(Old) Another English Autumnal MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
61

I’ve heard that tire places will check and fill tires for free. I’ve never tried because, apart from us having a monster air compressor in FCD’s shop, I wondered if they actually stopped what they were doing to do this, or if you had to wait. Being impatient, I don’t know if I could do that… :wink:

Woke to the pitter-patter of raindrops after a really good sleep - it was after 7 when I got up! There were half a dozen deer on the slope next to FCD’s shop having a nosh - that I didn’t mind at all. It’s where there should be nothing but gravel, but weeds and such have managed to find soil, dammit. The deer are welcome to all that, just not my hosta and azaleas and lilies, dammit!

Just heard MIL weighing (she has a talking scale since she can’t see the numbers.) She’s down to 97# - obviously last week’s 105# was edema, but she’s dropping below what was her usual range. Plus she said to me, this morning she was “ninety-eleven”… and so it continues.

I’m a tad worried - Ziva didn’t come into the bathroom for my middle-of-the-night visit, nor has she been about this morning for her early treats. I’ll look under the bed after FCD gets up, I guess. I hope I’m wrong.

All so appropriate on a dreary, rainy day.

On the plus side, I’ve made 6 of the 9 squares for my latest lap blanket. I’m trying to make them all different and I’m running out of ideas for patterns. They’re made from corner to corner, starting with and ending with 1 stitch, increasing thru 30 rows, then decreasing the same way. I’m making each with 2 colors (using up various yarns) and the next one will be 1/3 taupe, 1/3 orange, then 1/3 taupe. When I post the pics, you’ll see what I mean. At least dividing 60 rows symmetrically with 2 colors has lots of possibilities, some more attractive than others.

Not sure what the day will hold - I’ll just have to wing it. When I woke up, I was thinking it was Saturday - I’m as confused as MIL!! Not having a regular work schedule can throw you off a bit. At least I know Firday is laundry day!

Happy 100th b-day to Jimmy Carter, and Happy Tuesday!!

62

Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 12c/54f with no predicted change, and with scattered showers. Weather app is not impressed and says “Hope you enjoy fucking up your shoes in the rain.”

There should be a whoopathon for that excellent bit of news! And maybe a little whoop for your sister-in-law too, losing an eye is a traumatic event but it might just be for the best with all the problems she’s had.

Appendages crossed that you get good news.

Sometimes - I also have days when I appear to have done nothing but achieved a lot. Weird, right?

After yesterday’s errands and slothage, it was a rude awakening this morning having to get up and do some actual irkage! I was up early to do feline tums and bums, then had a shower and got my hair dried before making a cuppa and some breakfast (boiled aigs today). I logged in to irk and found a small bunch of skip fires, plus my poor new minion had been left alone with the inbox and couldn’t do a lot with any of it.

I’ve directed her to a few things, told her how to reply to some of the things in there, and scheduled some training in the morning when we’re both on campus. There are things she will be able to do now that she’s got access to stuff, I just need time to show her where and how to do it.

I hauled the biiiiiig recycling bin out for collection last night as the binmen have been unpredictable. They finally showed up around 10am so I even had the chance to sneak a few more bits in there. They checked the neighbour’s bin as usual, I saw one of the guys having a good firtle in there before removing a solid plastic tub of some sort which is now residing on their path.

My lovely empty bin has been hauled back to its usual place, and all’s well in the world of domestic rubbish. I’ve got plenty to do today, the plumber’s coming in half an hour to fit a new mixer tap in the kitchen (and do a couple of other jobs), I have to prepare campus food later, I’ve done a load of laundry, and we have grocery shopping too. What a day!

63

There are reasons that several of my clocks include the day of the week in the display, and I even figured out how to get Windows to show that in the date display on my laptop. :slight_smile:

Hope Ziva and Higgs are both OK, since you’re worrying about them.

Buddy’s appointment seemed good, we’re just waiting to hear back on Buddy’s bloodwork so we know whether we can step down his steroid again (we’re all hoping for that, what with the weight gain and the mood issues).

64

Morning all. Another cloudy and cool (65F heading to 82F) morning and the TruGreen guy just knocked on my door to say he’s here to do the yard treatment. Still rather dewy out so mowage remains planned for Wednesday. Big activity today is to go down to Tire Discounters and schedule my oil change (and yes, they have always been good about filling my tires for free) and also look at tires. I plan to get a new car next spring, so I don’t want to put on any superior tires, but don’t want a blowout in the time remaining, so we’ll see what they can do. Outside of that, gym and soccer practice are all that is planned.

BBBoo, JtC pic is at post #35, it’s the blurry bit you have to click.

Taters Happy New (Fiscal) Year! Hope the changes are less onerous than you think.

FCM, I trust your plants have some protection from the wildlife. And hoping things are well with Ziva; between Higgs and MIL another crisis is something you don’t need.

boo fae, hope that the new minion catches on to things quickly. And I leraned two new terms today “skip fire” and “firtle”; soon I will be able to sound like an English person… :smiley: :wink:

I’m usually pretty good on the days of the week, occasionally I’ll get one mixed up early, but usually re-compute it on my own. If nothing else, posting here helps.

And off to another day. Have a good one all.

65

Do i really ? I’ll let you figure it out !
Anyway … Back to the main topic of this thread … Carpets !
It’s still raining here, but not heavy enough to get under the doors - i’m still
not sure which one the rain got through. Hoping for some dry weather so i can
clear out the area and investigate further.
Forecast shows it should improve on Thursday…

66

I was looking for some nicer-than-sticky-note paper so FCD could include a quick message with a check that he had to send to his cousin. In the pouch with my old stash of fancy stationery was a letter Daughter had written to Santa 33 or 34 Christmasses ago. All it said was P J SPARKLES - As I recall, that was a popular doll way back then. Would it be cruel to call our random British bloke Sparkles?? Confusing, certainly…

Anyway, for those who were concerned, Ziva appeared as I was getting out of the shower, purring as if she didn’t have me all worried about her. So no kitteh carcass under the bed today. Huzzah!

On the other hand, I canceled an online order the other day and got confirmation from the seller yesterday. Then today, I got notification from the shipper that it’s in their hands for shipment. I immediately told them not to send it - we shall see how this plays out. I don’t want the item, even for free. Stay tuned.

FCD has headed to MIL’s old bank to cancel her credit card. They’ve been bugging her via messages to activate her new card. I hope he can get it taken care of, but it’s PNC, so who knows?

I’m clean and dressed. Now what? Crocheting, I guess.

67

Wait a minute. This could be a first…. There’s a main topic to this MMP? :wink:

I feel absolutely rotten today. I’m drowsy and hurting and phlegmy. I’d really like to go back to bed, but I’m waiting to get hooked up with the schools that I’m going to be working with.

Also, the house cleaning boss lady is coming over tonight. I was going to try to, you know, straighten before the cleaner came, but I just don’t have it in me right now. Maybe some more caffeine and some Aleve will help.

68

I don’t see why it would be !

Yes ! And a raison d’être to boot.

69

All righty then, I declare that your Mumper nickname is Sparkles! :sparkler: With or without the GIF.

70

Wow - cool ! Does it include the “!” or is that extra ?

71

Eggs, bacon, toasted cornbread with honey, coffee. Good start to the day. followed by laundry. :grimacing: At least the new dryers are installed, so it won’t take a half a day to finish.

Tomorrow we go apple picking with the wife’s niece. Looking forward to some apple crisp.

72

It’s probably the first time someone’s every tried to keep the MMP on track! Don’t worry, he’ll learn soon enough :slight_smile:

73

I mean, the whole point of this thread is hop, skip and meander. Right!?

74

Thank you! I so did not want to miss a kitty picture and that one made me want to reach out and ever so gently skritch the non-oowey part of that delectable feline hussy.

Somehow I just missed it-the blurring probably, combined with my bonked brain and extra hectic, frenzied life these last 6 weeks or so. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Depends. Are you eligible for the senior discount?

75

Started Typing: 12:09 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 1:19 PM ET

This is probably the coldest and wettest day we’ve had so far this season: there’s been steady rain all day (it’s expected to end in a couple hours), and it’s currently 64°F with a forecasted high of only 66. The front door is open so Bailey can look outside, but the storm door’s lower pane hasn’t been/won’t be raised. It’s a little cool inside the house, but not quite chilly enough for the oil heater…the Hormel pot roast I just had for lunch has added some warmth. :slight_smile:

This morning I attended an election-related webinar on de-escalation techniques. The county offered it to all election officers, and I figured “why not.” Funnily enough, the guest speaker was from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): in addition to being the primary agency for national election security, CISA is also the agency I support in my day job. Heh. The guy was from a completely different division, but it was still a little “worlds colliding” to be watching election officer training and see my customer’s PowerPoint template!

Work is legitimately quiet at the moment: for the time being, I’m as caught up as I can be. I still have two meetings to get through this afternoon, but one is just a 1:1 with my boss (which he might cancel) and the other is a debrief of today’s proposal review (which won’t be terrible/long). Immediately after the debrief I’ll head to the gym for a personal training session, and on the way back home I’ll stop at the grocery store. I ate the last banana with lunch: an empty banana hook is an abomination!

Ha!

(At first I typed that I would have preferred a job offer, but these days I don’t think I’d actually want to work at Meta. :grin:)

I love you anyway. :wink:

I’m actually very equal-opportunity when it comes to potato chips: the third part of today’s lunch was some Pringles. I’m really not a fan of kettle chips, but most “regular” chips/crisps are alright by me.

Wow!

Every now and then I’ll park in front of the house so someone else (a visitor, repair person, etc.) can use the driveway. I’m always slightly nervous when I do so, and am relieved when I can get my car off the street. Car-wise, I was happiest when I had an attached garage (11 years ago): when the time comes to move outta this place I’m pretty sure I’ll look for a townhouse, and one of the requirements will be an attached garage.

Well, Google and Facebook do know everything about me… :rofl:

Because…??? (nosy enquiring minds want to know!)

When I turn off my Android phone’s alarm, Google Assistant tells me the day and date (in addition to the time, weather, and that day’s calendar items). I started having it do that during the pandemic, shortly after I began working from home. Sometimes I’m too tired for the info to register, but most mornings it really helps orient me!

Ugh. :people_hugging:

The other day, my (75-year-old) father mentioned something he’d read in an AARP newsletter and asked (53-year-old) me if I’d joined them yet. “You really should; some of the discounts are great!” As if it’s not bad enough that AARP started sending me regular mailings the week before I turned 50… :joy:

(Yeah, yeah: I know that some of the discounts really are great. I’ll join at some point, I’m just not mentally ready to be an AARP member yet!)

76

I got my first mailing from them at 28.

77

I have no idea ! Here in the UK i’m entitled to free eye tests but not a
free bus pass yet !

78

So I guess the senior clerk is on vacation, as I was running the 100 and 200 Slides today. And between the lamp that had its box show up on the slide 4 hours after the lamp, having to shrink wrap and tape up the damaged 120lbs. screen door, and having to rewrap the mouthbreather who shipped his worldly possession home in used Home Despot boxes held together with duct tape and sports medicine tape, it was a long day. But I get paid by the hour, so I got that going for me. Which is nice. I dodged the rain showers to do my Aldi run. Now I’m having a can o’ Chunky clam chowder before bed.

Of course! Nicknames, secret handshakes, and Lenny the Squidgoat are all part of being a Mumper.

Yay for a corpse free morning!

79

I must not be very discrimination, because all fried chips taste the same an all baked chips taste the same. One of my sisters swears she’ll only eat Utz. Maybe she can tell, maybe not. < shrug >

When we were house shopping here in Southern Merrylande 20 years ago, I told FCD I wanted an attached garage and I would be parking my car on my side - he could do what he wanted on his side. And except for a few times when we had construction materials piled up in the garage, I’ve parked inside. I love it greatly.

I got my first invite from them when I was 40 - I suspect someone gave them my name as a joke. haha. :stuck_out_tongue:

Just back from taking MIL to get her flu shot. Apparently she got COVID in August. I don’t remember that, but whatevs. Her internal clock is all wonky. She woke before 8, had toast and coffee, and went back to her room around 8:30. When FCD came back from erranding, she was in bed asleep. I thought she’d gone back to get dressed. She slept a couple of hours, got up and got dressed, then came out and asked me what time it was. She was sure it was 6 or 7 PM. Granted, with the overcast, it’s not a bright sunny day, but it’s still pretty light out.

I just remade her bed with clean sheets and folded our king sheets. I love the bedding made from t-shirt type material, but doggone, does it get stretched out. Even the supposedly square flat sheet was all irregular - folding it was a challenge. But I got it in a neat enough form to cram back on the shelf.

FCD is napping, which is good - he hasn’t been sleeping much lately - stress over everything. I wish he could learn to turn it off, but he can’t. It scares me - I fear it’ll kill him if he can’t learn to let go.

OK, back to my recliner.

80

This sounds so much nicer than “dumpster fires.” I imagine little fires skipping so lightly that nothing gets damaged.

Ditto. Binmen sounds better than “garbage men.” “Mater, Pater, I decided to serve my country, so I’ve joined the binmen.”

That’s the very first time anyone has called him that. He’ll be so proud–confused, but proud. This is the same cat in the Christmas tree caper. My daughter decided she’d hide the trunk of their fake tree by removing the flaps from a box, wrapping it, and sticking the tree trunk through a hole she’d made. She entered the room to find the whole tree moving across the floor, [cartoon music] dink-dink-dink-dink. The cat had squeezed his front half through the trunk hole but was unable to squoosh his fluffy bottom through and was moving the tree with his front paws.

Meanwhile the older, smarter cat raises an eyebrow: “Did I ask for another cat? At any point, did I say, ‘Gee, my life would be complete if you guys got an idiotic fuzzbucket to eat my food and get rewarded for remembering to breathe?’ No. No, I did not.”

Taters, you’re both warmer and wetter up there than we are here. A little rain on a fall day sounds nice.

I find that to be true in so many ways.

Same here. They’re hard, not crispy. I do agree with MetalMouse on the Lay’s. though. Actually, I prefer Jay’s, but you can only get them in the midwest. Obscure trivia: Jay’s started off as Japp’s, after the founder, but after Pearl Harbor, he decided it’d be wise to change the name to avoid, uh, confusion.

I was going to suggest “jammies” because of the “pj,” but sparkles! WITH the exclamation point is way better.

Also, WHEW about Ziva.