This is just a short post to share my latest ordeal.
Last Saturday morning when the garage door spring did its thing, I knew right away that this was just the beginning of a hectic week, i.e. dealing with the car repair, the new garage door install … all hassles, not to mention the expense involved. The car did NOT need a new paint job – they buffed out the gouge and returned it to its former glory … my car is 10 years old, but only has 6,200 miles on it – it’s just a baby!
I wanted to put the car in the garage yesterday after the car repair shop returned it – it was lookin’ good, they even washed it. I was praising up Leo, after he had me check out the car, and then chatting it up with Jim, the handyman, who was up on the roof, while he was cleaning gutters and power washing the house with mildew remover (yes, I had a mildew problem on the bricks due to too much rain and lack of sun).
I was hot, as it was already almost 90 degrees F (32 C).
I have always opened/shut the garage door by pulling it up/down between the door panels. I’ve been doing that for about 40 years, give or take a year. I am tall, so I never used the “grab rope” nor the handle – don’t ask me why? When the installer had me try the door Tuesday afternoon, he watched me pull down the garage door and said “don’t do that, you’ll pinch your fingers!” I had no reason to go out into the garage until yesterday, Well it was hot, and I forgot and did what I always do and jammed my right-hand ring finger between the panels which have no gap in between, like the old panels. I let out a scream that would wake the dead (and said bad words – again). It’s a wonder Jim did not fall off the roof! I don’t think I broke my finger, but it is swollen badly and black and blue and purple.
I am going to try for that “me day” tomorrow – today is our Downriver Classic Car Cruise event and the local streets are jammed so I stuck close to home and I DID NOT go near the garage.
As the saying goes “I have no words”… but in this case, maybe I should say I have fewer words than usual as it is difficult to type. I am going to work today as my boss told me to take the rest of yesterday off to ice my finger and we’ll get the work done so we both have a longer July 4th holiday. I’m going to limit my time at the keyboard until I can type better, so bear with me as I will be a bit behind here at WordPress.
P.S. – These pictures don’t do the colors in my finger justice – it is much more colorful than that but I still don’t think it is broken (crossing my fingers anyway – oops that hurt!!)
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Linda
It’ll grow back!
Fred
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Oh, that’s gotta hurt!
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Yes, and trying to favor that finger and not use it is difficult too – I’ve forgotten a few times. It is badly bruised on my fingertip as well.
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Maybe you should immobilize it. Get a finger splint and a wrap. That would help with the pain of banging it against anything.
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Good idea – I never thought of that … I have always been blessed with good health so this has really thrown me for a loop. I will jerryrig something – even trying to type and hold it in the air has been difficult. I’ve been doing some work today since I spent yesterday icing it. Thanks for the tip.
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That looks very painful Linda “ouch”
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Yes Andy and iIt seems to take on a different color as the day goes on and the bruising is spreading up my finger. You don’t realize how many letters you hit on the keyboard with that finger – I am trying to do some work for my boss this afternoon and it takes me twice as long.
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Ouch:(
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Indeed! I am typing with that finger in the air – sometimes I forget – yikes!
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Ouch! That looks so painful:(
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It seems like the bruising has gone up to the second joint since I took the photo earlier today. My finger is straight tho and I can bend my knuckle so hoping that’s a good sign anyway.
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It should be!
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Man, that’s a nasty bruise. Hope it gets better soon. But on the bright side — at least you’re not likely to forget to use the handle/rope anytime soon.
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You are right about that – I’ll never forget what I did. I have to retrain myself after all these years!
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“Bad words”… ha! The only real bad words are when crazy leaders try to justify starting needless wars.
Sorry about your finger! Seems like something i would do!!! 🙂
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Oh Tom, it was like he never even told me about it – and the stupid door looks totally different in every way than the other garage door so it’s really obvious about these panels, but I still did it. I have to wonder about the brain sometimes, but we are creatures of habit aren’t we?
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My recent thing was that i was carrying a Roomba — after it cleaned the bird room-aquarium room floor — to the outdoors to empty it in a bag. I was carrying it horizontally (the way it would sit on the floor) instead of carrying it by its (somewhat delicate) plastic handle. So the way it was being carried blocked my view and i didn’t see Marla’s shoes; i stumbled on them — my balance sucks as i’m getting older — and hit my knee on some steps. My knee got slashed and still hurts; it was the knee that i once had meniscus surgery on. Geesh!
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I am a klutz and have stumbled three times in the past and once where the bus stand formerly stood, they removed the glass shelter but left the posts there … I fell over one and really tore up my knee. I contacted SMART and complained but they were nonchalant … it is/was an “open and obvious danger” but, like you, if you are not looking down … sigh.
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Oh, Linda! I am so sorry to read about your finger. It’s hard to break a habit that you have had for years. I can understand you not wanting to type. Take care!!!
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Hi Laurie – I wasn’t online all day yesterday except the early morning. I called my boss and he said stay off the computer and ice your finger and put your hand above your head so it won’t throb. So I iced my finger all afternoon – I did this injury around 11:30 a.m. when I went out to meet the guy who brought my car and put it away and I was going to come back in and start working. I’ve tried to keep my finger suspended in the air while typing and I’m actually doing faster than I thought, just using nine fingers. I have been working today as it is month end, to get time entries done to get the invoices out Monday or Tuesday as my boss wants to get out of town early before the 4th. I worked five hours today typing this way. I’m going to try and catch up here a little. Bad enough for anyone to do this but someone who needs to use a keyboard for a living! Good thing it’s not you, you could not juggle for a while. 🙂
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Wow! You are dedicated! Typing with 9 fingers must be difficult. I don’t know if I could do it. I think I would have to hunt and peck. I hope your finger heals quickly!
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Thank you Laurie – I have been using the next finger over to do the ring finger’s work. I never realized how hard that finger worked! I am glad it is a short week, but that means cramming in a lot beforehand as well. A fellow blogger suggested a splint to keep from hitting it – I never thought of that. It might have made it easier today.
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Linda,
Forget about typing or blogging. Just catch up on your Reader if you are bored or just take a pain killer and take the rest you badly deserve or take long walks and enjoy the weather.
The finger looks bad- perhaps you should get an X-ray done or splint it. Best would be rest.
Susie
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Well I did a lot this afternoon for work due to the long holiday weekend. Someone else suggested a splint Susie – I never thought of it. You can tell I never do anything to myself here. I went to bed really early last night as we were to have a storm and propped my arm in the air on two pillows. Thank you. I hope it is not broken or fractured.
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Miss Linda………………………..if you feel you need to go to the ER or doctor just let me know …………..I can surely go with you
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Thank you Ann Marie – I appreciate that. I am hoping it will heal on its own and soon, but I will let you know.
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Oh Linda…..that looks awful…..and so sore and painful. It’s even painful to look at. I feel bad for you, esp not being able to type, but maybe now’s the time to take a well-deserved rest. Are you sure you shouldn’t have it x-rayed?
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Thanks- I can put it straight and bend at knuckles and it is swollen and I have to go get allergy shot this week so will ask the PA or allergist if it is okay and not broken or fractured and see what he says. I am going to work to get our bills out and then try not to type much over the long holiday and we will have rain/storms part of the time – very frustrated with everything, including the weather. It will storm tomorrow and I have cement and tar work being done.
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I checked the forecast and it is rain from tomorrow on again, and with humidity temps near 100, although today is beautiful. Did that mildew cleaner work on the brick? I still have to schedule my cleaning. Hope you enjoy today!
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Our entire four-day holiday period, and even the busy travel day Wednesday, will be hot, humid, rain or storms at times! Just not a great forecast at all, especially when it is alot of outside activities. Jim says the spray is activated with each rain (if I knew that I would have had him here in early June as they projected a lot of rain in June). Jim also says that it begins working upon application and continue to keep getting rid of mold and mildew and after one week and should be gone by 8 – 10 weeks. He showed me how it was turning the bricks in the back green – it was actual moss and it was glistening – looked interesting. I’ll try to get a pic of it. It had a smell too, almost like pool chlorine – he did porch, driveway and garage door too to keep it white. I will see if he had name of it on the bill as he did bill Friday, back today – he gets supplies at Home Depot and referred to it as “Spray” (like that was its trademark name). Will let you know.
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Thanks Linda…..my back siding is so awful it pains me to look at it. I would like something to prevent/treat it so it doesn’t come back, but the quotes I had were just for scrubbing/pressure washing I think. We have Canada Day today and so far no rain, although it is projected to be hot and humid. How is your finger?
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Hi Joni – I just replied on your strawberry post and commenting here as well. I asked Jim for the product name and he said it is the best product he has ever used for outside mold and mildew removal. The name is: “Spray and Forget” and the website is below. They sell it at Home Depot (hopefully there is one near you – I see they have them in Canada, or you can order from Amazon). I will wait a few days as we are having a lot of rain later in the week and will take a pic — told Jim I saw moss the other day on the bricks and it is now gone, so that’s good and he applied it with a power washer for added oomph but they have videos on the site and 100% guarantee too. I said is this something for every year with Spring chores like gutter cleaning and he said “no, maybe every 3 years” (wondering if we keep having all this rain and no sunny days if it will be more though? Website is: https://www.sprayandforget.com/
Finger seems to look better in the natural light and a few times I was typing faster and forgot to use another finger and hit the key (I am using a wireless keyboard with the laptop so the keyboard has a real easy touch, and I winced but not horrid. I am worried about my nail which is still very number but doesn’t appear to be bruised under the nail, no broken skin and can bend the knuckle and straighten the finger – I am hopeful it is just a really bad bruise.
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That’s good to know. I haven’t had the siding and deck cleaned professionally for 4 years. I don’t know what they used last time – maybe just the power washer? My neighbour used a mixture of vinegar and water and sprayed it on his. Sounds like your finger is improving!
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Yes, I am hopeful it will eventually be 100% without any issues (including losing a nail). I shut the car on my mom’s fingers (several of them) by accident when I was very young. Her fingers were sore and very bruised and I remember one nail had issues going forward – I don’t remember if she lost it, but it grew back crooked and always split if it got the least bit long. I hope this product will work well for you – if not try the vinegar this year. Vinegar does so many clean-ups.
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Must get to bed – installation starts tomorrow – early 8am – all these people are morning people!
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Good luck with the install Joni – good thing they are morning people … they are fresh and going at it before the heat of the day even if they are working indoors, they likely will be traipsing out to the truck for tools, materials etc. – I’d bring it all in first and not go out in the heat. I was taking to Jim about some fix-its that he did and the wasp’s nest (something discovered yesterday) and the product name for you and he looked at me and said “your face is getting all red from the heat just in the few minutes you’ve been out here” – I was standing in the sun and I generally stay out of the sun if I can. I don’t know how he worked in it – I said to just do the gutters and come back later for this mildew power wash, but he was fine with it and said he was used to it – he takes breaks by going into his van occasionally and turning on the A/C and drinking water.
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They are bringing them all in as I type….and they look good, but the doors are still being spray-painted – I wondered about that – it being our July 1 long weekend just passed…..um. Design lady told me they spray paint them just before they go out as they don’t have enough storage space. Three guys, two look really young, one said it was his first day, but the two young ones are just the delivery guys. The installer looks like he has experience. I always worry about that. It’s already so humid out, I don’t think I’ll be on the deck today. I’ll stay inside and work on my blogs.
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I worry about it too – do they have experience or too much a “newbie” and I feel better if there is a supervisor overseeing the install. I am spending today catching up here. I shut down my computer early last night, maybe 7:30 or so as we had some big storms in a neighboring county and they were moving into my neck of the woods so I just shut it down and pulled the plug and went to bed really early. Slept in this a.m. and am headed out to walk shortly. I have all day to catch up here in WP – am very far behind, and then will write something tomorrow – I am too far behind here due to the bad weather, my finger and getting my boss out of town – I worked a big chunk of the weekend – blessed peace with no commotion due to garage or anything else and will enjoy it. We have storms every day though, in the afternoon/evening unfortunately but the grass is already very dry from the last week and now we worry about people setting off fireworks and landing on rooftops or grass.
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Dry grass? How can that be….it rained here last night and again today, very humid and unpleasant for the next few days. Installer here today but says he has to come back on Friday as they are still spray painting the cupboard doors and the glass still has to be installed in them, so looks like an all week production. I knew that was going to happen due to the holiday monday for us July 1. The electrician and plumber will be here tomorrow am so at least they won’t be in the installers way. Feel better today, as I went to bed early last night too – 10pm, a record for me!
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8:00 p.m. was a record for me – my day yesterday started off with those errands and grocery shopping and it was hot and a culmination of the last 10 days. I am trying hard to catch up today so I can write a post hopefully tomorrow – we may have storms tonight and that will take me off the grid. I could not believe how the grass dried up after all that rain, but we have had temps in the high 80s and 90s the last week. But the morning humidity today – it was oppressive and will be like that with maybe a little break from it Saturday and Sunday. Glad for that. Yes, the holiday made them later for getting done – bummer and the same thing for us as she started after Labor Day and the second week it was 9/11 and she wanted to watch the news while working and left early a few times with regard to her granddaughter and her day care or nursery school.
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It’s looking good so far! The wall near the dishwasher is showing about 1/4 inch of subflooring, so he says he will do some kind of molding to cover it up. Looks like they won’t be doing the doors now until Friday, but I don’t care as I’d rather the paint be good and dry.
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Great! Yes, let the paint dry thoroughly. When we got the wall-to-wall carpet installed in 1985, we had had the house painted and papered (a different contractor) a few months before. When they cut the carpet and were laying it, they messed up the paint job with carpet knives and whatever else they laid against it and nicked the baseboards so I had to repaint. All the contractor issues through the years is why I am no fan of house renovation, not to mention the multiple 2017 plumbing debacles.
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Both the cupboard installer and the electrician have messed up the paint in spots, so I know I have to get the painter back in, and he said he would come and do touchups if needed. The installer nicked the paint and plaster this morning trying to get the big laminate countertop in. They sent it in one piece but it was so big he called another guy to help him out and they had difficulty maneuvering it into place in my small kitchen hence the gouge. I couldn’t bear to watch so I went back upstairs. Now the cupboards might not come until next Monday, but I don’t care, it is what it is. I think they are having problems getting the glass. And the roll in pantry (what was a broom closet) wasn’t right either, so he didn’t put the trim around it – I think it was sticking out too far, so he said it had to be recut. They have 50 people working in the place, so it’s a large operation, and they’ve been in business 50 years, so I guess mistakes must happen. At least they are correcting them and not trying to hide them. Also a small piece of molding is needed to hide a quarter inch of subflooring showing at the side end of the dishwasher area. She must have miscalculated the measurement. All and all, so far I am pleased with the look of it. Tired of sweeping up the sawdust however. I am more worried about the plumber tomorrow, as he’s kind of grouchy, but not about the electrician who is nice. Plumber putting in sink and dishwasher at 8am and electrician putting up over the stove microwave brackets at 10am. Hope there aren’t any problems with the pipes – I cannot stand a grouchy man! Especially that early in the morning.
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It is so trying getting this done – you will need a few days to recuperate on the deck with a little snooze or a good book – I don’t envy you for the sawdust or the mess but will envy you for the beautiful kitchen you have when finished,
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No deck sitting for me – at 8am it’s too hot and humid already!
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Same here Joni – even the squirrels were not active and were sprawled out in the grass or on the path.
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My squirrels are driving me up the wall -they keep digging in a small flower bed near the garage door, where the tulips/daffodils grow, but not deep enough to get anything. More like scratching. I’ve never seen them do that before this time of year. Every night they dig it up, and every day I sweep the dirt back into the bed! Should I start feeding them? I’m not sure I want to start a habit that they will come to rely on so close to the house?
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I would not feed them at the house Joni because years ago my mom/I and our neighbor Marge fed this one squirrel we named “Sammy” for many years. We had to stop as my mom began using a cane and could not get in/out of the storm door quickly enough and we were afraid Sammy would run into the house. Even if we fed him peanuts or occasionally a cookie or a little peanut butter sandwich first before going outside, he would still beg for more. I am wondering if they are digging for buried peanuts that they put there last Fall but could not access all Winter due to the cold and ice being in place for so long. Maybe they scratch the surface to see if they can smell the peanuts? Last August we had a cool spell, almost a week, and after that I saw the squirrels take their little pile of nuts and begin hiding them before they ate any. I see that happening this year too and I think that is because they could not dig into their hidey holes because the snow came in mid-November, melted but the ground was frozen for months and months and I think they are worried they won’t find their food then, so store it now and take it to the nest before the snow flies. That is my guess – digging for buried peanuts.
My father bought tulip bulbs the first year we moved here and planted them in the Fall. The next Spring when he did Spring yard clean-up, he found chew-up tulip bulbs all over the yard. If your squirrels are just scratching the surface, they aren’t digging for bulbs, I would not think?
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OH MY GOSH LINDA!!!! That look so painful! Things have not been going your way. I hope your finger is feeling better…even a little!
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I will ice it again before I go out and when I come home – have to work this afternoon as we have the holiday coming up and it is month end and my boss going away on Tuesday, plus tomorrow is a stormy day – hot weather starting to make gusty storms. I hope it is better soon too Diane – thank you.
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Oh, it wasn’t fun. But luckily you didn’t break your finger.
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It is almost 48 hours since I did it and the colors of the bruises and length of bruising down my finger keeps changing and you are right John, I am lucky I did not break it. I have no idea how long til the swelling goes down, been icing it a lot and don’t see a difference in that respect yet.
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Oh, my, goodness, Linda – OUCH! You’ve had such a horrible week. Rest and take care of yourself. Hugs to you xx
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Thanks Shelley – I did a number on myself but I don’t think it is broken, just very swollen and colorful. This was not a very good week – you’ve got that right and I hope a new month, a new quarter, will be better! (It can’t be worse.)
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Glad it isn’t broken – finger tips are hard to heal. With all the bruising and swelling, though, you may have a splinter fracture. I hope it is better – looking outside here today, its rain, again. 😦 But it’ll be a good month. Yes it will!
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I hope not – you got me thinking about that – sigh. The bruising has lightening up considerably since I took the picture on Saturday morning.
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Me too, it could be broken, but it will just heal – there’s not much a doctor could do for it when it is just the tip. Glad the bruising is lightening up!
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Hi Shelley – we had a doozy of a storm in a neighboring county and lots of rumbling here in my neck of the woods and I shut down and pulled the plug on the computer … I am as exciting as you going to bed at 7:00 p.m. – I think I was in bed by 8:00 p.m. 🙂 as the events of the last 10 days caught up with me and my boss was out yesterday so I did errands and grocery shopping and it was 85 degrees when I got home by noon. I usually go grocery shopping early in the day, but wanted to get everything done, so now I can concentrate on walking but will be walking around storms the next 3-4 days – sigh. The finger looks much better and I am going to catch up all day here on WP as I am quite far behind, while just monitoring my boss’ e-mail and voicemail for him. I think a lot of our clients will have escaped to up North as there was nothing going on yesterday.
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I’m so glad to read that you went to bed early and got some much needed/deserved rest. Enjoy the slower days of work. Glad your finger is better too. Happy storm dodging as you walk!!
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Thanks Shelley – we have a storm on the way now and I may just shut down like I did the other night – at least the rain will eliminate fires after all the neighbirhood fireworks. I did get six miles in yesterday and today – it was hot.
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Ouch!!! That looks like it would hurt quite a bit! Wishing you and your fingers a speedy recovery! 💐
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Yes, the stupid panel mashed my finger and I feel very fortunate Sabine – I realize I could have crushed more fingers and more severely, I think it is just badly bruised and swollen, not broken and I don’t think fractured and I have learned to type with 9 fingers as I worked quite a few hours this past weekend to get done with invoices and other work before the upcoming holiday. I may lose the nail tho as it feels numb there.
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Take care of yourself, Linda!
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Thanks Sabine – I am very apprehensive of that door – I don’t like the way it is made at all. I didn’t get an automatic garage door opener because I use a trickle charger and I have to stop anyway to put the charger on the car and hook it to the front in the grille area – I can’t do that in the garage as the garage is way too small. If I had done the electric door opener, I would not have smashed my finger.
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I’ll have to google what a trickle charger is! Never heard of it. I can’t imagine not having an automatic garage door opener. Our doors are big and heavy, plus there are the fingers that can get in the way.
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In retrospect I could have gotten it and eliminated any finger problems now or in the future, but I have to get out of the car to hook it up. This is my model. The car repair shop has it attached to the battery and a small cord comes out of the car grille area. I just attach the black connector cord (not in this picture) to the charger and plug it into the wall and it gives a small trickle of energy to keep the battery juiced. Since I work from home I don’t drive the car enough especially in the Winter months. The car shop suggested this when I had to get three batteries in 18 months, after going through the first prolonged Polar Vortex and running it every single morning. The car shop owner has one on his boat and the manager has a hot rod and keeps on his hot rod 24/7/365. It is only off when the car is out – the rest of the time, it is plugged in.
http://products.batterytender.com/Dion/Battery-Tender-Junior-12V-0-75A.html
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Wow! Interesting! I had no idea such a thing existed!
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I didn’t either Sabine so I wish the had suggested it earlier. I got it in the Fall of 2015. It is just enough “juice” to keep the battery fully charged at all times,
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Oh my, Linda, that looks terrible! 😞Did you get an x-ray to make sure it’s not broken?
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Yes, it really looked terrible on Friday – within a half hour it turned a dark reddish purple from bruising. It looked better today when I looked at it in the natural light and I could study it better. The light in the house is not that good. I think it is a bad feature with the door to have no gap in the panels, but I suspect most garage door customers have an automatic door opener. I have a small garage and I use a trickle charger on my car 24/7/365 as I work from home and don’t use the car much. I have to get out of the car to put the charger on before driving into the garage since there is no room at the front of the garage to attach it to the grille area – I have no choice but to get out of the car.
No I have not been x-rayed Pam because I could bend my first and second knuckle and my finger was straight. I am now able to hit the keyboard with that finger but I’ve kept it up in the air anyway. I am worried about my nail which is very numb, but was not damaged in the least. Considering what could have happened I consider myself very lucky (thus far). If I have any issues, I am going to to get an x-ray but I think the fingertip and pad of that finger are just sore because it is so bruised. Thanks for your concern – I have learned my lesson with this door.
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It’s also not to late to ice it if you haven’t done that. Ice it for as long as you can take it, give it a rest and then ice it again. Hope you heal quickly!🙏❤️
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I have been icing it, top and bottom, but not as much as the first day when it was so swollen and really tender – perhaps I should be icing it more then. I think the swelling has gone down a lot but the numb nail remains, however the nail is not discolored and nothing looks or feels wobbly. I have to get my monthly allergy shots this morning and I’m going to show it to the PA or doc while I am there to see what they say.
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You can keep icing until it’s not swollen anymore. Good luck at the doctor’s.💗
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Hi Pam – well I thought I could get a free look from the allergist or physician’s assistant, but doc was in the other office and PA was non-committal as to a break or hairline fracture on the fingertip, but she did agree if I could bend the knuckle, finger is straight, no breaks in the skin, that I was good. I cannot tell you how many garage spring stories I have heard since sharing my tale here and with friends … I want to get the word out to people to be careful and check their spring and cable, something I would not have known to do. I even asked how often this single-spring needs to be checked and the installer said every 2-3 years is fine. The concern is only applicable to old-style, two-spring doors (one large 2 1/2 foot X 3 inch spring one either side). I had some errands to do yesterday and when paying for my gas after a fill-up, my owner saw my finger and asked what happened and he showed me his index finger. He crushed his finger in 1999 when the spring flew off and he attempted to put it in place and the door panels crushed his finger. He had 10 pins put in the first segment of his finger and was casted from hand to shoulder for six months. I had to gulp and I had to realize how very fortunate I am. I am continuing to ice it several times a day and not use this finger though I can use the pad of my finger again. We had stormy weather last night and I shut down my computer and went to bed – the weather is very volatile this week and I am hoping that a power outage or storm damage does not configure into my string of bad karma. Thanks for your kind thoughts Pam. My boss is now on vacation until Sunday and I’m going to try and catch up here (finally) and just get a little down time.
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Wow, 10 pins! Who knew garage doors could be so dangerous!
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Amazing isn’t it Pam and I saw his finger was still crooked when he held out that finger to show me how it looked 20 years later.
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😩
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Linda, I am trying to visualize these door panels and spring? I have an automatic door opener on a button on the wall of the garage and a button in my car, so am having difficulty picturing it? Too bad the PA wouldn’t comment. At least you will have a long weekend to get caught up, even if it is hot as hell!
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Joni – the old door panels had a larger gap in between them, so I just grabbed onto the “gap” to pull the door up/down. It was probably a 1 1/2 inch space in between panels. The gap was there whether the door was open or shut. This garage door has no gaps between the panels now, except when the door is open. Once you start to close the door, the panels mesh together and part of the problem was that the installer had put lots of oil on the mechanism/track so when it rolled down, one tug brought it down quickly and it kept rolling down where my fingers were. I don’t know how it didn’t catch other fingers as I didn’t pull it down with just one finger and no other ones are injured. I am quite uneasy around it and while I finally “get” how the lock works, I have bought myself a new pair of heavy garden gloves with grippers to help pull the door down to reach the handle without going near the part that closes. The installer was very tall so I am sure it never dawned on him how people would get the door to go down with no “grab rope” – lucky I am tall. I did not get the electric door opener as my car is on a trickle charger in the garage 24/7/365. I have to get out of the car before I drive it in the garage so I can hook the gizmo to the front of the car (a little plug that runs out of the car grille). I can’t do it in the garage as it is a one-car garage and no room to access the front of the car once inside. This is because I have shelving units on the driver’s side all along the wall – it is a tight squeeze as it is bringing the car (Buick LaCrosse) in. I feel like I have to have my wits about me every time I go into the garage for what is pretty much a “no-brainer” thing! I am going to try to get caught up here today and tomorrow – I am now about 3 days behind and was behind in e-mail correspondence as well.
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Thanks for explaining…..yes, you are lucky it was only the one finger which was injured!
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I probably should have explained better in the post – it looks entirely different without the gap and the door is textured now too (raised up squares) giving it a totally different look. (Still not a fan of the whole experience!)
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I hope your finger is better now, or at least less painful. It may stay purple for awhile.
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Thank you – it actually looks better on the bottom, but the top is still a little colorful. I still worry about the nail as it is very numb.
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That’s good to hear, although it might be discolored for awhile? Numb might mean nerve damage? Does it still interfere with your typing?
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On top it is still bruised so hoping that is why it is numb? (Hopefully, ever the optimist.) It is very numb though and I am still holding it up in the air and typing with 9 fingers to not put pressure on the fingertip, though I sometimes forget and now don’t wince like before.
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That could be the reason, all the swelling is still there making it numb. Hope for the best! Did you ever get your new work computer installed properly and figured out? I know you were struggling with the set-up. I forgot to wish you Happy July 4th!
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Hi Joni – I accidentally deleted your other comment but read it – I am still typing with 9 fingers and my pinky finger did something and cannot find it – I have never had a dishwasher, our kitchen is too small, but I will ask my friend Carol – she is into cooking and just got a new dishwasher a few months ago – uses it sometimes 2X a day … she doesn’t mind making a mess as she loves to cook/bake. Will ask her later today about the leaking and I’m like you – the simpler the better. I set up the computer, got everything ready to go, new cord, etc. but then finally got into the computer (after PIN issues, etc.) and Ron has not configured it all the way so I can remote into work, just to web-based e-mail. I am frustrated with it as it is sitting on the stove until I can find a place to put it and have to move it when I move the stove. Going to ask him this week to configure the rest of it and put Word on there for me (Office 365 I guess it is called now) for when our system goes down. He has not finished this project at all and I don’t think Robb has gotten his laptop either.
I would not feed the squirrels as It was a problem with them sneaking in – even when it was not my mom at the door – they are cute, but will very quickly make themselves a little too familiar and demanding. I am trying to keep up here but have stayed offline alot of yesterday – having some swelling issues in my ankles and feet – too much sitting, so using the opportunity to stay on my feet – struggling to keep up in Reader and my own posts though – will defer my posts a few more days to catch up on others – saw you had one too. Will let you know re: the leaking – very scary to be told that after you install a new dishwasher – me, I’d be scared to use it. My handyman had a leak in his fridge last year one day when he was scheduled here for Summer gutter cleaning and tar/cement. The line broke and didn’t know how long it had been leaking until it came out under the fridge and he had a mess and had to retile.
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The plumber is a strange duck – it’s not the thing to say to someone who just had a dishwasher installed. Are your swollen feet/ankles something new for you? Or related to too much walking or too much sitting? Have you been able to walk much with the heat even early in the day? We had two torrential downpours during the night again, so I finally got up at 3am to check that there was no water in the basement, as I have all the kitchen stuff down there. It didn’t rain for long but hard when it did. Looking forward to the cool front moving in.
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I’ve had swollen ankles and feet over the last year not just in Summer and notice especially the ridges around my legs from my socks and I attribute it all to too much sitting, just like arm and not sitting correctly. I have gone to bed early and elevated my legs the last two days – did not walk yesterday at all as I was a little worried as I had red marks around my ankles when I came home from walking on the 4th and we had a heat advisory from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. – I am never sick, so all these things are just worrying me … arm, legs, but I do have to spend less time here or stand, which is what I am doing now while trying out the new computer on the stove top. So, I did walk this morning – ugh this humidity. It was about 90 percent humidity this morning and real feel of 80 I believe when I got up at 5:00 – we had the rain 2X overnight as well. We have a storm coming in this afternoon – supposed to hit our area primarily and they said late afternoon, so hopped on here and am on the new laptop as it’s been 3 weeks and wanted to see if it needed updates – none of my “favorites” are here and had to guess 3X for the password for WordPress. I hope I can remember the password for Facebook as Carol and I just communicate through there rather than e-mail – she usually mentions all her home issues and I know she just got a new dishwasher but said the old one was a workhorse and just died. It is a strange thing for the plumber to say, but notice he said it ‘after” the install, not before. I am looking forward to tomorrow through Tuesday’s cooler air and lack of humidity as well. I heard a revised weather report for Summer and this heat/humidity lasts thru August!
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I’ve already written the summer off anyway, expecting more of the same, although today (Sunday) was refreshing. I took my mom out to a gallery and supper, as she has been inside too much due to the heat. I find I get ridges sometimes on my ankles from socks, and I have skinny legs but some socks seem to be poorly made and too tight at the top binding. It’s hard to find a nice comfortable pair. I know it’s hard to spend less time on the computer, but I find the summer is always a quieter time on WordPress, which is disappointing when you spend a lot of time and effort on a post, but lots of people are away on vacation or not reading. When I posted re Pioneer Village, I had 54 visitors but only 9 likes. I never get 54 visitors unless it’s spam, more like 25-30. So who can figure it out? I just remember last summer as quiet on WordPress. It’s always difficult adjusting to a new laptop.
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I will try the Windows 10 laptop again tonight as I can stand and use it and I like the bigger screen. Robb (boss) is driving home from the cabin in Wiarton this morning (4 hour trip) and leaving early and may call on the way back so I’m going to ask him if Ron gave him his laptop – he is not done configuring it yet for me – I can’t do it as it requires administrator privileges that only Ron has. I have been using Windows 7 so many years, here and at work and am reluctant to part with it, but in January 2020 I won’t have a choice. We have had so few nice and humidity-free days, you feel like you want to get out and just seize the day. I’ll bet your mom enjoyed the outing. I have been wearing diabetic socks for years in the Summer and started when I noticed ridges around my lower calves too, and this was maybe even before the blogging took off. I get them at the grocery store and they are supposed to be non-binding and don’t have as much elastic at the top or in the feet but I switched to the short socks and they are Thorlos walking socks – bought others years ago as they are cushioned and like walking on air. Won’t be wearing them for awhile til I change my habits. They are in the health and beauty section of the store, probably a store like CVS would have them too (is Rexall comparable to CVS?) Here is the website Joni: http://www.medipeds.com
I notice not as many people reading/commenting or doing so later – I am still going to read/comment, but won’t try to accomplish everything in one evening and just do comments in the a.m. and will be a bit behind, but will be better as to hours spent at the computer in the long run. Yes, it is frustrating and for many year I wrote and only my neighbor read my posts, then friend Ann Marie … two people reading for the first 4 1/2 years.
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That’s a good idea re the diabetic socks. I’ll check it out. I’ve bought a few pairs for my mom for the non-binding feature but never thought of it for myself. I found a nice brand McGregor of cushioned socks at Sears a few years ago and stocked up before they closed. I think a lot of people are reading but later too, myself included. Some days I’m caught up, but some days I’m 2 or 3 behind. And several people whose posts I follow haven’t been posting at all due to computer issues etc.
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Well I was two days behind and wanted to write a post tonight but figured I’d better catch up first. I’ve been going to bed early every night due to my legs which are now back to normal, but I thought if I post, I’ll be three days behind, so abandoned it in favor of Reader and comments.
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Good luck catching up!
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I’m almost done with comments, did not return to Reader and I’ll have to my post another time. Sigh. If we don’t have those predicted storms, I’ll do it tomorrow night. I have a ton of pictures to make into various posts.
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I’ve pretty much given up on a post this weekend, although I have The Blue Garden drafted, I don’t have time to sort through the pics. Taking mom for groceries, then home to start putting stuff in cupboards, just the basic stuff I use every day which is currently residing in boxes in the dining room…I’m tired of searching for everything. Supposed to storm in pm, and too hot again.
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I had thought maybe a quick post today, but figured I should get caught up on e-mail first and Facebook too. I subscribe to news sites and various park sites and don’t want to get behind and Carol posts quite a lot so catch up with her. I will do a post tomorrow for sure though- I am at least three days behind here. We had really hot weather today – 90 degrees and tomorrow is good and a solid week of heat and mid-week storms. Really, I despair with this weather. At least you are making progress – it must feel good after all the weeks of living out of boxes.
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I barely made a dent – two boxes, but then I only worked for 2 hours tonight. The afternoon got away on me with errands and visiting etc. I couldn’t handle the heat, thinned out the lettuce today and that was enough, back into the A/C. Next week looks bad again.
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They said it would be cooler today – “seasonal” and I was sweltering in the heat at the butterfly garden event – granted it was a beautiful day – but I was really hot. Maybe it’s us?
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Today was beautiful here, 75 sunny, refreshing breeze, no humidity. Nicest day of the summer so far. I took my mom for a drive downriver this afternoon, and wow lots of the docks are almost under water the river level is so high. Some of the boat ramps are closed as the water is splashing into the parking lots. Those are expensive houses, although the road is between the houses and the strip of land with the docks for the most part, but I would be concerned if I lived along there. Riverfront property won’t hold its value if the road washes out which it will if it gets much higher. It actually made me a bit nervous driving along it, as I don’t like being that close to the water! I know you have mentioned the Detroit River being high too, but is it affecting the docks?
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It was not bad here this morning but it has gotten hotter and more humid with a 10-degree hike in the dew point and that started some storms, not here yet. We have the same thing with lakeshore flooding – that’s why I’ve not been to Lake Erie Metropark in months, same with Elizabeth Park. I saw that on the island where the 5K was held on Memorial Day – it is beautiful and pricey lakefront property and the water was also creeping up higher and higher. You could see there were ramps and pylons, all underwater – people had put sticks with flags on top but what is happening here is that pleasure boats are crashing into pylons and ramps if they are not familiar with the area because they think it is water and don’t realize there is anything beneath the water – very scary. This weather is pretty scary as well. We are now getting notice of the high heat index you mentioned to me yesterday – this is going to be a long and horrible week – they say chances for storms most days – watch the power outages start, if not from storms, then from A/C overuse.
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Today was the best day of the week or so they predict – good thing, I will stay inside and unpack this week, made some progress today. We had a bit of rain after supper which we needed otherwise I would have had to water everything. I don’t have to go out until Friday which will be the worst day – 115 with Humidex which is just crazy! We haven’t had much problem with power outages lately, but if everyone gets overusing the A/C we might….something else to worry about!
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I know – we have that on Saturday and Sunday as well – no break til next Tuesday and likely that is same scenario for you too. I lost my power last June – there was a storm, but the power went out first before the storm according to the energy provider when I called to report it when I got up in the a.m. and realized no power. I always shut my A/C off when we have a storm as I don’t want a lightning strike, so I didn’t notice that it was not as cool in here. They said we may get 97 on Saturday and will tie a record from 1977 on that day. They said on the weather report that 1977 was one of the hottest Springs and Summers on record. I walked at the Park this morning – was going to go to walk at the grocery store, but there was a bit of a breeze, so I stuck it out. If it is too hot as the week progresses, I’ll just go to Meijer and enjoy the A/C instead of melting.
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I hate it….plan on staying in as much as I can, made progress today, spend 3 hours measuring and cutting up shelf liner for the cupboards and hated every minute of it…have been twice to the dollar store to get more. Put food items in pantry. Tomorrow pots and pans and sort through rest of stuff in basement to see what I’m keeping…a lot of it is just junk….am thinking of having a garage sale if there is enough of it. Will leave dishes until weekend, as it is the same forecast here. Rain, humidity, and more of the same……forever…..what a summer.
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Joni – I asked my friend Carol about the dishwasher – she loves to cook and I know uses her dishwasher several times a day, probably more now that her husband is retired and living there again … (he is an engineer and worked out of state in NC the past five years after getting laid off at GM). Anyway … Carol’s message to you is this and I’ll bet if you have any questions after reading this, I can connect the two of you, okay?
There should be no leaks at all if he’s installed it properly. I did have one leak in the plumbing that ran from the water line under the sink to the dishwasher in the configuration that was there when we bought the house. The dishwasher was old and the piping too. Before I had a new dishwasher installed they replaced the old PVC or whatever it was with copper and a shut off valve under the sink. Never had issues with that replacement, the electronics went out on it and the cost to fix as great as buying new. Dishwasher itself is designed for water tightness. Use away, with abandon! That way you will also find out if he installed the plumbing fittings well, and call the little bugger back if he didn’t. Go downstairs to check the ceiling periodically and then forget about it except every four or five months or so looksee.
In an apartment I lived in there was wood trim on the counter edge over the top of the dishwasher door. The steam from a vent in the old design dishwasher eventually ruined the wood. You don’t see that nowadays. The other thing to watch for is if you open the dishwasher door during a cycle it will stop, no problem, but water/condensation may trickle out onto the floor at the lower hinges. If you have wood floors, be sure to wipe it up. I love dishwashers. Tell her to enjoy! Follow the recommendations for loading, clean the filter regularly and all will be well. It’s a much more sanitary way to clean your dishes than by hand. I have wood floors now.
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Tell Carol thanks for the info! It is reassuring. So many people have dishwasher’s if they were that bad no one would have them. After he made his comment re not having one in his house. I said, “you’re scaring me” and he said most of the time they’re not installed properly. But that still doesn’t explain why he doesn’t have one himself, when his wife/who also doubles as his secretary/scheduler told me she got a brand new kitchen a few years ago? Maybe she just likes doing dishes. I agree, my mom’s dishes come out sparkly clean. The drain hose is connected through a hole in the wall down to the laundry room below, NOT to the kitchen sink, so even if it did leak it would leak into the laundry room, not into the kitchen cupboards, IMO. I guess I don’t like the model I bought, but then I am comparing it to my moms which is old and simpler. I bought it because it was a Maytag and had a ten year parts warranty and I have had good luck with Maytag washer and dryer and fridge, and it is fingerprint resistant, as I don’t like the stainless steel ones that show fingerprints. I can see the point re the water leaking out at the bottom if you open the door, but I have laminate floors so should be okay. I decided not to try it out until Tuesday, in case there is a problem over the weekend and the plumber is at his cottage, plus once I get my stove back I can cook/bake something and see if I can get an initial full load, to calibrate the thing. I had to return LED light bulbs to Lowe’s today which the electrician said were wrong (I swear I live there) and they had a lot of nicer dishwashers on sale which I liked better. I also don’t like the sink and faucet the plumber ordered for me, as it is brushed satin stainless steel, instead of the regular stainless steel I was expecting, and while it looks nice dry I can tell it’s going to be hard to keep clean and spotless. It’s my fault for not picking it out myself, but I couldn’t find much which would fit in the small space allotted and trusted him too much. Live and learn. At least it will match the brushed nickel hardware pulls.
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I will tell Carol thanks from you – I knew she could help you out and she uses hers constantly as she loves cooking and baking and is a foodie, making a lot of effort for meals, even when it was just her and then her sister living with her, now the three of them. It is scary and as you know, when a water issue happens, it is a mess. I have had a hot water tank spring a leak and what a mess downstairs and a broken water line in the bathroom – also a big mess. A few years ago I had the appliance store guy in to clean out the dryer lint … the other tech, who was now retired, just took off the tumbler and cleaned it out that way. I take a dryer sheet and clean the lint off each time I use the dryer, but we always got it done about every 3 years. So this guy comes in and says he cleans from the back part of the dryer – he had to move stuff and he moved the hose that comes from the A/c and drains into the laundry tub. Was I supposed to check he put it back? No, I did not and he did not and it ran constantly on a very hot day into the laundry room. I had a mess and only discovered it as my Comcast went out and I had to reboot the modem and waiting around for the nodem to reboot before going upstairs and wandered into the laundry room and discovered the mess. It was 4:55 p.m. and the store closed and I said i need someone to move the washer and dryer as it is all soaking wet and water everywhere – “sorry, we close at 5:00 ma’am.” I had to pay him under the table to come out and move it and return 24 hours after having fans trained on that area to dry it.
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God what a nightmare. That is exactly the kind of thing that usually happens to me too. I’ve never heard of cleaning dryer lint from the back? I just clean the front part myself. Why should you have had to pay him when it was his fault for putting them back!
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I clean the front part myself too every time I do a load of laundry and I scrape off the lint with the dryer sheet, but the original tech used to take out the tumbler and clean up the pipe that goes to the outside – he had a special vacuum cleaner that snaked up into the pipe and he’d pull out lots of lint (towels mostly or sweat shirts and sweat pants), and he clean up the tumbler and put it back. This guy went from the back and took the back off – I was not happy with that and then he tackled cleaning out the pipe. I try to tumble dry stuff so not as much lint occurs – I don’t want him back for a while. Plus I had two times where the new plumbers (now former plumbers) opened up the basement big drains in two places and broke up the cement, tore up the tile, and I had to repaint – just got it looking nice and then water seeped up the second floor pipe under the sink and had to have him back – a bigger mess and more money. Got it all cleaned up and the guy with the dryer. I painted over Thanksgiving the second time (the first time I painted where they dug up the basement in the laundry room over Fourth of July weekend). He wanted money as his day was done – they closed at 5:00 – I begged him to come and move the washer and dryer all the way out so I could clean behind – and, he did it in a hurry and spun the foot off and I had to have them back as the washer was dancing across the laundry room floor – I was leaning over, hugging the washer to finish its load so I could shut it off and noticed water seeping out of the floor drain – my 2017 was just horrible. That’s not counting the insulation mess either in early June.
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It sounds like you have had more than your fair share of plumbing disasters! Maybe today will be the day I’m brave enough to try the dishwasher?
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Carol wrote me a one line message that said she had a KitchenAid and the no-fingerprints surface too. I said “you have no kids” and she said “but I have MaryBeth and David” (her sister and husband). Hope you tried it and it worked well and you don’t need the plumber to be on speed dial!
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I bit the bullet and turned it on at 7pm, on Auto which according to the manual is supposed to take 3 hours, esp the first cycle when it calibrates, which seems crazy. But it stopped the wash cycle after 1:45 hrs and is drying now. I checked the basement several times, and it seems to be draining okay, but after it stopped the wash cycle I thought I could hear dripping, well a few drips, although the back of the cupboards where the drain hose is looks dry. I wonder if a bit of dripping when it’s draining is normal? My neighbour told me his cycle takes a long time, but my mom’s 20year old one is done in about an hour. I’ll keep an eye on it and next time use the Quick cycle. My dishes aren’t that dirty anyway, no pots and pans as I just got my stove back and haven’t cooked anything, except brownies! I need a sweet treat!
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Glad you ventured and did it – I’d have been scared as well, but good there were no leaks or nothing happened. Brownies sound like the perfect treat – even better than a cup of that nice cocoa you wrote about last year!
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Oh my – your hands look terrible and sending healing wishes your way!
and that car is just a baby – that is super low miles –
—
🙂
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Thanks for the healing wishes Yvette – it looks much better now, compared to how it looked on Friday night and then on Saturday morning when these pictures were taken. It IS a baby and spends 99% of the time tucked away in the garage. My prior car was a 1988 Buick Regal and it was 21 years old with 64,000 miles when I got this car … I had many electrical issues with it and it was not safe to drive any more – I’d be driving along and it would just stop in the middle of the street.
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oh that is scary to have a car do that to you – I think it was around 2007 when my friend had that happen with her one-year-old GMC – it was a big beautiful car and had shorts and did cut out on her – she went Honda after that – but I heard GMC is a lot better now.
anyhow, 21 years with 64,000 miles – wow
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Yes, it was no longer safe and reliable and though I took the bus to work at the time (I worked in downtown Detroit), there were just too many incidents of it shutting down completely to be safe. I took it to the car service shop and left it there so they would drive it around town with a “code detector”on it so that when it failed, they could read the code. They finally did that when it died for them, and then it started having problems when the brake switch turned ion and depleted the battery – sigh.
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I hope overnight its healed still more. Your boss is going away today, I hope that means no work. If yeah, d’you like baths? As in anything relaxing you can do without using your finger? No need to reply to this, I’ll know you’ve read it either way. Maybe you can get extra me time over your hols. Shame its stormy 😦
I hope and pray that your nail stays okay. Lotsa hugs from the UK.
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I think it does not hurt as much – I keep studying the nail as it is so numb and no feeling and want to know if that is normal 3 1/2 days later – I will ask the allergist today to give it a quick look and tell me if I should be concerned. I like baths too – very relaxing. I am glad for a few days off – have one more small work thing to and just monitor ph0ne and e-mail today and tomorrow. It is sickening hot already and not only that,m they say severe weather and I am hoping to catch up in Reader later today so hope that doesn’t happen as I turn off the laptop during bad storms. Thanks for the hugs – giving them back to you Eliza!
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Oww, that finger looks very sore. Hope it gets better soon.
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It is doing much better Clare and I can actually touch things with my finger without wincing in pain. The bruising is not so colorful either and I am hoping I don’t lose my nail – I understand that is very painful.
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Glad it’s getting better, Linda.
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It is Clare – I am still using 9 fingers only, but can “pounce” down on a little better on the keyboard now, and I hope the nail numbness goes away soon. Every time I use the door, I am apprehensive though, even though I bought a pair of heavy gloves to still push the panel up/down to reach the handle.
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we each have our turn with finger crunching! I more than most I suspect!
On the first day of work (I was the surveyor for a underground project) one of the workers underground (in a pressurized tunnel) accidentally cut his toes off! I was the only one up top in the control room at the time. I had to call the ambulance and go to the Hospital with him. It was horrific!
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I was running errands yesterday and one errand was at the gas station where I was chatting with the owner. He saw my finger when I went to pay and asked what happened. He proceeded to tell me that he had the same thing happen with a spring going ballistic but no damage to his car as it was not in the garage. However, he decided to do what he thought was a “simple fix” and put the spring back on the cable. So, he got that done without any special tools then the door was not rolling properly on the track, so then he made a bad move by monkeying with it. The door moved and trapped his fingers, one he could get free, the index finger he could not and it was crushed and the fingertip had to be sewn back on, pins in his finger and in a cast from fingers to shoulder for six months. I felt kind of sick hearing this and told him I sure was lucky. Hearing your co-worker’s ordeal is scary and you had to deal with being with him when he was in excruciating pain. I hope he passed out and was not seeing the toes? I have no doubt it was horrific. My father had a co-worker lose his hand when a die came down the wrong way and crushed his hand in front of the other diemakers. My finger is doing better and looks better and I am going to concentrate on getting caught up here and writing a post … a nature post by tomorrow, unless bad weather interferes and I shut down my computer like last night – the weatherman … “no storms for Wayne County, then well maybe you might get the tail end, then better be prepared to seek shelter” … I am off to walk in the heat and humidity.
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oh that does sound like a sticky situation! Bet it doesn’t make your finger feel any better………hit your toe with a hammer,I bet your finger won’t be hurting anymore!
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Yes, a great diversion to keep my mind off of it. I am getting used to typing with 9 fingers once I got the hang of it. I am making progress because Saturday morning it hurt that finger when I used the mouse.
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I missed this post in WP Reader but since I hadn’t seen you post in a while came looking for you. Hope your finger is getting better. We will all miss your posts Linda. Hope you got some “Me time” as well.
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Thanks Ruth – I really did a number on my finger and I am doing better with typing, though still just using 9 fingers. It is not as black and blue as before and now a lighter color and mostly the nail hurts now and tip of the finger. I was busy at work the end of last week, then of month end and the upcoming holiday but my boss is gone now so I am trying to catch up here … hopefully. I still have some photos I took a couple of weeks ago but then had all the things going on here so didn’t get back to them. I will try to do that tomorrow. It just feels good for things to settle down. Did you have any issues with the weather yesterday? I think it missed you and mainly the northern suburbs, though we had an alert for a while Downriver and some rumbles so I just shut down last night and went to bed. I hope all these rain and storms this week is not going to mess up the crops you just got planted.
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I am glad you are on the mend. I actually chuckled a little after reading that post and that you were having a hard time typing but then saw all the comments and your thoughtful replies even though you were in pain.
We didn’t have any warnings but had a heavy rain come through yesterday evening. No damage or power outages. Everything is well watered that’s fore sure.
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I was kind of shell shocked after I did it Ruth – it happened so fast and honestly, I’ve been doing the garage door like this for decades. I am getting good at typing with 9 fingers – I know if I forget and pounce down on it, that it will hurt, so I use other fingers. I am glad I gave you a chuckle and I am very mindful that it could have much worse, so I am grateful for that.. Glad you had no issues from the storm, the second severe storm in less than a week. My boss was driving home from work on Friday afternoon and called to ask about my finger and I had just heard the news and told him a hailstorm was coming to downtown Detroit. Our office is one mile away and sure enough five minutes later, large hail was pelting the car. It’s going to be a long Summer if these storms and heat spikes keep up.
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Oh no Linda. I hope you are not in too much pain x x x x
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Thanks Zena – it is looking much better than a week ago today when I smashed it – it was very painful and I hope I am out of the woods now though I am still typing with just 9 fingers and hope I don’t lose my fingernail as I understand that is very painful,
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Oh bless you ❤
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Oh, man, it is so painful just looking at your pictures! I’ve not been reading emails for a few days (due to having visitors) so I just saw this post. I hope your fingers are doing better now. It sounds like you are still having weird weather… maybe it’s the new normal for us all.
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It is better now (color-wise as not so black and blue), but the top is the worst as the nail is very numb, so hitting it occasionally on the keys while typing is bad. I am still typing with 9 fingers for a while longer. Our weather is terrible – horribly hot and humid and stormy, but nothing like California’s rumblings – I thought of you with the first earthquake – hope you are far enough away to not be affected?
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We felt a little swaying from the larger one on the 5th, but nothing else. I’d like to think these tremors were a wake-up call, but I imagine most of us are still unprepared for “the big one.”
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The national news is saying that because there were no large earthquakes in 20 years that many people had not taken precautions like before – but this is a wake-up call for sure, not to mention all the aftershocks. I’m also hearing on the news that many people are sleeping outside as they worry about another earthquake rattling their home.
Good luck with this new earthquake situation Janis – hopefully Mother Nature is done rockin’ and rollin’ the earth for a while.
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Oh wow, sorry I missed this. That looks and sounds so painful! Really hope it is feeling better now.
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Thanks – no problem – I am sorely behind too (pardon the pun). It is doing so much better, but I attribute that to still typing with 9 fingers so no pressure is put on that finger or nail.
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Oh dear, I’m sure your finger is still very painful. X
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It is getting better – will be three weeks this Friday.
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Pleased it is getting better.
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I was wondering what you did, on the previous post they mentioned your finger. Habits are hard to break sometimes. The garage door man said don’t do that. 🙂 That looked very painful.
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Oh Sandra, I could not really use the DSLR for a good month, and even then, it was painful since my fingertip on my right-hand ring ringer was swollen tender for a few months. So I would normally curl my fingers around the “grip bar” and felt like I did not have a secure grip. I was lucky I did not break anything and/or lose my fingernail/infection, etc. Unbelievably that happened on June 7th and I just cut off the last portion of damaged nail the last time I cut my nails. It had bubbled up (for lack of a better way to describe it) … the nail was yellowish and had tiny bubbles underneath and raised up a bit, but never fell off, but I feel I was fortunate … yes, I’ve shut the garage door like that for many decades. The owner’s son who came to repair the door, then sold me the door, scheduled the install for three days later, asked me if I wanted an electric garage door opener. I said that my car is on a battery trickle charger, which means when I come home, I have to park in the driveway, hop out and connect the front of the car (a cord in the grille area) to the trickle charger and then drive into the garage – it is a single car garage, with only a small amount of space on either side and I cannot walk to the front of the car – so I have to get out of the car anyway. So, four weeks later, the door came off the track (and these are people that do nothing but install/service garage doors and have been in business for many decades having bought the business from Taylor Door when the original owners retired). The father came to the house when I took a photo and sent to him via Facebook – he said “why didn’t you get an electric door opener – this will continue to happen?” I said your son just asked “do I want one – not ‘you need this’ – so can I get it retrofitted?” He laughed and got into his truck. So it has not happened again and I have to decide what to do, but am very annoyed about the whole thing. He had a spring – perhaps I should have just gotten the new spring and been done with it – a neighbor came over to tell me that a friend of his had the garage door spring shoot out and go through the back window, zooming into the front and damaging the front dashboard. Now going to get going … will be back here later … though a 60-degree day will be temping to not return at all.
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Yes a remote door is ideal. We don’t have a garage at the cabin, so I won’t have to worry about that door anymore either. I have never had a garage until this house in town. I have always lived in the country, so parking outside was the only option. I will catch up with you later, heading outside also. Have a good day Linda.
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I’ll likely have to have it installed this Summer … I am tall and used to lifting heavy things, but it is really a chore to pull the door up and down.
I wish the son had mentioned that it was not a good idea to have manual when he sold it to me.
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I am not sure but I think you can add the remote gadgets after installing a new door. I am not that good with mechanical stuff. It would be nice to have. Sometimes the little conveniences like that make a big difference. I would guess that if I had to open the door by hand, at one point I would have done the same thing. That is like walking into a store and the door clearly has a sign that says ” Use other Door”, I usually miss that and try to open the wrong door anyway. 🙂 I get distracted easy.
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I am thinking I will contact them – I don’t know why the guy laughed and got in the truck and drove away. I was just thinking to keep things simple – all the more things to go wrong and since I had to get out of the car anyway, it seemed logical just to leave it as it was. I am often distracted too Sandra. I once walked into a door after seeing “Love Story” at the show with my friend. She and I walked out of the movie, both crying and I was ahead of her and walked into the entrance, not exit. Lucky I did not break my nose.
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I have to get out of the car also and go around it, then close the garage as I walk into the house. It works good, not to much fuss. It is a small garage also. And when I do something like try to open the wrong door, I am not even looking at a phone. I am just thinking of other things. I don’t know how people do it that are looking at their phones all the time. 🙂
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They just had the statistics on how many people ran into things or fell while looking at their phone. I have enough “incidents” without looking down at a phone (I have a flip phone, as you know, so not much to see.)
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🙂 So do I, my mind is always working overtime. Especially if I see sparkles somewhere. Distractions 🙂 I did graduate from the flip phone. But I don’t look at mine all the time. There isn’t anything to look at on it, compare to what I see around me. It is good to have for the internet though for traveling and GPS, We have the GPS that fits on the dash of the car, but it does not work as well as the one on the phone. We use both though.
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Too much floats past our eyes and into our brains – that is why walking in nature is nice – you can just get lost in what you see and not have distractions (hopefully). There is a guy who lets his dog run in the Park off leash – dogs are not allowed, let alone off leash. So I had done one loop, then along he came with the dog – the dog chases the squirrels up a tree and they are up there shaking and won’t come down again. I have never used GPS – I have no sense of direction, believe me. I was looking at directions to Crosswinds Marsh and have to think about whether I will go – but I have to go soon as it is a haven for mosquitoes and ticks once it greens up since it is mostly all marshland. I don’t find it bad at Lake Erie Metropark as it is more open. Got enough worries with the Coronavirus – we have two people ill with it and the Governor has declared a state of emergency – many colleges in Michigan are now closed, even the courts are not allowing jury trials – all suspended for now … wow, scary. Good thing you are done traveling until you return home to Michigan for Summer.
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Yesterday I was watching a guy with a real nice camera sitting on the edge of the river pointing it downstream, his dog was running back and forth and he was photographing it. I imaging those photos will turn out real nice. It is pretty muddy right now where he was at. Everything is muddy though this time of year. There are a lot of ticks up north, I keep the grass pretty short where the dogs run, that helps and I make my own tick repellent that seems to work pretty good, with lemon extracts and others essential oils. I put it on the dogs legs and they did not have any ticks last year.
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I am thinking if we have the torrential rains for Spring, it may raise the water level like it did last year and water was all over the walking paths at Elizabeth Park and Lake Erie Metropark – they closed off trails at the latter venue and amazing to see park benches from the shoreline sitting in the water as the water had come up that far. There is a lot of construction right now and that will be problematic so hopefully they are wrong about the rainy Spring. I worried about the ticks last year – do you put that tick repellent on yourself too? The reason I ask is that my friend who lives in a rural area near Windsor, Ontario (Kingsville) likes tracking with her dogs and her property is near a field, so she makes up a repellent made from a mixture of Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil by Avon. I don’t remember what else is in it – but I think I have the recipe – she puts it on herself. The only reason I’ve not tried it is because it is bath oil, so greasy and if you are wearing pants, they’d get greasy or getting grease on the camera, so I just skip places where there are ticks.
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Yes I use the tick spray on myself also. I put it in a spray bottle and spray my shoes and lower pant legs. It is a bit sticky because of the lemon water. But it is better than the commercial stuff with all the chemicals in it. You have to bring 3 lemons to a boil in water and steep them for about 3 hours. And then I put it in spray bottles with eucalyptus oils or lavender, pretty much any oil like that. seems to help.
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Thank you – that sounds easy enough for me Sandra … I think I will try that. I’ve been concerned the last year … if it was not the ticks, it was the mosquitoes and then not just the regular mosquitoes but the West Nile Virus fears and then the EEE fears end of last year. Now as of last night, we have 12 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Michigan … we jumped from 2 to 12 in the course of a day. Good thing you are staying put and not traveling around too much and your trip to Florida was before the U.S. outbreak ramped up. The people who are big on watching sports and going to concerts or big group things like 5K walks/runs will be hurt by the lack of having these things in their lives … for me, I did a few 5Ks last year to try out two new ones (I walked in the other two for education and a food pantry before), but I didn’t intend to walk any this year anyway, and would not do it this year … we (you/me) can self-entertain in nature …. that I hope will not be impacted unless we get sick.
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Yes, I am not interested in doing those walks or runs. To many people for me. I would rather enjoy the quiet of nature like you. And when I was at the lagoon the other day, the geese were loud and squawking, I love that kind of noise. It is music to my ears next to nature.
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I usually did the two (Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry at Heritage Park) and the Lincoln Park Education Foundation (Council Point Park) … did them several years. Last year I did a fundraiser for animal shelters around here – people brought their dogs on the walk – it was fun and it I tried out a new park and discovered the Ford Estate (Henry Ford/Clara Ford’s home/mansion for many years) so went back there for a look-see on my own. The mansion is being renovated the last 3-4 years and supposed to be done this year or next year … I don’t know if I’d go inside as that doesn’t interest me, but I roamed around for hours and hours on the grounds which was full of wildflowers, butterflies, bees, some birds … have not done that post yet … did it last August. I wanted to go back in the Spring, as the guard at the estate said to return when the lilacs are in bloom. They have ripped up that part of Michigan Avenue in Dearborn so maybe I won’t be going there this year as the traffic congestion has been bad – but you don’t pay to look, and can go anytime (during the daytime … no gates, etc.) The other 5K I did was for education too but it was on Grosse Ile and it took a scenic route through the big neighborhoods … I thought it would be nice to see since there is nowherer to park on the island and so you can only see it if you drive by … that’s why I took the lighthouse tour – I parked at the historical society and then was on an organized tour. There is absolutely nowhere to park, except maybe a scvhool parking lot – I don’t know my way around there – went back four times to get the feel of where I cvould go and found a small woodsy area, but no animals … they have lots of deer there. A fellow walker at Council Point Park told me how to find that wooded area. However …. in May they are closing the free bridge all Summer for bridge repair – last Winter they shut it down for a week for emergency repair and everyone went crazy –
even people who live on the island had to use/pay for the toll bridge (not free to residents through taxes) so it will be closed for a long time … so no trips back there. I was not walking in any 5Ks anyway, even without the Coronavirus.
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I can see where some of those would be interesting if they let you go places you can’t normally get to. We have alot of the old mansions along the Mississippi River. I find the architecture so interesting. I do like to go in the old mansions that have been turned into museums. To see how things used to be. The insides are so pretty compared to the new homes. So unique. I just like to go at my own pace instead of being in groups. I watch videos from other people that go to the big national parks on tour groups, and there are so many people. I will just take the back roads and try to see something new. Today there were so many red winged black birds out. I went to a lake way out in the country. You have to drive out there to see a sunrise. The birds were just singing away. So peaceful.
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I like hearing the birds at the Park … I have a post I want to write to go with some pictures I took of several days in a row in brutally cold weather when it was cold, but clear – but the water was very icy. It is nice to have the Park to yourself sometimes and experience it quietly. The sunrise sounds lovely – one day I hope I will do a sunrise or sunset.
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I have to leave early in the morning to get to this one particular park, it is out in the country, about a 20 minute drive. But that is the only place to actually see a sunrise. I can’t see them either when I am in town. No one goes to this park that early in the morning, a few fishermen start showing up after the sun is up is about all. It is one of those man made lakes, very pretty and surrounded by pastures.
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It is worth it as you get beautiful pictures Sandra. This morning I was listening to the news and they said that the sunrise was very pink and to go out and look and sure enough it was gorgeous – but you are right, taking a picture inside the house and having treetops and rooftops in the picture is not nice at all.
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Or the pictures have to many power lines in them in town. I do like it when the sky’s turn pink. I am still waiting to see the pelicans get here on the river, I will be down there a lot when they get here. They are fun to photograph because they fly so smoothly across the water. Easier to follow with a camera.
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That sounds like fun – I wish we had them here. I have seen no herons in a while and find that strange.
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I know, just like when I was in Florida and we could not find any birds. Must have been the wrong place at the wrong time.
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