OT March Chit Chat

[Cherie]

Well, the magnolia tree out fromnt is fully in bloom. This is the first time since we moved into this house in 1993 that it has bloomed before the week of Easter. Three weeks premature. And the daffodils are up and tulip and iris greens are up. The sparrows are filling the bird houses.

I started washing windows yesterday (you know...the old kind where you have to take the side strip off the casing and lift the window ourt then take apart the combination storms piece by piece to really get them clean? Used ammonia water and a rag...so much less streaky than Windex...but only got two done. We have 11 of these old windows in the house and 16 of the newer replacement windows that can just be tipped in to wash. Oh...and a couple sets of French doors with a total of 45 panes of glass and the sunroom that is all glass including the roof. Lots of glass to clean. And after 2 windows...I don't want to continue!

Phone repairman is coming this morning to try and resolve a three week old problem that has had me on the phone with tech support both with the phone company and with HP (makers of my fax machine). Hoping today sees resolution to that as well.

Hope everyone is well.

[stillstANNding]

Oh...and a couple sets of French doors with a total of 45 panes of glass and the sunroom that is all glass including the roof. Lots of glass to clean. And after 2 windows...I don't want to continue!

Now you sound like a sane woman!

I'm in Portland! I guess I'll miss Gary but I did meet Agate and her cat!

Love & chocolate,
ANN

[Cherie]

I have made an effort on this one to own my sanity. Does that mean I am creating excuses not to do a task I've always found tiresome?

[renee]

Cherie, maybe you actually have a legitimate excuse.
Sometimes the work is not worth the payoff and is best left for later.

Noone plants spring annuals where I live so my crocuses, daffodils and tulips
are met with a lot of grins from all ages and pointing from small children.

Agate, I have no problem getting a cut but a good cut...
There's the rub, keeping it perky and low maintenance.
I'm a wash and wear woman.

Ann- I have a wonderful nephew in Portland.
Young, he actually got a dullish grownup job- not even a barista!
By night and on weekends he is living the bohemian life-
playing music and writing.
Good man.

[Gary]

I still have the problem that if I am having a good day I think that I need to make up for days were I don't feel so good. As a result I tend to overdo and well you know........ I am better but still room for LOTS of improvement.

Ann and Agate I will be in Pacific City (and the surrounding area) all next week including a couple trips to Portland. My SIL has a brother that goes to school there and I have a nephew that goes to school there as well. And we usually stop at the cemetery to put flowers on my grandparents mausoleum tombs there as well I forget the name but its the huge cemetery on the side of the mountain.

Suppose to be near 70 deg today, all the winter wheat fields are beginning to green up.

[agate]

Yes indeed, I had the privilege of meeting stillstANNding and her SO!

The weather wasn't being very helpful (snow and rain and general blustery cold) but they made the trek out here, which is some distance from the center of town. I'm happy to say that my cat didn't go vanishing into hiding. She almost always disappears whenever anyone unfamiliar comes along but Ann was able to see her and pet her.

We had such a nice visit though it was much too short.

[agate]

renee, thanks so much for replying to my haircut question.

Agate, I have no problem getting a cut but a good cut...
There's the rub, keeping it perky and low maintenance.
I'm a wash and wear woman.

I agree that getting a good cut isn't easy. I'm tempted to go with a wig instead but wigs are hot.

How are things going for you now?

[Cherie]

I'm tempted to go with a wig instead but wigs are hot.

Need a a wig? I have three different styles of short in varying shades of light to medium brown and no longer need them. Seems the long term Cytoxan has blessed me with a full head of soft salt and pepper curls. It's easy and really quite nice.

[stillstANNding]

Wash n Wear hair (and clothes) was very useful in Portland.

Oh, and the sun came out beautifully as we were talking the MAX to the airport. So, they do have the occasional sunny day.

ANN

[Gary]

The count down to spring break has begun.... Can you tell I am excited?

My daughter developed alopecia totalis as a freshman in H.S. and we bought her a wig she wore it to school once and came home that night and said "dad would you be mad if I didn't wear this wig?" I told her no ( I didn't have the heart to tell her that it cost $300 and we were just coming off a terrible crop year!) and she said that it made her feel silly as everyone knows she is bald and I guess someone didn't recognize her. So she has literally hundreds of bandanna that she wears and puts it on once every 4 years to get her drivers license photo taken. You can't wear a hat or a bandana at the DMV. She had golden blonde hair past her butt and it all fell out.

I don't know what I would do w/o my wife. My preparation for vacation consists of getting the car ready and sitting there until we arrive.

Be careful out there among 'em everybody.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. We missed Spring almost. It has been over 80 most days and if you park in the sun your car is so hot you can't get in immediately. I turn on the AC and wait out on the ramp until it cools some.

David has not heard any results of his CT scan. He got a copy of the report and one tumor went from 3.3 cm to 3.1 cm so that is good. But another 1.1 cm tumor was discovered that was not see before. Also the doctors will not reassure him that he has been put on the liver transplant waiting list.

It also showed that his lower spine is collapsing more. The only pain med he can take that is not detoxed in the liver is an opiate. He had long acting and short acting morphine pills. He threw the long acting away as they make him loopy. When he has to take one of the short acting he has no appetite.

I turned 71 on the 22nd and he took me to dinner but he only ate half of his dinner. He is scared and I am worried and stressed. All prayers appreciated.

Ann I'm glad you and Agate could meet. Gary have a great vacation. Peg good luck with closing the estate. Cherie I had three wigs too when I had chemo for cancer and they were extremely hot in Florida. Hi to all the rest of you. Cherie did you hear anything more from Craig or Howie? Jeanie :)

[agate]

Belated Happy Birthday, JeanieZ! Hope you'll have many more happy birthdays ahead of you!

[Parsi]

Jeanie, belated birthday greetings.

It's strange that the subject of wigs has come up. The last couple of days I've been toying with the idea of a wig. The last couple of years I've noticed in pictures and the mirror that my scalp shows through my hair.

[SalpalSally]

Happy Birthday Jeanie. It's always nice to have someone my age to celebrate with.

[agate]

Cherie, thanks for offering the wigs but I already have two of them. I've had them for years but almost never wear them. They're mail order wigs but look better than my hair to me. They're just uncomfortable to wear.

Parsi, my scalp shows through my hair too. I keep combing the hair in clever ways to cover it up but it doesn't stay where I put it.