Wed. Nov. 29

From a cold, sleeting MO,

We are still in an area that is supposed to get a ice storm so we will just see what happens. The sleet is hitting the north windows now with the outside temp close to freezing. The temp. has gone down all day from an almost comfortable morning temp.

Jim joined the old fogies for breakfast this a.m. and then stayed around to join the second group. I finally was rousted from bed by the girls about 9:00. After showering, I tucked them into their crate in the back seat of the car and we took off on several errands. Jim was home when we returned and he shifted the girls to the crate in the truck - and the four of us took off on errands.

I joined Clara, Jan, and Sandy at Francine's for lunch today. Craig and Maurine Erwin were also there as well as many others. I hadn't been there since the Boji and Piece of Cake opened so it was really good to see that she hadn't been deserted. Afterwards we headed to the store that resembled the old L&O sales - can't remember the name. Jan and Clara hadn't been there before so we had a good time looking around.

Jim has read and dozed this afternoon and I began puttering with Christmas cards. I try to do a few each day and will eventually get them done.

Jim wanted chili this evening so we are thawing a quart that we had frozen about a month ago. This is fine with me.

I hope to be able to join the ladies for breakfast in the a.m. - we'll just see what morning brings. Beyond that, I need to putter with Christmas cards and of course the house can always use some cleaning.

Be safe.
B.

Tues. Nov. 28

From an almost balmy, dampish MO,

We had two or three periods of heavy rain this morning - thank goodness it was rain and now snow.

We slept in this a.m. - or at least for Jim - and skipped walking because of the downpour. We had numerous errands to do and by 11:00 were at the vet's to pick up the girls - freshly bathed with toenails trimmed. I am not sure they have let us out of their sight the rest of the day. We did take them on an outing as I still needed to get to HyVee to take advantage of the old geezer discount - will go again tomorrow as I forgot a few items.

We went down for a nap a little after 12:00 and awakened about 4:00. I knew I was tired (felt okay when I awakened), but had no idea I would be down that long. Of course the girls were snuggled next to us.

Jim has taken a couple of Austin newspapers over to John Wheeler this evening.

Jim will join the "old fogies" for breakfast number one and the infamous ones for breakfast number 2 in the a.m. -- maybe #2 is appropriate for some of those in the latter group!

One of the humorous things that was discussed coming back from Denton yesterday was Jim joining the breakfast groups. Ruth mentioned several other male "breakfast" groups and one used the name ROMEO for several years - real old mean eating out. She is in with several groups of ladies - lunch, dinner, and bridge.

I need to get out on Wednesday a.m. for a few more errands. I think I mentioned locating two more Grim pieces of sheet music and the one we brought home, I will take to Kelly to be framed. I'll take one of the other ones so that he can duplicate his previous work.

I stepped on the scales this a.m. and was delighted to see only a weight increase of about one/half pound! Maybe I made better choices with food than I usually do.

The weather is supposed to change for the worse tomorrow - the latter part of the day and over night is supposed to bring freezing rain - I'm not ready for that. We need to get over to the shed tomorrow and bring back some snow shovels as snow is to come after the freezing rain.

Be safe.
B.

Sun & Mon. Nov. 26 and 27

From a dampish, cool MO,

We have had two full days. We joined Doug and Dara for breakfast on Sunday, returned to our motel room for packing, and then joined them for a production at the Zachary Scott theater - am thinking it was called Plaid Tidings.

Upon returning we departed for Denton - thinking we would be in Denton by 9:30, but instead the traffic south of Waco was almost stalled and we didn't get to Denton until 11:00. We did this as we had wanted to drive to Chillicothe on Monday (about a 13 and one/half hour drive for us) and thought it would be nice to have three and one/half hours already finished. I am not sure it was holiday traffic as all of a sudden it disappeared when we reached Waco and we were soon back to the regular speed limit.

We left Denton (with Ruth) about 8:45 this a.m. and we were in Chillicothe about 6:45. We had very little traffic and even with a few sessions with very light rain - the drive was great.

We are basically unpacked now and I am ready to collapse in bed. We have some errands to do in the a.m. - am hoping to walk as well - and then will pick up the girls about 11:00.

Be safe.
B.

Sat. Nov. 25

From a balmy Austin,

Today was full. We met Doug and Dara about 8:30 this a.m. and headed towards the downtown Kerby Lane, but the waiting was rather lengthy and we were in a parking area where we would probably be towed before we returned to the truck. We then headed to Hoover's (just east of the UT campus - on the east side of I-35) and had a super breakfast. Jim had blueberry pancakes and I had scrambled eggs (they are always the best of anywhere), garlic cheesy grits, and some Elgin sausage.

We then headed to the area south of the river to what would probably be called a convention center to an enormous indoor, garage sale. The booths covered almost anything that one could think of - vintage clothing, vintage quilts, lots of jewelry, sheet music (found two with Grim's name on them), and the list goes on!

Next we went north of the river to the infamous Sixth street where a Christmas street festival was in progress - probably about 5 blocks - and again a large variety of items could be found - along with lots of organized entertainment - as well as usual Austin entertainment.

We were not famished yet so we went to Hog Island for their fabulous Philly cheese steak sandwiches. I can't imagine that better ones could be found anywhere.

After dropping Doug and Dara off, we headed to the motel for a couple of hours of rest and now have settled in at their place to watch the first half of the USC/Notre Dame game - we'll see the second half at the motel.

We haven't decided where we will eat breakfast on Sunday a.m., but will take in a production at the Zachary Scott theater in the afternoon - then will begin packing for our Monday drive north.

Be safe.
B.

Tues., Wed., Thurs, & Fri Nov. 21-24

Items from Austin --

We picked Ruth Benson up about 7:45 a.m. and were soon leaving Chillicothe. We had a very smooth trip to Norman, OK -arriving about 3:30. After getting items into our motel rooms,we headed to Marie Calender's to eat supper - then on to Barnes and Noble. Jim watched a little tv and then met for breakfast.

We were leaving Norman before 7:30 and were in Denton, TX two hours later with Ruth's friends arriving there about 20 minutes earlier. We then were on the road again towards Fort Worth and Austin. We ran into bumper to bumper traffic south of FW - going about 75 mph and this seemed to be the norm for the next couple of hours as we finally arrived safe and sound in Austin - actually Round Rock.

We checked into the Extended Stay and then headed to Doug and Dara's about 5:00. When Doug arrived home from work,we headed towards downtown Pflugerville and ate at a marvelous Carribean place.

We arrived at Doug and Dara's about 8:30 on Thanksgiving morning and enjoyed meat and sweet kolaches. Dinner was superb as Dara loves to cook - turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, spinach/artichoke casserole, cranberries, hot rolls, and I am sure I am missing something. Jim eventually returned to the Extended Stay to take a nap and I watched football with Doug - and Dara napped. Leftovers were on the agenda for supper as well as a pumpkin pie -topped with a cranberry/brown sugar/ flour topping. Needless to say, we did not get hungry during the night.

On Friday, we were at Doug and Dara's by 8:30 and we headed to a taco place for "California" breakfast tacos. They were delicious and then we set out on some shopping outings - a sporting goods store (I forgot my good walking socks in Chilli), Book People, a bead store, and an Oriental market (quite interesting and prices were excellent).

Our big outing for the day was to Lockhart (population a little under 12,000) which has five busy BBQ establishments. We ate at Kruez - where you by the meat in bulk and it is served on brown paper - with no eating equipment. We also bought sides of German potato salad - not nearly as good as Sandy Wheeler's.

Doug taped the LSU/ARK game and he and Jim are now watching it from the beginning - skipping the commercials - until they catch up with live action. We are having leftovers tonight as the refrigerator is full.

I am not sure if we are going to Kerby Lane or Hoover's for breakfast in the a.m. and then we are going to a large "flea" market and also a Christmas sale. I know there are some football games that the guys want to see, but Doug can tape them for watching when we return home.

The weather is fantastic - mid 70s.

Be safe.
B.

Sat. & Sun. Nov. 18 & 19

From a sunny, but rather crispt MO,

I am just not sure where time goes, but the days seem to fly.

The four of us walked on Saturday and Sunday mornings - early on Sat. and late morning on Sunday. Mary Willis called me about noon on Saturday that a group was at Sheree LeClare's and were having fun cooking - eclairs, creme brulee, cheesecake, etc. Of course I can't avoid food and I did know all the ladies present - Mary, Kay, Goldie Wilford, Darlene Hughes, Susie Calloway, and I am missing someone. Sheree is another multi-talented person - sews, music, cooking, immaculate house, etc.

The four of us dozed on Saturday afternoon as we wanted to stay awake for the USC game - which we barely managed to stay awake. I am not sure why we are so tired.

The girls slept until almost 5:00 this a.m. and thanks to Tylenol PM - Jim managed to stay in bed until almost 8:00.

Jim has gone now to give the truck a wash and a vacuum. We will begin packing seriously on Monday and take the girls to the kennel about 4:00 - as we will probably be leaving town before the kennel opens.

We are picking Ruth Benson up in the a.m. and she will ride with us as far as the I-35 split at Denton. She will be picked up by friends on Wednesday a.m. that she hasn't seen in a few years - and they go back many, many years. We will meet the Shipleys at the #469 exit - at Cracker Barrel. We will pick her up there when we return on Monda, Nov. 27.

Be safe.
B.

Fri. Nov. 17

From a still somewhat daylight MO,

This has been an active day. The four of us walked about 7:30 this a.m. - in the mid 30s, but no wind - so it was quite tolerable. The girls discovered a couple of new "dog" friends along the route and Trixie has a good memory of where "dogs" live so she likes to try to guide Jim to those homes.

Jim joined the second breakfast group this a.m. and I did a quick drive through McDonald's. I did remember my haircut this a.m. and then I went with Jim to Dr. Metry's office at 11:15. Jim planned on trying to talk Dr. Metry into a lower level of medication, and Dr. Metry agreed - with the idea that Jim would for sure have bloodwork done in three months - and he predicted the levels would be up - so Jim decided for the time being to be cooperative.

We had a cold turtle latte at Boji Stone for lunch and when we got home, Jim called our insurance agent to see if we could get an appointment this afternoon to go over possible choices for prescription plans. The doctor's computer was down, I had called the LaQuinta earlier today and their computer system was down, I tried to boot the computer at home and it wasn't cooperative, and Kathy's was booting up either. I am not sure what was going on, but at least I'm on now. I'll call LaQuinta this evening to see if their system is now operating - Jim had wanted to wait until we leave on Tuesday to call, but I will feel better if I know we can get in.

I attended a baby shower at the middle school this afternoon (after school was out) and the parents to be received all kinds of neat gifts. I don't go to many baby showers so many of the items were quite new for me. I thought it was neat that the father (teaches at the middle school) was the one opening the gifts while the mom to be was recording. At the end, he asked for volunteers to help in the middle of the night and I volunteered Jim as I thought he needed to see just went on.

We are having leftovers for supper - so guess that means I will need to do some cooking on Saturday - probably refried bean burritos as Jim has been "suggesting" that for several days.

We don't have specific plans for Saturday other than watching some football and enjoying the girls.

Be safe.
B.

Thurs. Nov. 16

From a coolish MO,

This has been a rather interesting day. Jim walked while it was still dark this a.m. as he wanted to be home and cleaned up prior to the plumber coming.

I joined the ladies for breakfast - Pat, Clara, Johanna Sue, Margaret, Mary, Ellen, and yours truly - am probably missing someone. Afterwards I went home and settled in the recliner and found several items of interest in the KC paper. The next thing I knew the phone was ringing and Amy was on the phone asking if I was okay - then I remember that I was fifteen minutes late to my haircut - I've never forgotten that and was not too happy with myself! I did remember the RSVP board meeting and the library board meeting!

I was home about an hour from the library board meeting when we headed to the local theater to see Russell Crowe in "A Good Year." The movie would have been fine had I not read the book, but I kept wondering when some items would be brought up - and they never were.

The ham and beans were great for supper as well as the cornbread.

Jim is now watching a college football game and we will soon be watching the Texas basketball game.

Oh, yes, the plumber was here most of the morning and we now have new faucets on the bar as well as the utility sink - and new hardware underneath. Now we just need to get items back into place. That won't take long - it is just doing it.

I have my second chance at a haircut on Friday a.m., will join Jim when he goes to see Dr. Metry at 11:15. I am also going to a baby shower at the middle school in the afternoon. The day won't be as full as today. Jim is talking about maybe trying to go fishing tomorrow afternoon.

Be safe.
B.

Wed. Nov. 15

From a MO that feels almost like snow!

Today has been basically overcast all day with the air feeling damp and the windchill wasn't much above freezing - not my kind of day. I can deal with this better if at least the sun is out.

We had a good night of sleep courtesy of the girls and also Jim sleeping -- so we had an earlier than usual start this morning - at least for me.

Jim joined both breakfast groups this a.m. and I headed to HyVee a little before 8:00 - hadn't done this for a few weeks. Pat was already there as well as Gerald Schmidt. I joined them and soon afterwards Barbara Lame also showed up.

When Jim returned from his breakfast outing, we loaded up the girls and headed to the Amish store just south of Jamesport to buy more Havarati cheese. When we returned home, I fixed toasted cheese sandwiches for us and then we basically puttered around here until a little after 1:00 when we headed to the County Health office to get our flu shots.

We then headed towards Liberty where we had a marvelous time at Kohl's - half off and then another 15% old geezer discount. Jim was after more turtleneck sweaters and I found a couple of sweaters as well as some fur-lined boots to wear when I take the girls outside - especially in the middle of the night. Last winter I had to stop and put socks on and then shoes before going out - usually just slip into my Birks in good weather.

We ended up going to Texas Roadhouse on the recommendations of Butch, David, and Don. The food was okay, but I don't think we will rush back. The atmosphere was fun and when we do go back, we will try their sandwiches. The baked sweet potatoes were excellent.

We were home probably about 6:30 - or a little after. Of course the girls conveyed their happiness at our return and need some lap time this evening. Gas was $2.01 at WalMart. It was $2.17 at the Cameron - highway 36 and I-29 junction.

Thursday is a full day for me - breakfast with the ladies, haircut, RSVP board meeting, and library board meeting. We may go to see the new Russell Crowe movie (Thurs. is the last day in Chillicothe) and will watch the Texas basketball game in the evening. I have some navy beans soaking, have diced the ham and onions - and will get the crockpot going in the a.m.

We had a call from the plumber this evening and he will be here in the morning. The faucet handles in the utility room need replacing and the "neck" at the bar is frozen in place. I am not sure just what all he will have to do, but when we cleaned out underneath the bar this evening, there appears to be corrosion on the outlet pipes - so am guessing they may also need to be replaced. We have been going to do these things for some time so it will be good to have them done.

Be safe.
B.

Tues. Nov. 14

From a cloudy and cool MO,

This has been an interesting day. We sort of slept in this a.m. and then the four of us walked about 8:00. I am not sure the four of us walked as Trixie really gives Jim a workout as she pulls a great deal - knows where all the dogs are located on our walking route and can't wait to get to the next dog. We had a darling dog (probably a llasho - spelling - follow us for a couple of blocks this a.m. I can't believe that people would put such an attractive dog out and leave it unattended.

We headed out to do errands about 9:30 and quickly remembered that today a large number of troops from our local area were being deployed. There were three large tour busses that were in front of the armory. Crowds were lined up on either side of Washington Street from the Armory south to McDonald's - flags, banners, school children, adults, etc. We drove south and then came back to the parking lot at the post office to watch the troops leave. I don't usually cry (actually can't remember when I last cried), but really got choked up today and shed a few tears.

I joined Mary Willis, Ginny Glover, and Helen for lunch at Piece of Cake. I then headed to the Dollar Store (everything inside is a dollar) and found a few items that I had been wanting. I then headed home to make the Dr. Pepper spaghetti casserole for supper. At 3:00, I joined Helen, Mary W., and Peggy Bacon for dessert!

Jim went to Brookfield to fish today, but did not have the marvelous experience of yesterday, but still came back feeling good about the outing. It is amazing how his emotions have gone to the positive with these outings.

Jim will join two groups of "old geezers" for breakfast on Wednesday a.m. We get our flu shots at the county health office at 1:30. If we have any energy, we are then going to make a quick trip to the Liberty area as Jim wants to go to a fishing place and then use a discount coupon at Kohl's.

Be safe.
B.

Sun. & Mon. Nov. 12 & 13

From a crisp, sunny MO,

We have had a relatively quiet two days. The four of us walked each a.m. although it was a little crisp - temp probably in the mid 30s. Jim stayed up late on Saturday night to watch the USC game so the girls and I had the opportunity to sleep in on Sunday a.m.

We did a few quick errands this a.m. - WalMart, Lowe's, vet's to extend time the girls will be with them over Thanksgiving, post office, and surely something else.

Jim decided to go fishing again today (walked the banks) and I made some phone calls and rounded up three others to have lunch at Boji Stone. He had a deceptive smile on his face when he returned as he had caught and released a bass that was in the 21-22 inch range - or at least he claims to have caught a fish that big. He had gone over to Joe Shelby (south of Meadville.)

Abby is nestled in the crook of my left arm as I am trying to type this - one of her favorite spots.

We should have an easy day on Tuesday - sometimes that turns into a very active day. I need to go to HyVee and take advantage of the "old geezer" discount and deliver divided trays to Velma.

Be safe.
B.

Sat. Nov. 11

From a sunny, but crisp MO,

This has been a full day - or at least for this old soul.

We slept in this a.m. -- actually didn't get moving until almost 8:00. The four of us walked and even though it was crisp, we didn't have to fight much of a breeze so it was a good outing.

Mary Willis picked me up (along with Pat) for an outing to Brookfield. Mary was needing a particular fabric that the local WalMart no longer had, but it was at Brookfield. Afterwards, we went to the gift shop that the Johnson girls have - then back to Chillicothe to eat at Applebee's.

I needed to make a quick trip to HyVee when we returned (Bill and Mary Thompson had brought us some tomatoes that had been picked in September and we were hungry for bacon and tomato sandwiches.) One of the tomatoes was as good as any I picked fresh this summer and the second one was very close to being as good.

We dozed for a long time this afternoon and then saw the end of the Nebraska/A&M game as well as the NC/Florida game. Jim is now biding time until the USC game comes on.

I was watching "Paula's Party" on the food network last night and she had a couple of attractive recipes (or at least ones that I thought I might want to try.) One was a donut bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme donuts and the second one was individual pineapple upside down cakes using a muffin tin and canned biscuits. I went to the appropriate website tonight and have copied both recipes. She was really a hoot on the bread pudding as she was so proud of not using any sugar or vegetable oil.

We are collecting money in our Thursday a.m. breakfast group to purchase a lighted holiday decoration to be added to those used last year in Simpson Park. We had a lengthy "discussion" as to an appropriate name for our group - two that have been submitted so far by Judy Duncan are TOAST - Teachers Organized and Associated for Social Treks -- and -- COFFEE - Coalition of Free, Fun-loving Ex Educators.

We are anticipating a quiet Sunday. Jim may mulch leaves again, but we'll just see what the late morning and afternoon brings.

Be safe.
B.

Fri. Nov. 10

From a dampish, windy, coolish, miserable MO,

To have had such lovely fall days and then go to this definitely sends a reminder that winter is coming!

I forgot to mention in the missive yesterday about the three hours I spent at our county library on Wednesday covering the art exhibit. Thirty black and white photographs were on display relative to women in agriculture. All areas of the US were covered with various ethnic groups also included. The photos were contemporary, but the messages would cover the ages. I had two individuals come through, a third grade accelerated group with teacher, and a mother with what I assume to be her homeschooled daughters. The three hours went much quicker than I expected and I was lucky that the lady replacing me was on time.

When the girls needed to go out this a.m., I quickly realized that the weather had changed. We were getting a moderate rain, wind from the north, and it was definitely nippy. The girls have not had a lot of experience with rain and they were not happy campers about going outside, but eventually they did their needed thing. When we returned to the house, I let them cuddle in with us - much to their delight.

Jim slept in until almost 7:30 and I had good intentions of getting up, and finally did so after 10:00. I didn't sleep for most of that time, but was just enjoying the comfort of bed and rest. Jim joined the second breakfast group and later "offered" to take me to Applebee's for lunch. The salads were much better this time (guess the staff is catching on) and we had enough left to take care of supper.

Mary Willis just called and she is making a quick trip to Brookfield on Saturday and asked if I would like to go along - I quickly said yes!

We need to walk on Saturday a.m. if the weather is more agreeable - I can dress for the cold, but hate to dress for cold and rain. I am sure there are some football games on tv and I have several projects that I need to work on.

Be safe.
B.

Wed. & Thurs. Nov. 8 & 9

From what has been two gorgeous fall days in MO,

Wednesday was a full day for us. Jim joined both breakfast groups and I did the walk that included the long slope. We had some errands to do and then ended up at Boji Stone for lunch. We tried to doze in the afternoon and then headed to the stadium for the game. Jim is a Type A personality (in my opinion) and we were in the stands at 5:00 for a 7:00 game. At least the weather was great and people were soon arriving. The game was quite lopsided by the second half - 21-0 (not in our favor) and eventually the final score was 21-13. The football season is now over with basketball and wrestling next on the agenda.

I must detour and mention that Wednesday evening's CT had a brief blurp on the death of Michael Hornsby - age 49. We knew that his parents had mentioned several years ago that he had been diagnosed with MS. Tonight's CT carried a full obituary. I always liked Mike and his family - so many things I don't understand in life.

Jim walked this (Thurs.) a.m. while I headed to Country Kitchen to join the ladies. I am tired this evening so don't remember if there were six or seven present - Pat, Jan, Judy Duncan, Sandy, Margaret, and yours truly. We are taking up a collection to give to the Arts group (or whatever it is) so that a lighted decoration can be added to the display in Simpson Park. The park was quite a pleasant sight to the eyes last year.

Pat picked me up about 9:30 and we headed to St. Joseph. We made a stop at HyVee and then went on to the special dentist's office where she had stitches removed. Then we went to Red Lobster for lunch - then took in some shopping - Cato's, Sam's (trays for Velma), Border's, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and maybe somewhere else. On the way home, we stopped at Hamilton to go through the antique mall - with Pat finding a butter dish to a plate pattern that she collects.

Jim fished today again at Dr. Eden's. He only caught one fish today and that was in the protected range - so he didn't have fish to clean - or to add to our larder - but he still was quite content at being outside.

I am not sure just what Friday will bring. Jim and I will probably walk in the a.m. and then he will join the second breakfast group. I really should have oatmeal as I have neglected that aspect of my food this week. He will probably head out to fish again and is hoping that John Wheeler will be able to join him. I plan on tackling the house some and working on some of my varied projects that I have going.

Be safe.
B.

Tues. Nov. 7

From what has been a lovely MO fall day,

We began the day with a lot of fog, but the sun eventually came out and it was a balmy day.

I am so glad that the election is currently just a few minutes away from being over!!!! For some reason the concepts of slander and libel are overlooked in an election year. If our children behaved the way most politicians behave, we wouldn't have enough corners for time out. Oh, well.

Jim and I walked downhill to our regular polling place this a.m. - probably about 7:30. Jim returned home and I continued the route we had used on Monday. It is amazing how much easier the walk is without the girls pulling. I finished the route in good shape - somewhat out of breath at the top of the incline, but had recovered by the time I reached home.

After showering, the girls and I headed out on errands - much to their delight. Even though they are in a crate in the backseat - they still love to GO!

I joined Sandy McGinnis and Mary Willis for lunch today at Boji Stone. I had left several messages and Sandy did as well, but Mary was the only one "brave" enough to show up. At 3:30, I joined Mary, Peggy Bacon, and Helen for dessert - needless to say, I tried to eat moderately at supper.

Jim fished today at Dr. Eden's and came home with several fish that he had filleted (spelling). We now have three more packages of fish in the freezer. We had sent a package to the Thompsons last evening and Mary called a little while ago to say how tasty the fish were. She doesn't cook fish much, but agreed that she could cope with another batch in a few weeks.

Wednesday will be a rather active day for us. Jim joins both breakfast groups in the a.m. and I have a 9:00 to 12:00 shift at the library covering the black and white photo exhibit of early farm women. I plan on taking a crochet project as I have no idea if there will be people wandering through.

I should have mentioned yesterday that Tom Figg (husband of Theresa Figg) died on Sunday. Barbara Gale Lamme's mother also died within the past few days.

Be safe.
B.

Mon. Nov. 6

From a drizzly, overcast MO,

We had only a few leaves on our yard yesterday and awakened this a.m. with lots of leaves - and they were damp.

Ruth Benson and I whizzed our way through the computer and xeroxing for Mobile Meals today - then began stapling and the stapler jammed! It had a major jam by the time I began trying to find some object to get the jam eliminated - and puttered on it for close to 30 minutes!

Ruth indicated today that she had talked to her son (and his family) as well as her friends who live close to Denton, TX - and she will ride as far as Denton with us when we head to see Doug and Dara for Thanksgiving. She is such a delightful person and I am glad she can ride along with us. We will meet them at the exit just north of the division. Ruth hasn't seen them in a number of years and is really excited about going - has the feeling this will be the last time she will get to see them.

Jim and I did a series of errands when I got back home - bank, made appt. for flu shots, items to Threads, Lowe's, WalMart, and surely somewhere else - oh, yes, post office. We had a sandwich at Piece of Cake and then dozed much of the afternoon.

One thing we did before errands (and after my return from RSVP) was to walk. We added maybe close to a quarter of a mile to our trek today, but the big thing was we did the long incline that is on the west side of Morningside Center. We had tried that in April and May and had given up on it as Jim had to stop more and more often - and we made it today without a stop. We hadn't tried this route since spring - so this was quite an accomplishment.

I put the remainder of the hamburger/bean combination in the crockpot this a.m. and added some diced tomatoes - chili is now ready for supper - oh, so easy! There appears to be plenty in that I might freeze a quart for future use.

At this point our plans for Tuesday are indefinite - I need to do some more weeding around the house and if Jim goes fishing, I will probably head to WalMart to restock on yarn for chemo hats. Then I will have a good idea what can't be obtained locally and with Pat's help, I can look for it in St. Joseph on Thursday (she goes back to get stitches removed from her gum.)

Be safe.
B.

Sun. Nov. 5

From a balmly, fall day in MO,

This has been a quiet day for us. We seemed to have a restless night and eventually somewhat slept in this a.m. Jim rousted me about 8:30 and the four of us were soon out walking. The girls so love this and especially Trixie knows where "dogs" live along our route and she starts looking for them as we come to that area. There is one large dog who doesn't have a regular fence, but rather it must be a "ground" fence as he only comes so far - and Trixie goes into overtime.

We have been through the newspapers today and have done three loads of laundry. Notice I say "we" on laundry as Jim and I try to spell each other on the steps going to the basement utility room. He is especially tired today - late, cold night on Thursday, fished Friday afternoon, and our quick trip to KC on Saturday. He is down trying to take a nap now so as to be able to watch tv this evening.

I somewhat tackled the dining room area today. We are guilty of piling things on the dining room table - and it gets higher and higher. I went through my two piles today and when Jim wasn't interested, just piled his on the chair - so at least the pile is somewhat out of sight. I am always amazed at how much dog hair accumulates around the perimeter of the room so that is also in the vacuum bag now.

We filled up with gas this a.m. and while there I noticed a SUV with Mar-Don Kennels on the side and recognized Marsha Cox - the girls first human mommy. She spent some time cuddling the girls. The girls weren't too excited about this and I finally realized why - usually when they are handed over (away from home) to another person - it means they are going to the kennel for a few days or they are going to be groomed. The girls don't have short memories on some things.

I do the computer work for Mobile Meals in the a.m. and then Jim and I are tackling several errands - donated items to Threads, check at local county Health Office to get our names on list for flu shots, and a few more that are on the list in the other room.

Be safe.
B.

Sat. Nov. 4

From what has been a sunny, but coolish MO,

I am going to back track to Friday as I had something quite eerie happen to me.

I joined the ladies at 4:00 for dessert and we usually visit for at least an hour. I had set the pen up (at home) for the girls as Jim was still fishing and had left them with a large fabricated bone for them to chew on - one so there would be some competition. When we give them two - one ends up being buried and they still feud over one.

Anyway, about 4:30 - all of a sudden someone began smoking a little distance from us (they were in the smoking area) and I became terribly constricted trying to breathe - I don't think I have ever felt this constriction before. I decided to cut my visit short, excused myself and hurried out the door. Upon getting home, Trixie (the blonde) was inside the house in the pen and seemed quite frantic. I looked around for Abby and located her outside near the northeast tree. I was surprised that she hadn't come to me when I returned home and looked a second time and realized she had her mouth open and seemed to be in distress. I ran outside, picked her up, and used my fingers to extract the last of the "bone" from her mouth/throat. I am not sure that she was totally choking, but she was in distress as I don't think she could get the bone loose. Of course there is the possibility that she was so proud of finally getting the bone that she was not about to give it up to her sister.

Anyway, the bone dropped on the ground when it was removed and of course Trixie quickly grabbed it and ran for the house. I followed her in and took it out of her mouth. I set it aside to show Jim when he returned and then it went into the garbage sack. I think Abby had a close call and am so glad I rushed out of Washington Street when I did.

I had taken a call from a men's clothing store yesterday afternoon that a coat ordered by Jim was in. We decided this a.m. that we would make a quick trip to KC to pick up the coat and then head to the Zona Rosa area to eat. Doug will be proud of us that we ended up at Granite City (one of the places that we ate at while Jim was in the hospital.) Anyway, Jim had a melt in the mouth pulled pork BBQ sandwich and I had the spinach/artichoke chicken sandwich. Doug will be proud of the fact that his dad ordered a beer sample and both of us sampled it. Doug and I had eaten at the Granite City close to Cabela's.

Jim and I have napped this afternoon. He was really tired after his fishing outing (and our late night on Thursday) to the point that he was having trouble getting warm in bed last night - the was too warm after midnight.

We are ready to settle in to the USC football game for the evening.

We don't have anything planned for Sunday other than rest, enjoying the newspapers, and cuddling with the girls.

Be safe.
B.

Thurs. & Fri. Nov. 2 & 3

From a sunny, cool, but comfortable MO,

These two days have been full - or at least so far. I joined the ladies for breakfast on Thursday and we ended up having eight in attendance - Pat, Clara, Jan, Sandy, Ellen, Judy, Marsha Leopard, and yours truly. I wouldn't dare tell you all the conversations, but let it suffice it ranged from "flavored condoms", pole dancing, and more sedate, common place topics (football game on Thurs. night, upcoming art exhibit, Marsha's recovery, etc). Needless to say, I am sure we attracted a few stares with our large bursts of laughter at times. Ellen has finally arrived at the point that she says she will try to learn pole dancing - if I teach her -- of course that would be a total laugh, but we have a lot of fun with the topic. I think Ellen is getting "addicted" to our group as she is getting more and more into the laughing and joking - am not sure she hears much laughing at home. This is the first time Marsha had been with us since her bad car accident so it was great having her there.

Jim and I tried to doze during the middle part of the day on Thursday as we knew we were in for a late night, but the political "cold" calls kept coming in and we finally gave up. I would like to see a grass roots action begin on including political calls in the "No Call" list for future years. I would be willing to vote for almost anyone who would make that a priority on their election! Of course I wouldn't be displeased with non-profit groups also being included. I am so tired of the dirt in this election (and previous elections) that I am glad to live in a small community where this seldom happens with local officials running for office. Of course they usually recognize that they will be seeing their opponents frequently in upcoming days and years so a little more common sense prevails. I guess we don't need to have the "dirt" made public as we are almost always already aware of it!

Jim and I left here about 2:00 for Boonville on Thursday - much earlier than needed, but Jim's Type A personality makes this a routine action. We stopped south of Waverly at a vegetable and fruit stand and he bought some of his beloved apples (Abby shares his love of these) as well as some butternut squash.

I would guess the temperature by game time was in the 40s, but our backs were to the north and there was little or no wind. My feet got somewhat cold, but a long way from freezing cold. The boys ended up winning 35 to 0 - as I sort of remember the score. We were back in Chillicothe a little after 11:00- after a pit stop at Marshall on the way home.

We rousted ourselves from bed about 7:00 and were walking by 7:30 with the girls pulling us around our walking trail. When we returned, I quickly was back in bed (along with the girls) and didn't begin moving until Jim called me a little after 10:30 to see if I was upright yet. He had joined the second group for breakfast and then had done a couple of errands.

I quickly showered and headed to the doctor's office for my quick check-up - weight loss (nil this month -- too much sodium in recent days as my home scales showed a little loss from last month), blood pressure check (124/80), pulse (forgot to ask), etc. I am going to try taking Singulair (spelling??) for a month to see if I can see some relief in about 3 weeks.

Jim and John are fishing at Dr. Eden's "pond" and will be home later. I am joining Helen and others for dessert at 4:00. Jim and I then have chili supper tickets at the United Methodist Church this evening - so no cooking today.

I have scanned the football tv listing for Saturday and I want to see the MU game and I know we will also watch USC.

Be safe.
B.

Wed. Nov. 1

From a much cooler, but sunny MO,

This has been a quiet day for us.

We had less than half of the usual number of trick or treaters last night. I would guess we knew at least 90 percent of the kids that came by -- usually we may only know about 10 percent. The businesses around the square have a "BooFest" from 4 until 6 on Halloween and when Pat and I came through town the kids were out in force.

Jim joined both breakfast groups this a.m. and I opted to stay in bed with the girls. We finally began moving about 9:00. I have almost finished giving the family room area a light going over and it looks better. I still need to go over it more carefully as I keep finding items to donate. Of course I have been going to do this for several weeks.

Jim and I got out to do errands this afternoon - left hours at RSVP, Jim checked on something where he stores his boat, made a trip to the local John Deere place to get some carpet cleaner (Sandy and Pat feel it is the greatest), and a weekly trip to HyVee to take advantage of the "old geezer" discount. Jim has also mulched leaves today - sure helps in locating where the girls like to "dump" in the backyard.

Some of you might be interested in noting that Herb Coult died. I always enjoyed the Coult kids as they went through school - and the grandchildren. I hadn't realized his vintage or that he had been so ill. The obit in the St. J paper indicated they had one son that died in Vietnam - I had forgotten that.

I join the ladies for breakfast in the a.m. and then we plan on napping during the middle part of the day. We will leave in the afternoon for Boonville and the final regular game of the season - will probably be home close to midnight. We'll need to recuperate on Friday.

We plan on stopping south of Waverly so Jim can resupply on apples - as he and Abby thoroughly enjoy them. Jim eats almost all the apple and then holds on to the core while Abby finishes the job.

Dara's blog was interesting today as it seems Doug got home on Tuesday to discover the two dogs had somehow managed to get to most of the Halloween candy at some point during the day. Dara called the vet's clinic to see what they needed to watch for as chocolate is usually considered to be deathly for dogs. Her blog indicated they had survived the night - dogs and humans.

Be safe.
B.