Friendly Fill-Ins and Friday Fragments

http://mcguffysreader.blogspot.com/

1. One Thanksgiving tradition I have was to watch the Macy's parade, go to my folks for dinner and football all weekend (Mr BC). Now we are very quiet, have a much smaller dinner, with the usual trimmings, and Mr BC is not much of a football fan any more. 

2. Black Friday is left overs for me and a good book, I have never gone out shopping on a Black Friday and never will.

3. The best part about Thanksgiving Day is turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.

4. One Thanksgiving, the first one after my father died, my cousin invited us to her house for the holiday. TG was always my dad's holiday, so I went over early to help, we were relative novices. She had the turkey sitting on the counter ready to stuff. She tried to move it, to her pan and she dropped it on the floor....she had a galley kitchen and it slid all the way down to the back screen door....where her dog was surprised with a potential bounty....but was disappointed when we snatched the turkey up, to give it another bath!  We giggled about it all afternoon.

The past week has been all about stray dogs.  One rainy day I found these guy wandering the streets and invited them into my yard to sit on my wrap around porch. A city worker recognized them and we got them home the next day......however, they came back again the next week, they are wanderers, they were back again today.  I have become friends with their mom and texted her that they were safe in my yard she picked them up not to long ago. They live in the country so they are not fenced.  They seem to like me and I think they are lovely. I just don't like them wandering the highway to get to town.

Last week, this guy followed us home from our walk, and he has been around on and off.  I bring him in at night and he has been here for 3 days, today we found out from the mail lady where he lives, so we are going to get him back home, if we can. Keeping him in the yard is harder than the other dogs as he is tiny and can get thru the space in the gate. Today with my dogs I had 5 in my yard.....a regular doggy daycare....Mr BC was in heaven.

More dog fun:

Friendly Fill-Ins and Friday Fragments

 

http://mcguffysreader.blogspot.com/

Week 27: November 11, 2016

1. Cursive handwriting should be taught in schools. I know that many schools do not have this as part of curriculum any more. It will probably become a lost art.

 
2. The last item I donated: was a box of clothes and small household items to Goodwill. I always have a box or bag of items ready to go.  I am trying to divest this house of all the miscellaneous and duplicate items of my MIL and mine.  We inherited her house and contents and there are a lot of things that need to be  cleared out that we just put in boxes in storage.

3. My (personal) song is: Devil With a Blue Dress, because it is Mr BC's song for me when we were dating.

4. Three things I am thankful for this week are: Took the dogs to the vet this week and Gwennie's heart was strong and was taken off of Lasix, she is still on a diet, Totum got some allergy medicine for his intense scratching,  and the weather is beautiful, although we could use a freeze so the grass would stop growing.

Today is Veteran's day, where we remember and honor America's Veterans.  I want to specially honor my veteran.....Mr Bankerchick.

 

If you don't care for political conversations I suggest you don't read on. I usually don't talk politics but this election has been particularly problematic and maybe not so Friendly. 

My Friday Fragments pieces will be mainly about what every one is talking about....and not necessarily a fragment. It would be incorrect to say I was happy with the election results. Not because I was crazy for Hillary so much, but because I don't like Trump at all, and I am deeply disappointed and worried for the country.

DD1 and DD2 are of the same mind and were Hillary fans, acknowledging the same feelings I had with her opposition, and DD1 shared a lengthy text with all of us when DD2 asked about the boys. And the discussion she had with the 7 year old.  I have excerpted a bit of it since she had taken the oldest with her to vote on Tuesday, so he was aware of who his mom was voting for.  I think she had a great discussion with him, even though she was having a hard time Tuesday nite.

 

"Caшa,is pretty blissfully oblivious at this age, but  Лука, has been talking about the election the past few months since the US political process is a classroom discussion item. I explained to Лука,  that a big reason I don't support Trump is that he represents the polar opposite of everything I'm trying so hard to teach them about being a decent and good-hearted human beings. Лука, was disappointed when I told him that it looked like the man I have described as a bully will probably win, but I pulled myself together and let him know that this country has enjoyed good presidents and survived bad ones, and we can be grateful that the sun will come up in the morning and we'll get through this like we do any other challenge."
 
I sincerely hope that she is right, and the boys, (and the rest of us) will not be impacted negatively, by his administration. The news indicates that all is not well out there already.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Perfect Storm (2014)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here.

1) This song is about "the thrill of a lifetime" kind of love. Do you believe we each get one great love? Or do you think it's possible to fall in love more than once? I think there are folks that have fell in love that second time....maybe that is then, their thrill of a lifetime.

2) Brad Paisley endured his own "perfect storm" in 2010, when he lost his guitars in the massive flood that hit Nashville. Tell us about a time when you had to clean up after Mother Nature. Now that we are in MO we have to do a lot of cleaning up after wind this fall.  We have been lucky that we have not had that perfect storm either in CA or MO.

3) He is married to actress Kimberly Williams, who played Steve Martin's daughter in the Father of the Bride movies. He has admitted he was a little in love with her before he met because he'd seen her on screen. Do you have a crush on anyone right now? No, I am too tired to think about anyone but Mr BC right now.  He is back in the hospital right now, we are worrying about whether he will go on dialysis now rather than later.  No crushes here unless it is on the nurses who are wonderful to him.

4) He's a passionate Cleveland Browns fan. Are you following the NFL this season? No, never have I followed any pro teams.

5) Brad has developed his own line of western wear for Boot Barn, including some pricey items. (A "Perfect Storm" felt hat goes for $230.) What's the most expensive item you've added to your wardrobe recently? I really don't purchase really expensive items to my wardrobe.  Can't see the point.  Before our European trip I made many clothing purchases, that I might not have made if I weren't making the trip, but nothing was very expensive but the outlay of money was probably the most I have spent at one time. 

6) "Paisley" is also a term for a popular print. Are you wearing a print or solid right now?  I am still in my solid nightgown, covered by my new faux fur throw that looks like silver fox.

7) Crazy Sam is not a big country fan, but she can sing along with this song because it played so very often at a bar she frequents. What's the last song you sang? I have been singing along to Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett in their Baby It's Cold Outside commercial. DD2 and I are going to see Willy Nelson, Sunday night so I will probably be sing his songs to Mr BC, who I bought the tickets for a few months ago/

8) Though Brad Paisley has recorded songs about drinking, he never touches alcohol. His favorite beverage is Yoohoo, a chocolate beverage bottled by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Company. What's the last beverage you drank directly from the bottle? Some Life Water I picked up from the coffee shop at the hospital.

9) Random question from a Sat9er: What's your favorite handmade item? My cousin took up painting while she was fighting breast cancer.  I have a number of pictures and items she has painted and treasure the memory of her, when I look at them.

We've had a bad week, Mr BC came home last Friday from the hospital, We had an enjoyable weekend with DD1 and DD2, who had come for a long weekend, that she had planned before he got sick.  On Monday, our sweet old guy, passed unexpectedly, yesterday morning. I had impulsively adopted him one weekend, about 2 years ago and he was my baby. Could this dog frolic? You betcha. I will miss him. Good bye Caspar.
On Tuesday Mr BC was admitted back into the hospital with breathing problems due to fluid build up.  He should be home by early next week, before Thanksgiving, as he is feeling and looking better. We are still waiting on hearing about if he will start the dialysis while he is there.

Throw Back Thursday

This is Mr BC and I in 1966.  We are engaged and I had an opportunity to fly to Missouri to meet his family at Thanksgiving.  Up until then I had only spoken to them at the time we got engaged.  Mr BC is on his way to Key West Florida where he would be stationed in the Navy and we would make our first home.  This was the last day and I was about to fly back to California.

We were so young, I was just 19 and Mr BC was 22.  We were long distance after that until we married in August,1966.  Mr BC would get $10 in quarters and call me every Saturday night.  I think there was some method to that.  I had to stay in on Saturdays.....at least until after he called.

Getting Ready for the Holidays Edition-Friday Fragments

Joining  Mrs 4444 for Friday Fragments 

I currently don't have a working vacuum and the weather this week has kept me from getting to the repair shop...No vacuum during the holidays.....Uggh.  I  resorted to using the shop vacuum.  I was not totally effective.

I still am without a new computer battery, and Mr BC and I will share the charger adapter, until we get out to CA.  I ordered on from Amazon but sent it to DD1 by mistake.  Anyway, I look at the computer, on the couch, close to Mr BC in his recliner. When the puppies want to move from his lap to mine, they don't jump down and walk over they try to climb over the technology, instead.

We will be doing Thanksgiving with DD2 on Wednesday since it is her day off and she is working Thanksgiving.  She works and I worked in an environment where we had to work many holidays.  I never really minded as we could usually choose the hours we wanted and got really good holiday pay for the time.  As a mom with grown kids and her as a single it seemed worth it.  I am not really sure what the fuss is.  In many careers folks often have to work the holidays, there is usually a trade off of some kind. We were still able to have the family time. Post like this are all over my Facebook. I think these folks might be a little sanctimonious! 

Also, this post is something I found on Facebook as well. I think my friend and everyone else has the right to say this to anyone, it is an expression of their beliefs. But there are others out there who celebrate a more secular holiday or even a different one.

I wanted to post this in answer. I wish we were able to just say thank you. Why can't we celebrate the way we want to and respond positively to make others feelings appreciated and well wished as well without making a fuss.

Click to Biggify

Christmas Well-Done

A Christmas Ad done right.  I am not familiar John Lewis as it is a Department Store in the UK.  Oh how I wish we had this to watch, so early before Christmas.

Thanksgiving Meme-Sunday Stealing

1. What do you have for breakfast on Thanksgiving?
What ever does not take too long to cook if I am hosting TG. A nice breakfast for who ever is here if we are going to SIL's

Friday Contemplations

Less than a week....it took less than a week for every flat surface in my house to become cluttered...after my bi-annual holiday clean-up.  The reason I know the clutter is creeping back is that a phone rang and we could not find it. We weren't sure whose it was... we have 4 including the land line.  We called it twice, I kept saying it was in his chair, and it was.  In the process we knocked off the land line, a popcorn bowl (with old maids in it) and empty pill bottles.  I now have to move furniture to vacuum it up.

Cold Turkey-Saturday 9

roast-chicken-info.blogspot.com

Big Confessions-Sunday Stealing.

                                                            click to get More Drama Comments & Graphics  

1. Have you anything to confess today?

Before and After

 

Before
Totem does not like the old couch.

 

After

Gwennie loves the new rug

I am pulling together the bones of the new living room.  The before picture of the ugly, old,  broken couch, was taken many months ago.  It is out on the Veranda now awaiting haul off with the old chair and recliner.  I found the rug this week at a furniture store that was going out of business. It was just what I was hoping for, round. Next on the agenda is putting up the new curtains and decorative rods I already have from Ikea.  They have so many choices of  long curtains and I have high ceilings. The couch was easy to assemble and Mr BC and I had it out of the box and put together in about an hour.  I know it is white but has a good review here for durablilty and you can wash and bleach the cover and change your room up by ordering  another cover.  I am looking for side tables  and accessories all the time.

 

Thanksgiving in Missouri

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving

I can't say this trip to Missouri was uneventful, but thankfully, we are here at last, a week late.  We planned to leave a week ago. DD2 VW has been having a cooling problem and we had to keep taking it back to the dealership because it was not fixed properly.  The third time, Mr Bankerchick, had to get stern with them when they finally decided it was the head gasket all along.  We got some $$ consideration from them for the first two, so called repairs, but it took them 4 more days to fix it. So we left (late) on Sunday and had to stay out an extra night on the road.  With two cars, two dogs and an injured Mr Bankerchick, (That is a whole different story.)  He had a fall, chasing a loose Gwennie the morning we left.  I took a look at him tumbling and just knew the trip was off.  Luckily and miraculously, he was only scraped and bruised, and deflected the dog into my arms. So off we go, praying the car was really fixed. (it was)

We arrived on Wednesday and Mr BC's sister had us for Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday.  What a blessing as the cupboards were bare and we were bone tired. It was delicious and she was a lifesaver. We had a lovely time. DD2 became reacquainted with her aunt and her cousin after several years.
Today is another day of rest with a quick trip to the grocery store. Some time in the yard with 2 puppies who are thankful for a huge yard to run in after being cooped up in cars for 3 days.

Yesterday I was thankful for Skype allowing me to share some time with Лука, DD1 looks for me online many mornings, and we have breakfast and playtime together.  As Лука would say, "I'm liking Skype."  We watched his dad, pull Лука's shirt over his head "where's Лука, where's Лука?" and he smiled "I'm back" when he popped up again.  I love that kid!