(Old) Getting caught off-guard n the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 54 Amurrkin out side and rainy with a predicted high of 60 with rain for the day. Also it’s, thrill of all thrills, laundry day. Fine by me as I do not want to get out in the icky weather. Happy am I to stay inside and dry. There will, of course, be the usual sloth, general overall uselessness, nappage and day drinkin’. Sup shall be BLTs and oven fries, just cause.

MOOOOOOM hope BIL does get situated into a place where he can get proper care and supervision. Hope you get car back today as well.

Nellie yay for way improved vision!

Red here’s hopin’ stuff gets figured out.

shades aunticide is frowned upon no matter how much it may be justified.

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

Happy Tuesday Y’all!

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Thank you all for your kind words.

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Good morning.

It’s 34F and partly cloudy outside, but the clouds will part in a couple of hours, and we’ll have abundant sunshine for the day. The high temp will be around 50F.

FCM, I am so glad your BiL signed papers. Let’s hope he remains committed to his commitment.

nellie, congrats to DiL on the new job with less stress and mo’ money. I’m sorry to read about your knee being injured again. I hope you’re doing better today. Also, I’m very happy about the news about improved vision! It must be almost like a newfound sense of freedom!

hippy, I am very sorry to read about the family news. There aren’t words, but I condolences to you and yours. I’ve personally known a couple of people who have made that final choice, and understand the pain they leave behind.

red, I hope everything can be figured out.

Yesterday morning was very busy. I was up at my normal time, but didn’t leave the house until 0630 when my ride to UW arrived. The USDA Secretary was in Seattle to announce some big dollar investments and then came to UW to tour a bit of the dental school, see the tele-dental health hub/apparatus, and be briefed on a program that takes dental students to rural areas as part of their education. We invested some money in the tele-dental health stuff, so my SD, PIO, and I were there. There was a Zoom event with many stakeholders where they all told the Secretary about how these programs benefitted them, talked about challenges, and further addressed some other rural issues. It was interesting, to say the least.

The Secretary listened very intently to both the dental school people administration and students, as well as the stakeholders on the Zoom call, and asked really good questions.

After the Zoom thing, I was formally introduced to the Secretary and got to walk him to the building exit, where I, the SD and PIO got to pose for a pic with him. One of the Sec’s handlers took the pic, so I don’t know when we’ll receive it, and I’m sure it was a pretty crappy picture, because I take horrible pictures, but we’ll see.

Anyway, I left UW around 11:30, and I was back home around 12:45. I logged back into my work computer and finished my work day. I kind of wanted to just be done with the work for the day, but the MPA was on her RDO, and I had received some emails that required answers and attention.

I have a very full day ahead of me, but hopefully, I can move things along, and the day won’t be too tumultuous.

We’re facing another government shutdown at the end of the week, so that’s on everyone’s minds, and I need to start pointing people to helpful sites in case we shut down. I hope we don’t, and I’m well truly tired of the stupid games in Congress. Enough said.

I need to finish my coffee and get that dishwasher loaded.

Everyone take care.

44

Yaaaay! Eyes and surgery thereof, are of intense interest to me at the moment. So glad to hear things are going well!

As a newbie UPS driver, I was having an awful time meeting delivery goals during Christmas. I remember being dismayed because it was impossible to get all the packages delivered and signed for in the designated time. (Back in the day all UPS deliveries required a signature). So the company sent a driver trainer with me to speed up my delivery rate. After we were away from the terminal, he presented me with a collection of different colored pens, and showed me how to “hide” my writing style by turning the clipboard various ways, and even using my other hand. This way there was no delay awaiting a customer to open his door and sign. Efficiency!

My delivery rate improved immediately. Boss was happy, trainer was happy, I was happy (I guess). Receiving customers? Who cares – the shipper paid already. My BIL and uncle were both big-rig drivers, and during those years I learned that everyone cuts corners in the freight industry. Dunno if that’s still true though.

For me – last normal morning before being swarmed by anesthesiologists and surgeons and other acolytes who issue commands and make me sign things I can’t understand or see. The last ones administered the first of the anesthesia, took away my glasses, then presented me with one final document to sign – or the surgery’s canceled. Don’cha love our “Murican” health system? Enjoying my last few cups of coffee for now. But as the famous philosopher says: “I’ll be back.”

Ya’ll have a good week!

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Texas BIL’s widow is coming to visit next month. She wants to see MIL (yeah, and us) and she’ll be staying here for the week. I’ll touch base with her to see if she wants to do any touristy stuff, since I don’t know if she’s ever been around here. Maybe the aquarium in Baltimore? Anyway, I’ve got 3 weeks to organize the guest room and change the sheets. MIL didn’t seem to know or care what a state the room is in.

As it happens, she’ll be here on our 40th anniversary, not that FCD and I ever do much of anything for anniversaries. For a few years there, we’d go to the Japanese Steak House for dinner that night - maybe we’ll try the same this year, and take MIL and Danielle with us. Or not. We shall see.

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Hooray for your moment of celebrity there Taters; I’m sure the picture will be … errr … wonderful enough. :wink:

And glad to hear there’s a light in FCM’s MIL’s tunnel w BIL. Here’s hoping this settles well for MIL & FCM/FCD. And good luck w SIL’s visit. She’s got to be in that “ambivalent grief” stage I mentioned. Which is gonna be weird for her and make her a bit weird for you all too.

Hooray for good vision there Nellie. Why, oh why, is Fate totally wedded to the “two steps forward one step back” method of screwing with us mortals? Damn the bad luck with your knees.

As to me:
It’s about 90 minutes post-dawn on a mostly cloudy day. A bit of light rain visible in the distance. I got up too late to balconate; Ol’ Sol was already drifting in and out of sight between clouds. Now 79/26 on the way to 82/28. Looks a lot like yesterday, which was intervals of beautiful blue, of raggedy gray, and brief very light sprinkles now and again.

After dinner last night we went to the country dance lessons at the brewpub I’d mentioned. About 45 minutes of decent free instruction on the basics of country swing that I’d never experienced before. About a dozen couples from ages 20s to 60s, plus a few extra women. That went well enough for klutzy me, and the women instructors also rotated everyone’s partners during the learning. Which was nice. But …

Once lesson time was over the DJ started playing nothing but line dancing music and the folks who really knew country dancing took over and did that for two hours while most of us newbies got to watch. Oh well; at least it was all free.

Might meet up with my traveling pal for lunch while Her Ladyship is doing girl stuff. We’re trying dancing again tonight at another venue we’ve done before. The music there is mostly appropriate for freestyle but they’re having some sort of lessons before hand that we’ve never sampled.

Both last night’s country and last week’s salsa were fun enough, but ultimately frustrating and disappointing too. I’ve never had a bad time where we’re going tonight, but we’ll see which streak gets broken. Trying to avoid presetting any expectations on that.

Otherwise slothage.

Cheers all!!

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Hello from the Pacific Ocean all. Made it through the Canal with no problems and now face 5 of the next 7 days at sea (guess there are less ports on the West side that can handle a cruise ship). Did get Internet for the rest of the trip, so hope to stay in a little better contact. Leg/knee is better but still a little sore and my back aches on occasion but it hasn’t stopped me from seeing and doing everything.

As for Thanksgiving planning I had to do that early as the cruise ends the Tuesday before T-day, so I had to book all my reservations back in July. Should be six adults and five dogs there so it will be a rather crowded three days.

FCM, hope BIL gets the help he needs.

hippie, so very sorry to hear that news. Hugs from me.

Read all the rest but typing and scrolling on this phone wears out my patience sometimes. Take care and I’ll try to keep in closer touch.

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Wordled, puzzled, coffeed and fed. Laundry day - bleah. A spate of warmer weather this week, which is nice.

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So one of the guys in Revenue Recovery slipt and hit his head at the begining of the sort. EMS had to take him out, probable concussion. Hope he’ll be alright. The rest of the day went well, at least.

Not even “Good Riddance Weird Protestant Sect Day”? :wink:

Well, the speaker feels your pain, as he jest back from Paris.

You’d be surprised how many of the packages left behind have a “missing or illegible label”, and get rescheduled for the next business day. :wink:

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I tried a breakfast ‘hack’ this morning.

First, here’s what I usually do: Cook three rashers of bacon and tear them in half. Scramble a jumbo egg with cream, salt, and pepper, and cook in a covered 10-inch pan. When the omelette is set, put two slices of cheese in the middle and fold the edges over. Make some buttered toast, put the omelette on, and put two perpendicular rows of bacon on top. And there’s your sandwich.

But I didn’t want to cook bacon this morning, so I used a ‘hack’ (man, I hate that word) I saw on a Facebook reel. Cook a sausage patty and offset it. Mix up your egg and pour it into the pan. Put on cheese, and then fold the three edges over. So pretty much the same thing, only the meat and eggs are cooked together. It came out kind of lopsided compared to the way I usually make it.

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Wifey, RN just got a VM from the wife of one of her patients. Her patient died last Tuesday. It was not unexpected. He ‘wasn’t himself’, and he was 89. He went ‘very peacefully’. Wifey, RN called to offer condolences. (I went out into the catio.) The widow thanked her for all of the care she’d given for her husband’s feet.

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Yeah, I do understand that if I order something from da jungle and UPS (or whoever) messes it up, I am not the customer and have no rights or recourse as far as the shipping company is concerned.

It was still very disappointing.

(I complained to the vendor and demanded the extra shipping money back because I had paid for a signature and age verification and didn’t get it. While I did get my money back, I doubt the vendor actually bothered to bitch to FedEx over it.)

W00t! I’m glad he seemed to be paying attention, its just soul sucking when the big bosses don’t care.

Tsk. You are just no fun at all today!

Oh, thank goodness. Here’s hoping he likes it there because if he walks out now, it will be much harder for him to go back later if needed.

Waves back! I’m glad you are having a good time and are able to get out and enjoy yourself. Don’t fall overboard and have a safe flight home.

There is a mystery happening in our back yard. We have a deep, metal bird bath by the pomegranate and lately I’ve been seeing a film on the water in the morning. It almost looks like a thin layer of almost ice, but its certainly not cold enough for that. The water doesn’t feel oily, and the wasps and bees seem just fine with it.

I dump and refill it ever morning because I don’t think I want anything drinking it AND I’m concerned enough that I’m not using the water for plants but dumping it out on the ground to be wasted.

I’ve been blaming dirty raccoon feets but hubs pointed a cam at the birdbath last night and we didn’t see anything but the water was filmed over this morning.

The other birdbath on the other side of the yard doesn’t do this, it is a true mystery.

If anyone has any ideas, I’d be happy to hear them!

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{{{{hippy}}}}

FCM, I hope the BIL does well in his new living situation. I’m glad that load is somewhat off your collective shoulders.

It’s sunny and beautiful today and I got to take a walk, during work hours, no less. It was particularly nice getting out 'cause it’s the start of employee review season, which I hate. I know it can’t be subjective, but boxing people into little pigeon holes is frustrating - for both them and for me. Though we had a ton of opportunities to shine this year, and the team took full advantage. I don’t like what I do, but I am proud of them.

Yesterday was overlygirl’s 14th. It was kind of a dud since she had to go to school and had a soccer event, but she got the exact gift she wanted - just need to set it up today. The cake didn’t hurt. I tried to post a birthday pic of her to Facebook, but she wasn’t having it, so I refrained. House policy with social media is just because you took it doesn’t mean you can post it - whoever’s in the picture gets veto power regardless of age. Some of her friends already have Instagram, Facebook & snapchat and managed to find me - middle school sucks enough without being made fun of for something you can’t control.

Anyway, more layoffs this week (we think), which explains why I keep getting pulled onto calls that have nothing to do with what I do now - I’m assuming they have to do with something that will be expected of me soon. It’d be great if they’d tell me, though.

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I have my car back so huzzah! Except it sat outside for over a week, right after I got it washed. Oh well…

At Daughter’s house. Tobias is snoozing on the couch and I’m waiting for his mama to get here so I can go. And I need to figure out supper.

Always something.

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Afternoon all. Listening to a pianist in the Grand center of the ship, they have performers there from 4pm on to keep us entertained. Mostly a nothing day, dinner in about an hour and then maybe some Blackjack. We go to Central time tonight, so still two time zones to go. Also stop in Costa Rica tomorrow.

FCM, I do hope that it works out for BIL. And a dirty car can be corrected easier than a busted one.

taters, see that you are traveling in big-time company now…don’t be forgetting about us now… :wink:

yanker, best wishes for your procedure.

JtC, no idea what is causing the bird bath issue, maybe something in the air?

talkie, happy Birthday to overlygirl. 14 is getting close (if not already there) to boy-crazy age, good luck with that.

Ok, need to head up to my room and look presentable for dinner. Got pics taken of me last night and I need to go check them out.

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Woot!! Remember the furnace troubles? Dude said that I need new burners but they don’t make them anymore. I scoured the jungle and found some. I just installed them myself and they work perfectly!! $110 is waaay better than 5k.

FCM Hope the BIL situation stays (somewhat) under control. And yay for having the car back.

JtC Sap from the pomegranate tree getting in the water?

talkie Excellent policy on social media posting!

And I discovered that my oven was calibrated wrong. Oven thermometer for the win. It was about 25 degrees too low. I just figured out how to adjust that. Go me!

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Howdy Y’all! Laundry got did and put away. Then we slothed, napped, and day drank. Today’s choice was what we call a “Bloody Bubba.” It’s beer (poured into a frosty glass, cause we don’t do mugs since we’re all fancy like that), V8 juice, a dash or six of hawt sauce, pepper, and a squeeze of lime. I know this has other names, but “Bloody Bubba” amuses us. BLTs and fries got made and et and the kitchen cleanded up.

A church member died last Thursday night. She had been in hospice care at home, so this was expected. She has been cremated and her service will be at eleven a.m. on Sattidy. There will be a visitation one hour before, and a reception/N.O.L. afterward. I shall make up a batch of chikin sallit and get some fancy (can’t cheap out with church folk you know) crackers. Also, I don’t know what yet, I will serve in some way at the funeral. A big crowd is expected as she was a former principal and teacher, and kinda well-known throughout the area. The point of all this is I am makin’ a batch of chikin sallit. The fancy kind with all white meat since it’s special and all.

VanGo yay on the relatively cheap furnace fix and figurin’ out the oven!

MetalMouse glad you’re still enjoyin’ yourself and that the knee is better.

yanker hope all goes well with the surgery.

JtC my first thought was what VanGo said about the pollen from the tree. Do pomegranate trees have sap?

MOOOOOOM yay for havin’ wheels again!

Taters you are now a celebrity!

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Yay for better vision nellie. Boo, though, on the fall. I hope that you don’t get too sore.

Yay on having your wheels back Mooooom.

Great news on the furnace and oven front VanGo!

Have fun in the Pacific metal mouse.

Good luck on the surgery yanker.

I’m sorry about your fellow parishioner swampy. It sounds like she influenced many lives.

Irked, came home, walked Nelson and et. today wasn’t quite as ouchy on the arthritus front, so I had that going for me.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

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Yay nellie for the awesome vision!

Moooommmm, I’m glad that BIL signed the papers. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he either doesn’t realize he can revoke or that he realizes he is in the best situation with the commitment.

And yay on getting the car back too!

Good luck, yanker, on being under the knife. I’m sure everything will be fine but good thoughts are heading your way just in case.

pilot good luck on it being the disappointing dancing streak that gets broken.

metal mouse, no worries about keeping up. Focus on having fun. We’ll still be here when you get back.

wordy, that’s a great way to do socials for the kids. I’ve never been good about that for mine but I really do need to get better.

VanGo, yay on fixing things yourself and saving money! One of the things I didn’t get from Dad was the fixit gene.

Speaking of Dad, things are coming along well. I’m talking to him once or twice a day, he’s keeping me updated. He’s starting to get used to the new phone, which I was expecting to happen. He’s just having problems getting into his password program.

The nurse at dialysis talked to Dad today and is going to look into getting him signed up for a home helper, if it will be covered. They’ll be helping keep up with the house, grocery shopping, meals, things like that. Depending on how that goes, we’ll talk about Meals on Wheels. He’s sounding more upbeat and accepting of his limitations. It’s making me feel better about things.

I had to play bad parent today. CtE messaged me saying they couldn’t deal with people today. I told them that I loved them and I felt their plight, but they had to stay in school. They weren’t happy with that. But I did pick the kids up from the school instead of the bus which made them happier.

For the first time in awhile, I was able to get some cleaning done. Hubby went into the office today (new boss’s first day in the office) so I could focus on getting some stuff done. I was only able to get about an hour’s worth before my hands hurt too much to continue. Still, progress.

Tonight is my date night with Partner and Hubby’s weekly Magic the Gathering meet up. I haven’t actually seen Hubby today and, depending on timing, may not see him. Talking to him off and on today so there’s communication.

I’ve spent the last hour enjoying my time on the porch but now that the sun’s set, it’s getting chilly. Time to go in a grab a jacket. Have a good night all, and hugs all around.

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Churches have the best meals! But I am sorry for your member.