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

[oliviabenson]

I use apps for McDonald’s or Burger King. You do save $. But the food there is worse than ever before and tiny portions.

Wendys is still my favorite. Chili and baked potato or a salad. Mmm good.

[bluegirl147]

In the last few years of my husband's life  he spent a lot of time in the hospital.  He could order anything off the cafeteria menu so I would have lunch with him most days.  What is it about mashed potatoes  that always taste so good when they are outside your home? They had a mac n cheese that I'm sure was made with a giant can of food service cheese but nonetheless was very good.  He sometimes had appointments at a large hospital in Pittsburgh who's cafeteria rivaled most restaurants I have eaten in.  We would schedule his appointments to be mid morning so we could eat lunch before heading home.

I gave up on fast food over 11 years ago.  The only exceptions was DQ during the pandemic because I was craving cheeseburgers and was the only restaurant close enough that I could go through the drive thru and get home quickly enough that the food stayed warm. 

Years ago there was a local Chinese restaurant that had a buffet where they would put "American" food on as well.  Sliders, fries, pizza that kind of stuff.  I took one look at it and said nope and left.

[Ancaster]

20 hours ago, Dimity said:

In another thread @PRgal mentioned how bad the hospital food is where she is recuperating and it made me realize I must have very low standards where food is concerned.  I actually like the food I've been served on airplanes and the times I've been in hospital I found the meals were fine.  But then I also thought the meals at my Mom's retirement home were good while she turned almost everything away and got us to bring her take out food instead.  

It's in the contract you sign when you move in -- it acknowledges that all retirement home food must be criticized.  It's the clause before the one about your daughter in law's chicken soup never matching up to yours.

[EtheltoTillie]

10 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I

But the food there is worse than ever before and tiny portions.

That’s the old Borscht Belt joke. The food is terrible. And such small portions!  

[Mondrianyone]

13 hours ago, Blergh said:

You were braver than me.

. . .

But fondue at a Chinese restaurant? I just couldn't. .. .

And you were smarter than me.

[Ohiopirate02]

20 hours ago, Dimity said:

This is my problem with getting fast food now.  It's not the food itself (I know what I like and pick and choose depending on where we go) my problem is the price.  The last time my husband and I went to A&W we had 2 meals (drink, burger, fries) and it was almost $40 .  It was insane. Way too pricey for fast food!

I have also noticed that most fast food places are now over ten American dollars for one meal if you do not order on the app. I refuse to have and use an app for every single store I frequent, so I drew the line at restaurants. I do not care if the food is technically cheaper when using the app or that I can earn points to get free food down the road. I just don't want McDonalds or Chick-fil-a or Taco Bell being the company selling my data. The benefit does not outweigh the cost. I know the data and information those apps glean from my phone is not my food order, but it's the principle of it and I don't want my McDonalds or Taco Bell order being part of my data getting sold. Somethings are between me and the anonymous worker taking my order.

One thing I do love about living in my current state is that I can have Cookout anytime I want. A tray is $7.99 plus tax, and you are not limited to only fries as your side. Fancy a corn dog or a quesadilla or some chicken nuggets, and Cookout provides.

[EtheltoTillie]

What is Cookout?  I never heard of it.  There seems to be a location in NYC.  Don't know if it is the same company.

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I do love about living in my current state is that I can have Cookout anytime I want. A tray is $7.99 plus tax, and you are not limited to only fries as your side.

What's Cookout? Is it a fast-food chain?

I never get the meal deal b/c we don't drink soda and I'll usually buy a medium sized fry to share b/c I'm not all that crazy about fries. The other day I went to the BK drive in and got their special Whopper Jr deal. 2 Junior Whoppers for 5 bucks. I was starving and ate both, and so did my husband. The fries were awful as I had forgotten that BK fries generally are awful. I much prefer McDonald's fries. As far as chains go, I do like Wendy's. Their salads are very tasty. 

[Dimity]

5 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

As far as chains go, I do like Wendy's. Their salads are very tasty. 

Same.  If I have a choice it will always be Wendy's and I will opt for their taco salad.

[Ancaster]

I talk to the birds that come to my feeder.

[Absolom]

I will miss all the birds that fly around the house here.  I'm going home where I see crows and little brown birds.  If I sit outside there will be an occasional hummingbird and when I'm truly lucky a roadrunner.  

[Quof]

Going to a fast food restaurant for a salad is like going to a brothel for a hug.  

[Ancaster]

14 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I will miss all the birds that fly around the house here.  I'm going home where I see crows and little brown birds.  If I sit outside there will be an occasional hummingbird and when I'm truly lucky a roadrunner.  

LBJs (little brown jobs) are the reason I have a feeder!  They're the ugly little sisters siblings that no-one else cares for.  (Not that there's any resentment or anything.)

[Dimity]

Not a fan of birds.  I don't hate them.  Exactly.  But it came as no surprise to me to learn they evolved from dinosaurs.

[oliviabenson]

55 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Same.  If I have a choice it will always be Wendy's and I will opt for their taco salad.

Wendy’s is my number 1 choice.

[Minivanessa]

There's a fast food chain called Culver's around here. They have good frozen custard including quite a nice menu of treats (sundaes, etc.) and even sell various flavors in pints to go. Their food is good too. I like their chicken tenders, and one of their options for sides is - steamed broccoli.  Really. There's nothing like having steamed broccoli instead of fries to make me feel virtuous. (Like I went into a brothel and just got a hug, maybe . . 🤣) And yeah, sometimes after my meal with the broccoli I decide I have room for some frozen custard, so there's that.

I'm thinking of them because I'm house and pet sitting at the mo, and there's a Culver's not far from my location. (There's not one near my house.)

[oliviabenson]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Not a fan of birds.  I don't hate them.  Exactly.  But it came as no surprise to me to learn they evolved from dinosaurs.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Ojsgsu1qm/?igsh=NjUyeGhvd2xwOTk=

I agree with you!

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

What's Cookout? Is it a fast-food chain?

Yes, and they usually have really good deals, and a long line at the drive-through. I've never eaten there, so I have no idea if the food is decent.

2 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I talk to the birds that come to my feeder.

I talk to them, too, nicely to most of them, but I have been known to curse at the starlings and brown-headed cowbirds.

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

What's Cookout? Is it a fast-food chain?

My impression is that it’s mainly a small-town, southeast to mid Atlantic thing. Two of my kids went to small town colleges and Cookout was the big thing there. We eventually got one in our bigger city, and I wasn’t especially impressed. Haven’t been back in years, though, so take my opinion for what it’s worth. 

[Kimboweena]

On 6/16/2024 at 3:54 PM, Bastet said:

My parents tried to speak logic, that perhaps a Kid's Menu burger from a Mexican restaurant was not a wise choice

When I was a kid, our family would go to Red Lobster, and I would always get a hamburger.  Looking back now (as a big seafood lover) what was I thinking? 😄

Edited June 18 by Kimboweena
Posted twice, removed one.

[annzeepark914]

When we travel I-81 to NYS, we stop in Hazelton, PA at the Wendy's. Nice staff and good food. I always get their Apple Pecan Salad. It has apples, dried cranberries, roasted pecans, blue cheese, & grilled chicken on lettuce with a good dressing.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

When we travel I-81 to NYS, we stop in Hazelton, PA at the Wendy's. Nice staff and good food. I always get their Apple Pecan Salad. It has apples, dried cranberries, roasted pecans, blue cheese, & grilled chicken on lettuce with a good dressing.

We'll be on the road in a few weeks (definitely hit the fast foods more when we're driving for days at a time) and I am going to try this when we stop at Wendy's!  Sounds really good.

[ECM1231]

That's my favorite Wendy's salad, too, @annzeepark914.

[Ancaster]

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 

I talk to them, too, nicely to most of them, but I have been known to curse at the starlings and brown-headed cowbirds.

We don't get cowbirds where I am, but I've had to take down my feeder for a week or so because the starlings discovered it.  I feel bad about hating them, but they're nasty predators and bullies.  

[annzeepark914]

I haven't seen a cowbird in several years. Maybe they decided to avoid our feeder because I would yell & hiss at them 😁. Nasty creatures. Back then, I saw a tiny bird, maybe a sparrow, feeding a large young bird & knew what was going on. Cowbirds will take over a nest, destroy the eggs in it and lay their own eggs. They take off and the poor nest owners then raise the big ol' cowbird babies.

[Dimity]

9 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

That's my favorite Wendy's salad, too, @annzeepark914.

One other comment on salads etc in fast food places - these are a godsend to people like my sister who has the unlucky combination of celiac and diabetes.  When she needs to stop for a quick meal there aren't a lot of choices out there for her if fast food somehow gets defined only as hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets!

[bluegirl147]

18 minutes ago, Dimity said:

One other comment on salads etc in fast food places - these are a godsend to people like my sister who has the unlucky combination of celiac and diabetes.  When she needs to stop for a quick meal there aren't a lot of choices out there for her if fast food somehow gets defined only as hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets!

You bring up a good point. Some people have dietary restrictions that other people in their family doesn't have. Fast food restaurants are smart to offer different choices.

[Dimity]

39 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

You bring up a good point. Some people have dietary restrictions that other people in their family doesn't have. Fast food restaurants are smart to offer different choices.

Not to mention some of us are trying to balance budget + kids + diet and if we are eating out in a group it really helps to find that you can get salad or a baked potato or grilled chicken and still be able to have a meal out with friends/family.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I haven't seen a cowbird in several years. Maybe they decided to avoid our feeder because I would yell & hiss at them 😁. Nasty creatures. Back then, I saw a tiny bird, maybe a sparrow, feeding a large young bird & knew what was going on. Cowbirds will take over a nest, destroy the eggs in it and lay their own eggs. They take off and the poor nest owners then raise the big ol' cowbird babies.

It was probably a Song Sparrow.  They seem to be the favorite targets of cowbirds.

8 hours ago, Ancaster said:

but I've had to take down my feeder for a week or so because the starlings discovered it.  I feel bad about hating them, but they're nasty predators and bullies. 

The starlings where I am weren't deterred by my taking down the feeder!  I think they were keeping watch until I put it back up.  They're also exotic invasives in the US, although I've heard they're on the decline in the UK. 

[Anela]

I’ve been getting smoothies more often, when I haven’t wanted anything, but that doesn’t always help when my stomach is demanding food.  

[Yeah No]

16 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

17 hours ago, Dimity said:

Same.  If I have a choice it will always be Wendy's and I will opt for their taco salad.

Wendy’s is my number 1 choice.

Mine too, especially because of the semi-healthy options like the salads and such.  It's pretty much the only fast food I eat other than the occasional taco or bean burrito at Taco Bell.  I also love the frosty and get the little free one with the keychain thingy every year.  They even let you have it if you don't order anything else.

I have been wishing for a Wendy's to open in my local area for years, have even written to the company to request it.  No such luck, and now we're getting a Shake Shack, which I would love if I didn't have to worry about my health.  We are seriously fast-food challenged around here.  Other than McDonald's we only have Subway and you have to drive 5 miles up the road to hit a KFC and Taco Bell combination and it's out of the way for most people.

I also see they're building a "Raising Cane's" near me and other than it being a restaurant that serves ONLY chicken fingers I don't see what the attraction is.  Does anyone know this chain and is it that great that they can get away with serving nothing but that?  At least they could serve a few healthier options like grilled chicken or salads. 

No one I know in my area is happy about these restaurants opening.  First of all, the Shake Shack is going to draw people from outside the area which will create even MORE traffic, which has been getting worse lately and no one I know has much interest in chicken fingers on a regular basis.  We all want a Wendy's but I've read that even though Wendy's wants to open more restaurants they're having difficulties doing that for some reasons I don't really understand.  The closest Wendy's to me is about 8 miles away.

50 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

You bring up a good point. Some people have dietary restrictions that other people in their family doesn't have. Fast food restaurants are smart to offer different choices.

Exactly!  This is very timely for me - I just wrote to Shake Shack yesterday asking that they put some healthier things on their menu because a lot of people around me are health conscious judging from the fact that we have so few fast food restaurants to begin with and how the healthy food options sell out the quickest in our supermarkets.  The "light" versions of things and reasonably priced healthy foods sell out ASAP.  Their fried chicken breast sandwich is the "healthiest" thing on the Shake Shack menu!

[Anela]

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Mine too, especially because of the semi-healthy options like the salads and such.  It's pretty much the only fast food I eat other than the occasional taco or bean burrito at Taco Bell.  I also love the frosty and get the little free one with the keychain thingy every year.  They even let you have it if you don't order anything else.

I have been wishing for a Wendy's to open in my local area for years, have even written to the company to request it.  No such luck, and now we're getting a Shake Shack, which I would love if I didn't have to worry about my health.  We are seriously fast-food challenged around here.  Other than McDonald's we only have Subway and you have to drive 5 miles up the road to hit a KFC and Taco Bell combination and it's out of the way for most people.

I also see they're building a "Raising Cane's" near me and other than it being a restaurant that serves ONLY chicken fingers I don't see what the attraction is.  Does anyone know this chain and is it that great that they can get away with serving nothing but that?  At least they could serve a few healthier options like grilled chicken or salads. 

No one I know in my area is happy about these restaurants opening.  First of all, the Shake Shack is going to draw people from outside the area which will create even MORE traffic, which has been getting worse lately and no one I know has much interest in chicken fingers on a regular basis.  We all want a Wendy's but I've read that even though Wendy's wants to open more restaurants they're having difficulties doing that for some reasons I don't really understand.  The closest Wendy's to me is about 8 miles away.

Exactly!  This is very timely for me - I just wrote to Shake Shack yesterday asking that they put some healthier things on their menu because a lot of people around me are health conscious judging from the fact that we have so few fast food restaurants to begin with and how the healthy food options sell out the quickest in our supermarkets.  The "light" versions of things and reasonably priced healthy foods sell out ASAP.  Their fried chicken breast sandwich is the "healthiest" thing on the Shake Shack menu!

Cane’s opened up in Canton, several years ago. I’ve only liked it when I needed something small, so three chicken tenders and some coleslaw ware fine.  I didn’t get the full meal, which includes fries and toast.  I don’t like toast, a lot of the time.  They are always busy though.  Two lines of cars going up to the drive through.  I don’t get it.  It isn’t that great, but a friend of mine loves it.  

This reminds me of an Australian streamer who just got a job in North Carolina, back in March.  They’re trying to get him a visa, his girlfriend lives in Los Angeles, so they were both thrilled that he could be much closer to her.  He isn’t so happy about the food choices, though, because there aren’t many healthy options.  

[Yeah No]

On 6/13/2024 at 11:01 AM, Jeeves said:

I hear ya. I can only say that based on my recent experiences along those lines? You're likely correct in feeling that you're powerless to help those friends change course and take better care of themselves. If you're affected to the point of being traumatized, I wonder if some counseling would help you work through it. I know I'm finding this issue a very unwelcome part of growing older. To say the least!

What has helped me come to terms with these things, is to get clear with myself about the limits of my power to influence the course of someone else's life. I'm not a list-maker by nature, but I have made some lists to help me sort this out. Things I can do. Things over which I'm powerless. What result do I fear in this situation and why? If I could do X thing, what do I think would happen as a result? What if I don't do X? Things like that. 

I think that offering practical help, even just little things, is so often all we can do when our friends or relatives outside the immediate family, are going downhill physically or mentally or both. We can't turn back time, or turn back the tide, or make people open up to us about anything they don't want to. 

And in other current events, sh*t got real yesterday. My neighbor across the hall knocked on my door in tears. I brought her in and sat her down. She told me that "Fred," the owner of the condo she's renting, and an old friend of hers, has just died. Total shock. I knew the guy, he was only 59, a delightful person who lived in that condo for a few years before moving out and renting it. He wasn't a close friend of mine, but my neighbor knew him for decades, their families all know each other, and she was absolutely in pieces. "Fred" had been complaining of an ongoing problem with chronic sinus infections, then, bam, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, hospitalized, and didn't make it out of there alive. 

So then I'm driving out of the parking garage a couple hours later and get a text. This one wasn't unexpected - a pet/house sitting client had told me her dad was nearing the end and I'd reserved this coming week to house/pet sit for them - funeral services out of state, etc.. But when she texted me that her dad had passed and firmed up the dates I'll take care of the house and pets? I sat there in my car on the driveway and cried. Go figure. Probably displaced emotion after holding it together and trying to comfort my poor neighbor. 

Anyway, to end on a mundane note. I had a DIY fail here at the condo yesterday. Thought I could install a new keypad deadbolt and door lever on the front door of my condo, to replace the aging manual deadbolt and door knob.  Whelp, not so fast. Turns out the existing holes in the door for those things, are too close together to accommodate the new one I bought. I drove over to my handy and helpful cousin's house and consulted him about my options. He gave me some great advice and now I feel prepared to talk to my favorite local lock/smith company about having them do the installation. Although I'm going to Lowe's first to pick up a smaller keypad lock and lever set that might fit the existing holes - which would make life simpler. 

I know, I haven't been here for awhile - and now I dump a novella on you. I have read the last couple of weeks' worth of conversation and intend to become a more regular visitor here. 

Sorry it took me so long to catch up here, and thanks for caring about my situation.  I'm glad you're getting your lock situation straightened out.  I love that combination lock thingy.  My husband wants to get a Ring doorbell and lock and I think that might be a good idea for us.  We already have a camera but the Ring thing looks pretty cool.  My days of putting in locks are over, though, LOL.  The last time I installed my own deadbolt was back in the '80s in the Bronx, LOL.  I still can't believe I did that all by myself.  I'd never be able to do that today with my arthritis fingers!

I do want to seek counseling for this and other loss-related issues but I'm told we have a shortage of good counselors in my area and a lot of them are not taking new clients.  My friend had to take one about 25 miles from here and he sees him mostly on Zoom.  I've looked online at the profiles of the available counselors and a lot of them leave me cold.  I suppose I'm the worst client possible because I have an MS in Counseling Psychology so I am probably more critical of them than most people are. 

The fact that most of my issues are related to aging and loss is an issue because most of the available counselors are half my age and I just don't need to talk to someone that can't really relate to my issues.  Sure, they may have experienced loss too but it's different at this age and I know most of them probably could not put themselves in my shoes even if they tried.  I know it probably sounds like a bunch of excuses but these are very valid reasons in my opinion because I've had crappy counselors before - I even got ghosted by my last one, that's a story and a half and I need counseling just to get over THAT too!  So I am done with that and am going to be more picky from now on.  A bad counselor can be worse than no counselor so I've found.

 

 

[shapeshifter]

About the cowbirds and their “favoring host acceptance of parasitic eggs in a mafia-like contest between cowbirds and other species.[8]” behavior:

Quote

…when the nest is left momentarily unattended, the cowbird lays its own egg in it.…Some bird species have evolved the ability to detect such parasitic eggs, and may reject them by pushing them out of their nests, but the female cowbird has been observed to attack and destroy the remaining eggs of such birds as a consequence, dissuading further removals.… in a mafia-like contest between cowbirds and other species.[8] 

wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowbird#Behavior
      pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.0609710104

At first I was thinking this could make an interesting children's book, with the birds representing humans. But, yipes! It would be more of a Watership Down novel, which, IMO, is not for children, but this is controversial.

[annzeepark914]

5 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

About the cowbirds and their “favoring host acceptance of parasitic eggs in a mafia-like contest between cowbirds and other species.[8]” behavior:

At first I was thinking this could make an interesting children's book, with the birds representing humans. But, yipes! It would be more of a Watership Down novel, which, IMO, is not for children, but this is controversial.

"Mafia-like" is right. Hey...you could write a horror story (for adults!) about cowbirds. You could be the new Stephen King of the avian world 🤓.

[Dimity]

I realize to a small child even a teenager seems old but my granddaughter (age 8) recently saw Annie and now she wants me to tell her all about what it was like for me growing up during the depression.  I'll tell you what's depressing....

Edited June 18 by Dimity

[ECM1231]

I've never heard of cowbirds. I've been afraid of most birds since I was a small child and watched Hitchcock's The Birds. I have no idea why my mom let me watch it, but I've been more or less petrified of birds ever since. I've been known to cross the street to avoid coming into contact with pigeons. So no, I'll never be one to put up a bird feeder in my yard.

About 2 weeks ago or so my son and his family were visiting. My DIL noticed a rather large nest high up in the trees and she identified the birds as black crowned night herons. She said they are fairly rare in this part, but I couldn't find any info on that. The tree limb where the nest hangs is right over our driveway. They are pooping all over the driveway and I've not seen anything like it in all my life. I mean it's huge splotches everywhere. So, so gross. My husband washed our cars twice and finally we gave up and parked the cars on the street. My car is newer, bought in 2022 and I hate to put the car out on the street, but the bird poop was just horrific. I have no idea when these birds are going to fly the coop, but I hope it's soon. 

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Cowbirds will take over a nest, destroy the eggs in it and lay their own eggs. They take off and the poor nest owners then raise the big ol' cowbird babies.

I had never heard of this different nest thing until Friday's episode of Jeopardy, in which this clue appeared:

Quote

That ain't your house! Cuckoos practice brood parasitism, putting an egg in this place, so other birds rear the young

 

[athousandclowns]

   I had to jump through HOA hoops to get my Ring doorbell and very happy with.  It.  The key pad sounds appealing. I saw on some show also use long screws in medal strike plate because many landlords or builders cut corners using short screws that make it easy to break into .
 

.With the Ring ( son put it in)  and Ring phone tech walked me through linking with Wi-Fi    I. was  able to see a woman take a package off my porch while I was being checked out at the grocery store.  One alarming aspect of my Ring is I see some old woman that has packed on some pounds coming in an out of my place.   My mirror in the bathroom must be a magic mirror…. If it was the same as the ring camera  I’d really not go anywhere ,which is part of the reason those pounds arrived after the majority  of my life being  skinny.   It’s been very beneficial  because once a woman came up to my porch lingered only looking under the staircase just staring , then hit my doorbell with the back of her hand. I posted on Next Door and many knew of her often being in a parking lot naked. 

I have been weepy too. My ex has been in hospital for umpteenth time this last week finally moved out of ICU and will need dialysis 3 times a week. My son had to drive back and forth 2 1/2 hours in 100 degree weather to get notarized power of attorney etc.  Then when he was driving me home after babysitting he said perhaps he could stay at his house for 8 weeks while they found a nursing home. To say I fell apart inside is putting it mildly.  He also told he made his stepson executor of his will.    In his 1100 sq foot home with his teacher wife ,10+12 year old boys, a rambunctious dog ,a fish I’ve yet to see ,and approximately 3,000 Leggos on the floor .  I wrote him long emails saying this is what social  workers do, I used to hear them on the phone when I worked on a medical floor. Thank goodness that thought passed he must have been exhausted or the social worker may have asked him or step son could house him  

  I’ve gone 15-20 years without thinking about him or giving a crap and when I blew back into my hometown he wanted to know if I wanted to have coffee, and that’s when every rotten thing he did including not paying for hearing aides or braces cutting off child support early etc came rushing back but maybe it’s just smacking me in the face what little time we have. 

I am sorry I must have touched on medical ,family and what I have on my mind during my moan.  I live alone and my dog doesn’t seem interested. 

[oliviabenson]

Tomorrow is a day off. No clue on what to do with myself tomorrow. None of my friends want to go anywhere at all. Sigh.

A much older woman who lives near by started to chat with me. After a month or 2 I don’t know how to politely to tell her to leave me alone. She says the same stories on the loop and now talks about her sex life with her friend. I don’t want to know about anyone’s sex life at all. Or her boyfriends from 50 years ago. 
 

Happy Tuesday haha.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, ECM1231 said:

I've never heard of cowbirds. I've been afraid of most birds since I was a small child and watched Hitchcock's The Birds. I have no idea why my mom let me watch it, but I've been more or less petrified of birds ever since. I've been known to cross the street to avoid coming into contact with pigeons. So no, I'll never be one to put up a bird feeder in my yard.

I'm so sorry to hear that!  Now I'm glad my mother wouldn't let me go see it when it came out.  She loved Hitchcock and it was one of those movies she and my dad went to see on "date night" when they left me with grandma.  I always loved birds and still do.  Now I wonder how I would have felt if I had seen the movie when I was little.  I didn't see it until I was about 11.  It still disturbed me but I think I was too old for it to do any permanent damage.

As a kid my father and I used to do some amateur bird watching.  We'd take binoculars with us and the Audubon Society field guide to birds.  In the Bronx we had a LOT of birds everywhere.  In the park near us there was a time of the late afternoon we used to call "the bird hour" because the trees would become full of birds all squawking at each other.  It used to fascinate me.  As a small child I had my own language and called birds "bickies".  I still call them that to this day.

Once when I was a kid my mother and I found a baby bird on the sidewalk.  We brought it home and called the Bronx Zoo to find out how to care for it.  They gave us instructions and we nursed it back to health but then when it recovered and grew we didn't know what to do with it so we brought it to the Zoo and they took it from us.  We nicknamed it "chipoo" because that's the sound it made, LOL.

Up here in CT we have a lot of hawks, falcons and now eagles.  I have seen a few of them in the past few years and it's always a treat but definitely sobering seeing them zeroing in on road kill, LOL.  Not what you want to think about our national bird!  Then again the turkey could have been our national bird if Ben Franklin had anything to do with it - he thought it was a "much more respectable bird" than the eagle, LOL.  We see a lot of wild turkeys around here too.  They are funny creatures.  I'm happy the eagle won that contest!  When CB radios became the craze back in the '70s my dad, who was a radio nut, got one and our handles were "bald eagle" for him and "nuthatcher" for me.  Bald eagle fit him so well, LOL.  My mother always said his nose resembled a "beak", LOL.  She was kidding of course. 😉

Here in CT our next door neighbors have a chicken coop and a couple of roosters.  One was so loud the adjacent condo. development complained about him and they had to give him away.  The one they have left sounds so sickly I feel sorry for him, LOL.  They have quite a menagerie over there.  I call them "Green Acres" because the husband is a lawyer and the wife looks and sounds very much like Eva Gabor.  They have geese and ducks too.  I often hear them quacking and honking when I'm outside.  They are lovely people and we are lucky they are our neighbors.

So anyway, forgive me, I'm sure that's far more about birds than anyone wanted to know!  😉

[EtheltoTillie]

Bald eagle and nuthatcher!  Love that.

I like watching birds, but I'm crap with the binoculars.  They make me dizzy or I can't focus. 

[Anduin]

19 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Bald eagle and nuthatcher!  Love that.

I like watching birds, but I'm crap with the binoculars.  They make me dizzy or I can't focus. 

The trick that I've found, close one eye. Treat them like a telescope.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 minute ago, Anduin said:

The trick that I've found, close one eye. Treat them like a telescope.

Interesting!  I will have to try that.  I also have problem holding the binoculars steady.  I tried leaning my elbow on my husband's shoulder the other day.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, athousandclowns said:

I’ve gone 15-20 years without thinking about him or giving a crap and when I blew back into my hometown he wanted to know if I wanted to have coffee, and that’s when every rotten thing he did including not paying for hearing aides or braces cutting off child support early etc came rushing back but maybe it’s just smacking me in the face what little time we have. 

I am sorry I must have touched on medical ,family and what I have on my mind during my moan.  I live alone and my dog doesn’t seem interested. 

This part of your post reminded me of how my sister's ex treated her after the divorce (begrudging having to help with childcare payments, no interest in the children in between their required every other weekend visits, etc). None of his kids invited him to their weddings. Some men shouldn't have kids.

[Dimity]

2 hours ago, athousandclowns said:

One alarming aspect of my Ring is I see some old woman that has packed on some pounds coming in an out of my place.   My mirror in the bathroom must be a magic mirror….

Our mirrors must have come from the same place.  To quote Billy Crystal I look "marvelous" in my bathroom mirror.  The mirror at the beauty salon where I got my hair cut earlier today, not so much!

[GHScorpiosRule]

FINALLY! Tomorrow? Day at da pool, chillin' relaxin', get some tan so no need for make up except for eye-liner....swimming....aahhhh, the cool, cool, water....

Have to make my sandwiches in the morning, make more ice tonight to put in the mini-cooler, make sure to put water and gatorade zero grape...

 

[Kimboweena]

8 hours ago, Anela said:

Cane’s opened up in Canton, several years ago. I’ve only liked it when I needed something small, so three chicken tenders and some coleslaw ware fine.  I didn’t get the full meal, which includes fries and toast.

This reminds me of Zaxby's. Their meals also have fries and garlic toast.  I wondered if they might be the same franchise with different names, like Carl's, Jr. and Hardees, but a search showed they are not.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

A much older woman who lives near by started to chat with me. After a month or 2 I don’t know how to politely to tell her to leave me alone. She says the same stories on the loop and now talks about her sex life with her friend. I don’t want to know about anyone’s sex life at all. Or her boyfriends from 50 years ago. 

This reminds me of a neighbor I shared a backyard with. When I moved in, she told me she had dementia.

I called her son once, apologizing that I could not be a better neighbor for her. She would show up on my doorstep wanting help with her cable TV remote, but I hadn't had cable in 10 years at that point, and didn't know how it worked (now I do).
Her son seemed to have found a balance between visiting her regularly and preserving her autonomy.
I was surprised to learn a year and a half after I moved to my condo that she was still living alone and going on meandering walks alone in the evenings. 
That was almost a year ago. 

[oliviabenson]

12 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

This reminds me of a neighbor I shared a backyard with. When I moved in, she told me she had dementia.

I called her son once, apologizing that I could not be a better neighbor for her. She would show up on my doorstep wanting help with her cable TV remote, but I hadn't had cable in 10 years at that point, and didn't know how it worked (now I do).
Her son seemed to have found a balance between visiting her regularly and preserving her autonomy.
I was surprised to learn a year and a half after I moved to my condo that she was still living alone and going on meandering walks alone in the evenings. 
That was almost a year ago. 

My neighbor is 70 according to her. She doesn’t understand internet or what’s a portable dvd player is. Basically she’s bored so I said maybe a dvd player would help. I’m sorry I brought it up. She never wanted kids so she is bored and walks around the neighborhood bothering people. Now I understand why she has no friends in the senior center! She is like a chubby toddler who needs lots of free attention. I’m not her boyfriend aka leave me alone lady. 

Edited June 19 by oliviabenson