Marilyne, I am so sorry to hear about Sandy has lost a good friend.

As for the New Zealand shootings. Is it my imagination or is the world becoming more and more un-civil?

Tomorrow I finish up my taxes. Yea!

MarsGal, I know I won't be around, but I don't like to think of the world my family and others will inherit.  It's like Patricia said - people feeling inferior and wanting to drag others down to their level.  People who can't admit their problems are the faults of themselves, but blame others. 

I've had my nap and now I'm watching golf.
   
Mary Ann

I just returned as I re-upped for every first and third  Saturday helping Salvation Army for delivering to shut-ins and others unable to come down to the first floor and pick up for themselves. This SA delivery isn't food stamps but some type of Federal Commodities program. The SA rep told me that is 77 individuals just in our building.

Many of these folks do have caretakers, but these caretakers like the CNAs aren't allowed to do more than clean the apartment, wash clothes and basic caretaking needs. So they called and asked if I would come back as their volunteers were declining. I believe its because many of the past volunteers are aging themselves. Anyway, I have five people instead of the three I had last time and to make it worse, Otis has been working on the elevators all week, trying to keep one of the four open for renters. There were small crowds, and multiple lifts wait throughout.

Marilyne, I am remiss in not posting my sympathies to Sandy and her friend's family. It is never easy when death is so sudden, and it will take time. I am so sorry.

Thank you all for your kind comments, concerning the sudden passing of my daughter's best friend. It's going to take Sandy a long time to accept and come to terms with it - being as this is the first time anyone she knows and loves,  from her generation,  has died.  Plenty from my generation of course, but its a whole different thing when it's someone in your age group.

I've really accomplished a lot today, for a change.  I have a nice clean kitchen, and I'm caught up on laundry.  I even went outside in the backyard and cleaned out the birdbath.  It was really looking pretty bad, after a Winter of rain and wind.  It had more  leaves and debris in it, than it did water. 

It is beautiful outside today!  It's about 70 degrees right now, and supposed to be the same tomorrow.   I hope you're all enjoying this Spring weekend, no matter what the weather is like in your part of the country.

Patricia, my sisters and I are rather fond of the Salvation Army. My Mom was always grateful to the organization that, she believed, kept her and her family from starving. She was the second to youngest in a family of nine children.

It was 72^o here yesterday, but only in the around 43^o this afternoon. I did actually get out and start a little bit of yard clean-up. My back didn't like the bending. so I didn't stay out long. Today, I see that the first of my  daffodils are starting to unfurl; I expect to see full blossoms tomorrow.

Just getting  around to posting here.    I was up early to go for blood work and then my son and I met up with my grandson and his 2 little girls for breakfast.   Didn't  get back until noon.     Changed my clothes and started to read and fell asleep and  slept for several hours.   Now it is almost dinner time.

Yes, Marilyne, I,  too, am sorry to read about your daughter's  friend..   Sad that she was so young.

Marsgal,  My mother, also, had a soft  spot for the Salvation Army.   She would always make a point  of  donating to their Red Kettle at Christmas.   I think that years ago,  they had helped her father's brother a lot and she always would remember that.   She also donated a lot of house hold items when they would call for donations.    Not sure if they call  for donations any more.

I hope everyone has had a a nice day.   It has been sunny, but very windy and cold.

Joy

Hi Everyone.  The day is starting out a bit cloudy but we are suppose to have partly cloudy a part of the day with a high of 65.  Yesterday turned out to be a day of great weariness for me and am beginning to wonder it if it worth the price to get out of the house as the last two times the following day I am exhausted.  I seem to be feeling better this morning although won't win any races and didn't want to get up this morning.  I will listen to our Church service from last week in a little bit.  I did watch a lot of basketball yesterday with some really good games.  There are two or three tournaments that will finish up this afternoon and then this evening they will announce the brackets for the bit NCAA tournament, which all of the vie for all year.

Mary Ann, I know who frustrating it can be to get blocked out of an important website like your bank.  Yesterday I had a scare so had accidentally erased my Last Pass password.  I had not documented it well.  I did finally find it in some documentation I had prepared for Pat and Scott's use if I become unable to use the computer or am no longer around.  I took steps to see that such a thing didn't happen again.  I hope you won't have to replace your computer. 

Marilyne, nice to see you are warming up out your way.  You have had a long spell since you have seen warmer weather. I read this last week, and I think you had already mentioned, that for the first time in many years California no longer is considered in a drought situation. It sounds like you got a lot done yesterday for one day.  Maybe you will be able to have a day of rest today. 

Jean,  we have many azaleas and rhododendrons here in the South and they are so beautiful when so many are in bloom.  We have some varieties here that bloom both in the Spring and in the Fall.

Patricia, there is certainly a lack of the acceptance of responsibility in so many people today and it is so sad. Glad you completed your tests yesterday with only a couple to go?  Nice you can once again help the Salvation Army get the food to the people who need it in your apartment building.  It sounds like there are a lot of them. It is often our service to others that gives us the most satisfaction. 

Jackie, I know we all are missing the warm and uplifting postings from our June. 

MarsGal, we have always had war throughout human history but usually it has been between armies and now a lot of it is against individuals acting along or in very small cells.  The Salvation Army has helped many people in the past and will do so again.  Here they are in the process of building a housing facility to help some of the homeless in your community as current facilities of theirs and others are very inadequate to meet the need.  It sounds like with your back you may need some help with your yard work.

Joy, it sounds like a delightful time having breakfast with your grandson and and the little girls.

Larry, it's good to see a new, long message from you.  When you go out, do you, Pat or Scott drive.  Maybe if you leave the driving to others, it would save your strength. 

Tom got me back into my bank account.  The bank has changed something and had a blurb about the program not recognizing my computer.  At first I thought it was a scam, but I let Tom read it and we decided it was OK.  They said they'd send me a code to me and they showed my phone number.  Only my phone did not ring.  After they shut me down, Tom decided I should put his phone number in so they had an "app" phone, not a landline.  I did not get the blurb the rest of the day and I haven't tried today.  I still have trouble with my Word program and Tom will have to help me with that.  I think I had a third problem but working with the above two is enough.  Tom rarely comes home after church so I don't know when I'll see him or when he's able to work on my problems.  I've said that technology is bypassing me and I think it zoomed by this time.  Too old, too soon, too smart, too late.

Dot and I did our Sunday usual today and the Tuna Melt always tastes so good.

Marilyn, the tuna part is made up of mayo, tuna and chopped veggies.  i am sure there is some seasoning too; you might try to mix your own.

Mary Ann

Yes The Salvation Army was also respected by my family..When my late father passed away, one of their buildings, their halls was opposite and that was where some or all fathers clothes went to, if I remember right someone came across the road to me for collection..Of course father has been gone 31 years or so now..

Good morning from the Interior! Yesterday the graders were all over the city proper, pushing all the sodden snow into piles for trucks to lift it and haul it out. Today the city is a patchwork of brown and white while all this next week will see highs in the fifties and lows in the mid-forties. School lets out in two months, and gardeners are busy cruising gardening catalogs and studying backyard diagrams.

Larry, I don't see it as a service so much but as simply a part of being a neighbor that I can do. While the number might seem high out of close to 300 tenants, and while these are senior independent living quarters, everyone here is disabled one way or another. It's a disabled senior building.

I think the issue of blaming this or that person, place or thing for our own issues is intrinsic to those lacking insight and empathy, such as a certain government official sending autographed bibles in aid to survivors of the past Alabama quake.

Good afternoon, making veal scallopini in the crock pot but make it with mushroom soup, as my husband did not like cooked tomatoes, then I serve it over rice.

Larry, nice to see you post.  I of course have one eye looking at golf right now.  I think the Players is my favorite. The 17 green is such a challenge.

Joy, sounds like you had fun with those grands. I guess I will never have any g.grands.  I have three grands in their late 30's who have no plans to marry

MarsGal and Gloria we have a Salvation ARmy store here in Riverhead. I also never pass up a person ringing the bell at Christmas. I also thank them, it is not fun standing out there in the cold. After the war was over my husband was sent back to the Pacific for 6 months.  After spending 18 months on a DE. This  time they were in tents with rain almost every day.  The Salvation Army was the only one they could get help from even getting writing paper.

Mary Ann, At one time I thought myself computer  smart. Before they decided to get a computer system at the hospital I was on the committee that few to Albany to check computers for our hospital.

Now sometime I just feel dumb.  The new Technology is just beyond me

I usually donate items to my local non-profit thrift store, because it's easy to drive to it, and drop stuff off any day of the week.  The Salvation Army is also a non-profit, and does so much good in the USA and throughout the world, when a disaster occurs.  I would donate to them as well, but they no longer have trucks to pick up items at your house, and the large store where you can leave things is way over in San Jose.

The Goodwill is the worst place to donate, because they are a FOR PROFIT business!  The prices at their stores are extremely high, and they even have ongoing eBay auctions for their quality stuff, as well as an online store. They also have a CEO, who makes a yearly salary in the millions.

Mary Ann - I did try to do a tuna melt at home, but it didn't turn out nearly as well as those that I've had in the past at restaurants. Denny's used to have a delicious one on their menu, but that's been many years ago, and they no longer have it.  Homemade is better than nothing though, so I may give it another try?

I hope your bank situation is straightened out, once and for all.  There are so many scams now, and they all sound and look legitimate. Instead of getting better, they seem to be getting worse.  Sharon, in the Bosom Buddies folder, was telling about a call she got from Publishers Clearing House, that she had won a large amount of money. It sounded legitimate,  but fortunately she did some research, and found out it was just another scam.       

I had some things that were to go to Goodwill but Tom's friend, Robin, was here and she took it to a thrift store near here and that is OK with me.  I just wanted to get it out of the way.  We have Goodwill, Salvation Army and the thrift shop all near here but the thing is to get anything to any of the stores.  Tom could, but we never think of it, so when Robin suggested taking it to the store she supports, I was glad to let her take it.  Tom has taken some things there before.  When my mother was alive, her church group (and others) would have rummage sales in poorer areas near downtown and that got rid of a lot of unwanted, but in good shape, items. 

We are at 40 degrees now and it is so nice to look out the window and see so little snow and lots of grass.  Looking at radar now, Michigan seems to be the only state getting snow.  Do you really think Spring may be on its way?

Tom probably has gone to Holland after his church let out so I have not seen him since I got home.  I won't have my computer problems solved until he works on them and it may be tomorrow before he can get at them.  I can get on the bank site but the new Word program needs work and attention. 

I'm watching golf now and it must be cold in Florida because all the players are wearing sweaters.  The 17th hole at this course is something else; I won't try to describe it.

Mary Ann

Today has been a nice but chilly day.  Right now it is in the middle 60s which is still a little cold when the wind is blowing.

Today was my oldest daughter's 61st birthday.  The years are flying by.

Always nice to see everyone's post.  A nice long one from Larry.  Hope you can get your computer problems solved, Mary Ann.  Computers can be so frustrating and I don't have the enthusiasm I used to have for learning new things.  I'm afraid nowadays I just try to keep life simple.

GloriaDe, your veal scallopini sure sounds good.

When we moved we gave a lot of stuff to the Hospice Thrift Shop.  When my mother was ill, Hospice was just wonderful and so helpful in many ways.

Hope everyone has had a good day.

FlaJean...
...yes it does, " the years just fly by," even I still cant believe this coming September my only child, my daughter will be 50, I was a young 18 when I had her..she too is a grandma now to a three year old..
Jean hard to remember back when we were our daughters ages, isn't it, but we was once..
Happy Birthday Jeans daughter..

*************************************************************************************************

Oh and still on the subject of who we donate our stuff to, I now give all my stuff-clothes to the animal charity the RSPCA, animals are my first and main priority...A couple of years ago I was taking in stuff ( some expensive clothes-shoes) to my local MS Centre but after the wife of the couple who deal with the selling's of these items came over to our table at our  annual sit down Christmas meal in a rather posh hotel and distributed one or two Christmas cards to some friends sitting at our table and never gave a card to me, I vowed they wont be getting anymore expensive stuff from me, ever, I have learned my lesson that I wasn't really appreciated...

In the past, when living at our previous address we would get charity bags for donated clothes put through our letter box, then the vans would come round on a specified day to collect the bags that are left outside ours doors, but this doesn't happen where we now live, we are a small community tucked away down in the valleys...We now have to take our stuff into the charity shops of our choice, not always placed in an easy to park your car outside spot..
There was a time I donated to the local air ambulance - cancer, such as Macmillan - British heart foundation..

Hi Everyone on a beautiful sunny day and we are to get up into the mid-60's this afternoon.  Yesterday was opposite of how I felt on Saturday and was able to enjoy the day by not being so tired.  Our afternoon was topped off by the visit of a couple from our Sunday School Class.  They are really pleasant people and we had a nice visit.  I did get a few things done yesterday.  My goal for today is to work on getting Pat's computer set up the way she had her other one and get some of the games she liked and played a lot on the computer as well.  There are no basketball games on TV today so will get to spend more time listening to my audio book as am coming down to the end of it.

Mary Ann, if Scott is here he does the driving and if not Pat does it. I haven't driven since early January when the exhaustion and weakness set in.  Glad you got your computer so you can now access your bank.  I am glad you have Tom there to help you with your computer problems. 

Jackie, we have often donated to the Salvation Army but now we donate to our Community Missions Thift Store that is supported by 22 Churches in our town. We get those charity bags left at our house also.  Sometimes it is for food and other times for clothing.  

Patricia, it sounds like Fairbanks must think your snowy season is over if they are now hauling the snow out of the city.  I noticed when we went by on Friday that our Lowe's Garden Center has a huge amount of garden related materials stored at the outer edges of their parking lot and am sure people are anxious around here to start planting.  The lady who visited us yesterday is an ardent gardener and was telling us about the club she belongs to where they shared clippings and plants at each meriting. She brought us a beautiful plant that has red leaves shaped almost like a four leaf clover but doesn't have four leaves to a stem. Who would want a Bible autographed by a politician?  I hadn't heard about that happening.  I like your graphic.

Lindancer, I will have to look today to see who won the golf tournament yesterday as didn't watch any of it.  We have only the four living great grandchildren but certainly have prospect of being great great grandparents in a few years, at least I hope it is a few years and know I probably won't be around to know.  Some of the new technology is also beyond me.

Marilyne, we have donated to Good Will in the past but certainly won't do so in the future. We have a fairly new Salvation Army Thrift Store that opened in our little town since we have moved here.  It is not junky looking like most thrift stores look.

Jean, a belated Happy Birthday to your oldest daughter.  I agree the years really fly by.  Our son is now 51 and is showing some signs of the years catching up with him aches and pains.  He also has heart problems.  I am also a big fan of Hospice as they were so good to Stacey and then to us when she passed.

Hi Larry, how nice of the couple from your Sunday School class to visit you.  And they did not seem to tire you out.

We have Goodwill, Salvation Army and a thrift store all within two miles of here.  I have not heard of any of them offering to pick up any more, but I suppose the first two do yet.  The thrift store is most convenient merely because either Tom or Robin would take it there. 

Tom is having breakfast or lunch with his cousin this morning.  It was his father who died last fall; he had Parkinsons. His mother died from ALS.  The father was a brother of Tom's mother, Norm's first wife.  We've always kept in contact with them.

The sun is shining now, but it's only 33 degrees.  Radar doesn't show anything west of us, but that could change in a minute. 

Larry, Rory McIlroy won the golf tournament yesterday and I think Jim Furyk was second.  Furyk is one of the older players and it would have been nice to see him win, but McIlroy hasn't won in a while (I think), so it was nice for him too.

Mary Ann

Larry So nice to see your long message this morning.   Maybe you'll soon be able to slowly resume some of your regular activities,   like church, or enjoying lunch or dinner at a local restaurant.

Mary Ann - Now that I'm thinking about it, I realize that Goodwill or Salvation Army, no longer will pick up items at a persons home.  Goodwill still has the majority of the business, because they permanently stationed their old trucks on empty lots, and people can go to those trucks and leave their donations.  There is someone in them to receive the items seven days a week, and they are locked at night.  So Goodwill makes it very easy and convenient, and I assume that the majority of people go there.  We used to, until we learned how the Goodwill operates.  It was quite the scandal here in California, because the CEO makes such a huge amount of money, and our donations are sold at inflated prices on line and on eBay. 

Jean - Our oldest daughter will also turn 61, this Spring.  Her birthday is on May 7th.  Our son will be 58 this Wednesday, March 20th. (The first day of Spring).  Sandy's birthday is in April, and she will be 50.  As I said once before, she is not one bit happy about turning 50.

Jackie - so your daughter and my youngest were both born in 1969!  You were much younger at the time than I was.  I was 34 when Sandy was born.

Patricia - I like your "Welcome to Spring" picture!   Needless to say, the rest of us are ahead of you, but soon you will be enjoying those Long sunny days, once again.

I just spent 42 minutes on the phone trying to get access to one of my mutual funds because it was locked.  I had to go from one computer to another because of where the information was.  I did get my tax information from the woman and they will mail a 1099DIV.  We ended with my not getting unlocked because whatever I had to do took too much time.  I will try again in a few days when I have time.  I don't go to my fund accounts very often anyway.  But now I can finish my federal tax and do my state tax.  In the meantime, I think I'll go get something to eat!

Marilyn, Jean and Jackie, your kids were born about the same time as my nephews - Tim was born in 1956, died at 58; Tom was born in 1957, will be 62 in July; Terry was born in 1959, died at 58.   

I'm exhausted from my phone conversation about my mutual fund!

Mary Ann

Mary Ann...
...58 is no age at all, so young, similar to my fathers sisters and brothers, my uncles and aunts, all passed in their late 40s and 50s.. I so remember when in my early-mid 20s, the family funeral gatherings seemed like they were always taking place....

Marilyne...
...yes September 13th 1969..

Jackie, we were shocked by the first nephew's death; he had gotten up in the morning to make a phone call, went back to bed and did not wake up.  The youngest nephew was ill and we expected him to go at any time.  I hold my breath with Tom because he is too heavy, periodically tries to lose weight, then burns his candle at both ends and the weight returns.  He is not a drinker as he can nurse a beer all evening long and he only has a beer once a month.  It's just he can't say 'no' if someone needs help regardless of the time of day or night.  He is my good helper.

I don't know what I've done to live so long, but I'm enjoying it most of the time.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I didn't realize that Tim's death was without warning.  I remember that Terry passed away fairly soon, after you all got home from California . . .and how thankful you were, that he had had the chance to see, and hold, his new grandson.  Age 58, is just too young.

I can imagine that you are exhausted from your extended phone conversation this morning.  How I do dread those long winded conversations about anything having to do with banks and finance, or health care.

Marilyn, actually Terry died a month after he and Jan got home.  Jan took a picture of Terry holding Isaiah and he was less than a month old then.  I asked Geoff to send me a picture and he sent that one and Geoff was in the background.  I looked at it and said "a 3-generation picture" and I think it was late in the year when Geoff sent it to me via e-mail.  For Christmas that year, Tom had the picture blown up in black and white, then bought a black frame to put it in and gave it to Jan.  She was very touched.  Her parents are still alive and Geoff's in-laws are alive so there can be some 4-generation pictures, but that is the only one Terry will be in. 

I think I'll stay off the phone the rest of the day.  Our church is going to have a book with pictures and Dot and I want to be in it.  Dot asked me to make reservations for both of us.  We won't be in the picture together because if we buy pictures, we'd give them to our families.  Anyway, I made Dot's reservation first and I should have logged off, but did not.  When I went to enter my information, I got as far as reserving the time and that is all.  At least the time is reserved but it is under Dot's name!  Maybe the office can help, if not, we'll straighten it out when we have the pictures taken.  Old age!!!

Mary Ann

Mary Ann...
...yes I guess I am still here for a reason, I have now outlived both my parents, uncles and aunts in age, as far as I am aware, only one aunt left, the last one of my late fathers sisters...Her birthday is the day before mine, and nine days after my late fathers, her brother...If she is still here she would be 23 years older than me...(91)...My father had 4 brothers and 3 sisters...

Jackie, I do believe people live longer these days.  Maybe the present 90 is the 70 of a generation ago.  I expect people will live to 150 in the next generation or two.  I never expected I'd be here yet and most of my close friends have died.  A woman from my high school graduating class died over the weekend, 95 years of age.  I understand there are about 20 people from my class of 250 still living. 

It is unusual to have two brothers go at age 58, but Terry was not in good health and I guess Tim was not either, but we didn't know it.  He lived 150 miles from us so we were not in as frequent contact as we were with Terry.

Mary Ann

You are right, nowadays people are living longer, we have had programmes on our tvs of people still driving into their 90s and 100s...My gran who we lived with, my mothers mother was 81 when she passed, ( and I thought that was old when I asked what did gran die of, and told old age, ) I was just 11, my fathers mother, my other gran was 84, I was newly pregnant age 18, she never got to see my baby..Strange how it was only the grandmas and not the granddads that lived the longer years but I can only imagine back in those days they were the grafters that went out to work, ours grans were the home makers, how times have changed...equality...

We had a nice day today.  Went to the store for a few items then it was home to fix lunch.  Not much going on in this part of Florida, which is good.

Jackie, my mother lived until she was 92 and was the last in her family.  Now I'm the last in my family.  My husband has an older brother and two older sisters still living, but he came from a large family.

Mary Ann your nephews did die fairly young.  Both of my sisters each had a daughter that died around 51 from cancer.  I sure hope my children outlive me.  I know it must be a terrible sadness to lose a child regardless of their age.

Nice message from you today, Larry.  Just keep taking life easy.

Marilyne, I imagine you are glad to have a few 70 degree days.  Our high was 70 today and I love this type of weather.  It was about 40 when I got up around 8:30 and it took no time to get up to 60 and then kept going to 70.  It won't be long before we will be having hot weather and worrying about hurricanes so we are enjoying this weather while it lasts.

Good afternoon, both my parents came from large farming families, and on my father's side, The oldest died a couple of years ago in January in his early one hundreds. He was both the firstborn of sixteen and the last survivor of the sixteen.

For some reason, both sides seemed fond of the age of 87 as that is when almost everyone, including the grandparents, died. My sisters are from 1949 and from 1960, and I'm from 1951. There are three sets of children among us with five years separating each. I don't know about the generation after us, but my parents and my sisters are the only nonfarmers.

Re age: " Kane Tanaka
Since the death of 117-year-old Chiyo Miyako of Japan on 22 July 2018, 116-year-old Kane Tanaka, also of Japan, born 2 January 1903, is the oldest living person in the world whose age has been validated..

Strange to think, that even her living children and grandchildren would be older than me....

Don't think I want to live into my 100's, well certainly not with my PPMS body...