—————————————————— Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant See if that works any better than a fair trial! ———————————————————- War Dims Hope for Peace I can see where it might have that effect! —————————————————————- If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile Ya think?! ———————————————————————–
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Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures Who would have thought! —————————————————————- Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide They may be on to something! ———————————————————————— Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges You mean there’s something stronger than duct tape? ———————————————————- Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge He probably IS the battery charge!
I feel as if I’ve finally won the lottery this morning.
After two-plus-days of being shuffled from one ‘service agent’ to the next, repeating my problem from the beginning, having to provide all my personal information, account numbers, etc. over and over, being cut off, etc., I FINALLY found from about the 20th person at AT&T that our phone lines were actually put in by CenturyLink. I contacted them via chat, talked to Sara in customer service, who transferred me to Dana, in repair scheduling, who actually scheduled a repair technician to come out to our house next Thursday. She gave me a ticket number. I offered to pay for the service call, since we’re not a current customer, but she said there would be NO CHARGE. I took care to fill out their rating thingie after the chat ended, praising both of the ladies involved by name, and the company in general.
(My husband got so angry over the past two days just listening to MY end of the previous conversations that he was determined to go out and fix the lines himself – JUST the thing I was trying to avoid! Only the fact that the two-story ladder wasn’t tall enough to get to where one of the lines needed to be attached stopped him from trying on one line. I came in to try again on connecting with someone who could help and found neither our home phone or my cell were working! I panicked because I knew my husband might get into a dangerous situation on the 2nd downed phone line, but I managed to find the emergency button pendant thingie I got when we had ADT put in our security system. I hung that around my neck and went out to see if I could help. He was cutting down branches from a tree where the 2nd line was tangled, so I came back in to find the phones working again, and so got back on to fight with our problem. He got the tree branches down with loppers and a chain saw, managing to scratch up his arm pretty badly. He said he got the 2nd line back up. I did what I could to clean his wounds, and told him about the tech coming Thursday. He was pleased because he conceded it was beyond him to fix the 1st line.)
We solved a couple of other things yesterday, too, so we’re feeling exhausted, but still standing. We have Lunch Bunch in about an hour, plus a couple of errands after, but otherwise are hoping for a very quiet, calm day – at least until the storms are supposed to start, sometime after sunset.
I have .8 lbs to lose before I reach my pre-pandemic weight! I’m eager to crash through that, and break ‘new territory’ in my efforts to lose the lard.
My low-carb eating plan seems to be getting the attention of the scales. This is WEEK 3 of my serious efforts to eat right and exercise more. I’ve lost almost 6 lbs. (5.8) since I began the latest push, so I’m really pleased that I am making progress finally. I’m planning what I’m going to eat, logging everything on MyFitnessPal.com in the morning, making SURE I’m meeting my carbs, macros, and calories goals for the day. There is also a place to log in how much water I’m drinking, make notes on food, plus add my exercise for the day. If what I’m planning has problems, I can tweak it BEFORE I mess up – a really nice thing, building confidence.
I’m working on WEEK 1 on a month-long online video exercise program by MoreLifeHealthSeniors.com. The instructor is Mike from Australia. He’s very encouraging. The videos are short so I can work them in throughout the day, if I can’t do them all at once. Today’s schedule is a warm-up video and a stretching video, plus 10 minutes of my choice of activity. (Mine will be 10 minutes on my elliptical trainer.) I will also add one of the weights videos, plus a half hour of yoga stretching to the schedule.
I was beginning to despair on ever getting back to my pre-pandemic weight, OR actually breaking through that and moving to my SECOND weight goal, OR getting into a routine I can keep up on exercises, since I truly don’t enjoy exercising. The fact that I’m almost there on two of the three already is really encouraging. My husband is also cooperating. He eats his no-no’s when I’m in the other room, doesn’t bring me ice cream before bed now, or popcorn, or encourage me to eat other things or COOK other things I shouldn’t. That helps a LOT. :0)
WIN: Today we WON a little because my husband was able to fix the window that is part of a 3-window set in our dining area. Yesterday, after the storm, we noticed that there was a GAP between the central window, and the window on the left. It was actually blowing the cafe curtains above the trio! We were too tired to deal with it yesterday, but we tackled it today. I took down the cafe curtains and rod because you can’t open the windows, otherwise. My husband saw that it was in the track on the bottom, but not on the top. He opened the window on the left, then used his hand to slap the top of the window back into the track on the top. Problem solved. It’s still a mystery why the window got OUT of the track, but we’re declaring victory and moving on.
X96
LOSE: (so far): Yesterday we found two lines down in the side and back yard. We weren’t sure whether they were power lines of some kind or phone lines. We had power and we had phone service, so this was an aggravation, rather than a huge problem. I called our electric company, Arkansas Valley Electric Co-Operative, described the problem. They sent a man right out. The problem was, the lines were phone lines, so he wouldn’t touch them.
Yesterday afternoon I chatted with a lady from AT&T online. She said a person would call within 15 to 30 minutes to set up an appt for a technician to come out and fix the problem. No one called. I got on chat again this morning. She said a supervisor would call me. He did, but after having to explain my problem for a third time and giving them information, including my first grade report card and thumbprint, he kept trying to reach the people who could help me, a 2-minute-hold each time for 6 times. He then tried to get me to get another cell phone to add to my account “while we were waiting for him to get through to the people.” THEN we got cut off.
I dropped it and my husband and I fixed the window. The phone rang and it was the guy from AT&T again, saying he was unable to get to the people and that he had left an URGENT message and that they would call me back. I’m still waiting.
MEANWHILE, my 79-year-old husband is fighting me, saying HE can get out our two-story ladder, prop it against the telephone poles, and re-hang the lines. So far, I’m threatening him with death….
I told you that my husband agreed to let a solar panel guy come to the house in answer to an email talking about a government program for free residential solar panels. I researched it, read to my husband that there WERE no ‘free’ solar panels, etc. He wanted to hear the guy out anyway.
The guy was here for about an hour and a half this morning. I had him send the offer to my email so I could print it, and give me his card, telling him that we “needed to discuss it.” After he left, I said, not only ‘No,’ but, “Hell, no!’ Of COURSE my husband wanted to do it.
He gave me all his reasons. Some of them I agreed with, others not so much. He asked me for MY reasons to NOT go with it.
the offer started off ‘free,’ then went to ‘none of their financial people would probably go with reverse mortgage situations’, then ended up being an ‘up-front one-time payment of $42,450 (give or take.)’
I told him that we needed any extra money we could pony up for unforseen events that might occur, and that, even with inflation, we could pay a LOT of electricity bills for over $42K.
I then threatened him with hiring our ‘man-of-all-good-works-with-large-equipment,’ who just HAPPENED to come up the driveway yesterday to see if we needed him to do anything, that he had a backhoe and could probably did a large enough hole in the back yard that would be perfect for my husband. And that could be done BEFORE my stress level erupted.
Surprisingly, my husband remembered years ago when we were at loggerheads about what to do with a stocks profit windfall. My husband wanted to buy more stock. I wanted to pay off the house and cars. I won that battle, and he has told me several times since then it was one of the best decisions we ever made. He told me if I really didn’t want to do this, that would be the end of the discussion.
THAT’S one of the many reasons he’s a keeper. The man I married is still in there, though sometimes he is buried a bit. I thanked him for listening to me, and caring what I thought.
The backhoe expert can wait awhile on the hole…
Now I’ve just used my ‘1a warm-up and workout,” and “weights video” to calm myself down. I’ll relax a bit and then do my yoga. I’m exhausted, but I am SOOOOOO relieved. :0)
Any minute a guy, or guys, from a solar panel company will be here to talk with us about a ‘government solar panel program’ for our home. My husband signed us up for this. I researched it, and though it isn’t really a ‘scam,’ it’s quite misleading.
The solar panels are installed at no cost to the homeowner, but the homeowner doesn’t OWN the panels. You LEASE the panels. If you sell your house, the new owner has to agree to continue the lease. If they don’t, you have to pay to remove the panels and try to get someone else to take the lease, or you break the lease, costing you up to $20,000. You get no tax incentive break for installing the panels – that goes to the solar panel company. To maintain the warranty on the panels, you must have them inspected each year and cleaned twice a year – a cost of $450 a year. For many reasons, this is not a good thing for us.
I read this to my husband. He agrees it’s not for us, but still wants to talk to them. I will sit in just to make sure he doesn’t sign up for anything…
Tenor
It’s quite rainy today. Really gusty winds went all night and into this morning. Now the sky is getting quite dark. We have possibly severe weather. Fingers crossed we get through this day with no damage.
I hope that your Wednesday is safe, calm, and dry.
The rest of the pretty blooms on the tulip tree will probably be blown or rained off today and tomorrow, so I got a last pic.
The wisteria has done well this year. It is fuller and more lush every day. I don’t know how it will fare in the storm, but we’re lucky to have had this beauty for as long as we have this year.
The twice-blooming iris is really doing its thing now. All up and down one side of the driveway, too, and in several places in the yard. They will bloom again in October.
These are the two tomato planters I’ve been weeding, then adding potting soil to in order to get them ready for tomato plants. I’m hoping to be able to plant Thursday, or into the weekend, assuming the storms have abated.
Finally, this is Amber, who never misses a chance to ‘go’ anywhere, whether it’s on foot or in the car. She was a bit disappointed that it was a walking trip this time, but was quite companionable, nonethelesss.
(Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn’t you say?) Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says Really? Ya think? —————————————————————————-
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Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Now that’s taking things a bit far! ———————————————————– Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over What a guy! ————————————————————— Miners Refuse to Work after Death No-good-for-nothing’ lazy so-and-so’s!
The price we’re paying for ‘no snow or ice’ is severe weather. Yesterday, thankfully, we missed tornadoes and really large hail along with heavy rain. We got some rain, but the bad stuff was JUST north of us.
Today we have a ‘few isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with HEAVY rain coming tomorrow. Ironically, we have some guys scheduled to come to the house to talk about installation of solar panels tomorrow morning…
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My husband got an email saying there was a government program for installing free solar panels on our home. I started researching a few minutes ago and found “Simply put, you cannot get free solar panels from the government. These payment plans are actually solar leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs), and they’re a no-cost upfront option that gives ownership to the solar company or installer.” So, it looks like their visit here will be very short.
I just got home from my massage. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I’m a very happy camper right now. I’m going to fix us some lunch and then do some of my exercises: stretching video, 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer, weights video, yoga – stretched out during the rest of the day.
It can’t decide whether it wants to rain yet or not. When I was driving home, it was dark and looked like rain was imminent. Now it seems to be clearing up.
It’s due to be rainy again today. I’m still breathing a sigh of relief that the warning, with tornadoes imminent and on the ground went JUST to the north of Greenwood. I was watching the experts on our local weather station monitor the tornado warning and the line of the bad stuff was JUST above our town on their map. Hopefully, we’ll have the same luck today.
Allure
Lynn, my massage miracle worker, contacted me to change my massage from Thursday this week to today. I’m delighted that I didn’t have to just miss my massage this month, so my body is already singing in anticipation of her good work. I’ll put the trash out and get our mail when I go.
Other than that, I’m planning for DAY 2 of the month-long program by my ‘weights for seniors’ video guy. He has a stretching video, and then ‘physical activity’ (of my choice) for 10 minutes. I’m going to do my elliptical trainer in the garage. In addition, I’ll do one of the weights videos, and then my normal half hour of yoga stretches. These will be spread out throughout the day.
My husband is still trying to get his computer working as he would like. I’m helping only when he asks – with this exception. He and our son were trying to use the conference call program so they could actually SEE each other and talk real time. Lately my husband hasn’t shown any interest in wanting to do that, so I was delighted that he was trying to talk. They were having trouble getting things set up right on our end so that our son could hear my husband. I went over, looked at things, and saw that his microphone button was off. I pushed it, waiting to hear him yell at me for interfering, but was pleased to see it worked! Instead of yelling, my husband told our son, “She fixes stuff for me all the time now.” I was relieved and melted into my computer chair on the other side of the room.
When they were finished, our son wrote ME, asking if I wanted to talk, so we each had a wonderful catch up time with him. Absolutely beyond price. :0)
I find I’m developing hostility at the word ‘seniors.’ When they say ‘seniors exercises’ they mean exercises for people over 60. Since I’m 75, I guess I qualify, but I DON’T HAVE TO LIKE IT. :0(
Skimble
Somebody also said, “You’re as old as you feel.” Well, today I’m about 95+ after hauling SIX 40-pound bags of potting soil yesterday from the palettes on which we keep it, wheel-barrowing it over the back yard and up again to the other side of the house where our two brick tomato planters are, and distributing it. I would rather focus on the fact that I got the job done, and before we have three stormy days ahead.
This morning I tried the “1a warm-up and workout videos” from Mike from Australia from his Monthly Exercise Planner. His whole series of videos is for seniors (there’s that word again), but they’re good. “1a” was a nice, short warm up and then a workout geared toward moving most of the body from a seated position, using simple exercises and isometrics. I think both videos together were about 10 minutes or so. I opted to do the ‘seated position’ stuff for this month’s stuff, and will move to the ‘standing’ stuff when I start the routine again. If you’re interested in looking at the program or starting the month-long plan, it’s free, requires little, if any equipment. His website is MoreLifeHealth. You can sign up and he’ll email you the plan.
Since I overdid yesterday and my back and legs are really talking to me, I’m going to forego the yard work today (though I could probably get some work done between storms) and will do one of his weights videos and my yoga session today.
I’m trying to build a routine or regimen where I do the weights/workouts videos in the morning, yard work after lunch, and yoga stretches in the late afternoon.
After lunch today sometime, I’ll use leftover rotisserie chicken to try a new recipe, “Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bowl” from Suzanne Ryan’s Simply Keto book. Our Low Carb eating is going well so far.
I just came in from hauling and spreading six 40-lb bags of potting soil, 3 in each of our two brick tomato planters. That’s the end of the soil hauling. The next three days are supposed to be stormy/severe weather, so it’s likely I won’t be outside more than is absolutely necessary until Thursday. I’m hopeful we can get our tomato plants then and I can get them planted.
I did my weights exercise video before I worked outside. I’ll rest awhile, drink a bunch of water, then do my yoga stretches. The dog in this gif could be Amber. She is just larger. :0)
Giphy
All I have to do for dinner is put the rotisserie chicken in the microwave and put salad dressing on the salad. Yea!
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