Just need to talk to my friends (208)

GothicGremlin

The weather here is the stuff we live for - sunny, 83 degrees. I wish I could have months of this, instead, I'll have one more month like this. I'm enjoying it while I have it.

Gym was excellent today - it was strength training for the full hour. Good thing I did the treadmill before I started strength training so that I could get some cardio in. Otherwise I've been working away.

Carl - I love Project Pitchfork, and I like their song "Rain" - we still hear it at goth clubs. If you like that, you might like "Timekiller" also by them. We hear that all the time. It's a crowd pleaser. Favorite line: "I'm here to stay forever, but not today."

HB - yummm, ravioli ….

Judith - that's a great photo of the two of you. The one that I remember from this site is the two of you outside, a similar pose. In that photo he's wearing a blue and white striped shirt.

I can help you out with "goth club" "death guild" and "photos of us". A couple of years ago when I was in SF at Death Guild (probably recovering from a visit to memory care), the club cams caught me and my s.o. at the bar. This youtube video of Death Guild is 5 hours long, but if you go to an hour and 45 min in from the start (1:44:05 to be exact), you'll see two old people at the bar. It's me and my s.o. getting drinks (my hair isn't purple yet.) I absolutely hate the song that's playing at the time. It's probably why we stopped off at the bar! 😄 In spite of the name, Death Guild is actually a pretty happy place.

Zetta - if you go to Boise, let me know and I'll introduce the two of you. She's a wonderful person, I know you'll like her, and I'm sure she'll know the good places to go to get tasty food.

Lorita

Brth, what a good picture of you. You look so young and full.of energy.

GG, I partially freeze Boost so it is nice and slushy, just like a malt.

HB, yes, in my.opInion Florida Boys Caladiums are the best.. I tried some from WM and they were okay but these are absolutely beautiful and your have so many choice is colors and even height.

Zetta, I know you will be happy to be.back up.north especially in cooler weather.

Judith I remember the picture of you and Dick because it was so good and you both looked so happy. Do you think if you checked back three or four years on our thread the avatars would show? Sandy would know.how to do it because she is so good at these things.

I did check with another trash company but they require using their trash bin. They charge a lot to deliver it and charge rent for it every month. I use a 55 gallon barrel and it holds what I have except broken down boxes which I stand up by it.

My new Whirlpool refrigerator was delivered I never saw such trouble getting it through the door. I was careful to. order one that would fit. I wanted the doors reversed and told the guys if they took them off it would go through easier. Evidently thry thought an old lady didn't know up from down so they wrestled with it half an hour. Went to the truck to get tools to reverse the door,I thought, sat there a little while and took off. Lowes said they would send a tech. To change it at no charge but I think I may like it. It opens left to right and I have never had one like that before. I told her I would let.her know. It's pretty and seems roomy.. Has a sliding deli.bin which I like. tomorrow I will wash the inside and transfer things. Time for bed.

Good.night, sleep tight.

JeriLynn66

I think you all have seen this picture, but here we are again anyway, on our way to church. (Before my haircut, so now I need another photo).

Judith and Beth, I love the photos. I always try to imagine what you all look like while we're talking (reading/writing). GG. I'm going to pull up the video this morning. I haven't been to a nightclub in AGES. I've danced once in the last 4 years, at a wedding, after begging DH.

Everyone is so busy! I don't have any caladiums because I don't have much shade around my house. There is a spot that gets morning to midday sun, but I wonder if that is enough shade?

Zetta, Boise to Bend is just a relative hop, skip and jump! I'm excited for you. Even though a move is a pain.

Lorita, I had to laugh at your comment about folks thinking old ladies don't know up from down. Sometimes after I have offered recommendations to the Grands (that they scoff at and ignore) I just sit back with an "Okie dokie" and watch. As long as no one gets hurt, I can usually enjoy a silent thought of "I told you so"… without too much guilt.

Busy here as usual. HOT/HUMID/Suffocating outside.

We are packing up the last of DH's late wife's dish collection from the Huntland house as upcoming foundation work requires 4 rooms to be emptied. DH owns the house; a set of grands/greats live there. I hope this is the last major effort required of me at this house. There are still LOTS of dishes. But, I plan to make a "Hope Chest" for several of the greats out this. I'm not sure anybody does Hope Chests anymore, but I have a cedar chest in the garage so may as well put it to use.

Waiting on more pictures from the Porch!

Mint

Good morning

my mom

Mint

my sisters and I

harshedbuzz

Good morning Porchies.

It's already warm and very sunny here; we're moving into an extreme heat warning. Yuck.

Lady Z— So you are Boise bound and soon. I hope you enjoy the weather more than you are currently. I suspect it'll suit your pup better as well.

Carl— I'll have to look up that comic. I sometimes catch Sarah Millican who is a middle-aged British comic with an earthy sensibility. I suspect she'd appeal more to women.

Beth— That's a great picture. I think I got that same lei when we went to Hawaii.

Gothic G— A couple of my friends on a certain age have purple hair now. It looks fun. TBH, reading about your workouts exhausts me. How is the ABC diet coming along?

Lorita— I think our fridges were delivered by graduates of the same clown academy. They had absolutely no spatial reasoning skills. None. I finally went upstairs and let them engage with DH.

It's interesting that your alternate waste disposal company has charges for barrel rental and delivery. Where I live it's quite competitive, so barrels are provided free. One downside to the number of companies available is that we have trash/recycle trucks in the neighborhood Monday through Saturday. My company comes Mondays only, but there's another company Mon/Thurs, one Tues/Fri and one Wed/Sat. It's nuts. The fuel used and wear on the roads is pointless. Mom's trash service is included in her township taxes which is nice. I miss that.

Jerilynn— That's a cute picture. I do love those glasses.

Good luck with your hope chest project. I don't think they're a thing anymore. I remember back in the day when the local furniture store gifted graduating girls a small cedar chest. I still have mine on my dresser with a couple other vintage jewelry boxes. I have no idea what I have in it. I should probably look when I dust next.

Do the kids even want the dish collection? I hope they do given how much work it is to wrap stuff up. A number of my friends have tried to gift their China and crystal to their kids who wanted no part of it. My bestie ended up giving her service for 12 to the Afghan refugee family her church sponsored. They'd been solidly middle-class there but came here with nothing but each other. The mom was delighted to have it.

My son eye-rolls my stuff, but my niece likes 2 of the 3 formal patterns I have so they'll have a home. I love mom's plain white bone China, but I have zero interest in her very 1980s Lenox Serenade. She has scads of serving pieces and decor items in the pattern as well. When DS was a toddler, he used to take them and throw them on the floor. I quickly learned to clear tables before setting him down. Only the Lenox, the Belleek and the Wedgewood were safe. I guess he doesn't like the pattern either.

I seem to be the one taking the pictures, so there aren't very many of me. LOL, this is the only one I seem to have on my laptop. This is a selfie I took to show my niece my new glasses. I don't look at all enthused despite really liking them.

HB

harshedbuzz

Mint— You could be twins with my friend Jan. She's a scientist.

HB

BethL

Mint, JeriLynn, GG, Judith, HB I enjoyed seeing the photos! Such a nice looking group of ladies. My photo was taken in Hawaii in February 2020 - right before the pandemic restrictions began. I'm so glad we got to go. It was a beautiful trip shared between me, my husband and another couple who are good friends.

More rain overnight. The power was off for an hour or two. I keep track of rain by rain gauge, and this month we have had over 9". The rivers are so full. Some standing water in ditches and farm fields. We had 4 years straight of drought but are not in drought now.

I had a dental appointment yesterday. The bad news is that a very old, very big silver filing has cracking in 4 areas; I think the cracks are actually in the tooth. I can either leave it be and it may break, or I can have a crown placed. 😬

Glad you got your fridge, Lorita. You will soon have two. We have two, just because the house we bought last fall had two. One in the basement and one in the kitchen. It comes in handy at times.

Zetta, I'm excited for you and your move. The climate will be milder and I think you and your family will like that.

GG, you work out like crazy. How many times a week do you go? In January, I resolved to exercise 5 days per week. My work with weights is approximately every other day. I need to do more cardio. My exercise yesterday consisted of pushing the lawn mower (it is strenuous believe it or not ). I go to "Fit for Life" class twice a week at the library and the rest is work at home. I'm not nearly as fit as you are; my dumbbells are 2 10 pounders. I also sometimes walk with a backpack loaded with 10 pounds. A word of caution: if you are of the osteoporosis age (post menopause) there are exercises that are not safe. For example, bending of the spine can result in spinal compression fractures. Crunches fit into this category. These are things I've learned in my own journey with bone loss.

Ron, hope all is going well in your move. I imagine you are anxious to get into your own home. So glad you are close to your boys. You'll enjoy football season, watching your grandson play.

Iris, I look forward to seeing you trip photos. The Kenya and Scandinavia trips you've taken this year are ones I would love to do.

Marie, how are you and how is your mom doing? I miss hearing from you.

Swim day today, weather permitting.

Beth

loveskitties

Hi all, and thanks Beth for asking about me and my mother.

As for mother, she is doing well for 100 + and insists she will not leave her home for AL. This creates a hardship for the rest of us who don't live close by (1 1/2 hrs one way).

I do all the medical appointments with her and some of the out of town visits, while my daughter and her husband do chores/fixes around the house…which takes a lot of their "free" time from their full time jobs.

We also have a continuing discussion on what is to happen to her possessions (she has alot considering she has lived in this house for over 60 years). While she wants to have a say in who gets what…when folks express interest her most famous comment is "what will they do with that".

Logic and reason would be to go to AL so that she has others to "visit" with daily. We do the best we can for her, but I am 78 and don't have the energy to deal with her wants and needs. For now we just take it day by day.

I personally am doing ok. So much needs doing at my home, but keep putting it off. I have recently decided to do at least one thing each day rather than just looking at it as an overwhelming task.

While this may all seem just like an old lady complaining, we are all doing well with the ups and downs that life bring to everyone.

I read each day and am envious of all the energy you each seem to have. Thanks for your friendship.

My best wishes for each of you.

Marie

harshedbuzz

@loveskitties

Ugh, that seems like a lot for you and your family.

My own mom would be so much better off in a CCRC. In addition to the social piece, she'd actually have more autonomy than she has living in the community with me treading water to maintain her illusion that she is independent and thriving.

HB

Lorita

Morning, Already 85 with heat index of 95 and 70% humidity. Feels like a sauna. Filled the water tank and girls are already in the barn after their dip in the.pond.

Talked with Lowes and they will send a tech tomorrow to reverse the refrigerator doors. I agree HB about the delivery guys. It was their last delivery and they just didn't want to take time to do what was on the work order. I thought I could handle it but everything is backwards. Old and set in my ways.

Enjoying seeing the pictures- everyone looks so young. Mint, pretty mom and sisters Which one is you? On the left?

GG, I watched another episode of Walking with Dinosaurs last evening. I think it's amazing how they do the stories of one dinosaur to really draw a person in. Last night they focused on a huge herd that travelled 400 miles north, way up in Canada to their nesting grounds. They found bones of hundreds of them altogether. Figured out from evidence that there was a flash flood that drowned them.

Everyone, take care in the heat. I plan to stay in today if I.can.

BethL

Marie, I'm sorry for the difficulties with your mother. We all want to stay in our own homes, but there comes a point when it involves a lot of work for our children and grandchildren, who are either seniors themselves or middle aged raising kids and working. I hope if/when my time comes I will be agreeable to what needs to be done. My own mother had dementia and getting her moved out of her home of 50+ years was very difficult. Once she got to AL, she enjoyed the socialization and the "field trips" and good meals. As far as possessions go, that's another issue. When my mom moved and we prepared to sell her house, my sister and I selected the items we wanted (Mom had no input) and sold, donated or trashed the rest. Unless she is giving away things now, it might be best just to wait until she is no longer in a position to use her things, rather than create strife or arguments now.

Beth

BethL

Marie, I don't have "lots" of energy but I keep going to stay social and for my health. With osteopenia/osteoporosis you need to work your bones so I do. I don't want to take the osteoporosis medications so I exercise and try to get enough protein and calcium in my diet.

Lorita

JeriLynn, I have three.big planters of Caladiums and two are mostly in the shade. The third gets afternoon sun and it does as well as the other two that only gets a little morning sun.

Iris L.

Good morning.

Me in a bicycle cart in Copenhagen. Many adults ride as passengers in these carts in lieu of riding in a car or taxi. Note the many bicycles parked in the background. Copenhagen is the city with the highest number of bicycle riders.

Iris

jfkoc

Iris…..how in the world did you get into that "cart"

Lorita…waiting for a pic of you and Charles

HB was hoping to get a pic of you, your mother in a Talbot outfit and the grocery cart!

Caladium update….all in the ground and watered.

https://www.floridaboyscaladiums.com/

They have some that are sun tolorant

ladyzetta

Hello Porch Friends.

I love seeing the pictures of you all. I will have my daughter help me send some today.

You all look so young and beautiful 😍

Iris. How did you get into that cart? I would need a ladder. Looks like fun. You look so cute sitting in that cart.

We just had the second set of movers come by and give us a quote for our move. We are now locked into to the movers, now we just need a moving date. We hope to be making the move around the middle of September. I'm so looking forward to being in cooler weather. It will be pretty much Oregon weather.

Marie. I'm sure taking care of your mother, who's 100 is very tiring. I have told my kids when I get too hard to care for to please place me where I will be comfortable. And I hope I remember that when the time comes. Your a good daughter, please don't overdue it.

HB. Your so right the pups, will enjoy the cooler weather. We have no grass in our yard in Arizona. It's all rocks and pavers. The pups go out in the mornings and in the evenings after things have cooled down. They will enjoy having a grassie yard to play in.

Here i am. Mother's Day, and when I got my hair done last month. I keep blues and purples mixed in my hair most of the time. It's fun.

Hugs Zetta

Lorita

Iris,.love the picture. I'm also wondering how you got out of the cart. You look so happy.

Zetta, your pictures are really good. Like your haircut.

Judith, I don't know that I have a picture to post -If there is, it's in my.laptop and would be years old.

Stormy let me know an hour or so ago that someone was outside. Went out and it was a visiting nurse from hospice looking for my neighbor- . It's the neighbor we have had for years who was a really good friend. She said he was placed on hospice yesterdsy.. They no longer speak to me so.I.had no idea something was wrong.

I just called Sears ( in Asia). You will not believe this! The tech has to come back tomorrow. She said he failed to.contact the No longer available parts dept. When he was here Tuesday? He wasn't happy when he was here so can imagine what he is thinking. Need to stop and clean air conditioner filters. Two refrigerator techs coming tomorrow. Lowes to reverse refrigerator doors and

,- for whst?

Lorita

It won't let me finish my post. Sears for what? In couldn't edit it.

harshedbuzz

Iris— That cart looks like something someone would deliver groceries in. Did it have a seat? Was it as fun as it looks?

I love your sweater; that’s not from Aldi, is it?

Lady Z— Not sure whether I like the headgear or the hot pink more. You rock.

harshedbuzz

@jfkoc

Mother at the beach last summer rocking Talbots

harshedbuzz

@jfkoc mom recorded this walk on her Apple Watch.

I rest my case. I wondered why she spent so much time in the women’s section— it’s where the sale shoes were.
HB

Lorita

I bet the front of that cart comes down so you can get in. Right, Iris?. Was it a rough ride?

HB, your mother looks so cute and relaxed. Leading the life of Riley.

It is 97 with heat index of 108, humidity 50%. Darwin came by in his Mule about 10:30 with some squash and cucumbers. He got his mower back so was going to finish mowing his lawn. He seems to have trouble getting around. I told.him you all were worried about him and he said to thank you.

Ron and Carl, where are you fellas?

Carl46

Lorita, I slept until noon and went shopping while the housekeepers did their thing. They offered to reduce their rate by $20 since it's just me living here, and I took the offer. The place does stay cleaner with just one person. I could clean it myself, but I don't want to clean, and they need the job. I have had the same cleaners for 25 years, and they are great. Completely honest and do a good job. They both have health problems, which is why they are self-employed, and sometimes they can't come to clean, but they always let me know. I have advanced them money on more than one occasion when they have financial emergencies (like him in hospital with Crohn's disease and the car payment due), and they came to Kathy's funeral visitation, so they are as much friends as contractors.

I was almost out of nuts, so I went to Mama Jean's health food store and bought Brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts. I also bought an heirloom tomato, a loaf of bread with 21 kinds of seeds, and some blueberry-flavored flax muffins, and a chocolate bar containing whole hazelnuts at the checkout counter, so I'm down nearly $50. I figure "so what, health food is cheaper than prescriptions." When you want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.

The Ozark Empire Fair opened today. I don't know if I'll go or not. We are under a heat advisory, and a lot of walking is involved. It's after six, and it's still 94 degrees in the shade.

jfkoc

Lorita…just take a "selfie" and email it to me. I can post it for you.

BTW…my photo is a good 10 years old!

Carl46

Those are great pictures. Here's one of Kathy and me from last Christmas.

20241209_122818.jpg

If I'd known it was our last Christmas I would have gotten a better picture.

BethL

I'm loving seeing all of your pictures! Iris, you look like you are having a wonderful time! Carl, I am glad you had a photo taken with Kathy at Christmas. Zetta, you look amazing and you have a very kind face. HB, your mom looks adorable in her pretty dress. She looks much younger than her age. These photos have been fun.

Carl46

HB, thanks for the referral to Sarah Millican. She is really funny, and asks the audience to chime in. On the show I just saw, she asked the audience what they had used in place of toilet paper and got some funny answers. The audience was English, and it appears English people have neither Sears catalogs nor corncobs, but they are pretty creative nonetheless.

I really like the female comedians. They get to telling things their male friends have done and I think "What's wrong with that?" And from the way the women in the audience are cracking up, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only man who ever cleaned the inside of a car with a leaf blower.

I think my washer has finished, so I'll go move it to the dryer. I do a lot of laundry in hot weather. It's a public service.

Lorita

Been a long day with another long one tomorrow.All the pictures were great. Good night, sleep tight.

GothicGremlin

Oh my gosh! Look at all of you! Such great photos.

Beth - I love all of the colors in yours. Which island did you guys go to? I'm pretty partial to the Big Island, myself.

I tend to work out four days a week. I aim for five, but by Friday, I'm kind of done with the gym. I don't have osteoporosis - so far, so good. Three of the four days I work out with a trainer, it's the one thing I do for myself that is purely for myself. I'm fairly fit, but like everything, it's a journey not a destination.

My work outs with my trainer this week looked like this (and this is fairly typical):

Mon workout

sled
leg machine with weights
glutes with weights
various rows - 20 lb dumb bells

Wed workout

lat pulls 70 lbs
earthquake bar - around 50 lbs, but it's not the weight, it's the instability of the bar.
triceps
dead lifts - 60 lbs
60 sit-ups - 20 straight, 20 with a ball twist, 20 raising legs (kill me now)

combat Thurs

sled - with 70 lbs, you push it and then pull it
The rest was boxing and kickboxing, so it was a full hour of cardio

JeriLynn - I think I remember that photo, it's really good - and like HB, I love your glasses. I'm sure many people think goth clubs are dreary places, what with all the songs about death and all, but really, most people I encounter are pretty cheery all night long.

loveskitties - I'm kind of at the point where I'm going to invite my cousins who are the next generation down to come by and tell me what (if anything) they'd like. I'll either give it to them on the spot, or update my will.

mint - I see the family resemblance in all of you!

HB - there you are! Looking almost exactly as I had pictured you in my head. I like your glasses too. So funny about your mom and the shoes. I laughed when I saw the map. The photo of your mom looks so serene.

The ABCs are going well. I haven't cheated once. Once I get going and commit, I stay committed.

Iris - that looks like fun!! Does the front open and then you just walk in?

Zetta - your photo makes me smile. I love your hair, I just love it.

Lorita - I can't wait to sit and binge that show. What dinosaurs did they focus on in this episode?

Carl - I love your photo - it looks like it was a fun day.