Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?

IllinoisLady

The book of life is filled with incoherent riddles.
Life's true lessons are inscribed in a corner of the margin.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

IllinoisLady

Cool again here today -- maybe will get to 72 degrees. Well, it may be a perfect temp. but I hope we have plenty of sun as I won't be real warm if we don't. Hopefully, will get to my car ( good wash and buff up ) today though my list did not go down much from yesterday. Sigh !!!! Some days are a struggle.

Hope you are all going to have a good day.

ChiSandy

72? I'll take it. Here downtown by the lake (I'm in a hotel for the next couple days) we might barely get up to 65. Only 61 & windy right now, and I brought only a very light jacket. (Cabbing it home for a few hrs. tomorrow to supervise freezer repairman and go to the gym--maybe pick up some more Tylenol, as I'm running out. Maybe get something warmer from my closet). Only a 15-min. ride from home, but classes start so early that Bob wanted to just have to roll out of bed & head downstairs, not cab it from home (and parking is $70/day, so not driving--Uber/Lyft fare is less than half that round trip)!

Wren44

Sandy, I'll trade weather. It's going to be mid 80's today and the sky is yellow with smoke. Yesterday our cars were covered with ash. Marine air is supposed to move in this afternoon which will help blow the smoke away from us. Perhaps rain on Thursday. My son lives in Hood River and I worry that a wind change would blow the Eagle River fire toward there. They get strong summer winds - perfect for wind surfing, but not so good for fires.

Anneb1149

Hi all

Didn't realize it had been so long since I've checked in. Harvey had me glued to the TV for days, then Irma appeared. My plan has been that I would evacuate for a Category 4 or 5,stay for Cat 1 or 2 and decide on a Cat 3 depending on where the storm was supposed to hit. So, I am back in GA. What a mess! My brother & I decided Mon to get out. His plan was to drive to Ga. I checked the airlines just to see how high the fares were, and found a flight for $200. My brother agreed that flying would be better for me than sitting in a car for 11+ hours, but he was still going to drive. He decided, since I wasn't going to be with him, that he would go to Fayetteville, NC first to see his granddaughter for a few days, then rejoin me. My then my son called from NC to see if my brother would give his MIL a ride. Then my cousin in Vero Beach called him today to see if he could bring her SIL and her husband to Vero Beach, then they were planning to head to Asheville, NC. My brother was fine giving everyone a ride, but picking everyone would add another hour at least to an already long trip.

Then we have my three kids thAt still live in FL. My youngest daughter can't leave their "farm" and animals. Their farm is, at best, a vegetable garden, and their animals are two outdoor dogs that live on the "farm" -12 miles from their apartment. Some of you may remember that, at the possibility of a hurricane last year, she panicked and drove to Atlanta with her MIL, to stay with someone the MIL had met once, Jamie being too stressed to remember she has a sister in Atlanta with more than enough room for them all.

My middle daughter can't make up her mind, because she has never driven 10 hrs herself, and she is hoping for a quick turnaround because her worksite becomes "home" to all out of state trucks brought in to help in the recovery. Last night, she told me not to worry about her - she wouldn't be alone, David would be with her. WHAT?!?!- I thought they had broken up months ago when he told her she had to choose her son or him. She says they are only friends, as if that solves everything.

And my youngest child, who lives in a loft, where two sides of the loft are floor to ceiling windows, about 5-6 miles from the beach says he'll be fine- they're up high. Yeah, third floor. And he told me he is going into the military. I asked if he has seen the news lately where the Korean president is "testing" atomic bombs. I asked if he realized how devastating that is, and you don't have to be close to it to feel it's effects.

So, I am one stressed mom, but I am safe, I hope. Living in Fl for over 40 years, this is the first hurricane I have run away from. And I insisted my brother and daughter get all my pictures ( going back to my infancy) and homemade clothing my mom and grandmother made for my kids, into their cars and out of the area.

Praying we all stay safe,

Ann

IllinoisLady

Anne, I have no words ((((((Anne)))))) Sending every possible positive energy all over Fla. and beyond for you and your family. Just wow !!!

ChiSandy

Anne, get as far inland as you can--Asheville should be okay because the Blue Ridge'll protect it. Hope the part of GA you're in is too. Maybe you should rent a car & join the family in Asheville. Not a bad drive in nice weather; and you'd be safer.

bonnets

Stay Safe Anne!

ChiSandy

I am so glad we let the condo we inherited in Kings Point go. We got socked with special assessments for Wilma damage to the complex; they finally finished the new gatehouses and repairs and now this. We were "underwater" on it--we could have paid off my mom's mortgage easily, but the assessments were costing us more than our own house's monthly payments. Fortunately, because only the estate held title (my sister & I never did take title formally), walking away had no effect on either of our credit ratings. It's worth more now (until Irma hits) but Bob & I have no intention of ever retiring to FL, and it isn't our idea of a vacation destination either. (When my mom was alive and Gordy was young we went down more often, especially in winter, but not since she died and we had to close her estate).

IllinoisLady

The greatest power God gave us is the power to choose.
We have the opportunity to choose whether we're going
to act or procrastinate, believe or doubt, pray or curse,
help or heal. We also choose whether we're going
to be happy or whether we're going to be sad.

Lou Holtz

IllinoisLady

Hoping all stay safe and sound. You are in my thoughts and I'm still sending pleas to the Universe on your behalf.

Slow start for me today. It's cool again today -- will stay in the 70's again. Not bad and fair in the sun. I may get my car washed today --- it is starting to really need it. I've been just dusting it off and that works good most of the time but we have had a couple of rains as of late so it is just okay. Going down the road I think it looks fine but the closer you get --- the little patches of not so clean show.

Hope you all have a good day.

Wren44

I'm not normally a worrier, but having a friend in the path of the Jolly Mountain Fire in WA, family too close to the Eagle Creek Fire in OR and my nephew's father refusing to evacuate Key West, is testing my resolve to only worry about things I can change.

IllinoisLady

Sorry to hear that you know/care about many ( though we care for all ) that are in line for having to undergo the great possibility of fire. Sending prayers and positive energies and holding mental pictures of safety for all. A lot of things can get to me and fire is frightening -- not only the fire but all the damages that can take place from too much smoke. Fires really last too long as well.

IllinoisLady

We restore the holiness of the world through our loving-kindness and compassion. Everyone
participates. It is a collective task. Every act of
loving-kindness, no matter how great or small, repairs
the world. All those ever born have shared this
collective work since the beginning of time.

Rachel Naomi Remen

Anneb1149

Thanks for all the good wishes. Irma is so overwhelming, I forget the rest of the world is life as usual. We have watched the Weather station 24/7 and the news just keeps getting worse.

My brother and my son's MIL left at 6:30am yesterday. What a nightmare their trip was! It took them over 9 hrs to get out of Fl- normally a 5 1/2 hr trip at most. They called my son to meet with them so he could grab his MIL, without adding extra time to my brother's trip. My son drove 2 hrs to the pickup spot, only to find out they were still 2 hrs south, and that was if traffic moved at a normal pace. My brother told my son to go back home and they would go to his house, mainly because it would get them off 95- the main highway. They got to my son's house at 1:30am. Took them 19 hrs to make a 10 hr trip. Two people who didn't know each other are now best friends.

The daughter on the "farm" has decided to go to her MIL in Boynton Beach. Not because it's safer, but because she is in her 70's and lives alone. Problem is every time they go, they swear they will never go again. She is very controlling and constantly yelling at the kids. Both her older children have begged their parents to not send them there alone.

My son is still set on staying in his third floor apartment, but he brought one of his in-law's car to my house and managed to get it into my garage, along with mine.

Middle daughter decided to go to oldest daughter's in-laws, because she couldn't find anyone to drive out of Fl with her- thank goodness she didn't end up in that traffic fiasco. Nancy's in-laws live in Naples. If you've been watching the hurricane updates, you may have heard that Naples is one of the worst places to be because of the storm surges. They keep saying that you can hide from the wind, but you can't survive drowning. Real encouraging. So they shuttered their house this morning, and are now on their way to Alabama- with my daughter, grandson and our 2 dogs. Tracy was smart enough to bring some air mattresses with her.

Survivors of Hurricane Andrew tend to not really pay attention to the warnings until a guy named Brian Norcross comes on the air. He was on the air all the way through Hurricane Andrew, keeping people whose homes were blowing apart calm. His voice was very calming and he kept assuring people who could reach him by phone that they were not alone and help would be on the way asap. He has since moved from a network newscaster to working at the Hurricane Center. Didn't see him until probably Tues, and that was a short pre-taped message. He is alive and well and on TV again. Each day he is on a little more and we all know he will be on the air 24/7 once Irma hits. I and I think most people know he is just a man and can't make the storm go away, but he is like a candle in the darkness, reminding us that this too shall pass.

Prayers for all Floridians and any one else in the path. We are keeping a close watc on Atlanta's forecast and will head west if needed

Anne

ChiSandy

Stay safe, all of you—the projected track has Irma reaching middle TN while still a tropical depression before it breaks up over northwestern KY or even southern IL.

Meanwhile, I’m worried about my octogenarian cousins in Aventura—FB-messaged them that if they can escape, they’re welcome to stay with us. One of their daughters from Delray is vacationing in Seattle (good timing); another from Hollywood hasn’t checked in yet; and their son, a Daytona Beach cop, has to stay put in case he is needed as a first responder. Latest projections have Irma making landfall at Naples-Ft. Myers and heading up the Gulf coast, with the Atlantic coast getting the eastern edge. By the time it poops out it might have reached all the way up to southern IL.

IllinoisLady

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother
would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people
who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember
my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there
are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world.

Fred Rogers

IllinoisLady

Well, I'm sending a lot of thought, prayers, and a pleas to the Universe to bring everyone through safely. Anne, I'm so glad that your family all made plans to vacate and find safer places. Sandy, thinking of all those on your list as well.

I'm making some plans to animal sit again ( two different households--different times ) so am staying occupied while listening to nothing but storm news on t.v. and radio. So glad that I have a radio in my little office, but have turned it off for a while. The non-stop reports sometimes just gets to me as I tend to be thinking of people, animals, property -- it starts to get so hard to think of such total upheaval on all fronts.

VelvetPoppy

I decided to 'catch' some spider webs in the corners in our bathroom. Took down the curtains because I noticed they were dusty; vacuumed the window corners & the blind; moved into the bedroom & did the same with the two windows there (except the curtains..they looked good); got the corners in that room & my closet; went into the hall & moved the bookcase to clean corners & baseboards and finally stopped with the front entry. I think I have started a late spring or early fall cleaning!

Tired now...going to read until dinner!

Luvmaui

Anne....been keeping close tabs on Irma and thinking of you and your family. Thanks so much for your updates and hope you'll be able to continue informing all of us of how y'all are doing as this horrible storm gets closer.

You were so right when you said it's difficult to imagine normal life is going on elsewhere while the possibility of devastation of life and property is all around you. Please stay safe and I'll continue having positive thoughts that all will be well for you and your family after Irma passes.

VelvetPoppy

Yep. I have started some kind of big clean! All curtains & drapes are down and now the windows need to be cleaned. H is hiding; so is S!

Joan811

We were at the beach today and the waves were stacked in fours rolling in with long wavelengths. I cannot be sure it is effects of Irma (we usually get surf when storms are about 700 miles south), or if it is the other weather pattern that is moving north and pulling Irma to turn north.

It was so peaceful there, even with the big waves and limited swimming. I found it hard to believe that elsewhere people were undergoing so much stress and disaster. We have had our share of hurricanes here on Long Island and we've always been fine. I have always had a gas stove and hot water heater, which allowed us to cook and take showers. After Gloria, I had a line of friends over for showers. We also have a small generator that could run the fridge.

Ann you have a lot to think about with your kids spread out and the storm about to make its power known.
I am praying and expecting to hear that everyone is safe and able to go home to a sound structure.

I made blueberry pancakes today and had them for breakfast. I have been tired every since!
Falling asleep....will try to check in more often.

Wren, I also am concerned about my friend I just visited in Montana. She is in Flathead Lake valley and the smoke just sits low every day. There are multiple fires, including the Glacier NP fire. Another friend from BCO has her vacation home in the Cascades and fires there were 8 miles away. Scary...

IllinoisLady

Grace has been defined as the outward expression
of the inward harmony of the soul.
- William Hazlitt

IllinoisLady

Thinking of all as the storm bears down on Fla. Some of the pictures are hard to watch in that most are at the stage where it is no longer safe to summon help. I'm thinking of an earlier broadcast where the newsperson talked about a homeless person she could see in the street. It is said the winds and water will be an all day affair.

Got my car ( as well as some smaller items ) done yesterday. Nice to have some things out of the way for a bit. They are all of the nature that always starts needing a repeat performance shortly after they are done. Anyway, will get back to some of my regular things today. Hope you are all well and that those in the storm are safe and will stay so.

VelvetPoppy

I lived in Key West for two years back in the early 70s. I loved it there; so pretty and fun. I walked to work every day. I also lived in the Tampa area in the late 70s. I met my husband when he was stationed at MacDill AFB. I still have friends there, as well as in Orlando and Gainesville. This is so hard to watch.

Anneb1149

Hi everyone,

I got a text from my son (still in Fl)that our neighbor texted him that our shed was gone. We had cleaned out about half of it this summer, but our Christmas tree and some decorations, were in there, as well as my granddaughter's bike. I really don't know what else was in there, but whatever was there is gone .

Then my daughter who is in Alabama got a text from the same neighbors. Sami had gone on our front porch to get out of the wind, and have a cigarette. Her son was with her, and heard banging, so he looked thru the front windows and saw the vertical blinds blowing. Sami got the key we left with her and realized the sliding glass door in our family room had come off the track. She said there is quite a bit of damage, but they were able to get the door back on the track, and cleaned up as much of the flooding as possible. I've been trying to call my insurance company since then, with no luck. Then I tried the website. At the top of the page it has a box "Report Hurricane Irma here" and next to that "Report Hurricane Harvey here". I can't get thru that way either. While I don't know the extent of the damage yet, I want to get a claim started. Sami can't get any pictures thru, or phone calls- all she can do is text. My son is going to go over tomorrow to see what's going on. I told him not to go until they say it is safe. I texted Sami to thank her, and said, "Okay, everyone is safe, the shed is gone, the family room damaged, but is my new kitchen okay?" Haven't gotten an answer yet.

Will keep you updated

Anne

bonnets

At least you're OK, that's what counts! Been watching most of the da on the weather channel.

Joan811

Anne, I am sorry to hear about the damage to your home. I hope the interior is not damaged and that your family and friends are safe.

Today at our Sunday Service, we had a missionary family from Barbuda and Antigua. They are back here for 10 months then they go back. They showed a beautiful video of the local people there. Such poverty, but such beautiful smiles. There is little doubt that those homes are no longer standing. And another hurricane right behind Irma.
It was such a beautiful week end here, so calm and clear. We truly appreciated what we have and enjoyed the beach and a boat ride on the bay. We all experience trials along our life journeys; but I have never experienced loss or suffering like the people in Houston, the Caribbean, and now Florida. Our country is so large and it is hard to help out. I have some contacts who may be able to direct me to where I can send some needed clothing or donations.
Just thinking out loud...and appreciating each day.
Back to work tomorrow...I am feeling very challenged as I recently had major oral surgery. I have two classes to teach and it is still difficult for me to say certain sounds...and it is worse when I talk a lot or get tired. I don't know how it will go, but I will try my best.
Joan

September 11th...May we treasure our freedom.

ChiSandy

My relatives are fine: my octogenarian cousins were with their oldest daughter in her home in Davie; their middle daughter’s in Seattle; and their son the cop in Daytona is fine, waiting to hear if he’ll be needed elsewhere. Not sure whether my sis & BIL have their fishing cottage on Big Pine Key—saw video of damage in Islamorada and it’s pretty extensive. But it made it through both Andrew & Wilma, so you never can tell. (And they literally can’t—no power down there, the neighbors are also seasonal & transient, no phone, no way to get there as bridges are washed out). My sis never goes there—it’s pretty primitive—and my BIL goes down a couple of times a year to unwind and fish like crazy. He still has his hunting cabin in WV.

IllinoisLady

Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
"I will try again tomorrow."
- Mary Anne Radmacher