Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s my Firday!
This.
Decisions, decisions. The recipe I have calls for shortening, and I’ve yet to find an adequate substitute, so I’ll be trying this recipe for my Christmas baking. Thank you for sharing!
I’m looking forward to trying this. I can buy pre-made mince pies (tarts, really) which are imported from England, but the crust to filling ratio is too high, and I like filling forward pies. Thanks for taking the time to type this out. And JtC, I like the idea of a lattice top - a bit more work, but often worth it. I grew up with Crisco pie crusts, but I changed to a butter egg one after attending a cooking course here in Switzerland.
As I am old-fashioned, I printed out both recipes, but the printer only had one piece of paper, so I had to add more paper. Which ended that ream of paper, so I put paper on the shopping list. How mundane is that?
Before I forget {{{{{nellie}}}}}
On Monday things went south, and another coworker quit / got fired. That’s two this year, and our team only had 4 people. Not sure what the future holds, so I’m keeping my head down and getting things done.
Earlier this week I had my desk in the standing position and managed to knock my elbow on the corner, and I thought of this thread.
{{Mooom}} safe driving and hope BIL gets his meds sorted once and for all.
red glad the Oxy did the trick. I guess practice makes perfect. 
Flyboy, enjoy the trip. Hopefully the kitties will forgive you soon after your return.
Hubby’s getting out of the shower, so breakfast doings will soon commence. Gotta go to the grocery store and beverage market, and take out the trash, kitchen compost and recyclables. Plus do some garden work, but not much, as it’s wet. I planted wildflowers in the planters, and there’s this one thing which is shooting up and up and will soon be in the upstairs neighbors line of sight. Its getting cut.
Hopefully it dries out a little, but if it doesn’t, I’ll be happy, because we need the rain. The river looks like its about ankle deep and it’s normally at least knee deep.
And now I’ve got some sort of frog joke in my head “knee deep”.
It can’t hurt to try. If you put it out like that do you have a good window view to see how it goes?
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 51 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 78 and N.O.S. for the day. I feel muchly better this mornin’. Maybe whatever this is/was is finally goin’ away. The big item on today’s agenda is the Priest interview, and since I’ll be there anyway, dealin’ with some duties I need to take care of. Beyond that, sloth and general overall uselessness shall prevail. I actually want substantial sustenance this mornin’ so that’s a good thing. My Dawgs have a bye week, so I suppose I shall watch some general overall kolledge tackleball.
{{{MOOOOOOM AND FCD}}} y’all can’t seem to catch a break lately. Be safe on the drive to Indiana and back. Hopin’ for the best for both BILs.
Hippie that’s a cool story. Glad you got that fixed. When my mom died, we got rid of her landline she had had for a bazillion years. I wonder if whoever has that number now gets calls from sweet little old ladies wantin’ to talk with mom.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then I suppose, bother of bothers, I must needs purtify so as to look presentable for zoomin’ with a perspective Priest.
Happy Sattidy Y’all!
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s 10c/49f with a predicted high of 11c/52f, and cloudy. Weather app says “The clouds are all lurking outside and acting like fucking douche waffles.” Fair assessment, it’s cloudy, there’s been rain, and there’s more rain to come.
Swampy glad to hear you’re feeling a bit better, hope the priest interviewing goes well.
{{{{{Moooom and FCD}}}}} hope the drive goes uneventfully and BIL gets his meds sorted out.
flyboy enjoy the trip, I’m sure the kittehs will forgive you. Ours loved the cattery most of the time and always came back a little bit heavier than they went in. Now that Shadow is much older, and we have the foster girlies, I pay a cat sitting service (Kitty Angels) to come in twice a day to look after them when we’re away. Our Kitty Angel (Jenni) loves the mogs and sends me a pic every time she visits so we know they are all well.
metal mouse our sick days don’t work like yours do over there. My minion can self-certify sickness for up to seven consecutive days just by filling in a form saying that she was sick and what with. After seven days, she would need a sick note from her GP that could mean getting signed off work for a longer period. We don’t really monitor sickness absence unless there’s a lot of it, or it forms some kind of pattern. That’s when the likes of HR and Occupational Health get involved instead.
Right…busy day here, I’ve been to the gym, picked up cat litter at the pet store, put petrol in the tank, and just got home for a shower. Got to get my hair dried, get packed up and make sure the cats have food, water and litter until a friend pops in to top them up later. We’re off to see a couple of bands in Bradford tonight so we’re leaving after lunch and should be back early tomorrow afternoon, provided we don’t get flooded!
On the road for an hour or so. Westward ho!
Morning all. Dressing warmly (it’s 43F at 7am) for a long day of soccer, coaching early and refereeing late. Supposed to reach 80F this afternoon, so need to bring an assortment of clothing with me for those quick changes. Need to forage for sustenance now and then make double-sure I have everything (I will still forget something).
JtC, much thanks for the offer, but I fear that they would not last long enough for me to truly appreciate them. Enjoy the day with the kids.
Flyboy, the cats will be their normals selves in a day or so once they acclimate; have a good trip.
boo fae, enjoy the music.
FCM, safe travels.
OK, need to get something to eat and get ready to go. Take care all.
Mornin’ all. Got home at midnight, and using Uber was a good decision. Meal, drink, and convo were all most excellent, and just the right amount of wretchedly excessive. Her Ladyship had enjoyed her evening out with her friend too and was watching psychopaths when I got home.
After a slightly short sleep I was up in time to prep coffee then balconate for a few minutes before sunrise. Presently 68/20 on the way to 88/31. A low but solid line of bumpy clouds stuck up out of the ocean at the horizon but otherwise not a cloud anywhere. Got just a bit of flame-tinged clouds at sunrise; the real display of them was eclipsed by the condo. 10 minutes later the blinding orb emerged from the top of the building and I’m back inside.
No plans for today whatsoever. Pretty sure I can’t beach without triggering a UV overdose.
FCM: Massive {{{hugs}}} to you and yours. Two BILs in very bad shape, FCD run ragged, and one wife and one MIL worried to pieces. Plus a hurried cross-country drive. Some weeks are just super sucky, and this looks like one for sure.
Flyboy: Good luck w the trip, the kittehs are in good excellent hands, and we’ll want a pic or two of your exploits.
Swampy: Best of luck with priest selectin’
Hope doggio & shoe had easy shifts and good sleeps.
OTOH, we’re totally screwed when it comes to javelinas and bluejays and real farm eggs. And peace and quiet. There are plenty of advantages where you are.
Cheers all! Happy weekend!
Overworking is not good. Pie crust should also be “short”, picking up flour from the work surface. My mother’s recipe calls for both butter and shortening. It’s important to chill the dough, both before and after rolling. The cold butter giving up it’s moisture in the oven is what makes for a light crust (much like biscuits).
What? I was not informed there would be homework!
Do you know how uncomfortable coffee is when it comes out of your nose? 
Nelson has only been abandoned overnight a couple of times and it breaks my heart too.
Have a safe trip to Indiana Moooooom!
More {{{nellie}}}
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to mess around in the studio until it warms up enough to take the small beast to the dog park. Other than that, it’s a play around day. I may harvest herbs for drying, but then again, maybe not.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Decades ago I used to carry a tiny ballpoint pen in my pants pocket. Normal diameter, but about 3" long. Super handy back in the day. I eventually stopped that after washing far too many of them with disastrous consequences.
My more recent regular staining screw up was at irk. We all wear wore 
white shirts with a space on the left breast pocket to store a ballpoint pen. I used a retractable gel pen with a fairly bold line. The pen gets used every few minutes during every flight and pre-flight and post-flight. It gets a lot of use on a long irkday. And it goes back in your shirt every single time; there’s nowhere flat to really set it down between uses.
About every other month sometime during the irkday my pen would get back in my shirt pocket with the business end not retracted. Cue growing dark splotch on front of shirt. All the worse at cruise where sometimes the ink ended up just a bit pressurized and especially oozing. I hate it when I do that. And of course it’d be 2 or 4 days before I could launder them properly. Hand soap in a hotel room sink can only do so much. White shirts bleach easily, but not that completely. Over the decades I lost a lot more irk shirts to ink stains than I did to tears, wear, indelible ring around the collar, weight gain/loss, etc.
Yet another solved problem for me now though. Yaay! OTOH, the perversity of the Universe being what it is, that means I’ll need to invent a new way to destroy clothing. I wonder what it’ll be?
We stopped at Denny’s in Cambridge OH for lunch. Should hit Avon around 5.
Reasonble heaving today, I even got out about the time the drivers left. And on the Blueberry front, we have Excessively Cranky Lady in Smalls. How cranky? Old Man D is done with her shit, and he likes everybody.
My favorite kind. 
Safe travels!
I wear black and gray at work, since I spend my time covered in filth.
Enjoy the trip, Flyboy!
Heading out to see all the kids and some grandkids later today. Also to do some leaf peeping. The granddaughter is in the marching band that has won a lot of state championships, including this year’s competition, and they’re putting on a free show for the townsfolk, who are very supportive.
Lunch from the facility kitchen in a short while. Sloppy joes, which should hold me until tomorrow’s breakfast.
Started Typing: 12:33 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 1:04 PM ET
Howdy, all! It’s 63°F and mostly sunny, but windy (not just breezy). I had a few windows open for a little while after getting home from the gym, but am now over the cold air. 
I almost skipped posting today, but if I go to the jazz jam session I won’t post tomorrow: I rarely lurk (i.e., read the thread if I’m not up for replying), and I’d miss y’all if I waited until the new MMP. 
This morning I had a good workout and then took a shower, and have since been online taking care of bizness (i.e., paying bills). I’m heading to the living room for lunch/TV right after I post this. I still have a chunk of volunteer-related stuff to catch up on, but I’m tired and hungry – all I’ve had so far is a protein shake before I went to the gym – and have decided it can wait.
As threatened, here’s the LEGO centerpiece that I finished on Tuesday night:
https://i.ibb.co/C62D6YT/PXL-20231018-015101693.jpg
It’s a little smaller than I expected, but the table still looks nicer with it than without:
https://i.ibb.co/hDdC774/PXL-20231018-015418668.jpg
That is super cute, FCM! 
I definitely feel that way whenever I have to board Bailey. Dogs are a little more “oh, I’m doing this now? cool!” than cats, and I know she’s totally safe and happy at Dogtopia (the only place she’s gone for the past 10 years), but I just can’t help worrying – a little – about her feeling abandoned/confused. Especially if she’s staying for more than a couple of nights. Dogtopia has online cameras, which are mostly great, but sometimes looking in on her actually makes it worse! Heh!
and 
(for everyone), and safe travels…
I knew there had to be an advantage to not wearing makeup! Woot!
Oh man, now that’s what I want!! 
Hope you’re having an even more wonderful time than you anticipated.
We’ll hang your report card on the Mumper fridge, where swampy and FCM hide the leftover goodies.
It’s not hateful; it’s perfectly rational.
Look, if he was generally happy, but still all those other things, it would be more complicated. But as it is … if he’s not enjoying life at all, then, what’s the point?
He needs to stayed supervised, so he takes his meds properly (not OD’ing on random pills) simply for his own safety. IF he can ever be stabilized, maybe he can learn how to find happiness. (It is a skill, after all.) But all that would take good care from the right facility.
Bad/lazy owners, sadly.
Bad owner, bad!! No biscuit for you!
Nobody would tolerate that shit from a Rottweiler, but because, “Aww, they’re so cyooote!” it’s never trained out of the little ankle-biters. I feel so bad for the dogs … like FCM’s unhappy, anxious, angry BIL, that’s just no way to live life.
This was a gem in wordplay.
This made me laugh.
Awww, why? Does your upstairs neighbor not like flowers or something?
Thanks for checking in with us. Wishing you safe travels & no (more) family drama.
Mostly, and … eventually.
The latter is because G.C. spent the night.
But earlier at work, a coupla the crew were just not pulling their weight, one of the other girls got kinda bent out of shape about it & became sullen and bitchy, and consequently I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes and muttering under my breath.
Otherwise, it was fine. I’m getting better at “The Line” stations (where the pizzas are assembled) which oddly are some of the last positions I learned. There is - or should be - a ton of constant back-and-forth chatter to keep everything going smoothly. Without it, inevitably there are mistakes, re-makes, and frustration.
But last night, I was stationed next to a woman with whom I communicate particularly well, and it was a nice feeling to - occasionally - be the strongest link in the chain.
THANK YOU. I’ve heard of shortbread, etc. all my life and never understood to what exactly the “short” part refers.
That does indeed sound super useful. Where did you find them?
(They sound like the ballpoint equivalent of those tiny pencils they give you at mini golf.)
Get Her Ladyship to rip 'em off?
Aw, c’mon. No stories?
Small town Americana at its best.
What instrument does your granddaughter play?
… and it it’s not too nosy of me, how many grandkids do you have?
That was relatively fast!
That is super cute. And I like centerpieces that are flat (so guests don’t have to peer around it to talk or pass dishes) and small (so there’s more room for more yummy food) plus the colors on yours are perfect for a harvest feast!
So the pens were tiny, cute, and a source of ongoing annoyance.
… kinda like the small dogs at your place!
The rain has eased up but is predicted to return along with next week’s MMP.
Whelp, these zombies on my phone game aren’t gonna kill themselves, Monkey is stretched out at my feet and therefore ought to be at least briefly worshipped, this half a mini-joint ain’t gonna smoke itself, and I still gotta feed myself and get somewhat sheveled before facing Long Night.
Y’all have a nice Saturday!
I’m guessing a Fisher Space Pen. Gorgeous, classic design and a joy to write with.
I tried umpty-nine times to copy and paste a link but my tech daft self failed, as usual. Easy to google.
Off to kitty sit for the afternoon at a friend’s. He’s away for the weekend so I’ll visit today and tomorrow to check on them, refresh their food and water and do the litter. They are very shy kittehs (rescued feral)-sometimes I don’t see them for days but I make sure to notice that the toys scattered around are in different places from day to day. Barring teleportation I assume that means the kittehs are faring ok, plus the food disappears and poop appears, the proverbial signs of life. I always talk to them while I’m there whether they come out from hiding or not.
Today will be extra fun because he’s set up his tv/cable so I can watch my beloved Cornhuskers play tackleball 
on the big screen. Woot, woot! Usually all I can do is listen on the radio. Hope my hollering doesn’t scare the kittehs 
, but then he is a big fan also so I’m sure they are used to it.
Pens:
The mini ones I used to use back in my 20s are no longer made. This is the same size & shape though:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2M3B1R/
These are probably the closest modern equivalent but they’re fatter & a little longer than the old ones:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BLQHFM
The pens I used at the airline to wreck my shirts are full-sized:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VNJ1B2
You’re much more interesting the day after G.C. has been over. Can I subscribe to your newsletter? 
:leer:
Happy blazing & zombie-killing.
Yaay!
I keep forgetting to mention another important retirement milestone.
A week-ish ago I began growing my “I don’t have to care anymore” beard. It passed quickly through maximum scruffy and is now starting to look almost decent … in bad light.
It’s been about 15 years since I last wasn’t flying and had a beard. Back then it definitely made me look older, which is not really a goal these days. It’s an experiment in any case which will survive or not as I see fit. The real goal isn’t appearance, but the avoidance of shaving.