My Two Yuck Feet

I went to the podiatrist today. After several years of not being able to bend my toes, I reached a critical stage when I wasn't able to walk in my shoes and had to buy $75 sandals at a resort boutique in order to survive.

The doctor took x-rays. You can see the bad big-toe joint with bone chips. The surprising thing was that I have a needle/pin buried in my left foot. I thought he was joking, but he showed me. I then recalled that when I was little I stepped on a pin. I remember Dad and Mom putting my foot in cold water then warm water and then Dad being the Tokheim guy, brought out this HUGE round magnet. It must have been the size of a saucer and about2-3 inches thick. Who knows why he would have it, but he tried to use it to see if it would pull out the pin/needle. It must have been so deep that they probably wondered if I even stepped on anything.

I remembered that evening we walked over to the street fair on Warren street. I didn't want to have a 'bad' foot then. Steve, my brother was little and was being pushed in a baby buggy rather then a stroller. He could sit up, but I guess they didn't have a stroller yet. On the way home my foot hurt and they let me ride in the buggy from about Jefferson St home. That would make me about 6-7 years old.

I also told him about my jumping off the couch onto the coffee can and cutting my foot to the bone. I guess I wasn't too good about wearing shoes and it's getting even now.

I was given shots of cortisone in both feet for the Morton's neuroma. OUCH!!! That is very painful. We also spoke of surgery to clean up the joints and using 'osteocure' rather than bio-pro. I have decisions and of course Dr. Kauffman is helping me with my research.

Mom used to say, "this getting old isn't what it's cracked up to be!"
AMEN!

It's here and already decorated.

BEFORE.......










AFTER!









The delivery window was 9-11 and the guy called about 9:25 and said he'd be there in 5 min. I rushed to remove the food, but he was already at the door.

They had to remove the new refrigerator's doors to get it through the kitchen, but they went right to work and hooked everything up and away they went.

The hardest part was figuring where to put everything. It's a new configuration. It's like when they remodel the a store and you can't find anything thing. I'm sure we'll be moving things around some more.

Then to 'decorate' it. I have to have the calendar, mirrors (so I can watch TV) and various magnets. I know it seems like a sacrilege to cover up a pure surface, but this personalizes it and 'makes it our own'.

Already Blaine has reached for the old door handle.

Welcome to the Family

We have a new family member arriving Thursday.


After 25+ years we are getting a new refrigerator.

Ultra Satin Kenmore 21.8 cu. ft. Side-By-Side Refrigerator with PuR® Ultimate II Water Filtration

Yesterday was a tense fact finding day. Our space is not big enough for most of the the units out there. We had to take very precise measurements and look at the heights with/with-out hinge.

This will allow me to see most of our food without having to sit down on a chair because of my crummy knees and our milk, veggies, and OJ won't be frozen anymore.

This one has ice & water dispenser and OMG......it's new.

He's no Robert

I have been spoiled. I took my first cruise with Star Princess and loved it all. Robert was our dining guru and fussed over us and treated us like royalty. Replacing silverware, refilling glasses, and anticipating our needs.

Last night we went to Olive Garden because we enjoyed the last time, we were celebrating Spring Break, and we both had Fettuccine Alfredo on the brain.

We had probably the worst server in the world. Others were waited on who sat down after us. They had their drinks and bread. Billy finally brought our drinks and bread, but not the plate to put the bread on. There wasn't any butter either. We requested the butter when eventually he breezed by, but it was a LONG time before it got there. I had to ask for straws for our drinks too.

Our meal arrived. Other tables were being asked it they wanted Parmesan cheese on their food. Not us and we had fettuccine and spaghetti. We sat not even touching our food. Blaine was going to go get the little grater himself, but I made him sit back down. When Billy popped back 5 min later I requested the cheese. Oh, no problem and off he blew. Well, 5 min later he came back with the Styrofoam containers, a bag to put them in and a little bowl of grated cheese. I took the containers. Big mistake. When I looked up for the cheese, he had left. We never did get the cheese!

At this point we plopped our food in the containers and prepared to leave. With a minimum tip, were were out of there.

Robert......I miss you and your fanning menus.

T.P.

Grandpa would shop at Aldies for bargain food when he had to take over the buying when Grandma couldn't. He would buy brands of food I never heard of, but they where cheap. I DO like my brands.

Well, Blaine fell into that mode when he decided we were using too much toilet paper and my Charmin Ultra was too expensive. He bought a 12 pack of Store brand TP for a good price and they were big rolls.

Well, they needed to be big rolls because you have to use so much of it. If it gets wet, it falls apart. Think about all of the ramifications of that. He finally admitted he was having to fold and fold and fold a huge amount and well, yes, he didn't like it either. He actually threw away all 12 rolls and went out to get the Charmin. Not much 'saved' in money, but a lot gained in experience.

Smell

I wish you could stop and smell the roses. So ofter roses are bred for being pretty, but the trade-off is that they don't have any smell.

My birthday roses smell great. They are opening up and look lush and old fashioned.

Uh-huh...It's My Birthday....Yeah

It's my Birthday! Oh My! I received 2 bouquets of flowers. ........AT SCHOOL!

Birthday wishes from Brain Age Guy, too.

Here are my flowers and my big present.

Thanks everyone. Big Smile.

Total Eclipse of the Moon

Saturday was an eclipse of the moon. We ate at Cracker Barrel then headed over to Deerfield Beach. Seems everyone else had the same idea about going to the beach.Traffic was bumper-to-bumper at 2 mph scoping for parking. We bit the bullet and paid for a parking lot. Well spent money. Right there on the strip.


Families, dates, oldies were camped on the beach, on beach chairs, and blankets waiting. It was slightly cloudy.





We paid the $1 to go out on the Deerfield Beach pier. Worth it too. I never realized that so much fishing took place at night. It was fun. When the moon finally popped out from behind the clouds, the moon was already heading out of the eclipse.

Volunteer

I feed the birds and fill the birdfeeder with a seed mix that has fruits, nuts, and sunflower seeds. Some of the birds shove the seeds around to get whatever is their favorite seed. The seeds that fall to the ground get eaten by a faithful crew of Muscovy ducks. They waddle over and check to see what's been discarded and eye the feeder and hope the others will fling more seeds down on them. Well, they didn't get them all because I've discovered a sunflower growing in the planter. It's a cute little thing and if I had TRIED to grow sunflowers it wouldn't work. Most of the other plants we've planted are lame-looking or dead. I have 1 poinsettia that's still red. The rest are dead. The christmas cactus have been eaten by snails and the orchid on the patio is brown. Sigh.

The bird bath still gets used as a watering hole....by a cat. TC (we call it TC because it used to be Tammy's cat before she moved and abandoned it) She/he will come by and drink. It drives Gypsy crazy to have it right THERE in front of HER window.

Bone Night

Garbage pick up is on Thursdays and Mondays. Bone-night is Wednesdays and Sundays. We will eat well on those nights because our bones and leftovers that don't go down the disposer go out in the trash the next day.

Friday Night in the Big City

OK, I got home late from school. I was pulling books that needed AR labels. I have a program that identifies which books I have and have tests for. It's easy to work when it is quiet and no one interrupts.It was closer to six.

We eat out on Friday nights, so other than a quick turn-around we were off to eat. Traffic is thick on Friday nights at 6:00 and Blaine was headed for Steak-And-Shake. He turned off for it in the wrong block and then had to turn left and then a u-turn to head south on University again. Because traffic was streaming by in a steady stream, it took several minutes to finally get across to the restaurant.

We were seat next to a group of children (boys) that had pushed several tables together to accommodate their group. They seemed to think they owned the whole place. Loud talking. Yelling to the help in the kitchen and the kitchen help not discouraging it. Not for me on a Friday. We got up and left.

He headed next for Cheeburger-Cheeburger and we were seated clear in the back next to the wall in the corner at a table for two. When he looked over the menu there wasn't enough 'choices'.......and we again we got up and left the restaurant.

Again heading north on University he decided on Panero's. When he turned into the shopping center, he was in the wrong lane and had people flash their headlights at him. Oh MY!

After our meal we headed for Pet Supermarket because I wanted to get the fish tank up and running again. I let him pick out the plastic water plants while I got tubing, an aerator, and pondered over charcoal filters.

They had hamsters running madly about in their container, parakeets twirling on a wheel, and a cat that looked like Gypsy's sister. It was busy with people, pets, and customer's who have to shop WITH their dogs.

FINALLY got home and was so tired I just went to bed. By Friday night there is no way I can stay up and it's probably the best night to stay up.

Does it mean.....

We get advertisments and flyers stuck on our front door knob and in the yard. This morning on the way out to get the paper there was one wadded up and stuck through the door handle. It was an ad for painting the house. I tossed it. Tonight when I came home from school there was another ad in a plastic bag that they had weighted with 2 very white rocks so they could toss them out the car as they drove by. Guess what it was for. House painting.

Does it look like we NEED our house painted? or is this a general thing. I'm starting to feel picked on.

The Dog House

This weekend we experienced a dog day afternoon. Blaine went off to buy some groceries and when he returned and came into the garage, 2 pit bulls followed him right to the door! He couldn't shut the door because they were still in the garage. He knew where they lived as they bark at him from their backyard on his daily walks.

He sneaked out to his car and went down to the neighbors house to ask if their dogs were home. They thought they were, but the fence gate was open. Blaine drove the guy back to our house where the guy proceeded to get the brutes on leases.

Next thing I know as I'm sitting at my computer, another dog comes up and inspects my bird bath and another dog right behind him. Seems this pair belongs to IB. Blaine went over to knock on their door, while I tracked them down in our back yard to keep them from bolting. Jasmine barked at me like crazy, but I was able to sweet talk Syd into coming with me. Poor thing limps with arthritis. Mrs. IB told Blaine IB forgets to shut the gate. DUH! And she know when Blaine knocks on the doors, it's because of the dogs.

What?

We went grocery shopping today and as I am want to do, I walk ALL the aisles. This time we took our time looking at the different foods. It was in the International Section that we had the most fun.


What is Irish Moss drink. It seems to really have irish moss as an ingrediant.

You can get Guarana Antartica Soda in a very tall 2 liter bottle.
And how about those soup mixes for Fish Tea Soup and Cock Soup.


You can buy Callaloo. Couldn't figure out what it was. It was near the Old Harbor Style Bammy. I'll bet the old harbor style must be the best kind.


Mauby Conentrate Drink is some kind of fruit?


In a box-type of container was Maracuja concentrate or drink. The picture looked like fish eyes. Yum.


How about Ty-Phoo. Regular or Decaf.

And finally Nestles Klim!


We are such boring eaters.

Cool People

I was in Orlando to attend the FETC (Florida Educational Technology Conference)
this last week and got to hang out with some presenters. That was really fun. Every year when it's over I get depressed because I'm a LOSER. I never WIN anything. I should win something because I want it more than other people. It's no good to tell me about all the cool stuff that companies give me. They give it to everyone.

I REALLY wanted to win a clicker system. I sat next to the people who win whole systems from eInstruction and Quizdom. Loser!

I went to Orlando Premium Outlets (with Lola's help) This is where Cool People shop. Big brand name$. Fendi, Armani, Calvin Klein, Hilfiger, Perry Ellis.
What does it take to be Cool?

• Cool people's clothes look immaculate. Crisp, bright, expensive without looking gaudy.
• Cool people have a foot size that can try on any shoe especially the high heeled ones. In fact, they love to shop and walk everywhere in heels.....heels with long pointy toes that look like weapons. Their feet never hurt.
  
• Cool people can always find a place to sit to eat in the food court. They don't balance a tray their lap because there are no tables available.
• When they are finished with their food, they just sit there forever doing nothing but being cool.
• Their packages never seem to be heavy and a burden to tote around.
• They are usually tall and never seem to have bad hair.
• Really cool folks don't have little children that have to be toted or pushed. Their children are a little older and already have a keen sense of what to buy too.

I'm not cool. I'm totally not impressed with a must-have Fendi purse or the pointy toed shoes. I did find a couple pairs of shoes I can wear. I can't wear the $$$ sandals from Gaylord Palms for every situation that may require something other than my New Balance shoes or my black school shoes. Yes, I think I have a modest dressy shoe.

I do love Kohl's though. I can always find something there that I must have. This last time I even got a 15% discount because it was Wednesday. Works for me! :-) How cool is THAT?

What's Going Up?

Rumors? What rumors?


The Toys-R-Us is gone and building has been empty for awhile, but in "The Magazine for the Premier Community in which to Live, Work and Raise a Family---Coral Springs, Winter 2007 it describes a project that is exciting for the electronic junkies in the family. Best Buy! (not to be confused with Buy Best) is going in the old store.


The open date in the magazine says Jan 19th, but that date has passed. I don't really know if it's open or the opening date is delayed.

In checking the city web site it seems that a Super Target will go in close to the old Target. It also lists a Target/Ross (?) going up at University and Westview. That's across from Magnolia Theaters.

Wow.

Girl Scouts & Cookies

It's that time of year again. Love the girl scout cookies. (Yeah, the Thin Mints). Being a Media Specialist at an elementary schools means I have access to cookies. We have a teacher who has 2 daughters that are scouts. Order you cookies and bing-0, they are delivered ASAP. I've already bought 5 boxes, 4 mints and 1 cafe.

This weekend the scouts were set up in the lobby of Publix. Parents are savvy and put the littlest brownies out front to beg you to buy cookies. There were so many of them that surged towards everyone who was entering or leaving the store that you could hardly get through the lobby. Then, because they are the youngest scouts, they are easily distracted and are just being little girls not sales-persons.

They don't know that I've already supported scouting already with my purchases. There should be some kind of sticker or button you can wear like the 'I voted' stickers you get on exiting the polling booths that could show that you'd already supported the cause and it's going to be fruitless to ask for more again.

Comet McNaught

Who knew? Evidently this comet has been out there awhile, but today is the first I saw something about it. The last comet I've seen is when Coral Springs still had 'the edge of the earth' to go view night items without light pollution. I wasn't able to tell if it's viewable in SoFLa.

Christmas-pas deux

It's not many that get to celebrate 2 Christmases. Our second 'go-round' was this last week-end and it was as awesome as the one on December 25th. Both times we we able to include NY NinJa via skype to be a part of our 'good times'. This includes the Monopoly game as a present.

When I think of the presents, the one that seems to get the most play is Potty Putty. The endless joke of making 'potty' sounds never tires. It's still just as funny the 200th time.

Lip gloss on little girls is charming. They haven't mastered how to apply it and it's all over the lips and adjoing face. And then the invitation to 'smell' the flavor of cherry, grape, or chocolate is adorable.

The GPA that hubby got was quickly named 'Lola' and she bossed us all the way home. Little Lola doesn't ALWAYS know the best way. We got off the turnpike to travel on I95. She did NOT like that. She continued to prompt us to exit and get back on the turnpike. When the exit she chose for us was ignored, she would say (I think with an attitude) "recalculating". Now he takes her to Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and just around the block for a spin. Good grief!

Finally the Gators Mojo and Juju to prepare for. The 'lucky' shirts, croc shoes, car magnets, amd trash talk. It worked! What a great feeling to have backed a winning team all year.

Drama-Drama

This has been a drama-drama 2 weeks.

• I got a new computer for Christmas. The drama-drama is switching all the important stuff from the older computer and then trying to make it work. Tears....HELP!....more tears.....IT DOESN"T WORK.....tears....I ALREADY did that.....OK...OK....I'll just leave......Stupid computers.


• The older computer goes to hubby and he can't get it to work for him. After spending hours/days reformatting etc he finally discovered it required 7-8 discs that Dell sent and you have to search the discs for the drivers you need.


• Repairs.....the new garage door is beautiful. The opener quit working. The guy installed a new opener. Great. Works fine. When we came home from shopping the door went up and I walked over to turn on the outside lights. A shower of sparks and the circuit breaker tripped. We cannot turn on the outside lights without short-circuiting something. Now to get someone to find out why.


• Ancestors. I spent this last summer researching our geneology. There was nothing on the hubby's side. I finally hit a gold mine and found out the names of his Aunts and Uncles. He had no idea. Today, we received an email from an actual live cousin who happened to find my work on a page somewhere. He has a book about his ancestors and has even used DNA testing to positively trace the right branch. Seems the ancestors have been Amish/Mennonites and were traced back to Switzerland. What a gift.