[gma22]

Good morning to you all. Another rainy day here in Elvisland. It isn't supposed to be cold though.

The toilets are flushing again, but we didn't see the plumber out yesterday so hope there is no more problems until they get this fixed. The condo manager says he told the plumber to just get his guys out here and fix it and they have marked for cable lines and such so I hope it isn't too long even though we will have to go to a hotel for a couple days more than likely. Jack did ask him when our condo HOA meets as he wants to start going to them. He wants to get on the board so he can raise a stink about stuff that is going on here. They never did anything about that jerk and his mess down the street so I want Jack to bring it up when he goes.

Jack has a final doctor appointment on his hand today and that should be it. His fingers remain stiff and swollen enough he can't get his ring on anymore, but his hand is ok. I nag him about doing the exercises on his hand, but he is pretty bad about doing them.

I sent a message to the main USPS as the package with the baby gifts is showing that it isn't even in the system yet and should have been delivered today at the latest as it was sent priority. If those morons lost the package there at the post office I am going to skin them alive. It was all hand knitted stuff and irreplaceable. I won't have enough time to go back and redo everything before her baby is born and certainly not before her shower at the end of the month.

I hear Jack moving around upstairs so I guess I better get the day started. Sure wish spring was closer!

[Jean]

Good Morning! We got up to thick fog this morning but the sun is supposed to shine later and warm us up to 45 degrees this afternoon. I hope so! I need to finish cleaning the upstairs bathroom, change clothes, and then I will be ready for Crafty Club this afternoon. More than ever I am realizing how much stuff I need to sort through and get rid of, whether I donate, pitch, or pass it on to the kids. Getting ready when family is coming is a whole different mind set than when it is a group of ladies! I enjoy seeing them all and see most of them just once a month but I've been thinking about how I could gracefully drop out. I just feel like sometimes I have too many irons in the fire!

"Gma," I hope your sewer problem is fixed correctly this time. I also hope you don't have to go to a hotel. It would be interesting if Jack could be on the management board. When we rented our condo, it had many units owned by a company and rented to people like us. Our closest neighbors and friends were all owner so we heard both sides of the issues. Of course, we had no say in anything but whenever anything needed fixing the repair people were there asap. I think our major break down was the garbage disposal. We had all of our own appliances which we bought new the year before we moved there. When we moved back here we sold them all to the company so we wouldn't have to pay to move them. The street and driveways on our side all melted yesterday. There was so much ice on the trees it looked like it was raining. We were so lucky there was no wind to knock power out. Will Jack's fingers loosen up with every day use? I sure hope your package didn't get lost! That would be a disaster!

Not much else is newsy this morning. Hope you enjoy a terrific Thursday!

[gma22]

Good morning to you all. Going to be a balmy day in the high 60's for us today, but I think more rain. It rained, hard at times all day yesterday. I haven't even been outdoors since earlier this week. I was going to go get my nails done, but going to wait until the first of the week I think.

My legs and feet are swollen so we struggled and got my compression socks on to get the swelling down. They sure help, but they are a booger to get on. I have knee socks I wear and I have several different compressions depending on how swollen my legs and feet are, especially the right one. I am going to have to wear them to go to Indiana so am going to have to dig up the lighter compressions that are more like hose. The ones I have on now are heavier, more like knee socks.

I am doing a load of laundry and must, must get upstairs and get some work done. It looks like a hurricane came through up there. Part of it is not having storage for stuff and I have too many shoes, handbags, and clothes. Except for our bedroom, the other two are very small, like 11 x 10 or so and the closets almost non existent. We shall see what I can get done, but I have to get the swelling down in my legs this morning first.

Jean: We only have 25% of the condos personally owned now and the rest are owned by investors, which means a lot of renters. For the most part we don't have trouble with them. Both sides of us have been here for awhile but the building straight across from us is all renters and they come and go a lot. There is a lot of work that needs to be done on these that they are not doing, mainly because they have no money to do them. We found out that a huge number of people are in arrears hundreds of dollars on their fees so it cuts down what they can do. It makes me mad, but not much I can do about it. It takes months and months to get someone sued and even then all they get is the condo and the management company can't get them to sell so they don't want them. It is a vicious circle. It was funny about the USPS. I sent that email in the morning and in the afternoon I saw it had been updated clear through to Indianapolis and was supposed to be delivered today. My niece texted me and said she got it last night! I think it is our lazy postal people here that are the problem. They didn't even scan it through. At least the baby gift got there ok. The rain has to stop for them to start work out front. The ground would just cave in if they tried to dig right now with all the rain.

Everyone have a good day. I need to work on my bff's pillow and get it done as I got the pillow form for it yesterday and it is going to work perfectly.

[Jean]

Good Afternoon! We got up to thick fog and it is still foggy. The weatherman predicts freezing drizzle for tonight. Yippee! Ian has a game tonight but he has been sick all week with a cold, sore throat, and fever, so won't be playing. I feel bad for him but glad we aren't going to venture out. I went for a perm this morning and I get so irritated! Even when I have the first appointment I always have to wait. Today it was 15 minutes. The gal has the shop in her home and is the only chair so as far as I'm concerned there is no excuse to be late! There is usually an excuse offered but not today. She usually seems to get the back of my shirt wet and today wetter than usual. Sometimes she will put a plastic cape over my shoulders first and that keeps me dry, not today. We were talking and watching the inauguration on tv so I forgot to remind her. I have been cold the rest of the day even though I put on dry layers when I got home. After getting ready for craft club yesterday I have no ambition to do squat today. I need to make a "to do" list and get things done. It will be cruise time and I will be spinning my wheels the day before we leave. Bob is on jury duty and forgot to call in Monday night to see if he had to report. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to call in again for a couple weeks. He's been excused for the cruise dates so maybe he will luck out for the rest of the time.

"Gma," do you know what makes your legs and feet swell, more or less, according to the weather, what you eat, etc.? I know Bob's secretary had to wear the the stockings after her cancer surgery and before her knee and hip replacements. I don't know if she still wears them or not. I haven't talked to her since she retired so only get her updates through the office grapevine. I hope they work for you! I, too, need to get rid of clothes! I'm so glad your baby gift arrived safely! I hope it is appreciated after all your work making it.

I do have a load of laundry in the washer that should be done by now. Drying and putting them away will be my accomplishment for the day! Hope you enjoy the rest of the day!

[Jean]

Good Morning! It's another foggy morning in my neighborhood although "warm" at 40 degrees. I have laundry in the washer and dryer plus a casserole in the oven. I am a regular Miss Suzy Homemaker this morning. Ha ha, and now for the rest of the day, I found a bunch of pictures without dates on them so need to sort through them. Maybe I will ask Amanda and Beth to help with that project sometime.

Hope you are enjoying a super Saturday whatever you are doing today!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies. I am not sure how good it is here. I have had about 4 hours sleep.

Last night around 7:30 PM my best friend called and I knew something was up. I thought her husband probably was back in the hospital. He had lung cancer and was in remission or so they thought. He had been having a lot of trouble with his lungs filling with fluid and had been going back and forth to the hospital about once a week to have it drained. They put in a permanent drain tube about 2 weeks ago. I told her I thought it was a bad idea because it is very easy to get an infection if it isn't cleaned properly and he had lost a lot of weight already so was concerned about him being weak. Anyway, I said hi and right away said what's the matter? We always schedule our calls so I knew it wasn't good. She did floor me when she said we lost Bob last night! I guess Friday morning he had been feeling bad again and was in pain. He said he felt he needed to go and have them drain the fluid as he was having trouble breathing. They spent most of the day at the hospital. The doctor said there wasn't any fluid, gave him morphine while he was there and that relieved the pain and Bob actually got a cheeseburger and tater tots from the cafeteria and ate. He said he felt a lot better so they sent him home with a new drug. Around 11 PM he got up to go to the bathroom and she said he sat on the edge of the bed like he was having trouble getting up. She asked him if he was ok and he said yes and went to the bathroom. She said she was reading and she said it was weird because he didn't shut the bathroom door and he always does. She said she heard him weakly cough so went to see if he was ok. He was sitting on the toilet leaning against the vanity and he had blood coming out of his mouth and chest. He didn't want her to call 911 but she said they had to. She went out to call 911 and came back in and she said he had fallen face down on the floor and his head was blue. She said she called 911 back and said she thought he was gone and they said the paramedics would be there any second and they were. She told them she thought he was gone and went back to the bathroom with them. They ask her about resuscitation (sp) and she said if they could, yes, but he didn't want to be on a respirator. They ask her to go into the living room and came out about a minute later and said he was gone. He turned 68 last August. This dear woman has been my best friend for 50 years and I have been through 3 husbands with her, two who were dirtbags. She is an only child, her parents are both deceased and she has two daughters, one biological and one adopted. Her granddaughter drove up from Indianapolis and she was there as I could hear her in the background so at least she isn't alone. This tears my heart out. I told her to call me today after she and his two girls met with the funeral people. I don't know whether we will be able to go or not, but I am going to do my darndest to try. I imagine this will put the kibosh on going to my great nieces wedding. It is because of time not money. Jack had to use time when the sewer problem started up again and then took the next day off for a doctor's appointment just this last week. He has a certain number of days he has to take for our cruise. I have prepaid a bunch of stuff that is non refundable so we can't move the cruise. That will only leave him a couple days left for emergencies and going to a wedding isn't an emergency. If we went to the funeral we would have to drive up and stay overnight and drive back a very quick trip. It is a 10 hour drive and with stopping for gas and bathroom breaks usually takes us 12 hours. We will just have to wait and see what they do I guess.

Jean: They can't figure out what causes the edema. It just pops up. I have been trying to walk more and keep it elevated when I am sitting. This could be a mess if we go to the funeral because of having my leg down for so long in the car. Flying is not an option and because you can't fly directly into South Bend from Memphis, it takes forever to get there. I have had my stylist get dye on my clothing before, but she has stuff that they use that takes it right out. She has never gotten me wet though. I hope the perm at least turned out ok after all that.

Everyone have a nice day. I am going to start cleaning the downstairs even though it is early. I need something to occupy my mind today.

[QuilterInVA]

Good morning, ladies . 47 degrees and rain today.

I've been to a couple of quilting bees last week and they were fun but that's it. Casper and I have been watching the birds - cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, ducks, egret, and heron. We can always see the ducks and Casper watches them for hours. I'm trying to decide if I want to just quilt and read today or do I want to clean out the fridge...I think the fridge is going to lose.

Donna, I'm sorry to hear of Bob's death. I saw some compression hose with zippers advertised in one of my magazines. I was on the HOA board for several years. It was enlightening. Jack might not have a problem getting on the board because no one wants to do it. In the travel section of the newspaper this morning they had pictures of the most expensive cruise ship stateroom - $10,000 a day. It's in the bow with wrap around windows, 2 bedrooms, grand piano, bar, butler, and you have a private car and driver in every port of call.


Jean, it started getting foggy about 1 o'clock yesterday and its still a little hazy. We have a lot of morning fog. My hairdresser never gets my clothes wet. For some reason, my hair has been very dry and falling out since I was sick. I've started Biotin since that is supposed to help.

Have a wonderful day.

[Jean]

Good Evening! Just got home from subbing in a couples' card club. I had lousy cards but good partners so I didn't take low. Went to early church which was short and sweet because the high school students did the service. The ones who were supposed to usher had no instruction on what to do so Bob and the other usher ended up ushering. We went out for breakfast and spent the afternoon procrastinating about what we could be doing; Bob watched football while I played games on the iPad and did a couple loads of laundry. Not too productive!

"Gma," how said about Bob's death! I feel bad for your friend that he died at home on top of everything. I know how much you want to be there for her.

Susan, Casper would love my deck! The squirrels come right up to the door and peek in. Ernie doesn't too excited but they would drive Sonny to distraction. He spent most of his days guarding the deck and keeping watch. We do have a lot of birds too. I don't know where the blue jays hide out but they seem to know when we put fresh food out. We barely get the door closed and they swoop in. They are so pretty but a scrappy bunch. There are two pair of cardinals but they don't come every day. I take Biotin too, but can't really say that it has helped any. I get it at the health food store so it supposedly is a better grade. Like Imwould know the difference.

I am heading to bed! Tomorrow is church counting, then the funeral for the 43 year old who was in Jason's class, and picking up the gift shop money. Hope you enjoy a marvelous Monday!

[gma22]

Good morning ladies. It is chilly and very windy here today so guess I will have to bundle up when I go out.

I have a few errands and need to get my nails done this morning than back home and try and get some work done for a change. I'm just not very motivated lately.

I have a pair of shoes coming today I hope they fit. With my feet still swollen I don't know and I don't want to just send them back if the reason they don't fit is because my feet are swollen. Sheesh

Susan: I haven't seen many birds lately, but we have had a woodpecker that would come and peck on the deck fencing. That was fun to watch. I have seen cardinals and bluejays back here along with robins. We get our share of starlings too. Butterscotch used to sit in the window in Jack's office and "talk" to them. More than likely about how he would like to eat them!

Jean: Sad about a funeral for someone so young and children still at home. Hope counting goes fast for you today. I talked to my friend yesterday and they have everything set but the minister and the one she wants left the church and she can't find where he went. She has tried to get the guy who married them and that was a no go so she is having trouble finding someone to do it. I wish my former pastor was still there as he would have been happy to do it and is a wonderful man. She doesn't need that stress along with everything else. I decided to order a plant instead of fresh flowers, something she could plant in her yard. I got her an azalea plant and had them write on the card that each year they bloomed I hoped it would remind her of the precious time they had together. I think I am still in shock and kind of mad for her. I had always thought the doctors were making some wrong decisions for him and one of them was to put in that drain. Ahh well, nothing can be done about it now. I am just so worried about her finances now with him being gone she loses his SS and I don't know if he small pension goes with it or not. She only has a part time job as she can't find a full time one so I am really scared for her. I am going to talk to her about it if we can get some alone time. I want to find out about whether he had life insurance that would help pay off some bills so that the burden of that would be removed. He is going to be cremated as that was his wish and she at least already has a place for him as her parents bought a plot for her back when she was in high school. He can be buried there as well as she in a casket I guess. That's what she told me anyhow.

Well girls better get some breakfast and get started. Have a good week this week.

[Jean]

Good Evening! Another gloomy, damp chilling day but no rain, ice, nor snow so I won't complain. It would be nice to see the sun but we are in a winter storm watch until Wednesday afternoon. The weatherman just said a possibility of 9+" of snow. I will take snow over ice any day! It's been a long day; I left for church counting at 7:15; the computer I normally use wouldn't let me in so I had to use the office manager's computer. When I finished there I went to the kitchen to find out if they needed help with the funeral dinner. The meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, broccoli salad, rolls, and a variety of bars was furnished, free, by the grocery story deli. They also provided the paper plates, silverware, cups, and napkins to go along with the meal. Our church was full and the ushers ended up putting folding chairs along the outside aisles and in the back of the church. Overflow people were in the fellowship hall with audio and video feed. I'm guessing we served around 600 people. After the dinner, clean up was pretty fast and easy with extra church women and husbands helping. I picked up the gift shop money on my way home, and it is waiting for me now. I'm tired!

"Gma," I hope your new shoes will work for you. Do you order from Zappos? I'm sending positive thoughts your friend can find a minister. I think it would be hard to do a service for someone you don't know. Our pastor is very personable and the service today was very meaningful to all who knew Jason. His body was at the visitation last night but not at the church today as he will be cremated. There was a six pack of beer on the table with his pictures. The minister, in sharing memories, said he knew one could be a Christian and enjoy a beer too. Are you planning to attend Bob's service? Do you see your friend when you travel back to visit your relatives? If so, maybe you would have more time together then. If her husband's social security is more than her's would be, she will get his. If she isn't 65 I don't know how that works until she reaches 65. I have read about a wife collecting on her first husband's ss because it was more than her second husband's. I hope she is a strong person and gets along ok. Will her daughters be there to help her through this?

Bob is at a meeting and hopefully will get food of some sort there. I'm off to count more money! Enjoy your evening!

[gma22]

Good afternoon ladies. It was cold overnight, but it warmed up quite nicely to around 60 right now. Right now it is nice and sunny.

I am so tired of our stupid post office. We have a new guy delivering and the old guy was so nice and we only had trouble when he was off. This little jacka** is a smart mouth and doesn't like being told what to do. He doesn't like it when I call the delivery supervisor when he does something wrong like not stopping our mail or not delivering a package like he has the last two weeks. He is young and lazy.

I got up at 4:30 am and walked into the kitchen to go to the bathroom and a rat ran out from under the stove!!! Ugh I am so rodent phobic I almost wet my pants because I didn't want to go into the bathroom as that is where he ran. We bought this thing that is supposed to keep your house rodent free until I can get the trap I want. You have to order it as Lowes doesn't carry it in their stores. I just hope it works.

Jean: Her cousin is an ordained minister and is going to do the service on Friday. Vicki had to file early to get her ss because they were in financial need so I don't know what the situation would be with him. I don't know if she can claim his if it is more since he is now deceased or if she is stuck with what she is getting now. For all I know she gets more than he did anyway. I am going to ask her about it. Her one daughter lives there in town and is great and she has a grown granddaughter who is a real sweety but she lives in southern Indiana now with her boyfriend so I don't know how long she can stay with her grandma before she has to go back home. I wish we had room as I would just have her come here, but then she has to work to be able to even try and make it. Yes, I get to see her when I go up north at least for a whole day.

Well everyone have a nice day. I have stuff I need to get done.

Je

[Jean]

Good Afternoon! Well, the weatherpeople were right again! It started snowing around noon and I must admit the big lazy flakes were pretty, but they are piling up fast. The wind is supposed to pick up this evening so imagine most activities have been cancelled. School let out as soon as the kids were fed at noon so it will count as a school day and not have to be made up. I made the gift shop deposit, made a quick stop at Walgreen's, then dropped off checks at the hospital first thing this morning. I get a dry skin crack on the tip of my thumb every once in awhile and it is so sore. I thought we had some "New Skin" but neither one of us could find it so the necessary trip to WG. Bob tried to talk me into using super glue but I was afraid I'd never get it off. Ian's game for tonight has been postponed so they are in the weather watch area too.

"Gma," please, please, please send some sunshine my way! I think it's been close to a week since we've seen it. Our mail was really early today! Bob saw the tracks when he came home and mentioned he wondered who delivered it. I know it wasn't the substitute I call Idiot! I don't know how he ever got the job in the first place. Oh man, a rat would give me a scare for sure. I could do a mouse; in fact we had a mouse family in our first apartment. It would be nice if Vicki lived closer to you for support. I'm glad her cousin can perform the service. I'm sure it will be a comfort for her.

I have laundry ready for the dryer so need to keep moving. Hope you enjoy a nice evening.

[Jean]

Good Morning! Winter has returned! It started snowing yesterday around noon, great big lazy flakes, and continued all day and through the night. It is still coming down but much lighter now. Bob cleared off the deck last night thinking there wouldn't be much this morning. We had a drift in front of the front door and garage doors so he shoveled a path there just in case we would have to get the doors open for some reason. He's guessing we got around 8/9". Some towns had as much as 14", that's a lot! I've just been putzing this morning; ran vinegar through the coffee maker and pulled the soap/softener dispenser out of my washer to scrub the gunk off. The washer self cleans but the little man inside doesn't do gunk evidently. I was supposed to work in the gift shop this morning but all volunteers were cancelled yesterday. As far as I know I do have bell practice later this afternoon.

The dishwasher is done so will unload that, then head to the basement and put the washer back together. Hope you all have a nice day!

[Jean]

Good Morning! It is spitting snowflakes again! Enough is enough! The tv weatherman said we got 10" as compared to 14" just north of us. Ian has a ball game this afternoon so it will an interesting ride. I have a load of laundry in the washer and me dressed, make-uped, hair combed ready for the day. Everything around town was canceled yesterday so we went to the movie Hidden Figures last night. We thought it was very good. Not having grown up around blacks it reminded me how much blacks, women especially, were treated. I did get my replacement microwave yesterday. It was delivered by a trucking company and the guy had no clue why the old one was recalled. It came with a second cooking rack, steaming dish, and a convection baking rack which my old one didn't have. So far I haven't figured out how that works; no button has a bake label on it.

My next project is to match cheap plastic containers and lids, then pitch the extras! Hope you all enjoy a terrific Thursday!

[Jean]

Good Evening! We saw the sun today . . . until mid afternoon and then it disappeared again. With all of our snow it was really bright outside. The sun must be getting closer, and warmer, to because where there is bare cement it was melting. That makes a slippery mess first thing in the morning! I got an email from Verizon saying there was a special $100 off a new smartphone. I had been in the store a week ago about a security text message, and looked at the new iPhones then. Long story short, the discount was for Bob's old flip phone and not mine because I already have a smartphone. He won't give up his flip phone and I don't like my phone, so he let me splurge on a new phone even though I didn't get the discount. What a guy! I know I don't use it to it's full potential, but maybe now I will use it more. I just wish it came with a "how to do it book!" I had to do the end of the week gift shop paperwork so brought the money home and have it ready to deposit. Bob offered to cook supper so went out for a quick nachos supper.

"Gma" and Susan, where aarrreeeeeeee you? Hope all is well with you.

I need to put my gift shop books away and clear the clutter off the island. Hope you all have a great weekend!