February, It’s goodbye and so long to you….

“You can send me pretty flowers
You can send me valentines
Send me letters every day but it won't pay
Bend to my desires nothing else will do
It's goodbye and so long to you.”

A verse from one of my favorite songs composed and performed by Mac Wiseman.

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Goodbye February, you have not been a very friendly month.  You followed January which was even worse.  March is set to roar like a lion with much snow and frigid temps.  But you all can not get me down because it is only 19 days till spring.

I finished the Susan Wiggs chronicle on my Nook.  It was 835 pages which took me parts of 3 days to read.  She is an excellent writer.  I have read several of her books and she is normally not a historical romance writer.  835 pages is enough romance for me.  I am ready now for a good old murder mystery.  I need to check Amazon because I think John Sandford has a new book coming out this month.

My niece is coming for lunch so I need to quit thinking about snow storms and bitter cold and zero temps and get busy.

Have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

A bright sunshiny….

bitter cold morning with the temp only to reach 8 – 10 degrees today.  I am thoroughly disgusted with the polar vortex.  He can pack his bags any time and go live with Murphy.  We are predicted to have snow starting Friday evening and lasting till Monday afternoon with a significant  accumulation and then the below zero temps to follow.  The countdown till Spring is 20 days and the countdown till DST is 9 days.

I was up at 6 this morning  for a trip to the hospital for labs.  I picked up my daughter and we went to Bob Evans for breakfast afterwards.  Then a stop at food depot to stock up on needed items for the snow storm headed our way.

I really liked my new nephrologist that I saw yesterday.  Very nice and thorough, thus my having to have labs done today.  I was delighted when he told me that he had telephone conferences with my nephrologist at Champaign.  I loved that doctor in Champaign,  If you have read any of my blogs from years ago you would know that I always described Dr. Sehy  http://www.christieclinic.com/primary-care-and-specialties/doctor/204/sehy-j.-timothy/ as the most handsome doctor that I have ever had.  I have this thing about doctors, I either love them or I tolerate them.  Two of them have a god complex but most of them are nice.  I have a specialist for everything which can be good or bad whichever way you look at it. 

And now I am out of the mood to do anything.  I have been busy getting caught up on the books I have on my Nook.  I think when I have read everything I have loaded on there that I am going to buy a Kindle Fire as I like dealing with Amazon much better than Barnes and Noble.

I have been reading the Calhoun Chronicles bundle.  “Award-winning New York Times bestseller and consummate storyteller Susan Wiggs brings you three enthralling historical romances about unconventional women and the men who learn to love them. Included in this bundle are The Charm School, The Horsemaster's Daughter and Halfway to Heaven.”

Photo and description from Amazon.com

Be warm!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Updates and…

the countdown till spring which stands now at 21 days.  It is cloudy and 0 degrees this morning to reach 12 degrees by afternoon.  It is 10 days till DST begins on March 9th.

Marc was released from the hospital on Monday with no definite diagnosis.  Thank you for all kind thoughts and prayers.

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Work is still being done at the apartment complex down the street from me that was damaged during the tornado,  I think the roof is pretty well done now and they are working inside.

The date of the tornado 17 November 2013.

Catty corner across the street from me.  They have cleaned up the mess and patched up the roof but no major repair done yet  They are living in the house,

and next door to the house catty corner across the street from me.  The mess has been cleaned up.  This is the house that had the lit Christmas tree in the yard the months of November and December.  Around the corner from these houses are several houses that were damaged like this.  Our winter has been so bitter cold and snowy that no repair work has been done to these houses. 

Definition of catty corner: 

cat·er-cor·nered (kăt′ər-kôr′nərd, kăt′ē-) also cat·er-cor·ner (-nər) or cat·ty-cor·nered or cat·ty-cor·ner (kăt′ē-) or kit·ty-cor·nered or kit·ty-cor·ner (kĭt′ē-)

adj.

Diagonal.

adv.

In a diagonal position.

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I have been a bit depressed now and I have recalled these sights to help me remember just how very fortunate I am.  Thank you God!!

I am off to a doctor visit this afternoon.  I hope you all have a good day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

A trace of snow…

and bright sunshine this  chilly Tuesday morning in central Illinois.    The countdown till Spring marches on at 22 days!  My Boston friend Paul asked why I wasn’t counting down the days till daylight savings time.  Daylight savings time begins on Sunday March 9th which is 11 days from now,  The reason I didn’t mention this before is because I don’t like DST.  I wish that the time would stay one way or the other.  Stop by Paul’s blog if you have a minute.  He always has wonderful photos of the Boston area.

Yesterday was busy for me.  I ran a lot of errands which included  having new windshield wiper blades put on my car.  The ice and snow this winter had ruined them.  I couldn’t believe how expensive they were.  The guy at Auto Zone came out in the bitter cold and had them on in about 2 minutes.

I talked to my brother near ST. Louis yesterday.  If all goes well he and his wife will come in a couple of months  and pick me up. We will drive to West Virginia to visit my sister and brother in law and all of her family there.  I haven’t seen my sister since 2010.  To say I am so happy at the thought is no exaggeration.

I need to motivate myself to clean today but the want to is definitely not there.  I was much more motivated in my own home, but, I can’t stand clutter so I try and keep this place as if it was my own.  It is time for me to sign another lease.  Before I moved here I looked at a lot of houses online trying to decide whether to rent or buy.  It is rather late now to make that decision.  A super windfall from somewhere would help me make up my mind.  LOL  Rae and I have talked about that and we can’t think of anyway that will ever happen short of a miracle.  But hey, my life has been filled with miracles the last 4 years.  I am living proof.

Time to get off this computer and do some visiting with you all.  Then a bit of cleaning and checking the fridge to see what is for lunch.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Update and….

The countdown till Spring continues at 23 days.  It is 17 degrees this morning and snow is predicted for tonight.  Just an inch or so,  HA!!  Then tomorrow night is below zero temps.  I have an important doctor appointment on Wednesday afternoon and it is supposed to reach 14 that day.  It has already been rescheduled twice because of the weather.

There is no definite news on Marc.  We do know that he has had several tests that have ruled out cause but no definite diagnosis.  He may get to go home from the hospital today.  Thank you all for your prayers.  I will keep you updated.

I was sad to see the last episode of Downton Abbey for the season.  That show has really got me hooked.  My sis sent me season 1 as I didn’t start watching this till season 3. 

I have been up since 6 this morning.  I have already exercised and now it is time to have my healthy no fat, no salt, no sugar, high fiber cereal with banana, milk and orange juice.  Then I want to find out what is taking the tax accountant such a long  time to get my taxes done.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Thank you….

for your prayers.  There has been no diagnosis for Marc yet.  He remains in the hospital.   My heart aches for my sister who has gone through so much lately, first her daughter being so ill and now her granddaughter’s husband!.  Thank you all for continued prayer for Rae’s family.

And now back to my one daily complaint.  The weather!  We have had a lot of major melting and some streets in my city were flooded a few days ago.  South Pekin has many flooded streets.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pekin,_Illinois

http://www.centralillinoisproud.com/story/d/story/flooding-still-a-concern-in-south-pekin/12383/NqR9lLI690m3gefgAQbEjw

Photo courtesy of www.ciproud.com

It will be much colder next week.  But spring is only 25 days away.

Have a great weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Prayer Request Please…

It is with a very sad heart that I am requesting prayers again.  My lovely great niece Randi and her husband Marc live in London England.  Marc was stricken with something last evening.  Unknown yet what is the matter.  He is hospitalized in very serious condition.  My sister (Randi’s grandmother) did not have full details yet.  Randi’s mother is making plans to fly to London.

Randi’s mother asked for prayer for Marc and that he be put on as many prayer lists as possible.  No one knows better than I do how powerful prayer can be.  Thanking you all from the bottom of my heart!

Love,

Beth

Doozy Weather System….

We are having a doozy of a weather system move through here today.  We are under a flood watch and a High Wind Warning in effect from 3 pm this afternoon to 3 am CST Friday.  My sis in WV called me this morning to tell me that I was bright red on the weather map this morning.  She asked me if I knew we were under a tornado watch too.  I said no, no, no, no!!  So far as I know there has been no tornado watch or warning issued for central Illinois for today, just severe thunderstorms and  the flood and high wind warnings I mentioned.  I am not geared up for another tornado as I haven’t recovered from the last one.  

Anyway it is only 27 days till spring.

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doo·zy

noun \ˈdü-zē\\-zər\

: something that is unusually good, bad, big, severe, etc.

plural doozies or doozers

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I am helping my blogging friend in Madrid with some of our unusual phrases.  Mari, I hope you have a doozy of a day, on the good side of course.

The inspectors came yesterday and they took pictures of the crack all along my wall under the kitchen window.  I caught them at the door and asked them to wipe their feet.  LOL It was really kind of funny to see the looks on their faces.  But they did wipe their feet and thanked me nicely when they left!

My son in law and daughter came over last night and I finally got my car backed out.  Thanks Mike and Marcia.

Tomorrow I am going grocery shopping if the Good Lord is willing and the creeks don’t rise.  I can shut my eyes and hear my dad saying that.  My mom said it a lot too and so do I.

I hope your day is sunny and bright.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Wonderful surprise…

Yesterday morning I looked out my beautiful replaced kitchen window and I saw my daughter out by  my car just shoveling and chipping away.  She had been out there sometime before I noticed her.  I hurried and put on coat, hat, gloves and boots and went out to help her.  About an hour later my car was cleaned off.    We both tried to back my car out but it wouldn’t budge because of the ice and snow underneath.  It got up to 43 degrees yesterday and there was some melting.  I will try again this afternoon.  

Things are a mess outside as there was a thick layer of snow on the roofs and the melting onto to the sidewalks has caused ice (heavy  in some places) to form.  Very treacherous.  The temp today is to reach the lower 40s.

There are 28 days left on the countdown till spring.

It is very depressing being stuck  indoors and not being able to go even to the grocery store.  I feel fortunate though because in the eastern part of Pekin over 3000 people lost power for several hours during the storm Monday night.

There is to be another inspection today to check for further tornado damage such as cracks in the walls etc.  They were just here last Thursday and they all track in and don’t bother to wipe their feet even though I have several rugs spread  out by the front door.  Very disgusting as I am the one responsible for keeping this place clean and I do not like a mess!!  And that is my rant for this Wednesday the 19th of February, 2014.

For Pam in Illinois,  I went back through my old blog postings and found that I took the pics of the magnolia/tulip tree in March of 2012 instead of March 2013.  What can I say except that my mind has endured a lot this past year.  LOL

Have a wonderful rest of the week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

First came the ice…

and then came the snow.  Maintenance came last night and blew the snow off the sidewalks and now there is a very thick coating of ice on the sidewalks.  I was going out to take some pics this morning but it wasn’t safe.  I definitely do not want a broken bone on top of everything else.  I threw some ice melt on my back porch and came back in the house.  Peoria had 5 inches of snow yesterday.  First we had ice and then snow.    March 20th is the first day of Spring.  I am not counting that anymore so I am reducing the countdown till spring to 29 days.

Taken from my back door this morning.  there is a layer of ice underneath the snow on my car.  Might I say again that I don’t like the snow and ice.

I can’t get out of the house to work on cleaning my car until maintenance comes and salts our sidewalks so I have decided to bake.  I am making something healthy this time.  Oatmeal raisin cookies which happen to be my favorite cookie and also my son's favorite.

I found another good book by Lisa Gardner on my Nook yesterday.  I sat up till 11pm reading and got up at 6 this morning when I woke up.  I actually have lots of good books on the Nook by some of my favorite authors.  So the Nook it is till I get some of those books read.

Stay Safe and be happy!!

Beth

Another winter storm warning…

is in effect for today. The snow is coming down heavily right now and the forecast is for  4 – 7 inches of snow and up to 1/10 of an inch of ice.  I have nowhere to put the snow when I clean off my car.  I cleaned my car off again yesterday and today will be the 3rd day in a row.  It is 31 days in the countdown till spring.  After today the weather should warm up a bit and we have thunderstorms predicted for Thursday.

Last year the tulip/magnolia tree across the street was getting ready to bloom as we had enjoyed a mild winter.

This is was taken in early March last year.

I found  a book on my Nook that I read yesterday and that occupied my time along with cleaning off my car again.  I did notice that I have some pretty good choices on there so perhaps I will read some of them as I paid good money for them.  I did go on Amazon and order a couple of books with the remainder of my Christmas gift card.

I was just looking at the Peoria journal Star which I have delivered each morning.  I see that a snake handling pastor from Middlesboro Kentucky died after being bitten by a snake.  http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2014/02/16/pastor-dies-after-snake-he-was-handling-bit-him/5529907/  He was a reality TV star.  Which leads me to remark that I dislike immensely those reality TV shows. 

 

Time for me to get moving and do something, anything that has a purpose.  I hope the sun is shining where you are!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

P.S.  Blogger is not publishing my posts again until about 12 hours later.  So you will probably see this sometime tomorrow.

More snow…

last night, about 3 inches which filled in the sidewalks and driveway again.  I had cleaned my car off yesterday and today it is covered again.  It is 19 degrees with a pretty good wind  so there is a wind chill again this morning.  It is 32 days on the countdown till Spring.

I was asked by one of my commenters if I had a Nook or Kindle.  I do have a Nook.  My brother got it for me a couple of years ago for Christmas.  I have well over 100 books on there.  I much prefer holding a book in my hands although I turn to my Nook when I have nothing else to read.

Most of the newest books for the Nook run $14 and up through Barnes and Noble online.  If I am going to give that much for a book I would just as soon pay a bit more and get a real book.    I also could order books to read on my iPad but I don’t like the thought of that at all.  Mildred asked what kind of books I liked to read.  I LOVE murder mysteries with a little bit of romance thrown in.  Not too much, just a little bit!  My favorite authors are John Sandford, Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner and Phillip Margolin.

Have a blessed peaceful Sunday!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

The weatherman lied…

again!!  Maybe I shouldn’t say lied but the 1 – 2 inches of snow forecast for yesterday turned out to be 5 inches.  This on top of what we have and our snow cover on the ground is well over a foot.  More snow predicted for this afternoon and tonight.  Right now the sun is shining and it is 3 below zero.  I sure am waiting for the warmer days promised beginning on Tuesday.  But aha Mr. Weatherman, I am not holding my breath.  The countdown till Spring stands at 33 days.  I do know that spring will be here some day, I just feel it in my heart.  I haven’t seen a bird of any kind for weeks now.  I do see the squirrels though.  I am feeling sorry for them as their acorns are buried under a foot of snow.

I did nothing yesterday!  I didn’t even read a book.  I need to get on Amazon or out to Wal*Mart and purchase some new books. 

The maintenance crew has been here checking to see if there was any more tornado damage in our houses.  I have a pretty good crack in the wall underneath my window which runs the whole length above the sink and around.  It has always been cracked a tiny bit and me being a happy homemaker had dabbed spackling in the cracks.  Now the cracks have widened since I did that in 2010.  Gosh!!!  I can’t believe I have lived here 4 years in April.  My memories of my own washer and dryer, water softener and 2 car garage are fading quickly from my mind.  Now my mind is filled with thoughts of my car that again looks like a giant snowball.  I will go out and clean that off again when the temp warms up a bit.

I have a roast with carrots, potatoes and onion in the oven now.  That will last me a few days.  I am trying to keep from baking goodies as there is no one here but me to eat them and my freezer is full.

Have a peaceful weekend!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Valentine Birthday…

Happy birthday to my daughter and a happy Valentine’s Day to you all. 

My daughter will be celebrating her birthday at exactly 10:50 AM CST today.  I love all of these photos of her.  I appreciate her more each year.

It is now 34 days on the countdown till spring.    It is snowing like crazy here right now but they are saying only 1 – 2 inches.  One can only hope.

Have a lovely day.  I hope your sweetie brings you candy and flowers today or simply says I love you!  My sweetie used to get me a card and a heart shaped box of chocolates.  I miss that!!

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The day is…

flying by and I have been busy.  It is 35 days on the countdown to Spring.  It was 10 degrees when I got up but the temp has risen to 27 degrees right now.

Tomorrow  (Valentine’s Day) is my daughter’s birthday.  Since snow is in the forecast for tomorrow we went out to lunch a day early to celebrate.

We went to the Olive Garden in Peoria.  You can see that Peoria hasn’t received quite as much snow as we have.

We both had that lovely chicken soup that has the dumplings in it.

We each had an appetizer.  Mine was parmesan breaded risotto.  My daughter had meat ball appetizer.  Those things were huge.  I didn’t take a picture of her appetizer.

We both had parmesan crusted chicken served over bow tie pasta with mushrooms and peppers in a delicious sauce.  Needless to say we each had a lot to bring home.

I hope those of you in the south are not being hit too bad by the storm.  I just talked to my sis in WV and they got 5 inches of snow but the temp has warmed up there and it is melting rapidly.  I am waiting impatiently for the snow here to melt rapidly. Note that I did not say holding my breath.

Have a blessed day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

Tropical Heat Wave…

Right now the temperature stands at 6 degrees.  That is 16 degrees warmer than it was yesterday at this time.  I walked to the laundry room without a coat this morning.  The countdown till Spring stands at 36 days.  The temp tomorrow is predicted to reach 30 degrees and one day next week it is to hit 40.  It will be flooding here if it warms up.  If it will get rid of the snow I am all for it.

Other than laundry I am planning to tidy my house a bit.  Not sure what I will cook today.   I still haven’t cleaned the bottom shelf of the freezer.  Maybe I will do that too and see what I have in there.

And now for the local news,  A major water main break in Peoria has caused a lot of problems for the city as it affected quite a large area leaving them with no water and issuing a boil order for other parts of the city,   Here in Pekin the hospital laid off several employees and cut the hours to 30 for a good number of other employees to get out of paying them benefits.  The governor’s race for this coming November has heated up nicely and there is a lot of political poopiedoop flying around.  We have had so many days this winter where the kids have been out of school because of the weather that classes will be held here until well into June.  I bet the kids are not liking that one bit.  And that is the local news for today.  Tune in next week for an update.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140210/NEWS/140219978/1994     (Water main break)

http://www.pekintimes.com/article/20140210/NEWS/140219912     (hospital layoffs)

I hope the sun is shining where you are today.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Update and Posting way late…

today as I have been out since early this morning and finally getting my hair cut.  I have been to drop off my papers at the tax accountant, to Staples to buy a new telephone and then to Wal*mart for a few things.  When I left home this morning it was 10 below zero.  It has now warmed up to 8 degrees.  My beautician that lives in the country said that her temp this morning was 15 below.  The countdown to Spring stands at 37 days!!!

My niece is home from the hospital.  She asked me to thank all of you who remembered her with thoughts and prayers.  Please continue to remember her as she is dealing with multiple health problems.

I have to stop and take a minute to get my new telephone and the extra handsets charging.  That will take a little while as each new phone is different.

Have a good day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Another bitter cold morning…

at 7 below zero.  The countdown till Spring stands at 38 days!  The snow is still laying heavy on the ground.  The sun is shining brightly so that is a big plus.

This picture was taken through my bedroom window this morning.  The screen gives the photo a unique look. You can  still see behind the driveway the snow piled up which I am so sick of.  I was talking with my son the other day and he asked me if I liked the snow and the bitter cold.  I said no and asked him if he liked it.  He told me that he knew that on one day there would be heavy snow and on the second night the temp would fall below zero.  He said that he didn’t think anything more about it because that is the way this winter has been.  And oh, so very true.  If I didn’t have to keep cleaning my car off and going out in the bitter cold I might learn again to appreciate the beauty of snow because it really is beautiful when it is coming down.  I do have one thing to say in its favor, it is better than ice.

I am going to get stuff ready for the tax accountant today.  I am always glad to get that taken care of.  Taxes are the part of February that I don’t like.  My daughter was born on Valentine’s Day so that makes February special.

I hope this week is a really good one for us all.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Update and…

the countdown till spring continues at 39 days.  Spring is inching ever closer and I couldn’t be happier.

My niece is still in the hospital.  She is scheduled to have an endoscopy Monday morning to address some internal bleeding.  Dee and her family thank you for your prayers and also for continued prayer. 

We are having a break in the weather this morning at 14 degrees.  It will be down to below zero again tonight.  The one to two inches of snow predicted for yesterday turned out to be more than that as it filled in the sidewalks and driveway again.  I had prescriptions to get at the pharmacy this morning.  First thing after I got dressed I went out and cleaned my car off which looked like a giant snowball again.  Then I went over the snow packed roads to the pharmacy.  About a 6 mile round trip but it was a bit scary.

I made the cake yesterday and it was very good.

On the left side to the middle pineapple/cherry was the size of piece that I had.  I put a piece in  the fridge for today and froze the rest.  I didn’t get the bottom of the freezer cleaned out so I have no idea what is in there.  But that is a job for another day.

Have a blessed Sunday!  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Thank you…

all for your prayers for my niece Dee!  I spoke with my sis early this morning.  She was on her way to the hospital.  I don’t have an update yet.

 

I know that I am not alone in this but it is so sad living so far away from my sister and her family.  500 miles and I think of that old Bobby Bare song ‘500 Miles Away From Home.’  I haven’t seen my sister or any of her family since September 2010.  I have had one thing after another health wise for me and I have been in the hospital several times.  My sis has had 3 major surgeries and the time hasn’t been right for us to get together.  I have been hoping that would change this coming spring.  My brother lives close to St Louis and my son almost 200 miles away.  Thankfully my daughter and son in law are close by.  I would love for us all to get together for a family reunion.  That is #1 on my ‘bucket list.’

I missed a day on the countdown till Spring.  It stands now at 40 days.  The temp has risen to 14 degrees right now and we are to get an inch or two of snow today.  Back down to below zero temps Sunday and Monday night.  It will be below zero on Tuesday morning when I have my appt to get my hair cut.  I hope that my car will start and the streets are clear enough for me to get there.

 

Needless to say I am stressed today.  When I am stressed I bake.  When I bake I eat.  I am going to bake a pineapple upside down cake  which just happens to be my favorite cake. Not using a special recipe, just a yellow cake mix and the juice from the pineapple slices as the liquid. 

 

I tried Nellie’s http://berriesandmore.blogspot.com/ potato soup recipe yesterday and I have some left over.  It is very good,  thanks Nellie.  I also bought 3 chicken tenders yesterday so I have a couple of them left. 

 

I had my report from the lab on Monday and all was well there.  Thank you God!

 

Have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

 

Beth

Urgent Prayer Request Please…

My niece in West Virginia  is in the hospital.  Dee is very ill.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!  Thank you!

Love,

Beth

6 Below zero…

on a bright sunny morning in the heart of Illinois.    The temperature is to rise to 7 above today.  I have hope though because it is only 42 days on the countdown till Spring!

I got out yesterday and cleaned the snow off my car again.  Our latest snowfall was 8.4 inches.  Put that on top of the 7 plus inches we had a few days before that and we have an impressive amount of snow here.  Our total amount for the year stands at close to 40 inches.  We have more snow predicted for Saturday.

Yesterday was a non-productive day where I got nothing done.  I wanted to do something but I just couldn’t make myself.  I am having some back problems.  I have had back surgery in the past.  I would never recommend back surgery to anyone except as a last resort because the pain is still there afterwards.  Part of it may have been because I did use the vacuum on Tuesday.  Let that be a lesson to me.  LOL

And now for some fun.  The following is a cartoon from Julie Larson.  She is an Illinois native from Lincoln Illinois.  I sent her an email once and told her she must be patterning her cartoons after me.  she replied that she was the model for the cartoons.

Copyright Julie Larson…

Copyright Julie Larson…

Have a wonderful day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

 

And the snow…

did come and I really am a bit tired of it.  It is 22 degrees now with light snow but the wind has died down so it is not blowing around as bad.  I am going to try and catch the guy that will be here soon to blow the sidewalks clean and use my best I am a poor old lady look to see if I can stop him from blowing the snow against my tires. 

 I am heartened by the fact that it is only 43 days till Spring!

 

My internet service was down yesterday for most of the day.  I was on the phone with a tech guy for about an hour trying to fix the problem.  I am telling you that my bones protested the up and down and unplugging this and that and plugging it back in and changing the surge protector plus my tri-focal glasses were getting a work out.  I wasn’t able to visit you all yesterday but I will try to do so today.

 

While my internet was down I did manage to run the vacuum and get the kitchen floor mopped.  I never did bake a cake as I found some brownies in the freezer and I had my ice cream with them.  The chili was very good and I will have another bowl for lunch and freeze the rest.  I am going to clean out the freezer today too.  That is my number one priority as I am not even sure what I have in there.

 

One of the things that I miss the most after selling my home was the garden.  Below is a picture of the garden we had.  Growing on the the fence was pole baby lima beans.  They were wonderful.  I used to freeze many packages of them each summer.

 

 

I am not sure what I am going to do today as I am stuck inside.  The temps will be dropping all day and we are under a wind chill warning for the next few days as the wind chill goes way below zero again.

 

I hope it is warm and sunny where you are.  Stay safe and be happy!!

 

Beth

A warm 12 degrees…

this morning as the countdown till Spring stands at 44 days.  That is 17 degrees warmer than it was yesterday morning at this time.  Our winter storm watch has turned into a winter storm warning.  This event is to begin at 12 noon and last till 12 noon tomorrow.  Expected snowfall this afternoon, 6 – 8 inches.  Unknown amount over night with winds from the northwest gusting at 30 miles an hour.  So you can see that we are going to have a blizzard.  I will go out in a few minutes and start my car as I didn’t get it started yesterday.

I am resting my mind right now and reading a Harlequin romance.  You have to love these books as they don’t tax your brain in any way.  The plot is the same in each book, only the name of the author is changed and the locale is different.  These are little tiny books of just over 180 pages and I can read one of them in nothing flat.

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in nothing flat and in no time flat

Fig. very quickly; in much less time than expected. Of course I can get there in a hurry. I'll be there in nothing flat. We covered the distance between New York and Philadelphia in nothing flat. The waiter brought our food in no time flat.

See also: flat, nothing

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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Some of our phrases here are very different from other countries.  My friend White Angel has been writing lately in her posts about their customs etc. in Tasmania.  I absolutely love reading about the customs, food, etc. in other countries!

And now I should get busy.  I have made up my mind to clean as if it was a warm sunny day.  That means running the vacuum, shaking the rugs and mopping the kitchen floor.  I may procrastinate a bit  though as I am going to get a pot of chili started first.  I love my homemade chili but I don’t like the canned chili.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

5 Below but…

who cares??  It is only 45 days till Spring.  I am just home from having lab done at the local hospital.  My daughter was kind enough to take me.  Then we went to Bob Evans for breakfast and stopped by  Food Depot on the way home for milk and Prairie Farms Cherry Vanilla ice cream and caramel topping!  Now I think I will bake a cake to eat with it.

Photo courtesy of http://www.prairiefarms.com/pd/731946/Cherry-Vanilla-Ice-Cream.aspx

Tomorrow and Wednesday we are under a winter storm watch for 6 –8 inches of snow and several inches more Tuesday night until Wednesday noon.  The roads are terrible here in town as the salt they put on the roads doesn’t work at the below zero temps.  I don’t care as I have become immune to the snow and the below zero temperatures.  I figure it will even out in a month or two and by May we will be getting some 90 degree days.  By then the snow will have all melted from my car and I won’t have to clean it off again.

I called and changed my  doctor  appointment Wednesday till February 26th.  I am hoping the weather will have moderated some by then.  Last week I changed my hair appointment to the 11th and my hair is looking so awful that I will have to make that appointment if I have to crawl.

I finished my Lisa Jackson book yesterday.  I read 512 pages in just over 2 days.  Now I have to hunt for something else to read.  I may have to resort to the over 100 books I have stored on my Nook.  I really do prefer a real book even though I have a cover for my Nook and it is easy to hold.

I hope this week is a really good one for us all.  If you happen to encounter an older person that needs help with snow removal, please stop and help them.  You will get your rewards in heaven.  My mom always used to say that and I do believe that it is true.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

6 more weeks of winter…

But then I already knew that.  Today the sun is shining brightly and our local groundhog Gertie in Peoria saw her shadow.  This means 6 more weeks of winter.  It is 8 degrees here this morning with the sunshine glistening on the snow.  It is 46 more days till Spring.  We have more snow to come on Tuesday.

I did go out and get my car cleaned off yesterday.  The snow weighed a ton and was hard for me to lift a shovel full.  The snow that was packed against my tires I just pushed back on the sidewalk.  I wonder each time I go out to clean the snow off my car if it will be the last time.  I hate to admit it but I think I am getting too old for this.

I am just about to finish the Lisa Jackson book I am reading.  It is a page turner and I didn’t want to put it down to go to bed.  I was sitting here reading last night about 10:15 when my doorbell rang.  I think I jumped a foot.  It was only a couple of weeks ago that I received a call from the police station informing me that a registered sex offender had moved into our neighborhood.  The police do call all of the people in the neighborhood  to give them a heads up.  They give you the name, address and description of the offender.

Fortunately for me it was a delivery from a pizza place for my new neighbors.  How can can anyone eat pizza at 10:30 at night?  And then I remembered it is a young couple in their 20s.  When I was that age I could eat pizza late at night too!  Oh to be young again!!

Is everyone all geared up for the Super Bowl??  I am not a football fan but my husband sure was right from the days he played football in high school.  I must admit  that I admire the uniforms that the football players wear though.  I only like sports that I really understand like baseball featuring my beloved St. Louis Cardinals and basketball featuring my beloved ILLINI who are not doing so well right now.

Have a wonderful day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Hello February…

and no thanks to you and January for the new snow fall we got yesterday and last night,  Several inches fell and it is still snowing with more to come.  My car is covered again so you know what I have to do when it quits snowing.  I will have to go out and clean my car off again.  It is 47 days till Spring and the groundhog will tell us tomorrow if we will have 6 more weeks of winter.

My car this morning and the guy hasn’t been here yet to snow blow the sidewalk snow up against my car.

But on the brighter side a very nice guy from Pekin glass came yesterday  afternoon in the midst of all of the snow and replaced my window.  He was very polite and meticulous.  He was very careful not to make a mess and he took off his shoes when he came in the house.  His name is Brad and I asked his permission to take his picture and to put it in my blog.

Thanks Brad!!

And  what will I do now that I am stuck indoors for the next two days?  I can’t bake anything because I have to go early Monday morning for fasting lab.  Even though my blood sugar always is a bit below normal I definitely don’t need to load up on sweets before I have lab.  It is too messy outdoors to clean so that leaves reading and computer.

I am reading a book by Lisa Jackson called Running Scared.  It has 512 pages and I am 1/3 of the way through it.

 

 

“Fifteen years ago in Boston, Kate Summers made a bargain: she became the mother of a perfect, beautiful newborn baby, and she promised she would never breathe a word about the adoption to anyone. Now Kate has built a good life for herself and her son, Jon, in a small town in Oregon. She has almost forgotten her fear that he will somehow be taken away. Then Daegan O'Rourke arrives in town and strikes up a friendship with her and Jon. Daegan has his own past to hide - one with shocking ties to hers. Someone is searching for Kate and her son and is willing to go to any lengths to claim him. And the one man Kate is tempted to trust has dangerous secrets that could change her world forever. Soon, the past Kate thought she could outrun will explode, unearthing a legacy of lies and treachery and a fury powerful enough to kill.”

All material courtesy of  www.amazon.com.    I love Lisa Jackson’s books and this is a really good one. 

Have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth