Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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DD and DSIL dropped by yesterday afternoon after taking their dog to the vet. We decided to brave going out to dinner at a nearby restaurant and you could smell the smoke in the air as well as see the smoky haze. We had a good meal and on the way home had a good view of the sun which appeared to be a very large hazy orange (the fruit) in the sky. We limited our outdoor exposure by parking close to the side door of the restaurant and making a dash for the door.
Yesterday was a code red on the air quality scale. Today it has been increased to a code purple. It not only smells extra smoky it is even hazier than yesterday. Definitely staying indoors and feel for the animals that have to breathe this. Currently we have a doe laying down in the woods. She has been approaching the patio so we have been keeping an eye on her.
I may need to go out later, wearing a mask, to water the plants. With mild asthma I don't want to risk any issues with inhalants from the smoke particulates. Rain is predicted for the weekend and that with a cold front will mean a lessening of the smoke coming from Canada. The last time we had this unwanted experience was in 2023.
I managed to go through 3 sections of my closet yesterday. I tried on multiple pairs of slacks and jeans and have a very large bag to donate. Several pairs of older jeans will be relegated to wearing in the yard for gardening. I am pleased with this decluttering. I tried on blouses and found a few that used to be tight, now fit well. The 3 maxi skirts all fit, so I am pleased with being able to use them for my cruise in October.
I have one pair of dress slacks that need to be hemmed and the dresses from Egypt also need hemming. I just have to figure out how to recreate the side slits that will disappear when I hem them. I know I will need to split the side seams to do this and think I can do this. I may be able to use what I cut off from each dress to create a matching headband or belt.
The dust bags for purses finally arrived yesterday so I will sort through the purses I have and decide which will survive the cull. I also received the 2 new CD's I ordered from ebay. So I will play them today so I can provide feedback to the sellers.
petite1, I do understand how much clutter one accumulates over the years. It's a good thing that you are able to donate so much as you downsize. I hope you get a quick sale on your home and find a new place for you to love.
DSIL accepted an offer on her Dad's house and has signed the papers. Now she just needs to wait to ensure mortgage is approved, etc. She just wants it gone at this point so she can move on with other things in her life.
For anyone in the smoke zone, please stay indoors or wear an N-95 if you must go outdoors. Please take care of your lungs.
I hope everyone has a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
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I took a cruise tonight on the Hudson River with 3 other gf’s. It leaves the port of Albany, slowly goes down an hour away and then turns to go back. This was just as we were turning around.
When the moon came out we could see the planet Venus next to it.
The smoke had dissipated by this afternoon. Unfortunately they say by tomorrow afternoon it will be back. In addition to a weather watch for severe storms - possible, but not likely, a tornado. They’ll be watching rotations. WHEN do the locusts show up??? What weather indeed!
I’m behind on posts - I read, thought I’d post days ago and here I am, no notes. At least I don’t think I posted. I had my physical on Wednesday- all good. Then we did a tour of the Burden Iron Works in Troy, very informative and the building was beautiful. Inside the ceiling was curved all along the sides, cherry wood… up to a skylight. And I learned so much of what was going on back then.Petite - I’m happy for you getting your house on the market. I can only imagine cleaning out a house to sell it. I’ve been here 40+ years. I have things tucked in my attic that I haven’t seen in 30 years I’m sure.
Betrayal, I did look up bachelor button, and yes that is what the plant is or was… this morning it had 2 flowers; this afternoon, none. We’ve called it cone flower, and I had a light pink one too, that the whole plant is now gone. Bunnies must love it! I loved your pictures of the new garden birds.
Carole, keep the AC going. Sometimes it’s best to be inside.
Chris, you seemed to be doing well, but I just read you needed the inhaler. In this weather, if you’ve got any smoke it can easily require the inhaler. Be safe!4 -
Burden Iron Works office from outside, with a yellow smoke filled sky. The actual Iron Works manufacturing buildings were destroyed years ago.
The ceiling - I cheated and grabbed a photo from their web page - because I just never took one of it - probably too busy gawking! It’s so beautiful and unique, I thought you’d appreciate it. Built 1881-1882. A lot of history.
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Very interesting, Cindy.
Betrayal, take a careful look at how the side slits are made. You might find that they are faced. You can use some of the extra fabric to create facing for the new slits, depending on the fabric (lengthwise or crosswise).
I bought a new purse. Needed something larger because of my radio for church (the echoes are awful) and inhaler.
I took Tippy for two walks, but he turned around and went back home after pottying. The smoke cleared earlier than expected, and we went to the grocery store for a few items. I can use the inhaler only every four hours, so it clearly doesn't solve the problem, only eases it. I used a mask for a few outings. Closed the bedroom window and opened the door.
Yesterday, my cleaning lady came and scrubbed the floor. And shampooed the bedroom carpet. And cleaned the pantry shelves. And washed the windows. We declared all equal, and she took the carpet shampooer to a neighbor's apartment for her next visit at her place. I no longer have the oomph to use it, and only my bedroom is carpeted.
I made shorts for the red top. I line the shorts made in the sheer fabrics, and it works fine.
Making some bread today. Yesterday I made my first recipe, a ground turkey and pasta dish with taco seasoning and diced tomatoes.
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Grandnephew born at 3:22 am weighing in at 6 lb. 4 oz. All are well. His middle name is in honor of her father, who is my DB. His birthday is on the 27th so a nice early present for him. Meanwhile he is in Fl so missed the whole thing, but is coming back on the 23rd.
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Needed 5 bags of mulch to finish offinckined bed on the hill. Placed one of the new yard birds in that area and it looks like it belongs there.
DH said oil delivery guy loved the birds and asked where we bought them. I'll try to get the sellers info to him. I'll attach photos of the two that did not need painting this year.
It is a warm, but pleasant day with a good breeze and finally a sun that doesn't look like an orange beach ball. No haze either though an occasional whiff of smoke lingers. Air quality rated good so that's why I am playing catchup in the garden. Rain last night was not as bad as they predicted.
Found oyster fungi growing on the stump of a tree we removed years ago. Tulip poplar over 199 feet tall and house in direct line if it toppled. They are beautiful, supposedly edible, but really stink like rotten fish. They are reputed to smell like anise, but don't. I'll attach photos.
So glad to get out ofvthe house. My closet has been under siege and yesterday the focus was the cardigans I used to wear to work. I culled about half of them and they will be donated. I have all of them in bins ny color, and are clear so I can see what's in there. My Irish knits are in other storage containers with a clear window to see them. They are so bulky they don't fit in smaller bins.
Hope everyone is having a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
No the green one doesn't need to be painted, the whitish areas are from shade from the dogwood tree above it.
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Betrayal, congrats on having a new baby in the family! Always good news. And I love the birds!
Chris, I love that look chatGPT came up with!
I didn’t sleep well last night and got out of bed before 7 AM. Ended up with less than 5 hrs of sleep. But being I was up that early, I did get a lot done before 10 AM. I had laundry done, the robot vacuum completed its tour, and I got over to the park for a walk.It was about 70, sunny, clear, but windy. Brisk walking meant I was sweaty anyway. After getting home I got out of those clothes, cleaned up and threw on a night shirt to chill out. Later I got dressed again and went outside to sit in the sun to read. But the clouds kept rolling through covering up the sun, and the constant wind sent me back inside. By 3 PM I needed a nap!
Easy dinner, because we were heading to another town for a free outdoor music event. In the end SO said he’d rather watch the Yankees game. Fine by me!
I hope your Sunday was pleasant.4 -
Chris, love the ChatGPT look.
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Chris - I too love the "new look." I would have called it an avatar. When did one start using "Chat GPT"? I'm feeling older by the hour.
Cindy - you always find the most interesting things to do. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Love the birds, Betrayal. I will be a great-great aunt in Dec. My sister is sort of in shock although she shouldn't be.
Quiet week for me. Sporadic rain and very high humidity (for us) has kept me off the golf course and my book is at the printers. Finished PT and my ortho thinks I'm good to go.
Did get back to my knitting (while watching way too many sports events) and some genealogy. Also got my office picked up. I stay ahead of it better than I used to since I no longer have the roll top desk but it does pile up. My whirlpool bathtub needs a few parts and I'm scrambling to find someone who wants to fix it rather than sell me a new one. Since we just replaced the AC, a new tub isn't in the budget right now. Nor do I think I should need it; someone just needs to find me a shower head and stop the leak from the faucet.
Have a good week everyone. Missing lots of you.
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Right. Avatar is the right word.
Betrayal, congratulations on the new grandnephew! And your garden sculptures are so cool!
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Girlfriend’s lunch had to be cancelled. One of the women cares for her mom, and her mom had breathing problems. We’ll reschedule soon.
This freed me up to take a walk. The park has some electrical towers that are being worked on. My normal route was blocked so I meandered a different way. Before I left home the handyman text that he’d be by in an hour. I thought perfect! So as I went on the different paths I was debating on heading over back towards my starting point when he text he was at my house. Well, I had to veer off the paths and go diagonally across the all the grass. I was near jogging, sweating and focusing on my breathing. LOL Vigorous walk!
Home, I met him and went through my long list of “to do” items. He’s unfazed. He’ll get back to me with a price, but we know his work and he’s always fair.
So I ran to Lowe’s to get stain, they’re having a sale $10 off a gallon of Cabot stain. And I saw a “return” stain in seacoast gray which really matched my current Cape Cod gray - their Cape Cod gray has a brown tone. The return had added gray to darken it so two dots of paint on the lid. The light one matched my current stain and the darker one matches the new siding. I was able to get that gallon for $17! I also grabbed a black stain for all the parts of the deck that are wood, not Trex. What a long tale to tell that story! It’s on sale thru 7/22. Handyman starts on 7/30.
Tomorrow looks like it will rain all day. Not looking forward to it. But we’ll be packing for the family gathering at the Finger Lakes, so we won’t be missing any outdoor activity and my plants get a good soaking before I leave.2 -
It's cool this morning. We will have a one-day respite from the heat, but there are gusts of wind and it looks hazy outside. Maybe smoke. I didn't have a good night's sleep last night and decided to cancel my Tuesday golf. I may take a walk if the haze isn't smoke.
I'm following the news on the tropical storm that will bring rain and wind to south Louisiana, where we live.
Cindy, I'm envious of your having a reliable handy man. DH used to be ours. Now he's limited by his age and diminished balance and flexibility. Plus, he prefers to use his time doing what he is motivated to do. We're both more sedentary.
Happy Tuesday to all.
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No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
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Carole, I get it, I’m usually the handyman. lol But with my shoulder bothering me, I knew I could do it but I’d pay for it in pain. I’d rather pay him cash. The handyman we use was a gf’s guy, whom she recommended. He’s the one who painted our bedrooms, hall ceiling & trim right on down the stairs, and living room ceiling and trim. I’ll still try to use my cousin in ASAP emergency situations, but as he told me, he didn’t retire as planned, he’s still working. I’m sad to see him still working but I’d bet it’s from years of self employment and true lack of a retirement plan.
Pouring rain as I got up this morning. Puddles in the yard and everything is soaked. I’ll need to check our pool, guessing water will need to be removed. That’s it from my neck of the woods, as Al Roker says.
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I love reading everyone's day to day lives. Often you all motivate me to do things I've put off, or inspire travel or meal planning. I had a successful Dr. Appt. Today and am awaiting scheduling of a cortisone shot to my shoulder. Then I hope I'll be good to go.
This heat has been unusual and nearly unbearable at times. Stay safe everyone.
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Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments.
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Today is another day with moderate high temperature, mid 70's. Air is healthier. We slept with a window open in the bedroom last night. Tomorrow the heat returns and the weekend will be hot. I'm wondering if August will be more pleasant than July.
One of my Wednesday Lunch group at home just had a devastating loss. Her son suddenly and unexpectedly died. He was the reason she moved from Virginia to Louisiana. I don't know details but assume he had a heart attack. He was a family man with a wife and two daughters.
Hope treatments are going well for those undergoing them.
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Plan for yesterday was to weed the hill in front of the house with the focus being on the landscaped area. I started to the left of it and worked my way over to the right of the bed. I had a partial bag of weeds started, finished filling it and ended up filling another bag and a half. There were a lot of these very tall weeds. I still need to work on the right side since this bed abuts the lower section of the hidden garden.
The plants placed by the landscaper have done really well so DH and I decided to let him extend this bed. I gave him a call and he'll come Monday afternoon to discuss what I want.
Noted that the huge tulip poplar is shedding bark at the base so I called the tree service company. There is a dying tree that is right next to another that is okay. The tops are intertwined so removal might be a problem. The crab apple on the other side of the lawn has gotten top heavy and needs to be trimmed back. He returned my call and will be here later today or tomorrow morning.
It was very hot yesterday and quite humid so I only worked for almost 2 hours before I was drenched. There was no appreciable breeze either. DH bagged the weeds for me which meant I could clear more ground. I want to finish this area before the landscaper comes so I have a clear idea on what I want done. If we need to take down the tulip poplar will also effect the decision. It provides the most shade in the bed.
I did put one bag of mulch down before I quit. It's on the far left of the landscaping area and decided not to do more until I get info from the tree service and landscaper.
I ordered some ferns for the other section of this bed that is shaded by this tulip poplar, but also some other trees and bushes. I am trying to just fill this side with ferns and the existing trees.
Today I am staying indoors due to higher humidity supposedly less than yesterday, but still high. I have laundry to do as well as some hemming of clothing that I can do.
Cindyny, glad you let handyman do the jobs to save your shoulder. Enjoy your family trip, it sounds like fun.
Carole, this summer has been horrible with these seeming incessant heat domes. I love summer, but thus one has been a real challenge for all of us. Stay cool. Sorry to hear about your friend's son's death. How sad to lose a child.
Reader425, happy you dropped in and continue to lurk.
To those, MIA like canarycat, Sandy, and others, you are missed. Please drop in and let us know how you are doing.
Hoping everyone has a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
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I like not only to be loved, but also to be told I am loved.
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Quite a rule-breaker.
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Today was absolutely the best weather day we have had in awhile. It was warm, but the humidity was low so it was easy to work outside and I got more done than anticipated. My goal was to pull the tall weeds (that have really thrived this year) from the hill bed. Well, not only did I get them out, I also worked on the upper and lower sections of the secret garden. I need one more pass of all 3 sites to get the residual weeds, but it looks so much better now. I filled another large leaf bag and need to buy more since that was the last we had. DH put 4 bags out for the trash pickup tomorrow.
I had done one pass of the upper secret garden before we went to Ireland and surprisingly, new ones appeared since then. I did do a perimeter sweep and threw those weeds into the woods. It will serve as compost.
There is a large Beggar's Lice bush I need to pull out, but I need an empty large leaf bag for that. I invert the bag over my hand and then pull the weed into the bag as I remove it. Otherwise you end up with these sticky seeds all over your clothing. I found a bunch of smaller ones in the fenced in section of the landscaped bed and will work on getting rid of them when I go back in to mulch.
The tree guy didn't show today or yesterday as he promised. So I will call him in the morning to see when I can expect him. I hate being a captive audience for service people. I don't want to continue mulching until he assesses the health of that tulip poplar.
I have some ferns on the hill bed that I think I will move over to the shady side since they are currently in the area where I want the landscaper to add more plants. I may expand the area for the landscaper to the flagstone walkway in the secret garden now that I have cleared this huge swath of those tall weeds. The landscaped area had fewer weeds than the undeveloped area that was mostly pachysandra/ferns. It will be another area that will need mulching in the future, but if weeds are not an issue, that is easy.
It's nice to have gotten more done than I expected and now I can focus on what my vision is for this area. I still need to do some weeding and wild bush removal in the fern area, but that area can wait for now. It won't take that long to do.
Plan for tomorrow is to take shovel, big clippers and poison ivy spray with me when I start on fern transplant. I keep finding small isolated poison ivy plants and don't want it again this summer. It is supposed to be this nice through the weekend so I am hoping I can get the gardening done by the end of the month.
Got the slacks I needed to hem pinned up and need to try them on before hemming to make sure they are the correct length. Same goes for the blue Egyptian dress; it is pinned up and I know how to make the slits again once it is the correct length. I'll try both on later. I'm finishing the last of 2 loads of laundry today and need to make my bed.
I hope everyone had a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
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Honeoye Falls - great dinner. A visit to a home built in 1803, where we believe there was a spot in the basement from the Underground Railroad. Fredrick Douglas’ his second wife is from the area, and stayed (lived? research needed) in this area.
First picture is from a hike in the state park looking down in one of the lakes, in the Finger Lakes.
Great weather, enjoying ourselves.6 -
The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one's appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.
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I need to take a rest after reading a description of all your gardening, Betrayal. LOL. My neighbor Mary shares your enthusiasm for "digging around in the dirt," though on a smaller scale. Her words. I have grown tired of daily dead-heading my flowers on the deck. I have enjoyed the beauty of the blossoms.
Cindy, thanks for sharing with photos. I'm always nosy about good dinners. What did you have?
Good news about my friend with uterus cancer. Her surgery is done, and there was no evidence of cancer in nodes, ovaries or tubes. What a great relief.
I read an article in NYT this morning about the huge heat dome bringing us this severe heat. It amazes me that I hear no local conversation about the heating of the planet with climate change. I did see on Facebook that France is building frames with solar panels over parking lots. I also read an article a couple of days ago about states allowing electrical companies to pay less to customers for their excess electricity from solar panels than the companies charge for electricity. Louisiana is one of the states.
One interesting thing about the gas stations here is that there is no competition with pricing. Every station has exactly the same price per gallon, which yesterday went above $4. It had gone down to $3.63 recently. Our price in Louisiana is always lower than MN.
Meanwhile, our aging a/c units continue to keep us comfortable when the temperature soars during the afternoons.
Happy Friday to all.
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carole, my garden is your gym for exercise. It is a lot of work, but then so is your visits to the gym.
cindyny, love the photos and I want to know what you ate as well.
Chris, agree that george eliot was a character. Led her life the way she saw fit, so admirable in that sense, but shocking to the norms of the time and perhaps that persists unto today?
Today was warmer than yesterday with low humidity again, but breeze intermittent at best. Heat gets to you after a few outdoors though. DH and I pulled weeds on the fern side of the front hill, dug out some dead plants and some unwanted bushes. I dug out 2 large and 4 smaller ferns from the edge of the bed and in the lawn to transplant to the fern side. The weeds are definitely winning this year and are relentless. I went out about 11:15 and came back in around 1:45 so a bit more than yesterday. I worked my way up the hill, but the top of the hill needs to be addressed on another day. It will probably take 2 more days of focused weeding to finish.
I was holding off on mulching until the area until the tree guy came and looked at the tulip poplar which is dead center in this hill bed. He finally came this afternoon and declared the bark shed normal for a tree of this size and says it reflects its increasing girth. He estimates the tree to be as old as 150 years given it's size and height. There are 2 dead branches on it, but if they fall, they will fall into the hill bed, so no worries about house damage. He will remove the smaller dying tree and trim the crab apple selectively rather than topping it. I don't want it topped, just take some of the heaviness out to keep it from splitting.
I'm still debating about what to have the landscaper do as far as scope and total area, but we'll talk on Monday to determine that. He's the same guy who did the previous plantings, installed my new front steps and walkway, re-laid my flagstone patio (it had shifted) and rebuilt the stone wall on the edge of the patio. He's reasonably priced, takes into consideration my wants and lets me know what is happening. Plus his workers are wonderful.
DS is coming tomorrow to use the tiller on the area where we are trying to grow pachysandra. We have the soil analysis and the soil amendments (sulfur and urea) we need to add to restore the proper pH. It was too basic and we need to make it more acidic. So hopefully this will work. Just have to figure out how much to add. Need to measure area accurately for formula and will do that in the morning. I have a list of other things he can help us with, too.
Tried on black pants and Egyptian dress last night. Pants need to be shortened about 1/2 inch and dress was fine. I need to cut off several inches on the dress so I will measure that tonight and will leave a generous hem since dress is 100% cotton and may shrink in length. Once I finish it, I will do the same to the royal blue one. I can work on these while I listen to TV shows and relax.
DB is back in NJ and got to meet his new grandson today. Nice photo of him and his wife holding the baby. The baby looks so small. Happy for them. He's the 3rd grandchild, but first for this daughter.
Hoping everyone had a great day and waving "hi" to everyone.
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Dinner for me was a Caesar salad, and lemon garlic shrimp over rice.
Birdhouse Brewery, live music and brews.
Our last night on the lake. We’ll be home tomorrow.
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Betrayal, I have been wearing my silks. They are clothing for hot weather, and the bright colors are valued by the people of India. So what if they are "eccentric" here. So long as I wear double layers so as to not show off my underwear, they are perfectly comfortable. Sunday, I wore red, and father asked me if I was angry. Yes, I was.
Take out the hems and wash those cotton dresses before you alter them. You have no idea how much they will shrink. The long fibers may reduce the amount of shrinkage, but you can never tell how much.
I ruined some of my silks by putting them in the dryer. Now they all dry in the bathroom, and very quickly, I must say.
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