Hey Kids,
How's everybody doing ?
I thought I was coming down with Bronchitis too, but it wound up that I'd just put too much pepper in my bowl of soup.
 Miss Belle sent us two bottles of her homemade elderberry syrup and everybody has been taking it. Lily is up and on the mend, but Tess and Mrs.D are still in bed.
I made another batch of horehound drops and thanks to My Tess, who always plans ahead, we're doing fine on food and other supplies.
We'd be stuck in a hotel right now,if we'd gone with plan A, but plan B (moving in with Mrs.D while we look for oúr new home) was Tess' idea and she was right. Again. I even think this might be a turning point in my relationship with Mrs. D. who told me yesterday that she appreciated how I've been looking after everyone and that "Tess is right. I have not given you a fair chance." 😲😲😲😲😲😲
Maybe it was the NyQuil talking, but it still meant a lot. 😉
Take care.

IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE 🤧🤒😷??? YES!!!

Hey Kids !!! Greetings from Sickie Central 😷.
Tess' mother started "feeling poorly" two days after St.Patrick's Day and took to her bed. A week later, My Tess followed, and then Lily. So, for the past eight days I have been Dr. Cham. Well, Male Nurse Cham might be more accurate. Besides making chicken soup and doling out cough medicine, cough drops, and aspirin I haven't had to do much, except worry. They've all been sleeping as much as possible and I've been pretty much on my own.

No, it isn't the Coronavirus. It's Acute Bronchitis. One of Mrs.D's ardent admirers is a doctor and he made a house call (does anyone still do that🤨???) and he even brought flowers 💐!!! I'd met him once before at Mrs. D's Japanese Easter karaoke party 🤨. Nice fellow.
At first,Mrs.D wouldn't let him in her room because she "didn't have her face on" 😱😆, but half an hour later, she agreed and after he looked in on Tess and Lily,  he said they all had bronchitis and that it would have to run it's course. After he left, I went to the computer to stock up on necessities and was shocked to find that our beloved WALMART was out of stock of a lot things on my list. Cough syrup, cough drops🍬, aspirin, rice🍚😯!!! When Tess is sick, she likes white rice with butter and frozen peas. I went to Ebay and found cough drops (3 pkgs for $15 ???) Oh, come on 😡!!! What kind of monster buys $2 cough drops and resells them for $5 ???  Now, when it comes to health, I say spare no expense, but that's ridiculous !
Then I remembered Tess' little "apothecary" in the garage. Luckily, she labeled the boxes so it didn't take me long to find it. (it took me longer to lift it. Hernia #4😵)I took it inside and unpacked it in the kitchen. There weren't any horehound drops, but among the herb packets I found horehound, her remedy recipe book and the little lozenge mold and got to work. Luckily, there was plenty of sugar, raw honey and lemons. Had I ever made cough drops before ? Uhhhh, no, but I've watched Tess do it a dozen times, give or take and .....how hard could it be to make tea, boil honey and sugar together and....OK, it was harder than it looked, but nine hours later I had a big batch of sorry looking cough candy and Tess said they were better than hers😁.

The chicken soup got a rave reviews from Mrs. D. She said it was "very nice"😕. When I made it, Tess was asleep and I didn't know which box her cookbooks were in (there are 5 boxes labeled books 📚. So I did the next best thing, I called my mom.

Me: Hey mom ! How are you doing ? How's Dad ?
My Mom: Sonny? (Not my real name 😄. ) Where are you?
Me:  🤨 In the next room. Where are you ?
That always makes her laugh.
My Mom: Oh, you.
Me: Everyone has Bronchitis and I need to make chicken soup. Can I have your recipe ?
My Mom: Oh no. Are you sure it isn't the Coronavirus?
Me: The doctor said Bronchitis.
My Mom : Oh no. Did you take them to the hospital?
Me: No, he came to the house. He said they were safer at home.
My Mom: That's going to cost a lot.
Me: No, he's an old friend of the family. I think he wants to marry Tess' mother.
My Mother : But, she's engaged to you!
Me: Not Tess ! Her mother ! Are you wearing your hearing aid ?
My Mother: Oh, you!
Me: So, can I have the recipe?
My Mother: Of course, honey !

So, a few hours later, I had a pot of chicken soup. When I delivered Mrs. D's, she pulled the duvet up to her chin and said "Mr. Cham, what ARE you doing in my boudoir ?  (😄She slays me.) Tess said it was "scrumptious" and Lily declared it "just what the doctor ordered".
Me: Actually, he didn't. He told me to feed you all pickled pigs feet, raw oysters and bacon flavored soda ! 🤢
She just looked at me. She's had eight years of my foolishness. She probably would've quit years ago, but she's devoted to My Tess and only tolerates me for her sake.

Well, the Dr. said this will last about three weeks, so I guess Easter will have to be postponed. It's Tess' favorite holiday, so we have to celebrate it.

I'm going to go and check on the ladies and then Tess and I are going to watch a movie, but we haven't decided on one yet. Something happy, something cheerful. She looks so tiny when she's sick and I get so frightened, so afraid of losing her. That's a fear I've had to face several times now.

And tho she be but little, she is fierce.


That describes my Tess to a T. Little and fierce. Lyanna Mormont fierce,(but in a prettier package) and it took a giant to bring HER down.

We've fought through worse together and I have my three best weapons. My Mom's chicken soup, Sunny Delight and horehounds. Lord Virus doesn't stand a chance !!!

 

OH, SEVEN HELLS !!!

💚☘️🍀St. Patrick's Day🍀☘️💚

Hello everyone! My goodness, but 

it seems a long time since I have posted here! I am curious about something though, and I hope that someone will answer my queries in the comments below. My Mr.Cham and I have noticed that the visits to the filmography pages have decreased significantly and we were wondering why that might be. Mr. Cham swears (not very often) that he saw a tumbleweed roll past him while he was over there. 

Well, today was St.Patrick's Day and I have Scots-Irish heritage on my mother's side of the family and Mr. Cham has Irish heritage on his father's side so we always have a little celebration. In case you did not know, St. Patrick is who we have to thank for the fact that there are no snakes in Ireland 🐍.

Mr.Cham and I were on a fish and fruit diet a few weeks ago and so I  assumed that he might request anything but fish, so I was surprised when he wanted to have salmon. His wish is my command. We do not eat the traditional meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage, because none of us cares for it, but a lot of other people do, despite the fact that it is not actually Irish. Irish immigrants merely adopted the dish from Jewish delicatessens.

"Boxty", Irish potato pancakes  which are a bit like latkes, but not crispy.

Salmon patties or for today,"Paddys" with fresh asparagus, Tartar sauce and a neighbor asked if I could use some zucchini, so Mr. Cham cajoled and received some fried. Well, it was a holiday.

Mr. Cham and I were invited to go swimming at the neighbor's house today. It was eighty five degrees and I miss our pool something fierce. My mother does not swim, so she does not have one........yet. so dinner was postponed until seven p.m. I was glad that I had done my baking on Sunday. I made a big batch of Pecan Sandies and a Guinness chocolate cake for "you know who".

s

I used Guinness milk stout because it is sweeter. What a cute label!

We are enjoying Florida, even with the unseasonably warm weather, if you are used to it being thirty degrees cooler at this time of year. 

I even think that my mother is becoming accustomed to Mr.Cham and vice versa, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part.

We hope that someone will be successful in finding a treatment or cure for the Coronavirus very soon and our sympathies and best wishes go out to all of those who have been affected by it.

Tess🌷

❤️🍿POPCORN LOVER'S DAY 🍿❤️

Hey Kids 😀!!!
Today is Popcorn Lover's Day !!!

Popcorn was a favorite food of the Native Americans and Aztecs and was introduced to the rest of us in the 1800's.

Charles Creators invented the first commercial corn popping machine in 1885.

During the Great Depression, theater owners
made a deal with independent popcorn vendors to sell the popular snack in front of their theaters, finding it less expensive than installing the ventilation system necessary at the time. A bag of freshly popped corn was an affordable treat when few had money for necessities, let alone luxuries.

During World War II when sugar was rationed (so long candy🍫🍬 and soda🥤😢) popcorn🍿 increased in popularity.

Yellow and white popcorn are the most popular, but you can find red, blue, and purple too.

My favorite is My Tess' 3 cheese (parmigiano
reggiano , white cheddar and gruyere) that she makes just for me😘. We have an air popper now. A cup of plain, air popped popcorn is only 30 calories. Woo hoo😒.

 Tess isn't
much of a popcorn eater, but she likes a little Crunch 'n Munch ( She puts extra sea salt roasted peanuts in it 😏).

If you're tired of just butter and salt and you want to try something new, I found this list from the Food Network.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-flavored-popcorn-recipes

Enjoy !!!😋🍿

NEXT POST: MARCH 17TH ST. PATRICK'S DAY !!!  (and Tess will be writing that one😁🤞💚)!!!

YO HO HO AND A (teeny, tiny, little) BOTTLE OF RUM🍹!!!

This Valentine's Day, I didn't have
anything planned because we were supposed to still be in Japan.
I wanted it to be really special to celebrate our new beginning, but I
couldn't think of a thing besides the requisite flowers, candy and other tangible declarations of love.

Now, as you know, I'm a romantic guy and My Tess has been on the receiving end of that for a while now (no complaints so far 😉🤞), so when I asked her what she wanted to do this year, she just smiled and said "Whatever we do is fine, Honey, but please do not go overboard".😒 Dang it! I thought she'd give me an idea.
I looked for ideas online.  Nothing.
And then about a week before Valentine's Day, the phone rang.  The ladies were out, so I answered the house phone because Mrs.D doesn't have an answering machine. It was Tess' Godfather, the one who lives on the boat. He said he was going to be taking his lady friend to Hawaii for 2 weeks and asked if we wanted to use the boat while he was gone.

Me: YES😵 !!! I yelled, a bit too loudly.
GF: Great! Tess has the keys. I'll get her ship shape (😀). Have a good time !
I thanked him and hung up and when the ladies came home, I told Tess to pack her bathing suit.
Tess: But you had already made plans.
Me: Well, I couldn't decide, but this is perfect ! The sea air will be good for you.
Tess: And you😘.
So, I rented a car and they delivered it the next day. I've borrowed Mrs.D's sedan a couple of times and I felt like I was 16 again, asking my mom for the keys. Not fun. Besides, we didn't know when we'd be back and the coiffure has to be redone every Friday without fail !!! 😶

Doppleganger 😬.

Our monthly grocery order had arrived from WALMART two days earlier (Mrs. D likes to do her own shopping) so Tess packed a box, a basket, and a freezer bag and I loaded those in the car (hernia) and went upstairs to pack my pilot case. We never take the laptops or smartphones, just a cellphone in case of emergency (the boat has a radio,etc.) and extra batteries, and a battery operated CD/cassette player/radio.

Before we left, I brought down the presents we had for Lily and Mrs. D. (We had a Rose bath basket shipped to Miss Belle in Louisiana).

A Sakura bath basket for Lily.

and a Lavender basket for Mrs. D. who eyed me suspiciously and asked why I would buy her something for Valentine's Day.

Tess: Mother😢 ! He is being sweet !
Me: I have a client who told me that in Russia the men give Valentine presents to all of their female relations. We......could be related someday......soon😁.
Mrs.D. 🤨 Have you finally set a date?
Tess: Mother !🤯
Mrs.D. : Oh hush. And where is Tess' present ?
Tess: He already gave me the best present possible.
Mrs.D: And what is that ?
Tess: My freedom.
Mrs D: 🤨?
Me: 🤗(Holding out two presents) I got you these too.

😊The requisite Almond Roca.

A Sweet Pea bath basket for My Little Sweet Pea.😉
(The box of fresh ones that I usually have shipped to NY, weren't ready this year, so this was my substitution. Tess loved it 🤗😘.)

 It took us a couple of hours to drive to where the boat is docked, so we decided to head out the next morning. When we walked into our cabin, there was a piece of stationary taped to the TV set.

DIED TWO DAYS AGO. SORRY.

We didn't care. We haven't watched TV since Game of Thrones ended. Yes, we were happy with how it all turned out and nothing will change our minds.

🗡️🏰 House Stark 🐺🗡️

MINI RANT ALERT !!!

 We skipped all of the award shows this year too, but we watched the Academy Awards in Memoriam and that was enough. Putting a big zero (for no nominations/wins) next to an actor's name is a pretty insensitive way to pay your "respects" to him/her. And memo to the producers: Instrumental music accompanied the in Memoriam for decades and it should've stayed that way. Give the big new singing sensation (of the moment) three minutes somewhere else during the show. Let the people who entertained us for decades take their final bows without the caterwauling. Thank you.

AND NOW BACK TO OUR PROGRAM.........😄

I was helping Tess unpack the groceries (hernia #3) when I noticed something.

Me: Sweetie?

Tess: Yes, Honey?

Me: Did you only bring fish?🐟🐠🐡

Creole pompano with shrimp.

Fried bass.

 Tess:Well, I thought that since we were going to be eating some fish that we might try eating only fish and fruit while we are here.

Me: Not another diet 😣!!!

Tess: Just for 2 weeks.

Me: But why only fish and fruit ?

Sweet pineapple and mango 😋.

Tess: The Blue Lagoon.

Me: 🤔???

Tess: They only ate fish and fruit  and they looked so healthy!

Me: They were actors ! They were teenagers !

Tess: Oh, my ears ! Honey, please do not shout below deck.

Me: Sorry, Captain. Well, what did they drink?

Tess: Water.

Me: 😧.

Tess: That box is full of coconut water.

Me: I wondered why it was so heavy😩.

Awww.

Salmon sushi.

Tess: I also brought a few little treats seeing as it is a holiday.

Me: 🤗.

Tess: In four days.

Me: 😵.

Heart shaped chocolate chip coconut cookies. Yum.

The weather could have been better. In the 80's and raining is not my favorite, but if we were still in NY, it would be in the 30's and raining, so take your pick. The boat does have air conditioning and there was plenty of ice in the freezer for my delicious coconut water 😒.And then I remembered the cabinet full of tiny liquor bottles, but when I went to get a little bottle of rum (boats and rum are a perfect pairing, after all. Ask any pirate) for my coconut water, I found it locked.

Me: Sweetie ? Why is the liquor cabinet locked ?

Tess: Because they did not drink in The Blue Lagoon.

Me: Aha ! Paddy did ! He found that barrel of rum !

Tess: And then he died 😭!

Me: Not right away !

She knew I was right. She went away and came back a few minutes later and set three tiny bottles of rum on the table in front of me. (P.S. Coconut water, two thimblesful of rum, pineapple juice, a squeeze of lime and ice. I think I've invented something 😁🍹! But, probably not😌). 

Salmon patties with spinach and asparagus.

Bass with mushrooms.
I know that sounds weird, but it was delicious !

For twelve days,we ate and swam  and enjoyed the silence ,except for Tess' bossa nova CDs that she likes to play on the boat because they remind her of her daddy 😇. We did a little dancing too 🕺💃.

Tess' Godfather called to thank Tess for the big tin of fresh baked cookies she'd left for him and the three homemade dinners he'd found in the freezer.He apologized for the TV again and I told him it didn't matter and why.

GF: Oh, that Daenerys! Rotten to the core! Pretty little thing, but rotten. They have to be pretty INSIDE !

Me: Like My Tess.

GF: Now, you're talking ! I know I'm prejudiced, but she's the best.

Me: I couldn't agree more.

When we got back, we'd found that Lily had baked a cherry pie because she had noticed CHERRY PIE DAY on Tess' crazy calendar on February 15th.

Me: You're 7 days late. 

Is there any fish in it ?

Lily: No, Sir🤨.

Me: Then we can't have any. We're on a fish and fruit diet 😒.

Lily: Cherries are fruit.

Me: Ah, I might get around that on a technicality.

Tess came downstairs giggling.

Tess: I lost 6 pounds !

I went upstairs and got on the scale. 

Me: Woo Hoo ! I lost 11 !😄

Tess: I knew you could do it !

Me: Maybe we should buy a boat ! A houseboat !!!

Tess: Do you want cool whip on your pie ?

Me: No pie. I'm turning over a new leaf.

Tess: You could have a small piece.

Me: I'm going to bed.

Tess said her goodnights and followed me upstairs.

Me: So, you don't want to live on a boat ?

Tess:Do you ?

Me: It was nice. I'd forgotten how nice. Do you miss the house ?

Tess: Sometimes. We lived there for a long time. I miss my onsen and the swimming pool and the ducks.

Me: I know. We'll find a new house with the first two and we'll buy some ducklings and build a pond in the backyard.

Tess: Really ?

Me: Why not ?

Tess: And you know, we can go out on the boat more often, now that we are nearby. 

Me: Good.

P.S. The next morning, we had cherry pie for breakfast and it was Delicious 😋!!! Turning over a new leaf and completely changing your eating habits are two different things. Besides, life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.😉

And the world's best coffee.

If we had any doubts about quitting our jobs, putting the house up for sale, moving several  states away and leaving our old life (and hopefully all of the drama 🤪!!!) behind, we don't now. It was long overdue and looking back,I'm just sorry that we didn't do it sooner. No amount of money, status, or luxury is worth trading your health, happiness, or

 self respect for. 

Tess says that our only real "needs" are a full tummy, a comfortable bed, and peace of mind, and she's right.  Right now, we have all three under this roof and that's great, but it will be nice when we find a new little home to call our own.

This morning, the grower called to tell me the sweet peas were in bloom.

When I picked them up,I bought a couple of packs of seeds from him too.

Me: For our future garden.
Grower: To plant a garden, is to believe in tomorrow.
Me: That's nice ! Did you write that ?
He stepped aside and I saw the sign bearing the quote on a plaque on the wall. When I got home, I Googled. It was actress Audrey Hepburn who said it. Then I went upstairs and put one vase on Tess' bedside table and another in her bath, so that she would wake up surrounded by her favorite fragrance. I wish I could do that for her every day.

I do believe in tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it, but I have learned to be grateful for today and I'm going to savor every moment of it. I hope you'll do the same. 😉💐