Give me a date, dammit!

 Le sigh.  No, not a romantic date.  I mentioned before that I plan the family get togethers (if not all of them, then most of them).  I am the youngest of 8.  My oldest sibling will be 84 in March.  With all 8 siblings plus children, grandchildren and even one great-grandchild we could easily produce 50 at one gathering if all showed up (which they never do, mercifully).

A week or so ago, I asked relatives in our Facebook Family Group for dates they could NOT make it in March for the family get together.  This is where the one brother jokingly said Feb 30th.  Nobody else said anything (siblings are all retired but one still works part time) so I threw out a Saturday - the 14th.  The same darn brother who jokingly said Feb 30th came back with "We will be in Tennessee March something through the 15th".  Now, why in the hell couldn't he tell me that when I first asked for dates they couldn't make it?  It is easier if people tell me dates they are unavailable so I don't suggest that. As it is, now I have to say "Never mind the 14th, how about the 21st?"  If they tell me the dates they are busy, I won't suggest them.  I am expecting another sibling to say "Can't make it that day, I have a wedding to attend (or something like that).  Sigh, sigh, sigh.  I usually try to accommodate them because those of us (who have no life) are fairly free all the time.  

And still - nobody answers me.  Wait, one did.  One asked "Afternoon or evening?"  Oh, cripes.  With so many people you know you can't get them all on the same page.  I know that is nearly impossible.  So, I please myself.  It really didn't matter to me, but the same sister said that evening worked better for her, so I said - "Sure, let's meet at 5 p.m."  

If there ends up being a conflicting date, I usually go with the one sibling who usually answers me and makes it easier for me.

I am fairly certain Brother 1942 won't be there. He doesn't like to go out in the evenings.  My Mom was pretty much the same way.  She had to be back before 4 p.m. and if we didn't feed her (while we were out and about) before 2 p.m. she wouldn't eat.  She didn't eat after 2 p.m.  I wish I had that issue.

My sister and I were talking about this last week and she said one time when she had a demanding husband and a new baby, she didn't get over in time to take our Mom to "town" she was late and my Mom snapped at her "It's TOO late, now!"   (my Mom did not drive and depended on us to take her places, as she was  pretty much a recluse and had no friends or other relatives in the area)  My sister said she felt like crap and went back home. 

The next day our Mom apologized to her but this was pretty much standard fare for three of the eight children.  The ones that did very little for our Mom she treated like gold when they came around.  The others of us who hung around and were available to take her places and stay with her - she was temperamental with.  My Mom (at times) could show conditional love.  If any of her children gave her money they were gold.  If you were unable or did not contribute, she was nasty to.  Even though we tried hard to make it up by driving her places and doing things for her around the house.  It's funny at the time you don't realize it (maybe subconsciously you do and you are confused) but all these years later you see it.   I don't want to talk trash about my Mom - not what this post was about.

And sometimes, when I am working on getting us together, the person who first suggests the date or the place ends up not coming.  What is up with THAT?!

Washed my roots today

 The roots of My China Doll plant.  Subreddit for houseplants user told me I needed to remove the plant from the current pot (throw the dirt away), wash the roots, treat the plant and replant with new clean potting soil.  (I also used a new pot).  Still fighting mealy bugs.  I went to check one of my baby plants and I think I saw a gnat fly up out of the baby pot.  No, no, no!  I don't want gnats.  That is another pest.

Call the Midwife is ending this season.  It ran 15 years and I watched it from the beginning.  Another one ending (I think) is Outlander.  It is finishing with Season 8 (also watched it from the beginning and read all the books).  I'll have to see if the latest book is available at my library to read. Nope.  "A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out" isn't released  yet.  

I am seriously bored with "Dark Winds",

My hairdresser suggested I watch Poldark. I signed out the first book of the series and read a few pages. I watched the first episode of the first season.  I don't know.  I'm not even sure I want to watch the next episode.

I watched Vanished.  I liked  Kaley Cuoco in "The Flight Attendant".  I had read the book before the series came out.

I enjoy watching "History's Greatest Mysteries). I was going to say it is on Season 4, but no - Season 7.  Wow, time is really passing me by.  I'm trying to watch "Shrinking" and "Ghosts USA".  The British Ghosts ended a few years back, the US one is still going but might end this year.  Not sure.

If you are a "Call the Midwife" watcher, the character Barbara that died and upset a lot of viewers was in the British version of Ghosts after she left Call the Midwife.  Ghosts is a silly sitcom that just keeps things light and not a lot of thinking and bad news.  Need something to take us out of the hard life.

I'm trying to arrange a family dinner but am getting no responses. I posted on our Family Group in Facebook for dates people could NOT make it (that way we aren't going back and forth asking "How about this date?" etc...) and my brother answered he couldn't make it February 30th.  He got me for a minute or so but I caught it in time and didn't post a reply.  Joker of the family.

Is it just me?

 Does anybody else think $50 for a cookie and a latte is a bit excessive?

Unless the line "...take home a beautifully decorated Cookies!"  is a tray of cookies.

Still,  $50?    This establishment also offer cake decorating I think for about the same $$.

How rich?

 Did anybody ever ask you "How rich do you want to be?"

I want to be rich enough so I can have this structure to house my garbage cans in.

LOLOLOLOL!

Truthfully, I don't want to be rich.  

Matters of the Heart

 Not sure how they got the image on the right from the real image on the left.  Close enough, I guess.

I am writing about the heart not because this is Valentine's day but because my SIL (sister-in-law) is in hospital with AFib.  Her doctor wanted to try a new medicine and she needed to be admitted and monitored.  It didn't go well.  She coded (I had just left, my brother filled me in later).  They had to use the paddles on her ....While she was awake!   I can't even imagine.  She is okay now and all is settled down and I am not sure the next step.  I'll see them again tomorrow.  I researched and my best guess is the medicine is called Digoxin.

My brother had open heart surgery four  years ago.  3 of 4 valves were blocked.  He said he had no pain, just indigestion.  The doctor that examined him almost let him go.  As the doctor was walking away he said he has had indigestion.  That stopped him in his tracks.  More tests and realized he'd had a heart attack.  Since my brother said no pain, no chest pain, no arm pain etc... I think it was an annual exam. 

They (my brother and his wife) are both seasoned EMTs and he mentioned usually when they take somebody in (to the hospital) with a heart attack are writhing in pain and the sweat is just pouring off of him. So as they say,  different people have different symptoms.

Fortunately, my nephew (this brother's son) is a doctor and stopped to see him today.  He was visiting his mother for the week-end (my brother's first wife).  I stayed away and let them visit and will catch up tomorrow.  

But really, can you imagine getting shocked with the paddles while you are conscious and aware of what is happening?  

I hope I never find out.

Time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin'...

 

"Time can feel like it’s speeding up when your daily routine is repetitive and lacks new experiences. Engaging in novel activities can help slow down your perception of time by creating more vivid memories." -- this is from the Internet.

Yeah, okay. Create more vivid memories. Sounds expensive.

I noticed that it has been 2 weeks since I last posted. How did that time go by so fast? Well, I did get a flat tire and got that fixed. Not sure that is very creative.

I read a book about the Kennedys (by Jean Kennedy Smith). I also read "His and Hers" by Alice Feeney because I saw that Netflix created a series from the book. Alice has a couple more books, not sure I am going to read them. Then I watched the Netflix show. I did the same with another book "All Her Fault". Read the book then watched the show.

The show is always different than the book. I know they can't be the same. I think it would be hard to be the screenwriter and adapt the book to a movie or television.

I watched the first episode of "Vanished". I think I will continue to watch that one.

My cat Moses was glad to be done with the vet's visit. I think he had three shots. He weights 13.5 lbs. Same as last time he was there (maybe a year ago?). He will be 8 years old in March. My old dog Milton is still hanging in there. Can't be sure how old he is since we rescued him as a Senior. What year did my daughter get him? Let's see....I didn't have him during COVID so...after 2020. Before Chong died so before 2025. When I renewed all the dogs licenses this year I see where he still has the name Terrance. LOL! No idea where we came up with that name. But I quickly changed it to Milton. I call him Milton Bradley and sometimes Milton Berle.

I get Milton Berle and Mel Brooks mixed up. Mel is still hanging in there. I find it interesting that he and Anne Bancroft were a couple. Another odd couple (I think) were Shirley Jones and Marty Ingles. Speaking of odd couples and speaking of Marty - how about Martin Short and Meryl Streep? I watch 'Only Murders in the Building' and when I saw the rumors that Martin and Meryl were a couple in real life (you know you can't always believe what you read) I just loved the idea.

I was supposed to go to a show tonight but I bowed out. Just too cold. It was at a craft brewery and I didn't care for the place when it was first opened then they sold it and I went afterwards and I still don't care for it. It is too open. It is like sitting in a school cafeteria. And you get to look at the huge vats they make the beer in. Most breweries have them in the back room or somewhere. It is just too open and cold. But they don't play again until the end of the month - oh rats! It's the same place. Oh wait. They play the 21st at a winery. I'll probably go to that one.