Hey Kids,
I know, I know. We've been MIA for  47  days😯 !!! (is that a record ?) Where have we been?

ORLANDO !!!

Mrs.D and Lily recovered from their bout with Bronchitis, but My Tess was still in bed🛌, not eating much and very depressed😢, and we were all pretty concerned. I've been keeping in touch with my parents by phone☎️ and email 💻and they were concerned because they love her too.
My dad is a retired Cardiologist ❤️👨🏻‍⚕️ and my mom is a retired dietician 🍎👩🏼‍🏫and she used to teach pilates classes. They met in college. I'd been planning to take Tess to see her doctor in NY when we're able to travel, but my parents suggested bringing her to see them first, so that's what we did.

My parents live in a senior community in Orlando. It's a great place, really beautiful, everyone has their own yard, there's a lake🚤 and golfing⛳, and there are lots of activities 🕺💃🎥🎭🎾🎣🎨🖌️🎤🎉🎢🛶🚲🍾🛍️🛒💈⚔️, but it's also really relaxing.Tess had never been there before. I told her I wanted to take her there for a change of scenery, but she said that she wasn't fit company☹️ and my parents would rather see me alone. 😄 Silly child.

My Mom: Come for Shabbos!
Me: It's after 4 o'clock.
Mom: Sundown isn't until after 8 now, Sweetheart. You have plenty of time to get here.

So I packed a couple of suitcases,
 👜👜, threw Tess over my shoulder😲, put her in the trunk of the car🚗 😄and drove like crazy😵!

In less than an hour we were sitting on my parent's deck enjoying iced tea and "assorted nibbles", as my mom likes to call them, before dinner.
Tess perked up as soon as she saw the lake (she loves water 🛀🏼🏊🏻‍♀️🧜🌧️🛥️) and the next morning she and my mom started planning a new diet and exercise program for her, while Dad and I went to play 9 holes ⛳ before lunch.
Tess told my mom that she couldn't eat meat anymore🤢, so we're going vegetarian again😣🍍🍊🍓. My
 parents are pescatarians🐟🐠 (mom occasionally eats chicken when🍗she goes to a restaurant) so that didn't seem  odd to them. Tess insisted that I don't have to change what I eat, that we'll work it out, but I felt so good when we went on our "Blue Lagoon" diet on the boat and I lost 11 lbs 😁 and it wouldn't hurt me to lose a few more. Good health is precious and if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. We can abuse our bodies from childhood until our thirties, if we're lucky, but once you hit fifty, everything counts.😞 EVERYTHING !!!

When my mom went grocery shopping a few days later, I tagged along.
I wanted to see what our options were.
Surprisingly, there are a lot ! Tess had been sort of vegetarian when she first came to work for me. I unknowingly ate MORNINGSTAR FARMS CHIK PATTIES as "chicken fried steak" and their SAUSAGE PATTIES in Tess' delicious Red Beans and Rice and loved both of them and I enjoy tofu in Ramen, but beyond those, I wasn't aware of what was new on the market.
Our beloved WALMART carries several brands of meatless "meat" including the aforementioned MORNINGSTAR FARMS, GARDEIN (who has beef,chicken, turkey and deli style substitutes as well as the first pork and fish alternatives that I've seen) and
We aren't going vegan because I'm not giving up eggs🍳🥚, butter, cheese🧀🍕or milk in my coffee☕🥛).

Left to right - Tillamook cheeses don't use animal rennet and they're really good !😋 Mountain High yogurt is delicious !! (We already ate that) MorningStar Farms has a lot of great meat substitutes including chicken, beef, bacon and sausage.  And Miso soup because Tess is still being Japanese. She loved my mom's lucky bamboo plant🎋. Tess' is still in NY.

          Tofu, of course.

GARDEIN makes "fish" and🐟we both love fish and chips, so we'll have to try that next.

There were a lot of other things I know we'll both want to try, but the cart was full of fruits and veggies and herbs, so next time.
I made ramen for everyone that weekend and Tess ate
most of hers. I smothered it with fresh veggies (the ramen is underneath, barely visible in the lower right hand corner). I put it a couple of the new "chicken" nuggets on top to tempt her.

We went swimming for the first time since we left New York and took rides around the grounds in my parent's golf cart (I miss my car 😢) and on one of our little jaunts we passed a house with a FOR SALE sign in the yard.
Tess: (squeals with delight) Oh, how darling!
Me: (slams on the brakes, almost killing both of us🤪)
Tess: Honey be careful, there are senior
citizens here! The sign says 20 miles an hour.
Me: I was only driving 30.
Tess: (looking at the house😍) Isn't it sweet? I wonder why it is for sale.
Me: Because someone's selling it😉.)
Tess: 😞 How sad.
Me: You're missing the house, aren't you ?
Tess:  We lived there for a long time.
Me: Do you want to go home ?
Tess: I should help your mother with dinner.
Me: No, I mean back to New York ?
Tess: We are not allowed to, are we?
Me: If we drove straight through.....Don't you want to go back to your mother's ?
Tess: I suppose we should, but it is lovely here.
Me: 🌺🌴🏝️🏡🐊🐻🐙. Do you want to look inside ?
Tess...........no.

Later, when we were all having dinner, Tess mentioned the house that we'd seen. Mom knew the couple who had lived there. Apparently, they wanted to travel 🛳️so that's why they were selling it.
Me: Tess wants to look inside.
Mom: Why don't you call the office tomorrow and schedule a tour?
Tess: 🙂.
Me: 🤔.
Mom: 😁.
Dad: 🧐.

So we took a tour and Tess fell in love with the house, but we're still thinking about it. We haven't listed the house in New York because of everything that's been happening and to be honest, I'm thisclose to officially retiring and we still need to decide what that will mean to the rest of our life in terms of where and how we want to spend it. We have some serious talking to do.

Two days ago we returned to Mrs. D's and found out that her maid has handed in her resignation and won't be returning (she ran when the 3 of them started coughing). So, Tess has to hire her replacement as soon as possible. It won't be the first time, as Mrs.D is apparently not easy to work for.
I think she missed us while we were gone, because she paid me the first compliment since I have known her.

Mrs. D : You are good for my daughter. (Me:😮) She looks happy again. I think I have misjudged you. (Me:😲)
Me: How so ?
Mrs. D: You are not like your😒.....friend. You are an honorable man. You are a Mensch.
Me: 😊. Thank you! That means a lot to me.
(I felt like Motel,when Tevye tells him he's a person, in Fiddler On The Roof !!!)
Mrs. D: Now, when is the wedding?
Me: 😒. Ask your daughter ! If it was up to me, we would've gotten married years ago !
Mrs. D : TESS!!!!!!!!😠
Me: Oy Gevalt !!! I have to get a front row seat for this !!! 🍿🥤

I'll let you know who won.😉

🎩👒HAPPY EASTER (DÉJÀ THORIS) 🎩👒

Hey Kids !!!
Well, today was Easter. In our house, anyway.
As I'd anticipated, we had to postpone the festivities. Mrs. D and Lily have recovered, but My Tess is still in bed. That cough is stubborn, it's still hanging in there, but so is she. We had another visit from Mrs. D's doctor beau and he says that because of Tess' already compromised immune system, she was hit harder. I'm all too familiar with that phrase. Several hospital coffee machines and I have bonded over the years.

Tess was disappointed and guilty about missing Easter, but she slept well last night and so I decorated her bedside table with a few things I scavenged from the holiday boxes in the garage.

It made Tess smile. That's all I was hoping for.

I made a little basket for her.

Part joke, part necessity.

 and Lily and I made a few things to try and tempt Tess' appetite, which hasn't been very good lately.
The wheezing makes it too hard for her to breathe, but the doctor said she was safer at home and the humidifier he suggested has been helping.
Mrs. D. (bless her heart😉) can't boil water, but she does make a fine hurricane🍹and her table setting skills are stellar, so she went up to visit Tess while the two of us made brunch.

She'd bought these salt and pepper shakers for Tess in Japan, but had mislaid them until yesterday (they were in her hatbox 👒😄)!!!

Chicken Waldorf salad, deviled eggs, rolls, a little fruit and cherry Danish. We had sweet tea, but I forgot to take a picture of my glass☹️.

I told Tess that was me on the left and her on the right. "What is that between us?"  An egg, I said. "Wishful thinking?" Yeah.

The Danish came from Harris Teeter.🤨

The little sweet potato pies were from Walmart. Too hot to bake. It's been in the 80's here (50's in NY). I don't think the ladies are loving this weather. 😥🔥

We watched Easter Parade (1948) and the Easter Parade from Tokyo Disneyland (from YouTube. It was probably 10 years old, but it met the "kawaii" criteria. I don't think I'll ever get that "hop,hop,hop, hop, hop, funny bunny land" song out of my head 😵!!!)

My deviled eggs, not as good as My Tess' 😔.
Brunch was good. Tess ate a little, I ate a lot. Who else is comfort eating ?🖐️ I won't judge. We've had a couple of nibbles on the house, but I'm not in a hurry to sell or even to go up and show it. Our housesitter says the dog is fine, the horse is fine, and the house is fine. I talked to my parents yesterday, they're both well 👍,and they want us to visit as soon as we're able.
Soon, I hope. Priorities #1 Tess, #2 Family.

Summer is coming. ☀️ 😎

💐🐰🐥Happy Easter🐥🐰💐

 💛From the two of us.💛

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😁🤞💚)!!!