MMP in the snow, uphill both ways

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m sure somewhere (:musical_notes: over the rainbow) there are folks basking in warm, balmy sunshine.

Well, that’s nice for them and all, but most of us are freezing our @$$% off.

I have a completely empty trash bin, but lotsa trash staged & ready here in the kitchen by the door. My options are 1a.) take a bunch of trash out in the cold darkness, then drag that sucker through several inches of snow, or 2b.) make all that nonsense Tomorrow Shoe’s problem.

Still have my boots on from coming home, just in case I get ambitious. But I also have a warm cat purring in my lap, so … { shrug }

Your turn!

2

We got 9 to 10 inches of snow here, so I have a (paid!) snow day from work. Yay! We get two automatic “Acts of God” closures that we are paid for, no question, and after that, the board has to vote, although, we’ve always been paid for a 3rd and 4th, with more than that coming up only during the pandemic, and that is not worth detailing.

Have had the heat turned up against negative temps, albeit, it’s actually up to a whole 10F now. The pets love it, but I’ll have to take a few aftercare shifts in the next few weeks to pay my next electric bill.

I have a couple of bags of trash too, because we have valet service, who are lazy asses, and use any excuse not to pick up, including virtually any holiday, even if it means no pick up for 4 days, because they get Friday and Saturday off, and never pick up those days to catch up on backed-up holiday trash.

We have a trash compacter, but there is one for the whole complex, and it is supposed to be for things the valet service won’t pick up. We are not supposed to leave things outside it, because it is not the job of maintenance to toss our stuff. So when valet is not picking up, there ends up being a line.

Thing is, we PAY $25/month for the valet, and it’s not optional. It’s lousy service with no opt-out, so no incentive for them to improve. You better believe they don’t get tipped at the New Year, though, and I tip everybody.

Anyway, I fell asleep at 6pm, and slept until 9, so I’m just up until I’m sleepy. My current wildly anticipated TV show from NZ, with Lucy Lawless, called My Life Is Murder drops a new ep onto Acorn TV at 3am, so I’m gonna watch that, then maybe see what else is on Acorn. Some British mysteries, maybe. Maybe binge-watch something. I don’t think I’ve seen any recent eps of Agatha Raisin or Whitechapel.

Stocked up on food right after work Friday in anticipation of this.

3

Oh, that is the WORST combo. You have my utmost sympathy.

I couldn’t stand my lazy ass & the clutter by the door anymore, and was also tired of still wearing my “incentive boots” ™ so I { sigh } put on a parka & tossed a bunch of :black_cat: :poop: and small Bags O’Trash ™ into the bin, then - with the same boots, that have strap-on spikes for extra traction - dragged the whole mess out to the curb.

It occurred to me that if I slipped & fell, at 4 a.m., my best bet would be to NOT drag myself back towards the house but away from it … near the street, I might be seen by whoever is psychotic enough to be driving on ice-rink roads in the wee hours of a Sunday night.

I have some sort of frozen “chicken pasta garlic sauce bowl” thingie beeping at me from “Chef Mikey” (a.k.a. the microwave) so imma try that out, then roll off to see what loveliness my pillows and blankets have to offer.

4

My Life Is Murder was great, and got me in a Xena reruns mood, so I have the Xena channel on in the background while I’m websurfing.

When I’ve exhausted the internet, I’ll go see what Acorn has to offer.

5

Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 2c/36f with a predicted high of 5c/40f and cloudy. Weather app says “Fucking calm down, weirdo. It’s that that fucking cold outside.”

My sympathies to you, that is never going to be a winning situation :frowning:

From yesterday….happy wedding anniversary, Taters!

Yesterday was a very good day of slothfulness, I spent some time messing about on t’interwebz in the morning, then decamped to the sofa for some snuggle time with Blossom. I caught up on The Night Manager (it’s a tv series, metal mouse, not a replacement for ‘im indoors) and then stirred myself long enough to feed the cats and get myself some dinner.

Back at irk today, no sign of my job offer yet but I think it’s because the person named as the hiring manager doesn’t work Friday or Monday so it won’t get processed until she’s back in tomorrow. I haven’t told any of my team yet, I am waiting for the official offer first.

‘im indoors is coming back from Scotland today so he should be arriving later this afternoon. I’m nipping out to do the grocery shopping at lunchtime and have taken some leftover chilli out of the freezer for dinner tonight. Might go to the gym after irk, will have to see how I feel later. Right now, I am drinking tea and munching sourdough toast with thick-cut marmalade. Also procrastinating somewhat on the second set of minutes from last week that apparently will not write themselves.

6

Love the title!

7

Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s up to 32 Ferret Height(0Centipedes) and icy.

I will be going uphill to work, coming and going, including that quarter mile walk on a slope between the parking lot and the building.

That sucks.

So you’re say Monkey isn’t even a Temu grade Lassie?

It will be tomorrow.

8

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 39 Amurrkin out and mostly cloudy with a predicted high of 58 and sunny this afternoon. There’s nowhere either of us wants or needs to be so RDOS inactivities will be the order of the day. Sup will be grilled poke chops, succotash, wild rice and rolls. Borin’ but it meets the need to feed.

Coppertone YIKES! Hope things settled down and you were able to sleep. A thing like that is not good for the nerves.

Taters Happy anniversary to Mr. Taters and you! :bottle_with_popping_cork::birthday_cake::clinking_glasses::glowing_star:

shoe glad you got the trash out sans injury. Today shoe will be grateful to past shoe.

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

Happy Moanday Y’all!

9

The plumbers are coming Wednesday to tear out and replace all of our pipe. We stopped at the liquor store yesterday for empty boxes and today we will pack up all of the junk under the sinks and whatever is in the way of the work in the basement. We want to make it as easy as possible for them.

10

Uphill both ways applied to when I was in college. The campus was on the west side of the river, uphill, and I lived on the east side, also uphill. I used to bike to class. I was much younger then…

I texted the plow guy yesterday and told him any time after 7 I’ll be up. I think he showed up at 7:02!! :rofl: And 15-ish minutes later, we can get out.
Imgur
He brought his son along to do the parts that needed a shovel. Turns out there was more snow than I’d thought, and with freezing rain/ice on top, I’m not sure I could have cleared it without killing myself. He also cleared the way around the mailbox! A good deal for $60 I think.

Now, if the sun will come out, there’s a chance for melting and some drying, I hope. Looking ahead a week, forecast is for highs in the teens or twenties, lows in single digits. At least there’s no precip ahead, theoretically.

Today’s plans include a few phone calls and maybe tidying my desk. Schools are closed and Daughter will WFH. SIL won’t be working at all - the base is closed today. In fact, much of the county is closed. Plow guy said the roads are a mess - took cold for the melt chemicals to have much effect and I don’t know if they sand around here or not. No plans to venture forth anyway.

Happy Tater-versary!!

And for the rest, Happy Moanday!!

11

-12F at 0740 this morning. I got my new fleece-lined pullover yesterday so am pretty toasty at the moment.

I’m another who walked uphill both ways in high school. Our house was on one side of the valley that hosted Chester Creek, and the school was on the other, so I trudged down the sidewalk, across the bottom land and then slogged up the other side, which was quite steep and was a dirt path. Did the reverse in the afternoon, which was easier because I had the steep part going down. All told, probably a half mile trek each way. I could have taken the school bus, but didn’t want to deal with assholes. It was a good day when I got my driver’s license.

The jambalaya came out well yesterday, and our company brought a really good fruit crumble for dessert.

The wife keeps making rumblings about participating in demonstrations, even though we’ve talked about how we’re too old and out of shape for that. If things went sideways and we had to run, we’d be in deep doo-doo, not to mention that a hit of pepper spray or tear gas in the face could actually be fatal.

Gotta get breakfast underway.

12

Updating on yesterdays shooting.
The building is still yellow taped off. I opened my door and there were lots of dark blue gloves? On the floor. Some stains still there, someone posted on fb there was lots of blood further down the hall.
The workers said stay in for a bit. Strong smell of pinesol.
Bus cant even pull in.
Hope they find the perps, we do have video in all the halls.
Its cold so may not go out today.

13

Morning all. Sorry for the absence, but have spent a ton of time helping with a family crisis (that involved trucks, vans, moving, packing, etc.). A good friend will help you get rid of an enemy. A great friend will help bury the body. But the best friend will help you move.

Also had an extended visit home, where I tried to fend off all their attempts to delve into my private life. No matter how well I prepare for this, or how strong and steel-plated my armor is – I return feeling like I’ve fallen into a pit of sentient can openers. Every armor plate is bent; the rivets are torn out, my seams are peeled apart and gaping. Thankfully I had to leave because the Mossad agents were arriving. They go there annually* for training in how to resist interrogation.

We’ve had a serious ice storm down here in Texas. This one put a couple of inches of frozen ice onto everything. And I do mean everything. So naturally, Lucy (our dog) decided to eat a bunch of grapes she somehow got into. The emergency vet said “get here now, we need to empty her stomach” because grapes are toxic to dogs.

So yesterday afternoon was two 70 yr olds, frantically trying to melt, chip, and shovel 2+ inches of ice off the gate, garage door, etc. We had to use heat guns to melt it off of locks and hinges, and after 2 hours managed to get everything open enough to get out. I had to use 4WD the entire way to the doggie ER, where she (vet lady) met me and quickly administered something via IV that caused her (dog) to enthusiastically reject everything she’d eaten all day. The grapes were intact and we’re pretty sure we got all of them. TMI (sorry). FTR: there was not a single car track on our street. No one was out (thankfully). Lucy has recovered completely and is galloping around like nothing happened. We’re still fighting over the Ibuprofen bottle (muscle soreness).

So today will be spent recovering and binge-watching with a big fire in the fireplace. My wife is binge-ing something called “High Potential” which isn’t that interesting. But the starring actress is really hot and wears tiny mini-skirts the whole time - so I’m OK with it I guess.

No big plans for the rest of the week besides RDOS-related fireplace and TV activities.

Hope everyone has a good week!

*OK, I might have exaggerated a little.

14

Good morning.

It’s 24F and very frosty outside. We even have a 35% chance for a 15-minute snow shower. Or, should I say, “had”. That window has passed, and I didn’t see any flakes. The day will be partly cloudy with a daytime high of 45F.

Thanks for the anniversary wishes.

Coppertone, that’s quite scary. Stay safe and warm.

I walked both uphill and downhill through junior high, but in high school I took a bus. I don’t remember having to trudge through much snow, but there were a few times. Usually, if we had significant snow, we had snow days.

We have an eye appointment for Mr. Taters tomorrow, followed by dinner. When I scheduled the appointment for him, I had two options: tomorrow or 4 March, with nothing in between. I guess I could have scheduled it at another Kaiser location, but I chose the clinic closest to us.

Pullin, good to see you again. Sorry about the family and dog crisis. I’m glad Lucy is better, and I hope the rest of the crises have settled down, too.

Well, it’s time to finish my coffee. Maybe I’ll watch an episode of trash TV, too. Take care, stay warm, and stay safe!

15

I wondered if dogs knew to avoid stuff that was toxic to them. Guess I know now.

The ice is thick enough that Otis doesn’t sink into the snow. So I don’t have to towel him off when (if) he decides to come in. I swear, that dog is part husky - he’s been outside most of the morning so far. Yesterday he would come in when he was wet and (presumably) cold, but all bets are off today. I had to call him 4 or 5 times to come in for breakfast. Then he wanted out right away.

FCD is out sightseeing. I hate that he does that - he may be good to drive on icy roads, but there are a lot of idiots out there… and the garage door just opened, so he’s home. Guess I’ll go get the road report.

16

A lot of snow fell last night, and the Weather Channel site says it will continue to snow until about 11 am. Nonetheless, the sun has risen, and the temp is 14 Ferrets, rising to a high of 15. From inside, it’s very pretty, but I’m sick and going nowhere. Sick Glorious Monday, or some such terrible pun.

Mrs. Nott usually does her Poshmark show (selling purses & jewelry) on Tuesday, but says she’ll skip tomorrow’s show. Partly because she’s catching my bad cold, and partly because some of her customers are snowed in with no power. Mostly, though, she dreads trudging through the snow and ice to the post office (uphill, both ways!) every day with stacks of parcels.

Now I’ll trudge to the recliner to eat breakfast and do word puzzles.

17

Happy Moanday everyone!

Its currently 17F and the snow is drifting down.

The highway is clear and I’ve seen a few passenger cars but we won’t be going out. Even if we wanted to, things are mostly closed anyhow.

My plans for the day include changing the sheets, making a pot of Italian bean soup and starting a new project.

Holy cow, that sounds horrible. I’m glad your silly pupper is OK and hope you and the Mrs recover soon.

I have been active all of my life. I still carry a scar from getting smacked in the face with a big stick by a pro-life person. As you know, I’m at the capital at least every week. I think that it is important that people see us standing out in the weather to express our opinion.It is also important to keep the pressure on our congresscritters. If she can’t be out there waving a sign around, she can be spending that time writing letters and making calls. She should not only be writing to oppose what is going on, she can also write supportive letters to Governor Walz telling him that is doing good.

You have a very nice looking driveway. I hope it doesn’t get too snow covered before the storm is over.

The state is pretty much closed. The gov declared a state of emergency on Thursday that allowed the schools and government buildings to close. We got mail on Friday but don’t expect service to resume until Tuesday or Wednesday. Our big bin is supposed to go out tonight but I highly doubt it will get picked up.

The flooding has already started so between washed out roads and ice covered pavement, it is a very good day to be a RDOS.

How exciting/scary! I hope it goes smoothly, with no escaping water and a minimum of mess and expense. (Yes I am jealous, all new plumbing sounds fabulous.)

Does procrastinating make you super productive? It does for me. That piddly little task that I don’t want to do is so easily replaced with other more important things like scrubbing the toilets or cleaning the window sills.

18

Snow is done here for at least a week. The sun is supposed to show up this afternoon and for at least the next 3 or 4 days.

I just finished playing the annual “get a better deal” game with SiriusXM. So our new subscription is less than 40% of what the renewal was supposed to be. Plus I just interacted with a bot via chat. If you have Sirius, you need to do this to save a butt-ton of $$$. Just log into your account, click the Chat icon, and tell it you want a better deal. I kinda wonder what would have happened if I’d asked for better than the better deal they offered. Too late now.

I feel like I want to bake, but anything I’d bake would be stuff we shouldn’t be eating to excess, and neither of us can resist sweets or freshly baked bread. So no baking. Dammit. I did clean the cat box, so there’s been some productivity, and the dishwasher is loaded. I need to call the Hyundai dealer about something I got in the mail… as soon as I find what I got in the mail. Off I go to search!!

19

I’m glad I shoveled yesterday, the “thing at the end of the driveway” isn’t too big, but you couldn’t tell that I did anything in the drive. No work today, TPTB declared the museum closed.

Guess I ought to put on boots and coat and go shovel. Thinking I’ll do it shifts, me back is still grumpy from loading exhibits on and off trucks last week. Well that and not being 30 years old anymore.

20

I’m getting sick of the morning news. I used to watch it for two hours every weekday morning, and at least an hour a day on weekends. Between Trump, ICE, and the local killings and fires… I just can’t.

Last night I came upon a channel called Catchy Comedy, that was showing Get Smart. (I have the boxed set on DVD.) After watching half an hour of news this morning, I switched over to that channel. My Three Sons just started. Mrs. L.A. said, ‘But it’s in colour!’ Then she remembered that they’d had a black-and-white TV until, like. the ‘80s.