Loud roar of disgust here! I had written a nice posting and it wouldn't go through; got the standard message when someone is messing up on the internet or whatever they do when your message just sits there and then "Poof" it is gone.

Anyway, weather is cool, 40 this A.M. and only 57 this afternoon. Will be 39 tomorrow morning. Had some tornados rip thorough our county yesterday, very early in the morning. Took the roof off a temporary housing of 200 female prisoners at Land 'O Lakes, about 25-30 minutes from here, over on U.S.41. All prisoners are safe, thanks to the vigilant guards who heard the "freight train" roar and moved them to the main bldg. Lots of trees down in several places and lots of water standing in some areas. An RV park here was flooded, but the water didn't get into any of the homes.

I am really very tired tonight. We did some running today and some shopping and I am exhausted and very sore. The back doesn't seem to be getting any better and I can't tell about the foot. I'll have this boot cast off in three weeks, hopefully. If it isn't doing well enough, the boot may have to be on longer. If that will prevent the surgery, I'll mangage that.

Hope all are well and just busy. Take care and God bless.

Lillian

Hi Lillian - or BOOTS I as I've decided to nickname you for the time being. Even tho you THINK you're so special, (and you REALLY are) I got ME a boot today, so I will assume the name of Boots II. Lord have mercy, what a relief to get rid of that "concrete" cast!

Now I don't remember if YOUR boot is on your right leg or not. Mine is on the left leg, and I was thinking that if yours is on the right we could enter a 3 legged "boot" race as partners, OR we could cut a rug doing the BOOT Scootin' Boogie. Whadda ya think?

Mine is on permanently (i.e. 24/7) except for showers and range of motion exercises 5 times a day, for the next 4 weeks. Even have to sleep with it on. Grrr! Hey, I can DO it, especially after 8 weeks WITHOUT a shower. Those thingy's I call 'spit' baths just don't cut it. I plan on using the WHOOOOOOOOLE hot water tank tonight, before going to bed.

BTW -- I SURE hope you are satisfied with the weather!!! Maxine and I left Live Oak at 5 am this morning and it was THIRTY degrees. I told Maxine I HOPED you were satisfied. Of course I was in a Polo and shorts. She chickened out and wore a coat over her T and shorts. SOMEONE has to uphold the "myth" that FL is ALWAYS warm. OH, and the temp in the car was set at 75 degrees. Boy, if I ever lose the weather to tease you about, I'm in heap big trouble.

OH, also! I have a cookbook for you from a site we both use, from a church in GA. I think the lady's name was Betty in GA who mentioned the cookbook. I just have to find it, in the mass of mail I'm behind with. You BETTER not have ordered it yourself. HOPEFULLY, I can find it before Christmas and have Santa drop it down your non-existant chimmney.

Robyn - your Christmas plans sound SO special and I'm SO happy you and Malcolm closed on your new home before the holidays. One more thing you can chalk off your list of things needing your attention. May God bless your new home and open it's doors to years of family get togethers and happiness. Give Jessica a hug from all her friends on the "other" side of the pond!!! MOST all of us have grands who are special, but she is special to us over here, because of you sharing her with us. I'll even go so far as to say that she has a special Grand Mum, who is willing to do that. I know I don't/can't speak for EVERYONE, but I think I do for a lot of us. WE appreciate you sharing with us.

Rose Marie -- OK - Give it up. How were the luncheons you slaved so diligently over. Were you able to serve the OOEY GOOEY, HUNKY DORY, SINFULLY decadent, supercalifragilistic pie, OR did that NASCAR driver you "impressed" into service as a PT Aide, cook, and bottle washer, eat the WHOOOOOOOOLE thing? From the way you talk about that poor man, it wouldn't surprise me if you put a hasp lock on the refrigerator, to keep the goodies you made safe. Give up the man's e-mail addy and I'll send the recipe to him directly so he can have a whing ding fling. Eating that pie while he hurtles around the track, he'll take the checkered flag in record time.

Enough of this teasing and nonsense for tonight. I'll just say

NYTOL - the relief for stuffy noses, headache, fever, upset stomach and horsefeathers offered as teasing _ EXCEPT for Robyn and her precious Jessica. I wasn't teasing there.

OK --- I've been quiet cuz no one else has been writing much - but I check back almost every day.

Feel so sorry for all you poor people in the south with "too warm" temps.
Jeez - we've been as low as 10º and it's miserable -- just hate it here!
Little good that does me, huh?

My first luncheon was to be last Wednesday - had spent the previous Saturday doing as much as I could. Made those Better Baker Bowls - hmpph - the pan will be thrown out this week. Too much loss and too much work. I really love for things to be presented well but this was insane.
Made corn bread bowls to serve chili in and then biscuit bowls for a Southwestern creamed chicken. Made 3 salads that would last for 2-4 weeks so they'd cover both luncheons. Really worked hard that day. Then the weather came -- snow, ice, sleet on Monday. Tuesday morning thought long and hard and cancelled it. Was a little miffed because one of the members - this is a domino group and we need 4 to play - cancelled because she forgot her daughter's swim meet. Which was fine -- to me children's activites come first because they should. But she just left a message on the machine - thought it was tacky. And moreover had spent a lot of time researching "the best" vegetarian chili on the net. She is strict. So added ground meat and froze it for this week since it was cancelled. And a good thing.
Tuesday night we lost power at exactly 9pm just as "Cane" was ending - glad we got the end of it. This happens here maybe once a year - and it's always bitterly cold when it happens. David must have sensed we were in "deep doodoo" cuz he immediately got busy taping off doors, etc.
We have a guest wing that stays chilly unless we turn that furnace on so he hung a huge quilt over that door so no air could escape. We turned the fireplace up, lit candles and flashlights as well.
David had oral surgery that day and was in a lot of pain - surgeon had to go up into his sinus cavity and into the gum as well. His mouth was still bleeding so he was happy to go to LaLa Land but I am a night owl so 9 didn't do it for me. But I read by flashlight. This is the longest we've been wtihout power. At 3:30 I called the electric company and they said only one person in our area had reported it so they weren't paying attention to it. We slept in the hearth room - David had his recliner but I only had two cushion sized portions of the couch so I felt like a pretzel in the morning. Power didn't come on until 8:30 - and we both woke up -- it was so bright with the Christmas tree on and all the lights.
We had carefully turned everything else off in other rooms. We looked at each other and said "Let's go to bed" so David lit the fireplace in our bedroom, turned on the electric mattress pad (WHAT A FIND THAT IS -- not hot like a blanket but just cozy) and we did get some good sleep. So was glad I had cancelled the luncheon. And we never really got cold, cold.
Some people in the city have been without power for several days. It went without saying here that if it went on beyond noon we'd be looking for a motel that would take Patsy as well. While it was comfortable for sleeping it would make it for living a full day.

The big one for 10 ladies is Wednesday. Have to do last minute things tomorrow as well as make the decadent dessert. It really looks yummy.
Have a Pumpkin Roll (one and only time to make that - jeez what a mess) and an Eggnog Pie as well. These ladies are dessert fiends and true of the midwest look it. Will let you know, Richard - about the dessert - but from the looks of it, I will even take a small taste. David will truly love it.

Believe me, Richard -- David DOES NOT suffer -- he lives like a king --
just have to watch so what I need doesn't disappear before I need it.

We are leaving for Texas on Saturday. Please wish us a safe trip. Weather is supposed to be good here but we have to go through darned old Oklahoma -- pray for good weather there. It's a 9 hour trip with 3 stops for gas -- no stopping every hour as the doctors tell you to. If you stop every hour for 10 minutes as they suggest, it becomes a 12 hour trip.
I'll read the whole time -- David never lets me drive -- sob, sob -- don't feel bad about that at all. He loves to drive.

We plan to get back by about January 12 - but don't know where we're going when we leave Frisco - hope to get to Brownsville, Padre, etc. and tentatively are planning to meet an e-mail buddy who lives in the Piney Woods in Texas. Met them once before and it was so neat.

Lin's husband it head of the volunteer fire department -- it's Etoil, Texas - a very small and incredibly close knit community - it's wonderful.
Lin hustled me off to a Red Hatters Luncheon and David hung out at the firehouse with Webb. Well, turns out that they had a huge fire that day - David got to ride on the firetruck, work the hoses, clean up after - couldn't beat that day for anything He was in all his glory. And on the way to the firehouse, Webb put a flashing red light on the top of his truck and then later decided that he should give it to David since David had gotten 3 speeding tickets in a 5 month period - this way he'd have an excuse. Sure hope we get to go back.

Anyway, we wish everyone a Merry, Merry Christmas and a wonderful, healthy and accident free (you know who you are) New Year.

Talk to you later.
Rm

Richard,

Well, Boots II, we have to forgo the three legged race for now. My boot is also on the left leg and the right leg is getting awfully sore and tired from taking all of the weight...weight is the correct word here as I am not a featherweight, you know.

Actually, the boot and the awkward way of walking is doing a number on the back and I don't look for much healing there as long as I am trying to heal the tendon. The doctor said that there is no guarantee that this will work because of so much damage, but I am thinking positive. So much so, that I should have the boot off three weeks from today. If surgery is necessary, I'll be in a hard cast well over my knee for a few months, could be up to 6. I don't want to go there, so I will keep thinking positive thoughts.

I am allowed to shower by stepping into a kitchen trash bag, tieing and taping it closed tight over the entire bood (which comes to the knee) and VIOLA! I keep the leg stretched out as far as I can so that it isn't directly under the water. I do have to keep the contraption on at all times, even when sleeping. What a clunky thing to drag to bed and all I can think of is that I have walked all over in that boot and then I have to put it into our bed! YUK!

I am being lazy today and doing only things that I can do while sitting. I really over-did things yesterday and I am paying for it now. Pain, pain go away, don't come back any other day!

You are right! I am thoroughly enjoying this weather and don't look forward to the warm up coming the rest of the week. I don't miss being stuck in the ice storms, the blizzards or any of that, but I always liked walking in the snow and feasting my eyes on the trees all cloaked in white, the fences and yards looking like a Christmas card with Currier and Ives paintings. We "served our times" in blizzard country while in Montana for 6 years. We really saw cold weather there, but we also saw the Northern Lights, the Snowshoe rabbits, the tumbleweeds rolling along, pushed by fierce winds. We met the most fantastic people while in MT and I will never forget them. One winter there, we kept hearing "pop,pop,pop" sounds and found that the cold weather had cracked all the storm windows and it had happened all over the base. No need to call it in for replacement, the CEO people were taking trucks up and down each street and replacing windows. Power lines and phone lines were so heavy with ice that they just broke off in pieces and fell. It was an experience there and I felt a bit of the pioneer in us all, but it was a wonderful place to be because of the people and that beautiful state offering so much.

Gee, I am taking my "day off" to write a mini novel here. Didn't mean to do that and I still want to answer Rosemarie. I'd better get on with that.

Lillian, the BootMaster.

Rosemarie,

I sympathize with you with your winter temps. As I said in my last post, we lived in Montana, just 60 miles south of Canada. One winter, the temp dropped to -48º and the "feel like" temp was at -150º. We had cable TV and had a weather channel which you faithfully checked several times a day. Can you believe it that the schools would not allow little girls to wear slacks to school? They were allowed to wear "snow pants" under their dresses and could wear leotards on their legs. Susan was in kinderdarten and elementary school there and she was allowed to ride the bus in the winter only; walked the other months. I remember seeing people out in T shirts in the dead of winter and I thought that they were nuts. I learned then what "Chinook Winds" were then and the temp had gone up to 0, a real warming trend. It actually felt warm when that happened and I found it amazing.

I'm sorry that the weather cast a gloom over your first luncheon. How good that you could add the meat and make chili for your own dinners. For the Better Baker Bowls, what kind of pan does it take? I've never heard of a pan to make those, but have enjoyed them made by a bakery. I used to make a yeast dough and make "bowls" by rolling the dough into ropes and winding and/or braiding the rolls around a greased bowl or pan and baking them to later fill with home made rolls and corn muffins. Gee, I haven't done that in years!

David sounds like a real hero to me. He is so thoughtful and so handy with everything. How lucky you are to have him. I do hope that the oral surgery helps him and that he will be pain free very soon.

I haven't made Richard's decadent dessert as yet, but will do that one day soon, too. I have made pumpkin rolls before and didn't have any trouble. I like making jelly rolls, and have an excellent recipe for lemon roll, which I have made many times, too. When my foot and back are better, I will be making a few jelly rolls for the church coffee shop. I really enjoy doing that coffee shop, even though it is very tiring.

Have a safe trip to Texas and let us know about your holidays and where you managed to get to. Texas is a large state and so much to see and do.

Merry Christmas!

Lillian

Richard,

I'm sorry that I neglected to respond to your news of a new cookbook. How could I have overlooked the words cook book? Twenty lashes with a wet noodle for me for that blunder!

I can't remember Betty-GA. You'll have to clue me in on that one. I haven't been going in to many sites lately; busy and feeling blah so much. I'll pick up again after the holidays, though, for sure. I still keep stacks of cookbooks by my chair and go through them every night. I switch them out when I have completed the short stack that is always by my right hand.

Thank you, in advance, for the cookbook. It will be a treasure among my other treasures. My late sister said that if, and when, they ever left thier home in PA and moved to FL or anywhere else, she would sell what was necessary for the trip but NO ONE could make her throw away her important "stuff". Stuff, meaning cookbooks, paints, stamps, books of all sorts, craft items.....you get the picture. Bill and I both have our treasured "stuff" and will always find a spot for more. I can entertain myself, keep my brain active, keep my creative juices flowing and keep healthier by doing what I am doing.

Let me know, please, who Betty is and what site she is on. You have my e-mail address, too, if that is what you prefer.

Lillian

It's 68º, going to be 70 by 3:00 and it is gorgeous! I just finished a bit of lunch and am ready to mix up more cookies. I don't want to bake today, but I have to or it won't be ready for Christmas.

I do feel better than yesterday and am thankful for that. These past two years have been hard to handle and I am ready for that wished-for body transplant. I have repeatedly asked to be made either bionic or the lady energizer bunny. No one is listening to me at all. Maybe the thing to do is put it on a Christmas wish list and see what happens.

Another Christmas party is tomorrow night and it will be earlier than the last one. This is also a nice group of people and they know how to laugh and have fun. After that, it family get togethers. On Sunday, we'll get to see the oldest great grandson and then we will go to Susan's for Christmas day. All three grandkids will be there and that is a gift in itself.

Thinking of those of you affected by this weather and hope that you are warm, dry and cozy....with power!

Lillian

Rosemarie,

Prayers for a safe trip are with you. Traveling, by any means, has its problems and dangers, but snow only compounds it all. You said that you are going through "darned old Oklahoma". What don't you like about Oklahome? We were stationed there and I loved it all....people, beauty, places to see and visit. Well, the weather did leave a lot to be desired with twisters, snow and rain, but that can be anywhere. Not here, with so little rain for the past few months, again. I did love the people and we enjoyed learning a bit more about living on a farm.

We rented an old farmhouse, about 5 miles from the base and we learned the history of it immediately. It was on land won in the old "land rush" days and had been farmed and used for cattle since those days. We saw the origional deed signed by the President and heard the stories of those land rush days from the people who were actually there. The mother of the land owner, whose first husband was shot while having dinner in the hotel/saloon and died 9 months later, was a tall, graceful lady who could still work in the fields at 88 yrs. old. The grandmother of our neighbor actually worked the team of horses to win their land. On and on the history goes and it is all so interesting. While we were there, there were horses, cattle and fields of maize, corn, hay and cotton. We learned to "chop cotton" and, being city dudes, had to be told not to chop the cotton plant but only the weeds around them. It was a wonderful place to raise our girls and the schools were excellent. The girls wanted us to retire there, but there was no work to be had except farming. That base was closed shortly after we left and I have thought so many times about the people who were a part of our lives for that time. The church where we attended was filled every Sunday and those people really lived by what the Bible said. That area was called the Bible Belt. It was also called "Tornado Alley". I much prefer the first title.

Gee, all of this to say "have a safe trip" and then ask why you don't care to travel through Oklahoma! Whew! I'll stop with the memories and questions now. Have a wonderful Christmas and let us know all about your trip when you return.

Lillian

My day has finally slowed down so thought I would drop in for a visit.

We are having great weather here, but as they say, this is Texas, wait a day and it will change. It was in the 60's today and supposed to be in the upper 30's tonight. Lots of sunshine today and I like that.

My brunch was a success and everyone agreed that this should be an annual event providing I am willing. They even volunteered to provide the food next year. I told them I thought a yearly event would be great and if I am still in good health, the food is not a problem. The first one arrived at 9:30 and the last one left a little after 5:00. We had lots of good laughs and recalled some of the fun times we had back "in the old days."

Our heating unit went out one day last week and our repairman was at a dealer's meeting in Fort Worth when we finally found him. He offered to come that night when he got home, but we told him we could manage one night. Have an electric blanket,gas logs in the fireplace and an electric heater in the bathroom so we made it just fine. Long story, short, the next morning, he and James decided that the unit had seen its best days so we are the proud owners of a new heating and air conditioning unit. Just what I wanted for Christmas. Hey, we'll get a $50.00 rebate from the government on our tax return. Now, that is really going to make a big difference! They did the installation on Tuesday and James has spent yesterday and today working in the attic getting all of our junk back into place. We did do some weeding out of the junk and he went to the dump today and the bed of his truck was full. Why you keep some of the stuff you do, but seems like everytime we throw something away, then I want it.

We expect our son home on Monday and he will be here until Wednesday. We will have our usual T-Bones done on the grill so Christmas dinner is an easy affair for me. I am buying groceries tomorrow so I hope I don't have to go back to the grocery store until after Christmas. I have my list made so hopefully, I haven't forgotten anything that I will need.

If I don't get back again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a really nice holiday with lots of good food and enjoyable times with family and friends.

Donna

Donna,

Glad to hear that your luncheon was such a success. Of course, we all knew that it would be. Isn't it wonderful to get together with old friends and catch up on all that has happened since you last met?

Sorry to learn of the furnace going out, but it is always comforting to know that a new one should be trouble free for a long time. In Texas, you need the A/C as well as the heating unit. I often wonder how people managed to live in our hot climates before A/C. I remember going to the movies when I was a young teen and the signs on the marquee always read "Ice Cold Air Inside". The movie that was playing wasn't always a great one, but that cold air was!

What a wonderful holiday you will have with your son there. I remember last year that you had said that you grilled steaks for the holiday and it was a favorite. I don't like turkey at all, but eat all of the fixin's. For Thanksgiving, I had turkey breast and roast beef. We usually have turkey and ham for Christmas. I'm not even a big ham lover, and I still just enjoy the other things on the table.

We went to the second Christmas party tonight and had a nice time. Lots of laughter and great conversation. Food was excellent; we both had the Chicken Cordon Bleu and it was served with scalloped potatoes and steamed veggies with a light sauce on them. There was a salad bar with nice fresh veggies. The meal was enough for 4 servings and we both brought a lot of food home. Dessert was either a lovely chocolate cake or key lime pie; we both chose the pie. It was a very small piece, which was also excellent, especially after that meal. The gifts were given by Chinese Auction and that caused a lot of laughter and fun with everyone "stealing" the gift from someone else. Doesn't take much to entertain us, does it?

Have a very Merry Christmas and it was so nice to see your dropping in.

Lillian

Hi, Friends,

I have been meaning, and forgetting to, tell you of the progress of our Whooping Cranes for this season. The article was in the paper on Dec. 15 and so I am late.

"We already have some veteran cranes here. They are "graduates" of the ultralight led migrations. As of that date, 4 of them had landed in Hernando Co. and 2 landed in Pasco (our county). Hernando Co. is the county south of Citrus Co., where they will winter.

One of the birds that landed in Hernando Co. is W601, which is the first crane hatched in the wild from parents that were taught the migration route by following the ultrilight. He hatched last year, followed his parents to Florida, returned to Wisconsin in the spring and now is back to Hernando Co.

W601 is one of the rare survivors hatched in 2006. The entire ultralight led Class of 2006 died. Seventeen of the birds were struck by lightening and drownedat Challahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge during a freak storm. The sole surviving of that storm died several months later.

Two other birds from 2006 are the two that have already made it to Pasco Co. They were part of Direct Autumn Release flock. Those young cranes are released with wild cranes in hopes that they will follow them on their migration to the south in their first fall.

Two other birds in Hernando Co. already are from the Class of 2005, and the other arrival is dubbed 105, also known as Romeo.

For the migrating juveniles in the Class of 2007, it's been a rough trip. As of Dec. 14, the birds had flown 680 miles of the approximately 1,200 miles of the migration, getting stuck now for eight days in Cumberland Co., TN because of the bad weather.

The Operation Migration team is at the edge of one of the more daunting legs of the migration, the flight over the Cumberland Gap.

The flight requires more altitude than other legs and can be plagued by winds. Once it is done, the team considers themselves in the last half of the migration."

I'll keep you posted as to when they land and if they had any side adventures. There have been times that one bird will drop from the flock and team members have to go down and get them headed in the right direction again. This whole process simply amazes me and it is such a worthwhile project.

Lillian

Still baking. Getting ready to bake the 3-C Bread, then on to the Orange Sugar Cookies. Later this evening, I'll make the Forgotten Cookies and the Santa's Whiskers (Skillet Cookies). That leaves only the Pecan Tassies and the Sugar/Candy Cane cookies.

We're going to Susan's tomorrow to have a little visit with our oldes great grandson. He will be with Mom and her family on Christmas, so we'll gladly take tomorrow. I can't wait to see him again. He is such a joy.

On Christmas Eve, it back to the kitchen for the cake and pies. Then.....collapse and relax. Sounds so good to me.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Lillian

Hi everyone,

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2008. Once again it's been a bit mad at our place, we have been backwards and forwards to the new house, taking bits and pieces and we're going to stay there tomorrow night - Christmas eve - so we don't need to travel Christmas morning. I think both Malcolm and I will be quite pleased when the New Year arrives and things are a bit quieter our age is showing a wee bit. We'll be back home probably Boxing day or the day after so take care all and enjoy Christmas with your family and friends.

Robyn xoxo

I hope that all of you had as wonderful a Christmas day as we had. It was hectic, joyous, loving, tiring, noisy, busy and any other adjective that you can think of. It was also a day to be thankful for all of our blessings, and we only needed to look around us to see those blessings.

Our meal was delicious but, as usual, way too much food. I made a couple of surprises for the family, as did Susan. Leslie took her requested broccoli salad and some cold slaw. She took gluten-free brownies and muffins, too. She has to be so careful that not a speck of wheat, barley, oats or rye be around her. Did you know that gluten is also in shampoos, make-up and deodorant? I was amazed.

Between Susan and me, we had 4 kinds of pie, the Ultimate Chocolate Cake that the kids always ask me to bake, nut bread, and 15 kinds of cookies. She had candy, too. I made two kinds of cheese balls and she had chips and dip. Leslie took unsweetened tea and there was coffee and soft drinks. If you ever leave the table hungry when we get together, it is not the fault of the hostesses. LOL!

Today is the "get back to normal day". Everyone went back to work but the work week starts on Wed. instead of Monday. Next week will be all mixed up for me, too. Since I stopped working, it is hard to know what date it is. I seem to have a few Saturdays each week, too.

Just wanted to touch base and say hello. I know that some of you are out of town, but some are at home.

Lillian

Prayers, please, for three of my friends. One is fighting cancer for the second time and the others are fighting it for the third and forth times. Brave women and in need of prayers. Thanks for helping them.

Lillian

Well, 2008 is just around the corner. Hope everyone is ready to celebrate it in style. Staying home away from the crowds is how we will celebrate. Didn't used to be that way, but as we get older, we just leave the partying to the younger generation.

We had a nice Christmas with good weather. It was cold or very cool, but just a little rain and no hint of snow and/or ice. Our son was here and as usual, came with all of his gifts. Every year at Christmas, he reverts back to about age 10. Before we started opening packages, I looked at him and asked "why do we do all this?" His reply was "I don't know, but isn't it fun?" As I said back to a 10 year old.

We had our usual steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, boiled shrimp, and lots of different desserts and candies. I even partook of some of the candy, but tried to be diligent in watching what I ate for the most part.

Hope you "boot" people are both doing okay and I know you are looking forward to when you get to remove them.

Lillian, will keep your friends in our thoughts and prayers.

Donna from sunny Texas