I am very sorry about your family news. Take care of yourself, and don't beat yourself up if meals aren't as healthy as you want while you adjust.

This sounds like a winner to me. And really you just can't go wrong if you fill the adults up on guiness when they arrive, and Irish coffee before they leave! 😁

I am so sorry. Many hugs.

I am behind on posting: Sunday: Ritual sacrifice of innocent, perfect java beans. Breakfast - biscuit while going out the door to help our eldest son whose car stopped running. Lunch - Baked cod, nice veggie laden salad, green beans, baked potato. Supper - egg skillet meal, light on eggs, mostly spinach and mushroom Monday: Breakfast - boiled egg. Enough java to make.college students during final's week all nighters feel positively refreshed. Lunch - large salad Dinner - blue cheese mac n cheese, steamed broccoli, roast peppers and mushrooms

This is just lovely! A wall of happiness.

Oh my goodness, happy dance time! 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃👏👏👏

Pic of our trip.

We have been to Iceland. Due to having a lot of knitters in the family, I spent a long time and a lot of money at The Hand lifting Association of Iceland. Hallgram???? spelling, church/cathedral, The National Museum of Iceland, the art museum, and the Saga Museum, as well as a golden circle tour outside the the city into the National Park which took us to a number of historical sites and Gullfoss Falls. Mark and Peter went on a cave tour - totally awesome but not good for my bad ankle so I stayed behind and devoured a book store bringing home many volumes in Icelandic including the Harry Potter series because at the time Peter was studying Icelandic and Danish. (He conversed quite well, and for walking, navigated us all over the city without error in Icelandic so I just have to insert a mamma brag here. 😁) We also went whale watching. We did not see any whales because the weather was VERY choppy, and we left the next day so we couldn't take them up on the offer to go out again at no cost the following afternoon. We absolutely loved it, and it is on our bucket list to go again. Mark wants to not be based in Reykjavik next time, and instead stay in one of the larger fishing villages with a rented car so we can see much more of the countryside and coastline, go puffin watching. I would be fine with that now that we have done the basics in Reykjavik. Peter wishes we had had time to go into the Phallic museum! He wanted to buy a back scratcher to take to college with him. 😂😂😂 E.T.A. All of our connections for tours were in Reykjavik, and everything ran on time and was super easy. So I can't speak to what it will be like for you in other places. But here is what I do know. The Icelandic people are some seriously happy, friendly, helpful people. They appreciate the money spent in their country by tourists because things got rough after the bank collapse in the early 2000's, and the spike in tourism has helped them a bunch. So my guess is that anything run through the cruise line will be very well coordinated by the Icelanders who work for them at the ports. I think if you sign up for a tour or excursion, they will make it simple for you to meet the taxi/bus and get to and from on time. Trains, if memory serves, are not a thing in Iceland. Buses very much are.

Bingo!

This. Our T was 6 weeks early and not strong enough to suckle properly, period. He had to be taught to eat. He had an NG tube for 2.5 weeks before he could take enough by bottle to be weaned off that. He would be dead if breast feeding exclusively was forced on him preemies are very different, and just because they come home from the hospital, that doesn't mean they are now "normal". They aren't full term newborns u til their due dates passes so for T he is only just today 41 weeks. He now acts like and has the strength associated with a term newborn. He is nursing with a nipple shield and is supplemented with bottle and on Wednesday his very tongue tie that prevents him from nursing properly will be taken care of by the pediatric orthodontist. Then he can begin the process of slowly weaning off his bottle. Dd has worn herself out pumping for that kid. She has a large freezer of milk and is going through the process of being vetted for donation. I swear she could feed a calf! I also think she could make butter with it. 😂 No advice about feeding full term, perfectly healthy newborns applies to preemies, and many people do forget that.

Did you see any sign of swelling around the head/neck/eyes or purple discoloration on legs or feet? These are classic signs of death by avian flu.

We do not have them currently. But when we did have them, it was a consideration. One year we were bottle feeding two lambs, weaning them onto grass, and wild birds brought a fungus to the yard. We were not able to save the lambs. By the time the vet was able to culture their infections and figure out a course of treatment, they were too far gone. It was so sad. The farmer whom we were bottle feeding for did not have that issue because the forty acres of open pasture with no trees anywhere near the grazing, did not attract the birds that carried it. But we were surrounded by tall maples that did attract those birds. We did have a couple of bird feeders not realizing that this is a primary mode of spread of such diseases and fungi and all the stuff they drop that infects the soil and grass. But most backyard chickens do not get avian flu. So I think the thing to do is probably try to take precautions. No bird feeders, no bird baths, keep supplementary feed pans inside the coop, not out where wild birds can get to it, scrub the pans, keep the feed in sealed containers, find out from the local extension office if there are any other precautions you can take, and maybe keep your own outdoor "barn" cat. Since we have had a stray cat hanging around here, I have noticed a huge fall off in wild birds hanging out in our yard. Last summer she thinned out the wild bunny population in order to feed her kittens, and while it was sad because I like bunny foo foos, it was probably for the best for our yard and for the neighbor's garden. My garden is all in tall, raised beds that bunnies and gophers can no longer reach, but I can't keep strawberry plants in pots or in raised beds due to the birds, so now that the cat seems to have a little small animal terrorism thing going, I might try again this year.

I absolutely agree that the 4H settings are easier to control, and the discipline option was definitely a deterrent. 100% with you on that. Sobering statistics. 2.5-3 million adults (super conservative estimate I think but taken from a crime statistics website) are victims of d.v. 1 in 7 children are victims of abuse. 14%. Though the brain wants to say, "86% are not abused so not that bad", statistically speaking 14% is literally a reprehensible rate, just so beyond shameful. So that means in any school, any sports group, any band or youth orchestra, it is possible that more than 10% of the students need protection. The sad state of things in America.

Saturday: Java beans sacrificed to the caffeine gods, Thor or Odin or somebody! 😁 No other breakfast. Lunch - just hummus and a bunch of fresh veggies. We wanted to eat light because.... Dinner - Mark made the best, most amazing veggie pizza. Two kinds of mushrooms which always floats my boat, red pepper, banana peppers, green onion, basil leaves, my super duper yummy sauce, fresh mozzarella.

It is crazy! We looked at the cost of building the raised beds and about swallowed our wallets. I wouldn't be getting all of these new beds if we hadn't found someone with 200 pallets begging for people to haul them away. The cost of top soil is somewhat off putting, but I try to remember that this is a long term investment since we have five years yet at this house. But ugh, so cost prohibitive to build much of anything. The price of nice hardwoods for furniture has gone up about 1000% in our area. It has caused a total fall off of woodworking projects for 4H kids at the county fair, and is causing the tech center for high schoolers to consider ending their woodworking/carpentry program. Just not enough funds to afford it. I feel so bad for the kids. 😢

Awesome!

Actually it was also a do not share policy, and I should have stated that. The image policy stated that a parent only exercises a legal right to the image of their own child, not anyone else's. It specifically said they could not share photos of other people's children unless they were the group photos that the leader organized and children without image release were excluded. People tend to think they have a right to do whatever the heck they want so I am sure some stuff sneaked through, but we really did try to crack down. Our local newspaper's policy as well as the county newsletter policy is that legal permission for the use of the image of any minor must be received in order to use the photo, even if a public activity in a public place. This policy has bizarrely reduced the number of photos of under 18's in the paper. It seems to me that could indicate either more parents are getting leery of giving permission or that it is absolutely cumbersome to seek out all the parents, probably the latter. I do think, from a legal standpoint, it is good protection for the newspaper. In my state, for the most part, the responsibility to NOT violate a restraining order lays with the person on the receiving end of the restraining order. However, the law is written such that if the authorities find out someone who knew that the offender had an r.o./e.p.o. and helped them violate it, that person can also be charged. OP, I don't know all the ins and outs of your situation. Don't even pretend to. But my heart aches for your and the kids, and I worry from afar about safety. I do think the coach needs to say something without giving identifying information. I hope you reported this violation of the order to the police. Probably they won't do anything. 😠😠😠 But at least there might be a paper trail.

This. We had foster care children in our 4H group, and knowing the limits and safety issues were key for us as leaders to manage it well for everyone as well as not violate the law. I think though it has social ramifications, you probably do need to advise the parents through the coach. One thing I find odd is that there appears to be no media policy. In 4H, we had a strict policy established by the state. Parents had to sign a media release in order to even have their kids included in photos and videos, names in articles, etc. Parents were informed of who had media releases and who did not. They were informed that photographing or videoing any student without a media release would earn their family a one year sit-out penalty from participating in 4H, and no one but 4H leaders and employees could post a photo or video of the group. Take pics of your own child only was the motto. Group photos were managed by us, and we kept children without media release on the side line which was sad for them, but also best for them. Twice we found out that some adult or teen violated this and put photos of students on facebookor instagram that should not have been out there. These families were forced to immediately remove the content and sit out a year of 4H which made them madder than snot, but they had no excuse because the policy was laid out in detail in writing, and they had to read and sign it in order to enroll or re-enroll their family. Groups who offer extra curricular activities cannot control for everything, but they can exercise some reasonable safety procedures when it comes to the use of student images. I would encourage you to bring that up with the coach and managing organization. Your children have likely not been the first to have these issues, and sadly, will not be the last. They need a policy, and try to exercise some caution. The vast majority of parents will comply when informed.

So sorry! Absolute bummer!

Garden probably has it if you are willing to deal with larger stock being shipped. https://www.yarden.com/about-us/ In other news, Mark just ordered a new, 10 tray dehydrator with horizontal blowers for me! That is going to really help during harvest season. First up though, basil. My two basil plants are going bananas. I can't use it fresh, fast enough. So I am going to dry it for everyone else's herb cupboards.

The French medical system saved my sister's life. She has an autoimmune disease, a very rare one, and tens of thousands of dollars later in the U.S system still no diagnosis and doctor's ignoring her, claiming it was all in her head. Eight years of going bankrupt to have NO progress. Moved to France as a college student, bought into the system for a nominal premium (super duper reasonable price as a temporary resident), and within six months she had a diagnosis. It was another six months before she had a treatment plan because her docs had to send her to Belgium to a specialist who is renowned for his endocrinology knowledge and work. All she had to do was pay for her travel because her French endo was able to make the case that she needed this second opinion so the actual medical bills were covered out of country. She paid for the train, and the Belgian doc is so used to patients from out of country that he runs a bed and breakfast establishment and only charges $25eu a night. Sis met a wonderful man in France whom we absolutely adore, and is now a permanent resident. My mom does not get her dental work done here anymore. It is 1/3 the cost of the U.S. She goes every year to France for 75 days, and sees sis and bil's dentist. So far she has had a root canal, a cap, and a tooth pulled plus an annual cleaning, full set of x rays, and received advice about her teeth, based on new research, that she has not received here and has been invaluable. I sure wish we could have that system! It isn't perfect. No system will ever be. But is sure is so much more humane, and it takes the insanity of the insurance racket out of healthcare which means many, many more people receive high quality care for their problems, especially like sis, chronic ones. Medical professionals drive the healthcare, not the corporate ceo. Oh, and mom also received much more in-depth ortho care for her ankle (she had ankle replacement surgery at Beaumont in Royal Oak several years ago and Beaumont docs did and amazing job so not complaining about them at all) because Medicare rejected allowing her to have all the of the essential posts surgical treatment she should have had. When she goes there, she pays $25 to see an ortho doc who not only does a special kind of massage technique to restore circulation and reduce inflammation, but also physical exercises and manipulation she can't get here. She was given a clay foot soak that also does the most incredible job of drawing out inflammation. She goes once per week the whole time she is there and when I fetch her home from the airport, she doesn't limp and her back does not hurt. But it isn't done here, and eventually she runs out of the clay stuff, and she goes back to "normal". Out of pocket for physical therapy here is $160 per session, and basically if insurance isn't going to pay, they won't schedule a cash paying patient. It wouldn't do any good anyway because they don't do what the French doc does. She also can't stockpile the clay stuff to bring back because it is prescription or somethin, and not even carried here in the U.S. The doc did tell sis that the next time she comes home, she will send a tube with her for mom. She is a very sweet doctor. One other antidote. There is a system in France for in-home doctor visits for the elderly and disabled, people with disabled children. Mom took an over the counter allergy med last time that she was there and didn't know it was one she should NOT take. Her BP went through the roof into stroke range. Sis called her primary and asked if she should go to the ER. He said no, he would send a colleague. 10 minutes later, knock knock knock, and visiting doc was at the door. He stayed 90 minutes with mom, was shocked that her GP had never warned her about numerous decongestants which cause this side effect, got her BP down to normal, told her what she could take for her allergies that was over the counter, and that if she ever had a BP crisis again to call the pharmacist around the corner because their pharmacists can do some emergency care for things like this. $50. That was it. Can you imagine 90 minutes of in-home healthcare for $50? Swoon. Blew my mind! He was so sweet, and very concerned about her health, going into her medical history in great depth, and the next day called her GP about it. I don't know what got said but I suspect it was along the lines of, "What the eff is wrong with you and the local pharmacy that your patient was not educated about her condition?" Only to probably find out that the average doctor visit here is something like 5 minutes or less which potentially made his head explode. I don't think stateside, except for the wonderful docs at Beaumont who never seem to be in a hurry, she had ever been with a doctor for more than 5 minutes since going on medicare. Sis and I have agreed that if it ever became possible for mom to move to France, Mark and I would make it happen. Her quality of life in that country is so much better, and not just her healthcare either. Happiness. She has so much happiness when she is there. Not here. The U.S. is really falling apart at the seams.

Today we got up late and each of us wad on the run so we didn't get breakfast: At 10 am dear husband sacrificed beans to the Java witch 😁 and, after inhaling the brew, we opted for brunch. I made a big skillet meal. Lots of baby red potatoes diced and browned, red pepper, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, and green onion, four eggs scrambled in, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Very delicious. For supper I took some chicken broth that I needed to use up, and made it into a buttermilk.gravy which we ate on mashed potatoes with roasted broccoli as a side. We just had a Friday night movie night bowl of popcorn with vegan butter and parmesan sprinkles. Nice treat. We might each eat a small square of dark chocolate later.

The Botanical Gardens is wonderful, and it is very handicapped accessible. So it is easy to get around. It really is gorgeous. Huntsville Buritt on the Mountain not too far from Huntsville. Depending on what time of year you are there, Hobart tulip unlock farm north of Huntsville in New Market is lovely.

Oh goodness yes! That is just begging for a blizzard! 😂

That is sad. Opening day for my favorite nursery is March 15. Though I could call and order my delivery of top soil and composted manure for the new beds, I am going in person so I can salivate at everything that I can't put out yet. I will console myself with buying a new pot for an indoor plant or something.