because life isn't challenging enough right now...

[troublesmom]

Monica I hope you are soon able to get your problem taken care of. I am so very glad that I don't do twitter.

[Monica]

Still working on it. And also dealing with our FB page exploding. I miss the calm from 2019....

[Debbie J]

Definitely! I’m on the HOA in my community and the complaints today were:

1. Phyliss was walking her dog at 7pm last night and it was still 100 degrees, can the HOA make her quit doing that?
Answer: it was 107 yesterday, so 100 seems a lot better than 107.
2. I got stung by a bee at the pool, what can the HOA do about the bee?
I think bees die once they sting you, so what else can I do?
3. The corner of my yard is not green, can we fire our landscaping crew?
I water my yard by hand if the sprinklers can’t keep up. It’s 107 degrees!
4. I wrote an anonymous letter to Phyliss, can you put it on her gate for me?
Seriously?

Kill me!

This was before noon! I left the complex and didn’t come back until 6 pm. Ridiculous

[pamcook]

Snowflakes in AZ! Wow.

[Monica]

At least the crazy isn't limited to my neck of the woods...

Debbie, that is NUTS!

[troublesmom]

I would never, ever get in our HOA. I have never been in one until we moved here to SC. Now I know better but it is too late.

[Monica]

Happy Friday! my Council is calling a special session next week to discuss the crap storm that's hit our city, and hopefully between now and then people take a breath and calm down. Between the pandemic and everything else since then emotions and tempers are decidedly running high around the globe.

[pamcook]

Happy Friday! my Council is calling a special session next week to discuss the crap storm that's hit our city, and hopefully between now and then people take a breath and calm down. Between the pandemic and everything else since then emotions and tempers are decidedly running high around the globe.

I hope it does calm down. Chris sent me photos from downtown Seattle last evening. He had to go into to the office to pick up all his belongings. I was terrified and I don't think I took a breath until he said he was home again. It makes me sad his career with Nordstrom ended because of all this. At least it's a clear decision and he can move on not wondering if he was making the right decision.

Our university is making rash, ridiculous policies. Joel is going to retire early. It's no longer safe for him to work there and he's too close to full retirement to risk being fired. If the hospital ends up mandating that I start working in the hospital, I'll have to retire early as well (all my pre-existings make me high risk but not high enough to be prevented from working in a high risk environment).

Rambling, I know. Take care Monica.

[Debbie J]

My daughter, Jo, who has the kidney transplant was called to return to work from her office, Banner Thunderbird Hospital. They had 88 ppl in the ER yesterday who were admitted with COVID and 120+ who were tested and are suspicious but waiting results! She got the entire Nephrology department doctors to write her letters to work from home and THEY DID! Starting Monday she gets to work from home. She and the rest of the department she works in have been working from home since March so they can’t really say she can’t do her job from home. Today over 3200 ppl in AZ tested positive and that is excluding Indian Reservations.

[Monica]

Happy Friday! my Council is calling a special session next week to discuss the crap storm that's hit our city, and hopefully between now and then people take a breath and calm down. Between the pandemic and everything else since then emotions and tempers are decidedly running high around the globe.

I hope it does calm down. Chris sent me photos from downtown Seattle last evening. He had to go into to the office to pick up all his belongings. I was terrified and I don't think I took a breath until he said he was home again. It makes me sad his career with Nordstrom ended because of all this. At least it's a clear decision and he can move on not wondering if he was making the right decision.

Our university is making rash, ridiculous policies. Joel is going to retire early. It's no longer safe for him to work there and he's too close to full retirement to risk being fired. If the hospital ends up mandating that I start working in the hospital, I'll have to retire early as well (all my pre-existings make me high risk but not high enough to be prevented from working in a high risk environment).

Rambling, I know. Take care Monica.

You take care too! I'm thankful Chris was able to go and return home unscathed, and I have faith there is something better for him. And early retirement for Joel sounds like the best decision to make. I hope some rationality will make the hospital admin realize that you shouldn't be working at the hospital at all!

[Monica]

My daughter, Jo, who has the kidney transplant was called to return to work from her office, Banner Thunderbird Hospital. They had 88 ppl in the ER yesterday who were admitted with COVID and 120+ who were tested and are suspicious but waiting results! She got the entire Nephrology department doctors to write her letters to work from home and THEY DID! Starting Monday she gets to work from home. She and the rest of the department she works in have been working from home since March so they can’t really say she can’t do her job from home. Today over 3200 ppl in AZ tested positive and that is excluding Indian Reservations.

Good for her and yay for her doctors!! This whole thing is just so insane.

We've unpublished our Facebook pages to allow things to die down and remove the platform for vitriol and hate.

[pamcook]

Such a relief Debbie! She’s obviously very strong but this is not the time to test her strength!

[jmp1022]

I hope this virus ends soon
I'm sick of it killing so many and making people sick.

If only I could snap my fingers and it would be gone

I know I'm a dreamer.

I have so many that are at risk.

[pbp908]

Monica, this country no longer has common sense. It flew out of the window several years ago and has not been sighted since.

I've had Jim and Karen here for 4 days now. They decided to leave Washington. With their 3 cats and a dog. Their animals don't like mine. Heck, mine don't always like each other but that's another story.

Jim's weight has to now be close to 400 lbs if he's not over that. He sits and does nothing except pontificate and proclaim and pay lip service to what he needs to do to regain his health. His lack of movement is causing his legs to atrophy, but strangely enough since we quit coddling him and made him get up and move to get what he wants he's walking better. Duh. The unhealthy lifestyle is exacerbating his MS symptoms, so of course he's using the MS as his excuse for being like this. Karen is NOT in great shape physically and she's having to do all of the work - moving the animals, cleaning, cooking, all of the driving, packing, unpacking, laundry. The girl has broken almost every bone in her body over the past 20 or so years (very long story) and has seizures. Yesterday I read Jim the riot act as far as his lifestyle and health. Karen keeps offering to help here and I've absolutely refused - she is exhausted and running on fumes.

They're finally leaving today and heading for Tenn. His college roommate has graciously offered to let them stay there until Jim gets back on his feet financially. Thank goodness because I don't think I could have stood him ONE MORE DAY. I think he came here with the belief that we'd find or give them somewhere to stay. No. I already have a full house and am in a constant state of detente with Chris, so not No but Hell no.

I mowed grass yesterday before the storm. Those couple of hours on the little tractor was heaven - no voices, no aggravation. Just the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the sweet smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of the engine. Today I will harvest herbs and prepare them for storage and be as mindless as possible. I WILL find my Zen place again!

"Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days." ~ Ben Franklin. Very wise man, old Ben.

[Monica]

I feel for you, Pam! I've been taking stock of my health and what needs improvement. I stress eat, so I need to make healthy snacks my go-to and not junk food. As for Ben Franklin... he was absolutely right.