Old Mother Hens

Hi,

We've gone from one extreme to another with weather; from -20F to +29F in two days! Welcome to Wisconsin!

Presently sleet is falling from the sky. There are all kinds of warnings on TV about slippery roads, urging people not to go out if they don't have to. The ice and/or rain stretches from the southern border of Wisconsin midway up the state and is expected to change over to all rain tomorrow. Crazy! Three days ago we were hibernating because the night time wind chill factor was -50 and daytime temperatures were -10 with a -30 wind  chill..

Which leads me to the Mother Hen thing. Our daughter and son-in-law are 40ish and certainly not young children. But they are still our chicks, and I do worry about them when the weather is bad.  They both take major 4-lane highways to and from work and I knew they would be slippery! So tonight I just had to call them. SIL happened to answer his cell and was very good natured about it tonight, but I know some times when I call to check in, they get a little irritated and really don't understand why I do it. Guess I'm just a mother hen because I like to know that the chicks are safe.  They are all we have left!

Are you this way? Or, was your mother like this? I automatically called my mother after we moved north 140 miles and would return home after visiting for a weekend down there. She appreciated it and said she was getting kind of worried about us and was hoping we would call. It was especially important during the winter months when quite often we'd be driving back north on slippery roads.  Oh well - I'll keep calling the chicks, and they will continue to get a little irritated now and then when I do.   Such is life I guess!

I freely admit it - I'm a Mother Hen!

Until next time,

Mary

This 'N That

Dear Friends,

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Mario trying to catch the squirrel that is hanging on to the white edge of the patio screen door.   If you look close, you can make out the bottom half of the squirrel.    Talk about up close and personal!    The squirrel likes to tease Mario,  and Mario likes to tease the squirrel. 

It's FREEZING cold here - the likes of which we have not seen in about 30 years.  But I know much of the US is saying the same thing.   Cabin Fever is setting in!  Oh, we're digging out the swim suits tomorrow - the temp will go up to 30+ for Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  Woohoo - a heat wave (but don't get too excited - snow and/or freezing rain is forecasted for each of the three days so we'll be trading one thing for another.   I think I'd rather have the bitter cold than freezing rain and ice.

Our schools have been closed for 3 days now and will close again tomorrow.  It is simply too cold for the school buses.   The oil in the engines tends to jell when it gets extremely cold.  Now that's cold!

UPDATE on the post I did last regarding our Twitter friend @JessieJaney.  Some of you may have already seen Mario's post http://www.mariodacat.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-rest-of-story-and-emergency-contact.html.   Basically Jessie, the kitty, is living on a farm with a family member, but might go to live with uncle Hugh because she's not adjusting very well to farm life. Poor baby!  At least we know she's being cared for.

One of Janey's friends has started an Emergency Contact Form for Twitter and bloggers if they wish to join.   A copy of that is located in Mario's blog.  Just click on the tab at the top of his blog to get to the link.   I know the Animal Blolgosphere also has an Emergency Contact List, but if you are on Twitter and wish to join the one in Mario's blog, please feel free to add your name.   

Oh, I do have some HOT NEWS!   We have a Robin hanging out at our house. He/She comes to eat the bird seed that is sitting on the Patio step.   Every time I try to get a picture, he/she quickly moves away.  But, I kid you not, it's an honest to goodness, real, live Robin. Very unusual for our area in January, but not totally unheard of.   He apparently figured that flying south was not going to be that much better this winter, so why waste the effort.   he he - it takes a lot of energy to flap those wings all the way to a southern state.

Stay warm friends!

Mary

New Year Tribute to a Special Friend

Photo given to me by Jane for use in my blog on
January 12, 2012

Dear Friends,

My heart is heavy today, but I do not want this to be a sad post.   A very dear Twitter friend (the human of @JessieJaney) in Australia passed away suddenly on 12/26 after suffering with MS for a good 10 years.  I've shed many tears since hearing of it on Twitter last night.   We have had to say goodbye to countless animal friends on Twitter and those are very hard also, but this is my first experience with a human Twitter friend.   It was hard on so many of us, but we had each other to console and remember things about Janey on Twitter last night.

One of our other Twitter friends (also an Australian -  @PuppyNumber7) wrote a beautiful blog post this morning because his human knew Janey probably the best of all her Twitter friends.  It's a beautiful post - you can read it here:  
http://keelyandthomas.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/aun…/

Mario was friends with Janey's kittie (Jessie) on Twitter, so we chatted there quite often - well as often as one can when one part of the world is getting up and the other part going to bed.  Jane and I became close after I asked her if she'd like to be a guest writer on my Parkinson's Blog.   Both MS and PD are disabling diseases and are in the Movement Disorders Family.   She was shy at first with talking about her disease because she just wanted to have fun in our anipal community.   But  she really opened up to me as we had similar diseases and we emailed frequently.  

You can see her posts here:

http://shufflingalongwithparkinsonsdisease.blogspot.com/2012/01/ms-and-me-by-guest-writer-jane-human-to.html

http://shufflingalongwithparkinsonsdisease.blogspot.com/2012/01/part-2-ms-and-me-by-guest-writer-jane.html

Janey loved her country (Australia), she was proud of being an Aussie and she dearly loved her kitty Jessie     She was always upbeat, could always be counted on to say hello and inquire about how you were doing, and would skirt around the issue of how she was feeling at the moment.   She was a strong proponent of animal welfare and was very active in any of our parties on Twitter that were fund raisers to help an animal shelter!  She was an active member of #nipclub.    She always had a positive attitude on Twitter.   

Janey, you are so missed by all of our friends.   I know you are at peace now, won't have to suffer anymore and are free of the pain that plagued you.   I wish I would have had a chance to tell you how much I loved you as a friend. We don't say those things often enough and then it's too late.  You were one amazing person and a real inspiration to me and others that knew you.  I'll be watching for your bright star in the heavens tonight.   Good night dear friend! You lite up my world whenever we talked.

Comments have been disabled.  Instead, please leave them on @PuppyNumber7's blog at http://keelyandthomas.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/aun…/   I know his human is trying to reach Janey's brother and there are several comments there now.  Hopefully Hugh will be able to see those comments and know how much his sister was loved. 

Mary

P.S. - Happy New Year to all of you - we hope 2014 will be a year of happiness, good health, and peace!

Zoom - Where Did It Go!

Dear Friends,

I love Christmas and everything about it, but I hate the lonely afterglow!   

Our Christmas was great.  Daughter and SIL (son-in-law) arrived Christmas Eve in time for a leisurely dinner.    I had made lasagna, a marinated cold vegetable salad, fruit salad, and cookies and coffee for dessert.  We exchanged a few presents, sat around and talked, and were all in bed around 10:00.  The kids had worked much of the day before coming to our house and they were tired. Of course, us old folks are always tired.

Daughter and SIL had called a couple of days before they came and said not to buy anything for Christmas breakfast.  They were going to cook breakfast and would bring the food with them.   WHAT a GREAT TREAT!    SIL  cooked each of us a big vegetable omelet, accompanied by bagels, orange juice, and I still had fruit salad left over, so we had a little of that too.   I told them that was the best  Christmas present ever.

SIL's brother and wife had their first baby on 12/22/13, so our daughter and SIL wanted to go to the hospital to see the baby before going on to SIL's aunt's house for a big family gathering by 2:00 p.,m..   The brother lives about 145 miles from where we live with the aunt living between our two locations. It made sense for them to go Christmas morning, otherwise they'd have to make another special trip down south.  They left our house at 9:00 and took a few pictures so we could meet the new precious bundle of joy too.

Now I'm in the after Christmas humdrums.  My mother was from a big family (12 children) and the holidays always meant lots of activity - getting together with various family members during the week of Christmas.   I miss all those family gatherings at Christmas.   I try to keep busy and not let it get me down, but it sneaks up on me at times.  Hubby's family is spread out all over the place too.  So we never see family at Christmas.  The humdrums will pass in a couple of days.

Mother Nature is going to pull a good one on us starting around midnight tonight and into Sunday.   Freezing drizzle will start about midnight, followed by light snow flurries, followed by 4 days of extreme cold.   Monday will give us a day time high of -1 with a nighttime of -13.   Then we're going to warm up 1 whole degree each day until Wednesday.   Other than a trip to the grocery store, we won't be leaving the house.   I have a couple of errands to run this afternoon.  Guess one of those stops should be at the gas station and get the car filled up!!    It's no fun standing out there when the wind is howling and the temp is below zero.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.

Mary

Have Yourselves A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Friends,

The picture is of a house one block from our house.   Note the choo choo train on the roof!   

As I've mentioned before, I love all the houses decorated for Christmas.   It's so warm and inviting in the neighborhood to drive down the street.  Each house seems to say "stop in for a visit."   But no one has time for that these days like they did in years past.    Guess I'm feeling nostalgic today because our life has slowed down considerably while the remainder of the world keeps whizzing by.   

My wish for you is to be able to slow down, enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas and reflect on the important things and the people in your life.

From Our House

to Your House

Have A 

Merry Christmas 

From

Mr. D, M and Mario

It's Beginning To Look Like Chriistmas

Hi Friends,

Yes,it's beginning to look like Christmas around here.   Mr. D is hard at work making Peanut Butter Balls.   Yes, this  wonderful man cooks too!    I used to make them, but he took it over when he retired and I still worked.   Now it's to hard on my back to stand over the stove for any period of time.   I think he really enjoys doing it anyway and I'm very thankful.   He actually mentions mid-November that he should get the ingredients for "his" peanut butter balls. So, I think it's safe to say he enjoys making them.

I'll publish the recipe at the end of this post just in case anyone wants it.  It is an old recipe, so most of you probably have it.  I received it from two very dear friends here in town several years ago.

The song "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like  Christmas" has been playing over and over in my head for the past two days.  Mostly because we received 4 inches of fresh, white fluffy snow on Thursday night into Friday morning.   Starting tonight another 8 is headed in our direction.  YIKES!   

I am so very thankful for the man who takes care of our snow removal for us.   He is a true blessing to us.   He is so very particular - leaves about 1 foot of shoveled area next to the driveway on the grass so we have a pathway to walk on that isn't as slippery.   Then around the mailbox he shovels out a good 5-foot section so we can just reach in and grab the mail without walking into the street.   Here's a sample of how he shovels around our small walkway to the house:

You can see the foot wide path on the grass running all the way down to the street.   Are we spoiled or what!!    We did not ask him to do it this way - it's just the way he does his own too.   

On Friday he was unable to get here until evening, so our neighbor came over and blew out the driveway, which we really appreciated.   But then early this morning our regular guy still came over and took care of the patio and cleaned up the front according to his specifications.   See what I mean - he's a blessing to us for sure.

Well, that's it for  today.   Here's the recipe.   I'll probably post once more before  Christmas, but if I miss anyone - please have a very Merry Christmas/Holiday and Healthy, Happy 2014.

Peanut Butter Balls

2 Cups Confectionary Sugar

2 Cups Peanut Butter (Chunk or Smooth)

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (Nabisco)

1/4 Cup Butter softened

Big Chunk of Chocolate (Dark) -  found in most stores - Christmas baking section -  this time of year.

Combine all ingredients -  mix like a pie crust dough until crumbly.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.   Form into a long roll, about 3/4 inch in diameter.  Cut into slices and then form small balls by rolling in your hand.    Place balls on baking sheets covered with wax paper.  Set in cool place to chill.  In double boiler, melt the chocolate.   Take chilled balls and dip into chocolate and place back on cookie  sheet.   Refrigerate until firm and chocolate is very firm.   Balls are now ready to be eaten or  frozen to enjoy later.

Enjoy!

Mary

Ditzing Around Again

Hi Friends,

The other night I was out running a couple of errands and remembered to grab my camera before leaving the house.   One of the streets I pass by quite often is very decorated.  It seems that if one house on the block goes all out, quite often 2 or 3 others will join in with putting up lights!  At least that is what I have observed in our neighborhood through the years.

Out of 6 pictures taken, this is the only one that I felt somewhat happy with. What a disappointment.   Will try to go back and retake a couple one of these nights again.   

It's supposed to snow again tomorrow, then Thursday a possibility of a few inches coming.    I am so very thankful for the man who comes to shovel/plow us out whenever we do get snow.   He did tell me tho that he plans on taking a couple of days this week to go skiing.   I'll have to call a neighbor to see if he can help us out.   Neither Don nor I can do it anymore.  I tried scraping a light coating of snow off the driveway the other day and my back squawked loudly "don't do that!"  Okay back - you win this round.

Until next time,

Mary