{{{FCM and all the FCFamily}}} It totally sucks what you are going through.
{{{shoe}}}
Right, I saw an article today wondering if you should put 30 or 45k into your retirement account each year. What world do these people live in? It ain’t mine.
Must to bed, in an attempt to get my sleep schedule back on track. After white knuckle driving til 2:30, I didn’t get to sleep until 5AM. I still feel funky.
Hope y’all have a better wensdy!
I got a friend request from someone at my wife’s church. He’s the guy who invited us to Thanksgiving Dinner. Now, I can be pretty passionate about politics. My sense of humour can be twisted and dark. I only go to church to support Mrs. L.A. I don’t think it would be appropriate to accept his friend request. Things I post may (probably would) reflect poorly on The Missus, even though she studies her Bible daily. How do I gracefully decline?
I thought about, ‘I’m pretty passionate and vocal politically, and I have a sense of humour that some people don’t appreciate. I’d rather not introduce that into a church setting.’ Or, ‘I tend to compartmentalise, and I like to separate social media from other aspects of my life.’
Just ignore it. The friend request will drop off soon enough. If he asks you in person, well, weird, but just say you didn’t see it.
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.
{{{{shoe}}}}
Because I can put 100% of my pre tax wages into a 401k. And I’m pretty well off, I think.
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 4c/40f with a predicted high of 8c/47f and cloudy. Weather app says “Stratus clouds are known for fucking producing light rain and snow. They’re also knobjockey twatfaces.” OK, so you’re not a fan. It’s actually foggy outside so a bit more than just cloudy.
{{{{{shoe}}}}}
{{{{{FairyChats}}}}}
flyboy you could just ignore the friend request and it will disappear eventually. If you don’t accept it, the guy will probably be too embarrassed to ask about it, and you might just continue chatting at the church instead. Or you could accept it, continue to be yourself on social media, and wait for him to drop you as a friend 
nellie I’m sorry you are so stressed about your living requirements. If you’re a planner, do just that. Start making a list of what you want, what you can afford and what’s practical. It’s also worth making a list of everything you don’t want too, then you have a basis to start your search.
Busy day here - I have been up and tended to the fuzzbutts, I’ve had a shower and got my hair dried so I’m all presentable to go and mix with the Great Unwashed. I need to go into town, but I need to go via the car wash first. I did some hexmas shopping online this morning but I need small gifts for the co-irkers so that requires a visit to town. That means it’ll be my turn to pick up Indian food for lunch. After I get home and we’ve eaten, we’ll go and do the grocery run. Then I can put campus food together for the next couple of days. 'im indoors wants to go to the gym but he’ll wait until later - I can’t easily drop him off anywhere near his gym, and timings just don’t work for both of us.
Dinner tonight will be chilli from the freezer as I pulled some out last night. I need to get stuff sorted out for tomorrow as I’m back at irk. Hopefully the last two days of the week won’t be too irksome!
(((shoe)))
(((FCM and family)))
Annie and I have had our breakfast. MusicMan called to chat a bit. It’s been a decent morning here so far. I have some errands to run, but my knee is not very happy today, so that might not happen.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 26 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 58 and N.O.S. We shall procure provisions this mornin’ and engage in high RDOS inactivities this afternoon. We shall attend the Wednesday night doin’s over to the church house which will take care of sup. Don’t know what sup will be, but I know it’ll be good.
{{{MOOOOOOM and FCD}}} hope MILs passin’ is a peaceful one. No shame to be had in wantin’ this to be over.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, alas and bother I suppose I must purtify myself and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. Le sigh.
Happy Hump Day Y’all!
Looks okay outside now.
But the locals are saying huge many-county snow starting at 5. Supposedly 6-12 more inches.
Our sidewalks, still unplowed, have 4 feet of snow.
How do we dig out?
{{{shoe}}}
Is something like this a possibility? We’d looked into them once upon a time eons ago when FCD’s parents were still able to live on their own. But we never got to the point of considering the zoning laws and all that.
For me, it’s my feet. Even tho I had the electric blanket on last night, I had to get up and put socks on - my feet were like blocks of ice. But once they were warm, I turned the blanket off and fell asleep.
Might it help to write it all out in Word or something - getting it out of your system, but no chance of someone taking offense or getting all pissy? That’s helped me with some things on occasion. Or you could join another board, vent your spleen, and never go back?
It wasn’t till our last few years before retiring that we were able to do some serious debt reduction and savings. Granted, we made some really stupid money decisions in the early years and knowing what we know now, we’d have done better, but even then, we might have managed to tuck that much into retirement if we’d lived in our car and ate out of dumpsters.
One of the best pieces of advice I’d heard (and never followed) was: every time you get a raise, automatically put half of it into savings. You still get a raise, and you’re building a nest egg. Which is a nice thought till your kid needs braces or your car needs all new tires.
FCD has to take his car to the dealer - two days in a row, he needed a jump to get it started. Not good in a brand new car. First time, he thought he’d accidentally left something on, but second time he knew he hadn’t. Unfortunately, he can’t get a loaner and I can’t pick him up, so he’ll be stuck there.
Nurse and aide are both coming today. Obviously I won’t be going anywhere. So crochet will happen.
Which reminds me - I was watching a documentary yesterday about searching for old slave quarters in a suburban neighborhood. Somewhere along the way, someone mentioned the expression “too many irons in the fire.” They claimed it referred to flat irons that were used in the laundry. Really? I trust everyone here knows the real origin of that phrase. I don’t think I’ll be watching the rest of that “documentary.”
And so it begins. Happy Wednesday!
I have to say I Had no idea about the real origin of that phrase. It’s not something I ever thought about and had you not mentioned slave quarters I would never have associated the phrase with that.
I rode yesterday. It was 23° when I drove home. Thank goodness for heated steering wheels and heated car seats. I soaked in a hot tub for 30 minutes and finally thawed.
I just asked FCD - he thought it had to do with branding cattle, but when I mentioned blacksmith, he acknowledged that made more sense.
MIL made it thru the night. We’re waiting for the nurse. I’m showered and dressed. And so it goes.
The catio water bowl is not frozen. The catio thermometer reads 32º Ferret Height/0º Centipede.
Good morning all. Somehow the itches that FCM had yesterday got transmitted over the internet and I spent an hour or so last night scratching and itching, but did finally get to sleep and didn’t awaken until 7:30am. Have broken fast and outside of getting the garbage out to the curb sometime today not much else on the agenda. Brother reported that oldest nephew is in surgery and it will be 7-8 hours long(!!), so will try to get swimming done in the meantime.
Interesting about irons in the fire, I also thought it was something to do with branding cattle, but the blacksmith story makes more sense.
Jumpy, my suggestion (FWIW) is to write it out and then just leave it for a full 24 hours. Then look at it again and decide if you want to post it or not
Cupcakes, he’s told me but I have little memory for it, probably Wisconsin as he converted to his wife’s faith and they are from N. Illinois and near Wisconsin. Thanks for the prayer.
oooh, I like that one.
Had that years ago; the nice thing there is both sides can take something from it, keeping you out of the hot seat.
Flyboy, echoing others, just let it sit and don’t bring it up in conversation, they’ll probably understand.
FCM, hopefully it’s something simple with the car, but I suspect it might be an on-board computer glitch so that may take some time.
OK, onward into the day. Have a good Hump Day all.
And start downsizing now. I was ruthless before we left AZ and am still throwing things away.
I do hope you find something suitable and affordable. I too worry about how young people will ever be able to have a home of their own.
Although sometimes home ownership isn’t that much of a blessing. Yesterday we woke up to snow flurries and a lake in our front yard. Fortunately, the meter reader guy was just down the street so he called someone with the right “key” to turn our water off.
Of course the leak was on our side but the water company will give us a bill adjustment for the water that was lost while waiting for them to shut it off. Needless to say is that it will involve filling out an adjustment request after we get our next bill.
The plumber was happy to make an $$$ emergency visit and dug a big hole in our yard and took out a fence post before telling us that he wasn’t going to be able to get our water back that day.
Back when the home was built, they put a pressure regulator next to the meter instead of under the house where it belongs. Later, the fence builder dug a post hole into the regulator cover allowing the hole to fill with dirt and concrete. Now, over 40 years later, the weak point failed in the cold.
Currently we are waiting for the water company to come out and install a “pig-tail” on the meter before the plumber clocks another $$$ emergency call out to reconnect the water. We will schedule a regular $ visit sometime in the near future for him to install a pressure regulator under the houuse where it should be, but that isn’t an emergency so no need to pay the extra $$.
My free gym membership lets me bring in a guest 10 times a year so this morning we went to Tudor’s for breakfast then to the gym where he sat in the car and played on his phone until I texted that I was done swimming and then came in and got a shower in the men’s side while I was showering and all on my side. (he could also sign up for a free membership, but that would mean I might start nagging him to actually use it…which is why he wanted to go as a guest instead.)
Besides the money, this is super annoying because I’ve got laundry that needs to be done and I don’t want to do anything in the kitchen that involves getting dishes dirty. So no baking cookies for Secret Santa and assorted friends.
Stitching always involves washing my hands before starting, because even the natural oils on my skin are enough to soil or stain some fibers so I started channeling Lady Macbeth long before covid happened.
At least we have power and internet.
Wanders off muttering.
Happy Hump Day!
It’s 29 feels like 20 degrees outside. It’s supposed to rain later. I hope it’s rain and not snow or ice.
Starting Sunday, the temps are supposed to go up into the 50s and 60s.
That will be nice.
The sun is shining into my office, and it feels good.
I always thought ‘too many irons in the fire’ referred to blacksmithing. Why in the world would you put a flatiron into a fire? How are you going to hold it to iron clothes? What the hell were clothes back then made out of that you’d need an iron that hot? Or that could resist scorching?
One of my first pet sitting clients lived in the old slave quarters on a farm. The house was small, but pretty nice. Not as nice as the main house where his mother lived. I’m sure it had been renovated over the years. Downstairs was a kitchen, dining room, living room, sitting room, and half bath. Upstairs were two bedrooms and a full bath.
Where I boarded my horse there were old slave houses on the farm. Sometimes the horses would be inside them. They were abandoned and falling down, only the outer stone shells were left. I think they may have had only one room, as they looked more like a cabin than a house. I’m kind of surprised that nobody tried to save them as the main house is on the Maryland Historic Trust. Although, from the date of the registry, it was already too late to do anything with them.
I swear I’m going to knock the crap out of the dogs if they don’t stop sticking their head out the doggie door and letting the cold air in.
I’m debating putting the brats in daycare tomorrow. They need it, but the thought of having to go back out into the cold to get them isn’t pleasant. It’s supposed to be really windy. Maybe Firday.
I bought a new rug for by the back door and it’s the wrong color. I checked and it looks like it’s my mistake. It’s brown and that goes with nothing in here. All the rooms in this house are in shades of grey, blue, black, and off white. It’ll have to do I guess, I’m not sending it back.
{{{Shoe}}} I’m so sorry.
I don’t disagree that life is more expensive now, but as I pointed out to some younger people I know. Yes, it’s true that when I was 18 a lot of people moved out of their parent’s homes after graduating. However, most of them had roommates, many didn’t have cars, and some didn’t have phones, most didnt have TVs. It wasn’t unusual to have 3-4 people sharing an apartment, you depended on friends for a ride or walked or rode a bike. You asked to use a neighbor’s phone, or walked to the phone booth. Many of the cars they drove wouldn’t be allowed on the road today. One friend had a car that the door wouldn’t stay shut, a friend fell out while going around a curve. Another had a car with floorboards so rotted out you could see the road through them. So, yes, everything was cheaper, but people also got by with less. There were no cell phone or cable bills, no internet, no Starbucks, and fast food was a rare treat. You hung out at friends’ houses because nobody could afford to go anywhere.
When you bought a house, you got exactly that, a house. Appliances weren’t included, there was no A/C, floors were linoleum, no landscaping. Houses were much smaller by today’s standards. How many young couples starting out today would be happy to buy a <800 sq ft row house without central A/C, with tile floors, no refrigerator, no dishwasher, and no washer and dryer? What we once considered luxuries are now necessities.
Costs are higher, but so are expectations.
Not saying it isn’t hard for them, but it wasn’t so easy back then either.
Made it down to exercise this morning, so my back is on the mend.
Got an overnight package from the VA telling me they’ve scheduled me for bloodwork at some place about 20 minutes from here. This is the result of me filing a disability claim for exposure to toxins in Vietnam, which apparently contribute to Type 2 diabetes onset (which I have) and high blood pressure (which I also have). I don’t need the money, so I don’t know if I’ll follow through on it.
Cold and windy today, driving the chill factor down to -3F.
A photo of Sadie with Spike the Pencil Christmas Tree:
The PACT act? That’s kinda part of what MusicMan has filed under.
Sadie is so cute!!!
Sorry about your home grown swimming pool. It hope everything is resolved with it soon.
I just feel odd today. I tried to go back to sleep earlier and only stayed in bed for an hour. Now I should be sitting and doing some work and I’m just ‘meh’ about it. I did finish one of my art projects that I was working on, but I feel a bit scrambled about what to start next.
I don’t know if it has to do with my stupid knee being so uncooperative today or what. I did do my chair exercises as I discussed with my therapist, so Yay about that. Oh, and I made a jello instant cheesecake. Ok, maybe I should just find some stuff to do tomorrow with my students and just chill out.
We were just talking about this with Jessica-the-aide. She has a 21-y/o son and a 19 (almost 20)y/o daughter still living at home. She tells them that if they could learn to get along together, they could afford to move out and get a place. Apparently the thought of living with one’s sister/brother doesn’t appeal. Yeah, I get that. I couldn’t live with any of my sibs, but then we’re all old and set in our ways.
Keep a happy thought there. And at least you house isn’t flooded. But, dang…
This for certain. Just try to suggest someone get a basic cell phone with basic service. Or hanging clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer. Or just having basic cable - or even just OTA TV. Or not buying $6 coffee every morning. Or a lot of other things.
I didn’t walk uphill in the snow both ways to school, but I didn’t have a car till I was 21. I brown-bagged it for school and for work. And lucky for me that I didn’t care what was fashionable, so my clothing wasn’t stupid expensive. Plus I had a savings account from the time I was about 10 or so and I was expected to contribute to it regularly. I was always amazed to meet people who never had bank accounts. Different times, different attitudes, I guess.
She seems to have made herself at home.
FCD had his first experience with Uber. Apparently he agreed to something when he signed up and we’ve been billed for something… I just contacted that company to get the charges reversed. My credit card company said I had to contact Uber and that’s pretty close to impossible unless you’re booking a ride. Dammit.
There’s always a bright side, sometimes its just harder to find.
So the water company guys were here and talked to our plumber on the phone before leaving a handful of parts and a three foot piece of blue plastic pipe. Our plumber will be back sometime this afternoon and hopefully we will have flush toilets tonight.
When hubs saw the lake, I filled the bathtub because I had the feeling we would need the water for flushing. Today, hubs went to town and got gallon bottles of drinking water. I’m sure Harry would let us fill containers from his hose, but it is cold and we are too old and lazy to schlep buckets of water back and forth.
I’ve never lived with a roommate, after I got out of the USAF it was floozy time and a roommate would cramp my style. Happily for me, all of the places I rented were about a third of my income and came with a stove and fridge and most of them came with a place to hook up a washing machine. As long as I had room for my queen sized waterbed, I didn’t need a living room!
Such a pretty baby!
I’ll bet you would feel better after a slice of cheesecake, I know I would! I hope you perk up soon.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.
UPS is doing different things and still getting the same FUBAR results
So despite a 2 hour earlier start, and Garner shouldering some of the load, it was a mess, with 2 trailers of stuff left in the building. And in addition to the DM, there were suits there today as well. I got out at 11:45, after going in at 0dark 30. Sme tomorrow, probably.
Putting some extra bounce and flounce in the floozy-ing. 
And sorry about the lake, and attendant charges.
