Some comments on the last couple(!) of days of everyone’s life …
Now that sounds yummy. Which three cheeses? Any special tricks to casserolify (casserolize?) the grits? Getting them stiff enough sounds hard.
Awww! That sounds so fun and gratifying.
We attended a similar event last year at Daughter’s facility, but for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. Total cute overload as all the kids did their song-and-dance routines. In her case the staffers had segregated the many kids by age, so we had performances by a dozen to two dozen each of toddlers, kindergartners, 6-8yos and 8-10yos. Fun (at least for this non-parent) to see the range of development of the kids. Did I mention all the cute! Squeeeee!!!1! Then there were cupcakes & punch for everyone. And seething; lots and LOTS of seething.
This. Pain is a sucky companion. Keep trying different ideas until you hit a winner. And best of luck.
Holy frijoles. I haven’t seen gas prices that low since the 1980s! Regular is generally about $3.75 - $4.25 around here.
Shish Tawook sounds fantastic.
I’d never heard that but it’s adorable kid music. Growing up where winter isn’t cold, we had a different sort of holiday songs.
Yeah, well, you’re a professional. 
Never send an amateur in to do a pro’s job; it ain’t pretty.
Sorry your back is acting up. Is your bed alright for you? Sleeping on one wrong, or wrong for you, is how I usually got those issues when I was your age.
Oh yeah; that first part is my specialty too. The longer it’s sat, the larger the thicket of guilt that builds up around it for not having already done it. Damn but those thorns are sharp and make me really want to avoid the [whatever it is]. That’s a bad feedback loop.
But Hooray !1! for practical procrastinating. What a great idea. I think I’ll start doing that too. Maybe next week. Probably. Perhaps. 
This was aimed at hippie but I’m echoing it here for him and for everyone. I spent a lotta years titrating pain meds for somebody.
It’s good Grrreee-at advice for anyone suffering from chronic pain or recovering from whatever injury or surgery or … One my doc’s standard lines is “It’s far easier to prevent pain than to counteract it. Get ahead and stay ahead.”
Every time you tell that story I get a fresh kick out of it. So great. Thank you. Again. Kinda like the squirrels I just love coming back for another round with the colander. 
I would love some hawks and falcons to apply some raptor love to the pigeons that infest my balcony.
Our whole building has too many “architecturals” (read “pigeon roosting spots”) for my preferences and my balcony happens to be worse than most and there’s a spot they’d installed pigeon spikes that later became dislodged, so I’ve got the damned birds in spades. Disease-infested aerial rats deserving only universal extermination.
Nor should they. Flirting workplaces are the best. If everyone is a sensible grown-up, not a creep, about it. Been a long time since I’ve had that privilege.
You’re a total 10 in my book kiddo. And any supervisor who can deliver the PIP meeting to a worker skillfully is just awesome.
Welcome back after your MMP sabbatical.
Yaay!! We’ll expect a full report when you can next pop in.
Triple happy health news. Yaay!!
Yes, another congrats for this fine bit of doggerel. Well done Nellie!!
Crap.
You say you’re losing weight too fast? I’m not sure that can be a problem unless it’s a sign of some illness. IME, even if you did have a downward spurt, you probably won’t sustain that rate for more than a few days. The good news is that may be a sign of some endocrine realignment towards a new lower “set point”. Appendages crossed or clinched as appropriate here.
Everything is better with mulled mead! Yum. Especially home-made mead. (Try saying that 3 times fast 
)
At the same time as our holiday party Sat night there was supposed to be a boat parade on the nearby waterway. So reluctantly I/we had planned to miss it. Then the city cancelled it Fri morning due to forecast shit weather. Which turned out to be a good move; Sat night was indeed shit weather: lotsa rain and high winds.
Her Ladyship finds boat parades (or any parade really) insufferably droll and boring, but I like them. I grew up near a harbor and it’s just not Christmas season without the abject silliness of a boat parade.
You live very, very well Good Sir. Sounds like an awesome meal & combo.
I’ve had pity / worry about the psychological torture of non-stop Christmas muzak abusing retail folks since I was a kid. I’m always surprised so few of them snap and start shooting up the store each year. No jury on Earth would convict.
You may. And you were.
I had read that fast food places all over are pulling those out. Not quite sure why, but cutting back on too much “all you can drink” must be the central idea. Bastards.
Her Ladyship says I don’t listen to her. At least I think that’s what she said.
What’s with visiting 2 groc stores to find 18-packs of eggs? Don’t two twelves work as well for less time and effort chasing around? You’re so darn logical and efficient this seems unlike you, so there’s gotta be another page to the story I don’t have.
I had the same double-take.
Wordy glad the illness stuff seems to be subsiding for you and your crew. Here’s to more progress on that front.
You did something awesome getting out there! Congrats on the healing journey and hopes for lots more improvement to come.
Rats! Bad luck for sure. Making cookies with kids and grands sounds simply grand. When you can pull it off. Sorry you’re coming up empty handed this time. Next week maybe?
It sure seems like post-COVID many people, myself certainly included, have more long-lingering minor illnesses than we used to. Or the episodic sore throat, sniffles, or whatever that shows up, leaves 3 days later, but rolls back around a week or two later for another short stay. Again and again and again.
What’s up with that? Anyone else have this impression for themselves or their circle of IRL friends? Any real medical cites that this impression is real?
Crap! Your family too?! IIRC he’s had this before. Or was that kid-Mom?
Yeah, but we get a cool story and Monkey got to gleefully practice prey-chasing. So there’s that. Thank you!
About how many ASFs do you have now? Is a “rat tub” what I think; just a big Tupperware-like storage box with snap-on lid?
I had the same thought as Nettie: why not let the snakes help with the ASF round-up? They too might enjoy some exercise and hunting practice. The ASFs aren’t going to enjoy their experience no matter where or how it goes down; that’s sorta baked into their lot in life.
In small houses, every window in / near a kitchen displaces what would otherwise be a kitchen cabinet. As you say, that place is already stupid-short on storage. That’s probably what the designers were thinking.
Damn I miss getting to really good dark. It’s not like city sky even a little bit. Desert dark is even better for lack of humidity that fosters haze. As long as it’s not windy enough to raise dust, deserts have the best skies on Earth; better even than open ocean.
You are so fortunate to have it, and so wise to treasure it.
OTOH, paying for whatever you dig up to be fixed is mandatory and delays your project while they do, so any smart contractor includes that little consideration too. Amazing how many un-smart contractors there are though.
Yeah. 'Tis a mystery how they cope, but they do. It seems they feed on chaos and joyful noise sometimes turning quickly into toddler tears.
Speaking of which, I’m a bit overdue for my next dose of adorable Horde, but I figure that around Christmas - New Year’s week we’ll be there half a day or more for most days. Pacing, dear boy. Pacing.
Oh, the Felinity!
You’re a bad catmommy indeed. You couldn’t even front them a single bath towel to soothe their hips and elbows? O cruel, cruel Fate you are.
Thirded. Effort two, or worse yet three, days in a row is highly contraindicated as the medics would say. Instead one should sloth forth with great abandon. ETA: As I see you both have planned.
IIRC you own a garage. Or a bathroom. Anyplace that gets at least two closed doors between you and the noisesome cat. Or crank some appropriate music on your phone / tablet while you wrap. They’ll get over it and you’ll still have some nerves left at the end.
Don’t do like another Doper recently reported they did and forget to tag what’s for who before they mixed up the wrapped packages or boxes. BTDT, it sucks. D’oh!!
I laughed. Well played!!
I’m confused. She’s the mean jerky person you want to block out of your life and you’re letting calls come in from her? Why?
Bravo for having the wisdom to take things slowly and easily on yourself otherwise though.
Yaay!!1!
I too was mystified until they posted that link.
Hope your “one-eyed jack” was yum. Do you like to put any interesting sauces on your eggs?
Nellie, sorry to hear the knee is still fighting you so hard. Sorry I can’t add anything on bursitis; not a problem I’ve dealt with as patient or as amateur caregiver.
Swampy enjoy your churchifyin’ as a comfy pew-dweller and best of luck with the remaining sloth.
FCM compared to your morning … I awoke and arose at 5am, it’s now 9:30 and in those 4-1/2 hours I have accomplished: making a pot of coffee, drinking half, and these two MMP posts. Period. That’s it. Not even a now quite overdue potty break. You are incredible.
Now that sounds like the perfect end to a productive day. I hope Little Paws got something out of all your sitting time at the pet place.
Happy Spaining. Looking forward to your on-scene reporting.
Wise words indeed. Sorry she’s struggling.