Weekly Chat Thread November 8th -14th

[staytuned]

Good morning everyone! We're getting a brief reprieve from November chill with temps in the 60s until end of week. Reminder for those who forgot to set clocks back that are on Daylight Savings Time to set clocks back an hour. Nice to wake up to daylight, but already depressing it's dark after 5pm already. blah.  Anywhoo, hope everyone has a fall-tastic day!

[jesmelric]

Hello everyone We are having a bit of a warm up this week, but still very pleasant. And we are finally starting to get a bit of fall color here, too.

We had a nice visit with mom Saturday. It was a little cool out and I bought her the home made chicken soup and a warm biscuit and she really enjoyed it. She said her hip down to her knee had been very painful a few days before, she had no memory of breaking her hip 3 years ago. However it was no longer bothering her by Saturday.

When I got home I did a photo session. DH was working on the Falcon so he was on the ground under the car and I was walking back and forth with clothes from the den to the living room and I had my blinds open, the slats that is. And I saw someone walking up to our house and I saw it was a woman walking a dog and I thought, "how strange that dog looks just like Janey". OMG it was Janey! DH left the frigging back gate open and she walked out and went down two corners. Thank goodness the woman was so nice to bring her home. She has a tag with her name, our address and phone number and on the back it says I'm MICROCHIPPED. So she said it was really easy to find us. I was livid (not in front of the lady lol, I was very grateful) I have told DH MANY times never leave the gate open even for a moment. He was always like; oh she's too scared to leave. So then it wasn't an accident but carelessness! I said dogs are like toddlers they are unpredictable and you never know what they will do. Boy he still hasn't heard the end of it. Anything could have happened to her!

[staytuned]

I'm glad your Mom's doing well and Janey is back home safe and sound. Hopefully your DH learned his lesson.

[jesmelric]

Nov 8, 2021 17:32:47 GMT staytuned said:

I'm glad your Mom's doing well and Janey is back home safe and sound. Hopefully your DH learned his lesson.

He sure better have!!! Lol he still hasn't heard the end of it.

[blissfullymiserable]

It would take me a long time to get over a dog escape from an open gate. Fur babies depend on us to keep them safe at all times. I'm glad that nice lady took the time to bring her home. Any dog that I've ever tried to lead home has taken off running. 

Cliff's sister, niece and sister's boyfriend are coming to visit. They get here Thursday, they're not staying here because we don't have any room but they'll come for a visit which means days of top to bottom cleaning. The house has been torn apart since Saturday. Cliff knows if he wants something cleaned right then he needs to do it himself. Sometimes it pays to be slacker. I've been cleaning too but he's definitely done most of the grunt work and he was mowing the back yard in the dark last night. Today I've got a list of things that I need to get done. I've made several hauls to the one of those box donation things. Really should stay out of the stores this week since we're in declutter mode but if I don't go then I won't have anything to list next week. Fingers crossed for a productive afternoon of cleaning.

Just wanted to weigh myself before I take shower. Couldn't find the scale so I called him. He told me where to look and said.... if you'd grab a cleaning device when you're done doing that I'd appreciate it... lol

[chapeaunoir]

I'm glad you got Janey back!  Even if the DH *thinks* she's 'too scared to leave' he needs to just close the gate - just do that thing - is it really that hard.   We missed wandering Jamie for a night once and I was frantic.  We still don't know where she ended up but she was filthy when she got back. 

A bit of sun today - we're all drying out from the squalls, but the rains will be back tomorrow then into the foreseeable future. I had planned a long, comfortable slow run yesterday but just couldn't push myself out the door to run in all that wind and ended up on the exercycle for a while. I think after all those years working as a courier and racing I just don't have to umph to deal with the kind of lashing rain we get this time of year. I used to not even mind it that much, just gritted my teeth and kept going.    I'm concerned that I'm getting soft and next time need to just get out there and stop whinging about it - I mean, there's a hot shower and hot tea afterwards. 

[Shirley U Geste]

I hate Monday's

 

[kritter]

[staytuned]

It got up to almost 70 today and felt sooooooo good to go out in short sleeves. Couldn't ask for a nicer day this time of year. I stopped at former GW and there's hardly anybody left I know. I was told former employees are being asked to come back because they're so short staffed. I said I doubt they'll call me after my scathing exit interview. One of the bigwig's mother came up to me pretending to be all thrilled to see me and told me to come back and talk to the regional manager who was there and I chuckled and told her he's the main reason I quit. She tried to tell me I had him all wrong. I told her bluntly I worked there when he was around and I know exactly what he was like. I won't hold my breath for a call, lol.

[denise15601]

Jes-TG that you got Janey back okay. That is something to remember and nag about for years and years.

So nice today-in the 60's and will be nice all week. Now that all of my beautiful flowers have frozen....wah.

[labbypaws]

It is going to be in the 70s here today. Walked in shorts and a shirt. No jacket. Lately I have had to wear the jacket and then take it off about a quarter of the way through my walk.

[staytuned]

Three more days of plenty of sunshine and above normal temps before plunging back in below normal low 40s for highs. We've had the weirdest rollercoaster weather all year. The only good thing about it in winter is we get dumped on with snow, then it warms up and melts off. Always nice when mother nature makes a mess and cleans it up. Too nice to stay indoors so heading out to enjoy the warmth and sunshine while it lasts. Plenty of dreary days ahead to stay in and do domestic stuff.

[blissfullymiserable]

It's going to get up to 82 today. Cliff's sister and her crew coming from Buffalo NY will really enjoy the weather. Another day of cleaning. Was just working on the tub in my bathroom. It was pretty soap scummy but I got it looking surprisingly good with Comet and Soft Scrub. Was hoping to shop tomorrow but there will probably still to be too much left to do around here. I'm not really feeling in the shopping mood anyway.

[chapeaunoir]

We have high winds whistling through the passes and knocking out power to the east of us.  The way the trees have been blowing around outside my back windows I've been packing and shipping like a banshee in case we lose power again.  For now, though, it's settled back down into a comfortable drizzle and the wind seems to be dying down. 

labbypaws - I've taken to just going out running or riding a tad under-dressed because I always end up overheating, too, then have to somehow carry my jacket. My friend who dog walks sometimes has to change layers depending on if he has the "200 lb of dog" walk or the "bolting Weimaraners" walk, or just a calm doodle or spaniel.  

[labbypaws]

I carry one of those small nylon bag pack bags in case I get too hot. I usually wrap the jacket around my waist but as it gets colder I add more layers and sometimes need to strip off more clothing😂

[blissfullymiserable]

Big disagreement over hiring house cleaners here. Called for a few quotes this morning thinking we could split the cost 50/50. Was quoted $240 for 2 hours of cleaning once a month. He lost his marbles and said that he won't pay anyone to do anything that he is capable of doing himself. I personally think time is money and it's a fantastic way to spend $120 each a month. Asked how much he'd be willing to put towards it and said I'd pick up the rest. His answer was ridiculous. 

He wanted me stay home today and clean. I'll stay home but I'm not cleaning. Mopping is really all that's left. He said he'd do it when he gets home tonight. I understand that cleaning is part of being an adult but we are busy and other than the usual daily maintenance, we never take the time to do it until we have to and it isn't like we can't afford it.

[kritter]

Ask for house cleaners recommendations on your local Nextdoor. My neighbor has a cleaner she found from Nextdoor that comes once a week for 2 hours and I know she is not paying her anywhere near $240 every time she comes. This gal has several clients in and around the neighborhood that keep her busy just by word of mouth.

[blissfullymiserable]

I'll check into that Kritter, thanks!

[denise15601]

Holy crap! When I cleaned houses I charged $20 an hour and did very well. All houses took longer than 2 hours. I guess that I was underpriced???
But at 8 hours a day, I was clearing $160 a day. I was fine with that.

[blissfullymiserable]

2 hours is probably on the low side. House is about 1500 square feet and I don't need the whole house cleaned. I'd love someone to clean/mop floors and baseboards. Wipe/treat all cabinets (there aren't that many), dust blinds and clean the bathrooms. Two bedrooms and the kitchen can be completely skipped other than the kitchen tile. We can handle dusting and anything else. Nothing here is intricate or grandiose. 

[denise15601]

Heck-that is nothing. I agree with Next Door to find someone reliable and a heck of a lot cheaper.

[jesmelric]

Nov 10, 2021 17:10:14 GMT blissfullymiserable said:

Big disagreement over hiring house cleaners here. Called for a few quotes this morning thinking we could split the cost 50/50. Was quoted $240 for 2 hours of cleaning once a month. He lost his marbles and said that he won't pay anyone to do anything that he is capable of doing himself. I personally think time is money and it's a fantastic way to spend $120 each a month. Asked how much he'd be willing to put towards it and said I'd pick up the rest. His answer was ridiculous. 

He wanted me stay home today and clean. I'll stay home but I'm not cleaning. Mopping is really all that's left. He said he'd do it when he gets home tonight. I understand that cleaning is part of being an adult but we are busy and other than the usual daily maintenance, we never take the time to do it until we have to and it isn't like we can't afford it.

Goodness I think I am more like him, I hate to pay for something I can do myself. That's why I'm still mowing my own yard, although I did have to concede to a self propel model when I turned 50. When I take surveys there's often a question if you would rather spend time or money and my answer is always time My sister works in the office of a maid service and it's pretty costly although to my understanding there are a lot of factors in addition to the size of the home such as if there are pets present, how many people live there, when was the last time they had a cleaning, etc.

Well our anniversary is tomorrow so I am making a home made cheesecake today. It's DH's favorite and we don't really give anniversary gifts per se; he usually gives me flowers and I make him something that is a hassle that I won't usually bother with lol. Although we are picking up our Mexican food and margaritas Sunday courtesy of older DD who is the only one that ever remembers.

It's quite warm today, supposed to hit 80 with a cool down tomorrow. I would hate for it to stay really cold for a long period of time but I wish it would at least stay cool. It's back and forth; Monday it's jackets and by Mid week it's shorts and then jackets again by Friday. Ugh.

[57roses]

That cleaning price seems excessive. Is is only one person or a crew?
I had a friend coming to clean every two weeks for $100. She spend about 4 hours and was very thorough.
We only had her clean one bathroom plus 1/2 of the other bathroom, one bedroom and the living areas of the house including floors. That's another thing I have missed during Covid. I like having a cleaner because it motivates me to straighten things up and put away all the random things that accumulate. DH said I used to clean before the housekeeper came in
I started using a spray cleaner on my shower that works overnight and just needs a little work and rinse the next day. I like cleaning but arthritis makes it hard to scrub anything.

[denise15601]

Since I am really slowing down, I should get a cleaner, but I don't trust anyone with all of the stuff I have around here. Way back when my girls were young, I had 2 different ladies clean for me. And they both stole items.

And most of my cleaning customers had let people go because they also stole. So a bonded company would be good.

I was so honest that my customers left money sitting around and knew it was safe. But if they left chocolate out in a candy dish, that was fair game.

[blissfullymiserable]

Nov 10, 2021 19:08:24 GMT 57roses said:

That cleaning price seems excessive. Is is only one person or a crew?
I had a friend coming to clean every two weeks for $100. She spend about 4 hours and was very thorough.
We only had her clean one bathroom plus 1/2 of the other bathroom, one bedroom and the living areas of the house including floors. That's another thing I have missed during Covid. I like having a cleaner because it motivates me to straighten things up and put away all the random things that accumulate. DH said I used to clean before the housekeeper came in
I started using a spray cleaner on my shower that works overnight and just needs a little work and rinse the next day. I like cleaning but arthritis makes it hard to scrub anything.

That is exactly what I said, have to do pre tidying before they arrive. Win win. I was talking to my BFF, their house is 3 times the size of this one and she said she pays $150 and the lady is there all day. The company that gave me a quote is Two Maids and a Mop... lol. You can get a free quote on their website but I called to see if there was a "menu" of sorts... there wasn't. 

I do get his point. He immediately calculated what it would be a for a year   I'll take my time and try to find someone less expensive and avoid a company.

I already decided that I'll hide out in my office and make my presence known if we get someone. We don't have anything valuable laying around but I'll think head and be sure to remove any easy temptations. That does worry me also but now with indoor cameras being fairly common, hopefully that doesn't happen nearly as much as it used to.

Was just thinking about Thrifty's posts about her house cleaners. Those were always entertaining reads. 

[sunsetpainter]

Don't forget...No Mail/PO Closed tomorrow

[treetop]

We have a lady come once a month to clean the main level of our house only. It is $100 per cleaning and takes her about 2 1/2 hours. I throw her an extra $25 when it is extra dirty (like after grandkids have come to visit). I found her on our area's Facebook neighbor's group. A couple people recommended her. She is great. Over the years we have lived in different places and used three or four different companies and have not been all that pleased, but our current lady is a gem.

[val2525]

Nov 10, 2021 19:08:24 GMT 57roses said:

I started using a spray cleaner on my shower that works overnight and just needs a little work and rinse the next day. I like cleaning but arthritis makes it hard to scrub anything.

That wouldn't be No Work Shower Cleaner from Melaleuca, would it?

[57roses]

I use this:  Wet and Forget shower cleaner

It has a mild vanilla scent.  While it doesn't do so great with mineral build up, it does cut soap scum and leaves the shower looking 'good enough'.

[denise15601]

When I grow up, I really want a walk-in shower like we see constantly on TV. But they are $5,000 - $8,000. My next fall will be getting out of the tub after my shower.