MORNING ROLL CALL July 2025

[DaveMcK]

MORNING ROLL CALL July  2025

Top of the morning to everyone on this First day July of 2025 

Happy Birthday to all of our July Birthday members.

[LisaS961881]

Goodness yes, Doc Martin and Hotel Portofino!  Both such cozy escapes!  I don’t watch TV that often - maybe two or three shows a week, but when Doc Martin ended, I quite honestly missed the characters!

~ Lisa 🏠

[KellytheBelly]

Hello! So cool you got this back! I was rooting for you @DaveMcK  et al.  ;-D 

[LaDolceVita]

HI folks, I am still alive and doing well mostly.  I lost another dog, 12 years old two weeks ago,  totallly unexpectedly.  Did not know anything was wrong till the morning walk.   This has happened twice before with older dogs,  the result of lung cancer.  

@LisaS961881 @MsStretch  I am so glad you are keeping up the  porch visits.  Thishas always been a nice place to visit and maybe complain a  little😉.

[LisaS961881]

Oh, I am so sorry for the loss of your faithful companion.❤️. 
I too enjoy this cozy place on the porch.

I will share that, on a peg to the right of my back kitchen door, hangs the collar of my childhood dog.  After she passed away when I was in college, my father couldn’t bear to remove it from its place on a hook in the garage.  When my parents downsized, I took the collar and hung it at my back door.  Its bow might be tattered and its colors faded, but my memories of her unconditional love are bright and clear. 🌈

I am currently loved by a 21 year old rescue - an affectionate purring love bug who no longer hears.   When she passes, I intend to adopt another special needs senior companion, or hopefully a pair.  

….take care

~Lisa

[MsStretch]

@LisaS961881 , I love this idea of giving back for "wedding presents". 🥰 This actually put a smile on my face on an otherwise indifferent day.  That, and your peonies. 🌺😊 

[DaveMcK]

Good night everyone!

[LisaS961881]

I hope everyone had a fun weekend! 🌸

We just had a lovely, cozy three-day wedding experience that I wanted to share.  While I have attended a few of those “ in lieu of a gift, please consider donating to ****”, this wedding had a thoughtful “twist” on that concept. 

in the invite, we were all asked to “give back” in some manner - whether it be of our time, our skills, or our funds.  The choice was ours to make.  We were then requested to let the couple know what had done with the couple prior to the wedding.…

….Then, over the course of the festivities, this lovely pair would periodically share some of the collective “gifts” (One snippet I distinctly remember, “ a local food pantry was cleaned from top to bottom, lonely shelter dogs were walked and cats were cuddled and read to, and a women and children’s shelter has received dozens of pairs of new socks.”

….

It was such a collectively heartwarming experience, and we all focused on the small ways we could make our own tiny piece of the world a bit better.

…

I came home to some peonies still blooming after the drenching rain, and am sharing those too!

~ Lisa

[DaveMcK]

Lisa glad to hear that his knee replace went well. I've been there and done that in 2009.

[LisaS961881]

I hope that you had positive results and a quick recovery too!

~ Lisa

[DaveMcK]

Enjoy your weekend!

[LaDolceVita]

@LisaS961881   Knee surgery follow up today, he received A+ on his progress.  I can hardly believe we survived the last few weeks.   Also had identity theft day before the surgery.   I am sort of a basket case!  Actually I am OK and hope to see some of  the Porchers visit soon.  Nice to have you on board Lisa.

[LisaS961881]

Thanks so much for the update about the knee surgery!  You must be so relieved!

(Aside - I too was the victim of Identity Theft - like countless millions of other people - an organization did not safeguard my information effectively.  What a nightmare to death with at what was already a very stressful time!) ❤️

 Hope you both have a relaxing weekend! 🏠🌈

~ Lisa

[DaveMcK]

Homes Destroyed Amid Wisconsin Severe Storms

The Brief Storms swept across Wisconsin on Thursday, leaving significant damage. A tornado hit Dodge County. 

The Dodge County Sheriff's Office said many streets and highways are closed due to power lines and trees being down.

The sheriff's office tells FOX6 News some people lost their homes.

We definitely are seeing the affects of climate change!

We are expecting more stormy weather today.

[papawofboo]

It is that time of year again. Down here in the south we have to put of with these things all summer. Last week I think 25 people died in Mo. and KY. from these storms. This week one took the top off a factory where 75 people were working. I don't think any of them needed a band aid. Go figure, when the Lord wants you, you better be ready. 

[LisaS961881]

…..All summer long?  My heart goes out to you.

My sole experience - Hurricane Floyd’s impact on Bound Brook, NJ - left me with powerful memories. (A google search will show photos of the destruction.)

While sadly, we initially experienced looters and “looky-loos” who drove by slowly, gaping as they observed our pain and loss, we also experienced unexpected heartwarming gestures from total strangers.  ❤️🌈. 

From one who still remembers hearing those news helicopters circling overhead for days, I appreciate your post.

….I am thankful that I only lost “stuff” - which - in the grand scheme of things - means very little.

   ~ Lisa

[MsStretch]

@LaDolceVita , good luck to hubby and you with his knee surgery.

I actually love MyChart (and the others) as opposed to old-fashioned methods.  I can check in online, view all my records from various doctors as they can mine, not have to physically schlep files and records to this doctor or that doctor.  And I get test results as soon as they become available.

@LisaS961881, you can probably still print out your files for your use. 

[LaDolceVita]

Hello folks.  I have been quiet lately because hubby is having total knee replacement surgery in about 10 days.   This requires enourmous amounts of time with dr appointments and all kinds of computer time to fill out redundant forms, watch redundant videos.   I wish I had told them that I do not have internet access and cannot get texts!!!  

All is well otherwise.  For the Porch Ladies only:  I had hormone balancing done by a functional physician with good results.  What I mean is, I had a saliva test which indicated I had high estrogen levels for my time in life, desirable for bone building.   Very low progesterone,  which is not good for someone who has not had a hysterectomy.  Very low in cortisol and other hormones related to energy levels.  I began the hrt  4 weeks ago and feel better, with much more energy.  Thought I would share because I debated with myself whether to pursue this kind of medicine for almost a year.  

[LisaS961881]

….. I just wanted to reach out and ask how the knee replacement surgery went.  Hope the recovery is going well. I’m sending positive thoughts your way! 🌈

~ Lisa

[LisaS961881]

I am so glad that you’ve had positive results with your HRT!  I found myself nodding in agreement as I read how you took your time when making the decision about this. 

i hope that all goes well with your husband, and will keep him in my thoughts and prayers.  

I did smile when I read about you being bombarded with emails and videos.  I do have to admit that I still am adjusting to having all of my medical info available online.  At the risk of showing my age, I prefer paper documents in a folder - so I can highlight portions as well as use post-it’s. 😇

Enjoy the day!  I hope it is sunny and warm there!  My weeping cherry tree is in full bloom, so it must be Spring.  💐☀️🌸

~ Lisa

[LaDolceVita]

@LisaS961881  I really appreciated your post.  HRT is still a taboo & controversial subject.  @MsStretch   I do not mind the mychart kind of stuff, like those immediate test results.  I have been bombarded by  emails with "assignments" from the surgeon's office.  The "homework" was mostly videos to watch, tons of stuff to print off.  The written information was redundant at best, contradictory at worst!  I guess you did not have this happen when you had surgery?  It was downright weird.

[DaveMcK]

We are having a family dinner out this noon. Tomarrow we are going to an Easter brunch at the dinning room here tomarrow.

[DaveMcK]

With a strong storms hitting our area there has been areas with large hail damaging cars, roofs and siding. Some hail was as large as golf balls with some pieses as large as 2".

[SpringIsHereVA]

I have deleted my comment. Nicole  👵

[papawofboo]

This is what I was taught and done for years. If the pot has drainage holes then no rocks, in fact you should water a plant until the water comes out of the planter. I put a saucer under the plants that I have sitting on a shelf to keep the dirt from getting on stuff. Plus any water is drawn back up though the pot. If the planter doesn't have a hole then put rocks in bottom so that water will go below the soil. By the end of the season the plant will need to be repotted, or the root rot will take place. To me these planters are for inside because you don't want water running through pot onto floor or table. I don't buy planters without holes, just too much trouble.

[LisaS961881]

Good Morning Nicole!

   Your post made me smile because I truly needed to read about Spring things being that it’s snowing up here! 😮

     I do watch to see that my container plants don’t “get their feet wet”.  I don’t use rocks at the bottom of my pots/containers.  However, we did have a mild drought up here last summer, and I slid dishes under the containers when it did rain - but only for a day - to give the dry soil a chance to sop up that water.  My guess is that maybe in certain situations/climates rocks at the bottom do serve a purpose, but I’m just speaking from my own limited experience.

     My one indoor plant that detests getting its feet wet is my Christmas Cactus !

….to offset my “bleh” feeling at seeing the wet snow clumping down, I dabbed Lily of the Valley oil at my jawline pulse points - I feel better already! 🌸

~ Lisa

[MsStretch]

@LisaS961881 , I had a 2009 Tacoma (which I bought new) with about 200K on it, but last October, it got rejected during its annual inspection for rust on the frame which basically sounded the death knell on it. 😢 They suggested I could get it block welded and I did check with a few body shops, but no one wanted to touch it.  It probably wouldn't have been worth the cost anyway, so it was time to bid farewell.

The flowers are nice, but I really love the skeleton family with all the fur babies. 😄 There are a couple of houses in the area (including one across street) that have giant skeletons up year round, and dress them according to the season/holiday.  Right now, they are sporting bunny ears.  Here is a picture of the one across street.  The other one about a mile from here is humongous!

------Mr. Bones is in the Easter spirit.

I have a couple of cat skeletons and was thinking of putting them out with little bunny ears and maybe colored eggs too. 

@SpringIsHereVA , speaking of cats, yes, they definitely shed when it gets warmer and they even get mats which hopefully, they usually can groom themselves, although a brush definitely helps the process.  Giorgio has long fur, so he can be a mess sometimes.  His mama, not so much.  When I had indoor cats, I wore cat hair.  A friend (with cats) gave me a canvas bag that says "Cat Hair Both a Condiment and Fashion Accessory".  I love that bag!  I don't worry about hairballs, since they're outside and if they puke, so be it.

Willie Mae showed up with her 2 kids in tow in 2016.  We think Willie Mae had her babies in an abandoned trailer at a house next door and then, when the homeowner discovered them, she moved them to under my deck.  She may have had more, but only 2 survived.  Yes, they were absolutely TNR'd.  The boys were fairly easy to trap once they became old enough to fix, but Willie Mae proved elusive.  She would NOT go near the trap no matter how well we tried to disguise it. AND she was a priority, since we already knew she could pump out kitties. Finally, we got her trapped in a shed and my neighbor put on a Carhartt jacket with leather gloves duct taped to the sleeves and I had on leather gloves to hold the trap and door open and he manhandled her screaming and fighting into the cage. Impossible mission accomplished!

And lastly, about weights and exercise -- yes, I have weights, a weight bench, exercise bands -- I am even typing this on my desktop sitting on a exercise ball.  My rule of thumb is when I am watching TV or Netflix or whatever, that I also need to be doing something -- whether it be pumping out bicep curls, tricep dips, leg lifts, etc.  Of course, I love hiking and bushwhacking can be a challenge -- climbing over, crawling under fallen trees, boulders, rocky and steep terrain.  I don't walk around the neighborhood because the furkids would follow me.  So we go on walkabouts and runarounds on the property.  I stick in my Airpods and we're off on epic "adventures".

[LisaS961881]

….Sounds like you had an old friend too! 🙂. I think you made the right decision to bid farewell.  Being that I’ve had my Tacoma for 20 years, that it’s only the third vehicle that I have ever owned, and that so many who once sat in the passenger seat are no longer with here, I promised myself not to “throw good money after bad” if something major goes wrong.  I’ll admit it is an emotional attachment - this truck got me home safe and sound through countless snowstorms too.
    Oh gosh - thanks for sharing the skeleton with bunny ears!  I should try something like that.  Last Halloween it made me smile when a group of parents with their four and five year olds came to my door.  The kids ran up to pet all of the dog, cat and kitten skeletons!  It was sweet.

     (I noticed that, in your photo, the skeleton is attached to a slim plant hanger, which is a great idea.  While my skeleton was tied to the trellis with fishing line, I just realized that I could get a tall thin tomato stake and place a standing skeleton pretty much anywhere! )

 ~ Lisa

[SpringIsHereVA]

I have deleted my comment. Nicole  👵

[LisaS961881]

I miss your gardening posts Nicole!

I wanted to share that I saw the first Monarch Butterfly of the season yesterday.  I figure planting more pollinators helped! 😀

I also wanted to share a photo of an Iris that a friend gifted me with last year.  It’s in full bloom and made me smile this morning!

~ Have a great weekend everyone! 🌈🌸🏠🪺🪴

[papawofboo]

Only one has broke ground. Hope the warm weather in forecast will wake up the rest of them. I have 2 other plants that didn't handle the bad weather so well. Should have the final tally after next week on those that are going to make it.