Monday, February 7, 2011

When you think its COLD...














































111 comments:

Coreen said...

This is the job that has been going on cleaning the roof & moving the mountains of snow further off the driveway...over the weekend & today...

They didn't quite sweep it, used a cherrypicker
over the garage to stand on the roof, along with several other guys on ladders shoveling
it down from front & back of house...there is
more than 4' covering the a.c. units & the back
porch...

The guy in the cherrypicker said when he shoveled the snow down there was more than
5' around the trucks....

The latest though is tonight a quick storm with
hopefully minimal accumulation...& the big storm that was supposed to be here in midweek
may be staying south because extreme cold is
coming on the backside all the way down to you guys which will keep the big storm well south...

Coreen said...

As far as the Super Bowl...a good game in the end...but of no real interest to me as you would know...

Saw the dustup about the failure to sing the words of the anthem by Christine Aquilera, the black eyed peas...not my thing...changed the channel instantly...

The only time the anthem was really done well
for me was Whitney Houston way back when....
nothing since matched her performance...

Carol said...

Wow Coreen, that's a lot of snow. You could get lost and they wouldn't find you until the Spring thaw. Maggie was thinking...where would I go potty??

And certainly don't stand under one of those icicles.

Carol said...

You didn't have to invest in your own backhoe did ya?

Carol said...

I recognize that that the backhoe is a Kubota and they don't give those away. Everyone could use a nice Kubota backhoe. I certainly could.

Carol said...

When you get older and weak, you need a bigger tool.

jan said...

oh my gosh Coreen, what a lot of snow. When I saw the icicles hanging off your roof, I thought the same thing as Carol. Don't stand under there! I hope your snow fall has ended.

We are expected to get some more cold temps here tomorrow night and the next. I have really enjoyed the last couple of days.

Chloe, I had so much fun with Abigail. She has the sweetest smile. Someone had piled some stuffed animals and pillows on the carpet and at one point she just walked over and lay down on all of it and just sort of "wallowed" in all of them. It was so cute. There was a little boy there about a year older than her. She would walk up and just look at him. One time, he took his little finger and poked her in the chest and she fell over backwards on her butt. She got right up and just looked at him. I think little kids are so funny to watch. I don't want to have the responsibility of caring for them, but I could watch them all day.

Carol said...

I tuned in to the game a little late so I missed the National anthem screw up and I'm not sure I would have noticed. Every time I hear it I think they might have missed something. I beat I couldn't sing it thru without screwing it up.

jan said...

Carol, I envy you all your birds to watch. You are a good caretaker of God's creatures. We don't have many birds around here right now. I too look forward to spring.

jan said...

Me too Carol. I am sure I would screw up the song too.It is a hard song to sing.

Carol said...

I really hate, hate, hate this cold weather. I rarely ever feel close to being warm. I think my thyroid may have bit the dust.

We used to have an occasional day of this kind of weather in winter but not a steady diet of it.

I've had a sore throat for the last couple of days. Nothing really wrong with me though. I think it's tired of the blowing heat.

There have been a lot of my inmates sick with some upper respiratory virus. They run fever for a day or two and cold symptoms and then are better. Not the nasty flu. That wouldn't go away so fast. Not too good to have to look down all their germy gullets every day.

Carol said...

Jan, my birds/squirrels have come to depend on me to keep them fed. I keep putting out food for them and within a short while, it's all gone. There are so many sunflower seed hulls out there on the ground that it looks like my yard is black topped.

Carol said...

Come to think of it, I'm not even that crazy about our National anthem. Don't care for all those bombs bursting in air and what's a rampart? Also the melody has some extremes that are hard to hit for the average voice.

Anonymous said...

Coreen, The checker at Walmart the other day told me this cold weather is about ready to kill her (her words - and at that moment, I think she meant it). She had a pipe burst right in the middle of that last cold freeze, and couldn't afford a plumber, so was outside (with the help of her son) in the wind fixing it herself. It's back to the same old thing - we're just not prepared here.

Your pictures are actually beautiful, but knowing what I know now, I don't think I could make it through all of that. Makes me feel guilty for complaining. A few more weeks, and hopefully things will start getting back to normal for everyone.

Anonymous said...

Jan, Abigail sounds like such a confident little sweetheart. It's so funny how they just walk up to someone and stare at them at that age. Emma still does it - but she more sensitive (probably because she hasn't been around a lot of children on a daily basis) and if she got pushed over, I know it would hurt her feelings (would mistakenly think they did it intentionally), and she would come running to me (probably crying). She's a drama queen sometimes.

I can't tell you what a character she is. Fun loving and 'funny' - keeps us laughing on a daily basis. She's an extremely happy (and active!) baby, and now that she's been to pre-school several times, she seems to be enjoying it. It's only 3 hours, 3 days a week, and seems like just the right amount of time for her right now. All the other little ones were yelling 'bye Emma' when we left yesterday. It was so cute. They don't have a very large vocabulary at this age, but still manage to communicate so well - and I can't say anything that she doesn't understand.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I've had a sore throat for a couple of days too. It bugs me, because I had a bad one a couple of weeks ago when Emma was sick with a cold. That's another thing I don't like about winter - so many viruses, etc. being spread around. Didn't really have this problem until Em started school. Now it all comes our way, I guess.

Anonymous said...

I downloaded a movie on my new Netflix the other day (wanted a separate account from hubby - and have been watching one every day or two) called Creation' which is a BBC biographical drama about Charles Darwin's family life. It wasn't that great, but Darwin is one of my favorite people (along with many others), so I did enjoy it. I also like Paul Bettany (who plays Darwin) and Jennifer Connelly (who just happens to be his real life wife).

I was able to find a picture of Darwin's 'thinking path' on Wiki, and it enlarged beautifully on my desktop. So there it is, there to remind me everyday to connect with nature. It looks a lot like the Piney Woods that you and I live in Carol. I'm considering eventually (maybe) creating a path here on our property to somewhat replicate it. There were things about his experiments I didn't like, but I did like that he became such a part of nature and understood the balance of it, becoming one with it. All this at a time when it was so looked down on. I didn't realize how much he suffered.

Anonymous said...

Must say though, that 'Inception' is the best movie I've seen in a long time. It doesn't get much better than Leonardo DiCaprio, and this was one of the most thought provoking movies I've ever watched. Normally, I would have never missed it when it first came out, but for the time being that's the way things have to be. I'm looking forward to seeing them at the theater again in the not too distant future. Nothing like the theater. http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Inception/70131314?trkid=2361637#height1677

Anonymous said...

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Carol said...

Chloe, I heard from someone at work that with Netflix you can download movies to 5 or 7 different devices, can't remember which, so why would you need a different account from your husband. You can even watch them on an iphone and I guess other smart phones.

I decided to try it today. I signed up for the free month to see if I will make use of it. I really don't watch movies that often so I'm not sure if it will be worth it but I'm gonna try it. The two movies I wanted to see now are not available on watch instantly. Rats.

jan said...

Chloe, I love hearing what Emma is doing. I think that is just the right amount of time with other children. How cute - they say "bye Emma" Sort of gets to your heart.

jan said...

I am pooped tonight. I did a lecture today and it flat wore me out. I spent a lot of time the last few days putting it together. I am glad it is over. We went out for New Mexican food to celebrate tonight.

We are getting another cold night tonight - supposed to get down to 8 degrees.

Hope you all are doing ok. I have a very busy day tomorrow.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday.

Carol said...

I can picture little Em and her friends saying bye also. That toddling age is the cutest. It's my favorite kid age.

Carol said...

Jan, giving lectures was one of my favorite things about teaching. Not preparing them but doing them. Preparing them was a bitch. I researched the material so hard so that I would have the best understanding and explanation of the material. I used their textbook and all my other favorites two of which were Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and Guyton's Physiology.

I wanted to totally understand everything I was presenting. I was preparing for that smartass student that I often was, the one who would come up with that guestion that would test the depth of my understanding. I learned more having to give those lectures than any of the students ever did. I'm certainly getting the benefits, of all that work I did back then, now. Having to teach is the best way to learn. It gave me a great knowledge database.

I was energized after a lecture. I got high on it. To me, it was like performing. The classroom was my stage and I had all of their attention. They had no choice but to give it to me. And I always tried to add humor and usually got good evaluation rating for sense of humor. I didn't want to bore myself.

Also, all my moonlighting jobs that I had to have to get by financially as a single woman, choosing to teach for a living, allowed for some good practical clinical experiences to share to give examples of how the theory applied to practice.

It was interesting that even when I felt sick, my symptoms would disappear as soon as I entered the classroom to start my lecture.

But I couldn't handle that responsibility anymore. It did take lots of time and energy.

Carol said...

Well, I did see one and a half movies last night on Netflix. Both were worth the time. I watched more movies in one evening than I have in months.

The first was Precious. I did some crying watching that one but enjoyed the movie. Then I started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Someone here, think it was you Jan, mentioned that movie a while back. It was the second movie and getting late when I started it. I almost quit it when I saw that it was subtitled and it was going to be work to watch it. I hung in long enough for it to keep me watching. I did have to quit a little over half way thru to get to sleep.

Both had seriously violent sex, I could have done without that. I had some bad nightmares because of it. My dream included needing to shoot bad people and I have never been able to make a gun work in my dreams. It's weird. I pull the trigger and nothing happens.

Anonymous said...

I've been having some weird dreams too, Carol - different than in the past (one in particular).

" I watched more movies in one evening than I have in months."

That's what I like most about Netflix (and they have full TV series too). I'd forgotten how much I love movies. I look up online lists of best independent movies of 2010, etc. and get ideas of the ones I've missed, before going to the Netflix site. Movies make me think, and focus my attention away from the news and daily problems. I always learn something, and that usually leads to something more that I learn, and keeps going..

The reason I waned my own account (and believe me, we discussed it back and forth first, then I did what I wanted) is because I wanted my own queue(s). I 'usually' watch completely different movies than he does, and as close as we are (and always have been) I've always demanded a certain amount of autonomy in our relationship (although sometimes it's not much - just little (symbolic) things like this). Even when we were going to movies regularly, as often as not, we went into different theaters if I wanted to see one thing and he another. That's what is so nice about the multiplexes.

Also, Emma and I will both utilize this account. Hubby has a separate little room with his huge TV, we have another in our family room, a small one in my office and a medium size one in Emma's room. So her and I will be viewing all those different TV's from time to time (on my new account). Then there's all the other things you mentioned. I can download onto my laptop, desktop (which I rarely use), Also onto my Ipod and phone if I want (but doubt I will). It's such a small amount of money for so much, and we're going to cut our Directv way back, because it's extremely over priced.

Those movies that aren't available for immediate queuing, I put on the queue waiting list. I paid the extra $2 to have one mailed to me at a time, so if they haven't made it to downloadable yet, I'm on a list to have it mailed when it's available. I've even some of the ones that are up Academy Awards on my waiting list, so when they're released, I'll be high up the list to receive them soon. The Queue's are a good way to assure I don't forget which movies I want to see down the line. Plus, I think it's kinda like being in line on movies with a high demand.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear you're so worn out Jan, and yet have another busy day today.

You're right about the little ones being so cute. You can enjoy them so much more at this age than when we were young and too busy to really appreciate how amazing they are. Things I used to take for granite, now seem like miracles to me.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed hearing how much you enjoyed teaching and most especially lecturing, Carol. I bet you miss it sometimes, huh? As always, the way you described it, makes me feel like I was there. No one recalls a memory and tells the story better than you do.

Carol said...

Thanks Chloe.

If you see a good movie Chloe let me know. I really don't even know what to look for. I really haven't seem very many. I don't go to the movies often or rent them very often.

I very seldom can sit still long enough for a movie but did last night. A couple of time during the first movie, the movie stopped and said my Internet service slowed down and they had to adjust something. It took a little while but didn't really bother me since I got up to go do the dishes or walk around. It didn't happen during the last movie. I need to get up anyway. I was wondering if my Internet wireless thingy would work OK to watch the movies. I'm doing the free month to find out.

Carol said...

If you can handle subtitles, and don't get to dizzy reading them, that Girl with the Tattoo movie is interesting. I haven't finished it yet but it did hold my interest. There were some tough sex scenes to get thru but after a particularly violent one, the perp got some pretty satisfying karma from his victim. Not too satisfying for him though. I'm not sure that entire part of the plot was pertenent to the movie though. Will see when I finish the movie. Someone here mentioned seeing that movie. Who was it?

I don't deal with violence in movies very well in my older years.

Carol said...

We're back to our southern tundra country again. When I left work it had turned cold, wind blowing and raining. It was only in the low 40s but it felt like 20 below to me. We have three nights of 20s again. Yukkie poo poo. I do pray that all my pipes at the house continue to remain intact. I've been lucky so far.

Carol said...

Chloe, as much as I hate watching the news, I do force myself to see a little of it every day. Just like watching some of the violent/undesirable scenes in the movies, it's important in understanding the overall plot of what's going on in this country. I do a little Dylan Ratigan and a little Racheal Maddow. Both are good at pointing out the damage our government, more often Republicans, is/are doing to the middle class, the hard working, backbone of this country.

I've decided that most of my anger is toward the large business corps in this country. I hold them responsible for bankrupting this country. They started by outsourcing jobs to maximize their profits, then keep it going by calling for decreased regulations and insisting on big tax cuts. They buy our politicians. They are more dangerous than any radical Islamic extremist ever was or will be. They are traitors to this country and the American dream. Just like Murbarak, they are looting this country.

It will eventually bite them in their greedy asses but not until the rest of us have lost ours.

And in case you haven't been keeping up, the new Republican majority in the house has been spending their time debating abortion. The country is going down the drain and they're debating abortion. Totally absurd. How many Americans have abortion on their priority list right now??

Carol said...

New episode of Modern Family tonight. I think it's their Valentine's Day show.

jan said...

Carol, I am the one who saw the movie, the girl with the dragon tatoo. That is the first one. I too thought the movie was pretty violent but still a good movie. There are 2 sequels. I saw the 2nd one and didn't like it as much. I bought the books first - and could not get into the 1st one. I will donate to the library.

jan said...

Chloe, I love movies too. One of my favorite movies lately was "the kids are alright" I like the kind of movie that makes me think. I love a funny movie too.

jan said...

Carol, I remember that you like to teach in the classroom. That is not my favorite kind of teaching. I taught grad students in Ark for 10 years. It is so much more fun to teach them. Usually grad classes are smaller. I prefer having a discussion format too.

You are so right about the lecture format. It requires some performing and being entertaining.

jan said...

"But I couldn't handle that responsibility anymore. It did take lots of time and energy."

In regards to above, all I can say in response is "AMEN" or AWOMAN - the class I taught yesterday went well. However, I don't think I ever want to do it again.

jan said...

I was just looking at the above comment I made. I don't know where the word "AMEN" came from - but if it was Latin - I would thing the "A" means "without" so the word would mean "without men" Hmmmm!

Carol said...

Jan, I knew of one faculty member who liked entertaining the student and didn't really provide much good content in his lectures. He just liked the laughs. The entertainment must always be secondary. When I had to teach Immunology, there was not a thing humorous I could squeeze into the content of those lectures except maybe when I described the look on my face when I found out I was stuck having to teach it. It was the year that I went back to full time teaching after having been part time with mostly clinical responsibilities for 8 years. They dumped that on me just before the Christmas holidays. They were pissed at my having left.

I was so looking forward to having those nice long holiday breaks again because I got only two weeks a year off when I worked as a CNS at the hospital. I was all giddy with glad tidings and joy and then they unloaded that I was stuck having to teach neuro, immunology and GI and had to prepare it all from scratch over the holidays. None of the above were in my specialty areas. I still haven't forgiven those bitches for that. I swear they were smirking when they told me.

There were many on that faculty that had turned sadistic, toward the students, from the time I first left my full time position and came back. I didn't like it there anymore. I finished my NP program over that last year and retired.

Anonymous said...

Jan, I have "The kids are alright" queued up already for when the DVD is released. It's up for some awards, so they'll hold it back for a while until the winners are announced. They'll all be released shortly afterward. I can't wait to see it.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I'm the same way on the movies - haven't kept up the last couple years. That's why it works best to go to your homepage search bar and search out best movies of '09, '10 and so on. It reminds you of the movies you heard about or missed, or gives you a critique. It doesn't matter if you order or download a movie and it turns out that you don't want to finish watching it, because it's a flat rate. So there's no worry about mistakes.

Since you've got a month free, make sure you add on that $2 a month for DVDs too, because a lot of things are on DVD, but not streaming (yet). I made myself a list of 7 or 8 DVDs on my queue, and they send me one every time I send the last one back (they're fast! and there's no postage). It's always a surprise, because I forget what I asked for. You send them back in the same envelope, and when they get it back, they send you out the next one on your list, so they're constantly arriving, if you make yourself a good list. Some days I put the return one in my mail box and somehow get the next one back the following day (never longer the 2 days). I don't know how they get them in and back out so fast.

Queuing is also important, because it puts you in line ahead of those that request it after you. Today I received the Julia Roberts DVD 'Eat, Pray, Love'. I know Jan didn't like it, and I may not either, but it doesn't cost me anything to try it. Sometimes I get a little something from a movie that I didn't expect to get, and I always have to go through some mediocre ones to find a gem every so often. You can also research them on the Netflix site (and they make recommendations based on your previous tastes), but I prefer to find others on the net.

Also, I've already queued those movies that are up for Academy awards, so I'll be high on the list when they're released not long after the Awards ceremony takes place. It usually doesn't take long. I'm going to read up on all the new movies that come out at the theatre each week (like I used to when I went to see them when they first came out) and make a list, or put them on my queue if it's there, and I can automatically see them once they're released. You'd be surprised how fast some of them make it to DVD and then instant streaming.

It's going to take a little research, but that part will be fun too. And not everything we want to see will be immediately available, but if we put it on automatic, it'll be a nice surprise when it arrives.

Carol said...

I remember some of those times back before you left ole MSU like it was yesterday. We developed a class on normal health. It was one of the toughest to develop. We were prepared more for abby normal. One section was on normal growth and development and we included much of the content, along with others in the field, from Gail Sheehy's book Passages about the stages of adult development. That was really interesting.

We worked well together as a team. We developed the physical assessment course. We put in about 80 hours a week preparing. Got no sleep. Little Steve was our model for the slides we made for the PA skills.

The rest of the faculty were so afraid of our teaching students to do physical exams, like the Docs in town would revolt because we were stepping into their territory. They even told us that if there was any flack that came of it, they would swear they didn't know what we were up to. I think we were the first in the state to present that content to undergrads and several years later it was an accepted part of all undergrad curriculums. Any of this coming back to you? I wonder if Steve remembers being our victim?

Anonymous said...

"it's important in understanding the overall plot of what's going on in this country."

I know you're right, but I still can't help but think that it's always the same. I can read the headlines, and pretty much fill in the rest of the blanks, because things just keep repeating themselves. That, along with only getting part of the story (I know we never hear it all) seems to turn a lot of it into fiction. (... and the idea that they're debating abortion rights again is disgusting).

I've had a quote that I jotted down and saved on my desktop a while back:

'Whatever we are thinking, feeling, saying or doing -- we are co-creating, empowering and magnetizing into our lives'.

The words are a little different, but the meaning is what I've long believed to be true (and we discussed it here often). I just lose hold of it, and it's always good to see it again in slightly different words that catch my attention and ring a bell.

I think there's a lot more out there for us to learn at this point in our lives that is outside the realm of politics than there is inside it. And I plan on learning, and feeling and changing as much as I can during the time I have left in this world. I think we often occupy ourselves too much with the things we have no control over, and miss the important things that are right in front of our eyes. We've allowed ourselves to be brainwashed, starting in childhood, and it never stops.

Awareness is everything. But focus is important too.

Carol said...

Chloe, I also have The Kids are All Right and For Colored Girls on my Queue. Those are the only two so far. I better get busy with my research. Yes, I enjoy that part also. I did also add the 2 bucks for the DVDs.

Anonymous said...

... well, if we make it through the icy weather tonight with no lines going down, then we may make it through this atrocious winter with no power outage. If that happens, then I'm happy.

Looking ahead of the days after this cold front we're having now, the weather looks like it's going to be glorious. I can't wait.

Anonymous said...

Ha! Well worth the two buck Carol. Just think, even when we start paying, the whole monthly charge is less than going to one movie at a theater for one person (unless you get the early bird specials, like we always did).

Anonymous said...

... but even the early birds weren't cheap either.

Carol said...

You're right Chloe. Every time I catch just a little of the news, I get angry and sick. I guess I just have to stop doing it. My new movie option will help me stay away.

Carol said...

The rest of this week is going to be cold then next week, as far as they show right now, will be days in the 60s and nights in the upper 40s, more normal.

Anonymous said...

"My new movie option will help me stay away."

I'm counting on the same thing. It'll take a little work to get it lined out, but will be worth it. Every time I see one that makes me think, I find my interests branching out in different directions.

I don't know if you've seen it or will even like it, but I really liked was INCEPTION. A dream within a dream within a dream - plus people sharing dreams.

Kinda fits in with the weird dreams we've been having. After I saw that movie, a few days later I had one of the most bizarre dreams I've ever had, and it got so interesting that I was disappointed when I woke up. I actually tried to go back to sleep to finish it. No luck.

In the middle of it, I realized I was dreaming and tried to wake up though, and couldn't. Really strange.

Anonymous said...

See you tomorrow.

Carol said...

Nite Chloe. Don't let the bed bugs bite. I've looked and can't find any out here. And I haven't see a bug here in a while either, even the big cockroaches that like to come in from the trees at night when they think I've gone to bed. I think they play poker here after hours.

jan said...

Wow! glad I came back in tonight to see you guys.

I am a little concerned. Chloe, was it me that did not like "Eat, Pray, Love. I know I read the book and was not too taken with it and left it after a few pages. I did rent the movie a few weeks ago and liked the movie ok. Not one of my favorites but it was OK.

what concerns me is that Ivy left shortly after we discussed the book. I hope she did not leave because of my remarks. If I said this to John, he would tell me that I don't have that kind of power and I hope that is true.

jan said...

Carol, I wonder if the guy you are talking about is Arthur. I remember it used to p*** me off that students loved his lectures and he never worked as hard as we did on his teaching. Now, I think - well - that was Arthur and I am sorry that I resented his success with students. Funny how we remember these things.

jan said...

Chloe, we saw Inception at the theatre and I loved it. what an unusual movie. I have enjoyed every movie that Leonardo deCaprio has been in. He is an amazing actor.

jan said...

Carol, Steve does remember being our little model for the assessment course.

Those were amazing years.

jan said...

Carol, every time I would go to a new school I got the courses or topics no one else wanted to teach. When I went to Arlington to teach at UT Arlington, I was supposed to teach OB and the admin changed their minds and put me in in- patient peds. I nearly died. Every topic I taught was brand new for me. On top of that I had clinical groups of students in sick-sick peds at Dallas Children's hosp. I lived in complete terror for a year. I finally got the hang of it after making good friends with all the nurses. I taught the course for 3 years. When I left I swore I would never teach in-patient peds again- and I have not. That experience has taught me that we can do anything in this world. Fear is an amazing motivator.

Anonymous said...

" If I said this to John, he would tell me that I don't have that kind of power "

LOL Jan. One can't help but love John. I'll have to remember that thing about not having that kind of power. Of course, he's right, and that is such a reassuring thought, imo. I don't want to have the power to upset 'anyone'.

I haven't been looking forward to seeing this Julia 'Roberts movie, haven't watched it yet (and don't really like Julia Roberts all that much). I think you 'might' have mentioned that you just didn't personally like it as much as '"The kids are alright', nothing more - I'm not even sure about that though. I did read some bad reviews on it at one time. Please don't be concerned.

I've always thought that Ivy may have left because of my beliefs and outspokens statements. I feel much better knowing that, as John might say, I don't have that kind of power. I'm so glad you pointed out that wise statement here.

By the way, I enjoy all our differences 'just as much' as I enjoy discussing the things we agree on. I'd hate it if we couldn't be honest about the things we think.

Carol said...

Well, that make that three of us who think she is the one who ran Ivy off. I was the one saying that the reviews on ELP weren't good. I'm the one who can be argumentative and back then I was in that really bad funk, more negative than usual.

Oh, and I wasn't that crazy about the movie either. I like the eating part.

Carol said...

I was in the middle of writing a comment and my computer closed down to load a Windows Update. I hate it when that happens. It probably warned me when I got up to get some coffee and I didn't see it. I'll rewrite that later.

I didn't get to sleep until a good bit after midnight because I was screwing with Netflix. I got up late this morning and should be getting ready but I'm pooped and am not in the mood to rush. I may go in a little later this morning.

Carol said...

Well my decks and steps are frozen over again today. Just tried to take Maggie out. I'm not going to try to cover and go down them until it's light outside, too dangerous. It rained yesterday until late yesterday evening and then got cold.

jan said...

I have to laugh that all 3 of us thought that "I" was the one who caused Ivy to not return to us. Ivy, are you listening? We are thinking about you. I saw the old movie "Come Back Little Sheba" last night. Shirley Booth got an Oscar for her performance. I want to say "Come back Ivy"

Modern Family was hilarious. Claire and her husband tried to spice up their love life a little with almost disastrous results.

jan said...

Carol, be careful. Get you some kitty litter. It is safe for your garden too. It is made out of clay.

jan said...

"By the way, I enjoy all our differences 'just as much' as I enjoy discussing the things we agree on. I'd hate it if we couldn't be honest about the things we think."

Chloe, Me too!

Carol said...

I agree with you guys also re: enjoying our differences. Hey, I do get to talk to someone who thinks the exact same way I do all the time......it's me. I talk to myself.

Jan, I don't think the kitty litter would work too well because with the rain I think it would turn into a slippery clay mess on the deck and then I would be sliding in that. The towels have worked well and it's only a problem when it rains and then freezes. If I can just get thru this week, it should be free sailing. I just hope neither of the places lose pipes. Tonight is suppose to be the coldest so far. The decks are dry now so that won't be a problem.

Carol said...

I also got a big laugh watching Modern Family. I forgot about my plan to empty my bladder before watching it. I laughed so hard in places that I got choked, again. That is about the only time I sometimes experience stress incontinence. I drink most of my fluids in the evening so that makes it worse. To top it off, I may have a tendency to procrastinate a tad because the idea of taking down 5 layers of warm clothes and sitting on an icy potty seat isn't all that inviting.

The funniest part was when Phil was laying in the hotel bed, wrong room, waiting for his wife, don't remember her name, to come in the room. Each of those couples in that show are so cute together.

Carol said...

Well, I got and watched my first delivery DVD this evening. It was the Kids are All Right. More intense than I was expecting. We can discuss it after Chloe's had a chance to watch it. It left me wondering about how some things turned out.

Anonymous said...

Dang it! I didn't even know it was available yet. I just went and added it to my queue, but I have to send the one I have back tomorrow, so I won't have it until the next day.

I feel so left behind! But I'll catch up as quick as possible.

Anonymous said...

I just finished 'Eat, Pray, Love'.

I watched it in 3 separate sittings, because I never had the time to see it all at once, and I spent the first half not liking it all that much. For one thing, I though Julia Roberts was miscast. I kept thinking they should have cast someone who could show more vulnerability than she seems capable of. Also, I don't think they did a very good job bringing across what her problem was (where she was coming from).

But once she got to Bali, I really started getting into it. For one thing, I loved the scenery and the house that she rented. Ha! Maybe it was all that warm weather I was envying. But I know the real reason, was being the romantic that I am, was that she was able to raise herself to a point where she could begin to share. Like when she wrote all her friends to donate money to build a home for her friend and her young daughter: (paraphrasing) 'When you set out to help yourself then you end up helping everybody'. That was so meaningful to me.

Also, I'm a hopeless romantic. So I got my happy ending. Javier Bardem was so lovable in that movie. And to me, I thought that he helped complete that balance that she had been looking for. They met at a time when they were both at a very similar place in their lives, and that's what made it work.

I told you I'm always looking for little gems in these movies. In this on, the most important to me was: (of course, paraphrasing again) : 'You have to learn to collect your thoughts the same way you select your clothes - EVERY DAY'.

... and one that I could particularly relate to -- 'You've got some serious control issues'.
Ha, who me?

Anonymous said...

"All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."
-Steve Martin in Grand Canyon

I remember when I first saw that movie many years ago, and that was the line that's stayed with me all these years. And I agree!! That's why I've never forgotten it.

If anyone here missed that movie - 'Grand Canyon' - then you must see it now.

Carol said...

Chloe, one thing that disturbed me from the beginning was that I started the movie thinking that her husband was a louse and dumped her and she went off the find herself. She was actually the dumper not the dumpee.

I also think they should have picked someone different for the role.

Anonymous said...

... can't wait to get 'The Kids are All Right'. I wish I could download it, but I'll have to wait a couple of days.

Drats! There's no mail delivery on Sun., so I won't have it until the beginning of next week.

Anonymous said...

I agree Carol. It was hard to figure out why she felt so empty. That ruined the first half for me. I finally let it go, but there was a serious flaw in the script. She never looked really lost.

Carol said...

I just finished making a chicken, sausage, okra gumbo. I smelled a roux odor wafting from one of the front offices as I left the joint this afternoon. It set my appetite for a gumbo. I had everything here I needed but the okra so I had to run to Wally World for the okra.

I just finished putting it together and now just have to wait for it to cook. Yum.

Anonymous said...

Sounds good, Carol.

I had Teriyaki chicken and rice and a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream for dessert. Stuffed again.

Now I have to feed all my little critters. I'll check back when I'm done.

Carol said...

Today was a beautiful, sunny day and finally warmed up into the lower 50s. A big improvement from yesterday when it was overcast and never got out of the 30s. This weekend will be even warmer but they are still saying very cold tonight. I hope they are wrong.

Roomy was working today and it was about 23 this morning when I left for work. I checked a couple of times at the house for me and her and didn't hear any water spewing from broken pipes. I hope they all survived. Now one more cold night.

I was checking up on the Great Scot blog this morning and scotty man had a major pipe break upstairs at his home. Sounded like he had serious damage. I felt so sorry for him.

Anonymous said...

It really 'was' a beautiful day, Carol. Looks like we'll have lots more coming up in the next few weeks too (will be very cold tonight though).

I'm going to check out Great Scot tomorrow.

... enjoy you gumbo. Did you make enough to get you through the weekend?

nite

jan said...

Carol, funny you can remember Phils name. I can remember his wife, Claire's name, but not his name. I too almost peed my pants in that scene. You just knew that something would go wrong there.

jan said...

Interesting, I felt the same way about the movie, eat,,,etc, etc. It just left me kind of cold. I did like Javier though. He sort of saved the movie for me. He is a good actor. Such a different part that he played in "there will be Blood - I think that was it. He played a really bad guy and was pretty ugly in it too. What they can do with makeup in movies.

jan said...

Carol, what is the Great Scots blog name. I would like to check into it, since he lives here in Alb.

jan said...

It is warming up here. We finally moved the hall tree with quilt over back door. I bought some weather stripping for the door at Home Depot and the one I bought is too thick. could not shut the door and bolt it. So I just put it on the front of the door on the edge to close off the leaking air. It will work for now. I will get some thinner stripping next time.

Carol, your gumbo sounds yummy.

Chloe, I will look for Grand Canyon. I have not seen it. Maybe they have it at the library. They have some good DVD's at the library here and can check them out for 2 weeks.

jan said...

Chloe, can hardly wait till you see "The kids.... " so we can discuss it here.

jan said...

My nephew is scheduled for surgery on his aneurism next Thursday.

Carol said...

Yes Chloe, I made enough gumbo for the weekend and it's the best gumbo I've made in a long while. I stomach was full way before my mouth was ready to quit.

Actually it's the only gumbo I've made in a while. It's a great cold weather meal but every time I ran it thru my, what I can cook today, list the thought didn't appeal to me. I've been sorta picky lately. Not sure if it's really picky or I'm just too lazy to have to work at preparing a meal. It was that waft of the roux today that did it and the sunshine and thought of warmer weather gave me that extra spurt of energy.

I felt more perky today. I was even wondering if I was picking up on all that joy and elation the Egyptian people are feeling right now. They are dancing in the streets. I'm happy for them and I hope their democracy, if it comes to be, doesn't turn out to be as disappointing as our has been lately.

Well, back to the movie I'm watching. All tucked in my luke warm bedroom. What am I going to do in the summer now that I've gotten used to living in a 60 degree house??

Carol said...

Oh, I'm watching Brighton Beach Memoirs. My friend at work, from Long Island, NY, recommended it. Older comedy. I'm enjoying it. Maybe some of you saw it years ago. Heck, I might have and just can't remember.

Carol said...

Jan, your comments weren't here when I was posting and then they just showed up. This blog can be screwy at times. Got to keep looking back up.

Carol said...

Gees, I just found another comment from Chloe that wasn't up there earlier. The one where she mentions Grand Canyon. Jan, when you mentioned Chloe mentioning it, I hadn't seen the comment so I went back and sure enough, it was another one of those delayed appearing comments.

Carol said...

just added Grand Canyon to my queue.

Carol said...

We might never find these gems without help.

Carol said...

Jan, I'll say a prayer for your nephew.

Anonymous said...

Jan, your nephew is in my thoughts also. Please keep us informed on how he is doing.

Glad to hear that things are warming up for you too. Spring is just around the corner.

Carol, I remember 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'. It was another one of those very original movies. I normally don't watch the older movies, but now there at my finger tips, maybe I re-view some of them.

That's very cool that your library loans at DVDs Jan. When Amy was a teenager (actually wasn't all that long ago) her and I spent a lot time down to our local library often. At the time, we had a very slow internet connection here, and the one there was really fast.

It's a public library, but part of the local college too. Very 'state of the art', with a huge amount of computers to use and anything else you can think of. You can get on their computers for free and surf the net.

They had movies too, but I can't remember if I checked any out or not. I was more interested in the computers and the books at the time. Plus, we were keeping up with 'all' the theater movies back then (and always had for many of the previous years), so I'd seen most everything already.

That I miss. Not the library so much, but going to the theaters weekly.

Anonymous said...

Well, my 'in-house' angel is finally up (she had a lonnnnng nights sleep. I'll check in later.

Carol said...

http://tartanscottie.com/macblog/

Jan, that is my lazy link to Mr. Scotty man's blog.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I was so taken by your Great Scots link (as I always am). Thanks for mentioning it (I wish you link it whenever you read it) - I tend to forget about it for some reason.

Then I got to the late breaking news disaster that he added for Feb. 4th. How heartbreaking. Makes you realize how luck we all are here to have gotten through this mess of cold fronts still intact.

He writes so beautifully, and it did tie in with the intended message of the movie (although, they didn't do as good a job getting it across as his blog and beautiful writing do) 'Eat Pray Love'.

I'm quoting from his blog:
"Generosity, giving back to life, service–these are responses to Life that speak to my deepest values, actions important to me, a path of gratitude I find both healing and rewarding.

.... generosity, giving back, and service–my path of gratitude– begins by first embracing generously myself. Just as I’m willing to go to lengths to tend and nurture my animals, that same path of generosity, giving back, and service must include thoughtful gifts of loving kindness I give myself.

..... I’m discovering my ‘path’ of generosity and giving gifts of purpose back to Life doesn’t only lead away from me to others; it must reflexively curve back upon itself to lead me back to myself bearing gifts of primal love to my own soul. When I know gifts of giving and receiving and generosity at my own hand, I’m most joyous in extending my hands to others and walking my path of giving back to Life." http://tartanscottie.com/macblog/

I know he'll come through the present hardships OK in the end, but meanwhile I feel for him. Hopefully he'll be posting tomorrow).

Anonymous said...

http://tartanscottie.com/macblog/

jan said...

thanks Carol & Chloe for posting the link.

jan said...

I went in and read some of the Great Scotsman's blog. Most interesting. I guess he is the other person I see here in Alb.

jan said...

Going to the movies - we have settled on "The Fighter" great reviews and I like the actors, Mark Wahlburg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams.

We saw "True Grit" last week. It was fun to watch because the setting was in Ft Smith AR and Indian Territory (OKla) and yet the movie was made in New Mexico. How close to home could that be for us. John was born and raised in Ft Smith and northeast OK is where I grew up. Kind of funny though because it showed lots of mountains and scrubby bushes (typical of NM) and the area around FT Smith and northeastern ok is really very green with rolling hills and big trees and no mountains. However it was a good story. We enjoyed it.

jan said...

I like to see the movies that are nominated for Oscars. that way when I watch the Academy Awards, I can root for my favorites.

Hope you all have a great day.

I am so glad it is a weekend. I really appreciate weekends so much more when I am working. Just to wake up in the morning and think that I have the whole day to myself. :D

Carol said...

Thanks Chloe for putting up the fast link to Scotty man's blog. He usually just writes a post on Sundays. I try to remember to check in once a week. We can thank Ivy for introducing us to his blog. She introduced us to so many neat things. One of us is a real turd for running her off, probably me.

Carol said...

Beautiful day today,sunny, up to 61, still feels a little cold in the shade but not complaining mind you.

Coreen, I saw you were getting up to a hair over frost bite today and a little better next week. Wouldn't be up to my standards though. What will happen with all that water when the mountains of snow melts. I guess, for one, the creek in your yard will fill up. May be able to catch a few fish.

I thought about you while watching Brighten Beach Memoirs last night. Also thought about my mom who reminded me of a Jewish mother. She missed a good chance to be. She had most of the behavior down except for the religion.

Carol said...

Having trouble with SF again. He almost bought some interest in some oil exploration with money he can't afford to spend. I called a lawyer, his, last week and talked with him about finding a way to protect him from him. I guess it is time to have him interdicted, either fully or just his banking. I tried to reason with him today but that went nowhere. He can do these outrageous things, blowing money, and can't or won't tell me why he doing these things. Unfortunately he is very devious about going about doing them.

He almost had sent 30K to some oil co but put a return stamp instead of a real stamp where the stamp goes. I think he is trying to buy an investment in oil exploration. It's a long story. I don't know how he got to the post office to mail it. He has no mailbox at home and no way to get to the post office. Everyone should be trying to keep track of him.

The news everyday is full of the scams going after the elderly. There are a lot of scams and finance related crimes. They're coming into the joint by the truckloads. Be careful everyone.

And Coreen, I know you aren't Jewish but the movie I was talking about was set up in your area. My friend, from around Long Island, talks a lot like the people in the movie.

Carol said...

Today, I was checking over my bank statement and noticed I had two AT&T withdrawals. I had not seen the second one before because it was on a different part of the statement. They have been charging me for a land line that I canceled early last year. I talked with someone from the cellphone place but they couldn't get thru to the land line people to help me fix it. I have to call during regular business hours.

I tell you that AT&T has been a real pain in the ass for as long as I can remember. When I had the land line my bill was very high and every time I called to get it reduced and cut unnecessary services, the next month it was higher. Now I've been charged for a phone I haven't had. I'm pretty sure that line was dead for a long time before I even cancelled it. I was never there to use it. I should have canceled it when I first moved out here but didn't. I hate AT&T but that's also who carries my cellphone. I think they are the best of the worst around here.

Carol said...

I was just kidding about us being turds. I forgot my LOL.

Carol said...

Oh, and Coreen, you do have an accent. Not like my friend from up your way but still an accent.

Carol said...

I've been watching these programs about different jobs in Alaska. One was about these guys who were test drilling for oil in the middle of nowhere Alaska, dead of winter.

Where they were, the had only one month in the middle of winter when it could be done. I could barely stand to watch the show, it was so scary. I don't know how humans can physically endure those conditions. They make very good money doing it but it still wouldn't be enough for me. It was worse than that crab fishing in Deadliest Catch. Even gator fishing is wussy by comparison.

Oh, it made feel really warm here.

Anonymous said...

I've thought how rough it would be living in Alaska lately too, wondering why anyone would voluntarily live there. I think I've been asking that question, because I'm trying to make myself feel better about how cold it's been here too.

Did you notice the change in forecast for the coming week Carol. I think last night was our last cold night under freezing temps. Looks like we'll be mostly in the 70s here on out, with the lows coming up considerably too, I feel like we've made it through a really rough time.

Anonymous said...

Jan, Glad that your enjoying your weekends so much.

Hope things are going well at work too.

jan said...

The movie was ok. John is a boxing fan so I thought he would enjoy it and he did. I liked the story but had to put my hands over my eyes during boxing parts. I am not a fan of boxing. I guess the money is why they do it, otherwise why would anyone purposefully put themselves in a place to get hit in the face and body. Also, now that we know what the long term effects are, it just does not make sense to me.

jan said...

Chloe, I truly am enjoying my weekend. I love just sitting in bed with my cup of tea watching out the bedroom window all the folks walking by. Many people in the neighborhood work at the univ hospital just 3 blocks away and they walk to work. Our block neighbors walk for exercise, many with their dogs, so it is fun to see them walk by. Can't wait until warm weather and we can sit on the porch and do this. I will go for my walk after my 2 cups of tea.

jan said...

New Post!