We finally made it..

the first day of Spring is here and it is a lollapalooza.  Just gorgeous, bright sunshine and temps to reach the 80s again today.

I have been out and about this morning to the store, etc.  I noticed again all of the beautiful trees and shrubs are in bloom.  I have an appointment for a haircut this afternoon so  I will going out again pretty soon.

Nothing exciting here except the guy brought my c-pap machine yesterday afternoon and showed me how to use it.  Needless to say I did not have a restful night.  That ‘thing’ will take a lot of getting used to.

I hope you all are having a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

No bright sunshine..

this morning, just a thunderstorm.  It is still very dark out at almost 8 AM.  I guess we do need the rain as it hasn’t rained but a tiny drizzle so far this month.

I walked with my camera just to the end of my block yesterday.  Gorgeous tulip trees in bloom!

 

My battery died after the third shot so that was all of my picture taking for yesterday.

The power just went out for a minute.  I need to shut this off I think.

Tomorrow is the first day of spring.

I hope you all have a great week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

I couldn’t believe…

it was true.  I am sill laughing or maybe gagging.  I was standing at my kitchen sink a few minutes ago just looking out the window.  When I look out the window in the kitchen I see the expanse of grass which is between me and the cemetery.   A young man was walking his dog and smoking a cigarette.  The dog stopped to do what dogs do when they are outside and nature calls.  The guy stooped down and picked up the poopiedoop (one of my made up words.  I have a whole dictionary full of them), put it in the little blue plastic bag, lifted his hand to his mouth with the bag dangling and removed the cigarette from his mouth.  Now is that addiction or what???  I always look down at my feet as I am crossing to go to the cemetery.  Perhaps there was nothing in that blue bag after all??

It is another simply gorgeous day here in the heart of Illinois. It is 57 degrees right now and to get into the 80s again today.  The first day of Spring is Tuesday.  Hey guys, it has been a long time coming but we are finally going to make it.

Folks in this area are all hyped up because the Peoria High School basketball team has done so well in the tournament.  I really like basketball because I understand it.  I was kind of heartsick when Bruce Weber the University of Illinois basketball coach was fired a few weeks ago.  Where I lived before was very close to the U of I and Jim and I followed the basketball team closely.  Well. Jim followed the football team closely too but I didn’t, except to buy a t-shirt the last time they went to the Rose Bowl. 

I need to get moving along as I have things to be done this morning.  I hope you all have a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The Irish…

half of me wants to wish you all a happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Only 2 more days till Spring.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

I just about broke…

my posting streak today.  I have been really  busy this morning.  I spent a couple of hours at the Laundromat using the big washers to wash blankets and my heavy bedspread.  while I was there I decided to do it all and now my laundry is done for a few days.  It was an expensive trip but well worth it I think.

It is another lovely day here in the heart of Illinois.  The sun is shining, the robins are chirping and the flowers are coming out of hiding.  I love the forsythia bush.  I know each year when I see it that spring is near.  I noticed so many forsythia  shrubs in bloom around town yesterday,

                        Source

The countdown to spring stands at 3 days.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

This is shirtsleeves and..

shorts weather.  It is just like early summer outside.  It is so gorgeous, the forsythia, tulip trees, daffodils are all in bloom.  The trees are all budded out. The sun is shining so brightly and felt so warm on my arms.  I am in awe of such a beautiful day on this the 4th day on the countdown to spring.

I am home from the doctor.  My daughter and I ate at Wild Berries in Peoria for breakfast.  I never saw such gigantic portions. We each had two boxes of food to bring home.  Very nice, I would like to eat there again.

I am really pooped though as I had to get up at 6 this morning and I am not used to the new time yet.  I think I might take a little nap this afternoon.  Yesterday in addition to cleaning a closet I washed out the windowsills and the inside of the windows.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Be still…

my beating heart!  It is 60 degrees and bright sunshine right now heading up to 80 degrees this afternoon.  Only 5 more days left on the countdown to Spring.  I love the Spring and Fall  of the year.  I am not too keen on winter.  I can tolerate summer but I hate the heat and humidity that we get here in the summertime.

I have been busy this morning cleaning a closet and waxing some furniture.  And now I am through with that for the day.  My constitution will only take so much cleaning in one day.  Not sure what I am going to do with the rest of the day.  I do promise to be good however.

I have nothing decent in the house to eat.  The cupboards are full and the freezer is packed but nothing tempts me.  I need Annie to whip me up one of her gourmet vegetarian meals.  I’m telling you that akaAnnie is a whiz at cooking.  She has been getting stuff out of her garden all winter long.  Plus her blog is funny and very interesting.

There is nothing new on the home front to report, oh yeah, except that I have another doctor appointment tomorrow. 

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Desperately aggravated…

about what happened to James Denton on the Desperate Housewives episode which aired last Sunday night.  I will confess I am a Desperate Housewives addict and I haven’t missed an episode so far.  This is the 8th and final season.  I am hooked on only one other soap and that is The Young and the Restless.  It just doesn’t seem fair to me that Mike Delfino (James Denton) should have been killed in a drive by shooting in the last show as he was the best looking guy on the show. 

It is 39 degrees this morning and the sun is shining brightly, to get up in the mid 70s today on this the 6th day on the countdown to spring.  Now brace yourself (myself) it is to reach 80 degrees tomorrow. 

Inquiring minds want to know if Julie Larson is related to Gary Larson.  They are both famous cartoonists.  The answer is no.  Julie Larson is native to Illinois, her childhood home being Lincoln IL which is not far from where I am living now.   Gary Larson is married to an anthropologist and he is quite a bit older than Ms. Larson.

I absolutely have to get off the computer and get busy as I have lots of things I need to get done.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Drizzly Monday…

but this too shall pass and make way for sunny skies and mid 70s the rest of the week.  It is only 7 days on the countdown to Spring which is one week from tomorrow.

I feel good this morning and I am having a halfway decent good hair day.  what more could a person ask for?

I have to leave in a few minutes to run errands but first I had to share Julie Larson and the Dinette Set with you.

 

 

The Dinette Set by  my favorite cartoonist.  ~ Copyright Julie Larson ~

Click on the pictures to make larger.

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

Beth

I suffered a…

nearly sleepless night thanks to the time change and the after effects of the gorgeous stuffed pizza.  My tummy is really mad at me today and my eyes are all puffy.  And it is not a good hair day either.  Oh the misery afforded the over the hill gang.  Did I learn my lesson, well for a few days anyway.  My son called me last night and told me not to eat any more of the stuff, just to package and put it in the freezer for him.  Problem solved.

It is another spectacular morning, bright sunshine and a temp of 43 right now.  It is to be mid 60s today and into the mid 70s all week after some rain tonight.  The countdown to Spring stands at 8 days, ever inching closer to the 20th of March.  The robins are thick in the front yard now and the lot between me and the cemetery is also filled with them. 

from the internet

I hope to get out for a walk in the cemetery this afternoon.  there is so much of it I haven’t explored yet.

Gas is $3.99 a gallon here in town now.  There should be some kind of solution for that.  I feel sorry for those minimum wage earners and us poor old fixed income folks having to fill the gas tank each week.There goes 3/4 of our paycheck.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Better late than never…

I guess, as I don’t want to break my blogging streak which stands at 101 posts in a row now.

OK, you say, that is all well and good but why am I so late with my post.  My niece came over and had lunch with me.  A stuffed pizza from Papa Murphy’s.   Yumm!!  Bring on the tums and the Maalox.  It was delicious though and even though I know that I shouldn’t eat it, I do indulge once in awhile.

The finished product, straight from my oven.  There was quite a bit left over.  Pizza anyone??

It is a beyond gorgeous day on this the 9th day till the first day of Spring.  It is 54 degrees and the sun is shining brightly.  A really spectacular day to be alive! 

I have all of my clocks set forward except for one clock in the living room and my cable and computer which set themselves. 

Sorry that you had to come and visit me so many times RB.  I will try and post earlier tomorrow, 

I hope you all have a nice peaceful weekend.  Do stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Windows Live Spaces Friends,,,

Many of my blogging friends don’t remember the days of Windows Live Spaces.   There are still a few of us left who have been together for almost 7 years now.  Those few are very special to me in addition to the new blogging friends I have made since moving to Blogspot.  One of my friends from WLS has gifted me with a beautiful award.    http://rappingonamelody.blogspot.com/ designed this award.  She is a very talented lady who has been my loyal blogging friend since the days of WLS.  THANKS!!

I try to check my blogger dashboard daily to see who has posted.  I then try to comment, if it is only a ‘Hi, how are you.’  I would love for all of you my loyal blogging friends to post this award on your blog.  A special thanks to Paul (my adopted brother). Nancy, Carole,Carol,Ed,Joe, Horst, Nita, Sheila, Pen, Arlene, Jerry, Dianne, Fab, Terry, Sherry, Lady Jude, Chip, Bertie (and a few more I know I am missing) for sticking with me for several years now.  For praying for Jim and holding me up when he passed away.  Also thanks to the many new friends I have found since being on blogspot.   Too many to name but I appreciate you all.  OOOPS, I about forgot Seth who is every mother’s dream of the perfect son and has been a faithful blogging friend for years.  Thanks Seth for cheering me up and encouraging me.  You all will surely be blessed!

I have been out running errands this morning so I am late as usual.  Don’t give up on me RB.  If you don’t see my post just check back later.

It is a lovely day on this on the 10th day till the  first day of Spring.  The temp is 34 right now and the sun is shining brightly.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

And speaking of…

old pictures, my WV sis sent me some pictures yesterday that were taken when they had their cabin at Lake Cumberland KY in the 80s.  Oh my, what fun we had there . Sure brings back memories.  My brother in law built the cabin himself.  You could stand on the back deck and see all kinds of wild life.

 

A picture of Jim and me taken at Lake Cumberland.

Did I cry when I saw this picture?  Well only a little bit.  I really do miss my life partner.  Instead of getting a bit better each year, it seems to be getting a bit worse.  Probably because I am having one health issue after another to deal with.

It was pouring down rain when I got up this morning.  Now the sun has come out and it is drying off a bit.   Still only 34 degrees and supposed to climb to the lower 40s today.  On Tuesday it reached 72 degrees but the wind was gusting so hard you couldn’t enjoy the warmth.  I think we are to see temps in the 70s next week.  The countdown to Spring stands at 11 days.'

What have I got planned for today?  Not a whole lot.  Anyone that wants to come and help me clean, feel free. 

Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Did you ever…

set your iPod to play the tunes in alphabetical order?  I decided to do that around Christmas time.  Very enlightening!  I sure know what my favorite songs are.  Nothing like hearing a dozen versions of Blue Christmas in a row.

my iPod in the living room.

I have two iPods, both hooked up to speakers.  One in the living room and one in my bedroom.  When I got my first iPod I had around 900 CDs.  I put all of my favorite songs on the iPods, thousands of them.   I have an eclectic taste in music.  I love classic country and I love the old pop songs from the 50s.  You can even throw in a few rock songs.  I love Joe South and CCR.  I have just discovered that I really like Jools Holland so much that I ordered his Friends CD from Amazon.  I don’t care very much for todays country music.  I don’t think there is very much talent there.  Not like Conway Twitty, George Jones and Johnny Cash. When those guys were in their heyday Jim and I went to many of their concerts.  I will probably have a day of mourning when old Jones passes.

Speaking of Jones, he is going to be at the Peoria Civic Center on March 24th.  I love George but I am passing on this concert.  I have seen Jones many times and a few times up close for pics as I was a member of his fan club for many years.  To go to a concert at the Civic Center in Peoria there are so many events going on there at the same time that parking up close is impossible.  I don’t like to walk a mile to get to a concert.  I didn’t mind that when I was young but it doesn’t tempt me now.

I have to close this as I need to go to the store for bananas.  I have to keep my potassium level up. 

Countdown to Spring stands at 12 days!  YIPPEE!!

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

A glorious day..

in the heart of Illinois and the sun is shining brightly.  The temp stands at 37 degrees right now but it is supposed to climb to the low 60s today.  Which leads me to remind us all that the first day of Spring is 2 weeks from today.

The only thing marring my feeling of euphoria  is the fact that I have another doctor appointment this morning.   Oh well, one thing at a time, one minute, one hour, one day at a time.  Brings to mind a line from that song, ‘Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do.”  And I do, I just keep moving along, thankful for each new day.

The snow has all melted away.  I tracked ice melt in the kitchen yesterday so that meant I had to clean the kitchen.  I have frozen or eaten my leftovers from the weekend so I guess I will have to cook again or ask Lean Cuisine for a handout.  I don’t like her handouts very much, Marie Callender’s handouts are tastier.  More sugar, fat and salt in them. 

I love this old pic of Jim and our next door neighbor taken in 2005 right after Jim had finished his first round of chemo.  I miss my old neighbors but they are kind enough to keep in touch and have even been here to see me a few times.

Wow!  I could look at old pictures all day and not get anything accomplished at all.  I have most of my old pics on the computer and have many dvds full of them.

I hope you all have a great day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

OOPS!!

I forgot to take the picture of the tree yesterday.  There was no snow on the ground yesterday and there is today.

 

4 January 2012 10 AM

4 February 2012 10AM

5 March 2012 10AM

It was very cold when I got up this morning at 18 degrees and has only climbed to 25 right now.  I had to sprinkle ice melt all around the car before I could clean it off.  The sun is shining brightly and that makes up for a whole lot.  The countdown to Spring remains at 14  days.

I am running late from errands so I will catch you all later.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Sunday morning…

and the sun is shining brightly down on this one particular city in the heart of Illinois.  Yep, this city is right smack dab in the very center of Illinois.  Now in my lifetime I have lived in Western IL, Central IL and Eastern Illinois.  Forgot to mention that I was born in Southeastern Missouri. 

It is 27 degrees and here it is 9 AM and I haven’t received the Peoria Journal Star.  I am not too happy about that as the paper is part of my Sunday morning routine.  It has been over an hour since I called the paper and reminded them of that fact.

I did cook yesterday  as I said I would and my tummy protested later as it is used to TV dinners and I fed it a pork chop, mac’n’cheese, green lima beans and even some pineapple cobbler for dessert.  Today I will put most of the leftovers in the freezer.

Today is my niece’s birthday.  Happy birthday Sue!!

Nothing new to report here, except I am very glad to be alive on such a beautiful sunshiny day.  I hope the sun is shining for you all no matter what part of the world you are living in.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

P. S.  the countdown to Spring stands at 15 days!

March has arrived…

with a vengeance!  So many tornadoes, loss of life and property.  I am heartsick over all of this destruction.  http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/02/10561066-at-least-28-killed-in-indiana-kentucky-ohio-as-tornadoes-sweep-midwest-south

At least 28 people have been killed.  Tornadoes struck close to home for my sis in WV.  Also for my twin in Tennessee.  This is awfully early for the tornado season to be starting.  

That said it is 16 days left on the countdown to Spring.  Looking back to happier times. 

Some of my flowers from home.

I am cooking today.  I usually cook on the weekends and eat TV dinners all week.  I hope you all enjoy the day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Back by popular demand…

The countdown to Spring stands at 17 days, 18 if you count the 2oth.

I am just home from a visit to the doctor’s office.  I am being set up for an endoscopy. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/  I have had several of these before as I suffered from bleeding ulcers when I was younger and working in a stressful job.  So even though I know what to expect I am not looking forward to it at all.  At least it is not as bad as the colonoscopy which I had done 2 years ago.

On the way home my daughter and I stopped and ate at Grumpy Pete’s.  The food was only so so today.  The reason given us was that the owner has been in and out of the hospital several times lately with pancreatitis.  I know what this is.  My sister died of pancreatic cancer after several pancreatic attacks.  I wish him well.

It was pouring down rain all of the way to the doctor’s office.  I got pics from inside the car as we were crossing the McClugage Bridge.

 

And coming home when the rain was slowing down in preparation for cooler temps and maybe some snow later on today.

 

All for now as I am exhausted.  I hope you all have a great weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

At Days End

by John Hall

 

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?

Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?

The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;

Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?

Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,

That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;

Does the man whose hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead?

Did you waste the day, or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?

Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,

"You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?"

******************************************************************************************

I found this poem on a piece of paper that my mother gave to me when Jim and I were first married. I have looked on the net and I found several poets by this name but no John Hall that has this poem listed under his credits. If anyone has any info on this poem/poet I would love to hear it.

I originally posted this on my blog at Windows Live Spaces several years ago.  It is on one of my wordpress blogs that I transferred over when MLS closed our blogs.  I still get comments on it.  We are now in the month of March.  At this time I will discontinue the countdown to Spring.  The first day of spring is actually 2 weeks from next Tuesday.

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth