Taste Like Chicken Wednesday 12/18

Chele, it's not unusual for us to get some hail with these storms. We're at 50 right now and it's very dark and dreary looking outside. We might not break 60 with the cloud cover. Low tonight is supposed to be 47 and then it starts warming a little. The Christmas forecast says 76/63. It's quite a bit colder where you are. Stay warm!

Thanks for the start, Chele. When does Iggy fly back in? Unless the rent-to-own people dug it up, there still should be a St. Joseph statue buried by the front porch. Maybe that's how we got such a quick offer this time. The eye doctor recommended Systane Complete and gave me a couple of samples. I found them cheaper on Amazon than even Walgreens, so I will have to place an order after Christmas. I have to put warm compresses over my eyes for at least 5 minutes twice a day and then massage upper and lower eyelids, plus the drops as often as needed. For what ever reason, he said I am making enough tears but they are drying faster than they should. He said eat lots of leafy greens and limit oil consumption, which I do anyway, for the dry macular, which is in early stages. I just have to force myself back into eating salads every day, which I don't always want to do (and can be tough during recalls). I had a feeling your winged visitors would get a bit hungrier as the temps dropped and a number of their typical food sources disappeared til spring. Are you going to have to make a trip to Wild Birds Unlimited sooner than expected?

Linda, definitely fingers crossed on financing. Hoping they were pre-qualified. I believe I remember that last week was the end of your museum work for the year, so what did you do today? How's the finger doing? Mine isn't too bad, except I knocked it pretty good unloading the dishwasher and found out it's still pretty sensitive. Fortunately, it didn't start bleeding again.

How did PT go today, Becky? Did you get to 31 for the low this morning? We got into the mid 20s, so a bit warmer than they said it would. 40s for the next couple days then warming into the 50s and 60s. It looks like we may be able to eat Christmas dinner on the screened porch. That would be awesome! It's very odd on the mother and baby from Austin. There's been no mention of a ransom nor any signs of a struggle at the house where they were supposedly taken from. I also don't think she would have voluntarily left her son behind if she went of her own volition. Which fitness tracker are you wearing these days? My VS4 is still bothering my wrist, but I'm wearing the display on the inside of my wrist and that seems to be helping some. I'm looking at replacing it with either the Vivoactive 4S or the Vivomove 3s, both round but smaller than most of the round displays. One is $300 and the other is $250, so I think I'll suck it up until after we get the house sold because we are having to still pay mortgage, insurance, and taxes there. Maybe someone will have some sales or they will come out with another model and will drop prices.

Kathy, how cold did you actually get this morning? With the continuing clouds, probably not as low as they predicted. How much rain did you end up with? Cactus Jack was apparently unscathed from his tumble and all the lights seem to be fine. That's great that the young kids missing there were found. Were they local or tourists? Are you planning to finish your shopping today?

I hope the commute wasn't too icy this morning, Liz. YIKES on the dentist! Yes, it wouldn't look terribly professional to be working without all those teeth for 8 weeks. DN#1 had to have all of hers pulled and it took her about a year before she could get implants. She wasn't smiling much for that year, but she now shows off that pretty smile and I tell her every chance I get. Do you have the appointment scheduled yet? Using hospital PT resources would be a good option, especially if it offers some flexibility for you. That department doesn't report to you, does it? I had a feeling the the ER census woud be way up. Change of seasons tend to do that and we officially will arrive in winter very shortly. Do you have a garage or are you at the mercy of the elements? Feeling a little tired but not bad. Today will pretty much be a rest day with just a few things to do around the house.

Dale went to the state park trails and Arya and I are hanging around the house. I did the first layer of the ice cream cakes and they are downstairs in the big freezer. I have to get some non-dairy whipped topping for mine tomorrow at Earth Fare and I think I have everything else I need to finish them up, which will take until the weekend. I did my workout on the rowing machine before Dale left. I also cooked a batch of speckled butter beans and will saute ground beef for Arya closer to when Dale will be home so I won't have to carry all those little glass jars down to the big freezer. I still don't trust my knees going down the stairs with objects in my hands. I need to get ready for my Knoxville trip tomorrow, but not much else on today's agenda.