Go for it, Meldy! Just three days ago, I grabbed my spade and dug enough carrots to roast around a big chunk of beef. They had endured many 20s nights, none the worse for wear. I didn't cover anything......harvested my fall cabbages the same day and dug up half a dozen celery plants to grow on in my g'houses. If I'd have hayed up the rest of the veggies out there, I'd have been able to squeeze through to January, most likely. I was telling some friends, I had inadvertently stuck a bunch of eggs in my coat my hens had left me, forgot about them when I started to spade up veggies, and proceeded to make scrambled eggs inside my pockets. It's a really gross feeling when egg yolks bleed through to your skin and drip downward toward your knees at twenty degrees. LOL.

Lynn~Glad that you made it back it one piece & that DH was able to recover his wallet. There are still some good people in the world today. Besh~My toes are defrosted for now. LOL I don't think that I have very good blood flow in my broken foot yet. Dave said that it was cold last night but the knee that is giving me trouble was hot according to him. I'm reading the "Chronicles of Narnia" & it is so long that it is taking me a while but I'm really enjoying it. I don't know about Carrabelle, FL. I don't know much about the panhandle. Marci~I need to get with you so that we can figure out how to post some of the pictures of my little one. Let me know when you are coming to Tampa. Jen~It sounds like you got some really good gifts. I am supposed to be working on a scrapbook for Dave's parents' 50th wedding anniversary in July. I haven't been able to find the book. I may have to get it off the 'Net. QOD~My 16-y.o. niece is in Orlando playing soccer & we will probably go watch her or at least go & take her out to do something fun. She is a doll. She stays so busy that she doesn't have time to get in trouble. She is in the band, the school's soccer team & band & she has several of the honor's classes & she runs track, then she is in one of the soccer teams that is exclusive & you have to be picked & like this weekend, they go places for competition. Then Dave & I plan to watch movies & have some of the pomegranate martinis then we will have some Asti Spumanti while watching Dick Clark's show & toast in the New Year. This is pretty much a tradition for us. We were pretty sad the year that Dick Clark was too sick to do the show himself. I have to say that I am so thankful for good friends like each of you. With your help, I will get healthier this year. I'm having an MRI done on my knee on Tuesday. They will probably say that nothing is wrong but it has still been hurting along with my foot. I can tell that they are healing though. Love you each. Happy New Year. Patti :)

So sorry for your loss! I have only been married for just over 3 years, and already cannot imagine how difficult such a loss would be to deal with. I have something to add on the lettuces, celery, bunches of greens front. Even though our grocery stores have mostly installed the annoying mister attachments that keep spraying the vegetables, they still can be a bit dehydrated when you buy them. This is because the cut end of a plant seals over quite quickly in order to keep whatever moisture the plant holds. So all the misting helps, but isn't enough. When you get any of the above veggies home, trim a quarter inch from the cut end(s) and leave to soak in a container of cool water for a couple of hours or overnight. Soaking up the water refreshes the veggies the same way it refreshes cut flowers. Then be sure and drip or pat them dry before following the steps others have noted. The infusion of fresh water will help them stay fresh longer. I lived alone for many years, and loved fresh vegetables. During that period, I lived near several produce stores which helped as I could stop in regularly, but still, a head of lettuce is a head of lettuce! Another thing to focus on is planning. For example, say you enjoy munching on celery stalks from time to time, but can't get through a bunch before it will wilt and go bad, determine how much you are likely to eat fresh, and then come up with a recipe to use the rest before it spoils. If you'll likely eat half a bunch of celery fresh, how about using the other half in a cream of celery soup (which you can freeze in meal sized portions) or use some as a side dish (sauteed celery in a mustard cream?) and some in a vegetable soup? For fruits, you can reserve some to eat fresh, and then cook and freeze other portions to eat as desserts...a bag of fresh plums or apricots? Set a few in your fruit bowl, lightly poach the others with a bit of wine or liqueur, and bring it out when you are out of fresh to eat topped with a bit of crunchy granola or yogurt or on a slice of angel food cake or toasted sweet bread. Puff pastry bought frozen in a box is excellent for a single person, as you can cut off enough for your own single use, line a baking cup with it, fill with some of your frozen fruit and make yourself a nice little treat without all the leftovers of a regular pie or cake to deal with. I developed a real passion for soup while I was living alone because it freezes so well and is such a healthy way to use a variety of meats, vegetables and grains. Living alone, it can become very easy to get into a rut and not get a healthy variety of foods in your diet because it just seems like too much work. But you can make soup out of just about anything, and it is also an excellent way to use up the bits and pieces of leftovers when your fridge begins to be crowded with tupperware containers! And remember, if you would be willing to go through the trouble to cook a good, balanced meal for someone else, then you should be willing to do the same for yourself because you are just as important, if not more, than anyone else. Cherish yourself the way you would cherish someone else, you deserve your own care.

Thanks to all for your support and suggestions! We did in fact get through. I have spoken with my husband about the bigotry of his mom and step dad. He did not need me to tell him as he has dealt with it all his life. They moved into a retirement/assisted living situation about 18 months ago and I think this year they really appreciated being in our home with family. We are the only members of husband's family that go out of our way to include them in any special way in the holidays. My husband diverted the only conversation that was headed toward the inevitable ignorant comment, so we felt pretty lucky. As far as the kids were concerned (18 year old girl, 22 year old boy,) that went okay too. My step daughter actually seemed to like the presents we bought - first time in 8 years - not just the money we gave her. They bought us a gift that actually suggests she was listening at one of her Sunday visits (husband's son has been in IL for his first semester away from home at school, so he did not even hear us talk about wanting to go to the NCAA women's playoff round taking place near us this year.) They got us tickets! The gift and the day were moments that meant something to me, so I am thankful. The sadness of losing the pregnancy made Christmas day difficult. Husband and I usually spend it alone. That has always been a good thing for me and an ambivalent thing for him as he no longer goes to his sister's big family/friend affair on Christmas day. This is never what I thought family was supposed to be. My upbringing was full of family, but I am no longer close to most of them and the few I am close to are many states away from me. But I am all about not letting the moments of my life pass without notice now - the good and the not so good - because the moments pass and you never get them back. I am trying to value my life, and the people in it, to every extent I can. Thanks.