Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[Judique]

Onion powder, garlic salt and garlic powder are my mainstays. I'm a salt and pepper person so I'm not fond of a lot of seasonings. Neither Joe or I am a big fan of garlic, we don't use a lot of it, just a small sprinkle and I always decrease the amount of garlic any recipe I make calls for. A liberally dosed meal with garlic actually makes me fill ill. Joe has seasonings for different meats that he grills. We also have lemon/pepper, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, etc. for those special dishes that we eat. I'm just really careful when it comes to what spices and how much I use. As far as brands, Kroger and McCormick are my go to brands because they are usually the cheapest. I've seen on Instagram that you can get some spices a lot cheaper in the Latin food section of the grocery store. I've been known to find spices in my cabinet that are years past their "best by" date.

First the bread pudding, you put the pecan sauce on after it is cooked as you serve it. I didn't even make it as I didn't have good pecans. The pudding was good anyway. I used left over french bread from Sam's Club.

The spices: I'm pretty good about tossing but I smell them first. I did find a bottle of something way in the back of my pantry where I don't keep spices that was still unopened from 2013.

My stash of spices that I use are in the 36 inch wide top drawer next to my stove. It is about 6 inches deep. I used to have them in various other spots where they hid each other and I would end up with 3 or 4 of the same thing. I have other cooking things in there as well, not just spice.

 

[SpaceMan5]

Thinking about visiting Olympic NP after RCCL Alaska cruise out of Seattle in August. Mt Rainier NP before the cruise. Any suggestions about the area around Seattle?

Great choices. the NPs are amazing in WA.
The Chihuly Glass Museum.
The Seattle waterfront.
Pike Place Market - you can watch the Pike Place Fish mongers sling salmon around.
The eclectic areas of Capitol Hill, shops, restaurants etc.
The Space Needle
Mariners game at T Mobile Park
Food choices - Salty's on Alki - amazing views of downtown Seattle
Dick's Drive Inn - iconic and cheap burgers
MOTO Pizza - as of right now, you have to place an on-line order 3 months in advance

I don't want to damper your fun or expectations of the Emerald City but there are some undesirable elements that inhabit the areas that I have mentioned above. It all depends on your level of comfort if you should encounter these situations. Please feel free to PM me if you have any thoughts or questions

 

[flyingdumbo127]

hi with a good evening to all of dear you.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thread save for the night. Loving sweet dreams to all.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Good morning from snowy Massachusetts. Nothing really to write about yet, just having coffee and being a cat bed.

DH and I put most of the Christmas bins up in attic yesterday, so things look spacious. And I made lentil soup for the first time. I enjoyed it and will likely make it again.

 

[Snowysmom]

It is very snowy here. I look out at my driveway and there is a big pile of snow at the end. If I had to get out I would be out of luck. I do have an appt later today so hopefully they will be by to clear it away. This snow storm made me very anxious. Not sure why, maybe because it is the first time I am living here and I did not know what to expect. The snow clearing was OK, not stellar by any means. I will say at my last condo the snow removal was stellar and they put down alot of ice melt. We shall see how it goes.

Cold temps right now, 24 going into the 30s. It looks like rain coming in tomorrow into Wed. I go to the gym today to meet with the trainer to find the right exercises for me. I will do the treadmill and exercise bike. I do want some advice on the other type of machines. I also start my extra hour each day to 7 hours instead of 6. Not happy about it but I believe they may have eventually laid me off if I did not agree.

Have a good day.

 

[footballmouse]

Good Morning!

My area didn't get any snow over the weekend like predicted . Some places got a coating in the grass and the area north of Cincinnati did get some slick stuff on the roads. My neighborhood had falling snow but turned to rain as soon as it hit the car or ground.

Bought my Disney gift cards yesterday so I'll tie those to my Disney app and buy my park ticket for next week.

Stayed with my sister all day yesterday. She's finally able to move around using a walker. She said the 2 days after her surgery were really bad b/c she was having a muscle spasm in her calf. Those things can be horredous at times. The PT that comes to her house said it wasn't a surprise b/c during surgery they are moving the muscles around and aren't gentle.

Worked Saturday all day so nothing exciting there. We did have a patient come in that the ER thought was in labor. Turned out she was only 24 weeks along. The surprising thing was that she didn't know she was pregnant, she was told that she wasn't able to get pregnant and past 40 yrs old. She was so scared, crying, couldn't answer anything that I was asking her. What a surprise!

Just watched the football games yesterday, some of the games like the Bengals were meaningless but I still watched.

I tried to watch Hercules Friday night. I don't remember if I've ever watched this movie but I fell asleep in about 30 minutes so I'll have to try again another night. Maybe this weekend since I work nightshift.

Have a great day!

 

[easyas123]

Here's a spicey question

hmmm, spices. We've got a ton, and I recently went thru them all and we still have a ton! A majority of them I don't use on a day-to-day basis BUT my husband likes to play around with different pork rubs so he has a bunch of stuff, and our DIL is a hell of a cook and often cooks over here, and she keeps stuff here for the Honduran dishes she makes. Regularly we use salt & pepper, cumin, garlic, rosemary, parsley, powdered mustard, J.O....at least that's what I am recollecting!

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning. We are at 40 degrees and it will go up a little. They've lowered our snow expectation for tomorrow down to 1-3" and then rain, we have a flood watch. I don't ever remember having a flood watch in January for rain, lol. This is definitely WWW (wacky winter weather).

@footballmouse Wow to that patient. I'd be shocked and scared too, but I don't know how people can not know they're pregnant by the time they're 24 weeks. I hope things work out for her.

I'm going to dust and vacuum after I go take the cover off of the car. Even if it snows, the rain will just wash it all away. Temps will be near 50 tomorrow. I was going to wash the kitchen floor, but with rain predicted, there's not much point. I'll do it on Wednesday.

Have a great Monday everyone!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good chilly morning from LA dear friends with a warm hug to all always Those of you in snow country please be safe and take extra care to stay healthy and warm. All of you are so special and important to me! God's Mercy today is 5 weeks. God willing in 3 more weeks I will be recovered. I am still navigating and deciding on a care plan at or before that time. I absolutely want to be sure and see either a doctor or podiatrist to hear from them I am 100% and boot can go. One thing and always step at a time by Grace of God. Thank you for all your extra love and support. Have a happy Monday everyone. I will come back later.

 

[dazedx3]

On no…page 2.
We are supposed to get 6-9 inches of heavy wet snow, starting late tonight and all day tomorrow. All schools are canceled within a 50 mile radius. Glad I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow, but not happy I’ll have to plow snow. It’s not something I am comfortable doing, it scares me.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Dear Dazed, please stay safe. Sweet dreams and be cozy please to all my dear Quacker family with love.

 

[Snowysmom]

Dazed Please be safe and be careful.

We are expecting a rain storm with lots of rain and some wind. We shall see how it goes.

I did see the trainer at the gym. I did 40 minutes of strength exercises. I am sore but not as much as I thought I would be. Thankfully he takes my age and shape into consideration. I hope to go back Friday to do the treadmill and exercise bike.

Yesterday I called the mgmt co and also flagged down the plow truck driver to get my driveway end and my neighbor's plowed out. Then I got a snarky email from the mgmt company manager telling me that the snow in my driveway could have been driven through and that the snow removal sometimes leaves debris in the driveway. Well, they left me a 3 foot high snowbank across the entire end of the driveway, not debris. If I tried to drive through it my car would have been severely damaged. I could not walk through it or around it. I sent back a respectful reply telling her that. I also told her I understand that there may be some snow debris in the driveway and that is fine but I was completely blocked in and it is a safety issue. She is a piece of work and I truly hope we get a new mgmt co when the association takes over once the builder leaves. I keep hoping for peace and calm but these people just won't quit in one way or another.

Off to work. Have a good day.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Good luck @dazedx3 - I hope it's easier than you think!

And @Snowysmom, I'm glad the driver fixed it and sorry the lady was rude.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Snowysmom and always prayers of peace.

 

[footballmouse]

Happy Tuesday.

Raining this morning but I think it's supposed to stop by noon.

Watched a little TV when I got home from work and then decided to read my book . I just started reading the Matthew Perry memior, so far it's pretty good. After I read during my lunch I decided I needed to go to the eye doctor . I tried to get an appointment with my doctor but couldn't get in until February. My regular eye doctor practice was sold (owners retired and sold company) and I went to the new practice once last year. They were okay but when I called for an appointment yesterday I didn't have the option to talk to anyone and was instructed to make an appointment online. All I wanted to do was ask when I was last seen. I decided to switch practices and got a recommendation from my sister, I got an appointment for tomorrow already. Worked out nice, it's right before my hair appointment.

I bought my MK ticket last night so I'm all set . I'll start looking into purchasing ILL for the 2 rides. I think I'm going to go ahead and get Genie+ since I'm only kind of on a time crunch. My flight leaves at 7:15 so I'll have to do it quickly at 7:00 before the plane leaves.

That's about it, have a great day!

 

[tazdev3225]

Good morning all.

It was quiet here the last few days. Went to church Sunday with my granddaughter and then we were heading to Boscovs as I had a $5 coupon. I wanted a plain table cover for the dining room table. On the way we decided to look for the Eagles my daughter told me about. There is a pair of Bald Eagles over by her work. Crystal and I were both thrilled we found them. Of course she had her camera with her, I just had my phone but I did get a picture of them. Not the greatest but here are the pair, we think a male and female


We will be going back when the weather is not as gray and hopefully will get to see some babies in the spring. I did get the table cover I wanted and it was marked down 75% so I was happy. Just a plain white with some shimmer to it. The runner my mom made me looks perfect on it. One side of the runner is Christmas and one side is a plaid.

I went out to walk the dog early as we are supposed to be hit with a LOT of rain today. Thankfully not snow or I would be reliving the Blizzard of 1996. That is one event I will never forget because in the midst of a 2 foot of snow blizzard my grandmother had a massive stroke. Getting to the hospital and then back home was a nightmare. Anyway I did the normal loop for Chewie's walk and when I got back to my house I realized that I have a problem. I sympathize with @Snowysmom when it comes to builder headaches. My next door neighbor's sewer pipes exploded all over my sidewalk/. Not that surprising as the pipes run slanted and across my property. Now I have to try and explain it to them as they do not speak English very well, or at least they pretend not to. They also work odd hours so I have to try and get them before they leave. I also have to figure out if I want to grant an easement or force the landlord to rerun the pipes to the streets main. If I grant the easement I lose my sidewalk and access to my driveway which I am not willing to do right now. Parking in my neighborhood is a nightmare. One neighbor has 4 cars and parks them on the street and none are in the driveway. We have had a lot of car thefts and break ins lately and I want my car where it is able to be seen.

Well hope you all have a better day than mine has started out so far.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning. The weatherman was wrong again. When I went to bed at 1 am it was 36 degrees. We were supposed to start as rain and then turn to snow,, and then back to rain. I did not plan on waking up this morning to find another 2" of heavy snow that I had to shovel again. I had to clear the deck, the paths and steps again, and did one path over to the shed. I am hoping it turns to rain quickly, so that it melts what I am not going to shovel. The plows just now started coming down the road, which is odd. Normally they start at the first flake, loll.
Schools started with a 2 hour delay last night, by this morning they had all been cancelled, except for the community college, which opens at noon.. At least all of the cats have been fed, and I can take the trash down later when it turns to rain.
I'll putter around in here, make my grocery list for tomorrow, and do a load of laundry.

@Snowysmom You did the right things, both as far as the plow driver, and your response to the rude email.

@tazdev3225 Very cool pic of the eagles!

Have a nice day

I'm thinking of warmer days right now, lol

 

[Judique]

My December 2024 DVC trip reservation continues.

As usual I was initially locked out of Boardwalk View and Standard View studios, but was lucky enough to get a week in Garden View.

Now, nights here and there are popping back up and I've booked a few of them with the idea of either doing a split stay, or if lucky enough, getting 7 nights in either of the two I was locked out of.

I've got a couple of waitlists up as well. Meanwhile I've got 1 nights standard and 2 nights Boardwalk View. If I have to pay the same points for the gardenview, might as well go for boardwalk view. At least then I'll know where my room location will be.

This pre Xmas December rush is happening at quite a few resorts, not just BW.

It will be over soon for me as soon most people will have moved on and there won't be anything to pick up. Then I'll re-evaluate and just rely on the waitlists rather than logging in several times a day. Snagging the standard view would mean more points left for a possible Feb 25 trip.

Taz, your eagle pic is really nice! I saw one flying near Andrews Air Force Base while traveling on the Beltway not long ago. It soared low right in front of me but since I was driving and alone, no pictures. I also had a pair in my back yard, with one squabbling at the other or maybe trying to mate. I finally got out with my phone but missed it all. There are quite a few around here as well as hawks, and other larger birds. I prefer the smaller birds as I don't want them grabbing a cat or small dog in front of me.

 

[tazdev3225]

@Judique - We have hawks, turkey vultures and a few other birds around including gulls and ospreys and my personal favorite - the Blue Heron. I swear the herons know when I don't have a camera and swoop down low over my house. My granddaughter is so excited to go back and get some pictures. We are going down to Cape May when I get back from Disney for the bird viewing there. We saw an Eagle and Osprey fighting in September. She has an amazing eye for photography and is my photo buddy. I am so happy she is taking a photography course this semester. She is so talented but isn't sure how that would translate into a profession.


I did manage to get the neighbors before they left for their jobs. They cleaned everything up and I gave them the numbers for a couple plumbers in the area that I have used in the past. I hope they understood what needs to be done. He doesn't speak English at all and she understands but not everything. They are very nice neighbors though and when we last got snow he wouldn't let me shovel. Better than some of my other neighbors are about helping. My mom and dad got new Chinese neighbors and so far, they have been wonderful to them. For Thanksgiving he gave them a turkey and a bottle of wine. For Christmas he gave them a ham and a bottle of wine. The neighbor is totally rehabbing the house next door so she thinks it is a token for all the noise. Mom will be happy if they don't get any more mice and other critters. The last neighbor was horrible, trashed the property and the neighbors got a few unwelcome visitors. She has another Chinese neighbor who doesn't speak English but gives my parents vegies from the garden and she sends her grandson down to help with my dad when they see him outside.

Oh well I am wresting for the rest of the day. Jim had his work reunion breakfast so I got to deep clean without him underfoot. Once a month while he is gone I give the house a deeper cleaning. I do light cleaning the rest of the month. All the decorations are down so it was nice to get in the are where the tree was. My cats made it their home and I swear I vacuumed up an extra animal.

Hope you all have a nice day and those in the way of the weather moving up the east coast I pray you don't have to many problems from it.