Good morning, ladies!

Mary, we have missed YOU, TOO!!!

I am FAAAAARRRRRRR from painting on canvas - I am 'painting' on paper - LOL! I am also far from being a painter - a kindergartener can 'paint' with crayons! That's basically what watercolor painting is, with a little shading added - not a big accomplishment. I started oil and acrylic lessons last Friday - now maybe THAT will qualify as art - oils are HARD to work with! How about posting some of your sculptures, Mary????

Eloise, show us some of your paintings - I love looking at other's accomplishments!

Good morning all,

Guess CS is dead.

Michael, forgot when your daughter was getting married, and wondering how the situation with mom is coming along. I hope things all worked out. Anymore photos?

Jo, how did you like your acrylic lesson? The reason I picked acrylic instead of oil is because acrylic dries faster and if you mess up you can paint right over it where with oil, you have to wait a day or so before it dries.

Two of us are going to meet a friend at UCLA today and then go into Westwood for lunch. Haven't done this in a while and it will be great visiting my colleagues.

gng, hope your kitchen is finally at the stage you want it to be. It's hard to get ones life disrupted.

Later.

Eloise - no way CS is dead; we are all just miserably S-L-O-W!!!!!

We'll back in the swing soon. When I first lucked up on this site, it was so dry. Then all of a sudden, we just popped a gasket!! Now I guess we're in a lull - at least that's what Jo promised - LOL, Jo!! Hope she's right - can't loose you guys!!!!!

Michael, if you are out there, shout back when you can - whenever. I hope you are having some fun too!!!

gng

Mary, you can bet Michael's in SOME SORT of trouble SOMEWHERE - he's as cute as a speckled pup, as sweet as pure cane sugar, and always THINKING! Maybe Ms. New Jersey is in town - seems to me he said she was coming down this spring SOMETIME. If she's in town, I KNOW where THEY ARE! LOL

Yep, this forum gets slow UNLESS someone is willing to stir the pot and add some pepper to it. I guess I will have to find something to spice this place up a bit! All of you put on your thinking caps and let's get something going here!

Wish I had something spicy to tell, but haven't done anything exciting.

Guess we will have to wait until Michael surfaces to hear some news from that front, lol!

I assume Gerry will be able to post and tell us about her trip end of January when we start a new thread because dial up takes too long for this to load up for her. Also, looking forward to Gene posting at some point, as well as some of the other previous posters.

It's a beautiful day here in southern CA. Taking my granddaughter shopping for a wallet. This girl always 'needs' something. Recently they bought her a new bedroom set, then dad took her shopping for a complete set of lamps, comforter, sheets, curtains and rug, and dad said "think the Queen's room is complete"!

Later.

I think both of you are right - we gotta get Michael back.

Jo - I believe it was March, that she was coming. I hope all works out for him. BUT, he had better hurry up and get back here. It's getting too slow around here!! Oh yeah, I remember his pic - he aint too bad to look at either. He actually reminds me of a guy that I dated for about a year. They were about the same age and oh boy, so much just plain fun!! We both realized we weren't right for each other, but we remained friends for a good little while, just to have company to hang out with. Sometimes, that's better than in a relationship!! Hmmmm, that makes me think about a new thread - "best friends" or "significant other"...?

Eloise - I'm just LOL RE your grandaughter! I remember my 12th Bday. My parents bought me a new bedroom set just like the one on display in the window the downdown department store - bedspread and all. I was so excited. I'll never forget that. Of course it was the typical White French Provencial. Mine was a little different though because instead of havng plain gold trim, it had light blue painted trim around the drawers, etc. They painted my room sky blue, to match. You couldn't tell me nuth'n!!

I hope you enjoy your shopping trip.

LOL, Mary - I can just see your nose in the air!

I'm alive and kickin'... had major company for mom's birthday and it all went off pretty well. Ms. New Jersey has been here since the 8th and will be here until (?). The weather has been too crummy to get out and do much touring, though. Maybe I'll come up with some pics soon. The wedding is 45 days away, so reality is beginning to set in. I do hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying the longer days of sunlight.

welcome back Michael - you were missed to be sure. It was way too quiet over here!!

Glad to hear things went well and all is flowing smoothly. One day at a time and sounds like that's what happening (although it's really probably pretty hectic right now.) But I hear so much more calm in your "voice".

Funny, when you mentioned the wedding, I momentarily forgot it was your daughter's. Thought at first you were talking about you - LOL!!!

I hope things continue to go well for you.

Welcome back, Michael - glad things are working well for you!

Mary, I thought the same thing - he's getting married!!

Michael - so the wedding is May 15th? Will your S.O. be here for that event?

How does your Mom like Ms. New Jersey so far?
I realize it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about her, but it sure makes things easier if everyone likes everyone! LOL I'm sure she is a sweet and lovely lady, but the general rule is that no one is good enough for sonny boy!

impo'tnt thoughts Jo!!

Hey Michael, glad things turned out good for your mom's b.d. BTW, where will the wedding be after all? I know that last was to go to Las Vegas, but don't recall if that was final. Won't be long, and I hope your daughter found a wonderful guy to care for her.

Jo and gng, are you trying to get Michael married already, lol!

Well the weather is great out here, and the nights are a bit cool. They keep saying we are getting rain, but so far none has fallen in my yard!

Later.

Eloise, NO - I don't want Michael to get married! If he gets married, he's off the market, and I may want him for myself some day!!!! Just kidding, Diane!

It was nice here, today - sunny, but the darned wind made it coat-wearing weather. I went to three nurseries today to buy goodies - an early birthday present from Gary - thanks, Honey - I love you!

Hey Jo - we know, we know - LOL!!! From what you have said though, and from the little bit I know here, he would be a good catch (no pink cheeks Michael; not trying to scare you away!!) OK, you have a little edge to you but that just keeps ya young. You just appear to be a caring and decent gentleman that enjoys life and loves to share it with others. That makes you a good catch all by itself!

Yeah, we do need the guy's here as much as possible. Everyone knows women have opinions, but the guys do to. This place is a free-for-all for them to fire away too. Good to have, to balance things here.

The weather here - well, it's been gorgeous the past few days. HOWEVER, thats about to change. I hear it will be close to freezing when I get up - arrrrgggh!!

nite all!!

Mary, Michael is indeed a very dear friend of mine, and I want only the best for him. He will make the right lady very happy indeed - the trick will be to pin him down!

It's cold and clammy here again today - we just can't seem to get that break from the northerner, allowing the southern breezes to flow and bring us warmer weather - you know, it beats being dead, hands down, so I won't complain!

I'm sure he is a good friend to have.

OK - it's still raining and I'm tired of it for today. Eloise, why don't I pack some up and send it your way!! I need some sunshine! We'll get there one day, Jo. But I bet you'll get there before I do - FL, here comes Jo.....!!!

Hi All!!...No wedding bells for me, thank you....KC misquoted the number of days to me, when I said 45...the wedding is on the 24th of May. Got fitted for my suit today. (I'll be selling pics of me ,in a suit, on the internet so that someone will have proof that I have ever worn one) It will be here in town, (I think :) )...Hadn't looked back in as I had to take mom to ER on Wednesday and she just got released this afternoon...a little dehydration, but other than that, docs have no clue for her dizzy spells. Flu was ruled out. BTW Jo, Diane and mom get along very well. Almost scares me, heh...

Michael, I am happy that your mom and future fiance get along - it's so important to your future happiness, IMHO!!! Thanks for updating us. Tell your mom to quit scaring you and DRINK her LIQUIDS as she's supposed to!!!

Michael, I know your daughter will be so proud to see you in that suit!! What a special day to look forward to - I'm excited for you. I remember when my nephews got married. One at the Courthouse and the other at the quaint chapel at University of MD. It is a beautiful place. My nephew stood there waiting for his bride with an expression I have NEVER seen before. He had such a calm expression, one of conviction as though he was so sure that he had picked the right one. We all know he did, even her family. That is such a priceless feeling.

Oh yeah, we wanna see those pics!!!

Whew, glad these couple of days are over! I've been busy since early Thursday morning. The school where my DD works and my GD goes to school at had their annual fashion show yesterday. It's been held at the Sheraton, but this year they had it at the Hilton. This is a fundraiser and I do the bouquets that they sell plus long stem red roses for the graduates. These students aren't graduating yet, but they get to walk down the runway. At the start of the runway, a guy comes out, meets a girl and hands her a long stem rose and walk to the other end of the runway -- very neat. Also did these huge bouquets to present to the two chairs of the show, and two smaller ones for the two choreographers. We had a wonderful lunch, there was a silent auction (and I got carried away and spent too much), fashion show, music, etc. The show appeared to be a great success and hopefully they made plenty of $ because it is for a worthy cause, a private Christian Jr.-Sr. High School!

Anyway, good to hear things are going well Michael. What do you mean, you will be selling pictures of you on the internet, LOL! You know, I wouldn't doubt that someone would buy one.

Hi Eloise,

Boy, you were busy. But, as you say, it was for a good cause. I have a close friend that creates floral arrangements for a variety of events. She even barters with her the owner of her hair salon. Problem with that, she goes EVERY week! It takes a lot of work to put something like that together, but it can really put as smile on your face when you can contribute to the success. I'm sure it will be.

Jo, how are ya doing out there? How's your painting going?

Oh well, it's time to crawl under for another week at work. Take care all...

gng

Good morning all,

Just sitting here in front of the computer having my coffee and checking out GW. Hope everyone is doing well.

Yesterday I planted a few plants, mowed the front lawn, raked leaves and washed my car. I just love it when I have that kind of energy and wish it was more often, LOL!

Anyone else had a successful day?

Hey Jo - something to do for your new retirement career - you should teach. Been following the "Opinions" thread, and you love this stuffI and know it too!! You're taking me back to my school days. I was a Psyche major for a few moments. I switched to Speach Pathology, but had to drop out - BIG MISTAKE!!! Maybe you could find a local college to teach Psych 101 or something, or even a higher level course. I'm sure your students would be engaged.

Eloise - Are you still as busy? I haven't seen you much. Seems like we are getting new frinds on the "Opintions" thread that Jonesy started. If you read it, Jo has started a firestorm - like the old Friday night rants!!

Hope everyone is doing well. Michael - are you married yet? - Just kidding. I know you are up to your eyeballs with your daughter's wedding, and I guess you still have a guest. Hope that's going well too.

This thread's getting ready to explode on us - well at least if everyone comes back to play. Who's got the lead on setting up CSVII?????

See ya'll.

gng

You can start Coffee Shop VII, Mary!

Yes, I'm afraid my sweet Michael is up to his ears in "Diane"!! LOL I am SO happy for him - he's a terrific guy, and any gal would be lucky to have him in her life.

Michael, I hope KC's wedding plans are progressing - it's creeping closer and closer. Come back and tell us what's going on - this forum is entirely too quiet without you!

Good news/bad news RE Michael. He sure did tame up some when she came out. I kinda guessed it was coming. See what powers we gals have!! Keep us posted. Michael, do we have to coax you back like the last time!!!! Just want to know how you are doing.

gng

This is the real busy season for Mike - he does heating and cooling installs and repairs. You are right, Knee, it was just a matter of time until some nice lady grabbed him. He probably has his hands full of women at the moment, what with his Mother, his daughter and his girlfriend ALL pulling at him!

Wow - wish he could come to my home. Need someone I could trust to do some work here. Furnace isn't old but needs some repair. Plus need to reroute some ductwork. There are some things this woman just can't do - LOL!!

Hi all,

Can't lose this thread - just posting to revive it a little. I think it's the safest thread we've got - LOL!!

Anyway, hope all are doing OK. Vacations coming up, schools ending, the sun's out so folks are out making pretty, BUT, take a few moments to keep in touch. What's everyone doing out there!!???

gng

Hey, Mary! I am re-potting plants, taking care of the son and dog, getting fatter by the day, even though I walk the dog 3+ miles every day (weather permitting) - pretty much what everyone else is doing! What about you - any new projects on your agenda?

Hey there you two, nothing much happening here. I am drying a load of clothes, and watered the backyard, but had to come in because I could see mosquitoes aiming at me, lol! I hate them, but they love me! Yesterday in order for me to go outside, I put two sheets of Bounce on my clothing. O.k., don't laugh, but in some health mag. I read this repels the mosquitoes, and it really does work, yeah! I must have some BAD blood that mosquitoes and fleas just love.

Good morning all,

Took my car to a different dealership. Had a sensor replaced that was causing the rpms to fluctuate. So far so good. Also had my brakes done. Man it's expensive to get your car fixed at a dealership! Next, I need a smog check.

Yesterday, I cleaned out my half-whiskey barrel pond. The waterlilies had roots all wrapped around at the bottom of the pond. Glad I took the time to do that.

Anything new with anybody?

Eloise, we are still getting frost here in KCMO! I had to go out and cover all my tropical plants again last night - should be the last time this year.

I love water lilys - will try to grow some when I get moved. There are so many plants I need/want to replace when I get moved. I miss my Thumbergia grandiflora/blue sky vine the most - it got too cold and died.

I guess we can say goodbye to this forum again - it seems to completely be ignored for weeks at a time.

Hey there -

Don't give on CS yet - it't still a good one. It's someplace safe for us aging singles that just want to chat every once in a while.

Eloise - glad your car is finally showing some progress. Sensors are a pain to have to deal with. For such small parts, they are so expensive. You would think that since they have been around for so long - computerized cars and all, that the price would go down some. But then there is the labor - now that's gone up!!!

Jo - hopefully that is the last frost for you. I know what it's like to have to do the cover up thing. I had to do it one year and promised myself that I would wait until after April to plant anything. The one good thing, the plants really had time to settle in before the drought came. They were pretty hardy by then and I think that's what saved them when it got pretty bad here that year.

Well, not much going on here except that I'm cringing at the banging and scraping I'm hearing outside my kitchen window. I'm FINALLY having a pretty large oak tree cut down. This is the last one that of a group of trees that needed to be cut down. My friend and I were going to cut it down one afternoon, after having cut down 4 that day. We were a little tired and thought better of it since it is so close to the house. Well, you know that never happened and since he passed away, I've been trying to find someone that wouldn't charge so much - $1700 or more. This guy is doing "only" charging $1100 for the big one and also a small but tall one. For another $500 he says he'll grind all the stumps - even the ones from when my friend and I cut before. That's at $100 per stump becasue he has to rent the equipment and pay the guys. Anyway, I'm glad it's going. The year we had cecadas pretty badly, they got to the tree and about killed it so even though it would have some leaves, it looked pretty bad. My neighbor even said he would help pay for it because it looked so bad - I wish I could hold him to it!!

Anyway, it's a beautiful day here so I'm going to try to enjoy it some.

Take care...

gng

Mary, you won't ever regret paying to have those stumps professionally ground out - to do it yourself is virtually impossible! We cut down some red bud trees and spent almost as much money on chemicals and physical energy, to remove them, as if we had paid to have it done.

Thanks for the encouragement Jo. I have one this is HUGE, but it has started to disentegrate. But,I know there is stiall a lot left that I can't see. So yeah, even though it's breaking the bank, it the best thing to do.

I've been outside on the patio enjoying the view!! Both trees are down and it looks so different. They were pretty tall and you could see them from the front street. My neighbors and I were laughing at how empty it looks. They are going to finish cleaning up tomorrow (Ihope). I wasn't home when they left but the the owner of the company said he would be here tomorrow morning. The uncomfortable thing - I've paid him everything! The woman who's tree he cut down yesterday (that's how I found him), speaks for him since NO ENGLISH. He is a friend of her dad's and speaks very highly of him. So,I'm pretty sure I can trust him. If he doesn't show us, I know where she lives and I know he has a driver's lic. (hope is legal, but I think so). So, we'll see...

Wow Jo, you guys are still having frost! Hopefully that's it. Waterlilies are beautiful; I can see why when a person gets a small pond, they always want a larger one to add more plants to it! I've never had a Thunbergia grandiflora vine, but after searching I might just have to be on the lookout for one, LOL! It says they are easily propagated through cuttings.

gng, I bet it looks empty! When my neighbor and I had a new fence put up between our properties, there were like maybe 8 huge trees on the fence line that he had cut down. I was happy that the pine trees (messy) and a ficus were cut down, but there was a beautiful redwood too that I wished had been spared. Since the trees were on his property, not much I could say. The other thing it did to my side was took all that shade that protected my plants from the summer heat. I still haven't moved some that need moving to a shadier spot, but should do that fairly soon before our summer is here!

Hope that man shows up to finish the job, and I hope he is legal.

Came home for "lunch" today and my backyard looked like a sandbox from all the sawdust! Yes they came back but will need another day to finish. The interpreter is becoming a royal PITA!! She called today to tell me that his bank (which is also my bank) put a hold on the checks until sometime next week. Of course he was going to use that money to get supplies to finish my job. When I talked with him tonight (as much as we could carry on a sensible conversation) he didn't seem to be as bothered about it as she made it out to be. I'm going to give him cash - maybe $200, on Wednesday just to pay for the mulch and partial dump fees which are about $100/ton. I know that's expensive because I used to go to the dump when I was doing landscape work. So I don't mind doing that. But I'm getting a receipt for it and we both will have to sign that he owes me the money back. What a mess, but who has a couple of thousand $$ cash just laying around???? No one in my cirle, that's for sure. My neighbors all think I'm loaded because of all the work I'm having done. But little do they know, that it's ALL gone now. No more stuff unless I do it myself. But, it's worth it, even if it makes the house look nice enough to grab a couple of more dollars if I have to bail out and sell.

What a day!!!...

Mary, DON'T give him cash!

gng, I agree with Jo -- DO NOT give him cash! If this is his business, then he should be prepared to take care of his own expenses instead of expecting people to pay ahead so he can do the job! To some people, signing on a piece of paper means nothing. There is no guarantee he will return $200 back to you!

Totally agree guys. However, at some point I'll have to have the work finished. He is supposed to come back tomorrow and do the clean up - I just talked to the "interpretor". If he does that then I'll be OK. The bulk of the work is done - just the clean up is left that I've paid for. The $200 is for mulch and install - he'll get that if he comes tomorrow. We'll see...

Thanks for your support, as always! You two are super, super, super!!

gng

Mary, I guess I missed something in the translation. Explain what you are saying here, please:

But I'm getting a receipt for it and we both will have to sign that he owes me the money back

I'll give him the $200 for the mulch and install if he gets the materials and starts work tomorrow. Otherwise, not. I am asking for a receipt for all the work though. If I give him the $200, he will owe me that back. I'm not that worried for some reason; just PO'd more than anything. I've worked this business and I know what it's like to have to do major jobs like this with costs that almost meet the charge. It's pretty costly to take that stuff to the dump, so I know he's spent a good deal already. I'll compromise if I see where he is still working. But if he isn't here tomorrow to finish clean-up, I won't give him the money. So, we'll see what happens tomorrow. He has actualy done some extra work that wasn't included in the initial price, and I'm sure that is worth more than $200. He has more work to do for his friends, down the street. I'm pretty sure I can find him if I need to.

Rock and hard place with this one - it would have cost me a whole lot more to get the tree cut down by someone else (several). Both trees are down, which was the initial need. The rest is gravy. Even if he never comes back, I can clean up what he left, almost by myself. So...

Wish me luck!! Oh yeah, thanks again for caring!

Mary, we know you as a wise woman and a survivior - good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Thanks Jo...

Sometimes I'm not so wise, and "survivor", well, that's relative. I don't think I have a choice in that department. When I wake up in the morning, I just know that I can't not get up. So, I try to make it the best way I can. But, I do have friends, including you here on the SLF that help to bolster me through so much.

ANYWAY, my yard is beautiful!! At least the front. They put the mulch down and moved all the trash from the trees. I spent most of my evening raking my little heart out so the guy that cuts my grass won't break his mower with all the tree debris in the grass. It was awful. The guys picked up most of it, but the yard is still a mess - in the back. So, I'm glad of that. I'm still going with my instinct and hope that I'll get the money back. If not, it's money well spent for the things that I was originally going to get for free. Even my neighbor, who hates my house, was impressed at how good it looks with out those trees - they were UGLY!!

Something's going on with my dad and stepmom, but I'm not sure what. I got a call today from my uncle's wife saying that she couldn't reach my stepmom. When she called the nurse's station, they wouldn't tell her anything. I called and they wouldn't tell me anything either because my step-brother has POA. I'm a little more than annoyed at that. I can't even find out how my dad is doing!!!!

Hope you guys are doing OK.

gng,

Did you sleep good after all that exercise of raking? Now, why does your neighbor hate your house? Do they have a mansion and you don't? If so, then don't we all, LOL!

I hope your dad and step-mom are o.k. That really sucks when you can't even inquire about your own father. Did you call your step bro?

Eloise - boy did I sleep well. I was late getting to work!! But I needed it even without the raking. If you'll look, you'll see the time I did that post last night. It was entirely too late to be up. But, having problems going to bed - STRESS!!! My boss told me today that I should be looking for Plan B - she is. Our new VP is really making life difficult. We don't think she wants any of us there - so she can bring in her own people and also confirm herself to everyone. So, we'll see on that one. Let's just say though - not good at all. I'm too old to be considered a real candidate anywhere other that someplace 50 miles from home. That's the kicker, I'm 8 miles from home now - never had that before. Plus, I like the company. We just have a micro micro-managaing, self-absorbed, control-freak for a boss that is begining to remind me of a wicked witch! She is so much so that I don't trust her as a person. It's one thing to not trust your boss, but I don't trust her as a person - too high on herself and what she can do. No telling what she will do to prevent someone from seeing her faults. The bad thing - I think that's why she was hired!!!

The other stressor - my folks. Found out today that they are OK -somewhat. They are being moved to the other facility to have more intense care - thank Goodness! But that's not saying things will be OK but I do feel better that they can be watched. My step-mom is becoming very manipulative and they are worried about my dad's safety. So, THAT saga continues. At least they are dead and my step-mom didn't kill someone!!

Hey, I'm 139, I think.

BTW, What's going on with TNMN2???? Check in Michael when you can. Miss you, big guy!!!

GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa , half discovered, half wild,
naturally beautiful with fertile soil.
Between 23 and 30, a woman is like America , well developed and open to
trade, especially for someone with cash.
Between 31 and 35, a woman is like India , very hot, relaxed and convinced
of her own beauty.
Between 36 and 40, a woman is like France , gently aging but still warm and
a desirable place to visit.
Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain , with a glorious and all
conquering past.
Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Yugoslavia , lost the war and haunted by
past mistakes.
Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Russia , very wide and borders are now
unpatrolled
After 70, she becomes Tibet . Wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and
the wisdom of the ages....only those with an adventurous spirit and a
thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there..

GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN
Between 1 and 70, a man is like Iran - ruled by a dick.

gng, can you retire? Don't you just hate it when someone new comes in and starts causing problems for everyone? One year, we had this woman that transferred in and was over most of the regular staff. Not over me because I worked directly under the second in command person. We didn't hit if off, and she told me "that she liked having her way". I told her, "that's funny, so do I"! She tried discrediting me, but it didn't work. As I worked with faculty, to her sly comments about me, they put her in her place and defended me. All this just because I didn't fall for her crap. Well she ended up moving on.

Read the Geography ... before, thanks.

Thanks Jo - no, can't retire just yet. Boy that sounds good though. I'm not sure what I'm going to do though. I really don't want to look for another job, but today when I left the office I was so sad - I don't like my work anymore. I really think I need to find a Plan B. My boss is part of the problem as well. I think I could put up with the witch if my boss wasn't around. She is VERY good, but I'm so tired of her saying that she knows everything about everyting. Oh well...

gng, hopefully your job situation changes for the better quickly. You know, the other thing about these bosses/managers is that they act as if they know everything, but the truth is that the employees are the ones that know and are doing the work. The bosses/managers only take the credit for it and the $$!