Susan

Shelly - Thanks for tracking down the information on Gordon. I knew Sylvia had passed a few months back. Thought it was really unkind of her family to kick him to the curb after he looked after her with such kindness. I do hope the friend who has the puppies loves them nearly as much as he did. I choose to think that now he's reunited with Hugo, Snow, Nice & Easy.

A week of rain ahead & somewhat warm so I've moved the ferns out on the deck for a bit of sun & a long cool drink. Now if I can get Zac to put the bags of books in the car for delivery to the library donation box. Once that's done I'll try & sweet talk him into putting a small chest into the car to replace one that sold in the booth this earlier this month.

I have clumps of daffodils blooming around the yard. None in sight at the old house when I was over there last week. I think it's a bit cooler on that side of the ridge than it is over here.

Hope everyone is well - warm & dry. Later.

Susan

Katie - How did you hear about Gordon? I wonder who/what has taken care of Duzzy & Beauty. Not many would give the specialized care Duzzy requires.

Shelly - The weather channel is showing more snow in your area. Hope you & yours are snug & warm.

The kids are back at their respective schools just in time to get snowed in. I saw tonight that EA got 7.8 inches of snow in Ann Arbor today. She's young enough to cope - as I was at that age.

I'm through with tests for the time being - maybe I'll have time for my veins to recover before they start me on more tests. I'm ready for a break from co-pays for sure.

I have a daffodil blooming on the front deck & the hellebores are finally in bloom. I'm more than ready for spring to come.

Hope everyone is warm & dry. Later.

Susan

Heading into a round of medical "stuff". That usually translates into "cost more". Still not feeling a bit different so hope all the news is unexciting.

I took the bird feed out about mid-afternoon yesterday & heard something in the leaves. Took a good look & saw 3 deer on the east side of the ravine. I'd been worried since I haven't seen any deer in quite some time. Zac tells me we have coyotes moving into the area. I haven't seem or heard any but when I'm reading (which is most of the time) I lose track of the outside world.

I don't know what possessed me but I've had most of the J.D. Robb "In Death" series sitting in a box in the bedroom for several years & finally decided since I couldn't remember which ones Bear had added, I might as well just reread all of them. Not counting the one I'm reading now, only have 3 to go. Once I'm through with those 3, hope to put a sign on the box & put it in the booth for $2/3 each. At least that would make a 12 x 12 inch space on the floor I haven't seen for years!

I already have daffodils about 4 inches tall & believe I saw a small bud one on one. I'm more than ready for spring. Both kids are back up north after Christmas. I don't envy them one bit.....

Everybody take care & try to stay warm. Later.
Susan

Shelly - We've had a king-sized, dual-control heated mattress pad for several years - believe me, I've used it this past week & the cats have been happy to join me. I found this listing on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=heated+mattress+pad+king+size+dual+control&i=garden&crid=1RG9NMP31FU49&sprefix=heated+mattress+pad+k%2Cgarden%2C87&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_21

Hope this helps!

Susan

Shelly - Hope you & yours are tucked in safe & warm. Sure don't envy the folks in Buffalo.

My house heat dropped to 68 for about 24 hrs. Got lucky & no pipes froze - guess being up & using the water round the clock helped. Kept the birds fed - assume the fish have an ice roof but supposed to get fairly warm late tomorrow so will see if they've thawed out enough to be fed.

Hope all are safe, warm & having water as needed. Later.

Susan

Susan

When I saw my PC doctor a while back she didn't like the results of my lab work so we redid it a month later. She still wasn't happy with the retest so scheduled me for an ultrasound & an MRI (my share $240!). Apparently nothing urgent showed up but she's referred me to a urologist - who couldn't fit me in until Jan., which is fine with me.

It's been great to have Max back with us, at least once in a while. My other FL friends were out of state during Ian but were lucky & came home to only find damaged limbs. I was so relieved that my remaining ties to FL were survivors even tho Max has a good bit of repair work to deal with.

Both of Selena Anne's kids are settled in at their respective graduate schools. Eddie is at University of WI, apparently one of the best vet schools in the country. Elizabeth Anne is at University of MI, aiming for a degree in international law. Now all Selena Anne & Wally have to do is finish settling into the new house. She & Wally will pick me up Dec. 22 & drop me at her parent's house for a decent visit while she & Wally pick Eddie up at the airport. Later the whole family will meet at an Italian restaurant in the Marietta area. If I can get motivated, I'll try & have all the family gifts ready to hand out BEFORE Christmas for a change. I still haven't done my cards yet but if I can get my printer working, that's next in order.

Shelly - Hope you are completely recovered by now. I saw on TV where you had 1 bout of nasty weather & may be hit by the current storm coming toward the east. Hunker down & stay safe.

Katie - Hope Mike is progressing & he can stay at home for a good long while. When I tried to get Bear in a local home the monthly tab was just over $5K/month & that was in 2020. Hate to think what it is now & so grateful the VA picks up the tab where he is now.

Need to see if the 24 hour folks for my printer really are 24 hr. I have a Christmas letter written but now I need to get copies printed so I can start with my cards. May get lucky & see Selena the end of the week. Luckily the booth has what little decorations I plan on for this year so that's one less thing to do.

Haven't seen anything from Gordon lately so may see if I can catch up with him later this week.. Everybody try & stay warm & dry in the week ahead. Later.

Susan

maxine ryan
Thu, Oct 27, 7:06 PM (8 days ago)
to me

Hi Susan,
Finally back online. No longer using Outlook Express for email. So I have to learn some new tricks.

So far it is sit and wait for someone to give us another quote or come and give us estimates. Lost all the carpeting in bedrooms on the north side and everything smells. Dehumidifier running night and day. Roof gone and wooden fence down. Poor cage needs all new screening. You might know it is getting hot again. I look around and think we are actually pretty lucky. Yes, the hospital really took a hit. Another big one across the street, so lucky with that.

Had to stop feeding our little outside critters. The hawks are everywhere.

Tell everyone Hi from me. I checked the obit. pages for Sept. and a lady named maxine Ryan had passed away and had a daughter named Tracey. what would be the odds for that?? She had a huge family which should have been noticed.

Max

maxine ryan
Thu, Oct 27, 7:07 PM (8 days ago)
I noticed I said the roof gone, just needed a new shingled roof.

Shelly - She said she called your house but whichever of the fellows answered the phone told her you were on vacation. Maybe you should let the bookie know her information was wrong.
Gordon posted elsewhere that Sylvia was diagnosed with cancer not too long back & she passed away just a few weeks later. Her cat(s) were taken by a rescue group & it sounds like Gordon is back on the road with the dogs.
Sorry to hear you had covid but very relieved to hear that you are pretty much back to normal. Next time I go to Walmart I hope to get the most recent booster.
How's the fish man doing with his cancer treatments? I saw where y'all might be getting snow right now so I guess he's put his fish to bed for the winter.
My land line went down - sometime last week I think. Finally got it back up & running yesterday but without my Caller ID. Guess I'll have to call Customer DIS-service & see if they can fix it.

Marson - Suppose you have snow by now. Fall just never lasts long enough does it? Your post reminded me that I really need to get a wiggle on & finish putting together a load for Goodwill. I've had it started for a while but just ran out of ambition so it sits unfinished.

Katie - You seem to have an endless supply of things to sell. Me too but not enough willpower to make as much headway as you have.
Are you getting covid booster & flu at the same time? I haven't decided about flu yet; never had it in the past.

Hope all are well & those of us in the midst of the cold spell are staying warm. Later.
Susan

Not a bit of news from here. In the midst of a dry spell but it's been somewhat cooler. Being threatened with 3 days of the 90's this week & then back to highs in the 80's. A change of seasons must be near - finding roaches in the house & spiders building webs on both decks. That means the return of the big, ugly "wolf" spiders must be near. That also means I live in fear until cool weather drives them away. I've always been afraid one of the hunter cats would bring me a live one as a "gift". Heart attack to follow shortly afterward.

Went to the old house briefly last week. Brought back a tote bag of paperbacks but did nothing else useful. Didn't want to dig thru stuff for fear of vermin (see above).

Hope everyone is well & just busy. Later.
Susan

Katie - For your shade lovers - do you want evergreen or non-evergreen? If you want evergreen there are some junipers that are "sprawling" in body type, i.e.. are wider than they are high. Another evergreen that is less than 3 ft. tall are hellebores. They bloom in the dead of winter & spread with enthusiasm once they quit sulking about being moved. If non-evergreen will do, one of my personal favorites are hostas. They die back at 1st frost but reproduce by seed & spreading. They also bloom in mid-summer which all the pollinators appreciate. I would think the state agriculture folks would have lists of various types of shade lovers for the asking. Hope this helps a little.

Hope everybody is well. Not sure if Shelly is in the areas that have been flooding but hope not. Later.
Susan

Katie - Congratulations on your successful contact with eBay. I wouldn't have bet money that they even had a human employee since it's always seemed nearly impossible to find one when help was needed. Y' done good, girl!

Not much happening here. Still no contact from Max or any of her family. Makes me fear the worst.

After a couple of slow months, had a good month at the booth. A few things that had been available for a long time finally found new homes. Since rent is now due, I need to find a few things to take with me when I go to pay them. It's been too hot to go to the old house & sort more things so I guess I should dig around all the stuff I have around here & see what I can find. I've just been lazier than usual recently & couldn't seem to make myself inspired enough to do anything useful other than taking care of the cats and feeding the birds & fish.

I understand Gordon has been having some health issues other than his long-standing issue with COPD. Hope he's soon feeling better & will drop in to see us.

Best go & make an effort to make myself somewhat useful before heading to bed. I've skimmed thru a few of the accumulated books in recent weeks but most have ended up in the "donate to library" bags. They just didn't seem sellable in the booth since books move very slowly. Fall must be on the horizon - I'm finding a number of roaches showing up in the house. Sadly that means the onslaught of the horrendous spiders must be right behind.

Everybody take care & drop by for a chat. Everyone is missed. Later.
Susan

Katie - Not a clue. I quit buying on eBay when they quit accepting personal checks - insisted all sellers work thru Paypay 'cause they had bought it. Max has a birthday in a little over a week so I'll send a BD card & see if there's any response. I'll keep the board posted.

Hope everybody is well & surviving the new version of summer weather. Later.

Susan

Been doing little other than watching Braves games the last couple of weeks. Got an email from Selena to let me know they had EA settled in her place at U. of Michigan. Next is to get Eddie settled in at U. of Wisconsin. Once both are settled it will be time for me to get snail mail addresses so I can send the occasional card their way.

Back on July 22 I sent a book to Max that I'd found in a stack of old books in one of the storerooms. According to the PO it was delivered the morning of July 25. I haven't heard anything from Max since then & that's not like her. I may have to see if I can take other steps. I don't know her daughter's name or address & I think the SIL might be Steven. My Selena Anne is good at finding people on-line so I may ask for her help. She was good at running down my friends when I had the bad wreck in 2020.

Zac has decided to get 1 arm tattooed from shoulder to wrist - so fare he's done shoulder to elbow & has a cardinal for his grand-mother, a pocket watch whose time reflects his dad's birthdate & a helicopter for his brother who was killed last year. It must be catching 'cause his wife has done 1 thigh - all I remember is there was a hummingbird. I'm in no danger of it coming to me - I'm too needle-phobic!

Time to feed the land sharks. Hope everybody is well - neither underwater nor perishing from extreme heat. Later.

Susan

Selena Anne finally got by here Tues. afternoon to collect a load of "stuff". This time she brought Elizabeth Anne with her - that was a real treat since I haven't seen her in quite some time. EA leaves for U. of MI the end of the week so I was able to give her the books, cat toy & slow cooker I've been saving for her. I love seeing some empty spaces but now must make a run to the old house & see what else I can salvage since I now have a space or 2 available.

Tues. was a banner day - the folks got here with the parts & got the generator up & running. Finally won't have to worry if a storm knocks out the power.

Also got a call from Dena in Florida. She doesn't call often but we talk for ages when she does. I'm not sure how we find so much to say to each other but it must be easy since it happens every time she calls.

The booth had a good month in July - kinda makes up for the slow spell in June. I need to run over & pay the rent at the booth & U-Haul so had best set the alarm - for a change.

I finally got the last of the impatiens planted so I'm thinking about a stop at Lowe's on the way home from the booth. I still have a few open spaces & it will be warm enough for tender annuals until at least early Oct.

Time to feed the land sharks. Everybody take care. Hoping none of you are under water or frying right now. Later.
Susan

Susan

I got a call today from my homeowners' insurance. All those years of paying premiums is paying off - they'll cover all but the deductible on the repair to my generator. I was surprised the cost would be over $1800. I'm glad I called & asked them if it would be covered. A bit later I got a call from the repair folks to let me know the necessary parts have been ordered but no estimate was given as to when to expect them. At least progress is being made.

I got a call from the booth this AM to tell me that somebody tried to break into 1 of our locking cases & the lady running the store today couldn't get it open. I have a few smalls to take in so guess I'll drop by tomorrow & see if I can figure out a way to undo the damage. It's the same case that had somebody steal the key a few months ago. Must be a jinx of some sort. Hope the folks wanting to look at something in that case come back & we're able to get it open.

Been strange weather here this week. Been in the 90's all week with heavy rain on Mon. & Tues., then dry Wed. & heavy rain off 'n on today. Wish it would cool off for 1 afternoon so I could plant the last batch of impatiens.

Made a run to the old house the end of last week & brought a very few things back over here. I had some of Bear's best carnival bowls ready to bring over & found a little more carnival in a box in the room I've been working in. A little of what came home with me will end up in the booth which is doing fairly well with sales this month. I should make above the rent this month & that's all I need to be happy.

I need to go see my computer lady. I've been meaning to take her an spare hummingbird feeder & see if she's ready to put together an upgrade "brain" for me. I'm hoping an upgrade will give me at least a slight increase in speed.

May finally get around to a deposition on the lawsuit in late August. I'll check with Bear's bank & see if they have a meeting room of some sort we can use since I'll be over at the PO tomorrow.

Getting signs the land sharks want an early supper so will wander off in their direction. Will do a load of laundry while it's a bit cooler right now - have been putting it off for some days now.

Everybody take care & try not to melt during this hot spell. Later.
Susan

Shelly - I'm so glad to hear that the "fish man" is doing pretty well. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to get rid of the port - it's always a step forward to get rid of something invasive like that. I'll keep him in my thoughts. I've always wondered if those roll up awnings were practical. On property like mine that's covered in trees it wouldn't work - I can barely keep the roof clear of leaves & spend a lot of time just keeping the leaves, acorns & hickory nuts off the decks. It's hard to tell when we'll get rain these days. We had a couple of weeks in the 90's without a drop of rain & the past couple of weeks we've had what the Florida old-timers used to call "popcorn showers" - varying in intensity & duration but enough to keep the flowers happy.
I think I have a trumpet vine up by the road but it's too new to be able to bloom yet. I've never been able to get bee balm to live & have tried several times. I had a clump of red hot pokers many years ago but they died off. I did notice a small clump in a flower bed up by the road at the old house last week. May see about moving them over here eventually. I did notice on my way home from grocery shopping the other day that my blueberries have a few berries ready to pick. Guess I need to plan on going up about daylight in the near future to pick some some & freeze them for Selena Anne.

Gordon - Missed your posts & pictures recently but understand your need to rest & recuperate. Hopefully things will get better soon. I'm sure the puppies will be glad to go back to early morning walks. Are you near all the flooding? Y'all are drowning & our southwest is dying of thirst. Too bad we can't share our excess weather.

Marson - glad to hear from you. Seems like you & I share our impulses to rescue plants in need. I have about a dozen impatiens needing to be planted but I just haven't been motivated to get out in the heat the past week or so. Maybe soon.

Katie - I envy you the black snake. I haven't seen our Slither so far this summer & Zac hasn't mentioned seeing him either. I don't think Dennis would hurt him - not sure he'd been willing to get close enough to do him any damage. I think Zac's Shadowcat is responsible for the reduced number of chipmunks since when Slither was around there were lots of the little seed thieves to be seen. Loved the description of your sister's dog - envisioned her back covered with pats of butter & lots of sour cream.

I've been watching the Braves' games the past month or so. My friend Shirley's mama loved the Braves & I find myself remembering her while watching the games now. I really should write Shirley & tell her I'm thinking of Mama Rosalie.
I got up on Thurs. afternoon with plans on watching the game that night & found my DirecTV was dead. Called it in & got scheduled for Friday repairs & when going for a glass of tea, found my fridge, microwave & freezer were without power. I got brave & checked my power box & found a couple of the tabs had partially flipped. Once I flipped them back, all was well. The DirecTV repairman was right on time Fri. afternoon - he ended up replacing both control boxes & then had to practically rebuild my dish. Apparently it got zapped by lightning during a thunderstorm that I slept thru sometime Thurs. afternoon.
On Fri. nite I was watching the Braves' game when a pretty strong thunderstorm with very heavy wind came thru. When the power went out I waited for the generator to come on & it never did. The power was out nearly 6 hrs. & when I woke up this AM, I called & left a message with my generator folks. I'll be surprised if I hear from them before Monday. My annual check & maintenance is due in Aug. so in my message I suggested they go ahead & do the check-up while they're here. For now, I hope the expected thunderstorms don't take out the power again.
Last Christmas the god-daughters gave me the portable Bissel spot carpet cleaner & I've been really thankful the past week or so. Seems 1 of the cats forgot their house manners. Finally caught the culprit about 3 days ago - it was poor not very bright Sunny. I've set him up in a cage for the time being until I can drag out the carpet shampooer & scrub the area he chose for his "mistakes".
Sales at the booth are spotty so far this month. I'll have small sales for several days, then nothing for a couple of days. If I keep up the current level of sales I should cover the rent & maybe a few dollars more by the end of the month. I'd love to have space for another load of smalls out of the house before the rent comes due again.
Sure wish we'd hear from Max. I have a book I've been meaning to send her so may get it ready to mail tomorrow & hope that gets her to contact one of us.
Got a NASCAR race tomorrow afternoon & another Braves' game so think I should head for bed & book . Hope everyone is doing well & surviving the unseemly heat. Take care. Later.
Susan

Shelly - So good to see you posting again. Believe I saw on the weather tonight that your area was getting some pretty strong thunderstorms. Hope it kept your area from being too uncomfortable.
Glad to hear you finally got all your bedroom furniture. Y'all sure had to wait a long time to get the whole collection. Are you happy with it?
I'm worried about Max too. I sent her an email back on June 6 & haven't heard from her either. I keep thinking about calling her but I don't want to impose on her. I wonder if she'd mind since we've never called each other in the past. I don't have a clue how to contact her daughter & SIL or if she'd mind if I knew how to reach out to them. It's hard to know what would be considered meddling & what would be normal concern.
How's your son with the fish pond? I hope his treatments are going well & he's feeling OK.
When did you get your metal roof? Bear put one on here the summer of 2019. We both love the sound of rain on the roof, especially at night.
Tell Terry you'd love to have that new kitchen for Christmas - tell him it will let him off the hook for New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter & Mother's Day too.

I finally got outside yesterday about daylight while it was cool & damp & got about 1/2 my paper burned. I didn't even think about doing the rest of it today 'cause the leaves dry out almost overnight & I'd just as soon not burn down the house.
I still have my dozen impatiens that need planting but at least I finally got the mandevilla vine settled in its new home. A shame the 1st frost will probably kill it but I hope it blooms enough this summer to keep the hummingbirds happy.
June was a slow month at the booth. Sales did pretty well the early part of the month but then we had Father's Day & Juneteenth the same weekend & now 4th of July vacations so folks have way too much to spend money on other than "pretties". I've had a box of smalls ready to take over there for several weeks but needed more open spots & was hoping gas prices would drop at least a few cents. My last fill-up was 1/2 tank & cost me close to $35. Poor Zac told me the last time he filled up his truck it cost him nearly $80. I'm glad I no longer have to make that over 80 mile per day round trip to Atlanta that I used to face. Another good thing about being retired - I can refigure my budget but I couldn't control my salary back then.
Think I'll feed the zoo early & see if I can't finish the current book tonight. Hope everybody's doing OK & staying cool. Later.
Susan

Katie - When a fur kid has been part of the family as long as Boss was part of yours, the hole is part of everyday life for a good while after they leave. Nothing wrong with grieving the loss as we let them be a large part of life if we treat them properly. I can understand exactly how you feel & I'm sure the other fur parents on the board can too.
Why did your son's GF decide to visit Egypt? I watch a lot of the Egyptian history programs but it would never cross my mind to visit there, nor would I be brave enough to ride a camel if I did visit. Too, there is the heat issue - I got enough of extreme heat when I lived in N. Mex. The past couple of weeks here with 90's & up every day about did me in. This week with temps under 90 & a little badly needed rain has been a blessing.

Gordon - What in the world happened to you!? Any idea what triggered such a terrifying episode? Not being able to breathe is one of the scariest things I can imagine. Are the new meds helping? Be sure & take it easy until you're back to normal.

I've done nothing but care for the zoo the past 10 days so now that I'm somewhat better I have a lot of catching up to do. My FL friends are back from their west coast trip but FL is so hot they're already planning a trip back to Michigan in hopes of finding some cooler weather. They've bought a feeder for their visiting ducks so the house watcher won't have to care for them.

I got a call from Selena today & it's the 1st time we've talked in quite a while. There was lots of catching up to do but the 1st news she wanted to share was that they closed on the sale of their old house today & feel like a 1000 lb. weight has been lifted off their shoulders. No more having to deal with that meddlesome HOA they've had to deal with all these years. She said the expense reduction would be equally welcome. She said their water bill last month was $1000!!! I nearly swallowed my teeth when she told me that. All her news was so positive after all their troubles this past year. Her lawyer sister has left her law firm to join a private company & now will be working 9-5 only 5 days a week. Alisa says it will take some getting used to for weekends to be part of her personal life. News on Selena's "kids" front is equally good. EA went to an introductory visit to Michigan & found her new neighbors have connections to the law faculty & had already spoken well of her to those folks. Her furniture & other such are in place but she won't be going up until at least the end of July. She's decided to take 2 of the family cats with her since they're a bonded pair & every room has new cat trees & bird feeders fastened to the windows for their entertainment. I asked what's up with Eddie, her brother. He's been accepted at every vet school he applied to but 2! He was planning on going to UGA but has gotten accepted in recent days to the University of Wisconsin, which is apparently the #5 vet school in the country. He's got quite a decision to make but it would have the kids only about 5 hrs. apart so they could sort of look after each other. All in all, it was a conversation with nothing but wonderful news. It makes the long dry spell between visits worth the wait.

Now that we've finally had some rain, I absolutely must get out & burn paper trash. It's been way too dry until now but I'm fast being overwhelmed by the build-up. In addition to the much needed dampness, it's made it blessedly cool in comparison to recent weeks. I actually turned my a/c back off & have just run its' fan late the last couple of nights to bring in the cooler air. With the use of my ceiling fans I'm able to sleep thru most of the heat of the days so my power bill should stay reasonable for the coming month. If the heat stays moderate, maybe I can get over to the old house sometime in the coming week. It's not going to clear itself!

Best go feed the zoo before they decide to take action. Everybody take care. Later.
Susan

I have a "draft dodger" in front of the storeroom door across from the cats' bathroom & I've had trouble keeping it across the entire door recently. One night last week I thought I saw either a rat or a possum face peering out into the hallway. When I opened the door & turned on the light there was nothing to be seen nor heard . I now know what's going on. My neighbor, Dennis, called this afternoon to tell me Tomas had been working with him today & needed a couple more hours to put in a full day - did I have anything to be done? I've had an large wooden cat cage from our breeding days that's been sitting in that room & decided to get the fellows to take it apart so I could bring a metal shelving unit from the old house to put things in better order. Once the cage was destroyed & hauled outside I was shocked to find the wall behind the cage had several holes in it & lots of insulation had been pulled out . Seems as tho when we were overrun by rodents a few years back they had been using the insulation & miscellaneous papers to built nests under the cage & in some boxes of books nearby. The cage hadn't been moved in a number of years so there was no way I could see the damage being done. Must be how the baby possum got in that room & may have been the entry point from the 1 found in the pantry about a year ago. I'll get with Dennis to discuss replacing the paneling & insulation on the whole wall when he & Tomas have a day to spare. I was going to Lowe's this coming week to get even more "hurt" impatiens so I'll take a look at what's available to make the repairs. I spent a couple of hours tonight vacuuming the damaged area & may drag out the steam mop on Sun. to clean the area I can reach for now.

I spent part of Fri. afternoon planting most of the last batch of impatiens & 2 bags of stargazer bulbs but have about 7 impatiens, 1 more bag of stargazers, 1 rosemary plant & 1 red mandevilla that still need homes. I'll coat myself in bug repellent in hopes the mosquitoes don't fly off with me.

Watched the Belmont today. It's the longest of the Triple Crown races but if it had been just a little longer, I think the only filly in the field might have caught the eventual winner. It looked like she was closing fast.

I got a call on June 3rd from Bobby, the Social Director at the home. Bear was in his office & wanted to talk with me. Thankfully, he no longer begs me to come get him or ask when I'm coming to see him. I feel sure he's getting good care - 1 staff member & no residents have tested positive for Covid in several months. Bobby was kind enough to email me a picture of Bear & he looked pretty good. I passed the picture along to Selena Anne & am sending a print of it to our friends in Florida.

I went over to the old house last week & brought back a tote bag of books & another of assorted "stuff". I may try & make a run this coming week but most days are expected to have temps in the low 90's & there's no a/c so we'll see how it goes.

I went to the U-Haul space last week & got the vintage ladies' sewing rocker to fill the empty space in the booth. Still have 1 spot open & will see what I can move from the old house to fill it.

EA, Selena's daughter is sending a load of furniture & such up to her new place in Mich. tomorrow. Next Mon. Selena is planning on moving their belongings to the Blairsville house. Poor Selena has been frantic with handling 2 moves at once & 3 of them fighting bouts of strep throat at the same time.

I've sorted thru some of my cat books (fiction) to send to my friend Francine. She'll pass them along to her daughter . I hope to get them mailed this coming week.

Hope everybody is doing well & ready for the heat wave predicted for most of the county. Later.
Susan

Katie - So sorry to hear about Boss. He was a pretty dog. It's never easy to do what's best for our fur children.

Susan

Gordon - At one time Smoke had 4 different homes that we knew about looking after him. He vanished for a month or so & Zac found him - skinny & somewhat battered. He spent about 6 wks. acting as tho he would settle down at Zac's house but has disappeared again. I haven't seen the folks in the 4th house that was feeding him so I have no idea what they called him. I suspect Zac's MIL also called him Smoke. When he disappeared the 1st time he never came back over here. No idea why since I fed every time he visited. There's no telling how many "homes" he has/had but we're glad somebody got him fixed during his 1st disappearance. We assume he'll come back to Zac's place eventually.

Max - The weather reports I've been seeing indicate FL may have gotten rain over Memorial Day. Did you get any of it?
Did you watch any of the races at Charlotte? When I worked for Coke, the 600 was one race I always wrangled tickets to attend. It was a daylight race back then so it was a chore avoiding sunburn. Saw a fellow at 1 race that had a back that was burned till looked like leather. He was feeling no pain right then but I bet he was ruined by the next morning.

Other than watching the races & reading I did very little over the weekend. I did blow "stuff" off both decks & on Sun. before the race started I made it a point to get the impatiens planted. I think I'll put the rosemary plant in a big planter by the back steps where there's a fair bit of sun. I haven't planted the verbena yet but may try to get to it & the rosemary tomorrow. I ran to Walmart for a couple of things this afternoon & picked up a nice pot of marked down petunias while I was there. I noticed a petunia survivor in last summer's hanging basket so decided to just replant with this new rescue.
We got really lucky early this evening & got quite a nice spell of heavy rain. That should make the newest plantings very happy. It also gives me a chance to burn paper trash before I get too much accumulated. We may get some rain the end of this week so I'll try & get everything in the ground to take advantage of "free" water.
I still haven't gotten to the old house to see about a piece of small furniture for the booth. May try & do that in the next couple of days so I can take it with me when I go to pay the rent.
Getting time to feed the land sharks so had best go. Everybody take care & have a good week. Later.
Susan

Katie - Bear tried no-line bifocals. He lasted about 2 wks. before going back to the old style bifocals. The transition lens are more expensive but since I went with no-line lenses it seemed cheaper in the long run to just have 1 pair of glasses for all situations.
What kind of hanging basket did you get? I bought a red verbena from the hurt plant area for 1 of my empty baskets. Not sure what I'll do with the other 2 - have 1 in mostly shade & the other just barely in mostly sun.
Sorry to hear Boss is having a hard time of it. It's hard to see them when they begin to fail. By the time that happens, they have a large chunk of our hearts.

I had to postpone the windshield repair since Mon. was mostly rain. It was postponed until Wed. AM & luckily there was much less rain on Wed. Once it was repaired I took advantage of the drier weather to run to Lowe's to see what was at the hurt plant section. There were a number of boxwoods & hydrangeas but I don't have a place for either. Also a lot of mandavillas but I haven't been able to think of a place for 1 of them either. I ended up coming home with a nice fat rosemary plant, the 1 red verbena & 7 nice short, bushy impatiens. Haven't planted any of them yet but may see what I can do on Fri.
I finally got all the cats' 3-way shots done & finished their flea drops on Mon. May do flea drops once more near the end of the summer & then will be set until next spring.
When Zac came to do the trash haul on Tues. night, he asked if I'd seem Smoke lately. Seems he's wandered off again. Maybe whoever got him fixed has him again. Seems like he's gonna be a wandering boy. At least he won't be producing kittens or be fighting as often as when he was a boy.
Hope everyone has decent weather for the holiday weekend - I'll be watching NASCAR all 3 days & reading in between races. Later.
Susan

Katie - Congratulations on getting your DL renewal. I should check & see when mine's due. I've had the no-line lens for a number of years & love them. I also got the transitions lenses so I didn't have to bother with sunglasses & even tho they cost more, I've been really happy with the combination.

Finally think it's time to go by my body shop & see if we can at least get started on repairs by replacing the windshield. I know they're pretty backed up with body work but I'd like the glass repaired before it gets worse (like falls in completely).
I got the last of the impatiens planted earlier in the week so yesterday I made the effort to water the front deck & the hostas along the driveway. Probably wouldn't hurt to do the back deck tomorrow since it may hit the 90's again.
I may run by Lowe's on Sat. after the NASCAR race is over to see what's available since I still have empty spots & rain is expected come Sun.
I took my weed wacker up to the road area this afternoon but it didn't get done - the battery may be dead - it wouldn't start so I still have knee deep grassy weeds. I may give Zac a call & see if I can borrow his for long enough to shear things down to a more reasonable look.
Had 2 calls from the home last week 'cause Bear had fallen a couple of times. Another call the 1st of the week that they were checking to be sure he hadn't hurt himself but he seemed to be fine. It's been a while since he had a fall so I'm glad he went so long between them.
I finished the cats' booster shots so now it's time to start with flea drops. I have to sneak up on them 1 at a time 'cause they can smell the drops & want no part of them.
Selena's boy, Eddie, is now officially a GA graduate! Now on to vet school. I'm really proud of both her kids - a pair of overachievers for sure.
Zoo is fed & new batch of books just arrived so I'm off to bed. Everybody take care & enjoy the warmer weather. Later.
Susan

Max - I haven't had much luck with sedums but I do keep trying. If yours do well maybe I'll try again - unless I find some in my hurt plants section at Lowe's this year.
My mourning doves have pink legs & feet but they're anything but small. Mine are bigger than my redbirds but only quarrel with each other & leave the other birds alone.

Katie - I'd hoped for at least 1 or 2 of the scattered showers this area was promised but didn't get a single drop. It should get close to 90* any day now so I'd best plan ahead & be prepared to water both decks. The pots are starting to get dry & I still have one small batch of impatiens to plant before I think about getting any more. I also need to weed wack up by the road since that area is looking pretty unkept.
Maybe your deer are the ones "pruning" your iris?

I think the insurance photographer finally got out here this weekend to get the pictures of Kermit's damage. Now maybe we'll at least get started on the repairs - or at least get the windshield replaced so I can run errands without the police stopping me.
Did anyone watch the lunar eclipse tonight? I went out on the front deck about 11:30PM & watched for a few minutes thru the trees. It was really pretty.
I finally got started giving the cats their 3-way shots & only have Goblin left to do. She's the hardest one to catch. Once she's done, I'll get started on doing flea drops. I have to sneak up on most of them to do that too.
I hope Marson is finally thawing out since I think the rest of us are pretty well over winter. Everybody take care. Later.
Susan

Max - I was glad to hear you finally got a little rain. I wish the Aussies could share a little of the rain they're getting right now with our drought plagued areas. I'll bet they wish they could share it too.
May at the booth looks nothing like Apr. did. I'm past matching the rent already & had such a good day today that it nearly matched my total for Apr. I'll need to spend some time tomorrow night digging through things here that can be researched & tagged to fill in the holes on shelves. I sure miss having a truck - it's much easier to haul things with even a small truck like the Baja was.
I haven't been to the old house in a couple of weeks - haven't felt like doing the necessary digging to get to the medium sized things that would fill in the empty spots on the floor.
Kermit's a work in progress. I have a case manager & she's cleared me for a rental car if I end up needing one. Think getting a repair estimate is the main thing left before actual repairs can take place. When Zac came to move the trash uphill last night, the 1st words out of his mouth were "WHAT happened to your car?!"
My health insurance is also United. I've been pretty happy with them & have been with them quite a few years. They were great with coverage related to the wreck.
I haven't seen a butter knife in years but that doesn't mean I won't find 1 or more at the old house. Do you still collect them?

Gordon - Finding bodies in Lake Mead may solve some missing persons cases. No telling what else may be found - more bodies, cars, guns & who knows what else.
I had to LOL at your tree limb story. I could just imagine what a sight that was. The only place I can park without trees over me would be up by the road & I don't think I could make it back up to the car without packing a lunch. It's probably 100+feet & very steep. My days of walking up to check the mail are ancient history.

Katie - Think your son's description "Dire Rear" was hilarious. I smile every time I think of it.
Maybe you should put a sign up by the road that says "Free Firewood - You Pick".

I haven't done much since Kermit got hurt - been sitting on the phone like a hen hatching an egg. May have to make my run to Walmart tomorrow since the cupboard is nearly bare & I don't like to get too low on cat food since it seems to be as hard to find as baby formula these days.
I did get out on the front deck this evening just before dark & got 3 impatiens & both pentas planted. Still have a few impatiens & 1 hosta that need planting - may try & take care of them on Fri. Also need to add water to the fish pond since not enough rain the last week or so to keep them as full as needed. Next week may have some really hot days - close to 90* - & I surely don't want to be outside when it's that hot.

Everybody take care. Later.
Susan

I got in touch with The Hartford today & am expecting calls tomorrow from 2 different folks. One is to estimate the damage & the other will handle the claim. Once I've heard from both of them I need to run to Walmart & restock the fridge. Getting low on lots of things. Hope no cops see the windshield & want to make an issue of it.
My Lakeland friends have made it to CA & are having a good time. They saw the grunion (fish) spawning run & were impressed by the gazzillions of fish.
Sales at the booth are already much better than Apr. I'm almost at the rent mark already. I sold a table so I need to go over to the old house & see which smallish piece of furniture I can dig out & get cleaned up & into the car. May also check U-Haul & see if there's a small something I can get from there to fill in a spot.
Zac took Smoke to be "fixed" & found out someone beat us to it. No idea who did it but at least he'll be safer & healthier.
Already fed the zoo so will head for bed in hopes I'll wake up earlier to be ready for the anticipated calls from Hartford.
Everybody take care. Looks like a halfway decent weather forecast for the coming week. Hope it happens for everybody. Later.
Susan

Max - Can you post a picture of your yard? Love to see what you're working with. Is the vining plant a madevilla? I think one of those would recover with food & water if any of it survived. I never give up on one until it's a dead stick!

Katie - I'll see you sticks & raise you several limbs. We've had 3 days with rain &, sadly, some heavy wind. More on that later. I've blown bits & pieces of leaves, twigs & miscellaneous debris off both decks 3 times between Thurs. afternoon & Fri. evening.
Congratulations on selling any kind of silver. I thought that market had died when the hot market for gold & such eased off a couple of years ago. Good for you!

It was a dismal month at the booth - didn't cover the rent for the 1st time in over a year. Kathie said the whole store sales were slow. Not a lot of consolation but at least misery loves company.
In the wee hours of Thurs. AM when we were having some rain & very heavy winds I heard a loud noise outside but couldn't tell where it came from. Looked & saw nothing amiss on either deck so went blissfully to bed. Late Thurs. afternoon I got up & decided to drive up to collect the mail & the flea drops order from Chewey. Hopped in Kermit & his whole right side of the windshield was bashed. Called my Insurance co. to find we had a $500 deductible & very conveniently the repair estimate was $474 plus change. Made an appointment to get it fixed today & the wonderful man from Safelite got here an hour early - I hadn't looked closely at the damage & he spotted a fair sized dent across the hood where the limb (as big as my arm) had bounced after trashing the glass. We cancelled & since the insurance claim office & my local body shop are closed for the weekend, I'll be in touch with both of them on Mon. Sure don't want to pay TWO deductibles. PITA!!
The first batch of plants that I put out last weekend seem to be settling in nicely. At least the 3 days of rain agreed with them. I haven't put out the latest plants yet but I have started putting them where they'll be planted in the next few days. Might as well let them start getting used to their new homes until I get around to putting them in the ground.
Enough for now. Need to call Zac & see if he has a minute to bring the new big bag of cat litter in for me.
Everybody take care & enjoy the changeable spring weather - I'm in long sleeves today after several 80* days. Later.
Susan

Katie - Good luck with your next booster. I got my 2nd one last week. Ended up with a sore arm the next couple of days but that's happened every time I get one.
Those little cars of yours sure are colorful. Makes it easy to see why kids loved them.

Max - I agree, Briscoe was really lucky to walk away from that wreck. Bet he was sore for the next couple of days tho. I was happy to see Chastain dodge all the trouble & get the win. It was a typical Talladega.
The main thing I have trouble finding at Walmart is canned cat food. I'd have better luck if I went to check every day since there's no telling when they'll be getting pet stuff. Usually anything else will show up within a couple of weeks.
Sorry to hear that you're still short on rain. I don't remember long dry spells back in the '50's & '60's - lots of brief showers tho.

Shelly - Your boys have been lucky healthwise for the most part. I'll be hoping the "fish man" is one of those lucky folks who responds very well to treatment.
Maybe you'll see the rest of your furniture come through the door any day now. It seems like y'all have been waiting for a long time to get the last of it.
Blooming trees have both nectar & tiny insects for the hummers. The 1st time I ever saw a hummingbird I was maybe 6-7 yrs. old & it was in a blooming apple tree. I just checked my arrival map & found 2 have been spotted in the Erie area. One was seen Apr. 24th & the other was a male seen Apr. 27. If you put out a hummer feeder you might want to do it now. I haven't seen my girl for several days so she may be nesting already.
I remember Car 54, Where Are You? & about the same time was Mr. Ed (the talking horse).

I finally made it to Lowe's on Mon. afternoon & they had a small selection of "hurt" plants. I came home with 5 red leafed begonias & about 3 dozen impatiens - all for just under $1 each. I got most of them planted yesterday & the rest this afternoon. I'll go back in the next few days in hopes I can find about the same amount so I can finish both decks & then just sit back & wait for them to grow. I took time to trim off some of the ivy stems that were killed by the bad cold snaps earlier this year. Still have a bit more to trim & l need to take some dead fronds off the ferns - they got nipped a bit in the last cold spell. Next project is to put out some hostas along the banked side of the driveway & I need to go to the old house & see if I can salvage the surviving bleeding hearts. I'd get a lot more done if I didn't lay abed with a book when I first wake up!

Zac came over some time Tues. AM & got Kermit & took him to his mechanic. He brought him back Wed. afternoon with an a/c that works. Seems the rats had gotten into something that made the a/c work & now it's all fixed in time for the 80* days that are coming. I'm hoping Zac's Shadow will help with rodent issue from now on. He's taking Smoke to be fixed next Mon. Yahoo!

Hope all are well & in line for some nice spring weather. Take care. Later.

Susan

About the only useful thing I've done the last few days is to have blown leaves & pollen off the front deck a couple of times. It's hardly been worth the trouble - by the next morning it needs doing again. It's been beautiful late spring weather the last 3-4 days. I've been able to leave the front door open all day & most of the night. Too bad it won't stay like this for a month or 2.

I watch a lot of the home improvement shows & tonight I caught the new program "Hometown Kickstart". Tonight they helped some folks in a town called Buffalo, WY & next week they'll be helping some folks in Winslow, AZ. I got really excited when I learned one of the 6 towns they plan to visit is Thomaston, GA. That's where Harborview is - the home where Bear is living. I can't wait to see what some of it looks like.

I had a chipmunk in one of the bird feeders this afternoon; it's the 1st one I've seen in a couple of weeks. I think it was either new to my yard or very young & stupid since I was able to walk up & slap the feeder beside him before he took off. I hope that discourages future visits but I kinda doubt it.

I finally made space in one of the curios for the 2 pieces of "Drapery" carnival that I found at the old house. I was also able to ID 2 other pieces but found myself with quite a puzzle. There was a pretty Jack-In-The-Pulpit piece that I thought I recognized but I spent several hours on-line trying to ID & I still don't have a clue what it is. May take it to the booth & get Kathy to take a couple of pictures & email them to me. Then I'll see if I can send them to Carma on the Glass Board & see if he can help me find out what I found.

Hope to be ambitious enough tomorrow to take advantage of the nice weather & make a visit to Lowe's to see about getting a start on plants for the decks this summer. Got sidetracked this weekend with the races at Talladega & didn't leave the house.

Hope everybody is doing well & having some nice weather to enjoy. Later.

Susan

Katie - Good for Boss! I think pets understand when they forget their house manners & it worries them.
I can't believe the market you've found for the matchbox cars. It's enough to make me wish that had been one of the many things Bear had chosen to collect.

Shelly - Maybe now that Rick's doctor is back some action will start happening. Do hope your DIL will be able to muster the courage to give Rick the same support he's given her over the years. I don't know about the Covid vaccine causing issues - the only place I've heard that are not very reliable sources. The only horror stories seem to come from not getting the shots.
It sounds like you're getting control of the new bedroom setup. Any word on the arrival of your nite stands?
I checked my hummingbird arrival map & the nearest place to you is Reynoldsville, PA on April 17th & the person reporting said it was snowing at the time. I hope they put a feeder of warm nectar out to tide the poor little thing over.
I very rarely sell any carnival - only very common or lesser quality pieces. It only brings a fraction of what we paid when we were actively collecting. I don't mind taking a loss on many things but I tend to draw the line at carnival or brilliant period cut glass.
I wonder if you could remove your son's "improvements" from the Matchbox cars? Probably not much good as they are.

Gordon - I've been taking an over-the-counter memory pill called Cognium the past few months. I'm not sure if they help very much but I'm scared to stop them for fear I'd be much worse without them! I see commercials for another OTC pill whose name starts with a "P" but I don't remember the name (maybe my pills aren't helping enough?)

About all I've done recently was critter care & unavoidable cleaning. I did go to Walmart for cat food the other day & was able to get my 2nd Covid booster. Like with the other doses, the only side effects have been a sore arm every time.
The past few years I've had rose-breasted grosbeaks stop for a rest & to eat on their way north to wherever they nest. There aren't as many this year - 2 boys & 1 girl - we had about seven 4-5 years ago. I did have a surprise visitor today - a blue jay stopped for a quick snack. They don't usually like to come into the woods very much.l

The land sharks are saying I'm behind schedule with their supper so guess I'd best get to work. Everybody take care & keep the faith - spring will eventually get to all of us - with the exception of Gordon & Sylvia who get fall. Later.
Susan

Marson - Was your weather as bad as that shown in N. Dakota a few days back? I don't miss the cold & snow one bit.
Did you get your taxes out of the way? I let AARP do ours & have for a number of years. They keep up with the rule changes every year & I don't want to take a chance of doing them wrong. I signed off on ours Wed. AM & they're filed electronically. The only stress for me is keeping up with the location to find where everything is set up as the filing location.

Katie - I just read a couple of books about the rescue of the Polish horses near the end of WWII. It was truly a miracle that so many were saved.
You must have been over-run with Matchbox & Hot Wheels. Who was the collector?

Max -Sounds like you finally started catching up on your overdue rain late Sat. I'll bet your tomatoes were really glad to have that happen. It got here late Sat. evening & lasted until the wee hours of the AM. We got enough to fill the nearly empty birdbath. That expected tonight is supposed to last thru a good bit of Mon. so I won't have to worry about topping off the fish pond.
Wish you could see the vase - it's pattern is "Drapery" & there was also an ice blue nut dish in the same pattern. Check the Doty website for examples - https://www.ddoty.com/ Now to find a choice spot to display both pieces.

Gordon - I know exactly what you're talking about. I've been able to tell as the COPD gets worse but lately I wonder about my mind. I can't always remember all the cats' names - if I have 5-6 in the bed I have trouble remembering who's missing - and the newest one has been here at least 5 years.

I've been pretty useless the past week. The taxes were the main accomplishment. My primary care dr. set me up for a cardiac ultrasound this past Mon. Guess I'll find out why & what she learned when I see her in May. I told her I didn't care what tests she wanted to do as long as they didn't hurt.
I spent a few hours at the old house this past week. I was thrilled to find the unexpected carnival glass but I also brought a few odds 'n ends over here to clean & pass on to the family. Selena called the other night to catch up a bit & I'm hoping she'll be able to stop by this coming week to collect the few things I've gathered up. One thing I brought over here was an Ultrex slow cooker that Bear had bought some years ago. He'd never even opened the box . I'm hoping it will go with Elizabeth Anne when she heads off to Ann Arbor to start law school in Aug.
I'm seeing a pair of hummingbirds make regular stops at their feeder this week. The chickadees have decided to drink water out of the ant trap on the hummer feeder instead of from the bird bath - no idea why.
Booth sales are slower than ever. I suspect tax season & spring break for many schools have taken up the money that might have been spent at the store. Hopefully it will pick back up the last week or so of the month.
Time to get a thing or 2 done before the race. Everybody take care & enjoy whatever spring weather comes your way. Later.
Susan

Katie - What a beautiful mare. Sorry to hear y'all lost her. One of my charities is Arabian Rescue Mission - they save Arabs who've fallen on hard times.

Shelly - Don't think 77 qualifies as a spring chicken does it? Bear & I have always liked Italian but no place we go to has ever offered fried zucchini - our buffet that is no more used to have it sometimes & I always took advantage when it was on the menu.
I've calmed down quite a bit about the lawsuit. It's amazing the difference information about what's going on & the right pills can do for settling a person's nerves. Sadly, I'll be paying higher premiums for 5 yrs. but I can't fuss too much since between my expenses & those of the other guy it added up to quite a sum.
My "sister by choice", Rhetta, is a puzzle person. Apparently she got into them as she got older. One of her Christmas gifts from me this past year was a puzzle of many, many Christmas ornaments. I've never had a flat surface to leave one on long enough to put it together. Many years ago I had a 3.5" diskette that had several small puzzles on it that I enjoyed. I'd forgotten all about it for quite a few years now.
I hope your son's doctor appointment goes well for him. Maybe once they get started on a regular treatment program he'll start to feel better. I understand how worried y'all must be. I've had relatives with cancer & I think we all get chills just hearing the word. It seems to be much more treatable now than it used to be.
I hated to hear about your creamer. Wonder why it is we never break a common piece of glass or one that isn't special to us? I feel your pain.

Marson - This should be a great week for stockpiling chocolate. Walmart was loaded with all things Easter when I was in there a couple of weeks ago - enough candy to keep a multitude of dentists living high on the hog for years. So far I've refrained from bringing home a stash.
Saw tonight that N. Dakota is in the midst of a blizzard. I think better a blizzard than the many tornadoes being reported. I've enjoyed being able to leave the front door open & the ceiling fan turning all day.

I go tomorrow to sign off on our taxes with the AARP folks & then on to the skin doctor to check on the couple of small spots on my face. After that I may take the day to just read out on the front deck so I can enjoy my hummingbirds. I finally saw a girl hummer late today - the 1st one so far this year.

I went to pick up the guns from being cleaned Monday & the folks at the gun shop offered to buy Bear's stash of ammo from me. A lot of it was ruined by rusting & corrosion but the man came & got it so I didn't have to try & load it in the car & haul it away. I've put together 2 more bags of trash to be picked up today. I still can't tell I've made much of a dent in what's left. I did find a cute Easter chick cookie jar that I'll pass on to Rhetta or Selena since they both decorate extensively for every possible holiday. I brought home a beautiful carnival vase from a box that was in the Christmas room - where I was working this week. It's a gorgeous ice green piece of Northwood that I wasn't expecting. It's a hard color to find. I also found several turkey calls that will go to Selena's son, Eddie, who's the hunter in the family. He gets his undergraduate degree from Georgia in a few weeks & then on to vet school, also at Georgia. His sister heads for Ann Arbor to start law school the end of the summer so both will have new world's to conquer. We're very proud of both of them.

Got to be up to see the tax people come morning so best fold my tent for tonight. Everybody take care & enjoy any signs of spring that come your way. Later.
Susan

Another bout of unseasonable weather hereabouts. I guess I'll be able to see how cold it got in another few days when the open blooms will show frost burn. About the only thing useful I've done in the last few days is to burn another batch of paper trash & do a couple of loads of laundry.
I had my appointment to deliver my tax papers to the AARP preparers this morning. Just like last year I managed to not find the turn-off to the tax location until I stopped 2 different places to ask for directions. This year I swear I'll write down the turn off road name somewhere I won't lose it. I go back Wed. AM to finalize & file the return. When I walked out of the building around noon I was shocked to find little pellets of snow falling! I didn't expect that!!!
Max - Did you watch the Xfinilty race at Martinsville last night? I managed to stay awake thru the whole thing. I suspect 19 caution flags may have had something to do with my close attention. Tonight it's the big boys - we'll see if they can produce equal excitement.
Gordon - I saw on CNN.com that at least some of Sydney was being evacuated due to flooding. Is that anywhere near you? How goes the repair status of your RV?
Time for a late lunch. Hope at least some of y'all are warmer than we are here. Take care. Later.
Susan

Max - The Dr. visit went pretty well, all considered. She has me scheduled for a cardiac ultrasound on Mon. & I need to make an appointment with a dermatologist to check a couple of very tiny rough spots on my face. Told her I wanted to check the spots since I was born & raised in FL & lived a number of summers on Tampa Bay. Enough cancer in my family to not want to take a chance. I go back to see her in a month once she can review the results of those 2 appointments.
I noticed on the weather channel tonight that the FL rain pattern in the next day or so seemed to split about Orlando & stay on the east coast. I don't wish you what roared thru the the south today for the 2nd time in about 2 wks. no matter how much you need rain. I've seen a film clip repeatedly tonight of a tornado in Statesboro, GA where I went to college. Wouldn't wish that on anybody, but I'd love to share some of the unbelievably heavy rain we had here for about 6 hrs. today.
Good luck with the new phone. I don't envy you the learning curve but admire your courage in making the attempt!

Katie - As the storms were leaving GA & heading for SC this evening I kept hearing them report at least 1 tornado in central MO, I believe they kept mentioning Copper County. Hope that isn't near you & Mike.

Shelly - I heard there was a high school shooting in Erie today but luckily only 1 person hurt & a suspect already identified. I hope it was nowhere near where y'all live. Seems like all I've seen on the news the last couple of days is shootings all over the country & where people weren't shooting at each other, Mother Nature was cleaning house from TX all the way to VA. Think I need to start reading a little more & watching a little less TV news.....

Since I had to be out for the 8 AM appointment with my Dr., I decided I might as well make a big loop & run all my errands while I was out. I got a small plant in the mail to Selena Anne & picked up a cat toy for her bunch while I was near the Olllie's discount store (my bunch love the one I got them about a week ago). The good thing about the Ollie's stop was ending up near Goodwill so I was finally able to drop off the carload of stuff I've been driving around with the past 2-3 weeks.
I've been putting off seeing about upgrading my computer for the past yr. or so & since I was already drenched, I decided on the way to pay the booth rent to stop by the folks who worked on my old unit before covid changed the world. You can imagine how thrilled I was to find that the lady who used to come to the house for me now runs the store. We had a wonderful visit catching up the past 2 yrs. & she'll see what she can put together for me & once she's had the old one for a couple of days, she'll bring the new stuff over & set everything up for me, including the printer. She knows what a technophobe I am & puts up with me anyway. I'll make sure I have at least 1 cherry Coke waiting for her when she gets here.
I dropped a few smalls & the rent off at the booth, paid the rent at U-Haul & stopped by my bank with it raining harder the further I drove. I stopped by Walmart to pick up all my prescriptions & the short list of things I was low on & by the time I was ready to leave, I could hardly see my car sitting about 2 spaces in line. Rather than wait forever (since I had forgotten to bring an umbrella), I just took off for the car tastefully attired in an extra shopping bag for a head cover! When I got to the house I found a small river running across the bottom of the driveway so I settled for grabbing just the frozen food & slogged into the house to wait out the flood.
I finally reached my Hartford attorney & found she's gotten her copy of the suit. I was able to go over some of the things that had been worrying me & she was able to put my mind at ease for the most part. A lot of the language was just "boilerplate" that seems to be routine - lawyers just throw it out there & hope to learn something new that will help them. Her paralegal will call me in a couple of weeks to get whatever information they need to work on the case. With what she's learned so far, she's pretty sure the case will get settled pretty quickly. Between her reassurances & the new pill from my doctor, I'm more at ease than I've been in the past couple of weeks.
We may have another monsoon most of Wed. day & night so I'll try & catch up on some lost sleep & then bite the bullet & try to make some of the phone calls I've been putting off due to lack of interest on my part.

I hope all of you have a milder day than blew through GA today but if you're dry that you get enough rain help at least a little. Everybody take care. Later.
Susan

Katie - Good luck at the doctor tomorrow. I see my primary care Tues. AM & like you I'm going armed with a list of issues and/or questions. Hope we both leave happy or at least not confused.

Max- Glad to hear you got at least 3 drops of rain - beats none at all.
I've never bought from QVC - Bear used to buy from them sometimes. I get most of my plants from the local Lowe's since they have a marked down section for plants that got nipped by cold or got too thirsty or are bloomed out for the season. It saves a lot of money & the plants almost always spring back with a little TLC. I check Walmart for marked down bulbs & plants in spring & fall - not only am I a cheapskate, but I feel sorry for the plants & want to save them if I can. I just got a magazine from one of my charities & it had an article on gardening with native plants - much better for birds, bees & butterflies. It mentioned a nursery located in Ft. Myers so I'm going to reread the article & see how to contact the Ft. Myers folks. I'd like to support them & would be helping my creatures at the same time. Have you considered using native plants? I'd think they'd be a lot less work & care.
You might want to think about putting out a hummingbird feeder. I'm pretty sure they're in your area in the summer & they're fascinating little creatures. I had no idea how smart they are. They remember a feeder location from 1 yr. to the next & can be quite demanding. At both houses we've had newly returned birds come & look in a window to fuss if we didn't already have a feeder out waiting for their arrival. One tip if you do put out a feeder is to make your own nectar instead of buying a commercial mix. It's cheaper for you & better for the birds.
Too bad you're not closer - if the depression you want to sell is green I'd be interested in buying some or letting you put some of yours in my booth. It might not sell fast but it would be free.
I had trouble concentrating on the race today & I usually love the short track races. I paid more attention in the early & very late stages when drivers I like were doing well. Part of the problem was that I was spending more time watching my hummer feeder to see if mine were back - I follow a map that gives arrivals & there've been 2 sightings in SW Canton (where the booth is) & 1 sighting in Ball Ground about as far to the north from me. I'm beyond happy 'cause about 6:30 I spotted my first bird of the season. I didn't get a good look at it but the boys arrive first so I'm assuming it was a boy. I immediately put out fresh nectar so he'd have a good breakfast come daylight.

We had rain early last week so I took advantage of the dampness to burn paper trash again. I seem to have a never ending supply of paper to burn & I'm not sure how I accumulate so much. Glad I don't produce trash-type trash. One can wouldn't be big enough!

My Lakeland friends called the other night. They were in Ark. when all the bad weather was there recently. They decided that discretion was the better part of valor & cut their trip short & went home so as not to get blown or washed away. They're headed on the road again the end of April to visit CA (which they love). They converted their regular van to a camper of sorts & stay in campgrounds or rest areas & haul a fair supply of groceries since they aren't comfortable eating in restaurants any more. My mom would have loved to travel with them - that sort of thing was right up her alley. I'm sure I was a bitter disappointment to her since I'm most definitely NOT a rolling stone - perfectly happy just to stay home & gather moss.

If it's nice (i.e., warm) tomorrow I may see about getting some bulbs from the old house to put along my driveway. Hate to think of them just being over there in years to come with nobody to appreciate their beauty.

Everybody take care. Hoping everybody has a touch of spring in their near future. Later.
Susan

Max - Any luck finding a garage door spring with the 2nd company? I somehow never thought of a garage door breaking but then, I've never had a garage. Nearest I've come was my mom's carport in the mid-'50's. Don't have enough room down here by the house to even have a carport, much less a garage.
I'm getting to the point that I hate phones - not just the actual phone, but the contact on the other end. It's either a lack of service when I'm calling out or if it's incoming it's all too often a robocall. I can do without either one.
I just couldn't find anything to like about Chicago - too big, too much weather, different people & foods. I guess I'm just too much a southerner at heart. When we left up there I told one friend who thought we'd come back for cat shows that I didn't plan on ever going west of the MS River or north of the Mason-Dixon line. So far I've kept that promise. I loved Anchorage & Alaska in general. Maybe because it was mostly nature & wilderness. Liked Albuquerque pretty well. Back then it was just an overgrown small town & had lots of scenery & history. Guess I'm one of those people who love the land above everything else. I'm just not happy away from the south.
I think I read or heard somewhere that a lot of fertilizer is tied in with the petroleum industry so if gas prices are up it stands to reason that anything tied to the petroleum industry will go up too.
The guy suing me is with one of the big "ambulance chaser" firms. My agent has tried to work with him but gotten no cooperation. I suspect he plans on retiring to a life of leisure - needless to say, I hope otherwise. I haven't been able to reach my attorney to tell her I got the papers yesterday but hope she'll get in touch soon. Have information she needs to be aware of.
You should be seeing hummingbirds any time now. My migration map has shown sightings just above & below Ft. Myers. Do you put out a hummer feeder? My Lakeland friends should see them soon too - already 1 report in Plant City & that's only about 10 miles from them.

Katie - I saw on tonight's weather that MO had a tornado today. Hope it wasn't anywhere near you & Mike. The same weather pattern that caused it is supposed to come thru here about midnight.
Are you feeling better now?

I put my hummer feeder out last week but so far I haven't seen anybody. I don't sit staring at it 24/7 but I do watch it a fair bit & I check the azalea out back every time I'm near that window. It's hard to be patient when I know they're on the way. My map has reported 2 sightings in Canton proper & 1 just north of here in Ball Ground. I have hopes for any day now.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day today - sunny & warm. Sadly, another cool front is to follow tonight's thunderstorms.
Zac finally remembered to bring Bear's 2 guns that I wanted over here with him when he came to get the trash last night. I took advantage of the nice day & took them up to the gun shop to be cleaned & checked. I'll leave the rest of them with Zac 'cause I think Bear would want him to have them & I certainly don't need them.
Had a couple of slow days at the booth but got word that today I sold a perfume set that's been in the booth for a long time. Didn't really make a space for me to fill, but it got me above the rent for the month so I'm happy. At least I've already gotten a start on the next box of smalls to take in.
Got a lap full of "love biting" Irish so I guess that means I need to get off here & start paying attention to the poor neglected cat.
Everybody take care - duck the bad weather & enjoy spring as it comes & goes. Later.
Susan

Max - I'm glad you found someone who's willing to work with you on your home insurance. It just seems like no business believes in service anymore - doesn't matter how much you pay. Like my phone which went back to work the last possible day!
I don't remember pansies doing well in FL - too warm I think. I meant to get some for the deck this past fall & somehow I just totally forgot about them. Now it's nearly time for impatiens - if we quit having these nights under 40*.
If I hadn't seen so much fuss on the weather reports, I wouldn't have known the bad weather came thru. We got a good bit of rain (probably a couple of inches) but not enough wind to even knock down small limbs. My Lakeland friends were planning a trip out through TX to see the bluebonnets. I sure hope they weren't headed that way when all the weather was happening.
Poor New Orleans - they can't catch a break. I'm afraid this may be their future thanks to climate change. Bear was stationed in NO before we met & we went back there for a few cat shows. I absolutely loved it there.

Shelly - Nice that you enjoyed the visit with your friends. Maybe y'all can set up a regular time every month - would be something for all of you to look forward to.
Hellebores don't like to be moved, but once mine got settled in, they multiplied like weeds. I've got them all over the shady part of the yard since I got the 1st ones 15-20 years ago. I've been able to give babies to Selena & hers have settled in long enough to have bloomed nicely this year. They might do well in Erie since cold doesn't seem to bother them & I've seen no sign of deer finding them edible. Check out this site: https://www.gardendesign.com/flowers/hellebores.html
Has your son gotten his test results yet? I hope everything he learns is favorable. Somehow I didn't realize he was an artist. I should have figured that out from the pictures you posted a long time ago of his pond area. It would take an artistic soul to design something that beautiful.

Katie - Did the man show up to buy your odds 'n ends? It's always nice to have grocery money!
Has your weather settled down any? Did the last bad stuff miss you? From TX through AL, it must have gotten really bad.

Gordon - He's suing me 'cause I was found to be at fault. Apparently the cops didn't talk to Bear but to someone on the scene who told them I pulled out in front of the guy. Nobody talked to me - at the scene I wasn't awake most of the time & then I spent the next 3 wks. in the hospital - 2 of them in the ICU. I'm hoping when the suit comes to discovery some of this will come out. The attorney Hartford assigned my case has called & she seems nice - also not too concerned about his chances of getting rich off us - like there's anything to get rich from!
Tell Sylvia "good on" with her recovery. She must be one tough old bird (like me).

There was a card in today's mail from the sheriff's office asking ME to contact THEM about a good time for them to serve me the papers. I thought they just would show up at the door with them. Shows what I know. I'll call my attorney on Mon. & see what I should do next.
We keep having cold nights after a few warm days in a row. It makes it hard to plan yard work ahead. I noticed a couple of days ago that my hostas are showing themselves. Some are about 3 inches high already. The columbine bloom aren't open yet but I expect to see them any day now. I have a pink azalea out back that always seems to bloom about the time the hummingbirds come back & it has a few bloom showing already. I took that as a sign & put my hummer feeder out about 3 days ago. So far I haven't seen any but one of my Facebook hummingbird sites has reported the hummers have reached middle GA. Shouldn't be long before mine are here.
I got an email from Selena yesterday. They have bought land up near the Blairsville house & are starting to build a "forever" home that eventually they'll share with her parents. She got a letter from an attorney asking them to stop developing THEIR land because a neighbor didn't like construction trucks in the area. I can't believe anyone thinks they can tell a neighbor not to make a legal build on their own land!!! Think they picked the wrong family to pick on since we have 2 attorneys & 3 CPA's in the group. Lotsa luck dumb*sses.
I don't remember if I told y'all but last week I got a call from Bobby (at the home) just to check in with me. While we were talking, Bear wandered into the office. We talked for a few minutes & it was more like talking to MY Bear. Thankfully he kept asking WHEN I was coming to see him instead of asking me to bring him home. He also seemed to be "tracking" better than usual. He seemed to understand what I was telling him about the birds that were visiting the feeders & when I told him about Sean Peyton retiring from coaching the Saints, he seemed to understand what I was talking about. Bobby said he was having a good spell & had been doing pretty well for several days. I understand that these days won't last forever but it's heartwarming to have him back once in a while.
Sales at the booth have picked up a little this past week or so. That seems to be the trend lately - very slow the 1st of the month & better after the middle of the month. I'm really close to making the rent for Mar. so should have a little over by April 1. I have a fair bit of stock for the booth - not counting what's still in storage here in the house. Also been putting off going to the old house until we get a bit more warm weather. Next week looks promising & I want mostly to put together trash to haul up to the pick-up can. I'd dearly love to clear enough of the current room to be able to move things around enough to see what's left in there. Still have an entire room & several areas that need work but every little bit counts. If I can ever get that house sorted out (not empty, just organized) maybe I can get to work on Bear's storage shed & the U-Haul room with my aunt's stuff. Think I'd best plan on living at least several years - & still have my house & storage shed untouched.
Got a box of books ready to send to my cat friend in SC & now have a box with some clothes to send to Bear. I'd thought about running to the PO on Fri. but just didn't get around to it. I'll have to pay booth & U-Haul rent the end of next week so I'll add the PO to the list of errands if I don't get there sooner.
The zoo has been fed so it's time to move to the back & try to finish the current book. It's a set of 2 & they go the EA (Selena's daughter) once I finish them. Already got another 3 volume set lined up for her but every little bit out of the house counts. Katie is the poster child for things out of the house - wish I were more like her!
Everybody take care & let's hope we finally start seeing more of spring - except Gordon & Sylvia who can enjoy the cooling days/nights of fall. Later.
Susan

Katie - Kermit (our 2017 Forester) also has the inside gas lock.
We loved the old eBay but when they bought out Paypal & made it mandatory to pay, I quit them almost completely. They accessed my checking account & were rude when I called to complain that they weren't authorized to do that. Probably haven't bought thru them in over 15 years but use them for research on prices & item information. Do buy once in a blue moon on Etsy w/my Visa.
So glad to hear Boss is feeling better. Bear has taken gabapentin for years but somehow didn't realize it was for his arthritis.
I wondered if the big wreck was near y'all. My knowledge of MO geography is pitiful.

Max - I'd forgotten Irene loved Bob Evans. I always thought of Cracker Barrel when y'all talked about eating at Bob Evans. Did she live in the Indianapolis area or was that Helen? Didn't realize she'd been gone so long.
Heard on the Weather Channel tonight that some rain might make it below Tampa & down towards Miami. I'll keep my fingers crossed that at least a few drops make it down to you. Are you near Ft. Myers?
I spent today watching the truck race & the Infinity boys. The race was here & luckily it was cool but not cold or wet. I'll be watching the big boys on Sun. Be interesting to see how the new cars handle the remodeled track. While I was watching the truck race I looked out the window & saw Zac's Shadow walking along the back rail of the deck. I went to the door & spoke to her. She headed back off the deck & stopped & came back up the ramp almost to me. Thought it over & took off up the driveway toward home instead.

Gordon - So glad your eye surgery went well. I should call my insurance folks & see how often they help with the cost of the exam & new glasses. Putting it off 'cause I'm afraid they'll say now & then I won't have an excuse to put off doing something about my eyes. I'm a 150% wimp about having my eyes messed with.
How's Sylvia's foot doing? Is she still taking it easy?

Shelly - I thoroughly enjoyed your newsy post!
We've warmed back up a bit but are promised rain Tues. PM or Wed. AM. At least nites will be at least in the 40's in the next week or so. My columbines are putting out buds & should be open in a few more days. Still have lots of hellebores & the later blooming daffodils are starting to open. I lost most of the camellias to the sub-freezing nights last weekend but the few unopened buds may give me a few stragglers to enjoy. I didn't realize y'all had dogwoods up there. When we were stuck in Chicago the main spring trees were oriental magnolias. They reminded me of home which was sad for me. I hated it up there.
Please keep us posted on how your son is doing. I think he may have chosen wisely to use a cancer hospital. The VA here was pretty good with heart issues because of the connection with Emory Hospital but I'm not sure how good the VA here would be with cancer of any kind. Catching it early may give him an advantage. I certainly hope so.
I can't seem to get out of Walmart for under $50 a trip & I'm there 4-6 times a month. It doesn't help that I'm buying a steady amount of cat supplies & bird food - neither are cheap. I was pleased to see a brown thrasher at the feeders while watching the races. They don't often come down this far into the woods.
Has your other son thought about finding a vet who does accupuncture? It sounds strange but I've heard of that helping lots of animal (& human) issues & it would be worth it if it helped with the puppy's pain. Would be better for him than drugs too.

I got a call on Thurs. from the agent at the Hartford who handles our policy. He wanted to warn me that the guy who hit us is filing a lawsuit & not to get upset when I get served papers. He said he's tried often to contact the man & work with him but has had no cooperation. As far as I know the man didn't spend a night at the local hospital but sounds like he's going to try & retire to a life of leisure at our expense. I'll send Barry a copy of whatever papers I get so he can compare them to what he already has. The weird thing is that I got the news on the 2 yr. anniversary of the wreck. It sure took the air out of my sails! That may be why I've been short of breath & been aggravated by the "frog in my throat" the past 3 days. I just saw my doctor last Tues. so I suspect it was the stress of that news that triggered my feeling bad.
Went to call in a prescription on Fri. & found that my landline is dead. I absolutely hate not being able to talk to a live human when I call a company (I'm like you about that Max). I not only want to tell somebody what's wrong, but I want to hear an explanation about when the matter will be handled. The recording told me I'd have service by Mar. 22 - 5 stinking days! I pay big bucks for that stupid phone & I'd like better service than that.
I got an email from Anthony - the fellow who got Bear's VHS tapes. He said there were some really good tapes in the lot & he only had to trash 3 tapes because of mold. I told him I'd let him know if I found any more.
The zoo is fed so I guess I'd best try & catch a little sleep before the race this afternoon. Best put the bird feeders out - I'm seeing their lookouts coming in already. Will see about feeding the fish when I get up.
Everybody take care - I hear more bad weather in the Midwest now so guess that's what's headed this way Tues. PM. Y'all try & stay warm (or cool) as appropriate. Later.
Susan

Max - I was glad to hear that you got at least a little rain the other day. Seems like every drop counts. Believe north FL may get more this week. It seems to stop falling once you get south of Tampa/St. Pete. I'll wish more comes your way.
Congratulations on the weight loss. Why is it the best tasting food causes weight gain? Just doesn't seem fair. I could live on mashed potatoes, donuts & pie. Throwing in a little heavily buttered garlic bread wouldn't be bad either.

Shelly - I'm so sorry to hear about your son. Is he getting treatment? It seems more can be done to cure that particular cancer than used to be possible. I'll keep him in my thoughts.
I topped off my tank on Mon. when running errands - $4.229/gal. Luckily a full tank usually lasts me a month or so. Hoping costs go back down soon. State of GA is thinking about dropping the sales tax on gas until May. That will save about $.29/gal. but prices can go up that much every day! Zac's new truck is a dually & diesel - he's complaining bitterly every time it needs filling. He blames the Democrats but they don't set world-wide pricing. We just don't discuss it - like with Rhetta & her family, we just agree to disagree & go on.
I have cardinals year round - first in come daylight & last in before dark. I have at least 2 pair of regulars. I also have goldfinches but they only have color in the summer. The nuthatches have blue & white but not bright colors. Most of my birds are shades of gray or brown, except the woodpeckers - they're most black & white with touches of red. I don't expect to see any hummers until very late Mar. or early April. My wild columbines are putting out buds & the hummers show up when those are in full bloom.
I may not live long enough to ever completely clear Bear's house. Part of the problem is that I have to bag the trash & then get it over to my trash can & those bags get heavy quickly. Also can only put out 8 bags per week & I have to be careful that I don't put anything outside the can that would interest the critters, who would scatter the contents far & wide.

Gordon - A fellow in Atlanta was arrested about 2 wks. ago because he was drilling a hole in the bottom of the gas tanks. Luckily one victim had a security camera that got his license tag. Kermit has an inside lock & is way off the road so I hope the gas thieves can't find him.
Has the rain eased up in your part of the world? I thought of that since rain has been steadily falling here for nearly 3 hrs.
Isn't it about time for the surgery on your other eye? Wishing you the best with that.

Bear's VHS tapes are now a thing of the past. I met Anthony on Mon. & he took them away. He told me he has someone who can clean tapes that are dirty/moldy & he'll probably take any others than turn up as I keep cleaning. Now to sort thru the 1 box of dishes in the back of the car & then I can take all that stuff to Goodwill. Every little bit counts. One thing I keep forgetting to do is to call the Canton Police and/or the county sheriff's office & see if either of them take in expired drugs for disposal. Canton did years ago but I'm not sure if they still do. Both houses have a lot of Bear's old prescriptions & I'd like to see them gone too.

Thurs. is supposed to be warm & dry so I'm planning on burning paper trash while everything is wet. I don't see how I accumulate so much on a regular basis. I have a few things I could take to the booth but sales, as has become the usual lately, are slow & I have more to take in than has gone out.
I put the ferns back outside yesterday evening. I'm sure they're very happy with the current rain - they were getting a bit on the dry side. Now I just have to hope no more freezing nights are in sight until fall.
Our congress has finally done something right (in my eyes) - the Senate has voted to drop Daylight Saving Time. Sadly, it wouldn't take effect until 2023 but better late than never. Still has to pass the House & get Biden's signature but at least it's progress of a sort. My sleep patterns are a mess right now. I'll be glad when they settle down.
Getting time to feed the zoo. Doesn't look like Zac will make a trash run tonight 'cause of the rain so I may head on back to bed once the land sharks are happy. Everybody keep a low profile & do your best to stay warm & dry. Gordon & Sylvia - stay cool & dry. Later.
Susan

Max - Did you get some of the rain? My friends in Lakeland checked in today after getting some rain & wind - they didn't mention how cold they got. Did the rain in the panhandle help with the wildfires? What I heard sounded like Tallahassee got clobbered.
Didn't realize Lowe's was bundling appliance sales but it's been several years since we bought an appliance. There used to be stores that sold scratched/dented appliances & if they're still around I doubt they'd want to sell more than 1 of anything. Good luck with your search.
How can home insurance cancel your policy if you haven't had excessive claims? Was your letter from the insurance company or from an agent? Years ago my agent dropped coverage on my car but I wrote the company & said I wanted to stay with them & they kept me even tho the car was beyond their usual age limits. Maybe a letter to whoever wrote the letter would help - or is there a FL insurance commission (government) you could contact?

Shelly - Things must be bad in Erie - the weather channel I watch was showing your area was due for low's around 20* with 3-5" of snow. Did it happen? Sat. AM here the temps were in the high 20*'s (ab't 27 when I turned the TV off about 8AM). I just checked & it's 22* at almost 6AM on Sun. There go my camellia blooms that were just coming back from the last freeze. I'm glad the daffodils & hellebores don't care if it freezes.

I put the bird feeders out about 7AM on Sat. & by the time I got back inside & sat down on the couch, I had 8 different species stuffing themselves. The front deck had a skim of ice & I saw a few snowflakes just before 8AM. The wind finally died down during the afternoon sometime. Hard to believe it may be in the 70* range by the end of the week. I feel for all the southern farmers - peaches, apples & strawberries were already blooming & that's not good.

The d*mned time change is already upon us again. There's a bill in Congress to just stay on DST all year. Hope they finally do something. I've said for years they should move the time 30 minutes & leave it be forever. Fat chance of that happening.
The zoo is fed & I plan on getting up to watch the race - minus an hour's sleep - so had best head for the bed & current book.
Everybody take care & everybody but Gordon stay warm. Gordon, you & Sylvia stay cool & dry. Later.
Susan

Katie - See you have weather coming your way. Too bad it can't make up its mind anywhere in the country. I wish we could get regular gas for $3.71 - already close to $4/gal. last time I was out. No idea how much it's gone up since Tues. morning when I was out. Probably should have topped off my tank on then.

Shelly - It was so pretty last week that I took a chance & put my 2 ferns outside. It gave them a little sunshine & some rain on Wed. when we had some showers. I'll have to bring them back inside late Fri. since we're being threatened not only with freezing temps, but there's a chance of snow showers early Sat. It may warm back up on Mon. & if it does I'll put the ferns back out. I'm glad the daffodils & hellebores don't mind cold weather but I was just getting bloom back on my camellias & they don't like freezing temperatures one bit.
If Terry said OK to new curtains, maybe you should buy them before he changes his mind. Men do that when we least expect them to. Did you buy the bedroom set locally? They shouldn't have a problem with local deliveries.
Sales at the booth are mostly low dollar but at least they're somewhat steady. Feb. was the lowest sales I've had in ages but at least it covered the rent.
The tapes are a giveaway - no market for them but at least this keeps them from going to the dump. Just have to set a time & place to get together. There may be more at the old house but I haven't made it a point to look for them yet.

Gordon - I can remember a time when the stations only changed prices when they got a fresh shipment of gas - now they raise the price at any time the mood strikes them. Gives them bigger profit margins doing it that way but it's not considered price gouging - I consider it double dipping at the least.
Glad Sylvia is healing. Slow healing is a problem for Bear too. Just another issue diabetics have to deal with.

I had my 6 month appointment with my pulmonologist early Tues. so since I was getting low on canned cat food I decided to go down to Woodstock & see if either of those Walmarts had canned food in stock. Zac had already checked the Jasper store that usually has food in stock & the shelves were bare. The 1st Woodstock store had no store brand in stock. I got lucky at the 2nd store & found 2 boxes of house brand cans. I grabbed both of them so I'll have enough food for the next couple of weeks. I haven't been in a Sam's Store in years but decided to check there just in case they might have any food at all. I was in for a surprise - they no longer give a 1-day pass for non-members to shop, but they didn't have a single can of cat food by any manufacturer. Really was a shock.

I haven't done anything useful since Tues. but change the sheets & see that cats, birds & fish got fed. May check the mail on Fri. if I don 't do anything else since I should have a book waiting up there for me. As nasty as the weekend is supposed to be, I may not do anything but feed the birds.

Everybody take care & hide from any bad weather that comes your way. Later.

Susan