Back to Normal?

Hope y'all had a great Christmas.  The kids came over Christmas Eve as usual.  We ate wings.  They seem to be very popular with everyone and we don't have to worry about the one that doesn't like beef.  We make a lot of wings and we did it in the oven since it was to cold for me to grill them.  They must still be pretty good the way they got scarfed down.  We use the Party Wings from Costco.  We made 5 packages, I am just guessing that there is about 1 lb in each.  The number of wings vary due to size.  The ladies can hold their own in matching the guys on how many get eaten.  There were only 5-6 wings left over and I got those for lunch the next day.  We really need to expand our menu and come up with something else next year.  

There was no need to call the plumber for my clogged toilet.  You Tube University solved the problem.  I checked there in case there were some other tricks I didn't know.  And of course there were multiple.  Fist off, I found out I was using the plunger wrong of all things.  It has to be angled in and then a tight seal formed and short strokes.  That way it works in both directions with a suction and pushing.  But the main thing was using Dawn dish soap of all things.  It cuts the clog down like it would grease.  About a cup and then let it sit about an hour.  Sometimes you don't even need to plunge.  I did and it cleared out really quick.  I am still amazed at the long list of things Dawn can be used for other than it's intended use.  I may make a list and post it hear but I know I would miss some.  

The hard cold snap is finally over here in my part of the woods.  No precipitation which made it more tolerable.  Just unusual cold for a longer than normal time.  That's three years in a row.  I have never seen that in all my years.  Climate change, global warming...I can't say what I really feel.  I saw the Gov of New York blaming the latest national cold wave on 'climate change'.  They use that word now instead of Global Warming to not sound even stupider than they do.  It's all part of their agenda to make life harder for all of us.  If you believe something else, I don't care, just don't bring it here and we are good.

I am heading out to clear the dead tomato plants out of the garden.  The cold finally did them in.  I cleared all the tomatoes that had any amount of red/orange color and we have more than I would have guessed.  The bushes will go over the fence for the deer to eat.  They seem to love them and any tomatoes I toss.  Sometime this week I need to make it back to my Mother's to shut of the water I dripped at her faucets outside.  The dogs will also be happy to get back out walking today.  

In case I don't post again, Y'all have a Happy New Year.  

Happy Trails

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all that come by here.  Hope Y'all have a great one.  Stay warm.

Christmas is Upon Us

I have gotten all my Christmas shopping done.  Just a couple deliveries I am waiting on.  Not a big deal.  I only shopped for 'K' this year, which is true most every year.  No special leather projects for anyone either.  The last thing on the list is getting the house squared away for our family Christmas Eve gathering.  'K' hasn't said a thing about it to me this year.  Usually we discuss the menu as I may have to cook most of it or at least the meats.  This year...crickets.  I will not ask either.  I guess I will let her surprise me.  I may regret that.  Maybe I will ask when I finish here.  I don't like those type of surprises.

I am dealing with a stopped up drain line this morning.  It's not the main drain line thankfully.  It's the toilet and it seems to be isolated.  Plunge plunge plunge....hot water hot water hot water.  Little to no movement.  I have a tool that is supposed to clean out a toilet but I can't seem to get it past the bend.  I feel nothing up to that point I just feel it scraping around the porcelain.  It needs to make one more turn.  UGH.  So my day will be dealing with that until it opens.  After that the plumber will be called.  

I am doing some minor preparations for a coming arctic front that will send temps well below freezing.  They expect several days where temps will not rise above freezing.  I have had my fill of that type weather over the last couple years.  We have had more than usual.  They don't predict any snow or ice this time thankfully.  It's hard for us Texans to function with that added to the mix.  

Where has the year gone?  It seems to have zipped by faster this year for some reason.  They always seem to flash by but this one was even faster.  This coming year I turn 70.  My Mother says I will 'officially' be old and I won't care about being old.  I thought I was old way before that.  At least my body's aches and pains tell me I'm old.  I feel cheated then.  

Happy Trails

Housebound

Things have been pretty quiet around here the last week.  Various illnesses seem to be making their rounds too.  I came down with what I think was a cold and was pretty much housebound and immobile since Wednesday.  I thought it best to stay home from church even.  Still have a lot of residual issues but feel fine.  We had to say no to the youngest Granddaughter coming for a couple days.  This has been probably one of the longest stretches we have not had her, since before Thanksgiving.  We had a family Christmas 'party' scheduled for this past Saturday.  It got cancelled due the the host's kids coming down with something.  I would not have gone anyway.  I hope to get out some this week but it seems the weather is interrupting that idea.  It's damp and foggy here and will be to start tomorrow too.  It just isn't a good thing to take the dogs out in.  Their legs are so short that they get pretty messy if there is any dampness at all on the streets.  Since they are mostly inside dogs, puppy tracks become a problem.

I hope to get over to see my Mother this week.  I haven't been in some time.  She has been down in her back and hasn't wanted visitors at all.  I think it's been almost two months since I have seen her.  Even her girl 'K' hasn't been by much since she was sick for several weeks.  We really need to get over and see how she is faring.  She has hired her house cleaner for two days to help out with things around the house.  That relieves a lot of pressure in her mind about several things.  

I won't ramble on today.  I am bereft of any thought process this last week.

Happy Trails

Been Busy

I realized I hadn't posted much in a while the other day.  Nothing much to talk about anyway.  We have been running errands here and there that even took us over to the next town (New Braunfels).  There is a meat market there we like to go to.  They had beef fajitas on sale.  By on sale, they were less than anyone else at 8.99/lb.  I just shake my head at that.  It is some of the worst meat to buy and I usually refuse to pay the price.  Either that or I have to swallow more chicken.  We checked at Costco too.  10.99/lb. is outrageous for that type meat.  Rib eyes are 10.99/lb.  I didn't think about it at the time but I can get decent sirloin for much less and is a better cut of meat and I can make fajitas from that.  We won't purchase it at those prices ever again.  If you aren't familiar with fajitas, it's flank steak.  Very course meat, not tender without much work, i.e. marinating forever, pounding it with the tenderizer or knife and trimming the tough skin off.  It was a very cheap meat until it was appropriated from the Mexican Restaurants and became very very popular.  Now we all have to pay the exorbitant rates.  But I digress.

I don't know much about Kanye West or Ye.  But why do they keep giving this guy a platform?  He is obviously in need of some help.  Or he just says stupid things to get publicity and sell more records (CD's?).  Everyone is shocked by what comes out of his mouth and everyone gets upset.  Well stop paying attention to the guy and he might go away.  I know a politician (more than one)that says some really dangerously stupid things and it usually gets glossed over.  The media never gets upset for some reason.  Then the story just quietly dies.  Take a hint, stop covering the guy.  Yes, I know he is befriended by their target and try to link them etc.

Today is the first day 'K' seems to be finally much better.  She had been in touch with her FNP and they sent her for a chest XRay finally.  It was clear surprisingly.  She had been coughing quite a bit again.  Now it seems to have finally stopped.  This has been probably 4 weeks.  It appears it is something a lot of our friends have or had too.  They don't call it anything other than a respiratory infection.  But finally she is getting some relief, along with me and the dogs.

Happy Trails