Rammal, I don't mind giving my real name.  I was born in May 1929 & my family name was Mason.  I was Mary Page Mason, until I married.  There are of course many other family names involved in many other kin.  Cousins & suchlike.

Hi, Mary de!

Mary Page, what a sweet story of Mile's giving the lady a hug. I think that made her day.

Barb, I have become the world's best procrastinator when it comes to exercise.  I do spend Friday with my 3 yr. old great grandson who keeps me going for four hours, but boy am I pooped when hubby & I get home.  I used to be an exercise fanatic and now my treadmill collects dust, my videos are packed in boxes in the laundry room and the ab roller has managed to make it out to the garage. I do love the part of waking up with a purpose. 

Marilyne, I so agree wholeheartedly with you saying to keep up with driving if possible.  Since my hubby retired, we sold my car and went down to just the one, he does all the driving and even though I was never a confident driver it did give me a sense of independence.  I know I can still drive, but only short distances because I have NO sense of direction even with a gps. lol 

In Looking at the Virginia lines of the Mason family who came over here from England, I see the first native-born came along in 1677. I expect that settled the FFV thing.

🌷🌹 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY  🌹🌷

https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/card-shoppe/holidays-birthdays-etc/msg262034/#msg262034

Interesting article,

"Chimps Got the Rhythm

A new study revealed chimpanzees drum with rhythm when they bang on tree trunks and share similarities with humans in their ability to hold a beat. The discovery, in one of the closest relatives to modern humans, sheds light on the evolutionary building blocks of music.

The behavior is believed to be a form of long-distance communication (read study) and suggests the chimps employ different sequences depending on the social situation. Researchers who analyzed 11 communities of chimps across six populations and two subspecies found groups from separate regions of Africa produced different rhythms for the same context, suggesting the mammals independently developed their own methods of communication.

The study also hints at a longstanding anthropological question—despite being a common human experience, how and why humans produce music remains unclear. 

The study comes on the heels of a separate observation of an individual Californian seal—named Ronan—that can keep time via rhythmic beats."

Just saw another way...

Repel Ants

If your house has an ant problem, sprinkle some table salt on your countertop or by cracks in doors or windows. Since salt is dehydrating, ants will avoid it. This low-cost solution minimizes the need for harmful pest-killing chemicals in and around your house.

Patricia, we had an ant problem here in the kitchen that continued on for most of this recent Winter.  First I tried the salt and then baking soda. After neither of those worked, I went through a variety of other kitchen cupboard suggestions, like cinnamon, paprika, cooking oils, and of course keeping counters and sink wiped down with vinegar.  Nothing deterred those little guys!  This went on for a couple of months until I finally agreed to a poison.    I hated  to do it, and left it up to my husband to take care of.  He put a small cotton boll with a few drops of the stuff on it, in a corner of the counter. In the morning there was not a single ant left. Totally gone, and none have returned.  It still makes me feel bad, but by then I could see that none of the natural things were ever going to work.  Ants are fascinating and harmless.  I wanted them to live, but I also wanted them out of my kitchen.

Your message before the ants, about the chimps was interesting . . . the fact that they like rhythm, and that they have developed different types of rhythm to communicate with each other was fascinating.  I've also read that most domestic animals and farm animals are soothed by soft music, when they're sick or stressed.   During many of the wildfires here in CA, when dogs, cats and horses were evacuated to safe but unfamiliar places,  they were calmed by music. 

Locally, the only ants we have are carpenter ants, which are very bad for wood and houses.

"Carpenter ants are large ants from the genus Camponotus that build nests inside wood by excavating it, creating smooth galleries. Unlike termites, they do not eat wood but discard sawdust-like material outside their nests, and they can cause significant structural damage to buildings."

For me, it's very interesting that all species have a sense of rhythm in one form or another.

I saw a video a couple of years back that showed cows moving toward a group playing classical music nearby. They seemed interested in the music. 

Anybody out there who's interested in Baseball?  See the picture under this message of my great-grandson, Steele, who just turned 20, and is preparing for a career in the majors.  He was "scouted" when he was in high school, and given an athletic scholarship, first to a two year college.  He has now been moved up to the University of San Francisco, and is playing on their team.  He's a pitcher. 

Fabulous Marilyne - how exciting...

Hello Marilyne and Patricia, I'm new. I hope you don't mind my joining the ant discussion. I have quite a bit of non-toxic experience with them. I've dealt with the small black or brown ants that like sugar and fat by first cleaning the entry and trail area with alcohol. It removes the trail they lay down. Then slice a fresh jalepeño or habañero pepper and wipe it across the entry point(s). If the nest originates outside, pour boiling water over it if you can, or mix jelly and borax in a small lid and leave it by the nest. They'll take the "food" back to the nest and it will kill them. Might have to replenish the bait until they stop coming out.

Carpenter ants are a whole different ball game. Find and seal the entry point outside the structure. Then you'll have to kill them when theynshow up inside. Its horrible. I've had invasions 2 years in a row. They get in during the hatch and they're looking for a new nest site. A lot of things that are supposed to repel them according to online experts actually attract them, like vinegar, sweet orange EO or lemon grass EO. The only EO that I've found that works is tea tree/eucalyptus. But you don't want to trap them in your walls, so don't use it until you've killed them, then monitored for several days. When you're sure their gone seal where they were coming out of the wall on the inside. Hope that helps.

Welcome, OnLonelyMountain. I think you will like it here.

Marilyne, how exciting. My best wishes to Steele and his further studies and career.

I am finally started on getting a few things done that have been put off for a while. Next up are to go get my blood-work panel done and to make an appointment for my DEXA scan. I am in the middle of a search for a new bed and mattress. The cats are not going to like it much, but I want a twin sized bed now to make a little more space. With that in mind, I have been getting rid of some old tee-shirts that are particularly cat-holed. I have a ton of t-shirts from when I was working; now I don't need so many. A couple of worn out and no longer fitting jeans have been replaced with lighter pants because I don't need the heavier jeans for yard work anymore. Some socks and shorts have been pitched. Also, I am spending way too much time searching for just the right bed. I want to get rid of the old double bed with a twin size, though the cats are not likely to like that idea. I am also considering buying a smaller car or leasing one like my sister does. This one is still good for its age, but the service guy warned me that the next inspection is likely to flag undercarriage rust and what-not.

Oscar continues to do fairly well on the prednisone. I still don't see that he is gaining much if anything, but he is not curling up into a tight ball sleeping most of the day, more alert, eating a bit better, not making so many trips to the potty-box, and has only spit up twice since he has been on it.

It is still rainy here and will be off and on through week. This weather app on Windows is not particularly accurate. It just updated to claim it will be in the low 80s the rest of the week. Well, very, very briefly. Now it says only two days this week will be over 80. I bet if I look at it again in a few minutes it will say something else. The app on my Fire tablet is not much better, if you ask me. 

Thank you MarsGal.  Sounds like you have a busy day planned.

On LonelyMountain - Good morning to you, and welcome to Bait & Tackle!  It's not about fishing, as it sounds, but about any other subject that you might like to bring up, comment on, or ask about.  The ant problem seems to be one that cycles through every year or so.  As I said in my last message, I hate to resort to any type of poison, but the natural methods just don't work for me.  Fortunately we don't have much of a bug, ant, tick or mosquito problem here.   Snails come every spring, and attack any new plants, but they are easily deterred with a pan of beer. Lots of snakes and lizards that are harmless. Rattlesnakes appear in the neighborhood, but so far not in this yard.
Tell us more about your Lonely Mountain?  Do you live alone?  If so,  hope you have neighbors close so you can call if you need help with any problem? 

Mars - Looks like you're  all prepared to face the Summer . . . getting all the blood work and health necessities out of the way, plus purging your closet and downsizing your bed.  Glad that Oscar is doing so much better, and that the Prednisone is helping him. 
I've been wanting to tell you that I'm almost finished with, "I See you've Called in Dead?" by John Kenny.  I remember that you and Barb mentioned it in Library.  I'm really enjoying it, and will comment on it in Library when I finish.

Marilyne, good afternoon! Glad to hear no rattlesnakes in your yard! I live here in my RV from mid to late April until the snow comes in November. Mostly alone. I have 2 dogs: a standard poodle (SD ret.) and my LGD Kato the Kraken. He's 150 lbs of teeth, muscle and fury. I have bears, wolves, mountain lions, poachers and am being gang stalked by the registered sex offender and his family that bought the property south of mine. I can only assume that he wanted this piece, but I made an offer before he did. shrug. When they started shooting at me I got Kato. Backed them way off. I won't be calling on the neighbors for help. In the winter I return to my farm in the pesticide zone until chemical application begins again in the late winter. I have access to some closed county RV parks that I go to until the road up here opens back up. We are building me a tiny house up here; it will be 2x the size of my RV, warmer/cooler, less pest invasions. Then a permanent house. My husband brings me supplies weekly or so. I keep encouraging him to go fishing and I can last 2 weeks with planning. b/c Care giver burnout. Once I have the tiny house and more space for food, etc, I think he'll feel better about it. My daughter and her family come up for "family camp" for a week and a few other times during the summer. I am off grid, solar and LP.