I was babysitting today. The deal was, ten AM to four PM. No problem.
Long story short, though, the children are feral. I mean, that’s not the rant. That’s just background. But they usually have their own phones and/or video games with them, so they can entertain themselves to some degree. Today, they were apparently all in trouble, so no electronics and cranky kids. Lucky me.
I had enough planned to get through the day, though. And boy were they extra feral. By the time 4:00 rolled around, I was more than ready to hand them back over.
But… nobody came at 4. or 5. As we got well past any reasonable “whoops, got held up at work” time (not to mention time to decide if I was going to have to feed them dinner), I sent mom a text to make sure everything was okay. Oh yeah, she says- someone would be there to pick them up around 8.
… what
So, four extra hours. Surprise! And a meal I wasn’t planning for. I’m a single, childless adult who lives alone. I grocery shop and meal plan accordingly. And naturally, they’re all picky as hell and one ONLY wants “fwench fwies” and one feels like tacos tonight and REFUSES to eat anything else. Sorry, kids. I’ve got pasta. Take it or leave it.
Anyway, mom did eventually show up. And told me she’s also working late next week, which… I didn’t say I would look after them next week? Nobody has asked me that? Apparently her/their entire schedule for the rest of the summer is up in the air and she’ll “let [me] know.” TBH, I will be not at all surprised if the little gremlins show up randomly at my door some morning in the near future.
And before they were shipped off to war 80 years ago, those selfless troops had their own days of remembrance for earlier wars, during which they stuffed their faces just like we do.
Do you want to babysit again next week? (Are you being paid enough, by the hour to account for scheduling “oopsies”?)
Because, sweetie, they WILL show up at your door, unannounced and unplanned for, and you need to decide if it’s worth the trouble, or if you simply will not open the door, when that day comes.
OMG if that actually worked out in real life, it would be such a SDMB triumph!
Super duper mini rant: I bought cheap sparklers at Wal-Mart the other day. Nothing noisy, just those flashing sticks kids swirl in a circle.
Call it nostalgia, and a way to participate in the weekend festivities without contributing to the “flash-bang” racket.
They don’t work. Can’t get 'em to light.
I need to run by the store again today … do I let optimism rule the day, and try getting something else? Or do I save my pennies, lest I get { snerk } NOT burned again?
Quoted for truth. You need to set your limits now, or you will never be able to in the future.
So, early this year, I planted lettuce in a large pot on our porch. Later I planted tomatoes. Now the lettuce is just about ready to bolt while the tomatoes are showing their first blush of pink. I have NEVER been able to get the timing right and now that the weather is changing so quickly, I probably never will. Damnit.
Yeah, well, I get closer every year. I’m thinking that next year the lettuce will be moved deeper under the porch roof where its cooler and I’ll put a cherry tomato in a container out in the middle of the yard with full morning and noon sun. That should do it.
You just gave me a wonderful idea! Hubs is too sick to notice/object if I brought some geese home and it will be too late to get rid of them when he recovers. I have wanted geese since forever and hubs is afraid of them. I’m sure he’ll get over it once he meets my nice ones.
According to hubs, back when he was young, he was innocently walking in his grandmother’s garden when a dozen of her rabid geese attacked him and left fist sized bruises all over his body.
According to his mother, he was chasing the chickens and kicking them when the 3 watch geese got involved. He did get a few small bruises.
So, if he doesn’t kick my geese, he should probably be fine.
However, I changed my mind about that and instead put down a deposit on a Maine Coon kitten. Of course I will need to buy things for the kitten and kiss-up things for our other cats. Once he sees how much getting COVID cost, I’ll bet he’ll get his shots from now on!
Speaking of gardens, I’m annoyed with myself.
Since I moved in, the gardens in front of the house have been empty. There had been ugly shrubs I pulled out and tons of river rock. So much river rock.
Usually, I just go mad with planters, but finally managed (with a lot of help) to get rid of around 95% of the rocks out front so I could have a real flower bed.
That was Mother’s Day weekend. Since then it’s been either too hot or too rainy to do anything. This weekend is gorgeous, so I would like to spend a bunch of money making my house pretty.
Browsed the largest nursery around - pretty much everything I want is gone.
I can spend money doing a bunch of annuals for now, at least giving some color out front or say fuck it and just mulch down and save up for a perennial spree next spring / planter it up as usual.
I cannot make up my mind.
My go-to nursery for many years would sell out of or pull most of its perennials by late spring/early summer, but then offer more in fall, especially autumn-blooming plants.
So you might find a decent selection later in the season (especially on sale). And it may not be too late to find what you want from a nursery that does mail order shipping. Garden Watchdog’s top 30 list includes some really good places.
And it’s not a bad idea to use annuals for temporary fill.
Now that we’ve finally had some rain to soften the ground, I’m more in the mood to do some hefty digging to get in a half-dozen or so large crinums, crepe myrtles and potted roses.
Take a look at them ears! Regis (bottom left) looks like he will shake things up here! He’s about 3 hours away, I’ll meet him next week and bring him home the beginning of July.
@digs, so far the cost of not heeding the science of health is around 2600 and we haven’t gotten the urgent care bill yet. I’m pretty sure he’s going to remember!
