It's Wet and Wild in the MMP: old

[enipla]

@scareyfaerie

tombola

Well, went to work as usual. But my office is in my home. Wife has the day off so went skiing. She asked if I was going to plow snow today.

I’ve been putting it off because we have three loads of road base on the drive that is not settled in yet. Best to let it do that or I just plow it off.

We had, though about 10 inches of snow over the weekend, and a lot of blustery wind. Wind blown snow can be a problem for vehicles, not just because of drifts, but it packs the shit out of it.

So, I did plow. Good thing too.

[swampbear]

Howdy Y’all! Errands got did. Sloth, nappage, and day drinkin’ were accomplished. Sup got made and et. Thus was the day in swampland. How do we keep up such a fast pace!

To all y’all with snow, please keep it with you. Also, better thee than me.

[Chefguy]

@The_Stainless_Steel_Rat

Cookie, glad you could get things straightened out; was it noticeable in your checking account that he hadn’t cashed it?

Yes, of course. It’s my fault for not verifying it before moving money around. I made an assumption, and one should never do that. Anyway, it’s all straightened out.

[Wheelz]

@JaneDoe42

I have driven to Los Vegas and back within the last year, it is an easy drive with plenty of places to stop and stretch. Sky Harbor is horrible at the best of times and is even worse over the holidays. I would suggest you drive just so you arrive relaxed and ready to work after a good nights sleep.

That would have been my preference. Sadly, Mrs W was much more adamant on the subject than I expected, and became almost irrationally upset when I tried to push back. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing drive with nobody to deal with but myself, but in the interest of marital harmony, I will endure the crowds and fly instead.

@The_Stainless_Steel_Rat

Wheelie, looks like there are fairly cheap flights on Spirit and Frontier, but baggage and other fees could push that up.

I do everything I can to avoid Spirit and Frontier. We are allowed a good deal of flexibility as long as fares fall within certain parameters. My best option for this trip is Southwest, which I generally don’t mind.

[FairyChatMom]

I got BIL set up with a new Echo Pop and a smart plug. Then we went to set up MIL’s new remote that works with Alexa. Now I need to set up the Echo pop for the basement - I can do that tomorrow.

The rest of tonight is for chillage.

[Johnny_L.A]

Schleezy day. Sunset’s at 1615 (45 minutes away), but you can’t see it anyway. It’s raining hard. My motorcycle tank was supposed to be ready Friday. Then today. Now it’s tomorrow, so I won’t be able to pick it up until Wednesday at the earliest.

I’ve decided to get Mrs. L.A. a $150 gift card from Michaels Arts & Crafts Store. She bought a print of one of her patient’s drawings a couple of years ago. She was going to have it framed (she says Michaels is expensive, but they do a good job), but Michaels had a fire and was closed for a year. So my idea is to get the gift card, then get a frame, and mount the card in the frame so that she can use it to have a frame made for the print.

Busy day at irk, and it will be busy days for a while. I have to go to Burien tomorrow. Did I say it’s raining hard up here? The news this morning said it’s going to rain harder tomorrow. Oh, joy.

[missred]

niner, I always liked to go to midnight mass for Christmas eve, heathen though I am. It’s a good show.

Irked, came home, got some big doggy love from the poodles next door when I walked Nelson, et, messed around in the studio and am now chilling. Such a Monday!

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

[JaneDoe42]

@LSLGuy

Sounds like good old-fashioned rural git-er-done! to me.

Rural isn’t quite the “R” word I was thinking about but close. I ordered new heavy duty set of shears because I don’t want him thinking about the leverage he got with the long handles and ordering a set of kitchen loppers.

[Baker]

@FairyChatMom

Back from Food Lion

Sorry, everytime I see “Food Lion” I think of Animal House, right near the end, when Karen Allen distracts the police by claiming people are looting the Food Lion.

[susan]

Rainy and windy. Delaying my lovely wife’s flight–2.5 hours late and counting.

[Johnny_L.A]

@Baker

Sorry, everytime I see “Food Lion” I think of Animal House

I think, Food Loin.

[LSLGuy]

@Wheelz

Sadly, Mrs W was much more adamant on the subject than I expected, and became almost irrationally upset when I tried to push back. I was looking forward to a nice relaxing drive with nobody to deal with but myself, but in the interest of marital harmony, I will endure the crowds and fly instead.

Now that’s a durn shame. Does she always have irrational fears around driving? I suppose bringing up how much you’ll be ubering or walking around in PHX since you won’t have your car with you and how many of those drivers or pedestrians are crazed passenger killers won’t sway her.

Between the year I lived in Phoenix and the decade in Las Vegas, I’ve done that drive many times. Not real exciting scenery most of the way, but certainly good roads, mostly modest traffic, and, ref the rest of this thread, no weather hazards.

@FairyChatMom

I got BIL set up with a new Echo Pop and a smart plug. Then we went to set up MIL’s new remote that works with Alexa. Now I need to set up the Echo pop for the basement - I can do that tomorrow.

If I ever buy any of that stuff I sure know who to turn to for advice.

@FairyChatMom

The rest of tonight is for chillage.

I should say. You’ve certainly earned it. When did (or will) the cabbage whatchamacallits get cooked and eaten?

@JaneDoe42

Rural isn’t quite the “R” word I was thinking about but close.

Once in awhile I can manage to be polite. . The hardest part of kitchen loppers is fitting them into the drawer with all the other kitchen utensils.

@Johnny_L.A

I think, Food Loin.

Me too.

As to me:
Been a sunny warm day of abject indoor sloth here. Even dinner has so far proven to be too much irk and it’s now after 8pm.

But the big news is we just got word that Daughter has received 2 new kids, filling her house up to the full complement of seven. This is a pair of brothers ages 4 & 7. So now we have a) boys, and b) a new eldest who’s at least potentially able to do something useful around the house for his mates.

The boys also have a 4yo sister, but she’ll be living in the house next door with another Mom. So a reasonable amount of opportunity for them to be together. Ideally all the sibs would be in the same house, but sometimes the combos of existing kids, available bedrooms, allowable headcount, and such forces a split.

We’ll meet them soon, perhaps this weekend. I’m stoked.

Yaay for Daughter! And good luck with that; it’s always a trial with new kids.

[JaneDoe42]

Oops, GG posted for me while I was holding the door for hubs to bring in the turkey. It looks and smells well smoked

@The_Stainless_Steel_Rat

Am trying to go without using any water here in the house for 24 hours so I can see if there really is a leak or just my imagination.

I hope you are just making things up!!!

Dang that the line can’t just be moved, but whatever it is, I hope it is very low cost to fix.

@Wheelz

Sadly, Mrs W was much more adamant on the subject than I expected,

I can see her point of view, statistically flying is safer than driving. Not to mention that if you die on your trip, your survivors are more likely to get a nice payout if it happens in a plane crash instead of a car crash.

@LSLGuy

Not real exciting scenery most of the way, but certainly good roads, mostly modest traffic

Yep, I drove them back in July and the roads were still good with the same light traffic.
Some of the scenery is very exciting, I saw this just outside Ash Fork:

@LSLGuy

But the big news is we just got word that Daughter has received 2 new kids,

She is simply amazing. Please tell her I said that. I hope things work out as well as possible!

[FairyChatMom]

@LSLGuy

If I ever buy any of that stuff I sure know who to turn to for advice.

Advice: download the app and figure it out. That’s how I did it. Well, that and some cussing. Ok, a lot of cussing…

The stuffed cabbage was ingested for supper. It was very yum, but I wish I’d gotten more cabbage for a side. I packed 4 rolls for MIL and there are still 6 more for us. Now I want one. Dammit.

[Wheelz]

@JaneDoe42

I can see her point of view, statistically flying is safer than driving.

Part of her concern is for my safety. She’s not a complete monster. But she’s also worried about insurance issues and liabilities in the event of an incident, and damage to my own car as opposed to a rental, and so forth. I said the same is true every time we back out of our driveway. She said why should I take on the risk if I don’t have to? I can see her point, but I’m less worried about it than she is.

Of course, I can do what I want, but you know the old saying.

[The_Stainless_Steel_Rat]

Evening all. Dinner was provided by Culver’s (Butterburgers, mmmmm) and then did some crossword puzzle stuff at the library (and used their ‘facilities’) until 8pm so now home to stay. Got a letter from the Census Bureau, I have been randomly selected to participate in the American Community Survey. According to the letter, my response is 'required by U.S. Law", so I guess I’ll do it tomorrow to keep my brain active.

Wheelie , peace in the house is worth an hour’s flight, I reckon. Hope LAS and PHX aren’t overly busy. Have never flown Spirit or Frontier, but what I hear about them tells me you’re wise to avoid them. Have flown Southwest many times and never been disappointed.

Flyboy, sounds like a great idea for a gift. Stay dry.

Cupcakes, thanks for the memory. While I am older now, I do not believe I have laughed harder at a movie in my life than the first time I saw Animal House.

Pilot, your daughter is truly amazing, as nellie says; hope everything works out great for all concerned,

OK, some general internettin’ then thinking about bedtime. All y’all take care.

[scareyfaerie]

Morning, mumpers! It’s a toasty 4c/39f with a predicted high of 6c/42f, and cloudy. Weather app says “I’d love to give you some fucking quote about clouds and looking on the bright side, but that’s what fucking internet memes are for.” it is definitely cloudy out there, and it’s very wet. I don’t think it’s raining now, it was earlier. I’ll find out later when I have to go out and haul the biiiiiig bin back off the pavement.

Pilot yay for new kids! Daughter is an absolute star to be taking on so many kids, I hope she knows how much we all appreciate what she’s doing.

Wheelie a tombola isn’t quite like bingo, we have a bunch of prizes and each one has a numbered ticket on it. All the tickets are in a tub, you get to pick out five folded tickets for £1. Anything with a number ending in a 0 or a 5 is attached to a prize

Also, definitely worth giving in to the wife if it means a peaceful life, especially if you’re happy with the choice of airline too.

flyboy what a great gift idea! I hope Mrs LA appreciates the thought that went into it.

niner I haven’t seen the inside of a church for religious purposes for more years than I can remember. They do, however, provide some amazing acoustic spaces and I’ve seen some very good performances of non-religious music inside a church.

metal mouse sorry to hear you’re having water issues again, it’s hard to go without using any for 24hrs unless you took yourself off somewhere else for the duration.

My afternoon off did not go quite as planned yesterday. I finished a bit later than I’d intended then went into town after stopping at the vets to collect Shadow’s meds, and dropping 'im indoors at the gym. He also wanted to take advantage of the supermarket’s drinks offer to stock up on fizz, so we did that and left the bottles in the car while I went to do errands and he went to exercise. I was partially successful, managed to get the toiletries I needed, then failed to fill a prescription because one pharmacy didn’t carry the product so would have to order it in, and the other big pharmacy didn’t have a pharmacist available until mid-afternoon to check stock availability. Bah! Will have to try elsewhere on Saturday.

We’d intended to get lunch from the Indian snack truck but they weren’t around so I sent 'im indoors a message and we opted for lunch from the Good Chinese Place instead. Collected that, went back to meet him in the supermarket car park, then went home. He decided to clear out his computer room so I stayed out of the way and pretty much slothed on the sofa with Shadow snoozing on my lap.

Today I have to irk but am at home, and we have grocery shopping to look forward to later. What fun.

[swampbear]

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 41 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 63 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. The big item on today’s agenda is laundry. Woo and Hoo. The usual sloth, general overall uselessness, nappage, and day drinkin’ shall also occur. Sup shall be tacos 'n fixin’s, rice, and refried beans. Fartfest to follow.

Pilot yay for new kids. Daughter is indeed a star for doin’ what she does.

Wheelie choosin’ domestic tranquility is no doubt the wise choice.

flyboy that sounds like a gift that should earn you major points.

We call Food Lion the Food Kitty. At various times all the Kitty sto’s have also been either Winn-Dixie or Harvey’s. Sometimes we call them the Food/Winn/Harvey’s/Dixie/Lion.

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

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

[FairyChatMom]

Today, SIL from TX arrives for a week. She’ll be staying with MIL since BIL now has an apartment. Original plan was for her to bunk with us, but I’m glad she’s not. Not that I have anything against her - she’s a nice person, tho a bit much. I don’t know how to describe her - maybe too eager to please? Dunno. Anyway, it’s probably my grouchy side that doesn’t like anyone staying here. It’s my house, dammit.

Yeah, I know…

FCD will pick her up at the airport - her flight gets in around 1:30, the airport is about 90 minutes away (when I drive - less when he drives), and he planned to leave here at 11. I persuaded him to wait at least till 1130, tho even that’s a bit much, considering she’ll have to wait for her bags and all that. But I offered my opinion and I’ll say no more.

Tobias will help me do laundry today. He actually does like to help. If I put the basket in front of the washer, he’ll put the contents in (front loader, so he can reach) and he’ll also try to help to pull the wet stuff out and into a basket, then load them in the dryer. Never discourage a kid who wants to help! I figure I’ve got 3 loads today.

Daughter will have late days all week - doing teacher evals. Lucky her. So I’ll have late days with the kids. Lucky me… We have some plans with SIL - mostly over the weekend. Weather permitting, there’s a big light/decoration display nearby that we were looking at for Firday, we’re going to Kent Island for a train display on Sat and possibly to the local Clydesdale farm for an open house on Sunday. We’ll have her over for dinner on Weds or Thurs, I guess. Busy week ahead.

But for now, let’s just get thru today. Happy Tuesday!!

[Taters]

Good morning.

It’s 57F and raining. The chance of rain is 100% and we’ve reached the high temp for the day. Temps will fall to low fifties throughout the day, and we’re expecting one to two inches of rain during the day, with periods of heavy rain. In other words, a real toad strangler.

The rain makes life difficult for Buster because he DOES NOT LIKE rain, lol! He’s getting better but would rather sit on the stoop and pout than do his business or play.

pilot, your daughter is pretty amazing. What a big heart!

wheelie, happy wife, happy life. However, I too, would have preferred to drive. As far as insurance goes, I have an umbrella policy on my vehicle because I often prefer to use it when I have to take a trip for work. I don’t like the GOVs (not dependable and gutless wonders), and I have to go way out of my way to even pick one up, which is just a waste of time.

I forgot my stupid docking station at the office yesterday. I have a note on a bright orange sticky that says “DOCKING STATION!” on top of my laptop, but I was in the middle of packing up yesterday when someone walked into my office with a question and I just totally spaced. I refuse to drive all the way down to Olympia just to get my docking station, so I bought one of my own, and it’s supposed to arrive here between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. I really hope it’s closer to 7:00. I need multiple screens to do my work and my stupid laptop does not have an HDMI port for my computer monitors. I’m irritated with myself for having done this. On the other hand, I won’t have to pack up a docking station every time I commute to the office now.

flyboy, that is really a thoughtful gift.

lily, I hope your lovely wife finally made it home.

I don’t go to church either and haven’t been inside one for any service or event in years. I don’t have strong feelings about religion in general. I’m not sure I believe in anything other than us turning to dust when we’re put in the ground. Finally, if I choose to believe in some higher being, I don’t need a man translating that being’s words and telling me my “punishment” for not conforming to that particular interpretation. Hm, I guess I do have strong feelings. However, I know church and organized religion aren’t all bad, and if that belief makes you happy, and doesn’t harm others, go for it!

I seem to be coming down with a cold, damn it. I have been extra tired for just under a week or so, and I thought it was because of the pups, but as it turns out, I’m fighting a cold. I don’t have time to feel icky.

Well, the pups are calling. Time for more potty, breakfast, and then another potty break.