Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
Comments
-
I went to the walk in clinic and my cold is a cold or upper respiratory viral infection. Not COVID or FLU. So, rest drink fluids, and chicken soup. Yes, she did say chicken soup. Soup has been all I have wanted.
My NC friend went by and checked the cabin and no mouse activity or dead mice seen. YAY!
4 -
petite1,
October thru December trapped 11 mice at home. 🐭
A grilled ham and cheese sandwich with chicken and rice soup was a perfect lunch at our local diner.
3 -
Spent yesterday relaxing and checking county records for deeds on my late gf's house. He purchased it in 1920 ad it remained in family hands until 2019. I have copies of the deeds from 1878 to 2019. It was built in 1854, so I would love to know who built it and who owned it previously. Just curious.
Then decided to read the deed for my ggf's house which is written in stylized cursive from that era in in legalese also reflecting that era. What makes it a challenge is the lack of any punctuation and capitalization of random words not normally capitalized. I decided to write it out in my longhand. There is still one word that has stumped me, but I was able to type it up today. He bought his house in 1870 in Philadelphia.
This is the family I have the most genealogical records on and yet still have glaring gaps raising questions I haven't gotten answers for. I do have a family history written with the info I do have and continue to add to it as I find new info or period history that explains how they lived. Spent today adding new history regarding Immigration Acts written in the 19th century to the story.
My ggm was his second wife, after the death of his first wife from kidney disease. He and my ggm were the parents of my gf and his brother. Unfortunately, he died when they were very young, and they had a hard life growing up, including time that they were placed in an orphanage because my ggm lacked means to support them. She remarried, got the boys from the orphanage, and then that husband died suddenly leaving her without support again. They lived with their mother's sister and her family for some time.
I'd love to know how my gf met my gm, but can only speculate they met, perhaps somehow when he was staying with his aunt and her family, since he was from Philadelphia and my gm was from NJ. They ended up residing in her home town and raising their family there.
The weather here has been brutally cold again with highs only reaching the mid 30's, gray skies with lots of cloud cover. It is supposed to go into the 60's again this weekend. March can't decide if it wants to be a lion or a lamb.
I did laundry today and will do bedding and towels tomorrow. DS is recovering from his nasal surgery and DGS came down with an earache/infection last night. Both seem to be doing better today.
harley07, loving the photos and the pool looked inviting. Glad you do take some "me" time while exploring the country. Sounds like a lovely trip.
Taco, where have you been?
petite1, hope you feel better soon and glad it is just a cold. Chicken soup is the cure.
Chris, hope you are getting a break in your weather.
Sandy, where are you?
cindyny, glad you are guest free for the moment and able to take some time to catch up. The deer pushed the damaged fence down today and were attacking my azaleas. I don't ever need to trim them since the deer have been doing it for years until we put the fence up last year. We will install a new fence this summer to keep them out.
Hope everyone had a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
3 -
Betrayal - I'm just now reading 2 + weeks of posts. Welcome to all new and newly posting ladies. I saw several new names as I scanned what I've missed.
It really has been a 2 week nightmare. DD, Debbie, called us exactly 2 weeks ago and had diagnosed herself with Bell's Palsey. I don't know what made her go to Urgent Care the next morning but she did. Not only did they confirm her diagnosis, but found that her left carodid artery was over 80% acluded. (Betrayal, I know I'm wildly guessing at these medical terms but spell check doesn't know what I'm writing about either.). They got her in to see a vascular surgeon Monday. Doc scheduled her carodid surgery for this Monday.
I've been madly trying to get our lives in order to fly to Maine on Friday. Last minute plane tickets during spring breaks, TSA slowdowns, etc. Also dog sitter for the 2 dogs (yes, Bella is still here), parking here and car rental at the other end. DH will not do well with the flights, either physically or mentally. We payed to upgrade the seats but so far, none are available. I did schedule to change planes in Charlotte where my sister lives. They are prepared to pick us up if we get stuck.
Because I was rushing to do something with Ella, I fell on the pavement on Tuesday. Broke my glasses, cut my eye, and was bruised. Apple Watch worked however and EMT arrived promptly. They let me drive home and optician got me in quickly but new glasses won't be back for another week.
This evening I lost a crown. Certainly hope dentist can get me in tomorrow as we will be gone until the 29th. Coming back just in time for pre-op with ortho PA for my knee revision on the 6th. My BFF just referenced "the perils of Pauline." I think it's the "mess of Marge."
So…that's where I've been. Keep the photos coming Haley. Good for you for continuing to be so active. Vietnam was on my bucket list.
4 -
Hi, everyone! I keep meaning to log in, but keep getting distracted by various other platforms & fora, as well as mundane house matters and heated local politics (today in Chicago was finally "Freedom From Political Spam Day" since the primary was last night). A PM from Janie (welcome, BTW) finally spurred me to check in here.
My health is fine, knock wood. So is Bob's—after the spill he took the day after we moved back here, his docs determined the cause was weak legs. So after getting cortisone shots in his knees he started PT to strengthen his quads, with the initial goal of being able to get up from a chair without using his hands. He's succeeding, and handling stairs much better. Between the exercises and eating more like I do, he's lost 12 lbs. I wish he'd start a GLP-1 (it'd reduce his drinking & smoking, and we can afford it), but I'm not sure if he's willing to deal with the digestive side effects.
Judy, glad to hear that your mets are still mostly asymptomatic; bummer that you had to start taking an A.I., which was no walk in the park for me from 65-72. But you are more vital at nearly 92 than most of us 20 years younger. Hope you can make another trip to Key West.
Harley, the Vietnam pix are breathtaking! Up here on the n. lakefront we have many, many Vietnamese restaurants—we get phô more often than matzo ball soup, and other dishes like banh mi and summer rolls are quite common. That neighborhood in Uptown used to be called Chinatown North, then Little Saigon; now Asia on Argyle: mostly Vietnamese but also Cantonese, Hunan, Sichuan, Cambodian and of course Thai. (Chicago has more Thai restaurants than Cantonese ones).
Weather here has been a roller coaster: warm days are extremely windy, spawning severe storms—the Elgin area was spared the twisters but not the winds & hail—same here in the city, at least on the N. lakefront. Our neighborhood didn't flood but part of Lake Shore Drive did (and several downtown CTA Red Line subway stations had to be evacuated). Aroma Park (near Pontiac) had an F-3 tornado, as did a Jasper County, IN town. Then after the storms, the polar vortex—heavy snow, subzero wind chill. Lather, rinse, repeat. In Chicago, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb…a rabid lamb…on steroids….with anger management issues.
Still waiting to hear from State Farm as to whether the estimate from the restoration company we chose (more extensive than the one SF favors and we used in 2017) will be accepted. We were already paid in advance for that estimate, but the suggested bathroom repair was very perfunctory—just fixing the hole in the wall and replacing the sink & vanity, The company we chose this time (which now has several employees from the first one) pointed out that in order to match the tiles on the wall, because it's contiguous with the tub surround, the entire surround needs to be re-tiled with the same tiles as on the wall—as well as repainting with a semi-gloss paint instead of the flat paint the idiot fire-repair contractors used in all rooms (sloppily, I might add). We have a gaping hole in the kitchen ceiling and another in the upstairs bathroom wall where the "culprit" pipe had been. We can use that shower—but must use the downstairs bathroom (essentially a powder room because the tub/shower hasn't worked since 2010) to wash our hands, faces & brush our teeth. That tub is where we put the main litter box.
We've decided that the next repair after this will be replacing leaky drafty windows and getting foam insulation squirted into the exterior-facing walls from the outside. Bundling up indoors and running space heaters is getting old.
Happy birthday, Carole!
4 -
We are losing our longtime landscaper/snow guy/exterminator: he's moving to Cincinnati next month to be with his girlfriend (and closer to his son who attends Antioch). Our HK's former next-door neighbor comes over twice a week to do basic cleaning and has shoveled the snow—he's 20 years younger than we are.
Out of the blue, my first cousin in Altadena got in touch with us for the first time in 20 years! During last year's SoCal fires, I was beside myself trying to find out if he was okay—his landline and medical office phone were out of commission. I Googled his address and saw an aerial photo of his neighborhood, which was completely incinerated (more about that infra). I then Googled his twin sister in Rochester, NY to find out if she knew—but instead, her obituary came up (she passed away from small cell lung cancer two years ago). But last week when his wife was checking the guest book on Legacy.com and saw my post, she told him and we finally caught up with each other. He closed his medical practice four years ago when he had heart problems and then Parkinson's. He's a part-time pulmonology consultant for the CA Dept. of Health and will likely retire at 80 this fall; his wife still works as a nurse. Their son (whom I met when he was a toddler) is now an I.T. specialist living in Pasadena.
Here's the amazing thing: his entire block and adjacent ones were totally destroyed…except for his house, which was untouched! Not even a blade of grass. (It had been "fire-hardened" when built so impervious to the embers, and it's built into a cliff overlooking a canyon). They were displaced for a year because the interior was thoroughly permeated by smoke and had to be extensively remediated, but are back now.
4 -
Taco - OMG, what a nightmare two weeks you have had. First, your daughter and then the fall. I hope the crown can be fixed before you leave for Maine. Good luck with traveling and with your daughter’s surgery. The Bell’s Palsy sounds miserable but if there is a silver lining I guess it would be that the carotid blockage was found before there was a life threatening situation.
petite - take care of yourself. Chicken soup sounds like the best cure all for a cold. Good news that there is no further sign of the critters in your cabin.Sandy -good to hear from you but sorry to hear your home is still in need of repairs. Chicago is certainly having a weird winter, along with most of the U.S. We missed the late November storm because we were in Spain and managed to miss this one as well. Hopefully, there is no damage to our home as we aren’t far north of Elgin.
Today was a half day tour to My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO site featuring 70+ ancient Hindu temples built by the Champa people from the 4th to 13th centuries. It was a fascinating tour however, the site is located in a jungle with mid 80’s temp, high humidity and bright sun. We were melting. Headed straight for the pool upon our return.
Waving hello to all
4 -
Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism.
2 -
Sandy, glad to catch up with you. Taco, good luck with the flights and best wishes for a successful surgery for your daughter.
Petite, hope you are recovering and feel better today.
Harley, fascinating travel.
Hi to everyone. Happy Thursday.
3 -
I had trouble getting back to this forum, but I made it finally(!), and I've bookmarked it so it should be easy next time! Thanks, BC friends, for your kind welcomes and encouragements!
Yesterday I had THE mammogram and ultrasound - that 6-month follow-up one - YAY, ALL CLEAR, NO SIGNS OF CANCER!
It's been HOT here in NorCal… in the high 80s yesterday. But such beautiful blossoms and blooms happening all over now!
I mentioned that I have a number of fun hobbies, and working with clay is at the top of the list. CREATING is my passion! Here are the two latest pieces I'm working on. The first one is called a "deco torso," and she will wind up with a cut-out design, glazed and high-fired. She's #21 of the series spanning 20+ years (I made the first one in 2004). I'll also show you a figure I'm working on that I've named "Wounded," and a group of finished deco torsos. :-)
4 -
quality4me, sorry you had to live through the Paradise fire, but glad that you decided to remain there. I understand it is quite beautiful, thus the name. Your creations are beautiful and I'd love to see more of the 20 that precede this one. Do you have a name yet? Happy news on the mammogram and ultrasound front. Do a little happy dance to celebrate.
Taco, sorry to read of your recent troubles with Debby and yourself. I am hoping that Debby's surgery is successful as is your quest for a new crown. What a great doctor who picked up her carotid issue in a timely manner. Bell's palsy is painful and so disfiguring while it lasts. I am hoping she keeps her face covered when she goes out because cold can cause it to flare and it is cold in Maine. Do you have a spare pair of glasses to use in the interim or was the optician able to do a temporary fix? Fingers crossed you can get a seat upgrade so ken and you can be comfortable. ((HUGS))
Sandy, so nice to get an update on your house restoration, your DH's health and what is happening in your life since your last post. Sorry you are still living in a construction zone, been there, done that and hated it. Once you are done you will be pleased. We had foam insulation installed in the garage before my DB installed drywall and it has kept the garage warmer this winter. It is not heated, but is warmer than before. It should help keep your house warmer. How are the cats and your DS?
harley07, lovely photos of the temples. Keep the photos coming. They provide an escape from our dreary, cold winter.
carole, hope you enjoyed your luncheon yesterday. Sounds like a nice weekly plan.
DS and DGS are on the mend. DS is excited he can softly blow his nose today after his surgery. He feels stopped up and hopes this will help. DGS reported ear is less painful and he's home today. He will be off tomorrow due to the school holiday for Ramadan. He's to meet online with his GF for help with his geometry. DH loves tutoring him.
I'm still exploring genealogy, revising family story as I find new info, and printed out the last of the deeds I wanted from my GF's house. Now I am trying to discover how he met my GM. It will probably be as successful as a dog chasing its tail, but I do know he was in her home town staying with his aunt at one point. I have her engagement ring and while it has a very good diamond in it according to an appraiser, you need a magnifying glass to see it. The diamond was loose when I inherited it, so I took it to a resetting event and that's when I learned of its value. It was replaced into the original ring which is very tiny, it barely fits my pinkie. I sent for my Dad's birth certificate today and had sent for his GM's about 2 weeks ago.
Have towels to do to finish laundry and sheets are ready to go back on the bed. Not sure of plans for the rest of the day though the family room could use a dusting as could the living room etageres. So that may happen.
It is another dismal, gray day, but with a temp of 45 so somewhat warmer. Hope we get some sun soon. It is so depressing when you have one gray day after another.
Waving "hi" to everyone and hope everyone has a great day.
3 -
Welcome Quality4me.
petite - I am with you on the mouse thing. We have a second home on an island south of Seattle. We also have an elderly neighbor who died last summer, leaving his wife (who is 91) alone in their house. She is a very strange woman in many ways but we have always gotten along until she decided after his death to stop feeding the 3 cats they had rescued from another neighbor (who ended up in a nursing home and never returned for any of his stuff - including his cats). She simply decided she couldn’t be bothered. Since we don’t spend much time at this house during the winter, I bought 2 automatic cat feeders and set them up on my front porch, and then plugged in a ring camera so I could keep an eye on them. So far, I am feeding 3 cats, a possum, 2 raccoons, many small birds (I did not realize that small birds ate cat food 🤔) and a mouse. Well, there may be more than one mouse, it’s hard to tell. We have had mouse issues out there for years - it’s hard to live in the middle of the woods and not have rodents, but it kills me that I am now FEEDING them. But I can’t get rid of the feeders - at least until we start spending more time out there- or the cats will starve.
I have been sick since Saturday. What started out as a cold - which I still have - then morphed to include an intestinal bug of some kind which had me wiped out for about 3 days. I haven’t had a fever in years - I forgot how miserable it is to be burning up one minute and freezing the next. Today I feel much better, but my DH has apparently caught it. It’s not usually a big deal since we are both long retired, but this weekend we have a gymnastics meet, a soccer game, and 3 (please, someone shoot me) baseball games and we frequently “divide and conquer” since there’s always overlap. I’m really hoping the weather does’t cooperate and the baseball games get rained out. My DGS soccer team cancels only if there are active tornadoes in the area! (Kidding, but not really). I sometimes sincerely wish that all of my grandchildren had been born with musical talent rather than athletic abilities.
Hope everyone is well and dealing with the crazy weather which at this point seems to be nationwide. Just watched Duke almost get beat by Sienna in the 1st round of the NCAAs. Altho 2 of my uncles are Duke grads, I was really rooting for Sienna. I generally root for the underdog in most of the games unless i have “skin” in the game - which, since the men’s team at the University of Washington has not been to the tourney since - well - I can’t even remember when - is almost every game. Tho the Husky women are in this year, so that’s great.
2 -
Taco, you’ve got a lot on your plate! May the force be with you and everything work out.
Sandy, good to hear from you. Sorry you’re still dealing with home repairs.
Quality, great pictures of your art.
Janie, I get a kick out of that animal feeding story! Mice used to steal my dogs food, IAMS chunks, and store them in my ski boots!
It’s been cooler, so I was out again today for a walk.
It’s a treat to see things along the way. I’m going to AT&T tomorrow morning to hopefully get my phone swapped out - so maybe better clearer pictures coming in the near future!
Tonight was a birthday gathering at Olive Garden. Tomorrow is a baseball game. Saturday off to the casino for another outdoor concert, this time Jimmy Buffet. Sunday, I hope nothing.
Everyone have a great day!
3 -
quality4me - you are very talented! The torsos are beautiful works of art. Please continue to share your hobbies with us.
Janiehs- yuck! So sorry to hear you and DH are sick. Hope you feel better soon.
Betrayal - your genealogy research is fascinating.
No tours planned for today. We are taking a day to relax and read by the pool as the next several days will be busy.
3 -
A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.
2 -
Quality, yay on the mammo results. You must be greatly relieved. Thanks for sharing your clay art. Pottery was one of my passions for a few years but I didn't venture into sculpture. I did some slab and coil projects in addition to projects on the pottery wheel. I'll have to post some pictures.
Janie, LOL on hoping for rainout on some of the baseball games! Sorry you and your dh are "under the weather." Surely not feeling well is an excuse for skipping some sports events.
I am busy crocheting lapghans or lap blankets to donate. I went to Michael's yesterday and bought more yarn. It was 30 percent off.
It's a nice day today with high pollen count. Trees are leafing out. Flowers are blooming.
Happy Friday to everyone.
3 -
Happy dance 💃 dance 💃 dance 💃!! The phone transfer was easy, for the tech. He took out the SIM card from old phone and put it in the new phone; it entered data and now I’m just checking that I can use all the apps, without looking up each password.
Typos will still be mine.3 -
DB was here to complete working in the guest room. Told me window did not need to be painted and that was it.He did install the wood blinds I have. I'll put the room back together now that he is done in there. He also stripped old caulk off the hall bath tub and the primary bath tub. He does a better job at it than I do, so I'll let him do it.
He will return next week so I'll have him touch up wood doors with stain, too. He does good work because he is so fussy. He found some crown molding that I have in the kitchen and now will be able to repair where the contractors made a mess. They threw away the strip over the refrigerator that they removed it to work behind it and of course, it was too late to get it back when I asked where it was.
I was able to vacuum the family room, the living room and run the dust mop in both. I had dusted the family room yesterday and the living room earlier this week except for the etageres and I did those today. I also ran the dust mop in the foyer and then vacuumed the dining room. Swept the kitchen and the eat in area so the first floor is good for a few days. Had DH change out the flags from St. Patrick's Day to Easter.
I made reservations for us to go to brunch at Bone Fish Grill tomorrow. I have Dining rewards points that will expire on Sunday so I want to use them and we have been wanting to go there for brunch for awhile.
It 's a beautiful day today. It's currently 62 degrees and hazy, but I'll take it. The weekend is supposed to be warm and then next week we go back to cooler weather supposedly "seasonal" for this time of year. I'd like the 60's for a while before we hit the summer temps. I pulled the glass down in the back door to expose the screen to get some fresh air in here.
harley07, nice you are taking a real vacation day with no excursions and enjoying your surroundings.
cindyny, glad the phone swap was not an issue. Hoping all your apps are there.
carole, nice that you make lapghans for a charity. I am sure they are well appreciated by the recipients. I wish I could crochet. I'd love to make a baby blanket for my niece, but I will have to find one at a craft show since this is not my skill set and I only know how to make blankets using a hairpin frame which is very time consuming. I haven't made one i n forever, too.
janiehs, sorry to hear you are down with a cold. Hope you feel better soon. I am glad I have Netflix and Britbox because I am really not into basketball though I do enjoy the March madness more than professional games.
Taco, I hope you are able to get everything under control as you are leaving to see your DD. Fingers crossed.
Waving "hi" to everyone and hoping you have a great day.
2 -
Newcomer that I am… I'm hoping that the moderators would allow me to change my login name. When I joined, I chose that Quality4me name, but I'd like to have my first name showing… maybe Quality4jeannie? Or I might have to set up a new login? Anybody know? I did poke around among the various settings, and I don't see a way to change my login name…
UPDATE: The moderators changed it for me! Yay!@carolehalston, I'd love to see pix of some of the things you created in clay!
@betrayal, and others who've commented… thanks for your interest! I'll post more photos of my clay sculptures.
2 -
quality4jeannie,
Welcome once again! 😘
Husband gave me daffodils on the 2nd day of Spring. My favorite Spring blooms smell earthy.
3 -
Teka, there are a bunch of daffodils planted next to a yellow fire hydrant a block over from my house. It’s really spectacular
3 -
wren44,
Daffodils are a cheerful start to Spring! 🙂
2 -
We have tons of daffodils growing in and around Paradise, California. Lots were planted after the 2018 Camp Fire to demonstrate RESILIENCE. So beautiful!
5
