OOOOOOOOh I want one of them, actually a few, they would look great in my courtyard. I'm just a bit worried that Costco may have bought them as a job lot. Maybe you could buy a few and try to cut them and see how they go, that would be a good indication.

I started to watch the Kitchen Nightmares and got to the 'cat' talk and worked it from there. I thought it might have been a reference to a particular dialect in a State. She is all over the place mentally isn't she and he certainly doesn't help. Wonder what the age difference is - he was a player in Las Vegas and she fought off all the bunnies and nailed him AND he put up $1m for the restaurant ............... hmmmmmmm. Gordon Ramsay fell from grace here, he is a totally different person in that clip. His language was just sooooo over the top and combined with his temper he really killed himself off. I don't remember ever seeing him so nice and polite, but I didn't watch much of him after the first few attempts.

Trouble is solar still needs batteries anyway.

The main reason I bought the planter was for the party. I have this dreadful gap between my back step and the sidewalk that someone, with a few wobbly pops in them, would likely trip and break something. The planter is there hopefully to deter people from walking over the gap and instead going around. Hopefully it works. The fact that it lights up just makes it cool. Lol

It would probably look a thousand times better in your yard Roo. My yard needs so much work. A friend's boyfriend owns a bobcat. I think I need to make friends with him.

Rome wasn't built in a day Robin. We built our courtyard over 40 years ago and it now needs a good facelift but BH won't be in on it. He has done a lot of fix ups but it still has problems. When the house inside is finished I might try to coerce him into doing something - ideally pull it all up and start again. I like the idea that the light would make any area look great at night - you would only see the good bits. Heehee.

Bobbi - No, our county Gala was last night. Yes, he does look like he's lost weight. He was running late, and didn't have a chance to mingle at all. I'm going to a "Ladies Night" at his campaign HQ next Monday evening; I'm sure they'll put us to work! :))

Didn't that happen last time too? Or he didn't show at all? He's a busy guy!

Rome wasn't built in a day?? what? and all this time I thought it was! :)

Mouse - that is my favourite excuse when things don't happen as fast as I would like.

i usually say it to myself to make me sit down and take a few minutes to rest :) in a previous life, I had more energy and I could push myself to work pretty hard, but now? oh lololol. the mind says yes, and the body says "are you nuts? :)

Yep, I remember that previous life too .......... we must be from the same planet. My body screams "Don't even think about it"

I've found different ways to do things and I've learned how to ask for help (it's hard but it can be done:)) and I am forced to take breaks in order to last through the day, otherwise I crash. so life is considerably different. but I am lucky that I learned how to fight back and not let it control me. it's a grim picture to look into the future and wonder how you are going to cope when you have long term issues and that's what I wanted to address specifically. I got a lot more than that and I consider it very lucky :)

It is hard to ask for help !!! I think it's MY job and why shouldn't I be able to do it? And sometimes it's painful to watch someone else do it so slowly when you know that in the right time you could do it so much faster. And then I think, it's not fair to ask for help....and on.....and on....

Gee, mouse, sorry to hear that, I didn't realise you had bigger issues. Getting old definitely sucks. I know what you mean about asking for help, sometimes it makes me feel like I am giving up and I hate that. Actually dd just gave me a big lecture last week on that and how I have to stop being so bloody minded about doing everything.

I'm off to bed.

Bobbi, I wonder if it has anything to do with our age group, we were raised on the fact that a woman's job was in the home and if you didn't cope and keep everything just so you were a failure.

slowly or not when you need it done (now) usually I need something done when no one is around to help me.
the trouble is that I have lost some of the physical strength I used to have so I do need to wait---really frustrating!
it's not a question of fair, though...it's not fair to you if you are hurting yourself doing something that someone could do for you more easily. and besides, haven't you helped others without even being asked? give yourself some credit!!

Sounds good in theory, mousemaker! I just can't complain, my hubby will do everything I ask. Just not as quickly nor in the same time frame! But he did clear the bathtub drain last night for which I am soooooo thankful.

Goodness, mouse I think you have been listening to my daughter. Yes, I think there are occasions I have to start to think that this is now "my time", time to be waited on, time to get back some of what I have given out. I have to say though I have really started on manufacturers here about their packaging and total disregard for older people. It has been hilarious at times when I ring them and say I love a particular product and when they get all excited I then tell them I will never buy it again because I can't open it or get the lid off or whatever. I've even had a few places voluntarily refund me my money, but I tell them unless they change their packaging they are discriminating against the elderly. Discrimination against anything is a really big issue here. I am getting such an old nark at times.

If right now isn't our time, when will it be? I think we've all waited long enough for this to be our time! I don't want to wait any longer, that's for dang sure. Roo, keep up the good work on behalf of all olld's everywhere. We need someone like you in our corner :))

there are things the hubby is better at than I am and has the strength to do that I don't have even if I could do them, so I am stuck waiting :) He never really has any time, so waiting....waiting... :) i'm happy for you!!!
Mine has a gift for certain foods too. He has a real knack for fish and so whenever we have fish he makes the mess in the kitchen. I am hoping today he brings me buckets of dirt!! I need some for patio planting.

you don't have AARP down there? :)

No, I think there are a couple of pensioner/senior cits groups but nothing as big and organised as AARP.

Oh, that's wild, I thought AARP was world wide, but I guess that's why they call it American Association.....duh.

Right, Bobbi, you definitely need rest. Of course the joke here would be that America does think it is the world.

I was sent this once

Bobbi - The Gov. was supposed to show up at a political convention in March at 9 am, but didn’t arrive until 9:45 .. but he always shows up! There were 2 separate incidents in Newark yesterday – one a shooting, and I wondered if he’d gone there first, but apparently not.

All - I learned something interesting today. At least for Canada, if people want to retain dual citizenship with American Citizenship, it means they can't vote in in either country!! That seems so unfair, since they may be paying taxes to both countries!

Geez, STK, I just got notice of your friendly post from....26 hours ago! My goodness, isn't Memphis a lovely place to live? Just like the SF Bay Area. Karma is a bitch alright! Good for you for not taking their crap :))

Astraea, that is interesting about the dual citizenship. My two grands have dual so it will be interesting for them in the future. Not sure about DDs - one in LA and one in Germany, I know they don't have to vote here as they don't live here, but I have a feeling they only have residency.

I've never heard anything about dual citizens not being allowed to vote. As a US citizen living abroad, you have the right to vote in federal elections by absentee ballot. Different countries have different rules, but if you are born an American citizen, you have to actively renounce your citizenship to a diplomat at a consulate or embassy abroad; you don't lose it by becoming a citizen of another country. One requirement of being an American citizen is that you must enter and leave the country on your US passport but if you are living abroad, you can visit other countries using whatever passport you choose.

My kids have attached to their US passports called a "certificate of entitlement" which indicates that they are eligible to hold a British passport and entitled to all rights of British citizens, even though they are travelling on a US passport.

I think it is the same here, Linda, although voting here is compulsory, if you are living o/s you can vote absentee if you wish. DD must have a US Passport too as she leaves and enters the US with it and enters and leaves Australia with her Aussie one. I didn't know it was required, I thought she just did it for the convenience and ease of passing Customs.

God, that's all so confusing!! I remember that a friend of mine encouraged his sons to get dual citizenship in Ireland (ancestral country, neither he nor his wife were born there), as well as the US. I would think he checked voting out first. Maybe this is a Canadian restriction? We need our Canadian OLLDs to weigh in on this!!

Astraea, I know in the past the passport you travelled on could make a big difference to the ease of getting through Customs depending on which country you were going to, which is why many people got dual passports. Different countries allowed more freedom of access according to what passport you had. I think since 9/11 that has changed a lot world wide though, everyone is under suspicion these days although I think here we still have queues for Aussies and queues for the rest of the world.

From what I can see from a quick seach, it's not so much about dual citizenship, but rather if you have been living away from Canada for more than five years straight (and military folks are not included in this) then you're not allowed to vote in Canadian elections. But there is a challenge going on about this because constitutionally, every Canadian citizen has the right to vote.

Also, dual CDN/US citizenships are not encouraged by the US, moreso by application than by having being born in one country or the other, but either way, the expectation is that you'd renounce one or the other -- but of course nobody ever does.

I think I remember something way back that to gain US citizenship you had to renounce your other one.

yes, Americans are ethnocentric. it's a shame really because otherwise we are so lovable? arghh!
about pools. my rental neighbors (and I use the term neighbors only because I have to) set up a large tall pool yesterday...all the while smoking and playing horrible rap music with disgusting lyrics...after hearing it for half the day, I walked over to my fence and asked them to turn it down or off because it was giving me a migraine. They glared at me and I glared back and they smoked and then went to turn it off. they asked was that better? I said yes thank you. I can do my gardening now. About an hour later the music was back on but not as loud and I saw them looking to see if I noticed. no duh. Earlier I had called the city about the pool because you need a permit to set up something that large. A little while later the ringleader brought HIS KIDS?? to play in the pool. I could not believe it.
apparently they don't live with him. ya think?? they were there about 20 min and left with the mom. okay fine.
inspector guy will take care of this. yay inspector!!!! in the mean time. now they probably know it's me calling about stuff...this is why I have the cop shop on speed dial.

My neighbours were "whooping it up" on their deck last night (they are attached to me). By their own admission, they are "loud, noisy people." They are lovely people and very kind, but they are right -- they can be loud and noisy at times and always have tons of family over.

Which is not so great for me -- I'm quiet and like peacefulness.

Kd, I had neighbours who just didn't know how to talk quietly, they didn't know how to do anything quietly. Some people should definitely be fitted with volume control buttons.

how about "consideration for other people" buttons? or "personal responsibility" buttons? :) or "pick up your trash" buttons? I could go on :) but then you would need a "shut-up" button :)

mouse - you are nuttier than I am.

LOL, Mouse!

It just figures that I would be attached to the one set of neighbours that a) doesn't winter in the United States or b) has a lake lot that they go to every weekend or 3) are just plain homebodies with tons of family.

Where I lived before, my next door neighbors would periodically have a summer party, and be loud late at night. I'd call the police, if it was after 11 pm. The neighborhood was so quiet otherwise, that it could have been any one of a half dozen people who could have called. Here, there's only 1 neighbor who has a big pool party once or twice in the summer, where the music is so loud, having the windows closed & the a/c on doesn't even help. I've called the police about them too.

I am hoping this is a rare event -- I know they have some kind of family reunion (not here at the house, thank god) this weekend and a memorial thing for someone at the same time. Most of the time they're pretty quiet (so far), just right now they happen to have tons of company.

Also, I'm not used to being 'attached' to someone either, so I'm probably hypersensitive to noise.

Kimdee - Maybe if you know they're having an event coming up, you can plan to spend the day away from home yourself .. maybe visiting quiet friends :))

Astraea -- for sure! I'll be golfing all weekend at least during the day so I won't be around much anyhow until the evening.

I'm also looking forward to having furniture downstairs so at least I have somewhere to escape to if I need to.

you shouldn't have to change your life around because of your neighbors, at least not in that way. you have the right to be at home relatively undisturbed. Sure, if they have a party it's fine, but they need to be considerate of their neighbors especially if it goes into the evening. this is why ordinances were invented :) because people don't do these things on their own.

mouse - I guess we all need a "plan B", because even if it's daytime, and noise restrictions don't apply, it may be very uncomfortable for us.

agreed. I call anytime it's too loud and the cops tell me that it's what they encourage us to do. usually I go outside to make sure about the noise because our house picks up noise easily and it sounds louder inside :)

Mouse, if we have constant noise issues here the local Council checks the decibel level and if it exceeds it then .......whammy. Doesn't matter whether it is inside or outside, if you house exacerbates the noise that is not your problem, the noise still stops.

that's a good idea. last night other neighbors had a little fire and some friends over...i'm sure it was just a nice evening for them, they're young and they can stay up all night, which they did. they were talking a bit louder than I would have at 3AM!!!! but whaddaya gonna do? it wasn't bad enough to call about or I would have. they weren't being obnoxious or anything..i was awake because I am usually awake or restless...but geez. 3AM?

We are on the side of a hill with water at the bottom so at night every little noise seems to echo off the rocky hillside so everything sounds 10 times louder than it is. Neighbours can sit outside a whisper and I still hear every word. Wish I had the energy to stay up that late, big difference when you are having fun to when you are desperate for sleep. I have two remedies for sleepless nights, first camomile tea before going to bed and if that fails Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy sleep spray. Two or three sprays on the tongue, and I am gone.