keepsmiling7

When my youngest son's family was here visiting, my D-I-L posted pictures on FB of their canoe adventures and the lake experience. My oldest son's daughter saw them and called to see if she and her boyfriend could come this weekend to enjoy the lake and beautiful weather. Of course, so I'm planning for more visitors. We will celebrate her 20th birthday while she is here. Such fun seeing these young ones, and meet the boyfriend.

We've had lots of excitement here in Austin with the bomber........now dead, but who knows what damage he left behind?

podmom

keepsmiling So scary and sad about that bomber...glad he has been stopped. Hopefully no other bombs out there.

That is so exciting they are coming for the weekend and you are meeting the BF Have fun.

I posted a video of the snow out of my kitchen window on FB.....it is beautiful here today....wet snow so it is sticking to every inch of the trees in my back yard woods

MyrnaLynne

keepsmiling I didn't even think about you being in Austin with that crazy serial bomber! And in the end they caught him and surrounded him and he blew himself up! Seems fitting, but yet another mild mannered ordinary seeming guy who was bent on evil and destruction for who knows what reason? SIGH. So many crazies acting out these days. Makes you think there is some merit to there being a devil/evil in the world.


I'm glad he's stopped and I'm sorry so many people were killed randomly and so much terror spread around. Reminds me of that fellow who was driving around with the younger guy, shooting people at random. What is up with this stuff?


Glad you are having more family visit! And 20th birthday party! What fun! My niece in Calif is planning a vacation and is coming east to NY and Boston. Her company is being bought out (again) and she figures she should take a vacation before new employer gives everybody 0 vacation days to start.

This is the first morning in a long time that I didn't wake up crack of dawn, stressed about what had to be done. Had a great sleep!


And when I got up, there were calls from the not too sharp financial guy in Florida He wanted my social security and birthday. Then he called back, to ask if I had an email address (duh). He could have asked me all of this in JANUARY when we visited his office. And he thought he had to mail stuff and we had to fax everything back, but turns out you can sign things electronically online now (like I did with the condo selling papers). And he was sure my brother had to sign everything too, but I can sign for everything. Oh well... Also heard from people handling condo sale, title search, etc, wheels are in motion.

Plus we were hunkering down today for the big snowstorm, which they thought was coming today but seems to be coming overnight or maybe tomorrow, instead. The city called a 'snow emergency' today and there isn't a flake so far. But my friends in PA got 10 inches today so it is heading this way. Saw a hilarious photo of the snow in NYC and somebody had a Lord & Taylor shopping bag over their head for an umbrella... Seemed very 'New York'!

Poddy I saw your snow and bird video! That's what we need in our next place, a porch and a bird feeder/bird bath and Mr ML can happily sit there and bird watch.
He's keeping busy scanning in all the musty old family photos he shipped home from my parents' place. Wants to put them online and then the (smelly) originals (which I'm probably allergic to) can be thrown out.

Speaking of throwing out, I tossed a big bag of 2017 charity requests and am starting fresh, with the new year. Didn't do so well with charity last year, but I was getting laid off/retiring, Mr ML wasn't working, we had to pay for all sorts of new health insurance, and I was waiting and seeing, plus we've been away the beginning of this year... Will do better this year (once I figure out how much/little money we will actually have, in retirement)! Still sorting that stuff out (still sorting a lot out).. Did a little work on our taxes today.
Fun never ends around here!

podmom

ML I see you up there Glad you finally got a good nights sleep. Sorry you woke up to the not too sharp $ guy. It is a surprise that now I know about....how much paper work it takes to die and become 65 I have SO many letters about that I have filed in my Costco box till I get to that whole mess.

Yes we got tons of snow today. Some snow yesterday but ice and rain too. Podad plowed then we walked some soup up to my sweet neighbor a while ago I called yher esterday to borrow some canned tomatoes so I could make my veg beef soup I had on the stove and realized I didn't have the tomatoes after I simmered the meat for hours. So glad she had some! Then we cleaned off my van which was so iced then snowed under.

It is SO pretty here right now because the snow is wet and sticking to every little branch of all the trees in our back yard. Snow growing up in OC was not much ( back then ..the past 10 yrs we have had pretty much there) and not pretty....no trees to speak of just cement and houses. I really appreciate the country here in PA.

keepsmiling7

Enjoy the snow and winter weather ML and PODMOM. It's nice to see in pictures, but I wouldn't want to live in it.

Taking hubby to PT today, and he hasn't been exercising as much as he should. He said it was because of all of our company........seems like I am the one that has to crack the whip for him.

Tomorrow I will be putting out new plants, a lovely lady in my exercise class offered some of her things that needed to be divided. I have one area that needs something for the sun after having trees pruned. I used to put out plants that could endure full shade, but now I have other options.

Take care everyone!

MyrnaLynne

Hard to be the one to crack the whip keepsmiling, your husband is lucky to have you looking out for him.

We dodged the snow bullet up here, it was just a little snow that was wet and melted pretty soon after. It was 40s today and melting and finally starting to feel a bit like spring! So much snow still here! Yours sounds very pretty (but like too much snow!)

Oh my grandmother made a vegetable beef soup with tomatoes that was just Heaven! I bet your soup is delicious. How great that the neighbor had the missing ingredient.

Speaking of ingredients, I got out my Passover cookbooks and made a list of what I need for the week of Passover (it's a week from Today! I still don't even have a box of matzah!) Mr ML had his poker game tonight, so now the dining room table is all cleared off and we'll try to keep it like that until next weekend, for the Passover seder.

Meanwhile, I did Dad's taxes today and sent them off! Big big load off my mind and when I finally got the info together and did them (and looked at last year's tax) it wasn't that hard or that big a deal - and living in Florida, no state tax at all (which is why so many people move to Florida ) Hm, now of course, I still have to do OUR taxes, but it's easier to do your own!

Mlette came over and surprised us and stayed for poker night and we watched 'Baby Driver' (meh) while the guys played cards in the other room. We sent her home with the Wii game system, as we never use it, and she and John might enjoy it. Also found some cups and saucers that went with the set of dishes I gave her awhile back. She's been going home with bags of stuff (the start of downsizing/plus making room for the dishes I brought home!) Way too much random stuff squirreled away that we never use, filled with dust. It's a start! Emptying my Dad's place out has inspired Mr ML too - he's getting rid of some stuff (40 year old National Geographics, etc).

keepsmiling7

ML.........thinking of you as our grocery store is loaded with Passover foods.
Good idea to start cleaning out your own "stuff" after closing down your dad's condo. Every time I helped my two friends last year I would come home and start. Didn't get very far, but it was a start. None of our children or grandchildren are interested in the china, crystal and sterling silver I have. Their lives are so casual these days.

podmom

Hi ladies

Quick post as I need to get dressed for Church soon.

ML glad the snow missed you for a change! I wish my girls would take stuff. I still have some of their stuff I am motivated by your motivation ML I did get rid of my decades worth of National Geographics maybe 8ish years ago....stated on the world Books but have a lot to go there. I will be able to puts books at the new Haven since it will have a huge book shelf type area. Floating shelves which I had never heard of but Emily is making things pretty nifty and unique there so she can use it for her "some day" own business portfolio. I was reading about the significance of the seder meal the other day.... of course I thought of you

keepsmiling I have tons of china and silver too. THe silver is so lovely but tons of work....which is why my girls don't want to deal with it. Podads mom inherited much and loved to go to auctions. I can't believe how much she must have had because after being split 3 ways with her children we still have a ton. I also have boxes of china in my garage that the girls don't want. Emily has some from podads mom from his sister and the 2 sets my girls like I actually like too so they will have to wait a while. I need to start getting it together to sell stuff like you did ML that is on my ever growing list of things I need to do and am not doing

Have fun with your new sun loving plants and keep on hubby....I need a whip cracker myself!

MyrnaLynne

Yes, I read an article about that, and we were talking about it with the ladies at Dad's condo - young people don't want any of their parents (grandparents) old stuff nowadays! It's very sad, but that's how it is. Well my good dishes have gold trim on them, and of course that explodes/sparks in the microwave and young people microwave everything nowadays, so those dishes are out! I didn't want my Mother's (grandmothers?) silver (plate) tea set because I spent all my growing up years polishing that darn thing. Then Dad decided to send it to my son for a wedding present, so Mlette and I had to polish it one last time! LOL! I'm pretty sure it's in a box in my son's garage in Texas. They don't exactly host fancy tea parties. I don't think she even likes to have anybody come to their house.

Made good progress on our taxes - looks like we're getting money back, although I'm not sure why, except when Mr ML took money out of his IRA, he withheld the taxes ahead of time? IDK, but if it's true, woo hoo. Waiting until we see the financial lady to finish them, as I think we should put some of this inheritance money into our IRAs, and there's a deduction for that.. But that might be silly. Have to ask her before we do that. Especially as things (investments) are so up and down right now. I can't believe how many stores are closing up - it's very sad.


It's snowing here today and quite cold - just little flurries but still surprising. Is that snow?! I see some green shoots poking up where some snow melted, so if it ever melts, maybe we'll get spring flowers. Mr ML put in a bunch of tulip bulbs where we took down the magnolia tree last year - looking forward to those.


We went out to the new Wegman's (that chain is owned by Jewish people) and they had a nice big Passover section - with a big Easter section beside it - those chocolate rabbits and cake sure looked better than matzah! Stocked up on apples and nuts and matzah and honey and lots of Passover chocolate, so I can make myself a flourless chocolate torte birthday cake next week. And eggs, lots and lots of eggs. Got 3 dozen eggs - that ought to be a good start. It's going to be so lovely to be retired this year for Passover, not have to pack any messy matzah sandwiches to bring to work, and I can cook and bake all week to my heart's content!

keepsmiling7

The 20 year old granddaughter and BF just left. We had a great time with them and they spent two days out on the water having such a good time too. They were most helpful with things around here, and I was impressed with the BF, very polite and we could tell he helped his grandparents a lot. They are still in school, still trying to figure out what they want to do.........
Hubby and I agreed that we have been so fortunate to have the grandkids to come visit us and spend time with us old folks.

ML.......enjoy your Passover cooking, and PODMOM, will you have a big Easter gathering?

Hi WEN

podmom

Just in case Natalie looks here..... HI so fun to see your name up there

I'll bbl to post

natalie4237

Oh my podmom im blushing.

keepsmiling7

Hello to Natalie.......great to have you here.

podmom

Ahhh natalie did stop by the old folks home... sweet girl if you come back I would love to hear how you are doing

I have had a scary thing happen today. I was talking to Emily while she was driving to work. She has blue tooth in her car btw. She was stopped in traffic and got rear ended. I hear the impact and her grunt it wasn't hard and she didn't get pushed into the front car but I told her to call her Dr to be safe. The office had her go to the labor and delivery and get hooked up to a monitor and get an ultra sound. The Dr didn't see anything wrong ..the baby was moving and heart rate ok but because Emily has her placenta in the front and there could have been seat belt pressure they are having her stay hooked up for several hours to be on the safe side. I am of course anxious and praying. I will go to her tomorrow instead of Thursday as planned for Easter. God willing all will be well and the rest will come Friday. I will be there till Monday. So I will be a bit MIA. Please keep us in your prayers.

Best wished for Passover and Easter grils

keepsmiling7

PODMOM........prayers are raised for Emily, and the baby. I hate that it happened to her, but I'm glad she is being monitored and watched. As a mother, I know you can't wait to get there to take charge. Be careful as you drive to be with her.