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What a wonderful trip, Goody! Thanks for keeping us posted.
I've never gone to Conference in person but would like to one day.
"Reading Month is over!". Cool, Yungmom, anything we can do to encourage kids to read is a good thing.
Another hot day on this side of the Cabin, & another glass of ice water with lemon. Dinner was popcorn & fruit. A little extra scripture reading before bed to invite the Spirit more strongly, then so I'll be alert for Conference.
Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Where is everyone? Maybe all the Incabitants are staying over in SL for Conference. Goody is either on the way home or asleep now so she can get an early start. Too bad she can't stay for all of it, but how marvelous that she was able to go.
What a great session it was. A couple of messages that kicked me in the posterior.
Almost time to turn in & get a good night's sleep, to get up a bit earlier tomorrow for Music & the Spoken Word.
G'nite, everyone. G'nite, Punkin. Yes, I know; "everyone" doesn't mean you because you are a special case.
Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Wow! I haven't been on-line in 3 days! What a lot of going on there's been!
I am sick with the plague again! Life has been crazy! I didn't get to my event this weekend because of being sick.
I am glad everyone south of here is okay! One of our SCA families have lost much due to a lightning strike on their house. It didn't get that bad up here in Northeast Fl.
I will be back on but need to get dressed so I can pick up my brother from work when he calls. V.
Posts: 4132 | Registered: Sep 2005
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V., good to see you here. The bubonic plague, or a different plague?
The weather here, cooler than Sri Lanka, is definitely better for me. We've been doing a fair bit of walking, getting out most days. I couldn't do that in Sri Lanka. Of course, I'm still hot and sweaty even at 20C. Ah well.
We've also found a surprising number of restaurants that use halal meat, so Fahim can eat out at a lot more places than we could ever find in Sri Lanka, so that's also good. There are quite a few halal restaurants within walking distance, so we suddenly have a lot of eating out/ordering in/go pickup food options that we never had before. It's nice.
We're settling in. We have a dining room table and chairs now, but no living room furniture yet. Ah well. It's a bit weird to start completely from scratch. Again. The last time was when I moved to Sri Lanka and married the hubs. Hopefully this is the last time. And we still love it here. Posts: 4434 | Registered: Apr 2003
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V has the plague again, I'm sorry to hear this. I hope it didn't come from a bat bite by one of Punkin's pals.
Quid, I was surprised to hear that about the restaurants in Auckland compared to Sri Lanka. I should have thought Sri Lanka would have more suitable choices. It sounds like you're going to get out more now
Nice sunny evening, so I'm going to sit out on the deck for awhile. I never did get to the Porch yesterday to further prepare it for our arrival, so I might try tomorrow. But I also have to do my taxes, which I've put off as usual. If it's a nice day, I could go to the Porch where it's peaceful & get the nasty mess done & out of my hair.
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Sri Lanka has *way* more Muslims, which is why we're so surprised, too. But there are quite a few restaurants, not owned or operated by Muslims, who order Halal meat just as a matter of business practice. I've heard that it's a quality of meat issue for at least some - the Halal meat is supposed to be better. Whatever the reason, we're certainly not arguing with them. Posts: 4434 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Many non-Jewish people here have similar opinions of kosher products, often buying them because of their reputation for quality & purity. I read an article some months ago that said only about a fifth of kosher food purchasers are motivated by religious principles, & most simply feel they are getting better stuff.
I guess it's similar to folks who are teetotalers but aren't necessarily Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, or any other religion that forbids it, but just think abstaining is more healthful.
I know, Punkin, this is ridiculous, isn't it? You critters are important to us, but we'd never get involved in something like this. We'd manage to find a way for the two-footers & four-footers to live together peacefully. If that didn't work, we'd just go find a couple of skunks & send them to the neighbor's place.
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Another beautiful spring day to enjoy. Everyone stay warm & have a nice Monday. I'm taking Punkin & Pepper to the Porch & will do a bit of sprucing up, & if I feel really ambitious & diligent, I'll work on my taxes. Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Bad kitties. Our critters might be a handful, but they don't have any really terrible habits, & I don't want them to pick up any.
* Checks bathroom to be sure lid is closed. * Mainly, I don't want anyone to drown (& I don't want any stolen goods landing in there). Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I like flushing kitty. S/he amuses me. Klepto cat? That's kind of funny. Weird, a pain in the butt, but funny. Posts: 4434 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Can I go back to Utah? Like, right now? Seriously, we totally did not want to leave.
The good news is that Buggie is now absolutely certain that BYU-I is the place she belongs and not Provo, at least for now. She always knew, for as long as she's been thinking about college, that she would go to Rexburg, but now she has concrete, logical, objective reasons for doing so and not simply because she "has a feeling" or believes that she's received revelation to that effect. I suggested that she might consider transferring to Provo during her junior or senior year, after she's gotten her lecture-hall prerequisite classes out of the way and gotten accustomed to having so many people around her. I think that graduating from Provo will look better on transcripts for grad school and resumes, but I don't want to push her into a situation that's clearly more overwhelming than she can deal with right now.
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nice to be back and catch up with everyone. When I get off work (the doc finaly cleared me to do clerical work ) I am getting the ingredients for the pretzel jello dish....it sounds interesting.
So, V, feeling better? Yungmom: your son calling the D&C is priceless!
Posts: 2184 | Registered: Oct 2005
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Goody, you're welcome to return to Utah any time! Isn't it great? Have you been to any parts of it other than Salt Lake, or was this your first time ever? There is a lot to see & do in different parts of Utah.
Most people go to the great national parks in the south. There are Church history sites all around the state as well. Cove Fort is in the south central, a reasonable side trip from a visit to Zion, Cedar Breaks, Bryce, & Capitol Reef.
St. George has the tabernacle & temple, & one of Brigham Young's homes. Not far from St. George is Mountain Meadows. East of St. George are those communities you've heard so much about that not too many people really know well, Hildale & Colorado City, on the UT-AZ line. There is another Church history site just south of there where there's a historic house & farm. I'll have to think of the name & look it up.
Up north is Promontory Point, where the first transcontinental railroad was completed across the U.S. Golden Spike National Historic Site is in the middle of absolutely nowhere but only about 80 miles from SL. On the way are the state park on the island in the Great Salt Lake where you can see buffalo wandering around, & more.
Since you took I-80 before, you know about Winter Quarters, Kanesville & Council Bluffs, & Martin's Cove (north of Rawlins, Wyoming). And of course you'd make a detailed visit to Nauvoo.
I work with the youth, & I think BYU-Idaho is better for some students. A lot depends on their personalities. The Provo campus is huge, & it might seem impersonal & be a big adjustment for someone away from home for the first time. A smaller school in a less busy town might be better for some.
As an adult convert, I did not attend either one. I went to a large state university not far from home, with parents, home-cooked dinner, etc. within reach, & even that would have been overwhelming for some kids!
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This was my first trip since high school west of the Mississippi, and that trip was only as far as Iowa City.
We did drive through Council Bluffs, but didn't stop. I didn't know there was any sort of history to be explored there. I know of Winter Quarters only vaguely, didn't see it along our route or I probably would have pulled off. We drove along the east side of the Great Salt Lake - and by the way, what is the deal with those monster mosquitoes?!?! - and I saw a sign for the Golden Spike site.
Buggie definitely wants to get down to St. George someday as that's her favorite temple. I know we'll be returning to Nauvoo on at least a couple occasions. There's so many places I want to go, and not enough time or money for them.
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I just found out that one of the missionaries that taught us the lessons finally went home in the last couple weeks. I had no idea that he was so new to his mission when he came to our door - from the date I think he was released based on other information in the mission president's wife's blog entry, he would have been here only 6 weeks when he met us. I would love to see him now, see what his time in Chicago has done for him. And yes, I admit it, I kinda miss him. He was all kinds of fun.
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Plague=any communicable bacteria or virus. I have an upper respitory thing going on for the second time around. Whenever we become ill we just use the medieval term for being so!
I am not sure how I am doing? I've put off going to the doc. I guess I may need an antibiotic if this keeps up! YUCK!
Goody, it's good that Buggy got her confirmation of where her journey is taking her! Redd, it's good to see you here! Quid, nice to know things are settling in for you and your sweetheart! I pray your business aspirations come to pass with success!
I am needing to head for sleep! Night all! V.
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So, I got to experience the kind of weather our friends from the south had last week! It was windy, wet and noisy. We were on tornado watch til around 10:00 this morning! I didn't go to bed until 5:00 and got woke up with thunder boomers shortly after. Don't have a lot to do today so when I get back from taking db to work, I will take a nap.
I have a therapy session today to take the fluid off the legs. Yes, it is already working! I can actually claim having ankles again!
Gotsta go and get dressed! Later! V.
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We'll need to keep our distance from V so we don't get the plague!
Come here, Annabelle. We don't know what V has & whatever it is, you don't want it. I'll put this filter mask on you & you can go back over & join her. OK, you don't like it. I'll take it off & you can take your chances. Maybe you can convince her to put it on.
Goody, Winter Quarters is next to the temple in Omaha, which is called the Winter Quarters Temple. It's quite a bit north of I-80, not far from the airport. This was where the Saints stopped over on the long trek from Nauvoo to the Rocky Mountains when it was too late in the year to continue. The Missouri River was nearby and there was land to build cabins, plant crops, even start small businesses. They didn't do all this to get rich; they did it to make a safe refuge for other emigrants who would be coming for years.
Today this is all part of Omaha. What's left of the original settlement is the cemetery where hundreds of people are buried who didn't live to get to Salt Lake. The temple is next to the cemetery, & across the street is a visitor center. Among Church historic sites, this cemetery is one of the biggest tear-jerkers, to think of the ordeal these folks went through, some of them all the way from Palmyra through Fayette, Kirtland, Jackson County, Far West, Quincy, & Nauvoo, to come this far & end up dead on the last leg of their journey. I've been to Winter Quarters several times & could never keep a dry eye. The hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints" was written during the trek west.
Council Bluffs & Omaha were just villages then, but there is a lot of history to see in these modern big cities. Council Bluffs has a whole downtown preservation district, a couple hundred acres, with beautiful 19th century buildings. All over town you can see stately churches of the kind they built back in the 19th century, gracious old houses, & streets still surfaced in brick. The Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs was where President Brigham Young & his two counselors were sustained as the First Presidency. The Church has re-created it & gives tours.
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V, is this the kind of weather you were talking about? What a sad story, of the little boy & his father clutching him who were both killed.
I made a pot of chicken soup with wild rice & carrots. Maybe it will help chase away the plague.
Yes, Annabelle, there is enough for you. We need to boost your immunity too, after all. Please share with the other critters too.
Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Okay, V; we tried getting rid of your cooties using onions, maybe a bunch of roses will work instead. Since you call your respritory illness the plague, its medieval term, how about a medieval remedy from the nursery rhyme?
Ring around the rosies, Pocket full of posies, A tissue, A tissue, We all fall down
Well, I am leaving you some lovley roses in yellow and orange and cream colors and a big roll of two ply toilet paper for you. (I haven't bought kleenex in years)
Good to hear most every one is well. I need to check out the porch to see if there is anything that needs to be done.
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I have some spare hankies V. can use - they're much kinder on the nose than kleenex or toilet paper. Or maybe it's just me who gets a nasal road rash?
There's lamb ratatouille in the fridge, so help yourselves. I haven't done a proper kitchen stock-up yet, so I don't have anything for making desserts, but there are chocolate bars in the cupboards, so that ought to satisfy the chocolate craving.
It's a bit on the cooler side today, so I'm curling up with my samuel L Jackson fuzzy wuzzy purple mink-like blanket. It's nice and warm. Fuzzies, come join me. Posts: 4434 | Registered: Apr 2003
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No, Annabelle, I don't think you can get the plague from me, sweetling! It's the humans that I need to steer clear of.
Curelom, you are so fun! Redd, thanks for the toilet tissue. I appreciate all the assistance in dealing with this stuff!
Quid, the food sounds yummy and smells good too! I so much want to be back on the mend. I did get to see the results of my OT's work! The fluid is coming off the legs quicker than we thought! I am also getting to see a physical therapists for the muscle issues and sciatic nerves.
We didn't get tornadoes here but the wind and thunder boomers was bad. There were power outages on my side of the Cabin this morning.
Well, I think I am ready to curl up for sleep again! Night all! V.
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It's a nice spring day, a little on the cool side, but it should warm up as afternoon comes. The sun is shining & the birds are fluttering around & filling the air with music, & some are hanging out by the seed & nectar feeders on the deck that I just replenished. Pepper & Punkin are outside enjoying the morning. Pepper can't see, but she's smelling the flowers & pine trees & savoring the bird songs like an opera fan with Pavarotti.
In honor of the beautiful day, I made salads for our lunch. There's a mixed salad of greens, grape tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, cold ham & chicken, with your choice of Italian, Ranch, or Rocquefort dressing, croutons, & bacon bits. And there's a fruit salad with mango, watemelon, & apple slices, tangerine sections, & grapes, with honey-lemon or OJ & marshmallow dressing.
V, good news that the therapy is working. I hope you're doing better with the cooties too. The nicest part of the year is here or near, & we want you to enjoy it. The filter mask for Annabelle wasn't so much for fun, I just didn't want her to get whatever you had! But knowing they don't migrate from two-footers to four-footers, I won't worry anymore.
Look at what's happening on the deck. Punkin has nudged Pepper close to the birdseed tray. Let's see what she's up to. Awww, look at this. Punkin scooped up some birdseed with her paws & put it right under Pepper's nose, so the birds will come right up to her. Now Pepper is playing with them. I need to go get my camera. St. Francis of Assisi would be delighted.
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There are days when I try so hard, and I try to be so giving and do good, and somehow it all just backfires on me. Days like that are hard. Posts: 1070 | Registered: Oct 2006
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Agreed. MiMi, keep on doing what you feel is right. It'll work out in the end.
I made a chocolate cake last night. It has white chocolate chips in it and it's iced with dark chocolate icing, so help yourself.
Meanwhile, I'm off to cook some salmon. I'll leave some for the furballs to eat, but I'll make some extra spicy for Tellulah and Oberon, just the way they like it. Posts: 4434 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I had some of the lamb ratatouille for lunch along with a little of the salads. Now I'll have some salmon. Thank you, Quid. This is all delishuss. I don't know if I'll have room for cake.
No, Punkin, this is mine. Quid said she put some aside for all of you. Why don't you try some of the spicy version & see if you like it? If the other cats ate it all & didn't leave any, come back & I'll share mine. And don't come back & lie to me, because I've never seen any of you critters do that to each other.
Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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This evening I spoke with my mom....suddenly my trials are put into perspective and I feel foolish for my earlier complaining. Ryan is in need of as many prayers as are possible. His challenges are real and I am very worried for him. I don't know where Michaela left off in writing about him when she left, or how much of his story is known. He has been in a facility for a little over a year. My parents have both had concerns about his level of care. A phone call let my parents know that some of those fears were not just the frettings of overly protective parents. So many things.... so difficult. Words cannot express.
I have faith that his life serves a mission and a purpose. I have faith that God is in control. I have faith that one day we will understand all things. I have faith that one day all things will be healed and restored. I have faith that one day the difficult challenges of this life will be compensated for. I have faith that He has a loving Father in Heaven who is very aware of him, even at this very moment. I have faith that no matter the trials he may endure, he will not be left comfortless. I have faith that one day his handicapped and disabled body will one day be restored completely. I have faith that through the atonement, all things will be made well. I feel a need to express that faith, because for tonight, that is the only thing I can hold onto. Without faith it would be too difficult to understand why people are allowed to go through some of the trials of this life that seem unbearable. Please keep Ryan and Michaela and family in your prayers. I know you all care a great deal for them.
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Oh dear. MiMi, they'll continue to be included in my prayers. While I'm sorry Ryan isn't receiving completely proper care, I'm glad your parents have been told.
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I'm enjoying this church history talk. I was just reading through my goals this morning and thinking that I really need to update my journal on my church history trip. The Winter Quarters visitor's center was one of my favorite places to stop. We did sealings in the temple there. Sitting so near that cemetary and doing sealings touched me.
quote:The fluid is coming off the legs quicker than we thought!
Yes!
Speaking of veggies - I'm going to have to go buy more. I've been putting them and some ranch on a plate on the table in the afternoons when the kids get home. I'm shocked at how fast we are running out of them. It's been great.
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mini.michaela--I would love to use your faith list in my prison support group. It is wonderful and insightful. My prayers to Ryan and you and your family!
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MiMi, we knew Ryan had gone to live there & that was very tough on your folks. But we hadn't heard a lot about how Ryan was doing there. I often include your family in my prayers & put all of you on the prayer roll regularly.
Your faith is a wonderful thing. There are times, as you say, we have nothing else to get us through our trials, except the knowledge that God knows & loves us, sent His Son to bear all our burdens, & They will make everything right in our lives & those of our loved ones in Their own way.
Redd, that doesn't look like our Punkin, but that looks like something she'd do. Punkin is Ms. Feline Personality. She's a very smart kitty, friendly, curious, sometimes mischievous, but also likes occasional downtime & solitude. She loves cheesecake, fruit, exploring in the woods, all animals, birds, & people, but she sometimes goes to the Porch by herself for a day or two to recharge. At the moment, she's outside taking her nightly bat census, then she'll come back & want to hear the story of Noah's ark or all the animals the Nephites found in the promised land.
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Oh, Mi-mi! Please give our love to Michaela! My heart goes out to you too!
I went to the doc today and came home with an antibiotic and instructions for Mucinex, vitamin C and fluids.
I need to get together some things for tomorrow. We are going strawberry picking and then canning on Saturday. We'll be starting out early. Night all! V.
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V - yours has 2 bags of brittle. We ate much more of that first batch than we should have. I changed the recipe just slightly - fewer peanuts to see how I would like it. I immediately bagged up the second batch to send to you.
Redd - I went to DI and also got some BoMs. Sitting right next to them was also Man's Search for Happiness so I sent that as well.
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That is wonderful. I am always amazed at how much the jail loves to have LDS literature. We leave copies of the BOM in the waiting room when we visit, they are quickly taken.
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I debated on sending The Friend. I was thinking you wouldn't get much use for them there, but if they take them home to their kids that would be good so I sent them as well.
Even better news is that you can only send magazines by media mail if they have no ads. These magazines are some of the few that don't have ads. When I mentioned, without showing what they were, that they don't have ads I don't think the postal worker initially believed me. When he saw them he mentioned that these are some of the few.
So I've been trying to think, out of curiosity, of magazines that don't have ads. So far I've come up with Consumer Reports and Cook's Illustrated.
Posts: 5094 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Yungmom got a turnover! In honor of this special occasion, please help yourselves to this special treat.
We had a few showers yesterday & may have a few more next week, & it's still cool, but it's clear & sunny. The critters have had cabin fever & they are all at the Porch. Punkin led the way, & Dreyfuss "drove" the little red wagon (he was hitched behind it to regulate the speed down the hill). They had put their favorite blankets & toys in it, so I think they've moved for the season. Redd did more sprucing up a couple days ago & I finished today, & the water & electricity are on.
I brought the wagon back to pick up a supply of pet food. I'll take Punkin's firepit & my bedding, toiletries, & scriptures, & stay there because it'll be too dark to hike back up after unloading. Tomorrow I'll come back here to move some more stuff.
We can still see the temple at night from the Porch. Posts: 13168 | Registered: Apr 2005
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so I'll be alert for Conference.
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I'm sorry to hear this. I hope it didn't come from a bat bite by one of Punkin's pals. ![[Big Frown]](graemlins/bigfrown.gif)
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If it's a nice day, I could go to the Porch where it's peaceful & get the nasty mess done & out of my hair.
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Klepto cat? That's kind of funny. Weird, a pain in the butt, but funny. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
) I am getting the ingredients for the pretzel jello dish....it sounds interesting. ![[Big laugh]](graemlins/biglaugh.gif)
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