COSMOS AND I'M RICH!!!

         

          Cosmos…I love these plants. You drop some seeds and they grow and grow and grow. And, then a big plus, they reseed themselves so you don’t have to. This fall I plan to put this mulch mixture on to the remainder of my flowerbeds…some already have it. I’m going to look for some Cosmos seed packets and sprinkle them all over the place. We’ll see how they do come next spring.

          I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I’d completed a HUGE project. Yep, totally done, including the trip to the bank. I’m sure you’ve heard there’s a coin shortage. Well, if there’s a penny shortage, I took care of that today. And, I must say, it was a lot of effort for a small return. I think if I were being paid to do it, I would have made like a buck an hour, if that.

          Eons ago, I brought home a big five-gallon blue glass water bottle. Once before this it was full of pennies which John rolled to help pay for the &*&*^)#%# boat he absolutely had to buy. Not only that, he conned his friends into helping him because he got to choose what they did for work night at his house. You host, you choose the project. Usually that meant they hung out in the garage, got high and told lots of lies about a huge variety of subjects. Well, until those pennies hit the bank, they actually had to work rolling those coins in those little paper sleeves. If memory serves, John harvested about $250.00.

          Over time, John continued to put pennies in this now empty jar. When he died, it had been full for quite some time, and I mean full as in clear up to the very top…another penny would have fallen on the floor. I don’t know if John’s memory of the previous rolling project, laziness, lack of need or whatever, but he had no intention of rolling those pennies…EVER!!!

          So, once again a John project became my project. People did suggest I take them to Coinstar, but do you have any idea how heavy pennies actually are if you want to take them someplace? I would have had to make multiple trips and only received maybe $20 or $30 each time, if that. I wasn’t even sure how I was going to get the pennies out of the jar without breaking the jar.

          Haley and AJ solved the empty the jar problem. They were able to slowly and carefully tip it on its side. Then Haley took a table knife and by plunging it into the jar repeatedly got the pennies to come out. What a tedious process. Haley didn’t do the entire jar. I took out the huge yellow Tupperware bowl I got in 1966 (haven’t we all had one of those?) and would get out enough pennies to fill it half way, and then, it was almost too heavy to pick up and carry. Once I did get the jar more than half empty, Haley did pick it up and shake out the remainder, or at least I think that’s what she did, but I wasn’t with her when she did it. And, Haley got a bonus…the empty glass jar.

          I don’t know how many days and evenings I spent watching TV and rolling those damn pennies. I did have this little plastic cylinder into which you put the pennies. Some times they’d go in crooked and then you’d have to shake the cylinder or tap it in the bowl to get the pennies to fall out. When full, you shake it and any pennies amounting to more than 50 cents would come out this little slot. Then, empty the holder, open a paper sleeve and input the 50 pennies and fold over the ends so they don’t fall out. There are penny sleeves that are already bent on one end so the shape is round. Those work splendidly because you slide them into the plastic cylinder, turn it upside down and the pennies slide into the holder. Unfortunately, Office Max only had one package of those. Another woman told me they were cheaper at the dollar store. I tried there, but you got all denominations, not just penny ones.

          There must have been at least five trips to the various banks to ask for penny wrappers, as many as you’ll give me is what I said each time. You’d think the folks working in a bank would have some idea of how many pennies a five-gallon jar would hold. I do have to admit on the last trip, I received more than enough and now have a surplus. But guess what, I don’t plan to ever ever ever save another penny the remainder of my life.    

          Because of the weight, I wasn’t able to put all the rolled pennies in one box. I had five boxes and a couple of those were almost too heavy for me to lift…my left bicep is sore. I did manage to get them into the back of my Rav4, plus the hand truck so I could cart them into the bank in one trip. Now, I have a credit card with Bank of America, but I have to have an account into which the pennies can be deposited. I’m with BECU, and you have to find a BECU branch that has tellers…a little journey to Everett.

          So, I’ve jaunted to Everett and back. Oh my goodness, what a busy place the BECU bank was. They had two entrances. I parked by the first one, not knowing about the other entrance, loaded the hand truck with the boxes and went toward the door. An employee stopped me and asked what I wanted to do. I was told I had to go around the corner of the building and get in the teller line. So, I did. I’m sure I looked a sight pulling/pushing this hand truck with boxes of pennies.

          When I finally got to a teller, I asked her if she was really strong. I was able to slide three of the boxes through the little window. A young man came to help and he put one of the larger ones over the top and carried the other one too big for the window around and to the teller. I had counted and put a post-it in each box with the number, but she had to count them herself. I should have looked at the clock to see how long it took.

          Only one of the boxes had the rolls laying down. The other boxes, I stood them upright. Those were easier for her to count and she used a sharpie to mark each roll so she didn’t get confused and have to begin again. When she was all done, I had a total of $264.00 to go into my savings account. Like I said above, I probably worked for $1.00/hour, or less, rolling those damn pennies.

          Given my receipt, I rolled my empty hand truck back to the car and came home where I had lunch and finished this post. And, oh my goodness, but I feel so wealthy now…however am I going to spend that $264.00??? Or, whatever am I going to do when I watch TV now???

ASTRANTIA AND THE '57 CAME HOME FOR A VISIT

         

          Since I couldn’t remember the name of this plant, I decided to use the plant app, Plantnet, on my phone. According to that, this is Astrantia in the family of Apiaceae. Its common name is great masterwort. Based on my research, it’s probably Astrantia major “Star of Beauty.”  Why I never save those little plastic identifiers that come with plants I have no idea. I purchased a start a number of years ago at Sorticulture in Everett and it’s done very well in the location where I planted. It’s probably three or four times the size of the original plant and looks very nice on the edge of my water feature. 

          Today, Sunday, I got to experience a real treat. AJ and Haley came down in the ’57 Chevy pickup. It’s been many a year since this truck left my driveway and went to live at AJ’s house. I believe I’ve posted before how it became AJ’s when he turned 16, but that it took 30+ years before he actually sat behind the wheel and drove it on the street.

          There it came, cruising up the street as I was in front watering the flowerbed. AJ gave me a couple toots on the horn, went to the end of the street, came back and parked. I called John’s best friend Dave to tell him the ’57 was home. Of course, Dave had to come down, safely masked, to look it over and talk to AJ about what he and Haley had done in the way of restoration to date. Dave has restored a number of Cougars, so he speaks the lingo.

          John bought the ’57 the year we got married, so that would have been 1966. I believe it was blue when he bought it, but he had it painted the rust color it’s been since then. John drove it to and from work and I got to drive the “good” cars, i.e., 1965 Mustang, 1967 Chevy Malibu, and finally the 1971 VW Superbeetle, although John never liked the VW. One of these days I should try listing all the vehicles we owned in all our years of marriage. I do know in his later years, John deeply regretted not keeping the Mustang, Malibu and possible a couple of others. I certainly didn’t because our driveway was only so big and there was never a chance we’d end up on some farm where John could have kept everything he ever owned.

         

After the confab about the ’57, AJ and Haley did a couple of things for me and then AJ asked me if I wanted to go for a ride. Hell yes!!!! So, off we went, down the street and followed part of the route I usually walk. AJ went beyond, and then turned back. It was definitely fun to sit up high and watch the world go by. It was also fairly noisy.

         

I think the last time I rode in the ’57 was when John and I drove it to California because his good friend had left town without paying John for the four tires on his vehicle. John was just a tad pissed about that and was determined to go get either the tires or his money. Woohoo, a road trip.

          John’s mom came to stay with AJ, so it had to have been 45+ years ago when we did this. The truck had a new engine with practically no miles on it, so John expected a smooth trip. Well, it didn’t work quite like that. We got to around Olympia and the truck quit running. John went under the hood, messed about and then tried starting it. Woopee, it was back running. In this manner, we hiccoughed our way down I-5 to some town in northern California.

          John had tried a number of things to figure out the problem, but the truck would run for only so long and then it would stop. Wait a while and it would start up again. I can’t remember now if John talked to someone or just went in and bought a new fuel filter. If memory serves, the fuel filter had rust chips in it. As we drove, the rust chips slowly covered the exit from the fuel filter…no fuel, no go. Stop long enough for the rust to fall back down to the bottom of the fuel filter and we could mosey on down the road. A new fuel filter solved the recurring problem.

          Once in southern California, John was able to find his friend. It was late at night and I waited in the truck while John went inside the apartment building. He and his friend came back and began removing the tires from his friend’s vehicle. Suddenly, a police car showed up. John rather nonchalantly walked over to my window, handed me a gun and said, “Put this under the seat.” I almost fell over. I had no idea he was carrying.

          The two of them talked to the policeman who then left, and once the four tires were in the back of the ’57, we left. I immediately gave John a ration of shit for having the gun, especially since I didn’t know he did. I asked him, “What were you going to do if your friend didn’t return the tires or give you your money, shoot him?” John’s reply was a smile and “Maybe.”

          That was our last trip in the ’57. Even though it misbehaved for half the way down, we had a great time. This was at the height of our marijuana and speed use. There were so many things that were funny that might not have been if we had been straight. We also did some things that we probably would not have done if we hadn’t been high and moving fast. Still, I’ve some great memories from that trip and I wish I could share them here, but they're pretty private...hysterical, but private.

          Once we were back home, I’m not sure if the ’57 left the driveway again until it went to live at AJ’s. It may have, but nothing in particular comes to mind. I do have to admit though, that it was great to see it chugging along on the street and even better to be in the cab behind the engine that was doing the chugging. AJ doesn’t plan on doing a lot more to the ’57, but perhaps if I squirrel away some money designated just for that truck, once I’m gone, he can get it painted and fully restored. I would like that…John would LOVE that.

LEAST FAVORITE DAHLIA, MORE BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

          This is probably my least favorite dahlia. It looks sort of like a daisy, but the blooms don’t last too long. It is prolific when it comes to blooms and it’s leaves and stems are a sort of purple color. Still, I like the bigger, brighter and showier dahlias best.

          Saturday morning, I was sitting here talking to AJ and looking out the window. Suddenly there was a huge number of different birds in my garden, including hummingbirds. That’s when my guilt rose to the surface. I hadn’t cleaned or filled any of the feeders for a few weeks. And, okay, there’s lots of stuff blooming right now, but more birds would come if I were to get off my bottom and provide. My son even told me that they’d just have to do what they’d always done before there were feeders and that’s live off the land. This is the same son that puts out hummer feeders and a water bowl for the crow…Croweeee…even names it.

          So, I stopped what I’d been doing when AJ called and gathered up all the feeders and brought them inside. I took them apart and washed inside and out and left them in the drainer to dry. I made sugar water and it’s cooling. I have some seed left, but am going to have to go to the grocery store, so I’ll pop next door and get some black sunflower seeds for the other feeders. By this evening there will be lots of bird food out in the garden again.

          AJ called to see if there was anything I needed done this weekend…such a good son. And, of course, I have a HUGE honey-do list, but he’s my son, not my honey, so I’m not giving him that list. He said he’d be over tomorrow to reclaim the ladder he brought over when we were cleaning out the garage attic. I told him if he could turn my hanging baskets, that would be terrific, but there’s really nothing else he needs to do here.

          Truth be told, I could probably put him and his brother to work every single weekend for a few months doing stuff that John never got to or didn’t want to do. That would not, however, be fair because both men have jobs and their own families to take care of and look after. If this damn pandemic ever ends, I could splurge and spend a bit of cash hiring someone to come and work on my honey-do list. Right now, I don’t want to hire someone I don’t know or even call the young man who worked for me last year and the year before. Don’t really want any strangers coming into my home.

          I just finished a HUGE project, but I’m not ready to talk about it. You’ll probably read about it this coming Tuesday. Meanwhile, I believe I’ll make dill pickles this coming week. One of the women I tutored last year made pickles on Saturday with her son and grandson. Another friend posted a garlic peeling tutorial for me on Facebook, but I no longer peel them by hand. I have some arthritis issues and while I love the way my hands smell after peeling 20 bunches, my hands would be miserable. Costco provides a nice-sized bag. What I don’t put into the dill pickles, I’ll chop and freeze in ice cube trays (note to self…need to get more trays) for soups and other dishes in the winter. I always freeze some whole as well and drop those in with potatoes I intend to mash. Of course, I won’t be making many mashed potatoes in the coming months, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for that garlic…I do so love garlic.

          AJ’s wife is not turning 50 on Tuesday. It’s such a shame that AJ, Haley and I cannot plan a huge surprise party for her unbirthday. Maybe next August we can do that and pretend she’s not turning 50 again. I’ve watched what Angie has done for Haley’s events and it would be such fun to go all out with all the 50^th birthday stuff we could find. I did have a very special present made for her, but I cannot tell you what it is in case she just happens to read this. I’ll take a photo and post about that later. That is if I can get out there Tuesday evening for a minute or so to deliver the present.

          Me, myself and I will be 75 this year…the diamond birthday or maybe that’s just anniversary. Oh well, diamonds are always good no matter the occasion. Unfortunately, John won’t be here to supply me with the diamonds I so justly deserve so I’ll just have to appreciate the ones he already provided…and I do, seriously. Last year five good friends helped me through that first birthday without John. Perhaps if I’m allowed to have people in, I could cook something I’d  really like to eat and invite them to celebrate at my house. That sounds like a great idea to me today. We’ll see how it turns out in a few months.

          I was going to do some additional work out in the garden today, but AJ’s phone call interrupted what I was doing and then I went on to other chores. It’s kind of like that joke about looking for your keys, deciding the junk drawer needs to be tamed, then doing about six other things before returning to looking for your keys. The sun is now out and I don’t work well in the sun…I’d never make it on a horticulture or landscape team. I can just hear the boss now when I say it’s too rainy, too cold, too sunny or whatever. I probably wouldn’t last a day…hell even an hour.

          So, I guess I’ll post this for tomorrow and get in the shower. I’ll go to the grocery store later today instead of early tomorrow and get myself something good for dinner. I’d better add birdseed to my list or I’ll end up coming home without it. Heck, I may even buy myself a new birdfeeder…I deserve it.

          Hope y’all are having a great weekend.

ANNABELLE AND GRATEFULNESS

In last Sunday’s paper there was an article about hydrangeas. I purchased an Annabelle some time ago and planted it on the south side of my house. Every fall I cut it back to the ground and try to yank out spreading roots. Being a good gardener, I planted two of those starts in my back garden. I have also given starts to other people.

The article called these mophead hydrangeas and I can certainly understand why because the hydrangea heads are huge…the picture posted here is actually the size of a soccer ball and it’s not the only one on this, the smallest plant. I’ve a feeling if I’m not careful, this one type of hydrangea is going to take over my entire garden.

I do have others. Last year I rescued a hydrangea that was left out with a free sign. It didn’t look too happy, but I brought it home and planted it adjacent the Annabelle. It grew and appeared to be very happy in its new location. Well, I’m going to have to dig it up and move it to another location because between the Annabelle and the Japanese anemone, it’s not going to have a chance to get very big. I also purchased a couple of other hydrangeas a couple of years ago, plus I received three as memory gifts for John. They are all growing, although the mole managed to uproot one of those I bought…I’m not sure if I can save it. The others are doing well.

The last few days have been a bit of a problem. I’ve been having trouble staying afloat emotionally. I’d really just like to stay in bed and pull the covers over my head. Angie was here for lunch on Tuesday and Claudia on Wednesday, but once they left, I returned to feeling as though I was dogpaddling through life. I want to swim, damnit!!! Anyway, since I’m having trouble thinking of things to write about, I figured I’d remedy that by writing about all the things for which I’m thankful…maybe that will drag me up out of the emotional doldrums.

I’m extremely grateful to be healthy. Yes, I do have three auto-immune diseases, but none of them keep me from walking, talking, eating or doing anything I really want/need to do. Further, I’m grateful I’ve been able to remain healthy during this pandemic by taking all the necessary precautions.

I’m extremely grateful my house doesn’t have a mortgage. What it does have is property taxes for which I requested an exemption back in March. So far, King County hasn’t awarded me a lower tax or any kind of an exemption, but when I emailed them the end of June, they told me they were working on these requests and they’d get to mine eventually. Meanwhile, I paid the tax for April and will figure something out for the end of October if I haven’t heard by then. Makes me wonder how long you can go without paying property taxes before they toss you in the street.

I’m extremely grateful for all the years I held a job and earned money. It’s my social security that is paying the bills, putting food in my cupboard, and the investments made are there if needed in an emergency.

I’m extremely grateful for my family. No, I’m not seeing them on a regular basis because of the pandemic. In fact, I’ve only seen Arayli and Xander once since February 22^nd, and Thor only a few times. I was seeing Haley weekly before she went to work and AJ a couple of times a month…AJ does call pretty much on a weekly basis. But the fact is if something horrible were to happen, I know that my family would rally round as quickly as possible in support. That knowledge is a true blessing.

I’m extremely grateful for my extended family, i.e., sister, brother, cousins, aunts and uncles. So far, they have all remained healthy and it’s also a true blessing to know that.

I am extremely grateful for my friends whether they are the ones I get to see now and then or the ones I am in contact with via email, phone or Facebook. There again, it’s a blessing to know they are all healthy and taking measures to remain that way. And when it comes to Facebook postings, I’m especially grateful for the funny ones my friends share and always try to share with them the funny ones I find. I have to work to find laughter these days.

I am extremely grateful for my garden and deck. The colors, smells, growth, sun and shade provide pleasure each and every day. My peas are finished and I cut them back, removing the remainders I hadn’t picked…I’ll be having fresh peas in my salad tonight. My tomatoes are coming on and I’ve had a couple of salads with my own freshly picked fruit. In another couple of weeks, if the weather remains good, perhaps I’ll be able to share my bounty with family and friends. The squash and pumpkin need to work a little harder on their production.

I am extremely grateful for my doggies. Their eyes are filled with love and devotion as they look at me throughout the day. Kaizer loves to go out in front with me and I allow him because he doesn’t run away. His mother, Karma, is terribly jealous, but she would run far far away and someone would have to bring her back or I’d have to go get her. She’s naughty that way. Still, the warmth of their little bodies on me (except when it’s so hot) is extremely comforting.

There are lots of other things for which I am grateful but pretty much take for granted, i.e., electricity, washer, dryer, dishwasher, water, shower, car, gas, bed, television, computer, I-pad, phone, music, refrigerator, freezer, etc., etc., etc. I’m sure it would be way more difficult to shelter-in-place without any of those modern conveniences, plus I’m sure there are others that I’ve left off the list.

I don’t know how you feel after reading this, but while I don’t feel like I’m swiftly swimming, I no longer feel as though I want to stay in bed forever. In fact, I think I’m going to print this post out and put it on my bulletin board for future reference. I mean, let’s face it, there’s little I really need or want (aside from more socialization) and I’m living a fairly blessed life which I need to recognize and appreciate way more than I’ve been doing.

GLADOLI AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

At some point in time, I purchased Gladioli bulbs. Like so many of the bulbs I’ve purchased over the years, they didn’t last for very long. I never knew if the squirrels got them, they rotted in the ground or just what happened. In any case, apparently one orange glad decided to hang in there and has done so for years and years. I believe it’s divided itself a number of times and this year it sent up four flower stalks. Perhaps I should give it some attention or move it to a new location…nah, it’s good.

Last week I noted a post on Facebook about joining a book club…sort of. I told the person to count me in and she messaged me the information I needed. I went out and bought one book by a favorite author, wrapped and mailed it to the one name and address provided by my friend.

Then, I posted my message on Facebook about joining this book club. I have lots of friends who read, so I really thought I’d get a big response. Wrong!!! Just one person responded and that was to question audio or e-books. I responded to her, but she didn’t get back to me. So, now, I have no one to provide with my friend’s name so she’ll get a book in the mail.

I’m actually disappointed by the lack of response to my Facebook post. I figured with all of us being stuck at home, we’re probably all reading a lot more than normal…I know I have been lately. Oh well, it’s not really high on the list of my problems these days.

I went to the dentist today (Thursday) to have my teeth cleaned. I had thought I would walk there, but another friend told me about her boss being in the sun before an appointment. When her boss went in, her forehead registered a higher than accepted temperature, so they would let her keep her appointment, even though she explained she’d been in the sun. I figured that could happen to me, so I drove the two minutes down the street. Once again, I had a good report…no cavities, no need for a crown replacement, no need for nuthin…come back in six months for another cleaning.

It’s becoming harder and harder to come up with something to write about. I don’t want to post a long-winded whine every single day, but lately it seems like I could potentially whine every single minute my brain is awake. A long long time ago when I was going to have to get up and do something I absolutely hated doing, I thought as I lay there in bed in the dark that being dead would be a good thing because I’d never have to get up…and, that’s probably about the only good thing about death.

I finally finished watching all 11 seasons of HEARTLAND. Apparently, there are seasons 12 and 13 out there, but they haven’t come to Netflix quite yet. I’m rather sad to have left this ranch and family for the time being. It was a pleasure to visit them for a few hours each night and their problems and difficulties were so fairly simple. Plus, the scenery and horses were so gorgeous I couldn’t even begin to describe it in a way that would provide the kind of credit deserved.

Well, I feel like I’m just sitting here blathering on about absolutely nothing and wasting your time. Perhaps between today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday), I’ll think of something that will catch and keep your worthy attention.

CLIVIA AND YOUNGER MEN?

My clivia is blooming. I’ve included two photos. One shows a close up of the individual flower that makes up the whole blooming ball. I have four of these plants in the house and all originated from the first one I obtained. I don’t remember who provided my start, but besides the ones I’ve grown for myself, I’ve given other plants to friends and family. The only reason I have four now is that I was unable to rehome three of them. These plants are relatively easy to grow. You really don’t have to do much of anything besides provide some water now and again and fertilizer.  

You would think since one of the four is blooming, the other three would be doing so as well, but they have given no indication of producing a bloom. One of the other three is busy producing additional starts. If I take it out of its pot, by the looks of things, I’d be able to repot it and two babies. I’m not sure if I’m going to do that. I’ve never just left the clivia to its own devices when it comes to making babies…maybe it’s time.

Plants have always been a huge part of my life and they’ve always had a place in my home. I’m trying to remember if I’ve written about the plants of my life in a previous blog post, but you know what, I cannot remember. For that matter, today’s post is #213 which means I only have 152 left to complete the year of daily postings I said I would do on January 1^st. Honestly, does it seem possible that there’s so few days left in 2020. Seriously, I’ll be more than happy to say farewell to this year and embark on a new one, but only if there’s some absolutely, positively hopeful sign that all our lives can return to normal (whatever that is) in 2021.

I’ll end the year having completed my mission of a post a day, but it is difficult these days to think of something new to write about. The whole purpose was to record my life without John, how I’m doing as a widow, and how my life has changed because of that. Because of the pandemic, my life isn’t anything like I imagined it would be, so there’s definitely been no posts about fabulous trips after the initial February cruise. I’ve been far lonelier without John since I cannot go places or entertain. And, probably I’ve missed close human skin-to-skin contact way more than I ever expected to.

That’s not to say that before the pandemic I planned to rush out as a new widow and take up with every Tom, Dick and Harry who came my way. In fact, I only know one Tom and don’t much care for him. The only Dick and Harry I knew are up to no good with John wherever they are. So, it would have had to be men known by other names. Still, I’ve always been the kind of woman who has to know the man before jumping into a relationship…unless there’s great chemistry as there was with John. And, let’s face it, at my age, great chemistry comes out of a bottle prescribed by my doctor or brewed in a gin factory somewhere.  

I do have to admit, however, that I haven’t seen a man in person that was over 50, maybe even 35 or 40, who was the least bit attractive to me. I’ve certainly seen many many younger men with whom I’m sure I’d have great chemistry provided the horrid number of decades standing between us weren’t in the way.

And, I don’t know how many women my age can remember growing up and the way the majority of the boys/men in our lives were rather ho hum compared to the young men growing up today. I cannot remember a single boy/young man who had muscles, muscle definition, six-pack abs and could pick me up with their little finger. Nope, they were all lily-white, smooth skinned without a single muscle showing, and I might have been able to beat them at arm wrestling because I was such a tomboy.

Yes, most of the young men I see today (and okay, I’m not seeing many because I’m not going anywhere), are buff and attractive. I remember riding in a car with several friends more than ten years ago. Another car full of handsome young men pulled alongside at the light. They smiled, acted very friendly and then zoomed on their way. I said something to the effect I wish I had some of that date drug that keeps the person from remembering the night before. If I did, I’d go find myself a young man because I wouldn’t want him to remember the experience because of my age. Everyone laughed and I hope they all thought my comments were funny, but to be perfectly honest, it actually sounds like a fine idea. Yep, a fine idea, but not one that I would have the least idea how to pursue.

Now, an older man, no matter how much older, can go out and find a much younger woman and while I might personally find it disgusting, society accepts such relationships with a problem. But if I or someone my age or older were to go out and recruit one of those young and buff and handsome men, society would have a lot to say…look at what happened with poor Demi Moore. I guess the message here would be to enjoy it while you are younger and have it.

Sheesh, I have no idea where this all came from. I just began typing and apparently suffered from diarrhea of the fingers. Hopefully, no one has been scandalized or offended by my post; but, oh well, if that has happened. Reading it over, I think what I was trying to do was to point out how times and people have changed since I was very young. And, just perhaps, engage in a bit of daydreaming in the process. I have become quite lonely during this pandemic.

PINK CALLA LILY AND VACUUMS

          The flower for today is a pink calla lily. I got these from Michigan Bulb a couple of years ago and didn’t think they were going to come back this year. But, they finally did and I love the color. A neighbor has black calla lilies and I’m hoping at some point he’ll give me a start. I’m also worried about getting the next Michigan Bulb catalog because I might break down and buy more bulbs for next year. I didn’t buy any new ones for this year because I thought I’d be leaving it all behind…now, who knows.

          I’m sitting here trying to think of what I should write about as well as trying  not to scratch the latest crop of mosquito bites. Why it can’t bite me and move along, I don’t know. The bug appears to bite in one place, move a little bit and bite again. Since these are almost in my armpit, the only time I can think of when I was laying with my hands behind my head was when I went to bed last night. Perhaps I should burn a citronella candle in my bedroom???

          When I tore the muscle in my left shoulder about 18 months ago, it was lifting my wonderful Sears vacuum cleaner. After surgery, I bought a new vacuum cleaner. I went on line and did some research and bought what was supposed to be the lightest vacuum on the market. It’s a Bissell and I hate it. I know if I keep using it, I’m going to tear something in my right shoulder. I need to figure out what kind of vacuum to buy.

          Again, with the research. I went on line this morning and typed in, “Best vacuum for old people?” I got a number of internet sites I could visit, so I visited the site, “The best lightweight vacuums for the elderly.” Okay, that would be moi. Turns out that now there are vacuums that weigh eight pounds or less.

The first choice on this site is for a Shark ION. It weighs 8.7 pounds is cordless and includes rechargeable batteries and the review lists five Pros, i.e.,

·       Versatility; works from floor to ceiling (I don't vacuum my ceilings).

·       Features DuoClean suitable for different floors

·       Very light in weight and compact

·       Flexible

·       Cordless

The Cons:

·       Comes with small dust cup

I can purchase it on Amazon for $339.82 with free shipping.

The Shark Rocket is the second recommendation on the list. It has seven Pros, i.e.,

·       Weight less than 8 pounds

·       Converts to a hand vac

·       Highly effective in removing pet hairs from carpets and bare floors

·       Works excellent on medium pile carpet

·       Powerful suction

·       The multi-layered filters are washable and easy to clean

·       Free replacement or refund facility.

The Cons:

·       The dust cap is relatively small

·       Not recommended for high pile carpet

The price for this vacuum is $169.95 from Amazon with free shipping.

The third vacuum is an Orek Commercial upright vacuum cleaner. It has nine Pros, i.e.,

·       Weight is only 8.2 pounds

·       Suitable for older person

·       Best for carpets &  Hard floors

·       Speedy cleaning with less effort

·       Highly effective for cleaning carpets

·       Automatic floor adjustment

·        Low maintenance and repair

·       Can deodorize the room as well with scent tab

·       Reasonably priced -- $163.55 from Amazon with free shipping.

The Cons, i.e.,

·       Is 15% louder than other vacuums (but I wear hearing aids, take them out)

·       It has no docking station for the bags

·       Not useful for cleaning long pet hairs

A Roomba price begins at $1,099.99, but has models that run $799.99, $599.99 and $349.99. Well, let me tell you that I will risk injuring my right shoulder before I pay over a thousand dollars for a vacuum cleaner, even if it does run all by itself. So, I compared the bottom three. The higher priced one has ten times the suction power of the other two. I can also clean and schedule by room with smart mapping, comes with link technology and clean base automatic dirt disposal. Don’t think I’ll be buying the $799.99 model.

Now, the $599 model has something called vSlam navigation, but the cheaper one does not. What is vSlam navigation…I don’t know. The only other difference is entire level cleaning with coverage maps. I only have one level in any case.

So, if I’m going to spend $339 for the Shark, I may as well spend $349 for a vacuum that puts itself to work and then puts itself away. Or, I could spend less and continue to vacuum myself with option #2 or #3 

Before I began this post, I called my neighbor who got a new vacuum for Christmas, one of those Roombas by I-robot. It sounds like she has the one that's listed at the $799 price. We talked vacuums and she had the Shark ION before she got the Roomba. She likes both of them and uses the Shark for her steps and other areas the Roomba doesn’t go. She also has a big dog with really long hair, so the Roomba works every single day and does a good job. She didn’t pay $799, but got it for less than $500 before Christmas when Costco or Amazon (or someone) had it on sale.

So, now, aren’t you glad you read your way all through this post so you now know so much about vacuums? I’m so sorry to have bored you with all this, but it was helpful for me to get my ducks, hmmmm, vacuums???, all in a row. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do about a vacuum. I’m not vacuuming a lot because I’m not having much in the way of company, so I could quite possibly keep on using the Bissell. Or, I could purchase one of the Sharks. Or, I could just wait and see if the Roomba goes on sale again for less than $500. Or, maybe I could sell this place and just move into something really really small that could be vacuumed with a DustBuster…that’s way more my speed these days.