Adventures

My Chilling Advice to Newlyweds

This morning, as I wondered what I’d write about for Linda’s creative prompt of “back of the fridge,” I heard a scary noise in the kitchen that wouldn’t stop. I didn’t think it was a mouse, I’d blocked their way into this spot. Creatively, too, by the way!

The noise was coming from the back of the fridge. Score me. Serendipity – I had something to write about. Yippee!

Except the noise wasn’t the ‘normal’ water filling the ice cube tray noise. It lasted longer and was louder than usual.

As fast as my bundled up in a robe state would take me, I dashed my way to Mr.’s office and requested his presence in the kitchen. He joyfully returned there with me and heard the noise too. He yanked out a couple of drawers from the freezer side. We both peered into the back of the fridge with confirmation that it wasn’t just its old Bessy typical sounds. And we witnessed in a bone-chilling way the water dripping onto some unnamed part which is where the noise was coming from.

Mr. looked at me, who was looking at him with anticipation that all was well, and said, “I think it might be leaking freon. I need to shut off the valves to the ice maker so it doesn’t fill the bottom of the tray and overflow onto the floor and into the basement.” Shutting the door was a good idea too as we don’t need more cool air in the house.

It’s not Christmas decorating time yet. I haven’t even gotten out the pumpkins, the snowman can wait! But, we’ve been having some low 30s kind of weather overnights.

I looked at Mr. to verify if he was extra worried or not and replied, “Um, yes, that’s a good idea.” He did that, and now we wonder, do we have a Refridgerator shopping trip in our future? Sigh…that reminds me, I told him I’d look back in our records to find out when we bought this fridge. We still have our original one from 30 years ago in our basement. The newer one is how old…drumroll, please…

Well, sh*t…

We bought it in 2002. Where the heck did 20 years go? It’s been a good fridge. It’s cooled our food, it’s filled our water jugs, it’s provided ice cubes for the cats, it’s housed items that have grown mold the color of lava. Looking back over the decades, it did leak water from the hose once and flooded into the basement ceiling. Hmm…

I want to roar like a dinosaur.

It’s not like we made enough at the thrift sale to buy a new fridge. Maybe replacement parts, though? I hope it will remain OK until we can figure out if it is fixable or if it’s replaceable.

Thank goodness we’ve been getting used to keeping the house cooler. We have been determined not to turn on the heat yet to save on heat costs. One morning it was 64 degrees in the house. I think it’s 65 today. It’s a balmy 37 degrees outside.

Well, dang. No more peaceful beachfront thoughts. Oh, well, we don’t have a vacation planned. Although a warm ocean breeze would be nice to feel about now, as my fingers are quite chilly as I type.

I know that fall is here and we’re headed into winter. The trees along the roadsides are gorgeous. Bright reds, yellows, oranges. You’ll have to imagine the lava-like colors as I’m sad to report, I haven’t taken any photos of them! But I did take a photo of the crab trees. Back in the spring, they were bright and colorful.

Spring or fall, there’s beauty in trees!

Will our staycation funds be used to buy a new fridge? Sigh. How many sunrises and sunsets will the current fridge last? Will it last through the winter?

Will it only last until the marigolds on the front doorstep freeze?

And to think, just yesterday I stressed about what we should wear to a wedding where the cocktail attire requirement threw us into a reality that we rarely leave the house. No Jeans, the website said. Sigh.

I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube advice to see what colors a gray-haired gal might wear. Score me, found this gal’s advice. And I texted photos with my daughters all morning to get their take on what we should wear. Good thing too, who knows what I would’ve worn had I relied on my inexperience in knowing what colors are right for me and my gray hair!? Which is very much a mishmash of grays and blacks. Not stunning gray like hers…

Since we’ve lost weight too, our dressy clothes don’t fit as they used to back in 2019. The closet dust added a new dimension too. And Mr.’s shoes started to fall apart as he walked, thank goodness we weren’t the center of attention. It was super windy and super cold at the barn venue, but we survived.

The toughest task was to find a card. The shelves were empty. Guess October is a hot month for weddings? 5 stores later, Mr. found one at a Hardware Store in a hidden section of the store. It was a beautiful card.

Now I think I should’ve made a little note in the card to say, “Our best marriage recommendation is to put this gift of money away in a savings account for your first, second, and third refrigerator purchases!”

But, we did grab a friend to take a photo of us!

Post inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “back of the fridge.” Write the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the phrase “back of the fridge.” Enjoy! And Terri Webster at Sunday Stills – Oct 9 Monthly Color Challenge: Lava (black-brown, black, and/or orange).

PS: What brands of fridges are available, are there supply chain issues? Do you have any recommendations of what not to go with or what has been a tried and true fridge friend in your kitchen? What is a large ticket item that you’ve bought more than one of in your lifetime? What’s your favorite advice for newlyweds?

64 thoughts on “My Chilling Advice to Newlyweds

  1. Fridge problems are the worst! We had a water line leak (in our last house) that we discovered when it was dripping into the basement, so I’m glad you caught it early. That was a mess. We just had to repair the water line, so I hope you have similar luck. Doesn’t it seem like appliances should last longer?

    You guys clean up well! We had a wedding with an upscale dress code this fall. When you have been in leggings and jeans for several years, it can be a challenge. 🤣

    1. Hi Laurel! I’m hoping for something simple that we’ve caught in time. Initial research indicates it may be something inside the freezer whereas we’d have to empty it, take off a panel, and then call a repair person for a part that may or may not be made anymore. We do think we’ve made sure it’s not leaking at least. You’re right – fridge problems are the worst!

      I agree, appliances should last longer. My in-laws built their house the year after us and they still have their original appliances. Not sure why theirs are lasting and ours aren’t, but they’re thankful to still have them.

      Thank you – it was kind of fun to clean up and show up at the wedding. I think it’s interesting how the youngins are interested in the upscale dress codes too. While they served dinner at this wedding they had Frank Sinatra songs playing. A fun vibe.

      I’m happy to be in leggings and have a flannel shirt on today ;-)!

      It is always great to hear from you. 😁😊🤗🥰

        1. I did want dance, there’s something about Frank that brings out the dancing vibes…sadly, no one was dancing. 🤔

  2. My husband and I were just talking about our fridge. It’s fine right now (thank goodness) but it’s old enough that we worry about it dying on us. With the supply chain issues and the fact that it fits in an enclosed area on each side and the top, finding a replacement and getting it in a reasonable amount of time may prove challenging. Good luck to you!

    I had a similar issue about clothes recently too. My husband’s high school reunion was supposed to be on the “fancy” side (definitely no jeans), but I didn’t want to buy something new that I’d never wear again. Fortunately, I was able to cobble something together from my closet that worked.

    You and your hubby look great in the picture!

    1. Hi Janis – aw, I hope your fridge holds out. We’ve had apartments with specific spaces that have been customized around the appliances. It’s not fun to try and find replacements. We do love getting filtered water out our fridge so we’re going to miss that until we figure out what to fix or how we’ll replace it. The newer models seem to have too many moving parts and technology that just seem like a recipe for failing parts before 20 years are up. Good luck to you and your hubby too.

      Congrats on finding clothes in your closet that worked for the reunion. I bet you and your hubby looked fantastic. I only went to a couple of my reunions early on. I chuckled when you said, “I didn’t want to buy something new that I’d never wear again.” That WAS what I did and didn’t want to repeat that again. LOL.

      Thank you – it’s fun to get a photo of us together when we can. 😍🥰😘

      1. You two look great in this photo! Looks to me like you “fit” together so well. I think you may even have a matching glow about you.

        Gray hair, like you and I have, goes with anything. I think it’s mainly the skin tone that determines best color of clothing. I had mine done years ago but I think I’m still a “winter”.

        I specifically decided on an apartment as the best place for me now that I’m back to being a single woman with no helpful (usually) male on call to check into and often fix whatever comes up. This includes toilet clogs of which I’ve had two in the 3 months I’ve lived here. I’d bought my very own properly configured plunger thinking I could do it myself here as I’d finally learned to do but…

        The first one was cleared by the complex’s maintenance team and the second one last night by my daughter’s visiting father-in-law. He used the plunger I’d bought which I’d thought was a cheap and faulty one which is most often what thrifty me goes with if I have a choice. Since he was successful when I was not I thought it was just my weakness until he helpfully reminded me that it’s not the push but the pull that makes it happen!

        IDK if you follow my blog but you might be interested in my latest post because it reflects what I have taken in from my fellow midwesterners (me being a newbie here) about how October and Fall may better represent the start of a new year than January and Winter. Here’s the link.
        https://hbsuefred.com/2022/10/10/my-newest-start-may-be-in-october/

        1. Hi! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and the link to your blog. I thought I was following you, must be some weird WP thing?
          Mr. and I have been together for 34 years, so we do ‘fit’ together. I don’t like to think about us not being together, but have thought about how much he does that I could never do. The list is uncomfortably long! 😉 Perhaps I should make a list and work on that over the winter months?
          Congrats on all of your accomplishments and for your detailed list of what you’re planning on working on for the fall. Wow – I’m impressed!

  3. When i replaced a refrigerator in our office kitchen (before retirement), I complained that the other one had not even lasted 10 years. The salesman said that 7 years is the average life of a refrigerator these days. That’s really sad, given that we’ve had them last 20-25 years in the past. Good luck on a repair.

    1. Hi Dan – thanks for the well wishes. Seven years….oh, my, that’s sad and frustrating. Especially at the cost of them. We’re so torn as to what to do. I hope we decide before we lose the food in the freezer and have a serious mess on our hands!
      PS – on a side note, I watched the 8:30 am Packer game from London today and they lost. I told you, I’m bad luck for them 🤣😂🤣

    1. Hi Neil, thank you for stopping by and your compliment. It’s rare to get photos of us together unless we grab a friend to help us out.
      We hope the frig is repairable too!
      PS – I enjoyed your Part 10 walk in Philly. The orange and white truck is my favorite.

  4. Sorry about your fridgy, they are not cheap to replace! You guys looks great in the last photo! My refrigerator always makes a loud popping sound when it first starts running. I asked the tech why it does this. He said it’s the freon moving through the pipes!

    1. Thanks, John! You got that right about the price! Hmm…yeah, ours has always made a loud noise too. We never took the drawers out to see what made the noise. This time when we did, we could see water dripping onto something that made it sizzle……..I’ll make sure to tell Mr. what you said! Thanks for the input.

  5. Twenty years for a refrigerator is doing damn good. Usually ours go about 15 then die a particularly spectacular death. We’re about due for a new one, but we have the dishwasher (our 4th in 35 years) to replace first. We just bought new HVAC equipment a couple of years ago (the third new one we’ve had since moving in).

    Newlywed advice? Don’t go to bed mad.

    1. Hi John, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
      What brand appliances do you have (if you don’t mind me asking?). I’m surprised our dishwasher is still working, we use it a lot! The little plastic silverware trays are starting to crack. We’ve (Mr.) been able to clean it out and fix it as needed (so far!). We had to buy a new furnace/AC before we had to buy new roof and new windows. Owning a home isn’t cheap.
      Thanks for sharing the newlywed advice too – I agree, that’s excellent advice!

  6. Oh my gosh, I’m giggling (only at the way you describe the situation) and grimacing at the idea that there is a leak somewhere in your home, Shelley! So sorry. When we bought our MFG home it came with all the appliances, but we brought our Maytag 3-door along as it was only 5 years old. They do last a while but you know about built-in obsolescence—grrr. Your lava images tell a great tale of woe about the dead fridge! Nice to read Autumn is well under way there while be continue to bask in 80 degree heat here in Spokan (15 F above normal and barely a fall leaf in sight). You and your hubby look darling! Best advice to newlyweds? Get a NEW fridge! Happy shopping!

    1. Thanks for giggling with us. We have to laugh as if we don’t we’ll stress and that’s no fun. Good move to take your working appliance. We’ve always had Frigidaire brand, probably because that’s what was prevalent here in our stores. I’m open to finding one that works and will last to the end of the built-in obsolescence timeframe. It is a thing, unfortunately.
      Thanks for the feedback on the images. Once the fridge took front and center, I switched up photos to fit the tale.
      Wow – 80s in Spokan!! Nice. Hopefully your trees will turn before any snow flies.
      Thank you – it’s fun to get a photo together when we can.
      That’s excellent advice for newlyweds. It’s an object you use everyday and worth the money spent on it. 😍
      I’m sending you hugs for your loss of Aero, what a sweet dog. 🤗🤗🤗

      1. The temps are cold this morning, so hopefully autumn is close. By this time last year many trees were in their full autumn glory. But that might be because of last year’s wildfire smoke was bad in our area–I think the leaves turned earlier. Thank you again for the condolences for Aero <3

        1. That makes sense about the fires and the early changing of leaves. Enjoy this years’ changing seasons and your warm and cozy memories of Aero. 🤗🥰

  7. Number one – Don’t buy a fridge with an ice maker. They are a recipe for disaster as well as energy inefficient fridges.
    You two did make a great looking pair and hope you had a great night out to last for a few months until the next time you decide to leave the house again.

    1. Hi Brian, thanks for the input. We do love the chilled water dispenser, but it’s been a source of trouble all along. 🤔😏
      Thank you – we did have fun and we were home close to our normal bedtime, aka, we skipped staying for the dance. We are not fans of driving in the dark anymore. 🤣

  8. Fun! Well your photos and the video about color choices–not the fact you might need a new fridge. For us, looks like it’ll be a new car soon. Ugh. It’s always something! The video is fun–I never tire at talking color and how it changes how we look. I love purple on silver-haired women–super pretty! But then I’ve always liked purple. Did you ever have the Color Me Beautiful book? I think I was a Summer.

    1. Thanks Rebecca! Yikes, a new car is way more expensive than a frig. I hope you can find one. We wish we would’ve bought a new one before they were hard to come by. Especially now that Mr. totalled his truck and we’re getting estimates on just getting it back to driveable not pristine. Fingers crossed that will be the case.
      I love talking about colors too. There are so many videos to watch, it can be confusing. I have one purple sweater. When I wear it next I’ll think of you and smile. My high school colors were purple and white. I was kind of sick of them by the time of graduation. I do like the color purple though. I think I rented that book from the library once. I have had my colors done a couple of times, I was a winter. I have the little booklets that I reference. But, dang, I love some of the fall colors too. I could see you being a Summer. I have a dear friend who is a summer too. I love those soft colors.
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it’s always great to hear from you!

  9. Refrigerator problems unnerve me. I take the old dear for granted and when she starts making weird noises I fret. As for focusing on colors, I’m all about that. Design is my amateur passion. I’m a Summer if we’re talking about the Color Me Beautiful book, but can pull off a bit of Autumn colors, too. I think part of the reason I like gardening is just to see all the colors.

    1. Hi Ally! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It appears refrigerator problems aren’t a welcome site with all of us! The noise our old trusty frig is making concerned us enough to worry about not being able to find a replacement in the dead of winter. We’ll be doing a staycation and admiring ourselves in the reflection of the new appliances. 🤔🙄🤣 When we updated our kitchen in 2019, we put off replacing appliances and started saving money so someday we could replace them. Gotta love somedays that present themselves unexpectedly!
      From what I’ve seen in your photos, your amateur passion is well defined and you’re gifted!
      I always wanted to be a Summer, the soft colors are just so calming to me. Did you know there are now 12 colors? As if the 4 weren’t confusing enough.
      I love that part of gardening too! Seeing all the colors just make me happy 😁😍🥰
      I wish you and your refrigerator a long and lasting friendship!

      1. Thanks for the insight. I didn’t know there were 12 colors now. I’m sort of intrigued, sort of put off by that idea. It’s so easy to just say I’m a Summer and be done with it.

        1. You’re welcome. Yeah, I feel like you do. It’s easier to say one season versus warm, dark, muted, light, bright, cold, etc. A lovely summer is a perfect color to be. 🙂

  10. Hi Shelley – just a week behind and fashionably late – sigh. I like how you used the short galleries of pictures as you were writing … how long will the fridge last (will the marigolds still be here), how many more sunrises, from pumpkins to a snowman. I like how you did that. The mouse is a pain and I thought of you as my side door has an opening that is a little too much. You open the steel door and I would not want to find a mouse on my doorstoop. I was looking at it today – of course looking at it does not solve the problem. I noticed my new handyman is not his father-in-law and there are widening cracks in the cement and tar … maybe he’ll say “the house settled” like the locksmith on why two deadbolts went wonky within a few weeks of each other. We bought this Kitchen Aid fridge in 1990 – knock on wood, it’snot been a problem. I don’t recall the brand of stove we bought at the same time, but it had an issue with an element under the glass top and the labor/part was costly and the appliance repairman said “I’d just buy a new stove” and that is a Maytag. Maytag washer/dryer bought in 1984 – going strong. 🙂

    1. Hi Linda, thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement.
      Any little opening is an invitation for mice who want to get in. I hope you can find a trustworthy handyman to help you seal that up.
      Our first frig is still working from 1990 too – we had bought a new one when we moved that one to our basement. I think appliances were built to last back then. You likely have less wear and tear on yours than we did with all four of us opening and shutting and demanding it to operate at our every whim. We want to donate it in working order so that the donation site will accept it, so far, we’re good to go with that, we just need them to come and pick the items up. We’re like that too – if it’s just a part that can be fixed, it’s the way to go.
      WOW – 1984 Maytag…their commercial promises holds true. Our washer/dryer are Maytags too. Other than the part that Mr. replaced they’re still working for us.

      1. I was waiting for the furnace tech today – it was pouring and he waited in his truck and I was standing at the side door looking at the space, thinking perhaps a hook-and-eye latch might work, something to pull the door snug. There is a skinny gap and I heard the long-term weather report for all this snow in February and polar vortexes in January … snow and cold air will come in that skinny gap – mice too.

        Yes, they made appliances better in those days. We had our Coppertone fridge and stove for a long time, then the fridge went. My mom liked the stove as the electric burners pulled out and tucked back into the stove and had a top and bottom oven. She only used the top oven and stored pots/pans in the bottom – there’s very little cupboard space in the kitchen.

        Yes, the Maytag washer and dryer are true to their ads. I remember you did a post of Mr. replacing the part last year (or maybe this year). Mr. is a keeper, like Maytag. 🙂

        1. I wonder if the repair tech is paid by the hour or the job? I guess umbrellas aren’t part of their job uniform? I hope he was able to help you fix the gap.

          Oh, my, I’m not happy hearing the weather predictions. I hope they don’t come true!

          Everything was made better back in those days. Like you said, there are some models standing out as keepers 😉

          1. I don’t think the handymen like to work that hard and even though I liked my handyman that had to stop working as he was legally blind, I never knew why he didn’t start until mid-day (with no jobs ahead of mine), then complain how hot it was on the black roof – he would miss getting things done as he would say how hot it was. So maybe start earlier in the day when you’re fresh? I was going to look at it again today – it was pouring hard today, so I took a pass. I need to call him before he does the gutters around Thanksgiving.

            The weather sounds awful and brutal, yet it is a La Nina Winter which is supposed to gentler … hmm.

            Yes, appliances, clothing, everything. Even us. 🙂

          2. I learn so much from you, Linda – thank you for sharing your trials and successes in navigating life.
            Yeah, the weather is going to be NICE here this weekend. I hope to enjoy some of it.
            We’re all disposable, in a sense – gotta love life while we’re living it. 🙂

          3. Happy to share and impart wisdom gleaned from having a “few years” on you Shelley. 🙂

            Enjoy this weekend as it may be our last (of course I’ve said that for the last few weeks, thinking it was our final Fall Fling). Yes, we’re disposable – live each day like it is your last (although that theory sounds better to say it as it’s too difficult to implement).

  11. P.S. – Forgot to add … I like the photo of you two and I had a pair of flats I put on one day to see if they fit. I’d not worn them since I last worked. They were an odd color (sage green with a light beige contrast) and I had bought them on clearance to go with a pantsuit the same color. Put them on and walked down the hall and when I walked back I saw pieces of the stacked heel, as low as it was, had crumbled into pieces, leaving what looked like cookie crumbs down the hall!

    1. Thank you, Linda. Oh, my, that’s sad about your shoes – it’s so weird how shoes seem to be like cars that need to be driven. If you wear them out before their parts fall off, it’s better for all involved. PS – I have several pairs of shoes that I bought like that to go with a specific outfit…I should donate them now as the clothes don’t fit and are long gone. Why keep the shoes?!!!!

      1. I agree – the pantsuit was a celery green, and the shoes matched perfectly. I don’t know why the heels just imploded like that. It made a mess too. If they were higher stacked heels, I’d have landed on the floor in a heap for sure.

        1. Wow – that’s an interesting color. Isn’t it fun to think back to the fashions? I think that color is coming back and pant suits are too. The baggier the better. The way they puddle at the feet look like a heap all by themselves.
          Wearing great walking shoes beats stacked heels that fall apart!

          1. I was really into buying pantsuits instead of skirt suits at the last law firm. The first law firm did not allow women to wear pants at all. Then when my current boss/I moved out on our own, there was no dress code, so I bought more casual clothes. A variety of things in my wardrobe and I wear shorts/tee-shirts in Summer and sweatsuits in Winter now.

          2. It’s fun to look back at dress codes and how things have changed. I cringe sometimes (showing my at home I don’t wear that status) at what some people think of as business casual. I bet you looked very stunning in both skirt and pant suits.
            Yay for that wardrobe for what you do – comfy and ready for walking explorations!

          3. Do you have to do Zoom meetings Shelley? I know you go into your work site occasionally. If I did Zoom meetings, perhaps I’d do better and stop looking at those clothes I once so proudly wore. Thank you for you said though. I have not seen my boss face to face since October 2012.

          4. Yes, I have Zoom meetings. Often my computer blinks so I have to shut off any video. Yesterday, it worked fine for a 2 hour zoom call. I goofed up my settings and it is a close up view of my head so I don’t have to worry about clothes as much. It’s the make-up that throws me off…I’ve gotten used to not messing with that stuff.
            Wow – not since 2012!! That’s a long time. Better do a Zoom call with him to see if he looks okay to still operate the business 🤔😏😉

          5. I’ve gotten used to no makeup either Shelley. When I first stopped working on site, the contact lenses were the first thing to go, then makeup, followed by highlights for my hair.

            Yes, I have not seen my boss in person for now 10 years, October 2012. I am seeing what he looks like as I monitor his e-mail and he is sending pics of him/wife/son on their vacation and he used to send a Christmas card of the three of them for years – no card the last two years though. Says his wife is too busy.

          6. Simplicity has its benefits, I think.
            Aw…that’s so weird. It is nice that in a way that’s an extension of trust he has in you.
            I have noticed that many people have stopped sending cards. I don’t know if its being too busy or just that what’s the point if we’re not all doing it? Plus stamps are .60/each now!! WOW!

          7. Yes, simple is better in my opinion, but as to makeup and clothing, a younger and VERY vain me could never have imagined the “new me” – oh well.

            Cards are expensive anymore and even Jacquie Lawson has raised her e-card subscription. I don’t send any snail-mail cards anymore, except to my friend Ann Marie. I’ve sent her Jacquie Lawson cards and she follows my blog and so I would think she has seen the cards in my holiday posts, but they are never shown that she opened/viewed them so maybe they go to her SPAM, so I just use regular cards for her. I have some Christmas cards from Guiding Eyes for the Blind that I use, an assortment, so they’ll last a long time. I agree with you – the nicety of Christmas cards and a letter or note inside is a lost tradition it seems. The only birthday card I get anymore is from Ann Marie and she also sends me a paper card for all the holidays, even Valentine’s Day. I had no idea stamps were $0.60 each – wow! I bought several books of Forever Stamps about a year ago or so ago and I pay all my bills electronically, even the tax and water bill, so I know they get there timely (the mail is a lost cause sometimes), so I didn’t know that was the current rate.

          8. Aw, we all have that younger-vain-me 😉 I just think of this version as a healthier me. The nasty chemicals in all the makeup (just look at that word…make up what?) is so toxic to us and our skin. Another soapbox!

            I have a bin full of cards that my mom had for every occasion. I try to use those up first. It seems she sent cards for celebrations I wasn’t aware of or need to send cards for. 🤔

            Yeah…the rate increase to .60 didn’t make the headlines I guess. Interesting, eh?

          9. Yes, I would never appear in public without makeup, hair done in some fashion – curled or a French braid, plus I wore my contacts. Sometimes on a weekend I’d go to pick up a pizza or some fast food and had these huge “Solar Shield” sunglasses that covered my eyeglasses and half my face in case I met someone. Vanity was my middle name for sure. A friend of mine’s mom died suddenly and in cleaning out her mom’s house, she discovered the same thing – her mom had cards from many organizations so she sent a bunch of them to me. I’ve run out of them, though I had a lot of “thank-you” cards. I used to get notice of postage increases for our mail machine from Pitney Bowes. Robb probably put it in his name now, so I don’t see them. Snail mail is way too expensive.

          10. We’re aging gracefully and letting go of the vanity push and shove we get from society and social media, nothing bad about that in my book!
            That darn Robb…he sure messes with things! 😉

          11. No, it is not. The hair and makeup styles have changed a lot over the years. I wore a lot of makeup, (always foundation/powder, etc.), but took great pains to make it look natural. Now in offices, no foundation, a more natural look and very little makeup – even as to hair. I always curled my hair or had it in a French braid for Summer but now it seems long straight hair is back again.

            Yes, he always does – I have days I am ready to scream 1/2 hour after I sign on.

          12. You’re still beautiful – your kind spirit shines and that’s what matters most. I love French braids for my hair too.

            Ugh…retirement will be nice for you when you don’t have to deal with him!

          13. I am blushing and now my head won’t go thru the door. 🙂 My hair is stick straight so on hot and humid Summer days when I worked, my hair could look the same at the end of the day as in the morning. I had a lot of clips and hair doo dads, all in shoeboxes in a cupboard downstairs, not looked at in over a decade. My hair had long layers and my mom had to do the French braid as I would lose too many strands doing it myself.

            I hope retirement is in the cards soon. I feel overwhelmed with stuff to do in my free time, but admittedly I did that to myself by taking advantage of so many beautiful October days to get out and about and putting other things on my “to do list” second place. It would be a good thing if it rained next weekend and I could take a stab at dealing with these groceries in the living room, among other things.

          14. 🥰🤗 Wish we could share our hair so that we both ended up with a fun soft and wavvy pattern that was easy to take care of!

            Retirement sounds pretty good to us…I know so many people that are busier now that they’re retired. So, maybe I can wait?

            I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your groceries find homes and you get some free time to get some of your to-do list items accomplished.

          15. Yes, me too Shelley. My mom had curly hair, but big waves when she had longer hair when she was a young woman. My father had stick-strait mousy brown hair and he wanted me to cut it off so he could make it into a toupe. I said “no way!” He went out and bought one which looked like a little dog on top of his head. My mother refused to go out with him when he wore it. He wore it once and it sat in the drawer. 🙂

          16. Aw, your parents sound so interesting. I haven’t thought of a toupe in years. Your description of your dads is funny. I bet your mom gladly tossed that out in the garbage when the time came to clear out that drawer.

          17. Yes, I often wondered how they got together to be honest and I didn’t come along for three years after they were married, so that wasn’t the reason. My father wanted a picture of himself wearing it – it looked like a little animal. Do you remember Terry Bradshaw the football player in the 70s? Well he was the spokesman for this hair place and his “rug” looked legitimate and Terry Bradshow was balder than my father. Bradshaw said he wore it playing football and it never fell off, so my father bought into that concept … he didn’t wear it to work, just on a Sunday outing. Once, never. I am thinking she must have tossed it out gladly, with all the psychic books. He got into astrology and was reading horoscope books and writing some woman to ask her advice before he eventually left (likely on her advice).

          18. Oh, my, the plot thickened…
            I do remember Terry but had forgotten he wore a toupe. I can’t believe it stuck while he played football. Super glue?!

          19. I wonder how it stuck too … maybe he wore a wool cap under his helmet? I think it was Shear-Pointe was the toupe place Terry Bradshaw endorsed. I’ve seen him on social media over the years and he no longer wears it.

          20. Yes and it’s funny as he was trending on Twitter today because he was on the Today Show talking about why h never divulged he had cancer right away. I would not have recognized him – he got very heavy and very bald.

Comments are closed.