Sweet!
and hope you survive the heat.
A friend called this morning, and when I poured out my tale of woe, she said, “You need to get away from your problems,” so she picked me up and we drove to a little town that has a lot of thrift and vintage stores. I was just going to browse but ended getting my favorite Dickens novel (Bleak House), one of my favorite Twain novels (Pudd’nhead Wilson), and some more copper molds–the kind that were popular in my childhood. It was nice to get away.
Boo, thanks SO much for the advice. I’m taking it all to heart. The article you sent was basically about avoiding infection, so that’s helpful, too. And I decided to make sure all the relevant docs get a copy of my latest labs. All I can do.
The contact lens thing still has me bummed. I got spoiled, and now I can’t figure out how I managed with this vision (or worse) for 5 years. Oh, well, make the best of it, right? Being gloomy just makes things worse.
I can if I get right under them. It makes finding my gate interesting. The hardest part is reading the seat number/letters on the plane. I don’t want to plunk myself down and hear “Ow!” underneath me.
MetalMouse, 1000 calories! Woo-hoo! Very impressive!
VanGo, SO very glad your works of art are finding the audience and getting the $$$ they deserve!
wordy, I’m glad your mom is better and sympathize with her steroid high. Is this a short burst of a week or so, with a slow reduction afterward, or will it be long-term? Oh, and not surprised about the teens eager for the Minions movie. My juniors loved SpongeBob…one foot still in childhood.
red, I second the motion about Nelson, Echo, and Ripple. What a great photo that’d be! And I love that you got Nelson doggy ice cream.
I must be tired. I had to read that three times because I kept thinking you bought them an RV. What a mom! A normal brain would have figured it out right away, but you ARE a great mom! So cool you got to watch a rocket launch!!!
I’m having slight flirtations with a woman I dated 30 years ago. This is very weird. All via text.
Omg. Didn’t even notice that. Lol. My brother is old and poor. He couldn’t even afford a TV. I was happy to help.
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.
< hums Strangers In The Night >
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 76 Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 86 with rain/tstorms/apocalypse predicted for the day. We shall see. I foresee much inside and dry time today. I have a gnawin’ and a cravin’ for chikin sallit, so I took a big chikin out of da freezer yestiddy to thaw. Today it shall be turned into chickin sallit. Thus, tonight’s sup will be chikin sallit. I have typed chikin sallit a lot. Chikin sallit.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Happy Firday Y’all!
The other day, FCD made some comment about me dating again after him. All I could think was OMG!! NFW!!! I’m 68 - way too old to train another one!! 
But have fun with your flirtation and whatever may follow! And make sure to share all the dirty details with us! 
We had rain overnight - enough that there’s a fair-sized puddle in the driveway. That’s my rain gauge - the low spot in the drive. And in the wee hours, there were also thunder-boomers! Today we’re promised low 80s and sunny and no rain in the forecast, if one believes accuweather, which I generally don’t.
The plan is to do the bilge pump today. I’m glad FCD waited till I could help him. In fact, he didn’t do much on the boat at all this week. His legs have been hurting and he took my advice to rest a bit. Here’s hoping he’s up to crawling in the engine room today.
When I stopped at Aldi yesterday afternoon, I got stuff to make some food for our trek to FL. I’m going to make a big batch of pulled poke, and a meatloaf, and something with chicken. In fact, I may put the poke in the slow cooker today while we’re out. We’ll be leaving in about 2 weeks, so not a lot of time to get things done. I’d like to make a batch of 'nanner bread and maybe some oatmeal cookies. Baking when the a/c is on seems stoopit… oh well.
Wondering if my mom and sister have power back yet - it was supposed to be done last night (after more than 2 days out) but they live at the end of a spur, so a pretty low priority to the electric company dealing with widespread outages. Those of you who befriended my sister on FB have heard the tale of woe - they can’t even flush a toilet since they’re on a well. They bring in buckets of water from the pool to flush and go to my other sister’s house to shower. Not fun.
I know you don’t care about my stoopit dreams, but I gotta share this tidbit - my night brain concocted a snowstorm here in Merrylande in the summer. I guess it’s wishful thinking? Strange places my brain wanders…
Happy Firday! Oh, and Tobias is 8 months old today - hoist a cold one to celebrate!!
nellie, you might check in with the airline to see about assistance for the visually impaired. They can guide you to your seat at minimum and likely set up a golf cart driver to get to your gate at the airport.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted, bed stripped, a load of towels / sheets ready for the dryer, a load of clothes on deck and a short trip to the dog park made. We saw Winky (feisty elderly pomeranian) and her brother Cotton (love bug elderly shi tzu) and his chiweenie buddy Jack. Ripple and Echo would have had fun with this bunch. 
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Morning all. In about an hour I’ll dress and go outside to mow the front yard, then need to do a little shopping and forage for sustenance. Swimmin’ is also in the plan, we’ll see how that goes. Another day in the mid-90’s, looks like that’s how it will be until September here.
Nellie, I’d follow red’s advice above, especially if it’s a major airport (Seattle/Chicago, etc), although even small airports have services to help.
FCM, happy bilgeing. Hope Mom and Sis have power soon. Need to turn the water on here for about 20 minutes to use the toilets and wash up. Can’t wait for the plumbers to show up Moanday.
VanGo, flirting is fun; but of course now that we know it, you’ll have to keep us up to date… 
Take care all.
Yesterday was the three-year anniversary of our adopting Goo. She turned 9 on June 22nd.
Wifey, RN got word that her patient who was only in her 60s who died last week had started drinking again, and that she was found collapsed outside of a business.
Good morning everyone.
It’s currently 53 degrees and sunny with an expected high of 79.
Yesterday was a long day, out of the house by 4:45 am, drove over the mountains to central Washington, and arrived there around 7:30. Got to Wenatchee found a coffee stand, and drove to the office. Hooked up and started looking things over. They have made amazing progress since I was there last week. The come to jesus meeting worked. While there, I took care of contracting stuff related to the move and updated the inventory list for the move/disposal/recycle operation. At 11:30 I drove to the new office site and went through the punch list inspection. It took longer than it needed to, I think, but I have a key and we can officially occupy the space. I didn’t get out of Wenatchee until 2:30 and that means I hit rush-hour attempting to merge onto Hwys 18 and 167. I didn’t get home until after 6:00 pm.
On Sunday I head back over. Whee.
Glad the heart checked out, Wheelz.
I’m sorry about the contact and cell count concerns, nellie. I hope everything turns out fine. I am also glad you weren’t hit by the AH in the truck.
I hope the power is back on for mom and sis, FCM.
It was nice of you to buy a TV for your brother, buttercup.
Well, I need to log onto my work computer, check my email and complete my timecard. I am hoping against hope that I don’t need to put any hours into today because it’s supposed to be my RDO.
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s 21c/70f with a predicted high of 22c/71f. Weather app says “How many clouds does it take to change a lightbulb? Clouds don’t change lightbulbs, you fucking weirdo.”
It’s hot out there, and it’s hot in here. We will only be getting hotter over the weekend have now been issued with a RED WEATHER WARNING!! for Sunday-Tuesday as we are expected to get temperatures close to 40c which is totally out of character for us. In fact, this is the first time a red warning has been issued in this country!
nellie I’m sorry to hear about your health woes, I hope you manage to get some good doctoring because we need to keep you around
VanGo good news about the sales, that must be making you happy.
Taters I am glad to hear that the CtJ meeting worked and people have started acting like adults for a change. You must have been exhausted after that day though, I hope you get a bit of a break soon.
I have 40 minutes of my irk day left and then I get to do fun stuff. We were supposed to be heading to Dublin but BA cancelled the flight a couple of days ago so we’ve rebooked it for August. Got no plans for tonight so it will be wine and films. Tomorrow I managed to book on a gym class but not my usual ones as they are both full and there are too many people on the waitlist to think I’ll get a space on both of 'em. Thus I shall log off from work and go downstairs for an hour of Rockfit instead.
It’s my turn to make dinner tonight and I am in the mood for spagbol, which means there will be some leftovers for the freezer too. Happy days!
Sis just posted that they have power. She spoke to the utility worker and he said about 60 of them have been working 16 hour days and sleeping in their trucks.
As for us, FCD is fighting the wiring for the bilge pump while I hand him stuff. Lunch break soon, I hope.
Very nice!
Metal Mouse I’m glad you’re almost to the having the other leak repaired. While the plumber is there, I would really lean into questioning them on the amount of water. 15,000 gallons a months is a LOT of water. A large swimming pools worth. Where did it go? Did they find all of the issues?
Enjoy the flirtations VanGo.
Sorry to hear about the red weather warning BooFae. It all sounds very ominous and very West Coast.
Good luck with the bilge pump Moom. Please let us know if FCD needs help with new swears for the project. We’d be glad to help.
Take care everyone. Happy Friday.
We’re home, having successfully repaired the wiring to the bilge pump. Near as we can tell, the terminal block was mounted low enough that when the bilge accumulated a lot of water, it shorted out. FCD removed that terminal block and routed the wires to a block he’d installed that’s way above the bilge. If it ends up underwater, that means our boat is sinking big time. But it works and the wires are properly labeled and life is good.
But my poor sweetie was in a lot of pain working in a very tight space on his very sore knees. I’d have done the work but I don’t have the hand strength to use the crimpers for putting splices and terminals on the wires. Anyway, it’s done.
We used the wet/dry vac to empty the bilge before he started and it sucked up a lot of crap, including glass. It was very thin, so I’m thinking maybe a light bulb broke? Like a work light? I had to clean the vac when we got home - it’s outside drying in the sun. I’ll reassemble it in a couple of hours.
The poke has been in the slow cooker, bathed in Sonny’s Sweet BBQ sauce and chopped onions. It smells yummy in here. I’ll let it cook a few more hours, then I’ll pull it all apart, add sauce as needed, and bag it for the freezer. But that’s later. Now I’m just going to sit. I didn’t do a whole lot, but what I did done wore me out!
Sari, huge hugs to you and gentle ones to your mom - I third the notion that if there’s something she wants and she can afford it, by all means, she gets it.
Nellie and Swampy, I’m kinda tempted to sneak in with overlyboy and watch the movie myself, but I gotta work and he’d lose all street cred, I’m sure! And to answer your question, nellie, mom’s in it for the long haul with the chemo - it’s pretty much palliative at this point. Though she still hasn’t crashed from this cycle - said she slept well and feels incredible. So I’m really relieved. I’m sorry to hear about your contact lenses - I hope all comes clear soon.
I couldn’t remember where I’d heard “the youths,” doggio - thank you!
Today has been one of the weirder days this week. I was at mom’s house last night with my kids when my boss called in tears. She resigned. I was so sad to hear it - she’s been such an incredible mentor and friend. But I guess I saw it coming and she’ll be happier doing something not at my current company. I’ll miss her very much. The day has been kind of surreal - calls since 7 a.m., people pooping their pants (metaphorically, luckily), etc. I’ll be so glad at the end of today. I might get some Starbucks with overlyboy who’s at loose ends this afternoon until work starts later.
Almost forgot - of interest to nobody, I might teach myself to crochet. I’ve been scared of it. It’s harder and more confusing to me than knitting. But I gotta start somewhere, and I have a buttload of yarn and can only knit so many blankets and cowls without getting bored. So there.
I started out knitting and avoided crochet for a lot of years, but once I took the plunge, I found I liked it, and I even learned to do some fancy stuff. The only thing about it I don’t like - for uncomplicated patterns, I can knit by feel, so I can watch TV and not my hands. Crochet requires a bit more attention most of the time.
My daughter taught herself by watching videos on YouTube - I guess it’s a better teacher than her mother… What she liked about it was she could rewind and watch over and over till she got it. And she’s become rather proficient, tho she’s still timid about some patterns. Still, she’s made a number of useful items for herself and her kids.
Afternoon all. Got 50% of the swimmin’ in, then the pool crowded up while I was taking my whirlpool break and stayed full while I was sweating in the sauna, so I’ll try to get the other 30 minutes done Sattiday. Mowage is complete, a black sheep of clippings (three bags full). So I guess that counts as working out.
Flyboy, Happy Gooiversary!
Taters, hope you’re resting today and Sattiday; sounds like you’re putting in a lot of hours on this.
For us un-Metric Americans, that’s 104F, which is hot for anywhere, and especially England. Take care and have plenty of water on-hand.
FCM, glad the bilge-rat…umm, FCD got things squared away. And glad Sister-unit has power again.
Sunny, you can bet I will be watching the plumbers very carefully this time and will turn the water on-off before they leave to make sure that there is no other problems.
talkie, hope boss-unit finds a job more to her liking. One reason I never wanted to get into management was the pressure involved.
OK, have snacked a bit and stopped to buy buns (for one cannot fix a proper Cheeburger without Sesame seed buns) and a couple of other items, so that should be enough for the day. All y’all take care.
Bailey is 14 today! 
Here’s a photo of her wondering why I’m taking her picture instead of feeding her this morning:
Neither of us looks or acts our age, but our bodies know the truth. Heh. I adopted her from the rescue when she was three months old. She’s officially an Old Dog, but she’ll always be my puppy!
Work was quiet enough that I took an hour at lunchtime to go to the grocery store. I almost always need Gatorade Zero, which becomes my excuse to get other stuff. Since it looks like my beloved Fairlife coffee protein shakes might be no more, I decided to experiment with making my own: I got single-serve packets of Starbucks’ cold brew concentrate (after noticing that such a thing exists, while looking for coffee-flavored syrup), and am going to try adding half of one to a vanilla protein shake. Each packet calls for 8 oz of water, so I’m hoping that mixing 1/2 packet with an 11 oz shake will be about right; I can always add more of the concentrate if the coffee flavor isn’t strong enough. I had to buy the vanilla shakes, too. I’m not sure when I’ll try making the first one; I figure Sunday morning at the latest.
I’m going on a walking tour tomorrow morning! IRL! Not watching a walking tour on my iPad while I walk on the treadmill! 
A local town has a small museum that offers free, 30-minute historic walking tours on Saturday mornings. Some friends and I are going, and we’ll get an early lunch or something afterwards (the tour ends at 11am). The weather types are calling for rain/storms in the afternoon and evening, but the morning should be good. I’m looking forward to some outdoor exercise, learning a bit of local history, and spending time with my friends.
I can’t believe it’s only 4:00…it should be at least 6:00! 
Long day (for no particular reason). I’ll put in another hour or so, then call it a week. Next week will be a short one work-wise, because I drive up to NJ on Thursday morning. I can’t believe the family reunion is finally upon me! Of course, all of the counties I’ll be in currently have high transmission rates…*sigh* I’m not backing out now, though. I think the Sunday afternoon reunion itself will be the most “dangerous” thing I do, with ~20 of us in a restaurant’s back room; the rest of the time, I’ll either be enjoying some solitude at the B&B or hanging out with various relatives at their houses.
I keep records of such things, and Avengers: Endgame was also the last movie I saw in a theater – on 5/1/19. Three years ago…wow.
Very cool!
That’s a good friend.
Two people who work close to my desk have been out all week with Covid. I haven’t told my husband, because the last time someone here just came in contact with a Covid-positive person (but stayed home until they tested negative), he freaked out and insisted I stay home for a couple of days. He has been working from home for 2.5 years and has developed this mental image of my office being an absolute petri dish.
So this time I’ve kept mum and I feel guilty. He is 70, after all. But I can’t stay home each and every time a co-worker stays home either from exposure or illness. I’d never go to work.
Retirement is sounding sweeter all the time. February 2023, I hope I hope.