Norms Bait and Tackle

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Marilyne...talking of names...i remember when in infant school age 5 - 7, sitting crossed leg on the wooden parquet flooring in our assembly hall where the piano was whilst we had our piano singing lessons and playing our triangles and tambourines we were handed....We had a girl join our class that i just could not say her name, never heard of her name before, it was Vivienne and try as i might i kept calling her Bibien...Now who would have thought that 11 - 13 years later i would be giving birth to my daughter and naming her Vivienne...

Mary Page...my gran was called Elizabeth...mind you, she has been gone 59 years...

[patricia19]

Marilyne, good morning from a bright and sunny Interior! We reached 89° last evening and expecting the same today with zero % of expected thunderstorms. Our low yesterday was 57 and today's is 64°. I am so glad we don't have the humidity here!

This is not normal for us as August is our rainy and cool-down season. The Munson fire is still burning in the uninhabited forest and away from people or dwellings, and the other summer fires are out. 

Our state fair is going this week, but I'm not. Too many people, and I know the Delta variant will be going as well. I do need to get out and do some hunter-gathering.

[Tomereader1]

Marilyne, thought I would ask this question here, as I had asked in BB.  If you use a CPAP machine, have you used the CPAP Machine cleaner machine?  If so, tell me which brand, and how well it works or doesn't work as far as cleaning; ease of use?

[patricia19]

Good late afternoon from a trepid explorer back from the malls. It was burning outside waiting for my cab, and I literally felt I was roasting and had to hide out in between the doorways. After spending four hours in one of the larger multi-store malls, I emerged with everything on my list. I think I'll go back on the weekend to grocery shop.

When I came outside, I realize Mother Nature had lied to me. I thought I had been transported back to a southern state, it was so soupy, and there were large, heavy purple clouds. There was lightning and thunder from the east with a needle-like rain. Of course, once I was home, it was dry again, the soup stayed on the eastside, and the northwestern skies had nary a cloud. Now I'm wondering just what else was going down east.

[Marilyne]

Tome -  I don't use a CPAP machine, and neither does AJ.    Lots of members here have used them over the years, but I don't remember who?  Try asking in Soda Shoppe.

Patricia - Looks like you had a nice shopping trip today, even though it got a little muggy outside.  It's cooled down here, so we've had a reasonably comfortable day.  High of around 80.  We'll have to wait until November, in hopes of seeing a rain cloud!       

[patricia19]

Marilyne, soupy humidity isn't normal for us, and  August is usually a rainy cooldown end of summer. I have 90 presently on my balcony thermometer at 6:44 PM, and Monday's high was listed as the highest August temperature since 1911. I wonder what the rest of fall and the start of winter will be like? Last year we saw more snow than we'd seen for years, hitting all types of records.

Normal has gone by the wayside for the arctic.

[MaryPage]

Jackie, I adore the name Vivienne.

TomeReader, my husband Bob had a C Pap machine, and he loved it and could not go to sleep without it. But I never heard of a cleaning machine for it.  Of course, Bob has been dead for over 15 years now, and things change.  Speaking of C Pap machines, it was his Geriatrician who figured out Bob had Sleep Apnea and put him in a sleep clinic.  Boy, that machine made him one happy man! 

Honestly, Geriatricians really know their stuff when it comes to old folks.  And they really care, unlike many who feel we are all "goners" and of not much account.

Concierge medicine works a little differently depending upon the company involved.  A company providing it moves in, as a third party handling the financial end of things, and meets with each patient to sell their plan.  Your insurance does not have anything to do with their plan.  You have to sign a contract agreeing to pay X number of dollars per year, right up front, some don't take monthly payments, others do, and you have to agree to automatic renewals by the year.  You can probably Google it for more details.  I ran the numbers, and my whole family agreed that they showed I was better off financially without their plan.  But if you want luxury, it is a nice way to go.  There are a lot of risks involved, too.  If you travel at all, you will need to keep your regular insurance, as well.  And concierge medicine does not cover outside doctors, such as surgeons.  Oh, the ins and outs are a puzzle of problems, but when you study it all out, it is an individual choice.  Personally, I think it is still for rich people who can afford carrying their regular insurance coverage AND the costs of their concierge doctor. They, the rich, have had concierge for years now, but it is new to we, the hoi polloi.

I said that I could have afforded it, and that is true.  But if I lived long enough, I would have eaten up what I refer to as my "disposable" savings and would have to have dug into my Treasury Notes. Those notes represent my children's inheritance.  The plan is that IF I need some type of expensive specialized healthcare, the money is there: no worries.  Otherwise, that money gets split 8 ways, and I want my children to get every penny of it.  And really, I think concierge medicine is a bit over the top; deed I do.  The doctor does not have to work as hard, as she has fewer patients and more money.  But life is much more complicated for the patient.

Marilyne, I have gone ahead and cancelled my two scheduled August social events, with a sob. They involved visits from family members, all vaccinated: but one in each group whose health is compromised; one actually being what's it called?  Autoimmunized?  Is that what you are when you have Lupus?  The patient has a problem with that or that is the problem?  What I don't know about matters medical would fill a library.  Yep, I'm going back into lockdown. Have a biggie with six of my eight children in September.  We'll see.

It is very late, and I am very tired.  Sweet Dreams!

 

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Mary Page...one of my opposite side road lovely new home neighbours is called Vivienne, i told her i will never forget nor get mixed up with her name as that is my daughters name too...

[MaryPage]

Beautiful day here on the bay.  You can tell it's going to be a hot one, though.  It's already hot!  Looking for a scorcher here.
 
Haven't watched any of the Olympics.  Never been much of a sports fan, but back in the day used to watch the grand opening and closing, admiring the outfits chosen for each country's contestants.  Or not.  Can remember that fun, fun year when the Americans beat the Russians at, what?  Was it ice hockey?  You could practically put your head out of any window and hear the roar of "U.S.A.!  U.S.A.!"  In the relatively short time (at least, insofar as My life span is concerned) we have had women's soccer, have been an avid fan of that.  Even stirred myself to head for the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium here and watch a game when Mia Hamm and the girls showed up.  It turned out the high point of my day was the fan in the seat to my right: she was five years old.  Her daddy brought her.

But I just catch what's going on from the newspaper headlines and the bits shown on the evening news, now.  There is so little time in my days; not nearly enough for all the things I want to accomplish.

Say it every year now, and it continues to be true: cannot adjust my sense of the rightness of things to our children heading back to school in August!  August, for crying out loud!  That is go to Maine for the month time!  That is begin to think about what you're going to need in the way of clothing and supplies when September comes time.  Labor Day is the magic marker for your days.  Two rules: you join the streams of kids heading back to the classrooms on the day AFTER Labor Day, and you never, ever wear white again until Memorial Day.  Yep, the rules were simple, back in the day; and we all knew them.

Yesterday, two men came along and took out the kitchen stove and installed one of those new ones with glass topped burners.  Love it; not that I'm used it yet.  Have the literature sitting by my easy chair.  That is what it is still doing this morning: sitting there challenging me.  If any of you have advice regarding these new wonders, please give it now.  Daughter Becky related a tale the other day that totally stunned me.  Seems Old Sam, the one she is married to, and not their grandson the cellist Young Sam, left a dishtowel on a just-turned-off burner.  And it fused there.  She finally had to take herself off to a hardware store to get something to get the last bits of the mess off.  She finally succeeded.  Phew!

But this new one is much prettier than the one I've been living with here for 18 years now.  It is all white, excepting the black glass top.  Stunning, really.
I was not happy with the installers.  Well, one was satisfactory: he never said a word.  But the yackety one, who was also the one wearing shoes that made about a million black streaks on my white floor, started our relationship by asking, when I answered the front door: "Are you Mary?"  "I am Mrs. Drake," I replied frostily. "Well, is your name Mary?" he persisted.  "My first name is MaryPage," I responded.  Then he launched a complaint about what a time they'd had finding our address, Chip came out of his room and took over, and I was not required again until papers were brought to me to sign.  Good bye to them, but Hello Beautiful new appliance!

Keep cool and, oh please, keep HYDRATED!  Chances are if you suddenly feel a bit faint, it is not the heat itself, but your body screaming for water.
 
Oh, do you remember that beautiful song?  "Water, cool, cool water?"  Who was it?  Sons of the Pioneers?  I think so!

[Amy]

MaryPage, your memory is as sharp as a tack!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amDo-KqUjpA

[Marilyne]

Mary Page -  I'm in full agreement with you about today's children going back to school in the middle of August!  Actually, not even the middle . . . my great-grands are starting this coming Monday, which I think is only August 9th?   It just seems wrong!    As you said, August was the month that many families took a long vacation.   Not fancy . . . but to a familiar, comfortable destination away from your day-in and day-out living. 

When our children were young, it was a yearly trip to Richardson's Camp Grounds and Cabins, on the shores of Lake Tahoe.  Rustic wood cabins, with an ancient kitchen, bedroom, living room, and an outdoor picnic style table on a porch, facing the lake.    No television, and of course this was decades before the advent of technology, so no computers, or even cell phones.  If you needed to make a phone call, you walked to a pay phone located at the lodge, on the highway. 

Every day was spent at the beach, swimming in the refreshing COLD Tahoe water. (it's an alpine lake, so stays cold all Summer.  AJ pulled a trailer with a sailboat, so we had that to sail on that gorgeous lake on windy days, as well as free row boats for fishing. Activities at night consisted of a campfire up at the lodge, with someone leading songs, skits, etc.  Our kids made friends that they played with every year, and looked forward to seeing, clear up until they were in their teens.  We also had friends and neighbors from home who would drive up and spend a few days at the adjacent campground, and have beach time and meals with us.

When our two or three weeks ended, and we were home again, it was time to do the yearly,  "back to school" shopping,  for shoes and clothes before school started . . . always the day after Labor Day!

[CallieOK]

MaryPage and Marilyne,  I also agree about school schedules!  Of course, we didn't have Fall Break, a full week at Thanksgiving, separate times for Easter and Spring Break and all the other "breaks" for this and that.
Neither can I get used to teachers wearing jeans/tee shirts/athletic shoes in the classroom.  We were expected to wear skirts, hose and dress shoes (flats were okay).  Teachers expecting a baby had to resign when they went into maternity clothes.  I had to stop just 4 weeks before the end of school and even classroom mothers asking the principal to let me finish the year didn't change things.


MaryPage, I hope you don't have too much of a challenge using your glass-top range.  First thing will be to realize the burners do not "glow" after they reach the cooking level you've set but will look as if they're going off and on as the temperature cools and rises again.  Personally, I think it takes longer to bring things to a boil (for instance).
I found a cleaning agent called Bar Buddy that works very well.  It's a "cream" you spread on and have to rinse off and then dry with a towel.  Doesn't always work with stuck-on food but does a fairly good job with splattered grease.
Quite frankly, I'm sorry I switched from a regular electric range - although I do like not having to clean the pans under the burners.
Good luck!

Re: not wearing white between Labor Day and Memorial Day.....  I have a book called "The Southern Belle Primer Or Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be A Kappa Kappa Gamma"  The reason was that she once visited a southern campus sorority in October wearing  white shoes - and also  walked around while smoking a cigarette.

[MaryPage]

Thank you, Amy. The fact is, I can remember with total clarity things like what I was wearing and doing on the Sunday afternoon we were attacked by the Empire of Japan, and many, many things from the deep past, but really and truly have a total black out re what I was doing or saying just a second ago.  Hard as they are working on it, our brains remain the great unexplored organ of our body.

Marilyne, that is the sort of camp I could tolerate and have happy memories of. I am NOT a camper. As a child, went to Girl Scout Camp and 4 H Camp and Bible Camp, but would rather have stayed home with my books and garden. Had friends who wanted us to join them in really rough camping with sleeping in tents and cooking over open fires. No, thank you very much; I never did that. But I did enjoy a rented lakeside cabin with a large dining cabin that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. Never did a pile of pancakes look or taste so good! Your way or my way, we could have been good lake buddies.

Callie, I completely agree about the dressing. I would cut the kindergarten & 1st grade teachers a little slack, as they spend some time on the floor and so forth; but the rest need to look at least a tad more professional than most do. You'd think they'd look in the mirror before leaving home and ask themselves: "Now, does This look attractive?" But obviously they do not. I am proud to be able to say my two teaching daughters always looked high fashion and color coordinated. Debi taught High School French and filled in for the Spanish and Latin teachers and was Head of the Language Department.  Becky taught, over her many years, 1st, 2nd, 4th & 6th grades. She loved 2nd most, but was a 1st grade teacher longest. She was/is also a Remedial Reading expert. I say is because she substitutes and tutors in her retirement. Debi is very much in demand to sub, but she has a rather hectic existence these days, what with Steve's Parkinson's progressing with six or a dozen new difficulties every day. My observation is that Steve HAS the Parkinson's, while Debi does all of the work, both extra and routine, any given day requires.

Thank you for the stove tips. One of the front burners on Debi's boils water almost before you put the pan on it; but that is a much fancier model than mine. I think it's called a 22 second burner: something like that. Oh, and I was given a very small bottle of cleaning cream for the top. I'll experiment. Eventually. But today, Today is the day I finally pore over the directions. I have to boil some water. Seriously!

I don't rush into things in my old age!

Funny story about Princess Margaret. Is anyone here old enough to remember, as do I, when she was never called Princess Margaret, but was always Princess Margaret Rose?

[Marilyne]

Mary Page -  Yes - I definitely remember when Princess Margaret was  called, Margaret Rose.  She must have dropped "Rose", when she became an adult?   

I'm also a reluctant tent camper. The main thing I dislike intensely, is lack of a bathroom!  Using an outhouse is something I would avoid at all costs!  That was the best thing about Richardson's at Lake Tahoe . . . the cabin was bare bones rustic, but there was a bathroom, with flush toilet and a shower!  Also I'm not much of a cook under the best of circumstances, so trying to prepare a meal on a Coleman Stove or over a campfire, was nearly impossible for me.

During the War years, no one took any Summer vacations.  My Dad was gone, and my Mother worked full time.  Fortunately, my aunt, uncle and cousin, lived about 20 miles from us in Long Beach -  a block from the ocean, or the Alamitos Bay.  We would drive to their house on Saturday, and stay overnight and leave late Sunday.  My cousin, brother and I spent the two days at the beach, in the water or just playing with other kids.  We had total freedom in those days.  I remember Mother telling us to always swim in front of the lifeguard stand, so in case of a problem, we could yell and he would hear us.  Fortunately we never had a crisis of any kind, and I never remember seeing the lifeguard rescue anyone. 

Callie -  I wonder if college sororities are still strict about members following certain rules?  I definitely remember the one about NEVER walking around with a cigarette in your hand!  If you wanted to smoke, you sat down, where there was an available ashtray or receptacle of some sort.  Never flicking your ashes to the four winds, or grinding your cigarette out on the ground!

[Beverly]

I've really enjoyed the conversations lately! It's apparent that I  lived a very different childhood and life from most of you.

I lived in a small town of 2000. Our teachers (all unmarried women) always looked like grandmothers to me. My father went to school there 30 years earlier and had many of the same teachers!  If a woman teacher got married she had to resign. Even in high school. The men, on the other hand, could be married. My favorite teacher in high school married our home economics teacher. Of course she was out, but was subsequently hired by Rutland High School in a much larger neighboring town. That has all changed now!

Dress code in Florida is pretty relaxed. I remember when I first moved here and joined a bocce league, the subject of what to wear in the club restaurants came up. One woman joked that being "dressed up" here meant having a crease in your shorts. I found that was close to accurate. 

Brynn is still doing okay. She's at 32 weeks now. They stopped the contractions and she's home. Her husband set up a bed in the living room because she can't climb the stairs. The babies are now estimated to be over 4 lb. each. What worries her mother and me is she lives 20 miles from the hospital and some of it is on back roads.

Today is Donna's 63rd birthday. They've been in Vermont for several weeks and arrived home today. They attempted hiking the Long Trail but had to quit after hiking 54 miles, due to minor injuries and the weather. The weather was atrocious......rain every day and lots of mud. She doesn't give up easily. She and Mike plan to try it again!

For the first time in weeks, I went grocery shopping with Chape. Came home exhausted but it was such a good feeling to get out and do something constructive.

Good night all.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Being car collected ( just as well really as the rain has been pelting down this morning ) for church in the next 30 or so minutes...we have reverted back to our weekly 10.30 am indoor service..

[Amy]

Beverly, I got the phone call last night that the twins were born! Everyone is doing fine one boy is 5lbs 3 oz and the other is 3 lbs. He has a way to catch up with his brother and I hope he does. Everyone can give a sigh of relief now.

[Marilyne]

Amy  - - Happy  Birthday!
Leo's Rule! 

[MaryPage]

Oh, do have a splendidly lovely birthday, Amy.  Celebrate that Great Day when you were born!

I am over the moon because my youngest (of 5) daughter has just told me she will use her inheritance (from me) to go to Florence, Italy. My city, as I think of it. Bob & I had laid down detailed plans to go there, when we had to cancel them because he required surgery.  Never got there.  Never, ever.  Such a waste.

Pam is a vet. She lives on a ranch in southern Arizona. It occurs to me that I always, quite correctly, refer to her as a vet and that some might think I mean she was once in uniform.  Not so. Pam is a veterinarian.

[Amy]

Marilyne,thank you...

Are you a Leo also?

[Amy]

MaryPage, thank you. Today has been a wonderful day! Wish we were closer and I would share this delicious chocolate cake with everyone. Friends came this morning and phone calls later in the day= a great day.

[Marilyne]

Amy -  Yes, I'm a Leo!
Glad you had a nice day . . . your chocolate cake sounds delicious.

[Beverly]

Happy Birthday Amy!

Glad to hear your friend's twins are doing well. I hope the 3 lb. boy can catch up. That's a lot of difference in the two. It would be good if Brynn could hold off for another two weeks. The girl is 4 lb. 10 oz and the boy is only 4 lb.

Today is our son Michael's and DIL Jennifer's 40th wedding anniversary and daughter Lisa's and SIL Jim's 17th.

We have two Leo's in our family, Donna and Michael.

Another rainy afternoon here in Florida. The days start out bright and sunny and change shortly after noon. Everything is so lush and green. Looks like a rainforest.

Not much happening in my world and since I wrote a long post the other night, I'll wish you all a good night.

[Denver]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
    🌹 A M Y 🌹
Best wishes for many more healthy and happy years to come.  Happy to read that your friend had her twins.  Interesting there was that much difference in their weight.🙏 for them and their mom.

BEVERLY, holding good thoughts and saying prayers that Brynn can delay the delivery for a couple more weeks🙏

We celebrated Grandson Luke's 13th Birthday today vs the 11th due to school and after school activities starting this week.  Dave had a delicious meal and a huge chocolate cake for him. 

Our Boston Grandsons were picked up from their month at camp early this morning.  They immediately headed East as their other grandfather is not doing well in Wisconsin, so we did not get to see them. 😩😢. Their mom said they did not stop talking for hours telling what all they did at camp. 😘

JACKIE, I hope you enjoyed your time out at your church service🥰

Nice to see all of the nice posts.  I accidentally lost many f my comments, and I can hardly hold my eyes open any longer so will not attempt to redo those lost posts.

Pleasant dreams to all.

Jenny

[Amy]

Beverly and Jenny thank you! Thoroughly enjoyed the day!

There was concern for the second one  but so far he seems to be holding his own.
 

[CallieOK]

Merry Monday,

Belated Amy

Amy,  Miss Ellen was 9 weeks premature and weighed just over 3 pounds. I have a picture of her Dad holding her with her head in the palm of his hand; she doesn't quite reach his elbow.  She already had a head full of bright red hair. I thought the nurses were very wise when son asked how long she would be in the NICU.  They said, "preemies usually go home about their due date."  So - if they could go home sooner (as she did), it was a wonderful surprise; if not, then the parents hadn't been given false hopes.

Today is oldest son's birthday. Younger one's birthday is the 27th.  Two more Leos!

We weren't campers, either.  Since we lived in the mountains, we could go out roaming around all day and then go home to a real shower and our own beds.  Lots of people here have rvs or campers at one of the many lakes in eastern Oklahoma.  Not for us, either.  We agreed that, if we tried to travel via r.v. or camper - one of us would be traveling alone the 2nd day out. 

Re: concierge medical facilities. Has anyone experienced or know of someone who dealt with a "hospitalist"?  As I understand the term, that's a doctor who works in a hospital and checks various patients during their stay - rather than their doctor making hospital calls.
Not sure I'd like a doctor who only knows what some nurse has put on my chart and doesn't have a clue what I'm like personally.

Been a busy time with various comings and goings. Glad to have a few days when I can do things on MY time!

Wishing Everyfriend Everywhere an Enjoyable Day. 

[Amy]

Callie, that is good news to know. Thank you for the wishes and Happy Birthday to your oldest son.

[patricia19]

Good morning from another rainy but normal for August, Interior day. While those who know the month of August as sweltering, we know it as the month that temperatures cool down and the rains come. Then September and October are cooler but usually beautiful before snows arrive around Halloween. Of course, this isn't set in stone and certainly not last year, but we'll see.

Callie, some years ago, the legislators were intelligent to ban all types of insurance-driven medical rules in the state. They believed it was a racket at best or a type of Ponzi scheme at worse.  No primary doctors, you choose your own, and no "plans" you "have to follow" or "special" doctors you have to choose to have insurance. And no concierge doctors to siphon off more patient funds. Insurance companies try to get around those laws by offering you cash incentives to choose their preference, but that's up to you.

MaryAnn's great-nieces were different in size, with Jo obviously smaller than Eleanor. In today's Facebook photos, they're still sized differently, so that's not always bad. I'm hoping that Brynn's twins do well. I'm sure that the longer they wait, the better it will be. I saw a Youtube last week about a 25-year-old woman who had nine babies; naturally, no hormone therapy was used. They were expecting seven, but two were "hiding."  https://abcnews.go.com/International/mom-speaks-giving-birth-babies/story?id=79176359

So, count your blessings!       

[Marilyne]

I see this morning on our S&F Upcoming Calendar, that Junee, is also having a birthday this week.  She will be,  99!  I don't know if all of you remember her, but she goes all the way back to Senior Net, and then here in S&F.  She lives in Australia, but she did come here to the US, to attend one of the bashes.  She still looks into S&F, but hasn't posted in a long time.  I have her as a Facebook friend, so will check that out today, and leave a message for her.

Beverly - Good to see that Brynn is doing better, and hopefully she will be okay for another couple of weeks, so the boy twin can gain enough weight to catch up with his sister. I will be keeping the positive thoughts, that when the time comes, it will be an easy delivery, and both babies will be healthy and of a good weight.

Jenny -  Happy Birthday to grandson Luke!  So now Dave will have three teenagers to keep an eye on?  Too bad you didn't have a chance to see your two grandsons from the Boston family, but maybe they can visit sometime around the Holidays?

Callie -  I Haven't heard the term "hospitalist" yet, but I'm sure they are here in our hospitals as well.  I know that at Kaiser Hospital, where Sandy goes, they have,  "roving specialists".   If you come in for an appointment with your primary doctor, and he/she sees a difficult problem like a suspicious skin lesion, etc.  Your doc texts the ENT, dermatologist, or whatever, and  they come to you, and take care of the problem right there.  No waiting or scheduling an appointment.  Of course Kaiser is huge, and all departments and doctors are located within the hospital, so everything is right there in one building!  The "Senior Advantage" program there is wonderful, so I have heard.  We have had friends over the years who have belonged, and they love it.     

[CallieOK]

I think Junee attended more than one Bash.  She and Whimsy once traveled around visiting SeniorNet friends.
 They stayed with GinnieB in Oklahoma and she/daughter hosted a typical Southern dinner - fried chicken, cornbread (without sugar), fried okra, pecan (pe-KAHN) pie etc.  Junee contributed Marlite (or something like that), a butter/oleo type spread.  We Okies more or less choked it down. 
We had such fun with the two of them.