Autumn leaves are falling in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Count me in to wish Swampy a very joyous SDMB Swampiversary! :bear: :beers:

We’re still in AZ for 《whispering》 another week in a half. 《/whispering》It snowed overnight, but that is melting fast. Our property is covered in juniper trees, so we have no fallen leaves concerns. Instead, we gots juniper berries.

We are among those grateful to the gods of democracy and elections. By being here in AZ for the election, both Mr VOW and I feel our votes were personally responsible for turning the state blue.

~VOW

PS I had to whisper about returning to SCal in a week and a half. Mr VOW gets crabby and unreasonable at the mention of leaving AZ. I really don’t blame him.

22

A friend of ours is moving back to NMex in another month and has been trying to convince us to go, also. We’ve been there on several occasions, and it’s an interesting area, but I’m not sure why anyone wants to live there, especially with the water shortages. Our next door neighbors moved here from there for that very reason.

23

@Buttercup_Smith

Oh Dear Heart, I grieve with thee!

Mr Buttercup has no more restrictions, no more pain, and while you will always miss him, in a tiny part of your heart please rejoice that he is now free!

Regarding the military honor guard, Mr Buttercup is absolutely entitled to that, no matter where he served his two years! The problem is, COVID restrictions are still in force with the military, and they are currently not providing honor guards. The funeral home you have will manage to find a few VFW vets to serve as such, and you’ll get a Boy Scout with a CD player for “Taps.” And yes, this is true even if burial is in a National Cemetery.

Damn COVID, anyway!

During COVID restrictions, the National Cemetery will only permit a group of TEN people to attend any burial services.

Mr VOW has been in the process of facilitating a full honors military funeral for the father of a very old friend of mine. Her dad served twenty years in the USAF, and did a tour in Vietnam, where he survived a plane crash. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. I’m sure everyone would agree this man should have all the bells and whistles!

Because my friend’s dad was cremated, they decided to indefinitely postpone the inurnment until after the COVID restrictions are ended. And we will be there, to see her dad receive his final honors for the service he gave our country.

Mr Buttercup deserves his honors, as well. They were promised to him by our country, and he should have them. You might want to discuss all this with his kids.

I wish you peace, and may you find comfort in your memories.

~VOW

24

@Chefguy

IMHO, water restrictions are worse in SCal than in our area of AZ. Of course, we have our own well. If the crazy climate business worsens, authorities will probably find a way to put limits on private wells.

The biggest negative about being in isolation such as NM and AZ is the distance to a hospital.

Pros and cons, but the isolation and the overwhelming sense of peace we find out here outweighs ANYTHING.

~VOW

25

Yeah, I can see that for people of a certain mindset. The isolation would probably drive us nuts, since we like the amenities of a city. Also, we’re getting too old to be isolated. :smiley:

26

@Chefguy

We lived a L-O-N-G time in SCal, plus Mr VOW is retired Army. The isolation was a big plus to our moving here. We make regular trips back to SCal for dr visits and to spend time with family, and those just reinforce our craving for isolation.

We’re realistic. Eventually health concerns will keep us in SCal.

But I don’t want to talk about that now. :wink:

~VOW

27

{{{Butters}}}
I think about you everyday, and while I don’t pray, I do send healing vibes your way.

One phone call down, two to go. Maybe I should spread them out instead of trying to do them all in one day.

MetalMouse, Ripple is very chill. Echo is not. He will play for a bit though, but he likes to wrestle more than he likes to run. Echo tries to play with the big dogs, her favorite move though is to run up behind them and bite them in the ass.
Both of them got into it with a dog named Po over the weekend. Po is a huge chocolate lab who likes to hump other dogs. Both of mine let him know that it is not acceptable behavior.

I haven’t seen the little Siamese cat. The neighbor is keeping an eye out for it too. He’s allergic to cats, but he said he’d help me catch it so I can take it to the vet. Maybe it has a chip and they can find the owner.

28

Hey, you inspired me (or chagrined me, not sure which but either works)! I got on the phone and made a phone I’d been dreading and straightened car insurance out for several months of overpayment-their mistake-and now I won’t have to pay out car insurance this month and part of next. Yippee. Now for the other 27 calls…

Boo

29

{{{{Butters}}}}}

30

I called the mortgage company to refinance
Should have been done months ago.
She was supposed to call me back in a hour, haven’t heard anything.

I am dreading calling the health exchange.
You weren’t here the year I had to call them. Took days and days, and hours of waiting on the phone to get through. Then when somebody answered, he set the phone down and I sat and listened to his conversation with his coirkers about how he needed a break, and nobody would know, and how many donuts he ate that day, and what he thought about another guy who irks there. I listened for over an hour, and had called the number back on conference all so whoever answered could get a supervisor and listen to what all this guy was saying. He hung up before anybody answered the call. Then when I finally got a supervisor she told me none of their employees would ever do something like that. Yeah right, whatever.
Nope, do NOT want to call the exchange again.
The website is a piece of shit, the agency is a piece of shit, and the employees are assholes.
I’ll probably have to call more than once to get the correct answer.

But glad you got your car insurance straightened out.

I also have on the list to make an appointment for my son with the MVA. He has to get an ID, can’t get a job without one. Ideally he would get his learner’s permit and then his license

31

@Sahirrnee

《uploading HUGE alcoholic drink》

The umbrella for the drink is a patio umbrella.

~VOW

32

We closed on our refi! WOOHOO!! And we’ll be getting some money back - something to do with when the property taxes have to be paid. So the closing attorney will be doing a direct deposit into our account after both mortgages are paid off, then we’ll get the balance of our equity back from the current mortgage company.

First payment isn’t due till January - I’m hoping I’ll get the info to set up automatic payments before then. When we bought this place, our loan was 6.25%. We did a refi in 2011 at 4.375%, and today, we got it down to 2.875%. I seriously doubt rates will drop enough to make another refi attractive. I don’t care - we’ve got a good deal here.

Supper was a salad and the last of the pasta bake. I’ve made an effort to drink lots of water today - don’t need a repeat of last night. I need my beauty sleep, dammit! Plus I’ve got the RoxStar tomorrow, and she’s sure to wear me out.

{{{Butters}}} - glad you’re safe after Eta’s visit. If you need something to look forward to, we’ll be stopping in Key West on Sun June 6 on a cruise. You know you can’t wait to meet us! :wink:

And now, time for chillage.

33

Nicely done on the refi. We did that for our condo in Anchorage, and changed the term to 15 years from 30. It knocked $100K off the interest. We doubled up on our payments and got out from under the mortgage in pretty short order.

34

Same here - the bank sent me a few hundred as a refund. Weird that they didn’t just roll it over as a payment to the new mortgage.

I’ll be experiencing a very new hospital tomorrow. The place opened last year, so it’ll have all the modern conveniences. Sadly, I probably won’t be in a mood to appreciate any of it as I’m having a complication of the surprise diverticulitis dealt with. Bleah. :poop:

Remodeling PWAISDN’s kitchen is very nearly done. We put up the glass mosaic tile backsplash yesterday, and this afternoon, he set about with the grout.

35

We’re back in the valley. Drove back last night. Ate pizza. Large Papa Murphy’s Combo. Don’t judge.

Sometime this week, when it’s not raining, we, (prolly me) will have to rake up all the leaves and dump them on Wifey’s dahlias and peonys. When she first got these dahlias they told her to dig up the bulbs every fall and do something with them. (I forget what). and every winter they would rot, but the bulbs she missed would sprout in the spring if they were mulched in. So now we just leave the bulbs where they are and cover them over with the leaves. Easy-peasy. We do the same with the peonys.

Anyway, this morning I took Vinnie and Gibbs to the groomers. Then I went to the post office annex and collected the mail (we had it stopped) and then went to the grockery store for some milk. While I was there I had a snoop about and ended up spending $36.??. Then I went to Wifey’s office and we went to lunch. Then I went home and sorted the mail and waited for the groomers to call.
Went and got the boys back.
Then swept and mopped the kitchen and bath.
I had noticed how filthy the bathroom floor was this morning. When my old eyes can see how dirty the floor is, it’s dirty!

Now it’s 4pm and I’m goofing off.

Tomorrow Vinnie goes to get acquainted with his new veterinarian.

Wednesday I go to the dentist to get my last cavity drilled. (oh Joy!)

Friday the heart clinic will interrogate my heart monitor device to see how my pacemaker is behaving. They will do it remotely, but the last time they tried to do it while I was in central Orygun it didn’t work, so we’re staying until that happens.

Sides, Wifey is working. She listed a nice little single story ranch-style house and has gotten 4 or 5 offers on it so far. (Real estate has gone crazy here during the plague). Anyway, she’s working with the seller this week, presenting offers, explaining things, etc. etc.

We’ll prolly go back over the hill next moanday or so. We’re supposed to have a plumber coming to re-plumb the shower there that week. I could do it myself, but the last time I did what he’s gonna do, it took me 2 days and several trips to the hardware store. If he needs something he forgot, he just needs to walk out to his truck. We figured it was worth the extra money.

Time to put the kitchen and bathroom back together. Then chillage.

36

Howdy Y’all! I did not want to drive anywhere so I took the ZOOM option for the Vestry meetin’. 'Tis over and I had zero commute. WOOHOO! I have not read yet but promise to a little later. Now, however, I must micturate, wash my hands (cause I’m couth and civilized), and partake of a snack.

Laterz!

37

gotti, hope the new horse-pistol can help you out. And pictures of the kitchen, once done, are required of course…

FCM, yeah on the refinance; sounds like you got a great deal.

{{{{Butters}}}}…not much I can say, just {{{{ }}}}

Sari, good luck with the calls; sounds like that center is something less than professional, maybe it’s been upgraded in the past year (but not the safe way to bet).

OK, need to head out and forage for sustenance. Everyone have a good night (except for boo fae, Dice, and nut, whom I wish a good morning too…

38

I scored a couple of 11-ish pound turkeys at Aldi. Both are in the fridge to thaw. One will be smoked, one rotissed. Then they’ll be carved, divided, and bagged for the freezer. Still Don’t know where we’ll do Thanksgiving.

For now, tho, it’s bedtime. I’m beat…

39

Happy bear-thday swampy!

**{{{roxstar}}}

{{{butters}}}**

Irked, came home to a Jungle order on the neighbor’s stoop and two packages of masks from Sis (she makes enough for me, my work crew and favorite cashiers when she sends them), my fave being the RBG one, et supper / talked to said Sis on the phone and now am settling in with studio work and TV.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

40

I got the ‘hood’ out of the ‘boot’ of the MG and put it on. I let the car idle and turned on the heater. (The heater knobs look like oven knobs.) Once the car warms up, MGB heaters work very well… though the one-speed blower is noisy. Anyway, it warmed up enough that I could get the snaps fastened.

And I put a new license plate on the Seca II, and started it up and let it run a bit.