Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Zella]

25 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Is it too much to ask for some prayers? I live in the direct hit area of hurricane Florence. I will be riding it out with my two cats alone. I’m about 1/2 mile in from the ocean but above sea level by many feet. I won’t lie, I’m scared. 

That is not too much to ask at all! I have family in central and western NC and have been keeping a nervous eye on the forecast--it is scary, and I can only imagine how much more so on the coast. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers!

[realityfan26]

30 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Is it too much to ask for some prayers? I live in the direct hit area of hurricane Florence. I will be riding it out with my two cats alone. I’m about 1/2 mile in from the ocean but above sea level by many feet. I won’t lie, I’m scared. 

Can you evacuate to an inland shelter? I'll be praying you're safe!

[crazycatlady58]

51 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Is it too much to ask for some prayers? I live in the direct hit area of hurricane Florence. I will be riding it out with my two cats alone. I’m about 1/2 mile in from the ocean but above sea level by many feet. I won’t lie, I’m scared. 

Please  check  in with us. Wish you  could  come to Tx. I have a spare  bedroom . 

[Love2dance]

4 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Is it too much to ask for some prayers? I live in the direct hit area of hurricane Florence. I will be riding it out with my two cats alone. I’m about 1/2 mile in from the ocean but above sea level by many feet. I won’t lie, I’m scared. 

You are in my thoughts. Sending you many hugs and hopes for safe shelter from the storm. Please let us know how you are when you can.

[jjane]

@Mindthinkr: Sending prayers and hopeful thoughts your way. Hurricanes can be scary things. Take care of yourself and your furry family. Let us know how you are.

[lookeyloo]

@Mindthinkr - sending thoughts of safety your way. We lived in Baton Rouge many years before moving to metro Atlanta and made it through a lot of hurricanes. It is scary and no fun.  Try and keep your cell phone charged if possible. Too late to get a solar power charger I guess for after. And really consider going somewhere so you don’t get stuck. 

[galaxychaser]

Praying for your safety!

[CherryMalotte]

Having good thoughts for you and your family Mindthinkr - and to all our East Coasters.  Please be safe.  And yes, if possible, please check in and let us know you and your critters are okay.

[Mindthinkr]

I will give y’all updates as long as I have power and WiFi signals. I’ll have to save my battery (if I lose power) for any emergencies. Right now it’s getting grey and I hear thunder. Big cat is already under my bed lol. His sister is cruising around the house with me (cleaning and securing things). My porches have been emptied and my plants are in my sunroom. Still have a bit to do but I’m on schedule. 

Thank you everyone for your good thoughts and prayers. 

[questionfear]

17 hours ago, Marigold said:

Yes, they all seem to be a pack of feral cats.  I'm in NJ, far down in a more rural area.  There are huge woods here and they seem to have taken shelter in our DIY shed/barn thing.   They never cry or fight.  They are all fat and pleasant. We fed them during the snow and my daughter would check on them...apparently they were snuggled tight in our barn/shed monstrosity.  

I didn't really realize there were so many of them until the summer when they all appeared!  Now I'm a bit more concerned that they are obviously mating.  They started at about 3 and I think there about 8 to 10.  One black one likes to sleep on my step but scatters when I try to get near him.  The gray ones lounge around most of the day and watch us.  

I have an entertaining backyard, I guess?  

 

Does anyone know how cats and snakes get along.?   I AM PETRIFIED OF SNAKES, so please don't tell me anything too graphic.  I'm worried the snakes might get into the barn and harm the cats.  I'm hoping that the feral cats are bad ass and will kill the snakes.  Please tell me that is true!  

Yikes! FWIW NJ Dept of Fish and Wildlife is incredibly friendly and helpful. I've only worked with them w/r/t to getting my fishing license and doing some fishing workshops and general outdoors events, but I have yet to meet anyone who wasn't incredibly friendly and loved their job. I'd give them a call, let them know your area, and see if they can get you some info from a staff biologist. 

Where in NJ are you? Rural like Pineys or rural like past Clinton? 

[bigskygirl]

42 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I will give y’all updates as long as I have power and WiFi signals. I’ll have to save my battery (if I lose power) for any emergencies. Right now it’s getting grey and I hear thunder. Big cat is already under my bed lol. His sister is cruising around the house with me (cleaning and securing things). My porches have been emptied and my plants are in my sunroom. Still have a bit to do but I’m on schedule. 

Thank you everyone for your good thoughts and prayers. 

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way @Mindthinkr

There was a wildfire last night and this morning in the county east of where I live. A prescribe burn got out of control. They had to close down a small section of the highway for the emergency personnel to come in and work on getting the fire out. Sunday morning there was an apartment fire in Helena. Helena Fire Department responded along with a few volunteer fire department agencies. The apartment is a total loss. Thirteen people were able to get out okay, but two pets died. I do not know what we would do if we did not have our wonderful emergency personnel the last few days.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

@Mindthinkr if it is at all possible, get further inland.  Current Baton Rouge resident here, so I know first hand storm surge and flooding is nothing to play with.  Water can literally come up several feet in a matter of minutes (see the Flood of 2016). 

If you must stay, have all your meds and important docs in a handy water proof container. Do you have pet taxis for the kitties? You may want to put them in there once the weather gets really bad, or you may never catch them. I’m sure you know all this but it’s based on what happened here in 2016.  I’d have some clothes packed and ready to go. Any neighbors you can stay with or have check up on you and you them?  I sure hope everything turns out ok.  

[sheshark]

18 hours ago, Marigold said:

Yes, they all seem to be a pack of feral cats.  I'm in NJ, far down in a more rural area.  There are huge woods here and they seem to have taken shelter in our DIY shed/barn thing.   They never cry or fight.  They are all fat and pleasant. We fed them during the snow and my daughter would check on them...apparently they were snuggled tight in our barn/shed monstrosity.  

I didn't really realize there were so many of them until the summer when they all appeared!  Now I'm a bit more concerned that they are obviously mating.  They started at about 3 and I think there about 8 to 10.  One black one likes to sleep on my step but scatters when I try to get near him.  The gray ones lounge around most of the day and watch us.  

I have an entertaining backyard, I guess?  

 

Does anyone know how cats and snakes get along.?   I AM PETRIFIED OF SNAKES, so please don't tell me anything too graphic.  I'm worried the snakes might get into the barn and harm the cats.  I'm hoping that the feral cats are bad ass and will kill the snakes.  Please tell me that is true!  

Marigold, I am in NJ as well.  We had a pack of feral cats and kittens under our building at work.  SNAPS came in, caught them and neutered them.  When they were healed, they returned them to their 'home'.  Wonderful group, and they are fearless!  https://www.facebook.com/SNAPS-Inc-219784961391596/  

Edited September 11, 2018 by sheshark

[bigskygirl]

There are programs where they will sit up traps to catch the feral cats, spayed and neutered them along with getting shots, and ask farmers and ranchers to adopt them. The farmers and ranchers use the kitties to help keep mice and other pest populations down. A win-win for the kitties and for the ranchers and farmers. I know the local animal shelter have ask local farmers and ranchers to adopt feral cats after they were neutered and spayed because they thought the kittens were not adoptable to live with humans and other animals.

Edited September 11, 2018 by bigskygirl

[Jynnan tonnix]

55 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

There are programs where they will sit up traps to catch the feral cats, spayed and neutered them along with getting shots, and ask farmers and ranchers to adopt them. The farmers and ranchers use the kitties to help keep mice and other pest populations down. A win-win for the kitties and for the ranchers and farmers. I know the local animal shelter have ask local farmers and ranchers to adopt feral cats after they were neutered and spayed because they thought the kittens were not adoptable to live with humans and other animals.

I wish we could get some of these...We have so many mice, chipmunks and whatnot. They could even get some of the baby rabbits - which are awfully cute, but grow up to wreak havoc on the garden. But with all the bobcats, coyotes, and such we also have, I'm not sure that cats wouldn't be in just as much danger  as the rodents. The coyotes and bobcats don't seem to make too much of a dent in those populations,but anyone around here who has ever had a cat which goes outside has not had it for long...

[bigskygirl]

We have squirrels and a lot of doves where I live. I do not mind the squirrels too much. They will get in the bird feeders and eat most of the food after I fill them up. It is cute watching them hang upside down trying to eat the bird food. One good thing about all the cats in the neighborhood is the fact it helps keep the mice population down.

[Happyfatchick]

originally, I copied and pasted the comments from my very fundy nephew (and wife) because they heard a speaker they really admired the other night.  The comments made me crack up and I knew this group would appreciate the humor.  But.  I REALLY adore this nephew and his wife and all their leventy billion kids.  So I took my snark off.  I also removed a beach pic of them that I’d pasted on here about a month ago before I posted.

are you proud???  HFC shows discretion - it’s a noteworthy event.  (Although I’m DYING to share the beach pic and reserve the right to drop it in the future).

ETA: why I love them so much.  They really have a tribe of well behaved, happy kids.  She Home schools them (of course).  They are hard core.  HE owns an electrical company, has employees, a home, and the tribe of kids.  But when my mama was too far down the Alzheimers path to be home alone at night, my nephew came and stayed one night a week without complaint or ever calling out for MONTHS.  His father (my brother), not his wife or sister or ANYONE else on that branch of our tree lifted as much as a knuckle.  The wife is sweet, gentle, kind and beautiful.   We never ever discuss our differing beliefs and they love us without ever breaking into a rash.  Their respect for my differing mindset makes me love them so much!

still... the beach pic is hilarious, I’m just saying

Edited September 11, 2018 by Happyfatchick

[Ijustwantsomechips]

I had squirrels that hung upside down from my bird feeder too.  It was pretty funny.  Then the little rascals broke it.  I also had an albino possum that we affectionately named Percy, a family of the biggest raccoons I’d ever seen, blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers, an owl or two, and stray cats. That’s not including the bugs and geckos.  It’s like wild kingdom and I live in the city limits.

[bigskygirl]

I think we had hawks in the neighborhood a few times. I have seen eagles while driving into town a few times. We do get deer sometimes also, but not in the neighborhood much. One time my husband and I came home after I picked him up from one of his dialysis treatments, and there was a big buck in the backyard. I do not know who was more surprised him or us. He took off running, and we were amazed how he jumped over a high fence and kept going. I wish I could have taken pictures or videotaped him. We also have seen a few bunny rabbits running around. I always worry a cat or dog might get them. I know Sassy sees one and thinks it is a cat instead of a rabbit.

[Mindthinkr]

[jcbrown]

We had two different possums visiting our deck a couple of weeks ago. I named them Petunia and Parsnip. We are in the suburbs, adjacent to an expressway. Our deck doesn't touch the ground except via vertical supports so either they climbed or they came across a support beam from a tree.

Positive thoughts coming your way, @Mindthinkr.

[crazycatlady58]

Mindthinkr, I live about an hour from Galveston so when we have a hurricane I just worry about Street flooding or something being blown into my window. My apartment complex keep things clean so not much of a worry there. The main problem is if wind knocks a lot of the power lines down and we are out of electricity for a long time, after Ike we were without electricity for two weeks. I am thinking about getting on of the car battery chargers that you can keep in your glove compartment. I have been told they have outlets to charge your cellphone or tablet. I know it's to late for you to get one now but it may be worth getting one and keep with your hurricane supplies. After the storm, which is stressful enough, being without power afterwards and not being able to keep up with what's happening is hard.

[Sew Sumi]

Halo makes the dual car/phone chargers. I'm sure Amazon carries them.

[ehall1052]

I’ve lived in FL over 60 years, so I’m used to hurricane preparedness. Happily, technology has advanced to some pretty clever, useful, and inexpensive items to help during this time. I have a radio that runs on batteries or on solar or, as a last resort, you can crank it to rev up the power. It’s also got an outlet for cell phone recharging. Less than $50 on Amazon. I also have 3 personal-sized fans that don’t use batteries, but use an USB cable to charge it. The fans can run close to 8 hrs. before they need recharging. It can be recharged with my radio that I mentioned above. Fans are less than $40 on Amazon. These items came in handy 1 year ago during Hurricane Irma.

[magpye29]

Praying for your safety, @Mindthinkr!

I'm enjoying all the animal stories.  "My" turkey was out in the driveway when I left for work this morning.  I love all my yard critters, but sometimes the turkey doesn't want to let me get into my car!

My friend's cat had kittens, and I've been wanting an orange kitty for a while, so he's going to give me one.  I was planning to name it October and call him Toby, but my friend said he was wishing he could keep one of the orange ones and call it Jack as in Jack-O-Lantern, so now I'm thinking it's going to be October Jack.  Hey, it worked for Billy Jack, right?  I already have a black cat and a white cat, and Halloween is my favorite holiday, so here we go with the complete trifecta!

[bigskygirl]

I remembered when we had a nasty fire season in the summer of 2000. My late mother-in-law heard on the national news they were getting ready to evacuate the Helena area. She would call us up and kept asking if we had to leave. We said no we are fine, but she would not believe us. I was close to saying if we had to hurry up and get out should I be talking to you on the phone or grabbing things along with the cats and heading out. Seriously... I still do not know why the national news had the Helena and East Helena areas ready to clear out when there was no close fires nearby. I do remember looking outside and seeing the Canyon Ferry fire which was about five to ten miles from us. That was scary enough.

[SunnyBeBe]

20 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Is it too much to ask for some prayers? I live in the direct hit area of hurricane Florence. I will be riding it out with my two cats alone. I’m about 1/2 mile in from the ocean but above sea level by many feet. I won’t lie, I’m scared. 

Mindthinkr, me too and I'm not even at the coast!  Where are you? I hope not Wilmington, NC.  It's going to be really severe there. Likely, flooding and no power. Three feet of rain within a a few hours!  I just watched the news.  The most severe hurricane to hit us since Hazel in the 50's.   I thought they had mandatory evacuation too, for Wilmington if the path holds. I'd at least find out where the shelters are, just in case you have to. 

  AND, I just saw on WRAL that the storm may turn Westward and go more towards Fayetteville.  So, I'm really confused.  I'm in Raleigh, but, am not going to be here after Thursday. I made it in Raleigh through Fran in 96 and it was not good. 

I'll be saying many prayers for all those in the path of the storm.  Please keep us posted how you're doing, if you have wifi.  

I stopped to fill my gas tank and lucked up and got right to a tank fast, but, when I got out and looked about 10 cars had pulled in behind me and it was like that for all the lanes at Sam's Club gas!   And all but a couple of parking spots were taken for the main store. It's like a frenzy and it makes me so anxious. I think most of us have lived through it and we don't want a repeat.  But, what can you do?  It's time like this when I'm ready to move from NC, even, though it is my home. 

[marypat57]

Mindthinkr: lots of prayer and good thoughts for you and your cats.  

As a visitor to the Outer Banks (love the towns of Corolla and Duck), I am frightened thinking about how vacationers and year rounders will get out.  There is only a two lane road that leads to the Wright Brothers bridge, and travelling on a weekend can take over an hour or two to drive 15 miles.  

My brother owns a house in Corolla, and I know he is worried.  From reading the local news, I understand this is a mandatory evacuation for Currituck and Dare counties.  I think they had vacationers leave yesterday and residents today.   Plus, they stopped all alcohol sales at 7am this morning.

May all of our friends in Florence's path stay safe!

[kaleidoscope]

Prayers for the safety of all ♥

[Marigold]

Thinking of all our Florence friends. 

[Catfin]

9 hours ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

I had squirrels that hung upside down from my bird feeder too.  It was pretty funny.  Then the little rascals broke it.  I also had an albino possum that we affectionately named Percy, a family of the biggest raccoons I’d ever seen, blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers, an owl or two, and stray cats. That’s not including the bugs and geckos.  It’s like wild kingdom and I live in the city limits.

The $#@& squirrels peek in our windows and fornicate on our deck. All.the.damn.time!  When husband was in school, he was working as a community service officer, basically unsworn/no weapon. He’d answer lockout calls, minor stuff, animal complaints. One night he and another CSO tag teamed getting a squirrel out of an apartment. Hijinks ensued and they eventually caught the poor, hapless thing. DH was at the end of his shift and over it. Rather than releasing it on the other end of the county, he brought it to our very suburban yard and turned it loose. We nicknamed it Urban Squirrel, as it came from the city and was skinny, with a janky bent tail. He was easy to recognize compared to the resident fat lazy squirrels. Anyway, Urban Squirrel imprinted on DH and would follow him around the yard whenever he was out. He’d follow husband when he drove the riding mower, worked in the garden, did projects, etc. it was hilarious. I used to tease DH that the squirrel was thanking him for relocating him to the ‘burbs. 

[Happyfatchick]

First post op checkup today at 2.  I love you guys, but the unicorn party was a total fail.  I’m looking for 2 things today (with or without unicorns):

1). Looks good? seems to be healing well.  You’re on track”. ?

and

”you can sleep without the boot” ?

 

[galaxychaser]

Today on Maury a mother named Tequilla, father named Kacey the baby named Ky’mari.

Edited September 12, 2018 by galaxychaser

[Happyfatchick]

All thru this name discussion, I’ve been meaning to tell this:  I hired a girl once who’s name was L’Tasha.  I figured they meant LaTasha and just gave it a little twist.  Nope.  When I interviewed, I asked her to pronounce her name and she said The “L” like “ulll”.  Ul’Tasha.

Hired a different girl (while different job) who spelled her name Nutasha.  

Also, someone way upthread was talking about names given people born on holidays.  I knew a family once that didn’t have the corresponding names to match the dates, but interestingly enough (family was mother-father-son), they ALL were born on noted dates.  The father was Independence Day, the mother Valentines Day and the son Halloween.  I went to some CRAZY birthday parties with that family. 

And one other:  I had a friend who, trying to make a good impression on her very first day of student teaching - leaned over right into the face of a little girl dressed from head to toe in a startling shade of yellow.  She asked “and what is YOUR name??”  And the little girl beamed up at her and said “Chaquita”.  I would give her credit for not laughing, but what happened was this:  her eyes bugged out and she breathed an unacceptable “oh God...”

Edited September 12, 2018 by Happyfatchick
Just to add

[Happyfatchick]

I came back; I have a household question. A stupid one, I fear.  In my entire life, I’ve never been able to teach myself to plunge my hands into cold water to wash dishes.  It almost makes me gag.  I don’t know why, it’s just truly icky to me.  At the same time, while I am nowhere near as environmentally conscious as most, I feel a great stab of waste as I watch perfectly good water rush down the drain waiting for it to get hot.  

What do you do about this??

[louannems]

1 hour ago, Happyfatchick said:

First post op checkup today at 2.  I love you guys, but the unicorn party was a total fail.  I’m looking for 2 things today (with or without unicorns):

1). Looks good? seems to be healing well.  You’re on track”. ?

and

”you can sleep without the boot” ?

 

Oh Happy!  The best news I received after foot surgery in May was "You can sleep without the boot"!  I thought I had researched my surgery beforehand, but I never dreamed I would be sleeping in that boot for weeks!  I hated that so much!  I hope you hear only good things at your check-up!

[Mindthinkr]

12 minutes ago, Happyfatchick said:

I came back; I have a household question. A stupid one, I fear.  In my entire life, I’ve never been able to teach myself to plunge my hands into cold water to wash dishes.  It almost makes me gag.  I don’t know why, it’s just truly icky to me.  At the same time, while I am nowhere near as environmentally conscious as most, I feel a great stab of waste as I watch perfectly good water rush down the drain waiting for it to get hot.  

What do you do about this??

Could you boil some water and at least make it warm and more acceptable? I have a tea kettle and can get boiling water fast. My tub will be full of water for the storm. To use what is left after the storm I will dip watering cans (well they are plastic) into it and use it for watering plants. 

[frenchtoast]

22 minutes ago, Happyfatchick said:

I came back; I have a household question. A stupid one, I fear.  In my entire life, I’ve never been able to teach myself to plunge my hands into cold water to wash dishes.  It almost makes me gag.  I don’t know why, it’s just truly icky to me.  At the same time, while I am nowhere near as environmentally conscious as most, I feel a great stab of waste as I watch perfectly good water rush down the drain waiting for it to get hot.  

What do you do about this??

Sometimes I'll toss the dogs' water (it gets a little gross) and rinse and fill with the water until it gets hot. Alternatively, fill a pitcher with the cold water to refill the dogs water or water houseplants or something. Or I'll rinse the dishes to put in the dishwasher first. I will note that I do not fill my sink, I just wash, so sometimes I'll wash stuff that doesn't need scorching hot water, like the plate that just had a few crumbs. 

[Happyfatchick]

I’m one of those gross people who don’t run the dishwasher until it’s full, and I can rinse dishes for that without getting all squiggy.  I have several pots (and of course cast irons) that I don’t wash in DW, and THOSE are the ones I run hot water for.  I have the short shallow sink on one side as well, so that’s all the hot I need (and not full).  I thought about saving for watering plants but never figured a good method.  (The outdoor plants I water are literally on the opposite side of the house).  I’ll work on that before next summer for sure.  It bothers me to waste water while it doesn’t bother me at all to use a paper plate occasionally.  

Thanks @louannems for the good vibes. I didn’t see the boot coming at ME either!  Sometimes I bump it into my other leg during the night and every single time go “what is THAT??”  And the other thing - there are thick bandages over the incision, but my TOES and skin just before my toes are naked and feel like they’ve totally confirmed to the shape of the boot.  But.....waaaaa.  (Not really).  Compared to some of the health issues we have going on in the PC, my foot isn’t even a root canal on the spectrum.  I bet it’s actually weird for a few days, sleeping without something on my foot.  (Crossing my fingers and Counting my chickens...)

[ehall1052]

5 hours ago, Happyfatchick said:

I came back; I have a household question. A stupid one, I fear.  In my entire life, I’ve never been able to teach myself to plunge my hands into cold water to wash dishes.  It almost makes me gag.  I don’t know why, it’s just truly icky to me.  At the same time, while I am nowhere near as environmentally conscious as most, I feel a great stab of waste as I watch perfectly good water rush down the drain waiting for it to get hot.  

What do you do about this??

I actually catch my “slop water” during the dry months. (Not really dirty water, but water like HFC was talking about). I bought 6 buckets from the dollar store. Put the bucket under the water until you get it at your desired temperature then I pour it over my plants . Even during drought months my flower borders look good and I never have to use sprinklers.

[lookeyloo]

And my Georgia friends, I hear the entire state is under an emergency because of Florence.  I thought when I left south Louisiana these would be a thing of the past!!

HFC, hoping for good news.

[ginger90]

I have heard over 1,000,000 people are under mandatory evacuations. Stay safe, people!!

[CalicoKitty]

9 hours ago, Happyfatchick said:

I came back; I have a household question. A stupid one, I fear.  In my entire life, I’ve never been able to teach myself to plunge my hands into cold water to wash dishes.  It almost makes me gag.  I don’t know why, it’s just truly icky to me.  At the same time, while I am nowhere near as environmentally conscious as most, I feel a great stab of waste as I watch perfectly good water rush down the drain waiting for it to get hot.  

What do you do about this??

I solved this problem by installing a recirculating pump on my water heater.  Now I have almost instant hot water any time, anywhere.  Almost instant, as I have to wait about 5 seconds.  This beats waiting over 5 minutes, which is what I had to do before.  Yes, it costs few cents more, but I figure I am saving gallons of good water daily.  I bought my pump at Home Depot (since there is one almost on my corner), and it appears it is very easy to install.  I had a plumber put it on, but there are UTube videos that make it look pretty simple.  I sure wish I had done this sooner.  Hope this helps.

[Ohiopirate02]

So I have Thursday off and most likely Friday off from work in eastern north Carolina.   Ready for whatever florence has with a bottle of prosecco and a fifth of bourbon.   Hoping for the best,  but prepared for the worst. 

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

So I have Thursday off and most likely Friday off from work in eastern north Carolina.   Ready for whatever florence has with a bottle of prosecco and a fifth of bourbon.   Hoping for the best,  but prepared for the worst. 

I’m with you literally (in SE NC) and also have booze and supplies. I wish you well. I hope you have good drainage where you are at. Enjoy your time off and I hope the storm doesn’t bring you any stress.  *hug* 

[Ohiopirate02]

12 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m with you literally (in SE NC) and also have booze and supplies. I wish you well. I hope you have good drainage where you are at. Enjoy your time off and I hope the storm doesn’t bring you any stress.  *hug* 

I'm in my parents house which did not flood during floyd.  I'm cautiously optimistic that the worst that will happen is loss of power .

[ChiCricket]

   Here I was, glad that my son and his family recently got stationed in Germany, and I didn't have to worry about them being in North Carolina anymore, in case Hurricane Florence hits there.

  Turns out my son has been in Quantico (Virginia?) For the last 4 days, and is still there now. Good grief.

Ps it's not unusual for him to make secret trips that we find out about after he's already back in Germany.

  I only found out in real time this time because my DIL is frantic

Be safe everyone!

Edited September 13, 2018 by ChiCricket

[ChiCricket]

And now, to get my mind off of stupid Florence, I am going to be good, and post something that was getting really OT in the current Counting On thread.

@flyingdi wrote that Salvation Army stores were cheaper than Goodwill, which made me remember the following (after I typed it all out, I realized it was way off topic.)

The Salvation Army store that just opened near me is organized in the craziest way (to me, at least.)

   All the clothes are organized in the normal way, such as women's dresses, men's shirts, etc.  But all the clothes are organized by color, and not size. 

I thought well, this is great (because I was looking for a black blouse for a funeral.)

 Then I started looking through hundreds of black blouses for my size, and after about 10 minutes of searching blouse, by blouse , by blouse..I was out of there and headed to Target. They didn't even have the sizes marked on the price tag.

  It looks really cool, but trying to find your size in those racks is a nightmare. 

That's not a normal Salvation Army store way, is it? (because it sucks) ?

Ps after re-reading this, and how inane it all sounds, I could have not posted it at all, but I already typed it all out....?

Edited September 14, 2018 by ChiCricket
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[jennblevins]

43 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

The Salvation Army store that just opened near me is organized in the craziest way (to me, at least.)

   All the clothes are organized in the normal way, such as women's dresses, men's shirts, etc.  But all the clothes are organized by color, and not size. 

I thought well, this is great (because I was looking for a black blouse for a funeral.)

 Then I started looking through hundreds of black blouses for my size, and after about 10 minutes of searching blouse, by blouse , by blouse..I was out of there and headed to Target. They didn't even have the sizes marked on the price tag.

  It looks really cool, but trying to find your size in those racks are a nightmare. 

That's not a normal Salvation Army store way, is it? (because it sucks) ?

I literally laughed out loud when I read this, because there was both a Goodwill store and a Salvation Army store near my old office — and when I started working in that office, the Goodwill was arranged this way, while the Salvation Army was pretty much arranged how you’d expect (other than the formal dresses, which had no organization at all, that I could tell).

No points for guessing which one I went to more often. 

Eventually the Goodwill woke up and started arranging things by size, although I would occasionally find a category of clothing that had lapsed back into color order (usually skirts). 

The normally-arranged Salvation Army is the only one I’ve ever been to, so sample size of one here, but I’d say no, that’s not the Salvation Army way. 

[Triple P]

The Salvation Army near my house closed recently. Items there were ridicuously overpriced. The clothing was organized by women's, men's, and children's, but not by type or size or color. 

Prices at my Goodwill are reasonable on everything except furniture. It is not unusual to find a 1980s era couch priced over $100.

The Value Village is the best in terms of organization and price. I think it is only in the Pacific Northwest though.