Hi Ernie,

The Canada warbler is difficult to see.  Beautiful markings on face and chest.  So many of the “real” birders are a hoot to watch…..They come in total birding gear with vests/pockets and super large telescopic cameras.  Some, have check lists that they mark each time a warbler is seen.  Most are very helpful in giving information on what they are looking at.  It’s fun just to walk through the marsh and hear their pronounced singing.

Yes, getting older is not for sissies…..You seem to have a lot of knowledge and a good fix on your diabetic issues.

A lovely day here.  Second day in a row of planting.  Be sure and send a picture of your wife’s plantings around the pool.   Our pool opens this week-end.  We are now given a type of fob to gain entrance.  A few years ago, it was codes and the teens would give the codes out to non-residents.

Carry on as we say….Another day of not smoking and poisoning our body!

Susan

Hi Kitty,

Thinking of you today ~ so sorry that the biopsy was not scheduled.   I am watching an oriole slurp up grape jelly at our oriole feeder.  Wish I could capture a picture, but they are skittish and if I pick up the laptop to take a picture, he will be gone.

Hope the weather is lovely.  I just bought a hibiscus.  I am sure you had many of these in Sanibel.  I tried to winter mine over which no success… LOL

Susan

Hi Paul,

Are you referring to the Canadian Geese?   Oh my, we have so many here in Ohio ~ they are actually quite a nuisance.    The only thing cute about them are the fuzzy ducklings that are always way to close to the roadways. 

It’s a perfect day here.  I love when the temperature allows all of the windows to be open.  Soon, the air conditioning units will be humming.

Enjoy the week.   Susan

Interestingly enough, the cardinals, robins and orioles all feed at the oriole feeder.  Thank heavens I purchase their grape jelly at Aldis or I would be broke!   At least a jar every week or two.

Susan

We await the arrival of the hummingbirds……. 

Good morning Susan and all.  Great to see Finn doing well.  Our Chloe has diarrhea and wife has

them on rice / chicken diet with yogurt for treats.  Wife got them 3 shots each, mercury free at our

vet Dr.  Caused the sickness.  I usually only get them the Rabies shot and then because of the law. 

Dog people I know say the one rabies shot lasts their whole lives.  Wife says next time will only get

rabies shot.  Chloe is getting back to normal, the first day she acted sick also.

The bad neighbor we have would see an effort to talk as weakness.  Not an understanding person.

Unfortunately he's retired also. 

Part came in for the pool so installed it instead of my temp patch.  Pools been running and already

shocked so shouldn't get any algae.  Salt installed and chloranator running.  Algaeside in also.  Pool

should hum along now.  Water temperature was 65 yesterday, numbing for me. 

Got Monte Carlo SS insured and registered yesterday.  Might drive it down to the farm later this week.

the battery went dead once so lost the programming for base timing, timing advance air:fuel ratios.  I

have notes and can adjust everything with the computer control inside the car on the way. 

Finished my blood test appointments.  Glucose is a little worse.  Maybe time to seek out one of those

diabetes specialists.  I can't seem to keep my level down around 100, I'm often in the 120s and sometimes

in the 130s.  I dieted down into the 140s in weight and didn't seem to help the numbers and very hard to

keep my weight down there.  It's a lifetime war with all these battles.  If I get a specialist that just pushes

meds, won't be going there. 

Have a great day all.  Good luck with the birds Susan. 

We have 2 nights forecast in the 30s so have to watch and see about covering the new plants.

Ernie

Hi Susan and all,

I have tried talking with my neighbor but she gets irrational and argumentative.  I will stay away and hope for the best. 

I used the grill tonight to make dinner. It has been a long time. My son usually grills when the family comes, so I was a bit out of practice. I made chicken, aluminium pouches of potatoes and broccoli.  It turned out ok and I didn't have to wash my giant cast iron skillet. I use it to make just about everything, even giant chocolate chip cookies.

I went to my mother's today and filled her pill case. We have lunch and watch the game channel.  She watches the little boy across the street out the front window.  I'm still waiting to hear back from Meals on Wheels. I showed her pictures from my son and daughter in law's week in Mexico. 

Finn is looking good!  And so are the flowers 

Hi Ernie

It sounds like your bad neighbor sounds like my bad neighbor.  It's very hard to talk to her. She only wants to argue. 

My glucose numbers are also becoming problematic.  I'm at 140.  Not good at all.  I try to lose weight but its such a struggle. Don't know if that would even help.  Its always something I guess. 

Take it easy

Carolyn

Good morning Carolyn and all.  51 here, nice.  Have 2 nights coming up in the 30s.  Just hope stays in the upper 30s.

Yeah, many of these people know they're in the wrong from the start but just want to give you a hard time.  Like bad

neighbors, I mean.  Some people could probably reason with them.  Bob Dylan or someone like that, Gandhi. 

I didn't have a pill case 16 years ago when I stopped the poison smoke.  Just Diabetes, trying to keep my glucose down

without synthetic meds for diabetes and trying to stay asleep, also came up with arthritis.  I was taking 3 diabetes meds

and on my way to insulin.  I have recently been in the lower 140s and my glucose readings are the same as being in the

lower 150s.  I'm hungry all the time in the lower 140s.  I don't understand, I should be down 4 glucose units for every pound

I lose.  It works to a point, went way down from the 180s to the 150s.  I probably need one of these doctors that specializes

in diabetes, instead of a family doctor. 

Try the meals on wheels yourself.  I've been told that it's bland because of the large group of people they feed that can't have

stuff like salt.  So some people that need to eat just about stop.  Just keep an eye on it.  What older people usually want is to

socialize, the meal is just a means to that end. 

Pool part arrived so the pool pump and filter are all together right.  Belts arrived for the mower deck and that's together, level,

and working.  In this case the cheaper belts look much cheaper than Sears Parts Direct belts.  So often get the same thing for

the higher price.  Still waiting for the little ribbon cable from Japan, for the ham transceiver, I ordered April 7th.  Waiting for the

turned crankshaft for the 1984 Monte Carlo Sport Coupe. 

Supposed to get some showers this afternoon but this is really great weather for a long time.  I hope the south isn't getting

terrible storms from the climate change, I don't keep up.  Seems constant.

Enjoy the day all.Ernie

Good morning, dear Sensational Senior friends ~

A sunny but chilly day here by the shore of Lake Erie ~ 53 degrees from the Weather Channel.  

The order of the day will be a quest to purchase a new bird feeder.  I believe our feeder was only three years old….repaired at least once.  One of the pesky starlings took it down a day ago.  The birds are distraught without the feeder and I’ve taken to a space on the ground to scatter their seed.  Chuck and Henrietta (our two duck friends) still visit and the Baltimore Orioles are plentiful.  We are now seeing our yellow Finch at Jim’s feeder but alas…..no hummingbirds!

So, my friends, I hope that you all have a wonderful smoke-free day.  I did see a neighbor who appears to walk miles each day with his wife who was using oxygen in the car.  Perhaps that is why he walks to ward off any repercussions of smoking……

Susan

It warmed up here to low 70s. It's been cooler, which I like, the past week. 

Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. I have nothing eventful planned.

Paul

Good morning Susan, Paul, and all.  Think I posted yesterday morn, must have left the page without hitting post.

Our bird feeder is empty for the Summer.  Bears starting to move into our area.  We are seeing some Humminbirds

around wife's flowers.  We have a hummingbird feeder but don't keep up the maintenance on it.  We have a bird

house in the pool area with a family of Bluebirds in it.  The pups won't leave it alone so probably move it just outside

the pool area after these babies fly away.  We still have trouble with snakes around the pool area.  This is the first

year of that since we put the pool in back in 1989.  I moved another one away last eve.  Think they come in, even with

the dogs barking at them, for water.  I feel a little bad for them.  Don't know why they're here this year.

Think we're going up to the mid 70s today and into the 80s for the next 7 days.  I'm working on tuning the SS computer

control for fuel mixture and timing advance.  Battery went dead again so I lost everything.  It's better than it was but

still spark knocking so a long ways from right.  Think I let the glove box light stay on and ran the battery down when I

was installing the stereo system with it's speakers, wire harness, and stereo.  Looked it up and the glove box light is 0.82

amps, so would run the battery down given time.  I will probably put a trickle charger on it Winters from now on.  Even

with my notes it's difficult to get the programming right.  Should've made better notes, will try this time. 

Finally went out and got my free Veteran's Day dinner, think it's been 6 months.  There was a guy behind us using his

before it expired also.  Ran into a coworker I worked with for about 12 years, he didn't go back as a temp either.  Said

the place got even worse after I left but think he just started getting treated like an older person like most.  They aren't

as careful how they treat you when they know you're nearing retirement.  He seemed happy retired.  At least we both

made it.  Wife and I are enjoying our retirement.

Pretty much have the ordered parts installed on pool and garden tractor, both running good.  Think the tractor we paid

$2400 for would be over 5k now.  I would buy a deck for the diesel for $2500.  A very heavy duty tractor that will easily

outlast me.  Our Craftsman is light duty in comparison and has run 27 years already.  I saw a garden tractor in the John

Deere dealership for $14k, you believe it?  Bigger than my Craftsman but still.  Guess it's a sign I'm getting older.  The pool

isn't leaking again this year.  I never figured out where we were losing the water, underground somewhere.  I bought steel

rings and closed off the underwater lights.  The bulbs were expensive and didn't last well anyway.  Installed new gaskets in

the outputs and skimmer.  Think I installed a new main drain gasket when we changed the liner.  Was leaking for many years

and this is the second year it hasn't.  I have a level control now, we can use if we go on vacation someday.  Keeps the water

at the level it's set at. 

Finn is something, sad he lost his playmate.  I still have trouble with the pups on our walks.  Taking off after everything in

spite of traffic, like horses or anything else.  Belle constantly picks up little sticks and chews them up, I'm afraid they are

going to injure her or worse. 

I got hired at the last job in my career after this holiday weekend and retired right after it also.  17 years there, almost to

17 years of not smoking.  6 years since retirement now. 

Have a good day all.  Woke a little early this morn.

Ernie