how about drinking?

Wow Goldie U have a lot more patience than me! I cannot stand it when someone laughs after every sentence. Had the misfortune to work with someone like that. Sounds like you got a lot done outside which is where I would have headed having that bunch in the house.

Sorry for the disappointment Sandy.

KID, I spent one whole day pretty much outside. But had too much to do Wed. night and of course on Thurs. The laughing at everything drives me nuts, and there are 3 of them that do it!

Beaver, that's a shame for your GD. I'm like you, how is she suppose to get experience??? Guess I didn't know (or forgot) that she lived with you. When you lose a post, try hitting Ctrl and z, works for me every time.

FINALLY

Lori, I'll surf on over to the contest & vote for Nora! Meanwhile, the only mannerism that annoys me more than people laughing at their own utterances (makes it difficult for me to watch certain news pundits who do that) are ending every sentence with "am I right," "see what I'm saying," or "doesn't that make sense to you?"

So I have some low-carb stuffing in the skillet right now (stale Natural Ovens keto burger buns crumbled up with mushrooms & shallots sauteed in butter & olive oil, homegrown parsley & thyme, chicken stock and a little herbes de Provence; too lazy to go out in the cold and harvest rosemary). And in the mini-Cuisinart: a relish made with cranberries, a Clementine, walnuts, cranberry juice and granulated monkfruit. I did manage to find a can of store-brand jellied cranberry sauce, but I think I'll save it for next year.

DOTD with dinner was 2019 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve chardonnay, Bought Bob some Oberweis egg nog (per his request); I couldn't find any plant-based version that didn't have sugar added. So I will probably whip a little cream and add it to that NotMilk I bought; then a dollop of DaVinci Sugar-Free Eggnog syrup to taste and a grating of nutmeg. Bob's nog gets some bourbon.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Sunday Funday! Woke up yesterday to wind and snow. Got about 2 inches, and it's sticking. Making things look very pretty and very wintery. Of course, the satellite internet was out most of the day, so I took that as an excuse to curl up with Sadie and read all day. Did next to nothing else all day long. Did listen to a woodpecker banging on the side of the house for a while. Probably forgot the suet feeder was on the other side of the house.So today is catch up housework day. Sadie didn't seem to mind too much!

Goldie--it does sound like brother is going to have surgery. Now the surgeon consult is scheduled for Tuesday. Find out more then. I don't actually know if my uncle had COVID or not or was tested or not, or even why, specifically he was in the hospital, or if he died in the hospital or at home. Mom will interrogate people to find out all those details, but I won't. What people want to talk about or tell me, they will tell me. And, yes, I am glad I still have my Mom. It's just getting so hard to get all the complaining about how my brother and his wife don't call or text or whatever from Mom and get all the complaining from brother and SIL about trying to call or text Mom and not being able to get through or her not having time to talk with both sides coming up with crazy ideas about why the other isn't doing whatever when there isn't one damned thing I can do about the situation on either side. If I repeat anything from one side to the other there will be a huge blow up with both sides making me the bad guy. So I keep silent and sometimes wish I could walk away from both sides entirely. You'd think after years of this I get used to it. As to cooking for Christmas, I told her I would cook at her place, she insists on coming to my place. I know she can't safely manage the stairs here, even I'm having trouble with them lately and I'm 22 years younger than her and haven't had knee replacements! Right now I really miss having the excuse of working on Christmas day, but then she'd just pick another day for me to make Christmas dinner. Not sure yet what I'm going to do about it.

I'm sorry you got stuck with all the cooking and all the work around the house while DD and SIL sat around watching TV. I am glad DH realized what was happening. Maybe now he will say something to them next time they want to visit.

Pretty cookies! I hope they took the parchment paper covered ones, so they get the stale cookies!

Illi--sounds like DH's niece is having a hard time. Hopefully she can get herself sorted out fairly quickly. Maybe there will be better work prosects in Texas for her?

Chi--that does sound rather disappointing for aholiday meal. I cannot imagine no cranberry sauce! That's just not right!

Morning, Kid!

Beaver--yeah, the whole needing experience thing is creating real issues. No one is willing to give experience, where do they think experienced people will come from?

Goldie--I keep forgetting about the Ctrl + Z trick. I need to write it down! And I have voted for Nora in the baby contest.

Chi--I have to admit I like Egg Nog, but with rum rather than bourbon. I suppose that makes me rather strange.

Karen--Glad to hear your brother his home and the problem identified. Now it can be treated and managed. He probably does look pretty white. I'm not ready to go back to work tomorrow, either, but maybe it will do me good to have something else to focus on than family drama!

Woody Woodpecker Recipe

Woody Woodpecker Recipe

The Woody Woodpecker drink recipe is an orange colored cocktail made from Boca Loca cachaca, Galliano liqueur and orange juice, and served over ice in a highball glass.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 oz Cachaca (Boca Loca)
• 1/2 oz Galliano
• 6 oz Orange Juice
• slice Orange - for garnish
• Garnish: Orange
• Glass: Highball Glass

Directions

• Shake cachaca, Galliano and orange juice with ice in a cocktail shaker.
• Strain into a highball glass full of ice.
• Garnish with an orange slice.

From <http://www.completecocktails.com/Drinks/WoodyWoodpecker.aspx>

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. Some pics from the bird refuge from yesterdays adventure

Jazzygirl: wonderful pictures!

Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Monday Monkey Day! Waking up to a little bit of snow fall, just some good sized, lazy flakes and clumps drifting down, not supposed to amount to anything but should make for a pretty drive to work. Sadie made her morning trip out a quick one and then headed straight back to the still-warm bed! That doggo loves being warm and comfy.

Goldie--I just tested out the Ctrl+Z trick and it worked! I probably will bring up the concern about the stairs again with Mom, and see what happens. If she gets her stubborn on I'll have to decide if I'm going to just say "no" and deal with her being angry and pissy or giving in and hoping she doesn't get hurt. I'll have to make up my mind what I'm going to do pretty soon. Some things don't change, and Mom and her stubborn streak is one of them. And at this point, every holiday could be the last one. Good for you for grabbing the casserole before the guests got up!

Jazzy--have a bird or two! Looks like that was a great trip!

Karen--good advice to the SIL! Recovery from something as big as what he went through is going to take time. Sorry for getting the relationship mixed up. Got my brother on my mind, I guess.

Morning, KID!

Chi--I'd love to see pics of your menorahs, they sound so beautiful. I'm watching the omicron variant, too, it's worrisome that it has so many mutations. It's going to take time to sort out what effect they all will have.

Birch Whiskey Snow Cocktail

Ingredients

6 ounces (3/4 cup) bourbon or your whiskey of choice

4 ounces (1/2 cup) birch syrup or maple syrup

2 ounces (1/4 cup) dry sherry

2 drops bitters if using maple syrup

Freshly fallen snow or shaved ice

Directions

1. In a pitcher, mix together the whiskey, syrup, sherry, and bitters if using. Chill thoroughly.
2. Before serving, fill small highball glasses (or half-pint jelly jars) with snow, packing it down lightly. Drizzle in the cold whiskey mixture, adding as much or as little as desired. Serve with a small spoon.

From <https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/amy-thielen/birch-whiskey-snow-cocktail-2355821>

Jazzy, that is a LOT of birds! Wowsa!

Karen, so DD2 will stay in Israel then. I know what it's like not having your kids close by. I told my husband I was jealous that he has gotten to see his kids 3 times in the last 6 months, I see mine once a year! Surely your SIL wants to feel better yesterday, but like you said, he has to be patient.

NM, maybe ask your mom what's the big deal about having dinner at your house, as opposed to hers? Does she not want the mess? I'm not looking forward to snow! Been pretty nice here and for the next week or so close to 60, I'll take it!

Oh ED, you need to be more aware of your surroundings and stop falling girl! I'm glad you weren't hurt any worse than the knee. Are you getting a handicapped toilet, one that sits higher up?

Morning KID, Sandy.

So, the daughter that was staying with us put this post up on FB " It's been an exhausting week. Time to go back to reality tomorrow. I need another day to sleep. I'm not even motivated to start Christmas stuff yet."

I'd like to know what she did that was so exhausting!

Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Twofer Tuesday! Kiddos were pretty wound up and glad to be back in school yesterday. The kiddos are a lot of fun to be around. Their parents, on the other hand, are sometimes royal pains in the anatomy. One kiddo's parents have shared custody, child spends one week at a time with each parent. One parent called last week, student and parent were contacted by the CDC, in quarantine as close contacts. Parent #1 didn't tell Parent #2 about the child being in quarantine, so sent the child to school. Then had to come pick up the child. Another parent flat out lied about getting a child tested and got caught out by their own statements. An then there was the kiddo who came to me for a band-aide for a scratch who is so excited to be getting the second COVID shot later this week they were bouncing up and down almost yelling "I'm going to be COVID safe!"

Sadie says Hi to everyone!

Chevy-- I hope the toilet switchover went smoothly, that kind of thing can be a bit worrisome! So glad the tumble in the garden wasn't any worse. A skinned knee is manageable, other injuries are a lot more work to get over. Isn't it odd how you can fall one way and the other side hurts later?

Goldie--I think the biggest reason Mom wants Christmas at my place is pure nosiness. Every time she visits she goes through every room and every closet and every cupboard and comments on how things should be arranged and how my housekeeping isn't up to her standards and how embarrassed she would be if her friends found out she didn't teach me proper housekeeping--that is mostly aimed at dog hair, I'm not fanatic about picking up every single shed hair twice a day or making sure the dining table is totally cleaned off after every meal. She can go on about that kind of stuff for hours and I end up feeling like a total failure, so I put a stop to her coming to the house "until I get it totally cleaned up." It's amazing how exhausting sitting around and eating is for the daughter! She must have had to walk more steps between the bedroom and kitchen or bathroom or living room than she does at home. SMH. Drinking wine in plastic cups I can see, and have done on occasion. I've even put an ice cube in a glass of wine from time to time on really hot days. But a straw? What's the point, you don't taste things that way! It must be hilarious watching the guy swirl and sniff the beer!

Toilet Water Drink

Ingredients

• 2L7-UpSprite also works
• 750mlgood quality vodkamore or less to taste
• 355mlMixed Berry Blue Gatorademore or less to taste
• 1/2cupCointreaumore or less to taste

Instructions

• Pour all the ingredients into a large pitcher. Mix well. Chill until needed.
• Serve with a big old toilet water loving smile!

From <https://www.cravingsofalunatic.com/toilet-water-drink-recipe/#recipe>

NM, makes sense about mom being nosy, sorry about that. Does she really go through closets and cupboards? Yikes! I'm OCD about hair, so that one would bug me. If a person standing in front of me at a checkout had hair on their back, I will pick it off if I can do w/o them noticing. And I can't stand having hair on me or in the car. As for the step DD, she didn't do much walking to the kitchen, as she makes her DH get everything for her. Watching her DH swirl and sniff the beer was more like a WTF are you doing? Are you kidding me? He's dumber than a box of rocks, but he puts up with DH's DD, who is actually rather mean to him. Like a bully. You better do X for me, or you'll see what happens. Or things like "and where do you think that'll get you". They both work, but he does everything else, cooking/cleaning/etc. He helps her in the shower, puts her shoes on her, he probably helps her dress! Kiddos vs parents, I'd take the kiddos too! Cute drink Toilet Water.

ED, I'm so sorry the toilet is take so much longer. Blame it on the cement. Hopefully today!

Lori, only way I'd drink wine through a straw is if it's slipped through the side or bottom of my mask...or my jaws were wired shut! And I too am constantly picking shed hairs off my shirts or sweaters. If you can't stand hair on clothing, good thing you've never met my cats!

Latest info trickling in about Omicron is that the few cases requiring hospitalization are in unvaccinated people. Since boosters raise antibody titers exponentially, they should provide protection against it at least as well as the 2-shot protocol does against Delta. Add masks & common sense, and there is no need to panic. Spring-2020-esque lockdowns and stay-home orders should be unnecessary (the "freedom"-addled determinedly COVID-skeptics would defy them anyway). I'm concerned but not afraid. We went ahead and booked our hotel & flights for Gordy's wedding; but still definitely on the fence about traveling to SC in early Jan. to see friends, as their counties (Charleston & Union) have much higher rates of COVID than does ours. Maybe go to NYC (lower COVID than Chicago), where we do have a freebie stay coming--yeah, the weather'll be as bad as it is here, but that may mean fewer tourists and easier access to shows & restaurants.

DOTD last night was some Coravined Beauj. Nouveau.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Hump Day!Still waiting on the pool testing reports, praying for negatives, fully aware that's probably impossible. Had one parent come in and pick up a student who was exposed last week to take home to quarantine. Had another student with a positive testing family member I had to put into quarantine, the parents are NOT happy about quarantine being longer than isolation for the positive testing family member. And the effect of the Thanksgiving travel and get togethers won't hit until next week or the week after. I foresee a very busy December coming up.

Kid brother saw the cardiac surgeon yesterday. He's scheduled for testing to see what veins he has that can be used for bypass grafts. The plan is to have the surgery done before the end of the year since he's at his max out of pocket coverage for this year already. He's not going to tell Mom about all this until it's all over. Which I don't blame him for, I do the same thing, dealing with Mom's freaking out and millions of questions is a full time job that's really hard to handle on top of recovery.

Chevy--Never a dull moment in the life of a home-owner! It's amazing how much work what seems like a simple chore can turn into. I can imagine it is a bit confusing having a toilet in the hallway. Good for you for being able to do so much prep work yourself.And having water in the house is a real bonus!

Goldie--Yup, mom really does look into closets and cupboards. I don't like and don't put up with dog hair on the clothes and furniture, but a hair or few on the floor doesn't freak me out the way it does mom. And it's not like she notices and comments, she then goes on and on about it, sometimes for more than half an hour. I still can't get over the guy swirling and sniffing the beer like wine. It must be hilarious to watch! DH's DD sounds like a bit of a biotch.

Chevy--So glad to hear the toilet job is complete!Yeah! And that DH is happy with it is quite the bonus! Not drinking from the bathroom tap doesn't sound like too big and inconvenience.

Chi--I've been reading that the COVID experts are thinking we will need a yearly or twice a year COVID booster shot that will eventually become routine, then over a decade or so it will calm down and become a yearly shot like the flu. I'll take a yearly shot over masking and watching families totally ignore quarantine and isolation. A child in "isolation" for testing positive went to a community gymnastics class and now two more kids in the class have tested positive, and one of those has been seen in local stores and attended school althletic events. And people wonder why it's still spreading!

Morning, Celia!

OK, running late, got to scoot--add your favorite shot to your morning coffee!

Morning girls! Everything A-ok here! I can't believe it! And last night, we had no hot water! Zero! And it just happens, our neighbor Chris texted me, and asked if he could come by, because they got us a gift for feeding "Mouse" for a week!

Sure! He brought a beautiful Winter arrangement, with pine-cones, frosted fake little branches, etc.! So pretty! I happened to mention our hot water tank must be off! So he went down-stairs, used his phone, to light up the directions on the panel in front, turned a knob a couple times, and it re-lit! WOW! I would have never been able to do that one! He waited awhile, and water felt like it was getting warm. Who knows how long it had been out.... or why!!!

Anyway, the water is hot this morning... and the toilet is working, and it is 50 degrees out.... Hah! Life is good!

Kim, I felt like crying when I read your post about your brother... Just brought back so many memories of me losing my "little" brother a couple months ago... You know, he didn't want to get vaccinated... Afraid he would have a reaction... damn kid... But a week after he caught it, he was gone.... I just never thought I wouldn't have him in my in my life! He had a pace-maker put in about 10 years ago, so I never dreamed ....... oh well..... Me and my Husband still have each other.... and life is good!

Our sunset last night! Sooooo beautiful! My Daughter's picture from Westminster!

Hi guys! SuQu..... I think it's easier sometimes to not tell someone close to you something that would not be understood, or cause them serious worry. This happens more than you know....!

My brother, after he did get the virus and passed away, his wife had to go to a nursing home right before he was hospitalized. She had memory loss, and dialysis 3 times a week... they lived in assisted living. But she was in the hospital, then to a nursing home while my Brother was hospitalized. He of course couldn't go see her, then HE was hospitalized.

She would ask her one Daughter where he was, and was told ... "Well he will be here, when he can".... After he passed away, she would occasionally ask, and was told the same thing.... We all thought it best not to tell her! A week later, SHE passed away! So we all feel like we did the right thing.... It's okay....

People with Dementia, and memory loss can't seem to grasp things as well as we can.... and they forget it anyway. It's hard to understand how their mind works, but I am learning. The biggest thing to remember, is not lose your patience or temper. I try so hard to be loving and caring, but I'll tell you, sometimes I just want to break down and cry.

I "lost" my husband in the store this morning... MAN I was scared! He was right behind me, and when I looked around, he was gone! He likes to stop & look at things, or goes a different way! I pushed that buggy all over, looking for him! I even went up front & had him paged! After about 20 minutes, the gal at the door signaled me to come back, and pointed up the other way! And sure enough, he was looking all over, up front! The other checkers were calling him! So I was just so relieved I didn't even cry!!! I will have to be more careful! I'm so glad I have you guys to talk to.... It helps.... for someone to understand.

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Thirsty Thursday! This week's pool testing results came back negative at my school, but the sister school has a positive pool, so I'll be spending part of the day there helping with phone calls today. The snow that was predicted for today is now going to be mostly rain, that should give us some nice slushy spots. Sadie is not going to like the slushy stuff.

Got some good news, Auntie was discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Also found out that kid brother is having surgery on the 22nd.

I see that the Omicron variant has been confirmed in California. Which means it's probably been here for a while before circumstances aligned to catch it in a lab. I'm hoping it's not going to be a big problem. The Delta variant is problematic enough.

Goldie--have a safe and peaceful trip into town!

Chevy--Hooray for the toilet saga being completed, and getting the hot water tank relit so easily. I'm trying not to get too wound up about kid brother's surgery. He and his wife both caught COVID early in the pandemic, and both have been vaccinated since. His problem was picked up with routine monitoring, he's never had any symptoms, so I'm holding on to the caught early/easier treated idea. That sunset is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

SuQu31--thanks for sharing. It helps to know that we aren't the only family dealing with an incessantly worrying mom. It is exhausting dealing with all the questions on top of recovery in general.

Chevy---oh my goodness, that must have been quite the scare! So glad it ended well.

Chi--it's amazing how sensitive some cell phones can be!

Snowy Cocktail

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups crushed ice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 oz condensed milk
• 4 oz vodka
• 2 cherries to decorate (optional)

Directions

• 1 Place the ice, lemon juice, condensed milk and vodka in a blender.
• 2 Blend everything until it looks like snow. Taste it and see if it needs more ice or condensed milk, depending on your taste.
• 3 Serve in a short glass decorated with cherries, if you like.

From <https://www.quericavida.com/recipes/snowy-cocktail/e4c7b590-0169-4063-97cf-fd4418ae3ea0>