June 5, 2023 Monday--9:30am

Good morning!

I knew this was a ridiculously hot spring.  We just had the second hottest May ever since they began recording.  And June is continuing with the heat so far.  Expecting it to be in the 80s for the next ten days.  We've already hit the low 90s this year.  Whew!

Was a busy week!  Tuesday Keanna came to clean.  Leah and the boys turned up with my marigolds and petunias.  They had to go 3 or 4 places to find them.  While they were at Home Depot they had quite a surprise!  You wouldn't expect to see a cockatoo and a macaw while shopping at a home goods store--LOL!

I forgot to take any pictures while they were here planting, as I so often do.  But here's what the planters looked like after they left.  They brought my chair from the garage, too!

Wednesday Leah brought over my groceries by herself in the early evening and stayed to make birthday party invitations for Ian's birthday later this month.  Was nice to have some time to actually visit! 

I have mentioned what chaos there is in my garage.  These are the before pictures.  This is the donation corner.  Leah is arranging a pick up...hopefully can have that scheduled for the next week or two.

This is kind of in the center of the garage.  My old table.  You can see the pen case under it.  The curio cabinet.  So much stuff. 

I have to go through all these shelves and purge them.

My single bed...and hanging from the ceiling is my mountain bike.  Finally have to admit I probably won't be able to ride it anymore.   (Haven't ridden it for at least 20 years--lol!)

The other side of the garage has some of Dagan and Leah's stuff...my easel, etc.

That burgundy and grey case way against the wall is my massage table I'll finally be letting go of it, too.  Used to volunteer doing energy work (Healing Touch/Reiki/Soul Comfort) at a couple of churches when I lived in Minneapolis.  

Dagan brought the bird bath to my patio for me since I took this picture.  Lots of plant stuff on this side...

...and a lot more packing boxes!  :)

All those stacked boxes are IKEA furniture boxes for the new apartment.  On top--some more of Dagan and Leah's stuff from Valley Con they used to do every year.

Anyways, I told you it is chaos out there.  I hadn't seen it but a couple times since Covid.  Just kept sending things out there for donations or to store for selling.  A mess!

Found this plastic piece laying by the patio door.  Totally baffled me.  Dagan figured out that it was from the valance over the blinds.  

So I had a legitimate reason to have Gerald from maintenance come over.  I did call and leave a message at their Care Center...but Gerald never showed up.  When we got our weekly notice from the office on Friday they said people had complained that when leaving messages with the Care Center that they weren't getting responses.  Aha!  So when I walked my rent check down I saw they have added a bunch of maintenance request sheets near the rent box so I grabbed one, filled it out, and slipped it under the office door.  They should get it today if anyone is coming in today.  This week anyways.

What's really funny is we had an extra announcement hanging by our doors early in the week.  (We usually get one before the weekend.)  OMG!  I had to show Leah when she was here working on the invitations.  I told her I had seen them mentioning a week or two before that we should not to talk to the vendors.  If people had complaints to let them know at the office.  Well, these old people here have been drinking nasty juice!  How bad do these seniors have to be for them to post an entire separate threatening notice about respecting the staff and respecting your neighbors...and that your guests must show respect, too.  You are responsible for your guest's behavior and even violations of the rules by guests can be cause for eviction.

"Our staff needs to be treated and spoken to respectfully.  If disrespect continues, further action will be taken."

Then...under "a quick Bingo announcement:

The bully behavior needs to stop during Bingo."

Do you believe it?  We have Bingo Bullies!!

I told Leah that I remembered they posted maybe three weeks ago about disrespectful behavior during morning coffee in the community room and people not cleaning up after themselves.  If the problems continued there would be no use of the community room for morning coffee gathering.

Well, I've worked and lived in a senior building as staff in Minneapolis before I moved up here to Fargo/Moorhead in 1999.  I have been a resident of this senior building for almost 8 years.  I've never heard of the seniors being so nasty and mean that they have to send out warnings about bad behavior and threaten evictions!!  Good grief!  I am so glad I have avoided all the activities here since Covid.  I shall continue to do so...and not feel the least bit guilty about it.  LOL!  ;) 

Oh, and now the notice we just got this last Friday--said not to talk to the lawn company employees.  If you had complaints report them to the office.  And that we have a new part-time activities lady and she has nothing to do with the office--so basically be nice to her, too.  That's like 4-5 warnings in maybe three weeks.  Whew!  What is the matter with some of these people?!  They sound angry with everybody!  Maybe that is why we go through employees so rapidly?  And why there is seldom anyone in the office?  But that could be why they are verbally assaulting anyone they actually see?  I guess I am extra glad I will be moving--ya think!?

Meanwhile, Friday Dagan was going to stop by to help me by hauling stuff to the garage, moving some boxes for me, and bringing in the bird bath for the patio.  Surprise!  Surprise!  Leah and the boys came, too!  Dagan made at least four trips to the garage, I think.  We moved things around in the bedroom so I could get pictures of the bedroom furniture...and Leah took pictures of the sauna.  

Saturday Trent came over to their place and they worked over there all day.  Me--I woke up to laptop troubles again!!  Grrr!  These McAffee boxes popping up endlessly.  

For example: watched a 30 minute YT video and had to delete 20 boxes afterwards.  Really crazy annoying.  

I let Dagan know, but I knew they were busy so I told him I would just keep deleting.  Everything worked otherwise so if he couldn't get over till Monday or some time this week that was okay.  Wasn't sure if I would be posting the newsletter on time, but it turned out he stopped by with Ian Sunday and got it fixed.  He got rid of Chrome altogether.  I've obviously been having issues with it.  Put something on called Edge, I believe.  So far so good.  It is similar enough that this old dog is not even very confused at all...so far, anyways--lol!

Dagan and Ian were having a father son activity before they came over--went bowling, just the two of them.  Ian looked pleased as punch to have time alone with Daddy.  :)

I had been working on going through my old jewelry box all afternoon on Sunday.  Found out elastic beaded bracelets don't necessarily hold up for 20-some years--lol!  I had beads everywhere!  Much to Allie's delight.  ;)

Empty now!

A bag full to donate.  Kept very little as haven't worn jewelry for nearly two decades.

Found this old polaroid of me in the jewelry box from when I was around 15 with Teki (head behind my leg--dad dog), Booger (mama dog center front), and their puppies (can't remember their names but they were sold shortly after this picture was taken).  Boogs had several litters.  I always hated saying goodbye to those puppies.

I grabbed current pics of the flowers on the patio yesterday.

They are looking more settled in and perking up.  And the birds are visiting the water dish and bird bath...especially the robins love taking baths.

Allie...parked in her bed on the floor where she keeps on eye on the patio...looking contented.

I thought I'd get some current pics of how far I've gotten.  

Running out of room to put boxes and stuff in the living room.

Can fit some more stuff here where Grandpa's desk used to be, I guess.

I've been working on emptying the bedroom furniture and it is getting there.

Mostly emptied, actually.  Just nine drawers left.

Six of them are in this dresser--those small ones.

Hard to believe all these pieces I have been hauling from place to place for so many years will be gone soon.  I still do really like them but I am excited for a change.

Oh, I even emptied the cupboard over the sink in the kitchen because it had some tea stuff I don't use very often at all, but am not parting with.  ;)

This week I find out if I am still cancer free.  I have bloodwork and a CT scan on Wednesday and then see Dr. Failing on Friday.  I think it will all be fine, but it is always a relief to hear it.

  Leah is going to be setting up a donation pickup.  She's already put some things up on Facebook Marketplace--the bookcases from the hallway (a tall one is leaving this afternoon!!), my 12 inch Lodge skillet, the pen case/tool chest, and I think there might have been something else.  As soon as I am done with emptying the bedroom furniture (so close) we can put them up and the sauna.  We can always move the bookcases out to the garage so they are out of the way.

We assume Gerald doesn't want the sauna or we would have heard from him.  We can't get in touch with him but I gave him both Leah and my information.  :(  Oh well.  Hopefully it will sell on FM.  When he comes to work on the blind's valance I will find out for sure and ask him for the information packet back.  I also am having a hard time getting my patio door to latch shut.  I have a bar on the door so no one can get in, but you want the door to lock, regardless.  So I will have him check that, too.

I have been on days since that crazy time I couldn't sleep for 25 hours.  I am happy to be on more normal hours...even though sometimes I am in bed by 7pm and up in the middle of the night.  Those are still much better hours.  :)

McFamily went to The Lights last week.  It's an outdoor venue and this day they had the movie It's A Bug's Life.

Popcorn!   

They have some fun "chairs", too!  These spinners...

...and this giant one.

Even Daddy climbed up on it.

They also went to the Red River Zoo June 1st for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Scheels Pride of the Prairie buffalo exhibit.

The merry-go-round was also finally up and running!

Liam had his first ride on one of the horses instead of on the bench with Mama.  I remember how exciting that was as a kid!

They went to Home Depot again.  This time to make little golf practice holes.

Trent came for the day on Saturday.

I was sent pictures of plans in texts.  :)

Above plans are for this area under the stairs where the washer, dryer, and cat door will go for Allie (and Blink) to come and go from my apartment downstairs to the rest of the house.  :)

The cats will have to get used to moving through a kind of tall narrow hallway to get back and forth.  Hopefully it won't be a problem.  Cats are usually quite curious.  ;)

Dagan and Trent.

I knew they had started working on electricity because I got the plans for recessed lighting for approval.  :)

I am hoping to be able to make a trip over to McFamily's soon.  Leah wants me to look at various things and make decisions about cabinets and such.  Whoohoo!!  And Liam wants us to play a card game together, too.  :)

Well, that's about it for the newsletter this week.  Hope you have a pleasant week and watch out for those Bingo Bullies--lol!  Till next time.  :) :)