Subj : I'm not back yet.. was: To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Fri Dec 06 2019 09:45:00 Hi Nancy! NB> The storm we got on Sunday into Monday left us snow that we still NB> have everywhere... Richard got his car out, but my car still has NB> snow on the windshield and rear window... the side windows are NB> clear, at least on the side I can see from inside... ;) Not a NB> lot of snow, but didn't warm enough to melt it all off.... If no reason to go out sometimes just let Mother Nature remove the snow she put on the car! I did have to scrape the frost off my windshields yesterday before my errands -- if I had been able to wait a half-hour or so would have melted. BM>> Where the Mall where I worked is was a golf course previously and BM>> before that a swampy area. Possibly some of the ducks nesting by the BM>> store had great-great-grandparents who had nested before the area was BM>> 'humanized'. Also had sea gulls flying over and walking around in the BM>> parking lot -- follow the river traffic up the Mississippi, take a left BM>> 43 blocks -- "gran-daddy's notes said..." NB>> Sea gulls do rather like human-generated garbage, though.... that NB>> would have been enough to attract them.... One of our malls also is NB>> built on what used to be swampy land... part of the reclamation NB>> included putting in a sizeable drainage pond which the water fowl NB>> think quite attractive. BM> They'd like that! No visible drainage seen at the Mall where I used BM> to work; thinking they have some sort of below ground removal system as BM> the Mall property has a definite slope: walk from one end to the other BM> and one goes down several sets of short steps/ramps. There was also a BM> hollow section under the floor in Juniors Department, apparently where BM> a sump pump was though never heard it. There was also a set of circuit BM> breakers marked 'Sump Pump' so assuming the location. NB> Sounds likely then.... and with the slope, drainage might have NB> been more through the ground, as well... maybe ending up NB> somewhere off the property entirely.... :) Possibly, though seems like the west parking lot off of the store was the low point - there were some drain grids in it. Possibly the far side drained into or had a usually dry creek - no reason to drive to that side of the parking lot, and from the street side hard to see. NB>>> carrying a balance, likely to send those to shredding as well... ;) BM>> Yes, everything gets glanced at before shredding. Right now just one BM>> credit card offer being held in-case; I expect a deluge mid-to-late BM>> January in time for those Christmas bills other people have. NB>> I seem to get at least one current card offer each month... and NB>> at the moment, truly don't have any need for any of them.... BM> But it's Christmas!! Your supposed to spend beyond your means!! NB> Yeah, right.... not me.... Smart move! BM>>> As for the pay-up-or-else, haven't had to deal with those either, and BM>>> don't want to. NB>>> Nope... and one won't have to, so long as one keeps current with the NB>>> payments.... :) BM>> Right. NB>> It's such a simple equation, it's a wonder anyone has trouble there. NB>> Yes, I know, too many people haven't learned to live within their NB>> means... and that does get them in trouble eventually... BM> Right. I'm not sure if the Student Loan Debt thing has an anesthetic BM> effect: "I'm in debt for $40,000 for school, what's another $400 for a BM> big TV?" NB> I suppose it might.... also there's the "but I'm entitled" NB> syndrome... others can get those things so I should be able to NB> have whatever I think I want.... A little 'entitlement' on rare occasion is OK but only as a treat and keep it small. (So not really blatent entitlement.) I brown-bagged lunch, mostly because I didn't want to eat a full meal, partially because I didn't want to waste part of my lunch break in line for a meal, and yes, some because it cost too much. Once in a while would splurge and buy lunch as a treat to myself; more a spur of the moment thing. As far as entitlement-I-want-because-they-have, I don't think I've had that, or if it crept in I was able to boot it out. I don't want a huge screen TV, I don't want a 1-billion watt sound system. I'll admit to wanting and getting higher-level computer systems, but because I want faster, not because someone else has. (And then I stick them in plain black cases!) BM>> Yes, the 'common calendar' serves as a reminder plus communications in BM>> absenstia: I need to make an appointment, do you have anything going BM>> on I need to work around, but you're not available to ask so check the BM>> calendar. Each family/group works out their own methods. NB>> Indeed... :) BM> I'm still trying to work out a practical way to display/store those BM> reminder cards: appointment cards -- do write to the calendar but the BM> card will a phone number, etc., on it. NB> I tend to just keep an up to date version of each in the pocket NB> of my pocket calendar... Works out just as well. BM> Also my notes to renew my BM> Drivers License a few years from now - right now that gets BM> paperclipped to the Decemeber 2020 page of next year's calendar. NB> I figure that DMV will send me the renewal in plenty of time, NB> like they always do... :) Hmm, guess they do! I don't know if the government sents out renewals for passports. IMO double-reminders are better than none! BM>> Good! BTW, assume he had an uneventful flight. NB>> As far as I know, he did... I probably would have heard, had NB>> there been anything exciting... And have "talked" in email a NB>> couple of times since... :) BM> Good for no 24-hour delays like my Mother and I had; my Aunt thought BM> it odd we didn't call her when she thought we got to New Hampshire. NB> If he did have any delays, he didnt mention them to me.... Probably didn't; not all that common. Not unusual, but still rare. NB>>> ... With friends like these, who needs a green inflatable NB>>> hippopotamus? BM>> Now you got me wondering if there will be one at the Festival of BM>> Trees' parade tomorrow -- have helium balloons (a la a mini Macy's). NB>> Was there one...? We had high winds in NYS at Thanksgiving time, NB>> so heard there was a chance that Macy's might have to ground their NB>> balloons.... BM> Yes, they kept the balloons closer to the ground where protected from BM> wind gusts by the buildings. Not sure if part of Festival of Trees or BM> a different event around the same time but a ~10' sphere balloon -- BM> just round with a logo on it -- escaped. Depending on a variety of BM> factors like upper lever winds, air temperature and the strength of the BM> balloon material it could land anywhere between Illinois and New BM> England/New York. So if you happen to see a big white balloon with red BM> lettering on it...... NB> I'll keep my eye out for it... ;) Not that I expect it would fly NB> this way... more likely to skip us and land in NE... :) OK, thanks! Haven't heard if their balloon has been found yet -- might be partway to England! ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... Care to join the Peter Pan club? Never. Never. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .