USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Lumpy 1]

On Day 1 of our third lockdown, I give you a sign ‘o the times in Ontario today:

mmm .. I didn't know you were Canadian.. (or I forgot)

My brother went back to London, Ontario to renew his first love, now, he's stuck in Canada but luckily he's in love...
.

 

[Dragonlady]

mmm .. I didn't know you were Canadian.. (or I forgot)

My brother went back to London, Ontario to renew his first love, now, he's stuck in Canada but luckily he's in love...
.

I grew up not far from London, went to Western University, and my ex is from London. I have a lot of family in the area, but I haven't been back in years. Hope it works out for your brother.

We listed my friend's patio set on the local buy sell. She was adamant she wanted $1000 for a used patio set. I've had little to no success with the local buy sell page, but I took one of the tub chairs outside into the sunshine, photographed it, and sent the pictures to post on the buy/sell page.

Less than 24 hours later it was gone. Two women got into a bidding war, and raced their pick up trucks to her house to pick it up. They offered more than she was asking. The loser is now dissing my friend on the buy/sell website. I'm gob smacked. I had no idea that people paid so much money for outdoor dining sets.

 

[Gracie]

well, home called. And we decided to let it go and stay here for awhile longer. 5 years we waited. I have no desire to go back any more. We lived there 30 years and the past 4 years, I have been praying to go home.

Why did we decide not to go back? Because there is nothing there for us anymore. The dogs are gone. So is our life we had there. We are now northern cali people, and who knows what tomorrow will bring. So instead of trying to capture that which is gone forever, we look forward...to see what awaits us.

 

[Oddball]

Saturday morning!

Swearing off of wabbits is easier said than done.

Let the cartoon begin!

 

[Dragonlady]

well, home called. And we decided to let it go and stay here for awhile longer. 5 years we waited. I have no desire to go back any more. We lived there 30 years and the past 4 years, I have been praying to go home.

Why did we decide not to go back? Because there is nothing there for us anymore. The dogs are gone. So is our life we had there. We are now northern cali people, and who knows what tomorrow will bring. So instead of trying to capture that which is gone forever, we look forward...to see what awaits us.

I feel the same way about Toronto. When I first moved out to the country in 2014, I missed the city terribly. The live sports, concerts, ballet, and theatre, and my friends and neighbours. My oldest daughter still works in Toronto one day a week and I went into the city on Sundays with her as often as possible.

The last time I spent day in Toronto was over a year ago. I visited my old office building on Bay Street, and the Scotiabank Staff Cafeteria (open to the public if you know where it is), where I ate lunch most days for nearly 20 years. I visited the neighbourhood coffee shop next to the park where my daughter played T-Ball, and where for more than 20 years, the same staff served me so frequently I referred to the place as "my second home", and the houses where my husband and I spent more than 30 years of our lives. I didn't see a single person I knew.

Most of my favorite fabric and sewing wholesalers in the Fashion District are gone because of the off-shoring. That's been happening for a while, but the "button store" closed. I wept. I didn't see a single person I recognize at Scotia Plaza, or in the cafeteria. The only people I met that I knew were my butcher and my green grocer at St. Lawrence Market. The lady at the coffee stall who blended our coffee beans, died of cancer.

Only one of my friends still lives in Toronto. We've all moved away. Even I could afford to live in the city, on less than half of the money I used to make, my friends and my neighbours are all gone. Here, I have affordable living with new friends, neighbours, and a wonderful active life with travel, and fun. My kids all live within a 45 minute drive of my house. Life is much different than it was in the city, but it's very, very good.

.

 

[Foxfyre]

With the weather slowly warming in New Mexico, Hombre and I are again almost motivated to start again going through the many MANY boxes in our garage and getting rid of what we no longer need or use as well as discover a few 'treasures' we had forgotten about.

But one thing that seems be be permanent are old keys that we have no idea what they fit but are afraid to throw away if we should happen to need one for something.

And do ya'll also have a box full of computer and appliance cords that you have no idea what they once attached to but don't throw them away just in case one is needed somewhere?

 

[Foxfyre]

To 007 sorry you missed out at the auction but yeah, sometimes it's best just to let something go and look for something better.

To Gracie and Dragonlady et al, going 'home' is often neither possible nor advisable and/or isn't all that attractive anymore. We've lived several places that we just loved, were definitely at home, definitely had benefit of community and a sense of belonging. We were terribly homesick when we left and tried our best to return, but that never worked out for us. And now we visit those places and thank our lucky stars we were not able to go back because it just isn't the way it used to be anymore, and there is really nothing there for us any more.

 

[Dragonlady]

To 007 sorry you missed out at the auction but yeah, sometimes it's best just to let something go and look for something better.

To Gracie and Dragonlady et al, going 'home' is often neither possible nor advisable and/or isn't all that attractive anymore. We've lived several places that we just loved, were definitely at home, definitely had benefit of community and a sense of belonging. We were terribly homesick when we left and tried our best to return, but that never worked out for us. And now we visit those places and thank our lucky stars we were not able to go back because it just isn't the way it used to be anymore, and there is really nothing there for us any more.

Our old house on Degrassi Street in Toronto just sold for $1,195,000. That's more than ten times what it was offered to us for in 1992. We were renting with an option to buy, and waiting for the chance. When the owner lost his job, we jumped at the opportunity to get in on the best prices in a decade. It's a good thing I didn't have a mouth full of coffee when that listing page came up on my laptop. But that was my favourite house ever, and my favourite neighbourhood ever. The neighbours were an interesting and eclectic group. A lot of artists and entertainment industry people, mixed it with young people on the way up in the financial district, and blue collar people who had grown up in the neighbourhood. One woman hosted a children's show on TV Ontario. Having no children of her own, used the neighbourhood kids to test run games and craft ideas for her show.

The neighbours were inviting us in for a glass of wine while the movers we unloading the truck. There were a slew of neighbourhood kids, who all hung out together like a mini rat pack. Our daughter was 1 year old when we moved in and 10 when we moved on. Even at that point, many of our former neighbours who were part of what made it such a special place to live at the time, had already left - mostly because the couples had split. It wasn't the same.

The Tango Palace was the very special coffee house I spoke of. The same people worked there the whole time we lived in Toronto. We used to go there for adult treats when our daughter played T-Ball, and between the best latte in Toronto, and pastries from a small bakery getting written up in national magazines at the time (Dufflet), we were hooked on the place, and since we were always living within walking distance of the place, it was a frequent destination.

We also lived within walking distance of the movie studio production facilities, meaning that shows in search of audiences offered a lot of free tickets to stuff. There was a lot of "free shit" that goes on in downtown Toronto. Somebody is always calling with free tickets to something. We had a Russian "Nutcracker on Ice" show come to downtown Toronto at Christmas time. The show lost money, and the producers wanted to "paper the house". Because I knew people in figure skating, everyone in my firm was offered free tickets. 200 of us went and enjoyed and incredible show - for free.

I've been to numerous Raptors games and have NEVER paid for a ticket. I wouldn't be going if I did. One seat for one game is more than $100. We used to go to a lot of stuff before our daughter was born, when we lived in a cheap rent controlled building. After we had a baby and moved into a house, we only if the tickets were free.

 

[Gracie]

For the past couple of years, I have been having bad dreams. All of them were of home. Dark, forboding, foggy, misty. I took it as a sign I would never be able to go back. Every dream was like that. Me, searching for our house, winding up in town but lost in the fog. Always nighttime. Always misty or foggy, always scarey.

Last night/early morning, I had a different dream. This one was me going back to the apts I managed, but they were in ruins and none where they were supposed to be. Like, some giant took each unit, tossed them around in a hat, then plopped them back down again in the same property but the apt numbers were all mixed up. And all of them were like shacks. A cock fight was going on across the street and a turtle with the face of a pug kept chasing me around until I gave it some leaves which it happily munched on instead of my leg. 2 people I have not seen in 30 years lived there, and I asked what was wrong with the place and they said a catastrophe. I began to cry because it looked like Paradise after the fire and when I asked if it was fire or flood since everything was soggy..even the ground...they said "both".
My crying woke me up.

I take that as a sign not going back was the right decision. Something awful is going to happen there, I think. Diablo, the nuclear power plant, is about 7 miles as the crow flies. What with the world as unsettled as it is now, plus earthquakes...it wouldn't take much for Diablo to blow and take all the central coast with it. I think it is either a clue to what may be, could be, or is just a message from above that going home is NOT for us. Its not home now. Here is. For the time being.

 

[Foxfyre]

Yes there is something interesting here.

 

[SFC Ollie]

During the $600 stimulus I helped a friend file for it on line. She has no bank account and pays no taxes, doesn't even file a return. She received her check in the mail and had another friend cash it. So when she received her $1400 check last week I took her to my bank and they refused to cash it because she had no picture ID. (Claims her purse was stolen) Anyway they told her to try Walmart.. I'm at a loss, haven't a clue how to help her out.

 

[Shawnee_b]

During the $600 stimulus I helped a friend file for it on line. She has no bank account and pays no taxes, doesn't even file a return. She received her check in the mail and had another friend cash it. So when she received her $1400 check last week I took her to my bank and they refused to cash it because she had no picture ID. (Claims her purse was stolen) Anyway they told her to try Walmart.. I'm at a loss, haven't a clue how to help her out.

Possibly "Cash Express"? They are everywhere.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Have her endorse the check...
deposit said check in your account...
when check clears (wait till it clears your bank, after all it is from the U.S. Government) give her the cash...

 

[007]

well, home called. And we decided to let it go and stay here for awhile longer. 5 years we waited. I have no desire to go back any more. We lived there 30 years and the past 4 years, I have been praying to go home.

Why did we decide not to go back? Because there is nothing there for us anymore. The dogs are gone. So is our life we had there. We are now northern cali people, and who knows what tomorrow will bring. So instead of trying to capture that which is gone forever, we look forward...to see what awaits us.

Ya know, I've moved around a lot in my life, and some places I really enjoyed, but there just isn't any "going back." When I think of even visiting a place I've lived before, like Apache Junction, AZ, it actually gives me a strange feeling, because my parents would no longer be there, places and things would be different, I wouldn't know anyone, so the last thing I'd ever want to do is go there again. But like living here, this is the one place I've ever known that I can truly say "feel like home," even though I didn't grow up here, my parents did, grand parents, great grand parents, great great grand parents, and I had visited and stayed here at our cabin ever since I was old enough to remember. But, I'm the last of the last of my family here. I have some cousins in the area but I rarely see them. In fact the auction I just went to is my cousins. But, I'll sit and look at Zillow sometimes for hours at homes in places I've lived, especially in the winter when I start getting massively sick of it, but it always ends the same... I'm not going anywhere.

 

[007]

To 007 sorry you missed out at the auction but yeah, sometimes it's best just to let something go and look for something better.

To Gracie and Dragonlady et al, going 'home' is often neither possible nor advisable and/or isn't all that attractive anymore. We've lived several places that we just loved, were definitely at home, definitely had benefit of community and a sense of belonging. We were terribly homesick when we left and tried our best to return, but that never worked out for us. And now we visit those places and thank our lucky stars we were not able to go back because it just isn't the way it used to be anymore, and there is really nothing there for us any more.

Ya know Foxy... things happen for a reason. I'd be happy to have the loader backhoe had there not been someone there that turned it into a bidding war, and I got it for a fair price, like $5,000, so I'm glad I didn't dump a load of money on an old machine that I'd have later been mad at myself for paying so much. In fact, I hope the other person feels like that...

I'll find something I can get a deal on sooner or later.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll find something I can get a deal on sooner or later.

I took close to 2 years looking for a replacement for my favorite pick-up 30 years ago... Patience is a virtue and money was a strong consideration in my search...

 

[Dragonlady]

During the $600 stimulus I helped a friend file for it on line. She has no bank account and pays no taxes, doesn't even file a return. She received her check in the mail and had another friend cash it. So when she received her $1400 check last week I took her to my bank and they refused to cash it because she had no picture ID. (Claims her purse was stolen) Anyway they told her to try Walmart.. I'm at a loss, haven't a clue how to help her out.

You used to be able to deposit on a "third party endorsements" - she signs the cheque and then you sign it and you deposit in your bank account. You're taking responsibility for her signature on the cheque because if she isn't who the two of your claim, then the cheque will be returned and your deposit reversed. You could ask your bank about this, but I think we both know there answer is "no".

Banks have mostly discontinued third party endorsements, especially on government cheques because of high levels of fraud, and because it take the government 6 months to returned a cheque to your bank if there is a problem. Fraud and mailbox theft are just two of the reasons the government uses automatic deposits.

Do you have Money Marts, or other cheque cashing parasites in the USA?. They cash cheques for people with no bank acccounts, taking up to 3% of the amount of the cheque as a fee, but again, they are going to require her to have some kind of ID because it's a government cheque, with high rates of theft and fraud.

 

[Foxfyre]

During the $600 stimulus I helped a friend file for it on line. She has no bank account and pays no taxes, doesn't even file a return. She received her check in the mail and had another friend cash it. So when she received her $1400 check last week I took her to my bank and they refused to cash it because she had no picture ID. (Claims her purse was stolen) Anyway they told her to try Walmart.. I'm at a loss, haven't a clue how to help her out.

Possibly "Cash Express"? They are everywhere.

The third party endorsement somebody suggested might no longer be an option. There was a time it was common, but now most banks won't accept a third party endorsement on a check because of the high incidence of fraud and because in most states there is like three years or so liability for the bank for accepting a fraudulent check. Your friends' best bet I think is to bite the bullet and just open a bank account and deposit the check.

 

[007]

Anyone else have SiriusXM? Since there's no decent radio stations anywhere near me, I get SiriusXM by the year for my truck. But recently Sirius has included streaming online, and I've been hooked on listening to the "Radio Classics" channel. It's old time radio shows that were popular before TV. I think they're highly entertaining. I'm listening to "Inner Sanctum Mysterious," The Corpse Nobody Loved.

 

[SFC Ollie]

During the $600 stimulus I helped a friend file for it on line. She has no bank account and pays no taxes, doesn't even file a return. She received her check in the mail and had another friend cash it. So when she received her $1400 check last week I took her to my bank and they refused to cash it because she had no picture ID. (Claims her purse was stolen) Anyway they told her to try Walmart.. I'm at a loss, haven't a clue how to help her out.

Possibly "Cash Express"? They are everywhere.

The third party endorsement somebody suggested might no longer be an option. There was a time it was common, but now most banks won't accept a third party endorsement on a check because of the high incidence of fraud and because in most states there is like three years or so liability for the bank for accepting a fraudulent check. Your friends' best bet I think is to bite the bullet and just open a bank account and deposit the check.

Unfortunately you need an ID to open an account. I told her to get a new ID. Not sure what she's going to do. Only hear from her every 2 or 3 months...