The Lasko box fan we had in the living room has done yeoman’s duty over the years. But it, as you might know, accumulates dust, cobwebs, and cat hair. A few days ago it wouldn’t turn on unless I turned it on High and coaxed it with a pencil. I vacuumed it and it started working again. But it’s served its purpose, and served it well. I’ve retired it to the street with a sign that says ‘Free. Works. Needs cleaning.’. In its place is a new Honeywell tower fan like the ones we have in our bedrooms. It’s quiet, oscillates (if we want it to), and takes up less floor space. And it has a remote control.
Classic “white coat fever”. I get it too. My BP spikes when the doc/RN?whoever come to take my BP. I have a cuff at home, so I know My BP is a bit high, but not as high as it seems in the exam room.
I’m building a thing at work, and i dunno if it’ll work. Nice thing about working for a museum…I get to faff around and make prototypes.
Well, its usually fine there. This time I was worried.
Stress is so bad for ones health.
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s supposed to be cooler today(93F/33.9C 
)
[Old Man Rant]BACK IN MY DAY, WE HAD TO GET UP TO CHANGE THE FAN, AND WALK UPHILL THROUGH THE SNOWCARPET UPHILL(the house had a 0.01% tilt due to uneven foundation settling) BOTH WAYS FIGHTING OFF BEARSWALKING AROUND BEAR, THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER TO TURN ON THE FAN. AND WE LIKED IT THAT WAY![/Old Man Rant]
Yes.
Love it! Local traditions are the best. IMHO, the only useful thing to do with Mountain Dew is to give it to somebody else.
Poor hubby has a cold and is a bit blah. Not the best thing for a 4-day weekend, but at least we’re getting stuff done. We might go out for tapas for lunch, or might forage. Hubby’s doing laundry, the dishwasher is sloshing and the sun’s shining.
For the northern hemisphere, today is the longest day of the year. So happy longest day!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 71 Amurrkin out and partly cloudy with a predicted high of 91 with Mr. Sun showin’ up around ten a.m. and hangin’ around today. We shall enjoy some quality cee-mint pond time until the humidity drives us back into da cave. I shall make chikin sallit as well. There will be nappage and day drinkin’, as is our wont. Sup will be bacon cheeseburgers with fixin’s and oven fries.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Happy Firday Y’all! Happy Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere! Happy Winter Solstice in the southern hemisphere!
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 25c/77f with a predicted high of 28c/82f and partly cloudy. Weather app says “Good grief, it’s fucking warm outside”. Yes, it is, I was hot and bothered before I’d even left the house today.
Hurrah! Are you having a party to celebrate?
How are your property taxes calculated? Our closest similar tax would probably be the Council Tax which puts properties into different bands depending on the value of each one. Even if my neighbours managed to sell theirs for £1m or more, it wouldn’t affect me because our house won’t go up in value.
Don’t worry about it, just make sure you leave yourself plenty of time in case you need to be on the train before the one you thought you needed!
Poor thing, you’re messing with her territory and she doesn’t like it. Hopefully she can be placated with fuss and treats.
Sounds like a fun trip, have a great time!
With your spiffy bow tie?
Yesterday was exhaustipating! I had back-to-back examiners’ meetings yesterday which wore me out. I was late leaving the office and obviously late getting home so the cats were half-starved and melted by the time I got back. The first things I did were open the windows, put out fresh cold water, feed the cats, and then get changed into something cooler. I had a couple of pints of squash, then made my dinner before waiting for 'im indoors to tell me what time his train was finally due to arrive so I could go and collect him.
It was still very hot so we put the aircon unit on in the bedroom. It’s a small portable unit and only really works in a small-ish space so we use it in the bedroom so that we can both get some sleep at night. Worked very well, it was much cooler by the time I headed off to bed, and two out of three cats came in and snoozed on the floor.
When I got up this morning, I opened the big window on the half-landing and secured the fly screen over it so the cats could have a nice breeze and the bugs could stay outside. Fed and watered everyone, had a shower and got my hair dried then felt like I needed another shower!
I’m at irk now, it’s cloudy out there with some hazy sun but the office is very hot. Today’s major job is finishing off the exam board paperwork so that it can all be sent to the central registry team and we can release all of our results on Monday morning. Best time of the year!
Yes. If she was it would be the sky’s the limit as far as treatment goes.
You can do it!
Yay!
Yesterday’s trip to Costco was productive. I got re-tested by a very awesome dude who was very informative and helpful. I got to test drive some hearing aids and ordered a pair which I’ll pick up in about a week.
After the appointment we cruised around the store and bought a few things that we’d normally get from Walmart. I had a $40 gift card that I completely forgot to use, but I can use it when I go back. Maybe I can buy something frivolous since everything we bought yesterday was useful. 
Not sure what’s going on today. Probably just going to work on laundry and maybe finishing up the fine details on some resin stuff that I made.
Similarly, poor people were stuck living by the water - and nowadays, waterfront property is stoopit $$$$!
I haven’t the vaguest idea. I just figured it was tied to home values somehow.
More than anything, I’m perplexed by people who buy extremely expensive properties in not-so-expensive areas. For example, in our little development (3 streets, not quite 100 houses) the values have appreciated to $350-450K in recent years.Except for one house that sold 2 years ago for $625K. Yes it’s the biggest house in the neighborhood, but to me it doesn’t make sense to buy the most expensive house surrounded by houses that are considerably less expensive. Unless you’re pretentious, I suppose. But what do I know of real estate…
Started today at 4:30 when FCD got up. He and Daughter have been on the road about 2 hours. I’m glad neither of them are driving alone.
My day will include mowage, laundry, and moving all our luggage stuff out of the guest bedroom. It’ll have to be crammed somewhere till Thurs morning when the final serious packing must be done. I’m sure there are other things I need to do.
But for now, the priority is caffeination. Happy Firday!!
And here I thought my French toast was unique. I don’t use that recipe, but I thought my idea of using orange zest was original. I also add Penzey’s Baking Spice to the egg/cream mixture. The zest goes into the pan with the butter. Nothing new under the sun, I guess.
Once again, I’ve started posting numerous times but got interrupted. Dogs. People. I’m starting to fantasize about a cabin in the woods. I apologize in advance for the long rant.
Last night the tenant above me knocked on my door. She wanted to (very nicely) let me know that the dog noise bothered her the other day. There was ZERO barking, so I’m not sure what the issue was, but I always try hard to keep it quiet here. I don’t have a TV, use headphones for music, and don’t game. I rarely have company. She brought candy as a peace offering, and is very nice, but does this mean I can’t have dogs visit?
Yesterday was partly crummy with a chance of suckiness. I had an appointment with the sleep doc. He said I need to use a different mask for the APAP. It has prongs that go into your nostrils. I asked if they pinched the septum and he said no, that they’re really just “anchors.” I told him how much I hate being attached to something, and he basically said to suck it up. That, of course, is the only correct answer. I called the supply company and ordered some masks. “These will pinch at first and might abrade the nasal passage, but you’ll get used to it.” Can’t wait.
Then my nephew called–the one with severe OCD who is perfectly content to live off his mom and her limited income. I love him, but I measure his phone calls in Munch screaming faces, and yesterday’s was a full 4 Munch faces. He says he won’t get a job until he finds something that pays really well and that he finds interesting. I’ve been trying for years to get him to see what a financial burden this is for his mom. Last night I asked what he’d do if she keeled over tomorrow. (She’s in her mid-seventies.) He said worrying about that would just make his OCD worse, but he has plans (big, vague plans). He hasn’t held a job in 5 years, and he had a long gap before that. The OCD is real, and I feel sorry for him, but he’s finally on meds, and it’s really not keeping him from working. My sister will not cut him off.
I am ignoring the dog owner squabbles. I just lack the bandwidth right now.
I got about 3 hours of sleep last night. Stressed much? OK, rant over.
Sticky, that sucketh mightily. It sounds like a glitch on her end. My fingers are crossed for you-and Annie!
I don’t like how slugs feel. I’m also not wild about their appearance. The brown ones look like dog feces.
Every time you say this, I imagine you going down a playground slide. Sometimes I think jobs should have recess tacked on to coffee breaks. A few minutes whooping down a slide or hanging like a bat from a jungle gym would help morale.
Oh, no! Is it raining buckets then? You’re not near Erick, I hope?
Taters, long-timers tell me it used to be cooler here in the summers, and 9 years ago when I was apartment-hunting, people would say, “Oh, you won’t need AC.” Even then, I knew they were wrong. Do you see a real change in climate from, say, your childhood?
Holy mother, this is long. More later.
That would not be allowed. I wore shorts and my 30-year-old aloha shirt.
(https://www.yelp.com/biz/green-eggs-café-philadelphia-7)
if you look under the popular dishes you will see a picture of the french toast i had yesterday. soooo good.
last night we had a big storm break over us. it gathered in just a few minutes, huge downdrafts, pouring down rain, and gone in around 15 minutes. it was massive. if i was in the midwest i would have grabbed the cats and ran for the storm cellar.
it triggered tornado warnings, took down trees, and even flipped a small plane at northeast phila airport. at our building planters went flying. it was a wild time.
a bit cooler today. and looking forward to the weekend.
And there’s pecan pie french toast. Wow that looks good.
Went for tapas for lunch. Even got Barcelona’s weather to complete the experience. Could use a siesta.
Good morning.
It’s 53°F and mostly cloudy. It’ll be cloudy most of the day with periods of rain starting this afternoon. Kind of a blah day, but that’s okay. The grass and air could do with some rain.
Nellie, I had to think about your question concerning climate. I knew what it felt like, but I researched it too. To answer your question, summers were definitely cooler during the 70s and 80s. I checked through the summer of '82, which is when I graduated from high school. I felt like temperatures rarely climbed out of the mid-70s, and I was right. On average, the summers had about 18 days total where temperatures rose to the low to mid-80s. Most of those days were around 80 to 82 degrees. There were five or fewer 90-degree days for each of the three months in the 70s. For the record, “summer” was June 1st through August 31st. So yes, summers back then were cooler. And, we went swimming on those 70-degree days because it was HOT! Or, at least, it seemed very warm to us.
Dicey, sorry the hubby is feeling under the weather. I hope he’s better soon.
Yay for hearing aids, Sticky! I’m glad you had a positive experience.
The husband and I have tentative plans to visit Lakewood’s German deli. I grew up eating German cold cuts and bread, and miss it. I used to go over there occasionally as an adult, but I had gotten out of the habit. It’s only about 15 miles to go there, but it’s just sort of PITA, so I stopped going. Anyway, we’ll see if it happens.
Yesterday, I went over to T’s house to water her posies, check for water leaks in her bathrooms, and remove packages from her doorstep. After that, since I wasn’t far from it, I visited one of the nurseries I frequent. I was on the hunt for a particular Hydrangea Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea, but was unsuccessful. I saw them a couple of weeks ago at a different nursery and should have snatched one up then, but didn’t. When I returned to that particular nursery, they were no longer there. Anyway, I love this specific species because the flowers start white, then begin to turn pink, and finally turn a beautiful deep red. The pink hue resembles a strawberry milkshake.
After the nursery trip, I stopped by Safeway to pick up sandwich fixings and dog ice cream. I ended up picking up a few other items, and was home around 12:30 or so. After that, I tidied, watered my posies, and then slothed.
Tomorrow, I meet an old friend at noon so we can walk the wildlife refuge. It’s supposed to rain, so we’ll see if that actually occurs.
Alright, time to get on with the day.
And to think, that’s jacket weather where I live. 
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to get sheveled to go up to SIL’s. Other than that, I’ll swing through the grocery store on the way home, then chill.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Not quite 10 as I start this and I’ve mowed, gotten gas for the mower and the car, stripped the guest bed and added a memory foam pad (I forgot how firm the mattress is) and the first load of laundry is washing. I bet I have 4 more to go at least.
I tried on some jeans I haven’t worn in ages, and they fit! Yay! So I have 8 pairs of pants for the cruise. I can get 2 and sometimes 3 days per pair, especially in the do-nothing mode at sea. FCD found some in the back of his closet that he can get into now - they’re being washed since they hung back there so long.
I also had a dish of sweet cherries - OMG, I could have eaten the whole bag!!! Altho I don’t think my system would have appreciated that. The serving I had will suffice. At least it’ll hold me till lunch.
Daughter texted me - they’re due in Akron around 11:45 and I know they plan on a quick turn-around. Like grab Casey and her bags, wave to Justin, set the GPS for home. Depending on traffic, they should get home by 7. But it is Firday in the summer, so who knows??? At least they’re not driving towards the ocean.
I think I’ve earned a little chillage till the first load is done.
Looks pretty elaborate. I looked up a creme brulee FT recipe online and it called for soaking the bread overnight in a mixture of corn syrup, butter and brown sugar.
Drizzly, high 60s inside, which is perfect. Peas and lettuce will be happy, tomatoes less so. The new sofa should arrive in a couple of hours, then we’ll futz with the LR/DR furniture for a while to see what else fits. Then I’ll tidy my study, write, and perhaps see how well the new blanket/winter wear compression bags work and if they fit where I would put them.
Sorry for the hassles, nellie. Might be worth recording a dog visit in case there’s a dispute. Did the upstairs neighbor specify what noise bothered her (barking, nails on the floor) and is it a noise that’s actually happening?
It’s been months of my laptop telling me to click here to see if I could upgrade to Windows 11, then dumping me back to the empty Update screen with no information about upgrading. I tried looking online in different ways and kept getting the same non-answer about how to assess whether my laptop could upgrade, and no options to upgrade it. I’ve been looking for a new laptop. Yesterday, an upgrade to Windows 11 appeared in Updates. I clicked it. I now have Windows 11 (which I don’t like on my older laptop, but I don’t like to use unsupported software). Glad I didn’t shell out for a new laptop.
I think I’ll be able to slide in a short walk on the Portuguese arm of the Camino before or after my university course. I was able to move my medical appointments to accommodate this. Summer/fall are shaping up nicely with some visits from family and friends, events, and trips.
I don’t think I have anything else interesting to add this morning. Perhaps I’ll be surprised.
Reading through this thread reminded me to go slap my sourdough around, so thank you!
I haven’t posted much (at all) prior to last week and I really missed this forum. We’ve had at least 3 rounds of layoffs at work since - what was it, March? April? - and I’ve been traveling a lot for work. We’re going to have a massive restructure, again, so we’ll see what that looks like.
The kids are home for summer, which I love. The husband unit is still out of a job, but he’s still working - the guy has taught himself to hang gutters, build gardens, repair decks and plumbing and all sorts of things, and since we have just the two cars and limited public transport, so having him home has saved us probably thousands in the cost of an additional car and household repairs, so neither of us can complain.
Anyways, not much else happening, though I’m taknig some PTO soon (a good amount of it) because otherwise I’ll crash and burn hard. In news of the weird, my daughter hung out with a few of her friends the other day and went to Target for snacks (not the weird part). She said that while they were there, there was an older lady walking around the store with a live chicken. Her husband, presumably, was trailing her with a plastic chicken and a carton of eggs. So I guess now we know which came first. Sort of.