A day for remembering

The rain started here about noon and has continued on and off since then.  We're supposed to get more of the spin-off from Harvey tonight and tomorrow - about 2" here.  Nashville and West TN are due to get maybe up to 11".  The devastation is just incredible.  Anne and Nick have been able to get come clearing out done, with the help of grandchildren.  But I don't know what they're going to do long-term or where they'll be staying.  They have a son living nearby, but he had 3" of water in his house.
----------------------------------------
John died two years ago today.  Like Beth told me on the first anniversary of Joe's death, it doesn't hurt any more today than any other day.  But it's still a day to be especially close.

Heavy heart

My heart aches, Houston.

Anne, Nick are safe, with water

In their house.  Love, Hugs!

Car thing

Jesse has gotten my car repaired.  Margaret says it drove very well when they took it to her house.  Now the plan is that sometime within the next week, they'll bring the car back to me and Margaret will get her car back.

All happy now!

The Eclipse!

Margaret and Jesse picked me up about 12:30 ET.  We drove north and west, and stopped in a grassy area next to a McDonald's in Pikeville,  TN (look it up on Google maps).  We were not alone - there were about a dozen other cars there, and groups in every church and school parking lot we passed. It was fabulous! The glasses worked like a charm, and the totality lasted about 2.25 minutes. There were cumulus clouds around near the horizon, but around the sun, it was absolutely clear. It didn't get as dark as I had expected, but definitely dark and cooler. And we heard the crickets start up as soon as it got dark.  We left when it was about half-way "off", and got in the only traffic we had seen thus far. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm SO glad Margaret made that happen for me.

On another front, they left to take my Nissan back to Margaret's for Jesse to look at and to evaluate it for his possibly fixing it.  They left me with Margaret's Ford Escape, so I have a neat car to drive.  We're all open to all possibilities now - keeping it, buying something else, my buying Margaret's Escape and her buying something else.  Who knows where all this will go.

Sunday Stealing

Here's something different for this week.  

1. What is a normal thing that took you an embarrassingly long time to learn? To get along with my sister.
2. In what ways are you old-fashioned? I'm a grammar snob.
3. What is the best sandwich you've ever eaten? Where did you get it? What made it so delicious? I love a really good Reuben.
4. What are you currently not bragging about that you should totally brag about? I can't think of any hidden talents.
5. What food have you never tasted and are most interested in trying? I'd like to try Korean food sometime.
6. What history facts were you surprised to learn because it was never covered in school? The civilizations that existed in the Americas before 1492.
7. What is something that you waited entirely too long to start or stop doing? What made you say "Why did I wait so long?" Painting.  Unfortunately I don't do it any more.
8. What socially expected thing do you hate doing the most? Making small talk with strangers. 
What thing about polite society really grinds your gears?
9. What is something about your city that I should know if I'm going to visit? What is the hidden "must see" that you always tell friends and visitors to not miss. The Sculpture Fields; the Hunter Museum of American Art.
10. What do you miss most about childhood? Easy movement without pain.
11. What "fact" did you learn in school that is not true or no longer true? That there were no civilizations in the Americas prior to 1492.
12. What's your favorite piece of useless trivia? Raccoons are terrible thieves.
13. What's your best go to homemade "lazy" meal? Something somebody else cooks.
14. What's the title of this current chapter in your life? Chapter 3 - Creakiness.
15. What is a habit or practice that you learned from your childhood that you didn't realize was "weird" until you were an adult? Always carrying knitting with me.

Sunday Stealing (on Thursday - from 8-5-17)

Freckles and other oddities

Do You Have Freckles? Nope
Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed? My closet door never gets closed.
Can You Whistle? Yes, but not the two-fingered loud kind.
Did You Wake Up Cranky today? No.  I'm a morning person, and can't remember ever waking up cranky.
Zodiac Sign. Pisces
What Is Your Eye Color? Brown
Take A Vitamin Daily? Not a multivitamin specifically, but several prescriptions and supplements.
Do You Sing In The Shower? No
What Did You Have For Lunch? Today was soup and sandwich day - I had clam chowder and a Reuben, plus some carrot sticks and strawberries.
Do You Watch The Olympics? I watch some sports in both the Winter and Summer games.
Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean? I don't really care, just enjoy being in the water.  I haven't been in the ocean for several years - I'm not steady enough to get there.
Bottled Water Or Tap Water? Tap water.  In general, I think it's ridiculous to pay for bottled water.
Do You work Better With Or Without Music? It doesn't matter.
Can You Curl Your Tongue? Yes
Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You? I'm surrounded by all things Flamingo - so yes!
Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly? Not that I remember.
Are You Easily Influenced By Other People? Not really - it depends on how much respect I have for "another person".
Do You Have Strange Dreams? I don't usually remember my dreams.
Do You Like Going On Airplanes? It's not very pleasant any more, but it's still the best way to cover long distances in a limited period of time.
Name One Movie That Made You Cry. Oh, there are SO many!
Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds? Peanuts
If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be? A nice chamber ensemble would be nice.
Are You A Picky Eater? Unfortunately, no.
Are You A Heavy Sleeper? Pretty much so.
Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning? No. I love an occasional good thunderstorm.
Do You Like Your Music Loud? Not really.
Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents? Wrap presents.
What’s The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters? I haven't seen a movie in a theater in about a year - don't even know what's available now.
Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight? Of course.
Do You Like Meeting New People? Yes, but not in large groups.
What Are Three Things You Did Today? Went to Silver Sneakers, went to meals, knitted.
What Do You Wear To Bed? Pajamas.
Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More? Probably a toss-up, but I'd rather wear sweats.
Name Something That Relaxes You. I'm pretty much relaxed most of the time.

After Charlottesville

I have two things I want to share - one old and one new.

From South Pacific (1958) - You've got to be carefully taught.

Today's blog "Margaret and Helen"

Sighhhhhh!

I thought I had all the car stuff almost settled, and now it turns out that almost nothing is.  The guy who was going to buy my car is really looking for a small truck.  He thinks one of the other maintenance guys is interested, though.  On the "new car" front, that may have fallen through, too.  I talked to the guy this morning.  He decided to talk the sale over with some of the other family members, and some of them have expressed an interest in the car.  He may get back to me in a day or two, if none of them really want the car.  Sighhhhhh!  But I've talked to Margaret and Jesse, and he's sure he can fix my car.  So it's beginning to look like I might be keeping the good ol' Altima.

AND, just to keep things interesting, the ceiling in my living room started flaking off last night, with pieces hitting the floor.  Maintenance came quickly this morning.  Turns out it's the popcorn-y paint that hadn't been properly primed and was flaking off in big pieces.  He scraped a bunch of it off, and has put on a first coat of something.   I guess nothing ever goes smoothly, does it. Not even the painted ceiling.

Home again!

We got back to my place about 12:30 am ET Sunday morning - after getting up about 4 am Alaska time (a 4-hour time difference - one hour earlier than Pacific time).  The trip home went fairly smoothly, except there was no wheelchair pusher at the gate in Atlanta.  There were chairs, though, so Margaret loaded me up with the carry-ons and pushed me herself.  Our checked bags arrived safely and the Chattanooga shuttle was at the stop when we got there, and surprisingly, no traffic tie-ups on the way home.  We even stopped for burgers just before getting to my place, so we had something to eat when we got here.

The trip was great.  We saw wonderful glaciers (Mendenhall, Marjorie, Sawyer glaciers up close, plus many others not so close).  We had stops at Skagway (rode the train), Haines, and Petersburg, cruised Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. We saw lots of eagles, otters, sea lions, seals, a pod of orcas, several humpback whales.  And ate seafood at nearly every lunch and dinner.  The staff, crew, and other 91 passengers were helpful and delightful.  I can definitely recommend the American Cruise Line and this itinerary.

We didn't sign up for another trip though.  We'll talk with the other girls and see what we can work out.  It was great being with Sue and Randy for the first few days exploring Juneau.  I wanted to see how I would do traveling this time.  I'm not nearly as "low maintenance" as I used to be, and I wound up working Margaret a lot harder than I would like.  We'll see what works next.

The very next event will be the total solar eclipse.  I could watch it as "partial" from my deck.  But Margaret is going to come get me and drive us about 30 miles from here out on some country road. We'll be right in the "totality" band, and get the whole experience. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing!

Going

Going from hot South

To cooler Alaska in

The morning. Hooray!

Lovely

"It's a lovely day today..."  Sounds like a song lyric. 

But today has been lovely - one of the best we've had in several weeks.  The high was about 85, with low humidity - much more pleasant than the high 90s and high humidity we've had for the last couple of weeks.  And the forecast is for several more days like this.

And then we head for Alaska, where the predictions for Juneau show highs in the upper 60s and showers.  But we'll love it!

I looked at a replacement car this afternoon.  It's a definite possibility.  Jesse's going to come over on Monday and look at my car and this one.  I don't know whether we'll get any finalized before we leave or not.  Stay tuned.

Rain

It's been great today.
Lots of lovely rain came down.
Slowly and gently.

Funnies from Ginny (thanks)

Apolitical Aphorisms

 

"If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates."

                                                                        ~Jay Leno~

 

"The problem with political jokes is, they get elected."

                                                                       ~Henry Cate, VII~

 

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."

                                                                        ~Aesop~

 

"Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river."

                                                                       ~Nikita Khrushchev~

 

"When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. I'm beginning to believe it."

                                                                       ~Clarence Darrow~

 

"Why pay money to have your family tree figured out - run for office and your opponents will do it for you."

                                                                      ~Author unknown~

 

"Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel."

                                                                      ~John Quinton~

 

"Politics are the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other."

                                                                     ~Oscar Ameringer~

 

"I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them."

                                                                     ~Adlai Stevenson~

 

"A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country."

                                                                      ~ Tex Guinan~

 

"I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians."

                                                                     ~Charles de Gaulle~

 

"Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks."

                                                                     ~Doug Larson~

 

"There ought to be one day -- just one -- when there is open season on politicians."

                                                                     ~Will Rogers

Day 2

Just got back from getting the estimate...

Can you spell T*O*T*A*L*E*D?  

Their estimate was @$5,700, value is about $3,400.  Not a surprise for a 12 year old car. 

My insurance doesn't cover a rental.  I could get one for the rest of this week @33/day, which I'd pay up front and hope to reimburse from the other guy's insurance. But a rental would be sitting in the parking lot most of the time anyway, so I'm not going to do that.

The estimate guy (Aaron) tells me that State Farm will come to me to check things out and officially "total" it.  Then they take it away.  Aaron says the car is safe to drive, but would be very dangerous if I should get rear-ended again.  There is structural damage to the rear end, and the lights on the left rear don't work.

So I'll plan to stay home this week, and then, of course, we'll be gone for two weeks.  I've cleaned it out, and will ask the maintenance guy here to take the license plate off for me.

Decision time.  I don't think I want to buy another car, but I don't think I'm ready to quit driving yet.  Maybe this is the opportune time to think about leasing for a year or two.  (Fortune works in mysterious ways.)  And then there are other options arising.  The maintenance guy here is interested in buying the car, if the insurance company totals it.  He says he can fix it for his use.  Hmmmm.  And then a woman here want to sell her 2015 Nissan.  She's going to get the specifics from her son so I can check that out.  Hmmmmm.

I hope the insurance company calls me tomorrow.

I'm okay, but...

I always hated getting calls that started like that.

I got rear-ended on the way home from bridge tonight about 10:15.  I really am okay, and the car is drivable.  I was stopping at a light (second car) and the guy behind me didn't.  He said he sneezed.  The police were called. The insurance company was called.  All information was exchanged.  The police were satisfied that he was totally at fault, and sent me on my way.  I got home about 11, and spent time on the phone with State Farm.    There is denting to the bumper and a hole torn in the bumper.  The trunk is bent and the left blinker light doesn't work.  And I'll probably be sore and achy in the morning.  I guess I'll take it to the repair shop in the morning and see what happens next.  Maybe they can get it done while we're gone.

Sigh......

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing
Around the House

Bedroom: what’s your sleep schedule? No set schedule, except on swim class days.  Then I get up at 6 a.m. I'm usually asleep between 11 and 11:30, and wake between 6:30 and 7.

Kitchen: favorite comfort food? I usually finish my day with ice cream.  And I love home-made soups

Washroom: showers or baths? bubbles? bath bombs? Always showers.  I can't remember the last time I sat down in a tub.

Closet: sum up your style in a few words. Informal and comfortable.

Parlor: favorite party or board game? The only game I enjoy is bridge.  Sometimes at the beach, we play Scrabble or Mexican Train or dominoes or Rummi-Kub.

Living room: what do you like to do with your family? Go to the beach and hang out.  Or just hang out anywhere.

Dining room: favorite special occasion food? My favorite food has always been "somebody else cooked it".

Garden: favorite tree? flower? I'm no gardner, but I love all trees and flowers.

Attic: what’s one thing you have a sentimental attachment to and you will never throw away? We pitched out so many things when I moved.  I can't think of any one particular thing.

Library: favorite book genre? Police procedurals, crime stores, nonfiction.

Office: if you could have any job in the world, what would it be? The one I have now - being retired.

Guest room: have you been to a sleepover? if so, when was your first? do you like them? The first would have been a zillion years ago.  My family has started having weekend "sleepovers" and they're fun.

Foyer: do you like small gatherings, large parties, or one-on-one meetings? Generally small gatherings and one-on-one meetings.

Pantry: favorite meal to make? I used to make lasagna and split pea soup in large quantities to freeze.  And I liked doing all the stuff for Thanksgiving dinner.  But even more, I like not cooking any more.

Laundry: favorite and least favorite chore? Laundry is something to do - not to like.  Of that particular thing, I least like folding and putting things away.

Garage: favorite mode of transportation? favorite car? I like river travel.  Trains can be fun.  Cars are for transportation - I don't get attached to them.  I do like my current car, a Nissan Altima.  It's very user friendly.

Panic room: what was the most nerve-wracking experience you’ve had? Dealing with the time of John's death, unexpected and out of the country.  I was so lucky to have had loving family with me to help.

Powder room: do you wear makeup? if so, what one item can’t you live without? what’s your favorite look? I don't have a "look".  I use a little pressed powder, blush, and lipstick.  And I can go without any of them.

In good shape?

I read somewhere a list of things for older people to do to keep their brains healthy longer.  These are the ones I remember...

Work puzzles (crosswords, etc.) - Check
Spend time on the computer - Check
Play games (computer, card, etc.) - Check
Do some sort of hand work (knitting, painting, crocheting, embroidery, etc. - Check
Get an hour's exercise several days a week - Check
Socialize - Check
Play sports - Well, can't win them all

Guess I'm in pretty good shape (for the shape I'm in) - at least for the time being.

HOORAY!!

Duplicate tonight.

Did not seem like a good night.

But we came in first!!!!!

Sunday Stealing:  Firsts

First Job: probably baby-sitting
First Real Job: doing filing preparing for opening a new hospital; then transcribing dictation of old autopsy reports (my father was a pathologist).
First Favorite Politician: John F. Kennedy
First Car: I learned to drive a 1951 Chevrolet
First Record/CD: I have no idea.
First Sport Played: Whatever I had to take in school.  I learned to swim early, but never participated in organized sports.
First Concert: (and only) Jimmy Buffett
First Foreign Country Visited: I may have gone into Mexico with my family as small child, but my first "real" trip out of the country was to Venezuela.
First Favorite TV Show: I don't really remember, maybe M*A*S*H.
First Favorite Actor: Alan Ladd
First Favorite Actress: June Allyson
First Girlfriend/Boyfriend: Jimmy B (in junior high school)
First Encounter with a Famous Person: I shook hands with LBJ when he was campaigning in Nashville in 1964.
First Brush With Death: Car wreck in about 1967 or so, probably not really life-threatening.
First House/Condo Owned: 106 Trucord Dr., bought in 1963.
First Film Seen: I have no idea.  I loved movies as a child, and went to the neighborhood theater often. I remember them being $0.09 for children during WWII.
First Favorite Recording Artist: I didn't buy many records.
First Favorite Radio Station: Probably WPLN in Nashville (an NPR station)
First Book I Remember Reading: I read the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew books.
First Meme You Answered on Your Blog: Sunday Stealing

Sigh....

For a week that started out really slow, things picked up.    I played duplicate Monday night, and out of 21 hands I think I opened twice.  And most of the time was unable to respond if my partner bid.  But we must have done something right, because we wound up with a fraction of a MP. 

This morning, after Silver Sneakers, I actually went to Walmart.  And you KNOW how much I hate actually going to the store.  LOL 

When we got back last Saturday, I found that the a/c in my apartment had been leaking again.  The carpet in my living room and bedroom was sopping wet.  I immediately called to report it - knowing that nothing would be done on Saturday night.  Nothing happened on Sunday, though I called again.  I told the desk again on Monday morning - no action.  At noon today (Tuesday), I again told the desk about it, and was planning to go to the Head Honcho if nothing happened by midafternoon.  As it happened, the maintenance guy was at my door as soon as I got back from lunch.  He worked on it all afternoon.  I had been told this was a very old unit, so I mentioned that It might be time to replace it.  They're going to try to get it fixed one more time.  The guy left at 3 and said he'd be back first thing in the morning to check it, and move my furniture back into place. 

By the time I went up to supper, although it was set on 65, the actual temperature in the apartment was in the mid80s (with the outside temp about 91).  I hoped for a final cool-down, and went on up to supper and bridge.  When I got home, it was stifling in here.  I called the desk, and asked for another place to sleep, or at least a box fan.  I got a window open and left my hall door open for some cross ventilation. A couple of the CNAs came down to check and agreed that it was miserable in here.  They checked the thermostat and, DAMN!, it was set to "HEAT"!  And was happily chugging along.  Of course, I never thought to check that. 

So now, the unit is again happily chugging along, but at least it's cooling this time, and I hope will be freezing in here by the time I get up in the morning.  Sigh……