Wednesday February 14th 2024 Valentine's Day

No Stars In My Eyes · Feb 14, 2024

Yup, weather reports are off again today....it says 60 and rain, but the skies are Carolina Blue all the way around, and it ain't 60 degrees yet.

Just got off the phone with SSA, and all is well; I will be getting the difference between hubby's and my benefits for Oct., Nov and Dec. in my next SS check, plus the $255 death benefits. Nice! The woman I spoke with said that I should call Social Services and see if I qualify for a state-buy-in (?) due to my income limits (ie, I only get SS check as my income) If I do qualify (not sure if I do) the state will pay my Part B amount. Would be nice; not sure of the amount and am not counting on it, but you never know, so I will call them tomorrow after all this info I gave SSA is recorded in my records.

SiL is supposed to be coming over, but I don't know exactly when....probably pretty soon. I think this might be the day the Christmas decorations are all pulled from the 2 closets, and sorted for what is decent and can still be used (but not by me; I am over putting up Christmas decorations for the rest of my life!) and what we can just pitch out.

Sappy Valentine's Day! ?

Editorial Team / Admin · Feb 14, 2024

Hello all!

Great news about the SS checks, No Stars! And, hopefully the Christmas decorations will get cleaned out today. Are the gypsies behaving??

Joe, my SiL LOVES escargot! A long time ago I read in Mother Earth News how to clean up the snails for eating: feed on cornmeal for a couple weeks. Then you can "harvest" and prepare them. Sorry, it's not for me, LOL! Good on ya for trying new things!

Dh and I practiced last night, and we need to practice again almost daily, so I can build up my calluses and singing voice, to prepare for the 20th program.

The manx cat, Toby, has taken to drinking my water when I bring it in my mug. I have tried only putting a little water in the mug (it's an aluminum mug, about 16oz, with a handle) but he will almost knock it over trying to get inside to drink the water. Mind you, there are several water stations scattered throughout the house, and dh changes the water in them every other day! But NO, he has to drink from my mug! He also jumps on the bathtub edge when I'm in the shower, and meows. He is very insistent: he wants me to present my (wet) arm so he can lick it! Silly boy.

Sunny day today, in the 60's. Rain is coming next week.

Have a good day!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Feb 14, 2024

per dh's SS tax info, he paid ~$1900 for his part B last year. Seems like it's worth pursuing .

nursej22, MSN, RN · Feb 15, 2024

Okay, I have more time now to post. I ran to pharmacy and grocery store. I let the dogs out into the backyard when I got home and then realized that the dogs never came back to the door. Eek. The back gate was left unlatched (again ? ). I called and called, no dogs in sight. dh came home. He went one way, I went the other, fearful that I was going to spot a dead dog on the busy street. I went around the block and came back, but by then dogs had shown up at the door. They have been very remorseful this afternoon. Mr. Never shut a door, never turn out a light, never put anything away says I must have left the gate unlatched. Huh. I need to contact their previous vet to see if they are chipped. I sort of put that out of my mind when we got them last year.

The contractor got back to me with an estimate, and we are going ahead with updating some of the woodwork and doors.

Yes, Stars, very good news about SS. Once you can talk to an actual person, they are very easy to work with. I think their workload is overwhelming, like many in social services and health care.

I tried escargot once. Very rubbery. That's what I thought about calamari, too. They were like breaded rubber bands.

I booked a facial appointment for tomorrow. My face is so dry and flaky, it itches and hurts. I always have dry skin, but this Winter has been worse. Age, I guess.

It's been cold and windy. It may snow tonight. I'd rather have snow than wind.

No Stars In My Eyes · Feb 15, 2024

I had a cat who would get up on the flat edge of the tub while I filled it as high as it could go, with the hottest water I could stand, and once I got in the tub, she would start drinking that hot tub-water (pre-soaping, naturally!). We used to say she liked "Stars Soup". ?

Not heard much from the gypsy's lately; sometimes I hear their echoes. As long as I take my combination of anti-inflammatory meds and supplements every twelve hours, and don't overdo certain activities, they've been staying quiet. But I sure do feel 'em when I first get up in the morning.....they make me ache, but aren't sharp like they used to did! ("used to did" is one of those family expressions.) Anyway, if it is really uncomfortable I have the Lidocaine patches aid capsaicin wraps and patches, which also help a LOT to make me more comfortable.

I tried escargot once, and I also felt like I was chewing rubber bands. (BiL used to call them---when he was very young, of course---BUBBER RANDS. Up North we called the ELASTICS.) So, I thought they must have overcooked them, you know, like how shrimp get if they're cooked way too long? I haven't tried any since.

OMG, you would not believe how soooooo very confused Nannie is! She'll start a sentence and then forget what she was talking about and ends up saying other things that don't make a bit of sense, pointing her finger, "that, that, that, oooh, I can't think of it, but, you know?" while waving her hands around and saying, "Oh....you know." to which we now say "Uh-huh." Today, she started out talking about her father, then said, "Awww, I can't talk," and then segued (sp?) into talking about her new shoes ? as if the two subjects joined together were seamless and what she was talking about in the first place. It is simultaneously funny, sad and irritating, to have to listen to, or follow her broken lines of thoughts!

So SiL and BiL worked here for about 5 hours this afternoon. One of the Christmas closets was cleaned out, but the top of that closet was full of photo albums. We'll look at them later, most likely without showing them to Nannie right away. I gave her a photo I found, of their 50th anniversary party....it was Nannie and her husband and the three grandchildren when they were much younger, but she looked at it 6 or 7 times over the next half hour and had to be told every single time WHO it was in the picture. OY! I told my SiL she needed to 'lose' the photo when Nannie wasn't paying attention, so I don't have to answer her question 200 more times before she goes to bed.

I wish you could've seen the haul of stuff they took out of here and from the shed. And SiL dusted, swept, and washed Nannie's floor in her room, her bathroom and the front hallway. SiL will bring boxes of things to the Thrift Shop I favor, and/or to Good Will/Salvation Army. The trailer is half full again, the recycling and trash bins are full to the brim. (Trash collected every Friday morning. Recycling every other week, and this Friday IS a recycling collection day).

I am tired and I didn't do half as much as SiL + BiL did!