Is The Holiday Over...or Not?

Today's high temperature was:  69 degrees

Today's humidity was: 42%

Sunny and lovely!!!!

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We seem to drag out any holiday we have for an entire week--sometimes, more then a week.  A few days before, and the whole week afterwards.  We are weird people.
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It was cold in this house this morning, but---I DID NOT turn on the furnace for a few minutes.

I am kind of getting weirded out about this lovely weather.  Wondering, because of our wonderful spring and summer we are going to have a knock down, drag out winter.  I don't care how much snow we get--very rarely a time when I HAVE to drive in the snow, but I don't want it to be bitterly cold.  Not that it would bother me either, staying inside, snuggy and warm, but......that winter gas bill can be a killer!!!

I have recovered from the "ache in my arms and shoulders" chores.  Feeling really good today--got up at 8:00--took a shower  I do believe that I am the worse on personal hygiene!  Growing up on the farm, we took a bath on Saturday night.  We washed up in between Saturday's, but took the long soak, good scrub on Saturday nights.  Even when I worked, I did not shower every day--although I did wash my hair every day--in the kitchen sink.  My doctor one time told me, that because of my extreme dry skin, to only shower twice a week and NEVER take a bath.  I so love soaking in a huge, deep tub, water up to my ear lobes, bubbles all over the place, hot as I could stand the water.  When I lived on (Pammies) farm, we had a pedestal tub--deep and long enough even for this 5'11" frame to stretch out for a good soak, water up to my grommets.

Then, a few years ago, I had my big tub taken out and the whole area made into a shower "room", I call it.  You could get 4 people easily standing in there.  It has a seat and two hand grips--really nice--quite expensive, but not as expensive as those walk-in tubs.  I realized this morning that the last shower I took was Sunday morning before church.  Does that make me an old, stinky person?   

I don't use deodorant either!!!

Yikes--you are going to think I have taken the hermit thing too far!  If I have a doctor's/dentist/orthopedic/--any appointment, I would take a shower that morning--simply to get my hair washed, actually.

I have a condition--don't know what it is called, but I do not sweat!  Thus the problem I have with heat/humidity/sun.  I have a large package of what is called Adult Towelettes, (used them in rehab and buy them now), that I wipe under my arms and other parts with them before bedtime, sometimes.  And I always use the Cottonelle wipes after a potty break, but other then that.  GEEZ!!!  I will have to ask Bethie or Pearl if I stink--I don't think I do, but...........YIKES!!!  How can a person, who basically sits in their computer or recliner chair all day work up a stink?  BUT--I don't know why I don't take a shower every morning--it feels so good!!!  Laziness of course!
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At 10:00, I walked down to Pearl's--while my hair dried--and hassled her for an hour.  Oh--I didn't really hassle her--we had a good chat about a whole bunch of stuff.  Then, Merle came home from work early.  He looked a bit rough--said he was dizzy all morning.  This man (77) gets up at 4:00 a.m., goes to the golf course and works until 1:00.  He is only suppose to mow the greens, but he does a lot of repair on the mowers and the golf carts and a lot of lifting.  That is way too much work for him, in my opinion, but Pearl says, "We need the money."

I asked him, "Did you get in to see the cardiologist?"

He looked at Pearl and she said, "I haven't made the appointment yet.  I'm going to wait until Monday to call them."

GEEZ!!

I said to him, "Did you get in to see your primary care doc?"

He looked at Pearl and she said, "I haven't made that appointment yet either."

"Didn't they tell you, at the hospital, to get in to see him within a week?"

Merle says, "Yep, but we've been busy."

I decided not to scold, not to teach, not to say WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!  Instead I said, "Okay--I'm just worried about you."
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I came home, watched my soap and then drove on in to Brighton.  I had read Bella's blog post,  http://culdesacchronicles.wordpress.com/, this morning and decided it was time for me to get my Shingles vaccine!  I had to go to the Rich People's store too, for some more Boar's Head sliced Pastrami and salads. I stopped at the Walgreen's first to get my shot.  They took all my insurance information, my name, phone number, date of birth, on and on.  Then the pharmacist said, "Okay--that will cost $225.00...no wait...$98.00 for your co-pay.."

I didn't know what to say.  No words would come out of my hanging open to my chin, in shock, mouth.

"I don't have that kind of money.  Isn't it covered by Medicare....or my Blue Cross supplemental insurance?"

She said, "I know.  Isn't it terrible?"

"Yes--I thought this country was into preventative medicine and yet....the flu and pneumonia vaccines are fully covered, but not Shingles?"

She nodded.

"Well--I guess I will have to take my chances.  At least if I do get Shingles, the pain meds and treatment will be fully covered!"
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I am still shaking my head about that.  I had all my childhood diseases.  I missed nearly 3 months in Kindergarten because I had, chicken pox, whooping cough, mumps and measles.  Almost died from the measles, so---having had such hard cases of all those diseases, maybe I will be more immune to getting a really bad case of Shingles?   You know--I think that those of us who had childhood diseases have a stronger immune system.  I was really scared when I was exposed to the German Measles when I was 3 months pregnant with Jennifer, but my doc told me that because I had such a hard case of them when I was younger, I had nothing to worry about and that my immunity would transfer to the baby. Guess he was right.

I sometimes worry that all the vaccines the little ones get nowadays, is not such a good thing.  They have nothing to make for a strong immune system?  Wouldn't it be better for them to get the disease and have a lifetime immunity toward it?  My littlest grandkids, pick up every dang cold bug that walks past them--bronchitis, ear infections, croup, the flu--on and on.  I never had much of that as a kid and now--I never get sick.  My doc told me years ago that I had a very strong immune system and---probably from having such hard cases of my childhood diseases.  What didn't kill me, made me stronger?
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I must tell you--I have decided to go to the Rich People's Grocery Store every week to build my self esteem and confidence.  I got flirted with TWICE today.  Once in the produce department and once in the check-out line.  In fact, the cashier noticed that one.  He was in line, in front of me.  When he left, she said, "He was flirting with you--did you know that?"

I said, "Yeah, I noticed. Cool, huh?"

When I got out to my car, he was parked next to me, putting his groceries in the trunk of his car.  He looked up and smiled and said, "beautiful weather, isn't it.  Have a gorgeous day, Gorgeous."

HAH--two old codgers--parked next to each other in the handicap parking spots, out of breath from lifitng their heavy groceries into their cars.  WHAT A HOOT!!!   Used to be flirting while driving around town in our hopped up cars---now the handicap zone.    Just cracks me up!!!!!

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Shortly after I got home, neighbor Tami came over to chat.  All of a sudden, she looked out the window at her place and the strangest look came on her face.  "LOOK", she yelled.  I thought her place was on fire, until I got up and looked out the window.  This is what we saw---five feet away from my window--between her place and mine.

They were over by my bush and when I got up to take

a picture, they started walking, nonchalantly away.

I had to get down on my knees to take a better picture.

Good thing Tami was there, to help me back up, LOL.

Sand Hill Cranes

I'm thinking I should put a trail of bird seed or corn from the back of my place up to my bird feeders so I could catch sight of them, at my feeders, from my chair.  Wouldn't that be quite a sight!!

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This whole Syrian thing has me freaked--kind of.  They haven't attacked any of our Embassies, or our ground, so why should we get involved?  For humanitarian purposes?  We are not the Teachers of the world, nor the PROTECTORS.  To "tell" them of our plans, so they can hide all their WMD's in mosques, hospital, schools, is ridiculous point #1.  Then to say there won't be any "boots on the ground", is another ridiculous statement because, every other time, there is ALWAYS CIA, or some sort of secretive military group on the ground--they are the ones watching and telling the ship the coordinates to use on where to aim the Tomahawks.  I DO NOT care for Sarah Palin--I AM NOT a Tea Partyer, but the statement she made about sums it up for me, "Let Allah figure it out!"  All the people fighting each other are Islamists--let Allah figure it out indeed!  We need to keep our noses right here in the USofA and figure out our own problems.  We don't need to be spending billions way to heck over there.  We've done enough of that in the last decade.  

What is really a wonderment--my Liberal friends have cursed George W. Bush forever because he went into Iraq--because Saddam Hussian had gassed over 5,000 Kurds and Iraqis to death.  We had to do something.  We knew there were WMD, but couldn't find them.  He had used them--they had to be there.  Now--their Prez. is thinking about doing the same thing.  Many, many Democrats--even my most Liberal friend, Lynn, is totally against it.  She is a SBB=Supreme Bush Basher--I wonder what she will post on Face Book if her Main Man sends in the rockets red glare?

It also is a wonderment to me why I feel the way I do.  I tend to be a Hawkish person.  Born at the beginning of DoubleU DoubleU Two.  Waving at the planes going off to "help our boys win the war!"  Even though I was very young, I was very patriotic!!

You should have been with me when the bombs fell on Baghdad in a surprise attack--you would have heard me cheer!  At work the next day, I was appointed chief reporter--had to run down to the TV in the building's cafe', every hour or so, to listen to the reports and then report back to my bosses.  It was my duty to go out at noon and buy 12 smallish US flags to put on the corner's of our cubicles.  

"Rah. Rah.  We are bombing the shit outta them towel heads!" No I didn't say that, but it was said!

But--you know--those people over there--they have been living and fighting for eons and I am weary of being involved in their wars. Besides that--whose side is the right side?  Is the Muslim Brotherhood really any better then Assad?  Give them weapons and they may someday, use them on us.

We had our Civil War and figured out how to come together, now it is their turn.  Let (their) Allah figure it out.  Just sayin'

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Later--Jude 

Glutton for Punishment

Today's high temperature was:  77 degrees

Today's humidity was:  34%

Sunny, breezy.

PERFECT WEATHER-(once again).

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I'm so glad you stopped by.  I really enjoy our daily chats.

I read Balisha's blog post this morning, http://balisha-neverenoughtime.blogspot.com/and it brought back a whole lot of memories of the summer's of my youth.  My grandma had a hatchery and a chicken farm.  She got her "mash" for the chicken feed in pretty sacks.



It was the easiest thing to make dresses or nighties out of this thin, cool cotton.  Of course, they were dusty from the ground up feed inside, so you had to wash them, but--they were pretty and bright.  I think some of those feed sacks ended up in the quilts my great grandma, grandma and Mother made.   We were well enough off so I didn't have to wear them for church or school, but Mother made me some.  Sleeveless (like a tank top) or tied on the shoulders--and just hung in an "A" line to my knees.  Mother didn't need a pattern--she had sewn from the time she was 10, so she took measurements and then stitched them up in a quick minute.  They were so cool and nice on a hot summer's day.

Of course, I was practically naked under them, but...I always wore my two pair of under panties, under them.  You wonder...why two pairs--at the same time?  Because....I wore my cotton ones and then a nylon pair on top---to make sure I was completely covered and nothing showed through.  You see--I spent a lot of time hanging by my knees from tree limbs, or climbing up trees, or doing cartwheels.  The fact that I had a dress on, and when I was upside down, it would fall around my head--that never mattered to me.  So Mother made sure, I was a respectable Tom-Boy.  LOL

Weren't those days wonderful?  Seven, eight, nine, ten years old.  Running barefoot all over all summer.  Getting as "brown as a berry," my Daddy would say.  When I got to be around 12, grandma cautioned me, "You need to wear a hat or put some lotion on your face when you are in the sons.  Boys like girls with a milk-white complexion, not all tanned up like a hired man!"  

Like I've said before--I am so glad my parents had another child--a girl, so they could get their dainty little princess, who never got tanned, who never had scabs on her knees, who stayed inside and learned to sew and decorate and draw and paint.  While this wild scallywag was out making forts in the hay bales in the top of the barn, walking across the beam up there (15 feet off the barn floor) and swinging on the rope into the pile of hay in the hay loft--or, catching turtles and frogs down by the creek and making hide-outs in the ditches along the gravel road.
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This morning, remembering how bad the back of my shed looked yesterday, I got my bucket of hot water, my mop and my special cleaning solution and headed out back.  I sprayed the back of the shed to get it wet.  Spritzed the cleaner all over it and let it set for twenty minutes.  Then I got my mop and started scrubbing--no big deal, right? Well, you know how life is.  Tasks or things that look easy peasy, usually turn into the most difficult.

Perhaps my arms and shoulders were inflamed because of yesterday's, having to hold the hedge trimmers over my head to trim Mary's bushes, I don't know, they didn't seem to be too sore.  But--for some reason,having to hold that mop above my head and then work my way down, and then having to bend over to get the siding next to the ground--that back and forth mopping motion just about killed me!!!  I thought it might take thirty minutes--took an hour.  I had to go over a lot of places and spritz on some more cleaner.  Truth be told--I would have taken a picture, but my arms and shoulders hurt so much I couldn't lift the camera up to eye level!!!

So I came in and rested and ate a lunch of sweet corn on the cob and tomato slices and watched my soap.  (It is so good right now!)

At 2:00, I was going to kick back my chair and take a little nap, and I looked over at where the book shelves are, sort of in the kitchen and I got a bright idea!   Bright ideas should be illegal for a person like me!!!

Old picture as I do not have the humidifier running now--

but you can see where the book shelves were.

This is a walnut piece that my great grandfather made.  

Rather primitive in its construction, but very solid.

I was also very tired of walking into my house and this being the first thing I see--

My microwave stand over by my chair--although, granted, it is 

technically in the kitchen.

So--I decided that the book shelves should go into the den to replace this old wicker box.

The one Buddy is laying in front of.

But--then, where would I put the box  I had it in front of my couch last fall and winter, but I don't like it there anymore--the reason it had been dispatched to the den.

So--I had to empty out the box.  And, I had to take everything off the book shelves.  Then I had to dust and clean the furniture pieces and dust the books and pictures and.........well, you know.  It just goes on and on.

As I was working away, I got another bright idea.

I tugged and pulled this heavy old wicker trunk out

to where the microwave stand use to be.

I think it kind of fits in with my other old boxes.

Then I pushed the microwave stand over by the kitchen table,

out of sight of anyone that would walk into the house.

And--"walked" (because it's so heavy) the book shelves into the den---in the space the wicker trunk used to occupy.

Maggie wonders what the heck is going on.

I don't know if I like it this way, but by the time I was done, I could not raise my left arm, so it will stay this way, until another day, when I get another bright idea.

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I didn't hear from Pearl all day--but Dar called to tell me she applied for and got a job at the Meijer's Super center.  Cashier--9.00 an hour, with a cost of living raise every 3 months, working her way up to $12.00, I think she said.  Full benefits.  Man, that is great for her.  I am actually quite jealous.  Man--could I use that kind of money.  Don't know if I could do the work for eight hours straight, but I sure could use that money. Wish I could get a job at home, typing or making spread sheets for some small business, putting files together--whatever!  I'd do that for $6.00 an hour!!!!! but nowadays, there are never any jobs like that advertised in the paper.  Most home jobs are scams in the long run.

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Hey, Bethie?  You know what I found out about the Shaker box?  You can tell if the craftsman was right or left handed by the way the Swallowtail design lays.  You hold the box on your lap and look at it.  If the >>> go to the right, he was right handed.  Holding the box and the pieces of shaped wood in his left hand, putting in the little pegs with his right.  if it goes, <<< he was left handed.  Cool, huh?

I guess our craftsman or woman, was right handed :-)

I think I will take a Naproxen--anti-inflammatory and hit the pillow.  I think I will sleep well, if the pain doesn't keep me awake.  



See ya!

The Circle of Life!

Today's high temperature was: 71 degrees

Today's humidity was:   26%

Sunny, nice breeze.

PERFECT WEATHER

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A terrible night!!!  I was so tired last night.  After I published my blog post I headed for bed.  

An hour later--still awake, I got up and took a Benedryl.

An hour later--still awake, I got up and read.

An hour later---still awake, I got up and made some warm cocoa.

At 4:00 a.m.--still awake, I got up, went potty, drank some water.

Of course, every time I moved from the bed, the Purry Furries had to get up too, to see what Momma was doing.

At 4:45--still awake I looked at the bedside table clock and just gave up.

8:00 a.m.--not awake, the alarm went off and I hit the snooze button.  I hit the snooze button every nine minutes until 9:30--and then I got up.

My head must be adjusting to the new pills because, I no longer have a thick, full head when I get up.  They aren't working as well as they did when I first started taking them, so...when I go back on the 25th, I will ask him to kick them up to 10mg.

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At 11:00 a.m., I went out to my shed and got my power cord, my electric hedge trimmers, my loppers, and my gloves and walked the few steps to Mary's hedge.  Piece of cake--as it had been massacred two years ago, so all I had to do was trim off the top and the sides--probably an hour's work at most.

1:00 p.m.--job half done, I stagger home to get something to eat, rest my back in my chair and watch my soap.

Nothing is ever as easy as we think it is going to be, is it?  When the "guys" cut back her hedge two years ago, and charged her seventy-five dollars, if they came to a really big "stalk", they just left it and trimmed off the new growth on the top and sides.  So, when I went to trim off the branches, I kept running into the 2 inch limbs.  My loppers can't cut anything that big, so I had to get my little tree saw and cut them back.  Very hard work on my hands, arms and shoulder--trying to saw.

Mary worked right along with me though, she raked up all the trimmings and put them in yard waste bags.  The only problem, Mary can talk.  Mary does talk.  On and on she rattles.  I am using electric hedge trimmers, so every time she started a conversation, I had to stop, so I could hear her, and wait until she was done.

Back out at 2:00 and by 3:00, we were done.  I put all my stuff away--winding up those long orange heavy-duty extension cords really hurt my arm and shoulder.  I left her raking away with the comment, "Just stick the rake in my shed when you're done." and came back to my chair.  She wanted to pay me, but I refused.  She doesn't get much more then I do a month--no one around here does--and if I could help her for a chore she would otherwise have to pay for--and I am capable enough to do that chore, then I am going to do it.

Today, I reminded her to check the outside vent on her dryer.  Two years ago, I was walking past the side of her house to get to the other street and noticed, so much lint coming out of her dryer vent.  The vent was so full, it was packed in there and edging its way out in one long spiral of lint, about 3 inches in diameter.  She got her guy neighbor to come and pull out her dryer and clean out the vent--inside/out, and he told her, "You were about two more drying cycles away from a huge fire!"

I offered to drain and flush her water heater and she told me that a guy came last week and did it for her and, "he only charged me one hundred dollars and he was here for an hour."

<Sigh>

Her bushes last week.

Her bushes now.

I wish I had her place.  Double wide, three bedrooms, two baths, that nice back deck, corner lot.  Of course, I have enough to take care of AND I live on a quieter street and have a view of the woods and wetlands out my computer room window--so--bloom where you're planted!

I noticed, while I was out there, that if she sits on that deck, she can see the back of my shed and---CRAP--I didn't have it power washed when I had the house done, so---there is mold on the back.  So, tomorrow, I will go out--spray it with vinegar, bleach and soap solution, scrub it with my floor mop and try to get it looking better.  

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I just realized.  I have five neighbors that I communicate with most every week and out of those five--four are DITZES!!!  And those four are, Dar, Pearl, Tami and Mary.  Jackie seems to be the only sane one in the group!!!!!

Now--I feel bad when I read some of the stuff I write about Pearl.  She is an absolute lovely lady, nice and sweet and we spend a lot of time together and giggle and laugh and rib each other.  I probably should not write a thing about her, but.........she is a huge part of my day, and some of the things she says and does, are just hysterical to me.  When I write on here about her...I am not putting her down.  I am just relating on the things she said, the way we go back and forth, trying to understand each other.  If it wasn't for Pearl--I might go days and days without speaking a word to another human.  Thank goodness I have her, to stimulate my mind.  Right?

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Yesterday, when Susan and Chuck were here--she and I walked around my perennial garden and Chuck dug up some roots to take back for her new garden, that she is designing and wanting to get some perennials in this month.

As I lay in bed last night, I happened to think of where those plants came from.  The Momma Iris, as we call it, was planted by my mother in 1966.  It was in memory of my grandma.  The Lemon Lily, also was in our Mother's garden, but, it came from a root in our great grandmother's garden--the same place where Susan lives now.  As did the Rudbeckia AND a peony tuber I have.  The Peony plant was eighty years old when I took a piece--it was on The Farm and planted by our great great grandmother.  I have had it for forty-five years.  So, that plant is around 125 years old and still growing!!

Lemon Lily.  Not only is it lemon color, but it smells like lemons.

 What we call, Momma Iris.  Peach in color.

Rudbeckia-Brown-Eyed-Susan

or

as Pearl calls it--Rebecca.

I got the "cuttings" from my mother's garden, when I moved into my grandmother's house, in 1967.  Mother had dg them up from the great grandmother;s gardens.  I planted them in the huge gardens I used to have (and Pammie has turned back into lawn).  Then when I moved in 1988, I took some roots with me.  Then when I moved in 1990, I took some of those roots with me--always leaving a nice garden behind.  Then when I moved to Saginaw in 1992, I took some of those roots and, on the corner lot there, I had an enormous garden that people use to stop their cars to look at.  Then, when I moved here in 2003, I brought some of the roots from those traveling plants with me.

So--here we are--nearly fifty years later, and some of the roots and tubers from the plants are...going back home where they were first planted.

Talk about the Circle of Life!!!!!

My great great grandmother died forty years before I was born, so I don't remember her.  Still---I have living plants that she first planted with her own hands, in the late 1800's.  It just amazes me.

I remember------my Mother went to Holland, Michigan in spring of 1969--she loved it there.  While she was there, she ordered 200 daffodil and tulip bulbs from Holland.  The country of Holland.  She planted them that fall.  She died in March 1970 and I was furious when those damn spring bulbs came up and were so beautiful!  My beautiful, young mother, had died for no apparent reason, and yet those stupid bulbs were alive and blooming!!!  My son, Mark, who now lives on that farm, treasures the plants his grandma planted and takes very good care of her long sward of a lawn---forty-three years later.

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The Circle of Life.  I know that none of my family thinks about these things, but I will tell Susan of my realization--but the fact of the matter is--we are some of the most fortunate people around here.  Not only are we still able to live on the land that has been in our family for over 150 years, but--we also have the plants/trees/bushes/buildings--that they planted or built with their hands in 1855!!!!!  We are a very lucky family indeed!!

All of that means more to me then any other family members and yet----because my step-mother basically stole my share of my Daddy's estate, it is not possible for me to live on any of that land.

Well--I better get off that subject or this lovely post will turn in a rant!!!
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My Sweet Boy!!!

~~A Couple Days Rolled Into One~~

Today's high temperature was: 72 degrees

Today's humidity was:   34%

Sunny, nice breeze, nice and cool.

My kind of weather!!!!!

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Sunday--------------I do like September.  I like October a lot better--sunny days, a bit of warmth every now and then--beautifully hued leaves.  I like cutting back and cleaning up my garden too.  So many plants overgrown--dead leaves--dead, scraggly bud thingies on the lilies.  It looks really bare when I am done, but super neat.  Buttoned down for the winter and surely to bloom again next March/April  I have a lot of spring bulbs coming this month.  I put sticks in my gardens where there was sparse or missing Tulips/Daffodils, so when I cut back the gardens, I will see where those sticks are and..."stick" a bulb in there :-)

Merle didn't feel up to going to church--he picked up a cold virus while he was in hospital--so Pearl rode in with me.  She likes to sit in the 3rd row from the back.  I like to sit in the 5th row from the front.  I decided to sit with her yesterday, as she so hates sitting up near the front.  What a different perspective!! When we stood to sing the first hymn, I realized how very tall I am.  Everyone in front of me, is shorter then me.  We had a lovely young woman sing some special music yesterday--clear, nice voice--none of that vibrato crap. It was hard not to be distracted,  way back there, especially when the three old ladies (my age) two rows behind us, talked through the whole thing!!!  I so wanted to turn and tell them, "Sh-hh," but I didn't.  Pearl knows them--high school friends, and she turned and looked at them and they kind of quieted down, but...
I felt completely detached from the entire service.  We went in a side door, directly into the sanctuary and left the same way.  No going through the "shaking hands" line to greet the minister.

I have a real problem with the people in this church.  Granted--I haven't attended church regularly, since I moved here, so things may have changed, but--man are they ever noisy!  I was taught that went we entered the Sanctuary, we were to be quiet.  Sit down, meditate, pray, get in a quiet attitude so we were ready to hear what God had to tell us during the service.  Now--the people come in, laughing, talking, walking back and forth to greet others--which to me, is ridiculous, because after the first hymn we have the "welcome and greeting" of everyone around us.  OR, you can talk to your friends before or after the service--coffee hour--whatever.

My sister says, "back then, we believed that the Sanctuary was where God was present.  We entered into the presence of God in a quiet, prayerful, reverent manner.  Now, we know--God is present everywhere--the hallway, the dining room.  The Sanctuary is just another room where He is."  In her church, they have a video screen up in front (I hate those things) and it starts a sort of countdown at 30 seconds before the service begins.  People get quieter and quieter.  Then the bells are rung and in walks the acolytes-minister-choir.

In our church, the people keep talking.  The bells are rung.  The organist starts playing the processional music, the acolytes walk in and light the candles on the alter, the minister, lay person reader, behind and still--the people keep chatting.  The minister sometimes seems to have to shout, "GOOD MORNING!  PLEASE STAND AND SING OUR FIRST HYMN--"Be Still My Soul."  Then people sort of quiet down.  Drives me absolutely NUTZ!!!
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Remember Pearl and her land-line phone she bought purposefully to get the cable company bundle?  And then the phone didn't work, so she called Comcast and they told her, "Something is wrong with your phone."  So, I brought it home and plugged it into my phone jack and it worked perfectly.  Remember that?

So--now she is going to call Comcast and tell them to come out ($75.00) and fix her phone.  I told her, "Your phone is fine.  It works great."

"Then--why doesn't it work?  They did something to it."

"No they didn't.  The only thing they did was hook it up to the modem.  What they meant was, your phone line--FROM OUTSIDE TO YOUR PHONE JACK isn't working."

"Well, they told me it did work, but...now it doesn't.  This damn computer stuff drives me crazy."

"Okay...."

"No--I don't want to hear it.  I have a headache."

"Sh-hh.  Take a deep breath.  Relax.       What Comcast meant was................the...let's call it...your phone line from the phone TO the modem works just fine.  Okay?  Now...the phone line from the other end of your phone that goes into the little outlet thingie on your wall--behind your bed?  That is the line that doesn't work.  It is the line that is connected to the phone wires outside your house.  Comcast has nothing to do with that.  You would have to call ATT or whomever around here supplies the phone service--yes, ATT."

"But, I had ATT for my phone, Internet and TV and I called to cancel them.,...so they won't come back out."

"Okay--solution?  Call Comcast and tell them to take your phone off the bundle and just have TV and Internet connection with them."

"But, then they will charge me more!"

"Okay--Pearl--breathe..........................  You don't use your land-line phone because you have a cell phone. You are NOW paying for TV, Internet and phone--and yes, it is cheaper to have all three bundled together...if you are using all three.  BUT, if you take off your phone, your price, overall won't go up...you will only be paying for TV and Internet and your total bill will be cheaper for just those two items.  It might cost more for TV and it might cost more for Internet--for each item, but......your TOTAL bill will be cheaper."

"I don't get it.  I think you're wrong!"

<sigh>  

"Let's say your TV hook-up costs, fifty dollars a month.  Your Internet hook-up costs forty dollars a month and your phone costs fifty dollars a month."

"Well, it's not that much. My TV is more and the phone is less and.........."

"I know--we are just using hypothetical numbers here. So--your bill would be one hundred forty dollars if you bundle all three.  Now--if you take the phone off, and only bundle two--your TV is going up to seventy-five dollars a month and your Internet is going up to forty-five.  Much more then before when they were bundled."

"Oh...kay."

"So add that up--seventy five and forty-five--how much is that?"

"Ah---one hundred twenty?"

"Yes!  So see your total bill will be less with just two bundled."

"But--they didn't charge me fifty dollars a month for my phone. I think you've figured wrong."

GOOD GRIEF!!!!!  

"Okay, call Comcast and just ask them.  Ask them if you take off your phone and just have TV and Internet, what your TOTAL bill will be.  Not what each item will be, but your TOTAL bill, because that is really all you care about, right?"

Now I had a headache and had to go home!

It's like trying to explain calculus to a three year old--she just doesn't get it AND with her memory issues, it makes it very difficult.

I do NOT want to be "teacher of the world,", but she keeps getting me involved and wants to know--or not.  I have no clue anymore!!!
===============================
So, I came home and called Pammie and she was washing walls and steam cleaning her carpets and rearranging furniture and making her bedroom upstairs, instead of downstairs and...she was having a ball!!

"Momma---I just love it!!  Do you realize that this is the first time in my life I have lived alone?  It is so nice to do whatever I want to and not have somebody standing over my shoulder and saying, "You aren't doing that right!"  It is so nice to take my shower and be able to walk nude from the bathroom to the bedroom, without someone making unflattering comments.  I love sleeping in the nude and I haven't been able to do that in years.  Oh, Momma--I am loving this!!"  :-)

Of course you are my Dear.  There is nothing like taking the huge rotten, heavy, pushing you down mountain, off your back/mind/soul!!
======================

I don't know if any of you read the Cedar Cove series of books, written by Debbie Macomber.  I had all of them, read the, Susan read them, Pearl read them, Dar read them, Jackie read them.  We all were anticipating watching the movie on the Hallmark Channel and..........we are all very disappointed in said movie.  If we hadn't read the books, it probably would be just a good movie to us, but---they leave out  whole chunks of the books that "we" think was needed to make the story line flow better and, they add stuff that wasn't in the books and confuse us so we have to call each other and say, "Do you remember that being in the books, because I don't?"  Oh well--creative license.
=============================

"MOM--I was sleeping!  You aren't going to post this on Face Book, are you?"
"No, Buddy.  On my blog though."
  

"I'm so embarrassed!"
=========================================================

Monday--------------------someone said it was a Holiday?  

I keep hearing military music and fireworks--I don't think it is a military holiday like 4th of July or Memorial Day, so---I am not impressed.  Then I heard someone say, "It's the last day of summer."  Ah--I don't think so.  Summer ends on September 20th, and we have lots of warm, sunny days in October, so...........

All I know--it is the day when I swap out my white purse for my dark one.  I put away my white shorts, jeans and sandals, until Memorial Day, because----I live by Rule #3.  "If you live above the Mason-Dixon line, you don't wear white after Labor Day."  Yes--I know that is an old fashioned rule, but then....so am I.

==========================

My sister and Chuck stopped in on their way to a short day-long road trip to--wherever the road takes them.  They brought me, 6 ears of sweet corn, out of their garden this morning, and 4 lovely tomatoes.  Chuck sawed off the dead branches on one of my Rose of Sharon bushes, and dug up two nice clumps of our Mother's Lemon Lily and Rudbeckia to transplant.  They have a large stone at the end of their driveway--at one time it had an iron ring in the top and was made for hitching a horse.  They are going to plant the Brown-Eyed-Susan's in front of that stone, so Susan won't have to plant annuals there--it will be a stunning vignette!!!

Chuck is going to get his tractor, with the front loader scoop, get behind the

rock and push it up straight.  Won't it be pretty with the Hosta and Rudbeckia?

Then, after they left, I went down to Merle and Pearl's.  I had tried to call her cell phone and it said I had the wrong number. I also wanted to take them some ears of fresh sweet corn and a a schedule of MSU and UofM football games I had printed out for Merle.

She has a new cell  phone!!!!!  One of those smart ones!!  I think it's a bit too large to carry in her jeans pocket, but the thing will do it all. Internet, games, e-mail...it even makes and receives phone calls!!!!!---when you figure out how it works--which will be another saga in itself!!

You know what's so great about this phone?  I don't know a thing about it or how to work it, so.....................I'm off the hook as "teacher" this time.

Oh--the reason her cell phone would not receive calls?  She didn't call her phone provider and tell them she had a different phone and thus, more money, and they disconnected her. She also could not make any outgoing calls, but she hadn't realized that as yet. 

Oh My!!

She said, "You told me my land-line was working...and it's not."

"Do we have to go through all that again?"

"Yes.  I want to know why it's not working!  If it works at your house, why doesn't it work here."

"I told you--the phone line is not working."

"But it is.  I have it plugged into the modem and all the lights are on, but the phone still has no dial tone."

Aha--I have an idea.

"Where do you have it plugged in?"  (Even though I knew full well.)

"Back in the bedroom--come here--I'll show you."

So down the hall we stagger.

There is her "purposefully purchased land-line phone just so she (thought) it would help get cheaper bundle"--she picked it up and handed it to me.  No dial tone.

"See, I told you.  It's the phone.  It won't work here.  I think maybe when you carried it to your house, a wire inside got put back in place and then when you carried it back here, the wire got disconnected again."

<sigh>

I put my finger under the line from phone to modem and said, "See--this is connected to the modem.  Comcast is telling you that this wire is fine--it is working.  "Then I picked up the line that went from her phone into the phone jack on the wall.  "This is the line that isn't working. That's why Comcast told you there was something wrong with your phone."

I saw a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

"Do you have another wall outlet---phone jack for a phone...somewhere in the house?"

"Yes, there is one in the living room."

So, down the hall we staggered again.

She pointed to where the jack was and I plugged in her phone and held it out to her.

"I has no dial tone," she said.

"Ah ha!"  I exclaimed.  "That means that the phone line, coming in from the outside of the house, the line connected to the phone company, is not working.  It is not hooked up, or not connected."

Then I saw the bright light of full understanding come to her face.

She turned to Merle, sitting in his chair.  Merle!  The phone line outside, the one that comes off the pole, is the one that isn't working!"

"Yeah, I know," he says.

I thought she was going to throw the phone at his head.

"Why isn't it hooked up to the house?" asks Pearl.

Merle put his newspaper down, switched the toothpick in his mouth to the other side and said, in his slow way, "The wire from the pole to the house IS hooked up.  We didn't need an inside phone, so we never called ATT to have the line connected."  Back to reading his newspaper.

"Well...I'm calling ATT tomorrow and have it connected!"

That's when I saw Merle grimace and I said, "You don't use this phone, right?"

"No," she said.

"Then, why don't you call Comcast and have them take it off your bundle.  Your total bill will be cheaper every month."

"Okay.  I'm going to do just that, tomorrow!"

AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!

===========================

I got home and my sister called and said, "I am calling you from Hell!"

"Anyone there that you know?"

"Yeah--I think I just saw Dad going around the........never mind.  That's not nice!  No--we are in Hell---Hell, Michigan!  Remember when Daddy and Mother brought us here?"

"Yes."

"There was a sign that said, "Welcome to Hell" and it had little devil's with pitchforks on each corner of the sign?"

"Yes."

"Well, now it has a regular town name sign like all the signs in Michigan.  Green and white."

"Well...you can't be in hell, or the sign would be maize and blue!"

"Bawhahaha," she laughs.

"No--we are not in Ann Arbor!  Anyway, there is only three buildings in Hell now.  A bar and two stores.  So disappointing."

"Well...we all knew that hell would disappear at some moment in time.  Maybe this is a prophetic sign?

======================================

Remember this~~~

...and when I massacred them?

Today--new bright green growth.

 See that tiny woman in the background?  She is trying to trim her 7' bushes
with a small handle cutter--one branch at a time.
I am going there in the morning with my electric hedge trimmers and get 'er done!








"ZZ-zz

MOM--I was sleeping!  You aren't going to post this on Face Book are you?"
"No, Maggie--on my blog"

"I am so embarrassed!"

"Psst--Buddy, Mom said she was going to post a picture of us on her blog"
"Yeah--I know."
"I'm so pretty.  Everyone will comment how pretty I am.  Everyone will laugh at how fat YOU are!"

"Nobody is going to laugh!  Everyone knows I am her favorite...and...
quit calling me fat!"

See ya................