Bosom Buddies

jane · September 19, 2021, 06:20:02 PM

Darlene...I didn't understand how they got there from Haiti, but news online says they're coming up from S. America. Planes are flying them back to Haiti, I guess. Stay safe.

Patricia...Halloween is often snow time here, too. As you said, who knows this year.

Mary...your flooding has been on our news, too.

I did get to Cedar Rapids...94° there and humid...and got my flu shot. No waiting and it all went smoothly. I'm glad to have that done.

Some corn harvest has begun I saw as I drove south. The tractors and wagons will be out on the roads soon. Another good reason to stay home.

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

SharonE · September 19, 2021, 07:17:20 PM

Hi Gals, Darlene, that's scary for you. I hope they get them all flown out before they invade any more.

Can't imagine snow yet. Even in IN, it was unusual at Thanksgiving. Heere it is just unusual, period.

Jane, glad you got your flu shot. Ours will have to wait till we get back from out trip as we are getting the Covid booster Wed.

Hot and humid here today, but I walked a full mile with John & Bunny!

Mary, I've been wondering about flooding in your area. Stay safe.

I've had my shower and now I'm going to crash on the sofa and watch the news and read. Stay safe, everyone. Sharon

jane · September 20, 2021, 08:49:49 AM

Another hot and humid day here, with "strong to severe storms" to come as a cold front comes in....and then fall like weather...with highs lower than what it was at 6:45 am when I got a short walk in.

Congrats, Sharon, on a mile!!

I was going to go up to a Marketplace 10 miles north of me that has a lot of good "stuff"...looking for a pair of wooden toaster tongs. I broke mine and really miss them for getting my morning English muffins out of the toaster safely. I have others, including silicon ones, but they're a bit bulky. But with storms coming, probably, I'll wait until tomorrow. I don't like to drive in storms anymore.

Have a safe and healthy day,

jane

MaryPage · September 20, 2021, 02:32:36 PM

Those particular refugees from Haiti should not be any threat whatsoever to Darlene. Seriously, this is not a political notion on my part. I have read all about them: even as to how they got there, which I have taken in and then promptly forgotten, which is what I do these days. Honestly, I very much doubt I could pass First Grade now! Anyway, most of these go back to the First earthquake, when they lost everything, let alone the more recent one! And they are seeking asylum, under the United Nations rules; so they have to stay down there to see our people who are set up at the border to handle that. Did you know that they are French speaking? Me, my innards all squeeze up together in angst at the thought of being a family together in a home one moment and having it all gone the next. And it is not just these Haitians, but our own who have lost all from tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. Anguish, anguish everywhere; and where is the help & hope?

Jane, you really do get about. I no longer drive, and rarely emerge from this apartment except to go to medical appointments. Chip does all of our shopping, but today, for the first time in more than a year, I think, I accompanied him to our super duper super market. Wow, so many empty shelves! He has told me about them, but seeing them for myself is amazing. I just wanted to look at the frozen foods and pick out a few that appealed, so it did not take me long. It made for a nice break in the routine, though. I am fortunate in having a splendid view that keeps me blessedly happy.

Today is my daughter Elizabeth's 73rd birthday. Funny, but when I think of her, I do not see the stately, serene woman with white hair she has become. I remember a skinny little waif of about four, with copper red hair done up in French braids, a myriad freckles, and a grin to die for!

Vanilla-Jackie · September 20, 2021, 04:00:45 PM

Happy Birthday Mary Pages Daughter Elizabeth...she is just 3 years older than me...

SharonE · September 20, 2021, 04:54:49 PM

Mary Page, some of the Haitians speak French, the educated ones, but the majority speak Haitian creole which is mixture of african & French. I do so feel for all the people who have lost their homes all over the US and elsewhere. It must be horrifying. We are so blessed not to have experienced any of that. I'm glad you got out to the grocery story. It's good to get out.

Jane, too bad you aren't close by, I have 2 wooden tong thingys that my mother bought in Chinatown in San Francisco, and I love them for the same thing. Hope you can find a new one.

I've been to the gym and rode the bike, so along with the noon walk is over a mile.

I started packing today and I also booked a dinner on the bateau mouche (boats) on the Seine in Paris for Sunday night, one of out free nights. I decided I better book on line ahead or it might be full up by the time we arrive.

All for now. Time to eat. Sharon

MaryPage · September 20, 2021, 06:33:21 PM

Sharon, there is an American author who fell in love with and married a Parisian and has lived there for over 20 years now and writes the MOST divine books about Paris of any I have EVER read! Seriously. His name is John Baxter, and I am currently reading his "A Year In Paris," which I bought cheap, cheap from Daedalus Books on line. It has 42+ chapters, each very short and each telling a small tidbit about that most glorious of all cities, most of which I have not known about previously. I was a bit self-congratulatory when I realized from one anecdote that I DO know who Sylvia Beach was and what she was famous for. When I have finished this book, I will give it to my daughter Debi, the now retired French teacher. She will love it to bits.

Baxter has written a lot of very fine books about Paris, and I strongly recommend "The Most Beautiful Walk In The World."

Chip & I just came in from a brisk walk around the marina. A constitutional, if you will. We sat at a fortuitously placed bench on the point and almost got blown away. The evening breeze is quite strong today. You wonder about the empty shelves in your grocery? We counted NINE (9!) cargo ships moored along the side of the shipping channel waiting for an open slip up in Baltimore.

We also had the fun of watching some osprey swooping about on the many thermals far up above us. They were (there were several couples) having a ball, just like so many children.

jane · September 21, 2021, 10:41:12 AM

Tuesday morning fall greetings. A storm swept through last night on a cold front and it's wonderful...a person can breathe outside. We lost power sometime during the storm, so I reset the stove and microwave this morning. There doesn't appear to be any damage to trees here.

MaryPage...your walk with Chip sounds like a perfect outing.

Sharon...I found a pair of tongs at Amazon for less than I'd spend in gas going out looking, so they are ordered along with a couple other items and will be here Friday. You've really done great getting in shape for your trip. The dinner on the Seine sounds divine. I've read Notre Dame is to be finished in the next year or so. Enjoy Paris for me, too.

It's a hard morning here, joint wise, so I'm declaring it another slug day in this part of Iowa.

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

maryz · September 21, 2021, 11:46:51 AM

jane, have you gotten your credit card changed over? I misread the date so didn't try until this morning. I haven't been able to make the web site work, and I've been on hold for over 2 hours now, waiting for a person to help me One of the RAs is going to help me when she gets a minute. Maybe we can work it out together. Sighhhhhhh

jane · September 21, 2021, 12:13:07 PM

Mary...yes, I activated it online yesterday morning. I haven't tried to use it yet. I applied for a different Chase card when I got the AARP announcement they were changing providers. I was very happy with Chase. I suspect the website is overwhelmed with people trying to activate.

jane

SharonE · September 21, 2021, 03:12:19 PM

Hi all, Busy doing bits and pieces ahead for the trip. Found out from Delta that I can check my walker at the gate. I was afraid to send it with the baggage for fear it would get broken. I have Bunny's papers and food etc all ready for her to go on Thursday. She won't be a happy camper, but it is a nice kennel with runs and no cages. It is the one we've taken her to since she was a puppy. Got my meds today from the pharmacy in bubble packs. Will get a mani & Pedi tomorrow morning and my booster in the afternoon. It's gradually all coming together.

Thanks, Jane for the balloons and dog on my walking. Yes, I have been working hard on it. Today, however, it's been raining most of the day and I haven't been able to walk. Glad you found your tongs. I really don't like to buy things at Amazon if I can get them elsewhere because it is such a conglomerate, but sometimes convenience and availability wins out.

I'm glad you and Mary like Chase. I had a chase card but had so much trouble paying it on line due to their software that I cancelled it. BOA is so much easier and they are so helpful too.

Mary Page, I am not acquainted with John Baxter, but have written his name down and will search out his books. Sounds like something I would love. I'm glad you got out for some fresh air too.

Hi to everyone I haven't mentioned. Sharon

maryz · September 21, 2021, 04:46:05 PM

I finally got through! I was on hold for 3 hours this morning, then had to hang up to go to lunch, then another 2 hours after lunch. When I finally got a human being, we found out the problem was that my birth date had been entered incorrectly. This is where I kept getting stuck when I was trying to activate the car online. Sighhh! Once she got it corrected, it only took about 5 minutes to activate the card. Now to get all the other stuff done.

Sharon, glad all your plans are coming together. I hope all goes well, and you have a blast!

jane · September 21, 2021, 06:22:25 PM

Hurrah, MAry! Yes, the worse part is getting every other gas, electric bill, etc. updated.

MaryPage · September 21, 2021, 09:15:27 PM

Being something of a control freak, I have never deviated from old-fashioned checkbooks and written checks put in envelopes and mailed. I have no desire to control OTHER people's lives, only my own; but my mind soars with scenarios of what might go wrong with automatic payments, etc., and I just cannot live with the threats to my financial life my own imagination provides.

So far, so good. I do go on line and check my bank accounts almost daily, and it is a relief to see the checks I have written and mailed out going through at a pretty good clip and in pretty good time.

One of my daughters is named Administrator of my estate, and she is also, and has been for 15 years now, on my accounts. That is to say, they are joint accounts that revert entirely to her when I die. That way she can start paying estate obligations immediately. I have donated my body to Georgetown University Medical School, and I have a card in my wallet which they provided me with the phone number to call immediately and they will come and fetch me. If for any reason that might crop up at the time, they cannot accommodate my body, my daughter is to have me cremated right away, and she will have to write out a check for that expense. I am not a burial or a scatter at sea person, but want to be in a forest. I think I have figured on every possibility, and everything should be very simple. My pension and Social Security will stop with my death, any sum due to me for the partial month involved will be automatically deposited, and the rest should be a piece of cake. My banks keep pleading with me via snail mail and email to go paperless, but while I am a big advocate of cutting back on our carbon usage and saving the planet for future generations, I just have not been able to force myself to jump into that stream of things. My children and grandchildren have been all electronic for years now. I expect our banking system will be working more the way they would like to be once my generation expires.

They are still working on painting our building, and it is getting old. We will be glad to see them finish up here and move on to the next building. I must say, they seem extremely well organized and experts at this particular job of work.

Sweet dreams to each of you.

jane · September 22, 2021, 01:28:45 PM

MaryPage...as you said, we each have to choose what works for us.

Sharon...you must be about ready for your trip. Where do you fly to? I envy you this trip.

It's a beautiful fall day here.

Take care and stay safe,

jane

SharonE · September 23, 2021, 11:55:11 AM

Hi all. I have all bills debited from our account but have not gone paper-free because I want things in files for Brian. Also John is not very good at computers, so I have to make it easy for him in case I go first.

Mary Page, we are to be cremated and scattered also, either in the CO mtns or our University gardens.

Jane, we fly to Atlanta and then straight to Paris where we will be 3 days and then the TGV (train) to Lyon to board our cruise ship. On Oct 4 we fly from Lyon to Amsterdam to JFK to Charlotte. We booked Delta comfort seats which recline a lot and are more comfortable than Economy but not as expensive as First Class. We did that when we flew to Seoul and it made a huge difference.

We got the booster yesterday & my arm is sore, but otherwise ok. Also got the mani & pedi and started serious packing. I just finished packing my makeup and jewelry and organizing my purse. Undies are in the wash & I am resting before I start in again. John has taken Bunny to the kennel.

Thank you all for all the good wishes. I hope it will be all we hope it to be. I won't post except maybe on FB while I'm gone. So Au revoir for a while. Sharon

jane · September 23, 2021, 02:38:32 PM

Bon voyage, Sharon and John. That seating choice at Delta sounds perfect! It's a long flight.

jane

MaryPage · September 23, 2021, 05:05:46 PM

May your trip be all you have wished for and more, Sharon. I never got to Paris, albeit having plans to do so. Hope you see the Mona Lisa. There was a lovely song about her, I think Nat King Cole sang it.

jane · September 24, 2021, 10:24:59 AM

Sharon...I'm sure you and John are in the air or about to be.
Safe trip!

Another beautiful day here, and I'm about to get this body out the door and try another walk. I only have "me" plans for today...a haircut and a pedicure.

No plans for the weekend...

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

patricia19 · September 24, 2021, 11:44:51 AM

Good morning, at 7:41, am and 31 degrees in the Interior, we've had our first snow out of the mountains. Today will be a day on the couch for me as I bruised my poor toe on a table leg last night. Not large in the scheme of things but annoying when there are things to be done.

maryz · September 24, 2021, 04:46:20 PM

Patricia, yuck! Stubbed toes are bad!

jane, My mani/pedi/haircut is not until next week. But I'm really looking forward to it. Enjoy.

Gorgeous fall weather here - highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s, low humidity. Fall is great here.

I hope Sharon's trip is a good one.

Happy Weekend, Buddies!

Marilyn · September 25, 2021, 02:23:51 PM

Good almost noon time" I didn't realize it had been so long since checked in on all y'all

Freckles is much better after her accident on the stairs, she now takes her time coming up.

Keith is the same, getting more and more confused most of the time. Every now and then he comes up with something that surprises me. Like last evening I called a man named Bill from our church in Oregon. Right away Keith said his last name, which is not really a common name.

The heart monitor that I wore for 2 weeks has been sent off to be red. On Tuesday of this week I had a very rough day. My heart went into A-Fib and just kept getting worse, It lasted all day long with heart rate going way up then back to normal for a little bit My Blood Pressure was up and down as well It finally slowed to almost a normal rate around 7pm. [/]color]

jane · September 25, 2021, 04:28:27 PM

Marilyn...hope the docs can come up with something to stabilize your A Fib. I know that can be a very difficult thing to do. Good news on Freckles. I'm glad you're out of that house in Oregon that sounded so toxic to your health and much much closer to your son and grandchildren.

It's still nice here, and I need to go out and try for another short walk. It's just in the high 60s and a breeze, so perfect for me!

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

MaryPage · September 25, 2021, 07:01:52 PM

Oh, Marilyn, I am So sorry you had that A Fib problem on Tuesday. Scary, scary stuff to have to endure, and for such a long time. I have that ailment, as well, but have not had to suffer through a day like yours; at least, not as yet.

I woke in the wee hours this morning having a hard time breathing. I did not want to bother Chip, so I tried and tried to get comfortable in my bed, to no avail. I finally got up and moved to my easy chair, and began to feel a tiny bit better. Around five I buzzed Chip with my Mommy monitor, and he came almost immediately. He wanted me to call 911, but I really did not want to go to hospital, so I resisted. Debi got here around eight and she and Chip did a lot for me. I got washed and dressed and had some oatmeal and my pills, and then Chip called 911. I had five gorgeous Paramedics in my living room before he hung up the phone, almost. My oxygen was down, but not disastrously. Blood pressure way up, despite my having had my morning pill. They detected the A Fib. Three guys then left for other parts, while two remained and we had a hospital/no hospital discussion. They finally agreed with my determination to stay home, and we signed off on that. They were really great, and my morale soared. The oxygen they tried on me was great, but my count was too high at 90 for them to order some for me (it seems 88 is the cutoff), so they had Chip call my doctor's office re a visit on Monday to have her order a home supply for emergencies. It will a relief to me to have it readily available. Debi stayed until around one thirty. She swears all she missed was Ava's soccer game, and Steve got to that. Chip's been doing all the odds & ends of chores, while I've been taking it easy all day. Yep, if it isn't one dang thing, it's another!

We saw the most amazing tall ship out on this portion of the bay this afternoon. Huge, with tons of sail flying. The ship AND the sails were a dark brown. No doubt there will be a picture and a story in our local paper tomorrow.

Autumn has arrived here in Chesapeake Country. Much cooler nights. Debi & I called her sisters while she was here, and she finished up with Facebook when she got home. I have never done Facebook or any other form of Social Media other than SeniorNet and Seniors & Friends.

Hope Sharon is having the time of her life. So exciting. Hope you will all have a lovely rest of the weekend.

jane · September 26, 2021, 12:37:13 PM

MaryPage...glad you got through that "scare" without having to go to the hospital. Having oxygen on hand sounds like an ideal solution.

Fall is here, too, but summer is to return tomorrow. Boo....I want fall to stay. The fall harvest seems to be underway...say a tractor pulling two large "wagons" of corn to the local elevator. The local roads will be dangerous...the tractors are hard to see at twilight on the highway.

Sharon posted on Facebook that she and John were in Paris. She sounded very excited.

Nothing exciting here.

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

patricia19 · September 26, 2021, 03:16:13 PM

Jane, I'll trade our snow for your fall weather!

MaryPage · September 26, 2021, 03:55:25 PM

I doubt you'll get any takers on that one, Patricia.

So happy to hear Sharon has arrived in Paris and is feeling the Parisian buzz. I would be Over The Moon. Hope the weather holds out for her.

SO many sails on the bay this glorious Autumn day! Some of them are ever so colorful wind surfers, the rest are all sorts and sizes of boats. The most fun to watch are the sailing schools. They come in different classes, these designating their level of expertise. They make these pretty little lines, with an instructor in a larger boat at each end of the line

patricia19 · September 26, 2021, 05:12:54 PM

You paint a very pretty word picture, MaryPage.

Cottoncandy · September 26, 2021, 07:22:44 PM

Hi Buddies....just got back from visiting 2 of my sons....had a great Time...but tired...Sharon and John hope your trip is amazing...Hi to all....will write more later....

jane · September 27, 2021, 10:59:38 AM

Good Monday...last one of Sept. ...morning. This morning I found the limit of my doing things. I decided to wash my windows...and alas, I found I'm not strong enough any more to manipulate the windows once they pop out of their little weight things.

I then dropped the bottom window on my toes, so I now have black and blue toes forming and struggled to get the ^&%$ window back in the track, but not in the weight things that allow it to be raised and held. I'll wait for family to come for a visit to handle that.

And the other windows will stay dirty. I'm not up to that fight today.

We're back to summer heat and humidity for the last week of Sept.

Patricia...I'd rather have the cooler temps you have, but I don't know how I'd cope with the darkness that you get over the winter. We have a lot of commercials on our TV from your Governor urging people to come visit Alaska and all the events/activities there are during the 4 seasons. I was only there once in late spring, and that was gorgeous.

Darlene....glad you had a great time with the sons.

MaryPage...your descriptions of the sailing on the Bay are breath-taking.

I'm off to get some breakfast and give my injured toes a break. No walking today for them.

I was reading Twitter this morning and seeing that a lot of people are suffering with feeling down over the Covid protests, etc. Some felt these last 3 months were worse than the first 3. I guess I agree.
I'm glad I'm not alone in that.

Stay safe and healthy,

jane

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