Weekends Thread - March 2024

I have had a quiet weekend with lots of chores and also I'm trying to declutter in the basement office. I have a lot of old office supplies that can go, like the dozens (maybe hundreds) of giveaway pens from conferences and service providers. Even if I only keep half of them, I'm sure it's a lifetime supply.

For a change, the week ahead is busier, with medical appointments, a book launch (new Premee Mohamed book!), dinner and a movie, etc.

Quiet weekend here also. I had good intentions of making progress on cleaning and reordering the guest bedroom. I did make progress, just not the kind anyone would notice.

The first task was to remove all movable objects like boxes full of things, computer parts, grandchildren toys. I managed that yesterday, but it took most of the day because all the books from the bookcases in the living area were on the bed. I thought to myself, "Self, it doesn't make sense to move all these books without sorting them since the boxes are too heavy to move anyway." So I sorted into keep and not keep. I'm letting go of a good share of American history and geology books. Keeping the ones I have that have first person accounts in them, and journals and diaries. I'm also letting go of some of my foodie books; still managed to keep most of the cookbooks. It amounts to 4 or 5 boxes (which held 5 reams of printer paper) which are leaving my house. Eventually. I have to check with daughter, 1 daughter-in-law and a nephew before their final trip to the Friend's of the Library.

Today the big plan was to start by wiping down the ceiling and walls with a duster, then the furniture, etc. I managed the ceiling, window blinds and most of 2 walls before I noticed an old trunk in the corner. I only had a vague idea of what was in it. It had to be opened. Inside are two suitcases (this was an old trunk, but not expensive or wood, it belonged to my husband's uncle possibly when he was in the army in the 1950s, but maybe after). The top suitcase had costumes and some old clothing and scarves which I thought I had got rid of, but must have saved on the off chance of granddaughters. There were also some costumes for boys which I'm glad I found before my grandson got too big. In the second suitcase is where the day went down the rabbit hole. Found a box of my childhood/high school memorabilia. I had to sort and discard that stuff, which takes awhile. Because, you know, memories. I'm glad I found it now though because it had letters from my grandmother when she was on her trips and that is my next book project; typing her letters, journals and notes from trips and adding her photos in. One letter I read from her to my mom mentioned that she had spent several rainy days reading all her notes and journals and really thought she should throw them out, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Whew! What a tale our family would have missed out on! Also found more slides that need to get digital. I no longer have the scanner that does that.

Before the night is over I'm going to finish the 2 walls that are almost dusted. I haven't had much energy the last two days, so I'm taking it easy. The excitement of my weekends is exhausting!

woah, your weekends are busier than most of my weekdays! I love getting distracted by interesting stuff like that :)

Started doing archery again for the umpteenth on again - off again time. I did the beginners class and the first of three intermediate classes that the range requires, before they'll let you do casual archery. Just as well because i sucked at first. Getting back into the rhythm by the second session though :)

I did zilch other than going to recycling and a quick trip to the grocery store early Saturday. Watched The Empire Strikes Back on Saturday night. The rest of the time I just relaxed at the house with hubby not doing much. He'll be gone until late Friday night so I have plenty of "me time" coming up.

I went to brunch with girlfriends but otherwise I just did chores and played with the new Kindle. Waiting for a yarn delivery for my next big project so Im just making a hat with some yarn stash.

We started the weekend with cheese (French and Italian), wine (Italian) and some anime on Friday evening.

Yesterday morning I spent some time cleaning the house (yay), then I went to a concert with my mom. It was classical music, with two youth orchestras performing - younger kids and older teens. It was fun! After the intermission, we listened to the teen orchestra perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1. The pianist was of some renown, apparently, but I never heard the name (I am not an expert). He was quite amazing, and very gracious in his interplay with the orchestra.

Today I took a walk with my little boy and my mom, followed by lunch at her place. I got a nice piece of pecorino with truffles to take home :)

It’s not a weekend, but I did a thing tonight. I went to a Happy Hour for a Cookbook Book Club. Tonight was to look through the cookbook and pick a recipe. Now we all cook the recipe we chose and we’ll gather on the 24th to eat all the food. I chose an eggplant Parmesan. I’ve never cooked eggplant, but the picture looked delicious! The cookbook is also a really cool one. I bought it. Start Here is the title. I’m excited to be doing something different and will also be dragging The Husband along to the dinner.

>7 catzteach: That sounds like fun! I have heard it said that for a healthier lifestyle, buy a cookbook and cook something from it. That might have been advice from one of the sages here in the pub, or passed on by one of them, anyway. You are on your way to a good start!

I've been binging on YouTube cooking videos. Two Hairy Bikers, James Martin, and now Marion Grasby in Marion's Kitchen. She is one of my favorites. I hope to cook her Vietnamese fried salmon with Three flavors tomorrow.

We need an "I did a thing today" thread.

I started typing "tonight", but it sounded a bit risque.

>9 MrAndrew: Might be a good idea, actually ;)

>7 catzteach: That sounds like a great club! I can imagine it being a good way to encourage people to cook new things, or just to cook more. I hope you'll have a delicious feast on the 24th!

>7 catzteach: I love Eggplant Parm! I hope all the food you and your friends share is delicious.

We've got our annual ☘️ St Patty's Day ☘️ family gathering at my sister's house on Saturday. My son and his girlfriend are traveling from Connecticut by ferry to join in the festivities. I'm making Colcannon, soda bread and 4 hunks of corned beef. I started cooking yesterday.

>9 MrAndrew: I like it!

>12 clamairy: What a great gathering that sounds to be. Hope you have much enjoyment of the festivities.

My son's birthday is tomorrow, he's an Ides baby, which may explain a lot. His wife's birthday was last Sunday. We are having a birthday meal on Saturday night. Baked ham, macaroni and cheese that my sister made and froze, Brussel Sprouts and probably a salad. Coleslaw I think because I love it with ham. I suppose there must be dessert, ice cream I think. We are much looking forward to having our grandson provide the entertainment. We haven't seen him for 2 weeks because of illness and such. At almost 3 years old, he changes a lot in that amount of time. So happy my daughter-in-law takes a lot of videos and shares.

>13 MrsLee: My younger son's birthday is tomorrow, too! We don't make a huge deal out of birthdays, but he's asked for pesto on pasta for dinner and I'll manage a cake of some kind.

The weekend is not going to be busy, but I do have a board meeting on Sunday morning for the orchid foundation. I spent over 2 hours yesterday figuring out why none of their email accounts were receiving mail. It's pretty sad when I'm the second-most technically competent person on the board. The first-most is a grad student with a job and a pregnant wife, and he's focussed on cleaning up the problems with the databases, whereas I've got social media, website, and email.

mmmm pesto on pasta. My hubby used to make a killer pesto. So yummy.

>15 Bookmarque: It's yummy. I grew a ton of basil last year so we've been enjoying it all winter :)

I forgot one more thing I want to do - there's a Seedy Saturday event this weekend, so I'll go to that and hopefully not buy too many seeds LOL.

Back in Canberra, I grew basil and I used to make a killer pesto. It’s oddly hard to get decent basil here though.

We have an interesting weekend ahead. Local government election tomorrow (hopefully with a democracy sausage). On Sunday, a family lunch at a pub an hour and a quarter’s drive away. Brisbane is a big place.

>10 Alexandra_book_life: >13 MrsLee: but we would also need an "I didn't do a thing today" thread, for balance. I know which one would get more posts :/

Started the weekend early by seeing a band last night. They were great!

>8 MrsLee: my running friend asked me today if I watch cooking shows. The only one I’ve ever watched is Chopped. Maybe I should try watching one.

I’m hoping this club not only helps me meet new people but also challenges me in my cooking.

I'm going to see Dune Part 2 this evening. I'd prefer to see such a long film at a matinee but this is the only time I can see it with my boyfriend, so Friday night it is. I shall have a lie-in tomorrow though (if the cat allows!)

>20 Sakerfalcon:
Enjoy. My two sons and I saw it last Friday night. The younger son bought the tickets. Retirement has its benefits.

I think this is going to be a very calm and lazy weekend. Our little boy woke up with a cough and a running nose, so we are staying put.
It's raining outside, and the forecast promised a snowstorm with hard winds. There is no evidence of this so far, but we'll see.

I took Thursday afternoon off and we stated the weekend early and went to the local plant show. Some great exhibits by landscape companies, including one there that has some supplies I've been looking for. There was also a vendor selling bulbs, tubers and roots at great prices. We had no idea you could grow 4 O'clocks from roots, we bought a few and a couple of nice cannas to start.

>17 haydninvienna: Sorry there was no sausage, that's disappointing.

>20 Sakerfalcon: I've already forgotten where the first movie ended, I think I have to re-watch it before watching the 2nd movie. Maybe we'll get to see it next weekend.

>23 Karlstar:
We watched Part 1 on BluRay to remind ourselves of the film. I too forgot where it ended. My knowledge of the book and the David Lynch version obviously had me muddled. We enjoyed Part 2. I was happy that Part 2 took the story far enough for me. I have no inclination to watch Part 3.

I went to Lowe's to buy soil for a new flower bed. It sits on a little knoll in the middle of the yard, surrounded by bushes and trees on two sides. Even though I have a vision and an actual plan on graph paper, it became clear it will take much more new soil, and is probably more strenuous than these two old people can realistically do alone. So now we're interviewing and getting bids from professional landscapers, so now that's on hold. I just need the pro to pull out some unwanted stuff and add the soil, and then I will add the flowers. OTOH, the temperature is supposed to drop for the next week or so, so nothing can be planted until that's done.

I also planted some seeds indoors. And burned some weeds. And placed an order from an online nursery.

Then I went to the salon and got my hair and nails done. :)

>25 theretiredlibrarian: Good luck with your gardening projects! It sounds like a good weekend :)

We did get that snowstorm and winds yesterday evening, and quite a bit of rain before that. But I managed to squeeze in a walk while the weather was still ok - it was very grey. Where is real spring? You can admire the greyness (lol):



Today there is sunshine - with snow on the ground and very strong winds. I haven't decided whether I want to leave the house or not...

>27 Alexandra_book_life: A moody and brooding photo. I like it!

We are going to be in the 80s (F) here today. I plan to attack a patch of wild carrots which is trying to take over a bed of flowers. It mixes itself into larkspur, they grow at the same time and have very similar foliage. Tricksy plants.

>25 theretiredlibrarian: Good luck, sounds like a fun project!

>28 MrsLee: Thank you :)

Good luck with those wild carrots!

The wind subsided a bit, so I decided to go for a walk again. I took the same route and took a photo at the same place as yesterday. Look, the ice is mostly gone! This is kind of cool. Come, spring, come.

>30 Alexandra_book_life: Wow! What a difference. Amazing what a little sunshine does for our spirits.

My St. Patrick's Day weekend did not turn out as planned. Sadly last week my son lost his much-loved five year old kitty. She had a seizure while she was being groomed in his home and passed away. The vet told him that she most likely had an underlying heart condition. (Turns out one of her litter mates passed away at the age of two from heart issues.) So he and his girlfriend cancelled their visit for a week. They are coming this weekend instead.

I still went to my sister's, but I set aside one large hunk of corned beef and a lot of colcannon.

>32 clamairy:
I am very sorry to hear about your son's kitty. That is a dreadful way to lose one's pet. Hopefully the visit this weekend will be a pleasant experience that puts their grief behind them or a while.

The food sounds good.

>33 pgmcc: Thank you. I hope so to. On a happier note I had my first taste of what my niece tells me is traditional Irish 'brown bread.' It's a quick bread, and seems very similar to my soda bread recipe, but with a lot more butter. It might become a new addiction of mine.

>32 clamairy: Oh, what a sad loss, I am sorry.

>34 clamairy:
I would need to see pictures and possibly the recipe. In Northern Ireland we love wheaten bread which is a brown bread with lots of grain in it. The barbarians here in the South have never heard of it.

In the North we have soda farls which we call soda bread. Down here what they call soda bread in not the same thing at all.*

Apart from wheaten bread I am not aware of any other traditional Irish brown bread. Wheaten bread is what I would call traditional Irish brown bread, but given its absence from the language of food down here, I would suggest it may be some other regional bread you niece is talking about.

*I was devastated when I realised that proper soda bread is something almost unheard of in this barbaric land south of the border. :-( A lovely piece of toasted soda bread, smothered in butter with lashings of scrambled egg is a pure delight. If you really feel like commiting a whopper of a sin then add some rashers of bacon. Oh! Delicious.

>34 clamairy: I would love a quick bread recipe to try! Can you share it? Because butter is a wonderful ingredient!

And hugs to your son over the loss of his feline companion. It's never easy.

I haven't typed them out, but here is the pic of the recipes. (I was sent a photo of the recipes via text.) Neither one has currants or raisins.

AP = All purpose flour
Baking instructions were between 375 and 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
This makes the same amount of dough as the recipe I use, but mine bakes at 350 for 75 minutes.

>35 Alexandra_book_life: & >37 jillmwo: Thank you. She was a real beauty, and very affectionate.

>38 clamairy:
That looks like what we call wheaten bread in NI. Beautiful with smoked salmon.

The soda bread looks like the soda farl mix. We cook it on a skillet. The dough would be flattened into a round shape about one inch. When cooked cut into quarters (farls) and leave to cool.

>32 clamairy: Much sympathy to your son on the loss of his kitty (Feline Overlord?)

>41 hfglen: I'm so sorry for your son's loss. That's far too soon to lose a kitty.

>32 clamairy: So sorry about the sadness for your family last weekend. May you find comfort together soon.

>32 clamairy: Sorry to hear about the kitty. It's always gutting to lose a sweet friend.

I have a packed weekend. NorthernStar arrived last night for a visit and to go to the Orchid Show.

This morning (Thursday), I'm helping transport the orchids for display and sale and the display materials from the Orchid Species Preservation Foundation's greenhouse to the show location. Of course, it's snowing and -6C. Afternoon will be doing stuff with my sister. Possibly the sacred pilgrimage to Ikea.

Friday is grocery shopping, followed by our visit to the Orchid Show.

Saturday, we are probably going to the Art Gallery of Alberta, which has a show of Tom Thomson paintings. He's one of my favourite Canadian artists.

Sunday, I'm volunteering at the Home and Garden Show in the morning. NorthernStar will go along so she can browse the show. After that, it's Seedy Sunday, so we'll be walking over to that and then taking the bus home.

Monday morning is the funeral of one of my Horticultural Society friends, who recently died of ALS. Happy that she's no longer suffering, but she was a very nice person and superb gardener, and will be missed.

>42 Sakerfalcon: & >43 MrsLee: Many thanks. I will be forcing you all to look at photos of her at some point.

>44 tardis: Thank you. I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. Enjoy your time with your sister.

>42 Sakerfalcon: RIP Kitty. It's never easy to lose a feline family member. Looking forward to your pictures.

>44 tardis: ALS is so hard. At least you were fortunate enough to have known her.

>44 tardis: ALS is a horrible disease. I am sorry about your friend...

ALS is brutal, I'm so sorry you all had to go through that. An aunt of mine had it, but since we were basically estranged it didn't really affect me, but I felt so bad for her kids (my first cousins) and her husband (my dad's brother). Wouldn't wish that on anyone.

>32 clamairy: sorry about your son’s kitty.

>44 tardis: sorry about your friend. ALS sucks.

>32 clamairy: very sad about the cat. My condolences.

I had a pretty good drive down to visit tardis. A friend who also has a sister here came along. Her sister recently had a fall down some stairs, and it sounds like she is lucky not to be a paraplegic or dead. (just in a neck brace, but being monitored)

I've been supporting the local economy. Caught an end of season sale at a lovely xc skiing/hiking shop and got TWO new sets of xc skis on sale. One set is for classic skiing, the other for skate skiing. I'm not a skate skier, but now have the equipment to learn. Then I visited a yarn shop that I've driven past, but never stopped at - it was wonderful, but I restrained myself, and only bought enough for one small project. In the afternoon we did get to Ikea. We always have fun there.

Looking forward to the orchid show tomorrow, then the art gallery (Tom Thomson!) and the home show on the weekend. I'm also getting my eyes checked and taking my truck in before heading home. Hopefully seeing my brother too.

Saturday involved a trip to town to meet up with two of my wife's cousins and one of her brothers. We had a lovely chat in Blás Café, then toddled off for a quick browse in Chapters Bookshop.

Later we met up with another friend at that centre of social activity, IKEA.

Today we are heading to Dublin Zoo to meet with our eldest daughter and her family. There will be the presentation of Easter eggs and games for the three grandchildren as we will be in foreign parts next weekend.

We had the grandson over yesterday morning. He "helped" me bake a cake, amongst other activities. In the afternoon there was wild lightening, thunder and hail. So there was destruction here both inside and out. Fun day though.

Yesterday I went on a run. I’ve been taking some new medicine to help my breathing. Who knew all these years I wasn’t out of shape but having asthma issues? I started another one today so hopefully the tightness in my chest eases up.

Today it’s grocery shopping and then making dinner for my Cookbook Book Club dinner. It’ll be my first time making eggplant. Hopefully I don’t screw it up. :)

>53 catzteach: Good luck with your eggplant dish!

A very slow weekend, we are at home with a sick boy again. It's chicken pox... We've been at home since Wednesday. I ran to get vaccinated the same day, since I haven't had chicken pox :( Apparently, it's good to get the vaccine after exposure, it makes it less tough on you if you get sick. So, fingers crossed now... The little one is getting better.

I have made jam out of oranges that weren't very tasty (the jam is yummy), I baked scones, and right now I am baking bread.

I’m a creature of habit, so doing the usual household chores. My daughter came home from college for the weekend so my husband could replace the battery in her car.

In the yard (I’m in Georgia and like keeping track of when plants bloom, etc.):
—It’s cherry blossom time. Lots of bees, hummingbird moths and a few early season swallowtails visiting the flowers. We had a light rain Friday afternoon and it has been breezy so patio is now covered in cherry blossoms.
—Wisteria is blooming
—Buds from Carolina Jessamine will soon open
—Oak trees are producing those messy catkins that will soon cover the patio
—Hostas are popping up
—Pine pollen season is in full force

I’m still trying to outsmart some wily squirrels that break into my suet feeders and eat all the food. They also chew on my planters, dig up potted plants, and do more damage to them than the deer!

Yesterday (Sat, Mar 23) it poured here. 3 inches of rain in less than twelve hours so nobody went anywhere. Personally, I stayed home and read most of the day, but now am now realizing that it's going to be a very, very busy week what with freelance and other sundry errands to deal with.

>55 Alexandra_book_life: so sorry to hear about the chicken pox. Bear in mind that its contagious beyond your own household. To this day, I fear that I might have been the inadvertent carrier passing it to one of my bosses during the period our boys were closed in with it.

>56 ludmillalotaria: Your garden must be lovely!!

>50 NorthernStar: Thank you. I am so glad to hear you had such a fun and worthwhile visit with tardis.

>55 Alexandra_book_life: Oh dear! Best of luck to all of you.

>57 jillmwo: The weather was grim here, too. Much better today!

>53 catzteach: Have you had a full allergy screen? It really helped my son's asthma when we figured out what he was allergic to so we could avoid the triggers. Hope the new meds work for you!

>55 Alexandra_book_life: Ugh! No fun at all. Except the baking, that sounds like a lot of fun!

>56 ludmillalotaria: Lovely description of your yard!

>55 Alexandra_book_life: chicken pox! Oh dear. I hope you all get through it quickly and without complications.

>59 MrsLee: I have not had an allergy screen. The smoke triggers it. I know exercise triggers it. Not sure about anything else. I’ll have to ask my allergist about getting screened.

The dinner book club event was fun! I sat next to a super nice couple and that chatted with me the whole evening. The food was delicious! I’m stuffed. My dish turned out pretty good. It all got eaten so that’s good. It was pretty easy to make, too. I think the best dish there was the short ribs. So tender! Definitely attending again!

>56 ludmillalotaria: Loved the description of your yard! Our spring is very very slow this year.

>57 jillmwo: >58 clamairy: >59 MrsLee: >60 catzteach: Thank you, everyone! :)
We have shut ourselves up at home, so that we don't happen to infect anyone else, especially any adults who haven't had chicken pox...

Getting in the weekend plans a little early because I might not have another chance.

Beginning tonight at 10, with a 12 hour fast from both food and all liquid, tomorrow I have an ultrasound of my liver and spleen. My numbers were alarmingly high on Tuesday and the doctor is concerned. It is the immunotherapy messing me up, although it might also be partly due to me eating grapefruit and not realizing it was a bad mix with the immunotherapy drugs. One would think they could give you a list of the main foods not to eat on these drugs. *huff* Anyway, that is all putting a bit of a damper on the weekend food plans (only for me), since even thinking about food gives me heartburn. The fasting will almost be a relief, except I like my water.

Tomorrow night, weather allowing, the son who lives in NV will be arriving with wife and my 6 month old grandson.

Saturday or Sunday, which ever has the better weather, will be an egg hunt and dinner with all the family, although my daughter won't arrive until Sunday. Our big dinner will be carnitas tacos with rice and beans. Other planned meals include smoked brisket, cinnamon rolls, sausage gravy with baking powder biscuits and eggs and bacon kind of stuff. Possibly pizza. As you can see, I've kind of planned breakfasts but most of the other meals are going to be done by the kids.

Our weather is springtime weather for sure. Thunder showers in the afternoon and evenings, sunshine in the morning.

>63 MrsLee: Best of luck with the fasting, the testing, and your weekend plans!

My daughter is coming for a few days starting Saturday. We'll be having dinner at my sister's Sunday. The weather looks decent!

>63 MrsLee: Hope the tests go well and it was just the grapefruit messing up your numbers.

In contrast to last weekend (which was almost too busy), I have nothing on this weekend. Not a problem - I have lots of books :)

I also have a migraine, the worst in quite a while, although I hope it won't last. I've already taken two pills (usually one is enough!) and I'll go to bed early tonight.

Oh MrsL I wish you all the luck in the universe that I can influence.

>63 MrsLee: I hope the fasting and ultrasound go well.

>65 tardis: I’m so sorry about the migraine! They suck! I hope the meds kick in soon.

We don’t have much on the agenda. The Husband is eating light due to getting a colonoscopy on Monday. There’s a whole list of foods he is supposed to be avoiding until then. And then, of course, the prep on Sunday.

I have a 9 mile run planned. I’ve started training for a marathon in August and need to start building up those miles.

Spring weather here means snow showers all day today. It is supposed to get into the 70s on Monday. Looking forward to that. :)

I will do chores and just hang at the house tomorrow. Husband who has been gone all week comes home Saturday afternoon. We will then do nothing together.

>63 MrsLee: Best wishes for the ultrasound! Usually, the leaflets that are packaged with drugs warn you if you shouldn't eat grapefruit — it interacts with quite a few drugs. I would have expected that for the immunotherapy, where I assume you don't see the packaging, you would have been warned not to eat grapefruit (or whatever else might not be a good mix). I had to give up grapefruit, which I adore, because it interacts with one of my blood pressure drugs.

>63 MrsLee: Good luck with your testing and I hope you feel better. The dinner plans sound great! I love carnitas.

We are headed to South Bend, IN to visit Trish's family for the weekend, leaving in the morning.

Thank you all for the good wishes. In your thoughts, prayers and wishes, add in that the ultrasound (a non-intrusive and easy test) reveals all they need to know, because the next step is a biopsy which I am not eager to undergo. Not at all. We hates them Precious.

>65 tardis: Hope that dumb migraine takes a hike and gets lost.

>69 haydninvienna: I am good about reading all the paperwork and recommendations when I'm on a new drug, but as you say, there was no packet with this. Even worse, when I was looking up interactions, because I know grapefruit can be troublesome, I didn't see it there. When you look online it's somewhat difficult to sort through it all. Some of the things they tell you to avoid are for other reasons, like they may make you feel nausea or keep you awake, and they don't have grapefruit set apart under a "this might kill you" column.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, whether you are feasting or fasting.

After a very busy weekend with tardis last weekend, I was looking forward to doing very little this weekend. Then I got invited to dinner with friends tomorrow, and realized that Saturday is a seed exchange. I also have to go in and do some financial stuff for the Historical Society. Oh well, it should be fun. I was able to get out and try both my new sets of skis today. Lovely, but my skate skiing needs work. There probably won't be too much time left this season, though, as the weather has been lovely.

>71 MrsLee: - I do hope all goes well. I think grapefruit ought to come with a warning. It seems to react badly with quite a few medications.

>63 MrsLee:
Wishing you the best for the ultrasound and hoping it is all they need.

>65 tardis:
Hoping your medication sorts out the headache.

In terms of our weekend it will be spent in the car and on a ferry as we head to France. Tomorrow will be the drive to Cork where we get on the ferry for a 4pm sailing. On Sunday we arrive in France at 8am. It will take us around seven hours to reach our secret base of operations holiday destination.

We are hoping for a smooth sailing, unlike the wild storm crossing we had in November.

>63 MrsLee: I hope everything goes well, best of luck to you!

>65 tardis: I hope the pills help!

>73 pgmcc: Wishing you calm seas and smooth sailing :)

Yesterday we had a shortened work day because of the Easter weekend, so we lazed around a bit and then took a walk around the lake. Our little boy is still not supposed to meet other people, but he is now well enough to get some fresh air. We have no plans for the long weekend (for obvious reasons ;) ) except for making some nice food, entertaining the little prince, watching something good and reading.

Yesterday we decided to watch The Mark of Zorro (1940) and enjoyed it immensely. I don't understand why nobody makes such nice swashbuckling films any more. Well, at least we can watch the old ones.

>73 pgmcc: Safe travels!

>65 tardis: Oh, I do hope the pills worked. Migraines are awful.

>73 pgmcc: Yes, safe travels. (I do hope all the books you considered as necessary to your time from home actually made it into whatever suitcase or crate was assigned for the purpose.)

>70 Karlstar: Enjoy the time with family!

>63 MrsLee: Keeping you in my thoughts! Good luck in all things this weekend.

>64 clamairy: Enjoy time with your daughter!!

>65 tardis: Hopefully, you were able to retreat to a darkened room and allow the pills to take effect.

>67 catzteach: Good luck to your husband. Prepping for such things is a nuisance at best.

Not much planned for us at this end. This past week was very productive. (People want to get things off their own desks and onto someone else's...) As it happens, I got 4 out of 5 things crossed off my list.

To all -- warm wishes for whatever your plans may entail this weekend!

>78 jillmwo: Thank you and the same to you and yours! Right now we're playing our favorite game 'Wait for the toddler to be ready to leave the house'. Just can't rush kids.

That's for sure. I mean, nine months in the womb? Nine months! It's ridiculously slow. There's not even a library in there.

>63 MrsLee: Wishing you the best of luck with the ultrasound, and hoping that will give the docs all the information they need. (((Hug)))

>81 Sakerfalcon: Thank you very much.

Guess I should follow up, but sometimes I get down and don't feel like talking about it. Ultrasound showed no clear issues, but there is a nodule they want a biopsy of, so I will have to get the liver biopsy. I asked them why since we already know I have cancer, but apparently there are some different kinds of treatments depending on what they find. They also may find nothing wrong. Until further notice I am on massive doses of prednisone which has its own special side effects. None of them nice.

>82 MrsLee: Sorry to hear you got ambiguous findings. Sometimes unclear results are the hardest to deal with. I hope they can recommend a good treatment plan. Best of luck as you go forward.

>82 MrsLee: Big hug. Hoping for the best news possible from the biopsy.

>82 MrsLee: Oh no. I'm so sorry, my friend. I had a feeling something was up because you got very quiet.

>82 MrsLee: Best of luck to you! I hope you will have good news soon.

Thanks everyone.

>82 MrsLee: Best wishes for it all. Also, what >83 Taphophile13: said.

>82 MrsLee: (((Hugs))) Ambiguous findings are hard to navigate. You need never apologize for going quiet about the circumstances of your health situation. Just know that we do care and when you do feel up to talking about any good or bad news, we will be here for you. One day at a time.

Oh man MrsL, my heart breaks a little more when I read this. I have only a glimpse of what you're going through, but all my positive energy and thoughts are with you. FWTW.

I appreciate the response of each one of you, like getting a little hug each time I read it.

Think I will start a new weekend thread for April though. :)