Thank you, thank you for your kind comments yesterday. You make all of this worthwhile and I so appreciate every one of you. On to year 15!
We are getting a tremendous amount of wind today – the remnants of the storm that crossed the country. No snow, some rain overnight, but lots and lots of wind. I gather our friends in the UK are also battling wind today. Stay safe, everyone.
As far as Women’s Figure Skating goes, words fail me. And the adults who are in charge of the ROC athletes failed them. I’ve never witnessed anything like it. Let me get this straight: Russia was forbidden to compete under their name because of a doping scandal. But the ‘clean’ athletes are allowed to compete under ROC. And when they are found to be ‘not clean,’ they’re allowed to compete because of the possibility of irreparable harm to the skater, and the end result is irreparable harm to everyone involved. Good job. These are talented young skaters, but they are being coached by a woman who uses them up and spits them out. And what happens to them then? I’ve read a lot about that training facility this morning and what I read is sickening.
Moving on.
We have pillows on the bed in the English Cottage.
I didn’t make them, I got them from a seller on Etsy. They’re perfect.
The last two Blythe outfits I’m going to buy for a long time arrived the other day. I’ve imposed a moratorium as I have more than enough. But what beauties they are! Made by Qiulizio, who lives in China. Her designs are so imaginative and beautifully made.
Zoe. I love, love, love this outfit! (Don can’t get over Zoe’s eyebrows. He loves them.)
And Madeleine. This charming ensemble looks like something a French girl would wear, don’t you think?
I threw my back out again the other day. It’s getting much better. I know it’s exacerbated by leaning over the table when I work on jigsaw puzzles. I have to be vigilant as to my movements when I work on the puzzles and how many hours I put in. I’m making changes. Yesterday, I stood by the table and inserted two puzzle pieces. And then I went back to the den.
It’s maddening because I am so close to finishing it! But I have to be a big girl.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
working 10-6 today so have a moment to comment.
first, i hope your back feels better by now and stays that way!
second, congratulations and many thanks for all you have shared of your thoughts, interests, heart and life over fourteen years at mhc! you and don, everyone else here have brought inspiration, information and kindness to me and i appreciate you all. here’s to many more years of mhc (as you choose).
third, hope that annoying wind slows down. glad if it doesn’t bring precipitation to you.
hope you have a nice weekend ahead.
i am 99% sure that i will soon retire and start the paperwork this weekend. don’t know what could change my mind (ideas, suggestions are welcomed and appreciated, though) and i don’t want to think about it or “sleep on it” much longer. just want to feel free, happier. getting there.
love,
kathy
So glad you are commenting Kathy…was concerned.
Kathy I am so happy that it sounds like you are going to retire.
Living a simple life and having contentment are the,key.
So very happy for you.
kathy, with the lifestyle you have shared with us over the years, I am sure retiring is going to be wonderful for your body and soul. You are right! Don’t over-think it now. Just fill out the necessary paperwork and move on. You will, I am sure, find peace. ♡
I’m very happy to hear this, Kathy. You deserve it. It’s time. We’re all pulling for you, my friend.
Stay safe.
I love being retired, Kathy. There’s more than enough to keep me busy and contented. I’m just do darned happy this way. We all wish the best for you!
When I was young, I loved making my own clothing, and I’ve loved seeing the clothes you find for your girls. They’re exquisite.
On a personal note, after two months in the Catch 22 of finding Evusheld injections for the immunocompromised or those who legitimately are not allowed to vaccinate due to a prior serious adverse reaction to an immunization, I finally got the two shots that comprise Evusheld’s long-lasting prophylactic biclonal protection. Patients are NOT allowed to make their own reservations or fill out their own applications, at least in Texas, but our doctors don’t know where to find them, either. Doses were distributed to hospitals and oncology clinics. After two months of calling hospital pharmacists, nurses heading up hospital Covid therapeutics programs, HHS on the state level, and even AstraZeneca itself, I finally was provided with the checklist (a checklist!) a doctor had to submit before he or she could call and make me an appointment. I found a willing doctor on staff at a providing hospital, but once he requested my records from my rheumatologist and reviewed them for three weeks, he called and asked me to reconsider. He was alarmed at what had happened as a result of a prior vaccination and suggested that I could just continue doing what I have been doing–which is isolating, forgoing all but absolutely necessary doctor’s appointments even, seeing my grandchildren only a handful of times in two years and only outside, with me wearing a mask. One granddaughter is deaf, and, even with cochlear implants, she doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying if I’m masked. My rheumy is not on staff at the providing hospital, which I was warned was a requirement, but when I visited last week, I told him what little progress had been made. He decided to give it a try. Within an hour, his office had submitted the form, he had called them, and I had an appointment for Monday, Valentines Day. After the two injections, I sat in a safely distanced room while nurses observed the lucky recipients, all of us surely smiling broadly underneath our masks and giddy with new hope. I met both prerequisites but the guy next to me was a transplant patient, double vaccinated and boosted, whose immune-suppressing medications had meant he built up zero antibodies even after his vaccinations. The nurses were almost as happy as we were. I overheard one telling another how great it made her feel when she had been told twice already by 10:00 am what a life-changing event this was for the patient. (I was one of the two.) I had battled to keep feeling hopeful when everyone else began being vaccinated and I could not join those others. I was also bombarded every day with messages about the irresponsibility of the unvaccinated. I agreed about the cavalier nature of some, but with a caveat: those who could vaccinate and didn’t. I’m taking up so much time here because not everyone who would benefit knows about Evusheld, which received its emergency authorization 8 DEC 2021. I thought I remembered that one or two of your readers was also dealing with an auto-immune illness that required immunosuppressants.
Congratulations, Linda!! What a wonderful life changing gift you were finally able to obtain. I imagine your family is beyond relieved!!!! Many of us probably take for granted that we just had to get an appt and show up. Thank you for sharing your story.
Linda, I know how long you’ve been waiting for this and I’m so thrilled for you that it finally is here for you. Bravo! This brings tears to my eyes.
Bless you, my friend.
Stay safe.
So happy for you! There are a lot of people who can’t be vaxxed, like little ones. Or who must take great caution, like you. Those of us who can safely get the jab, do it to protect those at-risk as well as ourselves!
dear Claudia — Madeleine does indeed look like a French school girl — her clothes/shoes are a perfect match for her. Zoe (to me) always looks frightened/scared/apprehensive — much like many of us at times. facial details are painted on and permanent (right??) but eyes can be changed for different expressions (right???) Today, I am celebrating completing that puzzle rec’d at Christmas –the one w/3 dozen different shades of green, at least — total madness for the past two months!!! hope your back is better. stay safe/healthy
Yes, that’s why Zoe is my mini me. I’m the same way. She has a vulnerability that touches my heart. Yes, face details are painted on and sealed, but there are four different colors/positions of the eyes.
Yay for finishing the puzzle!
Stay safe, Linda.
This how my dental hygienist throws his back out all the time, from bending over patients for umpteen years, working on their mouths.
Interesting; I was out a lot yesterday. Even in my small SoCalif town, despite the change in mask mandates (where you don’t have to wear one indoors at public places if you’re vaccinated [nobody is checking to see if you are from what others tell me!]), everybody’s still wearing masks, yet a cousin nearby told me she did go to the store yesterday without one (she’s always been casual about the virus), just kept distanced from people (not always easy to do in a crowded store). Who knows how this will play out …
Feel better with that back!
I don’t know, but I’m not going to stop wearing a mask. I think this is all happening too soon.
Stay safe, Vicki.
I’m always conservative when it comes to this virus; my husband and I, again in discussion about it, are making no changes and taking no chances. We’ll be as careful as we have been all along. He did go inside a grocery store this week; a break from curbside pickup; nice to be able to pick up some of our own food in a long time. But we’ll still do ‘ship free to home’ on some stuff; and when he was in the store, he was of course masked. He will be seeing a relative tomorrow in an outdoor setting and I’ve already told her he will not be hugging her, nor will he be maskless. She understood.
‘They’ can tell us we don’t have to mask up, but we’re masking up. Freedom of choice at this point! We’re not vocal or aggressive about it. We just quietly go our way. If somebody winds up mocking us, it’s their problem, not ours. Neither of us is convinced we’re out of the woods in this pandemic. (I’m still trying to wrap around my mind of pandemic vs endemic. [Wiki: In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is constantly maintained at a baseline level in a geographic area without external inputs. For example, chickenpox is endemic in the United Kingdom, but malaria is not.])
No way do I want to be in an indoor setting without a mask and around unvaccinated people. Not yet.
A senior-aged cousin of mine who has survived Covid although she was quite sick for two months (and who knows of the long term?); still adamantly against vaccines and masks; three of her adult children doing an ‘intervention’ to try to convince her otherwise to no avail; she’s coming here from out of state for a family wedding of ours in June. And her own son said, “You’re not staying with me. Sorry, Mom. Not unless you’re vaccinated. I’m not gonna bank on your antibodies.” (He’s in the medical field. He sees a lot of patients daily. This is the second time he has turned Mom down. It’s so sad. Neither will budge. It’s his right; she’s asking to come into HIS household and he has a young child and also his age 70-something mother-in-law who lives with them.)
I’ve already decided I’m not going to the wedding. I feel there will be too much risk. There is one ‘group’, 14 extended family members, attending (they’ve already RSVP’d) who live just 25 miles from me here in SoCalif and to my surprise and horror (I hadn’t known, as we’re more estranged than not due to a lot of things), I was just told yesterday that almost ALL of them have had Covid over these past two years; that they were never careful, any of them, at any point along the way; are totally anti-mask and anti-vax, even after their infections; and they could have lost the matriarch of that branch because, at age 78, getting Covid was hard on her. (I just throw my hands up in frustration; my own ‘family’ [this is second-third-fourth cousins] are perpetrators of the very problem that could KILL me and others. It’s so troubling and really embarrassing; how can they all be so irresponsible; glad my folks aren’t around to know of this [and be disappointed and stressed out with concern].)
I don’t want to wear a mask forever; hope I don’t have to; but it all feels too premature; we’ve still got two active testing sites in our small town although they’re less visited; we’re still picking up free N95s at the pharmacies; I somewhat recently got my free at-home test kits/rapid kits; still trying to understand if I need a fourth shot or not; yet my state and county says, ‘masks off’. For me, too many ‘ifs’ and questions yet (to lay down arms, i.e. remove the mask). I’d rather wait ‘n see a little while longer.
This on-again/off-again mask-wearing is gonna wear people out. Sure, I guess some people need a break. But it’s easier for me to just keep wearing it (less worry!); I’m so conditioned to it now; to me, what’s the big deal, although I don’t think I’d like to be wearing it continuously on 12-hr shifts like the doctors and nurses.
I wore one for 14 – 16 hours a day when I was working on the film. It didn’t bother me. You get used to it.
xo
Oh, I had forgotten! Of course you did. With asthma, I just find that after, say four hours, my breath is a little more labored with the mask. Maybe I’ll be able to switch off an N95 to something lighter, eventually.
I know we need to end this thread because we’re now on Sunday, but just wanted to add that I’d read a couple of articles of how the higher-risk people, even disabled children, now feel ‘left out’ as the world majority decides to go maskless. That people like me (who’ve had cancer and also other significant virus risks) are ‘acceptable loss’ in our society now. And the quote was (this one, a CNN piece): “The more protections that we remove, the less accessible the rest of the world becomes to people who are high-risk.” Others will go back to their pre-pandemic lives, but some of us won’t have the same freedom.
The masks we use are the same brand that we used on the movie set. They’re very lightweight.
You should read Linda’s comment from the other day. It wasn’t safe for her to get vaccinated and she’s had some good news about an alternative.
Yes, we’re staying conservative as well. xo
Hope you get to finish your puzzle. I know how difficult it is to quit when almost finished…I prefer the larger pieces and 300-500…no real challenge for me but such fun. My son bought me a puzzle when I was visiting in 2017—several at the time…I took some home in suitcase, but we discovered one I had left there…in the in law suite…one of the closets. outdoor woods with Deer…whew…it was difficult but finished again…enjoy weekend…praying…
Thank you, Brenda! I did a bit on the puzzle yesterday. I’m sitting on a big cushion and being very careful!
Stay safe.
The wind was crazy in North Jersey last night! I needed ear plugs to sleep upstairs. It makes me anxious. I just love the girls’ wardrobe! As a little girl I loved doll clothes and apparently I still do! Hope your back feels better quickly.
We’re getting more wind today! Are you?
Stay safe, Judy.
I would love to nap in your English cottage! So cozy!
Oh, wouldn’t that be nice?
Thanks, Jen.
Stay safe.
Those pillows!!!!!!!! Just perfect.
We have a high wind warning this aft thru tomorrow morning. We never got snow or wind from the storm that went just south of us the past couple of days. This is a new one coming in from Canada today.
Cute outfits! I go crazy when finding cute little girl things for our granddaughter. Hard to stop, so I understand!! Take care.
The darn wind warning is back for today. I’m over it!
I know, these little outfits are addictive – I have to stop, at least for while!
Stay safe, Chris.
I feel exactly the same way about the skating. How awful what they put those girls through! We were also shocked by the Silver Medalist behavior! Not wanting to go to the podium because she didn’t win Gold?! What was that all about! I do love the pillowcases. The girls look beautiful as always. Hope your back gets better soon. Crazy weather again!
I couldn’t believe the temper tantrum she threw! She thinks if she has 5 quads she’ll win the gold. No artistry at all, just quads. I bet that comes from her coach, as well.
Thanks so much, Deb.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia,
My daughter is in her 40’s and has become a puzzle fiend also. And she has messed up her hips from sitting in a weird position while doing them. She is going to a chiropractor who is helping with the pain in her sciatic nerve. So, she purchased a puzzle table. It’s angled lke a drafting table but is at chair height so she doesn’t have to bend from the waist. If I remember correctly it is shaped to kind of surround the body in the front. She loves it! If you are interested I’ll ask her for the link. I believe it’s from Amazon (of course).
Happy Presidents’ weekend! Three day weekends are incredibly crowded here near Orlando as you might imagine. Most locals look at these times as an opportunity to stay home and relax.!
I think I’ve seen one of those tables. My only problem is where do I store it? We have absolutely no more room here. But I’ll check into it, Suzanne. I’d love the link, if it’s no trouble.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia, your girl’s outfits are beautiful! Do they come in regular sizes?😆😆
I agree with Don about Zoe’s eyebrows. Her eyes match her skirt.
We had a wind/rain /snow storm yesterday butting didn’t end up being as bad as was predicted.
Hope your back feels better soon.❤️❤️
I wish they came in regular sizes.
We’re getting more wind today. You know how I feel about that!
Stay safe, Robin!
Firstly, belated good wishes for your blog’s anniversary! The Girls look very chic in their new outfits.
I agree about the problem positions caused by jigsaw puzzles but they are just so addictive, hours fly by once I get into doing a good one. Suzanne’s suggestion is a good one.
It’s certainly been wild weather today with Southern England taking a battering. In the North, I managed to get to work but there were wheelie (recycling) bins making their escape along the streets as it was collection day.
Happy Friday
Re: your back issues. Maybe you should consider having a physical therapy consultation? A good physical therapist could give you advice on good body positioning for different activities. They also can give you strengthening & stretching exercises that help with the pain and weakness. Take care, Luanne
I was just so saddened and also angry that the Olympic Committee let this happen. What a tragedy all around. That coach is horrible and does use up and spit out the skaters. Sports are wonderful but the competition levels can get brutal and not what it’s all about in my opinion.
Love the Girls new outfits, very Parisian and Boho. So much fun when you share them with us. Take care of that back. I know how hard it is to stop doing but I’m finally realizing if I don’t take it slower I put myself completely out of commission. Hugs!
The girls are looking good and the pillows are perfect! Sounds like a good day! I know what you mean about being careful with the puzzles. I have to be, too. I’m sorry the back is out again — that’s so miserable and I hope it levels out soon.
I’m so with you on the ROC and the skating and especially the Eteri school which is frightening. It reminds me of gymnastics’ Karoli ranch. Watching the after-ice of the women’s final skate was like watching emotional child abuse in action. Not to mention the lack of sportmanship by the silver medalist and the gold medalist wandering around with no one paying attention to her at all. It was a train wreck. I’m not sure how I feel about all that being broadcast. It was gripping and pathetic at the same time. But no, shouldn’t have competed. What a mess.