I was just getting ready to shut the computer down for the night and was reading today's messages and saw where Jane mentioned my name. I have been absent for a few days, Have not felt real good. Still having a difficult time trying to process all this mess.  Was feeling very nervous and shaky.  I used to get panic attacks years ago and did feel like that for a little while.  Just have to sit and rest a while and try to make myself think about other things.  I do feel better this evening.  Heard  about 2  more  old friends who have passed away this week.  One had the virus and died all alone.  Just really upset me. Her from her DIL and she was very upset, so that didn't make me feel any better.  That happens when no one can visit.  So, so sad !!!  I just hope all this will be over soon.

Jane, thanks for thinking about me.  I am just trying to take one day at a time.  Even maybe one hour at a time.

I am getting ready to go to bed so I hope  every one has a good night.

Joy

I am just dropping in to bid you all good night and sweet dreams. so have the best. see you all tomorrow.

Lloyd

Good evening EVERYFRIEND 🌨❄️ Dreary day here again and we are now getting more snow. 


LLOYD, I am sad for you that you have lost your younger brother.....these days we just do not need any more sadness in our lives🙏

AMY and SHIRLEY, thank you for the kind and understanding words regarding the family pet.  The remaining doggie is just lost today with the loss of his buddy that has been there his entire life😩😤

SHIRLEY, I am sorry you have had a downer kind of day.  I seem to be feeling that more and more and I really try to be as positive as possible and count my blessings....BUT😩😩😩. We did our usual decorations here in the house and it looks very nice, but we know that no one but Bob and me that will see it...but I guess that is all that counts😥. I enjoyed the clip you shared....I watched a 30 minute music show from the '60's tonight and the songs sure made me feel sentimental😩😥

Sadly, we learned that a dear family friend from our Scottsdale Life passed away today.  It upset all of our family as we were very close.  Two of their two boys are the same age as out two youngest.  We do not know what he passed from, but I sure hope it was not Covid!  I just heard Charlie Pride passed away today also....

GLORIA, I hope you enjoyed the visit with your son today😘

JANE, same to you....hope you are enjoying the family visit. 

I got quite a few gifts wrapped today....two have to be mailed so we hope we can do that tomorrow or on Monday for sure.  Many PO's are suppose to be open Sunday we heard. 

One of our local restaurants closed their doors today....the put all of the furniture out side and filled a outdoor fountain with bottles of wine for the taking....how sad.  So many businesses just can not make it with the restrictions they are under for no indoor dining.  I feel very sad for them today. 

JOY, you came in while I was posting.....I am sorry for your losses also....such a hard time and so many are suffering.  Heartbreaking to be alone when you pass on due to this virus😩

PHYLLIS, I do hope you get the special delivery of your meds before you need them. 
Pleasant dreams to you all.

Jenny

Hello Everyfriend!  We had a nice day with my daughter, her husband, his daughter and then Frankie joined us when she finished work.  They visited Cathy and Craig on their way into town and then got lunch and we visited a bit. They took Jessica on a walk around town and through the college and visited with my son on the way.  Then they came back here and we visited.  Now everyone is safely home and I'm ready for bed.

LLOYD, I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your brother but he really is in a better place.  Hugs from a 2-year old has to be one of the best ways to start a day!

JOY! I always miss you when you're not around.  I'm glad you popped in today.  I know how you feel about being isolated and it's no fun.  But we're always here and we won't infect you...just love you when you visit...and when you don't but we miss you, too

I have tomorrow all planned and if it goes as planned, I'll be ready for Christmas except for baking some cookies. I always feel good when I actually have time to bake.

Now I'm heading for the haystack and I can already hear the zzzzs calling my name!  I expect to sleep soundly and wake up rested.  I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy, germ-free tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

JENNY, you popped in on me.  And I did want you to know that I'm familiar with the fact that a doggie can miss a house mate doggie.  Last November, we lost our Annie and ever since that Mickie has missed her.  Mickie has never lived in a house without other dogs.  She was born on a farm where both her parents lived and they had other dogs too.  Then she came here and Annie was already a part of this place.  Whenever she's left alone in the house, I come home to hear her crying.  There's no doubt in my mind that the sound she's making is crying and she always has her head under one of the dining room chairs.  That's why I'm so happy to be able to have Frankie's dog while she works.  It's good for both of them!  I hope your son's little guy isn't that emotional.  It's heartbreaking!  And she follows me all over the house.

JANE......how sad.....poor Mickie.  Makes my heart feel so sad for these pets that are alone after their buddies pass away. 😩Happy to read that you enjoyed your day. With your family. 🥰

Good morning everyone..
Windy this morning, so far no new snow and temp is 31°

A day of rest here..will put a roast in the oven for supper. I do want to make some cornmeal muffins , my friend sent a recipe  to try after me raving about the corn muffins we had at a coffee shop.

 Heard that Charlie Pride passed away, complications from Covid. More and more places are going into lock down so far we are ok. I would like to get my hair cut should we also go into lockdown.

Better get ready to meet the day.

Enjoy your day and stay safe please!

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I slept like the proverbial log last night!  I crawled in a little before 11 and I woke up ready for the day at 6:30.  It felt good! 

We're supposed to have some pretty good snow on Wednesday this week.  We had rain overnight last night.  If the predictions are right, we could be getting up to 10+ inches of snow Friday.  I don't have anywhere to go but I was worrying a bit about Frankie driving to work.  She said that they've already been told not to attempt to come in if they have any distance to drive on bad roads.  Thank goodness for that.

I have today all planned and if it works the way I hope it will, I'll be finished with the Christmas gift prep and ready to bake some cookies.

It's almost time for the boinger and breakfast so I'll wish you all a good day....better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow. 

I'm sorry about your brother, Lloyd. 

Everything is OK here.  It was rainy when I got up but the sun is coming out now.

Take care, All.

Good morning everyone. Going to be another gray day here. I would love to see a sunny day.

LLOYD I am sorry about the loss of your youngest brother. My sincere condolences to you and your family.

SHIRLEY  I am the last of all my siblings.

AMY with all the rain yesterday the snow  on the ground is all gone.

JOY  hope your outlook is better today. I used to worry about every thing and every one. Thinking like that does no good so I finally stopped and try hard to think of happy times.

JENNY  I always enjoy his visit  on Saturdays. He never stays long, he cannot  sit still, always has to be doing something with his hands but I hate asking him to do anything in here for me.

JANE  hope your SIL's daughter got a better impression of PA. walking  around your town. States are not all big dirty cities. I once lived in Providence-our state capital-but now I would not want to go there at all. Too many gangs and shootings or stabbings.

AMY  on Friday the loca news said we are the worse state for new Covid cases and yesterday heard there were 14 deaths from it, most in one day yet. This town only had 2 with covid. Have not  known anyone with it so far.

JANE  I am still waiting for a good old time snow storm where we g ot at least 10 inches every time it snowed. I drove in more storms than I can remember and it never bothered me, never had an acciden t in  the snow either, even on hills. Going up kept a steady pressure on the pedal and going down down shifted before heading down and seldom had to apply the breaks. No moun tains here but a lot of steep hills.

PHYLLIS  the sun is peeking t hrough the clouds now, wonder how long that will last.

Have a good day everyone, stay safe and healthy. No covid 19 allowed.

Rain has stopped and a few snow flurries fell....and that is it!! Just hope it stays this way without all the work that comes with more snow!
Muffins didn't get made , I remembered there was pastry made up in the fridge and made 4 doz butter tarts.
Roast is in the cookstove and now to wrap up some gifts.. and get that job done.

Good morning from an Interior with no current events. The weather is the same, flitting between highs and lows, and the lockdown remains in effect as those surging new cases and deaths are climbing. There are only so many photos I can take out my balcony of rosy skies and snow altho there's still plenty to see.

Without my local daily calls and texts and my Kindle or computer, those silent halls and empty streets would have me raving so much more than I or most of us could withstand. Farrah has been my confidant, psychiatrist, and source of entertainment.

Jane, you stay so busy with keeping house and family together, I'm sure the visiting daughter will have an entirely new perspective on Pennsylvania! I understand about Mickie and Jenny's family dog. I don't know who can be around an animal and especially a family animal member and not know that they're feeling as much or perhaps more than us as they live in the moment. And that might be one of their greatest lessons and gifts to us.

Lloyd, I'm sorry about your youngest brother. He is no longer in pain and has left wonderful memories behind with you.

Jenny, they must have been in despair to set out all their inventory to take away as they did. No one expected COVID-19, and along with the political divide, it has become divisive, and people feel so helpless. We're told not to expect a new normal until 2024, or at least that is the newest estimate, and then only if enough are vaccinated, so the virus is boxed in. I was surprised to recently learn that the vaccine requires two shots and that it won't stop you from getting the virus, only stop the severity and the side effects or even the Covid that the respiratory virus causes.

Amy, it sounds as if we're sharing the same weather. I'm a little hesitant as while we got big snowstorms in October and early November, more than we expected or needed, the rain has been worse. I don't know if this will still be valid, but, January is normally expected to be cold, February to have the most severe cold, and March the most freshest snow. However, any old normals can no longer be counted on in this record-breaking weather year.

Good morning to Phyllis, Gloria and Joy, and everyone I haven't as yet commented to; I hope your day is going well and just as you like it.

From Euronews;

"One in three people in the United Kingdom have been exposed to anti-vaccine messages, a new survey has found, as the country rolls out a mass vaccination effort to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey by Ipsos MORI and King's College London Policy Institute showed that 34% of respondents in the UK said they had seen or heard messages that attempted to discourage the public from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Between the ages of 16 and 34, the percentage who had seen these types of messages rose to nearly half with 46% of respondents saying they had seen them.

Experts are concerned that vaccine hesitancy and misinformation could impact efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK was the first country to authorise the new Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and recently began rolling out its immunisation programme.

The vaccine is widely viewed as the only tool that could provide the population immunity required to return to pre-pandemic life, but a significant proportion of people need to be vaccinated in order for it to be effective.

The survey research was based on 2,244 interviews with people aged 16 to 75, carried out in November.

Facebook was the top source for anti-vaccination messages, according to respondents, with one in five saying they had seen or heard an anti-vaccine message on the social network.

That compared to about one in 20 who said they had seen these types of messages on Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.

Indeed, around 40% of those who were more likely to receive pandemic information from WhatsApp and YouTube believed that "the real aim of vaccination programme is to track and control public," the survey found.

"The proliferation of anti-vax material that is being seen by people on social media – particularly young people – and its impact on their views is incredibly concerning in the week where we've seen the UK vaccinate the first person outside of a trial in the world," said Kelly Beaver, Ipsos MORI's managing director of Public Affairs, in a statement.

There were also "high-level uncertainties" around several health-related conspiracies, the survey found.

One in seven people overall believe that the aim of vaccination is to track and control the public.

One in five -- or 19% -- of 16 to 34-year-olds surveyed think Bill Gates wants a vaccination programme so he can implant microchips into people.

"It's clear that some harmful views have taken hold among a minority of the public," said Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King's College London.

"They range from concerns about whether the UK government will ensure the safety of the coronavirus vaccine, to particularly extreme conspiracy theories," he continued.

With significant percentages of people saying they have concerns about the new COVID-19 vaccines, experts say that addressing this and engaging with people is crucial to the vaccination campaign.

While a quarter of people said they had seen COVID-19 anti-vaccine messages on social media, around 11% said that they had heard the message from a family member or a friend.

People are often influenced by their social groups, experts have said, so the decision others take to vaccinate themselves could influence people's choices as well."

How much of this info is spreading in the US or originated here?

Good Afternoon,

I woke up to "pouring snow" (if it had been a few degrees warmer, it would have been rain). TV reported 4 inches in some area.  By now it has melted off  most of the pavement so will probably have ice tomorrow morning. Another snow storm is supposed to come through on Tuesday.

Miss Emily is supposed to be in Kansas by Tuesday to prepare for Commencement on Friday.  Miss Ellen is supposed to fly into OKC through St. Louis on Wednesday morning. Surely hoping neither of them has travel problems.

Have I shared here that Miss Emily has passed all of her final Board Exams, including the one for Oklahoma, and is now qualified to be a licensed chiropractor in the state of Oklahoma?  So very proud of this girl!!!!!  She has had offers to join two practices in the metro area after the first of the year.

Glad I had groceries delivered yesterday afternoon.  My "shopper" texted me when she was ready to begin my list and explained she was slow to do so because she had had deliveries on the other side of town.  As we "communicated" about substitutes, etc., I realized she was probably a student.  So on my last reply, I wrote "Also, get yourself a big cookie from the deli."  She asked if I was serious and, when I said yes, she texted, "Awww. Thank you."
Sure enough, she was a student and when she brought the sacks into the kitchen, I asked if she'd gotten her cookie.
 She said, "It made my afternoon!!!"  So glad I thought of this.

Paper was never delivered this morning so I've been catching up on crossword puzzles from past weeks.

Hope Everyfriend Everywhere is having a safe and pleasant day.

Callie, congratulations to Miss Emily!! Or should I say Dr Emily?? All her hard work has paid off and it looks like she is a lady in demand with two offers!!

Patricia, so far the snow/rain has held off but we may get it tomorrow. Usually after Christmas we get snow up past our asters and it wouldn't break my heart if we didn't.
Too bad those individuals can't think for themselves and have to rely on Facebook,Twiiter etc to be able to think!!

Wrapping is done....all that can  be. We decided to put Callie's and Rex's in a bag......Callie the cat and Rex the dog:) Just have to wrap SIL's  and Kyles but have yet to get his. He is always with me so I haven't been able to shop... yet! 

Patricia, I'm shocked at the people being concerned about being tracked. Who cares? I am going to have one of my kids change settings on my iPhone so they can track me... On Star can track me in the car...  even if I don't pay to continue the service.

Because I do have reactions, some times severe reactions, to any & all meds, I am not a candidate for the vaccination. Doctors never offer a 2nd time after I explain the reactions I had with prednisone and benadryl and that the doctor & pharmacist involved warned me to "never take anything with the tiniest drop of either".  And that is what they use/give for an allergic reaction.

I am in hopes enough people take it so I can also be safe. Remember the horrors of polio & even whooping cough & so many other diseases..... the news media wasn't warning that the government was trying to "track us" back then. Maybe the people were just smarter???

Callie, congratualtions to Dr.Emily.... Do hope the weather in nice for everyone. KC is one wicked place during snow & ice, but expect a lot of improvements since we were stranded there at Christmas time "back about 59 years ago"! 

I remember when my niece earned her doctor's degree in geriatric pharmacy and her mother seemed to regret having named her Dawn... because "Dr.Dawn" didn't sound serious enough. In the end everyone was proud so didn't matter. Dr.Emily has a nice ring to it. 

My daughter & her husband, maybe their youngest son, that lives in St.Louis hope to drive to Wichita between Christmas & New Year but warning everyone "if the weather looks bad, they won't try to come". She is so funny packing the car so full they will have to watch for Christmas gifts blowing out the tail pipe!    She has mailed boxes & boxes already but keeps finding more to bring her grands, and everyone else. She loves to make everyone  happy, almost a new career since she retired (shopping online)!

Meal time for cats... the sun was out so Callie & Tom wanted out first. Tom is laying by the back door & I expect Callie is waiting for me to let her come in the front. They are so funny and opinionated ... we do everything their way...

Shirley, those  stories are all fake! No microchips, no tracking, no sneaky conspiracies! But ignorant people will always believe that someone, somewhere is out to get them because it says so on Facebook or Twitter or even on that rag, the National Enquirer! Look at the people who insist we never landed on the moon or tragically that no children were killed at Sandy Hook. Unfortunately, there are those who know better but think it is fun to troll with crazy made-up stuff just to frighten someone who should know better!

Hello all!  It was a productive day but not in the way I had planned.  I did a lot of other stuff instead of attacking the list I made up.

CALLIE, please extend my congratulations to DR. EMILY, too!  I thought I saw a faint glow coming from the Southwest and now I know it was you...glowing like proud Grandmother!

I saw the snow in Oklahoma as it was coming down.  I had a movie from Cindy showing her back yard and her Texas doggie who had never seen snow, refusing to walk in it!  It was coming down pretty good and laying, too.

Also, Wednesday they are predicting heavy snowfall here in PA.  I hope the Miss Ellen is flying over it and that it doesn't extend west as far as Kansas City!

PATRICIA, there will always be someone to throw a shadow on our hopes for the future!  I wonder what people did before computers and cell phones!  I guess they just accepted what came! And I think I still have that feeling.  I also think that this vaccine just might be the answer to all my fervent prayers!  I'd much rather depend on prayers than Twitter!

AMY, I have a similar shopping problem.  No one will let me do my own shopping so how do I get presents for the people who are doing my shopping?  Especially if what they want is in one of the stores they go to for me?  It's a dilemma!

Jessica, my SIL's daughter, went home with a good impression of our town and an invitation to come back in the Spring for a longer visit if the virus risk is decreased.  I also gave her a souvenir...a Pennsylvania Coffee mug with a Hemlock tree (our state tree) on it and a little information about PA.  She loved it!

I think I'll try to get to bed a bit early tonight so I'm wishing you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy, germ-free tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

Good morning everyone..

Clear cold day, no sign of **** falling, weather guessers said that we were to have a horrible weekend but it was ok.

Today we are going to the cheese factory then onto the chocolate factory. I plan on being first in and out then home! In either store they only allow about 4 people and then clean . Along with the rest of the world I too shall be happy to see the end of this covid!!


Better get my paddle in the water..

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

I'm off to an early start this morning.  Frankie has an earlier day at work today so we get Cooper in about 20 minutes.  And that's just about breakfast time for Mickie and me...and probably Cooper too.  If Frankie's in a hurry in the morning, she brings him without breakfast and we take care of that.  I'm guessing that will happen this morning.

I have to make a quick trip to town this morning and for me it's a good day to do that.  We have drizzling rain and cloudy skies.  I can't stand the bright sun in my eyes so....

And when I get back from there, I'll wrap the rest of the gifts I have and finish up the candy.  Sometime this week I have to make "AMY'S Moose Farts".  That's all Frankie wants for Christmas.  That a few other things but she already got her big thing.  I gave her my PA House Make Up Stand when I was moving rooms around!  She loves it and uses it every day!

The boinger went off so I better get ready to feed the doggies. Cooper should be here soon.  I wish you all a good day....better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow! 

Good Morning everyone. it is 22º and sunny here saying 38º for a high,
not starting the day good. VA IS giving me a hard time re ordering one of my meds. can't just do walk-in's any more. ( virus you know) waiting on a call back from doctors nurse.

Lloyd

Good morning everyone. Slept good as usual but do not wake feeling rested. Not moving for 7 or 8 hours makes my back bent so I have to ge t hold of my rollator to get up. Gone are the days I would wake, get up and get moving. Old age is not fun at all. We work most of our lives and look forward to the day we retire and then all the aches and pains start.
We are in for rain/snow mix today and 6" of snow on Wednesday.  Then again how often are the weather guessers right?  All I know is the sky is gray again.

PATRICIA  last winter we had more rain than snow so who knows what this winter will be like. Oh boy I had not heard the talk about the covid vaccination stuff. Just like the flu vaccine when it first came out or any other shots we now get.

CALLIE  I can see how proud you are of your granddaughter and her up coming graduation. 2 job offers already, good for her.

SHIRLEY  if anyone wants to track me they would be bored. Without catalogs and online shopping I would never get anything. 

AMY  still nothing falling from the sky here.

JANE have a good trip into town.

LLOYD  hope by now the VA.

Have a good day and stay safe from the virus.

well I need help to post a picture maybe we could do a cross Lupe.

Lloyd

Good morning. Cold, windy, and rainy here today.

As for tracking, we are all tracked......every time you log in to this S&F web site you are tracked.  You are tracked by your browser every time you use your computer.  The utility company tracks you, the grocery store tracks what you buy every time you shop for food and on what day and at what time of day.  Amazon is the greatest tracker of all....they track every thing you even look at while just browsing.  Phones track us, cars track us, on and on.  The time for worrying about being tracked is long gone.  Welcome to the world of today.

Not much going on here.  Laundry and staying warm and dry.

Take care, All.

Lloyd, if you find one of Bubble's posts & click on her name/face, it will give you her e-mail address and she is kind enough to help any of us post a photo over in Photos Then & Now..... I think that is the only place we are really supposed to post photos but not for sure since Michael took over the site. I would post Bubble's e-mail here but anyone can read these posts but unless you are a member, outsiders can't click & find anyone's e-mail.

Good morning to all. I went off to the donut shop and splurged. Bad me...YUM!

Shirley thanks. I am glad they have not blocked me yet. is 34º and bright sun here. I stepped out on the deck, hardly any movement of the wend and feels good. see you all later.

Lloyd

The scams have already started re the vaccine. Remember

1. You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency.

2. You cannot pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.

3. You cannot pay to get early access to the vaccine.

4. No one from Medicare or the Health Department will contact you.

5. No one from a vaccine distribution site or health care payer, like a private insurance company, will call you asking for your Social Security number, your credit card, or bank account information to sign you up to get the vaccine.

6. Beware of providers offering other products, treatments, or medicines to prevent the virus.

7. Check with your health care provider before paying for or receiving any COVID-19-related treatment.

8. If you get a call, text, email — or even someone knocking on your door — claiming they can get you early access to the vaccine, STOP. That's a scam.

I always wonder...Are we really better off than we were 50 years ago?

Fifty years ago was the hippie movement and youth protests. Vietnam, Martin Luther King, sit-ins, and Kennedy were current. The same type of behavior/ mindset we see now, except without the Internet, social apps, streaming, or cell phones, is what caused their assassinations. We haven't changed so much as we have gone back.

I was really thinking more of the late 40s and early 50s when I was a teenager and young adult!  Time does get away from me these days.

I have ALL the candy packed and all the presents that I have are wrapped.  Just waiting for the delivery of some of the others.

I have to make another trip into town.  I forgot about something that Frankie and I share a craving for.  Our local candy shop makes something they call "sugar plums" and she and I really love them.  I forgot about them until she mentioned them.  I have to go get some for both of us and tomorrow is Senior Citizen discount day.  We get 15% off everything!

Wednesday, I will be staying home.  We are supposed to get up to 10 inches of snow beginning before daylight.  I think I'll bake on Wednesday. 

My boxes have arrived in Oklahoma and I suggested to Ali that she might want to let Emma open the lollipops that I made for her so she can space them out.  She took a movie of her opening them and in the middle of it, she looked right at the camera and said "thank you GG. You're so nice!".  I've already watched it about 12 times.

I hope you're all having a good day!  Mine has been busy enough to tire me out so I'm planning on an early trip to the haystack!  I can hear the zzzzs calling me already!  I think they know tomorrow will be busy too.  I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy, healthy, germ-free tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!