RANDOM THOUGHT

We were driving home from chemo today and stopped at a light.  Ger was talking to Keri on the phone and I was driving. It was just 5:00 and the clock tower at the intersection we were stopped at started playing "America". You know, "My Country Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty",  da da da da . . .
I could not, for the life of me, place the tune. The light changed and on we drove with this song haunting my brain. "It's familiar, I know this song, What the heck is it?", were the thoughts going through my head. BONG! It hit me what the first line was and that was where I got stuck. I kept singing it over and over in my head and came up with the line, "Land ofthe pilgrim's pride" but nothing else would come. I used to know this song word for word with out thinking twice. How come I couldn't come up with the words?  I came home and went on to Google to find the rest of the song. OF COURSE ! Now why couldn't I remember the words?
I know why . . .   we NEVER EVER sing our patriotic songs any more. Is there a radio station out there that just plays good old fashioned AMERICAN music? If there is it is probably a country music station and I DO NOT listen to country!
I have talked before about music class in elementary school. I could sing you the theme song for every branch of the military. Those caissons went rolling along with off we go into the wild blue yonder. I still am not sure what a caisson is but there was a song about them.
The country has changed.       :-(         How sad!

CHRISTMAS IS HOW MANY DAYS AWAY ?

PANIC !    How does this happen EVERY year ?  It's not like Christmas is a secret that you don't know about until the last minute but I am NEVER ready for the speed of its arrival once Thanksgiving is over. No wonder all those crazy people are out on BLACK FRIDAY shopping like there is no tomorrow.  But you will never find me out in that frenzy.  I think this year a lot of my shopping is taking place on the computer. It really is a no brainer when you think about it. Roll out of bed, sit down at the computer in your jammies, have the morning cup of coffee next to you, (possibly with a bagel or donut, as long as you don't get the crumbs stuck in the key board).  I can shop like this for hours and my feet never get tired. (My butt does go numb but it is a small price to pay.)  I do miss the years that Keri and I would do a MOTHER/DAUGHTER shopping trip to different outlets. A couple of years were spent shopping at Potomac Mills in Virginia. Then there was the year that Keri came to Florida and we shopped up in Orlando. Our shopping trips would always include an over night at a hotel and dinner with a drink or two. We would shop for HOURS, take a dinner break, and continue for another hour or two.  We would then return to the hotel and bring EVERYTHING we had bought up to our room. (That usually involved at least 2 of those luggage carriers.) There we would empty out all the bags and take inventory of all that we had purchased. After a lot of laughing we would fall into our beds exhausted with plans of returning to this or that store in the morning to just pick up those one or two things that we had missed or wanted more of. The very best part of these trips was spending a full 36 hours alone with my daughter who I came to love more and more every year. GOOD TIMES !
Now I am sitting at a computer shopping for my GRAND KIDS and having almost as much fun with emails, texts and phone calls flying back and forth trying to decide on the perfect gifts for the perfect kids. We won't see Keri at Christmas this year and that is OK.  This will be Granny Linda's first Christmas without Grand Pa Fred and I would imagine it will be a tough one. And besides, at 1 and 4 years old Christmas HAS to be at HOME for Kaelin and Finn. I got a photo yesterday of Kaelin and Finn next to the bare Christmas tree. The caption was, "I have two REALLY excited kids here!"

Decorating the tree

Playing along with the Christmas music

A week ago I sent all the grand kids an ornament that is a count down to Christmas. (We bought them last year after Christmas for 75% off!) Yesterday I got a phone message telling me that there were "30 days, 6 hours and 42 minutes until Christmas".  That sounds like a life time to Kaelin but Grandma is in a panic to get everything done. For Abby and Roman we can take 2 days off the count down because Christmas will start the minute they walk in our door. The London group is coming to Florida for Christmas this year and we are EXCITED ! Having family around for the holidays is such a blessing. Two of my sister-in laws have all their children and grand children living within 10 miles of them. I often think how lucky they are. But then I hear about all they are doing for the kids and grand kids and I think I will stay right where I am. And we DO have our little man Smith just down the road. Smith and parents were here for Thanksgiving and we had a great day. There is nothing like hearing that little voice saying "I Love You Grandma!"  Melts my heart every time!  

School photo 2 year old Smith

THE TURKEY IS DONE AND SO IS GRANDMA

Oh my aching bones . . .   I LOVE LOVE LOVE the holidays with family here and a big feast and lots of fun but when all is said and done . . . I AM POOPED !
As I was talking with someone the other day we noted that whether you have 2 people for dinner or 20 it is the same amount of work.
Ger and I spent yesterday afternoon making the mashed potatoes and stuffing and that took us about 4 hours. Then there is the clean up. Today after mass we worked on the turnip and the veggies. There were only 5 of us for dinner and one of them was Smith who doesn't eat. The turkey was delicious, the beer bread was done at exactly the right time and everyone ate their fill. We then sat back and stuffed in some home made dessert that I made from a recipe I saw in the paper. It sounded so very exotic and delicious . . . Creamy Chocolate Panna Cotta. The ingredients looked interesting: 2 oz. of bakers chocolate - GRATED, a cup of Nutella, a cup and a half of heavy cream, unflavored gelatin, and chestnuts. Other than the chestnuts I had all the other ingredients in so I figured I'd give it a try. Because  it was chocolate I knew I couldn't go wrong. I spent an hour making this dessert. Melting chocolate, whipping cream, adding one thing to another then mixing that into something else. I couldn't wait to taste this exotic delicacy. I spooned some into my dessert dish and took a bite . . . . . .  it is nothing more than home made chocolate pudding ! GOOD chocolate pudding but still, just chocolate pudding. I really must look up the translation of Panna Cotta. I guarantee that recipe will get tossed!
I also made my stuffing from a recipe I found in last weeks news paper. I usually make my moms famous stuffing recipe that is nothing more than bread crumbs, sauteed onions, an egg, some thyme and some parsley. But every now and again I like trying something new. This years recipe called for sausage and apples. It was a bit long and drawn out with cooking the sausage first, putting the sausage in with the bread, cooking the onions in the same pan and then adding them to the bread and sausage. Finally cooking the apples in some butter in the same pan with all the remains from the sausage and the onions. Personally, I would just as soon put the sausage, onions and apples all in the same freaking pan at the same time. Makes more sense to me. But an hour later, the stuffing was ready to wait in the fridge till I stuffed it in the bird this morning and roasted the whole mess. It was very good stuffing, I will give it that but it really was more work than it needed to be. I will file that away for next year.
So now I have a kitchen that looks like a turkey exploded in the middle of it. Dishes and pans every where and I don't have the energy to do a thing about it. I figure all the food is put away. The garbage has been put outside and the pans are all filled with water . . .  soaking! And soak they will for the rest of the evening because Grandma is DONE.
Tomorrow is another day and hopefully the Advil will have kicked some butt on the pain in my feet, legs and back. The remaining mess won't look as intimidating as it does tonight and I can sit down and have some left overs before I tackle the rest of the clean up.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

And just think . . . . we get to do this all again in 4 weeks for Christmas!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

                                                                       
                                                         

A very persuasive and controversial person will arrive on the scene, and they will be able to get you to try something you never thought you would try before. This is the start of a great period of exploration for you. You're ready to take a whole new look at who you can be, what you want out of life, and who you want to spend your free time with. Some social shakeups could occur when not everyone is on the same page as you. They are not buying what this person is selling.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL IN-LAWS . . . .STEVE AND KRISTEN !

Can you believe they share the same birthday?  Born two years apart on the very same date. How nice and easy it is for grandma to remember the dates. 

Birth dates are always a challenge to remember but we have some unique dates in our family. The number 28 is a big one for us.  Ger and I were married on the 28th. My birthday is the 28th and Finley was born on the 28th. Pretty cool ! All different months but at least I can remember the number. 
Bridget's birthday is the day after Abby so we have January covered. And since Abby was our first grand baby I will never forget her birthday.  Kaelin is exactly a month after Abby, February 20th and Finley is March. April is grandma, May is Roman, June is Uncle Kent, July is Ger who I never forget because he is born on Bastille Day and I always tell him what a "Son of a Bastille" he is. (Just kidding!) Smith shares grandpa's birth month and he is easy to remember because he is 7/27.  August we have off, September is my first born, Kyle who I could never forget because he was 3 weeks late showing up. October is Keri who was born at 10:21PM on 10/21.  November are the 2 birthdays of Steve and Kristen and December we have off, except for Aunt Ann Marie. 

I am sitting here counting on my fingers to make sure I got every one. There seems to be a lucky 13 of us in the family. Tht has always been a good number for me. 

Enjoy your birthdays !!!  WE LOVE YOU!

SATURDAY "MORNING"

O.K. so it is after 12 noon but it still counts as "morning" in my book.
I promised myself I would sit down on Saturday morning and take some time to say hello in my blog. I am seriously having problems with Ger going to bed at 9 these days. I think best at night and that is my favorite time to write. But it just isn't happening when H is laying in bed coughing and clearing his throat in order to let me know that I am annoying him by working on the computer. I get it! It is annoying having a BRIGHT light on in the room when you are trying to sleep but if you aren't that exhausted what are you doing in bed at 9 PM ?
Any how . . .  I have been avoiding the computer for another reason also. My back is so tight from all the sitting I am doing that I have not been sitting in front of the computer unless it is to pay a bill. I even check  my emails on my phone but trying to write a blog using that tiny little key pad is impossible. But having gone to the chiropractor 3 days this past week and getting a massage yesterday has helped so I will see if I can sneak in a few minutes to say hello.
Sitting is a problem these days.  Ger just doesn't move AT ALL unless it is to go to a doctor appointment. He is feeling great these days but just has the mind set that because he has cancer he will just sit in front of the TV and vegg.  Fox news is on ALL day and Ger is in front of the TV watching it. (While working on Sudoku puzzles.) I have tried all sorts of things to get him up and out and moving but so far nothing is working.  Hopefully I will get him to come with me to see Smith tomorrow. The weather is perfect for moving, sunny, cool, no humidity, but none of that seems to make a difference. A couple of weeks ago when we had hurricane Sandy passing by Ger actually got up to help me move some chairs and things into the lanai so they wouldn't get blown away. They are STILL on the lanai although the weather is fantastic. Oh well.

On a happy note, Kaelin is home from her 3 day stay in the hospital for a staph infection in her leg.
The doctor had to lance the sore and pack it and then give little girl 3 days of intravenous antibiotic to kill the infection. Keri stayed at the hospital with Kaelin for the 3 days and both girls were very happy to get home Thursday afternoon.

Kyle and family just returned from 5 days in Rome. The kids term was over so they had a week off and the family decided to enjoy it in Rome.  They had a fantastic time and Roman talked a lot about how Rome reminded him of the Ukraine. They are all now back in cold, rainy Windsor looking forward to Christmas in warm, sunny Florida.

Smith got a new big boy bed and is loving life. I hear he is actually sleeping, or at least staying in his bed, ALL night. As for the "potty training" . . . . I just checked out Kristen's blog and it sure doesn't sound like things are going too well. Personally, I think he is too young but hey! I'm the grand ma so I will keep that thought to myself.

Well, got to go. Back is locking up so it is time to move. Have a great weekend every one. Talk to you again soon.

IN-B-SENIORS

The English language is so awesome and confusing and continually changing. I am fascinated by language and often wonder where words came from.  I picture a cave man dropping one rock on another and a spark leaping up. The cave man reacts with a  startled grunt, (which probably meant, "Holy crap! What was that?") and then thousands of years later we have the word FIRE. How did we get from that grunt to the word? We are always adding new words to our vocabulary. There was an article in the paper the other day about some new word that pertains to texting and tweeting and I didn't have a clue what the word was or what it was used for. It could have been ancient Sanskrit and I wouldn't have understood it any more that what I was reading. New words enter our lives and we don't even realize they are sneaking in. The word COMPUTER would mean nothing to some one living 100 years ago just as there are words from 100 years ago that we would have no idea what they meant.

I have decided to create my own word to help identify myself and my friends. IN-B-SENIORS are all us folks who are definitely senior citizens because we are over 55 but we aren't old yet because we are under 85. We are the 60 and 70 year olds who are in between. Sort of like the TWEENS who roam the mall on any given day armed with mommy's credit card. The children range in age from 8 to 12 and are in between being children and teenagers, thus the name Tweens.

So why can't we have inbseniors?  Or maybe we could be called TWEENIORS. We are too old to be considered young . . .  like we are beyond child bearing age, (THANK YOU GOD!) We are tired and want to stop working and start living. We are ready to "Live the Good Life". And we are too YOUNG to just lie down and die! We have a lot of living yet to do and some energy left over from raising families and working. We can still see and hear and still have valid drivers licences. We could probably even PASS a drivers test if we had to. (Which I think would be a GREAT idea!) We are no longer the "SANDWICH" generation, we are finally the top slice of bread that makes up the sandwich. We still have some life in these old bones and some smarts in our heads. Once the eye sight starts going, along with the hearing and the mental ability to know what your name is then you move into the SENIOR group but I don't think we really have gotten there yet.

My kids would probably argue the fact that I think I am not "THERE YET" but I figure as long as I can work my computer, smart phone and ipad then I'm not that old yet.

AN ANGRY DAY

Ger is mad at the sun today . . .  and the bumps in the road outside CVS. It's been a bad day!

It has been a quiet day though, because when H gets angry he gets quiet. We left the house this morning for a 9:15 doctor appointment, (what the hell do these doctors think when they tell us to come in at 9:15?  They must think we are normal senior citizen or something). It is a bright and beautiful Florida day but as we turned out of our community Ger gasped and started clutching at the visor like he was having a fit. He couldn't get that visor down fast enough. If he had been a vampire pushed into the day light he couldn't have reacted as much. There was a grunt and a few gasps and that was that. It is the quiet after ward that tells you Ger is ANGRY. I'm not sure the sun noticed that Ger was angry with it but I did. The silence lasted about 10 minutes so it wasn't a BIG angry.
Then later this afternoon when we went out to pick up yet another prescription for Ger he got all upset with the bumps in the road on the way out of CVS. That upset got  us a few grunts and even a "PFFFFFT" along with about 15 minutes of silence. The man is weird!
When I get angry people KNOW it. My anger is an explosion of cursing, swearing, stomping and even some possible throwing of items. Much like a tantrum that a 2 year old might throw. BUT . . . . at least you KNOW I am angry. And I really can't remember the last time I got angry at the sun. I get angry at Ger, A LOT ! But thanks to modern medicine my anger is toned down quite a bit. I think I need to get Ger on yet another pill to calm his anger down.

Maybe if I could get him to turn down the TV I might not get so angry.  We returned to the ENT doctor today for another hearing test and Ger's hearing has diminished another 10%. That causes the TV volume to increase 40%. Like Ger's anger with the sun it doesn't make much sense but it is what it is.