A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Coffee House 2656

Well it is about time a new Coffee House was opened.
Good Morning. We have ice here..

Sorry for the ice, we just got over a week of it...what a mess.

It's calling for a week of flurries, at this point it is better than all the freezing rain.

Yes, freezing rain is not a nice thing.

Good morning, again.

Rain today but in the 40's. I'm going to Ginger's for a week on Saturday. She and Chris are going somewhere AGAIN so I'll be staying with Colt.

Well hey Sheri, I am glad for Ginger..and you and Colt will have fun anyway, right ?

The 40's......yay for you. I wish it would get that warm here. I doubt if that happens here anytime soon. I am just hoping that the roads improve enough by Thursday so Rod can get to his appointment. I am hoping by Wednesday, the temps will be above freezing.

Have fun with Colt, does your daughter travel a lot?

It is snowing and windy, I won't complain though...we need the snow to insulate our ground before the deep freeze sets in.

Good morning. Sunny I hope you do get some more snow then. Insulation is a good thing.

My daughter travels all the time. They're all 3 going to New York in 2 weeks. BUT I got a flight alert due to the storm coming this way so I've cancelled by flight. It takes me almost an hour to get to the airport and we may have freezing rain Saturday when I'm supposed to drive there and in MS they may have freezing rain too so it might be treacherous for her to have to pick me up from the airport there. Just better to wait. I'm not sad about it. Better safe than sorry and I sure don't want to be waiting around the airport for hours and hours due to cancelled flights. I'm glad for a little cold weather. I think it kills off some bug larvae - maybe not but I like to believe it.

Glad you will be safe, Sheri.

I hear the whole state of Missouri has canceled schools. I know the area here has no school tomorrow.

Ice in Winter is awful, better safe than sorry.

Yes, I agree better to be safe than sorry.

We've gotten a little snow which is a big, exciting deal for us, but I think it's sleet right now because my back steps look like they're covered in a sheet of ice. I'm staying put. I've been doing a lot of reading which is nice.

Yes, sheet ice is not a good thing.
Take care.

01-11-25

The sun is out, the wind is slight and I am thankful that the apron to our garage no longer has any snow or ice on it. So yay !!! Snow is still on the ground, however treated and scraped roads are about 95% clear.

Your ice has hit us, the roads are a skating rink this morning. This has been the weirdest Winter....I am so glad that I do not have to travel. So many people have been late or missing work this year, it is crazy.

Sorry Mother Nature thought to share our weather. Stay safe & stay warm, Sunny.

"They" say our temps will get above freezing this afternoon. Time will tell.

The ice here has melted but it's cold. I went out early this morning to fill bird feeders and the ground, which is usually soft with a bit of give under my feet, was hard and unforgiving - not icy but frozen, which felt weird. I imagine you guys deal with this all the time. Other than that, I've been inside for 3 days. I'm ok with that

Good morning, I am hoping that you are all getting better weather this week.

Well S. Missouri is getting a few nice for winter days, then supposedly another round of extra cold is on it's way thru.

Still inside other than feeding the birds. Didn't even go to church Sunday. Tomorrow I have an appointment to get a haircut so I'll have to go out. I've got to get my hair trimmed!!

My bank is going all digital so I'm changing banks. It's going to be a headache.

Oh good Lord..I hate to hear that. I actually walk into my bank fairly often. I would hate for it to go all digital.

Lucky me, I do not have a hair appt. until The middle of February. Be safe, Sheri.

And oh, our roads were good we finally were able to drive to church Sunday.

All digital? How does that work??

I assumed she was speaking of online banking.

Yes. My bank is going to all online banking which means if I need or want cash I'm going to have to go to an ATM which will probably charge me between $3.00 and $5.00. I rarely go into my bank but sometimes I go to the ATM and take out cash and I don't have any loans but how does that work - if a person needs a mortgage how is it done?

I was wondering that as well. Plus there are several other things one needs to go INTO a bank to do. And also what about Safety deposit boxes ?
I guess it is time to find a new "busy" bank, huh, Sheri ,?
I will say that a company bought our long time bank at home and there is like 1 teller in it, and you have to make an appointment to do anything of substance. My bank used to be full of busy workers and customers. Ya gotta wonder.

...and what about the elderly (or people like me) that do not have a 'smart phone', how will a person cash a cheque?? What a mess this world is heading for.

Not to mention did you know that if say I write a check to one of my grandchildren, their parents cannot use the Internet to cash it ? The person whose name is on the check has to have a bank account at said bank to deposit/cash a check.
I have no idea what is going to happen. So now I have to write one check to a parent and tell them who it is for. ( My DD does not want me to send cash thru the mail)

I have no idea what will happen. I guess our money will all be direct deposit and we best have a debit card.

I did it today and it's taken me hours to change everything over and I still don't have it all done. I have a few things, thankfully just a few, that are drafted so I have to change that information and my dental insurance site won't let me so I'm gonna have to call them tomorrow. What a mess.

So you found another brick and mortar bank ?
If so good for you !!

Good luck Bestofour. I am thinking of opening an account at another bank...just to be safe. That way if one goes digital such as yours, I'll already have a start. We lost our local bank years ago, then lost our ABM machine. I have to travel almost an hour to go to my bank, then our ABM machine is only open different hours on different days in the lobby.

Sounds like a plan Sunny. Good luck !

51*F and rain yesterday and eventually in the single digits today/ tomorrow. We shall soon all be sick.
Good news is we also had high winds so the roads will be dry and clear.

Good Morning

Yup, yesterday we had freezing rain. I had GB here because my daughter had no power for 7 hrs, she only has electric heat. She sent him down when we got the warning the night before.

Today it is storming, it is a white out. Thankfully GG is writing exams and had none scheduled for today since they did not cancel school.

We are getting a major freeze up starting tomorrow, we are already getting the frost bite warnings. Mother Nature is 'loopy' this year.

Sorry for the loss of power. I hope it is restored soon.

Glad you got to keep GG home and safe. May that trend continue. And yes, Mother Nature is very confused this year. At least that is my thinking.

Sunny, I'm surprised school wasn't cancelled for a white out. How are you supposed to get there?

Our high tomorrow and Wednesday is 31° which is cold for us.

I do have a brick and mortar bank. It's actually the same building. Since the beginning of the world, I think, local government federal credit union (for people working at the health department and fire department and things like that) and the state employees credit union (teachers, department of transportation and I don't know what else) have been in the same building, using the same tellers, same drive through windows, same safety deposit boxes - it was like one bank but separate somehow - different interest rates and other stuff I guess. I was able to join the local government federal credit union when I worked at the local hospital (not sure why because it's not a government facility but I was given the opportunity and took it.) When I left the health department and went to school nursing and retired from school nursing - my retirement comes from the State of NC. That made me eligible to bank at the State Employees Credit Union. I never changed my account over from local to state because I didn't see a reason to do so. It is the Local Government Federal Credit Union that has been bought out by Civic, which is a credit union but the only offices are the main offices in Raleigh, NC which is at least 4 hours from me. Thankfully I was able to switch over to State. If I had stayed at the health department, which is considered local government, I would not have been able to move to the State.


This is the notification that comes up when I tried to find a local ATM.
"Other ATM networks may charge an ATM fee that Civic will reimburse, up to a total of $20 per month per debit/ATM card."

And I think the Raleigh branches are not actually banking buildings. The 2 branches in Raleigh are administration stuff only.

It's confusing I know but I'm glad I was able to get moved.

I am glad it all worked out for you, Sheri.

They only cancelled 3/4 of the schools in our province but it should have been all of them. Thankfully GG had no exam yesterday so she was home either way.

It is minus -30*F this morning, we are back to plugging in vehicles to start....it is supposed to warm up though in a few days. I am thankful for wood heat this morning.

It sure is quiet in here.

Yes it sure is. I bet most all of us are snuggling up under the covers, trying to keep warm.

Have I said how much I dislike winter ? 'cause I do.

Sunny is it really -30*F or is that with the wind chill factor? I can't imagine -30.

Yup, it was -42*F with the wind chill. The battery in the old loader tractor could not take it, even boosting and charging didn't work...so today I had to go get a new battery. It is supposed to start to warm up some in a few days, I hope so.

Oh my goodness, Sunny. Those temps make my single digits seem like a heat wave. Keep warm.

I can't imagine having to plug in my car Sunny. More power to you. And as far as banking for people who don't have a phone, I have no idea what they're supposed to do. I think it's the same with doctors offices sending messages about appointments and results on line - set up your password and sign in - for everything. I hate it and tell my doctors office each time I go that they need to call me with results but guess what, they don't.

I have had a lot of trouble with various drs- businesses telling me that I signed up for paperless billing and other online stuff, when I did not, and I then have to call and request my bills & such be sent to me via the USPS. I know of an instance where a person had to enroll to something online, then when they did, the company said oops no you did no such thing. So now I go out of my way to avoid online contact. I used to check in for Drs. Visits via My Chart but I think that is how I was suddenly "signed up" to get paperless billing. That was a mess to straighten up and as a result I will no longer signing on with My Chart. I hope I do not live long enough to see the world go to 100% paperless contact. And sadly I think it is probably coming.

I too have had to call for results from Drs. I always hope if the news was bad, that they would call me.
.

I have to fight for 'paper bills' here as well, but no paper ...no payment usually works.

Yep, that is what I told them. I said send me a paper statement and I will pay you in full.

It has warmed up for the day, we have hardly any snow but the weather is COLD. It is nice to see a day without frost bite warnings.

As hard as it is to believe, Florida had more snow on the ground than we have right now.

Don't count on getting a call. When Johnny's thyroid went to hell he got a letter informing him that his labs were possibly fatal and he should call for an appointment. It took 11 days for the USPS to get that letter to us. I hate MyChart too.

Lovely weather today. Not hot not cold. Love it.

Next time I need bloodwork, I am going to the vet's office...they can give you results in three hours.

Minus -17*F this morning, not sure what it is with the wind chill.

In the low 50's today here. Remember when I said we will all be sick ? Well I am sick, and my DD is as well. She is staying home tomorrow but if/when she goes back to work, guess who gets to keep her sick kids. Yep you guessed right. Me.

Sheri: I know just what you mean I usually give them a few days then call. Clearly using My Chart is not a good idea.

Sleep well my friends, and keep warm.

I hope you and your family feel better soon. I'd watch the sick kids at your DD's, let them spread their germs there instead of your own house.

It is another freezing day, minus -24*F here. DD's car would not start yesterday. The place where she lives has no outdoor receptacle to plug in her car. It's a good thing she is doing the online part of her course at home in Winter.

Glad your DD did not lose a day, Sunny. Thank goodness for online courses, right ?

It will actually be in the 50's in a few days for a few days after that. I guess I'll take what we can get.

The only good thing about Winter is no mosquitoes.

You do have a good point there.

Was 60° here today and is supposed to be warm all week.

I've been working on getting all my stuff together so my children won't be in a mess when I die. I've had friends die without anyone knowing any passwords or where to find stuff and it was a mess. Took years to get straightened out. I'm trying to avoid that for my children.

Yes, I too think that is a great idea. I already have my funeral wishes down on paper... For Christmas I bought 3 organizational books for the things that you are speaking of. Each of my girls got one, and I have one. But as you point out, I need to put all of my information in that one book. Great Reminder.

My dad got upset with my mom for letting my DD have their info so she could copy it, so he hid the originals. Then he gets sick and passes away. Thankfully all TPTB accepted copies of the copies, so Mom had no problems then.
So I also think Yours is a very good idea.

So happy for your weather.

You gals are smart, the only preparations we made was to tell DD not to worry, just cremate us and the money is in the savings account to cover it. We really need to get a Will made.

If DH dies first, the first thing I have to do is go back to work. If I die first, the first thing DH will have to do is....find another wife.

You are right about the another wife thing. But to my notion your DH will never find another you. He. Should thank the Lord he found you.

As Rod tells me ( if he dies it will mess up my entire weekend) So it will mess up his then he will get rid of most everything. There will be no plants, no decorations, about 4 plates, 2 cups, 4 forks, and so on. He loves to throw away stuff so I hope he lets the girls take what they want first. ( I have items from my grandparents, Rod's family and me of course. ) But I will not be here so I guess it does not matter.

That has to be one of the strangest things I have ever heard. ~I would have told him, then die during the week...I don't want my weekends 'messed up'.

It is snowing a bit, not a lot but enough to raise temps a bit. DH's friend called last night...their well froze. They never piled any of the little bit of snow we got around it.

I would think that where you live, people would know better. SMH

That comment from Rod....I take it as meaning he thinks I would not be all that upset with his passing. He says some strange things sometimes.

I am feeling. 100% today, so yay !!

I'm on a work computer and when the forum first opened up it was to a comment by TKHooper. Remember her? And Sunny you had responded. Way back in 2007.

Right after Johnny died, and I don't know why, I was in a mad rush to get rid of all his stuff. I moved stuff down the stairs and back up the stairs from one room to another. My girls thought I was going crazy (crazier) and I don't know why I did it. They kept saying I'd regret it but the only thing I regret getting rid of is his baseball mitt - and I have no idea why because I can't remember ever seeing him play baseball. I donated his clothes to a men's shelter and his suits and ties to a second hand shop where the lady said pastors sometime would come to get suits or other people come to get suits for job interviews. A bunch of my friends who've lost spouses hang onto stuff forever but not me. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Looking back, I think it gave me something to do. A purpose in cleaning up the house. I remember doing it but I can't for the life of me remember what I was thinking. I just know I was living alone and was working day and night arranging and rearranging his stuff and now other than a few jackets hanging on the back porch that he and I both wore outside, there's nothing left.

And Junie, I think Rod's comment is so funny.

Andy Sunny, I agree with Junie in that you'd think people would know better.

About your time after Johnny Passed. At a time like that, it is my opinion that one reacts, just to get by.
You think you are doing well and that you are in control but I think in reality one is just marking time. I think people need to do what they need to do to get by. And I think that was what you were doing back then.

Yes Bestofour, everyone deals with grief differently. There is no wrong or right way to go about things.

About the TKhooper comment, I wonder so often where all our past members are. Many have passed on, that we probably do not even know about.

Yes, I think you are correct about members passing on. I do miss the good times we used to have.

Good Morning

Junie, I've got you on the list of people to call when I give up the ghost so don't change your number. I hate when people just disappear. I do remember that TK, whose name was Tammy, I think, ended up with some type of cancer and ended up homeless for a while, so I have no idea what has happened to her in the end.

I will message you my numbers for just in case.

Homeless? My gosh, I did not know that...that breaks my heart.

Oh my, I even ordered bird feeders from her little shop. That is truly sad.

Was it Wrennie that also had a shop? I am trying to remember whom was who. I know Tammy was from Virginia.

Another cold day here. The sun is shining though and you can hear the chickadee's singing.

I looked it up. As I remembered they were the same person, but on our members list they are 2 different people. I guess it was Wrennie with the shop. I am all confused now. SMH at myself.

Good morning

TK and Wrennie are 2 different people. Wrennie had some type of shop, her husband died, but not sure what happened to her. TK, who was Tammy, lived in VA. She had been in some type of military and had never married and had no children. I think she suffered from a severe case of PTSD and maybe anxiety. She lived on disability, maybe, very limited income but could not make herself stop buying plants and seeds and stuff where she wouldn't have money for food by the end of the month. Junie, I know you remember Jiffy. I'm going to ask her. Seems she's kept in touch with a lot of people.

I couldn't get on the forum yesterday. I could get on everything else but kept getting an "unable to connect" message from here. Not sure why but glad it's fixed.

Thanks for the clarification, Sheri. Yes I remember Jiffy. I am friends with her on FB.

Thanks for the update Bestofour. I also wonder about Tina's kids...Teddy must have been lost with her passing.

It is so strange to think about how people that we have never met 'face to face' can have such an impact on us.

I had a message or 2 with one of Tina's kids right after she passed. She said she would get back to me when things were settled but she never has. I like to think one of the girls took over Teddy's care.

As far as Tina, Jiffy told me that she had things set up for Joni to take care of Teddy. It was a strange situation to me. When Tina's husband died (was his name John??) his life insurance was set up to be split 3 ways, Tina, Joni, Teddy. I don't think Joni ever had much of a job and always lived at home. I want to say they all became mostly reclusive when Covid hit because Tina was scared to death of getting Covid. Her daughter, Tangela, was delivering them groceries weekly and Tina and Joni ended up having Covid a time or two anyway. One of the last times Tina posted she said she hadn't been out of her house since March 2020. As we all know she ended up dying anyway of a heart attack. I wonder if she hadn't been so afraid of going outside and had gone to the doctor if she could have taken medicine or somehow saved her own life.

Yes, his name was John. And it is Tangela that I 'spoke" to. As I remember, Joni moved out with some friends for a while but moved back in with her mom at some point. And yes, I think you are right about her not having much of a job.
I also think you are right about Tina and going to a Doctor.

Snow and ice headed this way by the middle of the week. Good thing I went today to pick up some groceries.

Good morning, the sun is shining but we are under frost bite warnings....it is a 'hot coffee' kind of day.

Hot coffee..good..I have a cup right next to me.

Sun is out right now. But looks are deceiving.

I have to package the Valentine's Day gifts for the kids here today.
I have sent the rest already. And some have reached their destinations.