So, I have been away for a bit. I surely have some splaining to do. Through no fault of my fellow Mumpers I have had some issues, but nothing too serious. It has been interesting, to say the least.
I have had the good fortune to meet a few of you in person and . honestly that is what me want to come back to the fold.
I am not here to whine, in fact I am here to celebrate.
#1 I survived Covid-19, just barely
So tell me, my fellow Mumpers what celebration would you like to share here?
Well, it appears I have another nickname to learn to associate with a username. At least both Jim (my beloved Dad’s name) and Capt_Kirk (for oh so many reasons) have positive associations in what passes for my brain.
I’ll celebrate you surviving COVID and other assorted plagues and tribulations. It’s also St. David’s Day, so celebrate by taking a leek in the produce department.
Welcome, Jim! I have also been a wayward childe, and I have difficulty maintaining regular attendance. I am glad to hear that you survived, yay!!! I am sorry that you had the experience though.
As for myself, hey y’all! I did make it to my dr. appointment, we have a new Administration and I took a breath and then came Jan. 6th. Now March 4th is looming and the loons are thinking thoughts. I am focusing on getting busy with the garden, spring comes much earlier than it does up north, and I swear I am going to get the roses pruned before they leaf out! I only have eight roses left after The Hard Lesson About Black Spot, and I pruned four of them yesterday, so I am making progress! I have been wanting to move my peonies from the big pots and put them in a raised bed, which I need to do before they break dormancy, so that is another chore to be completed before they break dormancy as well. Peonies are so finicky about being moved, and I have one that my mom gave me, and I don’t want to lose it.
doggio I prefer to buy jonquils on Dewi Sant Day, but I might cook something with leeks in it too!
Okay, I am going to watch a movie and maybe find sleep. Happy Moanday my friends!
Edited to ask How do I post photos? I know I need to have them at Photobucket or the like, but from then?
It’s so wonderful to wake in one’s own bed!!! Especially when the dog is in her own crate, so I don’t have to share my space with her!
Holy crap, Jim - so glad you survived COVID! If I’m not being too nosy, are you having any aftereffects? And I’m searching my memory banks - do you live in Texas or am I thinking of someone else?? Anyway, if I didn’t make it clear in the last MMP - WELCOME BACK!!
kai - I use imgur.com to post pics. I’ll re-share a shot of the most adorable toddler in the world to show you:
After you upload your photos to the site, you click on the one you want to share, and at the top right, there’s a box that says “Copy Link” - that’s what you copy into the text box. Just make sure it’s on a separate line, and you might have to add a .jpg at the end - I’ve had it work both ways. If I’ve confused you, message me and I’ll try to be more helpful.
Plans for the day, you ask?
Well, my new specs are ready for pickup, plus I need to restock the fridge, so I’ll run to Food Lion, then come back via the eye doc. I’ve also got a buttload of laundry, including the bedding and towels that my inlaws used. I expect to have a pretty busy day. And I’m sure something needs to be dusted. It’s good to be home!
Welcome back, Cap’n! Obviously the celebration is you surviving the plague, and coming back to see us!
Personally, I think today I’m just celebrating the fact that I’m still here, and my friends have (mostly) survived this far too.
It’s been foggy out there all morning and no signs of it lifting much. The weather app says “There are colder places in this world, so cheer the fuck up, buttercup” and promises me 2C/36F up to 6C/44F which is quite a drop from the last few days. Apparently it’s also cloudy with mist and fog. Really? I’d never have guessed!
I decided to take today off irk for no reason other than I wanted to. I’ve been updating my spreadsheet of gigs/festivals since things are starting to be rescheduled now and I need to work out where I might be going, and what still needs sorting out. The good news is that one of the December festivals has moved which removes a clash with a one-off gig I have tickets for. The bad news is that the festival has now scheduled into the same weekend as another festival. We have tix for both, three people on one booking and four on the other. Now we have to decide what we really want to go to, and what we might be able to get a refund for, and whether we can get two people to take half the four-person booking…
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis < snerk > 69! < snerk > Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 75 and possibly rainy at some point. Or not. TWPTB are once again bein’ all willy-nilly. House cleaner comes today around ten to do her every two week spiff of da cave. YAY! I still say that’s one of the smartest moves we have ever made. I have to pick up 'scripts at some point today. Sup shall be bbq poke sammiches, coleslaw and fries.
Jim glad you survived Covid! Are you in a group that qualifies for the vaccine now? Have you gotten the vaccine. Several of us geezer Mumpers have gotten either one or two arm jabs.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, alas, alack, and woe, I suppose I should purtify and be presentable when cleanin’ lady arrives, plus presentable to be amongst the public. Such bother!
@Capt_Kirk
Welcome home Jim I am new to the MMP since you have been gone. My MMP handle is hippie, and I have taken the position as the MMP Designated Lurker.
Much adulting has happened - I’ve showered and dressed, stripped the guest bed, gathered the guest towels, hauled the laundry downstairs, sorted it, and started a load. The eye doc opens at 9, so I’ll get there shortly thereafter, pick up my specs, then head to FoodKitteh for groceries.
It’s raining - at least it’s not ridiculously cold, so no fear of ice.
I paid the balance on our June cruise. If Royal Caribbean cancels it, we’ll deal with it then. If FCD can’t get his COVID shot before then, we’ll reschedule. But if the stars align, we’ll have a real vacation starting June 5. The downside is having to drive to Tampa to meet the ship, but by now, our car knows most of the way without our help!
I hope the stars align for you & FCD, FCM. A cruise sounds lovely.
I’ll celebrate the fact that I drew a line in the sand at work the other day. I was really in need of a day off mentally and I managed to make sure I got one and a half! And I didn’t log on until Sunday when it occurred to me that my password had expired and I should probably do something about that. So I’m fairly proud of myself for setting boundaries because it sure isn’t common at my place of employment. It’s not unusual for people to be on at 10 p.m. or 5 a.m. I try to discourage it in my employees, but it’s hard to do when I’m guilty of it, too.
Anyway, it’s a beautiful day, and I put a walk on my calendar so hopefully I’ll get to stretch my legs in the lovely air after lunch. I didn’t do anything notable lately - it rained a ton this weekend, so my backyard is somewhat wrecked and very, very squishy. I’m terrible about maintaining my own yard, but I think I’ll have to do it this evening so we don’t look like the Clampetts. Also, compared to laundry folding, it’s satisfying as chores go.
Drat - almost forgot. For what it’s worth, both kids were delighted to get out of the house on Friday. Even the 14 year old enjoyed the zoo. He played it cool, but both kids were asking if we get to go again sometime.
Welcome back, Jim (your name is Jim?). And sounds like COVID hit you pretty hard; as a 67-year old still waiting for my shots here in Ali-bama, I’m hoping I can still dodge this plague. Glad you are still with us and will be for quite awhile I hope.
talky, thought he might, the zoo (especially a well-run one) is a marvel for all ages. IMHO of course. And setting boundaries is good. walks, I don’t know about .
FCM, fingers crossed for shots and cruise. Until I get mine I’m not scheduling any trips for 2021, but am still squirreling away the money, so when I finally can go again, I’m going to bust out!
doggio, boo fae, swampy, I am a David, didn’t even know there was a St. David (should have, Catholics are notorious for the number of saints) According to Wikipedia, he is the patron saint of Poets and Vegetarians…alas, I am neither.
wiki, good luck on the Great Rose Pruning.
I’m celebrating another week of retirement (over 200 weeks now) and that youth soccer registration is closed, so I know what I have to do and how many kids we have (54). Not celebrating the weather, after a weekend in the 70’sF, it’s raining and 51F and is not due to get near 60F. Ugh. Need to get presentable here shortly for the Moanday run to Jersey Mike’s and to pick up the week’s banana’s at Publix.
I thought I had a “date” (okay, booty call) Saturday night and it fell through. Felt so lonely by Sunday that I had yet another crying meltdown at work.
This has got to stop. I don’t know where all my mental armor has gone. I even have friends here (thanks to my job) and every day I feel like they’re gonna get sick of my shit and write me off.
Oh, and good morning. { sigh } time to get up off my tush and accomplish something.
Goood morning, Mumpers! And isn’t it a wonderful morning?
OK, I’ll back that off a bit rather than jinx my whole week. Another week of American Government, which is a lot easier to teach now that we have one again, let me tell you. Sunny, highs in the 70s and I got invited out to dinner tonight with friends, so the day holds some promise. No sign of any coyotes, so the outdoor kitties have returned to their sunny spots along my wall and on my patio.
Groceries have been procured and stowed. I even scored a couple of ribeyes from the used meat pile, so that’s supper tonight. And I have my new specs. And I remembered to put washer fluid in my car, so that takes care of the stupid warning message I keep getting. Nagging car…
Second load in the washer, first in the dryer, and almost time for lunch.
Last night, we had a near disaster. Our basement is below street level, so there is a cistern/pump system that sends the waste water up to street level, so it can flow into the sewer system.
Fang likes to use the bathroom downstairs; he keeps it clean and ready for guests, so we allow it. Last night, Fang finished up with his nightly… business, and called for me any my plunger skills. I was working on the toilet, when Fang told me that I might need to snake the shower, too. Wait, what? I snaked that out three weeks ago. The boy wears a crewcut, so there is no way he could have clogged it up so quickly. I hightail it to the back of the basement to see blackwater coming out of the cistern. That is… Not GoodTM. I go to tell Fang to shut off the water NOW, but he already has finished his shower.
I go upstairs to check the breaker box, and find that someone1 had flipped the breaker to the “off” position. I turn it back on, grab the softscrub with bleach and a couple of cleaning rags, and tell Fang to clean his feet, tub, and toilet. He complained to me that he’d rather not, because he’s already clean. I tell him that I would rather not mop up all the shit filled water in the back of the basement, but here we are. He decided he had the slightly more pleasant job. I mopped up about a gallon of blackwater, clean off the coolers and golf caddies that were sitting in it, and proceed to bleach the hell out of the floor. Crisis averted.
Aside from that, I had a good virtual ride this morning, a nice weekday breakfast of granola and yogurt, and actually got stuff done this morning for work.
Red - we need to work on a Nashville dopefest, once the 'Rona is done.
1 - Actually it was no one. Not a single child has ever touched the breaker box. Nope, it wasn’t them at all. The have no clue who could have done that.
Dang, that’s a good sign! Practically a gush from a teenager. Which zoo was It, BTW? The Doorly zoo in Omaha is the closest one to me and it is world class, or at least what is what I read.
Your mental armour has gone to the same place as the mental armour of most of the rest of us. Especially if we live alone and are unpartnered for a multitude of reasons. It is NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! The world is screwed up right now! [I cleaned my language up quite a bit there] cut yourself some slack, be as good to yourself as any number of us Mumpers would be to you and keep putting one foot in front of the other. It does suck greatly, though, I agree. Hang out here, lots. It’s what I do and it’s doing well by me. Or at least selfishly, I want you to hang out here lots every single day and night. Bring the kitties, Pretzel and the ratties with you, for our sake.
Funny, those same kids lived at my house for a decade. Hmm, interesting.
