(Old) Marching along in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
181

flyboy - sounds like you’ve landed in the right job - certainly a better choice than the USPS gig.

We’re starting today at 36 Ferrets, heading to maybe 50 and windy in time for the 2PM protest. I’m trying to figure how to wear my No Kings t-shirt - maybe over a slightly snug sweatshirt? That would work fine if not for the wind. I guess we’ll see. Theoretically, today will be the end of the cold weather. Fingers crossed.

There will also be a group collecting stable food supplies and health/hygiene supplies, so I’ll swing by Food Lion on the way. Or maybe the dollar store - they tend to have smaller sizes so I can get a bigger variety of items. What’s the better choice - one big tube of toothpaste or several smaller? Must consider. Or maybe I can just make a cash donation and let them figure it out?

Since the protest isn’t till the afternoon, we may be going to the boat for a while this morning. I need to make sure we take the vacuum cleaner so I can suck up all the paint chips I scraped off last time I was there. I’m hoping to get our cabin painted this week - thinking exterior latex paint will work fine, plus it’ll cost lots less than boat paints. I need to do research.. I’ve also looked up methods of loosening stuck windows - only the recently replaced one will open and we can’t afford to have any more replaced. The glass isn’t all that expensive, but the labor is $$$ and it is a tad beyond our skill and experience level. We’ll see how good the on-line advice is.

I was hearing a weird, rhythmic sound last night and it took a few minutes to realize it was coming from the pillow next to mine. It wasn’t exactly snoring but it was definitely a function of respiration. Funny how sounds in the dark can be menacing even when they’re nothing.

OK, time to finish morning internetting so I can get on with my day. Happy Last Saturday of March!!!

182

Hey, my neck of the woods, but I’ll be tied up all day with youth soccer. Hope the visit goes well. And the Jack Daniels place ain’t bad either.

FCM and others, happy protesting. I will be with you in spirit if not in presence.

And time to finish outfitting, getting organized and off to the soocer fields for the next 6-7 hours. Have a good Sattiday all.

183

They’ve made it. Mrs Magill just reported that there is an Ikea in Huntsville. The injustice of it all. At least we now know there’s one within day trip distance for our flat-pack furniture and inexpensive kitchenware needs.

184

Good morning.

It’s 39F and partly cloudy outside. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies in the morning, then fully cloudy in the afternoon, with a daytime high of 58F.

FCM and others, be safe at the protests.

Bob_Blaylock, I drive a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. While pretty luxurious on the inside, she is built to handle those awful Forest Service roads that do not see regular maintenance. She was my 50th birthday present and was the first and so far, only brand new vehicle we’d ever purchased. I drove her off the lot with barely 10 miles on her. I can’t believe she’ll be twelve in May.

Flyboy, I’m glad things are going so well at the new job.

FCM, I love the new glasses.

BooFae, yikes on that student! I hope you are done with her in the next few months.

So, yesterday was expensive, but it was going to happen anyway. I talked my husband into leaving the house so he could come with me to look at the Ego mowers. The one I was interested in was on sale, and I just knew it would be too heavy for me to manage alone. I had to bribe him with lunch because for him, every outing must include a stop for food. :roll_eyes: At any rate, we ended up buying two mowers; one for us and one as a housewarming gift for my son. Figured we might as well bite the bullet since they were 200 bucks off the normal price. Today, we’ll get our mower put together and test it out. The old mower has been moved outside until we can drain it and get it ready for either the dump or donation somewhere.

We had to bring home the mowers one at a time because I didn’t have enough room in the cargo area of the Jeep (even with seats folded down). My Expedition could have handled them both with no problem, but she is long gone.

Mollie, I’m glad the Mrs. and son made it to Alabama. Also, congrats on the band getting to go to London.

Other than putting together the mower and running it, I don’t have any plans. I found myself gravitating toward the plants while in the garden center at Lowe’s, but I restrained myself. I still need to purchase a new phone. I wanted to look at those, too, but my husband was getting antsy about getting back home. I have finally convinced him that he needs a new phone, too. He was telling me yesterday he doesn’t like being out and about too much because he just can’t see that well, and I get that. But, he was this way before his vision degraded, so I asked him what his excuse would be after recovery from his cataract surgery. He did laugh, because he knew that I knew he’d find another excuse.

I was fully committed to taking a road trip alone to see the grandkids, but given the fuel prices (especially up here!), I’ve backed off on that idea a little.

Well, I suppose I should get the day fully started. However, I think today calls for a third cup of coffee, so I’ll drink that while cruising the internet. Take care.

185

IME doing volunteer work, cash donations tend to go farther. The organization can purchase in bulk, if they’re a 501c3, they won’t pay sales tax and uniform sizes are much easier to handle / store. If you do purchase items, smaller sizes tend to be better (think 100 1 lb bags of rice as opposed to a 100 lb bag that volunteers have to weigh and rebag). If you go for toiletries, girly supplies and diapers are gold.

Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. With the toe issue, I won’t make No Kings today, but I gave Sis some money for lunch and to purchase another protester a meal. Other than that, it will be collecting and emailing my tax documents to H&R Block.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

186

I’ve had lots of luck with FB Marketplace. If it works, surely someone will take it.

FCD had to run to the boat this morning and he said the protesters were out in force in Solomons. Theirs started at 9:30 (I think) but ours is at 2. He’s thinking about going with me. I’m not sure he can deal with being on his feet very long, but we’ll see. I’m about to make a sign, then I’ll be ready to go. If he doesn’t want to stay, maybe he’ll drop me off and pick me up so I don’t have to deal with parking.

I did run to the dollar store and got an assortment of general and girly-specific items. Plus I had several little tubes of toothpaste that I’d gotten in goody bags from the dentist. They weren’t my preferred brand, so they’re donated now.

OK, time to make the sign.

187

I got last night’s stuff clerked by 6. Which was good, because I had to go over to the 300 Slide to help out, because it was slammed. Damages weren’t so bad, but with getting started on those last, I didn’t get out till noon. I had bacon, eggs, and a gin&tonic for lunch, did laundry, and now a quick nap before

188

A task-driven weekend, but today I get to stay in and do tasks in my leopard pajamas* with the kitties. In addition to a lot of tedious little items that can be attempted online, I’ll be doing some house cleaning. I plan to submit a writing residency application, fix minor typos in the novel (for whatever reason, some of my smart quotes became straight quotes), and work on the next book outline.

*Not what I wore to the parade mentioned in a previous MMP.

189

Evening all.

Happy protesting, those who are going!

It was nice and sunny and fairly warm here today, aside from one sudden shower and a single really weird freezing blast of wind. Finally had a moderately productive day in the garden- you may remember I bought a couple of apple trees to attempt a cordon fence with a few months back, well I finally have the actual fence up that they’ll be trained up… It should have been done before the plants went in. I still need to build the edge of the bed, but I think I want some bricks for that. I cleared out all the dead stems and stuff from the front I’d left up over winter as well. Dinner was half out the garden- a stir fry of kale shoots (works just like sprouting broccoli) and chives with noodles (ok, didn’t grow them), with the first of the rhubarb stewed for dessert.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for showers all day, so I’m going garden centering to get some essentials to finish the fence off. I suspect a few plants will fall into the basket as well, but I’ve yet to find a way to prevent that, so I just accept it now.

190

We spent about an hour at the protest, but it was excessively chilly and windy, so we left after an hour. But a good crowd and some interesting signs and lots of honks and waves.

Glad to be home. All that fresh air wore me out.

191

In October, I bought a Chinese Seiko. It’s movement is the a Seiko (TMI) NH35 24-jewel one. (My 1974 Seiko Bell-Matic has 17 jewels.) It is assembled into a complete watch by various companies in China. The case looks good, though it is lighter than the one on the (smaller) Bell-Matic; and certainly lighter than my Rolex Submariner that it intended to resemble.

Anyway, I wore it on vacation in October, and the bloody thing wouldn’t stay wound. It would not stay wound on the watch winder. But a week or so ago, I noticed it was running. I set it, and it is keeping good time. I wore it today. :slight_smile:

We went to Little Cheerful Café for breakfast, My Steaky Wakey omelette and Wifey’s biscuits and gravy (and hashbrowns) and over-easy eggs more than made up for the disappointing breakfast we had at Arlis’s. After breakfast, we went to the church, where there was a plants sale (by various vendors) in their parking lot. We got five tomato plants (one Roma, two Cherokee-somethings, and two others – cherry?), two packets of herbs seeds, and a packet of catnip seeds, for a sawbuck.

I’m making family-style tofu for dinner today. The supermarket was out of bok choi, but Google AI says I can substitute Napa cabbage. Everything is prepped. I just have to cook it in a couple of hours.

I got Smirnoff and V8 for bloody maries, some Bacardi for Hemingway daiquiris, and a 1-litre ($16.53 out-the-door) bottle of locally-made (Ferndale) vodka. None have been opened yet.

192

I had a bumper sticker that said: “TIME is what keeps everything from happening at once.” Yesterday there was not enough time. Today is a new day.

I have done my civic duty and lived to tell the tale.
It seemed like I didn’t sleep five minutes in a row all night. Had my whole brain lit up and twitching with the social anxiety.
At daylight I gave up and got up and made myself a pot of Lion Gold, my special occasion high-caffeine treat. I get to drink it up because another order of beans is on the way, woot!

It’s been a beautiful day for a protest. Bright sunshine and cool, with a bit of brisk wind to make the flags flap and the signs fly away. The turnout wasn’t great, probably only half what we had in October. Scuttlebutt is that dinky protests are no fun so some folks, especially the younger ones, went to Rome or Etlanna to be in a big crowd. That ain’t me! I’ve had my “big protest crowd” experience, and I’d rather take a beatin’ than go to Rome, GA, for any reason.

We all noticed a difference from last year. In October, every few minutes some jerk would drive past and yell something ugly or shoot us the bird. Some people made the block and came back for a second round.
Today, not one person yelled out the window at us, and only two threw the birdie. Instead, there were many people who stared straight ahead and wouldn’t look at us. We’re making people uncomfortable; hopefully we make them think.
Way, WAY more people honked the horn and waved at us this time. That was really encouraging.

On the way home I ducked into a Burger Doodle to pee and bought the princess dog a cheeseburger for her supper. Now I will attempt to do absolutely nothing useful for the rest of the day.

Two quilters in one house, the mind boggles! I’m intimidated by quilting, all that math, all those pieces! What I love are the “fat quarters”! Just flipping through them and daydreaming about which designs would work well in 1:12 scale.

That’s about how my stash goes. My stuff is miniatures or hiking MYOGs (Make Your Own Gear) and it doesn’t take up much space. But if I put a project away I’ll forget about it, so in-progress items are out where I can get to them easily. I just have too many things in-progress at one time.

And my grandfather was bootleggin’ it! Supposedly even during my lifetime since there were a lot of dry counties back then.

Errybody knows that Tater Tot casserole is for finicky kids, not grown-ups.
Where I worked we called the chef “Chef” to aggravate him. He hated it and we’d say, “oui, Chef,” when we thought he was being unreasonably dickish.

193

My mother is struggling. She’s got shingles on her face, by her eye and on her scalp. Apparently, getting it into the eye is really terrible, but fortunately it hasn’t gotten there yet.

she was really weak yesterday so we eventually took her to the ER. After a five-hour wait, she got seen. Then, after another hour in the exam room, they decided to admit her. I was with my sister and we decided to go home at that point, since it was 2:00 am.

Two hours later, they decided to not admit her, but my sister was deep asleep by then. They decided to transport her back home.

Six hours in the ER for my sister and I. My mother was there for a couple of hours.

I’m glad I was there to help.

Originally, we were going to leave so 9:00 AM for a 3-hour drive to my nephew’s place but we couldn’t leave me mother alone today. My sister stayed home and I brought my kids.

My niece and my kids are doing a trampoline park while I do the old man watching part.

194

Home. Tired. Sore.

Was at the soccer fields from 8:30am to 3:30pm with only a quick stop home and a ‘snacks run’ for a soccer team (coach couldn’t make it–birthday party–so I subbed for him). Mostly traffic director (the littles play on a big field subdivided into 4 small fields and figuring out which is the correct one…) along with referee mentoring (14 y.o. girl doing her first game…did OK) and watching the kids play and answering coaches questions. Weather has been nice and sunlit, but a bit of a breeze and cool (high was about 60F). All-in-All a good start to the season I think. But it wore me down. Got home and got a note on a car recall, so booked that for early May, along with a couple more soccer things. Will get some dinner here in a little bit.

Mollie, the IKEA opened just a couple weeks ago, have no idea why they chose Huntsville but I’ll have to pay a visit one of these days.

Taters, hope the mower meets your needs for many years.

Nut, a little more tired after reading your task list,

GenJ and others, thanks for being there.

Sensei, {{{ }}} for you and your Mother.

And need to get some nourishment before starting the evening routine. Take care all.

195

It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did for me to figure out I was putting the new battery in my old camera upside down. If I’d paid attention to how the old one came out, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Glad it’s working now, tho. I like it much better than my new camera. Nikon for the win. The Kodak does not impress me.

I posted pics on FB from our protest - FCD only took 4 and I hadn’t taken my camera. But you kinda get the sense of the size of the crowd. Not going to put them here, so non-FB friends, well, sorry.

Almost time for evening meds and my apple-n-peanut butter snack. And I’ll look for something to stream. Such an exciting evening!

196

Hey everyone, we are home after a day spent talking shit about the orange one with kindred spirits. There were new people which was good. There were more armed young men than I would have expected, the stand off with ICE involved men my age and I didn’t see any of them. Of course, we didn’t see them until they were needed last time so I guess that wasn’t much of a surprise.

It was a bright sunny day, cool and windy. My Handmaid uniform drew more attention than my “Shame” sign, but it always does. Its like a Rorschach blotter, everyone assigns their own meaning to it.

When I got home, Hubs had put shelves in the closet in my room. I had told him that I wanted them, but didn’t expect to come home to a room full of bins. Its actually kinda embarrassing, when we moved here I didn’t really take the time to organize my stitching stuff and now I’m able to see how much of a mess it all is.

I thought I would make him some brownies to show my gratitude but when I was pulling everything out of the cupboard, I learned that some big rat likes chocolate chips. I don’t mind so much that he eats them, its the not replacing or putting them on the list part that makes me go grrrr!

Two batches got made, one with almond butter and one with peanut butter. He likes the peanut butter ones better, so that’s what I will be doing going forward.

I also learned that possums poop a whole lot. One found the bird seed in front of the french doors last night and this morning the entire ramp was covered in poops. There must have been more than one. Happily it was dry and easy to sweep off into the grass.

I am so sorry for her, I’ve heard shingles is horrible and getting it in the eyes is even worse. I do hope they gave her something for the pain, I understand it is pretty bad.

I found half a dozen forgotten UnFinishedObjects today. :blush:

We noticed the same thing, no cursing and no trump rollers smoking at us. Folks aren’t happy about their kids being sent to die for Bibi.

I agree, cash is always better, but it isn’t nearly as much fun. I watch the sales and buy period supplies when they are on sale so I have something material to donate as well.

Ain’t nothing going to get any cheaper than it is today, you made the right decision.

Jolene just asked for upsies, I don’t get that often so I’m going to enjoy it. Laters :slight_smile:

Springing into cleaning in the MMP
197

< Roomies does laps during hockey intemission >(1/4 mile)
< dogbutler joins in >
Spot: WHY ARE YOU ZOOMIE-ING, IT’S NOT 0300!!!"

{{{{Sensei and Mom}}}}

A friend of mine got it, and had to miss the pub crawl, so yeah.

198

Sis went to the protest in ruby red Katy. She said that there were a couple of thousand people there. Given that Katy has a large agricultural component, that says something. She and another retired teacher had lunch together on me. :slight_smile:

When I travel, Nelson tends to get junior hamburgers sans bun or egg McMuffins without the muffin. There’s a reason he gets excited to get in the car. :slight_smile:

Was he bootleggin’ in east Tennessee? If so, he may have run some of her product. Before they moved to Indiana, that’s where she was making ‘shine. She carried the still with her when they went north. My aunt and I found it when we were cleaning out the basement after Pop passed.

{{{sensai and family}}}

I had a little Nikon digital instamatic for a few years until phone cameras got better. I still have a mid sixties Nikon 35mm, complete with lenses that will fit on Sis’ Nikon digital.

Thank goodness it wasn’t a raccoon. They truly make a mess when they get shut in the barn.

199

To make it even worse, it was tuna casserole. How cheap can you get?

Well, the big rally went off without problem today. Cops estimated over 100,000 attendees along with Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and Bernie Sanders. A small group from our building made it down the two blocks for a local demonstration, but the cold wind sent them back after about an hour.

We ordered in Chinese, which wasn’t bad. I decided on a change from my usual General Tso and got sweet & sour. A mistake as it turned out. The wife said her moo shoo pork was good.

Pancakes for tomorrow’s fast breaking.

200

Howdy Y’all! We went to the hog trough and then went to the local protest for a bit. It was at a local park and probably a couple hundred people were there. We stayed an hour and chit chatted. Very windy and coolish out and we weren’t dressed to be standin’ around outside for very long. Still, I am glad we decided to go. Nappage and day drinkin’ then followed. We had dirty martinis with bleu cheese stuffed olives. Much like Mollie we like gin. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, so we get to walk around wavin’ palms whilst we march into the church house. We be a wild bunch.

GenJ haven’t been to Rome in years. A kolledge friend lived there and I had a umm… fling with a man from there back in my young and floozy days. I was sad to learn that the old courthouse burned down this week. It was a cool old buildin’.