Gone – Pfft, just like that March is gone. Can’t remember much of the month but mostly it was the normal cold March we get. Some of my early daffodils are blooming but not much else.
The screened porch is open for business! – This past week the beloved husband cleaned and opened the porch. It’s too chilly to spend much time there but the cats are delighted. New cat Sasha is fascinated and terrified by it. The birds, chipmunks and squirrels are so much closer and noisier but she doesn’t like the door to the house closed. She doesn’t like being out there when she can’t quickly retreat into the house to her hiding spots.
Thinking of Hazel – More than any other cat, the porch belonged to Hazel. She went out there when it was cold and windy or hot and humid. She loved smelling the outdoors and waving to all her critter friends. Still miss that crazy cat.
That’s not elderly! – I heard a news story this past week. A female pedestrian was hit by a car. They described her as elderly, then they said she was 70. That’s not elderly. The reporter must have just entered puberty! Just for the record, elderly is not an age but a state of being. It is a frail person hanging on at the very end of their life. Not some spunky young thing crossing the street! (OK, maybe young was poetic license!)
Amazon wins again – About two years ago I found a styling gel that works for my hair. It’s made by a large popular company and was available just about everywhere. I started having trouble finding it on the shelves so I went on-line. The manufacturer doesn’t list it as current. That’s a bad sign. Fortunately I was able to buy some on Amazon and the price wasn’t bad. I’ll have to find an alternative. Why do they stop making everything I like?
So how was your week?
How nice that the porch is open for business now!
We got home today. As we drove south, we noticed the redbud trees were showing more color. Our daffodils are just about gone.
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My small daffs just started this past weekend. Haven’t seen the big ones yet. Slow spring but we are seeing the heavy red buds on our maple trees. Good sign. We’ll have leaves on our trees in about 3 weeks. Yay!
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Our maple trees are still in the heavy red bud stage. The thermometer registered 38 degrees this morning, but it seemed much warmer than 38 degrees in the winter. I left my jacket and hat on Marla’s post until I came back.
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I don’t think the temperature alone tells the story. I make my husband crazy because the same temperature feels different in different seasons. Angle of sun, warmth of ground, lots of factors. We are expecting a nice warm weekend after a nasty Friday.
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Right! I thought the temp in one season did not feel like the same temp in a different season. You have excuses for it!
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I like your enclosed porch and wish I had one too. It’s a good sign of the season and the cats know a good thing when they see it!
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They do. Morgan goes out more frequently than the others. The rest prefer warm weather. Morgan loves smelling the air even if it’s a little chilly! Hazel went out even in the winter. We always keep cushions out there for them so they don’t have to sit on the cold tiles.
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Morgan and Hazel sound like Theo. As I write this, he’s outside laying on the deck in the sun … but it’s a very chilly 42F right now … much colder in the wind!
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Gracie is a bit of a wimp. Mollie won’t go out at all unless it’s 80 and sometimes not then. Sasha went out this morning. It was pleasant but chilly. Right now we are getting high winds and it’s in the 60s. What’s the point of warm weather if the wind ruins outdoor activities? Argh!
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Exactly. High winds seem to be the new norm 😕
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Your porch is really nice looking, Kate. I especially like the furniture you have. I can see why you’re happy about the weather turning warm again.
Speaking of warmer weather and Amazon, recently I looked for my favorite sunscreen. I’ve been using it for years; a previous dermatologist recommended it. Amazon had it, but it was close to $80 a tube! A check on competing web sites showed the same thing. Something’s amiss, obviously a shortage. So I’m skipping to a new brand, stat! – Marty
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It may be a sign that it’s discontinued and folks are trying to get the highest possible price for the remaining stock.
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You all had a heck of a March! Glad to hear your porch is open for business 🙂 Sasha will get used to it eventually – it’s a really new environment for her, I bet! And you are right – 70 is not old! It’s a state of mind.
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Old is always 20 years older than me! 🙂
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That’s an excellent measure 🙂
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I love the way you describe the “opening” of the porch, knowing that it signals a complete change of seasons and the beginning of the time you can enjoy the outdoors again! I hope that memories of Hazel are less sharp and poignant and hopefully bring a smile. And oh boy do I agree with you about the definition of elderly! I hear the same kind of nonsense very frequently and always think whoever wrote the copy needs a refresher course in human development!
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Amen! I walked with my “elderly” 85 year old friend this morning. I had to hoof it to keep up. I can’t walk with the 93 year old because she has a really brutal pace!
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Oh, your porch is lovely – so inviting – with a rug and elegant furniture ( cat approved…they only know luxury) – magazine perfect. We all had screen porches around here when I was a kid ( and no AC) I’d love one now – even if you do have to be constantly fighting mildew in this humidity. Sigh.
So delighted Shasha is discovering.
I got really annoyed about a mugging of an “elderly woman” who turned out to be 50-ish. Geesch She may have ended up on the ground, but the guy was big (and young) and it was slug and run. Elderly is frail and unable to live alone – get with it reporter kids – it won’t be long before you’ll see…
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The rug is for the cats. Sisal. They love it. Perfect for manicures.
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better than a cardboard scratchy box! (and fuzzy appearance/fringe improves rug decorative value?)
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Guaranteed to be attractive to any cat lover and of course any cats. We keep the cardboard scratchy box upstairs in the cat room. Not a big selling point.
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Hi Kate – I heard this on the local news – don’t know if this is your brand or any fur relatives’ brand of choice:
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Not our brand
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I do like April more than March–and May more than April. I guess I like summer!
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And June even more! It all depends on the weather! Summer, yes!
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Yup, it’s important to have quick access to those hiding places! My late feral cat Pharoah always retreated to his spot under the rocking chair in the bedroom whenever he felt uneasy…. and of course that’s where he passed away… I could never get rid of that old, beat-up chair while he was alive. But now I can’t get rid of it because it holds too many memories. Hopefully it will survive yet another move.
Always makes me crazy when 70 is considered elderly by the news media. But I remember when I was twelve (or thereabouts) anybody my parents’ age (in their 40s) seemed elderly to me! It’s all a matter of perspective. Why can’t they just state the age, why does it have to be prefaced by that term?
I’ve been using a certain brand of foundation for decades, now POOF, it’s gone from every drugstore in the known universe. They make other products but not that…. Amazon carried it for a while but now disappeared from there too. I’m too “elderly” to be making these radical brand changes!!!!!!!!!!
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I rarely get offended by the word “old.” Somehow elderly is beyond old. You don’t need descriptions if you are using facts. I’ve never seen “a young 18-year-old was injured in an accident.” The age itself tells the story. No need to describe it. This particular manufacturer is notorious for constantly changing the packaging look so things are hard to find. Then it phases out specific lines and adds others. You can’t tell what replaces what and maybe they want you to start from scratch buying things to try out. I have thrown out quite a few hair products because they are too heavy or greasy or something.
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~ I love your screened porch. One thing I miss from Florida is having that screened porch.
~ First use of the porch and it’s understandable why you’d be missing Hazel.
~ I get so frustrated when they stop making a product I love. Grr.
~ Have you heard about the song “Don’t Let the Old Man In?” It fits why we shouldn’t call someone elderly who has spunk. I picture “elderly” as “sickly.” Not true for all people over a certain age.
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Interesting concept that has worked for Clint Eastwood. I too think of elderly as frail, sickly, impaired. It’s not an age thing.
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Hi, Kate – You are absolutely right – March did speed past. For me, the warmer the month is, the more quickly it goes by. This year, February seemed to have 1000 days!
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Funny how that works! I can never remember July because it’s like two days long!
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Your porch looks wonderful and inviting, I can see why the kitties like to be out there.
I’m with you on products disappearing – annoying! If I find on Amazon I order enough to hoard in fear that supply chain will dry up, too.
I think my unwillingness to adapt to change (and plenty of grumbling about it) is a sign of our getting older!
Happy Sunday!
MJ
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I know it’s a sign of getting older but I have a better take on it. I no longer enjoy buying and discarding products that don’t work in search of something that does. Now doesn’t that sound logical?
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sure does 🙂
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I like your definition of elderly! About those products we love that they take off the shelves – it happens to me often. I can’t understand why they always seem to want to fix something that’s not broke!
Have a great week, Kate!
~~Elle
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Sometimes they just change the container so you can’t find it. Not sure what the purpose is. Back in the old days loyalty to a product was valued.
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And. Your porch is gorgeous!
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Thanks. We enjoy it. I delayed retirement by a year so we could extend and refurnish to porch. We live there all summer. Even in the heat. Somehow it’s not as hot there.
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I agree… 70 is really middle age or younger. I also share your frustration with discontinued favorites. They did it twice to me with makeup. Can’t find my favorite sleepwear, and even doctors disappear. Maybe resistance to change is the old age marker. If so, I am definitely elderly…but don’t let anyone say that out loud.
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As long as you can smack someone on the side of the head you are definitely not elderly. I’m starting to think I should stock up on underwear. You know how that goes. You like something. It fits and it’s gone.
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It is a wonderful porch that looks over simply beautiful, relaxing gardens. Lots of work, but it shows. Looking forward to hearing you have tadpoles! Today is dreary and rainy, but it is almost April…and April showers bring May flowers. I am hopeful.
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We have fat tadpoles that will change into frogs this summer. Soon. Today is not yesterday weather-wise. Thanks for your kind words about our porch. We love it.
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Good luck finding your magic gel. I wish I knew why things I like/need seem to disappear, too. Thank goodness for Amazon. Enjoy your opened porch. Looks like a comfy area from which to watch the world go by.
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It’s a great place to decompress.
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That first photo cracks me up, Kate. The kids have certainly taken over the porch. Oh man, I’d be out there writing all day…it looks great. My head is spinning at how fast March blew by. I hear you on products just vanishing. Typically, when I find something I like, now I’ll stockpile. 🙂
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Some days it’s hard finding a seat in the porch! I stockpiled shampoo, then got a sample I liked better. I should have stockpiled this instead.
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I agree on the elderly thing. We need a new word for the age between 50 and the nursing home. guess we can use Senior, but it’s already got associations with nursing homes and being frail, somehow. Perfectly Aged. Well Aged.
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For the article they didn’t need to use any descriptive word. Writing “a 70 year old female was struck by a car” was sufficient. Obviously she was walking on her own because they didn’t mention a wheelchair or walker. Elderly? Boo!
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Very True!
I wonder – Why do we even have to know people’s ages in these stories. How is relevant??
A woman was struck by a car seems sufficient. Although, now that I compare that in my mind, I realize I have more sympathy for people over 70 and under 12. So am more likely to read an article that notes it. sigh. I am part of the problem.
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My first thought was that since she was 70 it was somehow her fault.
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Your porch looks pretty and inviting. Weather permitting our screened-in porch will be open within the week. Can’t wait to sit out there and to buy some new pillows and rugs for it. Then I’ll believe it is really springtime.
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My husband looked around after we opened it and asked where the pillow was for the sofa. I laughed. Within a few hours he was horizontal on the sofa with the pillow under his head!
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It was nice to see a Hazel cameo again. I bet Sasha is a porch addict by the end of the summer.
It’s maddening, isn’t it, how companies shift to new products so quickly? The joys of capitalism driven by cookie cutter MBAs screaming about how growth will save us all. Lines of appliances are constantly discontinued, making it impossible to buy replacement parts — you have to buy a whole new stove. What a waste.
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The new product is not always better either. Hazel was a very low key cat but I miss more than I imagined.
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Congrats on your porch opening ~> a sure sign of Spring!
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It is! Today is not so nice be we took full advantage of two good days.
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Sasha sounds entertaining.
It was 75 degrees and shorts weather yesterday. People were out jogging and mowing their lawns. A cold front is blowing through as I type. It’s supposed to be 26 degrees tonight. What the heck?
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We have the same weather. The door to the porch won’t be open today!
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-I heard a story referring to a 60 yo as elderly. 👀🤷♀️
-I just can’t understand why companies change or discontinue great products! Maybe they find something a penny cheaper to make. 8)
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Perhaps people change their hair products a lot. They changed the look of this twice so I had a harder time finding it but now I can’t find it at all. I use a “volume” styling gel and it’s gone in this particular brand (which has 87 thousand other choices!).
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I know you probably don’t want a bazillion suggestions for hair products but Kérastase Densifique has changed my life with the humidity here. It’s a mousse that volumizes and doesn’t make fine hair flat! I don’t wash my hair every day and this stuff doesn’t gunk it up and it has staying power.
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It’s worth a try as I will be looking at new products. My old one was a gel which you had to be careful not to use much. I don’t wash my hair every day either and this one wouldn’t go flat overnight. The company has stopped making gels (at least for volume). Some mousses are too liquid for me (or maybe I’m using too much). I hate the process of looking again!
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Oh man, Kate! I know it is spring up north when your porch is OPEN for business. I will be sure that all of the warm season is there in all its wonderfulness when you open up the pond! They new and improved (which is as bad as discontinuing) Dove deodorant which then irritated my skin. I had started using Dove when I couldn’t find my long standing Sure. But there is hope… Sure is back. Made my week! Hazel on her chair ♥
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I just found a new deodorant that doesn’t have aluminum whatever in it and I like it. I don’t remember the brand but the smell isn’t overwhelming either.
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Your weather sounds wonderful to me. We still have piles of very dirty snow everywhere. I just looked out and there is an inch of new snow! At least it is hiding the dirty snowbanks!
Have a cup of tea on your porch!
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Oh my! We get snowstorms in late March and even early April sometimes but I’m hoping we’re done. The good news is that they don’t last. Dirty snow piles are the worst. Ours are gone but one Easter the flower tent was next to a dirty snow pile. Yuk!
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