Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[Ancaster]

22 minutes ago, fastiller said:

Some folks on Reddit suggested rhubarb.  Though, if I were to substitute w/ rhubarb, I'd just go straight to rhubarb crumble w/ custard.  There's a nice place on the East Side ((Jones Wood Foundry) that has a truly tasty banoffee pie.

I love rhubarb but I suspect it would be way too watery to make it a decent substitute for banana in a banoffee pie.

Now if only I could find "forced" rhubarb here, rather than the months' old, massive, stringy abomination that's offered in the store.  Some days I miss my dad and the wonders he produced in the garden more than others.

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I love rhubarb but I suspect it would be way too watery to make it a decent substitute for banana in a banoffee pie.

Now if only I could find "forced" rhubarb here, rather than the months' old, massive, stringy abomination that's offered in the store.  Some days I miss my dad and the wonders he produced in the garden more than others.

You're probably right about the texture.  My sister had a coworker who would bring in rhubarb from his garden every summer.  This was in Connecticut.  She was his only taker & she'd make this lovely compote with it.  Served with custard, of course.  Birds Custard.  Rhubarb to me is synonymous with Wednesdays: it was pudding for Wednesday dinners in my Secondary School.

[Dimity]

The info that came out today about how the Hackmans died reminded me of my Dad's big worry when my  Mother was still living at home.  She was handicapped and he was concerned that should he fall, or have a heart attack or anyhow somehow die at home that she might not be able to summon help and would end up dying.  I imagine many elderly, and not so elderly,  people have that concern.  

A friend of my SIL died sitting up in her chair one day and was only discovered when her brother (living several provinces away) wasn't able to contact her so he got the building superintendent involved and he was the one who found her.

 

Edited Friday at 10:23 PM by Dimity

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

The info that came out today about how the Hackmans died reminded me of my Dad's big worry when my  Mother was still living at home.  She was handicapped and he was concerned that should he fall, or have a heart attack or anyhow somehow die at home that she might not be able to summon help and would end up dying.  I imagine many elderly, and not so elderly,  people have that concern.  

A friend of my SIL died sitting up in her chair one day and was only discovered when her brother (living several provinces away) wasn't able to contact her so he got the building superintendent involved and he was the one who found her.

 

I still don't understand why the pacemaker company wasn't flagged when it stopped working.  

My husband and I will likely move into a community when we're old.  We want to be around people.

[shapeshifter]

26 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I still don't understand why the pacemaker company wasn't flagged when it stopped working.  

My husband and I will likely move into a community when we're old.  We want to be around people.

My sister moved Mom into an assisted living community after Dad died. Three times Mom fell and pushed the button on the pendant around her neck for assistance, but nobody came, even though they were charging $5K/month from 2016-2020. They did find her 10 hours later, so I guess it wouldn't have been as bad as waiting for days.
Still, if someone is not incapacitated mentally like Hackman was, being at home with a pendant to call for help might actually be better than being in a community where checking on residents consists of opening the door and closing it.

[Dimity]

14 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Three times Mom fell and pushed the button on the pendant around her neck for assistance, but nobody came, even though they were charging $5K/month from 2016-2020. They did find her 10 hours later, so I guess it wouldn't have been as bad as waiting for days.

I am so sorry your mother had this level of care.  My mother was in a retirement home on the assisted living floor and we were so fortunate.  She was treated extremely well.  The one big negative was the food was lousy!  You'd think paying that kind of money every month, and let's face it money coming from people used to a certain standard of living, would mean the kitchen provided better than average meals. 

[roseha]

When I was having a lot of issues last year between the vasculitis, the side effects of the medication, and the really bad balance issues, my siblings convinced me to get one of those emergency buttons.  It can be carried or worn but I leave it at home right now.  Actually I put an extra one on the bathroom mirror which in a way is the one I think about the most, I actually stuck my finger in the overflow hole of the sink once...plus it's said that's where older people tend to slip and fall. 

I am fortunate that I have doormen who I can reach from a phone in the apartment but even so it seems like a good idea.

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

My sister moved Mom into an assisted living community after Dad died. Three times Mom fell and pushed the button on the pendant around her neck for assistance, but nobody came, even though they were charging $5K/month from 2016-2020. They did find her 10 hours later, so I guess it wouldn't have been as bad as waiting for days.
Still, if someone is not incapacitated mentally like Hackman was, being at home with a pendant to call for help might actually be better than being in a community where checking on residents consists of opening the door and closing it.

I'm so sorry.  Another option is to hire someone to come in for a few hours a few times a week.  But I feel a community where there are activities you can sign up for, trips, etc...would just be more...fun.  It would be like summer camp.

[Dimity]

32 minutes ago, PRgal said:

  But I feel a community where there are activities you can sign up for, trips, etc...would just be more...fun.  It would be like summer camp.

If this is financially feasible for you I'd recommend doing it when you and your husband are still young enough, or regardless  of age are fit enough to really enjoy the facilities.  The place my Mom was in had a lot of activities, organized trips etc, but it was wasted on her, sadly.

Edited Saturday at 01:46 AM by Dimity

[PRgal]

10 minutes ago, Dimity said:

If this is financially feasible for you I'd recommend doing it when you and your husband are still young enough, or regardless  of age are fit enough to really enjoy the facilities.  The place my Mom was in had a lot of activities, organized trips etc, but it was wasted on her, sadly.

So aim to move in our 70s? 

[Absolom]

Yes.  I'm on the waiting list to move into what we call here a continuing care place. I'll be in independent living with all the activities and everything taken care of appliance and building wise.  It's a cross between a regular apartment and a hotel or resort.  It certainly isn't cheap.  I'm very fortunate to be able to afford it.  They also have assisted living, memory care, and a post-acute care.  There is a registered nurse on-site 24/7 along with care givers so should I feel sick, I simply push a button.  They will take me shopping and to medical appointments if I need that along with the tours, performances they bring in, year round heated pool, wood shop, community gardening, religious services, choir, etc.  My daughters are very excited to know that soon they won't have a long drive in front of them if something happens.  

My piece of advice is yes move when you can pick where you go and when you have time to enjoy it before you fully need it.  Stop acquiring "stuff" now to make moving easier.  Don't be a collector.  It becomes something to get rid of later in life.  

[Dimity]

18 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Don't be a collector.  It becomes something to get rid of later in life.  

And if you don't get rid of it then that will fall to your children.  I speak as someone who had to dispose of the contents of my father-in-law's house and is now in the process of doing the same for my parents.  It's really hard to get rid of collections - I know how much they meant to the person doing the collecting and want to honour that - but in all honesty I don't need a tea cup collection, a thimble collection or a souvenir teaspoon collection.

[Absolom]

There is a video everyone should watch called no one wants your stuff.  I realized after typing don't collect, that I sort of low key collect plants.  They're pretty easy to get rid of though by dumping them in the green recycle bin.  

[Dimity]

For anyone doing some serious downsizing I'd also recommend you give some thought to what you want to do if you are the type of person who has kept a diary, journal or something similar.  When my mom died I found about 12-15 journals she had kept.  I glanced through a few of them and haven't seen anything I'd really rather not have seen but I feel I'm being intrusive to sit down and read them -- and I admit I am afraid I'll read something I'd rather not know about!  Still haven't decided what to do with them.

[shapeshifter]

Just now, Dimity said:

For anyone doing some serious downsizing I'd also recommend you give some thought to what you want to do if you are the type of person who has kept a diary, journal or something similar.  When my mom died I found about 12-15 journals she had kept.  I glanced through a few of them and haven't seen anything I'd really rather not have seen but I feel I'm being intrusive to sit down and read them -- and I admit I am afraid I'll read something I'd rather not know about!  Still haven't decided what to do with them.

Does she make note of current events or describe her surroundings in ways that are not longer common? If so, they might have some historical or sociological value, even if just to descendants. If you don't have children, are there nieces or nephews?

[Absolom]

4 minutes ago, Dimity said:

For anyone doing some serious downsizing I'd also recommend you give some thought to what you want to do if you are the type of person who has kept a diary, journal or something similar.  When my mom died I found about 12-15 journals she had kept.  I glanced through a few of them and haven't seen anything I'd really rather not have seen but I feel I'm being intrusive to sit down and read them -- and I admit I am afraid I'll read something I'd rather not know about!  Still haven't decided what to do with them.

Good point.  I've already run mine through the shredder and now use a password protected document on the laptop.  Every six months to a year I delete the old one.

Edited Saturday at 03:04 AM by Absolom

[roseha]

I haven't kept a diary since high school and I trashed those long ago.  However the declutter thing has hit me big time ever since the falling lead paint happened in the bedroom.  Almost everything that was there is gone, even the bed is new after my super noticed that the old frame was broken.  It's great that it looks so neat but it took so long and was so hard to clear out and now I have to deal with the rest of the apartment so that I can have contractors come and deal with the other issues (more cracking paint, ancient bathroom upgrade) in a couple of months.  My super and staff have been really nice about taking away the heavier stuff, and I'm lucky to have them. but I know there's a slog ahead.  But at least it should be an improvement when it's done. 

[PRgal]

8 hours ago, Absolom said:

Stop acquiring "stuff" now to make moving easier.  Don't be a collector.  It becomes something to get rid of later in life.  

Well, you mean for us.  The little one is six so we will still need to get “stuff” for him.  We just got rid of the last of his toddler furniture.  And we still need to get him a proper desk.  I’m hoping his current bedroom set will last him through university!!

[Browncoat]

9 hours ago, Dimity said:

For anyone doing some serious downsizing I'd also recommend you give some thought to what you want to do if you are the type of person who has kept a diary, journal or something similar.  When my mom died I found about 12-15 journals she had kept.  I glanced through a few of them and haven't seen anything I'd really rather not have seen but I feel I'm being intrusive to sit down and read them -- and I admit I am afraid I'll read something I'd rather not know about!  Still haven't decided what to do with them.

I found my mother's diary from her senior year in high school through the first part of her freshman year in college.  She wrote a lot about various boys, and there were big sections written in shorthand.  I don't think I want to know what those sections say!  Even if I did, does anyone know shorthand anymore?

[lookeyloo]

When we moved states from a smaller house to a bigger house, we still got rid of an attic full and more.  But there are some things I have that bring me comfort and there is room for them, for example a box of my sons' infant things, and a box of things my mother knitted for them.  No one wants them, but, I told my family when I am gone just have a junk company come, even if it is worth something unless they want to sell it.  Don't waste time sorting.  I have several good sewing machines and quilting related things but my quilting friends are all in agreement that we will help divest of all each other's stuff as appropriate.  I can see not accumulating collections but at this point in some of our lives, a picture of an item as a memory isn't  a comfort, the real thing is.  My house is not cluttered and there is still room in the closets, and I don't have any more collections, but I'm keeping my stuff to the bitter end!  I am 81 so I guess time is limited.

[Dimity]

3 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

My house is not cluttered and there is still room in the closets, and I don't have any more collections, but I'm keeping my stuff to the bitter end!

 

For me the one thing I can't give up are  books, books and more books.  If and when I have to downsize to that one room at the nursing home as my mother had to do I am passing the book buck to my daughter!

Edited Saturday at 04:39 PM by Dimity

[Sharla]

6 hours ago, PRgal said:

Well, you mean for us.  The little one is six so we will still need to get “stuff” for him.  We just got rid of the last of his toddler furniture.  And we still need to get him a proper desk.  I’m hoping his current bedroom set will last him through university!!

I think the OP meant collections, knick knacks, extra or single occasion use dishes, too many clothes, excess decor, etc.  You know basically useless stuff.  We all know we have to keep living and that involves needful purchases along the way.  We don't need useless clutter.  Statements have to be read in context. 

[Dimity]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Even if I did, does anyone know shorthand anymore?

Oh that takes me back!  For a brief moment between high school and higher education I toyed with the idea of going to Sylvia Gill, a secretarial college that existed in Montreal at the time.  Of course one of the courses offered was shorthand.

I decided against it but even now, to quote Marie Barone I think "I'd have made a terrific  gal Friday!"

[Absolom]

4 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I told my family when I am gone just have a junk company come, even if it is worth something unless they want to sell it.  Don't waste time sorting.  I have several good sewing machines and quilting related things but my quilting friends are all in agreement that we will help divest of all each other's stuff as appropriate.  I can see not accumulating collections but at this point in some of our lives, a picture of an item as a memory isn't  a comfort, the real thing is.  My house is not cluttered and there is still room in the closets, and I don't have any more collections, but I'm keeping my stuff to the bitter end!  I am 81 so I guess time is limited.

No, I wasn't advocating getting rid of sentimental items.  I don't think I even mentioned them.  I've cleaned out several times after relatives and found such things as ten years of back issues of The Racing Forum, white bell bottom pants, 500 salt and pepper shaker sets, 50 stuffed animals owned by a 95 year old, etc.  When I'm talking "stuff" it's basically that stuff no one needs and it's just a pain to those who have to clear it out.  It's a kindness not leave that behind.  That's all and it does make life easier for the individuals when it's time to move if they plan to move to retirement living.  That was the point.  If you want to do that, don't make work for yourself acquiring "stuff" that isn't needed. I have sentimental items that will go with me, but the extra dish sets need to go to Goodwill.  

Everyone has to do to suit themselves.  These are just some things that apply to me and work for me.  

[Caoimhe]

17 hours ago, PRgal said:

I'm so sorry.  Another option is to hire someone to come in for a few hours a few times a week.  But I feel a community where there are activities you can sign up for, trips, etc...would just be more...fun.  It would be like summer camp.

This is what I'm ready for us to do NOW (mid-late 60s)! But my husband isn't on board at all, and even when I found a lovely apartment last year that we could buy (and where it might be noticed if we're dead...) No. We are staying in the house because he's "not ready to leave it". All I can say is that I need to die before him because this house is WAY too much for me to deal with.

5 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

When we moved states from a smaller house to a bigger house, we still got rid of an attic full and more.  But there are some things I have that bring me comfort and there is room for them, for example a box of my sons' infant things, and a box of things my mother knitted for them.  No one wants them, but, I told my family when I am gone just have a junk company come, even if it is worth something unless they want to sell it.  Don't waste time sorting.  I have several good sewing machines and quilting related things but my quilting friends are all in agreement that we will help divest of all each other's stuff as appropriate.  I can see not accumulating collections but at this point in some of our lives, a picture of an item as a memory isn't  a comfort, the real thing is.  My house is not cluttered and there is still room in the closets, and I don't have any more collections, but I'm keeping my stuff to the bitter end!  I am 81 so I guess time is limited.

I have told my husband to just throw out all my sewing machines and supplies, I have no quilting friends locally so that's not an option. The newest machine is particularly expensive but no one I know personally would want it and he'll have more important things to do than dealing with my sewing room. Our house is decidedly cluttered (another reason I really want to move) and sadly most of the junk belongs to me. 

[Dimity]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Does she make note of current events or describe her surroundings in ways that are not longer common? If so, they might have some historical or sociological value, even if just to descendants. If you don't have children, are there nieces or nephews?

Mainly she talks about family stuff, how she's feeling on any given day, where they went for supper.  That kind of thing.  Before I'd pass them along to the next generation I'd have to read them first.  There are definitely a few family secrets that my siblings and I don't want passed down! 

[PRgal]

48 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

This is what I'm ready for us to do NOW (mid-late 60s)! But my husband isn't on board at all, and even when I found a lovely apartment last year that we could buy (and where it might be noticed if we're dead...) No. We are staying in the house because he's "not ready to leave it". All I can say is that I need to die before him because this house is WAY too much for me to deal with.

I have told my husband to just throw out all my sewing machines and supplies, I have no quilting friends locally so that's not an option. The newest machine is particularly expensive but no one I know personally would want it and he'll have more important things to do than dealing with my sewing room. Our house is decidedly cluttered (another reason I really want to move) and sadly most of the junk belongs to me. 

My husband (also 45) is ALREADY asking ME!  I said that I'm all for a community, but we shouldn't look until our son is in university.  We became parents relatively late (I was 39 and he was two months from 39), so we'd be turning 61 when our son graduates with his bachelor's degree - assuming he goes right away and does not take a gap year.  I want to make sure he has a job/place to stay before we move into a community. 

[EtheltoTillie]

17 hours ago, Absolom said:

My piece of advice is yes move when you can pick where you go and when you have time to enjoy it before you fully need it.  Stop acquiring "stuff" now to make moving easier.  Don't be a collector.  It becomes something to get rid of later in life.  

In that vein I just took five pieces of china to the thrift shop on the next block.  Very proud.  Of course likely no one will want them. These were my mother's.  Extra serving pieces we never use.  We do use the plates a couple of times a  year.

Edited Saturday at 07:55 PM by EtheltoTillie

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

In that vein I just took five pieces of china to the thrift shop on the next block.  Very proud.  Of course likely no one will want them. These were my mother's. 

I did that with the silverplated bits and pieces my mother, grandmother and mother-in-law had collected.  I checked, of course, to be sure I wasn't giving away something valuable.  I wasn't. 

[lookeyloo]

2 hours ago, Caoimhe said:

This is what I'm ready for us to do NOW (mid-late 60s)! But my husband isn't on board at all, and even when I found a lovely apartment last year that we could buy (and where it might be noticed if we're dead...) No. We are staying in the house because he's "not ready to leave it". All I can say is that I need to die before him because this house is WAY too much for me to deal with.

I have told my husband to just throw out all my sewing machines and supplies, I have no quilting friends locally so that's not an option. The newest machine is particularly expensive but no one I know personally would want it and he'll have more important things to do than dealing with my sewing room. Our house is decidedly cluttered (another reason I really want to move) and sadly most of the junk belongs to me. 

Oh that is sad. You might make a few inquiries if there is a quilting guild or two and leave a contact number with hubs. Churches might like the items. Library? Some loan out things like that. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

I ended up going through with giving up Facebook for Lent, and other than a couple of “oh yeah I can’t use Facebook for this right now” moments (like looking up the hours of a local business), I haven’t missed it. I’ve been replacing some of my morning scroll time with reading a reflection on a Catholic-specific app, and it puts me in a better mood to start the day. My panic of FOMO just hasn’t come to materialize which is a relief. 

I also muted a Reddit sub that was becoming a real problem for me. It helped me realize that while I do regret some of the things I posted on there I don’t regret my opinions per se. I just wish I hadn’t gotten so fired up over things that matter very little or not at all once you close Reddit.  

[Blergh]

Since no one else has brought this up, I guess I must:

On the off chance anyone in this Forum hasn't seen it in any other media outlet,etc.:

TONIGHT is Daylight Savings Time! Actually, it will start at 2AM Sunday, March 9,2025 in the Western Hemisphere (minus Hawaii, the Navajo Nation and a few other spots) which means that this time we SPRING FORWARD!

OK, in addition to switching ahead all non-online alarm clocks, car clocks,watches,etc., this is also a good time to CHANGE any smoke detector batteries in one's abode!

Yeah, that means I will have to drive into work Monday seeing if I can somehow STILL beat the morning glare. .then hope there's still daylight when it's time to make my commute home. I suppose in X number of weeks, there will be daylight on the homeward commute but until then. Oh well

[PRgal]

18 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Since no one else has brought this up, I guess I must:

On the off chance anyone in this Forum hasn't seen it in any other media outlet,etc.:

TONIGHT is Daylight Savings Time! Actually, it will start at 2AM Sunday, March 9,2025 in the Western Hemisphere (minus Hawaii, the Navajo Nation and a few other spots) which means that this time we SPRING FORWARD!

OK, in addition to switching ahead all non-online alarm clocks, car clocks,watches,etc., this is also a good time to CHANGE any smoke detector batteries in one's abode!

Yeah, that means I will have to drive into work Monday seeing if I can somehow STILL beat the morning glare. .then hope there's still daylight when it's time to make my commute home. I suppose in X number of weeks, there will be daylight on the homeward commute but until then. Oh well

I wish I didn’t have to set the microwave and wall oven clocks.  Everything else is connected to the internet so nothing to change there.  

[Anduin]

They don't do DST around my way. One party tried for a year. Afterwards, the people got to vote on if they wanted to keep doing it. No. Further, next election, they lost. Next time they were in, they tried three years. Another vote, another no, and lost again. Us West Aussies are quite content being three hours behind the east coast every summer.

[tearknee]

5 minutes ago, Anduin said:

They don't do DST around my way. One party tried for a year. Afterwards, the people got to vote on if they wanted to keep doing it. No. Further, next election, they lost. Next time they were in, they tried three years. Another vote, another no, and lost again. Us West Aussies are quite content being three hours behind the east coast every summer.

Business keeps pressuring for it IIRC

[SoMuchTV]

36 minutes ago, Blergh said:

OK, in addition to switching ahead all non-online alarm clocks, car clocks,watches,etc., this is also a good time to CHANGE any smoke detector batteries in one's abode!

My smoke detectors do a darn good job of telling me when their batteries are low, so I’ve never totally bought in to the idea of changing all the batteries every year. In fact, I just recently read (maybe here? Maybe on some other forum?) that ironically discarded 9-volt batteries that still have power are actually a fire hazard. Not sure how true that is, but since I have four smoke detectors (two battery powered and two hardwired with battery backup), I feel okay with not replacing batteries every time the clocks change. They’ll let me know. Beep…….beep…….beep…..

Edited Yest. at 02:37 AM by SoMuchTV

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Business keeps pressuring for it IIRC

Yep.  Ontario passed legislation to end the change but would only go through with it if Quebec and New York do the same.  

[athousandclowns]

8 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

In that vein I just took five pieces of china to the thrift shop on the next block.  Very proud.  Of course likely no one will want them. These were my mother's.  Extra serving pieces we never use.  We do use the plates a couple of times a  year.

From a cartoonist/ author I’m “ friends with” on FB and have been following for years.  I moved to place without a garage 2 1/2 years ago and have a small unit with too much art and pottery ,same with my condo. I’m at that age now but it’s too late to move into a retirement type community. i  wake up daily worried my son won’t get his money back he gave me in order to buy this condo 2 years ago. I have a somewhat small morgage considering the area that will have to be paid off. 
Along  the China subject I had two sets of Christmas plates in the back of my SUV waiting to go to my unit and my car was broken into and they were taken. Thieves took a big shopping bag to place boxes in. 

[fastiller]

16 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I found my mother's diary from her senior year in high school through the first part of her freshman year in college.  She wrote a lot about various boys, and there were big sections written in shorthand.  I don't think I want to know what those sections say!  Even if I did, does anyone know shorthand anymore?

My Mum was in the middle of writing a novel when she died. I'd hoped to finish it for her.  Yeah, all written by hand in Gregg shorthand. I should probably try 5o learn it so I can decipher & finish the book.

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, Blergh said:

TONIGHT is Daylight Savings Time! Actually, it will start at 2AM Sunday, March 9,2025 in the Western Hemisphere (minus Hawaii, the Navajo Nation and a few other spots) which means that this time we SPRING FORWARD!

Where did you get this, because it's backwards with respect to the Navajo Nation and doesn't mention Arizona.  Arizona does not observe daylight saving time but the Navajo Nation, in the northeast corner of Arizona, does observe daylight saving time.

That corner of Arizona is incredibly confusing because the Hopi reservation does not observe daylight saving time (like the rest of the state of Arizona), but it's surrounded by Navajo Nation, which does observe it. 

I remember going to the visitor center at Petrified Forest National Park and they had multiple clocks on the wall indicating what time it was in nearby places.  It reminded me of the array of clocks in the WJM newsroom.

 

 

[Anduin]

3 hours ago, tearknee said:

Business keeps pressuring for it IIRC

Bloody businesses. What happened to people?

[luv2lurk]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Yeah, that means I will have to drive into work Monday seeing if I can somehow STILL beat the morning glare. .then hope there's still daylight when it's time to make my commute home. I suppose in X number of weeks, there will be daylight on the homeward commute but until then. Oh well

OK I don't know what time you go to work, but this time change will make it darker in the morning and lighter at night. For example if sunrise was at 6:30 am it will now be at 7:30 am. Sunset at 6pm now 7pm.

I still curse Bush for making this change to earlier in the month - when it used to be late March (as Europe still does).

 

[PRgal]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Where did you get this, because it's backwards with respect to the Navajo Nation and doesn't mention Arizona.  Arizona does not observe daylight saving time but the Navajo Nation, in the northeast corner of Arizona, does observe daylight saving time.

That corner of Arizona is incredibly confusing because the Hopi reservation does not observe daylight saving time (like the rest of the state of Arizona), but it's surrounded by Navajo Nation, which does observe it. 

I remember going to the visitor center at Petrified Forest National Park and they had multiple clocks on the wall indicating what time it was in nearby places.  It reminded me of the array of clocks in the WJM newsroom.

 

 

Must be confusing for families who live in the Hopi nation community but have kids who go to school outside of it?  Or is it big enough to have schools going up to grade 12?

[fairffaxx]

10 hours ago, fastiller said:

My Mum was in the middle of writing a novel when she died. I'd hoped to finish it for her.  Yeah, all written by hand in Gregg shorthand. I should probably try 5o learn it so I can decipher & finish the book.

Ask at retirement homes for former secretaries & pay some nice old lady to translate it for you.  So many of us took shorthand dictation when we were employed.

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, fastiller said:

My Mum was in the middle of writing a novel when she died. I'd hoped to finish it for her.  Yeah, all written by hand in Gregg shorthand. I should probably try 5o learn it so I can decipher & finish the book.

3 minutes ago, fairffaxx said:

Ask at retirement homes for former secretaries & pay some nice old lady to translate it for you.  So many of us took shorthand dictation when we were employed.

If you scan the pages, there's likely an app that can translate it, but it would still be good to be able to check the app's work by learning shorthand and consulting those who know it well.

 

[supposebly]

Regarding all the stuff, my mother said something funny the other day when I said that all the stuff that accumulates in my parents' house is bothering me. 

She said, well, she doesn't feel it's her responsibility to make my life easier after she's gone. If she wants her stuff around her, that's her business.

I actually think she has a point. Although my worry was also that she sometimes seems overwhelmed with having all this stuff around and is actually bothered that she doesn't have the energy to get going with decluttering.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, supposebly said:

Regarding all the stuff, my mother said something funny the other day when I said that all the stuff that accumulates in my parents' house is bothering me. 

She said, well, she doesn't feel it's her responsibility to make my life easier after she's gone. If she wants her stuff around her, that's her business.

I actually think she has a point. Although my worry was also that she sometimes seems overwhelmed with having all this stuff around and is actually bothered that she doesn't have the energy to get going with decluttering.

Has she expressed any desire to declutter?

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, supposebly said:

Regarding all the stuff, my mother said something funny the other day when I said that all the stuff that accumulates in my parents' house is bothering me. 

She said, well, she doesn't feel it's her responsibility to make my life easier after she's gone. If she wants her stuff around her, that's her business.

Are you concerned that she may be hoarding?  My mother had a lot of 'stuff' mainly dishware, collectibles, family memento type things which was a lot to deal with for me when the time came.  But I've got friends who had to clean out absolute garbage (coffee cans filled with cigarette butts as one example - ick) when their parent died.

 

[supposebly]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Are you concerned that she may be hoarding?

Not really. It's more my issue, I think since I'm the antihoarder in the family. I declutter at least once a year.

[Blergh]

17 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Where did you get this, because it's backwards with respect to the Navajo Nation and doesn't mention Arizona.  Arizona does not observe daylight saving time but the Navajo Nation, in the northeast corner of Arizona, does observe daylight saving time.

That corner of Arizona is incredibly confusing because the Hopi reservation does not observe daylight saving time (like the rest of the state of Arizona), but it's surrounded by Navajo Nation, which does observe it. 

I remember going to the visitor center at Petrified Forest National Park and they had multiple clocks on the wall indicating what time it was in nearby places.  It reminded me of the array of clocks in the WJM newsroom.

 

 

Sorry, I mixed up the deal of which state and which tribes in Arizona do/ don't observe Daylight Savings TIme!

 I woke up later than I meant to,today. Hopefully that extra sleep will prevent me from oversleeping before tomorrow's work commute!