I am very tired of people being in my mouth. 
She didn’t even try after I commented about tying them off - she realized she couldn’t possibly manage it. I just blew up 10 and gave the other 10 to Daughter for Roxy’s second b-day party. On Saturday, she’s having all her friends at a playground for frolic and food. And balloons.
If you click on the pic, you’ll see more balloons.
I’ve dug up and moved the plants out of the expanded veggie bed. I need to buy a couple of 2X6 pressure treated boards to make a raised bed, then I need to get a small load of topsoil. Not sure how much more I can get done today - I stopped for lunch and I’m having a time getting motivated to get out again. But I will. Dammit.
Don’t forget “BILLIONS of people in the path of this apocalyptic non-event! Nighttime drizzles that are 17 times more dangerous than atomic bombs!” I really hate how every single bloody thing is a calamity. Then, at the end of the news we get “So often, the news is full of bad things (that we have just over-dramatized), so now we’ll show you some sort of feel-good glurge that will just depress you further.”
Got a parking place right next to the door and made it back before the thunder started up. Win!
The party room looks so festive and Roxie looks happy to be so loved and celebrated~as she should be!
i’ve looked into it. i have told the family that i would prefer compost to cremation.
It barely sprinkled the day before we got back, and the weeds are overexuberant about it. There wasn’t even enough water to disturb the dust in the bottom of the rain gauge.
My approach to yard care is to pull the ones that have stickers (goatheads, foxtails, tumbleweeds), are invasive (pigweed and whatever the heck the mustard-looking ones are), and non-native grasses. If a plant has pretty flowers, is native, and/or doesn’t crowd out the plants I want, they’re welcome to stay and I regard them as part of the landscape plan. This leads to me on my hands and knees in patches of weeds, carefully pulling only some of the weeds. Are we that house on the block? Why, yes, we are, but I’m essentially harmless and I’ll round up the stray mail and dogs that find their way to me and return them, so my neighbors put up with me.
Ugh. Mine did it at 6:30, and I didn’t have any specific time to be up, but I swear the cats can even hear my eyelids opening, and once my feet hit the floor, they will scream at me until I go downstairs to feed them.
You remind me that even with all the junk I have at home, I’m probably better off than I was at work, where there was a constant stream of baked goods and doughnuts on a table about ten feet from my desk. I can ignore packaged goods, but I will eat doughnuts until they’re gone, even though I know they’ll make me feel bad. I swear I can feel my blood sugar spiking and crashing as soon as I bite into one.
My therapist thinks it is! 
She’s suggested that when I get those intrusive thoughts, I try writing them down and calculating how likely they are, then writing down what the best-case scenario is instead. Sometimes it helps? There’s something in my brain that’s convinced that I have to worry about everything in order to keep it from happening, and the goal is to make my magical thinking less stressful. Maybe that’s helpful for you? Real estate transactions are wildly stressful no matter how you look at it, though.
Good luck! I get to do that Monday. When I was in my 20s and 30s and running up credit card debt to fix my rotten molars, no one told me they’d need to be replaced someday. I have a vague feeling that I should get a discount on the ones my dentist did in the 80’s, but the practice’s billing person doesn’t share that view.
I used to love them, but speaking of dental work…
They drive me nuts with the “heartwarming” stories about communities doing fundraising for someone’s critical medical care. How about we see some stories about the failures of privately-funded healthcare?
Mr. L: “It’s good Daughter made it home before this front. It’s going to be bad in the Midwest!”
They know their audience.
I’m intrigued by the concept myself. It seems so environmentally friendly! Of the five family members whose funerals I’ve been in on planning, two were cremated and three were buried in simple wooden coffins without embalming. I’ve told my kids that I’d like them to do whatever is easiest for them, and cremation means they would have time to gather and plan rather than needing to get me in the ground quickly, but composting would really give them time!
i have told the family i am considering having container plantings delivered to them. a choice of pussywillow or dogwood. one cousin took umbrage at the idea of having me in a container.
Started Typing: 2:08 PM ET
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Belated happy birthday to Roxy! 
And belated happy gotcha day to Spot! 
Snacks are a huge weakness of mine; they’re the reason I’ve regained almost 30 of the pounds I lost after 2021’s bariatric surgery, despite starting regular personal training sessions nine months ago. The biggies for me are microwave popcorn (Pop Secret Homestyle) and cookies (especially Nonni’s Cranberry Almond ThinAddictives and Pepperidge Farm Dublin).
Sunday afternoon’s jazz vocal workshop was great. My first song was “Triste,” and I was reminded of how horrible I am at singing bossa novas. Heh. I got some good suggestions, though, and my second tune – “Baby I’m A Fool” – went better. But, of course, I completely forgot to record either one. 
It was my first workshop in a couple of years, and it was great to get that kind of feedback.
Yesterday was a long day, due to filling in for my boss (the program manager), supporting two contract-related actions that are due this week, and stuff related to the performance improvement plan that one of my direct reports is 3/4 of the way through (things aren’t looking great for her). Then, after working from 8:30am-6:55pm, I joined a 7:00pm Zoom for my volunteer organization…but I took that meeting from my iPad while sitting on the couch in my jammies (with a bowl of popcorn), and kept my camera off. (Every meeting I go to winds up reinforcing my decision to quit volunteering at the end of the year… *sigh*)
I had to turn the a/c on yesterday afternoon for the first time this year, because it got into the mid-80s. And at around 3pm there was a thunderstorm with serious hail! I hadn’t seen hail in a while. At first it was just “conversational,” but then there was a brief deluge of hail big enough that I felt compelled to check on my car when it was over. Temps cooled after the storm, and by bedtime I’d turned off the a/c and was able to go to sleep with a bedroom window open (for the third night in a row). Right now it’s sunny and in the low 70s…pretty nice.
Today has been slightly less busy than yesterday – as evidenced by this post – but I’ll still be glad when the work day is over. I have a personal training session at 5:40pm, and on the way home I’ll stop at the grocery store for bananas and maybe a few things for this weekend’s trip to NJ. I leave on Friday, and I’m somewhere between “I can’t believe it’s Tuesday already” and “I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday.” 
I really hate the homecoming between a military person and their offspring in front of a big group of people. This kid may be in for the most soul killing experience in their life at some point.
I’m sick of seeing returning service members surprising their kids at school. After the first two or three hundred times, it’s no longer heartwarming.
Yeah, ninja’d by Cookie. Dammit. 
Supper was OK - hot dogs and yesterday’s leftover sides. I’m not usually much for hot dogs, but every once in a while… so now I’m good for another 6 months or so.
FCD has a Dr appt tomorrow, then he’ll go get the lumber I need to make my raised garden bed. While he’s gone, I’ll get the landscape fabric in place. I’ll go to a local place for a yard or so of topsoil. Meanwhile, my veggies have yet to sprout - it’s been 2 days, dammit!!!
Chillage time.
It does suck when getting on and off the bike is more dangerous than the actual ride. 
Sometimes, you’d be surprised what is hard to get at the local grocery in your area. Kroger and the Pubic Sto’ have both quit carrying old fashioned grits, so my options are a special trip to FL or ordering from da Jungle.
Irked, came home, took the small beast out and et. Not a whole lot shaking at CasaRoja again.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
My tired in the afternoon brain read that as “Ab’d” Sort of like Abe Lincoln, but with a d on the end. And I was wondering what it meant. 
The party looks fun!
We had that happen at the house that I grew up in. That was one of the funny memories about my dad. Here we have water just pouring through the roof and my dad’s first inkling was to save a picture that was hanging on the wall!
I’m at a standstill for now. I’ve got two iPhones here that I can’t figure out the password for. But, I have an Apple Watch and I did get into it. Unfortunately it’s not linked to the phone in that particular special way that will let me open the phone with the watch being on. Ah well. I’ll try again soon.
Today I went and volunteered at the AMC. Tomorrow I have PT and then in the afternoon I go to school to pick up all of my things from the classroom. I’m very anxious about it. Fortunately one of my former coworkers is going to help so hopefully it will be fast. I don’t know how much more emotional stuff I can handle.
Ok, back to my Pizza Pizza that I’ve been working on for dinner.
I had a scrambled egg sandwich for breakfast today… about six or seven hours ago. I’m getting hungry.
It feels like the aesthetic has worn off, as I can feel my lip again. So far, no pain in the tooth. The dentist drilled out the old filling, built the tooth up with resin or something, and put on a temporary crown. I was warned to to eat anything hard or chewy. I threw out my chicharrones when I got home. First, the meat part was very hard and chewy and the skin part was often hard; and secondly, it had been in the fridge for a couple of weeks whilst I wasn’t eating it and it was probably not very good. If I want steak, I was told to chew on the other side of my mouth… the side with the loose implant that will have to come out.
So I don’t know. I picked up some triple crème brie, roquefort, and sampler pack of Spanish cheeses from Trader Joe’s on the way home.
Howdy Y’all! Laundry got done and put where it stays until it gets dirty again. It’s a never endin’ cycle. Sloth, nappage, and day drinkin’ were also accomplished. Sup got made and et. Fartfest is in full swing. Next up is some Netflix and chill. Thus it is in swampland.
Whenever it’s a rainy/stormy day I say in my daily weather report to y’all that rain/tstorms/apocalypse is/are predicted. That’s the way TWPTB report it. OYKW and I say this means we need to stay home and await our doom. A marvelous excuse to stay away from the great unwashed.
I know just what you mean. We had a walk in tub and shower installed after we moved in and it was a nightmare. I was still working, so Hubs was dealing with the contractors but I came home to the mess every day for a week.
He really is one of the good ones. I hope you have some success with the phones, but have heard that it won’t be easy.
OK, so I already know that I don’t have a life, no reminders, please!
I look forward to your weekly bin reports.
Everyone copes with grief differently, she is probably using paint colors to distract herself in front of you then cries in the middle of the night when you are asleep!
Oh, I don’t even want to hear any of your stories, I’m pretty sure some of them would be nightmare inducing. Thank your for being able to do such an important job, I’m sure you saved lives.
I tried keeping some single serving bags when we got them in a surplus box. I was able to limit myself to one bag then put them in the cabinet and forget about them…Hubs was not. Now he has a bag of chips at late breakfast (no booze, so not brunch) after we go to New River for weed, so maybe every three weeks?
Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that either. The branch already fell, it can’t fall again. Planes and pieces of planes would probably be more of a concern to me and we don’t even live under any flight zones.
Evening all. Got a fair amount of pedaling in at the gym, watched Champion’s League Soccer and then went out to coach it with some 7 year old girls. Had fun and I think the girls did to. Home to some Mac-n-Cheese and sloth and internetting will occupy the balance of the evening.
verwirrt, hope the storms passed you by, or at least were not too severe.
Annnnnnnd…I got nothing. Hope the crowning goes well.
FCM, Roxy looks so grown-up for a 6 year old in that picture.
Cookie, yeah for the perfect timing.
oopsie, I for one am glad you back in the groove of singing, it seems to me that is something you truly enjoy doing and it helps you with the long days and long work.
FCM, I bought hot dogs last week for the first time in ages, they haven;t been half bad, but I am left wondering again about one of the mysteries of the ages: why do hot dogs come in packages ot 10 and hot dog buns come in packages of 8?
Only AMC’s I know are a movie theater chain and the Army Material Command and I don;t think either needs volunteers right now…
And it’s 8;30pm, have about an hour of You Tubing to watch, then head off towards bed I think. All y’all take care and I’ll be back with you on Hump Day.
Up from naptime. Hand a Manhattan and Redneck stirfry, and watched hockey. Spot is napping.
I think that’s why I have so many friends who are ex EMS/ex-military. I can hear a story about getting to a cardiac arrest call six months late and not blink.
Storms ended up being about ten minutes of light drizzle. Much drama in the forecast. No trees on my house.
I didn’t mean to overlook you, Hubs called and we are probably going to be making an offer on this place if it passes the inspection. It is smaller than our current place (good) and in the country (good). Hubs was in it today, it’s not so busy looking now.
Holy cow! I thought those were staple back east. Hubs got biskits for breakfast most days, but Sundays were special because he got grits drowned in butter then. He still likes them on Sundays because TRADITION!!!
Tomorrow is surplus day and I’d probably skip it (we are trying to eat all of our frozen food before we move) but I have people depending on me so off I will go. Happily the library will take all of the professionally packaged food I get and chicken guy has 9 laying chickens now, he will take any produce he can get his hands on.
West Virginia doesn’t allow for human composting now, but I’m hoping things will change before we need it. I know they are running out of room to bury folks, so maybe this will make folks think about it a little more.
GG is seriously depressed now. He spent the day curled up into a little kitty ball on our bed and wails constantly. Tomorrow I’m going to start washing all of the bedding and I’ll probably donate the pillows off the extra bed to a pet rescue. I miss her too and understand why having constant olfactory reminders doesn’t seem to be comforting to him.
Poor lil guy, these are dark days in his life.