Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

Lunch at Portillo's! I'm jealous. DH and I would always eat at Portillo's when we went to Chicago area to visit his relatives. Now they have all moved to other states. When we go to dh's nephew's house in FL for Thanksgiving, the nephew orders Portillo's for our meal the evening of our arrival. I think there is a Portillo's in Tampa.

Yep. Seems the weather forecast is confirming my worst fears. Snow on Tuesday and recommendations for everyone to hunker down on Tuesday and Wednesday. DH and I are wondering if his surgery might be canceled because of travel difficulties for the surgery center staff.

I feel for all the poor people living in house trailers and poorly insulated houses. There are always stories of fires caused by ill-advised attempts to keep warm. On Wednesday the temperature will not rise above freezing, according to the forecast.

DH just mentioned that it will be a good idea to roll down the hurricane shutters over some windows when the temperatures are coldest. I couldn't stand to roll all of them down because the house becomes a dark cave. I like light the way Jackie likes sunshine.

I'm betting that the supermarkets will be very busy today as they always are when a hurricane is headed our way.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Sunday.

It's a pretty day here although pretty cold here at 14 degrees. I'm not complaining since we have sun and the fact is it rained all night a couple nights ago so there is almost no snow left for all that we had. The sun and rain did a major job of snow removal.

The roads (even our un-plowed lane) have been okay to drive on so really it is mainly just the cold that is hard to take. I hope the weather will hold since there are appts. set for first of the week. I was afraid that we would do freeze and thaw overnight but that didn't happen.

Went to a good rummage sale on Sat. morning. A church I think puts one on every year. We went and I got a couple things — a couple of cookbooks and a couple of puzzles. The neat thing is —- there are no prices on anything. You pay what you want. I do think people are fair. Most things (I think unless they are old) are generally considered about 1/3 of the price one would pay for new. As it was a Church I handed out a bit more than 'standard'. I could be wrong but most denominations around here try to do good things for their community and I appreciate that they choose to honor that commitment.

I hope Carole your Dh's surgery can go off as planned, but it is a matter of being safe for everyone patients, and workers too. Just thinking of starting times since it was a dread of yours. Also, with the weather not so great, being stuck at home, inside and recuperating wouldn't seem so tedious.

Our gas prices were holding steady at $2.99 but have gone up. Who knows, huh !! Do wonder if it has anything to do with Monday. Even if not, I was thinking that they would at some point soon enough after. Will just have to hang on and see how things go.

Hope you all have a great Sunday.

The snow predicted to start at noon actually started earlier. It id fine snow but falling steadily since 11 Am with no break yet. The birds are using the suet holder and one deer is eating the bird seed my DH spread in the ground for the birds. The squirrel was also at the suet cake earlier. So the birds so far have been sparrows, chickadees, my wren and juncos.

The temperature is right at freezing so the snow will last and may end up freezing. No appointments, thankfully, this week. Now the snow is blowing sideways and the wind is picking up. Dh was upset that the driveway he had cleared yesterday is all snow covered again.

I am working on my paternal ggm's family history and trying to write up a story about them. I've done my maternal ggf's family history, my paternal ggf's family story and will try to find a way to interweave them that makes sense. I have information on my paternal gm's family but have not written it up yet. Tracing some of the families back to Ireland has proven to be the challenge since they were Catholic under English rule and the records aren't readily available. I like adding historical events to these to put it in perspective and to not make it a review of just census data, etc. I don't have many family records but have used those I am in possession of.

I spent the morning cleaning the bird cages, refilling their feed cups and water cups. They are clean and happy. Dinner will be leftovers so that's another easy task done. So I can type away here on the story since I collected information that I want to add from Ancestry records.

Carole, sorry DH's surgery got postponed but glad they were concerned about being safe. Fingers crossed his post-op course goes as well as the last one.

Illinoislady, I love rummage sales though I do not need to buy another thing and would be tempted to do so. Just can't resist a bargain and the church allowing you to set the price seems fair to me.

Hope everyone remains safe, warm and has a good day.

What a charming little girl, Petite. Hope she is close so you can spoil her.

I couldn't download the file, Betrayal. Can you send it as an attachment in an email?

Chris - I'm stuck on my Irish great grandmother too. I think she was probably Protestant and I have her birth and death dates from her tombstone but don't know if the name used when she married my gggf was her birth name or a marital name. She was over 30 so she certainly could have been previously married. I did some work with the Irish specialist at the NeGHS and she couldn't get anywhere either. She is also the one who my grandmother claimed came from Ireland with a child she stole.

Nothing much is happening here. Watching the snow-covered football fields. Ken continues to make a great recovery from his surgery. Unfortunately he now needs major dental work. Post op directions say he can't return to "normal" eating for 5 weeks. I sense way too much pasta in my future!

Be safe everyone.

I'm baaaaack…..

No, not in my house (interior demo done; finally just got the construction permits but winter is getting in the way of beginning the rehab). Best guesstimate is that, given the extensive code-compliance work that needs doing in a 1908 house, besides restoration, we will be stuck here in Lincolnwood till June. It took >6 mos. to get the bldg. permits—it IS Chicago, after all. Sadly, bribes are not covered by State Farm so we just had to wait while the permit apps made their way up from the bottom of the pile (in the interim, the city insisted on architectural drawings too because the deck and interior staircases will need rebuilding under local codes). If we're back by June it'll be a miracle. Our HK was out of her house for almost 2 years!

But if you were thinking the worst, fear not: I have been too lazy (and busy) to use a laptop and so have been doing everything on my phone, like a Gen-Zer; and typing other than texting on a phone is a royal pain. Pontiac Peggy knew I was okay because we were corresponding on Facebook.

Since I last checked in here, I sprained my L ankle and broke my L 5th metatarsal. Ironically, it was because I avoided falling: I lunged for the banister of my sunken living room but my rubber sandal stuck to the pile of the carpet even as I went forward & to the side. I plopped into my recliner instead of on to the floor, but the damage was done. Spent 3 weeks actually living in the living room (except for going to the powder room—where I washed because the bathrooms with showers were either a flight of stairs up to the 2d floor or down to the basement) and 7 weeks in a CAM boot, with 3 more weeks in a lace-up brace. Amazingly, the Bar Show wrote me some parts that did not require dancing and let me sing into an offstage mic. But I was eventually able to not only do rudimentary choreography—ok, organized gesturing—but even played guitar onstage! The show was a huge success and I can't wait to do it again next year. BTW, at 74 this coming Thurs,, I'm the second oldest woman in the cast and third oldest person, period! Our chief costumer, who takes bit parts because she barely sings, just turned 80.

It is brutally cold here, but we have had very little snow. Going down to -2F overnight, and we won't see positive double digits till Wed. morning. The hot-water heating system here dates back to the 1950s, when this place was built. Downstairs, the radiators are baseboards and do an adequate job (assuming we bundle up). But the bedrooms have mini-radiators in wall registers and are definitely not up to the job. We have to crank the thermostat to 80 in order for the ambient indoor air to stay above 65. We just bought sleeping bags to use as extra quilts.

All in all, though, it beats floods and especially wildfires. My friends in the L.A. area are safe and back in their intact homes—but I've been unable to reach my cousin in Altadena (his landline is kaput, likely because the house is gone; I don't have his mobile; and his office phones in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades…well, you can guess). Bright spot is that neither his nor his wife's names are on the list of dead or missing.

The cats (BangBang & Roxy) are a handful. They have become addicted to the laser pointer and follow me up to the bedroom and won't let me sleep until I've played with them for 15-20 minutes. I used it at first so they'd chase the dot into the hall, letting me close the door so I can sleep unmolested; but they wised up pretty quickly. Roxy then goes to sleep with Bob and BangBang with me…and wakes me up in the morning by aggressively nuzzling me till I can go downstairs to feed them.

Sandy, welcome back! Glad you're doing well despite your fall. As always, your life is hectic and interesting. Great news that you've kept your weight loss.

The forecast is for 5 to 8 inches of snow, beginning in the early hours tomorrow morning. I'm doubtful about dh's Wednesday surgery. The freezing temperatures on Wednesday will likely make the highways icy. There will be some salting of highways and bridges. We will await instructions from surgery center and doctor's office.

It's sunny this morning and 29 degrees, according to my laptop. Hope everyone has a good day.

Sandy add my welcome back to the blog. You have no idea how much you were missed. So many times queries about you arose. I hope you will not be so infrequent now, but I do realize that in your situation you have a lot of different challenges that most of us who don't have to move out of our houses for long periods will never face. You are in fact quite stalwart and just look everything in the eye and go to work.

I loved catching up with Bang Bang and Roxy and really loved the crystal black cane for a quick switch. You are as busy as ever.

It remains really cold here, and very surprising, so much of our snow is gone. We can see bare patches of ground all over our yard. It was the night rain that took the most of it, in addition to our several days of sun which we are having right now. It is only 10 degrees though so I'm not celebrating by any means. I'm hoping that the next two days won't be too bad. We have appts. but Tues. is local (not so bad) while Wed. is going to Marion. SIL will drive on Wednesday just because he will be off work that day. So, nice that I can sit back and view the sights along the way really well for a change. Really, I generally don't mind driving there so much as we can use the old highway while all the big trucks and many others use the interstate. Still, I can't look around so much if I drive. I would (to an extent) really prefer the interstate, but we are on the big truck route and for me I'm just not so fond of so many trucks at once.

Nothing special for today. Got some groceries yesterday and as usual forgot something. But — no hurry as it's not a necessity.

Well, Carole — are you having 'normal' weather for you. Somehow, I don't recall your ever saying much about snow before but I might not have noted that well since we are so use to having it here — although recently till this yr. we weren't having much either. I hope soon you can get that surgery done and not have to have it get in the way of possible other things.

Hope you all have a really good day.

Sandy - welcome back! Enjoyed your updates. Now that you have the building permits, hopefully the rest of the rebuild will go smoothly.

Sandy, welcome back and I can identify with the restoration process annoyances. It is a lot of hurry up and wait, but I hope yours is better organized than mine was; lots of lag time between subcontractors. The end product was what we wanted, which was to the original state, and I would hire some of the contractors again. However, I would never use that State Farm chosen restoration company and didn't for our last mishap with a leaking ice maker.

I do recommend you play sidewalk superintendent once they get into the actual restoration once drywall is in place, etc. Nothing like finding out that they installed the wrong size quarter round on new flooring, it doesn't match what was right outside the door and is not what was specified in the specs. Plus you then get to make sure things are to your liking.

Congratulations on maintaining your weight loss.

petite1, good riddance to the pest. Friends at arms length seems better.

Carole, hope your DH can get his surgery this week but if it needs to be delayed for safety reasons, it is just a temporary setback.

cindyny, what's your next adventure? i love hearing about your plans.

Chris, glad that Tippy decided to poop. Not TMI if you are a pet owner and have to worry about this. Regan seems to like the snow but being a short hair, I keep her outdoors exposure short if she doesn't have a sweater on. She has discovered that she can do big loops while on the long lead and that seems to burn up some of the energy she has due to no walks recently. I yell "go" and she makes figure "8's".

Very cold today, 19 degrees was the high and the sun was out. DH was able to clear the driveway and I would estimate we got about 5 inches.

Worked on genealogy again today and am making headway on this latest family story. Adding significant historical facts that intersected with their lives and times. Still trying to determine how I interweave the different families but think I have an idea that will work. They are separate surnames and families but they end up blending by virtue of marriage and the creation of new family lines.

My one maternal ggp line is very brief on the male line due to a suicide but the female line can be traced back generations to France. So it is lopsided at best. I have saved it for last since the other lines are more interesting.

Hope everyone had a good day.

Good morning. A snow day in the Florida panhandle, today.

Good morning — we had a VERY light dusting of snow overnight, but it is as slick as ever outside. I think I will once again cancel my appt. Wasn't all that anyway — but one of those things you should do now and then. Skin Care check-up for cancer spots.

It is 1 degree outside — and who knows with wind chill, but it won't be good. Some sun it out so later things will be better I hope — but I don't need to be anywhere or do much of anything either. Going to be a lazy day. Weather is an issue in so many places right now and causing lots of distress. I hope everyone stays safe and sound.

Sandy, wow !! Good for you staying in as well. Hate that you are not getting real warmth from your 'rented' heating system, but glad it is no worse.

Cindy, Chris, Taco, Harley, Mom, Carole and anyone else I may have missed — stay inside out of the cold and stay safe and well.

A winter wonderland here in south Louisiana. Snow is falling and accumulating. The New Orleans news consists of reporters out in various outdoor locations, advising everyone to stay indoors. The Lake Pontchartrain causeway (24 mile bridge) is closed. And, as expected, dh's surgery for tomorrow is cancelled with no rescheduled day yet.

The heat is working and we are comfortable inside the house.

Everyone stay safe and warm.

-5 with a real feel of-27 and sun today. Staying inside. So glad we are retired and can stay home

Betrayal - we leave on February 9. When do you leave?

Stay safe everyone

Yeah, we went out for a quick walk and he had some long sessions peeing. He wasn't using his buttons before that, but after, he did a recap of the morning. Birds, brush, coat, walk. Cute.

It's 61 in the house with the thermostat set at 84. Dribbling all the faucets, leaving the underseat cabinets open. The boiler in this 1950s split-level is older than the one in our 1908 Chicago house! Back there the only cold room was the front room, which is basically a converted porch with too many air leaks—the bedrooms get hotter than blazes when the heat is on. Here it's just the opposite. Been very sunny, so I open the blinds in the morning for a semi-greenhouse effect and close them before sunset to prevent radiational cooling. (Opposite of what we did during this summer, central A/C notwithstanding), Besides layering clothes (didn't wear the puffer indoors today), I plugges in the heating pad which is keeping my chest warm as I type this (UGG booties doing the job for my feet). Will nuke the buckwheat pad again and take it to bed with me.

I have my nuclear stress test coming up Monday. PCP had said to leave my meds as is, but now agrees with Bob's decision to double the bedtime statin and add a baby aspirin at lunch. Heaven forbid I need a cath & stent(s), I'll likely switch to a stronger anti-platelet agent like Plavix or Eliquis. It's weird, because I feel fine. Unfortunately, my sister has shingles (she never got the shots) and is getting brain fog & vertigo from it. Ugh.

Ordered a faux mink maxi coat from Zappos in case it's too cold for the wool twill coat on Feb. 1, which is the night of the ball. None of my coats (down and shearling) are longer than knee-length, but the gown goes down to my ankles. I have some cool formal sandals but not looking forward to hailing taxis in them. At least I can wear thigh-high stockings so I don't injure myself trying to put on pantyhose (I always sprain something when I try).