Community Chat

[Queenofo2]

What good news concerning Puddles! Bird mama, thanks so much for posting the update.

Matty6, so nice to have you at the Back Fence and hope this won't be the last time you stop by! We love it when visitors become regular's. We're like Seinfeld.........a thread about nothing, but we love chatting about nothing and stuff and just getting to know each others and sharing our up's and down's in life. I'm from Texas, where do you call home?

Freddie, know what you mean about decorating. I do very little anymore, mostly because most of my decorations including our tree is in the storage barn in our back yard and Jim just doesn't have the oomph to dig things out. I have bought several new things from Valerie so my house is not totally bereft of decoration. Thanks, I'd love to try some of your Moose Tracks ice cream. It will be a first for me for that flavor.

Epi, can't believe you felt like hitting a mall! But know you're relieved to have the majority of your shopping done. Your meat balls and stuffed peppers made my mouth water! Yum!!

It's beautiful here today, but chilly. Hope it's nice 'n bright where you are. Happy Hump Day all! Sue

[Bird mama]

It's cold here, but at least the sun is shining. I received an order from JCP that surprised me the other day. I've been shopping there for over 30 years and the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving (they can't claim it was black friday), I ordered an ivory v-neck sweater and three pair of gray velour yoga pants (for knocking around the house and sleeping in).

Each was medium tall in size. I received a package with only two items in it. Both were black velour - one was pants, size XXLT and the other was a hoodie type top size XLT. I guess I needed a laugh that day because I actually belly laughed when I looked at what I received. I'm sure somebody in the country is wondering where their velour outfit went.

[Winifred]

Had to post some comments about a recipe book some of us OLD TIMERS from The Fence published for a daughter of one of the original posters - their names are Sarah and Greg. Thought you might enjoy some comments from that book.

Yock, aka Betty, posted this as her recipe contribution. "Put on my coat, get in the car, drive to the nearest restaurant. When completely done, get in the car, drive home, get in pjs and relax."

One of Queen Sue's contributions was "We were all at my aunt's years ago helping to prepare a meal. My job was to mash the potatoes. I grabbed a large bowl and got "to it." The longer those beaters were whirring the smaller the mound of potatoes became. I thought I was hallucinating, but it soon became obvious that the potatoes were indeed vanishing before my eyes. I finally picked up the bowl and discovered the potatoes were being forced out of a gazillion teeny tiny holes in the bottom of this novel bowl. Everybody but me thought this was hilarious. I'm laughing as I type this, but it really wasn;'t funny at the time. Sue Blackmon" Thanks much Queen Sue for this.

Shirley, mother of the bride made this contribution - among others. Skink -Ka-Bobs . . .ya ketch a couple of sink and pitch em n a pot - - -YUMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Jody, from NC, put this book together and we have a lot of great recipes also. She had quite a sense of humor. Would you believe there was a pix of a handsome movie star in the middle of the book and also a notation it was published by The Merry Meese Cookbook Company. Oh my, we use to have a ball here.

We called ourselves the Back Fence Ladies. Not really sure that was appropriate. Just thought, however, you all would enjoy some of the crazy things that use to come from the Q boards - ahhhhhhhhh, those were the day. Now today is great also!!!!

[cater]

Epicurean your deck idea is close to what I also do. I decorate it for every holiday including Valentines day. I really like when it is decorated for Halloween with all the orange lights. I even have the orange icicle lights that flicker. Trouble is I am getting too old to do all this I want to do it but my bones scream enough is enough.

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[Bird mama]

I added some battery operated lighted garland to the fence

Good Lord, once I get started there's no stopping me

[Winifred]

Epi, that Deck sure sounds nice. I have always wanted a deck but never have had one - what can I say?

Have not put up one thing for Christmas - do not decorate like I use to. It is so much work and really hard to haul things up to the house and then take them down, repack and haul way out back to the shed. Ahhhhhhhhhh, in my younger days I was a tiger when it came to decorating. Am thinking about giving some of the decorations away but do not know what do wo with them. Have a couple grands in Kansas but to ship them there would be cost prohibitive. Have had most of the decorations for perhaps 30 years plus and they are still beautiful. Will definitely pull out the wreaths as I do love them. One is a wreath many many years old and a tad faded I gave my parents perhaps 30 to 40 years ago. It has such sentimental value to me but perhaps no one else. So sad when one reaches this point in life. If only my daughter was still here it would be so very different as she would love those things.

Bird mama, love the lighted garland and it sure enhances the fence. I will also add about 100 lights - all clear but sparkly that a neighbor gave me - enjoy!!

Have a great evening and a great tomorrow.

[yock]

Freddie, I still follow that recipe faithfully We did have a lot of fun. Most people thought we were pretty silly. I'm still hunting and pecking on my ipad. Sounds as if it may take some time to try and restore it. She is trying to avoid reinstalling windows. When I write on my ipad the print is so small I can barely see it. It won't stretch. I'm sure there must be an adjustment somewhere but so far it remains a mystery. Well gosh I did just stretch it. I guess I wasn't holding my mouth right. Boy is that better. I've squinting with one eye. Speaking of decorations--the neighbors across the street seem to add an inflatable each year. He has five of them going plus he has a giant Grinch on his roof. In the mornings all the inflatables are dead. I often wonder how parents explain those poor santas all shriveled up. Kids today are pretty sharp so understand it is just a decoration. When all those air machines start up I'd like to use a pin but that wouldn't be in the Christmas spirit would it. Lol

[Bird mama]

Greetings Back Fencers - I had the day off yesterday with the intent of decorating the house and putting up the little tree. I managed to get to JCP to return the wrong order that I received earlier in the week. JCP really cut down on the number of registers and when they eliminated the catalogue desk, returns were completed at any register.

So I go to the register in the ladies apparel and accessories dept and waited in a long line. I didn't mind, you know women, we chat even if we don't know each other. So when I get to the end of the line, the lady at the register says whoa this order is messed up, you need to go to the dot com register. I said what dot com register - you guys got rid of the catalogue dept. She says, no, in the pots and pans dept there is a dot com register.

I smile and head downstairs to find the dot com register. The line there was something else but I just smiled and looked at the pots and pans on either side of me. So I get to the end of the line and explain the issue - none of my items ordered were received - I got somebody else's order.

So the lady at the register tells me the refund will be like $70. I said, I don't think so, I am looking for a complete refund of $79.72. She says well we don't refund the shipping and handling. I said, well if I received anything I ordered I could go there with you. Instead I received pieces that I didn't order so I am not taking the $9 hit on S/H.

So she gets on a walkie talkie and pages a manager. We wait until someone shows up. The manager manually takes the refund. The lady at the register says, swipe the card. I said what? You never ask for the card and refund the original method of payment. I didn't bring my American Express card. Mind you, I am smiling all this time because nobody likes to be in a line with a crabby person.

So she pages the manager again and they give me a cash refund and tell me the charge will stay on the card. I say, whatever, it's all good, I'll probably go upstairs and spend it all back again.

I left the store slightly aggravated.

So, I log onto member reward with Amex because I remembered that I claimed some special offer when I placed the order. I see that Amex took $10 off the charge. So I call Amex and tell them to add the $10 back onto my bill. I then explain the refund fiasco. The Amex rep says it's not fair they sent you the wrong thing.

So I say, I know and I've resolved that issue with JCP. Now I have respect for Amex and am a customer in good standing with Amex. It's not fair for Amex to discount $10 for merchandise that was returned. Amex will not know it's returned because I was refunded in cash and you won't see a credit come through.

I say, you won't know but I will and I won't be able to sleep tonight if I take $10 from Amex under false pretenses.

The Amex rep had to talk to her supervisor because she didn't know how to put the $10 back on my account. They figured it out and the Amex rep said, I think this is a first Mrs. C. God Bless you for your honesty. They probably thought I was a nut but $10 or $100 I looked at it as stealing.

Suffice it to say, I didn't decorate yesterday but I will have it done before the end of the weekend.

[Epicurean]

My goodness Birdmama, you sure got the run-around for just being honest. I would have said "enough" way longer than you put up with it, finished our shopping Thursday, but have to go to the shoe store as I found a pair of booties that I fell in love with. did not have them in my size,but hopefully the store closer to home will have them in stock. I never go Christmas shopping that I don't find something for me,LOL!!!! we started some decorating today, but it's just too much for us to do in be day. I think it's time to pare down on some stuff. we had already decided to "clean house" after the holidays. After 45 years of marriage, and 15. Years in this house we have managed to collect too much stuff, my hubby being the worst offender. I was always one for getting rid of unused items,as my hubby was raised by a family of pack rats, all 5 boys were the same..... Think I'll go with ham,potato salad,baked beans and don't know what else for Christmas dinner. hubby asked if I could make my gingerbread roll for dessert. we all love it, it's made like a jelly roll,with spiced whipped cream inside and out. drooling just thinking about it. I'll save you all some,if there's any left!!!! It's a dreary day,but not to cold,was out bright and early this A.M. To get my yearly blood work done for my checkup which is the 15. guess I'll go get comfy and start my new book. what would I do without my kindle?????

[Bird mama]

I decided to wash the small scatter/area rugs around the coffee table in the living room which nobody uses but you pass through to get to the family room. Something told me to check the two small ones mid-wash cycle - the anti-skid rubber backing started to shred off of one, so I got the bad one out and pitched it. I washed the other short one and the long one that goes in front of the coffee table. I'm now mid-stream washing the sofa slipcovers that I bought from the Q a few years back. They were a TSV from sure fit. They don't have fun TSVs like that anymore and sure fit is expensive in brick and mortar stores.

Once the sofa cover is done, I'll do the loveseat cover.

I'm in the mood to purge - always happens at this time of the year. I cleared off some of the clutter on the fridge. I had magnets holding up all sorts of stuff. Some of it just NEEDED to go.