Teal's Modest Adventures

I feel your pain, have the same angst ... wonder if I will live to see Trump dead. My dream.

So this event is helping you reshape your life -- not at all a bad thing, apparently. You will end up in a new place, all organized (it says here), and living a life that is easy to manage.

It seems we never solve this problem. People still fall into the cracks of society's "solutions". I shudder to think of the damage the Trump immigration policy is doing to the warehoused children. I am impressed that you were able to work in a helping capacity without going nuts.

I am so sorry that your SIL and her husband have to endure this.Losing oneself is the most tragic of endings. She has my sympathy.

We get two to three calls a day. If we answer, the line is silent and then goes dead. I am told not to answer, but it is difficult to see who is calling and Ed's guardian work means he gets lots of calls that aren't familiar. I learned that just by answering, the caller is gaining information. And even though I have shot him down many times, I keep getting calls from someone claiming to be from my phone provider, telling me I have "trouble" on the system and he'll "help" me through correcting it. And I keep getting calls from India, claiming to be "John Drew" or "Bob Armstrong" -- Ed says, No, Gupta, that isn't your name, and swears at him. Once, the caller was so annoyed, he called back and swore at Ed.

I just got an e mail extolling the virtues of celtic sea salt in destroying cancer sells. It's a video and I won't inflict that on you, because promotional videos are always lengthy and full of self serving proclamations. Instead, you can Google celtic sea salt and cancer and click on those for more information. Wish I could be there to share your mood and perhaps lift it up. xx, T

I rarely worried about the weather in NYC and heavy snow storms that forced the mayor to ban all traffic were just fun. Imagine standing in the middle of a major avenue with no cars coming at you. Down here in Florida, weather worry is a constant. Sylvan paradise, intellectual hellhole and, apparently, about to be wiped out by weather.

I'd be spooked too. I even had a pair of pants that I put in the trash because when I wore them something bad happened.

Mostly we get big birds egrets, ospreys, a tame egret looking for a handout once walked into our garage. But once a palm rat nested in our attic, found its way into our kitchen cabinet and ate through our dishwasher hose (several times). That was an expensive time. I'd wake up to a flooded kitchen.

are you blending these ingredients and making a thick drink?

We have been very remiss with protecting papers. Thanks for reminding me and I will probably forget again. Our hurricane season hasn't started yet. We came through okay with Irma, going to friends, and coming back to a house with no damage. We took our cats with us. We go, they go. No way we leave them behind or at a shelter. They came from shelters. Too traumatic. But now, of course, just Max. We will adopt another but it's taking time.

What lovely memories. I have three first cousins remaining. One I have never met because she only came from Greece a couple of years ago and is the daughter of my father's sister. She is living in Illinois and that is close to my mother's sister, Emily's children. I am close to Tom and Connie and Connie and I have long phone conversations. But Connie is ill and has refused chemo. Since doing that, she feels a lot better but I can't help but think she has made that awful decision to just go when it's time and not fight it. I don't remember many relatives from childhood. I was not interested in knowing them. Most weren't, actually, that nice. So I envy you what seems like a fairy tale childhood.

interesting ... if I had to describe my former working life badly, I might say I torture words.

We lost Ziggy, our orange kitty, a week ago, a heart condition, and I am not adjusting well. I keep seeing him wherever I look. We have Max, our black manx cat, and I lean on him a lot. The pain of losing an animal companion is devastating. I am sorry you have to go through this.

I use a Keurig and buy French roast, Italian roast, and Gevalia Dark Royal roast. I'm satisfied. I've been around the block on coffee, also using a glass carafe with a filter years ago. That's a drip method. But the best coffee I've ever had has been on Pine Island, FL at Red's, a restaurant now closed. They used a special system and when we inquired about it, we learned the machine cost thousands. The Plaza in New York City also had great coffee in its restaurants.