Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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Pool is semi closed. Meaning it was clean as a whistle, including the rails - used WF-40 to get pine sap off of them, chemicals are in it circulating, and the winter cover is on it. But I still need to drain out water, and clean the filter out to store it over winter in the garage.
I’m beat. I’m the outside crew, SO is the guy who gets in the water. It was 78 so he didn’t freeze.
Tomorrow I can backwash the filler and unhook it. And start to flood the side street as I drain it. I have a 5:30 dinner with 2 gf as we celebrate one’s retirement. I’ll be able to get rid of my last 2 gifts from Ireland too.
Have a good day!
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that’s me and my Hawaiian theme for the Sept 11 celebration of life. It was picked as it’s also Harold’s bday. I sang three songs with the band. The last Aloha ‘oe in Hawaiian. 🌺 I think it went over well.
I start anastrozole on Monday night. Hoping for low to no side effects. QOL is important.6 -
I'm reading - just not writing. Hugs to all who need them.
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Today would have been Jackie's 80th birthday. She was looking forward to it and I am sorry she did not reach it. I miss her still.
I am currently in Seattle but only have phone to post. I'll post more once I am home. We had a good time.
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Happy heavenly birthday to Jackie. I miss her daily conversation and great outlook on life.
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Thinking of Jackie on her 80th birthday
Welcome home Betrayal - look forward to hearing all about Alaska
Canarycat - sounds like a fitting celebration of life for your friend. Love the Hawaiian theme.
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Harley, was it you who asked about typhoid shot for Vietnam. Checking to see if I need a Covid booster I found that I did get typhoid before going to Thailand last year
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Wren - yes, I did ask about the typhoid vax. CVS offers it in my area so I plan to get it prior to going to Vietnam next March. Thanks.
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Descriptions & pix of all your travels (Oregon coast, Laos, Alaska, upcoming Vietnam) are like wearing VR glasses and booting up the "travel" software. Next best thing….
Happy heavenly birthday to Jackie!
Betrayal, take all the time you need to recover from jet lag & unpack. It'll only make the next quote you post sweeter.
Gordy's FIL made it to VT and had his pre-death psych eval. He passed peacefully a few hours later, as soon as he was settled in at the residential hospice. Leslie & his mom flew his body back to Houston, and Gordy flew down for the weekend. They're coming back today. He specified he did not want a memorial service.
The landlord's agent took pity on us and is giving us the insurance company discount going forward. Rent is still exorbitant (calculated on the house's value as an AirBnB) but $2K/mo less.
The last 150 boxes were delivered (and the basement appliances rearranged properly) Friday. The crew chief got a promotion and therefore wasn't there to help us locate and pack out more stuff, but the crew was efficient at helping us unload and dispose of trash. They took away the broken-down boxes from the garage…replacing them with more full ones. I took the weekend off—had to practice for the church-coffeehouse open mic (a success) Saturday and then had a baby shower for one of my Bar Show castmates in Hinsdale yesterday. The hostess (whose husband was my knee replacement surgeon) did an amazing job and has a stunningly gorgeous home with everything—including china & glassware—coordinated. (Makes me want to chuck everything & start over, but we're spending enough already trying to get back to pre-fire "normal"). Our landscaper returned from London & Ibiza yesterday and is decompressing today. His helper is coming over at 2 today to haul out more trash & donation bags. He (the helper) bikes but doesn't drive—he has the keys for the truck but no driver's license nor desire to get one. Ah, Gen Z! Meanwhile, they were able to bring back & re-install my Breville Smart Oven Air and the shelves for my master BR entertainment center (though a bracket and cabinet knob are missing—they ordered replacements). Abt also confirmed that my LG fridge's problem is the freezer fan, which they ordered and will replace when those parts come in. Don't wanna jinx it, but otherwise the fridge & freezer are working fine for a 2018 LG 3-door (approaching the mean age for its lifespan—we replaced its predecessor after 7 years).
At the shower yesterday I consulted with the hostess (who is a real estate litigator) and the choreo-director (whose SO is a contractor who's done projects for some of my castmates). They were both incredulous that I wasn't given an opportunity to design the kitchen layout or shop for paint & wallcoverings; but confirmed I really don't have much of a case because my status as an attorney (even 13 years retired) "imputed" knowledge on my part that should have raised red flags early enough to mitigate damage. My only remedies—ahould I be successful at all—would be "specific performance" (which would be by the same gang of incompetents) or an allowance to hire my own remediation contractor. My director, whose SO has worked with State Farm, says that according to insurance company standards, if you have a bedroom, functioning kitchen and bathroom you are considered able to move back in—stuff like boxes and crappy work notwithstanding. So our goal is to remove enough boxes to make the place kitty-safe, after which time we can start packing out of the rental house and get it clean enough for the next tenants.
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We have to be able to grow up. Our wrinkles are our medals of the passage of life. They are what we have been through and who we want to be.
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Sandy - condolences on the passing of Gordy’s FIL. May the family find comfort that his wishes were honored.
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Thanks, harley.
One thing I forgot to mention: the co-host of the shower yesterday is an AUSA, in the white collar crimes division. But they're increasingly involving her in immigration-related stuff (even made her sing the National Anthem at last month's mass citizenship swearing-in at Wrigley Field). Rejecting an assignment means loss of her job—and since federal prosecutions have been her entire career, good luck finding another legal job at 55.
Another castmate is an immigration lawyer. She has at least one client who was snatched up and detained somewhere in MI. The grounds? An expunged juvie conviction for shoplifiting—but DHS has ordered that all expunged convictions, whether felony, misdemeanor, or even traffic offenses, of immigrants be unsealed. (So much for expungement). The client has the right to an attorney, but her phone was confiscated and my friend has no way to reach her. She, like half her firm, is in therapy in order to be able to sleep at night.
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Sandy - that is awful!! This is truly a frightening time.
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There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.
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Sandy, my condolences to your DS and DDIL on the death of her father.
Like your friends, I am amazed that you were not able to participate in your kitchen design nor the paint choices. The adjuster we had at SF just sent checks and did not want any involvement in what happened with the restoration of our house. I chose the paints used, supervised the floor installers and finishers, etc. True, I was on site, which made this easier.
I had my appointment with my new PCP, who is family practice, and not an internist as my prior one was. We reviewed my medications, reasons for using and PMH which contained a lot of inactive dx which she archived. There was a lot of duplication in dx, such as osteoarthritis multiple times, which she was able to delete. It was an opportunity for a meet and greet where I discussed what care I needed and we discussed it. I will miss my old PCP for sure, but I am willing to make it work.
She was formerly with a healthcare system which just shut after poor management, and it resulted in the closing of 4 community hospitals, one of which was the only trauma center in the entire county and another where I took my students for their clinical experience. It displaced many physicians and thousands of hospital employees including their RN's. I have heard from former students who did land new positions elsewhere but many have yet to find employment.
I asked how long she had worked there and she replied it would have been 20 years in June. All of their former patients are scrambling to find new physicians, and many are coming up empty, with no one to order prescription renewals or inability to get a timely appointment. Long story short they were bought by a flimflam company named Prospect who has a reputation for buying hospitals, increasing their debt, they sell the land they occupy, and then leasing it back at a gouging price.
My DD and I had the trip of a lifetime. We had excursions to the Mendenhall Glacier, a Juneau tram ride to Mount Roberts top and then dinner at the Red Dog Saloon. I have a coat I bought many years ago from there and they no longer make them. I was hoping to get a replacement though mine is still in good shape. DH wanted a shirt but they had no golf type shirts which is what he prefers. I did find a denim shirt with their logo on it and a Red Saloon hat which pleased him. It was foggy, so not much of a view of the surrounding area.
The next day we had a catamaran excursion in the Endicott fjord to the Dawes glacier and saw it calve 4 times. I will post pictures from my phone, it is easier than trying to transfer them in. On Thursday we went to a Lumberjack show in Ketchikan and then a tour of Totem Bight State Park. Our guide was very knowledgeable for someone who had only resided there for 5 months and was a newly wed. He made us laugh when he said milk was $10/gallon and as one who loves cereal, his wife was unwilling to purchase milk so he'd had to learn to eat dry cereal. She asked what he wanted for his birthday, and he asked for a gallon of milk. She paused and told him, "she would think about it". He said that there was a lot to learn while being a husband and one was that "I'll think about it" generally means "no" since he did not get any milk. It was raining that day so while the show and tour were pleasant, the weather was not. My fleece lined raincoats, plus layering, kept DD and I comfortable.
Unfortunately, our High Tea at the Pendray Mansion was cancelled due to low enrollment. We arrived at 8 PM and docked over 1/2 mile from town so we opted to stay on the ship. There didn't seem to be cabs in the area either. It was disappointing and I don't know why Victoria was a port of call. They advertised a tour of Bouchart gardens but the bus ride was an hour each way and it left maybe 45 minutes to explore the gardens under lighting. We were sailing at 11:30 PM. I would rather have gone to Sitka.
DD found a cats eye cabochon Alexandrite ring she loved. It is her birth stone and we did bid on it in the auction they held, but lost to a higher bidder. Then we found a one of a kind one (heart-shaped stone with diamonds) and were able to get it for a better price. It is being sized. I found my birthstone in a ring, in another case found the matching pendant and later found the matching earrings. The final price made it hard to say "no". I had to send the ring to be sized as well.
We explored Pikes Place Market on Friday when we arrived in Seattle to pick up the cruise and on the Saturday when we returned we planned to do the Underground Seattle tour. The former was great and I just love the flower market there. As far as the Underground, I was a participant until I found there were 17 steps to be climbed in addition to the hour long walk. The walk I can do, the steps, not. So I was able to get a refund and sat in Pioneer Square, people watching until she returned. There is a French cafe in this square that we decided to have lunch at. She had the goat cheese quiche and I had the chicken salad. Both were delicious and I was hoping to have room for the fig topped pastry shell dessert, but alas, I was full. We did purchase a pastry each for Sunday's breakfast, since we were a 5 AM checkout for our flight home and their dining room didn't open until 6:30.
Today was a trek to Costco to get tires installed on DH's car and DS joined us while we shopped. He always has a list though today, by past standards, it was a short one. He bought DH lunch, but I was still full from breakfast.
Tomorrow we go for the new Covid vaccine, with the flu shot to occur at the end of the month. I don't want to do two together, but want to have both before we set sail for the Panama Canal next month.
I hope everyone has had a great day. It is overcast and chilly here so I am glad we had an indoor outing. Waving "hi" to everyone I didn't mention.
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Pikes Place Market.
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Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls plus Red Dog Saloon interior.
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Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawe's glacier.
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Dawes glacier.
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Ketchikan show and clan house interior.
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@betrayal Lovely pictures. Reminds me of our Alaskan cruise a few years ago. And thanks for Seattle too. My DB and parents lived in Anacortes and I visited Seattle several times. Thank you for memory lane. I am glad you had a good time. I look forward to your trip through the Panama Canal. That is one cruise I have yet to do but it is on my list although I doubt I will make it.
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Betrayal - happy to hear you and DD had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing the amazing pictures. The deep blue ice at Dawes Glacier is beautiful. It’s nice that you have the Panama Canal trip to look forward to.
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The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.
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teka, hope you enjoyed it.
Slow day here. Rainy and damp today so not a favorite of mine though we need the rain. It's an on and off drizzle so no true appreciable rain.
Spotted dying leaves on a tree in the woods and am hoping it is not on our property. It's a big one so costly to remove.
Went to get Pfizer Covid vaccine today and on advice of pharmacist, scheduled flu shots for 2 weeks out. I will get dTap in the future now that I am not gardening. risk is less.
Decided to mop kitchen and powder room floors. DH swept floors while I was gone, but he is not known for either his cooking (non-existent) or housekeeping skills (can vacuum very well, but not dust or mop), so will need to take a room at a time to get back in the swing of things.
I still have some items to put back in the closet I use for travel clothing and gear, but they are in bags for ease of transport. I use the closet in DD's former bedroom for this and off season clothing.
Nothing much else to share, so I hope everyone had a great day. Waving "hi" to everyone.
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Betrayal, loved the pictures! So glad you and dd had a great time.
I attended 2 wakes tonight. More than I’d care to attend but I felt I had to.
We leave tomorrow for DC, sweet 16 bday present to my grandniece. Weather looks HOT on Friday and ok the rest of the time.I picked up an antibiotic and oral wash for before my tooth gets pulled next week in Thursday. I’ll start on Monday after we return.
I know we avoid political comments. But I’m dumbfounded from Disney firing Jimmy Kimmel for saying the truth - that the shooter of CK was probably a Republican. I’ve seen a post of shooter and his family in their trump tee shirts. So Jimmy was fired for saying the truth? Our First Amendment rights are being trashed front and center. The head of the FCC, a trump appointee?
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You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
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We made it to DC. Long day but worth it.
There was a small group of protesters outside the White House. Few National Guard, mostly at the Jefferson Memorial. We walked over the 10k steps, over 4.6 miles. My feet are tired
We’re here until Sunday night. Plenty more to see.
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Bought a loaf of brioche bread at Costco the other day, so this morning I made it into French toast, and served with Maple Apple sausages made by the Amish. Really hit the spot. Have enough of both to have for breakfast for a few days.
Yesterday I reached out to pain management PA about unrelenting back pain which was not responding to Tizanidine nor Lidocaine patches. I was surprised to get a call back with an appointment for Monday afternoon. The pain is triggered by any repetitive movement which means I can't vacuum, iron, rake leaves or anything I enjoy. It deviled me the entire cruise and I am sure DD got tired of my grousing. It is chronic pain and after living with it for many years, I really want a long term solution. I've had thoracic and cervical epidurals, but they did nothing, so I am unsure what they have to offer. I just don't want to live in constant back pain or to be guarded about activities for fear it will trigger it. I can point to the spot where the pain originates and then radiates. One physician actually observed the surface of my skin spasm after touching the "spot".
Yesterday was a decent day with sun and temps in the 80's. I guess this is summer's last fling because we are going into the 80's again today. I did laundry and finally finished putting away all the trip items in the closet I reserve for their storage.
cindyny, enjoy your trip to DC. I like DC as it is a very walkable city with great transport as well. Last trip there, I was using the National Archives to locate some Civil War records and other genealogy records. We took my parents there for a trip and they loved seeing it. Send more photos.
Quiet here for the past few days. Hoping some of the usual posters who are MIA will chime in and let us know what is new with them.
Plans for today are fluid. I did get a call from the rug company that was cleaning my family room rug. I had it cleaned and deodorized after Regan vomited on it, but also want it repaired. After the last cleaning, it seemed to be very dry and wore in some spots. It is a semi-antique (circa 1960) Ahar Heriz Persian rug so it is wool on a cotton base. I had looked into a replacement but couldn't find anything I liked. So the quote for cleaning, deodorizing and repairs is far less than what a replacement would have cost, but not inexpensive. I love the rug because it's colors are unusual (teal, brown, lt. rose and cream), but go with my furniture. Not sure when it will be done, but hoping it is back before we leave on our next cruise.
Hoping everyone has a great day. Waving "hi" to everyone.
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One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.
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hi, I’m new to the group. I’m 78 and just underwent partial mastectomy with reconstruction. I’m four weeks out from surgery and have met Radiation Oncologist to decide whether I need radiation or not. My margins were clean. The tumors are small . I meet with a medical oncologist on Monday. I just have to make a decision about getting started with radiation or not.
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