how about drinking?
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Good morning friends:
Happy Summer Solstice. The summer heat has been with us all week with temps at between the high 90s to low 100s. The summer monsoons are ramping up and some moisturing coming up from the Gulf starting late tomorrow into the early part of the week. If it happens, it will cool things down and also help with some fires going on around in the state (including in the city that keep popping up along our river). I love the summertime here but not the intense heat.
Had some nice extras going on this week, including being able to participate in a technology day with one of our vendors. Great keynote speaker, lunch, talks, networking and the happy hour was over the top was great with free drinks and wonderful appetizers. I work a lot with this vendor and been before but they did it at a different time this year and just told myself I needed to go since it's likely my last chance with planning to retire soon.
Also heard from an old grad school friend who was from here and remained in the state where we both went to school together. I saw her last year when she was here for a family memorial and she was back again this time for another family loss. She reached out to have dinner and we met up last night and had a wonderful visit.
NM- I hope things go well with looking for a place for your mom. With both parents, things were changing with them but then came the moment where something had to change immediately and they needed to have more care. We ended up having to address both times with finding something, then settling them into places they remained for the longer term. My sister the doctor always said people who go into any type of care usually live a few more years, but not true with our parents; dad lived another six years and mom 7. Do your best to find a place that is safe and has what you need and then be ready to change it if it does not work. Eldercare is a tough job, but glad you are getting things done at your home now too so it's more current and comfortable!
Hope everyone is staying cool in the summer heat wave across the US.
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Hi all!
NM I took the picture. We were visiting my brother nearby and it is the creek and dock in their community.
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SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy the days will start getting shorter!! slowly, but better than 19 hours of daylight.
I found a dirt-cheap prosecco at Winco when DH and I were in Edmonds for his treatments…actually enjoyable. That is what we had with a prime ribeye to celebrate some short-term good news on his treatment results.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Sunday Fun day. Happy first full day of summer! I'm going to spend the day with Mom today, and help her with some stuff around her apartment, get her grocery delivery set up, and figure out the game plan for the week. We've got an appointment to look at a senior apartment on Friday, and the local lavender farm has announced the start of the blooming season, so I can get her out of the house for a couple of days for something other than shopping.
Carole--they did do a great job. It's amazing how much stuff a person can collect over the years. Some of the stuff taken away has never been taken out of the boxes it went into when I moved into the house in '93! It was hard to let some of the stuff go, even knowing I haven't used it in decades and won't use it again. Glad the storm was scary but didn't hurt anyone. Some storms are scary from inside a house; they are even scarier from inside a camper or tent!
Jazzy--It sounds like you are already getting what is being predicted for here later this week. There is already an Extreme Heat Watch up for Tuesday, with heat index values of 106 degrees possible. I am very thankful for the AC function of the heat pump! The tech day sounds like it was a lot of fun! And a visit with an old friend must have been the cherry on top. Mom actually seems to be doing better, with the memory issues being less troublesome and being able to do multi-step tasks better since being told she has to move. I suspect she is going to thrive once in an environment where there are people her age around and some supports in place. I will try to be ready to flex to meet her needs as they change over time. I just wish it was possible to predict what changes are coming and in what time line, but since that isn't possible, I'll keep trying to stay ready to deal. I am so looking forward to being able to truly enjoy my own home and being able to get back to cooking, sewing, and growing plants.
Teka--Happy Summer to you, too!
Reader--that is a great picture! Have you considered entering it into a photo contest? What a beautiful area.
Wally--Congrats on the good news! And the prosecco!
Heat Wave
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 Ounce(s) Coconut-flavored rum
• 1/2 Ounce(s) Peach schnapps
• 3 Ounce(s) Pineapple Juice
• 3 Ounce(s) Orange juice
• 1/2 Ounce(s) Grenadine
• Peach slice
Directions
Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled hurricane glass. Top with grenadine. Garnish with peach. Serve in a Hurricane Glass.From
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NM thank you for the compliment! Looking at the photo again maybe I should enter it in a contest. Yes, it's a beautiful area and sunsets are amazing.
Thinking of you and your mom as you navigate these changes. As for the junk picker-uppers...I love them! Before we moved we took full advantage of that to get us in shape to move what we wanted to move with us.
Lots of iced tea drinking going on with this heatwave. Stay cool everyone in this line of heat.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Hump Day! Monday's CPR class went very well, and yesterday's visit with Mom was only mildly exasperating. The first thing I had to do when I got to her place was turn on the AC. Mom said she was comfortable, but the apartment was like a sauna to me, and it was already hitting 90 degrees at 10 ayem! I finally had to just pull rank and tell her she was to leave the AC on yesterday and today, as she is at risk for dehydration and heat exhaustion if not heat stroke. I watered her tomato plants for her, knowing it would take her almost an hour to do it herself and she would leave the apartment door open the entire time and heat up the place again. Then she tells me her trash pick up day has changed from Thursday to Tuesday, and when I went to pull her trash can down to the side of the road she said the dump truck had already been by. That meant that I ended up loading a bunch of smelly garbage into my Jeep to take home to my dumpster so it wouldn't smell up her apartment for the next week as there was no more room in the outside trash can. While I was at Mom's I got a text from her landlord asking me what my plan is for moving Mom and making sure the smoke detectors don't get set off again, and helping her more around the apartment, suggesting I should be visiting every day if not moving in (although he will not allow my dogs to come with). When I answered him (much later in the day) that applications were out for her to get on waiting lists for appropriate places (landlord thinks she should be in a full care nursing home, which she does not qualify for yet) I got a return message to be sure to keep him up to date. I so wanted to mention something about the things that have needed fixing for months, and him getting double paid for her rent for the last few months (which has been fixed), but decided to go minimal contact and minimal info with him. In his message he admitted that he can't evict Mom (even if he had grounds for eviction, that process takes months and months here in Maine, and as an elder Mom has even more protections than the average renter). It's a good thing he texted instead of calling, if he had yelled at me over the phone again I would have been rude to him, and since he is such an expert in EVERYTHING that would not have helped matters any.
What bothers me most is that I catch myself feeling kind of frustrated with the help Mom needs from me when I would rather be at home putting the final touches on the clean out and getting other projects underway, and then feeling guilty about feeling frustrated. Yes, I know the frustration is a normal reaction to the situation, and yes, I know there is nothing for me to feel guilty about, but there it is.
Reader--you're welcome. The junk picker-uppers are a life saver, and are going to be a life saver for me when Mom moves. I asked while they were here and they do move out clean-outs, and work with a local moving company to do clean outs the same day the movers do their thing.
It looks like today is not going to be quite so hot as yesterday, which is going to be a good thing. Going outside to water Mom's tomatoes yesterday was like walking into a sauna!
Moving Swiftly
INGREDIENTS
• 1 ¾ oz. Bruichladdich Unpeated single malt scotch, or blended Irish whiskey
• ¾ oz. American Fruits Sour Cherry Cordial
• ¾ oz. Giffard Wild Elderflower Liqueur
• ¾ oz. lavender-infused agave syrup (recipe below)
• 3 dashes bell pepper puree (recipe below)
• Garnish: 1 lavender sprig
DIRECTIONS
In a shaker, combine all ingredients with ice and shake hard for 25 seconds. Double strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Garnish with lavender sprig.
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The situation with your mom seems to have escalated since your retirement, NM. Hope you can get her into appropriate living quarters soon. You need to be able to devote time and energy to your home and projects.
We're enjoying the change back to comfortable temperatures. But more stormy weather is in the forecast the next few days.
Happy Wednesday!
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NM, Dealing with your mom's situation is hard but you are doing a great job. Texting the landlord after giving it some thought was wise. Dealing with this takes up time and energy you should be using on your own projects but ultimately the memories of how you did your very best for your mother give you great satisfaction for the rest of your life (at least in my case.) Treat yourself to some nice wine as a reward for your efforts.
Never thought I'd say it but I'm thrilled to see temps in the low 90's. Your DOD is bringing back memories of sour cherry cordial but I have never tasted elderflower liqueur. It sounds like something you would make at home if you lived in an alpine ecosystem.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Thirsty Thursday! I am relieved that the temps have dropped back to the usual 70s and 80s, and the humidity back under 70%. This is much more comfortable than that last couple of days were! When I talked with Mom last night she complained about the AC freezing her out all day, and since the temps were coming down I tried to help her turn off the AC. I had her get the AC remote control, and after almost half an hour of trying to explain where the on/off button was I finally figured out the remote she was looking at was not for the AC! So we started over again looking for the AC remote, and I think we got the right one and got the AC turned off, but I'm not sure. Tomorrow we look at a senior place apartment, have lunch, then she wants to go shopping, so that's the plan.
Carole--yeah, Mom's condition has deteriorated since I retired and even more so while I was away on vacation. Or maybe I'm seeing the decline more clearly since being away for a few weeks. I hope we can get into the place we are visiting tomorrow rather quickly. I also keep reminding myself that it's ok to take a couple days a week to work on my own place and my own things. Stay safe in the stormy weather!
Maggie--thanks for the support. I've become much more aware that time with Mom is getting limited and I want to know I did what I could to make her happy and safe. Good advice about the wine, I'm going to bring up some bottles to put in the fridge to treat myself with.
Dark ‘n Stormy
Ingredients
• Ice cubes
• 2 ounces dark rum
• 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
• 3 ounces ginger beer
• Lime slicesDirections
Fill a shaker three-fourths full with ice. Add the rum and lime juice; cover and shake for 10-15 seconds or until condensation forms on outside of shaker. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with ginger beer. Stir until combined; garnish with lime.From
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Today is fancy snack day for me with a lovely peach wine.
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What a view! I would be too busy admiring it to eat the fancy snacks.
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My DH likes the occasional Dark and Stormy. He's usually prefers an Old Fashioned, but he branches out sometimes.
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@maggie15 Thanks, that’s the view from my front deck, I see it every day. It’s still beautiful but I have gotten used to it. The clear night sky is amazing. A big observatory is within view and they have many rules about lighting (even home porch lights), normally I don’t like rules but the stars, Milky Way and occasional rocket launches are worth it.
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Our prickly pears are finally in bloom, and the bees are very happy about it. I also have a patch of wild snapdragons (they don't "snap" like the cultivated ones do). Usually, they present with pink, purple, or white flowers. Somehow this year, I got this beautiful red and yellow bloom!
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Saturday! Yesterday's tour didn't go so well. The building is very large, with lots of walking between the apartments and the common areas. I was really surprised that the independent living dining room had assigned seating. I was even more surprised to see a full sized tub/shower instead of a walk in shower in the one apartment we looked at. I was not surprised to hear that they do NOT have open apartments like we've been told. Unless the openings are in assisted living, and at $300 a day, that is totally out of reach. I'm going to put Mom on the waiting list, but I doubt anything will open up there any quicker than at the place she wants to go to. I'm going to work on getting her signed up for any more places that I can find, too, and hope something opens up soon, as Mom wants to get out of the current apartment and way from the landlord, who has been avoiding both of us for the last couple of weeks. Then we went out to lunch and then Mom got her hair cut, and on the way home we ran across a Farmer's Market. We picked up some really yummy and BIG cinnamon rolls, Mom got some apple butter and rhubarb, I got some peach jelly. Got to chat with some really nice people, too.
Had the first thunderstorm of the season this ayem, if you can call one roll of thunder a storm! Got some pretty good rain, too. Temps back in the 50s this ayem. Gotta love the weather rollercoaster ride!
Illi--WOW, what a nice snack and great view! The peach wine sounds really nice, too! Thanks for sharing.
Maggie--I agree!
Miriandra--I like an occasional Dark and Stormy, too. I don't think I've tried an Old Fashioned, yet. Need to do that someday soon.
Illi--I can see where a few rules would be worth the view in your situation. It must be something to see. Do you ever see the Northern Lights at the cabin or are you too far south?
Miriandra--beautiful blossoms, especially the snapdragon!
Cactus Flower
Ingredients
• Tequila: 2 oz(60ml)
• Pineapple juice: 2 oz(60ml)
• Lime juice: 1 oz(30ml)
• Agave nectar: 1 oz(30ml)RecipeFill a shaker with ice.
- Add the tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice, and agave nectar.
- Shake well until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty.
- Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.
From
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NM, we’re too far south. It’s on my bucket list though. I’m sure you have some awesome views up there.
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I was in Santa Fe today. The hollyhocks are in glorious bloom
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More snapdragon colors. And yes, that purple one does have a white stripe.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Monday Monkey Day! I had a pretty good visit with Mom yesterday. She asked me to pick up some milk on the way in as she was out, and when I went to put the milk in her fridge, there was a full container of milk sitting right up front. Still shaking my head over that one. I know her vision is poor, or the part of her brain that identifies what she is seeing is not working to specs, but it seems to me to be hard to miss a half gallon jug of milk in the dead center, front of the top shelf of the fridge, right at eye level. We made corn chowder for lunch, which was as good as I remember it but haven’t had for a long time. And I learned one of Mom's cooking secrets--she adds a bit of evaporated milk to her chowders to give them the rich, creamy taste cream usually gives. Her mother taught her to do that to save money when cream was hard to come by and expensive. Evaporated milk gives a bit of a different taste than cream, but it's the taste I grew up with and have been trying to recreate for the longest time.
On my way home last night I stopped at a Bob's Discount Furniture store. I was going to just look at rocker/recliners and sofa sectionals and to check out a chaise that I saw online that looked interesting. Oversized, so big enough for me and both puppers without them piling on top of me. I figured it would not be as good as it looked, but it was. Comfy, looks good, is the size I was looking for, so I bought it. And I found a rocker/recliner that I really liked, and bought it too. They are being delivered on the 10th. I will be glad to get the porch rocker back out onto the porch, it's not all that comfortable for watching TV and the puppers can climb into my lap in it. The old rocker was getting torn up and starting to break down in places, so it went out with the cleaners.
Jazzy--those are beautiful!
Illi--we get to see the Northern Lights occasionally, but usually it's just a large area of one color. We rarely see the swirls and moving lights like you see in pictures.
Porch Rocker
Ingredients
• Vodka: 1.5 oz(45ml)
• Lemonade: 1.5 oz(45ml)
• Beer: 12 oz(360ml)
• Lemon wheel: 1Recipe
- Fill a pint glass with ice.
- Add the vodka and lemonade to the glass.
- Top with beer.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel.
From
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I've been drinking a boxed wine…La Vieille Ferme—the red. Quite nice.
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Hi all, reading through your posts, and so enjoying all the recipes and ideas. There is one week each month in between infusions, I allow myself to drink. Tonight I made a bourbon on ice, with chambers liquor and chocolate bitters and it was so good !
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Sunny and 79 degrees is perfect weather for a Pineapple Margarita in my mountaintop beach bar. Happy Sunday 😃
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Monday Monkey Day! I did not realize it had been so long since I last postedl I've been pretty busy between Mom's appointments and getting my own house reorganized and dealing with the heat and humidity. Mom fell Saturday evening, her neighbors heard her banging a cup on the floor when they got home from camp. She had a ride to the ER, no injuries, thank goodness. Got her back home around 1 ayem. Of course, this has to happen 2 days after her annual check up with her Primary Care Doc, where everything is ok, no med changes or anything needed, but did get an x-ray of her shoulder due to the years-long pain she has there getting worse. Probably the arthritis progressing, but just in case there is anything else going on we're checking. Fun detail--I got to see the x-rays come up on the screen (no I can't really read them and only got a glimpse anyway), they will be read by the radiologist within 48 hours, and Mom's primary should get the report in 10 to 14 days. Yup, up to 2 weeks to get the computer system to send the report to the primary doctor because she is not in that hospital system. The hospital system that is the second largest in Maine and is closing down Labor and Delivery units across the state, and just bought and closed the only hospital in a big (for Maine) central Maine city entirely. Less than 10 years after the big new facility was built. Transforming all the inpatient beds and services to outpatient services and office space to increase efficiency and provide needed support for better communications systems and digital systems support (fancy way of saying that their IT and phone people need more and better office space). This whole system is driving me crazy!
Wally--I've heard there are some very nice boxed wines available.
Teka--hope you had some nice fireworks to watch while reclining!
Rischaller--that sounds like a really yummy cocktail! Did you develop it yourself?
Illi--I wish I could visit your mountain top bar for a Pineapple Margarita, it sounds much more comfortable than it is here right now!
Mountaintop Meadow
Ingredients
• 2 fl oz Sparkling Wine
• 1.5 fl oz Vodka
• 1 fl oz Elderflower Liqueur
• 1 tsp Simple Syrup
• 2 dashes Lavender Bitters
• 1 Pineapple Wedge
• 1 Mint SprigMethod
- Add vodka, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lavender bitters, and cubed ice to a lowball glass.
- Stir for 30-45 seconds.
- Top with sparkling wine.
- Garnish with pineapple wedge and mint sprig.
From
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Glad your mom wasn't seriously injured by the fall, NM.
Both my sisters have husbands in hospitals. I'm very concerned about my sisters as well as the husbands. We're an aging family.
The tragic news from Texas is overwhelmingly sad. We stayed at an rv park in Kerrville years ago. My first reaction was to wonder whether all the federal cuts played any part in people not being warned about the rising water.
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We went to a state art and crafts fair in Kerrville years ago and tent camped on the banks of a stream. I don’t think it was the Guadeloupe River, probably a stream that fed into the River. We coaxed our dog into the water and she hated it.
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Yes.
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NM - glad your mom wasn’t seriously hurt. My mom went through something similar, would fall after seeing doctors not before. Banging a cup… oh my I hope she wasn’t too frightened by it all. Finding her the right living arrangement sounds very timely. And yes, I made the drink myself based on flavors I liked Lol. I will definitely make it again next month ! Love all the recipes here, so much to try.
Carole - hope your sisters are coping and their husbands heal well and recover. Aging takes its toll on both the body and the mind… it’s not easy.
Heartbreaking about the destruction and so much loss of life and the children… in Texas. Hope everyone here is not in harms way . ❤️1 -
Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Twofer Tuesday! We're waking up to a break in the heat and humidity, it's all getting washed out by some rain. We had a lot of gusty wind come in yesterday evening/overnight as the front moved through, I've got lots of branches down in the yard. No damage to anything, just branches down.
The situation in Texas is horrible. I cannot imagine what those families, camp staff, and first responders are going through. I can't help but wonder how much the recent cuts factor into this situation.
Carole--I'm so sorry to hear about your brothers-in-law being hospitalized. I pray they both recover quickly, and that your sisters stay healthy during all this, too. Aging, and living in an aging family, is not for the faint of heart.
Wren--It must have been fun camping on the stream. What kind of dog was it that didn't like the water?
Miriandra--I remember reading or hearing about these warnings recently. I'm hearing them now in relation to hurricane and tropical storm tracking. I know the federal system is bloated and needs streamlining and reorganization, but that needs to be done with full knowledge of what areas are providing valuable services and what areas are redundant so the correct areas are decreased or eliminated. Trump doesn't seem to be looking at the effects of federal cutbacks other than dollars saved, and he's apt to find that more dollars are spent dealing with the negative effects of the cuts being made.
Rischaller--Mom wasn't particularly frightened or upset by the fall. The way she describes it she slid down the legs of the walker she was sitting in, didn't land hard, but then couldn't get back up. I will admit that I will feel better when we do find a place for her to move to with a bit more support, and I think she will, too. I can't wait to see more of your recipes. I never heard of chocolate bitters, going to have to try to find some to try!
wet dog
Ingredients for the Wet Dog Cocktail
To make a classic Wet Dog cocktail, you will need:- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz peach schnapps
- 4 oz cranberry juice
- Crushed ice
- Fresh mint leaves (for garnish)
Instructions for Making the Wet Dog Cocktail
- Fill a glass with crushed ice.
- In a shaker, combine vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.
- Shake well and strain into the glass over crushed ice.
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
From
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Thanks for the caring comments. Much appreciated. Both husbands are being discharged and will be coming home with meds.
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NM, the dog was a shepherd border collie. We lived at the edge of farmland and the people behind us had sheep. Tiki would herd them back and forth along the fence.
Carole, glad to hear everyone is back home.
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