Wedesday Hodgepodge

1. What do/did you call your grandparents? If it's something unusual tell us the story behind the name. If you're a grandparent what do your grands call you? Who chose your moniker? I called them Grandma and Grandpa. The boys call us the same, though since my Serbian son in law refers to me in Serbian, as Baba Katja, sometimes the boys call me that as well.

2. Ever taken a road trip along the California Coast? If so what was the highlight of your trek? If not, any desire to do so? If you were to take a trip along the California Coast what's one attraction you'd have on your must-see list? We have often driven up the coast of California, both with my folks when I was young and with Mr BC and the kids.  When the girls were in high school and college, the three of us did a road trip to San Francisco, and had a great time. I particularly enjoy the Big Sur and Carmel. One year I was there for the Monarch Butterfly fly through.

3. What are three things you don't know how to do?
Whistle through two fingers.
Crochet
Play a musical instrument.

4. Tom Peters is quoted as saying, 'Celebrate what you want to see more of.' If that's true what will you celebrate and more importantly, how will you celebrate? I would celebrate more travel.  Mr BC and I would like to celebrate by going to New England.

5. Thursday (February 16) is National Almond Day. Do you like almonds? Which would you prefer-an Almond Joy or a macaron? What's something you make that calls for almonds? Almond Joy, I love almonds and eat them out of the bag.  I don't make anything that calls for almonds. I have put them in cookies.  I will add more almonds or other nut to trail mix.

6. What does Saturday morning look like at your house? Like Sunday through Friday. Really hoping Mr BC's recovery will continue, we want to fly to CA in April. Then Saturday and the rest of the week will be fun with the grandkids.

7. Share with us a favorite book you've read this winter. 
Man in the High Castle, by Phillip K Dick.
The Sun King, by Nancy Mitford.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

The cataract surgery took just about 30 minutes.  I felt no pain, and even now it only feels like I have a big eyelash in my eye.  I only have to wear the bandages tonight and the shield when I go to bed, for a week. I go back tomorrow and put in eye drops for about a month. I am hoping the results are good.

My Friendly Fill-ins and Friday Fragments

This is a fun meme co-hosted by McGuffy's Reader and 15 and Meowing. Be sure to visit and join in the fun!

1. My favorite kind of cookie is Chewy Peanut Butter made with crunchy peanut butter.

2. Cathy Bates would play me in a movie about my life.

3. Love is  mine for the last  51 years.                        .

4. For Valentine's Day,  I will take Mr BC to the Dialysis Clinic to meet with his ladies, and I will prep for my cataract surgery on Wednesday.  I have eye drops 3x a day and a protein snack at bedtime, then fast.  Maybe we can go to lunch, the doctor appointment is at 11:00am.  I found a way to celebrate.   

                           .

Well, I went to my new doctor Monday, our previous one retired.  This one is young enough that she won't be retiring any time soon. But moving on....could be a thing. She is the one Mr BC picked, and I liked her so....... she is the one...for both of us. She seems so caring. She has a better chair side manner than the last one, and we can talk.

Sitting here watching the news, though...I usually mute it when the talking heads come on, with their opinions.  I decided I wasn't going to watch it, because stress.......I will just let the courts and congress work it out.....and concentrate on George and Amal's twins.😏

Mr BC is better, and feeling like he might feel like doing things soon. Spoke to my DD1 last Sunday, they were heading to Legoland for.....OMG.....their birthdays!  Last week was so busy with Mr BC getting out of the hospital, I totally let the 3rd and 4th go by without a thought of my daughter's and grandsons birthdays. What an awful grandma I am!  Thank goodness, I sent some book gifts with DD2, the week before. I need to get on Amazon and check out some stuff. 😓

Thursday 13- How I Am a Child Again

Now that I am old and retired, I am and can, start doing all those things that are fun and childlike, again. 

1. "You're not the boss of me." I am so glad I don't have a boss, or dress code so that:

2. I can wear play clothes all day.

3. I go outside without worrying how my hair looks and sometimes I can forget to run a brush through it.

 4. I can take a nap and sleep like a baby any time I need it. I can go to bed early, without a fuss. However, I can't usually stay up late without falling asleep in my chair, with my mouth open....drooling.

5. I don't have to be a team player....if I don't want to be. I can be selfish if it applies to the situation, and think only about myself. Mr BC of course is the exception.

6. Unlike, my teenage and grown up self, I am not afraid to be myself. If I want to cry and throw a tantrum, I will. I don't.....but, I would.  Many times I say what is on my mind more that usual, and sad to say....not always appropriate.

7. I don't have homework....only housework, which I don't have to do if I don't want to, since hardly anyone drops by without calling first.

8. I can take up coloring in my pillow fort if I want to....Maybe after the cataract surgery, when I can see again.  I still like to sometimes, do silly stuff.

9. I have become interested in Fairy Tales again.
I watched Once Upon a Time and Grimm, for several seasons. My newest obsession is Emerald City.

10. I have the time, to be curious. If I have a question I can ask the internet..."Why?" as often as I want.  the internet doesn't get irritated by too many questions.

11. I can be goofy. I can remember, when as a kid, we used to get in trouble for giggling and goofing around. As grandma, I act silly and ridiculous with  my grandsons. 

12. I want to enjoy that time, when life is simple. Kids know their colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes. Kids don't know, what they   don't know, and they, don't care. All a kid knows is to be happy. They are blissfully unaware of most of the the things that would make me worried or upset. I want to be that blissful.  

13. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, 'cause..."Tag! You're it."

Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do.  ~Jean de la Bruyere 
 

Hope you have fun visiting the other players. It's a great way to make friends!

Sunday Stealing

1.  What is the worst nickname that anyone has ever called you? 

(I may have posted this before.)  Buddha, when I was in 7th grade, I use to stand with my arms folded across my chest, that was bigger than most other 12 year old's. The worst part was it was my male teacher, who said it to me so I was even more embarrassed. It was picked up by some of the boys. I hated that man.

2.  Have you got a favorite flower? Camellias, Mom had planted a bush right outside my bedroom window.  

 
3.  Do you add a sauce, ketchup or other artificial flavorings to your food? I like balsamic glazes. Trader Joes is my favorite.

4.  Describe yourself using only words that begin with the letter 'T'. Traveled, Towheaded, and lately Tetchy. 

5.  What is your lover's pet name for you? Honey.
 
6.  What is your least favorite color? Olive green
 
7.  Who did you vote for in the last election, and did they win? She did not win!
 
8.  What is/was your grandfathers’ names? Amos and Harry, they sound like a comedy team.
 
9.  What is the best present you ever received? 
A diamond watch.

10.  What is 17 1/2% of 97 + 42 x (6 / 2) – 137 ? [My note: Holy shit!] 
Math(s) really??? There better be a funny answer!

11.  What would be the best possible way you could die? Old age, in my sleep. Worst way, Fire.

12.  Given the choice of absolutely anything, what would be your dream job? Rocking babies in the neo natal unit of a hospital.

13.  What position do you sleep in at night? On my right side or on my back.

14.  What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?  See Question 1.  It did not help my self worth.

15.  Who is your favorite fictional character? Elizabeth Bennet
16.  What food do you hate most in the world? OKRA

17.  When was the last time you were ill? Right now, I have a cold.

18.  If you were transformed into a wild creature, what would it be? Koala Bear or Sloth
19.  What was your favorite toy as a child, and whatever happened to it? My first record player.  It broke. I also had a Tiny Tears, she was rubber and she disintegrated, after about 20 years in the garage.
   

20.  What's the most amazing thing you've ever seen?  The Pantheon in Rome last year. Even more than the Vatican or Colosseum.
The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a church Santa Maria ad Martyres , in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). The present building was completed by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD. He retained Agrippa's original inscription, which has confused its date of construction as the original Pantheon burnt down so it is not certain when the present one was built. ^Wickipedia
 

Roberta Dragan -Via Wikipedia

The following picture were taken by me on our trip in 2015

I don't know why I didn't go out further in the piazza and take a photo of the Front. I guess it was because of the horses, just outside the portico.

This is a huge, awesome and amazing building. It was on my top ten list of places, to see on that trip.

Wicked Friendly Fill-Ins and Friday 5

Heading back to the Hospital, I will be back to comment on everyone's posts

This is a fun meme co-hosted by McGuffy's Reader and 15 and Meowing. Be sure to visit and join in the fun!

 

1. I have seen Wicked on Broadway a Broadway hit! It was in LA with a Broadway road cast.  Wonderful, though not as dark as the new TV show Emerald City.

 

2. My Chinese zodiac sign is the fire pig.  I looked it up and couldn't really figure what it meant, very little of it seemed positive. It was all very confusing. This picture is more positive. I would say it is somewhat true, it is better that the reading I saw that I could be a con!

3. Celebrities opinions are a little overrated and I don't think they are any more important than mine. They are entitled them like anyone else, and shouldn't be thought to be any worse or better than anyone else.

I wish we at least had this choice!

4. A big sloppy kiss a day is inevitable from my dogs, and sometimes from my husband.

1. When did you last make what could be described as a wriggling motion? Dancing in the kitchen. 

2. What never fails to give you the willies? Being on the edge of a high spot, bridges, cliffs, and tall buildings.

3.What’s something you’ve seen on TV or in a movie that made you squirm? We are streaming Penny Dreadful season 3 and the last episode we watched was very close to blood erotica, I couldn't watch it. 

4.What’s something in your life that could be described as serpentine? Mr BC's health.  It is always something. He had Prostate surgery yesterday, and last night he was back in surgery, so they could break up clots. Seems to be better this morning.  He told them not to call me so I could sleep.  I don't drive well in the dark.

5.Where can you get a really great shake? Culvers or Braums.

Friday Fill-Ins and Friday Five

This is a fun meme co-hosted by McGuffy's Reader and 15 and Meowing. Be sure to visit and join in the fun!

Week 37: January 20, 2017

1. Winter makes me feel old. The cold is getting me down...making everything, ache.

2. My grandsons make me feel young. When I am with them I usually get to play. I like to build with the legos, the boys are now old enough, they don't knock down my towers.

3. I have a hard time focusing this week, we have so much going on in the next few weeks, I haven't been able to concentrate on mundane things....my house is a mess, I am just taking down Christmas. 
    

                    

4. DD2 is visiting in CA, and as I took her to the airport, she kindly wished we were both going, that we would have fun. 

Can't think of any Fragments this Friday, so I will answer the Friday 5 this week.

1. Who’s been a ray of sunshine lately? DD2, is almost always our ray of sunshine, lately.  This has not always been the case....She is planning to move back to CA, which is ok with us. She is using this trip as a reconnoiter, toward that goal.  She is hoping to transfer with the company she is with now so she is looking.

2. When do you next expect to be stuffed to the gills? I don't know what happened to my stomach but, I get stuffed very easily. Which is disappointing when I have a chance to eat something I really love.  My eyes are truly bigger.

3. Among people you know, who can really tell a whale of a  tale? My dad use to love to tell stories....but he spoke so slowly sometimes, I use to want to finish his sentences.  I love to hear my brother speak, as he is so much like my father.

4. What’s something you’ve been heering good things about? It's awful that I can't think of anything specific.  Sadly not a lot of good things being said about anything. I will leave you with this.

5. Which of the S.S. Minnow‘s passengers or crew do you think you’d get along best with? Probably Mary Ann. She would be the most like me.
  

    

Tuesday Coffee Chat

It's a New Year! 

What is one positive thing about 2017, 

and one negative thing about the forthcoming year?  

I am looking forward to 2017, as I always do.  I don't make resolutions but I try to leave myself open to change.  2016 was the year we found out about Mr BC's kidney failure. He was so sick last winter, and it took many months for him to reach some part of good health. This is a chronic situation, we will strive this year to restore some of what he lost last year, so that he can be more self-sufficient, and we can with some adjustment maybe do some RV traveling.

The negative of 2017....I can only hope, that Trump will do better than I think he can and not be as bad a president, as I believe he will be. If there was ever a time for the legislative and judicial branch to work together, to keep the executive branch checked and balanced, this is it. I am willing to wait and see, as that is about all I can personally do. I do hope that the Affordable Care Act doesn't get repealed before something better can be put in place.

Is 2016 Over Yet? Saturday 9

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1. In this song,Tammy sings of being able to hear "the breeze from the bayou." What sounds can you hear as you answer these questions? The gentle hum of the humidifier. We are glowing around here! Also Lucky Dog just came on....I love that program.

2. This week's song was the theme of a popular movie about a girl who grew up on a houseboat in Mississippi. Looking back on 2016, did you spend much time on or around water? Not at all, unless you count the pond at the park where we walk the dogs.

3. In addition to being an Oscar-nominated actress, this week's artist, Debbie Reynolds, was a big movie fan. She amassed an amazing cache of movie memorabilia. Do you collect anything? Christmas ornaments, would come the closest to a collection.  I use to bring back something from from trips we made.  I don't so much any more.  I do have a doll collection from my youth. Packed away. I am not much of a collector.

4. Though she never won a competitive Oscar for acting, Debbie Reynolds was awarded the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award earlier this year for 60 years of charity work. While she supported many causes throughout her life, one she was closest to was The Girl Scouts. She was not only a Scout herself, she was a leader when daughter Carrie was young and a fundraiser throughout her life. Were you ever in Boy or Girl Scouts? I was in Girl Scouts until high school, and I also was a troop leader for my daughter's Brownie group in second grade. Whenever I can choose the group to support it is Scouts.

5. No Question #5 so I'll post another gif of Debbie.
 

 

6. The New Year's Eve fireworks celebrations in both Disney World in Florida and Sydney, Australia coordinate pyrotechnics and music. Are you expecting either fireworks or live music on your New Year's Eve celebration? I think I mentioned before, that some idiots in our town shoot guns at midnight. 

7. According to the National Insurance Bureau, more cars are stolen on New Year's Eve than any other single day. Are you confident your vehicle(s) will be  safe and sound this Saturday night? Oh yes, We always make sure it is parked inside the yard on holidays to keep it from being damaged...but mainly, I am not sure car theft is a major crime in Hooterville.

8. Do you have any New Year's Resolutions for 2017? I think I would really like to take a class or finally join the senior group at the YMCA, I need to do something outside the house.

9. Looking back on 2016, what surprised you? I am not talking about the election anymore, but that was a big surprise.