Among Friends

[Winifred]

Yes I have heard from her but she is not real energetic at this point. Some health problems and her social calendar has been super full. I will send her another email to check on her again however. Merle is still busy as a bee. I do not see how he keeps up doing what he does - I would never be that energetic - hard on him I am sure.

Cold here - need to call the Gas Company. Do not really need the heat right now but as is usually the case out here, it turns into a cold snap with NO NOTICE.

Have a good day everyone.

[Bird mama]

Thanks @Winifred  Next time to talk to her can you tell her I said Hi?

[Bird mama]

Hello all, I went rollerskating yesterday   I got too confident during one song and fell however I didn't hurt myself that time.  There was a girl who hit the hardwood floor hard behind me as I was skating and I instinctually turned to see if she was okay and I forgot I was on wheels, lol.  I fought that fall and have a tender wrist today - not too tender.

We had 80 degree weather yesterday and will have the same today and then the highs with plummet into the 50's.  Not complaining - so many others have to contend with hurricane Michael.

[Bird mama]

Good Morning, it's pretty chilly here so I am leaving a bagel assortment.  I'm also leaving regular and flavored cream cheese.  I like the Philadelphia onion and chive cream cheese, it has a nice flavor that is not overpowering.

[Winifred]

Bagels and cream cheese - cannot beat that. Thanks much  Bernie. Had some coffee with mine and I really enjoyed them. Love those things!!!

Am really tired - the kids drove me insane this week. All of them BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT must say this. Davey has raised ALL HIS GRADES EXCEPT ONE to over 90 percent. am sooooooooo proud of him. He is still suffering on Science but everything else has erased all the incompletes and F'S!!!! with A's. Yippee!!!!! Say a prayer it continues. 

Got the heater lit this morning so if I need it tonight or tomorrow early a.m. will have some heat - that will help. Course temps are still expected to be 90 or more tomorrow. Welcome to Sou Cal!!! Freeze the first few hours of the early morning and then sweat it out the rest of the day. Also have a lot of clean up to do here. Wish me well.

Have a great day tomorrow.

[Bird mama]

Good Morning, I'm sitting here, drinking a cup of coffee while I keep company with Perry Mason and I'm kicking myself in the rear end for not cutting the grass yesterday.  It's kind of spritzing rain outside right now and I don't cut wet grass.  Maybe if it dries up some I will be able to mow this afternoon, we'll see.

I caught the local morning news and heard the announcement about Sears filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy.  All I could feel was sad.  Sad for the employees and sad for me.

My mother never learned to drive.  I remember when, I must have been in my late teens or early 20's, my ma and I were driving around the neighborhood.  She used to tell me stories about her youth and I asked her to show me where she grew up.  It was not all that far (under 10 miles) from where we lived in Detroit at the time.  Neither of us was aware of how much that neighborhood had changed.  We were cooking with gas in the beginning and then the signs that announced the street names began to disappear.  Also gone were the houses that stood there at one time.  It was somewhat disorienting because any landmarks were gone.  It was just blocks of grassy fields on pieces of land that had no name.

I remember my ma saying, can we go home?  I heard the sadness in my ma's voice so I did what I always try to do, lighten the mood with a little humor.  I said, if I can find the way   When I asked my ma if she was okay, she said something that has stuck with me all of these years.

She said, my past is gone.

I knew what she meant.  Yea, she had the memories however any physical, touchable items/landmarks I don't know what to call them were absolutely gone, like they never existed.

I was young but I understood immediately what she was sad about.

You wouldn't think that store closings over the years such as Woolworth's, Montgomery Wards, Crowley's, Sears and Kmart would have an impact on me however when I close my eyes and remember I can see good times had at each place.  

I've been back to the neighborhood where I grew up.  My past is disappearing there.

I apologize if this is a depressing post.  I don't mean it to be.  I'm just a little sad about Sears this morning.

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

I felt much the same way when I heard this morning that the Sears bankruptcy had finally happened.  Surprising that I felt that way, since it had been rumored for so long.  I remember when I was little going to Sears with my parents and being dragged through every department.  It was one of the major stores where they shopped.  And smelling the fragrance of freshly roasted nuts, which—if I was lucky—my mother would purchase and I would eat in the car going home.

I was born and raised in your area, but I left decades ago.  Most of my closest relatives still live there.  When my husband died recently, many of them asked if I was going to move back “home”.  I thought about it briefly, simply because of the family ties.  But I quickly decided against it.  It’s not my home anymore.

You’re right—I have the memories, but the physical reminders of my past there are gone. That’s life, I guess.

[Epicurean]

hello ladies,it’s been nice and cool here,great sleeping with the windows open.

my son and family were here for a visit on Friday,it was great to see them,esp. the boys. I didn’t think my daughter would be over to see them,but she came anyway. She had to put her dog down on Friday. We are all heartbroken.she had her for over 13 years,and she was one of the family.we miss her terribly,but it was the humane thing to do. Nobody loves there dog like my daughter.

got a well needed hair cut today.it needed a trim when I went to the hospital.feels and looks so good.

nothing much new.physical therapy is going really well. My therapist is a nice young man,and very smart.knows his job well.

nothing much new,started my Christmas shopping this week.im a little late this year.

[Winifred]

I am another one very sad to hear about Sears. Every appliance in this house came from Sears - only way my parents would have had it and they taught me well. First reason - and a major one - was that Sears was the ONLY store to first start shipping to military personnel overseas. Living in Germany for three years and such happiness in our household when that HUGE box of Christmas goodies arrived - all the way from the USA.  Those catalogs were great things and the fact they were the first store to help the military families living out of this country - never never will forget it!! Sad day indeed.

Another very cold morning. Had another difficult time getting the little ones to sleep again - they are both very unsettled and perhaps the adults - primarily me perhaps - are letting our concern and fears seep through. Court date coming up in a couple weeks - a decision on whether the children will stay with me. True, i need more help but that has dissipated like a lot of things in life. Very difficult keeping bright attitudes when you do not know what that ()*& CPS is going to do. 

Have fed Ditty already as he was sleeping out on top of the dryer - my dryer is in the carport as this house was not built to house a dryer - washer of course, dryer, nope I have a nice snuggly lightweght blanket on top of it - always keep it covered anyway, so have just made sure there is something up there snuggly now. He seems to like it and was glad to see him out there bright and early. He is disappearing a bit much to suit me but at least I know he is OK. About time I also go and buy him another big bag of dry food  and some cans of the wet food. I give him about a third of a can of the wet food with his dry food - will not give him any more than that.

Hope all have a great day.

[Bird mama]

@Epicurean  Oh no, are we talking about Kylie crossing the rainbow bridge?  I am so very sorry for your daughter's loss.  I know the whole family has to be hurting.

I'm glad your physical therapy is going well.  I'm at the point I could use a haircut myself.  I might give it another week or so before I get it cut because then I will be able to make it through Thanksgiving without looking shaggy.