how about drinking?
Comments
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Jazzy, we were cold yesterday morning, 8 degrees, and close to that this morning.
Minus, good for you on not denying yourself of things.
Karen, what's a rainbow baby? Did you have to pay that $600, or no because you had the insurance? That is cray cray to be on hold that long, as Cami would say "recockulous".
Misty, nice stories of your mom, how old is she? Nice also that you still have her.
Sandy, of all the times you WANT to be carded, and they don't. Go figure!
Going to be nice out today and tomorrow, 60. So I will try and get more done in the garden.
DOTD: Garden Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz of Hendrick's Gin (specifically Hendrick's because of the cucumber flavor it has)
1 oz of beet simple syrup (recipe below)
1 small handful of mint
1 lemon
1 small handful fennel fronds (the fluffy top part that you normally discard from the fennel)
1 handful of ice cubes
Sparkling water for a splash of fizzFor Simple Syrup:
1/4 of a Medium red or striped beet
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup waterTo make cocktail you will first need to make the simple syrup. To make the simple syrup place a small pot on the stove and add all ingredients in the pot. Bring to a boil and stir till the sugar dissolves. Let boil for a minute or two after it dissolves and then turn off heat. Strain the sugar to remove the beets. Set aside and let cool in a container.
To make the cocktail, grab your shaker and toss in a small handful of the fronds from the fennel and the mint. Add in the juice of 1/2 of the lemon and the ice. Then pour in 2 ounces of Hendrick's Gin. If you like a drier cocktail add in 1 oz of the simple syrup but if you like a sweeter cocktail then use 2 oz. Place the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake cocktail in shaker till it is well mixed. Strain cocktail into the stemmed glass and splash the top with some sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon peel, a fennel frond, and a mint leaf enjoy
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How's the water NM? So happy about your vacation. Love your "vacation husband". Hope to see lots of pics. Glad you are taking it easy this weekend and talking to Sadie. Your wanting to "get through Xmas" sounds just like me when I wanted to "get through TG" with DH's kids. So I totally understand.
Ok, rainbow babies are the children born after the mom has a miscarriage?
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Good morning friends- another crisp morning waking up. I just had the fire place "flipped on" for a bit.
CeliaC- I think you are in KY and wanted to ask if you and your family are okay, did any of that tornado swarm affect you where you live? What a horrible situation across multiple states. I was dumbstruck to hear the one tornado was on the ground for 200 miles. Anyone else here affected by those storms or family in those areas? Just devestating and it's not like the hospitals have capacity for these types of things right now either.....
NM- thanks for reminding us about your trip in February. That is going to be here soon and you are right, you really need that trip. It is a blessing to have them plan it all and then you just need to go. You should tell your mother she needs to arrange to have someone to call in the event something comes up while you are gone. If she goes on and on about your birthday, you can just ask if she is looking for ideas about what she can do for your this year and maybe around your trip? My mother always tried to make everyone's birthday about her, and forcing gatherings sometimes that no one wanted as adults. You can always go out for a meal or something when you get back (assuming you want to). But I dislike the comment about not having the dog around so you can spend Xmas Eve and Day with her, insensitive for sure, but also she is clueless that adult children who live in the area are not looking for a sleep over experience? Your mom really does sound like she does not see you as an adult, but I have been there (and my older sister still does this with me). You just go and do what holiday time you want to with her and let go of the rest; my guess is Xmas day will be more than enough? I am glad to hear you are plugging away on your classes, Ms. Future Doctorate. And crying is part of the grief, which is love with no place to go. Sending you hugs sister, we know this is all still tough for you.
Goldie- ooh that is cold sister. It's hanging around 20 degrees overnight here. Should warm up a bit tomorow again. I think we may get some more moisture this weekend, I am hoping!
Chi- you brought back a nice memory for me around apricot brandy. My dad loved his digestifs and apricot brandy was a favorite. When I would go home to visit my family at Xmas during my grad school days, we would always sit down with a glass each and catch up on life. He was so interested in everything I was doing with my studies, etc. I remember when he passed I talked about those special moments and then voila, one of my aunts showed up while I was back there with a bottle of apricot brandy which the family shared in memory of him during that week we were together. Thank you for that sweet memory return friend.
Mistyeyes- oh how I can relate to the comment about not wanting to become like the mothers. Ironically, I look just like my mother and now as I am aging, I see it more myself and think "eek, who put me in my mother's body." I am more in personality and the way I deal with life like good old dad was. Older people tend to have smaller worlds and health ailments become a more common topic of conversation. I even see it now with friends my age (early 60s) who will launch into things as the first topic when you talk to them. I don't want to be that person either, but really work hard not to burden people with my problems. I hope I can sustain that. I like that the grandchildren want to include her in their music adventures, that sounds really perfect. I hope your holidays are going to be merry and bright!
So a funny story from yesterday. I met someone for breakfast, then ran some errands and got my tires rotated and checked for the winter weather that is starting. I was thinking I was feeling a bit more caught up on things after such a busy six months on this project that is finally OVER yesterday on the way home. Then I was sharing some conversation on e-mail with a friend about home improvement and said I still needed to get my dishwasher purchased and installed to finish up the kitchen upgrade (the counters, sinks and new fixtures were done in Aug as you may remember). I told her my next big project was going to be on the closets, I had some inexpensive shelving from the build that needed to be replaced but maybe in 2023 for that project goal. Literally, moments later, I heard a loud noise in the bathroom areas (where the closets are) and one of the shelves had come down completely, ripped off the wall. I have a retrofit i am going to do today to get some things working better for the duration but my advice is never think to yourself you are caught up, because the universe hears that and says "oh yeah, how about this now?" I was annoyed at first, but it's not something huge to deal with on the home front and then I sort of laughed about it.
Hi to Ill, Cami, Teka, Chevy, Karen, and many others here today!
Got a manicure, some errands and shopping to do, and concert to attend later today. Hoping everyone has a funday sunday of some sort.
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Lori - rainbow babies are any babies born after pregnancy loss - I only heard the term recently from D#1.
I haven't done anything about the ticket yet. Need to call the travel insurance again and see if Covid is a covered reason. Yesterday the person I spoke with said the claim is reviewed after it is submitted. Don't wan to cancel just yet if travel insurance doesn't cover. We will then have to take the voucher. Supposedly the voucher doesn't expire. These were some of the most expensive tickets we've paid in years. Even with travel insurance you loose money. Oh well. Going to call travel insurance once I get off her.
DD#1 had her baseline mammogram today. She said it was painful. Didn't ask her when she gets the results. I'm not worried, but Gd forbid anything is wrong I'd be devastated. But in my heart, I know all will be good.
In a funk/crappy/crying mood today.
Will keep you posted on the travel saga. BTW, there is talk about extending the travel ban for foreign nationals beyond 12/23 with stricter quarantine, but it's all speculation.
Have a great rest of the Sunday.
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Karen - I am sorry to here today is a hard day. You were looking forward to that trip. Prayers the baseline mammo comes out okay for DD 🙏
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Jazzy - Thanks for thinking of me. All good here in N Ky. We just had some ferocious winds & heavy rains. W Ky got hit very badly, especially a small town called Mayfield & Bowling Green. Lots of national news coverage about this devastation and the images are just horrible.
Oh, Karen, so sad to hear of your cancelled trip.
Everyone else - hope you are enjoying some spirit lifting spirits!
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Well, then, Gordy was a "double-rainbow baby:" I had a blighted-ovum miscarriage at ten weeks the year before (incomplete--I had to have a D&C to prevent sepsis); and ten weeks into my pregnancy with him I began spotting again (though this time I also had morning sickness). Had an ultrasound, and I did indeed have another blighted-ovum miscarriage--his twin. Gordy was born at 36.5 weeks, small but still considered full-term.
Karen, so sorry you're being put through the wringer. I would imagine that if the policy weren't an "all causes" one, fear of COVID or even coming down with it might not be covered. But if the destination nation's borders are closed because of COVID, the only excuse for non-coverage would be an express written exclusion for "government action" (akin to "act of God" or "riot or civil unrest").
As she aged, my mom did sort of, uh, "overshare" when it came to her digestive health. At restaurants, if a dish came with corn or rice as a side, she would explain in gory detail to the server exactly why she couldn't eat corn or rice. My sister & I made a pact that when we reached our 70s, if either of us began describing digestive woes to anyone but each other, the other had permission to shoot to kill. (We did make an exception for endoscopies or colonoscopies--but only to our health care providers). Another charming conversational feature when any of us would treat her to dinner out: she'd ask us what we were having, and invariably reply "ugh, I don't like that." At first, I'd dutifully pick something else, (silently) grudgingly accepting that she wanted to share everything. When my sister eventually replied, "fine, then don't eat it," it finally dawned on her that it was perfectly fine for her to order a dish of her own and not expect us to share...nor insist we share ours beyond offering a "taste."
I recall that during the late '70s-mid-'80s, we had accounts with different phone companies for local vs. long-distance. Remember "MCI cards," for entering a code before dialing a long-distance number? And the first long-distance-only carrier was its competitor...Sprint (which morphed into a wireless provider before T-Mobile began absorbing it). All that fell by the wayside with the advent of cell phones--"talk minutes" didn't distinguish between local & long-distance. But well into the late '90s when our landline was a physical rather than VOIP line, our AT&T bill would contain a separate page for long-distance calls.
Last night's DOTD was rosé Prosecco. But at brunch today, I had a glass of Schramsberg Brut Blanc de Blancs. Dinner tonight (last night's leftovers) will be leftover Vermentino. (Sardininan white).
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Monday Monkey Day! All the pretty snow got washed away in the rain over the weekend, but things are pretty dried out from the gusty winds. Temps in the 30's today, more like they should be in December.Got almost all our kiddos coming back to school from quarantine today, I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing them all again. I imagine the energy level is going to be pretty high today.
Goldie--we meet again at the swim up bar! The garden cocktail looks marvelous!Yup, that's what a rainbow baby is, one born after a miscarriage.
Jazzy--my cousin reminded me about the February trip when we were chatting the other evening, and it was just what I needed to hear. Mom lives in a duplex, the neighbors are very friendly and keep an eye on her and help her out a lot, and she has a couple of other people she can call if she needs anything, and there are family members who don't live as close as I do but who will go help her with stuff if she asks. And Christmas Day would be plenty, but I plan to use my school work as a way to put some limits on the whole thing--I have to write a paper or create a PowerPoint presentation each week, due on Mondays, she won't think that because it's a vacation week that I'll have more time to work on it during the week. Mom will insist on making a cake for my birthday either before I leave or, more likely, after I get back from vacation so she can hear all about vacation and see pictures. I am reserving the right to get upset and leave if she makes a "that dog" comment, though. Thanks for the hugs, and thanks for the understanding. It really helps. Oh my goodness, that closet story!Too funny, and so true! I think homes are like boats--only homes are a hole in the ground rather than a hole in the water into which one pours money!
Karen--I think your definition of a rainbow baby is more correct than mine, being a baby born after any pregnancy loss, not just miscarriage. Praying for DD#1's mammo report being good. Hugs and sharing the box of tissues with you.
Glad you are safe, Celia.
Chi--I am so sorry for your losses. It must be heartbreaking. I don't remember different accounts for long-distance and local calls, but I do remember long distance calls being listed on a separate page on the phone bill. It was generally a much shorter list than the local calls, which can go on for pages!
The Telephone Tag
Ingredients
- Ice
- 1 3/4 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
- 1/4 ounce Bigallet China-China (see headnote)
- 2 dashes absinthe
- 1/2 teaspoon acid phosphate (see headnote)
- Brandied cherry, for garnish
Directions
Chill a Nick and Nora glass or a coupe.
Fill a mixing glass with ice, then add the bourbon, vermouth, liqueur, absinthe and acid phosphate. Stir gently for 15 seconds, then strain into the glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
From <https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/telephone-tag/16019/>
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Jazzy, I had a closet mishap just like that! Altho I wasn't talking to anyone about getting a new closet. I too look a lot like my mom, especially when I don't have any make up on, however my mom was quite heavy.
Karen, all the the best to your DD on the mammo, I know you had said she was quite buxomy. Sorry about your crappy funky mood. You know you can talk about it with us if you like. Hoping today is a better day for you.
Celia, glad you were not hit with that horrific storm.
Sandy, sorry to hear that Gordy is a double rainbow baby.
NM, glad the kids will all be back at school today, I'm sure they are getting excited about Xmas. Has your mom always referred to Sadie as "that dog" or was it just this time. If it's the first time, I say what a horribly insensitive thing to say. If she's always referred to her like that, then not so bad. If that is the case, you could always reply "her name is Sadie".
I did not sleep well last night. If DH's mask is not on right it leaks and I hear the air as he breathes it and then it leaks out the side of his mask, both making noises. I can't sleep with that. I nudged him a few times and told him to adjust the mask, but it goes right back after about a minute. I can't have that tomorrow night, as Wed. morning I'm going to have to be up around 4 or so to head to Phoenix. DH is in a panic, worried about having to have a BM while driving or waiting for me. So he orders a bedpan on Amazon. I'm like, how the heck you gonna use that in the car??? Well you better bring diapers and something to clean me up with just in case. Oy vey!
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Sandy - I forgot about MCI till you mentioned them.
Lori - most of my mood had to do with the canceled trip and the hassles with the airlines.
According to the airlines, it is a Covid problem not the airline problems. The planes are still flying to Israel but besides for a few exceptions to only citizens. So we took the voucher as it is the full amount of the ticket and doesn't expire. The same thing happened to my DD and SIL when they were going to come for Passover in April 2020 - same scenario, even though airline canceled flight. I asked the guy yesterday on AC and he says it depends on the reason for cancelation whether you are charged a fee, talking if the airlines cancels. Travel insurance company doesn't cover the loss as it only covers Covid related issues if a person is sick with Covid. The travel insurance is more for health insurance when we are out of the country.
DD#1 can see the results on the patient portal in 14 days. I asked her if anyone would call her and she said as long as its all good and normal she doesn't need a phone call. She's not worried, but complained her breast hurt after the mammogram, pain went away then came back at night. This was baseline one, no other concerns.
The devastation in Bowling Green and Mayfield KY is devastating. I heard one woman on the news say they didn't loose anything as they were still alive - though they lost their house and everything in it.
Only 3 more work days till winter break - not that I'm counting.
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Lori, no need to be sorry. Did you know that most "late periods" in sexually-active women are actually early miscarriages caused by the fertilized ovum being "blighted" (defective, even stale) so that it fails to develop into an embryo (much less a fetus)? (I found that out when we were trying to give Gordy a sibling).
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Twofer Tuesday! Pool testing day at school today. Yesterday about 20 kiddos got out of quarantine and came back to school. So many positive cases in the community, I expect today's pool testing will come back with at least one positive pool, if not both. I expect tomorrow will be busy with contact tracing and notification and reporting. I'm kind of hoping the powers that be will decide to extend winter break and close school next week, rather than go for 2 1/2 days. All of us nurses are wondering if we are going to be contact tracing/notification/reporting on Christmas Eve.
Got outside this ayem and caught some of the meteor shower. Saw 3 or 4 in just a few minutes.
Goldie--this was the first time Mom referred to Sadie as "that dog" with a tone of voice that people use when talking about something disgusting. I think it's the tone that bothered me the most. Too funny about DH ordering a bedpan, how would one use that in a car?? The CPAP noise can be considerable, I remember hearing it from down the hall from some of the nursing home residents who used it. I couldn't imagine being a roommate or bedmate of someone using one.
Karen--sounds like travel insurance is pretty complicated, but then, what isn't these days? I'm glad DD#1 isn't worried about the mammo results. I admire that woman who is focused on being alive. She has a great point.
Chi--interesting info about late periods and blighted ovum miscarriages.I never knew that. With so many ways things can go wrong it's amazing that any fertilization ends in a living child. It's a miraculous process.
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been up since 4, which is not unusual, but decided to get out of bed at 4:30. Usually I lay in bed till 5 or so. So on my Cubii and will probably do 1.5 hours instead of 1. Sandy, I have 7 documented pregnancies (4 miscarriages) but before my “first” pregnancy I was 2 weeks late and in my heart I know it was a very early miscarriage but in those days pregnancy tests couldn’t be done til at least 6 weeks. I had the same with my youngest as you did with your son. Never gave it much thought as one the ON dismissed it and two I was thrilled to finally have a pregnancy that was viable. Kim you are so right.
Kim, I never realized your mother disliked or was so jealous of Silly Sadie. Hugs my friend. Remind me where you are going in February. We get a full 2 weeks for winter break but we don’t get a February break like so many places back East. 3 more work days for you. Stay safe and healthy my friend.Be back this evening.
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Karen, I hope you are having a better day today. Unfortunatley, I think we are going to be dealing with all this Covid crap for a LONG TIME.
Sandy, interesting about the late periods.
NM, I didn't know about the meteor shower and when I saw your post, I went and looked outside, as it was still dark. Didn't see any tho. That was not nice of your mom, at all. It's not DH's machine that makes noise, it doesn't make any at all. The mask needs to be air tight, and if it's not, that is what is causing the noise. I forgot about the 12 days of Christmas cocktails. We did that last year.
Not looking forward to tomorrow morning, at all. I will have to start loading the car at 6, to leave by 6:30. I also have to get DH ready, dressing him, getting the bi-pap machine, water for it, helping him to the car, etc.
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Goldie - be careful tomorrow. Sending positive thoughts on an easy trip
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Change in plans. It's Tuesday evening, we are in Phoenix. Winter storm warnings for our travel area, 3-8" of snow across the rim. Leaving our house in the dark, which would be ok, but still early going across the rim, and dangerous. Road is pretty winding and too many people that don't know how to drive in the snow. Plus, it took a lot longer to get everything loaded this afternoon. I would never have made it by 6:30 am. So we would have been late for everything.
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Goldie - so glad you weren't driving in those weather conditions. And sounds like you're staying over in Phoenix. Stay safe...
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Minus, we will be here for 2 nights. I have my infusions (hercepting/perjetta) tomorrow, plus see the doctor. Then after that DH has his appt, like 3-4 hours long! Not sure what all this will entail. Then Thursday morning I have to go for an ECHO, and home after that.
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Goldie- I am glad that you went early and are staying a few days. Hope you get some rest between doctors appts.
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Karen1956, I have had a sad, crying day today too. Let's hope tomorrow is better. I am avoiding the news for now.
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Lori, glad you are safe down in Phoenix and not having to drive through the snowstorms.
Had my second facial today. Was nearly 15 min. late because the few legal metered parking spaces were full of delivery vans with their flashers on (when they could have parked in the--duh--loading zone. When I finally found a lawful space on the next block (third circle-around in downtown traffic), I had to painstakingly shoehorn myself into it because behind it there was a big black Escalade sitting on the corner (wher parking is prohibited so that emergency vehicles would have room to make turns). Why wasn't it in my spot? Because the fur-hooded Canada-Goose-swaddled diamond-draped b---- sitting and texting behind the wheel was too cheap to feed a meter and park legally. The facial took longer than expected because I had a lot of blackheads scattered amidst the rosacea.
DOTD was Mumm Napa 2014 Grower Series Ponderosa Vineyard Blanc de Noirs.
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Good morning, Loungettes! Happy Hump day! This week is feeling like it's been two weeks long already. The pool testing samples haven't been logged in at the lab yet, meaning we probably won't see results until tomorrow or Friday, and I am expecting at least one and probably both pools to be positive, so I know what I'll be doing this weekend. This waiting for the results is nerve-wracking. No testing next week, the state decided to not test since there won't be time to follow up before break starts. I am getting so tired of this covid crap.
Karen--February vacay is in Orlando, we're planning to do the Disney thing if they are still open. Hmm, I never thought of Mom being jealous of Sadie, but that really could be the case. I would usually say I was going home from visiting her to let Sadie out. I never took Sadie to her new apartment, knowing how much she didn't like dog hair or dog smell, or dog anything. 5 and half more days for me, counting today, unless we can get admin to go to break early and not do the 2 1/2 days next week. I am so sorry for your losses, and I bet dollars to donuts you are correct that the very first one was a miscarriage and not just a late cycle. Hugs.
Goldie-- I guess you will be just about getting up now to start loadiing the car and get DH ready for the trip to town. I think the nursing home folks had older machines, they were HUGE and the machines themselves made quite a bit of noise. I hear the machines are a lot better now. Still,noise is noise, and a real problem at night.
Morning, Jazzy
Goldie--woops, update, looks like you are already in Phoenix. Glad you didn't have to drive in the dark or in the storm. Also glad you won't be late for appointments.
Morning, Minus
Morning, Misty
Hugs, Kid
Chi--good grief, what a parking problem! People can be so self-centered.
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We've had lots of rain and crazy wind and was thinking about you going in the bad weather Goldie. Stay safe and hope all the apts go well 🙏
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In the 60s today, but the high winds are keeping it from being pleasant. We're in for even higher winds, with gusts of 60-70 mph tonight between 6p-3a. Straight-line winds, but they can still uproot trees and blow down power lines. Made sure all our flashlights are at hand with fresh batteries, and our power banks are charged up for our phones & iPad. Hope we don't have to head to the basement; at least we won't get more than a tenth of an inch of rain.
Obviously not grilling tonight.
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Chi- be careful with the winds. They were clocked here in NM anywhere between 50-100 mph. The highest winds were in northern NM and a lot of damage in the Taos area. They are probably where you are this evening.
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High winds in Colorado too. In the Denver foothills upwards of 80-90mph. Not sure how windy it was in Denver, but probably 40mph.
Off day again today - Had 3 hour zoom department meeting which contributed to it. Last hour was really good. It was on gangs and a school in our district that is in a youth lock up.
After tomorrow I'm on winter break
Since trip to see DD#2 (and overnight in each direction with DD#1 and SIL) canceled, most of the two weeks are time to putter in the house, some deep cleaning like dusting, going through stuff to donate or throw out. Need to start writing lists of what I put where. This week-end we are going hiking. It will be COLD, but no snow. I have plenty of warm weather clothes and if its sunny out, it will be great.Israel has extended its border closer to foreign nationals til at least 12/29 and has turned several countries red which means Israelis can't travel to them. This is due to increasing cases in Israel, the UK, SA, UAE and other countries. Told DD#2 keeping our fingers crossed for summer.
Lori - hope all goes well with the appointments today and tomorrow. Glad you left before the snow.
Yesterday would have been my late FIL's 101st birthday. It seems so weird as he only lived to 62 - too short of a life and he was a dear man.
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One neighborhood south (about 1.5 miles) a tree was uprooted and took out three cars. The worst of it is supposed to be over in about half an hour, but there will be 30-40mph gusts till 9am. Sitting here with a flashlight pendant around my neck; showed Bob where all the working flashlights are; all my devices are plugged in and ready to be unplugged when the power goes out (our bedside clocks & the treadmill readout will go dark) and we'll round them up to be near the power banks (also charged). Even recharged my Apple watch. And we have the BBQ lighter ready to ignite the stove to boil water for coffee (and plenty of yahrtzeit candles if need be). Even have a manual espresso maker & crank coffee grinder.
With a fish dinner, we had a 2020 Txakolina from the Basque region of Spain.
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I have been under a lot of pressure recently at work. I don't have a clear objection to worry about nervousness, restlessness, and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction, such as palpitations, hand tremors, sweating, frequent urination, etc., and exercise anxiety. What should I do?
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Thirsty Thursday! A bit messy with slush on the roads this ayem, so going to head in a bit earlier than usual.
Both covid test pools at school came back NEGATIVE! I am amazed! And very happy.
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For the foodies here
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