2021: Think Positively for a Better Year!
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We had monthly pest control services at work. I’d often if the worker would develop cancer or other illnesses from all that chemical exposure. That’s sad news about your classmates. Did you work in the orchards?0
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We had monthly pest control services at work. I’d often if the worker would develop cancer or other illnesses from all that chemical exposure. That’s sad news about your classmates. Did you work in the orchards?
Kids mostly either worked in the orchards or in Gettysburg in the tourist industry. With respect to the orchards, I lucked out. My parents never even considered sending me out to work in the summer until I turned 16. That summer I broke my foot so no job (and very delayed learning to drive). The following summer they came up with the bright idea to plop me at the Lutheran church camp as a KP. Something like $25 a week plus room and board and no need to figure out how I'd get to work. Backfired on them. That's where I met DH (his dad was the cook) and the next summer I insisted on going back when they really wanted me to get
a job with decent money.
Once he joined the Army I spent my summers working in motels in Gettysburg. Pitt let out in mid April so I'd have been at the motel LONG before the rest of the college kids arrived. Most of them assumed I was a full-time year round employee. I even worked at motels the first couple summers after I started teaching.0 -
I tried out a new optometrist today. I wear glasses to drive. They live in the car. The prescription was never right but I never got around to doing anything about it. I could tell at my last ophthalmologist appointment that they've gotten even worse. I liked this place - close to home, easy parking, very clean, efficient, absolutely NO attempt to upsell me (I get so tired of saying to people "what part of they live in the car don't you understand")?0
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I’m still getting ready for my trip, but hit a snag today. I pulled my large suitcase off the top shelf in my closet and noticed that it sounded like a bunch of things rattling inside what I thought was an empty bag. I opened it up and it was indeed empty, as were all of the pockets or compartments, but still it was rattling. So I unzipped the lining and found the source of the problem. The plastic or hard vinyl sheet that sits between the outer fabric and the frame for the handle for pulling the case was in tiny and not so tiny pieces. The last time I used the suitcase was our trip to Greece in late 2019, and it was fine then, so I guess it just degraded over the last few months. So I had to go shopping for a replacement. Luckily I found a Samsonite in the same size at Marshall’s for a reasonable price, so tomorrow I can begin packing. Of course, DH thinks he can fix it somehow, so we can’t throw it away. He initially wanted to cut a thin sheet of plywood and fit it into the space, but I pointed out that this would be heavy and potentially cause the bag to go over the weight restrictions when filled. So now he’s trying to come up with an alternative. In the meantime, I have a nice new suitcase to use, so I don’t really care what he decides to do with the old one. We don’t often need one this size anyway, luckily. I’m awfully glad I didn’t wait until the last minute to do my packing, though!0
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Of course, DH thinks he can fix it somehow, so we can’t throw it away. He initially wanted to cut a thin sheet of plywood and fit it into the space, but I pointed out that this would be heavy and potentially cause the bag to go over the weight restrictions when filled. So now he’s trying to come up with an alternative. In the meantime, I have a nice new suitcase to use, so I don’t really care what he decides to do with the old one. We don’t often need one this size anyway, luckily. I’m awfully glad I didn’t wait until the last minute to do my packing, though!
Okay, that sounds WAY too familiar. We have so MUCH of such stuff sitting around. Thanks for my first chuckle of the day. LOL!!!0 -
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If he insists on salvaging the suitcase, how about a dry mount board? He could cut it to size. We were able to watch our nephew’s first communion on UTube today. The Mass was in NJ. It was nicely done and nice to catch a glimpse of family.0
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Helene, I was thinking along those lines, as well. Or some type of hard plastic. I really don’t think plywood is the way to go, but he’s now claiming this as “his” suitcase, so I’m going to maintain a hands off attitude, lol!0
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I just wish DH would declutter!!! Oh well, as my late mother used to say, if wishes were horses..... and all that.
We lost power for second twice Friday. Just enough to force us to reset everything.
Happened 3 more times yesterday and then went out for one extended period of close to an hour. Poor DH was torn - when does he finally get out the generator? LOL!
My favorite cats at all the colonies hasn't been seen for several days and Sharon said the last time she saw him he was moving extremely slowly and wouldn't come near her - very unlike him. This one hits me hard.
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Our trip had a rough start yesterday. My flight was late arriving due to weather, so SIL went ahead to the car rental place to get our car. She encountered a 2 hour long waiting there. By the time my flight arrived and I had retrieved my luggage and made my way to the car rental area, she was 2 customers away from the head of the line. After a lengthy wait we were assigned our car and finally got on our way. We were both starving so we started looking for someplace on our route for lunch. After a couple of detours we finally found a great restaurant and had a totally unhealthy but delicious late lunch/early dinner then got back on the road. About 30 minutes later we were in Key Largo on the Overseas Highway and traffic came to a complete stop due to a headon collision between a motorcycle and a wrong way driver. I don’t think the motorcyclist survived. Both lanes of the highway were blocked going our direction and there was no parallel side street to route people around it, so we were directed to do a U turn and wait it out somewhere. We stopped off at a bakery we had seen and had dessert and killed an hour until we noticed traffic moving again. We finally got back on the road and made it to our hotel about 9:30. We were both wiped out by then.
Today we have a sailing and snorkeling trip that should be fun.0 -
Wow, Pam, what a series of obstacles eating up vacation time!!! I'm hope today goes much better!0
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We had a great time on our sailing, snorkeling, and kayak tour in Key West yesterday. We opted out of the kayak adventure because it was quite a distance to paddle and we were both tired after snorkeling for an hour. Instead we just hung out in the water on a shallow sandbar and got to know some of the other guests who had opted out as well. After the tour was over we returned to our hotel and got cleaned up, then went back to the Old Town area for dinner. Unfortunately we were both so tired that we did t really have the energy to explore much so we settled on a restaurant that was near our pickup point for the free shuttle. It had good reviews and a nice waterside location but neither of us thought our food was particularly good. Afterward we returned to the hotel and had an early night.
Today we left Key West and checked into our resort in Key Largo. It seems nice so far. We just got back from a quick visit to the grocery store and plan to hang out at the beach and pool tomorrow. So far I haven’t needed to feed SIL to the gators, but I’ve been tempted a couple of times.0 -
KeyWest sounds interesting. We’ve talked out going there but never made it. They run a ferry from Ft Myers to Key West. That would be my preferred way to get there. I don’t think the ferry ran this year because of Covid. I normally see ads for the ferry in the newspaper but I don’t recall seeing any ideas in over a year. Predictions are for very high 90s this week. Is it any cooler in the Keys?0
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The temps in Key West this week are pretty nice. Highs of 82-84 degrees and lows in the mid to upper 70’s. It’s a bit warmer the farther north. Key Largo high is supposed to be around 88-90 today, I think. The ferry sounds like a nice option. Neither of us was impressed by the drive on the Overseas Highway. It was pretty boring and as I described on our drive down, accidents can add hours to the trip.
Key West is a lot of fun, but requires some stamina because a lot of walking is required. Parking is very difficult in the Old Town area, so you mostly walk everywhere. Hotels are very expensive as well, though you might have better luck if you book far in advance. I’d recommend booking a hotel in or near the Old Town district to minimize difficulties in getting around. If you enjoy water activities, we loved our snorkeling and kayaking tour. I thought it was a very good value and the captain and crew were excellent. They also fear a sunset sail and wine tasting cruise but we didn’t do that one.
Today we plan to hang out at the beach and pool and take it easy. This condo is pretty noisy, so neither of us slept very well last night. Glad we don’t have any activities planned.0 -
Today we left Key West and checked into our resort in Key Largo. It seems nice so far. We just got back from a quick visit to the grocery store and plan to hang out at the beach and pool tomorrow. So far I haven’t needed to feed SIL to the gators, but I’ve been tempted a couple of times.
Well, that's good!
It sounds like so far you're having a good time and that's great!0 -
Republicans are eating their own, all for a narcissistic, reality-show con man.
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I didn't think you could get on a plane if you weren't vaccinated. Not sure where I got that idea (I admit I never researched it).
My unvaccinated BIL and SIL are flying to a COVID hot spot in Alaska to see some of her family. Anyway, I was surprised they were allowed to get on an airplane.0 -
Masks are mandatory but vaccinations are not. That’s probably because shots were hard to come by until recently. The airlines have been hurting financially so they are dong what they can encourage travel. I’ve seen news reports about people removed from flights because they wouldn’t mask up. The cruise lines are planning to sail again and passengers will have to show proof of vaccinations. Maybe things like that will encourage more people to get the shots, if they want to have a hope at normal life without masks. Vaccinations for a cruise makes sense since you’re with a group of strangers for a week.0
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I couldn't do a cruise. My claustrophobia and need for control are too bad. Not sure I'd have any interest anyway (I never just sit around) but I know I couldn't do it (not without a bottle of tranquilizers anyway).
I have this secret suspicion that employers and insurance companies are the key to vaccination. If you can't work and the insurance company won't cover your care? I haven't asked my labor and employer brethren whether employers can require vaccinations (they're as swamped as we are). I do know insurance companies' hands are tied right now because the FDA approval of the vaccination is "experimental". But longer term?
IMHO I shouldn't have to pay insurance premiums into a pot to cover care for ANY unvaccinated person, regardless of what the illness is.
I gave some grief the other day to a close friend who never gets a flu shot because she's convinced she got the flu from it. She was a scientist in her working life for heaven's sake. I finally called her on it. She did get COVID at least.
It's a shame that concern for one's family and others isn't enough.0 -
The punchline to the BIL story: he decided he couldn't stand to wear a mask for 19 hours so he sent his wife and teenage daughter off to Alaska on their own. Every family has one right?0
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I don’t know I I’d ever do a cruise either. Those cruise ships hold thousands of passengers. Many are larger than population of a small town. I didn’t see the attraction before Covid and I’d be less inclined to cruise now. I might do a River cruise . Capacity for those is 150 to 200. I could probably handle that size. I’d rather do a Mississippi River cruise than an ocean liner cruise.0
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I really enjoyed dinner with my best friend last evening. It had been a LONG time! Trying to stick to my diet I made a really specific order and suddenly was reminded of the ordering scene from When Harry Met Sally. I hope I'm not quite THAT picky. LOL! Then as I always do I apologized for asking for ketchup for my crab cake, explaining I'm not a native. The nice young waitress wanted to know where I was from like I came from a far off land. Hmmmmm..... about 65 miles north but it's different. LOL!!0
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Could today’s version of America have been able to win World War II? It hardly seems possible.
That victory required national cohesion, voluntary sacrifice for the common good and trust in institutions and each other. America’s response to Covid-19 suggests that we no longer have sufficient quantities of any of those things.
In 2020 Americans failed to socially distance and test for the coronavirus and suffered among the highest infection and death rates in the developed world. Millions decided that wearing a mask infringed their individual liberty.
This week my Times colleague Apoorva Mandavilli reported that experts now believe that America will not achieve herd immunity anytime soon. Instead of largely beating this disease it could linger, as a more manageable threat, for generations. A major reason is that about 30 percent of the U.S. population is reluctant to get vaccinated.
We’re not asking you to storm the beaches of Iwo Jima; we’re asking you to walk into a damn CVS.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/06/opinion/herd-immunity-us.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage0 -
How nice that you were able to have dinner with your friend. I’m looking forward to doing the same when we get back to the Cape. What’s the usual condiment for crab cakes? I like most of my fish with tarter sauce, especially if it has a batter on it.0
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So is it just crab cakes you put ketchup on? I had a friend who used to put ketchup on tuna salad. The ketchup and Mayo looked like French dressing. Yuck. And she do it in a restaurant. It makes your ketchup on crab cakes look normal.0
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So is it just crab cakes you put ketchup on? I had a friend who used to put ketchup on tuna salad. The ketchup and Mayo looked like French dressing. Yuck. And she do it in a restaurant. It makes your ketchup on crab cakes look normal.
Well, meat loaf and hamburgs and french fries etc. But sea food? Just crab cakes.0 -
I’m thumbs up on meatloaf, fries and burgers needing ketchup. I can’t imagine ketchup on a hot dog. To me, that’s something little kids would eat. Bring on the mustard, relish, onion and sauerkraut on my hot dogs.0
