The Louisiana Blizzard of 2024......Reporting In

Some funny Memes on FB about Lousiana prepping for a "blizzard"......

And a way to give a second life to your old Mardi Gras Beads.......

Who needs snow chains when you've got a plethora of beads?

My favorite......

A great way to spice up all that roadkill!

A view from my front door of the "Blizzard".

This one pretty much sums it up.  Though everything has been closed(roads, schools, businesses)since Sunday.  The little bit we got warmed up via sunshine and refroze into ice so yeah, we may be stuck at home for a bit longer.

As long as we don't lose power I'll be a happy camper. 8-)

**UPDATE**  And yes, we lost power about a half hour after I posted this. whomp whomp

The electricity was only out a couple of hours fortunately.

But that electric bill will be nasty bad with all these record low temps....

Sluggy

The Great Road Trip of 2017.....Part Twenty Three/Day Eighteen

Part One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Three of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Four of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Five of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Six of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Seven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eight of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Nine of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Ten of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Eleven of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Twelve of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE
Part Thirteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fourteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE  

Part Fifteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 
Part Sixteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Seventeen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Eighteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Nineteen of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE 

Part Twenty of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty One of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

Part Twenty Two of the Great Western Road Trip is HERE

We waved goodbye to the bison herd and the Hot Springs in Thermopolis, Wyoming, heading east on Route 16.

We went through Worland, WY, in Washakie County, where they had a Museum and this big Mastadon replica out front.  Now that's an attention getter. lol

Then it was further east to Ten Sleep.  This town got it's name from Native Americans as it denoted the time it would take you to get from here to other significant towns......10 sleeps or 10 days.

And no, I didn't venture into "Dirty Sally's General Store" either.  They also have a Facebook page HERE.

More sights in Ten Sleep along the highway.....

Then it was further east on Route 16 toward Buffalo, WY.

You will pass through three exposed geological periods of rock formations on this stretch of Route 16.  The first third you'll pass by forests, snowcapped peaks and tundra hills.

Patches of snow on the mountains in the distance........

A familiar sight in these parts....full logging trucks.

Then once you pass by Keyhole Reservoir the scenery changes dramatically.

The last two thirds of the roadway to where it joins I-90E, the topography changes to steep canyon walls with hair pin curves and steep inclines and descents.  I'm no geologist but this piece of the road is a rock lovers wet dream. ;-)

There were road signs every now and again letting you know what layers of the earth you were passing by that were exposed.  Here's Granite Gneiss which is the Pre-Cambrian era and these exposed rock formations are 3 Thousand Years old.

 

I'd hate to be pulling a huge ass RV on this roadway!  I'm sure many an RVer's brakes have  burnt out on this stretch of road.

                  

The roadway steepness leveled off eventually and then we hit Buffalo, Wyoming.

We stopped into Bozeman Trail Steakhouse for a late lunch/early dinner steak dinner.....

Some city slicker from out East probably gets a big surprise if they order the Rocky Mountain "Oysters". hehehe

Though a fitting name(shut up Kim!), I did NOT get the "Crazy Woman Prime Rib"......if I want Cajun anything I can get the authentic "blow the top of your head off" right here. hehe

I wondered if this place ever heard of a side that was NOT Potato!  Oh wait there is applesauce. lol

Lots of taxidermy to keep you entertained on the walls.....

We never made it to the Wyoming Whiskey Distillery but we found it on a liquor store's shelves and on a sign in the bar here.

More dead animal heads and a miniature Conestoga Wagon......

My steak dinner with a sad piece of greenery on the plate.  I did have a salad beforehand and the meat was quite good.

Hubs prime rib meal.  Of course there were potatoes of some ilk on another plate since the "Texas Toast" took up the leftover room on that plate.

Being watched by a bison as I ate.....

Me and the out of focus elk on the wall...

A map of Stagecoach routes across Wyoming from back in the day....

Look!  It's Pumba's relative......or is it a distant cousin, the Wild Boar?

And our first sighting of a Wall Drug sign........

Unfortunately it's never tomorrow.......

And this area is lousy with Rodeos in the Summer it seems.  Another one we missed seeing.....

Rustic Western swing outside the restaurant, complete with wagon wheels.....

A plaque about the Big Horn Mountains.......

A huge "Weather Rock".....lol

And then it was onto I-90 heading East(I think)but definitely out of Thermopolis and Buffalo, WY.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table....the January 15th Edition

The "It's that Time of Year Again" Edition.....  

The Mardi Gras stuff is out in full display at stores here now.  Actually they had it out in some places before we left for PA in December.  Around here MG has to jockey for shelf space with the Valentine's stuff.

I thought this inflatable mudbug was horrific.  Who needs to buy this since with the Rainy Season, mudbugs are in everyone's yard?  These would be the real deal critters popping up in them.

No one's yard, from here to Lafayette, to New Orleans, to the shores of the Mississippi river are safe from these wild crawfish tubes.  So lovely.....

This is day 218 of the new "diet".  Down 59 lbs. since the cruise(not counting the 8 I gained on the cruise and then lost again, which would make it 67 lbs.).  

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week hahaha.......

1. Sunday--Caesar Salad, Chicken Strips

2. Monday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, leftover Green Beans

3. Tuesday--Lean Cuisine tv dinner

4  Wednesday--Chicken Sandwich, Stir-Fry Veggies

5. Thursday--Lean Cuisine tv dinner

6.  Friday--Shrimp Scampi, something veggie?

7. Saturday--Stauffer's Cheddar Broccoli Bake

And here's what actually happened.......

1. Sunday--Caesar Salad, Chicken Strips

2. Monday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, leftover Green Beans

3. Tuesday--Lean Cuisine tv dinner

4  Wednesday--Chicken Sandwich, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

5. Thursday--Chicken Parm, more Leftover Green Beans

6.  Friday--Teriyaki Salmon, leftover Sweet Tater Fries, Cole Slaw

7. Saturday--Chicken Thighs w/SF BBQ sauce, Collard Greens

The "plan" got followed until we hit Thursday, then some shopping happened and we ran this menu into the ditch. lol

What got taken out of the freezer last week...

* Chicken Strips

* Meatballs

* 2 TV dinners

* Chicken Patties

* Chicken Parms

What got put into the freezer last week....

* 4 Chicken/Veal Parms

* 1 Smoked Kielbasi

*  7 BSCThighs

Last week we spent a shocking $333.01 on grocery shopping for January.  Still stocking back up.....that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 8-))  All the dog food and facial tissue(which we were running dangerously low on)bought just made the total worse.

Total shopping comes to $523.63 for January.   

There are 16 shopping days left in January.  With the wild weather forecast here I may not get a chance to get out to the store until Thursday or Friday(if at all) this coming week anyway so I'm glad I stocked up.  I figure I've got just over 7 days left in the month to grocery shop and will try to show some restraint. *rolling my eyes*

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $168.04 on Ibotta in January.

I've earned $41.50 on Shopmium in January.

I've earned $1.00 on Alexa app in January.

I've earned $2.20 on Kroger Cash Back in January.

I've earned $37.97 on TaDa in January.

I've earned $6.76 on Checkout51 in January

I've earned $3.00 on Aisle and $12.84 on a Manuf. Rebate.

I've earned 5,563 points from food shopping on Fetch in January.

I've earned 350 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in January

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in January.

That is $271.11 in rebates(not counting the Kroger Cash Back/Shop Kick/Fetch)on $523.63 of grocery spending so in reality it's $252.52 in food spending after the 6 rebate apps I count. 

My savings percentage for the last week was 38.37% and the monthly savings total for January comes in at 38.66% spent. 

Leftovers going into this week....2 Chicken Thighs, Spaghetti and Meatballs, 2 Chicken Parm Patties, Cole Slaw and Collards.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Leftover Chicken Parm, Salad

2. Monday--Chicken Marsala, leftover Collards

3. Tuesday--Cabbage w/Onions, Chicken Sausages

4  Wednesday--Shrimp Scampi, leftover Collards

5. Thursday--Stauffer's Cheddar Broccoli Bake

6.  Friday--Leftovers or Lean Cuisine tv dinner

7. Saturday--Leftovers or ?

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy    

Actual Snow is Forecasted for Down Here....Y'all Be Careful Now, Ya Hear!

Not having grown up in the "deep" South("just" in Virginia, as far South as you can go in that state)and then living up North since college(the last 23 years on an actual mountain)I find it hilarious the panic on the faces of people in the store and the Weather People on the tv the last couple of days, due to the fact that they are forecasting up to 1" on snow and/or ice here tonight/tomorrow.

This is what prompted me to post this take on a classical still life painting done by George Lucas in 2016........

Of course my first thought was, Where are the eggs?!?"  Everyone knows you have to wipe the store out of milk, bread and eggs.  I think the tp was added when Covid came on the scene. ;-)

I was at Walmart early this morning and watched people walking around in there without coats, hats, gloves, and one lady had on shorts and flip flops(I kid you not).  And it was 28F by the way.

And this video pretty much sums up Winter/a Prediction of Snow in the South.

Sluggy

Great News!

 I had to have a new sleep study done, been trying to get in with one of these sorts of doctors since we moved Sept. 2022.  Finally got a referral and had an appointment with one this past November.  She confirmed that due to weight changes I needed a new study but the department was backed up for EIGHT MONTHS to get one scheduled. ugh.  But there are two private companies who do the studies here(filling a need obviously, as if someone with severe OSA could die before they get diagnosed/a study at that rate).

So we got scheduled with the private company that took our then private health insurance in early December 2023.  They were to send the test results to my sleep doc, who would contact me.

I sent her a message while we were on our road trip(3 weeks later). She had already set up a follow up appointment for me in March 2024 before she went out on maternity leave, figuring I'd need my settings on my BiPAP adjusted at least.

I was up front with her that I wasn't using the BiPAP since we left in May of 2023 for our cruise, as I felt it didn't help me sleep better.  I had already lost a bit of weight at that point.  I was required by my TKR surgeon to bring it to Ohio with me so I did but they never put it on me after surgery before I woke from the anesthesia, but I dutifully used it at night the two nights after surgery that we spent in Ohio.

So the Sleep Doc sent me a message that she was moving my March appointment up to January.  I kind of knew something was up as the sleep technician, after wiring me up told me it was going to be a "split study" which means they just put you on oxygen for half the night, then wake you up and put a machine on you for the rest of the night.  Turns out he never came to wake me up until the morning when it was time to leave.  Hmmm.

I took my machine to my doctor appointment as instructed(figuring they needed to adjust the settings down as I tried to use it the night before and it was blowing air into my nostrils so forcefully that I had a hard time sleeping and breathing, kept swallowing air, etc.)

She was all smiles when she gave me the good news that the study showed I no longer had sleep apnea! 8-)))

The doctor plugged the unit in to check the settings and the finding from the night before showed her my breathing was worse using the machine than the night I had the study without it.

So here's my almost empty nightstand without that infernal machine sitting on it.  There's a company that buys BiPAPs and CPAPs, refurbishes them and resells them but I guess I used mine for too many hours so they won't buy it. 8-(  Anybody out there need/want a BiPAP?

I think I can sell all the attachments, tubing, filters, cushions, headgear, etc. I have that are still new and sealed in the packaging as those don't require a doctor's prescription.

I was diagnosed in March of 2013 with sleep apnea after ending up in the ER as I couldn't breathe and was suffering from right side heart failure.  That was a week after our then family doctor went batshit crazy(was self medicating with Opioids he wrote himself on his own Rx pad plus was drinking heavily, went and shot up the front of the grocery store in the shopping plaza where his office was and threatened people with a gun while driving an ATV around town.  He eventually lost his license to practice medicine).  No excuse for him not to catch my symptoms as I was seeing him once a month for a year, up to that point.  

BTW-he died in 2017 at 64 years, at home.  I'm thinking he was hopped up on pills and booze and we know he owned a gun(at least one).....but you come to your own conclusions.  I feel sorry for his kids though and his ex-wife.

But that's neither here nor there.

I am FREE from that machine!

Sluggy