I'll start the open topic forum this month by thanking Texas for the lovely monster snowstorm coming up into Canada. We're expecting 30 centimeters around here which in english is 12 inches. And I have to say that is really, really thoughtful to share like this. Still spring is exactly 6 weeks from today and it'll be fun to watch the cars plodding along to work an inch a minute tomorrow. I may draw a message on a bedsheet and stick it out my window "Having frappachino watching Oprah". I got the idea from my neighbours across the street. They put this weird big sign out earlier that said "Put some pants on." Can't imagine what that's about.
I am in a suburb north of Detroit and we are expecting 10 in. My cousin, who lives southeast of Ottawa, Ontario is expecting about 12 in.
DH will be doing the usual snow shoveling (against cardiologist's orders) even when the condo snow removal company takes care of it. Dr. says "let him do what he wants and enjoys."
Those on the eastern seaboard from New York up especially need to pay attention. Boston is going to virtually shut down and I know we have some people in Maine which is also going to get a foot or so.
We were hit with the beginnings of Nemo beforeit headed toward Wolf and on East What we got starting about 11 am yesterday ended this a.m. about the end of the morning commute. We got about 6"-8' in that time. Now we have a bright sunshiny day to dig out. More is to start up Sunday, but with some warming--above freezing. I'll take all the sun we can get. 10 days plus with only one small bit of sunshine (maybe an hour all told) is long enough without.
In Staten Island, New York we are expecting a blizzard with a foot or more of snow. I hope we don't lose power again. We had no power for a week with Sandy. Everything is more complicated now. I had a very efficient and physically capable husband. Now even shoveling out Is different. Hope some kids looking for money come by. My DH drove a NYC Sanitation truck before retiring. Whenever it snows, he misses those days of driving the snow plows! Everything is a reminder that everything is different!!
In Northwest NJ it seems that we've been spared so far - maybe an inch of snow and now an icy mix. It's the icy mix I worry about because it is heavy and electric lines come down. Supposedly we're going to get 6-12" of snow once the storm intensifies later today/tonight. Got the generator ready for constant use in case the power goes off. Lost the power for 8 days with Sandy.
I heard from an friend that her family in NY is really concerned about this storm. I hope everyone comes through it ok. It is beautiful here in Montana. We get weather from time to time but nothing like what you all experience. It is unusual for us to get a foot of snow. Sometimes, we need more snow. One thing in our favor is that even our largest cities are not that big.
Yes hope everyone manages ok! Take care and hunker down.
February...sorry...I know you will be happy for me though. Dado is settling in slowly to new home, I don't cry as much, my sickness is almost gone, and I just spent 3 days in my garden. The weather is magnificent, I wish I could have each and every one of you in a backyard party. Will be interesting to observe all our different behaviours. We will all have to agree to accept each other as we are, cause man, what a mix it will be.
The weather here in So. Calif has been a mix of rain, sunshine and even some small sized hail. I hate bad weather. So glad Dado is adjusting, you are getting better, you have wonderful weather and can be in your garden. I love gardening.
Here in Maine, it is snowing very hard, and the wind is starting to pick up. We will be staying in for a couple of days most likely. Which means my DH will be watching the same movies, over & over .
Still summer here down under. Sunday is going to be 42 celcius here..arghh!....now that's more than enough to melt all that snow. It's be stay in weather here under the air-con. Stay safe everyone...♥
Found a picture of DH from 10 or so years ago. He is truly half the man he use to be. So shocking to see how much weight he has lost. I use to say, hugging him was like snuggling into an overstuffed easy chair :) Now he is like skin and bones. So sad.
Hope all are doing well with the storm, I remember the storm of 78 that they were talking about on the news. I was in Rhode Island at the time. Everything came to a standstill. Knew a guy who what trapped on the interstate for three days.
Blue, I know what you mean. I recently looked at a picture taken of us a few months before he was placed. His eyes just had a blank look. He also became skin and bones.
And here in Minnesota it's just starting. Right now we have snow pellets, snow to start soon with 8" to 12" expected and blizzard conditions on Sunday. I wonder if this will continue on east to those of you who just got hit.
We have thunderstorms moving in for the day. We had two tornados in our county with the last storm system. Hope this one is not as bad. Did my shopping yesterday, so all I have to do toady is nothing :) Well other than take care of DH.
Everyone stay warm and safe. Here in the southwest it's cool but the sun is shining. I don't like extreme weather so I am grateful until July and August when it's 110 plus, but then again I am blessed with my pool.
As this is a general "February" thread, I wanted to drop in this morning and tell you all, how my heart is mending, not fully, there are little fractures but the big canyons are closing up. Dado is adjusting to his new place, and does not seem to yell as much when I Ieave now. I still cry every other visit when I leave, and feel deeply for him. Yet, I feel like a lucky one. He is close, well cared for, and the sun is still shining.I have been doing gardening therapy and my sickness is amost totally gone.
As I read the calls for help here, and see myself not long ago, how I hope and pray for help for all that need too.
Just paid someone to plow us out; got 30" of the white stuff here in the north/central part of Long Island! Southern and western LI 'only' got around a foot but this area plus parts of eastern LI just got creamed! Some major roads are still closed since stranded cars prevented plows from getting through to clear them yesterday. Thankfully, we never lost power and most people on LI who did lose it seem to have it back now. A lot better thanSuperstorm Sandy, when we and most of the island were without power for a week or more.
Our weather has finally stayed out of the single digits at night - so happy. I will take the teens and 20s at night any time. the days were getting up in the 50s but right now if we make 40 with the wind out of the north we are lucky. But we still have sunshine and I will take this any day over what you in the northern and NE part of the continent are dealing with.
Husband's feet are slowly healing from the frostbite - no pealing yet which the doctor said would happen. I do have to watch him doing things though. The black water needed drained which I knew was coming so I had closed the gray water yesterday morning. Well - he drained the black but did not flush out the line with the gray. I awoke this morning to the tub half full of water. I am so thankful we have a deep tub in the RV (even though it is a high step in). I leave the water running at night so that is why it filled so fast.
On the 31st I had sent a fax to Wells Fargo offering a payoff on our MH. I never heard back. I phoned on Thursday and she said she never received it. I re-faxed it and told her the window to get the funds would end the next day. She phoned a couple hours later saying they accepted my offer of $15,000 which is 11,000 less than we owe on it. I was so excited. I rushed to the bank to deposit the check from the sale of the house back east. I figured they would hold the fund up to 10 days but was told they would be released the next day.
Friday morning I checked online three times and the funds had been released. I went and made payment on one of the credit cards to pay it off but that little voice inside said to check again. Glad I did cause they had reverse the deposit. I was very fortunate to be able to cancel the CC payment (usually I do a few days out but had not this time). I was so livid and the branch manager knows it. This momma does not let people walk over her any more - can't afford it.
I had to go to the bank to find out what was going on. Evidently some idiot in the back office entered it twice and instead of cancelling the duplicate deposit, cancelled both. The soonest it can get fixed is Monday. Right now the only proof I have of the deposit is my receipt cause nothing shows in my account, not even pending. Their records show it, but of course I can't see that.
I am now second thinking paying off the MH. I would like to travel more after he is gone, but who knows how long that will be and if I would still be able to. Plus, I would much rather a smaller class C MH. But, if I pay it off and the CC we will be debt free and guaranteed a home to live in. There are things that need repaired and I will get them fixed since they are covered by the extend warranty I still keep on it, only having to pay the deductible. And I could trade the MH in for the smaller one if finances allowed it.
Of course if they delay on releasing the funds, I might not have to worry about since I have until Wednesday to pay it off. I am assured the funds will be available on Monday but I will believe it when I see it.
Anytime you can save $11,000 is good! Pay it off, be debt-free and you ca probably trade it for a smaller one when you need to. Hope WF comes through tomorrow!
I vote for paying it off. I bet that owning it free and clear will give you more options in the future. That said, also make sure that you keep enough for an emergency fund.
Coco - since you have been working in your gardens, are you going to try to start working on your crafts? I know when Dado could no longer help, it was hard. I know you really enjoyed the creativity and selling them.
I am just prepping up to working on crafts again Charlotte. Not for sale for awhile, but just to create and and get some stock.Thanks for asking that was so very kind.
Just so you all know, I am leaving for a 4 day trip to Maui, will be back Friday so please do not worry about me, or maybe, just a little . This will be the first time since Dado was placed that I will not see him for that long. I will call him everyday. He is just getting quieter and quieter and oh it is so sad.
I have a small concern for me too, there was a message from the doctor about my follow up x ray , she wants to discuss it before my appt. next week. (???) I am feeling better , not big coughs, though when they took the first X-ray besides the pnuemonia, there was some weird air pockets in the lining.
I KNOW it is likely nothing, but I just went on a crying jag thinking what would happen to Dado, if something happnened, to me?
GeorgeStreit* sent me four songs he wrote and recorded today which were really good. I especially like his song Horrible George. I sent them on to Carosi2 if any of you are in touch with her and my email is still in that Picture in Profile thread. Fairly large files not huge as MP3's. Good stuff George!
And speaking of music I sent a link out some time ago with Chris Hadfield the Canadian astronaut who is soon to be in command of the International Space Station. He has been taking breathless photographs of the earth with his camera, talked to Bill Shatner (Captain Kirk on Star Trek) and told him what it was really like in space (16 sunsets a day)...and has now recorded a new song with the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies (a local group). Don't worry, we'll clean the place up afterwards.
I went out to get us Subway sandwiches for lunch today. DD is home sick from school. So she was left in charge. She was laying in her bed with her door open. I am gone 20 mins. I get home, back door wide open, books and junk piled on the kitchen table and DH nowhere to be found........
He was in the shed in the back yard bring in stuff, DD had no idea he had left the house. And luckily the cats did not get out. Both are house cats. Back yard has a gate and it is locked so DH can't leave it open. I told DD you can't take your eyes off your dad. LOL No telling what kind of trouble he will get into.
I have a bad story and a good story. My friend's cancer has returned after being operated on in September. He's had a few good months and was almost himself for some months. All his friends and family went together to a resort in Cuba last month with him. He's going for the second brain tumour operation but I'm afraid we haven't got much hope.
My other friend I've talked about who found a nice girl on e-Harmony after his wife passed away where she then had a kidney disease that put her on dialysis has suddenly found a donor, was successfully operated on yesterday, and early signs are good that it's being accepted. This happened two days after he became a grandfather for the third time.
In this same few days my x-friend I talked a lot about on this board where they all turned their backs on her after a lifetime couples friendship, wrote and asked politely how she was. I was so livid I was shouting "shut the front door!" or something like that a lot screaming like a banshee hopping on a bed of red hot coal and understanding I hadn't forgiven them that much. I wrote back a balanced account which probably melted their eyeballs reading it and put my shell back up against my ear so I could hear the ocean roar.
It was our 44th anniversary today. She celebrated it at 61 staring at the ceiling and I celebrated it chasing my sanity around the empty house like the roadrunner where my ACME ideas are just as effective. Beep. Beep.