No coffee maker. No cake.

On April 18, the coffee maker failed. The waitresses had to walk to the Cafe/Store next door and use
the tiny one cup machine to fill a carafe - with decaffinated coffee! AARGH!
Then on the morning of the 19th, there was no coffee of any kind, because the Cafe door had been left locked.
     We had tea bags, and a stack of insulated carafes are sitting unused in the kitchen, but our waitress said she was too busy to bring us hot water.  I had depended on Instant coffee in my room to sustain me through the dearth of coffee service,
        A new coffee maker has been ordered and should arrive next Monday.
        Today was the monthly birthday party, but I could not eat cake at 3.30 after ingesting chicken-fried -steak-salad at noon. (It was tasty).  The cake left overs were not saved for the dinner hour, as was previously done by the kitchen staff. Now that Amy is in charge of the birthdays, she "takes the cake" away.

Saturday is slow in the dining room-

Feb 25. 012.  Once this month I got no service at breakfast!  I went to my room and ate from the refrigerator.   Another Saturday we waited an hour for breakfast.  For some reason our regular waiters do not come in on Saturday. Yesterday, the cook helped serve coffee (at one dinner this week the book-keeper  was serving coffee!) and we were eating after a forty-five minute wait. So at an early lunch yesterday I saw one waitress on the floor, and Jerry and I were due at the opera "Ernani" in Springfield at 12-55 PM-  So Jerry and I went quickly to Frisches for a hot soup and did get to the opera on time.  At dinner I asked Shanda if she was the only server at lunch and she said "Yes".  Jerry and I had a good dinner at 5.30 no problem. I now take a newspaper with me to deal with delays at meal time.

Gardening and housekeeping

April 20 2012 emails

E:    Will you come to my room Saturday and watch me discard a pile of
  EIGHT state and Aetna health-related mail?

T:  I assume this is old stuff? You have a shredder? 

You could add it to the pile that sue has from her mother that is "To Be Burned." Of course, when that will happen... Meanwhile, there it sits.

Nah. Just catalogs and tons of printed material sent to folks
who supposedly could never deal with single payer insurance! 

T.  See you tomorrow morning. Around 9 I suppose.

The irises from the cemetery have had a year to grow on a bit and can be transplanted. If you are available would you like to go to the cemetery and we can see about replanting them? I have a selection of pots of different sizes to sink into the ground to confine them. With some good rain Friday night, we should be able to dig. We can choose whatever seems best depending on the effort! Let me know by Friday night. We can stop for lunch somewhere. 

E:  I am available to plant but not strong to dig.  I had no success in 2011 finding the person
to talk to in the Township  Cemetery.
.. I was told the person to talk to was Jack or Johnny.
  After my flowers were destroyed by spray, I wanted assurance
some would be left after I replanted. Can I hire someone to dig?

It should rain tonight and we shall get things done tomorrow,

Neighborhood Watch

This week I have not had to chase down loud talkers in the hallway: originally it was a neighbor dressed and ready, getting her friend out of bed to go to breakfast at 4.30 AM. Duh! After that it was a 2.30 wake-up call by loud people caring for a woman across the hall. I shut their door and went back to bed. Last week, it sounded like a football stadium crowd, when aides were carousing in the laundry room down the hall. O je. I need to be allowed to sleep from 10 PM to 7 AM.
2. Aides (or who else) sneaking up to the third floor to do laundry in our nice machines and then leaving the laundry room filthy, is becoming a regular although not very frequent development. I don't blame anyone for hating the first floor laundry room. It is the pits. But, please, dining room staff, take your dining room linens to the basement where your soap powder is....I saw soap powder spilled in the west-side elevator and I bet someone was transporting soap powder upstairs when they spilled it!
3. Why doesn't Amber Park clean our room air filters? Doesn't management know about changing air filters at their homes? Same process applies here. I had to hire a service to do mine . That cost me $78.00.
4. Does someone out there not know about recycling? We do no recycling.
5. The sun also rises at breakfast time, highlighting a very disfigured east glass door in the dining room.
6. Good news. This Spring, trash cans at the awning-entrance and in the Post Office are being emptied on Mondays, hindering overflow onto the ground/floor.
7. I have checked on the availability of inexpensive "Living will- Do NOT Resuscitate" bracelets and cannot locate any. I wish I could wear
such a conspicuous waterproof bracelet. Do YOU know where my medical directives are? Does any one look at, or for, a living will in an emergency? Spare me the kisses and broken ribs if I am not breathing. Is anyone listening?

Slow Sewing and Steaming

April 6. 2012, I did not get my fancy suit for Easter, because the seamstress
had ten brides maids's dresses to be fitted this week, when her car transmission broke down. So I have to wait, again. When the price is right, you can't expect 100% score on the other requirements!
I came back from 5/3 bank with a heavy heart. I went in March 28 to get $US 300.00 from my Canadian savings. The Blue Ash teller calculated that I write a Canadian check for 360.00 Canadian dollars ($60.00 was their fee, as the exchange rates are nearly equal now.) But the 17% overage taxed me sorely, so I stopped in the Reading OH 5/3 Bank today to inquire. IT IS TRUE: THE COST FOR HANDLING A FOREIGN CHECK RANGES FROM $50.00 to $150.00! I am a confirmed user now of the local grocery store ATM machine, where I pay §3.00 per 200.00 service.