Yes!! Too many decisions. One thing about Blue Cross is that I believe their rating is based on attained age which means your premium goes up as you get older. I don’t know about Humana’s Part D coverage. My agent said I could save a lot by going with the newer high deductible plan design. I said no thanks without asking about the cost. I listen to what my friends say about their insurance plans and so far, Blue Cross has fared well. But like I said, one friend just takes the cheapest she can get each year and she never complains either. She is just happy paying the lowest cost possible.

Happy Hallowe’en all. We had Beggar’s Night last night which is when the kids go around for their treats. In this metro area, the custom is that the kids have to tell a joke before receiving a treat. That just puzzled me when I moved here, I came from Trick or Treat Country.

Patsy, so maybe you should get Katie an edible costume? Booooooo back to you.

Anne, more hot tea?

Buzz, I hope you are resting.

Lin

We've survived our second night in the "great outdoors" or so it felt when I staggered to the bathroom at 2am. Cosy under the duvet though.
One more night then its THURSDAY!
Happy "all saints day".
Anne.

My busy afternoon yesterday finished me off so by the time I finally got home to eat supper and relax I knew if I closed my eyes I would be asleep! My car failed its test on 2 items, first a rear break fluid pipe leaking and secondly one headlamp on too low a beam which is interesting because last year it failed for being too high and someone at the garage adjusted if for me!! Never mind, the car is now booked in for a service on Monday when they can also sort out the small failures. Having stood on the same spot for 1.5 hours while George was trimmed then our mile and a half walk home from the garage plus yoga probably did me good but at the moment my legs tell a different story. When I returned from an early shop this morning the 2 hedge cutters were in my garden working hard to finish the job and tidy up.... it's all looking brighter now so I will go out there this afternoon and continue my own Autumn garden clear up. Patsy, one of the men was telling me he and his wife adopted a Labradoodle pup about 3 years ago and although they love him to bit he feels it was a mistake because the dog is so crazy all of the time!! I mentioned knowing someone (you!!) who had adopted one but although she appears to rule your lives you wouldn't be without her!

I'm saddened by the news of yet another mindless attack on innocent tourists, this time in New York that leaves so many dead and absolutely nothing achieved by this pathetic individual.

Anne ~ Low 40's is balmy by Canadian standards and I'm sure you're following the great British tradition of adding layers of clothing as the temperature falls towards nightfall. I don't want to jinx anything but this time tomorrow.......!!

Gone 2pm already so must get on with my plans in the garden.

Jackie

We used to celebrate Halloween with carved faces in hollowed turnips holding candles and carried with a handle of string. We also had a bucket filled with water and apples floating in it, "bobbing for apples" the game was called because you knelt down, put your hands behind your back and tried to capture an apple with your teeth. The highlight was homemade toffee apples. This was "up north" where I think Halloween was more popular in northern England and Scotland. Of course the evening was spent in the firelight with ones dad telling ghost stories and frightening you to death when it came time to go to bed. Especially as we hadn't electricity until after the war. Our house was lit with gas. Shadows on the stairs, woooo ooooo. No dressing up of course. Simpler times.
Anne, who hasn't got GAS today, but does have the electric board heater. It was 1 degree last night. 34F.

Oh dear SANDY, I hope you were saying that with tongue in cheek! If there is any one on this earth more devoted to trying to be perfect (forget it; doesn't exist!) it is you! That's perhaps why you were blessed with these menacingly adorable grandchildren! What a punishment for mean old you! I hope you win, while you're being so bad, kiddo!
Everyone else, I sort pulled my place together before Liz showed up, and since she more brilliant at technology than at cleaning, I made the bed before she came so she'd have time to show me how to use my new smartphone! I learned a lot and got a nice ringtone with her help! Now I'll go have lunch before going down for dinner....Oh my!
Buzz
..............................Always believe something wonderful is about to happen!......................

Good morning everyone. A beautiful Autumnal one here so I'm heading for my garden to continue the battle of the brambles. I could be winning but only if I persevere!

Peace and love
Jackie

Good morning from chilly and foggy Iowa. I am packing up to drive to a nearby town for a studio card session and as a plus, an open house/sale at a papercrafting store. I need to try to find a reinker for one of my ink pads, a soft pink color that I like and apparently use too often. I can order it online but the shipping cost is twice the cost of the item.

I like houseplants but stick to the hard to kill varieties and I don’t have many-just enough to have something green and alive near me. Oh, and hopefully they are producing a bit of oxygen for me.

Patsy, I think your thumb is greener than mine! I only have one blooming plant, an African violet that resists my efforts to kill it and it dutifully reblooms for me. I will need to look up the plant you mentioned when I get home this evening.

Jackie, good luck with making progress on the gardening. The main thing in this locality these days is raking leaves, pulling up dead annuals, and thinking about next year. But in this neighborhood most lots are postage stamp size.

Anne, furnace day. I hope all goes well with the installation and that Jilly does not get overly excited by the workmen.

Sandy, were you able to get your car? And I adore those little boys. So cute, always.

Buzz, very clever way to get some help with your smart phone. Excellent!

Take care everyone. Hugs.

Lin

Good Morning All

Caught up with all the posts - 92 of them. LOL.

Snowing here today. Winter has arrived in Calgary. Darn it. Cold and snowy for the next week.

Wouldn’t you know we have a buffet dinner tonight way up in the NE part of the city. It’s a dinner out on by the PBC Society (the autoimmune liver disease I have). My doctor is the Guest speaker so I really want to go. Darn weather.

I have been busy organising my computer for the last three weeks. What a huge job. Between my photos and my genealogy my computer is stuffed to the gills. It’s also so easy to get bogged down looking at things that this job is going to take forever. I really wanna get it done though because I need a new computer and I don’t want to move all the crap over to a new one. So this is going to be my winter project.

Still slogging away trying to lose weight doing it very slowly and that works the best for me. I managed to lose the weight I put on during our month vacation to the Maritimes But before I know it Christmas will be here in there and some pounds will creep back on again. Probably what I’m really trying to do is just maintain the weight I am at. And, the only way I’m going to do that is to lose a little extra in November so that I can put on a little extra in December. Haha

Hope everybody has a terrific day and I’ll try to check in sooner next time.

Cheers❤️❤️❤️

Jeri in Calgary

Anne, So happy you have a functioning furnace. Yippee !! I hope you are getting some well deserved rest in a toasty house.

Nice day today.

Going to rest and recuperate now.

Hugs.

Lin

Why isn't this on page 498?

My gardening work yesterday went well as a few more shrubs were cut down from the giants they had become hiding behind those pesky brambles. One fuchsia had found light by shooting to around 12' so I felt quite bad cutting it off at the knees in the hopes it will once again become a shrub rather than tree. An elder had died back in the gloom so I must find another source for next summer's elder flower cordial and there are still a few feet of jungle to cut and shrubs to discover but it's certainly a matter of survival of the fittest in there!

Today we walked in a strange murk that wasn't quite mist or fog but it does appear to be lifting now. After my coffee and visit on this site I am going shopping at one of those stores that sells practically everything you might need. Its prices used to be very competitive but under new management I have to be more vigilant and selective. A wall light bulb died last week and in doing so shot the glass bulb out of the metal fixture so I have to somehow ease it out with pliers and at the same time check the make so I don't buy them again. Probably what I call a CCC item....... cheap Chinese cr**!! There's a lot of it about these days!

Anne ~ It must feel like pure luxury to have yourself wrapped in warmth again although if it were me I might just miss the occasional clank and clonk of the old girl. Florence is a perfect name for the new purring kitten (my mother's middle name to boot!) and sounds like she will look after you this winter.

Buzz ~ A late cousin who lived in a similar complex to yours in Australia used to write amusing letters about the men's group he belonged to that spent hours together discussing what needed to be checked and who should do the checking. I still miss his letters but have held on to the amazing poems he posted on to me as I was privileged to be the first to read them and pull them out of their drawer every now and then to enjoy the varying emotions they evoke. My beekeeping year does seem to have rushed by but I must admit I was pleased to be closing down the hatches on their hive until Christmas when I'll check to see if they need a supply of food. Perhaps a quiet winter will calm their feisty ways, or not!!

Patsy ~ Last year I had to give in and buy myself one of those kneeling pads with side supports to hold on to when easing myself towards the ground or pushing myself up although it's fine until I need to lean forward further than a couple of feet then look out!! Seattle to Cornwall would be quite a culture shock although I think once anyone adjusts to the slow way of life here it is a dreamy place to live.

Sandy ~ Hopefully by now you have your car back. We do rely on them don't we although I do at least have a sparse bus service in emergencies to get me into town but that's about as far as they go without making it a long, long journey.

Lin ~ Are you rested and raring to go again? A busy time of year for you and your card making I imagine. Me? I just cheated and purchased a few boxes from the Hen Welfare organisation I'm going to adopt a few battery farm girls from looking for their freedom. Which reminds me I must measure my chicken run so they can tell me when I phone today how many I should take on.

Time to move on. Lovely to hear from Jeri even if the subject of ice and snow has been brought up!! From what I've seen of your weight loss progress you've been doing the right thing with a steady loss which is brilliant!

Have a good Friday everyone.
Jackie

Good morning, I am up and need to run a couple of errands. I cannot use my driveway right now. When I was away yesterday, the guys came back and did the patching of the driveway caulk and now I cannot drive a car over the seams. I wish they would have notified me that they would be doing the work. Oh well. Anyway, I am waiting until it warms up a little bit before getting into the cold vehicle to let it warm up. I am accustomed to a warmer vehicle that’s been in the garage.

Well, lots of flying paper and ink yesterday. Did not get everything finished so when I got home I went back to work so now all the cards are in the same state of assembly, not finished but much closer. I am now organizing for a day of Papercrafting at the library tomorrow. I have several things in mind, well, I usually do but never get to everything. I am thinking of making a small set of notecards for a friend’s birthday which I see is sneaking up on me.

No reinker in stock for my dry inkpad. They would order one for me but that would require I make a long gas-drinking trip to pick it up. Not worth it, paying shipping is worth the cost in this instance. Oh, and they had no idea when they would receive the item. They have received tons of merchandise for the holiday season. The store was packed yesterday for their open house.

Anne, congrats on the new purring furnace friend Florence. Perhaps the best furnace ever? I remember when my new furnace and air conditioner were installed. It was heavenly. At the time it was the air conditioning that was much appreciated.

Jackie, great progress on your gardening task list. Your voyage of discovery. I hope you finish it soon. I have little to tend to outdoors so I sit on my tush when I work. It works. Oh, that and bending over all the time. Although my back is less than thrilled when I do too much trimming. And I am glad the bees are bedded in for now.

Buzz, your post showed up in the proper place. And thanks for the explanation regarding your community. We have nothing that would compare with it in this locality. Wonderful decision on your part.

Sandy, any update on your car?

Jeri, you are a busy and productive lady. Hope to see you (and any photos you’d like to share) any day!

Well, I should get going.

Hugs.

Lin

Four lottery tickets bought online and I see the winnings tonight are £25 million..... that will do!! At the store I bought all the light bulbs I need (don't worry Sandy, there is a wall switch as well as one on the lamp so I should be safe!), some doggy treats, a new purse/wallet with a pattern of dogs on it just like George and winter curtains for the bedroom that have a thermal lining. Our temperatures are set to fall in the next day or so. After a thorough check in the fabrics department I decided that although my red monkey material is about 4 times more expensive than their offerings, nothing really jumped out at me so monkeys it is!!
I phoned the Hen Welfare Trust to make a booking for 3 of their rescue hens and will get the name of the farm and directions closer to the pick up date which is November 26. All a bit clandestine but that might be because they don't want Animal Rights turning up to cause trouble. Don't know, I didn't ask but told the girl on the phone it all sounded exciting and she giggled!!
My plans for cutting the lawns when I got home, hopefully for the last time this year, went astray once I put the kettle on but I think after rain tonight we will have a couple of dry days so I'll get the job done then.

Time to cook my evening meal.
Jackie