I Resolve To Start The New Year MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

Morning all. Rained all day and into the night here, seems to be drier today but a 50% chance of rain Firday according to the Weather Wizards. Getting to 68F today and 73F tomorrow, so the year will end with spring-like temperatures (and I can deal with that). Nothing much on the agenda for the day, we’ll see what develops. Garbage is out for pickup so that much was accomplished.

shoe, glad the workplace drama has been worked out–sounds like you have reasonably competent management there. And glad IC is still there for you to make goo-goo eyes at…

swampy, I really miss our Golden Corral here; closed down during the worst of the outbreak and never re-opened.

Butters, I remember getting rid of my stuff last years; some to a charity, then my neighbor’s workers (owns a landscaping business) grabbed most of the rest, and finally a company called “We Chunk Junk” hauled the rest of it away. Amazing how much stuff one accumulates.

Unknown, cat drama’s can be…interesting. Hope they get it all worked out. Bet GG doesn’t jump the fence anymore.

Safe travels FCM and all.

OK, need to forage for sustenance. All y’all take care,

102

Good morning everyone.

It’s a warmer 30 degrees outside and snowing. It was snowing when I went to bed last night and I woke up to more snow falling.

The husband went to the store yesterday to get some of the stuff I needed for my soup and they didn’t have not one single bag of egg noodles. It’s not like this was the corner store, it was Safeway. This means I’ll have to trek further afield to find a few bags this morning. I would try grocery delivery but I have a feeling that really isn’t happening due to the road conditions, so I’ll just head out myself.

I’m glad the workplace drama has been resolved, shoe. Ongoing drama at work is just exhausting, even if you are not part of it.

Sending safe travel vibes, FCM.

When we lost Brandi in November 2019, Polar grieved her for months. It took months to get him to eat without hand-feeding him. He constantly sniffed her usual spots and sat there and cried all the time for the first month. It was awful. Animals feel a loss.

I stayed in bed much later than normal today which means my goof-off time is severely shortened. Time for another cup of coffee and then I need to hit the shower.

103

I’m hoping it will stay thawed. At 24º, it’s three times as warm as it was Sunday. I swapped out heaters in the back bedroom, and the ‘new’ one seems to be doing a better job.

It snowed overnight, but the forecast calls for clear or partly-cloudy today with a high temperature of 31º. While there is snow in the future, Sunday is supposed to b4 43º :astonished: and the rest of the week should be in the 30s.

But today I’ll need to shovel the walk, clean the snow off the vehicles, and throw down some more ice-melt.

104

Hi, guys. Back for a moment. Have been reading along, retaining very little and slowly taking the reins back from my auto-pilot mode. We managed to make Christmas good for the kids, which was nice. We also decided on the memorial date for my dad and when we’ll take his ashes to his favorite place. I’m not quite sure that spreading them in a lake is legal, so we’ll have to talk about that later, but we managed to sketch out an outline of a plan.

My mom’s cancer is indeed back, so this week has been filled with tests; next week we’ll know what the treatment plan is. I do miss how when I was a kid the world could stop for a few days while you got your feet back under you.

I’m so sorry to hear about Pixel, sunny.

Today I’ll be doing “work lite” since I only have two half-hour meetings. I think I might get on the treadmill. Over the previous two weeks I managed to lose over 15 pounds from stress, but the inactivity has caught up with me and it feels like my joints are on fire.

105

No work for me today (or tomorrow)! Woo hoo! I could get used to 4-day weekends. :smiley:

Denny’s used to be the place my friends and I would always go after the bars closed, but I don’t think I’ve been to one in the past 20 years. I remember a friend and I stopping at one in upstate NY while driving to Canada for spring break (don’t ask) my senior year of college, and being highly amused that they sold beer. Pre-surgery I definitely would have been willing to go to one again, but only because of my deep love of pancakes, waffles, bacon, and hash browns (oh, and biscuits). IHOP seems to be the main option around here these days. Waffle House is superior, but alas I live a tad too far north.

I’ve never seriously made a New Year’s resolution, but the start of another year does always get me thinking about changes I should make. The other day I realized that this will be the first New Year’s in forever that I don’t have a health-related resolution! There are still challenges ahead, to be sure, but that particular stress-and-guilt cycle has finally been broken. :purple_heart: Right now all I have for 2022 is a to-do list (get tattoo removal consults, take Bailey to a physical therapist, etc.), and I’m good with that.

On Sunday evening I started re-watching the Harry Potter movies, but halfway through the first one I decided that I’d rather re-read the books (which I’ve only read once before, 20-ish years ago). I got started (via Kindle) that night. And you know what? It’s been ages since I’ve been this eager about a book – and since I’ve stayed up way too late each night reading. :smiley: I might even do some reading in the living room in a little while! :zap:

I’m looking forward to 2022. I feel a bit silly, because I also looked forward to 2021 and we still have a stupid pandemic and its related issues, but I can’t help it: I’m always optimistic about the start of a new year. :slight_smile: I’m not looking forward to tomorrow night, though: since my mom died (in 2015), NYE has been the hardest night of the year for me. I figured it would be her birthday, or my birthday, or Christmas, but turns out it’s the idea of another year starting without her. For the first couple of NYEs, I couldn’t even face being awake at midnight (the very first one was less than two months after she died, and I drank at home alone for the very first – and last – time to ensure I’d fall asleep before twelve). I’m better now, and I can stay up and watch the ball drop like always, but at 12:01 AM on 1/1 I’ll be keenly aware of the lack of a “happy new year!” text from her. I’m glad it will be just a pang, though, and that such memories/thoughts have become easier to bear.

I got one of those last winter! On very cold days my gas furnace really struggles, and it was getting quite frigid in my home office, but regular space heaters were way too noisy (I even bought one advertised as “quiet”). I asked FB if there were such a thing as a silent space heater, and several folks mentioned oil heaters. I’d had no idea about them! It was the perfect solution, though. I haven’t had to use it this winter yet, but I’m sure the day will come.

I think the confusion might be that he linked to their online store, not the menu for their in-person stores…? :slight_smile:

“Only”?!? :thinking: :wink:

:blue_heart:

Same here! Well, except for the prime rib soup part. :slight_smile: I might actually start un-decorating tomorrow.

:rofl:

:blue_heart:

106

Gas and babby feed stop in Walterboro SC. Traffic hasn’t been as sucky and with luck, we’ll hit the hotel by 6.

So ready for this adventure to be done.

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I missed this earlier, sorry. I think you are plenty smart, but when I break something, I really break it! I sent you a PM :slight_smile:

Regular space heaters are terrifying IMHO. I always worry about turning my back on one long enough for it to catch on fire because a paper blew against it or a kitty brushed it. Radiator heaters are slow but work very well.

Our friend got his first meal on wheel delivered and of course called hubs to complain instead of telling the folks who pack the lunches that he doesn’t like salad or three bean salad. Knowing that they don’t want to deliver food to have it thrown away, I called them and explained the situation. They were really nice about it and today our friend didn’t call to complain so I guess he didn’t get salad. I really want this to work out.

I’m almost done with my current piece but I can’t put my hands on any beeding needles. I started to order them from the jungle then said the heck with it and called my favorite needle work place and asked them to send me some. I might have ordered more thread too, it seemed a shame to spend to waste their time with just a three dollar pack of needles.

​rose pot | Jane Doe42 | Flickr

Odd, I wonder why my pics aren’t showing anymore. That worked for me yesterday. So, that’s the whole piece which is going to have beads added and here is a close up of the blackwork I was complaining about. My piece had silver over light pink fabric, most blackwork is black or gold thread worked over white fabric. It was very popular during the middle ages and you still see it on alter clothes and such.

​blackwork | Jane Doe42 | Flickr

Drama is the perfect word, poor GG sounded like he was being skinned with a dull knife. Hubs and I are guessing that GG won’t jump the gate for at least 6 months, but he will forget. He’s not really all that bright.

I am so sorry. Please remember to take care of yourself too.

108

I shovelled the walk up to Mrs. L.A.'s car. Again. I cleaned the snow off of her car and my Jeep. Again. (I didn’t do the Prius, since it’s not going anywhere anyway.) Third time. And I got the snow off of the canopy garage and the canopy shed (second time). 30º Ferret Height, and no more snow expected until Saturday.

The cup cozy I put on top of the bird feeder seems to have helped. Then again, it’s not 8º out. The (presumed) fox sparrows are greedily eating seeds, and the junkos are getting some too. The squirrels have discovered the seeds too. Buggers.

109

butters, I went north to see Dad at Thanksgiving. I said years ago that barring an emergency, I would stay in the south between Christmas and Easter. :stuck_out_tongue: I went to see Sis in Houston, where there was no snow and it was 83F. :slight_smile:

Glad the irk drama worked itself out shoe.

I irked until 1200 today and am off for the rest of the year. It was too rainy to take Nelson to the dog park and it’s beginning to get chilly as well. I picked up a couple of prescriptions at CVS / Tar-jay and spent my $5 gift card on a new dish drainer.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

110

I had the MRI today for my back issues. Ugh, getting there was way too complicated. I tried Uber first–no drivers. So I walked to the bus stop, but the bus was so late that, with intermediate stops, I would’ve been late for the appointment. I tried Uber again in desperation, and a driver arrived 20 minutes later. I got to the place right on the dot.

The MRI went fine. She said the doc should get the results tomorrow, but I doubt he’ll be in the office. I didn’t trust the bus or Uber, so I slogged home. I stopped at the lquor store on the way home. My sister and my niece will have birthdays while I’m down there*. I’m giving comfort packs, with bath bombs, fuzzy slipper socks, and little bottles of hooch.

wordy, I’m so sorry your mom’s cancer is back. That’s way too much tough stuff to handle at once. I hope you can find comfort, even if it’s only a moment or two at a time. You know we lurves ya. {{{{wordy}}}}

Phone!

111

Today at irk, I did something I’ve been mentally gearing myself up for, for weeks. I kept wanting to & then chickening out & doing the prep tasks for pork butts, which are very straightforward.

Brisket prep - that’s usually handled by the guys, but I learned to run with the big boys today.

I really wanted to learn & was told I did a good job.

I also did not cut myself, which is Step One for being successful at brisket prep.

So yay me! :partying_face:

112

It’s supposed to get really cold in the next couple of days, so I am not looking forward to dog walking. Poor Mauser is a short hair too. New Years Day we will get our first snow this winter too. My last dog Nathan really liked snow, he would put his nose down and plow through it, but he was a long hair. i won’t have any champagne tomorrow night but I do have chips, Velveeta and Rotel, our “traditional” new years food.

Don’t have to buy any fireworks as many folk(not from my building) in the neighborhood set off their own. None of my pets get too freaked out about them thank goodness.

113

Happy Thorsday!

I’m back to the land of the living.
I got knocked on my butt by a cold.
I’m still not better, but I’m up and functioning.
The snots, sore throat, and cough are mostly gone. I still have sore skin and feel achy, and tired.
My son cracked me. He came to check on me and asked, are you dead?
He’s not well either.
I’m glad his overtime got cancelled for tonight. I don’t have to go out, and he gets another few days of rest.

The dogs are unhappy as we haven’t gone anywhere for three days.
Tomorrow isn’t looking too good either.
They are making me crazy.

{{{Pixel}}}

{{{Wordy}}}

114

I did not see this before when I just posted. So sorry to hear, cancer really sucks.

115

We reached the hotel about 6:30 and within an hour, Dominos brought supper. Now we’re chillin’ and watching monster truck races. Good times!

We hope to get on the road early tomorrow and home around noon. Roxy said she wants to poop in her house. :joy::joy: I know what she means…

And she sleeps in jamammas…:rofl:

116

Howdy Y’all! We pigged out at the hog trough GC, I picked up ‘scrips at the pharmacy (glad I remembered to call this mornin’ as I would have been out of one med as of Moanday), we achieved nappage and general chillage. Been a rainy(ish) day. Oddly, or miraculously, enough it did not rain while we were out and about.

Wordy so sorry your mom’s cancer has returned. Try to fit in a few breaks for yourself. You deserve that.

shoe yay for new skillset!

sari hope you feel better soonest!

nameless thanks for the link. That is now a thing I can never unsee :: shudder ::

MOOOOOOM I agree with RoxStar one hunnert percent. Home is the best place to poop.

117

So i had to tay extra to scan some stuff out of a trialer, and scan it back into another trailer. :thinking: But whatever, I’ll have a regular sized check next week, vs. the skeletal one I had that time last year. And we’re only doing Next Day air tomorrow, so I go in at 5, and could be out at 8. Or noon, if the airport folks forget about a plane again. Dinner tonight is Aldi cheese tortellni, with Aldi meatballs, and topped with Aldi Italian cheese blend. And my homemade cheese, with cheese in it. Because cheese. :cheese:

{{{{wordy}}}}

{{{{nellie}}}}

Yay for new skills!

Baker, Gordie loves snow. but he won’t go out if there’s dew on the grass. Weird dog.

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Four pics from today.

[Album] imgur.com
119

{{{wordy}}} Cancer sucks.

baker, can you get Mauser into a coat? Anytime I’m wearing my heavy winter coat, I put Nelson in one. He has a little denim one and a suede one with lambs’ wool lining. He’s OK with them.

Finished up a small project in the studio this afternoon and am still deciding which books I want to order from da Jungle.

120

Carbs tonight. I made shrimp’n’grits.