I Will Remember

Welcome back to the Tuesday 4! 
I don't know about y'all, but I always look forward to seeing what prompts Ann has chosen ..... and how others answer.  Join us, won't you?  

Do you find memories comforting or troubling?

That's a mixed bag!
Most are precious.  Of course, there have been dark times -- but like the lyric from a favorite song goes, "It's the laughter we will remember, whenever we remember the way we were."

Have you set up a memorial for a loved one or friend?

Only in my heart

What songs bring back good memories for you?

I know y'all don't have a week to listen ... so here's a sprinkling of fist pumping, laughing-out-loud moments in my life.

59th Street Bridge Song ..... Whiskey River ..... God Blessed Texas ..... Sweet Caroline ..... and can't forget Volare!

Have you visited Civil War or Revolutionary War sites?

Only this --

Confederate Memorial near our home

Robinson Springs encampment

"These lent our cause its holy consecration"

 

Have a blessed week, my friends!

Hugs, Myra

Saturday medley

 

Hello friends,

It's a bright and beautiful morning in 'Bama ... like Mother Nature's trying to make amends for all the rain we've been experiencing.

Speaking of bright ...
We had a great appointment with Tom's new ortho doc Tuesday morning!   First thing he comes in with a big smile and outstretched arm, offers firm handshakes.  (No more annoying fist bumps - yay!)

Bottom line, he's reluctant to do the hip replacement until Tom's fully recovered from next month's cardio ablation.  Plus, he wants to consult with both the neurosurgeon and infectious disease specialist to get their opinion.  (The more I learn about the osteomyelitis, the more I realize how fortunate we were.)  

Grateful when he offered a prescription for Tom's pain levels  -- but oh my word, what a cacophony ensued.

When, after two days, we hadn't heard from the VA pharmacy I started calling: No, they didn't have any record of a script.  Called Southern Orthopedics: Yes, she called it in Tuesday afternoon.  "What's the number and I'll call it in again." 

Did you know?

..... Doctors can't issue a replacement script to another pharmacy.  (Not sure who 'they' are, but she said 'they' would know and refuse to fill it.)

..... If one spends an entire afternoon trying to reach a human at the VA -- only to be disconnected four times -- one might be sorely tempted to press '7' to be connected with the Veterans Suicide Crisis line?

Yesterday morning, I tried Southern Orthopedics again.

..... No, we don't issue paper prescriptions any longer.  (News to me, but then I'm still the generation who puts two spaces after a period.)

Then, "Would you mind waiting while I talk to my supervisor?"  Lo and behold, they decided to call in a replacement script to Walgreens.

Not only that, a few hours later, I got another call from the same young lady -- she wanted to ensure we were able to get the pills before she left for the holiday weekend.   How neat is that?!   There's still some great customer service-minded folks out there; I'm going to send a note to her management team.  

Back to Thursday.

Since day drinking wasn't an option and the rain hadn't begun to let up.....

I put on my hunters plaid PJs, lit the fireplace and decided to build a pot of chicken detox soup.    There's lots to be said about chopping raw veggies to smithereens while stressed!   Because I loathe 'doing' broccoli, however, I did spend a few more pennies on pre-floreted greens.  Oh, and because I only had no-sodium beef broth on hand, that's what they got.   Yummy, nevertheless.   

Anyway.  Despite the cost of gas, it seems lots of folks are hitting the highways.   I've many great memories of trying to achieve the greatest distances in the shortest amount of time.   Thankful to have left all that in the rear-view mirror!

Aside from watching the PBS Memorial Day Concert from Washington (always appointment TV!), we've nothing on our agenda.   

While I've not seen anyone selling poppies in years, I saw this little factoid on FB and thought it appropriate to share:

"Today I saw a man selling poppies stop a lady and asked if he could reposition her poppy.  While doing so, he told that lady she should wear the poppy on her right side:  The red represents the blood of all those who gave their lives, the black represents the mourning of those who didn't have their loved ones return home; and the green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much.  The leaf should be positioned at 11 o'clock to represent the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time that WWI formally ended."

Last year's ceremony in Prattville

Be good, be kind,

Hugs, Myra

   

L'chaim! To life!

 

Welcome back to the Hodgepodge!

When I heard Joyce say today is National Wine Day ... how could I not participate?!

Come, sit for a spell!

* * *

She asks ...

Do you like wine? Yes   
Red or white?  Red
Dry or sweet? Dry 
Do you have a favorite?
Masi Amarone.  I first heard about it in the book I was reading -- the protagonist chose it ("a big red") for his important date.  Because it's pricier than what I like to pay, I've only ever had a glass or two.

Have you ever been to California wine country?  No
Or any other wine region?
Yes. Tuscany, Italy.  Years ago, I enjoyed a 'sometimes' relationship with a gentleman who lived there.

What's a dish you make that calls for wine?
Occasionally I'll sauté fresh mushrooms in butter and wine to serve atop a steak.

What's something you've whined about lately?
The price of gas.  Ugh.

Last time you were 'wined and dined?  Tell us about it.
Again, this was years ago ... when cruising was still an elegant, intimate experience.

That was the first time I'd tasted caviar -- and was surprised to realize I liked it!

Three cheers for our American servicemen (and women)~

This will be the last Hodgepodge in the month of May.  Somehow next Wednesday the calendar rolls into June.  Before we go, though, sum up your May in 12 words or less.
Every day's a banquet.  Some tasted better than others.  Still, I'm full.

Insert your own random thought here.

Ciao for now! xo

Myra

Time Passages

 

Welcome back to the Tuesday 4.  Toni has moved on to 'higher ground' but we keep her memory alive.

Let's consider Time.

When you say 'in a couple of days' what time period are you thinking?  Is your time exact or fluid?

I'm definitely exact; a couple of days is day after tomorrow.  Grinning, because He who also lives here might mean next week, next month ... even next year.  We adapt.

Does time get away from you?  How do you handle time?

Not really, no.  Like my parents, I've always been agenda-driven.

People say time is short.  Then why do you do so many things you don't like and so few of the things you do like?

In a word?  Obligations.

Were it not for the myriad of medical appointments, I wonder if our Good Experiences would feel as special.  (Things that make you go 'hmmmm....')

Do you have enough time to do the things you want to do or live as you would like to live?

Pretty much so, yes.

Sure, I'd love to have the means to travel more ... even turn down the A/C to 72* without fretting about the electric bill ... but it's all good.  A far cry from my work life which existed 4 years ago!

🕥

I love this meme.  Maybe you will, too.

Be good, stay safe!

Hugs, Myra

Fun times and Fotos, too

Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my back door!

This little guy and his friends sure enjoy teasing the girls.

With Tom's blessing, I had such a fun 'girls' day yesterday!

If memory serves, it was 50 years ago I was invited to accompany 3 girls on a shopping trip to Dallas.  Whaaat?!   She might as well have said New York City.  Paris, even!   Back then, little old Abilene couldn't even boast a shopping mall.   Color me naive: party of one!

There's little I remember, save laughter and a remarkable lunch at a colorful Mexican restaurant with little flags on the tabletop one could raise if they needed seconds. 

Anyway.  That's what was on my mind prior to meeting Cindy and Dawn.   Wednesday night I carefully lay out what I wanted to wear  -- and only packed and unpacked my shopping bag twice.  (LOL)  

Early yesterday, Cindy pulled into the church parking lot and off we went to an estate sale billed, "MASSIVE! AMAZING! Must Attend!"  The address was listed in Wetumpka -- but where we wound up was pretty remote.  To borrow my husband's expression, "Where Moses lost his sandals and no-one's looking." 

Not someplace I'd like to be after dark.

Early on, we were disenchanted.  Even before the doors opened a began, a crowd began gathering.  We were #'s 55, 56 and 57; they quit taking names after #80.  Some had arrived before dawn! 

Probably those of you 'thrifters' know which estate sale facilitators are good; which to avoid.  This was definitely the latter .... the first time I'd come face-to-face with what a hoarder's residence looks like. 

The former residents were elderly disabled ladies with more money than sense.  Literally, the garage was stacked with unopened boxes of small appliances and unused merchandise.  More than 100 pieces of cast iron, some brand new.   Oh, and cases of survival food.  Attention preppers!

   

Emergency celery, anyone?  Ugh!

While the house appeared clean, there was a definite 'aroma' of stale, unwashed bodies.   We wasted no time getting out of there -- but not before Cindy discovered a couple antique meat grinders, and I found these 5" cuties.   'No idea if I'll use them for dips or an au gratin, but I like how they match my everyday plates.

After thoroughly disinfecting our hands, someone suggested getting a burger at Coaches Corner.

There being plenty of time before it opened, we moseyed our way around the historic downtown.

Cute container, turned boutique

The Big Fish house where (director) Tim Burton filmed the 2003 cult classic

We even ran into a couple of familiar faces!

Cindy (left) and Dawn with Erin and Ben

Isn't this an adorable bar and stool?

Some people are so creative!

Finally,

Lunch on the Coosa

Chatting in between bites, I quite forgot to take photos of our meals.

My blackened + bleu burger was delicious, as usual.  I even paired it with yummy fried green tomatoes.  Extra points to our server for bringing a big squeeze bottle of mayo and leaving it on the table!

Embarrassed to admit, when I got home I told Tom I was going to close my eyes "for just a minute" but woke up 3 hours later!

I don't even mind (much) that I gained 2 lbs. overnight.

Simple pleasures make my world go round!

Hugs, Myra

   

 

Welcome back!

 

... to the Wednesday Hodgepodge!   Our hostess Joyce asks the questions, and we gather to share answers -- sort of like a cyber coffee klatch!   

What's something that makes you feel stressed?  How do you cope?

'Not sure how it originated, but I've always had a pathological fear of being late.  For instance.  Any time we have to be at UAB, the 'what-iffer' in me starts to engage -- what if there's an accident on I-65, what if we don't leave in plenty of time and get caught in traffic, what if there's no wheelchair transport ....  

How do I cope?  Not well.   I'm 'that' person standing by the front door, bag in hand well before it's necessary.  Meanwhile, Tom's over there chilling and smoking his pipe like Cool Hand Luke.

What's a food you eat that evokes a memory?  Explain.

My regular readers are probably weary of my mentions of Hatch Chile -- but gosh.  It was such a cornerstone of my youth.  One of my biggest regrets is mother not living long enough to enjoy the 'real' stuff I get delivered on dry ice.  She loved living in Florida, but sure missed that particular delicacy.  Quoting from an article in Bon Appetit:  "It's sweet and smoky, it has a slight funk to it and a grassiness that makes it always taste like it's freshly picked.  Like a jalapeno with more of a character arc."

This week's Hodgepodge lands on National Visit Your Relatives Day.  Will you celebrate by visiting a relative?  If so, is travel involved?  Geographically, who is your nearest relative (not counting those living in your own house)?

My son, DIL and Grand #2 are a 45-minute drive away; they all work hard outside the home.  So no, we've no plans to see each other today.  Sadly, our family was very small; my cousins and I've little interest in one another's lives.

What's your most frequently used emoji?  Do you make more phone calls, send more emails or mainly text to communicate with friends and family?

😘 💛🙏

Depending on the audience, it's a toss-up between e-mail, text or private messaging.  I'll talk on the phone, but I'm not really fond of doing so.

Tell us a story behind a favorite piece of furniture.

After my father died in '81, mother shocked us all by having her sunroom enclosed and buying a nice table and chairs.   Unfortunately, I've no pictures -- but that's where she spent the majority of her mornings and late nights, too.  On random Fridays when I'd drive down to Port Charlotte after work, she and I'd sit there sipping wine, consuming bowlfuls of Cheez-Its.  Of course, Caraleigh had her own chair.  She never had much to say, but appeared to understand it all.

Today:  These aren't my favorite cushions -- while in Arizona we kept it outside, where sun destroyed the originals.

Sun room

Here's a close-up of the sole survivor on the rocker I've always kept inside.

Sometimes I sit and run my hands across the buttery resin like momma used to do.

Insert your own random thought here.

Hugs, Myra

 

  

  

More idle thoughts

G'evening from beauty-full Bama!

I wanted to post something sooner but got caught up wrangling papers.  You know paper?  Used to be, I was 'that' lady who could put her hands on a years-old receipt in 60 seconds or less.  

Then sometime in the last couple of years all that went by the way.   Until yesterday morning when I glared at the stacks, realized I can't take it anymore ... which unleashed the OCD in me.   No-one cares that every piece of pulp is categorized, laying in chronological order ... but it makes my olden heart happy. 

Speaking of happy, these make me giggle 

And speaking of diet ...

Remember my recent rant grumble about few restaurants offering keto-friendly options?  Salads are always a safe choice -- but most of their dressings are sugar-laden.

Look what I discovered at Dollar Tree!

Even our server was impressed.

Ooooh no! 

Maybe you saw this on the Today Show or FB.
Now comes something called the Lone Star tick.  A bite results in an allergy where one won't be able to consume any red meat without becoming sick.  In extreme cases, this allergic reaction can result in anaphylaxis shock and even death.  

With the occasional exception, for the last 40+ years my dietary profile has consisted of 90% red meat.  Makes me long for the time I was terrified of Romaine lettuce.

* * *

So it looks like next week's going to be blessedly uneventful.  When we saw Tom's neurosurgeon Thursday, he said 'You're good to go; call me if you need anything."  Yeay!

Now we're just waiting to hear from UAB when Tom can have the ablation performed.  It was soooo hard not to nag him into making that decision, but I'm eternally grateful for everyone's prayers.

Faith over fear, right?  

Deep thoughts

Hugs, Myra

A Hodgepodge of thoughts

 

Thank you, Joyce ...
and welcome friends and fellow Hodgepodgers!  Shall we?

What do you never get tired of?

When Macie and Grace come crawl in my lap or try to become one with my hip.

My mother made the best:

What machine or appliance in your home aggravates you the most?  Why?

Our 'energy-efficient' washing machine and dryer.  (Now I know why manufacturers try strong-arming folks into buying additional extended warranties.)  For instance?  Every now and then during the spin cycle, the washer makes a loud grinding noise like someone's operating a jack hammer in the kitchen.   Her name's Karen.

What are 3 things that brighten up your day when they happen?

Waking up and realizing nothing aches.

My hair does what I want.

I discover a treasure at an estate sale I didn't know I needed.

Thursday (May 12) is National Limerick Day.  Write a limerick about relating to spring weather, spring blooms or a spring event (Five lines, the first two lines rhyme with the fifth line, the third and fourth lines rhyme together.)

Allergies, anyone?  Okay --

There once was a big-shot called Bart

Who thought he was so very smart.

Come Spring, to 'Bama he ran

Quite forgetting Allegra in hand,

We just smiled and said, "Well, bless his heart."

Insert your own random thought here --

My thoughts and prayers are with friends and former classmates in my little hometown, Los Alamos.  Once again, the community's threatened by wildfire.  While no evacuation orders have been issued, yesterday officials amended their warning systems:  'READY' has become 'SET.'  Praying that winds won't prompt a 'GO' order, but I'm impressed by the level of communications and firefighters' resolve.  This isn't their first rodeo.

(Old image, borrowed from the internet.)

22 years ago today (May 10) a monster named Cerro Grande roared into town, coming dangerously close to the National Lab and decimating hundreds of homes.  Adding insult to injury, it began as a controlled burn.

Not sure if you can make out the homemade sign:

"For Sale!  Fixer-upper ... Handyman's dream ... Moving, everything must go ... Spacious floor plan ...Unobstructed views ... Furniture negotiable ... red hot deals! ...  For viewing contact FEMA ... Remodeling done by National Park Service."

Mother's and my last vacation together was memorable in more ways than one!

Mother and former coworker, Melvina.

Thank you so much for visiting. It means a lot!

Hugs, Myra

Thankful Thursday

I love when others share those things -- both small or significant -- for which they're thankful.

But you know what I don't see? 

Daily regularity.

Remember when your toddler first learned to make #2 in the potty?   Cue the mommy applause ... it's New Years Eve all over again!

So how come no-one congratulates us anymore?

By the time we've reached Middle Age, the only one likely to do so is the gastroenterologist.

One of the things I remember most about my father was his seeming obsession with staying regular.  I've no idea from where it originated, but he was all the time asking mother and me, "Did you go today?"

Greece ruins' toilet (aka, the 'necessary room')

One of my favorite stories centers around the time my parents took my little son on vacation to New Orleans.  Daddy wanted Troy to experience 'Breakfast at Brennans.'

   

Before finishing their meal, Troy had to 'go.'   Minutes passed slowly.  Right before my dad went to check on him, he spots Troy:  Big smile.  Hands held wide in front.  In a loud voice, "Grandpa, I made one THIS big!"

Want a giggle?  I recently read a humorous article where several women candidly share their own hilarious and humiliating stories ... 'flushing away' the illusion that females don't poop.

Here's that link

 

So, how do you spell R-E-L-I-E-F?

Hugs, Myra

 

Belongings and BLT's

 

But first, a PSA!

I'm hearing of more folks unable to comment, except as 'Anonymous.'  Been there!  In fact, it happened to me again last week.   I don't claim to have the answer, but this is what worked for me:

Looking at my dashboard, I clicked on 'Settings' then (sub-section) 'Comments.'   Each place I'd chosen an option I toggled off, then on again and hit 'Save.'   Mevely317 might not be the cutest moniker on the block, but it feels better than being Anonymous!

And another thing!   Thanks for Martha Jane for alerting me (that) she'd left a comment but didn't see it.

For reasons only known to those rascals at Blogger, her original comment had been flagged 'Spam.'  This is actually the second time it's happened!   Because some of your comments don't appear in my e-mail (Jack, I'm looking at you. *grin*), I've taken to checking the 'Comment" section on my dashboard every few days.  Those censors need to get over themselves!

Do you enjoy BLT's?

Last week Tom got to craving one, but we'd no bacon.  Wait a minute!   I remembered his son's Christmas present included a 5-pound package of Conecuh slab bacon.   It arrived frozen and shoved in the freezer where it's stayed.   (Oh, Tom made noises about buying a new hacksaw blade, but neither of us was especially keen.)

Basically, I took it out and allowed it to thaw completely.  Because I'll do almost anything to avoid the mess that comes with frying bacon, I brought out the slow cooker.  Tom was doubtful but allowed, "If we have to, we can always throw it out."   Ha!

Bacon and eggs, ala Mevely!  Yep, I'm known for being non-traditional.

Guess what?!?  It was delicious!   I'm normally not a fan of bacon because of the sodium, but this stuff isn't salty at all.   Have you ever done bacon in the crock pot?

There's little else going on, but I did discover a nearby estate sale Friday morning.

This is a little sad, but I still LOL'd.

Bless her heart, my mother was so proud of her glasses, etc.; and even had them appraised.  So sure they'd be worth $ someday.  Nope. I'm seeing lots of this stuff at estate sales marked way down ... and no-one's interested.

Me, I always head for the kitchen first ... where I found this!

Anyone who knows my native Chicago, sax-blowing hubby knows why it had to come home with me.  Another plus - we bumped into one of his flying friends and wound up going out with he and his wife for a bite of lunch.  It feels soooo good to be able to do that again!

Hope y'all are doing well?  I'm giving myself permission to enjoy doing nothing today!

Hugs, Myra