VIP~Tuesday, July 9

[plantdoctor]

[grandmazn8]

Good morning. Today is my youngest brother's 55th birthday. So that means we are coming up on the 55th anniversary of the landing on the moon, at least for those of us who don't believe it was done in Hollywood. I remember watching it with all the family, including the youngest who was on my parent's bed. Of course he wasn't watching but he was there which is how I keep up with that year. Like DS#3 and the Challenger, and Ethan with Hurricane Hugo.

I need to do laundry but first I'm going to take the trash, fill the seed feeders and probably the hummer feeder as well.

Have a terrific Tuesday.

[plantdoctor]

Good morning everyone.  It is 65º and going to mid 80s later.  Today there's a chance of stray showers....I don't know how that's different then the pop up showers predicted yesterday.  We didn't get rain yesterday, though.

Other than getting 2 trash cans of yard debris, I can't remember what I did yesterday....lol.  I had a community center board meeting last night.  They usually are 1 hour long, but last night was 2 hours long.  We had election of officers and you should be proud of me as I declined the nomination for board president and also the nomination for treasurer.  I think I have enough on my plate right now since I talked with Phyllis's DD and she is scheduled to come home July 22.  She will require more hours of assistance now than she did before.

I am once again on the class reunion committee and we have a group text going this morning.  It is confusing me with trying to type here, so I will just wish everyone a good day.  Charlene

[marylc]

Hello to everyone, Charlene=lovely roses, sometimes i have to think what did i eat for lunch? i usually write in my diary meals i eat. Leslie=you can remember historical dates with births! was going through yesterdays post and saw spell checker missed the temperature was wrong!. was not that high. have a nice day, Mary in Kentucky. 9.49am

[sonny2u2]

Good morning, another heat advisory day for us. It cooled down enough so that I could sit on the balcony last night. The temperature is currently at 85° and is hazy cloudy, if that makes sense. You can't see the blue sky but the sun is shining through.

Have a good day everyone.

[marnee]

Good morning, it’s 69° here in Bismarck this morning and we have sunshine. We arrived here Friday night and are at one of my sisters.
I have been spending a lot of time at my brothers, visiting with him and a lot of my family. My brother did get the results back from his test and he does have cancer, so we will be spending a lot of time with him while we’re here.
Shar got sick and went to the hospital here on Sunday and was released yesterday so overall, it’s been a very overwhelming trip. I’m not sure what the plans are for today we’re just taking one day at a time and making plans as we go.
I’m not sure when I will be posting again just thought I’d keep you up-to-date.
I haven’t had a chance to read anything for the last several days and don’t know when I will get a chance to get caught up so we’ll just wave to everyone and say hi.
Have a good day everyone.

[grandmazn8]

I went out and filled the seed feeders. Then I decided to check on things, which led to pulling some weeds as I went, mostly chamberbitter, aka false mimosa. I battle it like Gayle does mimosa because it has seeds underneath the leaves so difficult to eradicate. By the time I decided to quit, 45 minutes later, I was watering plants with the sweat dripping off my face. I have another roma starting to turn. Not sure if I'll use it in a salad like the last one or chop it up and add it to spaghetti sauce. I should probably freeze it until I get enough and have okra to make stewed tomatoes and okra. One of the beefsteak looks like it is in the beginning stages of splitting so I'll need to keep an eye on it. They definitely don't look like beefsteak as small as they are. I'm finally getting buds on the peppers. Watching a female zucchini flower and a female squash flower, waiting for them to open. My luck there won't be any males available when they do. I have the same with the loofah, all male flowers still. I read that the female flowers start about a week or 2 after the males and it has been several weeks. So may not get any loofah or squash. If not this week be my last year trying. Now to scoop the litter box and take the trash, then do my laundry when I get home. I would like to cook some breakfast for lunch but might not want to stand over a stove when I get back so it may be a sandwich or leftover chicken bog.

Charlene, I'm sure Phyllis is anxious to come home. I hope the extra work for you won't be too taxing and will be worth the money. Good for you in declining more responsibilities.

Mary, I guess it is odd that people remember events based on where they were or how old their kids were I guess but I do.

Sonny, hope you get a break from the heat. Right now, at 11am, it's 87 but feels like 99.

MaryM, sorry your brother has cancer and that Shar was sick. You have had a tough few days, so make sure you take care of yourself. 

[plantdoctor]

Mary M...I am sorry to hear about your brother's diagnosis.  Hopefully he can beat it.  Also sorry to hear about Shar being hospitalized.  Certainly not a relaxing trip for you.  Thanks for the updates.  Charlene

[luvmyb_b]

 It is overcast and looks pretty yucky outside. Radar seems to indicate we could get a sprinkle or two this morning. The fella I just listened to, not one of my regular guys, just acted as though we weren't going to get anything right now. Maybe not, but it sure looks like we will. It appears as though Beryl is moving through faster than was expected. The current thought is that most of our activity will happen tonight with less rain overall. Works for me so long as we don't have tornadoes after dark. There is now, unfortunately, an elevated chance for them. 

I hear the garbage men coming down the alley. I can laugh about it now, but when I was awake at 3:00 and realized I hadn't pushed the totes to the alley, trash wasn't funny. I was out there in the middle of the night pushing the totes into place. That's what happens when you lose track of time and days. LOL! 

It must not have been the deacon's day to come yesterday. Either that or he is out of commission again. We never heard from him regardless of why. Maybe next week we'll see him. DH was getting antsy about the lawn yesterday so I went back and reread Josh's text message. He said he could definitely come some time this week to mow, not over the weekend. I'd misread his text before. I told that to DH so he'd relax a bit. It is inevitable that he will ask me if I have heard from Josh yet. I found out yesterday that he asked DSisIL#2 to check with Josh about our lawn. Since he doesn't have Josh's number, I fear DH will become a pest to DSisIL because she is a contact for Josh as his grandmother-in-law. Perhaps he will hit up his DB on this also. I've already told them both to not give DH Josh's number. I'm sorry for them if they become his targets next. He can be relentless. I spent a good deal of time on the phone yesterday talking with DSis#5 and #4, as well as the accountants we have used in the past. #5 was wondering if I knew which of the two law firms in DM's town handled her Will. I told her what I knew. She was to hear back from one of the lawyers from the firm I believe DM used. It would make life easier if that was the right group. We hashed out some things of what we could/should do moving forward. I think we will gather at DM's to sort through stuff together so it doesn't all fall on #5. We've thought of making piles to start with so we can make sense of what there is. A dumpster, at least one, will be necessary after more than 50 years in one place. Our accountant suggested that while looking for the Will, if we come up with the deed to the house and property we need to hang onto that for the sale and taxes. Not something we may have thought of on our own. The accountant also cleared up something for us that has been weighing on my mind. The call with DSis#4 was good, too. I have spoken with #3 and #5 multiple times and had a good feel for how they were doing. I was a bit more concerned about #4 because she opted to not help very much with DM and I hoped she wasn't feeling guilty about that. She seemed okay, but she also said she hoped that #5 wasn't thinking she wouldn't want to help her with things. I never detected any of that from #5 and told her that. There was some residual "stuff" that #4 had from when DStepF died that complicated her relationship with DM, and to a certain extent #5. I got that. DM could try the patience of a saint and #4 processes things differently. Everyone deals with life & death differently. I accept that. So, it seems as though we may be on the path to moving forward on life without DM as weird as that is to say and think about. 

DH has a podiatrist appointment for later this afternoon. I hope we aren't dodging heavy rain for that. I'm not sure what else happens around here today. I do want to cash a check that DSisIL#2 and her DH wrote to me for whatever I want in honor of DM. We had been asking that donations go to Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan's Purse because DSis#5 is in charge of that through her church and DM supported that. There were some donations given for that. However, DM also asked me often about my church as she was heavily interested in the music program there. They don't need money for that, but our St. Vincent DePaul Society has a food pantry on our church campus that has been hit up extra hard recently. I am going to give the money from DBIL and DSisIL to them for rent or utilities assistance. I also received cash from a former neighbor. She suggested breakfast for us, but I am going to use that for extra groceries for the food pantry. DM would really prefer that, and so do I. 

Wow! I really got off the beaten path for a while there. Something got into my head to go searching for our funeral plans in the midst of this. I needed to make some adjustments and didn't want to forget them, so I stopped and worked on them. I feel better updating things so DSon isn't guessing on things later on. 

I should end this quickly as I just looked at the clock. The doctor's appointment isn't until this afternoon, but I am on the clock for getting supper in the crockpot. I need to have the meat in there by noon and it is still in the freezer. I'll try to thaw that in the microwave, cut into medallions, and brown before putting them in there. 

But first ...

Happy Birthday to your DB, Leslie! Each of those events sure were memorable. I was able to do some harvesting myself and does that feel good. I picked lettuce last night for a salad and added the lone radish I have gotten so far. It was not something I generally add to anything, but since I decided to grow it and got something I figured I'd use it. I expected DH to fuss but he didn't. I hope you start getting the gender of flowers you need to get more produce.   

Wise of you, Charlene, to decline those nominations. You can't spread yourself too thinly. 

Mary, good idea to write in your diary what you have eaten. I'd forget also if I had to account for my meals. 

Sorry about that additional heat advisory, Carol. Summer isn't playing around with us, is it?

I'm sure sorry to hear, Mary M., about your DB's diagnosis. Shar's hospitalization also. Not the way you wanted to spend this trip, I'm sure. 

Guess I better get moving. DH is roaming and wondering what I am doing. Time to tend to him. Wishing you all a terrific Tuesday! Waving to those I missed. 

[Gayle]

Good evening,

 Another day of no rain & an excessive heat warning.  One I/O shows a high of 88* in the back yard which is shady & a heat index of 100*.  The one for  the front yard said 101* with a heat index of 112.  That has since dropped to 87, once the sun dropped below the trees across the street.  All I know is that it was too hot to be outside.

Filled bird feeders this morning but couldn't add water to the bird baths as our water was off.  They were repairing a leak under the street nearby.  They hoped to have it back on by 4 PM but it was back by noon.  Good deal.

Instead I sprayed some wild oxalis weeds ( actually a lot) with Weed Begone.  I think the heavy equipment last year must have brought them all to the surface.  There are tons popping up in that area that weren't there before.  Had to mix up a fresh bottle of spray & that is when I realized I had water again.

DB called & asked if I would go get his mil for him.  That was easy; I needed to pick mine up too.  He is doing better but still not driving.  I suspect he will be soon.  I had some L/O Sloppy Joe mix in my frig that I had decided I didn't really want so I took it to him along with some HB buns from the freezer for his supper tonight.

Spent some time balancing the checkbook & talking to  friend that just got back from a trip to NY to visit family over the 4th.

Charlene, good decision to turn down those nominations.  Only so many hrs in the day, especially now that Phyllis is coming home.

Mary M, sorry to hear about your DB & Sister.  Hope they both do well.

Never did get around to setting up the new phone, but I can use it as is for now.  I decided to keep the old one hooked up as a back up.  For one thing it has an answering machine built into the base & that comes in handy sometimes. I also have a landline which is good if the power goes out. So I now have 3 phones.  Plus the cell.

I'm signing off to go feed the cats & myself.  Catch ya later.