Bailey and Friends

Are we home?



I miss the non basement:D;)

Well, I'm freezing, so I think we are home!!! You know in FL we don't even have a non-basement. There's nothing under us....not even a crawl space. Although that's probably a good thing......I wouldn't want to worry about alligators walking around under there!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

That is one helluva long drive and one I don't care to make very often, thankyouverymuch!!! I have a very hard time keeping awake driving I-95 ... it is such a long straight stretch of flat roadway down south with no curves, no bumps, no nothing. Bailey got a little restless, but all in all did pretty well.

There is a house at the end of the street, the entrance to our little development, and a couple of years ago they lost one of their two daughters to Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was only 17. The father took it especially hard and had other issues as well. They are both very nice people and their other daughter is great also....and has just spent her first or second year away at college, I think. Well, tonight, the father ended his life. He and his wife went to dinner. She stopped off at a business they own to take care of a few things and when she got home, she found him in the garage having taken his life. I apologize-I know this has nothing to do with Bailey or with Cushings, but it just kind of shook me. On one hand I feel at least he's at peace now.....but what a horrific situation for his wife and the remaining daughter. I understand the wife is being stoic as always....but the daughter is pretty upset. We knew something was going on because we were to meet friends for dinner and we couldn't get out of the neighborhood as the road was all blocked with police cars and emergency vehicles. They finally moved some so we could get out and by the time we returned, all of that had cleared away, but there were lots of other cars here and lots of people standing on the porch. Then I had to go back out and as I drove by some people were just getting out of a car, so I put down my window to ask if everything was all right.....and before I could finish that sentence I could see that the gentleman was a pastor.....so I stopped myself and said.....obviously not. Fortunately the woman with him was willing to give me just a little information and then later we got the rest.

Bailey gets groomed on Wednesday and I will be so glad.....I cannot see her eyeballs!! She's this big fluffball. All three of us are very tired and seem to need a lot of rest. She has taken to sleeping right up next to me with her little head on the edge of my pillow. With the bed that was there in FL, she found she could jump on top of it if she tried really hard. Then we got a new bed and new mattress and it's just as high as the one here and there's no way she can jump on top of it now. Here we have stairs for her. There there is not enough room to put stairs there for her. So I guess because there was no foot-board at first, she stayed away from the bottom of the bed, so she wouldn't fall off. Or maybe she just found it was warmer up at the top. But when she starts out, she plops herself down with her back against mine and it's so nice....she's so warm. :)

Okay Addy-you better get down to the non-basement and organizing your birds. It's going to be time to line them up before you know it! Oh! I wanted to ask you-another way I knew I was back in BB was because the skies were gray and the air is damp.....up your way, in the winter, do you have many sunny days with blue skies? Because we are at the ocean, we draw the moisture off the ocean and it stays damp, so my bones stay chilled and then for some reason it seems more often than not, the skies are gray. Down in FL they had the bluest of skies. It did get pretty chilly before we left, but just hoodie weather.

Love,
Sus

Oh Sus, what a terrible thing to have happen to your neighbors. I am so sorry. How hard for the wife and surviving daughter.

We get a few sunny days but otherwise it is fairly damp here as well, maybe because of Lake Michigan. Hubby has pretty bad arthritis so he suffers until spring. PT has really helped his neck and back though so I hope he can continue to go. Maybe that is what is bothering Zoe too now. We have tornado watches out today with high wind advisory:rolleyes::rolleyes: Crazy weather thundering like crazy and since Zoe cant hear well anymore, it no longer bothers her.

We were out cleaning out the gutters this morning and now I can't move my neck and my allergies are bad.:eek::(

Was it worse driving or taking the train? Straight and flat does make a boring drive.

I am looking on line for ideas for winterscapes for my window boxes. I found some nice ideas. Will you be decorating outdoors for the holidays? The holiday lights help with all the dark dreary days.


Welcome home!!!! I missed the non basement.:):);)

If you have someone who can prescribe for you, Voltaren gel does WONDERS for arthritis pain. I use it on my knees, my wrists, my shoulders and my thumbs. It comes in a tube and you put it on up to 4 times per day and it really helps. I find in the summer months, I don't use it so much.

In FL, Bailey did not scratch. Now that we're back in BB, she's scratching again.....so I guess that tells me what that is all about. I don't know the source but at least I know it's an allergy of some sort.

Train vs. driving. Well....there are trade offs on both. Train does not allow pets yet. They are considering it, but if/when they do, the pets will be in a separate car, be allowed one potty break in South Carolina around midnight for maybe ten minutes and then have to go right back into their cages. You do get there in 15 hours and then it's a 2-3 hour drive after that. You do have your car with you when you get there.
Driving involves two days. You have to find pet friendly motels. Eating has to be done pretty much at fast food places. And for some reason, even though it's 16 hours plus stops, it does take two full days. There is not enough room for Bailey's cage in the car and she won't stay strapped into her seat in the back....which means she's on the lap or the chest of the passenger for the whole trip. (Boy am I glad I didn't get a lab or a great dane!!!!!:eek::eek:)
The answer is to win the lottery, buy a car to leave there so we can just fly down and pay someone kind to drive Bailey down for us.;):o

Decorating outside-we always put lights on the front bushes. One year we put multi colored lights, (even years), odd years we do all white lights. We put a big ol wreath on the front door and a candle in each window that can be seen from the front......I think all in all there are 16. If Bob had his way, it would always be just the white lights. Ryan and I like the multi colored ones. I like the white ones too, but not too many people do the colored ones anymore.

I don't know if we still have it.....I don't remember if it still works, but we had a reindeer that was all outlined in white lights and his head turned back and forth. If he's still around, he'll be out there along the walk way. Oh....and there is a Chinese Maple tree out front on one side of the house/walkway and regardless of whether it is a white or a colored year, it gets covered with red, green and white lights. All the lights are the tiny LED lights. They cost a fortune, but if you live to be 187, they'll save you money in electricity costs.:cool:

On the drive back, we found a radio station that was already broadcasting Christmas music 24/7. I thought Bob would have a fit. I loved it. I'm a Christmas nut. It's my favorite time of year.:D

Ten days 'til turkey day!!! Or for those of us who are going to be unique this year, 12 days 'til turkey day! Ellen is coming and she has to work on Thanksgiving day, so we will have our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. I wonder if that will feel weird?:)

Love,
Sus

Glad you had a safe trip home. That is a long drive with a dog on your lap the whole way!!

Christmas is fun time of year. I love it when the lights are up and the house decorated. Good times.

I'm so sorry about your neighbor and her daughter. That is going to be very hard of them, especially with the holidays coming. You always feel traumas more during the holidays. :( I feel very bad for them.

Have to run! But so glad your home safe and sound!
hugs,
sharlene and Molly muffin

Hey Sus,

Stopping in to say howdy.:) I have my turkey day menu all set. The college kid is coming home next Tuesday:):):) I miss that girl tons.

Sorry to hear Ellen is working Thursday. Last year we had "left over" day on Friday so we could celebrate with the kids. it was fun.:)

Now the big debate at our house is frozen turkey or fresh?
We did fresh last year, I honestly could not tell the difference and we got a hen, She was a scrawny lass if I do say so:D:D

I always thought hen turkeys had more meat on their bones:D:D

I thought hens always did the most work so the dudes were the fatter to eat?:D:D

Are you doing the soup in the espresso cups? that sounds so good! Did I tell you that right after you wrote that, we were at charity event and they were serving a squash something or other soup in espresso cups and I said, Addy Just had this too. Everyone was like, "huh, who, what?" hahahaha

And what is on your menu Susan?

I have to live vicariously through you guys this coming holiday as we already had our Thanksgiving last month. Now we are in full out Christmas mode and our neighbor came home from Florida last weekend and put his Christmas lights up outside.
With my hubby's frozen shoulder, I don't know that we'll have lights up on the house this year, but I always do a Christmas tree with lights by the outside front door and then a pine spray in a container with lights on it. Maybe I'll do some other lights down low that he won't have to reach up to do himself.

Will you guys be decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving?

hugs all,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.........Thanksgiving dinner..........turkey........usually just a turkey breast because no one really likes the dark meat or those yucky innards.:eek::p Bob makes his own stuffing, outside the turkey. Bob cooks the whole meal. Succotash. Mashed potatoes. Celery stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese and chopped pecans. Green and pitted, jumbo black olives. Cranberry sauce or maybe chutney. Gravy. Sparkling cider. Rolls with butter. And for dessert...........I make pecan pie. Mmmmmmmmmmm good!:D:D:)

What's with all these frozen shoulders up north? Do I need to send my hot tub up there? A masseuse? :rolleyes:

Bailey's hair is SO long. I cannot see her eyes anymore. Tomorrow she gets groomed and we both cannot wait. I so miss her eyes. We're supposed to be high's in the 30's over the weekend so I'll have to get out her sweaters, for sure!:eek: I was so cold in the house today, I just sat in one spot on the sofa and didn't move for a couple of hours watching tv.

Dentist tomorrow AM. It's going to be a new hygienist. I hate breaking in the new hygienists. Back in VA I had the same one for 30 years. Here, this will be probably the 4th one. I don't really care for this dentist. He thinks he's doing you a favor by seeing you.....but he's so close to where we live....and I only have to see him at the end of each visit.

Stay warm kids. Get out those red and navy sweaters!!!

Love,
Sus/an

I'm coming to your house for turkey day because that menu sounds yummy good!!!! Thumbs up to Bob for doing all the cooking too:D:D

It all came up so quickly, Sus, the holidays and all. The time is going too fast and can you please make it slow down?;););)

Thanks for posting on my thread, I can feel you on my shoulder, my guardian angel as always:):):):)

I will be fine, everything will work out. I just get so upset when I see Zoe like that. It is too dang hard to handle. So we will fix it:D:D

Happy weekend! We are going to get our turkey tomorrow.
Gobble gobble:D:D:D:D

I think there is a turkey conspiracy going on. I think turkey growers have figured out a way to make these dang birds weigh more but stay small.

We went to get our turkey; I was thinking 18 pounds should be more than enough. Over the years as the family grew, hubby and I started getting pretty big birds since everyone wanted to take home a bag of leftovers for Friday. We were purchasing 24-25 pound turkeys and they looked like a big bird.

So yesterday, we are in the store (hubby said this store had a great selection of frozen turkeys). Well, they all looked like giant chickens.

I mean I picked up a bird that looked like a big chicken and they were trying to tell me it was a 17 pounder:rolleyes:

What the heck is going on? We ended up having to buy a 21 pounder and it looks like the 18 pounders we used to purchase years ago.

Happy Sunday!!!!