NOVEMBER 2023

Happy November. I think.

I haven't heard from Graymare either. When the tile guy leaves today, I'll give her a call and see what I can find out.

Tiling is going very well. He's been here 5 hours so far and has most of the shower walls done. I think the plan is to complete the tile today and then grout tomorrow. One guy is setting the tile and he has two others cutting for him.

Hi Gang.

I'm here and still kicking. I'm exhaustyed from PT every day................Gimme a break.  Have a
couple of stories to tell but too tired right now.

Happy November to all......................

OH HOORAY!!!!!! I'm so glad to see you here, Graymare!
We're so happy to have you back! Can't wait to hear your stories.

Tile day: He arrived with two helpers at 6:45 this morning and as always, got right to work. He got all the tiling done except for 2 floor pieces because I didn't get enough. They left just before 3:00 without taking any breaks all day. I dashed right off to Lowes and got the two tiles we need, which he will put in tomorrow morning. He'll grout tomorrow too, then he'll be done.
It looks really nice, even with all the spacers still in place. Light and bright and clean.

Happy November everyone.

Ellen: We had snow flakes yesterday too. Just flakes...

Mary Ellen/Graymare: So glad to see you posting.

Say a prayer for me today as I am on my way back home, Pittsburgh, to visit my brother Ted. His cancer has spread and they are giving him a short timeline to be with us. I don't want him to leave this earth without me having a chance to say goodbye to my Big Brother..We have gotten older, Ted will turn 92 on 11/11 & neither one of us travel long distances anymore. Pittsburgh is 4 hours away. It's going to be a sad reunion. Our friend Bev is going to drive me there. George isn't going with us, he can't sit in the truck for the long drive. Sad he will miss saying goodbye to his buddy Ted.

Blessings,
Trudy

Trudy, I'm sending prayers your way. Be at peace and be comforted.
I think you'll like this beautiful music sung by two sisters, aged 10 and 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUJRZRymd1I&list=RDXUJRZRymd1I&start_radio=1

GRAYMARE:
We have missed you! I hope you are feeling better. Big hugs!!


TRUDY:
I am so sorry about your brother's illness. Travel safely.....


ELLEN:
I am looking forward to seeing pix of your new bathroom! Coincidentally, we are doing some bathroom renovations, too. The toilet in Donnie's bathroom has some leaking issues, so instead of just repairing it, we are replacing it with a nicer looking one. I've always thought it was an ugly one. We went to Lowes yesterday to get a new one and which aisle in the entire store is closed off? That one. So we'll go in a day or two. We are looking at new showers, too. We've never liked the one in that bathroom. I sure wish your guys would take a working vacation here!!!

It is so cold. We had a few snow flurries yesterday, but today it's just plain cold. The forest fire on Parrott Mtn is still going on, about 6 miles from here, and occasionally we are getting smoke from it. Hopefully they will contain it today, the wind isn't howling now.

Ark, if you haven't already had one, I'd strongly suggest getting the taller toilet.  Much easier to sit down and get back up.  I got the one I have 15 years ago and haven't been sorry.  
The guys have just finished putting in the grout and are now wiping it down to get the residue off the surface.  

I should be able to send pictures late tomorrow or Saturday.  

Just a little story from the past:
I've been playing with some puff pastry.  When I was a very little girl there was a bakery in the town where we got groceries on Saturdays.  Down the street from the grocery store a WWII German refugee couple had started a business.  Mrs. Seibs worked the front of the store because she could speak English.  Her husband spoke very little English, so he stayed back in the kitchen doing the baking.  
After the groceries were stowed in the car, my mother and I would walk the half block to the bakery.  She would get the delicious pecan sticky buns for Sunday morning breakfast.  Mrs. Seibs always gave me a flower-shaped sugar cookie or a cream horn.  She was a very nice lady, and I really liked her.  (Maybe because she always gave me a treat.)
After watching a dozen or so YouTube videos about what to do with puff pastry, I decided to try making some cream horns.  Got the forms.  Got the puff pastry.  Wound the strips around the forms and thought it would be a dandy idea to stand them up on the fat end to bake.  Bad idea.  Gravity caused it to unwind.  Oh well.  I have another package.  Try again.
Where is Mrs. Seibs when you need her?

Breeders Cup today and tomorrow. They are running the 5th race for today right now - 5:01 EST.
Cody's Wish runs in the Dirt Mile tomorrow.

Cody's Wish can gallop off into the sunset as a WINNER! He won by a nose, but that's all it takes. He will go home and make his owners a LOT of money making more little Wishes. What a great finish to a great career.

The trip back to the Burg went well. In fact, it was GREAT. The doctors have straightened out Ted's meds and he was up and talking and we had lunch together. The morphine was what had him in such a horrible state, he had no clue what he was saying or doing. Thanks to his daughter who works in the medical field, she got things worked out. We had a wonderful time. Amy said the doctors didn't tell him that he only had 60 days to live the morphine did. Of course, his time is limited with his age, but only God knows the date of his departure from earth. He had driven himself to Walmart the morning before we arrived. He is a tough old guy. So happy to get back home though. Our little town has become a nightmare, stores boarded up, strange people roaming the streets. We didn't spend much time in town and Ted lives on the outskirts of town in the Suburbs. We drove past my old house, what a nightmare, the people who live there have turned it into, then we drove past the house I grew up in, it changed a lot but looked well cared for. Stopped at the cemetery and said "hello" to Mom & Dad. Drove by the old riding academy where I learned to ride & kept my Maxx horse, it's closed. I was happy to get back to the farm and sit on the swing and watch the young farmers pick the corn and soybeans. Life on the farm, can't beat it.

Thanks for all the prayers...
Have a blessed Sunday...

Trudy, I'm happy your trip turned out better than you thought it would.
I'm with you on living in a rural area. Much more peaceful. Yesterday was a beautiful Indian summer day and the neighbors invited me to take a last pontoon ride with them. It was so nice to be out on the water one last time before winter.

Here is the link to the bittersweet ending to the story of Cody's Wish. Get the tissues.
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/273214/heart-of-the-breeders-cup-cody-dorman-dies-at-17

OMG, so sad.............Cody was surely an inspiration to all., as well as his honorable faithful family.

ELLEN:
Very sad about Cody, but what a wonderful story about him and Cody's Wish. There is an article in the NY Times about him today. Lots of people cared for him, he will be remembered.


TRUDY:
I am so glad your brother is doing better!! And that your trip went so well. Sorry about the hometown becoming run down. It seems to be everywhere.


GRAYMARE:
Well, you are sounding better! Hopefully you are feeling better, too.

We are having warmer days after a cold snap. The leaves didn't hang around long after all the wind last week. Even our ginkgo trees lost their leaves while they still had a lot of green in them. It was very windy. The wildfire about 6 miles from here apparently has been contained, 500 or so acres burned, and we still haven't had any rain to prevent another fire. Anyway, it looks like fall has left us early and the tress are all bare. Blah...

I have a new foot problem. It's not one of my horses, it is me. I think I may have Plantar fasciitis in my right heel. It feels like a knife is inside my foot. Ice, rolling a frozen water bottle under my foot and shoe inserts are what I have been doing. Any suggestions are welcome!

Here are two articles from magazines that were posted today about Cody's Wish and Cody Dorman.  Get the tissues.

thisishorseracing.com
https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/i-got-it-wrong-codys-wish-is-horse-of-the-year/

Ark, how's your foot?

The contractor is done with my shower. I started enjoying it this morning. There are a couple of little jobs yet to complete, but I'll do those. I have to stain some floorboards and paint the walls. Neither should take very long. Yesterday and today have been suck up the dust. There was a LOT of dust all over the house. That will take more time than the finishes.
I'm still trying to decide what color to paint. I don't want it to be boring, but not obnoxious either. Maybe boring with, some towels to relieve that.

I had not heard that Cody had passed away. How sad. I missed watching Cody's Wish run. I tuned in just as the next race was going to the gates. I watched the rest of the Breeder's Cup races. I can't remember the last time I wasted a whole afternoon and evening watching tv. I loved it. Thank you ELLEN for posting the links to the articles.

ELLEN:
 The foot is as bad as ever.  (Thanks for asking!)   I have bought several kinds of relief pads, supports, special socks, exercise ball....and so far it is as bad as ever.  Donnie says I walk like I am a member of the zombie apocalypse.     Not walking isn't on the agenda.  

Congrats on the new bathroom!! Now we need pix!

We have had several hours of blessed rain this morning !  We really needed it.  Hopefully it will put out the fires and prevent new ones.  It has been exceptionally dry lately.

Hi all,

This Gaza mess is something.it just goes on and on.............

Graymare, I agree. The whole world is in a mess now. Honesty and integrity seem to be a lost art.

Get the tissues before you read this. It shows a much more human side of rich race horse owners.

https://thisishorseracing.com/opinion/sendoff-for-a-champion/

So much is going on...

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. AACKK where did the time go?

I have this great recipe for apple cider bundt cake that I want to make and the apple cider I bought to make it is going to turn into hard cider.

If I don't get back here before I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Indy, I got two gallons of cider at Miller Cider Mill about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I finished off the first gallon within a few days. The second gallon sat a little longer. This evening, I thought I would have a glass. Nope. It was well on it's way to being vinegar. Didn't drink it.