September Chit/Chat

[agate]

Sunshine, I watched the first season of "Succession"--and the cruise ship incident must be in the second season but it sounds typical of the characters. I didn't know they were based on the Murdoch family but wondered if they might be.

I'm afraid I gave up after the first season. The people were just too depressingly terrible.

[Virginia]

Agate, you were up early this morning. Guess you are still in your apartment. I haven't gotten much news about the fire today.

[Sunshine 2]

My DD recommended the series. I watched the first episode and thought it was unbelievable. I told her that, she said, “Actually, it is based on the Rupert Murdoch family with a few tweaks to avoid being sued.”
Indeed, I then research that family, they own the Wall Street Journal, FOX News, NY Post, used to own Natl Inquirer, and the SUN in England and several other media outlets around the world.

They are responsible for the FOX fake news about global warming, and US politics., BREXIT and many other countries.
Thedecent son lost the contest for power to his crazier brother a very flawed man. It is def worth watching the whole series: You will have new insight on how the whole world is going insane.

[agate]

Yes, still here and glad to be staying put.

I've come up with yet another plan. Among the women who have been living with my son and DIL, there is at least one who drives. I might be able to employ her to drive me to whatever place I need to go to.

I'd probably prefer this--instead of depending on my next-door neighbor. Other people here would resent it if I had help from her and they didn't. Feelings run high here. We seem to be in competition for services sometimes. And as someone here pointed out, she can't give rides to evacuation sites to everyone here who needs a ride.

[Sunshine 2]

Good idea agate, the plan sounds promising.

[Virginia]

I like this plan Agate as long as she doesn't have to evacuate first. But it does sound promising.

[Virginia]

Laura to the rescue!! Today I took my recycling out and they had left my cart away from my house - not up close like usual. I could see under my deck and noticed that my crawl space door was standing open. I have lattice around my deck and one has to undo two sliding locks on the lattice work to even get under my deck. That door was closed, but the locks were not in place. However, the crawl space door was standing wide open. I knew that anything, animal or whatever could get under the house. Also, someone had to have opened the door to the lattice to get to the crawl space door.

I called my HOA and they told me that was not their responsibility it was mine. I explained that there was no way I could get under the deck to get to that door. They wouldn't budge. I called a nephew, but he has not returned my call. I called Laura, who just happened to be working close to where I live in a little sandwich shop today. She came by and went under there and closed the door. I had left an envelope taped to my front door with her name on it with $25.00 in it.

I didn't even know she had come until she called me and told me she had taken care of it. It eases my mind a little, but now I will make sure I keep an eye on it. I can't imagine who left it open. I haven't had any workmen here and I don't know why anyone would want to open the door on my lattice and get to my crawl space and leave that door open. Weird, but I am once again grateful to Laura.

Y'all see why I want to keep her. Sometimes it is the little things that count. It probably only took her 5 minutes, but she did it and no one else would.

[stillstANNding]

Virginia, glad you got that taken care of. With so many people out of work burglaries are up. People are looking for any thing they can sell - tools, mowers, bikes, toys. Can you put the locks back?

ANN

[agate]

Three cheers for Laura! Now you won't have to be concerned about possums or raccoons or snakes or thieves in that crawlspace.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

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

agate ~

I truly hope that you don't have to evacuate. How far from you does your son live? You might want to factor in travel time to get to you, as well as roads, which might be closed or inaccessible. You may have only a brief amount of time to evacuate.

How many people can your friend fit into her car? If she can carry 4 passengers, why shouldn't you be one of them? The tension in your community saddens me. If I were your neighbor, I'd drive you and anyone else I could fit into my vehicle to the evacuation center, then go back to pick up more people to transport. If I was unable to drive, I would give up my seat for you.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to speak to both your neighbor and your son's friend to let them know that you will need transportation, if you have to evacuate. Then you have two alternatives, if one doesn't pan out for whatever reason.

If the other residents resent you, because you and your neighbor are friends, and you thought to ask her for help, and they didn't, then, that is their problem/karma. Please don't allow their attitude to endanger your life and well being.

My prayers are with you continuously.

Virginia ~

If possible, please try to put locks on your crawl space gates, which require a key to open them. That is the safest way to keep unwanted intruders out of your crawl space.

I'm so happy that Laura helped you today. I'm sorry that your HOA didn't show compassion for your situation and need. It may not be their job to do this, but they should just do it as a good neighbor, caring person.

Unfortunately, I do understand, because my neighbors wouldn't pick up a hose, if my house was on fire. This is true, even though many years ago, as we were in our backyard, and they were on vacation, Jim and I smelled smoke. He saw it coming up from their yard, ran into their yard and saw that their a/c condenser was fried. He put out the fire and left them a note.

They returned the next day, and the man of the mansion leaned over the fence and thanked Jim for saving his house. The lady of the mansion was absent and always has her nose stuck up in the air, whenever she sees us.

I'm sorry that our smoke is drifting your way. Gosh, you know, if only we had "forest management." Like that would stop dry lightening strikes, which set off many of these fires. That, and a couple, who thought a pyrotechnic for their baby reveal was a good idea.

MY DAY

I don't know how many days it has been since I've taken my walk. I miss it, but I will not go out there to exercise, even with a mask, which isn't created to protect from forest fire smoke.

John visited late this afternoon to repair the backyard hose connection. He tried everything, and nothing worked. He actually coaxed a spider off of the hose reel with a leaf.

John checked Jim's workshop, no feces, and no visible animal in the shop. We left the door open allowing any critter who might be in there to escape. Nothing. So, good.

We sat on the patio chatting for about 15 minutes, and mosquitoes began to swarm around John's bare feet (in thongs). He had told me that he'd been bitten, when watering his back and front yards at night. He was swatting them away, and one of them landed on my ankle, apparently, because now I have another bite.

It was hot and humid, and overwhelming for me, so we had to cut our visit short.

Just when my other bites are healing, I have a new one. I guess I'm going to remain cloistered for a while longer.

Thinking of and praying for you all ~

Jeanie ~ We miss you!

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!

[agate]

Well, renee's birthday on the 13th passed me by completely. I must be asleep at the switch.

Anyway, if you're still reading here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RENEE! We miss you!

[Virginia]

Happy Belated Birthday to Renee just in case she check in. We sure miss you Renee!

[Virginia]

Laura, wants to come back next week and put a lock on the crawlspace door. I have mixed feelings about it. The kind I want is the kind that was always there which does not require a key. She wants to put one with a key. The reason I don't want one with a key is because if the exterminators come it is my responsibility to make sure that the crawlspace is unlocked which I would be unable to do.

Agate, thoughts are with you. If it were me my nerves would be shot by now. You seem so calm and collected. I have a feeling that when this is over you are going to need time just to rest up from all the stress.

[Sunshine 2]

Rose,
In Florida, people have this zapper thing they hang up outdoors near where they are going to be talking, i.e. an open porch etc. The mosquitos
Are drawn to the light and get zapped and ppl don’t get bitten.

Incense (e.g. smoke) or torches are also hung, but that would be a no go for you!

The County also has a large mosquito control budget whereby they spray insecticide all over the county, especially in areas near water sources such as a canal, or swales that collect rainwater. We are also told not to have anything outside that collects water, like old trash lids, wheelbarrow, small pots etc, as the mosquito lay their eggs there to later hatch into swarms.

[agate]

agate ~

I truly hope that you don't have to evacuate. How far from you does your son live? You might want to factor in travel time to get to you, as well as roads, which might be closed or inaccessible. You may have only a brief amount of time to evacuate.

How many people can your friend fit into her car? If she can carry 4 passengers, why shouldn't you be one of them? The tension in your community saddens me. If I were your neighbor, I'd drive you and anyone else I could fit into my vehicle to the evacuation center, then go back to pick up more people to transport. If I was unable to drive, I would give up my seat for you.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to speak to both your neighbor and your son's friend to let them know that you will need transportation, if you have to evacuate. Then you have two alternatives, if one doesn't pan out for whatever reason.

If the other residents resent you, because you and your neighbor are friends, and you thought to ask her for help, and they didn't, then, that is their problem/karma. Please don't allow their attitude to endanger your life and well being.

Such good advice--thank you! You're so right about the other residents. They have cliques and help one another. I dislike cliques and stay out of them. If anyone starts resenting me for asking this neighbor friend for help, I'll just remember the clique that person is in and tell myself that the time has come for a clique for me as well. And there are people who spend their lives resenting anything anyone else has, I've noticed.

That kind neighbor was here just the other night with a problem she had plugging in a laptop. While she was here I mentioned that I might need transportation if evacuation becomes necessary. She was very agreeable about that. I haven't figured out which car is hers yet but my guess is she might fit 4 in.

A good point about my son and their connections--they're half an hour away. Major roads might be unpassable. Today's local news e-mail included news about major highways that are closed.

I've made a little diagram of all of the surrounding counties near me and will follow any fires that are in them. I notice that the closest fires to me are slightly better under control, though the fires in the south of the state aren't.

I've also made a brief list of things to put in my wheelchair bag (which holds a lot) with portable food and rx's at the top of the list. I've dusted off my battery-operated radio and replaced its batteries. I hope to be able to take it as well as I understand that cellphones, etc., might not be working at an evacuation site.

Not looking forward to this, particularly since it looks as if those who have had to evacuate have had to evacuate again after being allowed to return--and so evacuation could turn into a back-and-forth thing going on for weeks.