Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I guess we are the only folks not having snow or sleet! Bright sunshine and the temps have improved considerably. Our cold snap is on its way out--thank goodness. If one can believe the forecast it is supposed to be +8C next Sunday! Such are our weather extremes in this part of the world.

I need to get groceries, although I dislike the task so much. I hope work isn't a bear this week; I am starting to dread going in.....

NIRDI shout out!! Stay safe and warm folks!

cheers--Sharon

 

[MMtwo]

@mrs_b such pretty flowers. The SMEG appliances are adorable. I love the retro design. am glad to hear the Silhouette glasses lasted for you. The optician tried to talk me out of the frames, but I decided I liked them anyhow, even if not as durable as he liked. I appreciated his sincere concern. After buying the glasses and frames, I picked them up and they were a little out of focus so they sat in the case for years. I just had the lenses remade and I am so happy to have clear vision and lightweight glasses! Thanks for the compliment!. I just turned 56 the other day and have been struggling to make peace with aging. I stopped dying my hair a year ago.

@marcy hubs saw your sapphire and "ooooohed" . It really is pretty. Thank you for your kind words.

@Austina - thank you for the kind words and support.

@missy (hugs) you are a beautiful woman and wear those red glasses like a queen. Bonus for safety. Gracie is so cute...she makes herself at home.

I'm off today, making a pot of chicken soup and watching Netflix. I should be productive but I am not feeling it.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

@missy I just finished my March article; I’ll review it in a few hours and send it off to the newspaper. February is a short month so I’d best get it turned in on time. I have not heard how my BIL is doing today. How is Greg doing? How are you doing? I do seem to get a lot done on the weekend; going back to work is more relaxing (or less work, work anyway). That’s great the park rangers put down sand to help with icy walking paths. Very nice. Gracie is cute falling asleep there.

@Austina glad it has warmed up there a bit; wish I could say that. Your projects for this week don’t sound as major as some of them have been recently. Good luck with them!

@canuk-gal yay for heading to warmer temperatures - we might get back near freezing this week - woo hoo! I hope work isn’t a bear for you this week; I took today off and have been totally enjoying it. I am totally with you on disliking picking up groceries; prior to COVID shutdowns Marty picked up groceries for us; now I do online orders and pick them up in the parking lot. Sadly they have recently been doing a poor job on picking out decent produce.

@MMtwo lightweight glasses are the best and glad they are working so well for you. I tried Tiffany brand a few times and had problems with them both in weight and screws coming out all the time. Mmm to chicken soup today; enjoy! I really like that Denielle band with my sapphire ring; I’ve often thought if I did have a sapphire wedding set I’d have the matching Danielle band made. For now though I want to keep my ACA.

Thank you all for the compliments for my sapphire ering; it makes me less anxious having something to wear. I haven’t heard from WF today maybe they are closed. Darn.

I slept in about an extra hour and have been watching reruns of Yellowstone today. I warmed up leftovers for us for lunch and don’t plan on doing much the rest of the day. Tomorrow is back to work.

Take care and stay warm.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Darn. I have to start a completely new article for the newspaper - the topic I picked was what I used in the January article. No wonder it all sounds so familiar.

 

[missy]

GM lovely ladies!

@marcy I'm sorry you have to start over again and forgive me for laughing...sounds like something I would (and have) done. Hope the new article is easy to write. Yay for sleeping an extra hour yesterday. Always sweet to be able to do that. And your sapphire ring is so pretty. I am sorry WF was closed yesterday but glad the sapphire ring is bringing you calm joy and soon enough your ACA will be back on your hand. Hugs.

HI:

I guess we are the only folks not having snow or sleet! Bright sunshine and the temps have improved considerably. Our cold snap is on its way out--thank goodness. If one can believe the forecast it is supposed to be +8C next Sunday! Such are our weather extremes in this part of the world.

I need to get groceries, although I dislike the task so much. I hope work isn't a bear this week; I am starting to dread going in.....

NIRDI shout out!! Stay safe and warm folks!

cheers--Sharon

I hope work remains calm @canuk-gal and that your bright, warmer and sunny weather continues. We have a mix at the moment. 50F now but dropping to the twenties tomorrow and snow coming here again Thursday. Oh well. Hope the grocery shopping went well. I feel the same way...I used to enjoy food shopping but now it's more about getting our supplies as quickly as we can and getting out of the store. Warm hugs being sent your way. XOXO.

@MMtwo thank you for your lovely compliment. As I get older I feel very at peace with any external changes happening. It's weird but I am completely OK with it. My gray hair, my laugh lines and other assorted wrinkles and other aging changes. I hope for all of us we remain healthy and that is always the main thing.

Do you have many pairs of glasses to match your moods and outfits? I have yet to try progressives or any type of bifocal and always have to slip my glasses down my nose to read lol. One day I will give that a go...getting bifocals. Have you tried photo chromatic lenses? That's another I haven't tried and so still have to switch between RX sunglasses and regular RX glasses.

Keeping good thoughts for your job opportunity and hugs.

@bling_dream19 hope your week is going well. Big hugs.

@Slick1 happy Tuesday and sending you lots of good wishes. XO.

@MamaBee continuing good thoughts for you and your family. I stand by everything I said. You are an angel. Hugs.

@Austina tomorrow is your day woohoo. In the meantime I hope Adam and Kim get their water turned back on and that the deep freeze goes away. Thank goodness they have electricity. Sending you hugs.

@Bayek OMG what cuties Auti and her mom are. Big warm hugs to you Kate. I am hoping you are feeling well and not experiencing any ill effects from dose 2. XOXO.

@springerspaniel hope your week is going well. ((((HUGS)))).

@mrs-b please let us know how it is going and what the word is on your new med. Keeping you in my thoughts. And I am so pleased it all worked out so well re the bling. Woohoo, that made me smile and feel so happy for you and sweet S. (((HUGS))).

Hi to everyone else. I hope all is going well and even if I didn't mention you I am keeping good thoughts for all of you.

We had a lovely walk yesterday and our weather was much better than originally predicted. Crazy weather as it is now 50 F but dropping to the twenties tomorrow with snow Thursday. Hoping to walk after the rain ends this morning. Have a wonderful day lovely ladies. Big hugs.

Leaving you with a poem.

 

[MMtwo]

"Do you have many pairs of glasses to match your moods and outfits? I have yet to try progressives or any type of bifocal and always have to slip my glasses down my nose to read lol. One day I will give that a go...getting bifocals. Have you tried photo chromatic lenses? That's another I haven't tried and so still have to switch between RX sunglasses and regular RX glasses."
@missy
TLDR: A ramble of thoughts below, but in short, a BIG yes to progressives and photo chromatic lenses! I love them. I could imagine you having a wonderful experience with the transition lenses with your walks.

I have a ridiculous collection of glasses. Many picked up very inexpensively at Zenni (progressives with photo chromatic for about 100 including frames). For fun, frivolous glasses, I like the option. I have maybe 7 pair from Zenni. I don't feel as guilty for buying something silly.

I prefer the glasses I have had made at Costco for visual clarity. They are very careful to measure the eyes to the lenses in-house when they send off the frames and the resulting glasses work so nicely. They have digital progressives that help widen the usable portion of the lens. I have about 6 from Costco in rotation. I particularly enjoy a pair of black cat-eye glasses and a pair of clear-framed glasses purchased this year.

I have also used various online vendors for progressives, including the Silhouettes I am currently enjoying so much. I did not get them in photochromic lenses because I was not sure the online vendor would make them well and didn't want to gamble the extra 75 dollars. Online from vendors not zenni I have purchased about 5 pair of glasses.

At this point I have decided to stop. I can only wear one at a time. However, I do enjoy playing with different glasses with different clothing. My prebyopia is so bad that I have to use glasses. I tried contacts but I have allergies to all of the cleansers and end up with a constant runny nose. Not fun.

 

[missy]

"Do you have many pairs of glasses to match your moods and outfits? I have yet to try progressives or any type of bifocal and always have to slip my glasses down my nose to read lol. One day I will give that a go...getting bifocals. Have you tried photo chromatic lenses? That's another I haven't tried and so still have to switch between RX sunglasses and regular RX glasses."
@missy
TLDR: A ramble of thoughts below, but in short, a BIG yes to progressives and photo chromatic lenses! I love them. I could imagine you having a wonderful experience with the transition lenses with your walks.

I have a ridiculous collection of glasses. Many picked up very inexpensively at Zenni (progressives with photo chromatic for about 100 including frames). For fun, frivolous glasses, I like the option. I have maybe 7 pair from Zenni. I don't feel as guilty for buying something silly.

I prefer the glasses I have had made at Costco for visual clarity. They are very careful to measure the eyes to the lenses in-house when they send off the frames and the resulting glasses work so nicely. They have digital progressives that help widen the usable portion of the lens. I have about 6 from Costco in rotation. I particularly enjoy a pair of black cat-eye glasses and a pair of clear-framed glasses purchased this year.

I have also used various online vendors for progressives, including the Silhouettes I am currently enjoying so much. I did not get them in photochromic lenses because I was not sure the online vendor would make them well and didn't want to gamble the extra 75 dollars. Online from vendors not zenni I have purchased about 5 pair of glasses.

At this point I have decided to stop. I can only wear one at a time. However, I do enjoy playing with different glasses with different clothing. My prebyopia is so bad that I have to use glasses. I tried contacts but I have allergies to all of the cleansers and end up with a constant runny nose. Not fun.

Thank you for your detailed write up. Very informative.
I get my glasses from Warby and the price cannot be beat and I find the quality excellent too. But will definitely keep your recommendations in mind. I am extremely nearsighted and cannot see distance without my glasses and cannot see close up with them lol. It is worrisome how dependent we are on glasses but thank goodness the technology exists to allow us to see clearly. Especially to see our bling clearly.

My concern with photochromatic lenses is that they didn't get dark enough when they were first available so I am guessing the technology has been improved since then. I enjoy having many different pairs too and love my sunglasses because they are dramatically big which my regular RX glasses aren't as that would look crazy haha.

I love a good cat eye pair of glasses. Reminds me of my childhood.

Thank you again @MMtwo appreciate you sharing your experience.
And what doesn't Costco rock at doing?

 

[MMtwo]

@missy the Transitions lenses have improved so much since the beginning. There is an employee at Costco who is lovely and very chatty and said she likes the transitions because they keep improving them as technology improves. I think this year was version 8.

The progressives do take a little getting used to, but once you don't have to slide glasses around to see, it becomes a pleasure to navigate the world. Saying that, to read or work on the computer needing left to right eye shift, readers have worked better because you get to use the entire lens and do not have to move your head to find the sweet spot.

Costco does everything well!

 

[missy]

@missy the Transitions lenses have improved so much since the beginning. There is an employee at Costco who is lovely and very chatty and said she likes the transitions because they keep improving them as technology improves. I think this year was version 8.

The progressives do take a little getting used to, but once you don't have to slide glasses around to see, it becomes a pleasure to navigate the world. Saying that, to read or work on the computer needing left to right eye shift, readers have worked better because you get to use the entire lens and do not have to move your head to find the sweet spot.

Costco does everything well!

Thank you! And I agree. They do.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Colin has varifocals and transitions lenses @missy , they certainly have come a long way since they were first on the market. When I wore contact lenses, I had a pair too, they were very fast acting both at going dark and lightening up again. I hope it thaws where you are, we’re apparently in for some very unseasonably warm weather by the weekend. Things are pretty bad all over Texas, I hope @Bayek is OK. Still no water, but luckily they have power, Adam thinks they may be on the same circuit as the local hospital, so hopefully they’ll ensure that keeps power on. He just FT and was going to check if the heating was up and running again. I wouldn‘t be surprised if, despite the request for people to turn their heating down, plenty of people didn’t and they’ve used up all the propane that was supposed to last 5 days.

Oh @marcy, I’m sorry I had to too at discovering you’d already used the topic for the newsletter, I hope you can come up with something equally as interesting.

Colin’s had glasses made at Costco too @MMtwo and been really pleased with them, but we’ve found an optician close by that gives really good service, so he’s been using them lately. I had some night driving glasses made by them, and worn them about 3 times, because as soon as I got them, we went in to lockdown

I spoke to my friend Sue earlier, and they‘ve both been this morning to have their jabs, they’re really powering through the vaccinations here, as we 3 weren’t due ours yet.

Not much going on here, counting the hours till tomorrow, I hope all the lovely NIRDIs are keeping safe and well.

 

[missy]

Good afternoon ladies!

@Austina hope your appointment went well and you are back home relaxing. Glad the UK is on top of the vaccinations and powering through. The more people who get vaccinated the better off we all are.
Hope Adam and Kim have power and heat and water.

@MamaBee you are a wonderful daughter, wife and mother. And more.

@Slick1 so are you. Hope your day is going well.

@bling_dream19 I am so excited for you. Hope your day is progressing smoothly and your mom is continuing to do well.

@MMtwo how are you? How is your sister in law? Hope you are having a good day.

@springerspaniel hope all is going smoothly.

@marcy how is work going? We are getting another snowstorm tomorrow and Friday and Monday. Sigh.

@mrs-b hope you are doing well. Keeping you in my thoughts.

@canuk-gal hope work isn't too much of a bear this week and they are not driving you crazy. Hope all is going smoothly and you are doing well.

Hi to everyone else, hope all is well. And a special woohoo to one of my dear friends who is going to be getting a wonderful bling delivery tomorrow. It is keeping my spirits up right now...I needed the boost.

I had a gyn appointment this morning and then we went to Costco. Which was, again, surprisingly empty especially before a big snowstorm. We are home for the rest of the day and probably week as it will be treacherous outside for the next few days at least.

Hope everyone is enjoying a nice Wednesday and staying warm and cozy. XOXO.

Leaving you with a photo from our walk yesterday. Probably the last walk for a long while. Thanks winter.




((((Hugs)))) to all of you. Stay safe and be well.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

The vaccination centre is extremely well organised, even had a masked man with an umbrella to escort you to the door I’d had my vaccine within 5 minutes of stepping through the door, I genuinely didn’t feel a thing, then I had to sit and wait for 15 minutes incase of any reaction.

I hope everything went well at your appt this morning @missy, are you doing ok on the HRT? I’ve had friends who’ve taken it with varying degrees of suitability. Thanks for thinking of Adam and Kim, they’re still without water, and likely to be so until Saturday. Fortunately Adam had the foresight to fill up the baths, and their water canisters, so they’re fine. The Police are going to be out delivering water to those that need it. He also managed to get the heat back on earlier, so they’re no longer wearing hats, gloves and coats in the house. They’re keeping the temp at 60 to conserve propane. What a mess, apparently none of the power sources have been ‘winterised’ hence the problems.

How are all the other lovely NIRDIs doing?

Did someone say bling delivery???? Can’t wait to see what goodies arrive tomorrow.

I’ve got my mammo appt tomorrow, I put it off last year, but I can’t keep pushing it back, not expecting it to be a problem.

So far no soreness in my arm or any other symptoms, let’s hope it stays that way.

Take care all

 

[mrs-b]

Hallo beautiful NIRDIs!

@marcy, Tim's favorite dinner is shepherd's pie. I make mine with a big umami flavor, and he loves it. We cracked one of our favorite bottles of wine, then followed it all with hot sticky ginger muffins and vanilla icecream. It was awesome! Also - I'm still holding your BIL in my thoughts.

@missy - I'm so over this winter - I can hardly begin to say. I just want to go outside!! How is Greg doing? And how are YOU doing? I completely understand your nervousness re progressing down the path of thyroid / parathyroid testing. But you're brave, my friend. You can do this.

@MMtwo - looking awesome for 56! And excellent info re the glasses / lenses Feel free to post many photos of you wearing all your favorite pairs from your collection!

@Austina - great news re your vaccine experiences! Apparently I'm eligible to make my appt starting tomorrow, but since MA removed hospitals from giving shots and are now only offering state operated vaccination centers, I fully expect this to be a sh*t show. I wonder how many weeks it will be until I get an appt? Good lord, I'd love to get this done and squared away!!

@canuk-gal - 8c?? I'm sooooo jealous! We're expecting snow for the next 3 days, which means the blanket currently on the ground - which fell on the previous blanket still on the ground - will get covered in a fresh blanketing! Why do we describe something so wet and frigid in such cozy terms?? 'Blanket' indeed - bah!

@MamaBee - how are you holding up? How goes things with your mother? Sending you warm, supportive thoughts!

@Slick1, @Polabowla, @Bayek and @springerspaniel - thinking of you all. And SpringerSpaniel - I finally got around to putting my contact details on LT.

Apologies to anyone I may have missed!

As for me - back is bad and sciatica is raging. I'm going to try contacting the surgeon who did Tim's back, as I'm not really impressed with the woman I've been seeing for a bit now. Terrible reviews about 40% of the time.

As for the Humira - there has been one cock up after another! Wrong insurance company - incorrect authorization - wrong delivery address - and now another push back till the middle of next week due to the weather. By the time I get this drug, it will be three weeks at least after my first scheduled appt to get it. I've been waiting till I got it till I updated you all, but in the end I thought I'd best fill you in - even if there's no news to report. Which is, sadly, the case. No news to report.

I'm feeling quite worn down and tired and this new flare with my back / leg / hip is wearing me down even more. I need something good and fun to happen!

Love to you all, tho, and fingers crossed that things will start looking up very soon!

NIRDI shout out!

<3

 

[springerspaniel]

As for the Humira - there has been one cock up after another!

Hi @mrs-b I am sorry that getting the Humira has been such a pain in the neck. I do have to confess that my gutter mind went somewhere else completely regarding the latter part of your sentence, however.....

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @mrs-b I am sorry that getting the Humira has been such a pain in the neck. I do have to confess that my gutter mind went somewhere else completely regarding the latter part of your sentence, however.....

Sadly, nothing that humorous!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

@missy no worries I am totally laughing myself I used the same topic for my newspaper article. It all sure sounded familiar while writing it. Ha Ha. I saw you posted on the WF thread as well; I kind of figured they were closed down due to the storm and power issues in Texas. My nieces are having the same problem. Getting back in the 50’s there? Sweet! Darn you have another storm on the way. We seem to have non-stop snow right now. And COLD. LOL to your morning poem. I had black cat eye glasses in junior high school with rhinestones on the rims. Ooh must have been my first faux diamonds. Someone is getting new bling today? Do tell. Yay for a empty Costco.

@MMtwo how fun to have so many pairs of glasses. I wore hard contacts for decades and had great vision with them and didn’t have any trouble until I wore them too long and did some damage to my cornea. They switched me to gas perms after that healed and I couldn’t find a solution that didn’t bug me. Now I wear glasses.

@Austina Adam and Kim are lucky to have some power and some heat; good idea to fill the tubs and containers with water. My nieces are in the Houston area. One of them was out of power for about 40 hours and now is getting rolling blackouts. She doesn’t have water though. They have a few more days to go with the bad weather too. Sounds like they are running the vaccination station quite efficiently. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow.

@mrs-b that’s great Tim loves Shepard’s pie; Marty loves it too. I never had it until he made it out of leftovers onetime. I love anything with ginger especially topped by vanilla ice cream. Sounds delicious. Thank you for continuing to keep my BIL in your thoughts. My sister isn’t saying much. He is eating and sleeping better but having some side effects from the meds they put him on. His kidney specialist appointment isn’t for a few yet and it’s a virtual appointment. Hope they get him totally on the mend. I hate to hear your body is talking to you (sounds more like yelling at you) and you are having problems getting your medicine. Big hugs; I hope you start feeling better. Not a bad idea to see another doctor.

@springerspaniel how are you doing?

I swear I didn’t wish a Wyoming winter on all of you.

I worked from home today. We used Door Dash for lunch today. Marty ventured out in the snow and cold to go to the gym. I haven’t done squat about my article for the newspaper but I’ve thought about it.

I made popcorn for supper. Nothing else sounded good.
Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls! It's a snowy stormy Thursday here.
I am keeping all those affected by the winter storms in my thoughts.

@mrs-b ugh I am sorry the Humira order got messed up again but I cannot say I am shocked. If our med orders can get messed up they will I am finding. Sad but true. I just hope you get it soon and that it will be a miracle drug for you sweet friend. Did you make an appointment with a new surgeon for your back? How is your back doing today? I am feeling anxious about some things and I know you understand. I am keeping good thoughts for your much needed and so deserved relief and sending you big warm hugs.

@marcy how are you doing? How is your BIL faring? Nice you used Door Dash for lunch and got to work from home. Popcorn for dinner is always a good choice when one isn't in the mood for anything else. Hope you are working from home again today. How are your nieces doing? XOXO.

@Austina I am glad you are experiencing no discomfort from the first dose and glad you finally got it woohoo. I am keeping your son and his wife in my thoughts and hope they get they are warm and comfortable now. XOXO.

@Bayek you are on my mind. I hope you and your family are warm and safe. Big hugs.

@bling_dream19 big hugs and much love to you. Warm thoughts continuing.

@springerspaniel it's always good to see the humor in all situations. Life can be so challenging and having a good sense of humor helps. Hugs to you. Hope all is going well.

@MMtwo girl you got it going on and you rock. Seriously you should be the poster child for looking amazing at any age. Hope your family is doing well and the week is a good one for you. Hugs.

@canuk-gal I feel like our winter has been very Canadian though I am probably wrong and would never survive a Canadian winter lol. But I am armed with my Canadian coats and boots and hopefully spring and milder weather will be here for all of us in the not too far future. Hugs across the miles to you Sharon. Hope your mom and sister and son and DH and all your family are doing well.

@Slick1 hope the week is going smoothly and woohoo and Mazel Tov on your amazing update. Girl, finally! You have been through the proverbial wringer and now can relax. May you revel in the joy of all you the challenges you have successfully conquered. You are a strong and brave woman and I am so proud of you and well you know. Hugs.

@MamaBee so happy to hear your latest update and hope your mom is in cheerier spirits today. Big hugs to you. How is your DH and David doing? Any vaccine update for them?

Hi to everyone else. Sorry if I missed you but I am keeping good thoughts for all you lovely ladies. And sending you warm hugs.

It is really snowing hard here and accumulating fast. Stay safe everyone.

 

[missy]

Oh and I took a quick pic before the gynecologist came into the office yesterday for my appointment. Whew, just got it before she walked in haha. Not a fan of the ugly fluorescent lighting they have in the office but you know I cannot resist taking a bling pic while I am waiting. Please excuse my terribly dry wrinkly hands....winter cold and very low humidity weather and the constant washing doesn't do them any favors.

 

[Polabowla]

Waving hello to everyone; too tired to write coherently but i am thinking of you all ! @mrs-b i hope the meds come thru soon & you get relief
Dh gets his new scans & sees oncologist next week.

 

[missy]

Waving hello to everyone; too tired to write coherently but i am thinking of you all ! @mrs-b i hope the meds come thru soon & you get relief
Dh gets his new scans & sees oncologist next week.

Sending bucketloads of good luck dust your and your husband’s way. Hoping for good news. (((Hugs))).

 

[Polabowla]

Thanks @missy

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

NIRDI shout out!

Our weather has improved and I couldn't be happier. I think we hit a record low in Feb with that artic front last week. Today is supposed to be a high of -3C which is OK with me! And warmer on the way. I went to work in light snow the other day and it was icy, but the sunrise was lovely and it is getting light earlier so that did my heart good. Going to work in the dark is gloomy!! @missy Stay safe and warm!! We get late dumps of snow in March and April so I know we are not out of the woods yet. Our world weather is crazy right now!!

Decent few days of work this week, so no complaints.

@mrs-b lovely that you sold your beautiful rings! Hope you are feeling better.
@marcy hope your weather/work isn't getting you down. Are your ring plans on hold given the awful situation in Texas?
@Austina hope your family is OK and that you feel well post vaccination.

Keep well and safe folks!!!!! I need to get moving here.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[canuk-gal]

Oh and I took a quick pic before the gynecologist came into the office yesterday for my appointment. Whew, just got it before she walked in haha. Not a fan of the ugly fluorescent lighting they have in the office but you know I cannot resist taking a bling pic while I am waiting. Please excuse my terribly dry wrinkly hands....winter cold and very low humidity weather and the constant washing doesn't do them any favors.

I caught myself doing this yesterday at work!!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

That’s pretty much what’s been happening in Tx @mrs-b, snow, slight thaw, snow, slight thaw, snow, ice, treacherous conditions. Ugh, it’s pretty awful. So glad to hear your beautiful ring has gone to a new home, one step nearer to your next project Phooey to your Humira not arriving yet, Jeez Louise, what a palaver. We love cottage pie (although we call it Shepherds pie), smothered in brown sauce, similar to steak sauce or A1, although I think ours is fruitier. I asked for brown sauce once in Shanghai and they brought me gravy Good grief, it never rains but it pours, I’m so sorry to hear you’re suffering so much. I had a trapped sciatic nerve when I was pregnant, and it felt like someone was ramming a red hot knitting needle right down the middle of the bone

So glad your weather has improved @canuk-gal, although it still sounds arctic to me. It really makes a difference not getting up in the dark or it being dark at 4pm.

Good luck to your DH on his forthcoming appts @Polabowla, it’ll be good to get it done and deal with the outcome. I’ll be sending lots of positive vibes and good thoughts your way.

Your high school glasses brought back memories @marcy, have you heard of Dame Edna Everage? ’She’ sported cat’s eye diamanté encrusted glasses. @mrs-b will probably know who ‘she’ is. I’m still giggling at you writing your article and thinking ‘wow’ the juices are really flowing today, this is a breeze.
I don’t know how you cope with your weather for so many months of the year, but I suppose like @canuk-gal, you’re all set up for it.

I hope you and the poochies are all OK @springerspaniel.

Happy to report that I’ve had no real reaction to the vaccine, the injection site is slightly sore, but no swelling, or redness, I think it’s just internal bruising from the needle.

Thank you for the information @missy, I did tell the nurses today, and they said that as I wasn’t experiencing any reaction, it wouldn’t be a problem to go ahead and have the mammo. How they manage to carry on a normal conversation while they’re wrangling your boobs in to the squishing machine, I’ll never know.

Adam & Kim are still without water, Adam doesn’t realistically think it’ll be back on until the weekend, but at least they have heat again as they had a propane delivery to the main communal tanks. They’re managing, just looking forward to a nice hot shower.

Not much going on here, had our food delivery and our meal delivery, which didn’t arrive last week. I’m just trying it for 4 weeks as I’m fed up of thinking of different things to cook. We had prawns in a chilli tomato sauce with charred courgettes over linguine, garnished with spring onions.

Sending love and hugs to all the fabulous NIRDI ladies

 

[mrs-b]

Hello lovelies

That’s pretty much what’s been happening in Tx @mrs-b, snow, slight thaw, snow, slight thaw, snow, ice, treacherous conditions. Ugh, it’s pretty awful. So glad to hear your beautiful ring has gone to a new home, one step nearer to your next project Phooey to your Humira not arriving yet, Jeez Louise, what a palaver. We love cottage pie (although we call it Shepherds pie), smothered in brown sauce, similar to steak sauce or A1, although I think ours is fruitier. I asked for brown sauce once in Shanghai and they brought me gravy Good grief, it never rains but it pours, I’m so sorry to hear you’re suffering so much. I had a trapped sciatic nerve when I was pregnant, and it felt like someone was ramming a red hot knitting needle right down the middle of the bone

@Austina - did you know (and Tim and I only found this out when we came to the US) that cottage pie is made with ground beef and shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb? Thus the difference. I make mine with lots of chopped bacon, mushrooms and onions added, a small can of tomato paste, minced garlic, half a cup of good red wine, lots of chopped parsley, 2 packets of dried mushroom gravy to thicken it, and Better Than Bouillon rather than salt. The umami is off the charts! I cover it in mashed potato, as per normal, but than I cover it with grated cheese. I put it in the oven - then stick it briefly under the broiler before serving to brown the top.

My back is not doing well and my sciatica is not so great at the moment as a result. I'm trying to see the surgeon Tim saw, but since he's moved, I'm not sure if my insurance will cover it, since he's now out of MA.

As for Boadicea, she was meant to be delivered this morning, but...nope. The Fedex website is slammed and has not been updated, either, so I can't tell where exactly in her journey she is. If I get no joy by tomorrow afternoon, I'd drive down to Fedex and try to get some info on her precise location.

I feel for the folks in Texas! So many without power and water! A friend's elderly father's ceiling collapsed and he had to move out - this, after being without power for 4 days. What a nightmare.... One doesn't really think about insulation against freezing temps, I suspect, when one lives in Texas!

We're looking at 7 more inches of snow over the next 3 days, and I'm about to go out of my brain with boredom!

Hugs to you, @Austina!

 

[Austina]

Yes, I did know about Shepherds vs Cottage pie @mrs-b but I don’t like the taste of lamb, so never make Shepherds pie. I always add lots of vegetables to mine to, so it’s a one pot meal. I also add cheese to the mash, and if you do that, your cottage becomes Cumberland pie! Either way, its

I hope Boadicea turns up safely

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Gosh I love all those meat pies you NIRDIs are talking about! yumyumyum

@mrs-b healing vibes your way. And fingers crossed with FedEx. Big headache.

@Austina yes, it is all Arctic to me also! I just a sweet little walk around the block in -4C. Parka on of course, but folks are on their bikes and layers!!! LOL gotta love 'em.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Tekate]

Hey I have internet! I'm alive and boy this has been one helluva situation. We had electricity and then it would go off, our sinks, commodes and pool stuff froze, John was out there moving ice around, luckily John had ordered two little teeny heaters and he put one in the water pump shed and that was a life saver, we never had a burst pipe (yet going down to 15F tonite they say, but we had -1F at one time).. My son Mike has no water and hasn't had it in days, but they did get 9 bottles of water and they are boiling snow if must be, but they have heat.. This all reminds me of Hurricane Fran in 96 in Raleigh, what a clusterf--- that was too.

I'll be back in a few hours, it's nice to read, even our Verizon phones were iffy, but a special thanks and HUG to Missy for reaching out to me, as always, the Caring and Marvelous Missy makes my life a better place, as you all do.. bbiab.

I put a pix of Auti on Insta I can't get it to download yet so I'll try again later..

Weird times for sure.

 

[MMtwo]

Hi NIRDI's - "I GOT THE JOB!" wheeeeeee. Forgive me for this hit and run post, my brain is like a rabid squirrel is a nut tree in October. Today has been a whirlwind of processing, informing the boss, the family, co-workers. I need to write a book on "dead bodies and where they are buried" for the next person. Starting to work on the transition materials.

@Bayek Yes! It was exactly what you mentioned in your stroke of good luck when you made your move and wrote yourself a nice check. Thank you for all of the good wishes!

More later when I calm down