I actually got that! I’m so pleased with myself. I married a die hard cyclist, gave birth to a couple more and sag-wagoned a lot of RAGBRAIs and BRAN in my prime. My baby brother up in St Cloud MN uses his Thule to transport his kayaks and Sunfish sailboats, you’re more likely to get me on a wee little sailboat or a kayak then balancing perilously on a Mercian.
I’m kind starting to like next to last roof rack myself.
Kudos to our nellie who just a few days ago ever so gently taught me the actual meaning of ‘penultimate’. It indeed means the next to last, not the ultimate ultimate tip top. Fighting ignorance is our motto and the force is strong with us. As is ignorance a lot of the time.
Of course, I guess we could shorten that to rack, which I’m guessing gives the wrong idea entirely.
whimpers quietly
snarls with vengeance
I found CarMax by far the smoothest and most pleasant car-buying experience I’ve ever had. Definitely recommend.
I did? I must be posting in my sleep. Maybe it was Seanette? Or maybe I’m losing my very last mrble.
I agree, only in my case it was selling my car when I was too blind to drive it. They were fair, polite, and played no games. They also paid for Lyft to take us to my son’s house afterward.
Wasn’t me. 
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 20c/69f with a predicted high of 27c/80f and partly cloudy. Actually, that predicted high for me is definitely into the realms of scorchio! Weather app says “This is the perfect fucking day to say inside, eat pizza and wish that it was fucking warmer.” Oh no, it isn’t!
I only start one because I’m up and nobody else has done it - Dicey is ahead of me time-wise although now we have penultima_thule posting again, there are more options for being the first morning poster…unless one of you 'muricans posts before going to bed instead 
Cat Glove I saw the post, thought it was quite out of character for the poster, and moved on, hoping that Sari was just having a bad day and needs a virtual hug instead.
Our local rubbish tip has massive skips that you can dump things in. There’s one for ceramics, I have spent several therapeutic minutes hurling old china and ceramic tiles in there to smash into bits.
We found a Potbelly’s at the station in Chicago, it was very good and definitely one of the better sandwich chains we’ve tried over your side. Your train pics on the book of farces have been fun, reminds me of the train trips we’ve taken over there. Mostly they were not massively delayed but we did miss out on a train ride that we were supposed to board in Reno but it was running about 9hrs late so we ended up on a coach to our destination instead, courtesy of Amtrak.
Seanette and BB nice wheels! CarMax looks pretty much like the kind of place I bought Keith from (Available Car). I found him online, it was love at first sight…the test drive was fun, and I picked him up a couple of weeks later after all the paperwork and payments were completed. It took a bit longer because I could only get over there at the weekend, and I paid extra to have a Diamondbrite coating put on as well.
Yesterday turned out to be busy, I was asked to do some shortlisting for upcoming vacancies as we have interviews planned. 54 applications to review, and it needs to be completed by Wednesday so that’s where most of today will be going. I have a brief meeting with one of my minions this morning but that is more of a catch-up really.
Today’s plans would have been to look out for the recycling collection shenanigans with the neighbours but the dustcart was round at 7am today so I was not in position! I can’t see if there was anything taken out of their bin because they’ve pulled it back off the kerb already.
Nothing else exciting in my day, once I’ve logged off after irk, I’ll make campus food for the next couple of days, and then we have grocery shopping later. Leftover curry for dinner tonight, for which I will get some fresh spinach and chuck that in as it’s heating up.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 77 Amurrkin out and mostly clear with a predicted high of 100 and N.O.S. Today is fraught with excitatement! Not only is it laundry day, but I am also goin’ to DDS to renew my dl. I hope my heart can take it all! Nappage and day drinkin’ shall be needed to revive myself. Sup shall be a quick fix jambalaya that starts with a box (don’t judge!) of mix.
MOOOOOM you are right. The late Dotie Gumdrop was an Aussie. I see doggio has also confirmed this.
Pilot sorry you won’t get to see BB this weekend, but she is a good person to step up and do what she’s doin’.
Lily experimental chikin and a bath with epsom salts? How do you cram so much excitement into one evenin’!
red glad Nelson is showin’ improvement.
Boo I have actually been to a lake front beach in Iowa. It was Clear Lake. Still it was not ocean front property. However, I suppose one could like upon the beach and pretend one is at the ocean.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, bother of bothers, I suppose I must needs purtify and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. Oh woe!
Happy Tuesday Y’all!
Good morning!
I’ve been up and working for awhile. But, I’ve just decided that it’s time for a break. Annie decided that was a good idea, too.
ooops - did I say that out loud?? 
I kid, I keeeed! In fact, I wish our paths had crossed at some point.
But I won’t kick you out. Just occasionally cast The Look in your direction.
So glad to see the correct word used. Around here, people will say shuck, but that’s for oysters, not corn, dagnabbit!
And for my daughter, it was torture and ultimately a bit of a rip-off. I expect a lot has to do with the actual dealership and the experience of the buyer. She was a first-time buyer away from home so Dad couldn’t help her and, well, not good.
Glorious start to the day here - 62°!!! I turned off the air and opened windows - not sure when I’ll be able to do that again. And it won’t last long - supposed to reach 90° this afternoon.
FCD just left for the boat. The isolation transformer he bought was the wrong one - we actually need 2 smaller ones. So one goes back for refund and 2 are being delivered. And now he needs to figure out if he can install 2 where he’d hoped to put the one.
I need to take the truck to get gas and on the way home, I’ll pass a farm store that’s advertising peaches - YUM!! I’ll stop there and see what they have. And I need to set up the table in the basement so I can work on the weather cloths. We put the leaf in and I need to take my cutting board and sewing machine down there.
Not sure what else the day holds, but nothing big can be started till MIL is up, drugged, and fed. Hard to tell when that will be - her sleep is so erratic.
But I’m up and about to shower and dress, so there’s that.
Happy Tuesday!!
Good morning all. Lying in bed in my birthday suit as it is vacation and I’ll damn well do what I want! Will get dressed and go hunting breakfast shortly, then on to the Smithsonian to start the day. Temperature is due to reach 92F today according to the weather wizards, so will don shorts for my explorations.
BBBoo, sorry, my train out of Chi-town will take me back to New Orleans (which is why Amtrak calls it the City of New Orleans). Perhaps another time.
Nettie, Bob-B, congrats on the new set of wheels.
swampy, happy renewing, when I saw DDS I thought you had a return trip to the dentist.
boo fae, hope works settles down.
And sorry but I need to go micturate now. Take care.
Good morning, everyone.
It’s currently 52F and clear outside. It’s supposed to be sunny today with a high temperature of 82F.
Yesterday’s outburst and subsequent fallout are disconcerting and make me feel a little sad. This is a safe place, I think. As others have noted, politics seems to permeate everything nowadays, so it’s not entirely unexpected for a tiny bit of that to leak over here. I believe we all hold disparate views, and that’s fine. I loathe personal and dehumanizing attacks, no matter what view you have. It’s wrong and needs to stop.
CatGlove, I hope you come back.
Sari, not sure what’s going on, but that was out of character.
Nettie and Bob-B, congrats on the new wheels!
Penultimatethule, welcome!
Metal Mouse, I’m glad you’re mostly enjoying your train trip and the visits to spots that accompany the trip.
We ate some farm-fresh corn on the cob the other night. It was tasty and sweet. I like to bring water to a boil, dump the husked corn in the pot for about four to five minutes, remove it from heat, and let it stand for another couple of minutes. I’ve had corn cooked to mush, and it isn’t very good, so I kiss it with some heat and then eat it.
Yesterday was an in-office day. I got some stuff done, but not as much as I wanted. I had a catch-up meeting with the SD and discussed various issues with her. It was a polite conversation, but she knows I’m pretty ticked about some things and that I’d appreciate her staying out of some stuff. We plan to meet face-to-face tomorrow, too.
Instead of slowing down as we enter the last quarter of the fiscal year, things are only ramping up for me. Some extra work is being brought on by delayed and last-minute “guidance” concerning some projects. It’s maddening, but I can’t control that. Nor can I get started on the projects because they are changing how the data or products are to be completed and submitted, so I can’t get a head start. Bah, just another day at work, I guess.
That said, I am still looking to leave. Finding something will take a while, but that’s to be expected.
Boofae, I hope work settles down for you.
Welp, it’s time to round up the last of the dishes and load them in the dishwasher. I wait until morning because my husband always uses dishes after dinner, so it makes more sense to wait.
Morning, everyone.
The last three days have been scorchers. It reached 97, 100, and 95 degrees on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, respectively. Today should only be a little cooler - it’s forecasted to reach 91. Gah.
Before it heats up, we must continue with a landscaping project. There’s a brand-new fence between us and our neighbors. At the base of the fence, we’ve partially buried a row of concrete retaining stones for their decorative effect and to hold back bark chips from touching the base of the fence, which encourages wood rot. But the retaining stones have little gaps between them that collect fallen leaves and which rats have used as condos in the past. We’re cleaning the gaps out and then filling them with polished river pebbles, which look really nice and which are impossible for rats to dig through.
But all this must be done before about 10 a.m., or we’ll perish from the heat.
Before all the work starts, we’ll have a breakfast of bacon ‘n’ eggs, and I’m looking forward to some of my new homemade cherry preserves to go with my toast.
Speaking of preserves, it’s just about apricot season. I plan to try my hand at making some Blenheim apricot preserves as soon as I see them at the local stone fruit orchard. I think apricot is my favorite jam of all, so I hope my efforts turn out well.
Regarding corn, I steam it until it looks the right color. The steamer has a glass lid and I can’t be more specific than saying “the right color”. Come to think of it, when I stop for peaches, I’ll see if they have corn, too.
OK, done with morning surfage - time for a shower and proper attire.
Mornin’ all. About 8am as I start driveling. Been up since a bit after 5 and balconated and caffinated until the Sun chased me inside. Now 81/27 on the way to 91/33 with a few puffies here and there and no breeze.
As to our new member @penultima_thule it’s worth pointing out that their name is derived from that of an asteroid out past Pluto: 486958 Arrokoth - Wikipedia. So way the hell out there in the far back beyond. That might provide further fodder for a good nick.
The corn was elderly. As In I’d bought it 5 weeks ago and even back then it was already the used corn that’s partially husked and sealed in shrinkwrap on a styro tray after getting old and gucky at the store. It dated from my first groc run after moving.
That day I’d intended to go to the groc store and get my other ingredients and also some new corn. That never happened, so it was old corn or no corn. Of the 4 trimmed ears in the still-sealed tray, only one was edible and it was a bit suspicious. But being of fierce intestinal constitution I survived unscathed. The taste was meh, but the texture was OK … ish. And it successfully carried about a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of salt so that part was good. 
And yes, yesterday I bought 2 fresh un-husked ears and will eat them both soon, not another 5 weeks from now.
Our Midwesterners will be unsurprised to learn that the USA is the largest producer of corn at ~31% of the global total. Folks may be surprised to learn that Florida has a pretty large corn production region too. So our corn here is reasonably local and reasonably fresh.
Damned fine car there nettie. And I agree about CarMax. Can recommend. They are definitely not the cheapest, but they do make it easy.
The extended warrantees they sell are both real and very cost effective. In fact you’ll probably get a better price from them for car+warrantee than you would at a more conventional dealership. And the warrantee is actually useful and will pay off if the car needs work.
Yes. This.
Sari, I’m sorry to have triggered you. I was wrong to have posted what I did here in the MMP. That was dumb and impolite of me and it won’t happen again.
I use an asparagus steamer. The tall narrow pot with a mesh basket inside.
Husk the ears & trim their stalks, then stand 1 to 4 ears stalk-end down in barely ~3/4" of cold water, turn the stove on to high, put on the lid, and set the timer for 8 minutes for distinctly al dente or 10 minutes for fully cooked but far short of mush. Simple, quick, and comes out perfect every time. No judgment about doneness required once you refine what exact timing works for your personal preference.
Good luck to all as we go about our days. Sounds like Metalmouse is the one having the most fun today.
Cheers all!!
Today’s big task is to order groceries for my son’s visit, then get them all sorted. I didn’t get much sleep last night–went to bed at a decent hour, just couldn’t find Mr. Sandman.
As for corn, I used to make it the way my granny did, but I hated dealing with that sticky silk, so I switched to the method where you leave the husks on and cook in the microwave, then cut off the stem end and slip off husks and silk. It’s easy and delicious. Even my Illinois sister thought so.
Yum! I love apricot preserves! Good luck with the recipe.
MetalMouse, I rode the City of New Orleans when it was still an Illinois Central train, just before Amtrak. When the Steve Goodman song (sung by Arlo Guthrie) came out, I was thrilled. I hope today’s travels are smooth. Oh! I forgot to say that I had a Jersey Mike’s sub the other day, and it was divine.
Good morning everyone. It’s a beautiful day now, but it will be heating up this afternoon. I was woken to the dulcet tones of Hubs riding his mower around the yard.
We would be paying a 400 a month water bill in AZ if we had even half the lawn we for free here. We spent decades babying plants and trees and encouraging them to please grow, we are going to be spending our time here trying to stop stuff from taking over.
Up, fed, puzzled and Wordled. Today’s agenda includes picking up our weekly produce bag. The recent heavy rains has damaged the crops, so the selection may not be as good this time around. Then later we’ve got reservations at one of the best-rated Asian restaurants in the city. Last time we tried, reservations were two months out.
Now I have an appointment with the blutician, also known as the shower.
last night was an icky mess. first lager got sick. i have to figure out how to get his food to work with the heat. looks like i will go back to freezing it.
i set up his auto feeder before i go to bed, so his first 2 meals are fine, the next 2… i believe the chicken may have gone off a bit. i’ll have to freeze his can or the chicken.
koritza in the wee hours of the morning got sick in her food dish. argh! due to procrastination i had to unload the dish washer before i could load the icky food dish. ick!
this lead to a brief kitchen tidying. that has been on the agenda for weeks. tidying always loses out to reading and tv watching.
one good thing was that i had put my shoes away last night before the regurgitation festivities. everything was wipeable or washable.
i’m hoping the rest of the day is less icky.