overnight guests are even worse than I am in the insomniac department. I heard them stirring at 3:45. So did the excited pups. An early breakfast was had by all. Today I will venture out to the produce store to restock once again before the latest storm. The flooded areas are of course vulnerable again with the expected rain. Two of three parkways only reopened yesterday. It is much worse in New Jersey where several large rivers are still rising. I will pass on the meal today. We are having baked ziti tonight which our teenager assembled last night for us. I am loving the cooking assistance and hope this trend continues. @seagarsmoker, best of luck today on the second interview. @marshhawk, Annie, I am sorry that you are in a funk. There is so much that you have to deal with on a given day, I am not surprised. I am glad that you were able to let us know how you feel. These days, I sometimes have no idea how I feel. @rafinmd, Roy, I hope things go well with your busy day. Thinking of you. @Cruzin Terri, thinking of you and Jim as well. I hope today is a good one. Be careful out there today

@Cruzin Terri, I am so sorry your fears were correct. I honestly think there are more treatments and medications available than when I retired 8 years ago. It may be beneficial to find a support group. Hopefully there are organizations in your area for assistance. And we are with you and Jim.

Good morning. The sun makes an appearance today but the rain will soon return. I saw pictures of our local flooding, especially of one of the hospitals but it is minor when compared to New Jersey. i will hug my DB when he and my DSIL come for a visit today. They are staying overnight which has us up to capacity at least on my side of the house. The table will need another leaf tonight for dinner but it is nice to have visitors. A very Happy Birthday to Ren! @StLouisCruisers, Sandi. Thank you for the pictures also. It look like a beautiful place. I remember when the first Surgeon general reports came out. Two of my uncles managed to quit. My parents and oldest brother did not. All three passed away at young ages from either head and neck or lung cancer. @dfish, Debbie, I loved your story about the hot toddies! My DD DH did not heed my warnings on his first Swedish Christmas Eve and had more than one glass of glug . Major mistake! Take care everyone

Good morning. We survived the wind and rain and did not have flooding in the immediate neighborhood. Someone can have my chocolate and I am a known houseplant killer.We will not have to have the heat on right now as it will be in the fifties for most of the day. The recipes look great, thanks Debbie @dfish. @Nickelpenny, Pennie, you would do well in my DS’s home. The heat there is set for 60 as well. He wonders why I wear a fleece all the time while there! They do make it a whopping 64 when I visit but I am still cold. @kazu, Jacqui, I am sorry about your fall and hope the recovery is swift. I also took a spill with the slushy mess while dog walking but appear to be fine. I try to be so careful and I am sure you do the same thing but gravity defies us. @StLouisCruisers,I tend to wake up at the same time as you but try to stay put until I really have to get up. Did you always wake up early or is this your new normal? I had gotten up at five most of my life for work and hoped that retirement would allow me to sleep later.LOL. Have a better day today everyone!

Good morning. I just discussed with the dogs that we have to get a long walk in before the deluge starts around 11am. I know it is going to be a serious storm when the power company sends out their warnings. @Cruzin Terri, I will be thinking of you on your drive this morning. I was the only driver for quite a few years and I know how stressful it can be. Sending prayers your way for both the trip and the subsequent procedures. I have not been to the port, love the soup and salute choreographers. We toured Rouen and learned a lot about Joan of Arc. DB lived for many years in Albuquerque and we saw the Balloon Festival a few times. I always wanted to ride in one instead of watching from the ground. Please be careful today as this storm looks like a nasty one throughout the country.

I am so sorry to hear this. It is always so hard to lose them.Sending hugs

Good morning. It will go up to forty or so later and rain will return for another round of storms tomorrow. DDIL is a member of the Campbell clan and no bubble baths here. I remember being very upset after divorcing my first husband but it was for the best. I have not been to the port.I think the group would like the recipe. We decided to make enchiladas today, bean and cheese and chicken versions. It was voted on last night when we had take out from the local diner.I have developed an aversion to cooking on Sundays for no particular reason. The teenager offered to make us something but then got an invitation to eat with his girlfriend and her family. He came by to say goodnight to his mom and gave us a blow by blow meal description. It sounded good to me! He took me aside later to tell me he liked my cooking better. Smart guy! Enjoy the day everyone

That was the best laugh I had all day! Thanks

Well,it got colder and the snow started to fall and stick.

Good morning. We got mostly rain here last night and this morning. The dogs and I negotiated slushy areas carefully. Our wonderful neighbor and some of his workers from the DPW shoveled a few of the sidewalks and driveway ends as a nice surprise. I thanked them all profusely and they told me the boss was worried about his older neighbors slipping. I guess I fit into that category. Thanks for the recipes Debbie @dfish. I decided to make the potatoes this way as I have a bag of little potatoes that need to be used. No peeling! DH and I were in the port while on the Eurodam right after the start of Arab Spring. It was very exciting as the people we met and our tour guide were glad to show tourists around. Unfortunately the pictures I took were lost when I had a PC die so I will just have to remember it.We went to a souk and a museum that had beautiful tile work preserved. @kochleffel, Paul, BON VOYAGE! Enjoy the day everyone

@Norseh2o Please add my condolences on the loss of your DM. I am so glad her family was with her.