Soda Shoppe for September 1, 2021

[Shirley]

I'm afraid I don't agree with Pirsig, Patricia, I think people WANT to believe there is something or someone more in charge than the idiots we find here on earth. If you check out his life it isn't one I'd want my kids to admire, he was pretty much a hippy of that era & spent his last few years in & out of mental hospitals. Maybe I didn't dig deep enough but didn't find that he did anything that would benefit the world or fellow humans.

On that thought, I keep thinking I'd better hurry up and do something, anything, that makes my time on earth worth while. No claim to fame here.    But your quote made me think for the first time today! I've been napping all day long. Had to put a couple loads of laundry in, Tiger had fur balls.... YUCK!

[RAMMEL]

A bit more of the storm damage from a helicopter over the Hudson River.  The railroad tracks are part of a main line.

[Shirley]

As we "Missouri Hillbillies" would say, "Now that's a gully washer!" Thanks, Rick, my daughter has been visiting her oldest daughter & family living in Falls Church, VA, for a week, on the plane to home in St.Louis. They didn't have any damage there.

Oldest son & wife stopping by, bringing hamburgers (I'm supplying dessert)... so busy trying to clean up the table. My family-kitchen is a catch all, the mail stops at this table & the cats think there is unlimited food here, so where they nap most of the day. They scattered at the sound of the sweeper.  This was used as 2 rooms before we bought, but needed the space to seat a lot of people so bought the Mennonite built table with 4 leaves, bench & 4 chairs. Folding chairs & card tables seat the rest. Can't do it with the latest "gr-grands" and glad I don't need to. We go to the grands for gatherings.

I've been pricing chlorine tablets, horrified!!! They are at least 5x what I paid last year (I always buy for the year ahead). Bad enough to have the yellow algae this year but shocking at the cost of chemicals. No, can't move, would have to put cats to sleep.

[JaneS]

I finished off the day today by going to The Fence drive-in restaurant for supper with my daughter and SIL.  We went early so we could get a table.  This place is right on the bank of the Susquehanna River and it's beautiful and restful to just sit there, eat and visit! 

I finished off the last of my tomatoes (there are lots of green ones still on the vines) in spaghetti sauce over my Italian MIL's recipe.  I have six pints of it for "when the snow flies".

Cooper was here all day and he spent most of it outside.  We took two long walks and as soon as we got home he went to the other door and asked to go out.  He spent most of the day either lying in a shady spot in the grass or barking at something no one else could see or hear.  I think the only reason he likes to come over here is that he can go outside without a leash and nobody telling him to "come on"!

I ran across a jam recipe that's made with apples and strong coffee.  I think I'll give it a try.  I have everything but the apples and they're just starting to come in locally.  I might make a run to Davy's in the morning and get some.

My eyes are about to enter slam shut mode so I better sign off and head for the haystack.  I hear it's loaded down with zzzzs.  Today was a beautiful day...sunny and breezy.  I hope it's the same tomorrow.  I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[Amy]

Good foggy morning..

School is now back in, for how long that is anyone's guess.
Need to go to town to do a few things then home to dig tatters and can them.

Yesterday I did do odds and ends but ended up starting another cancer quilt. Two of our quilt ladies have passed away this summer and will be greatly missed.

No more sign of the bear, I think he was just passing through and went to a better eating area.

Jane, I bet you will be glad when all the matters are done!

Shirley, just about everything has taken a jump in price here..or has come back in smaller quantities for the same price!

Gloria, with two long haired dogs there is always dust bunnies, enough to make another dog when swept up!!

Patricia, hope your muscles are not sore from moving all that furniture!

Better git...

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

[Lloyd Hammond]

Good Morning AMY and all that follows/ I had a good sleep Just got up. Hope everyone Has a good day today. see you all again Later.

Lloyd

[JaneS]

Good Morning Everyfriend!  The sun is shining today but the temperature has not made it past 52 yest this morning.  And 72 is the predicted high.  After all the activity in the kitchen this week, cleaning the floor is on the agenda for today.

I'm still thinking about a run to Davy's for apples to try the jam recipe I found.  And I might pick up some more fresh picked corn while I'm there.  I need to do one more canner ful to make it through the winter.

AMY, my daughter Christy is in the process of making a quilt for a wedding present for her son and it's beautiful.  She got all the sewing talent in our family.  I never made it to quilts but my mother and my grandmother both made lots of them.  My sisters and I had quilts on our beds and even our dollies had hand made quilts on their beds.  Most of the winter there was a quilting frame in our living room and my grandmother and her friends met around it lots of evenings.  My sister and I played house under it!  Those were the days!

I think Cooper is ready for his first walk of the day.  And I have two bits of my breakfast left so off we go.  I hope you all have a good day...better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!

[Gloria]

Good morning everyone, back to upper 50's now and into 70's by afternoon. I can live with these temps as long as the humidity is not high. Don't know if I would like the really low humidity where Regina lives now. in the teens and 20's mostly.
More trouble here.  the panel where visitors punch in apartment numbers and announce themselves so we can let then in from home is not working. Has been a pain for at least 4 years already. Can hardly hear what anyone says, all garbled or static.se their cell phone  to call us and we have to go let them in. My sons come often enough t ha t mos t know who they are coming to see and if out there on the porch will let them in. Every one knows Yvette, too. The part needed for the panel cannot be found anywhere. So will install  a new panel if one can be found. So glad no one comes for me too early, would not be able to go down if I am still in my jammies and robe. Having ccopies of our key is a nono bu t I did have 3 made, both sons and one for me, too. Good thing Mike has one because the day I passed out and fell Mike came and let himself in and took me to the hospital. I was on the floor and just coming to, still have no idea how long I was there.

JANE  spaghetti sauce made with fresh tomatoes is always special. Always better than any one can buy in the market or what is served in some Italian restaurants.

PHYLLIS  you sound like me now. When I fist had a new PC and looked around in it  trying to learn about it I learned what is safe to do and what is a no no. I told my grandson-my PC guru-that I knew enough to be dangerous. He wrote down some things to never touch so now I leave well enough alone. don't have to send an SOS out to him often anymore. Of course I am not here at the computer as much as I used to be either. Laying on the couch watching TV is more comfortable than sitting. Have not done a system restore in a year or more now.

SHIRLEY  since no one ever uses your pool why not just cover it and forget it. When you decide to sell your house the new owners can take care of it.

PATRICIA  the maintenance man who just retired would call and ask if a good time would be OK top come to check something and I would tell him I would not be here but gave him permission to come in. He and the wi tch are the only ones wi th a key to fit all the locks. I keep my door locked if I am here or out.

RAMMEL  terrible damage. Ida was really one of the worse hurricanes ever.

AMY  my daughter once had a long haired black dog. Once when I was there I got the broom while she was busy and swept the dining and kitchen floors.In July and the fron door was open most of the time. In the kitchen she had a cabinet in the middle of the floor that was open underneath and the breeze coming in the door would send the hair under there and under the place for your feet under the cabinets and sink. There was enough hair to fill 2 dustpans full of it. My SIL asken Regina how long it had been swept out  before that day and she said yesterday. He said he thought it was a month from the amount of hair. She just looked at  him and asked what kind of homemaker he thought she was. School started in this town today.

LLOYD  glad you had another good night's sleep.

Have a good day and stay safe.

[phyllis]

"I've run the gamut, A to Z
Three cheers and dammit, c'est la vie
I got through all of last year
And I'm here
Lord knows, at least I've been there
And I'm here
Look who's here
I'm still here."

Does any one else here remember the Steven Sondheim song, "I'm Still Here"?  I always loved it, identified with it more as I've gotten older.  The above is just the last verse and pretty much says what I feel today.  In spite of it all.....I'm still here!   

Take care, All, and stay here with me.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Phyllis..rather be here than there, as they say, " we are longer there than here ".....( Elaine Stritch )

[patricia19]

     

[patricia19]

From Twitter;

"So I have to get my own food?"
I work at a high end buffet here in Vegas. You get sat, are told to wait, I come up and greet you, explain our offerings, go over the drink menu, take a drink order and then inform you to help yourself while I get the drinks. As I step away one time I heard a kid about 8 or so say, "So I have to get my own food?" Mom said yes. Kid said, "I told you we should have brought Michael with us." Mom said, "NO, I told you before, we're not bringing our butler on vacation."

I was 5 feet away and this was clear as day. That kid was 100% not joking one bit. He really wanted his family butler to be on vacation so he wouldn't have to walk to a buffet and get his own food. I'm not insulting the little dude for having one baller lifestyle, but holy crap that was a mindmess of a conversation to hear. buffetserver


And,

Fetch You!!
Saw some like 12 year old rich kid with his Dad at Guitar Center buying like $6,000 worth of recording equipment. An item he was purchasing was on the lowest shelf, yet he snapped his fingers and pointed at it, telling an employee to "fetch this" for him. I wouldn't take that kinda disrespect from anyone, especially from some rich kid while I'm working a low paying position.

Was an RA for three years, we had a student and his mom aggressively call the dorm's front office because "it's been two weeks and nobody's come to clean our room yet." Nope! I thought it was a joke at first too! Like at first it was just the student calling and he was like "yeah, I was wondering if they forgot to clean my room, it's been two weeks since classes started and it's real messy"

I genuinely laughed, thinking it was some elaborate prank call by a freshman with a good sense of humor or whatever.

Nope, the mom starts talking "I'm glad you think this is funny, I'm not paying $3000 a semester for a messy room, where are the maids?"

To say I was befuddled was an understatement, I had to explain that, not only was this one of the cheaper dorms, but to hire a cleaning staff for all the rooms (this being one of the bigger dorms on campus) would be astronomically expensive.

No apology, the mom just hung up. The freshman kept posting on his social media how crappy our dorms were.

This was 2 years ago, so the details are a bit foggy, but I for sure remember that exchange and I vaguely recall that freshman trying to be an RA the following year.

[Denver]

Good day.....EVERYFRIEND ‼️

The holiday weekend is over......it did not seem like a "holiday" to me......and sadly, not many of them do anymore😩😪

Saturday we got to get out of the house and see the family.  The kiddos are all doing so well......very involved in their particular own lives.....we have sort of moved on to the phase of not being the most important thing in their lives anymore 😪😩😆. I say this kiddingly, but it is a fact....Seems we all go through these phases. Dave and Bob were out back chatting away......pups running all over.....eventually food being grilled.  I am-in the family room, feeling ALL ALONE..... I can not get around well, so going out back is very difficult 😞  It was just a bit too hot to just be sitting out there or I sure would have been. Just a bit of my own little pity party😘.

When I was reading in another folder, after seeing so few posts, a song came across my mind......
Ain't it Funny How Time Slips Away".  Right now, I am REALLY feeling just this!  Life passes so very quickly.  Some memories are so embedded in my mind.....just like it were yesterday, and yet some times just seem SO FAR AWAY.

PHYLLIS and JACKIE.  Thank you both for the memory of "I'm Still Here" Cute and a good chuckle‼️

Nice to read your posts and know that all is well in your world, EVERYFRIEND.

RAMMEL..... again it is good to be able to watch the video and realize what others are going through after the awful storm.  Thank you for sharing.

My PT is due soon so I must get ready. 

Thank you, PATRICIA, for the good head shaking and chuckle‼️  How sad🤪

Enjoy the rest of YOUR day‼️

Jenny

[JaneS]

It's been a slow day in here!  I'm off to the haystack any minute now!  I've been busy and I'm tired!  I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[Amy]

Good morning...

The storm missed us all but the  rain and it was beautiful.....music to sleep by. we did get one rumble of thunder but no high winds or the tornado they were talking about.

Will see how wet the garden is and may dig potatoes if possible.

Jane, I find sewing so relaxing and time does slip away on me.

Patricia, I wonder how that young man is going to make it through life when he has been waited hand and foot.

Gloria, I could sweep twice a day when they are losing hair!! Small price to pay for their love.

Better get a move on.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.



 

[Lloyd Hammond]

Good Morning everyone. It Is 77º clear and sunny here this Morning. we put our car in the body shop yesterday, Nancy was backing out of the garage and scraped the side on the post, they are too narrow , not made for full sized van, only about 1" on each side. was supposed to have car rental but that did not happen. so the insurance Lady brought us home. no car until next Monday. well if we have to have to go some place we have the motor home to fall back on, but that is not easy to fiend a parking place for it. so home bodies for us. for the weak.

Lloyd

[Amy]

Lloyd, that is an easy fix and no one got hurt. Monday is not that far away...

[phyllis]

Cloudy day here with rain this afternoon.  We need it.  The new grass seed won't grow without water.

I agree, Jackie.  There is a lot longer than here.   

Take care, All.

[JaneS]

Good Morning Everyfriend!  It's a beautiful day here!  The sun is shining and there's a lovely breeze with it so it's not too hot out there. And it was a good sleeping night...not too cold...just right!

The guy is out there mowing my grass...I wonder how much longer that's going to be before it's leaves to rake? 

LLOYD, put your feet up and rest until the car is fixed.  Tell Nancy to do the same thing!

AMY, I used to make a lot of the kids clothes when they were growing up and I actually had a room where my sewing machine was and lots of material and stuff to use. I remember one time when my husband came home and searched me out in my sewing corner.  We were talking a while and then he got quiet and was just looking around.  I wondered what he was thinking and he said, "You have enough thread in here to strangle the whole town!"  I almost fell off my chair!

I hope you all have a good day...better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!

[patricia19]

I realized today that Farrah, who will be nine on the twelfth of this month, has learned two new tricks. Ones that I wasn't specifically teaching her. I had been in the habit of holding up one finger to let her know she needed to settle and was getting just a couple of dental treats.

When I did this, I could open the treats and withdrawal only those two. I would hold one out between my thumb and ring finger, and she would delicately take the treat without nipping my fingers. I only today realized that she would immediately settle down and sit when I held up that one finger. I never caught on to a connection.

The other trick was when I would rattle the treat container. And she would immediately go by the window because she knew I would fan toss four or five. Always toward the window. Cats and dogs, other animals, even fish learn more by example than humans do.

[Shirley]

Patricia, I learned about how smart critters are when we had the German Shepherd (3 kids at home as well). Cas took DeDe out to potty & came back in on a grouch.... "she didn't do anything but stand there."  Knowing it was that time, I grabbed the leash & went out the door, said "HURRY UP", she squatted & did the job. I came in laughing because that was the first time I realized hurry up meant what to do!!!  After that we all knew the magic words.

Been working hard since 6:00 this morning, brushed the yellow in the pool & dumped what was left in the bottle & decided it was time to take charge. Soon as time for the pool place to open I got a sample of the water & headed out. Didn't even bother cleaning up because I knew I'd be back to do what I could. Very nice people & the young man in charge of ME, explained each step for fixing my problem (after analyzing the water). As expected a couple bags of chemicals & $150. later I had all but one chemical & would have to get that where ever I could find it. This is just to keep the water stable before it is time to close for winter. The pool guy that has closed since the re-plaster job came over to visit (I called yesterday), he's trying to get the job done next door & going a little nuts with so many chemicals & things needed to put the pool & all it's "stuff" in. He said he has some of the tablets I need, about 3x what the price was last year but better than I can get on Amazon, so will drop it off in the next week. Another $125. but will not use it all before closing, happens to be what he has right now.

Gloria, I tried to get the pool filled in when we bought the house, problem was we'd have had to take down the fences because the only company that could do that said "they knew the house & couldn't get their trucks up the back hill". Can't leave pools empty because they will push out of the ground, they will get water in & mildew, crack & all that.... and have to break the whole bottom out so water could drain out & not hold & mildew, then there would be all that concrete that would be like an oven covering the whole back yard... the water keeps the concrete cool (even 100 degree temps). If you don't want a pool the smart thing is to not buy a house that has one! 

My husband was still having to drive to KC every week for meetings & this is a straight shot to the by-pass around the city & interstate into KC. I picked the house we bought in KC (Leawood, heart of KC, KS) & it was a little over an acre of ground in the heart of the city & Cas mowed it because he loved yard work. Big job & he had all the equipment to do it. On the other hand, this #*!~ pool is a big job & only grunt labor gets it done. All choices but I couldn't live with myself if I had the cats put to sleep because I don't want this job! And that's my day so far.

Got to read these directions again to make sure I put in the chemicals in the right order. I am too tired to think so may start this in the morning.

Jane, one time Cas was looking for something & made the comment "If this house had one more inch of space you'd have that full, too".... I have a hard time throwing anything away because I'm sure "somebody could use it". 

Lloyd, for sure you will think of something every day that "you need to get"... when you don't have the car. Long ago when raising the kids, because we lived several miles from the school or a store or where each of them had jobs, if the car we provided for each of them wasn't running they HAD to borrow mine. And every time MY car was gone I found a dozen reasons I needed it.

Amy, I wish I dared give these cats a bath in hopes it would keep the fur balls down, but I'm not brave enough to try & wouldn't do that to a groomer! I honestly would take the German Shep out back & rub my hands thru her coat & pull out a brown paper bag full of hair every day during the shedding times. That under layer would have spun into a nice thread to weave.

If you don't hear from me the next few days you'll know I'm working on that blasted pool. I could have a pool service but I know the exercise is good for me. I'm tired of doing things that are good for me!

[JaneS]

This was one of those "run around and get nowhere" days.  It seemed like everything I needed done, needed a trip somewhere before I could get it done.  Cooper went with me in the morning but I still had to do some this afternoon after Frankie picked him up.

I decided that the rest of the donated squash had to be cleaned, chopped and frozen today so I got it out and while I was doing it, I decided that I better check the fence to see if any more had appeared.  It did!  So not it is all cleaned and waiting in the freezer.  I'm hoping to get the soup made and canned this weekend.  I have the recipe and the canning instructions lying on the kitchen counter. 

I hope everyfriend had a good day and I wish you a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!

[JaneS]

Here I am...talking to myself again!  I can do that almost any time I want to these days!  I think I'll just wish everyfriend a good day and go take Cooper for a walk.  He says it's time!  So...Have a good day, Everyfriend!

[Amy]

Good morning...
No, Jane I hear you just slow waking up here. I did get all the potatoes dug and now have 24 cans to label and put away this morning.
Have a hair appointment this afternoon ,a much needed one too. He is now in a different building so will see how that goes. He was going to sell his place in a couple of years but a person made him an offer he couldn't refuse! Real estate is one hot commodity here now.

Not much else is going on other then chasing dust bunnies.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

[Lloyd Hammond]

Good Morning AMY and everyone else that follows. Gloria must be sleeping in this Morning, well we had a good day yesterday, we went and got a new side by side ref freezer. we have our van in the shop getting it repaired. so we are home bodies, we do have the RV in case of emergency. Have a great day.

Lloyd

[Gloria]

Good morning every one,at least I am awake this morning. Had one of those nights of no sleep and yesterday about all I did was cat nap all day even when Yvette was here. We have rain and heavy thunderstorms in the forecast for the whole day. A good day for sleeping or reading a good book.

PATRICIA  just read your posts from Tuesday and wondered how it would feel to have a butler and maids.  Yvette does things in here for me and it bothers me that I can no longer do for myself. She spoils me, not even wanting me to get a glass of water, she want s to do it and I keep telling her I have  to keep moving as much as I can or I will be either in a wheel chair or stuck in bed.

JENNY  all I have to do is go down in the elevator and walk out to the porch and sit with others out there but by the time most days if I get that far I am ready to come back in here and lay down again. With those other posts and songs I wonder why I am still here not being able to do anything for myself or others anymore. 

AMY  I  think those dus t bunnies sure multiply fast. I wonder how many are under my bed-wood floors sure atract them. I can no longer ge t the mop under there and CNA's are not allowed to.

LLOYD  sleeping late and still and still not  wide awake.

Have a good day and be safe.

[Vanilla-Jackie]

Jane S, i am expert on that, talking to myself, it is when we start answering ourself when we hit trouble..

[patricia19]

Good morning, it's going to be another clear, beautiful day in the Interior. We drop another five to ten degrees each week, but that's a normal autumn for Alaska's arctic. I only have some laundry and apartment upkeep scheduled for today.

I moved everything away from the windows and balcony only to find that the construction company's idea of an apartment a day was illusive. It has taken two days to finish the first apartment. I saw our manager yesterday, and she was not happy, saying it might run into November!

Which means I cannot put items back for months! Another thing that I didn't think about earlier was beside the apartments,  there are laundry rooms, break rooms and offices, 215 sets of rooms with windows, or both windows and balconies. It's going to be a long winter!

We started our morning texts again yesterday, and it's become our new normal.  We've had some serious medical issues within our group, which is normal for those in their seventies and eighties, but the rampaging Delta variant has made it worse. This past year hasn't gone the way I or others had hoped, with month sixteen of a total lockdown in our building and back in our city.

Gloria, those people in my posts came from Twitter and were only part of a series from a  group of servers and customer service staff. The spots where it seemed many felt extra entitled came from vacation destinations.

One was from the mother of a freshman college student who was upset that the maids hadn't shown. Evidently, her son's dorm room was getting rank. She was upset that she was paying so much without the services she expected in the dorms!?

I hope that everyone's day is going how they wish and that everyone stays happy and healthy today and better tomorrow!

[patricia19]

Massive numbers of new COVID–19 infections, not vaccines, are the main driver of new coronavirus variants

Vaughn Cooper, University of Pittsburgh; Lee Harrison, University of Pittsburgh

When the coronavirus copies itself, there is a chance its RNA will mutate. But new variants must jump from one host to another, and the more infections there are, the better chance this will happen.

In recent weeks, the idea that vaccinations are leading to more dangerous strains of the coronavirus has gotten some attention. And to be fair, one could imagine that a virus will try to evolve in a way that avoids a vaccine meant to stop it.

But this interpretation is incorrect. As Vaughn Cooper and Lee Harrison, an evolutionary biologist and an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, explain: "Most viruses in an infected person are genetically identical to the strain that started the infection. It is much more likely that one of these copies – not a rare mutation – gets passed on to someone else."

The more infections there are, though, the more chances a person will pass a random mutation to someone else. So it is the huge number of new infections that is leading to new variants, not vaccines. In fact, the authors explain that vaccines are the best tool available to prevent dangerous new strains of the coronavirus from emerging in the first place.

[JaneS]

Did all that Coronavirus info scare everyone away?  No one's been in here since 2:30 this afternoon!

I talked to both my twins (son and daughter) today.  It's their birthday and I had to tell them I love them.  They are my twins and they were born the day before my middle daughter's birthday.  Hers is tomorrow and I have to call her.  And she had the thoughtlessness to marry a guy whose birthday was the same day as hers so we have 4 birthdays in two days!  Then later this month it's Frankie's birthday and her brother (my oldest grandson) has a birthday 2 days after hers.  Busy month!

I went out to lunch today with a bunch of ladies I used to work with when I worked at Pennsylvania House Furniture.  We try to do it once a month and we all enjoy it!

Now I'm heading for the haystack!  I'm tired but I can't for the life of me think what made me so tired!  I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!