CalicoKitty

I use a folding drying rack on a regular basis for items that I do not want to put in the dryer. My grandmother never had a washing machine (and had 10 children). When I was litte, I can remember everyone gathering their dirty clothes on a large tarp-type thing from the laundry. When you pulled the drawstring it formed a "bag" for all the laundry. The laundry truck would pick it up and take it to the laundry to be washed. Then it came home wet. This was called a "wet wash". The clean wet laundry was hung on racks to dry. My aunt continued to use this service until she finally bought a washer and dryer in the 1990's. This was in a larger town in Iowa, not an impoverished area.

If I remember correctly, the church women gave Jill a "pounding" before her wedding. A pounding is a sort of housewarming/shower where the bride is given things for her pantry, ie: a pound of sugar, a pound of flour, etc. I'm guessing that the "pounding" term is loosely used as a gifting, so a diaper pounding sort of makes sense. They way these folks like to "joke" around, I'm surprised that they don't do charivaris--where people show up at the newlywed's house during the night and pound pans and make noise to "welcome" them to their new house. But I think the newlyweds are supposed to invite the noisemakers in and give them food and drink, so I guess this custom would not fly with this bunch.

This is exactly why I now make my yearly trip to Iowa in late September. I have learned the hard way!

The vineyards were covered in white (hail), and a funnel cloud was spotted. And we had LOTS of lightening and thunder. It was really strange, considering we don't get rain from June through September.

Sew Sumi, Its down to 101 right now (7:45 pm) in Stockton, and should ONLY be 103 tomorrow. This has been a terrible weather week, and only last weekend we had hail and a lightening and thunder storm. Go figure!

We had a large Hershey plant near me in California, and it was a great trip for school classes and out-of-town visitors. No amusements, but there were samples! It was nowhere near as big as the plant in PA, but it was a good sized plant. The area was hard hit when they relocated to Mexico.

FYI - According to the announcement at the the top of the page next to the little horn, the Large size is the same as the old font.

Thanks for showing me where to increase the print size. Why did change on its own, anyway?

Arwen, Thank you so much. This is what I was hoping to hear! I wish there was a way to brush her teeth, but I need all my fingers.

Two years ago, after my cat had a stroke, I adopted a year-old cat from Animal Control (and I never want to go there again! Too sad...) Lilly had had a rough first year of life, and she had developed gingivitis. At her yearly exam last week, the vet recommended a tooth cleaning. I picked her up Monday afternoon, and found out that they had had to pull 9 teeth. And still, the first thing she wanted to eat was crunchy cat treats. Since the "chewing" teeth are now missing, I think she swallows most of them, but she keeps trying to chew them. She seems so happy now, so I'm thinking her mouth must have really been giving her constant pain. Unfortunately, her buddy cat knows her from a distance, but not by smell. No more trench breath!

This floor thing is so out of my range of thinking. I do not even have one single pair of shoes in my house. I have a shoe shelf in my garage right by the door, and shoes stay outside the door, and slippers are inside the door. The thought of "shoe germs" in my house drives me nuts. Why would anyone want all that stuff on their floors and rugs? Especially since "spitting" on the ground has become so "acceptable". YUCK!

I am a retired NICU nurse, so watching Jill's "care" is interesting (and frightening) to me. I seem to remember back when Jubilee's death was announced to the family, Jill had said that she was monitoring her mom's care, and had heard a heartbeat just the day before. But later in the episode, it was said that the death had happened several days earlier. I remember wondering what she had been listening to. Does anyone else remember this?

This wedding picture looks "off" to me. The bridesmaids on the right seem bigger and out of scale. They appear to be taller than most of the men, and almost as big as the groom.

YIKES! My grandparents were married at the Little Brown Church, and that song has always meant a lot to our family. This is truly------(at a loss for words)

I'm a retired RN who worked at a Catholic hospital. Easter was NOT a holiday. Go figure.

Whenever I get "charity" calls, I tell them that I don't respond to any phone soliciting, and to please send me something in the mail. It is amazing how many "charities" have no brochures. However, I have found the best way to never receive these calls. I gave up my ATT phone line and hooked up Ooma. It is connected to my wireless modem. They contract out with a company that blocks telemarketers and scam calls. You can set the level of blocking you want. I have had NO political calls, and I get a scam maybe once a month (I've had the IRS call, too). The best thing is the price--$99 per year plus about $5 a month tax. It is so nice not to have my phone ring all day with sales calls. My elderly parents do not even have caller ID, and my mom keeps trying to talk to the recordings to tell them not to call. The "grandson is in jail and needs money" really upset my mom, even though she knew it wasn't true. Their phone rings many times a day, often with no one there when the phone is answered. But they are too old and confuse too easily to change phones on them now. But I am enjoying my quiet phone.

I had something new happen when I had my teeth cleaned. The hygienist now wears an EXTREMELY bright light on her head in addition to the light already on her goggles. Even closing my eyes is not enough protection. And then, when it reflects in the dental mirror, it is like a laser right in the eyes. It really hurts! The first time with the new light I was wearing a knitted scarf, which I immediately put over my face. That helped some, but not enough. Last week I showed up at the dentist's office with a sleep black-out mask. That worked pretty well, but I need to find one that doesn't let the light come in around the nose. She said some patients complain that the light gives them migraines. I guess I'm lucky that I only have pain........

MarysWetBar Actually my colonoscopy was a piece of cake. Once you finish the prep, the rest is easy. You sleep, you wake up, you go home and eat lunch. I've had two - 10 years apart- and had a different prep each time. But both times it is a very easy test. Thinking about it is the bad part.... Good luck!

EMMA, I used the DNA kit from Ancestry.com. It uses a little less "spit", and was therefore easier for my elderly parents. We did have a good laugh doing the test.

Zoomama, Genealogy is my favorite hobby (and passion, I guess). I have my dad's family traced to the 800's, but my mom's family is pretty much a mystery. I think a lot of the records were destroyed during the war. I did do the DNA test with each of my (elderly) parents, and it was very interesting. My mom's parents were both born in Germany, so she always thought she was German. Turns out her DNA shows 75% Eastern European. Polish--yep. German, not so much. I did my DNA to see how much of what I got from each parent. That came out pretty much as I expected, but it is fun to know for sure. My dad's family is much easier to research. So far I found 5 Mayflower passenger lines. I have found interesting items in old newspapers, too. Oddly, I love looking through old land records and vital records. That is my idea of the perfect vacation!

Several months ago I adopted a kitty from animal control after my big boy cat had a stroke. I still had my little calico girl, and the two cats get along very well. Maise the calico is the smartest cat I have ever had. Lilly the shelter cat------is not. She is by far the dumbest cat I have ever had. She falls off the bed, she can't find food unless I pick her up and put her near the plate, and I'm not sure she knows her own name. She is very sweet and cuddly, but stumpf. She really scared me the other night. I heard her screaming and yowling and hitting the sliding glass door. I ran into the room to find her fighting with her reflection in the glass. She would move, and the "other cat" followed her. She could not figure it out, and I was afraid she was going right through the glass. I turned a lamp on in front of the glass to break up the reflection, and took her in the other room and held her a while. I guess smacking her face hard on the glass a few times wasn't enough to convince her it wasn't a real cat. Maise is a grazer, and Lilly is a feline vacuum. I try to slip Maise a few extra treats because once Lilly manages to find the food, its gone. I'm so lucky that they like each other so much. They spend a lot of time together, but Maise hasn't been able to teach Lilly anything. Cats!

I love my top load, somewhat basic washer. For anyone researching new washers and dryers, be sure to check out Speed Queen. Basic, heavy duty and dependable. Speed Queen makes most machines found in commercial laundry places. And the washer does not eat holes in my clothes!!

We celebrated my dad's 92nd birthday this past weekend. WWII and Korea vet, extremely kind and generous person, very well-read, and all-around good guy. Still drives and does all the grocery shopping, and keeps track of Mom who has dementia. He has the most amazing interest in history. Not too long ago, and totally out of the blue, I was given a 45-minute lecture on the history of the Zeppelin in the US. Until about 5 years ago he was visiting church members in nursing homes and giving Bible devotions. Like so many of his era, he seldom speaks about his military service, but he remains very proud to have served in the Navy. Unfortunately, he is producing a brain chemical which is destroying his speech center, and he is unable to speak clearly, and can say fewer and fewer words. We have been told that he will likely become non-verbal, and I notice a worsening in his speech every week. He enjoys the GREAT COURSES programs, and recently bought "organic chemistry" for enjoyment. (go figure). My brother and I are so fortunate to have such wonderful parents who gave us everything we needed-and so much more--and now it is our turn to look after them. And he got his lemon pie for his birthday!

Catlyn, I did not know that cats were attracted to mint. Mine sure went crazy. Thank you for that information. Question: has anyone given up their land telephone line and switched to Ooma? I am wondering about the quality of sound and the reliability when using it wirelessly. The cost of Ooma appeals to me as opposed to ATT. Does Ooma really cut down on telemarket calls? Ooma says that your address is listed for 911, which was a question I had, but apparently they don't list your number anywhere else. Sounds almost too good to be true.

Several months ago I had a severe finger injury, and am still working with the Dr. and PT. My doctor told me to use something like Emu oil on the joint. Last night I tried some Icy Hot on my finger and went to bed. Who knew that Icy Hot is an alternative for catnip? Both of my cats went absolutely nuts. They kept trying to get to my hand by digging at the comforter, jumping one me, licking my face, and rolling around on the bed. Lilly attacked the container. And they wouldn't stop. I really thought the strong smell of menthol would keep them far away, but I thought wrong. It was really funny, but I worry that it might be toxic to cats. No more Icy Hot tonight!