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Friday, February 28, 2014

Friday Funnies

Looks like a match made at circuit city.

Perfect for each other . . .


And parts are interchangeable too.

This lovely couple are creations of the Welding department our local community college. They were showcased as part of a Hertiage Celebration last weekend. This annual event showcases the work of college students and local artists. 

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Did you get the call??????

Have you gotten a call from someone (who can hardly speak English) claiming they are from "Microsoft Support"????? (Microsoft will never call you).  And that your computer is infected and sending out spam!!!!! And you need to go to this site and download and install this program to clean your computer???????

We got it. AGAIN!!!!! But this time we had some fun. Well at least i had fun, don't know about the schmuck on the other end. The call went like this:
"hello!"
"Lo, dis is mickro sof suput calling. Yur coputer is ifected"
"Oh really?"
"Yes. you must go to it and ..."
"Can i have your Microsoft ID number please?"
"What?"
"Your Microsoft ID number. You have one don't you?"
Pause
"AH 234 AH 567 UMM 987"
"Thanks. Please hold while i verify this"
"ah......ah....."
hangup.....

Oh that was so much fun. Here are a few more I'm saving for future calls. If you would like to use any of them feel free.

"hello!"
"Lo, dis is mickro sof secuty calling. Yur coputer is ifected"

"Oh really?"
"Yes. you must go to it and ..."
"Can you tell me which computer your talking about?"
"Yo coputer"
          
1. "But we have a lot of them. Which one? "
2.  "But we don't use Microsoft. We have all Mac's"
3.  "But i don't own a computer."
4.  "What are you wearing?"

I've saved my best and most dastardly one for last.

"hello!"
"Lo, dis is mickro sof secuty calling. Yur coputer is ifected"

"Oh really?"
"Yes. You must go to it and turn it on."
"Just a minute, i have to go upstairs." "Are you still there?"
"Yes. is your coputer on?"
"No it will take a few minutes. Can you wait?"
"Yes."
"OK. My computer is on and we now have your exact location."
"What?"
"I said we have your exact location. There will be a heavily armed security team coming to arrest you
in just a few minutes."                  
"Arrest me??"
"Yes, arrest you. If i were you i would get out of there right now."
"What yo mean?"
"If your smart you should run, now!! Before the shooting starts. Bye Bye."

I figure that since they started telling me a big fib, it's ok to just continue it. You can alter any of these scenarios if you like. This seems like so much more fun than getting mad and yelling at them or  calling them names. Although i have done that in the past, it wasn't nearly as much fun as this way.

So folks, next time some one calls about your "ifected coputer",  don't get mad, have some fun!!!!!
Grenville



Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Shrimp Scampi

Many of our dinner recipes, feature chicken in one form or another, but we do prepare poultry-less meals too at The Frog & PenguINN. Fish is a close dinner second. 

We prefer meals that are not only delicious, but very easy too. This meal fills both those requirements. Dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Shrimp scampi consists of shrimp sautéed in a buttery, garlic, white wine and lemon sauce. This recipe is super quick and easy for a weeknight meal, perfect for entertaining friends or for a special dinner for two.


It takes longer to cook the pasta than it does to prepare the shrimp and sauce. This recipe is enough for two servings and possibly some leftovers.

Shrimp Scampi
  •  8 ounces linguine, fettucine (or other pasta)
  •  1 TBSP olive oil
  •  2 TBSP butter
  •  1 lb. large or jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
  •  4 cloves garlic, chopped
  •  1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
  •  1/4 C white wine
  •  1/4 C lemon juice (1 lemon)
  •  Salt and pepper to taste
  •  1 tsp lemon zest
  •  1 TNSP parsley, chopped
  •  Grated cheese for topping
  1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil and melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat until foaming, add shrimp, cook for 2 minutes, flip, add garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for 1 minute more before transferring to a large bowl. (Note: cooking time for the shrimp varies depending on the size used. When the shrimp just turns from translucent to opaque/white it's done.
  3. Add white wine and lemon juice to pan, deglaze then simmer for a minute and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir in parsley and lemon zest before tossing with shrimp and pasta.
  4. Serve topped with grated cheese.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Link

A while back we went to Roanoke Va. for the 10th Anniversary of the O. Winston Link Museum. What???? You have no idea who O. Winston Link is????? Well, to tell the truth neither did we until a few years ago when we went to Roanoke to visit the Virginia Transportation Museum. While there we stopped in to the Visitors Bureau and there it was.
Link (the guy on the left) was a well known commercial photographer. You've probably seen his work in magazines of the 1950's but never knew it. He was born, lived, and worked mostly in New York City. But his passion was steam locomotives. Realizing that the era of the Steam Locomotive was nearing it's end, he decided to begin photographing them before they disappeared. From the early 1950's Link photographed  steam locomotives on the Norfolk & Western Railway in Virginia until the last one was retired. The N&W realized what great opportunity for free publicity this could be and gave Link permission to photograph anywhere on their property. His specialty was night photography.
Keep in mind that this is in the mid 1950's. No digital cameras back then. Link's main camera was a Speed Graphic. His lighting was from synchronized flash bulbs. Hundreds of them. To give the needed amount of light he designed and made his own reflectors as seen above. Being a commercial photographer, he was well versed in posing his subjects and setting the scene just as he wanted. The N&W even went as far as allowing Link to stop trains, have them back up, then pass again for his shot.
Rarely did Link ever alter or retouch his work. There was no 'Photo Shop' back then. Any touchups had to be done in the darkroom. Link liked adding people to his photos with the train in the background. Sometimes just part of the train was visible.



















Link did take day photos mostly along the Abington Branch of the N&W. He also enjoyed taking photos of the people that worked on the railroad or lived near it.
If you are in Roanoke, this is a must stop whether you are a rail fan, photography buff or just looking for something different. If you can't get to Roanoke you can see more of his amazing work by going  to O. Winston Link

Grenville (still in awe)

Monday, February 24, 2014

It's About Time

Many U.S. folks, including ourselves, try to buy "made in America" products whenever possible. Of course, for many items, such as, electronics and cameras, that's no longer possible.

To Grenville and myself, the thought of buying an American flag labelled "made in China" or anyplace other than the USA, just seemed wrong. And, our U.S. flags were always made here. 

Sure, U.S. made often costs more, but that was not the issue.

YET, until this past Friday, American flags purchased by the U.S. military were not — ready or not — completely "made in America."

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) annually buys 1,000 to 2,000 flags for purposes that include flying them over the Pentagon, military bases and ships, and burial flags for military personnel killed in action.

Where were these made? Not necessarily all in America, because although major DoD vendors are U.S. companies, materials like fabrics or inks could have been outsourced abroad.

Not any more. Under new rules, all U.S. flags will be entirely made in America. as part of the 2014 omnibus appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama last month. 

The new policy for flags went into effect Friday, Feb 21, and states that: American flags, “including the materials and components thereof, must be made in the United States."
That's just plain common sense to us.
What took them so long —and who was responsible?
Credit goes to Congressman Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, seeking a ninth term in Congress. Thompson has said that he pushed for the change because he thought it was just common sense that American flags be made in the U.S. (hmm, you think?)
“American flags are something we can all agree on should be made in America,” he said. “I don’t think it’s right that our military service men and women should be fighting under flags made in foreign countries. Our men (and) women in uniform should serve under American-made flags.
Thompson wrote a provision that applied the existing Berry Amendment passed in 1941 to flags as well. That amendment restricts the DoD from buying food, clothing, fabrics, textiles or tools that aren’t grown or produced in the U.S. 
The Berry Amendment requires the DoD to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured, or home-grown products, most notably food, clothing, fabrics and specialty metals. Congress originally passed domestic source restrictions as part of the 1941 Fifth Supplemental DoD Appropriations Act to  to protect the domestic industrial base in time of war, specifically WWII.
And, before last week, American flags had not been included on that list.

Now, they are. We encourage everyone who displays flags depicting their country, whether in the U.S. or elsewhere, to seek out those made in their own country.

It's just common sense to us — what do you think?

Friday, February 21, 2014

Friday Funnies

Where is this flock heading to ?


Where else, but the check-in desk.
This group is always at the Hampton Inn we stay at in Mannheim, PA. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Calzone - the Other Pizza

Calzones are half-moon turnovers consisting of dough (you can use pizza dough), filled with cheeses , typically ricotta and mozzarella and a variety of veggie and meat fillings. You can vary the ingredients to  come up with your own favorite.

This folded-over pizza is very easy to make, (just ask Grenville). Sure, we've had them when eating out, but never made them ourselves. It's also a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 calzones
 
What We Used . . . 
  • 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough, allowed to rise at room
    temperature (at least 30 minutes
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 pepper, sliced thin
  • 1/2 package mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 package sliced pepperoni (optional)
  • 1-1/4 C fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 C grated Parmesan-Romano cheese
  • 1-1/2 C shredded mozzarella or Italian cheeses blend
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • cornmeal
  • Homemade tomato (or store-bought) for serving
  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, pepper and cook until softened, stirring occasionally,. Set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each dough ball out, and roll out. We didn't measure them, but tried not to have the dough too thick. (Grenville was the dough roller.)
  3. Combine ricotta and other cheeses in a bowl. Combine veggies in another bowl season with herbs, salt and pepper, and mix well.
  4. Assemble calzones by spreading half of veggie mixture and cheeses over one half of each piece of dough. Leave a border to fold over and form a half-moon. Brush water on edges of dough (water seals the dough seam) and crimp to seal shut using your fingers or a fork. Cut two slits in the top of each calzone to let off steam.
  5. Use a wide metal spatula transfer calzones to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal; carefully reshape as needed. 
  6. Brush the crust with an egg white wash or olive oil right before baking. Why? An egg white wash gives the calzone a satiny-like finish. Olive oil makes the crust browner and crisper. We used olive oil.
  7. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce.
We made 2 very large calzones, enough for leftovers — a very good thing.

Calzone Tips . . .
Use simple combinations for the fillings; leftovers are great.
Don't overfill cause this is where less is better. Too full and the calzone is likely to leak (like ours did).
Calzones need a longer cook time than pizza and a lower temperature to crisp the crust and penetrate the filling.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Not Just for Valentine's

It's lucky for me that my birthday and Hearts (aka Valentine's) Day happen in the same month. Although Grenville and I do not celebrate with candy, flowers, jewelry, or other "giftie" items, we DO enjoy road trips, short or long.

And, since this was a milestone birthday for me, we combined these two celebrations with a short trip to Springfield, VA to visit long-time friends Barb and John, my cousin and his wife, John and Sherry and a first-time meeting with blogger friends Denise (An English Girl Rambles) and husband Gregg.

Our original meet date of Feb 13 was cancelled because of the snowstorm that impacted the east coast. Instead, we "met" by way of a very long (and fun) video chat between our hotel room and their home that day. We postponed an in-person meeting until the next day, which was Hearts Day.

Denise and Gregg graciously met us at our hotel and suggested a drive to Washington, DC. Unlike the 24 hours before, the weather was all blue skies and sunshine. We had a wonderful time chatting and briefly touring some of the Smithsonian museums.
As anyone who has ever visited DC knows, it's impossible to see everything in a single day, much less a few hours. We had a great time chatting and exploring.
Thanks to our very gracious hosts, Denise and Gregg for a wonderful visit. We had a GREAT time and once again — blogger friends are the BEST !

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Semper Fi

Semper Fidelis (“Always Faithful” or “Always Loyal") is well known as the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps, shortened to Semper Fi in Marine contexts.

This week we saw what that motto means when we visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The museum is in Triangle, VA on a 135-acre site adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico and serves as a tribute to past, present and future U.S. Marines. 

In this nearly 120,000 square foot building, scenes of major events in American history are shown from the perspective of Marines who participated.

The museum is under the command of the Marine Corps University, a group of accredited higher-education schools at Quantico, VA. In the late 1980s, Congress authorized each service branch to develop its own national centers to house and interpret their history for the American public. The Commandant of the Marine Corps agreed to the public/private venture created to develop the Museum in 1997. Construction began in 2004 and was completed in 2006.

The Museum is clearly visible from surrounding areas by its signature 210-foot stainless steel spire. This soaring skyward design is symbolic of the iconic flag-raising on Iwo Jima by U.S. Marines. Other interpretations include swords at salute, aircraft climbing to the skies or a howitzer at the ready. 

The Making Marines Gallery presents the unique experience of boot camp where enlistees are transformed into Marines.
In exhibit galleries, the use of multimedia technology takes visitors onto the beach at Iwo Jima, through a frigid winter Korean night on watch against possible attack, and into a hot Vietnam “LZ” (landing zone). Combining artifacts, such as the original flag raised on Iwo Jima, with documentary films, combat art, and recordings of Marines telling their own stories, the galleries recount the wartime experiences of many U.S. Marines.

Among the over 1,000 artifacts displayed are planes, tanks, weapons, vehicles, and uniforms. Interactive exhibits immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of Marines from enlistment to battle. Future expansion to over 200,000 square feet will add more exhibit galleries, large-screen theater, art gallery and studio, displays, and classrooms.

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation raised donations to pay for the $60 million vertical construction of the building The Marine Corps used appropriated funds to pay for the design and fabrication of the exhibit space, about $30 million. The estate of Alfred Lerner was the single largest donor with over $10 million. Lerner, a former Marine Corps pilot, was a billionaire banking and real estate investor and owner of the Cleveland Browns pro football team. 

If you want to visit. The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located off I-95, 36 miles south of Washington, DC, and 76 miles north of Richmond, VA. It's open 9:00 a.m. to 5: 00 p.m. daily except Christmas Day. Museum admission is FREE. Guides throughout the museum (former U.S. Marines) are helpful and knowledgeable about the collections.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Amateurs Day (to Us)

Every Day Should be Hearts Day . . .

Grenville and I celebrate every day with simple (and very easy) acts of love.

What We Do . . .
  • Start and end each day saying I Love You 
  • Don't go to bed angry; I'm sorry goes a long way when upset
  • Light candles in the bedroom (except in warmer months)
  • Grenville brings morning coffee and we enjoy it while sitting in bed
  • Dine by candlelight every night (summer excepted).
And, we don't give one another candy, flowers, or gifts but LOTS of cards, just as for every celebration/holiday, and sometimes, just because.
That's WHY to us Valentine's Day is for amateurs — we consider ourselves "Pros."
Happy Hearts Day to ALL 
xxxooo
Dorothy (Beatrice) & Pat (Grenville)

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Snow Cometh

. . . and winter storms continue and continue

An earlier post showed a lovely sunset on late Tuesday afternoon drive, followed by a sunrise scene from on Wednesday morning.

This was the scene outside our hotel room a short time ago tonight . . .


This current road trip was is a short in-state road trip to visit friends as a delayed birthday gift from Grenville. 

This snow storm, the latest in so many this winter, IS a serious problem for folks in many states, especially our GA and NC neighbors and in our home state of NJ. We contacted friends and family; all are safe — as we hope you and your loved ones are too.

We stayed in the hotel today and had a wonderful video-chat "visit" with blogger friends we were planning to meet today. There's still time to "see" them before we leave on the weekend, so all is good.
Yesterday, while the weather was OK, we were able to spend the day with friends. You will see where we explored in a later post.


These scenes were taken from our hotel window tonight using the special effects filters on an Olympus Tough weatherproof camera (but I was indoors). The snow that had stopped earlier today was followed by rain, and now it's snowing again.

Thanks for the comments, as always, on the sunset/sunrise photos; taken from the car and hotel windows. All were SOOC (straight out of camera), like these shots. 

And, if you or loved ones are in states affected by this winter weather, we hope you all are warm and safe. 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Calm Before . . .

The next round of winter weather that is threatening much of the East coast with snow, ice and rain today and into Wednesday evening. 

All the advice we have heard is the same: If you don't have to go out, stay in.

That said, we headed out early Tuesday for a short trip within state to visit friends in Springfield, VA and also hope to visit a blogger friend and family in nearby cities.

This was the scene late yesterday afternoon with not a sign of the weather to come.

And, the scene this morning was just as serene . . .

Our thoughts are with everyone as we hope you all will be kept out of harm's way.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

More Lemon Chicken

As mentioned (many times) before, meals at The Frog & PenguINN often include poultry, fish and pasta. That's not to say we don't cook beef and pork. Just ask Grenville who considers bacon and ribs, separate food groups.

But, chicken wins out  for dinner thanks to its versatility. Earlier this month, I posted a one-pan stovetop rosemary-garlic chicken using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lemon, garlic and rosemary.

OK, this is a very similar recipe. But, it uses bone-in chicken breasts that are baked this time and spices differ (oregano and thyme now). It also includes olive oil, garlic and lemon. These 3 ingredients go so well with chicken dishes.

No "prep" photos here. Holding a camera when getting chicken ready isn't a good idea.

Baked Lemon Chicken


  • 2 bone-in chicken breasts, skin on
  • 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1-1/2 TBSP minced fresh garlic
  • 1/3 C dry white wine (or cooking wine)
  • 1 TBSP grated lemon zest
  • 1-1/2 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black paper
  • 1 lemon

  1. Preheat oveen to 400 degrees. Warm olive oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat, add garlic and cook for 1 minute, don't let garlic brown. Turn heat off, add white white, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and t teaspoon of salt. Pour into a backing dish.
  2. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place skin side up over sauce. Brush chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut lemon in 4 wedges and tuck in between chicken pieces.
  3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of breasts, and until skin is lightly browned. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, allow to rest 10 minutes. Serve hot with pan juices.
We enjoyed this meal with sides of brown rice, steamed broccoli and carrots. Be sure to pour some of the pan juices over the rice as well. 
And, if I failed to mention earlier, it was so easy to prepare.





Sunday, February 9, 2014

Special People

As many blog readers know, this past week I celebrated a major milestone birthday.

As years advance, "things" that mean the most to me are not the gifts held in the hand, but those that linger in the heart and memory. 

That said, it was heartwarming to receive both cards and phone calls from longtime friends living in other states, including former co-workers, who have become friends over the years. They really made my day even more special.
These birthday cards replaced holiday greetings which filled the fireplace mantel thru the month of January. The below shelf of cards were from Grenville and one included a frog. Of course, my favorite was the center card. Can you tell we like giving cards ?





Some cards included helpful (and useful) birthday "advice" . . .
Others had beautiful flowers with lovely messages, outside and inside . . . 


There were the lovely flowers sent from my NJ friend Dori (the Cuz). Our special friendship was described in this post.

I'm grateful and thankful to be remembered by so many Special People in my life.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Friday Funnies

Got chips ?


Don't forget the soda . . .


This pre-game display was at the local Walmart last weekend; it was gone by today.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Friends & Surprises

Surprises are always unexpected and can be either good or bad -- when they're good surprises, that unexpectedness makes them especially wonderful.

Yesterday, I received a very wonderful birthday surprise, thanks to a very special friend.

This friend shares nearly the same first name as myself and exactly the same last name, yet is not a relative; I'm Dorothy and she is Dorianne. 

We're both (nearly) the same age (in April). We're the oldest child in our families (I have one sibling; she has several). Both grew up in NJ towns less than 3 miles apart. We attended Catholic grade and high schools in towns less than 10 miles apart.

Our heritage is Italian. Both our fathers were self-employed tradesmen: electrician and painter, respectively.

And there's more coincidences: While we attended college in different states, each graduated with a journalism degrees, then worked for NJ newspapers.

Yet, despite these similarities and living in close proximity, we never met either in childhood or as young adults.

We "connected" about 10 years ago, oddly enough because of similar email addresses. Emails meant for her were inadvertently sent to my email address.

Since then we've become close friends, calling ourselves "cousins."  We're separated by distance; she resides in our native NJ; I'm now on the VA eastern shore. But that email connection that brought us together initially keeps us in contact as do phone calls and visits whenever I'm back home.

Anyone else have a special friend story to share?  

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Pet Project

We both have really wrestled long and hard with this decision, but Beatrice just melted. And what was i to do? It was her Birthday. How could i say no????? And yes, we had agreed that we might consider this in the future. Maybe after we finally moved into another house up north. Of course that may be a long wait. AND with the way we like to just up and hit the road, the whole idea just seemed so impractical. YEP!!!!! A pet was just going to have to wait. We would just have to put it on a back burner. Well, not literally, but you know what i mean.

Of course every time Beatrice sees the wild cats at the end of our property she sighs!!!!! "Oh wouldn't it be nice to sit with a cuddly kitty on your lap??????" My thought is NO!!!! AND our visit with the new Grand Puppy really started tugging on my heart strings again. A Lab around the house is soooooo nice. Crashing into things. Swatting things with that tail. Nuzzling up to you hoping to curl up in your lap. (For those that have never had a Labrador Retriever, they are convinced that they are lap dogs. No matter how old they get.)

BUT we continued to support each other in our attempt to resist. Resist that urge to once again share our lives with a pet. A multi legged member of the family. Maybe some day when we finally lose our wanderlust and the kids take our licenses away. Someday when a big trip is from bed to the table and then to the rocker. Someday when a successful stop at the john is a highlight of the day. Maybe then we would get a pet. Maybe a seeing eye dog. Maybe an attack Cat for protection.

Yes, it all sounded good UNTIL TODAY.!!!! Today when Phinias came into our home. At first i was less than pleased. In fact all i wanted to do was swat him away. High strung and hyper doesn't come close for a description. Here, there, back here. Never sitting for more than a second. No cuddling. No petting. No dozing in front of the fire. Not Phinias.

Eventually we started to see a glimmer of advantage to Phinias as a pet. He hardly ate anything. In fact he was just fine with left over crumbs. And he didn't need any special bowls. No water bowl to knock over. No mess to clean up. AND already house broken. In fact we didn't even need to go out with him. He just took care of that on his own. He got plenty of exercise zipping around the house, so no need to walk him. Quiet as can be. No barking. No whining. No chewing on furniture. No shedding. AND we don't have to worry about leaving him home alone. He is almost totally self sufficient. This was starting to really be a great move. A pet with no muss, no fuss, no nothing.

We are not to sure if he can learn any tricks though. As i said, he is hyper, and a little on the flighty side. But i think we can deal with that, considering all of the positive things about Phinias. Every time he looks at us with those cute red eyes we just melt like sugar.


Grenville

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Got Gmail?

More correctly, Where Did My Mail Go?


We're wondering if any fellow bloggers been having issues specifically with Google mail, better known as Gmail. Although lately Grenville and I have been thinking of other names to call it.

WHY?
Mail coming into several of our Gmail accounts has actually been disappearing and depositing itself into Trash before we've read it.

Not something you would expect to happen on its own.


We noticed this Gmail problem happening on both our iPads a week or so ago, yet not on the MacBooks. Then, the problem seemed to resolve itself and Gmail was working OK without any action on our part.

Until today, when the same thing started happening AGAIN. And, this time it was also affecting mail on the MacBooks too.

In doing an online search, I found this information under Google/Gmail Support under the topic My messages have gone missing. The article lists a series of steps, clicking on the + next to a step will result in a drop-down box with additional steps.

We'll be checking our settings as detailed. Hopefully, this will resolve our problems and anyone else's. But, then again, it may also resolve itself (as earlier).


THANKS to all for the birthday wishes, yesterday. All were much appreciated !

Monday, February 3, 2014

It's My Birthday

Today is a BIG day that marks the beginning of a new episode in my life - Medicare.
And so, it seemed a good time to take a trip down memory lane.


(Many) years ago, photography studios made house calls . . .


Posing for photos with a (slightly) older cousin (check out the vintage auto) . . .


Looking at the camera was never a problem (can't you tell?) . . .

Years ago, holiday dress-up was mandatory for many little girls, myself included . . .



That was then and this is now.

It may be TOO late, as the penguins have already stolen any remaining sanity.

There are no blowout birthday bashes scheduled at The Frog & PenguINN to mark this milestone birthday (by request). Grenville made a deliciously wonderful apple pie served with vanilla bean ice cream last night. It was so good and calories never count on birthdays (right?)

That doesn't mean no celebration. We're co-celebrating my birthday and Hearts Day with a road trip in the next few weeks. The trip includes visiting a long-time friend,  fellow blogger, and a cousin whose birthday is 2 days after mine.

Memories are more precious than things -- I have so many and more to come.

Milestones aren't so bad after all.