May chitchat thread

[agate]

HAPPY MAY DAY!

So here we are in May, and let's hope that we can enjoy a springtime free of health worries and full of sunshine.

Those who haven't been here much lately are missed.

I'm headed to the optician's this week, armed with my new glasses rx even though the eye doctor says that the rx will be different from what I had before but it won't improve my vision at all. I need rx sunglasses though, and so I'm going to get those. My best corrected vision is now 20/50 and 20/70--not great but it's been worse when MS was bringing on vision problems in a big way.

Aside from that, I still have to set up the additional COVID-19 booster shot, and diabetic shoes are waiting for me to pick them up. I have to do that in person because there always need to be adjustments.

The grandson announced that he didn't want to handle an egg roughly because he didn't want to disturb the baby chicken inside. Sometimes he talks to himself as if he's some grownup saying something typical to him. I heard him say, "That's wonderful, William," for instance. He is quite a character by now. I see him mainly on Facebook but maybe they will visit again soon.

My perennials were doing nicely on the patio, coming up after their winter's sleep, but recently the rain has really pounded them, and today there was mud splattered all over the patio and the building's walls, with leaves from those plants ripped off and on the ground in the mud. It's been quite a rain, and it's been raining nearly every day lately.

That's my news. I hope you'll share your news here too.

[Virginia]

Thanks Agate, I just typed a lot in April. Then realized you had started a May chit/chat thread. I realized it at the end and didn't post it. I am trying to figure out a way to get it over here in May. I assume it is just sitting there.

William is growing up and really getting a personality. What he said about the egg is so cute, and I like that he is carrying on a conversation with himself. I just got more family pictures and my nephew was pushing a toy and walking. The toy he was pushing was large enough to give him balance. He's not quite walking on his own yet, but so close. I think his latest fun thing to do is crawl to the dog's water bowls and turn them over. They say he starts giggling before he gets to them.

I hope everyone has a good May and lets all hope for good health and peace.

P.S. I just went back to April and posted what I typed. I am typing on my iPad and that takes me longer, so I couldn't bring myself to discard it.

[agate]

About transferring a post from one thread to another: You can ask a moderator to do that for you, or you can copy and paste it into the thread where you want it to be. That's probably possible only if you can still edit your post if you want to delete the initial post. Otherwise your post would appear twice but that wouldn't be the end of the world. So what if your May 1 post appears in both the April chitchat thread and the May one?

I could probably copy and paste your post over here, in fact. Here is Virginia's post from the April chitchat thread:

I have a couple dental bridges on each side. They have been there many years and I am always afraid something will happen to them or the teeth they are hooked onto. When I was very young my teeth were soft and I think a Dentist in Atlanta didn't try to save them. It was just easier to pull them and I was so young and dumb at the time that I just went along with what he said. It would be highly expensive to replace a bridge now and that concerns me. I do not have any dental insurance. I have been going to the same Dentist office since we moved back to Raleigh. I truly would hate to change. Everyone there knows me so well and I know them. However, they don't take any insurance other than a plan of their own. I thought it was rather expensive and I didn't find that it paid anything on bridges. I am going back and look again. I can pay for my own cleaning. I want something that pays the big things, but I don't want to leave them.

Rose, I hope you are healing well. Maybe you will be able to cut back on your blood pressure medicine when everything settles down for you. I don't think I would until the Doctor said it was alright to do it. I stopped checking mine much here at home, since the cardiologist wants me on it regardless, due to the A-fib. I return to my PCP the end of this month and I am interested to see how it checks out there since doubling the dose I was taking.

Suze-Q, they tell me my car would bring quite a bit because of the low mileage. A man I worked for called me a couple of nights ago just to check on me. He had kind of retired, but then got into the used car business. He says they are selling real fast, that he has a hard time keeping them in stock. He also says they cost him more but they are selling for so much more that it doesn't matter. He said if I ever did have to sell mine for any reason that I should let him know and he would sell it and just give me all the money. He was always nice to me.

Agate, thanks for letting me know it is May. I didn't even realize it is the first. Now I have typed all this in April. I wonder if there is a way to transfer it.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

agate ~

Thank you for kicking off May's chitchat thread!

I hope you optician appointment goes well and that you get some correction with your new glasses. Any possibility that you could combine two appointments of the three you need to make? Would your transportation service take you to two different locations on the same day?

How sweet and gentle William is with the baby chick inside the egg. It sounds like he has a good self image. I'm glad that you are able to see him on Facebook.

I am sorry about your perennials taking such a beating. Are they salvageable? Sounds torrential. We get that here sometimes too. We don't get enough rain, and when it rains, it pours literally.

Virginia ~

Your nephew tipping over the dogs' water bowls is so cute. He knows that he is being a rascal! Awww ... These little pumpkins grow too fast! But every step of the way, they are precious.

I replied to you and SuzE-Q in the April chitchat thread. I won't repost my replies here. Just a heads up that I did reply on the April thread.

As the month of May begins, I pray that it brings the end to war in Ukraine. May it also bring an end to COVID variants. May it also bring a better economic outlook. May we find hope and promise this month as we face the multitudinous global issues confronting us every day. May we be strong, loving, kind, and compassionate toward each other. We have to be the change we want to see in the world. Peace.

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

[Virginia]

Agate, thanks for bringing my April post over to May. I thought of you and your perennials about an hour ago. We had a little thunderstorm at my house. There was lightning, thunder and very heavy rain. I hope my plants are alright.

Rose, they always check my bridges at every Dental appointment when I get them cleaned. I hold my breath. Dental bills other than the routine cleaning, x-rays, and things like that just send me through the roof. I personally think ALL Dentist are too expensive now. It seems that all their rates have just gone up so much in the last 10 years or so. I am going to look at their plan again. It is on the internet. I do hate to leave because if I got in a pinch and couldn't get to them they would come and pick me up. The girls in the office have told me they would.

Everyone have a good evening.

[agate]

Rose,

Any possibility that you could combine two appointments of the three you need to make? Would your transportation service take you to two different locations on the same day?

I don't know if the paratransit system would do two trips on the same day because I've never tried it. That would be way too much for me. I get tired, and when I get tired, I get confused. Being easily confused isn't a good way to be during any medically related appointment since then I tend not to remember important information the providers give me, or to get it wrong--not to mention sounding like a raving loony.

I dislike having an easily addled brain.

However, I'm seriously thinking about combining the COVID booster with either a trip for lab work or a trip to see the doctor (also coming up soon) because that would be at the same location. I wouldn't have to go to any different address or if I did, it would be in the same building where I already know my way around, more or less.

Virginia, the perennials out on the patio seem to have survived though one was battered. It was the coleus plants that are pretty much destroyed but two of them were on the way out anyway. Now the other 3 are probably gone. The company I got them from is sending replacements because apparently there was something wrong with them.

They arrived with their root systems encircled by little plastic mesh collars. I'd never seen these before and had called to ask about them. I was told to leave them on as they'd disintegrate with time. So I did that. I think they may have been the problem. I've had those plants for 3-4 weeks now and those collars showed no signs of disintegrating.

[Howie]

May I post?

My favorite day in May is tomorrow....PAY DAY! I've been eating peanut butter and jelly for the past week, and I'm ready for some real food. I am out of EVERYTHING to eat. Blame it on Comcast. But now they are paid up, and I have only the electric bill to pay, and I will be spending lots on just food this month. So this month is looking up for me.

Is dancing around the May poll still done in schools? I remember doing it one time in elementary school. It was fun back then.

Well, everyone have a great month!

[agate]

Peanut butter and jelly can be tasty but a steady diet of it is a bit much. One wants vegetables...

Maypoles? I believe they're still done? I recall one year in elementary school when we did that, using one of the giant-strides poles. You don't see giant strides any more, probably because they were probably dangerous.

Have we had this discussion before here? I seem to remember digging up a photo at the time but if I haven't already posted it, here's what I mean. This photo must be from way back before my time because we didn't wear nearly the same sort of clothes.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

Virginia ~

Dental care has always been excessively expensive. I would guess that a dentist's overhead costs are substantial, given all of the equipment they use. The last time I had extensive work done by my dentist, I joked that Jim and I could have bought a small car with what we paid her. She gave us Senior and paying cash discounts, but that wasn't enough to impact the total bill. I don't even think dental insurance was available then.

How very kind of the ladies in the office to offer transportation for you. You shouldn't have to leave your dentist, unless you choose a dental plan, which he won't accept. Even then, you could stay with him and pay privately for his services. That is what I intended to do, if my dentist didn't accept Delta Dental. I will never go to another dentist. She is a jewel.

How are your plants faring today?

agate ~

Regarding Delta Dental in the April chitchat thread ~ I didn't mean to make you sound like a representative for Delta Dental! I asked for folks to share their dental insurance experiences with me, and you are the only one, who responded. I was going to choose Delta Dental anyway, because they are with AARP. I couldn't be more satisfied with United Health Care through AARP. When I think of the millions of dollars spent on Jim's cancer care for 3 1/2 years, and that we didn't have to pay a dime for any of it, I know that is a great insurance policy.

I can certainly understand how combining two appointments separate from each other would be exhausting for you. However, combining your booster with a lab draw or dr. visit sounds feasible. Since they are all in the same location, is it possible for you to get all 3 done in one trip? That would save you at least one extra outing.

That's good PR that you are getting replacements for the plants you lost. They are usually hardy. So, you definitely got a defective batch.

I ordered heart shaped hostas for Michael, Jim and Jon. They are succulents. They didn't last a month. I was very disappointed.

Today, I cut some Europeanas from the front garden. They have been there for nearly 30 years, and they are so resilient. And gorgeous. I placed the bouquets in vases and set them next to the urns in Michael's room.

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My neighbors' white floribunda roses are in full bloom. I trim off the branches on my side of the retaining wall for bouquets. She is very persnickety about her yard and flowers, so I only take what is on my side, and I hope that their security camera isn't capturing me doing that early in the morning. I am serious. She suffers from "I am better than you are" Syndrome. She also floods her front and backyards every morning in violation of our drought code: 3 days per week for 5 minutes.

Petals from her white roses scatter all over my driveway and yard. She has a beautiful tree in the front, next to the retaining wall, which sheds white blooms on my sidewalk. And the ornamental fig tree drops seedlings and acorn-like pods all over the backyard deck. All of those present a fall hazard for me. But, she is the Queen, and that is all that matters.

The maypole photo looks like it might be from the early-mid 1900s. A very dear friend of mine turned 100 last weekend! She could probably identify the era of those children's clothes. She is amazing and sharp as a tack.

Howie ~

In case you didn't see my reply to you in the April chitchat thread:

What do you eat with coleslaw now that you don't make spaghetti? What kind of protein is in your diet? Do you eat fruit? I hope that you have a balanced diet.

Pinky must be valuable now, as a classic automobile. Have you ever checked on line to see what she's worth these days? You might be surprised. Some of Jim's favorite TV shows were about fabrication of older vehicles. The fabricators paid a lot of money for some of these cars/trucks, but they made a lot of money, when they were sold.

I know you don't want to let her go. On the other hand, you and Sam might end up living on a yacht, with a full time staff, including a chef.

I am thankful that you were able to pay your bills and to get a break from PB&J sandwiches.

To Everyone, Who Hasn't Posted for Awhile ~

How are you? You know that we worry about you, when you are absent. Please stop by and update us on your world. You are loved and missed.

Prayers and healing, positive energy for all ~

PRAY FOR PEACE!

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

[agate]

Rose, that is a perfectly spectacular rose! Rose's roses?

[Howie]

Rose, I saw your post, but forgot to answer. Bad brain you know!

I have the coleslaw with a Compleat's dinner. Tonight, I had a roast beef, with mashed potatoes and gravy. With the coleslaw and a slice of whole wheat bread, it's a pretty balanced meal. And today at the store, I bought my chocolate ice cream which I will have later for dessert. The compleat's come in a variety of mixes. 1.5 minutes in the microwave, and I'm ready to eat.

Pinky would have no value as a classic car because I've done so much to it to make it a hotrod, but there are many folks who would want it as that, a hotrod. I have $8,000 in just the engine. It is scary fast for a lowly VW.

Agate, the maypole I did as a kid, you couldn't swing around on it. It was a pole, and instead of ropes, they were different colored ribbons of crape paper, and every other kid went around the pole weaving in between the kid in front and behind you. The ribbons twisted around into a beautiful pattern that wrapped around the pole.

[agate]

Guess I didn't make it clear about the giant strides. Usually they were used in the way shown in the photo: kids hanging on while rotating fairly high in the air. There were handles suspended from chains that were attached to the top of the pole. The more kids were on it at once, the higher and faster the thing went. We were pretty high up off the ground at times.

For the Maypole occasion, I think they removed the chains and used just the pole so we could weave the colored ribbons around it as you described. I think it was colored crape paper like you had.

There were actually two giant strides, a big one and a little one. A kid felt very grown up when finally able to move to the bigger giant strides. We had no playground supervision, and so we used our own judgment about when to "graduate" from the baby giant strides to the bigger ones. There were many skinned knees and elbows and knocked-out teeth.

[Howie]

There were many skinned knees and elbows and knocked-out teeth.

Those were the days weren't they?

[agate]

It's amazing any of us survived childhood.

The horses we recklessly rode... The cliffs we thoughtlessly jumped off of...

Were horses a part of your childhood, Howie? I believe dogs were a part of your life then?

Speaking of dogs, my neighbor down the hall recently got a new dog, I believe it's a Westie. It's a really adorable little dog but for some reason every time I've seen him, he hasn't been on a leash. Instead he's zipping along on his own, racing down the hall with the neighbor chasing after him, but he's so winning I can't bring myself to let the neighbor know she might get in trouble for not having him on a leash.

This is her second dog. I'm not sure how she got away with having two dogs when one dog per person is the rule but I believe one is registered as a companion animal.

[Virginia]

Rose, what beautiful roses they are. I am sure you enjoy looking at them. My neighbor two doors down has a beautiful rose bush. It is full of blooms right now, but I don't know how long they last. I noticed that the bush is unwieldy and not shaped well, but it blooms beautifully. If I run into her I am going to ask if she knows what kind of roses they are. She didn't plant the bush. I remember when another lady had who owned that house planted it.

Agate, the maypole I remember was somewhat like Howie described with crepe paper. I have a dim memory of going around it. What I remember most was the girls, at least one year, had to dress in crepe paper made like a flower. My Mother made mine. I think I was a daisy. We were told what flower we would be. I guess so there would be a nice mixture and everyone would not come alike.

Monday I went back to The Tile Store. I looked at so much and like Agate said I got an addled brain. Finally, I just left and went back to Home Depot and ordered tile from there. Not exactly what I had in mind, but when I get tired and that addled brain sets in all I want is to get it over with. I left home that day about 2:15 and didn't return until 6:30. Then up walks a neighbor and starts talking. She then came in for a few minutes. I still stood in my kitchen because I was afraid if I came in my living room and set down she might stay. She is a nice lady and I like her. She did leave and I was able to eat a sandwich I had bought about 7PM. I was glad I stopped long enough to get it so I wouldn't have to fix anything. I was beat.

Yesterday was a bad day. New cleaning lady came. Not sure what to do. She was a disaster. She arrived right on time. I had told her I would furnish everything. She came with a big thing that looked like a real big shop vac, she put it on my porch and went and got an oversized cleaning caddy (filled with lord only knows what), a large pillow case with stuff in it and some things that looked like mops. I kept saying as she was bringing these things from her car no, no I only want my things used in my house. I finally got through to her that she had to leave all that on the porch. I could see that some of it was not clean. I saw things like a used brillow pad in the caddy and other stuff.

She said she wanted to start in the bathrooms. I told her not to do the spare bathroom. I had checked and it was fine. I knew it had not been used since it was cleaned. Later I found her in there and I tried to tell her again. I told her I wanted my bathroom cleaned, especially my shower because I can't do it. She went to my bathroom and by this time I knew things were not right, so I checked my shower after her. I could tell the bottom had not been cleaned. Hair that had come out during my shower was there. I told her it needed to be done. She kept saying she did it. I asked her what she had used. I had given her some Bar Keepers Friend and told her to use it. She picked up a bottle of Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner and was going to use that in my shower. I told her never to do that. I then realized she wasn't using enough water. I kept saying she needed to rinse it good. She said that would make it too mushy. On and on it went like that all day. I finally told her to leave. She kept staying so I told her I could not pay her extra money.

I had a plumber coming at 4PM and I knew I wanted her out, so at 3:30 I gave her a check and told her she needed to go. After she left I had to clean the hardwood floors in the foyer and hall. She had jerked up the area rugs and the pads under them before I realized it and put them on the porch. I had to bring them in. I also polished the dinning room furniture yesterday. Today I polished the living room and foyer furniture and my office. Tomorrow I will vacuum the dinning room, living room and my office. What an ordeal yesterday was. Thinking back I realized the two ladies on Next door didn't say she was good, they just said she was nice. I think she speaks more English than she understands. I also figure that in Honduras they probably don't use much water at all, or maybe they don't have much water. I couldn't get her to use water. She kept saying she would wipe things.

Another tiring day. This lady just doesn't know how to clean and I am not sure I can teach her.

[agate]

Virginia, do you mean she's coming back?

Your account of your problems with her took me back to several different workers I had. One never did what I asked her to do--always had her own ideas and insisted her way was better. And yet sometimes the supervisor from the agency would come around to check on how things were going, and one question that was often asked about a worker was, "Does she do what you ask her to do?"

That should be the rock-bottom basis of the job she's doing because you're in charge. If she won't do what she's asked to do, she ought to find work elsewhere.

And bringing her own bunch of supplies when you'd already told her you'd provide the cleaning supplies--I had a worker who did exactly that. She arrived with a caddy full of bottles and brushes and proudly announced, '"I always bring my own cleaning supplies." I didn't argue with her but I should have. She set to work on the bathroom.

After she left I found an odd rather large and obvious spot on the bathroom mirror. She had damaged the mirror somehow, maybe with one of the chemicals in her cleaning supplies. The spot couldn't ever be removed.

This person probably needs work desperately but you're not doing a charitable service here--you need the work done. What I'm saying probably sounds harsh and unfeeling, but I'm surprised that she's coming back. She's causing you more work than she's sparing you.