Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac


  • Reply
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Pickleinthemiddle said:

Cottonwoods like fruitless mulberry trees and hackberry,  are considered trash trees.  They grow quick to give shade but create a lot of problems.  

Yeah,I know that now,  I didn't plant them and they sure came down fast when this happened! I had been living in a forest in the Sierra Nevadas and trees were comforting....no Cottonwoods there though to learn anything about theml

  • Like 4
Just now, Gramto6 said:

Yeah,I know that now,  I didn't plant them and they sure came down fast when this happened! I had been living in a forest in the Sierra Nevadas and trees were comforting....no Cottonwoods there though to learn anything about theml

Same with my dad.  When they built their home he planted the fruitless mulberry's for quick shade as it is really hot here in Texas without any shade on your house.  He would trim them back when he was able to.  My mom had someone trim them a few times before she finally sold the house.  But he also planted plum, peach, pear and pecan trees.  Two apple trees that only produced about 15 apples over the course of their life.  Whereas the pear tree was tall over 25 feet and the limbs would be almost touching the ground as it was almost always loaded with pears.  The plum and peach trees always had a lot of fruit.  I miss having really good tasting fruit.  What you get in the store now rarely tastes good much less great.  We also had a neighbor who worked for a large farm and during the summer he would bring us huge watermelons, cantaloupe, honeydew and Israel melons.  Not to mention the garden my dad always had.  Fresh tomatoes, I would eat them every day.

  • Like 5
  • Love 1
11 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Well, third time is the charm so they say... I have posted a reply to your post @Yeah No twice now and they both seem to have been lost in the upgrades... sigh. I'll try once more much briefer than the other 2! :)

I had a huge cottonwood tree branch come down on my house 6-7 yrs ago. Fortunately it was Summer so no rain to deal with. But it was frightening!

I was in the living room watching TV on a very windy day when I heard a loud "boom" at the back of the house, then a very loud "swish" overhead and in the front of the house.  When I went to see what had happened there were tree branches outside my kitchen window and on the other side of the house my bathroom wall was bashed all out of shape. I was so lucky not to be in the bathroom at the time.

The whole roof had to be replaced and the wall of bathroom and room next to it repaired. The previous owners had planted 7-8 cottonwoods behind the house and when I bought they were small and I appreciated the shade. I promptly had all of them cut down and left only 3, one at each far corner of the yard. 

It was not a fun experience as I expect yours wasn't either. Hopefully you will be able to get back to normal soon.

Hope this post "stays" this time!...

Thanks, Gram!  I hear you about the posts.  I had to rewrite one on another thread 3 times thanks to the site problems.   This is one of those situations like when I had vertigo or had my gallbladder removed that when you tell people about it all of a sudden you find out you know all these people who've had the same experience.  So far 2 local friends and you have told similar stories.  Of course their trees all fell in the Summer.  This is the worst time of year for it.  What if we get snow this Winter?  I don't even want to think about that.

I'm also worried now about rain we're going to have for 3 days next week.  They say it will be nothing like those soaking storms but I have no idea how well the tarp is going to hold up.  Of course my husband isn't worried at all.  I don't get how men are sometimes about stuff like this.  We both share an extreme dislike for dealing with contractors in general so that also isn't helping my anxiety level right now.  I'm not even sure how much will have to be done or how long it will take.  And how long will we need to stay at a hotel?  I'm not looking forward to those uncomfortable beds.....So many questions and no answers yet.  

Anyway, sorry to hear you had to go through it too.  You have had your share of things happen, haven't you?  And yet you've thankfully survived them, so I guess there's hope for me yet, LOL.  ((Hugs)).

  • Like 2
  • Hugs 3

I've been sick for a few days. So far, I've tested negative for Covid (which I had back in September, and I haven't been exposed -- I've hardly been out and no one in the house is sick). I don't have a fever and don't feel like I felt when I had Covid. I think it might just be a sinus infection, but I feel awful.

I've been cooking for the past couple of days. I'm finally done with everything that could be done ahead of time.

Usually I do lasagna, or either roast beef or ham. This year, I'm doing lasagna and turkey, even though we just had turkey on Thanksgiving. 

A family member is on a very strict medically indicated elimination diet for an autoimmune disease (too much to explain). Usually, the only meat they can have is chicken breast, or lean fish (once a week). Their dietician said they could do turkey breast tomorrow.

I always make too much food, so this year, I just bought a good sized turkey breast (like 5lbs), and then a half or split turkey breast to roast. I almost got two of the frozen whole breasts. I should have.

I roasted the full one off this morning, and it came out beautifully, thank goodness. Late this afternoon, I went to roast off the smaller one, and the skin underneath had these black spots that could only be described as mold. My husband and daughter agreed, so we tossed that. (Husband didn't feel like waiting on line at the store for a $15 refund, and I don't blame him.)

All the full turkey breasts at the grocery were frozen, so I had him get me two 3lb Polish hams (I didn't want an enormous bone in ham, what with the lasagna and the turkey.) I'll decide in the morning whether to heat up one or both.

I'm just feeling discouraged, because no matter how organized I am, and how much I stay on top of my schedule (I was both this year, despite feeling sick), something messes up. (I wanted to use a word other than "messes" there.)

I think I'm just weepy, because of the sinus infection, or whatever. 

I'm skipping the family Christmas Eve celebration at my SIL's. We haven't been since Covid began. Although I tested negative, I still want to test again tomorrow, before mixing with people outside my house.

SIL said for husband and kids to come anyhow. She'd be fine with me coming, tbh. I'm about the only careful person left in the family, but I'd still feel terrible if I got someone sick.

So, I'm going to hop in the shower, throw on clean PJs, heat up my leftover takeout, and feel sorry for myself, until my family gets home. (They would have stayed home, but I couldn't see the sense in them hanging out to watch me blow my nose. Besides, I have all this food, yet nothing to feed them tonight. SIL will stuff them full.)

I just have missed my husband's family's Christmas Eve celebrations so much. I kind of hit the in-law lottery, and I miss their company. The last time I went to one was in 2019. 

So anyhow, boo hoo. I'll be fine. It's just self-pity. Maybe I'll take some Tylenol before I shower.

I hope you all have a lovely night, whether you celebrate or not.

  • Hugs 11

 

Happy Yule/Holidays!  Keeping it all deliciously simple this year. Wine, great focaccia and lasagna that I call "Quarantine Lasagna" that I invented during lock down when the stores were out of lasagna noodles for a long long time and I used Rigatoni instead. We loved it and make it often.

 

I also didn't want to just make pasta because eggs were hard to get, limited to a dozen per order and $8 a dozen back then... Those were the days ehh ?

Edited by Roslyn
...I can't spell...
  • Like 6
  • Love 2

One more person joining the I've been hit by a tree group. In my previous house I had 5 or six trees hit the house in the 37 years I lived there. They were all Douglas fir trees that fell in December or January storms where the wind was blowing from the south. I live in the Seattle suburbs and our trees are apparently braced against the storms from the north.  None of the trees were from my property and one even fell uphill.  My insurance (USAA) was terrific and were great in helping me arrange contractors. I hope you have luck in getting your home repaired. You might well ask why I stayed in the house that long but I loved many things about it and besides I believed it couldn't happen again, right?

I admit that in my new downsized house I love that I don't have any trees taller than my house.

  • Like 9
5 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

Thank you for your kind words @General Days @Yeah No. I am feeling much better. I'm very sorry to hear about your tree @Yeah No, that is a scary situation!

Happy holidays to all and best wishes for a peaceful and enjoyable New Year!

Thanks, Tea, glad to hear you're feeling better.  Hoping @General Days is also feeling better.

We went to NY State to visit Mr. Yeah No's sister and brother in law and the nephews were there with their SO's and the brother and cousin of the brother in law.  It was the first time we did Christmas with the family since 2019 when my Dad was there.  It was a wonderful and sad experience at the same time, because of the memories and because they just lost their Westie less than a month ago.  My Mom was a big Westie fan, even belonged to her local West Highland White club.  Many memories.  The holidays can be great and suck at the same time....

We are still waiting for the adjusters to get back to us.  They assured us it will be this week so I'm hoping it's soon.  We got back today to see a few trees being removed in our neighbor's yard right next to our house.  We were very happy they're having them removed because they were next to the tree that fell.  Now there are two left that pose a threat and are even more threatening now because they are more exposed to the wind without the other trees.  These are over the line on our property.  I told the tree man we want them removed ASAP.  He's going to get back to me tomorrow with an estimate.  I won't sleep good until they are gone.  

  • Like 4
  • Love 3

@Yeah No one thing I learned through my experience with tree damage is that thinning out the trees can help in windy situations. That way the wind passes through the tree rather than hitting a wall of solid branches. I had all the tree in back of my house cut down they were too close anyway as they grew. /the 3 I left at the corners of the yard were topped and thinned out and seem to be doing fine with the wind. Nothing would hit my house anyway. One is near the garage but that doesn't bother me...

Glad to hear you had a nice Christmas with family. A mix of good and sad memories, but shared with those you love, can soothe the sad over. 

  • Like 9
On 12/27/2023 at 12:41 PM, Gramto6 said:

@Yeah No one thing I learned through my experience with tree damage is that thinning out the trees can help in windy situations. That way the wind passes through the tree rather than hitting a wall of solid branches. I had all the tree in back of my house cut down they were too close anyway as they grew. /the 3 I left at the corners of the yard were topped and thinned out and seem to be doing fine with the wind. Nothing would hit my house anyway. One is near the garage but that doesn't bother me...

Glad to hear you had a nice Christmas with family. A mix of good and sad memories, but shared with those you love, can soothe the sad over. 

I really need to do some tree thinning, but it’s so expensive.  

Edited by SunnyBeBe
  • Like 4
2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I really need to do some tree thinning, but it’s so expensive.  

True that, and it may never happen to you. However, beyond the costs of a new roof and indoor damage repair, even with good insurance, there are emotional costs too. Some of the items inside my house that were broken beyond repair were irreplaceable old family mementos.

It was a lesson learned the hard way... If I ever move again there will be NO trees on my lot!!

  • Hugs 5
  • Applause 1
2 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

True that, and it may never happen to you. However, beyond the costs of a new roof and indoor damage repair, even with good insurance, there are emotional costs too. Some of the items inside my house that were broken beyond repair were irreplaceable old family mementos.

It was a lesson learned the hard way... If I ever move again there will be NO trees on my lot!!

I agree!  I have so many trees.  To get them all down would run well into tens of thousands of dollars.  I must deal with it though.  I’ve thought of getting a job at a tree company.  Lol

  • Like 2
  • Applause 1
  • LOL 3
3 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

True that, and it may never happen to you. However, beyond the costs of a new roof and indoor damage repair, even with good insurance, there are emotional costs too. Some of the items inside my house that were broken beyond repair were irreplaceable old family mementos.

It was a lesson learned the hard way... If I ever move again there will be NO trees on my lot!!

Sorry to hear you lost so many meaningful things.  Fortunately I haven't had that experience but I am experiencing the emotional costs.  I'm anxious about the repairs and now my husband and the contractors are talking about bumping the front wall out a bit to add extra room.  It will involve pouring new foundation for the addition and extending the roofline and front gable out too.  I am trying not to be negative about this because people are telling me it's done all the time when this kind of thing happens.  Plus it will increase the value of the house.  My husband was talking about this kind of renovation years ago but of course we never pursued it because it would have been too expensive, but now it looks like for a nominal amount more we can have it done easily.  Or so they say, LOL.  I hate to be negative but I always anticipate the worst in situations like this.  Based on experience.  Tomorrow an architect is coming over to discuss this with us.  Oh joy....

I used to scratch my head when new housing developments took away all the trees before they built, but now I get it completely!  I live in a very forested state with a lot of mature trees so it's just a fact of life here.  So many people we know have gone through this.  My husband was just talking to one on the phone today who was giving him advice on how to handle it.

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree!  I have so many trees.  To get them all down would run well into tens of thousands of dollars.  I must deal with it though.  I’ve thought of getting a job at a tree company.  Lol

I hear you.  That's my issue.  Too many trees.  Our neighbor took down most of the problematic ones on his side of the property line but the rest are our responsibility and even though this tree company's prices are very reasonable it's still a shocking amount of money.  Fortunately as luck would have it, my husband got a few grand the other day from a class action lawsuit against a former employer for back pay he never got so that is softening the financial blow.  But it's still a lot of money and hard to part with especially with the crazy prices going up all the time these days.

Speaking of the crazy prices, when I was talking to my SIL's friend on Christmas she told me she spends $300 a week on groceries for her, her husband and her adult son, and I know they are not extravagant with stuff like that.  I told her that didn't surprise me these days.
 

 

  • Like 6
On 11/25/2023 at 12:19 AM, Irate Panda said:

Does anybody love their vehicle?  If so can you recommend a low maintenance sedan/hatchback/small suv. Looking for something that generally would last at least 15 years.  Don’t have a certain price point exactly but willing to pay for something that’s reliable and last.  THANKS 😊

Subaru Forrester forever and ever Amen. I loved mine to death. Great in the snow. Drives like an SUV parks like a sedan in ANY space. 

  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

Subaru Forrester forever and ever Amen. I loved mine to death. Great in the snow. Drives like an SUV parks like a sedan in ANY space. 

I really REALLY wanted one of these but couldn't climb into it! I'm short with hip problems, and while I could get in as a passenger, getting into the driver's seat just didn't work. Ended up with a Honda HRV, which was just a tad lower, and I loved it. Now I'm carless and unable to drive but I still admire the Subarus :)

  • Like 4
  • Love 1
9 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree!  I have so many trees.  To get them all down would run well into tens of thousands of dollars.  I must deal with it though.  I’ve thought of getting a job at a tree company.  Lol

Next life I will be a cleaning lady. 2 independent persons $50. per hour each, cash under the table.  They use a Swiffer on the floors and don't touch windows or venetian blinds.

Cleaning services want $150. per person.

  • Mind Blown 3
  • Sad 1
2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Subaru Forrester forever and ever Amen. I loved mine to death. Great in the snow. Drives like an SUV parks like a sedan in ANY space. 

I like that car too. If and a big IF, anything were to happen to my Geo Tracker, a Forrester would be my first choice, or maybe a Subaru Baja if one could be found anywhere. I covet that car!   But it was a short run around 2003-2005 or 06, so finding one is hard, I've looked!

Edited by Gramto6
typo
  • Useful 2
1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

Next life I will be a cleaning lady. 2 independent persons $50. per hour each, cash under the table.  They use a Swiffer on the floors and don't touch windows or venetian blinds.

Cleaning services want $150. per person.

I keep seeing commercials for a cleaning service.  They claim that they will clean one's entire house for $19.  I'm thinking, yeah, right!  I bet there's some kind of contract involved, for a lot more money.  

We had a huge pine tree that had roots that were messing up our driveway.  It was $3,500 for cutting and removing it, a few years ago.  

 

  • Like 7

I just checked. Home Aglow offers a first service for $19, and they charge more after that.  They list their prices on their site.  $75 for three hours, which is on the lower end of the going rate around here.  They have rates for 2 hours and 4 hours listed on their site.  There are a lot of good reviews. 

  • Useful 5

I just wanted to mention that the tree man told us yesterday that the largest tree he took down for us was over 100 feet tall by his estimations.  He figured it out based on the length of the cords he uses.  And that tree wasn't even as tall as the one that fell on our house!  🤯 🌲

Now that the trees are down I am feeling a sense of sadness.  I hate to see living things die and feel responsible for it.  Those trees were part of my life and provided a little extra privacy between my house and our neighbor's.  

Somehow it reminds me of the time a few years back when my car hit a deer (or I should say it ran into my car).  I still feel sad about that too.  In my mind's eye I sometimes picture my mother in heaven with her arms around the deer, letting me know that both are OK.  It's a weird thing, something I can't explain, but it brings me comfort, especially when I drive by the place where it happened.  Like me, my mother had a huge soft spot for animals.

  • Hugs 10
5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Now that the trees are down I am feeling a sense of sadness.  I hate to see living things die and feel responsible for it.  Those trees were part of my life and provided a little extra privacy between my house and our neighbor's. 

 I totally get this. The trees were your privacy and felt like your friends (I felt that way about my pecan trees). You can still be sad and regretful while also being relieved that another 100 ft tree wouldn't fall on or damage your home or property. Wow, that's really tall!

My dad planted a water oak in front of his house in 1986 when he moved in. When I moved down to live with him, that tree was ginormous but I had fears of it falling on the house. The new owners had to have it taken down this year because of interior rot. It broke my heart because it was Daddy's tree, but the new owners were safer. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Love 4
On 12/29/2023 at 9:35 AM, xwordfanatik said:

I keep seeing commercials for a cleaning service.  They claim that they will clean one's entire house for $19.  I'm thinking, yeah, right!  I bet there's some kind of contract involved, for a lot more money.  

We had a huge pine tree that had roots that were messing up our driveway.  It was $3,500 for cutting and removing it, a few years ago.  

 

Dazzling Clean?

 

I was scammed by them. Cleaners kept canceling and they said they would give me a month free to prove themselves and they charged me again. I had to file a dispute with my card. 
 

I finally found a team I like, and they do a great job, they show up on time and they don’t mind my sister (or Vice versa). They clean my mom’s unit once a month. But I swear she needs someone to run her Google calendar, the admin skills are lacking. Found them through my friend’s sister in law. 

  • Like 2
  • Useful 4
10 hours ago, Absolom said:

Daughter said they did get some good cinnamon buns, but four hours in a car with two sugar hyped kids wasn't worth it.  

As I recall, before rice krispie treats, Meri tried selling cinnamon buns. Probably motivated by positive response to some that her BnB cook had made.

That would not have endeared her to the locals as it was the claim to fame of the diner in town.

Meri put her thinking cap on, came up with rice krispie treats and the rest is history.

  • Like 4
  • LOL 5
4 hours ago, Absolom said:

I believe it is and they've stayed there often enough to be in one of those frequent visitor clubs.  The rooms are larger, look cleaner, and have no dust catchers.  

Amenities such as a pool, elevator, dining room/coffee shop don't hurt either. 

Plus, you don't have to make mindless chitchat with a stranger over breakfast.

I have stayed at a few BnB's and always with a sense of discomfort. They are not as soundproof as a hotel/motel and even watching TV made me concerned I may be disturbing others.

  • Like 8
6 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

Your PSA for today....

With ads and all kinds of spam emails pouring in, I decided to try DuckDuckGo today.  I installed it about 3 hours ago and it has blocked 1,060 tracking attempts in those three hours.  Forty-four of those were from Primetimer.

Just an FYI.

I love it for making things so much cleaner.  It also has a youtube viewer that is minus the ads.

  • Like 4
  • Useful 5
On 12/27/2023 at 10:56 PM, Irate Panda said:

Can anyone recommend their favorite brand of scented candles? I am looking for candles with good throw interested in rain, petrichor, ocean, aloe or other fresh scents.  Thanks! 

Just saw this - I am a scented candle semi-hoarder, lol.

Yankee Candle is a good standby, but I have had much success with candles from Aldi as well as Goose Creek.  I ordered one from Goose Creek called "First Autumn Frost" and could smell it throughout my entire house, even to the second floor.

  • Thanks 1
  • Useful 5

I LOVE candles but with 4 cats, and living in a big OLD wooden house, the thought of fire kinda got to me.  

I went to WallyWorld and bought one of those things that just melts these small squares of candle wax with a small light bulb.  THOSE thingies work GREAT!

I have two of them.  One in the kitchen and one in the foyer that opens into the living room.  My favorite scents are "Lemon Basil" (kitchen) and depending on the time of year: "Falling Leaves", "Spring Rain", "Warm & Cozy", and "Blueberry Pie".  The other thing is, you can just open up the containers and smell them; there are 6 squares of wax, and they cost $2!

All this and NO FIRE.  Check it out!

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
  • Useful 3
1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

Random thought.

Thinking about Christine finding the fortitude to extricate herself from an intolerable situation, an old adage comes to mind "a rising tide lifts all boats".

I wonder how long Meri and Janelle would have limped along in these "marriages" if Christine had not taken the initiative.

So true, my guess is Meri especially and Janelle probably would have limped along forever, just because it felt impossible to leave. Christine showed them it is and was possible to leave and get a real life of their own.

  • Like 12
29 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

So true, my guess is Meri especially and Janelle probably would have limped along forever, just because it felt impossible to leave. Christine showed them it is and was possible to leave and get a real life of their own.

I agree. I think that Janelle only left because Kody turned his venom onto her since she didn't coddle him like a toddler. She also took (and held) him at his word and not all the back peddling he did with the battle with her sons. Instead of Kody being an actual man and working things out with the boys face to face, he was a little bitch about it and threw tantrums because Janelle didn't force them all to kiss his ring, because she isn't and never will be Robyn.

If he would have kept his big mouth shut on the couch with the camera on, Meri would not have officially left. She has just been living her life her way for a long time.

  • Like 7
On 1/25/2024 at 11:50 AM, Sandy W said:

Random thought.

Thinking about Christine finding the fortitude to extricate herself from an intolerable situation, an old adage comes to mind "a rising tide lifts all boats".

I wonder how long Meri and Janelle would have limped along in these "marriages" if Christine had not taken the initiative.

 

I definitely think Christine got the cork out of the bottle.

I think Janelle would have stayed forever, if Kody hadn't fallen out with her kids. I think Meri needed to be continually insulted on the TV show, and have Suki show her those scenes, before she could accept the fact that even though she and Kody had promised to be married "forever," he couldn't even make it through earthly life.

  • Like 7

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...