Beauty

[Hayfield]

Good Morning!  It's a really sunny day today, went to the gym and voted!  I'm making manicotti today for my Xmas Day or Xmas Eve dinner.  I'll make a big pot of meatballs and sauce next week.  I have to get it made in the freezer now, I don't have much time, Thanksgiving is only about 3 weeks away and I don't know if we're going to our neighbors or if we're going to be here and may have to cook for Thanksgiving.

Helen47--Enjoy your time sitting watching the rain!  DH is thinking about retiring next week, after a 40 year career and he's also thinking about getting another job!  He's an engineer and we're both hoping that he can get another job for a few years.  He's only 61 and in good health and it would be nice if he worked until at least 65.  Plus, I really not ready for him to be home all day!

Fancy Pantsy--I'd rather be busy at work but since it's a very tiring job I can only work so much.  We went to our winter hours and these are the hours we'll have until March.  Even though we're busy between Thanksgiving & Xmas, the hours are the same since it gets too dark on the estate.  There is lighting on the estate but they try to mainain a 18th Century look as much as possible. 

[fancy pantsy]

good afternoon and a happy tuesday to all!

i had a GREAT deep water exercise class today.  the temp has been still in the 80's and so we were in the outside pool and it was a large class and we worked hard.    after my shower and stuff, i had a small lunch and then i went to the grocery store to pick up what i need for the rest of the week.  

tonight i have to go to a dinner with a bunch of the girls from where i used to work.  one of our favorites (who retired just before me) is having to move back up north (ouch) because of her husband's health.  she has more family up there to help her out and support her ...  its going to be good to see everyone, but hard to have to say goodbye to her, ... knowing that we most likely will not cross paths again.   

tomorrow i am going back over to mickey's place.  this time with my girlfriend.  the weather should be perfect (85) and we are not expecting any rain, so it should be a good day.

@MariotaMurielle, thanks for the reply about watching the eagles.  you did answer my question, which was whether i HAD to sign in JUST to be able to watch and read.  i really have no interest in joining the chat, but i thought i was reading that you had to sign in just to watch.  good to know that this is not the case!  tyvm!    hope all went well today at the oral surgeon, and congrats on getting the big MAC back.  

@snardy,  sounds like you and your gf had a great day of it at the craft fair.  and two more to go?  i'd say YAY for you !!!!  i used to go all the time to craft fairs when i had a big house (and room to put all the stuff i would buy LOL) ... but now i am retired and living in a tiny little place, and i try hard to get rid of way more than i bring in.  i do love to go to them tho, and maybe once a year or so i do.  it's just not as much fun when you KNOW that you cant really buy anything;

@catwhisperer, you have taken my breath away with your cleaning mission.  i sure wish i could drum up some interest in doing that myself!  

@QVCPhobe, i would like to offer you a warm welcome to our little group.  we are pretty friendly and supportive here, and i think that if you have some concerns about your age that you'd like some support on ~ well, i would say let us know and i'm sure you will get lots of encouragement and support.

@dex:  holy cow ... over 200 trick or treaters?  good thing you were prepared!  i would have loved the teenage boy/dancers myself.  that sounds so fun! 

@SleeplessinSD, congrats on this first day of not having to go to the hospital.  i hope that you are having yourself a wonderful and relaxing day !! 

@Hayfield, wow.  cooking for the christmas season.  you are putting me to shame!  then again, there won't be much of a christmas thing around here this year ... my dd is getting married in May, and so we have decided not to travel/shop/spend this year .... and we are going to do a secret santa and get one gift and that's all.  i will miss being with all my kids at christmas, but i will have may to look forward to.  

well, it's almost time to put on some nicer clothes and go meet the girls for dinner.  we are eating at the olive garden YUM.  

hope you all have a great evening ...

special healing hugs and prayers for @MartieHugs and @Katcat1

[dex]

Yes Helen47 I had just enough...got down to a couple of pieces though and almost had to resort to chicken or beef...Top Ramen!

.we just got a jersey mikes and I will have to go and try the California dreaming.

It was a mixed day today with a little rain and sun in the mid 50's.I should be out raking   leaves but I am behaving lazy.I think it will be meatloaf for dinner and maybe some roasted squash.

[SleeplessinSD]

QVCPhobe....Happy "early" Birthday! Welcome to our thread. I really look at age as just a number. I just turned 68 and unless I look in the mirror, I still feel young. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have all the age related issues, like insomnia, bad knees, etc. I hope you'll come back and post often with us. We say we're the 60's thread, but it's just a guideline. We have friends of all ages. I agree...I miss my Mom too. She would have made all I go through so much easier, just by being there to listen..we're here to lend an ear, though, if you need us.

MOCHAHONEY, yay! You got your MAC back. Have you been able to get back your bookmarks? I also have so many I use. I can't imagine losing them. I would not be happy. So far, no problems with our MAC. Of course, I don't use it much. I really prefer my IPad.

FANCY, sounds like your having great Florida weather. I sure would like an outdoor swimming class. I'll have to look into that. I'm sorry you're having to say goodbye to an old friend...that's hard. She's doing what's best for her and her DH, so I know you're happy for her.

HAYFIELD, I remember last year you making your meatballs and sauce way in advance of the holidays. Sounds so good! I didn't know your DH wa thinking of retiring so soon. He is still young, so getting another job sounds like a great idea. Ha! My DH will be 70 next year, and I'm not sure I'm ready to have him home full time either! Mainly because he's such a workaholic, I know he'll miss working. I told him he needs to find some hobbies he enjoys...we'll see😉

We got more rain today than I thought we would. I was going to run some errands, but decided to wait until tomorrow when it's all supposed to clear up. I really need to get some good sleep tonight. I've been staying awake reading my book...we'll see how it goes; wish me luck!

Good Night Everyone! ❤️Helen 

[MariotaMurielle]

happy Tuesday evening everyone. my visit to the oral surgeon was good. after he numbed me up it was all over in less than a minute. I'm not sure what the big deal was that my regular dentist couldn't have done it, but then again, maybe it went so well because this guy is an expert. the anesthetic is almost all worn off now, so it's beginning to throb a little, but nothing a couple of ibuprofens can't take care of. I'm just glad to have it over with.

Catwhisperer, I'm glad to hear the you're feeling better enough to go on a cleaning frenzy. I think you and I are both so affected by the weather. the heat and humidity just drain my energy, but when it's cooler with low humidity I feel great.

Hayfield, I'm sure you're on your feet every minute that you're at work. so even though it's part time, I'm sure it's pretty exhausting when it's a busy day. since Halloween just passed, I meant to ask you if there are any stories of hauntings at Mt. Vernon. do you have any good ghost stories to tell?

Fancy, I wish I had your energy. walking, swimming and then out to lunch and shopping. it's wonderful that you have the gettie-up to do all that. you're smart to conserve your money for the wedding. I remember how fast time went by when we were planning my DD's wedding, and how I had to really be watchful to keep spending under control. their first anniversary was the 1st. I can't believe a whole year has gone by since they were married.

Helen, I remember when I first retired it took a few weeks to completely get over that feeling that I needed to be doing something. I was so used to things having to be done on a schedule. I think that's the best thing about retirement: no schedule. I know you're just taking a break, but enjoy every minute of it. relax and just do what ever you want to do, whenever you want to do it.

loves, I like sandwiches, especially if they're on some kind of yummy bread that we don't ever have at home. like pumpernickel or rye or sourdough. one of my favorite sandwiches (that I haven't had in years) is bacon with a spicy mayo, avocado and sprouts on sourdough. loved the pic on FB of the babies laying on the floor together.

whatnow, we probably only had 25 or 30 trick or treaters because it rained. I love your story about the boys who danced for you. my favorite was a tiny little girl dressed like a princess who told my DH " happy Halloween. can I come in?"  DH said "no baby, you need to finish trick or treating." she said "oh. ok" and went skipping down the sidewalk back to her dad. she was so cute.

QVCPhobe, welcome back. I believe I've seen you here before. I'll be 65 in March. it seems a little surreal to be in my mid-60s when I really think about it. I mean, where have the last 30 years gone? it went by so fast, literally like a blink of the eye. I know what you mean about wishing you could ask your mom for advice about this aging thing. my mom's been gone since I was 22. it's hard to believe that she would be in her late 80s now if she were still here. it would have been so nice to be able to go on this journey with her, but that was not to be. come back and join us here whenever you want.

Snardy, yea Broncos! Peyton's still got it, in my opinion.I heard them making several comments comparing him with Bret Favre. he was another one of my favorite players. that guy could definitely throw a football.  I love craft fairs too. we don't have that many around here but there is a special one that I have gone to almost every year for the past 16 or 18 years or so. it's put on by the Mississippi Craftsman's Guild and they always have some beautiful things. it's always the 1st weekend in December and I can't wait.

Martie, congratulations for making it through your 1st phase of treatment. I'm sure it was harder than any of us realize, but you did it. I hope you are feeling better. hang in there friend. you have a lot of prayers and good wishes coming your way.

I have to just say this: I'm really concerned that we haven't heard from Kat. does anyone here have a way to send her a private message?

special hi to RetRN, Puddles & Mistic.  Spammom and Shorelady, if you're around we would love to hear from you.

if I left anyone out, please forgive me.

here's a glorious Pass Christian sunset for you.

have a peaceful evening, y'all.

[SleeplessinSD]

@MariotaMurielle, I'm so sorry. I forgot you were seeing the oral surgeon today. Thank goodness all went well...take some meds and get a good nights sleep. I love your photo tonight. The colors are almost blinding, just beautiful!!

[Hayfield]

Good Mroning!  The sun is out again and I'll be going to the gym soon.  I got all the manicotti made and in the freezer!  Yeah!  That was a big job!  It's not that I'm super organized, I just looked at the calendar and I know this has to be done before Thanksgiving and there's not much time.  I used to be able to make a big pot of sauce & meatballs & the manicotti in one day but I can't do that anymore, so it takes me two days.  I'm going to do the sauce & meatballs next week.  Thank goodness my neighbor called and invited us for Thanksgiving.  We've been neighbors/friends since 1987, when we moved in the neighborhood and if we don't see family at Thanksgiving, we get together.  Her two children are still single as mine are, so they'll be eight of us.  We know that we may not always be able to spend the holidays together, don't know what our children will do over time.  None of them are even in a relationship but that could change at any time.  It seems for the present all four of them have not interest in getting attached to anyone, they all seem to enjoy the single life.  It makes it easier, we don't have to "share" them yet! 

[Hayfield]

Helen47--DH has had a wonderful career in the Fed. Gov. & after a certain number of years, you "max out" as far as retirement goes and once you've  "maxed out", you're better of retiring and getting another job.   He can continue to work for the Fed. Gov. as long as he wants to, he just won't earn anything towards his retirement anymore.  That's really not a financially smart thing to do.  He really hasn't made a final decision, so we'll see what happens.  Most people in our area retire from their regular jobs and get other jobs, it's just the way of the world here. 

Mochahoney--The house is not haunted, as far as I know, and I've been in the house all my myself sometimes.  There is a story about  the Washington's bedchamber though, that someone stayed it in in the early 1800's and GW appearaed but the person would never talk in detail about it, so who knows?  Most likely that didn't really happen.

Fancy Pantsy--I forget, how many children do you have?  Are they scattered all over?  I understand wanting to save for the wedding coming up in May, I hear that they can be very expensive.  Sorry that your friend is going back up north to be near family.  That happens quite a bit.  A friend's parents spent 25 years in Florida but had to move back up north when their health started failing and they needed more help. 

[catwhisperer]

@SleeplessinSD...WOW, that was quite a storm last night!!! Our entire apt. bldg. shook from the thunder and my cats were terrified. I'm surprised our power didn't go out. I had all my flameless candles on just in case.

Waving Hi! to everyone.

[catwhisperer]

@MariotaMurielle...I'm glad your oral surgery appt. went well and you are not in a lot of pain.