Book Board Chat

My younger brother is here for his annual visit. We've had long talks about the 'good ole days', old friends and family. DS has cooked some good meals. We are planning a ride to the beach on Monday. Also on the list is a trip to the seafood mkt. He plans to go home a week from tomorrow.

Good Morning, gonna pop in again, been awhile, last time, no one seemed to be around.
Things here in No. Central Florida been ok,, very hot/humid, some thunderstorm relief but the humidity is awful.
I am looking forward to October... would like to miss the 2 busy hurricane months..........but just will roll with the flow - no other choice.
Am ok, some health problems, but at almost 85, to be expected. Try and walk outside 20 minutes a day (miss when I could do an hour) and am going to Physical Therapy twice a week, which is keeping me vertical and as strong as possible.
I am tired of cooking............summer not my favorite time for cuisine.... I prefer the fall-spring of soups, stews, heavier foods.
One of my granddaughters is presenting me with GreatGrandChild #7, a baby boy, in September.... my grands are scattered all over the U.S.
Not doing anything at Friends of Library, us old croakers pretty much aged out and new, younger folks have taken the helm. Last sale they made over $180,000 dollars, and they have also paid off the mortgage on the building, so it is debt free except utilities, insurance and maintenance...Good feeling. We will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the FOL at our September annual meeting. Their first sale in 1954 earned a little over $250.
My two cats, Punkin and Sweet Pea that I adopted during Covid are now over 4 yrs. old... sweet and funny and healthy and good company.
My sister and I Facetime every afternoon for an hour or more, and enjoy just cussing and discussing the world workings, politics, health, weather, kids, grandkids, etc..............look forward to it every day. We haven't been together since we came back from the last cruise we took, and it will probably be the last. I love cruising, it's the "getting to the ship" and the "getting back home" that is the worst part...
Well, gonna close, must eat a bit of lunch so it can settle before PT at 2PM........ take care all, and stay well.

My son stopped in to our hotel room and gave us a present - a framed picture of Donald Trump with in image behind him of Jesus Christ resting His hands on Mr. Trump's shoulders. Ho, ho, very amusing. My son then mounted it behind our hotel bed. (Cackle, cackle.) We forgot about it and went out. Later we came back and saw that the hotel maid had made up our room. Some people have a picture of Jesus or the Virgin Mary in their bedrooms but we had Donald Trump. I wonder what she thought.

My younger brother is here for a 2 wk visit. He's in way worse shape than me.

Hello to all from Belleville, Illinois where it is a lovely day. The temperature is in the lower 80s and the humidity is low.

Tuesday was a challenging day in this area. According to my rain gage in the backyard, we had a full six inches of rain and some neighboring communities got even more than that. There was a lot of flooding in the area but thankfully my house is OK. Many of the roads around here were closed because of the water. We aren't used to getting that much rain so quickly.

I am visiting my son and grandkids in Spokane, WA. It is hot There have been ten days in a row over 90 degrees and eight days over 95 degrees. Humidity is low, around 25% so it doesn't feel too bad.

Our house has basically doubled in price since we bought it -- 10 years ago. Mainly because there aren't that many places with acreage selling.

That's what is going on inm my neighborhood right now. About 2 yrs ago the house across the street sold for $100K more than I paid for this one 20 years ago. This week two houses side by side across the street sold for $200K more thjan I paid for this one. Takes have gone up some, but not s great deal. Will be good for my son, who will inherit the house.

I decided to look up that first house I owned in Queens Village, NY. Back then in 1974 I sold it for $40,000 and 20 years later it was again resold for $62,000. Not bad, a 50% increase. Now, another 20 years later, and it has a sale value of $660,000 - $770,000. A 10 times increase. Good grief. It is just a small 3 bedroom, 1-1/2 bath house. Monthly mortgage payments and taxes (if after a $120,000 down payment) would be over $4,000 a month. Who can afford that? Who can save $120,000 for a down payment? That middle class starter home is out of the middle class group as far as I can tell. (Although I read that up to $150,000 per year is still considered middle class earnings.)

That Queens Village house and neighborhood was just about identical to the start of the Archie Bunker TV show "All in the Family" and the flowing street scene of the houses all close together. A very nice neighborhood but not a millionaire's locale.

I've lived in Nashville Tn, Goodlettsville, Tn, Parris Island SC, Birmingham, AL, Jasper Tx and now in Pensacola Fl. I liked most of my houses while I lived in them. At times I tried to grow roses - lots of work. In Texas had 35 plants and borders of day lilies. Since I move here have only had flowers in pots and this year, only fake geraniums. This is my favorite house (3-4 brs, 2 BA, LR, den, kit, laundry, patio) Too much to keep clean now., Big yard, corner lot. Three houses on my street sold in the last couple weeks, for more than twice what I paid for this one 20 years ago. That's good I guess. Especially for my DS.

My first house was in Queens, New York. I would walk home from the bus stop on a mild late summer afternoon, say "hello" to the deli and fruit stand owners as they stood outside their stores and pick up the afternoon newspaper on the corner newsstand. (Remember when the newspapers had a morning, afternoon and late night "bulldog" edition?) I did not do much outside yard work there. In later houses my wife may have come home with some plants and I would dig holes for them outside as my wife supervised. "Doesn't that make the patio look much nicer?"

It was somewhat "normal" to do yard work when I was much younger. Now I live in a condo and the yard work is done for me by the grounds' crew. I don't think I could do much of that outside work anymore, at least not without taking long breaks every few minutes. But, not to fear, my wife still finds work for me to do inside. "Why not break a hole in that wall, run some wire to an electric source and put a switch and light into that wall? I could use a light there." Okay I can still do stuff like that.

On a rainy day I would like to sit outdoors on my porch and read with the sound of the gentle rain falling down. Now I can sit on my enclosed balcony and see/listen to the rain falling down outside on the golf course. I am about to pick up my book, read and fall asleep into a gentle nap. Life is good.

Up way too early, so decided to have breakfast. Nothing planned for today, but my brother is coming in July so there is plenty to do. Have a great day all.

I've been working from home for about 15 years now, and wouldn't have it any other way. I can work whatever hours I like, as long as I'm available by phone while the clinics are open. It's great in summer because, due to daylight saving, they don't open until 1030 my time, which means I can get a lot done while no one's ringing me.

Hi y'all!
We 've had more rain, and some big storms here, luckily the tornados did not come to our city. Last year we had drought, so it really appreciated that the gardens and tree are so lush and green. We are about a month ahead here in flowers, don't know what will be happening in late July and August. The roses have come and gone and the peonies. The day lilies are about half through. They are really pretty, have white Annabelle Hydrangeas and pink Invincibelle hydrangea.in front. We've had some hotter weather but the rains sometimes bring some coolness too. It was cool and misty this A.M. and I did some weeding and deadheading.
My brother Mike is visiting from Out West, so glad to see him, and his little dog too! We had a get together with some cousins from my Mother's side, our Mother and their Mother were identical twins. I resemble the oldest one quite a lot. It was really fun, we met their Half-brother who no one knew about until we were all much older. He was very personable and entertaining.
It was Make Music Madison last week, and a friend and I visited a very nice outside house party with three interesting and talented acts. There was free music all over town, but I don't have the energy, esp in heat to run around like I used to do. Our young neighbors rode bikes and visited ten places!

My granddaughter and her husband both work from home - and that's the only kind of job they want. I don't know what their income is, but they don't aspire to the 3 BR, two car, two and a half kids plan. I'm beginning to think they might have the right idea. The rat race takes up most of your life, and doesn't really provide satisfaction. I retired in 2003 and enjoy my days at the computer. There are patio doors in my computer room, and I can see some neighbors, birds, traffic. There are fake geraniums lying on the patio floor this am, so will investigate that sometime.

I have been retired for almost 30 years. I hate to think of all the years I wasted by working. Retirement is good. I could spend all my days just sitting around and wasting time by sleeping late, getting up when I want to, and doing what I want. My wife and I would have the older grandkids come to visit and then pack them into our car and drive all over the country with them in the back seat making gagging sounds as we played 1950's rock and roll. Years from now our grandkds will have wonderful memories of the great times they had with grandma and grandpa. Now we visit the younger grandkids but we mostly just stay and visit. They still like to see us come and visit.

My wife and I are both into our 80s so we are not as active as we used to be. We may still go on cruises but mostly just stay on the ship relaxing in port and not go out on tours. People don't have to retire anymore. They can "work at home" on their computers. Just bring the computer and "work at home" on the ship or in a tourist hotel.

Nothing much happening own here either, although I am firming up my plans for retirement, which is nice. Have to take one of the dogs to the vet, again, today, and work out how to catch the rat in the chicken run without the chickens springing the trap.

Hello to all from Belleville, Illinois where, like much of the country, it's been hot and muggy so I've been pretty much staying inside and appreciating my air conditioner.

I had a brief visit last weekend from my stepson. He and his spouse were in the St. Louis area visiting friends and other relatives. It had been about two years since I last saw him. We generally keep in touch through Facebook and the occasional telephone call.

I still check the this Board regularly, but seldom have anything new to share.

Hope all of you are doing well.

USPS is increasing shipping rates twice in July

"As if" might have been more correct. I read the board every day, even it there's only one new post. Not a lot happens in my life, and I'm sleeping more than usual. Don't seem to be getting energy back. We just had a little shower but in an hour the sun might be brightly shining. You can't tell about Fla weather. I put up a hanging water bath for the birds, but so far none have visited. I'm thinking of attaching a bright flower. Birds find water by hearing it or seeing it move,.

It would be nice if some people stopped in here just to say, "Hi" or "How's it going". I think of several things to say or add but I don't like the idea of having several posts together one after the other. I don't want it to look like I am hogging this board. A "Hi" or "How's it going" to separate posts would be nice.

(Mayhap someone will pop in to say that I should have used "as if" instead of "like".)

I had a grammar school principal who insisted that when people sang "The Star Spangled Banner they did it incorrectly. He believed that when it came to the word "banner" they would sing "ban-" and "-ner' on the same note but "-ner" was written as a higher note than "ban-". (Two notes higher actually.) I don't know where he got that idea. When I hear it sung, people always, as far as I can tell, sing it correctly, higher on "-ner". He would stand in front of the class and when it came to "-ner" he would rise up on his toes and thrust his right hand fingers into the air to get the singers to raise the note higher. It worked. The students would scream "-ner" several notes higher than written and louder than it should be causing listeners to look at each other wondering what was that all about. They named a school after him.

One of my pet peeves is the singing of the national anthem. Half the singers have terrible voices, not suited, or they try to make a rap song of it. Second, half don't sing the right words. i'd rather have an orchestra version, or use America the Beautiful.
All ok here in Fla Panhandle. Hot, dry. My brother may come next week, so I'm thinkng about doing some house cleaning. Just at the thinking stage now.

I was watching the Stanley Cup hockey game last night, At the beginning, when the national anthems were played, the Canadian players had their heads thrown back and were lustily singing the words to Oh Canada. There seemed to be a lot of pride there, no mumbling, scratching, yawning for them, just pride. I was much impressed. (And the Canadians went on to defeat the Florida team.)

My wife and I stopped off at Chili's for a quick lunch - 1 soup, 1 salad, 1 chicken sandwich, 1 lemonade, water. Cost was $37 which I suppose isn't too bad. I like Chili's since they have an electronic pay device on the table that I can use to quickly pay my bill when I want to pay my bill. No wasting time trying to get a waiter to bring me my bill and then wait to sign and get a receipt.

I saw on the news where 50% more money is spent on Mothers' day then on Fathers' day. That makes sense. Usually flowers are sent to Moms but not to Dads. Flowers generally cost about $40+ to send (thank you inflation) so the Moms start out way ahead already. Moms like to be taken out to dine but men (at least me) prefer to stay at home and maybe fire up the barbecue and/or watch sports on TV. I am having a nice, quiet day with a few Fathers' day phone calls and a short visit by my another son. Peace is good.

HAPPY FATHER"S DAY TO ALL WHO ARE..................................HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!

That sports writer I wrote about earlier may have had a point. The Belmont Stakes is a distance race. Seize the Grey was in first place (giving its owners heart attacks) until the final stretch where he tired out and quickly dropped back to 7th place. Bummer.

My wife and I just finished another one week cruise on the gigantic Icon of the Seas cruise ship. I think we are ready to go back to the smaller cruise ships. The Icon of the Seas seems to be geared for younger couples and families with children. There are lots or water pool areas, and bars and lots of giant water slides. Elderly people can get a bit tired out walking the greater distances on the ship. In the old days most of the passengers on the cruise ships seemed to be old retired people. Now I would say the passengers are much younger, early middle age or younger. People are no longer tied down to their jobs as they can now work with their computers on the ships.

Curt, you are welcome and thanks again.

Jim (dainisjg), Lynne (Dramlin), and Patsy (grano9)

Thank you for the birthday wishes! It ended up being a hectic week. I was in San Antonio all week for a work-related trip. Our group squeezed in some time in the evenings to take in the local sights, including a Riverwalk Boat Tour. We had an excellent captain/tour guide, so that was fun. It definitely was humid in San Antonio! lol

You're welcome (re: the Book Board)! I'm just happy that you still come to the board to chat and keep in touch with one another.

Thanks Again,
Curt

I remember one sports writer blathering on in the early 1970s of how no horse in the modern era would ever win the triple crown again. The Preakness was a short speed race while the Belmont was a long endurance race. Modern horses were bred for either speed or distance not both. So, in the next five years three horses won the triple crown; two in back to back years and another two since then.

I only have made one horse race bet in my life. That was on Sham (5-2) in the 1973 Kentucky Derby that Secretariat (3-2) won. (Angle Light was also a 3–2 favorite.) Sham did look good, Secretariat had lost some races before that. Now everyone talks about how Secretariat was the greatest race horse of all time. If he was so great why did he lose those earlier races? And, why was he at the same odds as Angle Light? He also came in second in two of his next four races. I want my $2 back.

Brian LOL thanks for supporting him. I really think he's going to win some more races this year, I'll keep you posted. 🙂 And, yes, he DID win the Preakness!

91 degrees here today -- whew! Just finished sweeping off the driveway. So many dead cicadas, that it sounds like you're driving on Rice Krispies, as you come or go. I can deal with it, but it freaks the Mrs out. So I disposed of all their sexually spent little carcasses, the eco friendly way. Tossed them into the garden to rot. They'll till in as fertilizer nicely, afterall why pay big chem for expensive Miracle Grow, when nature is giving it away free?

Almost forgot. Jane, you own me $5! (just kidding). I know utterly nothing about horses, but you got me fired up. So I bought a $5 OTB ticket for Seize The Grey. The night of the Belmont I quickly quipped to Mrs Briguy "Wait, don't log out yet....go to the sporting news and tell me who won the Belmont stakes". She was like ....long pause...."Whaaaaaa?-- Don't you have enough vices already? Now your betting on horses??" No honey, I'm betting on one particular horse, partly owned by one of the BB ladies I used to chat with. [suspicious glare]. So I waggle the $5 ticket in the air and tell he that if this puppy has won -- I'll treat you to.......McDonald's.

Not sure the sigh was over my clueless $5 gamble, or the less then stellar reward being offered....or perhaps the less then stellar display of spousal logic.

Still, he won the Preakness! I bet the ladies will be lining up for him at the stud farm over that alone.

Hope all are having a blessed day.....and tell the others to get posting. This three posts in 10 days stuff isn't cutting it.

Hello All!

Thanks Kurt..... and belated Happy Birthday!

What Jim said!

Happy Birthday, Kurt. Thank you for this board.

I flew up to Boston last weekend. I could have rented an electric battery powered car but decided not to. Not being used to the jack rabbit starts I was afraid that I would find myself going from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds in the rental parking lot.

I read a story once of a young couple who would go to the airport and get on the first plane flying out just for the fun of it. I enjoy flying. I get to stretch out, watch a movie or the news, read a bit and take a nap now and then. I almost feel like I am being pampered - most relaxing. I think people would look at me funny if I asked for a round trip ticket on any flight leaving soon and had no luggage. Security!

Aeg -- Yes, the tree is gone now. (stacked as wood by the fire pit anyway) Wasn't that hard a task, as gravity had already left it laying there flat/down. What remains is stark barren stump about waist high, sitting directly in the line of sight straight out the rear patio door (of course, it would!). Mrs Briguy's first comment was...."Well., what about the stump?" My response was "Stump?...what stump?.....That is an eco friendly, blends right in with nature, bird bath support." (she rolled her eyes)

Secretly, it was kinda fun. What guy doesn't want to fire up a rented chain saw and prance around flexing his manhood? I even wore an old lumberjack flannel shirt (intentionally)... like on the paper towel package, to perform the task. (she missed the symbolism).

Jim, et al -- I have no issues with those who want an electric car. I support fully anyone who wants to play around with that technology, especially as it logically "should" make the gasoline I crave cheaper. What I object to is the term itself. There are no electric cars. There are only BATTERY powered cars, which need to be periodically recharged via fossil fuel energy plants, belching out smoke in someone else's backyard. I've learned to laugh at those people so deeply invested in virtue signaling before a mirror, that they've convinced themselves they are the solution to all the planets ills. Try it on me. Point out proudly how your sweet ride doesn't have any exhaust pipe. Mrs Briguy says that when I genuinely laugh out loud, I sound a lot like that old sitcom character Archie Bunker. :o)

That ugly reality now typed and posted....its also true that a Tesla, any Tesla, can easily embarrass the best of 60's muscle cars at the track. Even a Shelby Cobra.

So I suspect the day is coming. When I finally see the Bubba gear head NASCAR types drag racing electrics......I will meekly apologize.

Many electric car advocates can be truthful but very misleading.
I remember one congresswoman telling how she drove from Michigan to Washington D.C. in her electric car. She said how wonderful it was to pass gas station after gas station with people in them stopped to get gas. She had an electric car and did not have to stop! She made no mention of how she would have had to stop every 100 mile for about 30 minutes to recharge for another 100 mile drive or about one hour for a 200 mile recharge. The gasoline car stops would have added up to about 15 minutes for the 11 hour trip. The electric recharging stops would have added another 3-1/2hours to the trip.

Oh, but while the battery is recharging you can go to have a delicious meal. Isn't that nice? And, two hours later, you can recharge again and have another delicious meal. And, two hours later, you can recharge again and have another delicious meal. And, two hours later, you can recharge again and have another delicious meal. And, two hours later, you can recharge again and have another delicious meal.

Briguy--hope you got the tree cut up. without getting hurt. We got a lot of rain and high winds, I thought it mostly missed us. but when I went out back there were some smaller branches strewn around and one large one. It was big enough we could barely drag it and it would not fit through the gate nor through the small space between the house and the shed. We have a reciprocating saw which worked dandy for cutting it up. We were a little leery of it maybe bucking but it did not. I even did a couple branches.
Jim, I am with you on electric cars, I don't think they are practical and most do not want them, I think we'll see a reversal on the trying to make folks convert.
Jane wow on the horse--what fun, win some money and have a share that increased! I'm wondering if we'll get the cicadas. . . we're kind of on the border of the territory. We always have some, more some years than others. We also had some extremely loud katydids for a couple years. I woke up one night and thought we had a broken creaking attic fan but it was just the katydids.

So glad the cicadas haven't come this far north!

And now for something completely different.......

My neighbor that recently lost his heating/AC unit to lightening , now reports he can't mow his lawn either. Its reason #122 as to why you DO NOT want to buy an electric lawn mower. The second he turns in on -- the "zzzzzzzzzt" whirling noise it makes, ... mimics the mating call of the cicadas! Ah ha ha ha!! Instantly at the sound, TENS OF THOUSANDS of them leap eagerly out of the trees and descend on you in a swarm that blocks out the Sun.

He reports his two teen daughters are now hiding in the basement crying and traumatized. Welcome to the suburbs, buddy.

Jim -- fast food burgers? WGN TV currently has a page on their website for -- get ready -- cicada recipes! Yep, they've got a couple for cicada burgers too. My guess is the McD's clown isn't that worried yet........

Our pizza delivery with tip for driver is right at $50. We've had to rethink take out. TAco Belll and Chick Fila A are the most reasonoable. Shrimp Box is over $40 with no drinks, 5 guys about $23.

Jim Yes, a sandwich or burger is about $15 here too, sometimes higher. This price increase has happened in the past couple of years. I don't go to McDonalds very often but did a couple of weeks ago when the kids were here and I was shocked at the total.

The last small restaurants I have been in have sandwiches listed as around $15. So if my wife and I stop in for a quick sandwich and drink the cost would be about $40. (More with the tip.) I saw where McDonalds is now considered by many as being a luxury restaurant.

Whenever I read about electric cars I often see not much about how much time is taken to recharge them. It is fine if you have a private home and pay to have a recharging station installed in your garage. The vehicle can recharge overnight much like a cell phone. But I recall living in Brooklyn and seeing lines and lines of cars parked on the street.

Then a person coming home from work with an electric car could not stop in a gas station and fill up with gas in about five minutes. He would have to go to a charging station (which hopefully has a vacant spot). Many electric cars can charge 100 miles in approximately 35 minutes with a rapid charger. If there are no vacant spots he may have to wait about an hour for one to open up. So he sits there wishing he was home with his feet up and a cold beer in hand. And, if it is cold he sits there in the cold for a longer period of time. Cold weather can reduce an EV battery range between 10-20% and could also triple the charging length. Electric cars just do not make much sense if you live in the city.

Brian I like the cave in Wisconsin idea, sometimes it sounds terrific! Our Preakness winner, Seize the Grey, has 2570 owners. After everything else was paid each share did receive $156 this time. We got $50 each for his Pat Day win on Derby day. If he keeps winning it will be nice. However, his stud value has increased dramatically and each of our shares is probably worth at least $3000 or more right now even if he never wins another race. If he does.......this is one time a microshare has actually paid off. Usually they are just for fun. BTW he is entered in the Belmont which is on June 8th.

OK, back. What's going on? Seriously, what gives?. The old BB chat used to cycle in mere hours (especially if a negative comment about cats was involved). So here is your happy Briguy update. Semi retired me...got the biz I was after! Was told by my contact the large corporate firm I was up against offered to pay a 10% cash "bonus" to "retain" me and my contact as "consultants" if they got the business. [Utterly illegal and actually a pretty serious felony].

I sat there stunned with my mouth open and eyes wide at that news. I was at a total loss for all words. This sort of crap simply doesn't happen in the business to business sales world (NEVER for me in 35+ years). My contacted started to laugh ....and handed me a P.O. for $65,000. He then informed me that particular company is now banned from ever quoting any future business with them again (nationwide no less) over it. A letter was also sent to the offending corporate HQ, to why they will never again be welcome to even offer a bid.

Wow. .....geeesh....Just wow! There are still honest people in the world! Don't think I'm suddenly rich though. My slice of that 65K pie is only about $700. I suspect though, I'll be getting much more stuff to provide in the future. Sometimes, not often enough,...it pays off to be honest and honorable.

All in all...a very, very, weird day. Now folks pray for me. I have to fire up a rented chain saw, and Mrs Briguy is terrified....as I've got a rather long history of really dumb accidents This time she'll be there to supervise (bark orders). LOL!

Again, hope all are well. :o)

Jim -- What did Twain say? "Lies, da*n lies, and statistics." According to one party inflation is "transitory", no wait -- it never happened, uhhhh wait again -- it was like this when I got here! (yeah, right). Can't give the other party a pass either, as I sure don't see them trying to rein in the insane spending which has killed 30% of the value of a US $ in the last three years.

Buy gold. Or I'll teach you how to sniff out old silver coins with a detector. :o)

Perhaps it my age, but I'm changing. I used to be quite political, always eager to debate out points in chat rooms. No more. I'm done. The goal now is to find a nice quiet cave in central Wisconsin where I can hide from people (must be walking distance from good fishing). Screw the use of money entirely. I'll barter fresh fish with the Amish for baked goods.

As for the immediate issues here, MASSIVE tree down straight across my yard from the storm two days ago. (this doesn't happen to people who live in caves) Yet, I feel lucky. My neighbors house took a lightening hit that fried out their AC/HEAT unit. Total loss and they said their deductible is 2K. Ouch.

Geeesh. As I read my post back I see its a collection of grumpy moans and whines. I told you, I'm getting old...

Mystery Horse -- way cool!! I've heard about the existence of people others call "Gentlemen" or "Ladies". I always figured it was a reference those who owned horses. So from now on....you are the honorable "Dame Lady Jane"! So, ...how much of the purse do you get?....pennies?....or I'm buying only first editions from now on sort of windfall?

Anyhoo, here i am posting mid day. Lunch is now over, gotta run to go visit a customer.

Best wishes for all.

Good morning to all from Belleville, Illinois where it should be a pleasant day. After all the storms that came through here, we could use a few nice dry days.

Yesterday was a good (but tiring) day. I went with Sis, her DH, her Daughter, and three of her grandchildren to decorate family graves for Memorial Day. Decorating graves was always something my family did, and Sis and I are willing to carry on the tradition. We decided it was time to start taking some of the grandkids with us since eventually it will be up to them whether or not this continues, The kids found it amazing to learn that they carry DNA from the people whose graves we decorate. Even though the kids are only in elementary school, they know what DNA is!

Congratulations, Jane. Went to horse races back in the day - from illrhsl back lot ones to nice tracks. Visited Churchill Downs, but not on Derby Day.

Jane,, Congratulations on your (microshare) Preakness win. That is mighty impressive.

It seems like a few years ago I would get a T-bone steak at Longhorn Steak House for $18.95. Then a bit later it was $24.95 and yesterday it was $30. A quick glance at meat in the supermarket and it seems the prices are $15 to $25. It is a good thing that inflation is under control, at least according to the politicians.

Well. What can I say but......my horse just won the Preakness! Yes! I am one of the microshare owners in Seize the Grey. I'm speechless!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BETH! Hope it's a great day and lots more to come!

Late, but hope all had a very Happy Mother's Day.............mine was lovely.

We have had some really bad weather, and more due overnight tonight... My sister in Mobile said they had 6.35 inches of rain yesterday/last night at the airport there....that's a lot of rain.

Beth: I must made a similar decision with the recommendation of my doctor, my doctor daughter and 2 others not to have surgery on a Femoral artery blockage in my right leg where I had a knee replaced in 2018. Their worries were the anesthesia at my age of 84... I could awaken with a fixed artery, but with lots fewer working brain cells. Happens often to elderly patients. My PT twice a week has allowed my leg to "grow" new arteries and veins according to the pics from the exam, and bypassing the blockage. I agree, I can use a cane, a walker, a wheelchair, but would like to keep my working brain cells, so I cancelled the surgery.

Diane: Sorry you have been having such an awful episode with your health, just take you time and get your strength back and feel better soon.

Oh, I have great-grandson #7 due on Sept. 7th...... maybe I told you already, can't remember. brains too full...........LOL!

Stay well and safe everyone................... oh , I don't do much on computer anymore, as I had to have the joint of the pointer finger on my left hand opened and cleaned and a steel screw into the end of it...so that finger doesn't bend at all and the middle finger is growing the same thing.... I am a lefty... and typing is becoming very aggravating, have to keep correcting mistakes.......................

love to everyone.....................

I don't see a post from Beth, but evidently some of you did.
On top of everything else, I had a bad reaction to an antibiotiuc and was in bed another two days. DS has been great during all this, but I think he may be tir4ed of waiting on me. Doing better today - hope to stay up all day - may even get dressed.

Beth, I'm glad you made a decision that seems to be right for you. I'm sure things will work out well.

My wife and I spent Mother's Day over at my son's house, the son who lives here in Florida. It was also my granddaughter's birthday so it was a double celebration. I hope everyone had a good day.

phew! I had trouble getting a link for that which would not include part of the article!

Good to see you Beth-- sounds like you have a well considered and studied plan. I hope you continue to improve your mobility and are feeling well.

https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2014/10/21/political-polarization

Jim --I wouldn't say the press as a whole has become more partisan. Some outlets have become more polarized. Both parties seem to think they are being picked on. A person can watch or read Fox and see the Dems get attacked, you'll never see a Dem office holder mentioned without a negative adjective, ugly nickname, or they will be tied to a bad situation of some kind. On the other hand, one can watch MSNBC and see somewhat less name calling, but the Republicans are definitely presented in negative light.
One can watch the regular daily/nightly news (not Fox News) NBC ABC PBS etc and get shorter mentions but a somewhat less polarized version most of the time. There are lots more sources--newspapers, TV stations and online reports and blogs. AP (website) tends to write more factual reports which avoid negative and inflammatory language. . I also believe PBS to be more interested in facts, though some consider them liberal. Another more factual/balanced source is the 1440 a new online source I have been trying out.
Although I am quite skeptical of Polls these days, here is a very interesting article on Polarization and Media habits

I decided against the surgery after further conversation with my doctor. Her feeling is that unless the hip implant has failed or it is a life and death situation, once a hip replacement is done, it should not be re-opened. There is a high risk of infection. It just really really felt that if I had the surgery, I would go through a lot for very little and even that was iffy. I did not just break a bone, a piece of bone the size of a half dollar broke off my pelvis. I am fine with my decision. If I must use a cane, I will. I get around inside the house fine without a cane, I do still feel I need it for stairs and on uneven ground, but walk all around my yard and garden without a cane. I go back to see my doctor May 20. I will have new xrays and see how the pelvis is and will get a prescription for a mobility scooter to use for flea markets, shopping malls, etc.

Hi to all! good to see you Jim and Briguy. Jim--even pricey restaurants here allow casual dress. It's the way of the world these days. but a cruise is still a Very Nice Place to visit.
Briguy--you can't be retired, you're too young. --oh no! you made me realize it is ten years this year since I retired!
1848 was the year Wisconsin became a state--so it's a good year for your coin, you should frame it for your trailer/cabin.
Hi to June, Diane, Lynne, Patsy and Beth!
Been fighting the evil Mustard in the garden and preparing to plant some things in my new sunny area.
On facebook, I have a number of relatives and new and old friends. I also follow some great Pages, like Wild Birds of Wisconsin (great recent photos of birds , also gives locations so if you're lucky you might catch a glimpse.) Wisconsin Wildlife Photography, and the Louise Penny Book Club that has excellent discussions of the Gamache series and other books. Not as great as the old BB though. . .

Thank you for all the Loving Care, and Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers, Step-Mothers, Adopted Mothers, Foster Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunt Mothers and Friend Mothers !

Happy mother's day to all of you. I hope you have a great day.

Briguy! Interesting to hear about your life - stay with us. We could use the sarcasm, believe me.
Recovering still from my fall - but getting close to 100%. Dressed and stayed up almost all of yesterday, even cooked a casserole supper. Thunder, wind and lots of rain in the early am. Schools closed today. We didn't lose power but some areas did. Another house for sale in our neighborhood - going for outrageous prices.

Hello to all from Belleville, Illinois where after several days of off-and-on storms, the sun is now shining and it is a beautiful day.

briguy Good to hear from you !

Does anyone know if Beth decided to have the hip surgery? I was thinking about her the other day.

Brian, Good to see you again. For years I have been the only male member on this board who was posting. Things are usually very quiet here with posts being few and far apart. I think most people now devote themselves to Facebook. I have a Facebook account but never use it except if someone (grandkids) sends me a message that way.
It is amazing how you find an old coin in a field. There used to be lots of fields around the farm that I was raised on. I don't see how anyone would lose coins in those fields. Maybe while crawling under some farm equipment for a repair or such. Keep up the good work.

Wow! Long time no see Brian! Glad to hear all is going well.

Lots happening in my life right now which is why I haven't been posting. Will try to explain some of that next week but a lot of it involves my 97 year old mother. More later.

Hey peeps. I know, I know,....it's been a long time. First off Mrs Briguy and myself are fine! I'm older, fatter, balder, and even more of a sarcastic smart ass then before! So yeah, things are going well! Not much to report in the world of stamps. Sort of on the back burner since I've adopted mental detecting. (yet kept the old AOL/EBay accounts open -- still do a little) Some things have remained the same. It used to be "Did you spend $400 on an old cover from Tennessee?....well did you??". Now its, did you spend $400 on a " non ferrous eliminating sport detecting coil"?....well, did you??...uuuuuhm.....yeah, that was me. 🙁

Don't get me wrong, she supports this! She's often said that unlike other men, I don't harbor dreams of red convertibles and blonde bimbos. My midlife issue is pestering her constantly for more batteries. Serves her right, as she has a Cost-Co card WITHOUT my name on it. I can't even go get a cheap hot dog!

BTW -- I've officially retired now. Mrs Briguy has put in her papers too....she's out in 2 more years. As of last year we paid off the house. It's utterly ours now. Shockingly, this makes me want to sell it, and drunkenly travel the country in a Winnebago. Thank God I have her to stop these urges.

She has allowed me and a guy from our church I've befriended to buy an old trailer.....in Wisconsin....next to the Fox river. Yep, we've been fishing and PLOTTING. Next up is an old 16" boat and a small outboard.....but, shhhhh....you didn't read that here. So yeah, I'm becoming like Earnest Hemingway, chasing the wild walleyes....although I still can't spell and have no grasp of syntax. WORSE YET...I puttered around the farm field across from our trailer ...and found a 1848 large cent! My friend has zero concept of me not wanting to head to the dam for the whitefish run.....because I want to go dig precise holes in the cut bean field across the street.

Each man is allowed only so much time in his life.

I hope everyone here has has a wonderful happy life themselves. I know it's been,........geeze....eight years?- since I plopped in a post. I'll try to keep it less extended next time.

Love you all -- the Briguy

My wife and I have just returned from another cruise, this one a short trip around the Caribbean on the Symphony of the Seas. Things have certainly changed a lot from when we first started to sail. On formal night few men wear a suit and tie. I remember one time when men wouldn't be admitted to the dining room if not wearing a tie on formal night. Now men go into the formal dining room wearing t-shirts and sandals. And what is with these sandals? I get on an elevator and all of the men, besides myself, are sockless and wearing sandals. I worry about stepping on all those bare toes in the crowded elevator. Is it such a bother to put on a pair of shoes or Nikes.
My wife and I did not eat in the main dining room at all. We ate in the specialty restaurants instead. The food is much better and the atmosphere is much nicer and quieter. Usually. Note: woman who have had one or two drinks really laugh loud and laugh at everything.

Happy to report some improvement in injuries. Will be able to stay up a little today.

You can see the whole world in an Emergency Department...

Spent 3 hours in ER last evening due to the pain from Wed.'s fall. Saw among other things, a dead body being moved, a skinny old woman pushing a wheel chair for 2 hours, a fat woman throwing a screaming fit subdued by 4 brave men,and most of a motorcycle gang. They confirmed nothing broken, just bad painful bruising. Think it's some better today.

Hello to all from Belleville, Illinois where it has been a pleasant day. The temperature is in the 60s and the sun is shining. Unfortunately, with all the flowering trees there is a lot of pollen in the air causing problems for allergy sufferers.

It has been very quiet around here. Sis and her DH are away on a trip. They are visiting Croatia, Slovenia, and ending with a couple days in Venice, Italy. They return home on Friday. I have been keeping an eye on their house and taking care of the plants. They have a lot of both indoor and outdoor plants.

Had a fall this morning. One minute standing, next on the floor. Several hurting spots, nothing broken, will be okay in a few days. Be careful out there.

One of my best friends was Jewish. Now I see that anti-semitism is rife in this country. Jewish students are afraid to walk cross campus in college. Is this 1930s Germany? A free press is the cornerstone of democracy. But what happens when that press becomes an arm of one political party and is used to trash the other party? It just seems like something is very, very wrong.

cheerie not cherry. Me not spell check.

A week since anyone posted - I feel it's my duty to say something. Didn't get a lot done this week, but marked a couple things off the list. DS and I will make our annual visit to see if the Gulf is still there one day when we both are feeling well.
I urge you all to keep up with political events and to vote this fall. Our country is nearing it's expiration date. I only hope it's a bloodless revolution and all government programs doen't close down. On that cherry note I will say ligr is good at the moment and I wish it would just continue along.

Evening all..............quiet Sunday..............ok by me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM! Hope it was special!

Looks like we are getting our first taste of summer later this week.... expecting high80s low 90s.... Gee, still spring!

Hope all are well.........happy, content, and enjoying every day!

Night all!

Jim Happy Birthday to You !!

Have a great Birthday, Jim. Always young at heart.

Felicitations Jim! This is working well for me as it's already the 14th here lol

That leap year thing. My birthday is tomorrow. So, I stay young for one more day. (If 80-ish is still considered young.)

I have seen my first butterflies of the year, as well as Robin, Forsythia, and turtles! Spring has sprung! We began April with a surprise heavy snow but it was gone within days. We had some 40s and 50, now we'll have summerish 60s and 70s. There's a Star Magnolia blooming on the corner, and we walked the botanical garden where the saucer Magnolias are budded out.
there are daffodils, crocus, scylla, and snowdrops too.

Lots of rain and wind, but we missed the worst of this storm system, I think. Carpenter came yesterday and fixed the termite damage outside and inside. Roofers still haven't shown. Dark and dreary day.

Vitamin B6 can be helpful for sciatica.

My wife and I will be leaving on a three day weekend cruise. She has not been feeling well with sciatica nerve pain. We are taking this short cruise just to get back into the swing of things. I hope everyone else gets to feeling better.

DS doing better. Was able to drive me to eye dr yesterday. Not a good visit there - painful, Eye is bloody, sore and tearing. Looks worse than it is, but had a headache last night. Better today. Don't go back until June. Getting stuff done around the house. Patio almost ready for summer.

Beth, I hope your treatment , whichever you choose works for you.So sorry this is happening.
Patsy, hope the leg gets better too.
Also happy Vietnam Veteran's Day Jim, thank you for your service.

Happy Easter all!
Wow, Jim that must have been quite an experience!
I love the peeps dioramas@

Well yesterday we got a bunch of snow...but it's a degree or so above freezing so it's a heavy sloppy mess. Our lovely neighbors shoveled the walk, so kind! I cleared my car, I may be going cross town to watch a friend's new dog while she goes to an appointment--the city has been clearing the main roads, so it should be ok, but she may decide to change the appointment because it is on the far side the opposite way.

Evening................HAPPY EASTER ALL!. Had a quiet day..........beautiful weather, cool nights very warm afternoons... everything is all green and new and blooms starting to appear here and there. Hope all of you are well!

It's that time of year again! The winners of the Peeps contest:

Relaxing, creative and perilous: Here are the winners of the 2024 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest

And here is a photo of my old ship "Transcolumbia". I made several trips to Vietnam on her.

That ship striking a bridge in Baltimore and causing it to collapse reminded me of a similar incident back in my seafaring days. I was first engineer on a heavy lift ship called the "Transcolumbia". She was built with massive 30 inch diameter steel booms that could lift up to 200 tons. We were passing under a lift bridge with the booms in a vertical position. One of the booms struck the bridge as we were passing under. There was enough force that it actually bent the 30 inch steel boom but the bridge did not collapse. I guess they built that bridge a lot stronger. An investigation determined that the bridge was at fault. It had not been raised to the maximum height before our ship tried to pass under.

And consider that while using a cane, you don't get better, you get worse. Use it or lose it is very true. You're a fighter, so bite the bullet. Time is not your friend at an older age.

Beth: I am willing to walk with a cane, use a walker, a wheelchair, or whatever and keep what brain cells I have and not become mentally insufficient.... as did my MIL and couple of FOL friends I know. Deep anesthesia for older people is damaging - I was warned by my doctor daughter and my primary care physician and others.... and I have seen it happen already in the family. I will do my PT, strength training, etc. and try and keep my clear thinking in tact. I had knee replacement in that leg in 2018, and now I have femoral artery blockage...but my body has made new field of veins/arteries around it...............

Hope you have a good outcome.... think you might be a bit younger than I.........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANE!

Beth, I remember one time a woman wrote to Dear Abbey that she wanted to go back to school for four years to become a lawyer. She was hesitant because when she got the degree she would be 44 years old. Abbey's reply was to ask how old she would be in four years if she didn't go back to school. If the surgery works you will be fine, no cane. If it doesn't work you will still be in the same situation needing a cane. A 65% success rate (think positive) seems worth trying. I don't like the idea of having to stay off you feet for three months but that seems better than being semi-helpless for the rest of your life.

Beth I think the biggest question is if the operation fails will you be worse off than you are now? If not, it seems there's little to lose by trying it seeing as the alternative is needing an aid to walk. And to be fair 35% is actually a low failure rate for a complicated surgery; might not seem like it but there are many many operations that have a failure rate way over 50%

Been a while since I visited. Had my epidural December 27, it helped a lot, but was hard to know as pain in hip became unbearable. Had left hip replaced January 19, all was going really well, I thought, but xrays on 6 week post surgery visit showed I had broken a bone in my hip, so I was told to stop 50% of my PT exercises until I saw the doctor this past Thursday. The broken bone is not going to heal on its own. I now need to decide if I want to have surgery to repair it, or use a cane to walk the rest of my life. I keep going back and forth about it. The surgery is very complicated with a high failure rate. I would have to stay off my feet for up to 3 months. Decision has to be made by April 17 and surgery by April 20. After that, too late to do anything. Doctor really wasn't much help in deciding. I HATE the cane! I can't carry anything, need someone to help me all the time with the simplest chores. I need to be more independent. But the failure rate on surgery is over 35%, not good odds. So I go back and forth. Today, I am thinking I have to try it. Tomorrow I may think it is not worth it.

Saw the discussion about daily papers. I have read the Rutland Daily Herald for over 60 years. About 5 years ago, they got rid of the Sunday edition, 2 years ago, they got rid of the Monday edition. Now there is a physical paper Tuesday through Saturday. I used to subscribe, but then I got a carrier who threw my paper in snow banks, was late 3 times a week and I would have to buy a paper on my way to work even though I had one coming at home. Now the Tuesday thru Friday paper is $1.50 but they want $3.25 for the Saturday edition, just because it has the grocery flyers, so I stopped buying Saturday. I may go back to subscribing since I moved and it will be different carrier. Costs less than half of what I pay for 4 papers a week if I subscribe.

DIANE

Ha! So happy birthday today! 🙂