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Steel Magnolias #1
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Good morning ladies. It is rainy here but supposed to be near 70 today. Sheesh! It was freezing temperatures just a couple days ago and snow last weekend. I am ready for spring to get here!
I have my waxing appointment tomorrow and was going to manhandle a box to be returned to WM afterwards, but think I will leave it until Saturday and have Jack take it in. We bought a stand alone heater for the living room, got it home and plugged it in and you had to sit within a couple inches to even feel it. The box said it would heat a room 100 sq feet. Laughable. So, back it goes. We just wanted it to keep the heat down during the daytime for me. We have the heat low at night, but I get very cold during the day when the temps are low so thought this would work. Hopefully, we will not have a lot of the very cold temps anymore. Jean: Tell Bob not to worry a shirt and tie is fine. Jack loves wearing the tux so that is why we bought one. Jack also likes his shirts heavily starched and folded so they don't hang. We take a garment bag to hang my dresses in and his tux. Since we drive we take a lot of luggage and there is no limit so we can take as much as we want. This year to cut down some we are going to launder our clothing when we get to our Florida hotel and rewear it on the ship, then stay an extra day when we get off the ship and do up all the laundry before we come home so I don't have 6 loads of laundry when we get home. I will just have the clothing we wore coming home. Also, the ship will press your garments or even launder them for a fee. If you have a suite, they do it for free. All you have to do is ask your room steward. Your room steward is your key to everything. They clean your room twice a day, any requests for anything you ask them. One thing we do is tip extra. We do pay our gratuities beforehand but it is so little money we tip our room steward and our dining room waiters extra at the end of the cruise. I tip each waiter $10 per day (on RCCL you have the same 2 waiters assigned to your table each night.) I figure that is what they would get if Jack and I went out to dinner and had a waiter. The prepaid gratuities are given to several people so they end up being a couple dollars per person per day and IMO that is pretty cheap. You don't have to do either of those things. I give my room steward $50 if it is a regular room and $100 if we are staying in a suite. You get more perks in a suite so he or she has more to do. They have to replace your free water, fruit and snack items, besides cleaning and running around getting what you want like extra hangers or pillows or whatever. Believe me, you can ask them for anything and they can pretty much get it for you. Some nasty people abuse them pretty badly though and treat them like slaves. I figure my husband works with poop so we are hardly better than someone who cleans our room! We got a great price this year by booking so early so we got an owners suite (pic enclosed) Susan: I have got to do something. The older you get the more strength you lose. You have to be bored when you are so used to being active. I kind of wish I could move things around, but the set up of the condo just doesn't allow for it or there is some problem. This is the worst living room set up I have ever seen. It has not one solid wall. Each side has either a fireplace, or door openings. Some knucklehead thought this was a good idea I guess. You should post some pictures of your work sometime. I know both Jean and I would love to see it. Have a great day girls! |
Good morning, ladies! 44 degrees headed for 58 today. The snow is melted but ice on the roads is still a problem so schools are closed again today.
The warmer weather brought me a big headache - the water pipe between the house and the street must have frozen and now it is leaking. I called the plumber but he has several of these problems so doesn't know if he can get here today or not. Meantime, the water is shut off. I filled up buckets and pitchers and the tub before the water was shut off and I have bottled water. If I knew when he could come, I would go to the Y and shower and wash my hair. It's always something when you own a house. Donna, that suite looks like real luxury. It's important to keep strong as you get older so you don't fall because of weak muscles. Eating more protein helps keep muscle, too. Have a wonderful day! |
Good Afternoon! The sun is shining after a gloomy start this morning. It is still cold at 12 degrees and windy, of course. I went for a much needed pedicure this morning. The streets are still very slippery so passed on running errands. I had lunch bunch this noon and spent three hours eating, visiting, and taking up space in the restaurant. I have bell practice in a half hour or so. I was hoping it might be canceled but no such luck.
Susan, we changed the couch from a wall to in front of the picture window when we put the Christmas tree away. Sonny liked to sit on a little stool and look out the window but Ernie has never paid any attention to that window. It blocks some of the light now, so makes the room seem darker which I don't like but have no other option if I want a change. I'm sorry about the water leak. What a pain that is! I hope it is fixed soon. 44 degrees would be wonderful, 60s even better! :D "Gma," having a washer and dryer in the condos was a big plus for us. I have enough clothes to pack for two weeks without doing laundry so don't plan on doing any while cruising. If we have the same stewards/servers I'm sure we will tip more. They raised our gratuity charge but we had all ready paid so it remained the same. I don't think it is much for that kind of service. I know what you mean about losing strength as you grow older. I used to laugh at my mom when she would ask me to open jars. Now I need help. Beth gave me a Pampered Chef gizmo to open jars and it works great. :cp: I need to change clothes and get ready to practice in a 62 degree room. :brr: Enjoy your evening! :wave: |
Good morning to you all. Overcast and calling for more rain. It is also pretty windy again but the temps are going to be near 70 again so I will take that.
I have a waxing appointment today and need to drop off a box at UPS then home again home again. This weekend is commissary weekend and Jack has Monday off for MLK so I think he is going to go and get a haircut. The man has his haircuts lined up on his calendar to coincide with going on the cruise. :lol: My great niece's baby is due in a couple months and her baby shower is the end of the month. They live in the Indianapolis area but I am not going. I need to get her gift wrapped and boxed up and shipped to her mom so she can take it to the shower. Her sister is getting married in March and we are going to her wedding so we felt we couldn't make two trips almost back to back. My younger sister and her husband are going to the wedding and they live in Phoenix so it will be nice to see them again and see my niece's new baby that I made the peach bonnet and blanket for. I will get to see my older sister too and haven't seen her in over a year or so. We had a shooting last night only a block away. This whole city has become a war zone it feels like. It is a real shame that people pull out guns. One of the shootings was a security guard for an apartment complex. This particular complex is why they shut our pool years ago. It is a bunch of trash that lives there so am not surprised. The other shooting was an hour later across the street at another apartment complex. I wonder if they are related somehow. I had two charges for ITunes show up on my bank account that I didn't buy and contacted Apple but they said I didn't purchase anything and had not been charged. I sent them the line items from my bank showing they had been paid and they told me to contact my bank. As it was less than two dollars I didn't do anything and so last night they struck again. I went into ITunes, changed my password, removed my payment method and noticed it was not the same. It was another credit card so guess I was hacked. I am assuming it was kids because adults would have used it for more. I called the bank at 4 AM and they canceled my current debit card and are overnighting one to me so no one can put anymore charges on it. Funny thing is I rarely use my bank card. Jack usually gets cash if we need cash and always is the one that pays the grocery bill at the commissary with his card. It was my card that was used. Everything else I pretty much use a credit card to purchase. Weird. Susan: I am eating much more protein, carbs are low mainly because of my diabetes, and try to eat more veggies. Fruits aren't a problem, but with Jack not eating vegetables, I buy stuff and it goes bad before I can eat it all. The funny thing is he will eat things a lot of people won't like asparagus and Brussel sprouts. I roast my Brussel spouts with onion and bacon and I use olive oil, garlic and a bit of parmesan cheese and bake my asparagus and he will eat it right up. He is an enigma. I try to just buy frozen veg as at least I can put those back in the freezer. I have very little sugar anymore except on special occasions. We didn't take a vacation last year so rolled our tax refund money into this years and got a bigger cabin. For one thing, this way Jack doesn't have to take my scooter apart or leave it in the hallway. The room is big enough to roll it into. Another problem is anything lower than the owner's suite but higher than a balcony only has a bathtub. Our last cruise we found out I couldn't get into it. First off it say knee level and secondly it had a half glass wall. I couldn't just step into it because of its height and I couldn't sit on the tub edge and swing my leg over because I couldn't bend my bad knee back far enough to miss the glass panel. I had to wash up in the sink and wash my hair that way for the whole cruise that year! So, from now on whether I like to or not, we will have to get an accessible cabin so there is room for my scooter. I hate taking up one because of people who can't walk, but I don't have much of a choice. Jean: I read your post and cracked up when you said you desperately needed a pedicure. I am seeing you with 6 inch toenails like a troll or something! :lol: We booked as soon as the month came out for the year we wanted to go. We have looked since then and the cabin price has doubled. It is a racket! :lol: I do have enough reward points on my cruise credit card for $400 in onboard credit so we won't need any money on board unless I lose my mind and buy some horrendously expensive handbag! :lol: I hope you have a lot of fun. One thing we almost always see is dolphins following the ship at one time or another. I guess I better get around and get my chores done before I have to go out. Have a nice day today and hope it isn't too cold where you are. |
Happy Friday! I just realized it is Friday the 13th, not that it makes any difference to me. It's another cold gloomy day in my neighborhood. I've been sorting through old greeting cards to take to church for the kids, and my stash of sympathy, birthday, and note cards that all mixed together. All day the tv has been running an ice warning beginning Sunday, into Monday, and possibly Tuesday. We still have ice from last Monday night! It's been so cold nothing will melt. The outside cats have been drinking water like it is going to run out, and I fill the bowl several times a day. We went to Ian's games last night. There are so many kids out that the 7th graders play first, and have an A team and a B team. The 8th grade has two teams also. Not sure why, but 7th graders play four six minute quarters and the 8th graders play two 12 minute halves. Ian played part of the first game and all of the second game. We went out to eat afterwards so it was almost 11 when we got home. I can never go to bed right away so I'm kind of droopy today.
"Gma," I hope the weather is good for you to travel north for the wedding. That will be something fun to plan for. I'm sure Jack will enjoy having a day off on Monday. I suppose there will be no mail delivery and the banks will be closed. I won't voice my humble opinion! :rolleyes: It's good you caught the iTune charges but what a pain! Did you get to talk to a real bank person at 4 am? Our microwave has been recalled and what a hassle that has been. The dealer called me last fall to ask if I had been notified. I had not and kind of forgot about it. A rep called Wednesday to verify our address saying they would deliver it. She never said they would install it so I told her it was supposed to be delivered to the dealer. After several phone calls they will not allow the dealer to install it because of a government regulation. Today I get a recorded phone call saying it would be delivered on Monday. If the weather forecast is correct that may not happen. Bob thinks it is a contracted trucking company using a semi which will be interesting since we live on a dead end street. The last condos we have stayed in have had walk in showers and no tubs. They are nice! I'm sure families with small children would prefer a tub but I like the showers. My toenails on my second toes are beginning to be weird; they aren't as flat as they used to be. My dad and his mother both had ingrown nails and had to have some removed. I don't want that to happen. I had a new gal this time and she cut one too close and it was pretty sore for a couple days. I would love to soak my feet and have them massaged every day if I could. You can have fun cruise shopping with $400! ;) Not much is newsy from here. Hope you enjoy the rest of the day! :wave: |
Good morning everyone. It is cooler than it has been and again we may get rain, but it isn't snow and ice so I am good with that. Hopefully it won't rain when we go out this morning.
We have a WM run today and then commissary tomorrow. I told Jack I really need to go grocery shopping because we have been eating home for the last two weeks. :lol: I do get bored of making the same stuff though. I am making shrimp stir fry for dinner tonight. I am lazy and use the canned La Choy vegetables after I give them a good washing to get the salt off as much as I can. I use bagged precooked shrimp and just add it at the last minute so it doesn't get rubbery. Jack likes it and it is low points. I bought a snazzy new nail polish to wear to the wedding. I have a solid turquoise sleeveless sheath dress that has a light material patterned duster that goes over it that I am going to wear and bought this glossy turquoise nail polish to wear. I don't have any dressy winter clothing so it is going to have to be this or go naked. All my dress clothing I have bought for cruises. I have some nice flat dress shoes, but I am taking a pair of flats and leave them in the car so if I need to I can change into them at the reception. They are more like loafers, but if my feet start hurting, fashion me damned. :lol: Jean: I am assuming you have an above the stove microwave? It does sound like a pain. If it is recalled I don't understand why they aren't obligated to install it. Guess it is a good thing you have a handy husband just in case. Our credit union has live people 24/7 that you can call and they are American too. We have been with them 40 years and I would never go anywhere else even though we lived in areas where we had no credit union physically. I put in the fraud report online yesterday morning after the charges had all come through and by yesterday afternoon they had refunded all my money. I also received my new card by FEDEX overnight yesterday. They give you the option of mail or going and picking it up at the credit union, but the credit union is out by the base, which is about 40 miles and I had things to do on Thursday so opted for it to just be sent to me. I am a little puzzled that they only used it for those few Itune charges though. Like I said, I think it might have been kids. I am the only one who ever gets hacked though. I have had to have my debit card replaced about 5 times and Jack never has. I imagine it is because I pay stuff online sometimes. I don't use it much anymore, but I used to. I did notice when I went in to do the fraud charge that I had paid my insurance with my bank card, but I would think they'd be pretty tight security as it is federal because it is Tricare. Who knows in this day and age. I was able to get a hotel room with just a shower for the wedding. Hotels and the cruise ships can be a nightmare for me having tubs. I can't just step in and step out, I have to have stuff to hold onto and a lot of times the stepping out can be hard. I don't like to get handicap rooms like I said because I try and leave them for people who can't walk and need the roll in showers. I just deal with it. I have gotten so that I take a hand towel and put it in the bottom of the tub to keep from slipping. We have a rubber tub mat to take on the cruises, but since we have a room with a shower and a tub that are separate we don't need it. Be prepared for the shower in the cruise cabins. It is like taking a shower in a space capsule! :lol: I guess I better get moving and get my morning chores done so I can get ready to go to the store this morning. Have a good weekend all. |
Good Afternoon! The sun is shining, NO wind, and it's 37 degrees! :cheer: The patio is melting and the ice melt is working on the driveway. I have been cleaning out a catch-all cupboard in the living room. I sure don't know why I saved half of the stuff I am finding but it's heading to the garbage today! Also have laundry in the washer and dryer plus the dishwasher is running, so it is a productive day! The "Blues" program we were to go to tonight has been postponed. I think the performer is stuck somewhere because of the weather. My Monday luncheon and Monday night card club have both been cancelled. I know it's better to be safe than sorry, but with all the hoopla we probably won't get anything. We have our handy dandy generator if the electricity does go out.
"Gma," I am of the firm opinion that "anything goes" when it comes to fashion. After seeing what some of the celebrities wear I think the dress code is a thing of the past. I know we see all kinds of outfits around here. I'm sure you will look lovely at the wedding. :yes: They, whoever they are, will install the microwave when they deliver it. It makes me nervous because my stove is a flat top and Bob thinks there is a framework the microwave fits in. It just plugs into an outlet so that part is easy. I don't remember if the guys moved the stove out the last time or not. I'm sure there is a good supply of cat fur underneath. :o Your cruise suite looks very nice. I will have to go back and read through my literature. I think there is a slide show on the web site for what our's will look like. Several have told me to be sure and get a balcony after we booked, which we had done because the other two couples encouraged us to do so. I need to start looking for my summer clothes! (And hope they still fit!) The dishwasher if finished so need to unload it and get back to my cupboard. Hope you enjoy the rest of the day! :wave: |
Good morning to you all. It is cool enough I heard the furnace kick on, but not particularly cold in the house or anything. I wear a sweater in the house all the time in the winter and socks on my feet so it may be cooler than I think. :D
Today is commissary day. I sure hope it isn't nuts in there today and we can get checked out quickly. Jack gets so irritated when they have no cashiers to check us out. I just grumble and realize complaining does no good so might as well stop. We had two shootings a couple nights ago very close to our condos. They haven't figured out whether or not they are connected. I saw last night there was a shooting last night on the street we have to use to go to the commissary. Seems like everyone shoots first and asks questions later in this town. Sad because it used to be a nice town. More areas of this city are blighted anymore than aren't I think. It is pretty disgusting IMO. I got a baby card and wrapped the baby presents for my great niece's shower and will put them in the mailbox on our way to the commissary. Her shower is the 28th so they will get there in plenty of time. I also bought Valentine's cards for the boys next month. I can't believe the price of cards these days. I spent $95 at WM yesterday and $20 of that was three cards! Jean: Balcony cabins just make the room seem larger I think. We never had an interior cabin. Our first two cruises we had cabins with big picture windows which looked out on the promenade. We have had a balcony cabin, a grand suite, and this year an owner's suite. We will more than likely just suck it up and get a balcony accessible from now on as they have a roll in shower and a room big enough to put the scooter in it without blocking anything. We have a flat top ceramic stove. I like it but you have to keep on top of cleaning it that's for sure. I only clean it with the abrasive cleaner once a week, but I clean it everyday to make sure nothing has stuck to it. You leave it for very long without using the ceramic cleaner and you won't get everything off of it. Hope all your summer clothing still fits. Wish we were going with you and not waiting until Sept. I could use a trip and warm weather! :lol; Have a great Sunday everyone. |
Good Evening! Went to early church and skipped a turkey soup lunch put on by the kids. Turkey isn't my choice on a good day. It was announced a young man had been killed in an accident. He was in Jason's class so would be 42/43 years old. Too young leaving a wife and teenaged daughter. We stopped by the grocery store on the way home because Bob was hungry for a roast. I will fix it tomorrow since we will most likely be "stormed" in for the day. The tv has had the warnings on for two days now so it will be interesting to see what really happens. Each of the three networks predict a different start time and ice/snow accumulation. I've spent the afternoon doing some laundry and continued to sort through more pictures and old greeting cards.
"Gma," Des Moines seems to have a lot of shootings lately; many have been random drive by and the shooters are never caught. Two police officers were shot in separate locations just before Christmas but the guy who shot them was caught. He has claimed PTS so will most likely not go to trial. Crazy world we live in these days. I didn't realize you use your scooter so much. It's good you can take it in your suite and not have to worry someone might take it. What is the difference between the suites? I am looking forward to warmer weather since we have had an unusually long stretch of cold. It did get up to 37 this afternoon, with no wind, so with sunshine the street ice did melt some. :cp: Bob is hinting that it is tummy (food) time so guess that is my cue to get up and move to the kitchen. Enjoy your evening and Happy Monday tomorrow! :wave: |
Good Morning! Well, we are iced in for the day and going nowhere. Everything in town is closed or canceled. The trucks didn't salt nor sand the residential streets last week so don't anticipate they will today either. I need to vacuum and do the usual chores around the house today. Money counting may not happen until Wednesday. Bob's requested roast is cooking and smells pretty good :T if I do say so myself.
Hope you are toasty warm and enjoying a marvelous Monday! :wave: |
Good evening! Jack had the day off today so not much got done. He did go and get his hair buzzed.
I don't know if it is all this rainy weather or what, but my bad knee has been acting up for two days now. It is causing throbbing pain in my calf, back of my knee and thigh. Nothing has seemed to help much either. I finally gave up and took a pain pill so I could at least sleep last night. It got so bad this afternoon I had trouble getting to the bathroom on time. Irritating! Jean: On RCCL you can get everything from a cabin with no window or anthing but walls, clear up to something that is 1640 sq feet and has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and 3 balconies, butler service, hot tub. Those will set you back a king's ransom! An interior cabin with no window, exterior with porthole style window, promenade cabin with window looking down on shopping are, balcony cabin, all have stand alone showers only. Anything jr suite and above has either tub with shower or like ours, a tub and a separate shower. There's suites that are two floors with 2 bathrooms and living on first, bedroom in a loft up. Hope you guys can get out after today. We're getting thunderstorms and it's in the mid 60's here at the moment. I use my scooter when I have to walk a lot and the ships we go on have a lot of walking and can be hard to find places to sit in the promenade area when sales are going on. Everyone have a good evening. |
Good morning. It is wet, wet, wet here this morning. The rain started last night and hasn't let up yet. I think it is supposed to continue throughout the day. It doesn't seem cold though. The furnace hasn't kicked on and the house seems warm.
We had idiots yesterday protesting some pipeline that comes into the refinery out where Jack works. They blocked traffic and unloaded barrels across the parking lot of the refinery where the trucks come into load the gas. These dopes don't even think the gas they are driving around with is the same stuff they are trying to keep from being refined. I don't know what nut job thought this up, but the refinery was going strong when Jack went to work for the city 15 years ago and the pipeline was there then. Of course, these 12 where not much more than babies then. Looks like most of them are college students. Well, Jack has the taxes done and they are ready for filing as soon as they can be filed. Another year in the bag. I don't know about you, but I am about as sick of all this inauguration stuff as I can stand. What is wrong with people? They are like sheep and just follow the crowd and don't even know what they are following for. The newest is an out and out threat and I hope they go after the moron that said they were going to take acid to the inauguration and put it into the building air supply. I kind of call that treason. Everyday it is something new and I am just fed up with it. I would like to get upstairs and clean bathrooms if my knee will hold up. It is still giving me problems and I imagine it is from all the rainy weather. Everyone have a good day today. |
Good morning, ladies! 46 degrees and overcast.
Donna, I opted not to go to the Y this morning because my knees were hurting so bad I could hardly get out of bed. Rainy weather affects my arthritis and breathing. We have nuts here, too. Dominion Power (electricity) needs more capacity and they wanted to put power lines over the James River. Protestors got that stopped because it would destroy the view! Now Dominion announced we can expect power outages because of the big demand in summer and there is nothing they can do since expansion is blocked. So now the protestors are out again because there is no backup source of electricity. Last year we had 1 murder in York County - a man shot his wife. Newport News and Hampton have them almost daily and few of the shootings involve whites. I have a hard time understanding the Black Lives Matter and the killing of each other. Jean, January is usually our coldest month so we might have had all the winter (snow and ice) that we are going to get. Just so the last weekend in February is clear since that is the big Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. Have a wonderful day! |
Good Afternoon! This has been a crazy day for weather! It was foggy this morning, and a bit warmer at 30 degrees when I came downstairs. There is no wind for a nice change. The sun came out around noon then disappeared a couple hours later. It is 36 degrees right now and the ice is melting off the trees. I broke a finger nail so decided to have it fixed when I drove by the nail salon and no one was waiting. I stopped by the gift shop and paid a couple invoices from last week when it was closed and under construction. I decided to bake a pistachio cake for Crafty Club on Thursday so went the grocery store on my way home.
"Gma," We've had pipeline protesters in Iowa too. There was quite a bit of costly vandalism at one of the sites. There is a map on Facebook showing the current pipeline locations and the state is covered with them. I wonder why no one protested them? I don't know why people can't accept Trump as President and support what he trying to do to make America great again. He certainly can't do any worse than the big O. I wish he'd go back to Chicago and work on their crime. May the bikers outnumber the protesters! I hope your knee feels better this afternoon! Susan, It really makes one wonder if the protesters have any common sense at all. Sad for sure. The majority of the court cases here are nonwhite names printed in the newspaper. The violence happens more often since the Chicago "people" moved here. They don't get along with the Mexicans, Asians, and Somalians so there is always something going on. So far there have been no murders in 2017. The last weekend in Feb. is when we will be sailing back to Florida so I'm hoping for good weather too. I hope your knees feel better and you are breathing easier this afternoon. I need to get busy and dust then vacuum. I hate getting ready for guests even though they've all been here before. Tomorrow is cleaning bathrooms. I leave too many things to the last minute and I'm old enough to know better! :rolleyes: Enjoy the rest of your day! :wave: |
Good morning gals! I got up to go to the bathroom and low and behold the sewer is backed up again. It has only been 5 weeks this time. Jack now has to take a day off to deal with it since he can't get ahold of the management company manager until after 8 AM. It is dark out but he went out and said it is bubbling up again and he did see markings like maybe they marked electrical and stuff. I am pretty fed up with this, but as long as he keeps having them pump it out, there isn't much the city will do about it as he "fixes" it. Maybe this will get them going on repairing it, but it means forking out money to a hotel for at least 2-3 days as the water will be turned off.
Susan: Everything is about griping. There is a side goes this way and the other side goes that. I understand having opinions, but this day and age everything turns violent. The things they are saying they are going to do at the inauguration are reprehensible. I just hope all those bikers can help the police keep them in line. Hope you feel better soon. I sure can sympathize with you. Jean: Hope your weather straightens itself out. We go up and down here but are having a lot of rain. I think we have 6-8 murders here already this year. Looks like another banner year for this city. It is disgusting. You all have a nice day. |
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! |
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. :yes: 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! :hyper: Not much else is newsy this morning. Hope you enjoy a terrific Thursday! :wave: |
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. :lol: 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. |
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. :rolleyes: She usually seems to get the back of my shirt wet and today wetter than usual. :mad: 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! :eek: I'm so glad your baby gift arrived safely! :cheer: 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! :wave: |
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! :wave: |
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. |
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. |
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! :wave: |
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! :lol: 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. |
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! :wave: |
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 |
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. :hyper: 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. :wave: |
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! :wave: |
Good Morning! It is spitting snowflakes again! :crazy: 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! :wave: |
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. :twirly: I need to put my gift shop books away and clear the clutter off the island. Hope you all have a great weekend! :wave: |
Good morning, ladies! 35 degrees and sunshine today. We had weather in the 60s earlier in the week. The daffodils are up about 3 inches and my azela is getting green leaves. Everything is going to end up freezing again.
Thursday was Glory Bee and yesterday was Needle and Hand Bee. I'm going to drop Needle and Hand. It's a long drive and the members have changed over the years to the point I hardly know anyone because they live in Portsmouth and Suffolk and they are a lot younger. Which is good because I want quilting to keep going. My English friend, Irene, came to visit me yesterday evening. We had a nice cup of tea and solved the world's problems. She's going back to England for 6 months and may move back permanently. She has family there and none here. One of my friend's husband had a really freak accident. He was taking the trash bin to the curb and a gust of wind shoved it into it and the handle hit the inside of his right leg. He's on blood thinners and a huge hemotoma developed right away so they went to the emergency doc. They sent him home with instructions to keep it iced. It got worse and an infection developed so they had to surgical open it and clean it out. They put a wound vac on it and it started to get better but now it's infected again and they are going to have to do it all again. I'm really worried about Donnie because that's basically how Stan had to have his leg amputated. The kit for the Jinny Beyer quilt came so now I need to get upstairs and match thread to fabric and see if I need to get more. JoAnn's is having a 20% off total purchase and today is the last day. I'm so old I remember when thread was 15 cents and now I pay $6.79 for the same size spool. It's made by Aurfil in Italy and is the best I have ever used. I have a lot of thread. I use 50wt in the sewing machine, 28 wt for quilting, 40 wt. for hand piecing and 60, 80 or 100 wt for hand applique and invisible thread for machine applique. Jean, I need to do the lid-container match up, too. I hate doing it. Enjoy your new iphone. Have a wonderful day! |
Good Evening! Another sunless day in my neighborhood. :( The never ending wind made it seem colder than the thermometer said it was. We went to Sioux City for a new coffee pot and cruising clothes for Bob. My coffee pot wasn't that old and I've cleaned it with vinegar a couple times. Yesterday I noticed what looked like a leak on the warming plate where the water tank touches it. The pot had a couple brown specks on the outside which I wiped off not thinking anything about it. Today when I picked the pot up I noticed the bottom had a crack half way around the pot. I was glad I hadn't turned it on or I might have had coffee all over! Bob made a quick trip to the coffee shop for breakfast coffee! Because I used my Penneys card, a shirt sale of "buy one and get the second one for half price," a tie sale of "buy one and get the second one for a penny" plus 20% on the shorts, I saved $119.32! Makes me wonder how they make any money but I'm not complaining! I was surprised there was such a big selection of summer clothes this early. We met Beth and her family at Texas Roadhouse for an early supper. I ordered a chicken salad and it was the worst salad I've ever had! There was hardly any lettuce, mostly tomatoes, eggs, and carrots with chicken baked in mushy breading. Yuck! Maddy said her corn tasted funny so she ate Beth's mixed vegetables. Bob and Will both ordered steak and said they were very good. Maybe steak is their specialty along with the rolls and peanuts. :D We had a gift card to use so that is done. When we were heading to the car ran into a couple we have known for years, she and I taught together. We always say we're going to get together and never seem to get the job done.
Susan, we were pretty much down to bare ground until the last snow. I'll take the snow over the ice any day! It's hard to picture flowers coming up yet although we've had daffodils push through snow before. We notice it is staying lighter later. :cp: Do you still go to the Ladies of the Night quilting group? I love that name! I know you will miss Irene if she decides to move. I hope Donnie's leg will heal as it should. That is scary! I didn't know thread came in so many different weights. We just have WM now, and they have NO selection. There are no fabric stores in Sioux City any more and I'm not sure about Sioux Falls. There are a couple of quilting shops in nearby towns which is nice for the quilters. I need to decide what I'm wearing to church tomorrow. It seems like my choices are black, black, or black. I will need to iron something before I head to bed. Hope you enjoy a nice Sunday tomorrow. :wave: |
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