91 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 10-25-17”

  2. Mumsee, from yesterday. You don’t give more or less. You give the same amount each time.
    Like my payments to YMCA in H’Ville. Suddenly, there is a withdrawal on your checking account. No notification, no nothing. It just disappears from your account.
    There are several things I could pay that way if I choose.

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  3. One of the reasons I choose not to have automatic withdrawal is that it can be hard to get off.
    It was easy for the Y because I went into the office and told them to stip. Presumably you could with the church.
    But I had home security in H’ville. They had automatic withdrawal. It was almost impossible to reach the people who stop the payments.
    I would never have automatic withdrawal with a system where I couldn’t walk in and say “stop”.

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  5. I don’t like/have auto withdrawal for anything. I “push” all my payments. I don’t understand why NancyJill can’t identify her utility accounts sufficiently to do that.

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  6. I’m delighted because there is nothing on my calendar today for the first time in a long time.

    I’ll go to the gym, running 15 more errands and then stay. home. for. the. rest. of. the. day. I may toss aside all my things “to do” and just read the Martin Luther biography due at the library on Friday. I’d hate to waste 50 cents if it was a day late!

    (Or maybe not . . . )

    I’ll come back a bit later today and write more. It’s been a truly crazy time.

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  7. Chas, I understand that the automatic stuff is regular. I was talking about, if you already have a regular donation going out, and you attend church and a need grasps your heart, you will give more at least that one time because you will take it out of your pocket and hand it over. Sort of like Salvation Army. You might send them money regularly, but when you see the kettle, you might give more.

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  9. The header is beautiful!

    I keep thinking of Kizzie ❤

    Last night we had ladies’ Bible study. There were only four of us. One was a young Emory student. I am really enjoying getting to connect with people I would not normally get to meet except to wish a good morning to during the short fellowship time during our church service.

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  10. It was a miserable night with this heat here, it never did cool down. When I went out to the backyard with Cowboy at around 1 a.m. (he now needs middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks, I may need to up that medication they gave us) it was just … hot. Back in bed, I tossed and turned until around 4:30 a.m. and then figured I could still squeeze 2 hours of sleep in if I fell asleep soon, which I did. But I woke up hot and with a headache to boot.

    I moved the Jeep out of the driveway in case the foundation guys come back and then I took a shower & some Excedrin, so I think I feel a little better. Sitting under the ceiling fan with wet hair is helping.

    It’s supposed to start getting a bit cooler today (not much though) and then the heat begins to more seriously break tomorrow and Friday. By the first of next week we’ll have our onshore winds coming in off of the ocean again.

    Sometimes I’ll pay a little extra on bills just to create a cushion for myself going forward. There are months when it’s nice to be able to skip a payment or make a smaller-than-usual one.

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  11. From reading the comments yesterday & today about online bill paying, I am guessing that “pushing” is the term used for paying one’s bills online, but not having them automatically withdrawn.

    I agree with Chas about not having anything automatically withdrawn that you can’t easily stop. There are a couple things that I see Hubby set up to be withdrawn through our debit card (because those companies want payment through a credit card), but there’s also a couple that do not specify they are through the debit card, & I don’t know how they are being paid. Maybe not all payments done through the debit card show that on the statement?

    Hubby has a Lifelock account. I went into his account (thanking God that he wrote down all his accounts & passwords for me a couple months ago) to cancel it. I don’t remember the options I had, but one must have been that the account holder is deceased. Now Lifelock is telling me I need to send them a copy of the death certificate for them to cancel it. Not that big a deal, I know, but a pain in the butt, with all the other little & big things that need to be done. (Of course, considering the service Lifelock has, it makes sense that not just anybody can cancel an account.)

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  13. Morning all. I had ten ladies for lunch yesterday. It went well, actually great. I wanted to just bless them with lunch, but then they started asking questions. Some were new gals that I didn’t even know and they had lots of questions for me about what I do and where I am. It was wonderful. Almost no one has actually asked me questions and these gals were eager to learn. I am realizing today how draining that was for me as an introvert. Wonderful, but tiring.

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  14. I may look into one of those ductless units just for the bedroom. A couple at church got one a couple months ago and I’ll ask her how it’s working for them.

    Adding central air would be my dream but probably not going to happen with all the expenses I still have to finish the necessary things (as opposed to ‘wish list’ things) on this house.

    Window unit won’t work in my house as my windows are crazy sizes. Only other possibility is one of the portable units although those sound like a huge hassle with having to trail out the exhaust hose.

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  16. I would consider the reviewer as far as movie reviews go. We often like movies that are panned by reviewers. I like to read what the reviewers say, since that often gives an idea of what they found either lacking or wonderful.

    I know some did not like the movie, “Same Kind of Different..” because it was supposedly a black man rescued by a white man. That is politically incorrect these days. The fact that it really isn’t is lost on some.

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  17. Of course, the ductless units have definite downsides as well — they’re not cheap up front (even for just 1 room) and they’re ugly. Sigh.

    Maybe next year I’ll figure out a way to get my dog park friend to help in adding a central a/c to the existing heating unit under the house. I still think that makes the most sense here since I have all the ductwork in place.

    When the windows are realized and fitted with weather stripping next month it may help some. But in general this old plaster house just soaks in the outside temperatures, hot or cold.

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  18. Replacing that last bit of sewer line under the house for $650 didn’t help (an unexpected added expense but obviously worth it to avoid more future water leak problems under there, and that original cast iron (?) stretch of pipe did look ancient).

    And I still have to fund this foundation repair + the window restoration + painting the house . I’d love to get a drip line put into the front yard where I hope to replant some ground cover and flowers, but … a cheap soaker hose may be my most likely option there in the end. 🙂

    And another fan for inside the house 🙂

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  19. You would hate the air conditioners we have. The holes for them were cut into the house, so they stick out of the house on the outside as well as the inside.

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  20. Today The Boy turns seven years old. How did that happen? I don’t recall anyone giving him permission to be seven. 😉

    Of course, I am very sad that Hubby is not here to celebrate with us. I guess this is one of those “firsts” we have to get through in the coming year.

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  23. I only do push payments. I like to see what is in my account when I go to pay a bill. When you don’t have a regular income, it is important to keep a close eye on what is coming out of the account, especially when most of it is loaned money.

    So, I went to the doctor to get the report on my blood work. Nothing earth shattering, just some mild anemia. The doctor was taking it seriously though, since I’ve had symptoms, and has given me information on an iron rich diet and scheduled follow up blood work to see if anything changes.

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  24. Second nephew seems to have had a lot of fun being in that 7 to 10 range (this is his last year in that category). I’ll be almost sorry to see him leave it for adolescence – he isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a joy (as are the rest of them).

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  25. I’m using “push” and “pull” to distinguish who initiates the payment. A push payment is initiated by the bank. The bank typically calls this a “bill pay” service. The bank makes the payments when you want them to in the amount you tell them to. The payee does not have the ability to withdraw money from your bank or credit card account any time they want to.

    A push payment can be automatic. For example I have my bank’s bill pay service set up to make a fixed payment the first of every month to my mortgage company. I don’t have to worry about remembering to do it. But I do have to be certain I have the money in the account when it’s time for the payment.

    A pull payment is initiated by the payee. You have to give them your bank or credit card information. It’s handy when the payment amount varies and you don’t want to hassle with making the payment every month. The downside is that the payee is authorized to withdraw money from your account and might not withdraw the amount you expect or when you expect it.

    I have pull payments for my house phone and gas bills because I mostly trust them not to mess it up and it’s easier than having to set up a bill pay payment every month.

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  26. I only have one “pull” payment, for the mortgage. I could change that but it’s worked OK for me so I’ve left it. Everything else is a ‘push’ from me and my bank 🙂

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  29. Nightingale had asked The Boy what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He said he wants pepperoni pizza from Big Y (a grocery chain in our area, & they make pretty good pizza) & macaroni-&-cheese.

    He wanted the kind of macaroni-&-cheese that comes from Costco, as a friend had brought some over a couple days after Hubby died. It was delicious, very cheesy & creamy. Since Nightingale isn’t a Costco member, she found a copycat recipe for it, & pre-made it yesterday. Oh, my, it is so creamy & cheesy! He’s gonna love it.

    And there is cake, too, of course. 🙂

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  34. Kare, it is much colder today here too, though no snow as yet. As the old-timers (i.e. my father) say, if you don’t like the weather in (season/place/month), wait five minutes.

    I’ll take the steaks. The canned sardines were a treat in my childhood, but then I started to be able to recognize the anatomy of the fish. Chicken liver?! I’ve heard of eating turkey liver – one of my siblings-in-law will take the giblets when we have a turkey dinner, but the chicken is a considerably smaller bird. It did remind me of a song – there were many renditions on YouTube, but although the sound is poorer quality, this one is sung by the woman who recorded the tape from my childhood that my mother asked me to find the other week:

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  35. My cat likes canned sardines 🙂

    Supposed to be good for both cats and dogs, I believe, but I only bought them for that purpose once or twice and it’s been a while back.

    Just had a go-around with a late-night TV show publicist on an outdoor event they’re sponsoring this week at the port (and giving out free tickets for, there will be an audience) that we wanted to cover as a news event. They’d only agree to let us have access to do that if WE agreed to embargo writing anything about it until November 6 as it’s supposed to, ahem, *look like* it’s “live” when they’re going to air it. HuH? What era are they living in? It will, of course, be all over social media in an instant whether we’re there or not. Kind of funny, but whatever. Our interest ends when the (real live) show is over with this week. After that we frankly don’t care about it.

    Really odd.

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  36. Just posted this on FB:

    I’ve been in Zumba the last three days because it feels so good to move and be with the friends with whom I’ve been dancing the last 6.5 years.

    Yesterday’s 6 am class contained 12 dancers–all of whom were evacuated, one lost her house. But, she was cheerful and noted that when they returned to the house, the two outdoor cats greeted them! They didn’t even look thin–“Perhaps they were eating cooked mice,” the homeowner laughed, noting they had plenty of water in the pool.

    All my Adorables are back in school now and the school district this week is not focusing on lessons per se, but on the arts–music, dancing, drawing, painting, story telling.

    No homework.

    This helps me understand, too, why the Adorables had all those dance parties while we were at the beach (we even began to feel a grudging appreciation for Moana and Frozen songs watching the girls move and sing). They filled two drawing pads with pictures using crayons and colored pencils.

    Last night I attended an extra choir practice as our Lutheran church prepares for a Reformation party/service on Sunday. We sang A Mighty Fortress is Our God. I was tired last night (and practice went past my bedtime this week!), but singing those songs–and being together–helped.
    I wonder if I should draw and color today?

    Sing the Psalms–God gave them to us in gladness and in sorrow. Dance a little. Draw a picture. Listen to music. Let the arts begin to heal that which has been so badly hurt.

    If it’s good enough for my Adorables, it’s good enough for all of us.

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  37. Happy Birthday to “The Boy.” 🙂 Seven’s a big one. Six still seems littlish — if that’s a word (the red squiggly spellcheck line I see under it says it’s not) — but seven, now that’s getting mighty grown up. 🙂

    Fun to see that Debra and Janice got their Biddy books the other day, too, as I did. I took it along to my dentist appointment yesterday to read in the waiting room, but they got me right in while I was still standing at the check-in desk, so no waiting room reading for me. I did have a chance to read a few pages while I was waiting for the numbing up to take full effect before getting two fillings. The reading was waaaayyyyy more pleasant than the dental work. 😀

    Weird thing happened there yesterday that has not occurred before for me. Do any of your dentists apply a slight numbing agent to the gums before injecting the novocaine (to minimize some of the needle sting)? I’ve had that before — they put skinny sticks into your mouth that have some of the solution at the tips, and have you sit with your mouth closed a few minutes to let the temporary numbing take effect.

    So I’m sitting in the chair, sticks protruding from my mouth while I’m reading Michelle’s book, and about a minute in, my jaw starts quivering, and it feels like my teeth are chattering. But I’m not cold, or nervous about the dental work, or anything that might cause shaking.

    Then my hands started to tremble, and the book was shaking enough that, though I could still read the words, I was so distracted by what was happening, I couldn’t concentrate.

    I told the dentist and his assistant after the appointment about what had happened (the shaking only lasted a few minutes, but still), and wondered out loud about possible neurological problems behind that reaction? They didn’t really answer, except to say they would put in my chart that I shouldn’t have that pre-numbing agent — that it’s not really necessary, more of a comfort measure than anything, but probably not a good idea for me to get anymore.

    Just really strange that that happened.

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  38. “Sing the Psalms–God gave them to us in gladness and in sorrow. Dance a little. Draw a picture. Listen to music. Let the arts begin to heal that which has been so badly hurt.”

    Amen, Michelle. Yes and Amen.

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  39. I thought of including the video but they were in their underwear . . . LOL

    Busy day, but I’m going to take it easy for a few hours. I need to pray and listen rather than be so busy doing. The amount of things we need to do is high–and that doesn’t include all the letters and thank yous I need to write!

    Blog posts, books to mail, etc.

    I came home to a stack of postcards, a letter and a package I planned to mail on October 9. Since the postcards were invitations to my launch party, I threw them away. All that work I didn’t need to do . . .

    Minor compared to my friends–many of whom had just remodeled the houses that burned to the ground.

    All that work, gone.

    Meanwhile, my trip to Wheaton went very well. We met the important people, told lots of stories, I corrected an error for the archivists and we had an insightful conversation with a black couple who were there. I don’t know what God will do, but I’m trying to remain open to whatever will come my way next–which is why I need to sit, read Scripture and listen. I’ve been so scattered the last two weeks, so tired, but I know that’s stress.

    And I ask myself–but what about our friends?

    They don’t want me to mourn with them, they want me to love and encourage them. So, that’s where I am.

    Survivor guilt . . . foolish, but a challenge to get around.

    Ciao for awhile.

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  40. The thing about Costco is, if a member buys you a Costco gift card, you can shop there. That’s what my daughter has been doing for a couple years now. I buy her a gift card and she gets what she needs/wants. Works for us without having to pay the extra money to add her to the account.

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  41. I’ve been studying for one of my currently canceled classes (still not sign of a settlement to the strike). In the textbook, there are little info boxes about various things, and this one made me snicker in incredulity:

    Around 2.7 billion years ago, cyanobacteria… began to use a process called photosynthesis whereby sunlight was used to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. The by-product of this process was oxygen, which eventually filled the earth’s atmosphere.

    I get that evolution is a part of most curricula nowadays and I can live with that without having my faith shaken; but I object to being subjected to claims that even my foundational knowledge of chemistry finds to be fatally flawed. You can’t persuade me that cyanobacteria were responsible for the oxygen in the atmosphere by telling me they used carbon dioxide to produce the oxygen.

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  42. It sure is warm out, stacking firewood. But it is good to know it is here and just needs to get put away. It gives me something to do rather than opening a day care.

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  43. Mumsee, the trees were planted just in time, and now the snow is giving them a good soaking as it is still above freezing and the first bunch just melted. It’s accumulated to about 3 inches now.

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  44. We’ve peaked for the day at 97 degrees.

    By Monday, the high is supposed to be 69 degrees according to the weather folks. Not sure I believe that. But it’s a nice thought.

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  46. 6Arrows. I wouldn’t worry about anything neurological. Any type of local or generally anesthesia makes me shake and my teeth chatter. It did the same to my dad. I also can still feel what is going on with local anesthesia. It made stitches in my hand interesting as I kept telling the doctor I could feel it. He said there was no way. I said way. He said I only needed 6 stitches but he gave me 9 because he got paid by the stitch. I told him to put it in my chart to completely knock me out next time.

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  47. My head won’t stop racing about the house. Window restoration, painting inside & out, window coverings (replace beat-up blinds with more cheapies until I can figure out more permanent, nicer coverings later?); and the crazy timing of it all, not to mention $$.

    I’m reaching a point where I have the impulse to just put my head down & plow through everything left on the list asap, forget the holidays, forget everything else.

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  52. I’m going back to natural adobe for the exterior with *some* kind of trim color, a muted medium to darkish, grayish blue??

    Inside, I haven’t a clue. I may have to do that in 2 stages, the front room & hallway and leave the bedrooms for later. Then again, probably better to charge through it all. Maybe just leave the kitchen & back extra room for later.

    I’m just tired of it all. 😦

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  61. I’m trying to work with the style of house that I have, the history, the architecture (Spanish mission). Looking for a color pallet that will highlight that rather than colors that don’t really fit with what the house was intended to be. Seeking some professional consultations as I go, as well, including one from a historic house blog.

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  63. Interior is still unclear in my mind, it has the classic craftsman moldings, wainscoting, etc. I lean toward historic ‘arts and crafts’ era shades there, nothing too contemporary. Soothing, warm. Could go with a very neutral green, or blue — or a warm wash of tan/adobe. I may keep the wainscoting painted white and then the upper walls above that in whatever shade(s) I choose.

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  64. Happy Birthday to your precious little guy Kizzie…7?!! That truly is a fun age…so curious and the absorb information like a sponge! Legos were a favorite of the grandkids at that age.
    DJ when we had our house in town painted I was at a complete loss. Our painter drove me across town to a house he had recently done and he thought the colors would look nice on our home…and he was right! He even picked out the fabulous red color for the front door…

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  71. so be sure to add some to the bathroom.

    Legos, that has been a favorite around here for years. The older ones still like to do some legos with the youngers. Eleven is still delayed so he is like a younger boy in playing and still has that delightful attitude. For the most part. As does ten year old. It is a fun time.

    What is a Dodger?

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  74. Husband and son are waiting in Boise. He had his infusion yesterday and his folks flew in from Florida today but he needs to get back to truck driving Saturday.

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  88. Oh that game!!! Did ya notice the silly guy in the seat behind home plate? We were laughing at his antics when the Astros pitcher was pitching…all sorts of karate chops and gyrations going on to distract the pitcher! I guess it didn’t work for him…or the Dodgers ⚾️
    I’m guessing Peter got a book today…what else would UPS be delivering? 📖

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  91. I do, and it went on and on, I watched the red lights making circles low in the sky, over and over again, just east of me, as I lay in bed before going to sleep. thump-thump-thump-thump-thump

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