[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: It's October! Leaves Turning, Pumpkin Picking and Trick or Treating! #69790

everyone. It has turned hot here again, per Jerry, but it is not bad to me. It is only around 75; and that is so Fall to me; but he just insists on turning the AC back on. We are supposed to have rain coming in the weekend and it will definitely cool off then. Our electric bills are always so expensive; so I am always so happy to throw open the windows and smell that fresh air blowing in. I bet the trees are just beautiful in some of your home areas. Take a look at them for me please This is such a wonderful time of year for me.
Hope all the doctor visits come out good this week. It is such a relief to get them done and an even better relief if we get a good report. I know you must be so glad that your surgery is behind you, Sue; and that you are doing so good. You’ve worked hard. Do you have something special planned to “reward” yourself for all your hard work? You surely deserve a “treat”.
That is a cute story, Colleen about the baby running into your arms and giving you such sweet love. I remember just the wonderful smell of our baby, and how even though my arms would start aching from carrying him around so much that I wouldn’t let him go unless I just had to. Jerry and I find ourselves replaying videos that Neal has sent to us of the baby over and over again. It’s like we can almost feel he is right here with us by seeing the sweet video. I miss our sons so much; but I just didn’t know it was possible to miss Colin as much as I do. They skyped us a while ago. He had gotten the little bear that sings his abc’s and counts that I got from the Q. Gosh, better change the subject.
This has been such a sad week, hasn’t it? I pray for all the people who are suffering and have lost loved ones. We were beside ourselves but our son called us from there early the next morning. He had to be at work at 4 am; so he said he and his wife were in bed at 8 that night. They are country music fans, so we were worried. We didn’t hear until the next morning because we were in bed early that night too. Joey and Lisa had come up for dinner Sunday night and visited for several hours. He and Jerry grilled out. His wife is a manager in an ER there; so she was very busy. But thank God they are okay.
DD. our son in CA. said they are having some pretty hot weather out where he is. He said he thinks it is unusual for this time of year. Are you a lot cooler now? Your kitty probably loves to snuggle if it is cooler now.
Jerry is calling me; so better see what he is up to. LOL Good luck on all the doctor visits. Have fun this weekend Gail. It is so sweet of your husband to do so much good charity work. I know you are really proud. Bye for now, Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #69532

So glad Gary’s tests came out so good. Just keep encouraging him to drink his water. Your kidneys help to filter all the poisons that our bodies discard; and just like a drain pipe; more water flushes them out even better. I can so relate; I have not been a good water drinker most of my life; but I try so hard to do good. Sarah is a really good water drinker. She rarely ever drinks anything (with the exception of wine) but her water. Little Colin drinks his water through a straw so good; and she didn’t tell us that the day we were able to keep him. I felt so bad when she got here and gave him a big drink of water. We had given him his bottles and some juice. Neal skyped us yesterday and he and the baby were in their bed; and that little fellow was really showing off for me and Jerry. He would pat his little head when we would ask him to show us his pretty haircut; and say “uh oh” and “da da” and throw us kisses and wave to us. Of course; we think he is as smart as a rocket scientist LOL I can’t wait to hear some of Pipers stories of her trip. I bet she was sitting in the captain chair too. Did little Aliza ride with you on your scooter Colleen? She could probably drive it for you ha ha I think I will start to use the scooter at Walmart too. It just wears me out to do that whole store. I really think that they should have benches every few isles for people to just sit and rest in those big stores. I know it would help me if I could just sit and rest for a while; if they just had someplace for me to do that.
We are cooler here today too. Our puppy dogs are just laying on their backs with their legs up in the air enjoying this beautiful Fall day. DD, I love your pictures. Gail, I think you said at one time that you own a Thomas Kincaid picture. What is the theme of it? Jerry went to buy one for me several years ago; and I loved it; but we had two appliances go out at one time; and it just seemed that life was saying, better wait a bit before you get this; so I thanked him, and now I really wish we had gone on and bought it. We were at a gallery out of town; and I knew we had to add the cost of our vacation and didn’t want to make a “gosh, I’m having a great time” purchase. It was of a lighthouse; the sea was pounding the shore, but the lights were guiding people to safety, and I’ve always remembered it. Jerry actually liked another that had a beautiful old home; with a gate and lots of flowers and trees. It was beautiful too.
Do any of you all use the my pillow? I have been considering trying them; because we are both having some problems with our pillows going flat; and I have had to use two pillows; and it makes my neck stiff some nights.
Jerry told Joey that he is going to grill out I think on Sunday. He plans to do some ribs. Joey is supposed to cut all the lower 10 acres; and he will be tired and hungry afterwards. Lisa said she will do some coleslaw and I plan to make potato salad. He left us a note the other morning when he came by to pick up his roast beef about how grateful he was for the meal. I just put his meal in those containers with lids and we just wash them out and use them over and over. He and Jerry are doing better. I don’t know what in the world was making Jerry so fussy for a while; but glad whatever it was seems to have passed.
Yes Gail, I have done that eclair cake with the graham crackers, but for the life of me I don’t know what I did with that recipe. As I remember; it was good. I remember it was easy to make and the boys really liked it. Didn’t you just use pudding for the filling?
Better close for now. Hope you all are doing well, and have a good weekend. We only have those dinner plans for Sunday; but I think we will try for another stroll later this evening. The weather is just too beautiful to miss. Take care to all, Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #69451

It is warm here in Tenn. today; but a cold front is due to pass through sometime tonight; and then our temps will change about 20 degrees or so they say. When this happens; people in our area always get sick with the sinus, bronchitis thing. So that reminds me; I need to add hand sanitizer to my list for Walmart tomorrow. It is time to restock and I am thinking very seriously about going online and doing the grocery ordering thing where you set up a time to come pick things up that you ordered. Have any of you tried this or a similiar service? Sometimes, like every time, I get SO tired of walking though that whole big store and it just seems everything I need in from one end to the other. When we take Jerrys Mom; I get one of those scooters for her to ride on; and we almost run over several unsuspecting customers while there. But she does really well; all things considered. We are picking her up Friday and going to take her out shopping and then back here to eat dinner with us. She is adament that she get “home” before dark. She has asked me if I would mind baking her a chocolate pie; so that is easy and I will bake one for her. That was so sweet of you to make Gary his special cake for today, Adele. Little things can make such a difference in letting someone know how much we love them. Glad the antibiotics are helping his legs. My SIL who lost her husband a few years ago; is diabetic; and she just recently had to have a toe removed. She just didn’t feel the pain from the toe due to nerve loss. I think she will end up moving to Michigan to be with her other daughter now. We are all still in shock over the loss of her oldest daughter. She is the reason she moved to Missouri two years ago. It will be hard on her to make this move. I surely hate to see her go; but she is sad and lonely there now. Her daughter kept her busy; and now; she is alone most of the time. I will call her later today to check on her again.
I did a roast and veggies in the crock pot today. It surely smells good, but Jerry prefers doing one in the oven. Just to warm here today for that oven. LOL I stopped at the bakery in town earlier and bought us and two big eclairs. I can’t wait to bite into it. ha ha. I wish I could do one from scratch. I just love them; with the custard, the chocolate, and the flaky pastry. Can you tell?
Sounds like your family have had a wonderful trip, Gail. Glad nobody got sea sick. We haven’t ever been on a cruise. Jerry is adament he will not go. He doesn’t like “crowds”. I know; it makes no sense; because I love visiting with people and just “watching” others have fun, but he wants his bed, his comfy chair, and even though he is very sociable with others; he likes his privacy. I know a lot has to do with his back issues; so I try to keep this in mind. Anyone who is able to be up and about and do their everyday activities; are so fortunate; and I know we just don’t seem to count our blessings; until we lose something. Sorry, didn’t mean to be mundane.
I am sitting here so sleepy that I think I might just doze off while typing. LOL Sorry girls; but even though it is late to nap; I am going to lie down for about 30 minutes. I have probably done nothing but make you all want to doze off too. Take care everyone, and have a great evening. Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #69196

Good evening ladies. Yes, Gail, we did do a little “necking” on our stroll. It was so peaceful (except for the hound dog baying at something off in the field). Our little doggie who just wandered up, Scrappy, has this “problem” of just barking this extremely high pitched squeaky like bark just out of no where. You never know when he is going to do it’. So he had several episodes of this during our walk. It’s like living on a funny farm and I expect to see Chevy Chase and the rest of the Griswalds any minute. So when I say “peaceful” that is Smith normal behavior; not quiet by any means. LOL It was really nice though; to just re-connect. Haven’t had much time to just be us in what seems like forever.
Adele, I could crawl right into your pizza photo. It looks so beautiful that it could be an ad in a food magazine. Gosh, no wonder it is a weekly tradition. That dough looks like it just melts in your mouth. Do you watch any of the cooking or baking shows on the food network. I am watching the Halloween baking contest now. It is just amazing to me what these folks can do. It seems like there are special themed shows for each season and holiday. I know you can’t wait to get your solar witch. Love anything solar. I have lots of Plow and Hearth. Funny story, about 3 summers ago I purchased a little boy (about 2 feet tall) in his little blue jeans and a little girl with a bunny at her feet. I sat each one at the top of the steps going up onto the front porch. That way the morning sun could reach the solar area. Jerry and I are driving up our drive one afternoon last week; and right before we get to the house he said “so you got more yard decorations; we already have too many”. I told him “are you trying to say that this is the first time you have seen those? I bought them years ago! And he swears he never saw them before that day. And you know what; I believe him. He just doesn’t pay attention to some things at all; and others he can tell you if it was moved one inch in 20 years. LOL Men say and do the goofiest things; and he surely keeps me on my toes. How is Gary doing now since a little time has passed since he lost his brother. Hope he is doing better. How is your SIL adjusting?
Gail, you are a good Grand Puppy person too. I know they love to come visit. Lisa always dresses up all of our furry friends for Halloween and Christmas. Auto Kitty gets so insulted. He tolerates it; but he keeps his ears laid back and sometimes he turns his back to Lisa. And if we laugh; that makes it even worse; and him madder. Ruby loves to dress up. She lets Lisa paint her nails too. And she sits so still. Does your Snoopy look like the Peanuts Snoopy dog? Do you dress up your kitty DD?
I missed quite a bit of the Christmas shows. So I looked on the computer. I just couldn’t resist the little Gund doggie that sings the ABC;s and counts 1-10. I went ahead and had it sent to Colin. So I called Neal so he would be watching for it to be delivered.
How are your eyes doing, Gail and Colleen? This has been a busy summer for medical things hasn’t it? Hope all is going well. Sue, I bet your knee does ache with the change in the temperature. You have surely done well with your surgery and all your recovery. You really worked hard.
Better close for now. A turkey sandwich is calling me. Jerry is eating leftovers tonight. He is reheating the soup. If there was more of it; I would too. Take care all. It was so terrible about the people being hurt close to Nashville. You just never know what in the world is going to happen anymore. There just seems to be more mean people now. I just don’t know how people could be so cruel to one another. Hugs to all, Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #69093

Gosh, does it make me feel good to know you all have been watching the Q a long time like me. I remember how when I was a little girl, my grandmother would talk back to the TV while her soap opera shows would play. She acted like they were real people and she wouldn’t miss a show for anything. I must admit; watching the TV gives me company and I laugh along with them when they say funny things by mistake or just mess up in general; since it is live TV and we all know that sometimes things just don’t come out of our mouth the way we intended them to. I know some people say, “well they don’t give two hoots about you, they are just selling” on those Q boards; but I don’t believe that about them. I really feel they are genuinely nice people; who are fortunate enough to have good jobs; and they really appreciate what they do. But I still miss them having a “resident” puppy dog on the set. He was a lot of fun to me. I didn’t know that’s how Dan met his wife. That makes it even better to me. I am so proud for Shawn too for becoming a Mother. She will be a good one; I think; she seems so proud of their baby; and the baby is cute as a button.
THis is cowboy day at the Smith homestead. Jerry has been watching Gunsmoke literally most of the day. We had such a good time with our neighbors last night. They really seemed to enjoy it too. THey are such good people. His wife was talking to me as the men folk were talking farming stuff; about how her husband get mad over “nothing” when he was in a good mood just minutes before; and how hard it is right now to see him like this. I told her to check with the doctor; but it may be from his having a stroke; that some part of his brain was low on oxygen for a little time; and this is a side effect of that. I told her that I noticed how I have “weepy” times more now than I did before my stroke; and from all the research I have done on strokes; that changes or mood swings can happen afterward; and it’s just part of what happened; but to be sure and make the doctor aware.
Joey came by and picked up some soup and pie for him and Lisa this morning after he got off work. He is a good boy. Why do we worry as much about our grown children as we did when they were little? Guess love is just love; no matter what the age.
Better make this one short. Jerry wants to take a little walk before dark> Whoo Hoo!!!!! Have a great evening. Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #69022

To my dear friends in Quacker land, hope all is well. So glad that you and Gary are doing as well as one could expect following these last few days, Adele. How good that someone was able to get Gary’s attention and make him go see about his legs and his blood work. You know, when you are having a lot of stress in your life your immune system just seems to weaken, and if you have a pre-existing health problem, it makes it worse. And as we all know men do tend to hide things from us; and someone else can motivate them into seeing about their health even if we have been preaching the exact same thing for months. I too hope he stays on what the doctors tell him he has to do; since I have seen so much of the effects of diabetes on patients that I took care of. To have to go several times a week and have dialysis is not something he would want to be required to do if his blood sugar under control. I know it is so hard, but it is even harder; per my patients, to have to have a shunt placed in your vein, and sit while be dialyzed. Right now; he has a choice of how he spends his day; but if it comes to the other; he won’t. That might make him really think. But, I will pray for you all; and hope all will be okay. Colleen, I admire you for working so hard to keep your sugar under control. I can only imagine how hard it is to be so dedicated.
Neal just skyped us so Jerry could talk to him as he was making grilled pork. He is off on Weds. and Thurs. and he was grilling. I thought it was so sweet and made Jerry feel so good that Neal wanted him to help him. We are so lucky to have this ability to be “with them” even though we are so far away. Little Colin got his first hair cut today. He was an angel; just sitting up like a big boy in Neals lap at the barber shop while they cut his hair. The barber even commented on how well behaved itty bitty was. Is my “bragging” at all noticeable? LOL Lord only knows how much I miss them.
We are having one of those roasted chickens that we picked up at the deli this afternoon for our dinner. I think I am just going to slice some off and make me a sandwich. We are having our friends from right down the street over for a casual supper tomorrow. She called the other day to see if we wanted to go into town with them for dinner; but I was just “pooped” from no sleep the night before; and knew I would not be much fun. I think we are doing a pot of stew and cornbread; and if there is leftovers; we will save some for Joey for the next morning when he gets off. I am looking forward to our visit. THeir children are grown and married too; and were close to ours all the years of growing up. He is the man who has had two strokes; but you can barely tell. He tires very easily; kind of like me. But she is bringing a dessert; and we just spend time in our comfy clothes; Quacker for me: and sit around visiting and reliving the “old days”. I am looking forward to it.
Loved the Quacker shows. I keep hoping too that one of us will win something on there one day. Sue; you have to put a good word in for us LOL How is your knee doing by the way? Good I hope.
Gail; I remember when Dan Hughs used to be on with Pat D. and they had the golden reteiver doggie; Murphy I think his name was: on the morning shows with them, and Murphy would just wonder around whenever he wanted to and they would be trying to sell something. ha ha That was a long time ago; do you remember that? I missed the puppy when he went to live on Dan’s farm. The Q has really changed; or I have really changed over the years. I do remember that Jane always used to talk to the used to be Liz Clairborne lady, Linda, about how they played tennis together all the time. It seems I also remember that Leah was married for quite a while; and then not. I have always liked her; she has such a pleasant attitude; and so does Antonella. I relate to her so much; because she really seems family oriented and loves to cook; and is closer to my size and I watch her as much as I can when she does clothing shows; to see how the clothes look on her so I will have a real idea of how it will look on me. I have tried before to buy things that are just beautiful on the slim models (and I love the models) but unfortunately it looks awful on me when I get it in the mail; and then back it has to go. I just don’t think everything looks good on everybody type; like some people say it does.
Better go for now; Jerry is rustling around in the kitchen; so he must be getting hungry. Take care everyone. Talk soon. Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #68766

Adele, I am so sorry; prayers for you and Gary; his brother and family. So sorry you all are having such a hard day. God bless you all.

To everyone else, do hope this has been a good weekend. I used to stay signed in to this site all the time too; but kept getting kicked off that I stopped one day; and now I have to sign in each time. I thought it was just me and this goofy computer. It has warmed up here today. Jerry actually put the AC back on this afternoon; but I wish he hadn’t because I was okay. The puppy dogs are just loving this time of year. They just run and play like teenagers. I just love this time of year.
This is a lazy day for us. We have found some great FROZEN black angus steakburgers at our local market. They are sold in a box of 8; so we just take out a couple at a time and you start them on low until they thaw and then increase the temp to med. until they are cooked to your taste. I could not believe when Jerry first brought them home that they would be so good; but they are really good. So that is our dinner for tonight. I haven’t tried the ones that the Q carries; but I have been tempted. I was telling Jerry about them and that gave him the idea when he saw these. I have been so tempted to try the croissants with the apples but have yet to dive in. Do you all order any food products that have turned out well; or for that matter; not so well?
Better go for now. Have Adele on my mind. Take care all. Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #68667

So glad to see that Gary is doing better and no UTI this time. Those things are so painful and have so many ugly symptoms. Speaking of symptoms, I wanted to ask, DD, if you have your gall bladder or not? One of the symptoms of gall stones is pain at the bottom tip of the shoudler blade, and I remember I surely had that before I had my GB taken out. I was also having lots of feeling of pressure, like I had extra air inside my stomach. I know that sounds crazy, but just wanted to let you know about that just in case. So happy to hear that it is raining and helping with the fires in your area. It has been cooler here than usual, due to all the storms on both sides of us in Texas and Fla. and then as they come inland the rain and wind comes too. Our oldest son’s daughter lives in Destin Florida; so we worried, but thankfully she did good. She is 22 and lives with her other set of grandparents. She is such a sweet and talented young lady.
Yes, Gail, it is a miracle how quickly our baby’s grow and change. We can see in his little eyes how he watches us as we make absolute fools of ourselves when we are skypeing. He studies us so closely and then he tries to do exactly what we are showing him or asking him to do. And you can tell that he understands and wants to show you he does. Every few minutes (he is usually sitting in Neals’ lap) he looks straight at Neal as if to say “do you see this Daddy?” and back to us then. We ask him to show us his belly button, and he will pull up his little shirt and point to his belly button. Jerry just laughs and laughs. I heard Jerry saying to his brother (who has two grandsons about 12 and 14), of how he didn’t realize how much he is so in love with Colin. He said he knew he would love him with all his heart, but that he is the light of his life. I was so touched.
Colleen and Adele; I just told Jerry yesterday that my prayer list is so long that I feel like sometimes the good Lord is up there saying, “are you adding even more today?” I know he listens and understands and knows our needs before we do; but it does bring me comfort. I guess I am just a worrier and I think we could all use help from above.
That was a sweet idea for you to smile at everyone, Adele. I bet a lot of people smiled back. It just seems to me that being nice to people cause people to be nice right back. Your pizza sounds so good. I also used to have Friday night pizza night when our boys were younger, and made several pizza pies because so many of their friends always seemed to magically “show up” on Friday night. But like Jerry always said, we knew where they were and what they were up to when all the boys came over here. We did bon fires and they would do smores and sometimes would even do hot dogs after eating all that pizza. It seemed you just could not fill up all those boys.
I know you are really enjoying having Aliza over with you and Ron; but you all have got to be getting tired as well. You deserve a nice long nap with your feet up in the recliner. She is so sweet and smart. Enjoy your time, but take care of you and Ron too.
Sue, how are you feeling now? Is Cuddles still helping you on your road to recovery? She looked like such a sweet puppy dog. I love her name. Bet she is a good cuddler. Do you miss your job much? It was hard for me to adjust to not going to work. To be honest; I didn’t really know what to talk about. I felt like an outsider looking in. That probably makes no sense. LOL
Gail, I have the exact same Quacker cake plate with the little charms that hang down off the plate! Mine is also put up on a shelf, but now that you remembered yours; I want to get mine out. It was so cute.
Take care everyone. Will talk more later. Hugs to all, Barbara

[Barbara Smith]

in reply to: September! School Days-Leaves Turning-Visits to the Apple Orchards #68572

We have had a busy couple of days here. Jerry was in the mood for chili so I decided to give in and make enough for us and Joey and Lisa too. Got it all put together, and Joey calls to say that Lisa has had a flat tire on a busy road on her way home; so he and Jerry loaded up and went, put the donut tire on to get her home, and then they patched her tire in our garage, since it was raining and cold here. So by the time they were done; everyone was ready for a warm bowl of chili and sit for a while and visit. She is going to get a new tire this afternoon; she said; so it was a busy evening.
Didn’t mean to make you cry, Adele, with my story of the poor man and his puppy I saw. I shed some tears over your man who waved just to be nice and then his passing away after making so many people feel good by just seeing someone being kind and happy. I also had a sweet man who would wave on the corner of a busy street that I saw on my way to work every morning for several years; until one day he was not there either. I actually had to change my route after that; I missed him and his sweet smile and gesture so much. I have always been told I “wear my heart on my sleeve” which by now I guess that means I am soft hearted and sentimental; but I just love to spread as much kindness and love as I can; and as the sign said a smile is free. I know there are so many people who do count on us old soft hearted souls to give them something; even if they do not really need it. I actually saw some people who worked at a homeless donation center going through everything donated and picking out the “good” donations and loading it in their own personal vehicles. Made me so sick. But I know those who donated did it for the right reason.
Colleen, you are going to have so much fun with your grandaughter; but please take care of yourselves; and try to rest whenever you can. Little ones have lots of energy, and we need some down time even if they may not. LOL Did I tell you all that our little one if walking really good now? I miss them so much. I just want to reach out and hug him when they skype us. He say “uh oh” and “da da” and “bye” and waves to us. Lord, I miss him.
Sue, I will look for those cookies. They must really be deliscious. Thanks for where to find them.
I need something new from Quacker. I have had so much going on with Jerry being sick, and just this and that I haven’t had much time to look, but I am going to tonight. I know something surely has my name on it. Take care my friends. Hugs, Barbara

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