Coffee and..... for Saturday, August 26th

Greetings from your neighborhood zombie. (Actually, I'm awake now since it's really not quite midnight, but am afraid of what kind of state I'll be in when 5 AM rolls around!)

We came from over here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/643613/

Dahling luvvies,

It's close to Saturday here so I'm going to post. I just came back from visiting with Mum at the nursing home and she's stably dwindling. I don't know how else to put it. She asked if there was going to be BINGO today, but I had to disappoint her and tell her she'd have to wait until tomorrow. She used to be quite the BINGO player in her younger years. I took her outside in the courtyard and I could hardly extricate her from there. I finally had to take her inside when it came supper time and time for meds. I'm glad to see a little spunk in her again, even if it's only momentary.

Maria, I'm so sorry you are ill with pneumonia. I hope the meds they have you on work quickly. I think I read in Friday's post that you are on Levaquin (big guns antibiotic) and Prednisone and Albuterol and Atrovent. I'm glad to hear the doc put you on these medications. The Albuterol and Atrovent combination should help greatly. In the ER we call that combination an "A & A". The Ipratropium (Atrovent) is used to prevent bronchospasm and the Albuterol is an adrenergic bronchodilator that works by relaxing muscles in the airways to improve breathing. Of course, the Prednisone is a steroid and helps by decreasing inflammation in the lungs. I hope you are drinking LOTS of fluids. Make sure some of those fluids have calories in them as you require calories to help fight fever, to boost your immune system and to aid in healing. Also, you may find it helpful to drink some warm fluids such as tea or even coffee. They help in cutting the phlegm and soothing the air passages from coughing. There are xanthines in coffee that work as a bronchodilator and you may find that after drinking a cup of coffee, your coughing lessens for a time. Xanthines are the property that the medication "Theodur" is made from and that medication was used for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

On the way home from visiting Mum this evening, DH pulled off the road and let me shoot some film. Here's a photo looking out at Penn Cove from Madrona Drive and towards the Penn Cove mussel floats.

I bid everyone a wonderful day. Hugs to all, ~Babs~

So... I get the worm?

Morning everyone...Babs - beautiful pic. We are so lucky to have you here to interpret all our meds!! Glad mum is getting some of her spunk back- give her a big hug from all of us!

Maria, I too suffer from an upset stomach when taking meds. I don't know what is worse - not feeling good from sickness or not feeling good from meds. I've only had pneumonia once, but I thought I was dying and just didn't care. That is nasty stuff...take care and for heavens sakes call your daughter!!

Darius - good news on the medial front for you too!! I have things on my body - dermatologist said they were from 'age' - they look like somebody thru globs of mud on my body. They are raised and annoy me, but guess that is the price of having years on your side.

I am ticked at myself. I left my gardening shoes outside and it rained last night. They are my old 'merrill' shoes and it takes hours for them to dry out. They are forecasting an all night rain here tonight - we need it, so no complaints here! But the mosquitoes are ferocious now. I always spray from my head down to my toes.

M5-your hair is getting there! Hope it is easier to manage. Mine is even shorter -which reminds me -think I have an appointment next week to get it chopped again.

Defoe- have a great time on vacation! We'll miss ya!

McC - hope you have a day at the craft show where everyone wants your candles!! It's a lot of work to haul everything and not sell much...but you do what you gotta do!

Today I am going to a birthday party for a gal I used to work with. Not something I would choose to do, but will go anyhow. The gal I am going with said she would drive, but has to stop at a local garden center- no problem with that!! I am keeping my purse zipped as I don't need any more plants .....(still have 2 to get in the ground...)

I've been in a funk for a time now...don't know what is the matter - it's like my holiday blues have hit early this year. Wish I knew how to get over it...

well, time to get a going!!

worm is yours- I'll have a donut..

Good morning and everione. Darius, yes you got the worm
Babs, thank you for all that imortant information, yiu are such a wonderful lady, will email you soon ((((Babs))))

LOL, Sarv, that doesn't surprise me!

This message was edited Aug 26, 2006 7:34 AM

darius-Would you like fries with that? LOL

ketchup?

No, Darius will want a hint of rosemary and garlic with her worm.

Well, I've been up an hour and I'm ready to go back to bed. But I cannot, at least until I know if my helper boy will be here to work today. Had a nice long talk with his mother last night while he was at a football game. She told me she will let him work after school once he shows he's doing well in school. I think it helped that I told her I would tutor him in algebra, his nemesis.

I couldn't go back to bed anyway... I have spaghetti sauce slowly cooking down so I can process it in the pressure canner later today. Plus, I really need to do laundry as the forecast today is hot and dry.

Gracie has discovered she can get on the back porch railing and look directly into the window in the LR and watch to see if I am up and about... waiting for her breakfast!

Lovely photo, Babs. Glad your mum has some spunk even if briefly. My mother was almost comatose for 8 months before she died.

Rosemary will do!

BBL

and you really should use the china!

grrr! time to get ready for work. I absolutely despise! working every Sat. I have no life!!!!! ok, that helped. :) They offered switching out of Labor Day so I will have LD off and work Tues. instead. And I am going to take Sat the 2nd off, regardless if anyone picks up my hours of not. I will have to take .5 attendance point (.25 for every 2 hours missed) if no one picks them up, but too bad, we are going somewhere. Probably my sister in Oostburg, WI or first and second cousins in Sabetha, KS.

Ok, gotta go, have an excellent day all. Maria, hope you continue healing. Babs, thanks for the drug info, that was interesting. Oops, I forget what else I was gonna say so I'll just wave to all ~~~~~~~~~Laura

DS just called and wants to get a new cell phone plan. I am an extra on his. We have nextell now, but we lose calls all the time. In fact I just called him (he lives 8 mi from me) and we lost calls 4 times. grrrrr

Anybody have one that they LOVE.....we are looking at alltel (he had it years ago and it was better in the dropped call area)

Well, it is 9:30 and I am still in my pjs....need to get going!

Sarv48----- Well your Doctor did not look very close. Anyone in here could have told him it was nothing more than caked on Peanut Butter.

Babs, incredible picture. What a beautiful place you live in. Glad mom is still getting a bit spunky but knowing that you are there is probably what brightens her days. You are a wonderful daughter. She is a blessed woman.

Sarv, my family uses Verizon. We have had just about every company I think and they all seem to have dropped calls around here. We decided to stay with Verizon because the plan was the best for 5 phones. The best is my youngest phone. We have it programed for only the numbers that we will allow him to call and receive no other numbers can get through either way.

Way to early to get involved with the ketchup conversation.....

A great good morning to you Maria, stay down today, take your meds and drink the fluids that Babs told you. We want you back up and playing with Samson soon. Call your daughter. I know as a daughter I would rather be worrying about my mother then to think that she has been ill and I didn't know and she didn't call me.

Do you all see what time it is for me??? A Saturday and I am up, out of bed, and typing before 7am. The headache is still here and it obviously doesn't like or need sleep to annoy me. DH is going to take me to the lab so they can stick me and draw some blood. When Doc gets the results he will call and let me know what they say and what he wants to do next.

Well I guess if I am going to be up I will go out and check out a couple yard sales. Hope everyone has a beautiful day.

Casey

Good morning. Happy Saturday everyone.

Babs, what a beautiful, peaceful picture! I'm glad your Mum can enjoy a little trip outside in the sunshine with you. Is she able to go to the activity room and play a bingo game? I know from working in a nursing home that just getting out of one's room for a little while can really lift the spirits. Thanks for the explanation about the prescriptions, even through they aren't my meds it is nice to know what is used for what. Are you making anything with the tomatoes or just eating them au naturale?

Maria, you do need to let your daughter know you are sick. I know you don't want her to worry, but you still need to call her.

Darius, another latent talent surfacing, algebra tutor! You are indeed a woman of many talents! The young man has a lot on his plate recently, so it will be good if you can help get him refocused after the big fatherhood scare which I hope has done him some good.

Kooger, have a nice mini vacation. Just getting away for a couple of days can be a real spirit lifter, and if you are unavailable, well, so be it. With such an intense job you need a break.

Last evening our son and Daughter in Law came out to gather vegies. They stayed for dinner, son measured for more new windows. Little by little we have been replacing all the old wooden double hung ones with their goofy improvised storm windows that do little more than provide another surface for dirt. Some of them can't be opened, others don't close tightly and the weights on clothesline type ropes that are used for counterbalances are nonfunctional so the windows that do open have a stick of kindling holding them up and then the outer "storm" window had to be opened separately. These last four will complete the job that started 13 years ago when we rebuilt one end of the house to turn an ugly back porch into a dining area. The troppling in the flower beds won't matter since almost all the plants have had it for the season and are shutting down for winter. Mostly it is just day lilies on that side of the house, and you all know how hard it is to kill them! Window installation will happen in about 4 weeks and then hubby will have all the trim to replace and paint before winter.

Daughter in law and I had picked a big bag of green beans so we had some of those for dinner, cooked until just tender with a smoked sausage cut up in them for flavoring. There was potato salad left from a couple of days ago (it gets better with age, up to a certain point anyhow). Our son had 2 big helpings of Mom's potato salad and might have eaten more if the bowl hadn't been empty! We also had pickled beets that were very good having spent a night and day in their pickling juice, and freshly picked corn on the cob. They left about 9pm with 2 bags full of other vegies. She has to be at work at 7:30 this morning.

Time to go, hubby is taking me to breakfast this morning but he doesn't know it yet. :^)

Okay ... who is the closest to Darius? Someone quick! Run down there and take her temperature ... She doesn't want garlic with her worm!!! Oh no!

Morning everyone! Have been up trying to catch up with all my forums. Had my coffee and cereal and am ready to get up and at it. We have an ice cream social at our church this afternoon, so I've got to get busy. Will just wave at everyone for now.
~~~~Elaine

oz - I"m gonna smack you one.....hummph peanut butter...

Been sitting in my chair reading a book - just can't seem to get in gear...(no comments...)

Carat- I like that kind of phone for younger kids...good thinking on someones part...

oops neighbors just over- gotta go out and be polite...

That is a beautiful shot, Babs. You live in a scenic wonderland! Give Mom a hug from us, and hope for more good days with her.

I made breakfast, pancakes, eggs and ham, did bed linens which I can't hang outside because it's soupy and humid and it will rain before they dry. Loaded the dishwasher and wiped up the kitchen floor....I'm a messy cook. One last trip over to the grand kitties today, kids will be home around midnight so they need one last feeding. There are three cats, Max, Eddie, who is HUGE, and Chips, the one I didn't see on Wednesday. They brought Howard the Dog back over to my DD's and she's up in Calgary with him with some other dog groomers, having a good time I hope. Howard has a heavy coat and will be the example of how-to in a seminar. She also said DS needs to put him on a diet, because he's too fat.

So, it's been a lonesome week for me without my two best girls around. I'm waiting for DH to notice my hair cut. Maybe next week? LOL

Maybe garlic is too overpowering for the delicate flavor of worms? There's a movie out called, "How to Eat Fried Worms" kind of a kid vs. bully story. Looks cute.

Enjoy the new windows Mary....we had those old rope/pulley types in at least two homes, none of them worked well. We even replaced the ropes but old windows are just that, OLD. And drafty. We used a lot of plastic in the winter time.

Sarv, I've had Cingular for the longest time, never had a dropped call, only bad reception is inside the big box stores. It all depends on the number of towers that are up in your area. If there aren't enough to boost the calls to the recipient, from tower to tower, lots of calls will just fade out. Ask your friends and neighbors what their experience has been, it doesn't matter what the commercials say, it all depends on the towers.

~~~ at all, better get a move on, I'm burning daylight here and not making much progress. Maria, follow instructions!!

Sheila

I too have had good service in the past with cingular. Am fixin to get me a new cell. I've already been checking into it. They're the *only* company which has a cell phone that's accessible for the blind and visually impaired. None of the other companies I've checked into accommodate a person who is totally blind. You can purchase software called "Talks" to go with the Nokia 6620 phone which makes all menus and screen settings menus accessible. At last I'll be able to use all the features on my phone. :-) Figured since I had to replace mine might as well be one I could use. LOL
~Elaine~

Whoopeee! We got ALL the rest of the floor joists and bridging in today!!! Brent has gone for the afternoon as someone is giving him 100 red oak logs to use in the future home he has planned and he has to move them today. Tomorrow we do the flooring and lots of odds and ends around here.

While we were working, we heard a "whoosh" which we thought was the car driving down the road having a flat tire. Well, guess what... it wasn't. A huge weeping willow by my shop building came down, partly on the shop. It's probably 75 to 100 feet long, and what a mess! You can barely see the trunk in the attached photo.

Sarv, I've had several cellular companies, and so far Verizon has been the best. In fact, it's the only one that gets reception out here.

Home again. Stopped a few yard sales and Goodwill on my way to the lab. Found two roof luggage rack duffle bags. These will be great for our trip to Tahoe over Labor Day weekend. I also found a single electric burner for work. We like to do some cooking in our small kitchen but we have no stove so everything is slowcooked or electric skillet made now.

Daruis, that was a large tree. I am glad that you and Brent weren't hurt. Any damage to the shop??? I hope not.

Well DH and I are going to power wash the cement on the side of the house. It is where we keep the trash and aluminum cans for recycling. We crush the cans before placing them in trash bags and my DS doesn't always remember to empty the cans out completely before crushing them.

Hope all are having a great weekend.

Casey

Anyone have any ideas on the best clumping bamboo for my SC house. It is zone 7b. All the clumping ones that I find say that they are not good in high heat and humidity. I want it to reach at least 10 ft high.

Casey, ask MollyMc about Mulhy bamboo.

I just got done reading a weeks worth and I am on overload!! Everybody is so busy !!

I don't remember who did what cuz I didn't tke notes.Darius glad things are going better for you and that you guys are making good progress.

Sounds like all furbabies are feeling good and frisky. Maybe too frisky!

Sorry to hear that some of you are still not feeling good. Hope you feeling better soon.

There's also been some good shopping! That's always fun to hear about good deals and money saved.

I was without computer for a week. Told my DS that the withdrawel was terrible.

I worked on the bomb site until I ran out of rocks for the size I needed. Then we got lots of rain and it was too muddy. I might be able to get back out there sun. or mon. I promised Cherie some irises.

Had to pick all the plums before the birds pecked holes in all of them. So I have plum jam to make. I've been picking up apples. Wed. DH and I made 9 apple pies and put them in the freezer. He makes the crust. I hate making crust. MY beans were all caught up until I went out and looked today. Have another batch to do and more apples to pick up. Will also have tomatoes to do soon. REally seems like it's all ripening at once this year. Never got out and picked blackberries. I don't know how some of you find the time to do what you do.

Was talking to one of my customers today and she offered me some free sweetcorn. So I made an apple crisp for her. She has 4 young kids and they farm. So I know she doesn't have a lot of time to do extra stuff.

So that's all that's been happening in my quiet little world. Hope anybody that needs a little quiet gets some . Vicki

MollyMc, I was told by the wise one to ask you about Muhly Bamboo. LOL

Darius, I truly enjoyed our chat today. It really brightened my day. I had DH do the wrist thing and it helped a bit. I really didn't notice any difference with the other ideas.

DH is almost finished with the side of the house. He told me to go inside when I told him I was there to help. That was sweet but I still refuse to clean the oven from his chicken disaster.

Casey

Hi - back from the birthday bash...ohhhh but I ate wayyy tooo much....now I feel awful. The gal we went to the BD party for used to be the cook at the school I taught at. She is from Samoa (sp?) and is a princess over there. And a wonderful cook. We all had to wear lei's and there was hawaiian music playing - fun time...

On the way home we stopped at a garden store. They had the most lush huge pots out front. On the way out a cutting of an unusual sweet potato vine ended up coming with me....frost is just around the corner....LOL

Darius- that Brent sounds like one wonderful kid. Hope you can make the math sink into his brain!!

Well, it is hot and terribly humid here today - and I am sick of it....

~~ to everyone....CRS again. DM is coming out so I can beat the pants off her again...

Casey, I have the Muhley Bamboo Grass. You are going to love it, but I will tell you more in a dmail.

Molly
:^)))

Busy day, I'm tired but have tons of dishes to do. DH and DS met me after work and we went car shopping. We found a Grand Prix, 1993, 126K, and we bought it for $1800. It is in excellent shape for the year. And it has an electric sun roof which he thinks is the cat's meow! It needs some polishing and a right rear taillight. That's abt it. He is an extremely happy child right now!

DH says we're taking it to WI next wknd and guess what? I'm gonna spill the beans.......m5 and I are going to do our best to get together somewhere!! I'm very excited!! More details later as we make them. lol

We also stopped at a rummage sale. I had to buy this cookbook. It's Better Homes and Gardens from 1939. I know someone was talking somewhere abt old cookbooks and if this is one that someone really wants, LMK and you can have it for what I paid for it plus postage. I'm not a huge collector but enjoy looking thru the old ones.

We stopped at Habitat for Humanity Restore on Wed. after work and I found all these large gray pots. They had eight so I dickered with the lady and she sold them all to me for $10. I've decided the place looks cluttered, too many pots and too many different pots! So the plan next year is to have less but larger, identical pots! We shall see... ha!

Ok, I better get at those blankety blank dishes. Oh, forgot the good news, I slept all night without a single wakeup call! The procedure is deemed a huge success!!!!! LOL

have a good evening all!!

FINALLY, a call from the doctor. He says that I haven't been eating enough protein and more then likely that is why I am having the head aches. I rarely eat red meat. So DH is taking me out for dinner tonight before we go to a party and Prime Rib is speciality of the house. We will see. Didn't know that lack of protein can cause headaches though.....

Kooger, I love the habitat for humanity restores. I found one in Charlotte and while talking to the manager they say that they usually have an over abundance of windows. Just in case I need more for the green house.

Sarv, glad that you had such a good time at the party. Potato vines jumping into your pockets again? Whats a gardener to do????

Hello, mid afternoon break here.

Kooger, I have a cookbook that looks just like your picture, mine is 1937, probably almost identical but yours is in much better shape. Open it to the canning section, and I bet yours has the same picture as mine with the cooks looking more like nurses used to. Show us a picture of that page just for fun! Great find on the car, we found one that was about 15 years old with only about 30,000 miles on it, got it in a private sale from an old couple that had major health problems. It was so clean, mechanically perfect, had always been kept in a garage, and after they were too ill to drive it they had a neighbor come over once or twice a month, open the garage door, start and run the car for half an hour just to keep everything working. The man had bought it brand new with his retirement bonus so that they would always have a dependable car. He said he tried to sell it to a dealer but they wouldn't give him much for it, so we paid him more and it was sure worth it.

On our way home this morning I stopped at the discount store to get a couple of things and 5 mums just jumped into my cart. Gallon size for $1.99 each. I have them planted already. AmandaPanda helped me, she thought the planting holes were just her size! Now I have the spinkler going on them, because the spot where I planted them was really dry, and I know that all the water they sucked up sitting in buckets for about 3 hours after I got them home would go right out into the soil. So now I have a beauty spot where I just had an ugly, empty bed with mulch, and I can see it out the window! Hmmm, there is room for a few more, maybe there will still be some left on Tuesday when I go in. It's always good to plan ahead.

Hubby fixed the leaky valve on the pipe in the basement, but had to turn off the water to do it so I didn't even have any outside. I found plenty to do without it.

ves, that's a lot of pies! Your DH makes the crusts! well, he's a keeper for sure.

Casey, tell us about the chicken disaster.... it sounds like there must be a good story there, or did I miss it?

You jam makers out there, I'm curious, do you use a pectin product or just go with the old fashioned method? The old way takes less sugar I think but I have always used MCP or SureJel and got the job done quicker without the guesswork.

Gotta get back to my projects. Have a good evening.

Mary, lately i cook my jams down... less sugar and a better taste.

Well, back for my final post for the evening. Folks came out and DM whipped ME in scrabble!! She was in seventh heaven...left with a smile on her face... DSF brought me a hummingbird feeder. He has tried for 3 yrs to attract some and there are none where they live. I need a new one, so I really appreciated it!! Our hummies are just wild this time of the year. I think they are bulking up for their trip to the south.

Since I haven't made jam/jelly for years, I won't comment on the making of it!!

But recipe books- oh I love them....I try not get/buy any more as I have cupboard after cupboard of them. I take them out and read them like they were old friends. You'd think with so many that I would be a wonderful cook!! NOT

Mary- good job on the mums...and a good price!! I took cuttings off all of mine and now have 7 new pots full.

Carat- never heard about not eating enough protein causing headaches! Hopefully the prime rib will fix everything!

Kooger - congrads on the new car and especially on getting to meet up with M5 - you lucky gals.

Well, they are forecasting bad storms here tonight, plus that nasty hurricane down south. Hopefully it will peter out (fingers crossed for sure!)

night gracie (early.....)

MaryE--My DH is a keeper even if he does drive me crazy. I can pretty much do what I want as long as I don't plant stuff all over the yard. He is so handy! knows enough about fixing lots of things that we don't have to hire people to do the work and he's a workaholic. He has learned to relax somewhat finally!

He and his brother use to make 6 pies at a time so that everybody got there own pie. I'm not sure if their mom helped or not. I just found it amazing that they made all those pies.

I find it amazing too. :)

If they wanted pie they had to make it. 5 kids at home and they farmed. I'm sure MIL didn't have a lot of spare time.

One batch of spaghetti sauce will be out of the canner in a few minutes... the other may have to wait until morning. I gave Brent a delayed start tomorrow of 11 am so maybe I can get this last batch canned before then.

Say Goodnight, Gracie

(how many of you remember that routine with George Burns and Gracie Allen? I loved it, it was so dependable.)

Hi everyone ... just peacking in before I turn in cause tomorrow is a long day. We had a wonderful day today ... had a ice cream social at church today ... oh and I ate a bowl for you sarv. You can take your pick! I had peach and strawberry. LOL They had chocolate and chocolate chip but I had to make a round at the dessert table, so couldn't eat another bowl, but did manage to sample a piece of chocolate cake and some fruit trifle. Well, gosh ... I *had* to socialize!! Got to get up early tomorrow for church ... then afterwards we have a business meeting. The DH's DGU is coming over tomorrow evening, so I'll check back in when I can. Hope everyone has a blessed night. :-)
~Elaine~

I just finished my icecream and black currant sauce. Yum! The strawberry sounds good too, Elaine. LOL

Mary, here's the pic of the front of the canning section, along with an article that was slipped in the back of the book. It looks like they did some pic changing in the later edition.

Then I looked at the other first section pages and found this and I bet it's the one you were talking abt right? You would think they're ready to hang an IV or something. LOL But don't we all look like that in the kitchen?

Hmmmm ......thought I'd posted a very short message, but don't know where it went.

Here's the link to tomorrow's Coffee and... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/644324/

Good night to all ---- it's been a really long day!