And here it is!
I’ve just been taking it easy and trying to put away my mountain of groceries. I’m glad we did have them delivered.
My nausea is gone now and I’m getting ready to eat some chicken noodle soup once it cools down.
Wild day at the condo!
We had earth day thing in the lobby, there were giveaways and door prizes.
I am going to stay in my chair for the rest of the night. Set up, the event, and take down was quite the workout.
I’ve had a jolt as well. One of the ladies that I used to get together with for breakfast every other week before the pandemic emailed that the grandson of one of the other ladies in the group, passed several days ago, only 21. And I lifeguarded with his dad more than 30 years ago but I was in my late 30’s and most of the guards were 18-21 so I really didn’t keep up with any of them. I did hear about the man that I had lifeguarded with and his children from his mom, but she passed in Dec 2021 so the last time I had seen him was at his Mom’s wake. The young man came down with cancer in his leg in 2020 and had extensive surgery in Oct 2020. Two years of radiation, chemo, PT, OT, scans, and a lot of medical intervention seemed to go well so 2023 was a good year for the young man. However, in Jan 2024, something showed up in his brain and he underwent a lot of radiation, surgery and chemo throughout 2024 and 2025. He was an incredible young man; had been a champion swimmer in HS until his leg cancer, also was a good pitcher, was a 4.0 student and continued taking mostly on-line classes from MSU while he was undergoing all the treatment. Was scheduled to graduate originally in May but with all the treatment, it was extended a little bit. In the meantime during this almost 5 years, the Mom & Dad got divorced. I read all about this whole saga on a website called caringbridge.org. My heart is so very very sad for this family. I’m planning to go to the funeral mass next Friday.
I sing this song every now and then, generally on beautiful mornings on the way to work. Second line: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. Alleluia, Alleluia!” Always brings a smile and a contented feeling.
just another brick in the wall. bump-bump-bump.
{{{j-batts}}} I’m so sorry that so many people close to you have died and also that your Dad is in the hospital. I hope he will be up and about soonest. I totally understand about needing to post about the situation. I agree, it’s good therapy; absolutely no need to be sorry about posting.
Took Bella for a walk after lunch then for her treat, I filled the Dog Hide N’ Slide w/ mini-training treats, salmon recipe. She slid the blocks and swivelled the flippers so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed it. She’s one smart pup.
Ugh, ugh, ugh! Not only the beauty will be lost but trees are important for air quality and retard erosion, etc. Heck, heck, heck. Feel free to read with stronger language.
That sounds like a lot of fun; have a good time.
I’ve finally made it to my post from yesterday so I’ll hit Reply and go study the readings for tomorrow as I’m scheduled to lector at the 10am mass.
These all sound like good things, I’m glad it is working for you!
Oh, that is such wonderful news! Pet friendly apartments often have a lot of cats as well, so include that in your flyer. I hope you are rolling in money in no time at all
Obvious eye rolls are also a sign of admiration for a good pun. I would have groaned, myself.
White cotton and linen are your friends. It is actually cooler to dress that way because it protects your skin from the heat of the sun hitting your body. I spent 35 years gardening in the desert sun and gave up shorts and short sleeves when we move to AZ.
I know that suggesting more clothing to keep cool doesn’t really make sense, but it really does work. Also, like someone else pointed out, you can get sunburned through some clothing as well, so be careful with the fabric. I learned that the hard way with a super cute linen blouse with long flowing sleeves. Sunburned boobs are not much fun, that blouse never made it back into my closet.
Oh, that sucks. I sure do hope you get it fixed in time!
I am super looking forward to that. I’m having so much troubles stitching at night that I have to be careful to do the light threads during the day and the darker, easier to recognize colors at night.
I can remember a time when I used to be able to do Battenburg lace using the single wall lamp on the other side of the room and now I’d be lucky to be able to set my pins in the right pattern. I doubt anything can make my eyes work that well again, but being able to see three different shades of white will make a world of difference for me.
While I’m looking forward to this, my hind-brain is not.
Back when I was two or three, I fell out of Dad’s car and cut the corner of my eye open on the running board. Of course my folks took me to the ER and they strapped me to a table, tossed a sterile cloth over my face. The cloth had a circle cut out and all that terrified little me could see was the needle coming at my eye while strangers were holding my head still. My nightmares have always featured a big needle, helplessness and fear of blindness. Haven’t had one since I retired though. Until last night.
I agree that worrying won’t change anything, but I’ll worry until you tell us the results anyhow.
My sporties were always dropped and lowered so that 5’2 me could put both feet flat on the ground. Hubs always hated riding my bikes so hopefully won’t think to have one modded for himself. I don’t really want it to be more comfortable and easier to ride. Honestly, I don’t want him to ride one at all, I’m certainly not going to suggest helpful things.
Why did you not talk to me first? Hubs has a '41 Luger that he is going to be selling so his wife stops bitching, he would have made you a good deal.
I also howled!
BAWHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh boy, did you start my day off with a good laugh, so funny, thank you!
Blood work and colonoscopy should be covered by your insurance, I don’t know about the PT. I do know that you have a big thick book telling what is covered and you probably have a number you can call to ask if you need to be able to budget for this, but please do follow up. How you treat your body now will make a big difference to you when you are my age.
It takes a real pet lover to appreciate both ends of the critter working properly 
I’m really happy she has you but hope that she doesn’t get too attached when she finally settles down. She needs a nice home of her own to rule as the only cat.
I never thought I’d live long enough to think that clean ceiling fans mean more than a little tank and spank. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve been married a few years past the honeymoon.
Good for you, you deserve it. I agree that you need to go to the nursery, just being around all those lovely plants always lifts my spirits as well. Plus, now you have time to fuss with the picky plants.
I wondered where Donna had been recently. I haven’t found anything out of place for at least a week when I found the staple gun on the washing machine. The staple gun that was in a bin in the shed. I’m the only one who ever uses it and I haven’t used it since 2023. (The last time I mounted a canvas for framing.)
Donna also left water in the middle of the kitchen floor a few times. Hmmmm.
I was stationed in Okinawa when it was handed back to the Japanese and folks had to drive on the left side of the road. Two years later I was discharged back to CA. The very next day Mom and I went to the DMV and my driving scared her to death because I was used to doing 30 kmh on the left side of the road.
I walked into the DMV, showed them my expired DL (that I never took a driving test for - another long story there) and discharge papers and walked out with a nice shiny DL and my motorcycle endorsement.
Since that day, since I learned just what sort of drivers they were allowing to be on the road, I have never, ever trusted anyone else on the road except Hubs.
I read forward and saw that you are feeling better so I’m glad your day went wellish.
As does my husband…which is another reason I don’t want him out on a motorcycle. But, I digress. He has had a lot of success with acupuncture for his essential tremors. His head shakes are almost gone unless he gets tired and his hands are much steadier now as well. I will admit to being very skeptical when he said he was going to try it, but it does seem to have helped and the VA is paying for it which tells me that Medicare will too.
Oh, I love that idea and wish we had left something for the new folks to puzzle over as well.
That sounds like a whole lot of fun. And a bunch of work, you deserve some kittah time now.
The last time loggers clear cut WV, entire animal and bird species went extinct. I’m super worried about the flying squirrels, they need old forest for habitat. The worse part is that the trees aren’t being taken down whole, they are being sectioned down so they have no more value than any of the younger trees covering the rest of the mountains.
So, it was a long day for us. We went to Hazzard KY, didn’t see the General Lee but did look at some motorcycles. We are too late in the season for the colors, but the forests and mountains were just beautiful. It was a super nice drive. Next we drove a couple more hours to another dealership and looked at more motorcycles.
I saw a sporty that just called to me but I turned my back and walked away. I’m too old to be riding an overpowered motorcycle in the Appalachians. Heck, I’m too old to be riding one in Phx.
Next he wanted to go to a dealer in Ohio but we came to the Brent Spruce Bridge (or probably it’s double decker replacement) and I refused to cross it again. I did it once and it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. Ain’t no reason to do it again.
We went east for almost an hour and found another bridge that took us across the Ohio river and into WV. While we were wandering around, we stopped for lunch at a kinda decent mexican place and I had two Palamas to help me recover for the trauma of seeing that horrifying bridge again.
I’ve decided that I want to start collecting Hex Signs and maybe using them for needlepoint patterns. I found this one on Dairy Road, which of course had no dairies or milk cows anymore.
I would have cropped that pic, but the forest is just too beautiful to cut out.
Hex signs caused more of a discussion than the scary bridge did. He was driving when I saw this one and didn’t know what I was talking about when I told him I wanted to turn around and take a pic. How come it’s taking a damn Yankee to teach an Appalachian American (census designation) about the state he was born and raised in?
For those who don’t know, farmers used to put Hex signs on their barns to stop the local witches from souring their cow’s milk.
My grands wear swimshirts made of that stuff to keep from burning. Seems to work fine.
When we remodeled the dining room in one of our houses in FL (Yeah, we had 4 over the years…) behind the sheetrock on one wall was the cinderblock wall of the garage. Our daughter was 7 or 8 and we gave her chalk and turned her loose. Someone is in for a surprise! 
Our router has been acting wonky in recent months, so we decided to go mesh. Setting up the new router was pretty easy, and as it said, it connected immediately to the second unit. Our house is small enough that we don’t need more than 2. Theoretically we don’t need more than one, but the cable comes into the house at one end, and we want good signal at the other end, too. Anyway, that setup was easy. Redoing the Echo devices was easy. Getting all the smart plugs on the new network was a pain in the patoot. But once I figured it out, it went pretty fast.
I also had to put the new network on all 3 TVs, my computer, my phone, my tablet, and FCD did his computers, his laptop, and his phone. We’re all connected again.
Guess it’s time to get some biking in. To the basement!!
Howdy Y’all! The funeral mass for Lucas was beautiful and well attended. The church was nearly full. He loved music so there was a lot of music. One thing that really touched me was the barbershop quartet singin’ at the offertory. The quartet includes Joe, his father. I don’t think I could have done that, but, Lucas got his love of music from Joe, soI guess it was only fittin’ Joe sang with the quartet. Well if he hadn’t, it would’ve been a trio and barbershop trio just sounds weird. Lucas’ BIL gave a very heartfelt and funny eulogy. The reception afterwards was great as well. Much food was there. Finger food stuff includin’ some pimento cheese spread with a major kick to it. YUM! Also some mighty tasty cheese straws and pralines.
Goin’ to a restaurant after a funeral is not a thing here. If there is to be a meal for the bereaved at the church, it is done either before or after the service dependin’ on what time the service is. A lot of services tend to be mid-afternoon, so the family gets fed and then there’s a visitation time for about an hour before the service. Around these parts folk also tend toward takin’ food to the bereaved. IME as one of the bereaved, fried chikin, N.O.T., deviled aigs, ‘nanner puddin’ and an assortment of pies, cakes, and casseroles tend to help one cope with one’s bereavement.
How good a deal? (The one I bought wasn’t.)
JtC That hex would make for some great needle work, or maybe a quilt inspiration for flyboy?
I vaguely recall something from Lawrence of Arabia with them talking about covering yourself from the sun?
Y’all agreeing to watch Legally Blonde, just ugh. I have built the set for two HS productions of that (covid cancelled the first one) but damn it is a rough read. The next show was worse, they did “High School Musical”. I’m not a musical fan, but that’s got to be down there on the list. Yes I have built play/musical sets in the past for a living, but I don’t like going to the actual shows.
I will take y’all’s sage advice and visit more docs, as my PCP advised. I can’t deal with this back shit too much longer.
Fun times tomorrow, I get to be on my own at the museum as the only exhibits/facilities guy. Gotta remember all the opening things, there have been a bunch added in the last week, now that the weather doesn’t suck, and we’ve opened the science park. Wish me luck.
Heh, when I moved into my house I redid the tub and found a beer can behind the wall.
Hmmm, busy afternoon at the ol’MMP. As for me, put some gas in my car and used up my remaining April Kroger points ($0.30gallon off), then spent much time at the gym getting some exercise in, since I didn’t have soccer players to chase today. Of course the weather is perfect now, bright and 74F but still need the ground to dry out. May perform mowage tomorrow if the weather stays nice.
OK, scrolling engaged…
FCM, must have been the aliens from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. getting the fire truck to sing. Are you planning a visit to Devil’s Tower?
Coppertone, hope your ok, keep a watch for concussion symptoms. And what cookie said. Glad you could make it to the wedding.
Cookie, do try to let your skin slough of naturally, no need to burn it away…
red, hope sis has a safe trip, that’s a long haul.
Oopsie,hope the new blanket helps, I pretty much manage with my lightweight comforter during the warm months and the heavyweight one when the temps get below 40F. As for pajamas, I gave them up about 40 years ago and have slept in my birthday suit since then. And I haven’t been to Red Robin in quite some time myself, my Sunday menu shows meatloaf at Logan’s Roadhouse, but postponing that for a week wouldn’t be bad…
Sticky Buns, please get well soon.
flyboy, that’s a pretty productive morning. And sorry about the elderly dog-walker, glad the dog is being taken care of.
Knots, I think of all the things that could happen to me a stroke scares me the most. Just hoping I stay clear of them.
Nope, the wall is some sort of vinyl and not too much friction, so i can slide down it fairly well
Cat Glove, sorry to hear about the young man, a life cut short.
I can attest to that, having lived in the Middle East for 4 years where all the men wore long, full white robes…yet seem to manage just fine.
JtC, I never liked needles, and after reading of your experience, I like them even less… Just looked at the map a little bit, you folks covered quite a bit of territory there. Not sure why a particular bridge is a problem, they never caused me any worries.
VanGo, that you’re allowed to open and be ‘da man’ this early in your employment is a good sign, IMHO…means they trust you’ll get things right.
And that seems to catch me up. Need to get the lean Cuisine in the Mircowave and add those calories I burned at the gym back on. Have a good evening all.
Darn.
I got up later than expected today. And spent too much time playing silly computer and phone games.
Though I managed to practice clarinet, so at least that’s something.
I use the silicon ones for my cast iron skillets. They’ve saved me burns more than once.
I hope that you are feeling better sticky buns.
Today, I ordered another bag of kibble and some dental chews from Chewy for Nelson. Gotta keep the critters happy.
It’s been about 40 years since I crossed that bridge. When we used to go to Riverfront Stadium, at some point coming or going, whoever drove would miss an exit and wind up in Covington, KY, so we’d come back that way.
It’s hard to sing at a loved one’s funeral. I’ve done it a couple of times in a group and hope that I never have to do it again.
Sis is about an hour from home now. She thinks she’ll beat my BIL home from irk (he gets off irk at 1900). He is a maintenance supe at Meow Wolf’s Houston museum (if you were in the area, it would likely be a great fit for you VanGo ).
I’ve worked on the family cookbook and watched Disney’s Oliver, along with some other stuff today. I saw Oliver in the cinema years ago when computer generated animation for features was in its infancy. Not a bad storyline or music, but the graphics are nothing compared to what we have today.
I need to pull sympathy cards for a couple of cousins. Their late mother’s identical twin sister passed at 90 yesterday. When I was a kid, she was somewhat of an honorary aunt to us too. Sis in Chicago messaged me to say that she’s sending an arrangement from our family.
Sis in Houston is home now (it’s taken this long to read all of the posts and write this one. :p)
More discussion happened. He hasn’t even looked at their resale value. He hasn’t moved on selling any of our guns, he hasn’t even chosen the guns he wants to keep (one handgun, one long gun). If he brings that motorcycle home without a plan for the guns…I have a plan and it includes having a gate installed and buying some geese. Now is the right time for that, all of the feed stores have chicks and I saw some geese in Charleston.
I thought that I had taught him to not cross me when I bought a very expensive giant kitten, but I guess the lesson didn’t really sink in.
I think that was meant for someone else, I don’t have an issue with needles. Hubs passes out when he gets shots but is able to tolerate the super thin needles used in acupuncture well enough that I don’t even bother to go to his appointments anymore. (I used to have to go because everyone would panic when he passed out, despite many warnings that he was really going to drop like he’d been shot as soon as the needle pierced his skin.
I am afraid of heights. I’ve taken many visitors to the Skyway over the Grand Canyon and have never once even stepped into the Visitor’s Center.
I’m OK with bridges, kinda. I mean I can do it because I have to do it, not because I think it is fun to drive over the Lake Mead dam.
That particular bridge is two stories. It has like twenty lanes of traffic going 150 mph east and then another million lanes of heavy traffic driving even faster over metal plates on the second story. Kentucky to Ohio has you driving under all of the semi trucks and campers and idiots on sport bikes that could cause any of them to have an accident and fall through the top floor to the bottom floor and crush any innocent drivers who just happened to be trying to just get home.
I’m having the vapors just thinking about it, I think I need a nice cold glass of shine. BRB.
I agree with this. Of course it doesn’t surprise me at all, I think he’d be a valuable employee anywhere he went.
Music is good for the world. Keep practicing.
That’s what I use.
It doesn’t feel any safer. I will never do it again. And I used to jump off cliffs for fun! (hang-gliding, I was in control which wasn’t nearly as scary to my brain as being on a motor vehicle.)
I ran out to Teeter for a few random items. Shortly after I got back, there was a frog strangler of a thunderstorm, with gusts blowing the wind sideways. More than a few power flickers. But that’s over, Spot is sacked out in the sunroom, and I’m having a Vieux Carré.
Glad the nausea had abated.
A beagle just would have gnawed the thing to shreds(not smart, just stubborn).
Donna has a drinking problem.
My parents lived there for a couple of years back in the 90s. It was also featured in Next Of Kin
I used to know someone who had beagles. He told me that people tried to train them to run game but the beagles would be so intent on their noses that they wouldn’t avoid the cactus needles going into their eyes as they ran under the prickly pears.
I’m sorry. I guess my mind made me forget I had even posted that story…because it was so traumatic for me. I seriously hate remembering it. Now I’m going to need another shot of shine to erase that memory as well.
Nice thing about this shine is that it is so clean. Good booze doesn’t give you a hangover because you don’t have all of the sugars involved.
I doubt that will stop the nightmares tonight, too many triggering thoughts too late at night. Maybe I’ll eat some cheese in the shower, that will certain make me think different things.
Donna the peripatetic haint has made off with my tweezers, and I’ve got some bark mulch slivers from doing yard work 
I slept like utter crap last night. Why is it that after Long Night, it’s like I’m too exhausted to rest properly, just when I really need it!
Wound up using my lunch break to take a nap in my car, so I ended the day hungry & groggy. Totally conked out, though, which felt good.
Anyway, I got home too late to let Monkey out - he was decidedly unhappy with this - and started getting a damn headache close to quittin’ time, so upon rearrival I promptly went to bed.
Just now woke back up from Nap v 2.0, and see that my co-workers still have another two hours on their feet!
Need to retrieve the laundry, and probably re-run the dryer another cycle 1st.
And eat.
Oh, I did make the Gordon’s stop. We typically add some treats for the crew to the purchase. There was still ice cream in the freezer, so for a change I got a bag of freshly made caramel popcorn, which received a mildly positive reception.
ETA it was a brilliantly sunny day today. Far too bright and squint-inducing for my tastes, but Midwesterns have … feelings … about winter weather, so customers were universally in a really good mood, which is always nice.
Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print 'round here.
Late night final. Outside of fixing my Big Bowl of Pasta have done little constructive this evening, and feeling ready for bedtime. Down to 64F now, so should be comfortable sleeping.
JtC, he ought to know better by now; but male optimism can be a tough beast to corral… And I’ve walked across the Royal Gorge bridge several times, so bridges (even double-deckers) don’t scare me much (the drivers on them, however…). Reference: Royal Gorge Bridge - Wikipedia But then again, the tinest spider gives me the willies. Your worry at least has a practical basis.
shoe, I’ll do that too, have 7-8 hours out doing soccer stuff and running, then come home and get 5-6 hours sleep. Bodies be weird.
And after 11pm here so off I go to hopefully pleasant dreams. Catch y’all tomorrow.
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 14c/58f with a predicted high of 19c/66f and mostly sunny. Weather app seems peeved today and says “At least it’s not fucking snowing. Ain’t I a little fucking ball of sunshine? Go stuff it up your fucking ass.” Bit rude for a sunny Sunday morning, right?
She’s a very pretty lady and I am sure there’s a lovely temperament (for a tortie!) under there, but she’s been with us for a month already and still isn’t approachable. I don’t think she will ever be the right cat for us, but hopefully we’ll be able to find her the perfect home. At least for now, she’s got her own space, plenty of food and treats to keep her happy.
It’s not really a thing here either. Most families will have a reception afterwards, either in the church hall, or in most cases it’s in a local hotel or pub function room. After mum’s funeral, we had hers in the communal lounge of the complex where she lived. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she gave me a chunk of money to cover the costs of the catering and told me exactly what she wanted and where it was to be procured from!
Oooooh! Been there, done that! It was a very strange experience, knowing that there’s a solid floor but seeing straight through it right down to the river. A couple of years after we did the Skywalk, I went on a week-long rafting trip down the river and got a photo from the canyon floor looking up at the skywalk. It was a really cool pic, shame I can’t find it now.
I was up reasonably early this morning, fed the cats and cleaned the litter trays, and then decided to clean the bathroom window frames. Not sure what I’ll do for the rest of the day, I might sit in this room and read a story to Muffin, just in case she fancies doing something other than growling at me.
I’ll be making sketties for dinner tonight and contemplating the injustice of having to go back to work in the morning. Luckily I’m at home for the first bit of the week so no ridiculously early starts until Wednesday.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 64 Amurrkin out and partly cloudy with a predicted high of 87 and N.O.S. but becomin’ cloudy late afternoon. TWPTB predict rain for tomorrow. We shall see. The big item on today’s agenda is deheathenization in which I have standby chalice duty. I am not scheduled to serve, but the scheduled person was feelin’ under the weather yestiddy so I told him to text me if he still felt bad this mornin’ and I would jump in. I would rather just plop down in a pew however. We shall procure a McN.O.L. to bring back to da cave for consumption. The rest of the day will be spent in high RDOS inactivities.
VanGo good luck today. You will do great!
BooFae GMTA! I yanked some skettie sauce and meatballs outta da freezer last night to make for tomorrow’s sup.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then purtification for deheathenization must commence.
Happy Sunday Y’all!