BEWARE OF STRANGERS IN SAFETY VESTS

Anytime you’re driving anywhere, you’re apt to see men and women wearing florescent safety vests. Usually, it means they’re involved in some type of construction, street work or any occupation that requires public consideration or respect. It never occurred to me that such vests can be purchased by anyone, and not always for a good reason. They may be a decoy to fool you into trusting them. Beware of strangers in safety vests.

Here’s what happened to me after the big snow storm of 2022.. I drove out the lane to go shopping, and stopped to get my mail. A mound of ice/ snow between the car and the mailbox made me stumble and nearly fall. As I clung to the mailbox, I heard a voice cry out, “Do you need help ma’am”, and before I knew it, a middle aged woman wearing a florescent safety vest came along and helped me to my feet. She even put my mail in a bag. I assumed she worked in some capacity with the city parks or street department..

As she followed me to my car, she said she was walking home. Since she had been so kind, I offered to give her a ride. I assumed she lived nearby, as it was sub zero weather, and the snow was a foot deep.

Turned out, she lived miles away (or so she said). I swallowed hard, but continued on, determined to do my good deed for the day. She wanted to chat, told me her name and asked mine. But after we crossed the highway, she casually mentioned that she had just got out of jail, and it wasn’t very clean.

“Have you been vaccinated?” I asked. She said, “oh no, I would never let them put that poison in my body.” At that point, I rolled down the windows as freezing air swept through the front seat. Accelerating to reach the speed limit, a plan formed in my mind. Soon, I pulled into a busy gas station. “Sorry,” I said. “I have to drop you off here because you haven’t been vaccinated.”

She seemed startled and hesitated a moment. But we were surrounded by other vehicles. Without further argument, she opened the door and got out of the car.

My husband was waiting at home in a sweat. He had seen us drive away and was ready to call the police. I’ll never know what was on that woman’s mind, but I didn’t want to find out.

Beware of strangers wearing safety vests.

February 20, 2022February 20, 2022

ABUSE OF SKATER TAINTS WINTER OLYMPICS

We first watched the Winter Olympics while on a vacation in Florida in 1994. Unfortunately, it rained three days in a row, leaving us without much else to do. Oddly enough, it’s the one thing I remember about that trip. Picaboo Street was a star skier, and everything about her was fascinating. David Letterman’s mom was CBS’s Olympic correspondent for the event. It was entertaining, exciting, and wholesome. Sadly, those days seem to be gone forever. When athletes start doping, and we have to watch a sobbing child being shouted at by her coach because she fell on the ice, it’s all downhill. A blatant show of child abuse taints the Winter Olympics.

Kamila Valieva’s figure skating was like a beautiful ballet. Since she’s the age of one of my granddaughters, I found it touching that this young girl had achieved so much.

Then came the report that she had tested positive for some kind of heart drug, several weeks before the games began. Why in the world would the results have come in so late, and at such a precarious time? They said she tested negative later on, so I don’t know why this would have disqualified her. But that’s only my opinion, and there’s a lot that I don’t know.

What I do know, is that all this negative publicity created tremendous pressure on this lovely girl, who is still only a child in the eyes of the law. Her coaches had a decision to make at that point. Either have her withdraw from the competition, or let her decide what to do, based on her own feelings and inner strength. Instead, they pushed her out onto the world stage, not caring at all whether it might be too much of a challenge for an adolescent to handle.

The result was too painful to contemplate or watch. In front of thousands of spectators, she tripped and fell, not once, but several times. Obviously, she was having a meltdown. And what did her coach do? She yelled and screamed while the poor girl shuddered with sobs. I would just as soon have seen someone kick a dog, or lash a person with a horsewhip. as witness that scene. The Russian coach-from-hell should be expelled from her profession. There’s now a dark stain on the Winter Olympics that may be indelible.

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022

TIME TO GET RID OF THE POINSETTIA

Poinsettias have an irritating way of lasting forever. They’re glorious at Christmas, and can cost anywhere from five to fifty dollars, depending on the size and variety. Some people are callous enough to throw them in the trash after the holiday, but many of us keep them around for months. Because they’re so undemanding. Just a tad of water each week, and they’ll bloom indefinitely. I’ve even kept them alive out on the deck come summertime. But the truth is, I’m getting tired of looking at them in doctor’s offices, banks, and other places of business. They say every dog has his day, and this plant’s day has come and gone. It’s time to get rid of the poinsettia.

Why do I find them depressing, when they give so much pleasure in December? I guess it’s because they remind me of snow, ice and freezing weather. They’re almost as bad as those ice cycles some people keep hanging from their porch roofs all year round. Even this month, I’m seeing Christmas wreaths on doors, and deflated plastic Santas. I suppose if you’re a Christmasphile, those things don’t bother you.

I really loved Christmas as a child and teenager. But then, Christmas started having some bad connotations. Like the time I broke up with my boyfriend on Christmas Eve.. Or the New Years Eve when I didn’t have a date, and was all alone in a big city apartment. Later, when I was a working mom, Christmas turned into a stressful occasion. Presents to buy, cookies to bake, meals to host—wearing myself out while trying to make everyone happy. Then came recessions and money worries. Somewhere along the way, I began to dread the approach of the holiday season. No one knew I was thinking Bah Humbug while they were singing Jingle Bells. I was a closet Christmas Grinch.

The solution came upon retirement, when we could go South during the winter. I didn’t miss the snow while sitting on the beach, and seashells were the best Christmas decoration I could imagine. But one day, we realized that we weren’t up for the long trip. Once again, we’re home for the holidays, and buying poinsettias.

Yesterday, I stopped watering my plant. I won’t throw it out in the cold, but I’ll let it wither in the windowsill. . It’s time to get rid of the poinsettia and buy some potted tulips. Spring is only a few weeks away!

February 13, 2022

SHOPPERS ARE PULLING IN THEIR BELTS

A year ago, most everyone was gorging on stimulus money. Checkout lanes had long lines of shoppers with overflowing carts. Often, a couple would have two carts full of groceries. All of which made it tedious to wait your turn. It wasn’t at all unusual to see tabs running over $150 to $200. My defense was to try and find little pockets of time when there were fewer shoppers. Maybe, one o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, right before the weekly grocery ads started appearing on Wednesday. But something miraculous has happened this past month. It looks like shoppers are pulling in their belts, because they’re buying less. Consequently, checkout lines are moving faster.

I’m probably one of the few people who welcomes this change. At our age, we don’t have huge appetites, so it doesn’t affect our grocery bill too much when prices skyrocket. And it’s nice to get in line behind someone with ten items in their cart rather than 50.

It is amazing when you get home and check your receipt, though. Last week I bought 30 items, and upon close inspection, I saw several products that cost 50 cents to a dollar more than they did a few months ago. The stores have these little tricks like placing the price underneath a package when it actually applies to the product below. My favorite brand of coffee used to be $4.99 . I didn’t realize until I got home that I had paid $7.99 for that same brand. Probably, the house label on the shelf below would have cost $3.00 less..

I don’t know how low-income shoppers with a couple of kids are making it. Since they’re buying less at the supermarket, they could be experiencing food insecurity. Maybe they’re eating more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or having cereal for dinner.

All I know is that leaner times at the grocery store result in shorter wait time for me. Shoppers are pulling in their belts, and checkout lines are moving faster

February 9, 2022February 9, 2022

DO TRASH COLLECTORS OWE US A REFUND?

Waste management is a big deal for seniors aging in place. If you’re going to fix meals and order stuff from Amazon, you will have lots of trash. Most everything you get online arrives in a cardboard box. Grocery products come in cardboard packages, or plastic containers. You can hire household help for most chores, but it’s not easy finding someone to get your trash from point A to B. And in our case, point C, because the trash can has to be dragged out to the street on pick up day. However, our Thursday trash pick up was canceled due to the big storm. Come Friday and Saturday, the cans were still frozen shut. By Sunday, we figured the city could send someone to empty our trash. Didn’t happen. Turns out they’re skipping a whole week. Was the waste management company paid for a week of doing nothing? And do trash collectors owe us a refund?

Here was Republic’s official statement:

“All routes were suspended due to hazardous conditions caused by inclement weather. Routes will resume on the next regular service day.”

So, instead of picking up one weeks’ worth of trash, they’ll be picking up after two weeks.. Unfortunately, they won’t empty overflowing trash cans. So, some of us may have to find another way to get rid of our pile of extra trash

It may seem like a small matter, but it’s not.

According to Mayor Bennett, the city of Terre Haute has a 2.6 million dollar annual contract with Republic Services for waste removal As a result. Republic receives around $50,000 a week for trash collection in the city. Since they didn’t have to do anything for one week, you can look at it as either a bonus or a big cost savings for them. Will they reimburse the city? I doubt it.

The pathetic thing was the lack of communication. A statement from the mayor or Republic Services could have come across the 6 o’clock news. But no one in charge told us anything at all. Only by checking on the internet could you find their official statement. Word of mouth doesn’t work well when you’re isolated due to a surge in covid cases and a major winter storm.

Does Republic owe the taxpayers a refund? I think so. Or maybe a bottle of champagne delivered to your door

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022

8 BLESSINGS IN THE STORM

If you live in this part of the country, you just got through one of the wildest snow storms we’ve endured for years. At our age, we’ve lived through many such storms and blizzards. Especially, my Nebraska-born husband. However, we’ve been spoiled the past few years, with some fairly mild winters. We forgot what it’s like to live through one of those whoppers that left our trash cans frozen in a mound of hard, icy snow. Housebound for three days seemed like an eternity for a person who likes to come and go as she pleases. Nevertheless, we were grateful for 8 blessings in the storm:

1. No power outage. . We called several stores to see if we could purchase a kerosene heater, but everyone was sold out. Consequently, we were prepared to find a hotel room somewhere if we lost power.. At our age, we simply aren’t equipped to deal with all the inconveniences. But for once, Duke Energy kept us all wired. I don’t think anyone in our city lost power.

2. Children living nearby. My girls live too far away to be of any help during a storm. Fortunately, my husband’s twin sons are in town. They called every day to see if we needed help, and even picked up our mail. What a blessing to have adult children living in your same city

3. Hot beverages. Coffee in the morning, cocoa or tea in the afternoon. Sipping these warm drinks while watching the snow fall was so comforting.

4. Flannel sheets. Nothing helps a good nights sleep on a snowy night so much as snuggling up in their warmth. Go one step further and wear flannel jammies all day long.

5 .I phone, with all its apps. Our newspapers weren’t delivered, but my trusty smart phone kept us informed of all the latest news. Also, there are several meditation apps. I’ve been using Calm for years, and it’s helped through some rough times. It’s amazing what a few breathing exercises and inspirational messages can do for your peace of mind.

6..Library books. We loaded up on enough to get us through the storm. There’s nothing cozier than reading a best seller and sipping a cup of tea while the wind blows outside.

7. Amaryllis in Bloom. Indoor bulbs are a beautiful way to brighten winter days. Ours opened up just as the snow started to fall.

8. Jigsaw puzzle. As children in the post depression years, we always had one in progress . Without television, computers, or smart phones, these puzzles entertained us on dreary winter days . Modern technology rendered them obsolete. But all of a sudden, we realized how much fun they are. And they’re good for the aging brain!

When the snow melts and the sun shines, we’ll remember these 8 blessings in the storm of 2022 with gratitude.

February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

GETTING USED TO POOR SERVICE

Remember the olden days when good customer service was the norm? You weren’t expected to put up with bad service. And no one blamed you for complaining to the higher ups. The funny thing is, they didn’t have follow-up surveys for everything you bought or every service you used. Didn’t need them, because it wasn’t a very big issue. However, there’s really no point in taking a survey or making a formal complaint these days, because there’s nothing can be done about the labor shortage that is hitting stores, hospitals, plumbers, doctor’s offices and even locksmiths. We may as well start getting used to poor service, because it’s not going to get any better.

Since the holidays began, we’ve encountered lackluster service almost every where we go. Which , at our age, is far less than the average family of four.

It started with our hearing aids specialist. When we purchased them three years ago, we were assured that there would always be someone in the office to help us with any problems we might encounter. That went well for a couple of years. Clogged up? Twisted? No problem. Stop by this afternoon for a quick fix by the audiologist. Except, now, the audiologist is only available one day per week. He’s moved somewhere else, and they haven’t found a replacement. So, you might have to go full week with poor hearing.

If you need your locks changed, it’s probably for a reason. You want to keep someone out who may have gotten hold of the key to your home, or office. In the old days, your trusty locksmith would be out by the end of the day. Trouble is, there aren’t many experienced locksmiths available now. It may be several days before they can come to the rescue. You’ll just have to put a chair up to your door, and hope for no uninvited visitors.

Bought a new dishwasher last week when our old one gave out. They delivered it promptly, and the installer quickly explained which buttons to push, before rushing to another job. I was confused , because the instruction sheet did not include a control panel diagram. Called the dealership, and was promised the service man would give me a call-back to answer any questions. That was four days ago, and I still haven’t heard from him. Thank heaven for YOU TUBE, where I finally learned how to operate the dishwasher

It’s an epidemic. School bus drivers are working double shifts. Consequently kids are late to school. Restaurants are short of help so it may take an hour to get served. Grocery stores have empty shelves (crackers, especially), because there aren’t enough truck drivers. I’m not sure what’s causing the shortage of workers, but I suspect it’s not going to get any better. We may as well start getting used to poor service, and it won’t help one bit to answer that follow up survey. Remember: patience is a virtue.