Sunday October 25th
(jump earlier)
The funeral was nice and peaceful except for the gun salute. Taps made everyone cry. It was great seeing the family all gathered together again. Even my aunts (my Mom's sisters) showed up.
We hung around L.A. a few days and I showed hubby where I used to live/work. I even took the streets from LAX in to town, through Hollywood, and on in to Burbank where we were staying. We went to Trader Joe's for the first time ever (none in TX) and enjoyed the few goodies we picked up. Had dinner at The Smokehouse restaurant on my birthday. I went there pretty often with my best friend's family when we were teenagers.
Sunday we went to Santa Monica pier and hung around people watching and played some skee ball. Sunday night we went to The Castaways for dinner. Then back to our respective home states on Monday.
All in all it was a nice laid back trip. |
posted Sunday October 25th, @07:01PM
Wednesday September 2nd
(jump earlier later)
CA family is still waiting on the death certificate to finalize funeral arrangements. I understand that VA hospital red tape is holding up both the release of the body and the DC.
I am very relieved that the funeral will be scheduled 2-3 weeks out from the day they release his remains. I don't know why really, but it just seems like it won't be so stressful if I have time to prepare for the trip. |
posted Wednesday September 2nd, @07:39PM
Friday August 28th
(jump earlier later)
Just after getting back from CO we have another trip coming up soon. The airplane tickets will probably be expensive due to the last minute nature of the reservations.
We will be traveling to Los Angeles to attend my brother's funeral. He passed away yesterday, 8/27, but we do not yet know the date of the funeral. We can't buy the tickets or reserve a hotel room and a car until we know the date of the funeral. I guess it is a bit more difficult when dealing with a national cemetery.
RIP my brother Jon, 1/1/1951-8/27/2009. |
posted Friday August 28th, @10:47PM
Saturday August 15th
(jump earlier later)
To add to the list of vacation casualties...the freezer in the garage went off while we were away. It is plugged in to the only outlet in the garage, which sometimes gets tripped when you plug something in to either of two other outlets in the house. I can't imagine the pet sitter plugging anything in while she was here. Maybe it was a power surge or something.
I won't be cleaning it out until trash day, but I know the following items were in there; almost a whole beef tenderloin, a 6 lb. rib roast, 2 pkgs. of boneless chicken thighs, a bag of cod filets, a box of Angus beef burgers, 5 frozen dinners, numerous bags of frozen vegetables, and some Eggos. I think there were a couple of lobster tails too.
 |
posted Saturday August 15th, @06:52PM
(jump earlier later)
The Rockies Rock
We just got back tonight. We were happy to see the cats and experience comfortable seating and internet. TV was another matter...the HD Tivo died while we were gone. Everything that we had recorded and set to record is toast. Not having watched any TV in a week made this an issue of sorts...not so much for me, but hubby was bummed.
Our 2 bdrm cottage in the Rockies was not what we expected for the money. The beds were so small we had to sleep separately and Son slept on the couch. The advertised "free wireless internet" was so bad that it took forever to post a tweet. Son was slowly going insane, but he dealt with it. The management really cuts costs to the bone offering no ammenities. On the other hand, the place was right at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
RMNP is stunningly beautiful. Coming from California and having visited the high Sierras, I thought I had experienced the mountains. Not even close. It is something I will never forget. I did most of the driving including the drive up Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the U.S. Damn, I got kind of nervous when we got to the >11,000 ft. level and beyond. It is like being at the top of the world with the wind whipping around you and glaciers glinting in the sun. Up above the treeline is so stark, yet full of life. It was just at that point that we saw elk out in a field. There were chipmunks all around too.
Being old and sea-level living folk, we didn't go way out on a limb with hiking, but we did some walks. The first few days I was having a hard time breathing. Just going to dinner or taking a shower had me heavy breathing. We walked all the way around Sprague Lake one day and then walked around the alluvial fan at the east entrance to the park another day. I so wanted to see an Abert's squirrel, but we didn't. We saw elk, rabbits, chipmunks, and tons of ravens.
The food was not that great. If I were a fan of trout I might have been excited. Trout makes me feel like puking due to a pregnancy incident. I liked the rosemary French Dip at the Rock Mountain Tavern and the Huevos Rancheros at Mountain Home Cafe. |
posted Saturday August 15th, @01:02AM
Saturday July 25th
(jump earlier later)
Another month gone by...summer in Houston pretty much sucks.
Son got through the 3rd driving lesson when the teacher decided he wasn't ready for the 4th and should practice at home. This is pretty nerve wracking to me, but I will have to do it. I ordered some 'Student Driver' signs to put on the car while we drive around and about.
Hubby's eye is doing much better. We had a regularly scheduled visit to the eye doc at MDA earlier this week and we mentioned the puffiness and discharge. She decided to test his tear duct for blockage and for the first time post-surgery it appeared to be blocked. She mentioned surgery to fix the problem, but we will wait until next month's scans are done and read. In the meantime, his eye is now much better. Who knows?
Last night I found out my CA brother is in the hospital in ICU after surgery to remove 44cm of his bowel and resection it. Apparently this portion of his bowel died and was riddled with e.coli. I have no idea how this came to happen, but it sounds pretty serious. He was having frequent e.coli infections in his eyes as well...WTF?
In less than two weeks we will be off on vacation. I feel the need to get away for a while. |
posted Saturday July 25th, @09:06PM
Saturday June 27th
(jump earlier later)
Sigh...Everything is screwy and not working right for the last few days.
My car is in the shop, which makes it difficult getting Son to and from driving school. It has been leaking some fluid on to the driveway and we finally determined it was power steering fluid on the way home from Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood at 11:30 PM Wednesday night. The steering wheel was vibrating and squealing all the way home. We stopped at Walmart and got some stop leak fluid to put in right there in the parking lot. That made it a bit better on the ride home, but the next morning there was a huge puddle of spilled fluid in the driveway.
Thursday morning I just went ahead and took Son to school despite the embarrassing noises the car was making. I later found out that the dealership has a shuttle service so, on Friday, after picking up Son, we dropped it off at the dealership and took the shuttle home. Sammy said he would take care of everything!
Upon arriving home I was greeted by my new Apple iPhone 3Gs sitting on the doorstep. Wheee! As hubby is going to take over my current 3g phone, I waited until he got home to do the switch. Sure enough, his phone (my old one) works fine, but my new phone will not activate. In the meantime, we are thinking about the fact that Sammy the Ford guy only has my cell # to reach me about the car.
Saturday morning we tried once again to activate the phone...no dice. Off to the AT&T store down the street. They say "no problem, do this and this and bingo." NOT. After going home and again attempting to activate the phone to no avail, we went back to the AT&T store. The same guy tries again and then apologizes for not knowing what is wrong and suggests going to the Apple store.
In the meantime, we call Sammy and find out the PS only needs a new hose. They had to clean up all the drippings and let it sit overnight to find the leak, which turned out to be the hose. I also need new front brakes. The car is 7 years old and has had no brake work done. They are going to fix the trim falling apart on the interior door frame and look at the front bumper I halfway tore off backing out of the garage  He says the car should be ready by 4:00.
Off to the Apple store. I love the Apple store and wish we had one closer. The Apple store guy could not fix my problem. We need a genius bar appointment and the next available is 8PM. It is now 1:45 PM. We don't want to wait so we made an appt. for tomorrow morning at 11:20AM.
Going home and wishing Sammy would call just as we pass the dealership and he did not. Get home and call Sammy only to hear Sammy has gone home for the day...sigh. I ask what's going on with my 2002 Escape and after 5 min. on hold I am told that it won't be ready until Monday because they had to order a part.
Son has his last day of driving school on Monday. This means I will take hubby to the park and ride at 5:40 AM and then pick him up at 5:00 PM or so despite the status of my car.
On top of everything else, I just sold a tablet pc on ebay. The winning bidder has 0 feedback. After winning the auction, he is sending me additional questions, all of which were addressed in the listing. I wish I could tell him to go pound sand, but I guess I should give it a bit.
Hubby's eye has been a concern lately. It keeps getting irritated and filling up with mucous...he missed two days of work last week, we thought it was fine, and now it is happening again.
Vacation has been booked and mostly paid for. We are going to the Rocky Mountains and stay in a cabin just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. I have not been to the mountains since my 20's and Son has never been. We are looking forward to it.
ETA: MIL is coming for a week's visit and will arrive July 1...just in time to celebrate the 4th and Hubby's 50th birthday. |
posted Saturday June 27th, @06:25PM
Thursday May 28th
(jump earlier later)
Today was the last check-up visit at MD Anderson for a while. Last week the general oncologist said that hubby's scans looked good and his blood work looked good. Today we saw the surgeon and he said "It looks like you beat the odds." That sounded fine to us, so we are feeling pretty good about stuff right now. The only minor issues are some cysts on his kidneys. They did an ultrasound today and no one seemed concerned about the results. The main doc will call if there is a problem.
I have to add that the head/neck center (surgical side) at MD Anderson scares the crap out of me. The ravages of cancer are so apparent and it makes me very sad just looking at the people there. We had to wait almost 3 hours in the waiting room and I had trouble just trying to read my book. A medical researcher was asking patients to fill out a questionnaire about their experiences and issues with head/neck cancer. Hubby filled out one and we even stayed after seeing the doc to finish it and turn it in. I just hope it helps people.
We are about to start planning a vacation/honeymoon for August. I know it is last minute, but we wanted to wait and see how things were shaking out. Probably Maui, if possible.
School is out soon and I am going to sign up Son for driving school starting June 8. He does not really care about learning to drive, but we want to have another driver around. It will come in handy for sure.
Next household project is extending the size of our patio. It is just a 10x10 square foot concrete pad now. It barely has enough room for the grill and a couple of chairs. We had a scheduled appointment with a construction/home repair guy today and he never showed up or called...sigh.
Off to finish off the ribs cooking for dinner! |
posted Thursday May 28th, @06:53PM
Sunday May 10th
(jump earlier later)
So far it has been a nice Mother's Day. Hubby made Belgian waffles and Son cooked bacon for breakfast. I got a pink miniature rose bush from hubby and Son gave me a silver locket with birthstones inside and I love it. The boys are grilling steak, chicken, and baked potatoes for dinner and doing most of the preparation themselves! I'm still doing the laundry, but no worries.
Yesterday's Amazon Deal of the Day was some game downloads for $.98 each. I tried one, Alice Greenfingers, and was enjoying it for hours. Then my virus scanner started and determined that a file extension in the game was a Trojan. After hours of building up my farm, I could no longer play and had to delete the whole program. I could probably reinstall it and start over, but I tried one of the other games instead.
Virtual Villagers is the one, and I have been playing it since late yesterday afternoon. I was really getting into it and looking forward to starting up again today, which I did. Then I decided to turn off full screen so that I could toggle windows with other apps running and that broke it.  I could no longer do anything other than kill the game and had to start over and all my villagers died.
I guess this is what happens when you pay $.98 for a game. |
posted Sunday May 10th, @07:12PM
Monday May 4th
(jump earlier later)
I'm on a roll!!! Saturday I whacked my forehead on the door frame to the bathroom. I was walking to the bathroom, bent down to scratch a mosquito bite on my leg and wham...I have a huge knot on my forehead. It is still somewhat knottish and very colorful, not to mention painful. This morning I broke my little toe on the same door frame! WTH? I am going through one of my dangerous periods.
I just hope I get over this clumsy phase soon because there is lots of stuff going on this week. |
posted Monday May 4th, @09:29PM
Wednesday April 29th
(jump earlier later)
posted Wednesday April 29th, @10:07PM
(jump earlier later)
That rain mentioned in my last post ended up being 11 inches by Tuesday morning.  Lots of flooding and school was closed.
Nothing is going as planned today. I took Son to the dentist to check on a toothache. He has an infected wisdom tooth and needs oral surgery to have them all removed. I meant to go in to the exam room with him, but they called him back while I was trying to figure out an insurance SNAFU with the lady up front. I didn't even get to talk to the doctor. After leaving, I realized I forgot to ask for a Dr.'s excuse for the school. I called them while on the way to the pharmacy and asked them to fax it to me.
Finally got home after going to Walgreen's and the grocery store and it was too late to start cooking the carnitas I had planned. I also missed the yard man. I wanted to get him to pull up some bamboo. Now he will be ringing the doorbell at the crack of dawn tomorrow to get paid. The fax from the dentist's office didn't come through. I had to call them again and had them fax it to the school. I fully expect that the school will claim they never received it and they will mark Son's record with an unexcused absence.
I called the oral surgeon to make an appointment and requested a Friday so that Son would have the weekend to recover. In mid-conversation I realized that this Friday he has state testing at school, next Friday Hubby and I go to MD Anderson and I couldn't remember what future Fridays were booked at MD Anderson as well. I tried to pull up the MDA website to check the schedule while on the phone and it was down. Pfft! I will have to call back tomorrow for an appointment.
I will not attempt to conduct any further business the rest of the day. Dinner will be a pizza from the deli at the grocery store. |
posted Wednesday April 29th, @05:55PM
Sunday April 26th
(jump earlier later)
Sunday afternoon and the last load of laundry is in the dryer (#6 of the weekend). Flippant is dozing in his chair after doing a project w/Son. They installed a ceiling storage unit in the garage. Despite some grumbling and lots of sweat, they did a good job. Next week there are two more to install.
The grill is heating up for tonight's dinner. Pork loin was on sale and I bought a big one and split it to use half later. Tonight's portion has been marinating overnight in EVOO, fresh lemon juice, lots of smashed garlic, dried oregano, and salt/pepper. I've got two foil packets of veggies/sides: 1)chunked up new potatoes, EVOO, a bit of butter, fresh dill from the garden, red onion, garlic powder, and salt/pepper. 2) Fresh whole mushrooms, EVOO, baby carrots, bell peppers, red onion, fresh thyme from the garden, salt/pepper. The boys won't care much for packet #2, but I will.
This coming week I'm going to be calling people for estimates on extending our patio. It is currently just a 10X10' square of concrete...way too small for the grill and a few chairs. It needs some sort of patio cover too. We also want to have some kind of outdoor shed built to house the generator. It has to have good ventilation and protection from rain/sleet.
Speaking of rain...it is starting to sprinkle. |
posted Sunday April 26th, @06:56PM
Friday April 17th
(jump earlier later)
There are big storms rolling through the area and Flippant will be late coming home from work...lots of traffic. He says there are grandchildren on the van. Huh?
Braised short ribs are cooking and they smell great. I guess I'll just make some buttered noodles and a veggie to go with them. I don't understand why short ribs are so expensive these days. My mom made them quite often for Sunday dinner and they were a cheap cut of meat. It didn't cost much to make enough to serve 10. My package of 4 little ribs cost $10. Ridiculous!
It is supposed to be stormy through tomorrow. It should clear up by Sunday, so we are planning on devising something to prop up the tomato plants. The normal tomato stake, or cage thingy does not work well in an Earth Box. |
posted Friday April 17th, @06:20PM
Saturday April 11th
(jump earlier later)
Very strange day.
Nothing seemed quite right the entire day. Dinner was not that good, the DVD player is having fits, an ex-boss is going bonkers, and I am getting annoyed at everything.
Flippant is going to help me slice two quarts of strawberries...he promised. |
posted Saturday April 11th, @09:05PM
Thursday April 9th
(jump earlier later)
Let's see...what is going on right now? Hubby is happy back at work. I am slowly figuring out what to do with myself while home during the day. Son is doing fabulous in school. What more could one ask? The only thing I can think of is that upcoming scans show hubby to be cancer-free. That is what I hope and wish for and what consumes my sleepless nighttime thoughts.
On the gardening front; the yard guy's son or minion weed-ate (eated) my new Lantana plants. I hope to catch them when they come again to point it out because there are still a few stems left that could come back. The herbs, tomatoes, and radishes are thriving so far.
Tonight I made Beer Braised Country Style Ribs for the 2nd time and they are a hit with the menfolk. Once something is made twice it will go in to the rotation. I am getting kind of burned out on cooking. My menfolk are not very open-minded about what they will eat and my choices are limited. Bummer.
I got a spiral-sliced ham for Easter and am planning on using Aretha Franklin's "Queen of Soul" ham glaze on it. I know a normal ham would be more moist, but whatever. My family's favorite au gratin potatoes and green beans will be the side dishes. I will make a pound cake and then my own version of this:»www.recipezaar.com/The-Ultimate-···ke-24672 for dessert.
That's all I've got right now. |
posted Thursday April 9th, @10:12PM
Tuesday March 31st
(jump earlier later)
I have to update this once in a while or I get gently nagged by some people. 
Things are humming along rather well. Hubby is back at work and digging it. Son is doing great in school and has been asked to join the academic decathletes. This involves interacting with other people and he is willing to do it!
The herbs are growing like crazy and I've already had to cut the basil and used it in a chicken cacciatore. The chives pod never sprouted, so I emailed them and they are sending me a new chives pod. The cilantro has kind of tumped over for some reason. The reason could be that I had to make up that pod myself because my kit did not come with cilantro. I have planted some radishes and green onions in a planter outside and they sprouted within 3 days. The tomato plants are growing and have buds already. There is also a leftover planter from last year that had a grape tomato plant in it. The dead stump of that plant is now growing tomatoes!
No new culinary exploits to speak of. I haven't made the pita bread yet. It is hard to justify making all the things I want to make when I know my picky menfolk will not eat it.  We did fine tune the Ina Garten recipe for Easy Sticky Buns. I made them several times and always baked them less that the recommended time. Even so, they always seemed burny on the top. Hubby suggested something that worked out great so that will be the new and improved sticky bun recipe.
There is one recipe I am thinking about and it sounds so good, but I have not tried it yet. It involves bagels, eggs, cheese, and bacon. I almost went for it today because I had an everything bagel, some day I will go for it.
Burgers on the grill and oven fries for tonight and dinner is ready! |
posted Tuesday March 31st, @08:28PM
Sunday March 15th
(jump earlier later)
Sunday again! Now it is too cold and rainy to plant those darn bedding plants sitting on the front porch. It should get better soon, I suppose. The herbs planted in the AeroGarden are coming along famously.
Yesterday, the three of us went to lunch with an old friend of Hubby's and his family. It was nice and we all got along very well. I might end up going out for Girl's Night Out with the wife. I suggested we all go see the new Ghengis Kahn exhibit at the museum sometime. This is a good thing for us as we don't socialize much.
For the time being, there is nothing major going on health-wise and things are working their way toward normal and going back to work. Hubs is looking forward to it. I won't be going back to the job I had, but will be on the lookout for stuff to do. It would be great if I could relax and let my guard down, but I remain vigilant and I think hubby does too. Weird-ass dreams continue to plague me and I'm lethargic most of the day.
Today I made breakfast tacos around 11AM. Dinner was corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. We have some oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. My next new dish to try is going to be pita bread. I found a recipe that looks very easy to do. Once I try that out I'm going for Gyros. Yum! I already make a killer tzatziki sauce. |
posted Sunday March 15th, @10:11PM
Sunday March 8th
(jump earlier later)
It has been a busy, but nice weekend. 
Yesterday we went to Home Depot and bought some lantana and other low flowering bedding plants to replant the bed in front of the porch. The roofers smashed everything in that bed to smithereens. We also got some tomato plants to plant in the Earth Box. When we got home Hubby cleaned out the grill and while he was doing that I pruned the roses and pulled up dead stalks from the canna lilies. We grilled lobster tails, chicken, and steak along with some potatoes in foil for dinner.
Today I made sticky buns for breakfast, started the laundry, and then called Hubby down to eat. Later all three of us worked outside planting the tomatoes and pruning some bushes. We did not get around to doing the front bed because it got too darn hot and humid. I had sweat pouring down my face. Yuck.
Baby lamb chops are marinating in olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt/pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme. We are going to grill them along with some asparagus. I'm cooking some parsleyed new potatoes on the stove and have strawberries sliced up for mini strawberry shortcakes. We are pretty hungry...forgot to eat lunch!
I'll finish up the laundry after dinner. |
posted Sunday March 8th, @07:34PM
Thursday March 5th
(jump earlier later)
| Finally, she called. Catfish has a thickening of the bladder wall probably caused by chronic cystitis. She also has a loss of kidney function and is going to need fluids every few days and then weekly. |
posted Thursday March 5th, @06:09PM
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maggie2101