Chillin' in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
141

It occurred to me that I can’t remember the last time I went paddling. Has it really been that many years? :disappointed_relieved:

Well, I dood it. I tossed my mouldy old water shoes yonks ago, and I couldn’t find my sandals with the heel straps; so I wore zoriis. Remember I have knee injuries. Tugging the kayak down the hill (I put it on the dolly) was slow. It wasn’t too bad getting it up over the berm and the drift logs. Once over, getting it to the water was easy. Once I got off of the rocks and into the mud, my zoriis got stuck so I took them off. I had to drag the 'yak a distance to get it to float. It took me three attempts to get it to float with me in it. Birch Bay is very shallow, and you can walk a long way and still only be ankle-deep. Finally I was in and afloat in the bathtub-warm water.

I paddled straight out to what I thought was a sea monster, but after ten minutes of paddling it turned out to be a partially-submerged log. Using the paddle as a gauge, the water was only four feet deep even that far out. Getting back to shore took a bit longer, it seemed, as the tide was going out. Dragging the kayak across the mud flat, up and over the berm, and getting it to the street was a chore. I wish I had proper shoes. Now I had to haul it up that steep hill. That was exhausting!

Take-aways:

  • It would be better to get into the water half an hour or so before high tide. (I missed it by an hour.)
  • I need water shoes.
  • 20 minutes of paddling for the first time out is enough.
  • It would be easier to put the 'yak(s) on top of the Jeep, than to haul it/them down and up the hill.

More than 20 years after I bought my kayak, the cord for extending/retracting the rudder is fraying so I can’t use the rudder. I need to find someone to fix it. I could probably figure it out myself, but I’d rather not bother.

ETA: Looks like the tides will be inconvenient for a while. :frowning:

142

IME kayaking is a bit like the old stories about firewood: It heats you three times: chopping up the tree, splitting the logs, and burning the wood in the fireplace.

Kayaking you get 3 workouts: Dragging the damn awkward thing to the water, paddling, and dragging the damn awkward thing back home. :slight_smile:

Lazy day here: got my groccing done, bought my special woman flowers as always, then fine leftovers for dinner. Otherwise a lovely day with our wet-season standard of 15 minutes of rain, 5 minutes intensely, back around 2pm. Otherwise sunny & lush.

Slowly powering through a bottle of cheap red somebody brought to a big party we threw a couple months ago. About to have dessert. Either berries & cream or fancy cheese & WW crackers. Hard to know which until I stick my head in the fridge.

Dayquil be workin’ fine! When it wears off though … Yuck snuffle snort hack!

143

Worked, napped, threw some sheets in teh dryer. I’m celebrating Towel Day by having a Pan Galactic Gargle BlasterManhattan.

If you go to your device page on Amazon, it will tell you when it was registered. But if you didn’t get an email from Da Jungle, your Kindle is safe. < Ominous Voice >For now </ Ominous Voice >

Cite? :wink:
But enjoy the trip.

Yay!

Yay!

ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

That’s not so bad. It’s the 138lbs. boxes that suck to deal with.

Apparently they are no longer supporting the really old ones. I mean, mine has physical buttons instead of a touch screen.

Well if this was the Star Trek universe, we still have the Bell riots, Eugenics War, and WWIII before we get Warp Drive and holodecks. :confused:

144

I also chop firewood.

145

Evening all. Just got off a conversation with other soccer volunteers about coach retention and recruitment. Added a few comments but let the 2-3 folks who like to talk do most of the talking. Upshot is we’ll have another meeting in July.

Rain has been around the area but no tunder-boomers to be heard, so hopefully just rain. More is expected tomorrow.

flyboy, I kayaked exactly once in my life, on some Caribbean cruise many years ago–after nearly ending up at a different island, decided to swear off of anything fancier than a rowboat. At least you got a good workout…

Sunny, might just be a momentary case of cold feet. Hopefully he’ll be on-board by tomorrow (don’t have a cane I can loan, but do have a variety of clubs/swords).

:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

Jumpy, I have found myself close to the edge of the bed at times but the body hasn’t hit the floor (yet). Like you, I can’t see how I would miss the nightstand, glad you did.

FCM, yeah on the car, and I know what you mean; after only 2 weeks away I kept getting the lights and windshield wipers confused for a day or so.

OK, getting a bit late and after the exercise today I’m a little tired, so reading and then sleep are the only thing remaining on my agenda. All y’all take care.

146

I used to put in at Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey, paddle out into the Pacific, and up to Santa Monica. (Have done with @Spiny_Norman). Up here, I paddled for eight hours in Barkley Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island. Paddling is fun. But I’ll admit that in a rowboat you can have a cooler.

147

I have not been in a good place since I learned about the school shooting. Last night my dreams consisted of repeatedly running through my old weekly mental rehearsal . (Mine was the first classroom in the building, so I felt my students and I were a little more vulnerable.) Today I put off going anywhere because I was crying every few minutes. I guess I just feel like we’ve all failed the kids. We can’t seem to agree on what to do, so nothing ever gets done.

However, I got photos of my great-niece’s birthday celebration, and it lifted my spirits. She’s 3, and we’re pretty tight. She’s also adorable. So I decided to put on my Big Girl Pants and keep moving

Now, see, I’m the opposite: I’m glad I DID have children because I raised them to be compassionate, reasonable people, and I think the only way out of this mess is going to require both reason and compassion.

And thank you for quoting Yeats. I just rewatched The Center Will Not Hold (about Joan Didion)the other night, and I meant to reread the poem but forgot.

Oh, sure, it’s accurate with cat food. I’d still subtract 3 lbs. as spite weight. Scales are ill-tempered beasts.

flyboy, sounds like an OK maiden voyage for 2022.

jumpy, glad you’re OK. Hopefully tonight you’ll dream about lying quietly in a field of daisies.

Well, now I know what I’m getting you for Christmas.

148

Optimism is always healthier than pessimism. I got fixed while I was in the AF and got a clear understanding of nukes and how they work or fail. I did not want to think about my children or grandchildren suffering through MAD.

I think the rough beast has already been born.

Now that I’ve depressed folks sufficiently, I will move on to a gormless pic. The door was closed and he was reaching his paws under the door and crying. The door opened. All thought and need to actually enter the room was replaced by the wonder of an opening door.

Imgur

149

JtC Thanks, needed that pic of a big ol’ dufus of a kitteh.

I used to kayak a bunch, but my lake has gotten unfriendly to launching. There are not too many spots I can go from. Which sucks, cuz the lake is over 40 miles long.

150

Sunny, yay on the mortgage approval! Hoping I can say the same by this time next week.

But boo indeed on the Hubs having second thoughts. This whole process is an emotional roller-coaster. Ideally you should be in it together. Good luck on getting him to come around.

151

It’s a tad … annoying is all, because it was his idea. Oh well. This is Tomorrrow Sunny’s problem. :slight_smile:

152

Grins! Do you see all the nails in that door sill strip? That’s cause we feed VBC her special scrip fud in that room and GG tries to dig his way under the door to get in. The double sided tape that the door sill strips come with wasn’t good enough to stop GG from pulling the strip up and shoving it against the door in such a way to manage to stop the door from being opened without much human exasperation and grumbling.

This is another reason you want an older dog, the shelter folks will tell if your new pet is as dumb as a box of rocks. I mean, it won’t take you long to figure it out but it would still be nice to know beforehand.

I once had a neighbor who’s dog would jump their 6 ft fence and go for a walk. When dog thought it was ready to go home, it would just jump the closest fence and bark at the back door to be allowed inside.

153

nelliebly, I think I know where you are in that first sentence. I have felt numb all today. I went out last night to try and feel better, and while I was out things were okay. But now I’m home by myself and brooding again. What I’m feeling is anger at the people who mouth the same platitudes but won’t do anything because they are in thrall to the gun lobby. The shooter was old enough to buy a gun but not to buy tobacco, in Texas. The mayor of the town where it happened swore at Beto O’Rourke when he interuppted that press conference. Oh what am I thinking, feeling bad is not going to make a difference. nothing is going to change. I’ll vote this fall, but that’s too late for the kids.

154

Amazon’s being stupidly slow, plus Chrome has forgotten the password. The account’s attached to hubby’s email, so I wouldn’t get the notification.

Gmail for the win. I got mine in February 2013, bought one for my mom at Christmas that year, and bought one for my dad for Father’s Day in 2014. I’m sure they’ll tell me if they get emails.

According to this article:

The company is telling users that Kindle devices including the 5th generation and older will not be able to browse, borrow, or buy books from the Amazon e-book storefront from August onwards.

[snip]

Users will still be able to make purchases on the Amazon website and send them to their Kindle, and your existing e-book library will still be accessible on these older Kindles.

That’s not so bad, if true.

I love that you use gormless so often - it’s such a fun word. I don’t want a cat, but I wouldn’t mind having a place to go where I could visit a cat.

But now it reminds me of whisky. Kolchoman Loch Gorm 2022

Not much to say about my underwear, except I probably have too many pairs, but don’t want to throw out any, because eventually the ones I have will wear out.

Managed to get a scratch on each calf, so I have a mirrored set ( \ / ). And I just discovered I have no idea how to type a backslash on this keyboard. Had to copy it from a webpage.

Hubby’s up, so there will be breakfast soon. We have Simpsons clouds today, which is perfect for a day of sloth. Gotta get practicing.

155

Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.

The late Maggie Wonderbeagle couldn’t figure out how to walk through a door that was only 85% open. She would sit in the hallway and cry till I opened it 100%.

Yeah. I always shopped through the website anyways(Mine is so old I don’t think I can shop the Kindle store from it anyways)

156

I know this is none of my business, but you seem to move a lot! Are you restless or do you live in places as you flip them? This is asked as someone who absolutely hates the process of moving and intends to stay in this house till the bitter end.

So you don’t like the Spongebob Underoos I sent you? I’m crushed… :sob:

The caption of that pic should be “Duuuuuuuuuuude!” :rofl:

My good buddy Mel led me to Dreamland early (just after 8) and I was pretty much gone till 5 this morning. Huzzah for good sleep!! I’m feeling close to human again.

This morning, I’ll drive SIL’s car one last time. I’ll go pick up the kids and take Roxy to school, while he drives our truck back here. Then I’ll bring Toby here, move his babby seat into my car, and SIL will take his home. Balance shall be returned!! I even found the missing garage door clicker (did I mention that already?) I do need to tidy the back seat of my car - I kinda flang stuff in there randomly before it went to the body shop, and the ramdomness remains. Mostly it’s all my Aldi bags.

Speaking of which, our Aldi was supposed to reopen today, but judging by what I saw in their parking lot last night, unless an army of elves descended overnight, they ain’t opening yet. Checking their site just shows “Temporarily Closed” where it used to say “Reopening May 26” so there ya go. Maybe next week??

It’s looking like much of this Memorial Day weekend will be soggy here, not that we’d had any plans. It’s one of the times we absolutely refuse to take the boat out - too many stupid people go out on the water 3 times a year - Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. They’re the ones who drink too much, don’t know any boating rules or laws, and talk on the radio as if it’s a CB in the 80s.

But I expect FCD and I will spend some time at the marina working on the boat. I do hope we’ll finally take a few minutes to make a list of what needs to be done so we can prioritize according to necessity/cost/hatred of the chore. Right now it feels overwhelming, but I know a lot of things are quick and easy. It’ll be nice to put them on a list, then scratch them off! :wink:

First, however, I’ve got a day with Tobias. He absolutely refused to take a decent nap yesterday - his long snooze was maybe 40 minutes, the other barely 15. When that happens, he’s a little terror for my daughter in the evening - over-tired babbies are a challenge. So I try to have him sleep as long as possible. We’ll see how today goes.

So, onward! Happy Thursday!!

157

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 71 Amurrkin out and rainy with a predicted high of 86 and rain for the day. Fine by me as I have no where I want or need to go. 'Twill be a good day to stay inside and dry with much sloth on the agenda. Sup shall be steak, company smashed N.O.T., spare guts, and rolls.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah,

Happy Thursday Y’all!

158

I am also a Fourth Wednesday SS recipient.

My TL:DR opinion on gun violence is that the information needed to curb this problem is unavailable to the computers that run the Universal Background Checks and this situation is unlikely to change.

It makes me, as a firearm enthusiast, very sad.

159

Yesterday we had a small scare. Lola went missing! :anguished: I was at actual brick & mortar work, and my husband called while I was in a meeting. Ten minutes later, the meeting broke up, and I called him back.

She was gone! I raced home (I’m only <15 minutes away.) He had looked everywhere inside, and had walked near the house, and then looked with his truck.

I asked a lady who was walking (exercising) near the entrance to our subdivision. I said, “Have you seen a chihuahua?” She said, “Brown? Yes, up near the walking trail.” Drove over there, got out, called “LOLA!,” asked a couple of walkers - no Lola. :frowning:

I drove over to the next street and rolled the windows down hollering “LOLA!,” and half a block down she came running up wagging her tail! I scooped her up, and called Mr Rebo and told him I found her. He was so relieved! I fussed at her and told her she could have got RUN OVER or ATTACKED or SNATCHED, but she just wagged her tail, oblivious.

Mr Rebo thinks she must have scooted by him when he opened the front door. Whew.

Back at irk today, but I am off for 5 whole days starting tomorrow! Maybe I’ll get some sleep. Melatonin doesn’t help me sleep through the night, unfortunately.

160

Afternoon, mumpers! It’s 16c/61f here today and cloudy. The weather app tells me “True story. Mammatus clouds look like boobs” although we don’t appear to have any of those clouds out there. And it’s slightly sunny too.

Rebo yay for Lola’s safe return, she must have developed a burning desire to see what’s outside!

Moooom* hurrah for getting your car back!

Nothing exciting happening over here, boring day at irk but at least I am doing so from home so that’s better than the commute to campus. I have a list of things to get done but people keep interrupting me for other stuff so I have been distracted when I need to get on with things.

Our news is full of your school shooting and the reactions to it, as well as the latest lunacy from our government wh continue to act like naughty schoolboys. Oh, wait…they are naughty schoolboys caught doing wrong.