Lunch Plans, Burger Battles and What Will I Make for Dinner?

I'm quite bummed - the Wild are no longer in the hunt for the playoffs, having lost last night to the Golden Knights of Las Vegas 3-2. I watched the highlights on my phone this morning. There were a lot of really good shots, some great goaltending from both sides, but at the end, we lost. DH will be depressed all day, and many others here in the "State of Hockey" will be. Maybe when they change the name of the arena in a few months, the new name will signal a new beginning for the Wild. I'm still a fan, but I'm one of thousands of disappointed fans and I'm afraid we might lose some key players over the off-season. 

I live in what's affectionately called the 
"State of Hockey". We take our ice hockey 
VERY seriously up here in the Frozen 
Northlands. The fact that we've NEVER won 
the Stanley Cup is a sore spot for all of 
us who love the sport. *sigh*

I'm meeting my oldest niece for lunch today. I had some ideas I wanted to bounce off her and I also just wanted to catch up a bit. We see each other at family events, of course, but family events in my family are like meetings of a small nation. Although my generation is represented by three people - my sister-in-law, my husband and myself, the next generation (her children) numbered eight, and they are almost all married with kids of their own now. Like I said, a small nation when we get together for family celebrations. It's impossible to actually carry on a conversation during those times, so since I had some things to bounce off her, I thought meeting my niece for lunch would be a wise course of action. 

The restaurant is one of two known for what's called 
the "Juicy Lucy" burger. A hamburger with melted 
cheese in the middle of the meat patty. When I was still 
eating dairy, I considered them quite tasty. I'm sure 
there will be other options for me today that will 
leave out the cheese. 

We're meeting closer to her end of the Cities, but since it's May, that's not a problem. I'm not sure I'd like to do the drive in the middle of Winter, but when there's no snow on the ground, it's not a issue. We're meeting at Lucy's Burgers - home of the Juicy Lucy burger. Of course there are other things on the menu as well, but it's their Juicy Lucy that has made their fame. They're in constant competition with Matt's Burgers, each arguing that they came up with the idea of a "Juice Lucy" first. It's rather like the hare and the tortoise - they probably both came up with the idea at about the same time, and they're both renowned for it in their respective areas. 

I've had a Jucy Lucy from Matt's Bar in Minneapolis, and 
the other place in contention is called the 5-8 Club, but in 
St Paul, the clear winner is Lucy's Burgers. It's a bit of a 
shame that I'm not eating dairy any more, I'd love to try it 
here and see what I think about their version of this classic. 

I need to think about what I want to make for my dinners for the next few days. I haven't really thought much about it, but my side of the refrigerator is looking a bit sparse. I won't have a lot of time to cook, so I have to be very aware of my time and my requirements. At worst, I can quickly bake some chicken, I have two pounds of bacon that needs to be fried up and crumbled, and I'll have to check my freezer to see what I might have there (under the crap that DH keeps putting on MY little section of the larger drawer). Well, I'm off and running. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Be kind, have fun, and Slava Ukraini. 

Today I Find Out My Future - Planning My Health Care Pathway

I was up early today. Normally it would be a swimming day, but I knew swimming wouldn't be allowed while undergoing my cancer treatment, and I wasn't sure if the biopsy was healed enough to allow the chlorinated water. Despite the temperature, I got dressed and went over to the gym in -7 F  degree temps (yes ... that's very COLD) to bring my friends and fellow 5:00 am swimmers up to date. I got a lot of hugs and will get lots of prayers, so I'm ahead of the game, right? I think so. 

I'm trying not to think too far ahead, just stay with the game 
for each little bit. Just one step at a time can be a game-changer. 

Yesterday DH and I were going to make a backdrop so that he could photograph some of the items we want to put into auctions in the Southwest this coming year. I brought my staple gun over to the shop with me, and I know I had it, but somehow between the time I took it out of my backpack and the time we actually needed it shortly after closing, it had completely disappeared. You know how sometimes you swear there's a dimensional doorway that takes something you KNEW was there into a new realm? That's pretty much what happened to my favorite staple gun. I'm NOT happy, nor is DH who couldn't get his board covered and set up. Stumbles in the pathways of our lives. I'm now without my staple gun, and I have to look yet again today. It has to be there, I just can't think of where since we checked just about everywhere for it last night. 

Most staple guns (DH owns three of them) are 
too hard for me to actually use effectively. The 
one I had was PERFECT for me and I loved it. 
I'm very upset that I couldn't find it last night, 
when I had just brought it to the shop in the morning. 
I think I looked everywhere, but will check a 
couple of other locations this morning. The project, 
to say the least, did not get completed. *sigh*

And, of course, the Minnesota Vikings football team were a disaster last night. Our season has come to an ignominious end. It's a good thing I'm a hockey fan. The Wild are still doing very well, and there's lots more hockey remaining to be watched as we move through this new year. 

It's a good thing the Minnesota Wild are skating really 
well in hockey right now, because the Minnesota Vikings 
rolled over and died in the playoffs last night. It was a 
pathetic show and I didn't bother watching it for long. 

I have a 10:10 appointment with my Care Team at the cancer center. My friend Claire (aka "Chickie Mama" is coming along with me to help me have another set of ears and questions. I'm very fortunate in my friends. They've all come to the top with this twist in my life, and I know they'll be there for me if I need to call on them. 

Back to the Breast Center again today, this time for a 
meeting with my Care Team. I'll get a much better idea 
of the plan they have in place and the timelines I'll be 
looking at after today's meeting. I'm glad Claire is coming 
along with me. I can use a second set of ears and eyes 
to make sure I'm not missing anything. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and have breakfast and a WARM cup of tea. I'm still defrosting from, my early morning "chores" and I think a nice 'cuppa' is merited. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow,.hopefully with more of an idea about my treatment choices and prognosis. Enjoy your Tuesday. Slava Ukraini. 

Tossing Around the Yiddish Because English Just Doesn't Cut It

I had a wonderful run ... yesterday morning. However, for the remainder of the day I was walking in pain from a pulled muscle in my upper thigh, something that had happened within the last five minutes or so on the treadmill yesterday. So, with the wisdom that hindsight brings, I've decided that I overdid it a bit yesterday, and also that I needed to give myself an additional amount of time to recover from this before going back to the equipment. So, I skipped today's run, and I'll be back on the treadmill on Monday. Of course, DH wants me to show him how to operate the machine tomorrow, so maybe I'll get a short workout on Sunday while demonstrating various things to him. Either way, however, today is a "rest" day instead. 

No treadmill today. My muscles are not very 
happy with me - I overdid it yesterday and all 
day I was in some serious hurt. I'll give myself 
until Monday to recover and should be fine to 
go by then. 

I survived the most recent LJ Idol round, and am entering the next one with the stories due on Thursday. Our topic this time is a quote from Thelonious Monk: "A genius is the one most like himself". It's leaving me a bit "bershpucked" (not sure of the Yiddish spelling, but the word is the right one for this event). I have things running through my brain, but will they be strong themes enough to survive writing and read-through? After all, for the previous post I wrote and discarded more than four tries before starting the acrostic out of desperation in my prayer. 

I'm completely "berspukled" by the latest 
topic for LJ Idol. I can tell I'm confused because 
I don't slip into Yiddish very often. But, as I 
was going through the Yiddish dictionary to see 
if I even remembered the word properly, I was 
quite amazed by how much Yiddish I actually 
know. Guess Mom raised me right - LOL. 

The Wild (hockey team) succeeded in their game against Tampa Bay last night. They were wearing their "Reverse Retro" alternate jerseys which confused me because it was North Stars colors but with the Wild logo. Very pretty. I still have an official North Stars jersey in my closet. It's not specific to any player, just a generic official one. But I still love it and I miss those colors. It was really nice to see them on the ice in Minnesota once again. I happily wear my current MN Wild jerseys too, though, especially my Kaprisov one given to me by a cherished online friend who also enjoys hockey. 

While watching the hockey game last night (we won - 
Yippee), I was initially confused by the uniform colors 
the players were wearing. These were MN North Stars 
colors, not MN Wild colors. Looking it up, it's called 
a "Reverse Retro" jersey, one of several specialty 
jerseys the team is authorized to wear for games. 
It was rather nice to see the green and gold back 
out on the ice again. 

Tuesday is Election Day where the challenge for the Presidency will enter the next phase. I guarantee if Trump isn't elected, he'll start legal crap, and people will be up in arms. Then again, if Harris doesn't win, the same thing might happen except I doubt she'll be crass enough to buy judges and influence outcomes. Either way, it's bound to be interesting, and I'm sure all of you remember that old Chinese curse ... "May you live in interesting times". ACK! 

There's something to be said about NOT living in 
interesting times. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending 
upon your viewpoint) interesting times are exactly 
where we are living right now. We're on a knife's edge 
and this election is more important than a LOT of 
elections in our past. 

So, I'm off for another day at the shop and some mulling over of directions I might take the current LJ Idol topic. I usually start and toss several story lines before settling into something I feel worth sharing with the group. The group is shrinking quickly, and for the first time ever, I'm in the final ten. It's mind-blowing and rather frightening in some respects, but I'm delighted to be among this group. I know if several people hadn't withdrawn (one in particular), I might not have survived this long. So, I'm off to the shop, then on to my truncated weekend, and finally marching into next week with a bit of trepidation. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Weekend of New Equipment - TV's and the Treadmill

We'll do anything for hockey, including rewiring existing TV's and purchasing new ones, if needed. LOL In this case, we did both. DH rewired the upstairs TV and determined the downstairs TV needed to be replaced. After a lot of looking, DH finally decided on a small Westinghouse TV, which will arrive at the shop today (it was only $13.99 for overnight shipping, so why not?). He can fuss with getting that set up in the computer room, and do whatever prep work he needs to do for it during the day today and do the actual install tomorrow. But tomorrow he also wants me to teach him what to do with ... 

Here's my old treadmill, folded up and ready 
to be taken away. It served us well for more 
than 20 years, but finally gave up the ghost. 
It's been more than three years that I've been 
without a treadmill, and my doctor is insistent 
that I needed that type of exercise to help my bones, 
so I caved and bought a new treadmill at 
the State Fair. It was VERY expensive, but 
very worth the expense. 

The treadmill. Yes, it arrived yesterday and it's BEAUTIFUL. It actually takes up almost the exact same area and length that our NordicTrack took, but with a LOT more bells and whistles. It took the two guys, who were VERY experienced in set-up, a bit more than an hour to take away my old treadmill and assemble my new one. There is one back plate that had incorrect screws and they immediately ordered that part to be shipped to me, (no charge of course), assuring me that the install of that part was minimal effort (very true) and that the electrical board it covers was sealed, so dirt wouldn't be an issue either. 

Here's my new treadmill, all set up and ready to go. It 
took the guys a bit more than an hour to get it all put 
together. I'm not sure if DH and I would have EVER been 
successful at doing it - there were definitely some 
tricky parts and these guys were experts. They said they 
had put together a LOT of equipment for the State Fair 
booth, and it showed. They knew what they were doing 
every step of the way. 

Later in the afternoon, after an afternoon of frenetic cooking: (1) Ogre Juice for my nest week's lunches, (2) baked fruit for my breakfasts - 12 containers worth, (3) honey roasted baby carrots - so nummy; I decided a trial run was called for. That required digging into my closet for my old gym bag, retrieving exercise clothes I haven't worn for several years. 

Of course, the clothes had been washed, I wasn't about to put on scuzzy clothing. I always washed them after every week's exercise sessions - usually two times a week. Then I had to hunt for my shoes - that was more difficult. I actually didn't find my shoes until this morning, substituting a second set (not as comfortable) for my initial treadmill try out. 

There are a ton of virtual trails available for the 
treadmill. I've started out just random choices, but 
I'll soon be downloading specific ones. I'm still just
 getting started - two miles yesterday, 1-1/2 mile 
today. I'm VERY happy. 

The machine itself had been automatically uploading and updating throughout the afternoon. I had connected it to the WiFi almost immediately after the guys left in the morning, and the first thing it wanted to do was update. So, I let it do its' thing, and it uploaded and installed new updates for a couple of hours before it was well fed and happy. I logged myself in as a user, set up my personal profile, and decided to start with "Virtual Trails" - a scenic run through various areas around the nation. I notice it has Spotify, so I'll load in my password for that and get some decent music down the line too. But, I did two miles yesterday, and another 1-1/2 mile today, so I'm very pleased. I like it! My doctor will be delighted, and my bones will probably be very happy as well. 

Yesterday Was Cooking, Grocery Shopping and Cooking - LOL

I'm off to the pool for my final swim of the week. Tomorrow the treadmill gets delivered and installed, and I'll finally be able to get back to a 6-day exercise cycle once again. I've really missed that! It's been more than two years since the treadmill died. 

I made a batch of "Tomato-Orange Soup" yesterday. It 
takes 12 tomatoes, but they're totally in season right 
now. Still, that was a lot of tomatoes to roast and peel 
and my fingers were quite heat sensitive by the end of 
it. It finishes off in the blender, and it's a lovely marriage 
of flavors and spices. If you're interested in the recipe, 
it can be found here: 
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/tomato-orange-soup/

I managed to get both soups done yesterday. I was mistaken about the cooking method for the one soup, both of these used the stovetop. But fortunately, I chose the correct soup to start the cooking process, because the one that took the most time was the one I dove into first. The second soup was a total breeze - maybe 1/2 hour of prep work before letting it simmer for an hour or so. I got the chicken made for our meals last night, and realized I had forgotten to pick up an avocado and cherry tomatoes when I was at the store. Since DH was running late (last minute customer), I dashed over to the store and quickly got the two items purchased. Problem solved! 

The Asian Vegetable-Beef soup was the second soup 
I made yesterday. It's main ingredient is a pound of 
stew meat, which is then mixed in with a lot of lovely 
veggies and simmered for an hour. It's a lovely soup. 
If you would like the recipe, here it is: 
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/asian-vegetable-beef-soup/

Today DH will visit out local Comcast store to nail why we aren't getting our hockey games. We needed to upgrade our tier for that channel, but I did that over the phone a month ago and it still hasn't been turned on. I'm beyond frustrated, and DH is angry. So I supplied him with all of the paperwork I had, including a complete transcript of the conversation I had with the customer service agent over the phone. Hopefully he can get things straightened up today. It's very frustrating! 

Hockey is starting and we need that Comcast change so that 
we can see the games. Not having it installed, although I spent 
more than an hour on the phone with customer service, is 
MORE than frustrating. DH gets to go and see what's what 
this morning. 

Voting for the latest story on LJ Idol will open late tonight, so I'll post a reminder about that tomorrow and I hope that my story about Haver and baby talk will merit your vote. I'm delighted and relieved to be continuing on in LJ Idol. I don't think I've ever made it quite this far before, but honestly can't remember how many weeks I survived the previous time I wrote for the challenge. (I also can't recall if this is my 2nd time or my 3rd time as a contestant in LJ Idol. My memory is like a sieve for some things, and a steel trap for others.) Have an excellent Thursday, I'm off to the pool. Slava Ukraini. 

Rocks, Hockey and A Bit of ARGH - ALSO Please Vote or I'm Out of the Writing Competition

DH and I started our Sunday out at the MN Gem & Mineral Show. They opened the building at 10:00 am, but we arrived a bit earlier to roam through the outside vendors. This year they all had fabulous weather, which was awesome. Other years we've been there in rain, and a few times in an early snow. Yesterday was warm and sunny and perfect for wandering. 

I fell in love with this matched set of Cherry Creek 
Jasper. DH preferred the second set the vendor had, 
but I liked the color spectrum in this set. The 
inner twin works with the bottom of the centerpiece, 
the outer two work with the top of the centerpiece. 
It's well balanced, and in my favorite color spectrum. 

DH and I both adore rocks - we have WAY too many of them, but we love them. I fell in love with the five-stone set of Cherry Creek Jasper (above photo). It was only $20, and they were really nicely matched and complimented each other beautifully. DH thought the other five-stone set was nicer, but I disagreed, so he handed me the money and I now have the set sitting at my desk. I can hardly wait to design a beaded setting for them. It'll be stunning and a lot of fun to make. 

Since I didn't have a "day off" this past week, my laundry was 
mounting up. I did one large load on Sunday - way more 
than I would usually put in my washer. But it had to be done. 
I don't like doing loads that large, and the sheets had to wait 
for a week, but we'll survive that. 

DH has a habit of purchasing raw rock. We keep them in drawer sets in the basement, which has a concrete floor. That's rather essential when dealing with pounds and pounds of rock. He managed to talk me into letting him buy a small baggie of one style, and one smallish larger stone from our favorite vendor for raw materials. So we both ended up with something from the Gem & Mineral Show. We headed back home to watch the football game while I did laundry. 

It's almost time for the professional ice 
hockey season to start, and we aren't able 
to watch the games at home yet, even though 
I supposedly set everything up more than a 
week ago. DH is VERY unhappy, and he'll 
actually take the paperwork along with him 
to the Comcast store and discuss it with them 
in person. Hopefully he'll get somewhere, 
their website is a hot mess. 

The professional ice hockey season is about to kick off, and the TV station on which it is broadcast is now part of a higher tier. I contacted the cable company, purchased that higher tier and had everything shifted over ... but we're still not getting that station. After going through all of my paperwork (including a transcript of EXACTLY what the service rep had told me in a conversation more than two weeks ago), DH will head over to the Comcast office on Tuesday with all of the paperwork to find out why we're still not getting that channel. Our hockey is VERY important to us. DH is NOT happy that we haven't been able to watch the pre-season games, and he has no intention of missing the season completely. 

Given the season and how many Halloween decorations I'm 
already seeing in people's yards, this seemed an appropriate 
illustration for "The Cupboards are Bare". Mine aren't quite 
THAT bare, there's still food to eat, but everything I made 
in advance of Chickie's trip has been eaten. 

So, that's the excitement in my life - LOL. I'm back to a normal week again. Chickie returns to work tomorrow and I'll get my normal Wednesday and Friday off. That's good, because my pre-made food is completely eaten and I need to get more made. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. OH!!! I'm in a WRITE-OFF to stay alive in LJ Journal. Here's the link ( https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1166159.html ) and I'd REALLY appreciate your votes if you like what I've written for the write-off. Deadline is tomorrow night (Tuesday) and my life on LJ Idol depends on YOUR votes. Thanks in advance. Slava Ukraini. 

A Weekend Ahead of Cleaning and Spraying and Final Thoughts on the NHL Season

The weekend plan is for DH to spray sealant on Laura's side of our fence on Saturday and Sunday. I'll apparently be helping, although what I'm specifically going to be doing is a mystery to me. I'll be starting out my contribution to the fence project tomorrow when I'll be doing a power wash of the bottom rail on Laura's side from the West through to the far East. Doing the power scrub won't be a problem, but getting the hose over might be an issue. Still, DH will have a similar issue getting electrical power for the spray painter when he's actually doing the painting. It'll be a weekend of hard work for both of us. 

I did warn Laura via text that DH would be spray painting 
the fence on their side on Saturday and Sunday. He's on his 
own for Saturday and I'll be helping him on Sunday. She 
offered him the use of electrical plugs from her patio if it 
would make things a bit easier. He might end up taking 
advantage of that ... or not. He's a stubborn old coot! 

It wasn't exactly the way I had planned to spend my Friday. Fridays are usually my "make Ogre Juice" day and sometimes a bit more cooking. Fortunately, I made a great new vegetable soup yesterday, and I can whip my Ogre Juice together in an hour - I've been doing it for long enough. So, it won't be horrid, as long as the hose cooperates. I don't want to snap any lillies or damage any other flowers getting the hose over to the fence. I wonder if Laura's hose is long enough? I might text her today and see. Maybe I can join my long hose onto hers and eliminate the necessity of pulling the hose up and over the fencing to do the power scrub? 

What I need is something like this - that will entrap and 
elevate the hose above the flowers (most of them - the 
lillies are much taller, so guide around the lillies). 
Unfortunately, we don't have anything like this. I wonder 
if I can find some at a local hardware store that I can 
buy quickly before starting on my project tomorrow. 

Hockey is over for the year, and what an amazing Stanley Cup series it turned out to be. I kept a set of notes from the end of the season, and had a good laugh over it as I was pulling it off my calendar yesterday. Twenty-five ice hockey columnists and commentators were asked about which team they thought would win the Cup, and also who would win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Every one of them had Florida losing in Round 1! Their numbers for which team would win the Cup were Carolina Hurricanes 7, Dallas Stars 6, New York Rangers 4, Houston Oilers 3, LV Knights 3, Winnipeg Jets 1, and Toronto Maple Leafs, 1. NONE of then had Florida going past the first round! At least Connor McDavid was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner, even though he played for the losing team, he well deserved the accolade. But, it certainly proves that the pundits have NO CLUE about who will actually win when it comes down to it. LOL

It's only the sixth time that a player from the losing team 
has won the Conn Smythe award. VERY rare. 

Year	Player	Team	Position
2024	Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers	C
2003	Jean-Sebastien Giguere	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	G
1987	Ron Hextall	Philadelphia Flyers	G
1976	Reggie Leach	Philadelphia Flyers	RW
1968	Glenn Hall	St. Louis Blues	G
1966	Roger Crozier	Detroit Red Wings	G

What strikes me on this list is that four of the Conn 
Smythe winners from losing teams were Goalies, 
with one Right Wing and now, McDavid, a Center. 
What a odd mix, but understandable for those seasons. 

So, I'm off to the pool. Next week will be a bit off schedule because July 4th (Independence Day for my international readers) is on Thursday, so I'll be pushing my usual Thursday swim off to Friday next week. It'll throw me off all week - LOL. Here's hoping you have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Braces, Fences and the Stanley Cup - Lots of This and That Today

My appointment with Dr DeVoe actually went pretty well. I have my next appointment in mid-August, and my final appointment and removal of all of the hardware in a 2-1/2 appointment on September 18th. I really wanted it before the Fair, but that didn't happen. But ... in into the end game here and it's hard to believe. I wonder how it will feel to not have hardware on my teeth! Maybe I'll lose 1/2 pound - LOL. 

Doc DeVoe is quite a young man, very personable and 
great with the kids. Since most of his customers are kids, 
that's rather essential. His staff is also excellent - very 
professional and well trained. They have a very high 
standard of care. I'm SURE I chose the right orthodontist. 

Today is a swimming day, so a short post. DH gets to tackle the fence, if the weather cooperates. He needs a specific tip for the paint sprayer that we own. I'm pretty sure we have it, but he'll have to look for it. If we don't have it, he'll have to check around for one to buy, and he'll probably start painting it with a roller. I think that's damned stupid. It's a large fence and he won't get much done at all if he's doing it with a paint roller (not to mention that the rough surface of the cedar will tear the roller up quickly and we only have a 2-pack of the correct size). 

Whatever technique he chooses, it's going to be a very 
long job to get that fence painted, and it has to be done 
every four years. We'll see. I don't think we ever painted 
our last fence, although we had the best of intentions. 

But, I'll let him do his thing. I found out a long time ago that he only learns how ridiculous things really are until he does them and they fail. Then he sits back and says "OK, there has to be another way to do this because brute strength and bulling ahead through the chore simply isn't working." I'll have to text Laura and warn her that he might be in their yard taking care of the other side of the fence over the next few weeks - on an unpredictable schedule. 

The Florida Panthers pulled out the win over Edmonton, 
in a hard-fought 2-1 Game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Bravo 
to Florida (even if I was cheering Edmonton). DH was 
delighted, he was cheering Florida, so his team won. 
It was a very well-played series, and a lot of fun to watch. 

Last night was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It's been a GREAT series, hard fought. It worked out that the home team won - it wasn't that way throughout the seven games, but it's always fun when a home town wins and the crowd goes wild. Of course, as hockey fans they're going to go crazy no matter what, but it was a good thing. Now everyone can rest for a little bit before going back to the ice to keep their physical conditioning up. It's time for trades and deals and new hires and maybe a few people fired. Churning the waters - that's what the off-season is all about.  Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off to the pool. Slava Ukraini. 

It'll Be Edmonton vs Florida For the Stanley Cup Finals

So, the final two are finally set to go. After a great game last night, the Edmonton Oilers progress into the Stanley Cup finals against the Florida Panthers. When the playoffs had started, I had written down all of the predictions of the various pundits - by the match up, and eventually for the divisionals and the finals. Not a ONE had predicted these two as the final two teams left standing. I tossed the list out last week - it was absolutely pathetic to read - LOL. 

This is what it's all about - the Stanley Cup. The Cup dates 
from 1893 and obviously has grown with each win, adding 
new rings as necessary. The Walter Cup that I wrote about 
last week has a removable bottom where winners will be 
engraved, but I don't think it will be growing into a second 
Stanley Cup. 

The game was VERY hard fought, some beautiful skating and some amazing shots, with the goalies earning their money. The final score was 2-1, so yeah - very tight game. The schedule of the final games starts on Saturday the 8th. On the 8th and the 10th, they play in Florida, on the 13th and 15th they are in Edmonton. If there is more than four games required, they'll alternate, the 18th in Florida, the 21st in Edmonton and finally the 24th in Florida. It's rare for the final series to go a full seven games. 

The final two teams left standing - the Florida Panthers 
and the Edmonton Oilers. I love that we have a Canadian
 in the Cup final. There are only 7 Canadian teams in the 
league, but they play HARD! 

When I look at the schedule, and think about the standard playing schedule for ice hockey, I'm always amazed. These guys (and now gals) play a massive number of games during the regular season, and it's a very LONG season. Then they hit the playoffs and have more games. There are 32 franchise teams - seven of them Canadian, and every team plays every other team several times in a standard season, so there's a LOT of travel involved. A professional ice hockey player on average, plays five to seven years, the season goes from early Fall through (if they're lucky) early Summer. Through all of that, they're making a living wage, but nothing close to a football player (American football). Yet, when all is said and done, this is what my oldest niece's son wants to do with his life. He fell in love with ice hockey when he was 5 or 6 years old, and is considered a very bright prospect as he enters High School this Fall. He plays goalie and is already being watched and recruited by colleges and coached during the off-season by some very important and prominent coaches. He might go far in the league as a professional, if it's still what he wants to do when he graduates from High School in 2027. 

I loved this map of the various USA ice hockey 
teams and their sphere of geographic influence. 
If you want to look at the full-sized map (which I 
saved, but it's too large to put into my blog), just 
do a search for
NHL Power Rankings: Best Teams for the 2021 Season - Drive4Five

The life of a professional athlete isn't an easy one, and the road to get there isn't easy either. I love watching the guys on the ice. Ice hockey isn't for the faint-at-heart - it's fast and hard and it takes a while to get used to seeing what goes on; but since DH first introduced me to the sport many years ago, I've loved it. Now we're down to the final two teams. I don't have a horse in this race - the Wild didn't even make the playoffs. But I'm going to be watching. It's hockey - what's not to like about seeing guys fighting it out on a sheet of ice while the temps outside are in the 80's and 90's - LOL. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

The Stanley Cup and the Walter Cup - It's a Hockey Post Today

After a very hard-fought series, the Florida Panthers will be meeting the Houston Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals beginning on June 8th. Yes, ice hockey is still being played in June, and that's part of the reason why I love ice hockey as much as I do. The hits are hard, the game is intense and filled with action, and the season isn't this mini-season of approximately three months like you get with American football. No. The ice hockey season stretches across autumn and winter, spring and if a team is lucky and talented, into summer. It's a long season, it's a LOT of games, and the physical punishment that these players undergo several times a week isn't for the weak of heart or body. It's fast action, it's finesse, and it's fast. I love American football too, but hockey is a deep love since I was introduced to the game when I moved up to Minnesota - "The State of Hockey". 

Minnesota is known as the "State of Hockey", 
not just because of our love of the sport, but 
because we embrace it, showcase it, live and 
breathe it, and we're the home to the Hockey 
Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota. 

When our Minnesota team was still the North Stars, not the Wild, and we were playing at Met Center, not in downtown St Paul, DH and I had season tickets for several years - maybe up to a decade, maybe slightly shorter. When the team left the Met, we left the seasons behind us. Getting in and out of the Met Center might have been a bit slow, but it was outside parking and the exhaust from hundreds of cars being funneled into a few slots to exit the large lot and exit onto the freeway didn't mean breathing in the fumes from hundreds of other cars. The lot cleared quickly. 

The US Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Eveleth, 
Minnesota - in the northern part of the state. The 
other Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada. 

In downtown St Paul, the traffic is a nightmare, and parking is only in a variety of pay lots scattered around the hockey stadium. The stadium itself is gorgeous - it probably needs an update now, it's been open since  the end of September, 2000, so it's 24 years old. They are talking about giving the arena a serious update in the off-season, but I'm not sure if that will happen. What is a fact, however, is that I don't want to deal with downtown St Paul traffic before or after a game, so we're not season ticket holders for the Wild. Still, we never miss a game if they are televised, and if they are only available on radio, DH is usually plugged into earphones and listening. We're fans, even if we don't choke on exhaust fumes. 

The new trophy for the WPHL is gorgeous. There's a 
TON of symbolism in this - a lot of thought went into 
this trophy. If you are interested in finding out more about 
this trophy, here's a link for you. 
https://www.thepwhl.com/en/professional-womens-hockey-league-pwhl-introduces-the-walter-cup-as-its-championship-trophy

So we're now going to be heading into the final stage for Men's professional hockey. But I couldn't let this opportunity pass to congratulate Minnesota for winning the first EVER season of the Professional Women's Hockey League. The PWHL is new this year, with six teams, all known by their location - Boston, Minnesota, Montreal,, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. Their trophy is GORGEOUS - 35 pounds of sterling silver - and Minnesota will be the very first name engraved on it. I'm so very proud of them - very well fought and played. So, I'm running late and have to get moving. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

A Busy Day Ahead - Monday, Monday

Today starts out quickly, with an Orthodontist appointment at 7:30 am. From there I scoot to work. Since I'm gong to the Ortho, I'll skip breakfast until after my appointment. Therefore, no "toast" for me today. I'll grab a container of cooked fruit for my breakfast, and that'll just have to do. I'm sure I'll survive - LOL. I'm really hoping he can make some adjustments that will make my brackets stop ripping the interior of my mouth to shreds. It's painful, and I'm not to happy when this happens. It seems to happen more frequently a week or two before my visits with him, and then skips again for another 6-8 weeks. 

Dr DeVoe and some of his staff. It was a tough hunt 
to find photos of him and the clinic, but I finally tracked 
him down on Facebook. I suppose I should send him 
a "friend" request - LOL. 

Yesterday was a fun day of playing "Lord of the Rings Online" and the ice hockey playoffs. There were some really fun games to watch, and I hated having to go to sleep, but I would be a Zombie for the entire week if I didn't get my Monday sleep-until-5:00 am slumber. I do tend to push the sleep envelope by the end of the week, there's no sense in starting the week on a deficit. 

Those of you who know LOTRO will recognize the 
"Prancing Pony" immediately. Those who only have read 
the "Lord of the Rings" books, may not recognize the 
building, but will certainly recognize the name of the inn. 

We would have spent Sunday outdoors, of course, but it was cold and rainy and we simply didn't want to be outdoors. DH did check the garden out first thing in the morning. It's his ritual and not to be missed. I, however, did my own ritual load of laundry and kitchen clean-up. So exciting, our lives are! LOL 

We're continuing to watch whatever games we can 
catch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There have been 
some REALLY good hockey games - very entertaining, 
with fast action and tremendous goals. Fun! 

If I'm really lucky (and I doubt I will be), I can continue working on my Crystals mastersheet today. It's unlikely, since DH really doesn't deal with customers. But, I do hope we'll be busy enough for me to keep the laptop in it's backpack until tomorrow. So ... today will be semi-boring, "normal" and nothing exciting. In many ways, I rather hope I go to sleep tonight thinking about absolutely nothing. That will make it a very good day indeed. And so, I wish for you - all of my readers - a wonderful Monday. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל. 

Time is Rushing By - A Fast Post Today

The pool is calling to me, and I actually slept until 2:58 am, so only two minutes early before my alarm was scheduled. That, unfortunately, leaves me with minimal time for my blog. My friend Jack was back in his own car yesterday. They did a GREAT job with the repair. I asked him about the cost, and he said the deer cost him (or rather, cost his insurance) $6700 dollars for repairs! OUCH! Insurance is expensive, but SO worth it. 

Money seems to fly away when major things like auto 
repairs happen unexpectedly. Jack was quite grateful 
for his insurance. He owed very little on this expensive bill. 

I didn't have anything major on my cooking schedule yesterday, so worked on other things - computer things, mostly. I did head to my co-op first thing in the morning, needing one item, and hoping they might have a second one. They did! It was a diet supplement that I'm adding to my pill regime, and it's going to be costing me $2 per pill. OUCH. Still, if it helps and does what I think it will, the cost will be worth it. I picked up two 30-pill bottles of it, at around $60/bottle. Crazy expensive! But probably worth the expense. 

I've added this into my daily vitamin 
regime. Horribly expensive, but there are 
components within it that I can't get easily 
through diet or my other supplements. So, 
I'll give it a 60-day trial and see how I feel 
at the end of that time. At least I got it at 
the co-op, so I got my 10% off. Score! 

In the late afternoon I remembered that I had some Mandarin oranges and two apples that had to be used up. I also had a fresh pineapple that I had picked up at the grocery store earlier in the day. So I quickly got to work, cutting up the pineapple and the apples, and peeling and separating the oranges, tossing them in a small amount of maple syrup, adding some chopped nuts, and putting them into the oven for 25 minutes to cook. I ended up with nine containers of breakfast fruit and can't wait to eat my first one today. I also fed my hummingbirds at the same time, so the end of the afternoon was a bit hectic before I settled down for my weekly "schmooze" with Aearwen. Then, after we had talked, I made the chicken and put it into the oven, then cleaned up the kitchen. I was barely finished when DH walked through the door - in a bad mood, as usual *sigh*. 

This is what all the fuss is about - Lord Stanley's Cup. 
Every team wants to win it, only one will succeed. 
Such a great time to watch hockey! 

But, I refuse to be in a bad mood. We've got lots of hockey to watch - the playoffs are firmly in place and the games are wonderful. We've got Middle Earth to explore in "Lord of the Rings Online", and I've always got "this and that" on my to-do list to keep me busy. Life can be good sometimes - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday, I'm off to the pool. I'll try to catch up with everyone's posts and comments when I set the laptop up at the shop later this morning. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.