how about drinking?

Change of DOTD: Bob brought home a chilled bottle of 2018 Coppola "Bianco e Rosso" Pinot Grigio, so the Gruner went back in the wine rack. He also bought some "whiskey stones" for the freezer so as not to dilute his booze. Speaking of freezers, I've been using a "Corkcicle" rather than an ice bucket to maintain the chill on an opened, already-cold bottle of white wine at the table. It's a cork attached to a clear plastic "icicle" filled with a freezable fluid. When we've poured however much we want, we put the regular cork (or a rubber stopper) back in the bottle, which goes back to the fridge, and the Corkcicle back into the freezer.

Jazzy, sorry to hear about your sister's MIL, but to have lived to 90 is a blessing in itself. Still rough on the family.

ED, it's VERY true that sometimes we just want God to take them. I felt that way for years about my mom, but she just wouldn't die. She hung on and in terrible health, but never really complained, but it was hard on the rest of us. Vaccines finally, yay for you and DH. I hope he goes along with it all ok. And so sweet of your beautiful DD to make a fruit basket.

JCS, hitting the vodka hard is always a help. And I'm with you, just agree with everything. Smile and nod!

NM, it's your birthday too? Happy Birthday! I think Illimae should share those cupcakes with you! No ice cream, I say try it with cream then, the Hot Buttered Rum.

BabyGirl, Happy Birthday to you as well and I think you should share those cupcakes with all of us! They sure look yummy and oh so pretty.

Sandy, good ideas as to not water down your libations, never heard of a whiskey stone tho. Seen similar things like the corkcicle.

Going to be windy here today, will need to go out later and tie off the solar panels. Still nothing going on here, next week a different story. I think we have to go out 3 days for DH, whether it's dr.s or PT.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Saturday! No big plans for today, going to Mom's for dinner tomorrow. It's getting warmer, here, and I have to say I like that. Sadie says Hi to everyone!

Thank You, Teka!

Illi--those cupcakes look super yummy!But will you have any room left for the pork and kale and veggies? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Beaver--I vote for starting with dessert!!

Chi--Thanks! It's now day 3 after COVID shot #2 and the soreness, redness and swelling is significantly subsided this morning. So I haven't needed to take anything.

Chevy--The over 65 crowd is not having much in the way of side effects for the most part. The most common so far are some soreness, redness, and swelling at the injection site after the first shot, which tends to be a bit more pronounced after the second shot.My mother (84 years old) got her shot yesterday and has no reaction as yet this morning.Younger people are getting the local reactions plus headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, low grade temperature, and occasionally nausea after the second shot. All these last 2 to 3 days and then go away. I could easily have worked full days after my first and second shots. One of my younger colleagues worked from home for a half day after the second shot due toheadache and fatigue. We all got the Modernavaccine.Thank you for the Birthday Wishes!

Thank you, Jazzy!

Thanks, Minus!That is one wonderful wine glass, isn't it?

Chi--I had some of those Whiskey Stones, once. I hope they work better for Bob than they did for me. I didn't think they cooled liquids down very much at all, nor did they keep them cool. I've also got a "Corkcickle" type thing, except that it's a steel rod that lives in the freezer and gets popped into a cold bottle and doubles as a pouring spout. It works really well.

Goldie--apparently Illiemae and I are sisters and didn't know it! Thanks for the good wishes. And the great DOTD!

NM, a very Happy Birthday to you today🎉

So we went out for dinner tonight to Ethiopian Diamond, around the corner. The owners are great neighbors (they've helped us dig our way out of the alley) who bring food to and do the coffee-roasting ceremony at our block parties. Tonight is their first night open to dining indoors again; it's a big cavernous high-ceilinged room with good ventilation. The city is allowing the lesser of 40% capacity or 50 people--the place looked about 1/3 full but it seemed half our block was there. Bob is a month past his second shot; I get mine this Wed. And I kept my mask on except when actively eating & drinking,

DOTD: So with Ethiopian food, Ethiopian drink: mead (honey wine) made in-house. Sweet but not cloying--the slight fizz & light body went well with the spicier dishes. Truthfully, I was less worried about the safety of dining indoors--our first time since Oct. (heated tent last month at Mon Ami Gabi didn't count)--than about slipping in the slush or having to go through puddles. And, of course, the very high carb count.

Here is the recipe for a Happy Birthday Tini:

• 1 1/2 oz cake vodka
• 1 1/2 oz white creme de cacao
• 1 oz amaretto
• 1 oz whipping cream
• 1/2 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
• sprinkles

Wet the rim of your martini glass with either water or whipping cream, I used the whipping cream. On a plate with a good pile of sprinkles, turn the rim of your martini glass through the pile of sprinkles pressing them onto the wet part of the rim of your glass. Set aside.

Goldie, thanks for the update on Cami. If you talk to her again before she's back her, please send her my condolences.

Good morning friends- hope everyone is doing okay this weekend. We had a blast of the snow and cold with the polar vortex (snowed five days in row, couple inches at a time accumulated but then gone quickly). The moisture was good, the cold was not as bad as other places (think the lowest was 12 degrees F). We had something very similar to what has happened this week in 2011 that brought us to -8 here and some of the state lost natural gas and heat, which turned out to be huge thing like what is happening in TX. This is the second polar vortex we have had here in NM in six months, the one in October brought a foot of snow overnight the day my job started. I hope things continue to get better for TX, my friends there say they are getting electricity and heat back but water is still a problem.

Had a great moment at work on Friday. I have been working with the team on how to bring some things forward to our leadership around things we need in place to make our project be scaleable and work long term. Instead of saying we need this or that, not enough of this or that, I said let's put together the case around what we know, gaps that exist, things we need help with. We delivered that to our manager and director on a call on friday and they were blown away, but it really will help for this conversation to go better and higher up with some good presentation materials. Made me feel a bit better about the pathway forward almost 4 months in to this.

My sister has her hands full with cleaning out her second home which she is sellling and now having to clean out the MIL assisted living apt too. Fortunately, her helper friend and BF are gettting her through all the move stuff. I have some connections to some others in her family and been busy getting cards and some flowers sent too. The MIL will go back to TX to be buried with her husband, no services. Offered to let some of our family know but she says no, so will let that be. I hope things get a bit easier for her after she gets the home sold and MIL's arrangements done.

Goldie- thank you for letting us know about Cami's BIL passing. I will PM her. Hope you got some good moisture your way this past week. Yesterday was really nice, spring like again but then the winds came in while I was out and are here today (and it's cold). I think the spring winds are starting as they do today.

JCS- are you familiar with the decluttering thread here? Many women there speak of some of the challenges with trying to get rid of things and husbands being unwilling to work on it with you. I can't grab that here but will find and send another post on this. Hugs to you too sister, we have all had a lot of together time quaruntining for close to a year.

NM- happy birthday weekend friend. I would take that wine and make some sangria! Someone gave me some sweet wine last year for a birthday gift and I don't drink sweet wine, but it's perfect for something like that. There are some good recipes out there on line and many where you don't need to add sugar but can use a sweeter wine for effect. I love red or white Sangria in the warmer months, but it might be nice to have now too?

About all I can share at this moment. Having oral surgery this Friday to have problem tooth extracted and will in time have an implant. I have been fortunate with my teeth, but this tooth has been problematic and expensive to keep going for awhile. We made it last close to 20 years with help, but now it needs to get replaced. Will be in touch on the other side of this!

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Monday Monkey day! Well, yesterday's birthday dinner was a bit of an experience. Mom made Noodles Stroganoff. I haven't had the particular recipe she was using, but it looked and smelled WONDERFUL! Mom got the pan with the goodness within 3 feet of the dining table when the pan slipped out of the potholder and went crashing to the floor, splattering stroganoff goodness and shattering the baking pan. I think we both just stood there and looked at the mess for a couple of minutes before either of us could say anything. At least Mom didn't cry about it. So we cleaned up the mess and glass, washed the floor and table legs, and chair legs and raided her fridge. Mom had some of a boiled dinner that the neighbors had brought over for her, and I had left over spaghetti (which I am very fond of and almost never make at home), and then had the planned brownie sundae for dessert. Overall, it was a very nice visit, if one ignores the disappointment of the flying Stroganoff!

Goldie--we must have bumped each other into the pool again! Love the Happy Birthday Tini!It's beautiful! But I'm afraid to pick it up!

Morning, Karen.

Librarian--It must have been great getting together with your card playing ladies. We all need those social interactions regularly, and I am so glad to hear about enough people being vaccinated to be able to do that, carefully! Sounds like you've found a way to deal with DH's questions. Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Jazzy--wow, sounds like a real step up for the work project! Good for you for finding a successful approach! It's good your sister has help with the moves and cleaning out. Ooh, I hadn't thought about making Sangria with the left over mead, that is a GREAT idea! Thanks! Good luck with the oral surgery. Prayers for a speedy recovery!

Chi--both the hot toddy and syrup ideas are great! I see I'm going to have to split that bottle into multiple uses!

Polar Vortex

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Tequila

1/2 oz. Dark rum

1 oz. Blue Curacao

1/2 oz. Lime juice

2 oz. Orange juice

Club Soda

Method:

Combine all ingredients in ice-filled cocktail shaker except club soda. Shake and pour into ice-filled collins glass and top with club soda.

From <https://catslikeus.com/blogs/blog/54027076-retro-cocktail-recipe-polar-vortex>

Oh Man! Flying Stroganoff has to be a heart-breaker! If there hadn't been glass in the mix, I probably might have tried to rescue some of it! Remember when we would see a candy or something on the ground when we were little? And if we hurried to pick it up, it would be okay!!!

We GOT OUR VACCINES!!! I am so relieved! Our neighbor had said he would drive us to Colo.Springs because he heard they were giving the shots, but I said "No, that's okay, we will get one sooner or later..." But then an hour later, my friend gave us the number to Denver Health, and I talked to the guy, he set it up, and I called the neighbor back and asked him if he could take us there, which was a LOT closer, Hah!

He said of course, and we went this morning, and BACK within 1 hour! Everything worked out for us just perfect!!! AND he will take us on the 12th for our 2nd Phizer shots! Going to have Janie make him and Sarah a fruit basket or something! It meant so much to me! His phone was telling him how to get there! Now we get our taxes done in the morning!

Kim, we got our gummy vitamins! They taste just like candy... That should help with DH's craving for sweets, Hah! His favorite foods are chips, cookies, cakes, candy, crackers, hot-dogs, potato salad, bananas & sliced pears.... So any vitamins to make up for veggies is a big deal!

Wish we could all just do a group-hug for Cammi...

Joining in the group hug for Cami who is dealing with one thing just piled on top of another, as if moving doesn't create enough stress, adding in winter piles on more and then to lose a dearly loved one at the same time... Thinking of you Cami, hang in there and partake of all the hugs you can.

Kim, OUCH! These things happen, but it stinks when it happens to something your mom worked so hard on and you were anticipating so much! IMHO, the fates should give you an IOU.

Chevy, thank goodness you were able to get your shots, and closer to home to boot!

Probably not gonna drink with dinner (probably make a cheeseburger sans bun, plus leftover cauliflower rice from last night). But I am going to open that bottle of FEW "Eataly Ltd. Edition" bourbon my neighbors brought over yesterday as a thank-you for lending them my traction mats when they got stuck in the alley. It's aged in Italian wine casks. FEW is a boutique distillery in Evanston, and my neighbor is its head distiller. Will savor just a splash, in a snifter. So that's my DOTD.

Cami joining in on the group hug. So very sorry for your loss.

Native so glad you and Mom weren't hurt. If I'd been there crying would've happened. 😉 I did the same once carrying from-dried-beans scratch baked beans my dear mom had made. Ugh.

Sandy your drink sounds like just the thing. Good luck on your upcoming appt.

My DOTD was a pinot grigio from the CASE of wine my sister gifted us at Christmas. It was really delicious with our Jack Daniels glazed salmon.

Chevy, glad you and hubby were able to finally get your Covid vax.

Sandy, enjoy that bourbon.

Reader, that JD glazed salmon sounds yum.

NM, 54 degrees? Brrrrrrr! Glad you got it figured out, and it didn't need replacing. Sorry Sadie wasn't impressed!

Yesterday at PT they had DH try to walk a big rubber ball up the wall, he couldn't do it. Today is our reg doctor, I told him I was going because I wanted to put my 2 cents worth in and like I said before, DH wants him to check him for muscular distrophy and MS. I think he wants something to be wrong. The only thing they can find wrong, which is the sleep apnea, he won't do anything about. And I believe that is what is causing the swelling in his feet/legs and maybe the neuropathy.

Joining the group hug for cami.

NM, good job figuring out the furnace, I’d have been too nervous myself. I tend to assume something like that not working might cause a fire and I have a pretty good fire fear.

JCS, Greece sounds like a wonderful trip. DH and I want to travel with our German friends when we can safely. They travel often, do I wouldn’t feel totally lost in a foreign place with them with us. Can’t wait to get back out there.

Hello to everyone, I hope the week is going well so far.