That header photo took my breath away! Beautiful!!
The rain late yesterday has given a cooler start to the day.
We have a portrait artist among our Bible study group, and she put together a calligraphy of Psalm 150 along with a small watercolor portrait, to the side, of a member’s mother who had died (the Psalm was her mom’s fave). This was given on Mother’s Day. God had placed this idea in my heart, and I shared it, and it turned out beautifully, thanks to the talented artist. We had not done anything as a group so this made a great gift instead of flowers, food, etc. Just passing the idea along in case something like that might be useful to any of the Wanderers.
Good morning, all. Another day of retirement is upon us. Husband has the grandchildren again today for twelve hours.
Just a small picture of his life:
He asked daughter to bring the children Tuesday night rather than Wednesday morning at three AM. She did but because she does not want her husband watching them on her time (though she has asked him to several times), Mike took our children to karate at four, visited an elderly couple and returned to have her deliver the grandchildren at six thirty. Son in law, when he got off work at five thirty, drove the karate kids to kamiah to pick them up and bring one home and the other to work. About six thirty, husband got a text saying she had a migraine so would he pick the grandchildren up. Mike texted son in law asking him to meet Mike at her house to put the two car seats in mike’s car. Mike brought the two littles home and settled them for bed but they had just awakened from a three hour nap at mommy’s hotel room. When their dad got home, he took over, as he always does and she knows that, because we are not keeping them from their dad when he lives here too. Bizarre and all the time! Retirement is not for sissies.
My friend brought her grandson, who they are now raising, and his friend over last night to work on the thistles. Grandson did not even greet me or ask what I wanted done. He got out of the car and right away told me that this job should be paid more. And every time I came near him He told me how much more he should be paid. I will not be having him back for anything ever again. His friend did more work than he did.
My friend texted this morning to apologize.
I am aching from walking up and down the driveway as well as going up and down stairs. They put a lot of dirt and leaves in the yard waste so we left it at the bottom of the driveway. I probably won’t be able to move it.
Oh my Jo. Knowing me I would have sat him down on the patio with a glass of lemonade telling I would not require his help nor complaining. “This is how I make lemonade out of lemons young man’!!
Jo, your story reminds me of a photo I saw after Wes’ scout troop had a day of service cleaning up around the perimeter of a public school. The guys all looked quite covered in dirt except for one guy who looked clean and was known as the slacker.
Do any of your neighbors have paid gardeners? Flat rate, they take care of the basics, maintenance, every month, no fuss (or drama), extra jobs (for additional pay, of course) when needed.
Next week will be interesting, I’m on “jury duty” so will have to call in every night beforehand to see if I need to report M-F. But I also have Abby’s mobile grooming appointment set up and a doctor’s appointment also that may have to get bumped on short notice if I am told I need to report the next day. And a work schedule that could be complicated, especially toward the end of the week when the Fleet Week Memorial Day weekend event kicks off.
I hope it all works out, Dj, so you do not have to report for duty. A friend told me that after a certain age, we can request to be removed from the roster. I have mixed feelings about that. Age and wisdom, etc.
The last two times I never had to go in — I called in every night as instructed only to be told on the recording I did not need to report the next day. Hoping I get that lucky again.
Our company also only pays for 3 days of service (though they can juggle that a bit if you wind up on a jury, HR told me) so there will be that issue as well that could at least limit my time.
Kathaleena, I am in Zone 2 growing area. But we have some of the same plants as those further south. Like the flowers up in the header and the lilacs from the past couple of days. Nothing is blooming yet, except the saskatoon berries and chokecherries.
Lots of these guys are not expensive, I pay $60 a month for two visits (they also do my neighbors’ property next door), it’s really more than worth the money considering I have a lot of trees and mowing needs. Check in with neighbors to see if any of them can make recommendations. A lot of us share a crew which makes it easy for them also, we’re on a schedule, they’re in and out in about an hour. Done.
They don’t do “the frills,” but for basic mowing, trimming and hauling out leaves — the physically hard stuff — it really makes my life way easier. I work full time and do not want to spend my weekends doing all of that (and I wouldn’t be nearly as quick or efficient — or do half as good a job).
My mom used to mow her own lawn after my dad died but finally decided to hire a gardener who was doing a lot of the houses on her block. Great guy, hard worker, she loved him (helped him apply for his citizenship when Reagan opened up that process) and she never looked back. 🙂 (She had a huge backyard).
My friend in CA recently found a guy who was lower price than the norm to trim some trees for her. She decided up front that if he did a good job she’d give a large tip. He was great with the work, but she sensed he wanted it to turn into a regular job. She is in Mt. View. I suppose that is not near you, Jo?
Basic maintenance gardening for hire is very common around here in LA — these aren’t landscape artists, they won’t cultivate your garden. But for the hard-core basics, they keep your property looking decent for reasonable (I think) rates. The former residents here recommended their gardener to me to keep on which I did until they returned to Mexico. Then these guys were recommended by neighbor’s son and daughter-in-law so they use them as well.
I will need my huge trees trimmed soon, I’m afraid, I was talking to the gardeners about that recently, asked them to give me a price. It’s usually a huge job that runs about $2,000 as it includes hauling everything away, too. But it will need to be done. 😦 Still, glad I have regulars I trust for that also.
Thankful our son did some things in the yard the past two days that would have taken me a long time to accomplish. My brother used to trim some leggy bushes, but they are at the point to be taken down which I can do over some days as energy permits for me to use a hand saw. Or I may ask son to do it as it would go quickly for him. I was thinking to wait one more year as the birds like to land in them and they are beside my kitchen window. They truly have gotten ugly but the birds don’t care😀
I took meticulous care of my lawn and flower garden when we lived in town. Smallish yard but lots of plants. My front lawn developed necrotic ring spot fungus and that is when I called in the lawn guy. He brought it back better than ever. So I kept him to fertilize my lawn and ensure we had a trusted guy to solve any further issues in the future. It was about 30 a month back then.
I told gardeners we should wait until “nesting season” is over before trimming all the big trees. 🙂 I knew someone who always requested that of her gardeners and I’ve always liked that idea. lol
DJ mentioned jury duty earlier which reminded me of a situation I had about 25 years ago. The jury duty summons I received was for a court in a small city a few towns over but in the same county we lived in at the time. I was not a city driver at all, so Hubby took me on a ride to show me how to get to the courthouse.
But it was a kind of confusing route, and in one place, I would have had to scoot over a couple lanes at some point, while in a lot of traffic. (You may remember that my eyes don’t move laterally, so that kind of maneuver was a tough one, and scary.)
I was so scared that I would have to do that, and prayed that I wouldn’t be picked. (Unlike what DJ described, I would only have to call in the one evening and then either report or be done with it.) I wasn’t even sure I could follow Hubby’s directions to get there, even though I had seen the route there, because there were a lot of turns. I don’t remember how far in advance I got the summons, but I had at least several days to be anxious and stressed out about it.
When I called the night before, I was told that I did not have to report. I cannot describe the depth of relief I felt. It was so dramatic that I can feel it to this day when I think about it, and find myself giving a deep sigh of relief. 🙂
It seems like DJ just had jury duty. How often do you get it. I was asked twice. I no longer have to serve. Some people really enjoy doing it. There are quite a few older people who do serve.
Last fall, my husband called someone to put in new gutters. The guy said he would come in the spring. We have not heard anything. It was a good thing he did not come in the fall, since part of the gutter broke off when the tree hit the house. We have a leak where the outside faucet is. We had another tree hit the faucet a years or so ago. Not sure what happened, but my husband did call a plumber and left a message. Haven’t heard yet. It seems all we do is wait for this or that contractor these days.
I received a jury notice late last year — and promptly forgot all about it! So I was on their bad-list and they sent me a notice about a month ago threatening me with a $1500 fine if I ignored them again!
So I signed up and this was the week (next week) I received.
I’ve had jury duty quite a few times, though, it’s easier now as you only serve one day and are cut loose (unless you’re on a jury). And sometimes, as in my case the last couple times, you may not even have to show up at all, but you have to call in every night for a week to check.
The first time I was on jury duty it was required to spend a full month (!!) and I was sent to downtown LA back then (now I go to a closer courthouse in Long Beach). I was on 2 juries during that first month-long service, an alternate on one. I worked at a publishing company in Hollywood back then and did have to pop in here and there when the courts gave us a day off.
My mom met me on one of the court days — she worked nearby, on Wilshire — and we had a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Olvera Street, it was one of those old original pueblo buildings where you had to walk down steps and you were eating below the sidewalk level.
Jury duty does give you long, 2-hour lunches usually.
Wandering Views 
That header photo took my breath away! Beautiful!!
The rain late yesterday has given a cooler start to the day.
We have a portrait artist among our Bible study group, and she put together a calligraphy of Psalm 150 along with a small watercolor portrait, to the side, of a member’s mother who had died (the Psalm was her mom’s fave). This was given on Mother’s Day. God had placed this idea in my heart, and I shared it, and it turned out beautifully, thanks to the talented artist. We had not done anything as a group so this made a great gift instead of flowers, food, etc. Just passing the idea along in case something like that might be useful to any of the Wanderers.
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Good morning, all. Another day of retirement is upon us. Husband has the grandchildren again today for twelve hours.
Just a small picture of his life:
He asked daughter to bring the children Tuesday night rather than Wednesday morning at three AM. She did but because she does not want her husband watching them on her time (though she has asked him to several times), Mike took our children to karate at four, visited an elderly couple and returned to have her deliver the grandchildren at six thirty. Son in law, when he got off work at five thirty, drove the karate kids to kamiah to pick them up and bring one home and the other to work. About six thirty, husband got a text saying she had a migraine so would he pick the grandchildren up. Mike texted son in law asking him to meet Mike at her house to put the two car seats in mike’s car. Mike brought the two littles home and settled them for bed but they had just awakened from a three hour nap at mommy’s hotel room. When their dad got home, he took over, as he always does and she knows that, because we are not keeping them from their dad when he lives here too. Bizarre and all the time! Retirement is not for sissies.
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Well, son did not drive them to kamiah, he drove himself there to pick them up. See how confusing it gets?
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Some retirement!
Yes, my teeth come in handy, mumsee, and I am very thankful to have them.
I planted some Lilies of the Valley, but they have mostly been crowded out by weeds and grass.
We have had and will continue to have lots of smoke from the fires in Canada. The haze makes for some beautiful and interesting photos of the sun.
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Morning. Beautiful pine scent permeating this forest due to the storm we didn’t hear in the dead of night!
Husband headed into town for stitches to be removed from his face.
Window guy coming later to give an estimate on replacement of all windows…bracing ourselves for sticker shock!
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My friend brought her grandson, who they are now raising, and his friend over last night to work on the thistles. Grandson did not even greet me or ask what I wanted done. He got out of the car and right away told me that this job should be paid more. And every time I came near him He told me how much more he should be paid. I will not be having him back for anything ever again. His friend did more work than he did.
My friend texted this morning to apologize.
I am aching from walking up and down the driveway as well as going up and down stairs. They put a lot of dirt and leaves in the yard waste so we left it at the bottom of the driveway. I probably won’t be able to move it.
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Children believe they are entitled. Young adults (may be as young as eleven) are gems.
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Oh my Jo. Knowing me I would have sat him down on the patio with a glass of lemonade telling I would not require his help nor complaining. “This is how I make lemonade out of lemons young man’!!
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I would have paid the friend more and asked if he wanted a regular yard job.
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Jo, your story reminds me of a photo I saw after Wes’ scout troop had a day of service cleaning up around the perimeter of a public school. The guys all looked quite covered in dirt except for one guy who looked clean and was known as the slacker.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do any of your neighbors have paid gardeners? Flat rate, they take care of the basics, maintenance, every month, no fuss (or drama), extra jobs (for additional pay, of course) when needed.
Next week will be interesting, I’m on “jury duty” so will have to call in every night beforehand to see if I need to report M-F. But I also have Abby’s mobile grooming appointment set up and a doctor’s appointment also that may have to get bumped on short notice if I am told I need to report the next day. And a work schedule that could be complicated, especially toward the end of the week when the Fleet Week Memorial Day weekend event kicks off.
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I hope it all works out, Dj, so you do not have to report for duty. A friend told me that after a certain age, we can request to be removed from the roster. I have mixed feelings about that. Age and wisdom, etc.
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The last two times I never had to go in — I called in every night as instructed only to be told on the recording I did not need to report the next day. Hoping I get that lucky again.
Our company also only pays for 3 days of service (though they can juggle that a bit if you wind up on a jury, HR told me) so there will be that issue as well that could at least limit my time.
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Kathaleena, I am in Zone 2 growing area. But we have some of the same plants as those further south. Like the flowers up in the header and the lilacs from the past couple of days. Nothing is blooming yet, except the saskatoon berries and chokecherries.
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I cannot afford a gardener. I may buy a weed eater to be able to do most of it myself.
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Our lilacs are open today. Serviceberries as well (saskatoons).
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Lots of these guys are not expensive, I pay $60 a month for two visits (they also do my neighbors’ property next door), it’s really more than worth the money considering I have a lot of trees and mowing needs. Check in with neighbors to see if any of them can make recommendations. A lot of us share a crew which makes it easy for them also, we’re on a schedule, they’re in and out in about an hour. Done.
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They don’t do “the frills,” but for basic mowing, trimming and hauling out leaves — the physically hard stuff — it really makes my life way easier. I work full time and do not want to spend my weekends doing all of that (and I wouldn’t be nearly as quick or efficient — or do half as good a job).
My mom used to mow her own lawn after my dad died but finally decided to hire a gardener who was doing a lot of the houses on her block. Great guy, hard worker, she loved him (helped him apply for his citizenship when Reagan opened up that process) and she never looked back. 🙂 (She had a huge backyard).
I could not deal with the whiny kid drama!
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My friend in CA recently found a guy who was lower price than the norm to trim some trees for her. She decided up front that if he did a good job she’d give a large tip. He was great with the work, but she sensed he wanted it to turn into a regular job. She is in Mt. View. I suppose that is not near you, Jo?
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Basic maintenance gardening for hire is very common around here in LA — these aren’t landscape artists, they won’t cultivate your garden. But for the hard-core basics, they keep your property looking decent for reasonable (I think) rates. The former residents here recommended their gardener to me to keep on which I did until they returned to Mexico. Then these guys were recommended by neighbor’s son and daughter-in-law so they use them as well.
I will need my huge trees trimmed soon, I’m afraid, I was talking to the gardeners about that recently, asked them to give me a price. It’s usually a huge job that runs about $2,000 as it includes hauling everything away, too. But it will need to be done. 😦 Still, glad I have regulars I trust for that also.
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Thankful our son did some things in the yard the past two days that would have taken me a long time to accomplish. My brother used to trim some leggy bushes, but they are at the point to be taken down which I can do over some days as energy permits for me to use a hand saw. Or I may ask son to do it as it would go quickly for him. I was thinking to wait one more year as the birds like to land in them and they are beside my kitchen window. They truly have gotten ugly but the birds don’t care😀
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I took meticulous care of my lawn and flower garden when we lived in town. Smallish yard but lots of plants. My front lawn developed necrotic ring spot fungus and that is when I called in the lawn guy. He brought it back better than ever. So I kept him to fertilize my lawn and ensure we had a trusted guy to solve any further issues in the future. It was about 30 a month back then.
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I told gardeners we should wait until “nesting season” is over before trimming all the big trees. 🙂 I knew someone who always requested that of her gardeners and I’ve always liked that idea. lol
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So. We are thinking of getting new rain gutters. What do you have? Like? Dislike?
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DJ mentioned jury duty earlier which reminded me of a situation I had about 25 years ago. The jury duty summons I received was for a court in a small city a few towns over but in the same county we lived in at the time. I was not a city driver at all, so Hubby took me on a ride to show me how to get to the courthouse.
But it was a kind of confusing route, and in one place, I would have had to scoot over a couple lanes at some point, while in a lot of traffic. (You may remember that my eyes don’t move laterally, so that kind of maneuver was a tough one, and scary.)
I was so scared that I would have to do that, and prayed that I wouldn’t be picked. (Unlike what DJ described, I would only have to call in the one evening and then either report or be done with it.) I wasn’t even sure I could follow Hubby’s directions to get there, even though I had seen the route there, because there were a lot of turns. I don’t remember how far in advance I got the summons, but I had at least several days to be anxious and stressed out about it.
When I called the night before, I was told that I did not have to report. I cannot describe the depth of relief I felt. It was so dramatic that I can feel it to this day when I think about it, and find myself giving a deep sigh of relief. 🙂
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Hubby has received a couple summons to jury duty since he’s been gone. They let him off due to his current circumstances.
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Kizzie!!! Said with one of those little smiley faces
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Kizzie – that reminds me of my sister getting a draft notice in 1968. Needless t say she got a deferment.
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It seems like DJ just had jury duty. How often do you get it. I was asked twice. I no longer have to serve. Some people really enjoy doing it. There are quite a few older people who do serve.
Last fall, my husband called someone to put in new gutters. The guy said he would come in the spring. We have not heard anything. It was a good thing he did not come in the fall, since part of the gutter broke off when the tree hit the house. We have a leak where the outside faucet is. We had another tree hit the faucet a years or so ago. Not sure what happened, but my husband did call a plumber and left a message. Haven’t heard yet. It seems all we do is wait for this or that contractor these days.
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I received a jury notice late last year — and promptly forgot all about it! So I was on their bad-list and they sent me a notice about a month ago threatening me with a $1500 fine if I ignored them again!
So I signed up and this was the week (next week) I received.
I’ve had jury duty quite a few times, though, it’s easier now as you only serve one day and are cut loose (unless you’re on a jury). And sometimes, as in my case the last couple times, you may not even have to show up at all, but you have to call in every night for a week to check.
The first time I was on jury duty it was required to spend a full month (!!) and I was sent to downtown LA back then (now I go to a closer courthouse in Long Beach). I was on 2 juries during that first month-long service, an alternate on one. I worked at a publishing company in Hollywood back then and did have to pop in here and there when the courts gave us a day off.
My mom met me on one of the court days — she worked nearby, on Wilshire — and we had a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant on Olvera Street, it was one of those old original pueblo buildings where you had to walk down steps and you were eating below the sidewalk level.
Jury duty does give you long, 2-hour lunches usually.
https://www.olvera-street.com/copy-of-siqueiros-mural
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