Super miserable weather . . .

Northern  Mockingbird

I think it has been raining for about 14 hours and it is still coming down. The lower lawn looks like a small pond! I suppose I should have taken my potted plants onto the porch but they are so soaked right now I’ll just hope they survive. Perhaps we’ll get some drying out tomorrow although the forecast doesn’t bode well for any sunshine. I helped out at the Early Learning Center today and I was impressed with the lady who was subbing for the regular teacher. Since the kiddos couldn’t go out and play she set up three different play areas in the classroom and assigned 3 children to each play area. After 10minutes she shifted them to different play areas and sometimes changed the kiddos in the various groups. It worked out very well. Some of the little ones wanted to change places or go to a different area than the one assigned but she was firm and they complied! Cool beansies!

It was the last day of work for one of the teachers and the administration bought lunch for all and sundry. My goodness, I ate much too much for lunch. I had chosen Chicken Fajitas and they came with absolutely everything possible including extra corn chips, salsa and whatever else can be imagined! I ate all of the chicken, vegetables and sauces but gave the lady I was working with everything else to take home for her kids. I don’t feel like cooking supper tonight but P&D’s Pop must eat so I guess I’ll have to start cooking soon. I should never eat a big lunch. It makes me lazy!

Quote:  The phrases that men hear or repeat continually end by becoming convictions and ossify the organs of intelligence.   ____Goethe

Neighborhood impressions . . .

Snapdragon

Decided I needed to walk the circle last evening. It's amazing how beautiful and calm our neighborhood is. Yesterday morning as I was out for my regular exercise one of our neighbors called to me and wanted me to choose a birdhouse out of the many her Uncle had made over the years. It was so thoughtful. They know how much I enjoy the birds and they themselves have many bird houses on their property. I think we must be feeding the neighborhood with all of our feeders! As I was roaming around I saw a lost Canada Goose. He was flying overhead and honking. I think he must have been looking for his compatriots as he flew by at least three times in widening circles. I don't think I would normally feel sorry for a Canada Goose as they are dirty birds as far as I am concerned but I did feel badly as I've never seen a lone goose crying. I hope he's found his family and friends!

Today we ended up at James's Grill for breakfast and it was an eye opener! The restaurant has been sold and one of the new owners was sitting at a back table.  They have already cleaned up a lot of the junk that had been displayed on the shelves for years and there were no prices listed for the meals! P&D's Pop knew what was coming next when he went to pay. It cost him a whopping $1 more than usual. I have no idea if they will be able to keep the prices as low as they are.  Even paying the extra $1 is cheap.  He always has 2 eggs, grits, grilled sausage and a huge biscuit while I have a large pancake with one fried egg on top along with 2 coffees and refills for about $12. The waitress who usually waited on us came to tell us that she is now the manager and is finding it hard to not wait on everyone.  Rony has been there 16 years!  What's cool is that the cook was the one I like who makes my pancake with crispy edges! It'll be interesting to see the changes as they go along. It's a very old dilapidated building so any improvements will be great.

In the mood to complain about my new glasses which I'll be returning and also to complain about the stand in for my poor sick Cardiologist but in stead I'll just go and listen to my Audible.  That always puts me in a good mood.

Quote:  A picture is a poem without words. ____Horace

Disgruntled I am . . .

House Finch

Mama Eastern Bluebird

Female House Finch

Liked the colours!

Beautiful, beautiful Finches!

That is all for now. I'm disgruntled with Facebook but it's just me finding it boring and also allowing it to waste my time. Not sure if I will be able to control my urge to see how my friends are doing though! So who knows? I might be back there tomorrow!  What a farce am I creating! And to all a Good Night!

Quote:  He is great enough who is his own master. ___________Bp. Hall

Best on a raw, cold, wet day in Louisiana . . .

I asked P&D’s Pop to find us a movie we could go to today because the weather is a bit misérable but he couldn’t find anything even close to worth our time. He was looking at me askance as I was checking out Amazon Prime on the TV because, for some reason of his very own, he doesn’t seem to like the shows or movies on Prime one iota! I pooh-poohed him and continued to search until I found something that I bookmarked. I had to save it because he came in from The Shed and said ‘We just have time to go to The Birdman Café before they stop serving breakfast.’ What a perfect trip we had up I 10 to 110 to 61 in 45 minutes to St. Francisville.

The Café was busy as all get out and we had to sit at a table instead of the counter where I love to sit and watch the cook cook. Their River Road Coffee is nice and rugged even in the decafe mode for moi! Grampa had his usual breakfast of eggs, grits and biscuits while I had the superb Sweet Potato Waffle with lots of butter and cane syrup. This was a heavenly breakfast plus I did myself a very good deed too. I spoke with the lady owner and offered to buy a painting she had done years ago if she ever decides she wants to sell it. I was told by one of the waitresses last year that it is the iconic art work that embodies the spirit of the Birdman and is not for sale even though most of the art on the walls  by local artists is for sale. As I was enjoying my waffle I had a brainstorm so as we were leaving I spoke with the owner about my idea: she should have her painting copied and made into note cards to sell in her unique breakfast  café. She liked the idea so much that she said she is going to do it! I can’t wait to buy boxes of the finished product. I’ll never have to buy note cards again! I’m so brilliant I scare myself!

Before we left St. Francisville we stopped by My Mississippi; I had to feel the water and enjoy its wonder. 

Quote:  Knowledge is the consequence of time, and multitude of days are fittest to teach wisdom.  ____Collier

A couple of observations . . .

Red-headed Woodpecker

We’ve had medical insurance problems since the Connecticut Teacher’s Retirement Board changed to Anthem on July 1st. They seem to have corrected themselves as we haven’t received any extra doctors’ bills in a while! But now the dental insurance is cause for concern - well, not exactly Cigna rather the dental office we usually go to has changed hands since our young dentist died a few months ago after returning from his daughter’s destination wedding in Cancun. So . . . P&D’s Pop and I went for our routine cleanings with the new dentist and his technician in Zachary, LA; we were told that we both needed crowns. The visit cost us $125 ( cleanings, extra fluoride and deductibles etc.) I knew that Dr. Mackey in Groton, CT had one more crown to complete for me but we moved to Louisiana before she could finish our plan of action. The same held for P&D’s Pop. We were given estimates for what it would cost us out of our own pockets - I’ll round up to $1000 for each of us! We both declined to set appointments other than for our routine cleanings and said we’d get back to them.

I called Cigna and spoke with a woman who went through our estimates; she said that if we had the work done at the dentist’s home office in Denham Springs we would only have to pay $500 each because they are in network while the Zachary office is out of network! We had not realized that the new dentist came from our home town! I called the Zachary Office and they changed our routine checkups to Denham Springs and we made appointments for yesterday morning to speak with Dr. Mindy Moore about the crowns. Well the new paperwork for the crown at this office said we would have to pay $800 each. So I explained to Dr. Moore's technician that the lady at Cigna said it should only be $500 each. Back to the drawing board she went and returned with her corrected figures - yuppers, $500 each. This is crazy! We can’t trust the dentist’s office to calculate things properly? I guess I’ll have to question every medical office we go to from now on and ask for itemized bills and call the insurances myself to make sure we are not being charged improperly. I find this outrageous. No explanation was given except that if we had paid the $800 then they would have sent us a check for the over payment! I am flabbergasted.

Okay - rant done for today!

Changed my mind. And another thing, neither Dr. Moore nor her assistant, Trish, ever used right or left when they gave me any directions as they worked on my tooth. The Dentist said, 'Turn toward Trish.' or 'Turn toward me.' Now I know I'm quibbling here but Ms Trish explained this to me as she did the preparations for the tooth repair. What was funny was that she was telling me how they would be giving me directions such as, 'Turn toward me, but I'll be on the other side of you then and Dr. Mindy will be on this side.' (which was the right side for the Dentist and the left side for the technician.) Are we really so dumb now that we don't know right from left? Holy smokes!  What a disgrace.

Okay - I guess that's it.

Quote:  Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.   ____Swift

Eureka . . .

We found the wayward right hearing aid! At P&D’s Pop’s suggestion I slowly shook out everything we brought with us for our sojourn in Natchez and there with the laundry, on top of my walk-on-the-room-415-floor-socks was the hearing aid. Wow! It must have fallen on top of them when I moved the book. I’m still crying copious tears because although they are insured I’ve been so angry at myself for loosing it I’m almost in shock that it showed up. P&D’s Pop figured it would. He really ransacked the hotel room looking for it and was positive it was in the suitcase. Thank goodness he was right - AGAIN! I called the hotel and called off their search too! Life is just fine once again!

Heartbroken . . .

We  had the best time yesterday meeting our Big Kiddo and his wife at Lake Cocodrie for a fantastic boat ride and fishing spree in their new catfish boat. The weather was perfect and P&D’s Pop caught a nice sized catfish before we docked the boat. We ate some fresh shrimp and gumbo; also tested out the brisket and barbecued chicken from the cookoff at the campground. We stayed at a great hotel in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River Bridge and went out to dinner at the Magnolia Bluffs Casino where we were to watch the best show on Earth - Sunset on the Mississippi. After we said out good nights we got a good night’s sleep before all hell and stupidity broke out before 7am this morning

I had placed my hearing aids on top of my book on a little table in our room. I picked up the book to pack it and the hearing aids fell off. As crazy as this is I immediately picked up the left hearing aid and put it on; we never found the right hearing aid. P&D’s Pop and I looked everywhere and moved every piece of furniture at least three times and we never found the hearing aid. We went through the trash, the suitcase, the medecine bag, the clothes I was wearing, the bedding. Nothing! Absolutely nothing turned up except a pen that was under a bed. I spoke with the gentleman at the desk and asked him to notify the ladies who clean the rooms to be on the lookout for my right hearing aid but I don’t see how they can find it if we couldn’t find it after thoroughly looking everywhere possible. The only plausible reason for the disappearance is P&D’s Pop’s - the hearing aid must have gotten caught in my clothes and when I used the bathroom it fell into the commode! Man, I hate to agree with that assessment but it certainly seems to be gone, never to return. So when we get home I have to get out the paperwork and see if I have some sort of insurance coverage for a lost hearing aid. Incredible! In retrospect I should always put the hearing aids in the box I have to protect them when I have to take them off for any reason. Yes, heart broken to tears.