(Old) Meticulously Monday the MMP!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
161

I made one the other day and I used a packet of country gravy mix instead of making my own white sauce - it was actually pretty good! Easy supper (with leftovers) for the win!

I notice this, too. It’s like a sense of entitlement behind the wheel. Lately, it’s been folks who drive behind me as I’m backing out of a parking space, as if waiting 10 seconds for me to be gone will be a catastrophe! The other one is the driver who won’t yield to pedestrians when it’s raining. You’re in a nice, dry car - cut some slack for the poor guy in the rain trying to get to his car, or the store, or whatever. Sheesh!!

Cookie - I failed to mention it earlier, but I’m very impressed by your grandson! Good for him!!

My daughter and SIL keep putting off the oil change on their Rogue because Paul keeps finding other things wrong when they take it to him. Except the vehicle was a piece of crap when she bought it and she hasn’t kept up with maintenance because of the cost. So it gets crappier. With luck, they can soon afford to replace that hunk of junk.

How many hours? Do you smoke them till they’re falling off the bones?

They stopped in Durham and she said it was a lousy motel. I’m guessing they chose for price, which is not the best way to go. Oh well…

They’re supposed to hit their destination around 1230 central time. Since SIL’s family won’t have space, they’ve booked a motel with a pool (for the kids.) I hope it’s a better place than they had last night.

MIL was up before 7 - her sleep pattern is really weird of late. And she’s strangely obsessed with her old neighborhood in Ocala. She talks to her old neighbors about what’s going on, and I hear her say things like “We need to” or “We should” as if it’s still her place. She did find out that the sink hole that showed up will cost about a million to repair, so the amenity fees are going to shoot up. Sounds like she escaped just in time!

Trevor got out of his crate overnight (obviously I didn’t secure it properly) and he hiked his leg on FCD’s end table. The table was easy to clean. The carpet cleaner will come out in a bit, because I don’t have nearly enough to do on laundry day. Idiot dog…

While I’m doing laundry, I need to re-pack the china. I kinda didn’t think about that when I was unwrapping it all. So I have that to look forward to. Still haven’t heard back from Replacements - are they ignoring me??? I just want this stuff gone.

And so begins the next to the last day of August 2024. Happy Firday!

162

Got a bit more sleep, after discovering the newly-installed smoke detectors do, in fact, work. :roll_eyes:

(I was smoking in bed, and after moving out to the living room where there’s no detector, actually fell asleep sitting up in my chair, before migrating back to bed.)

Woke awhile later, again with a pissy tummy, but also to the most spectacular sunrise I’ve seen in a long time. I would’ve missed it if the nausea hadn’t woken me up, so there’s that, I guess. :upside_down_face:

I was like, “Why is the whole world red?” (All the blinds were closed, but they’re the sorta translucent sort that let a lot of light leak through.)

Heh, while I was typing to y’all I’d let Monkey out to burn off some assholery zoomies. He just shot back in like his ass was on fire, tail fully puffed.

… and I realized a pop-up storm had started & probably caught him by surprise.

Dang, it’s really comin’ DOWN out there right now!

Alright, I’m going the hell back to bed.

163

Sorry to hear. Thats unpleasant.
What soothes my stomach after is frozen yogurt.

164

I hope you feel better soon, shoe!

165

All righty then. I’ve showered and dressed. I’ve changed out the towels for MIL’s shower today. And I’ve cleaned the carpet where Trevor peed. FCD went to check the progress on the boat but he’ll be back so I can do laundry and wrap china in peace. Jessica is supposed to call and let us know when she’ll be here for shower time. And so goes the day…

PS - I love my “good ice” maker!!!

166

Good afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 18c/65f with a predicted high of 19c/67f, and mostly cloudy. Weather app says “It’s fucking cloudy and mild. Let’s get crazy and get fucking kitten tattoos we’ll probably regret later.” Err…not today, thank you!

Of course you belong here, and we’ve missed you! I’ve missed both of you, and worried that you might never want to come back. It’s good to see you dipping your toes back in :slight_smile:

It does show you how much you don’t need, want or actually enjoy half the stuff you used to think you couldn’t live without!

How fabulous!

Did you congratulate yourself on being right? It’s good to know that there’s a definite cause for her behaviour, and it can be dealt with eventually.

shoe feel better soon!

I’ve had a mixed bag of a day so far. I didn’t sleep very well as I’ve got the start of a cold so I’ve had a sore throat and a stuffy head for a couple of days. Today I wasn’t feeling that bad when I got up so I came into work, the bus was late, the train to the Big City Station was late so I only just squeaked onto the nice train out to campus. On the plus side, I’ve got the office to myself so I’ve largely been on my own today. Got some music on, got lots of things done, and generally had quite a productive day.

I have nothing planned for tonight, I’m going nowhere, and the only thing I intend to do is have a long soaky bath. Tomorrow I need to be up early as we’re fundraising at a local animal sanctuary’s dog show so we need to be there by 8am to get set up. I have to leave mid-morning to get my hair cut, then probably go back again later to help dismantle everything.

I’ve got about another 2hrs at work, then I can escape and go home :slight_smile:

167

Morning all. Today is the Great Firday shopping trip, need to stock up at Kroger and earn those 4x points to save on the gas fill-up, which I also have to do this weekend. Some swimming and some soccer and maybe even some house-irk should take care of the majority of the day. It’s already 82F heading for 97F so another blazer. My electric bill has climbed a lot, but is still not ridiculous, so will bear it one more month and hope things cool down (September bill is historically the highest).

shoe, hope you’re feeling better. And can get the car fixed quickly. Nice move on the rat chow.

FCM, you haven’t had a pup there in a while, as such accidents happen (or so I have heard). And hope Daughter and SIL make it there and back with no major problem.

{JtC does here happy dance while shouting "I told you so!!}. And glad to see GG’s two brain cells rub together.

flyboy, radishes grow that fast?

Sari, hope Misiu gets to feeling better. And so far I’m OK with driving around here, but I seem to have a blind spot, have pulled out in front of cars (at least wwith enough distance that they can slow and honk at me) a few times, so need to take extra care there). Still riding the expressways, but only a little over the speed limit…

swampy, same here. Supposed to have rain next week, but we’ll see.

Nettie, enjoy the roaming.

OK, schools should be in session so I’ll get myself dressed and do the shopping early before the hordes descend and pick things clean. Take care all.

168

Thunder boomers woke me up, as did Ursala Kitteh singing the I WANT BREAKFAST song. I sprained my ankle a little over 2 weeks ago and there is one spot that still hurts. I’m still taking it easy. Saw Ariel yesterday for a brief visit. The barn is still under construction with the new roof, she is still in a different stall, and I’m still crabby about it all.

169

Daughter just messaged me - they’re in Jawja and have about 4 hours to go. First load of laundry will be done in about 15 minutes. All the china has been repacked for now. MIL is still sleeping in her chair, no call from the shower aide yet. And that’s my morning so far. Sadly lacking chocolate…

170

Good morning.

It’s 53F and mostly sunny outside. It’ll be clear and sunny all day with an expected temperature of 86F. Tomorrow, we’ll be at 90.

You know how I know that I’m ready for fall? When watering, fertilizing, and caring for my flowers feels like a real chore. I’m ready for fall and first frost. Unfortunately, we’re expected to have a pretty warm autumn; the first frost is far away.

Shoe, I hope you feel better soon, that your car is fixed quickly and that it won’t be as costly as feared.

Nellie and BBBoo, I’ve missed you both and hope you’ll return someday. I understand why you feel uncomfortable, but know you’ll always be welcome.

Cookie, congrats on the grandson’s accomplishment!

There is not much on the agenda today. I will have to log into my work computer to see if they got the information for the very last award recipient so I can send forward the paperwork. I’ll have to water the flowers, the birds need fresh water, and I should knock out a couple of chores.

I also need to order birthday presents for my granddaughter, Zoe. She turns six next week!

We decided to let the pups start sleeping with us. The first night was not restful. I went to bed before my husband and Buster was so excited, he would not stop tromping around on the bed or me. He’d settle for a few minutes and then he’d start again. Maisie can’t quite jump on the bed on her own (it’s very tall). Eventually, Buster settled and slept next to me until my husband came to bed and then Buster jumped down on the floor and slept next to my side of the bed. Maisie gave up on sleeping with me, and went back downstairs.

Last night, it started off much the same, but this time, I helped Maisie onto the bed. She was in heaven, and after some initial sniffing and tromping, she settled down next to me to relax. Buster decided that sleeping on top of my legs and mid-section was comfortable. It was not. Eventually, he jumped down, and Maisie acted anxious, so I knew she needed down to potty. Buster slept on the floor again next to my side of the bed. Maisie was in and out all night, and I fear I will have to search the yard for socks. I found socks in her mouth this morning when she woke me. I could hear the pet door flap several times throughout the night.

Well, that’s the “exciting” news from my corner of the world. I need another cup of coffee, and then I’ll head outside to pick up poo and search for things that shouldn’t be in my yard.

171

Yes. I remember we planted radish seeds in elementary school so that we could watch them grow, and learn a little something about how plants grow. They take about a week to germinate. As I said, I checked them after ten days. I’m guessing they should have edible bulbs in a couple of weeks.

172

I do not like my ribs that tender. I smoke them until a rack will break clean when holding them up with tongs about halfway. Usually four hours or less

173

You are being environmentally friendly. When you eat like that, you conserve water, energy and resources.

Dang about your car, I hope its not too pricey.

This place was already wired for a generator, so at least we didn’t have to have that done.

The cats and I would be just fine for at least a week but hubs is not a casual gamer. High speed internet is almost as important as breathing to him.

Hmmmm. GC is back and you are waking up sick. Here’s hoping it is just a coincidence.

We were both really hoping we were wrong. But like you said, it’s good to know for sure. I called the original vet to ask if they would finish spaying her with no charge to us because if we were going to have to pay for it, we didn’t want to take her that far. The tech I spoke to said she was sure that the vet would want to take care if her for us, but vet was out until Tuesday so they would have to call me back.

I’m not mad at that vet, Jolene will be a year old next month and she’s only 6 anna half pounds. She was a little bitty thing when she was fixed, it would be easy to miss something. Our only issue with them is that its a three hour round trip and we both had good feelings about the vet who did her blood work and was only ten minutes away.

It’s nice to be able to focus on work with no interruptions :slight_smile:

I hope you make lots of money at the dog show. And I hope you see lots of pretty puppers too.

It only took him two months! He’s such a smart kitty!!!

Does Ariel not like her different stall? I’m sure your ire is fully justified no matter what the issue is. I will be crabby in solidarity with you.

174

And just a quick note, shopping has been done and points earned, may go back in a bit, they have 12-packs of Pepsi products at a “buy 2, get 3 free” bargain, that comes out to about $4/pack, so as long as the expiration dates are in December might as well stock up. Might even get to the $1.20/gallon savings mark for my gas fill-up.

Finally got around to installing the new keyboard in the hopes it was quieter than the older one…and it is…barely.

wet one, glad the ankle is doing better.

Taters, sounds like Buster has adapted pretty quickly, Maisie will get the idea soon.

flyboy, been so long since I’ve grown anything, I had no idea. Thanks for the info.

And that’s all the excitement at Casa Rat. Oh, did have a big breakfast of bacon and pancakes after shopping…pushing a cart with five 12-packs of Pepsi and a 40-count water bottle package along with other stuff is a pretty good workout.

175

I gave up trying to grow tomatoes and strawberries. Everybody else’s tomatoes are abundant. Mine tend to be few, and then the leaves turn black. The squirrels won’t let us have any strawberries.

176

Nah, it’s my own damn fault.

I did that bad thing where I barely ate for over a day (Wedn) and then Thur morning woke up to the mother of all hot flashes, then onto the mounting stress of the non-working car, bumming a ride into work, etc.

Plus I drank quite a bit Wedn. night. My unhappy stomach is my own damn dumb fault.

177

Started Typing: 12:15 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 1:24 PM ET

We had solid rain/storms most of the evening and night, but luckily the loudest thunder ended before I went to sleep. Today it’s much cooler (currently only 72°F), but overcast and juuust humid enough to not want the windows to be open. Which, it turns out, is just as well, because someone’s been running a saw at the new build site that faces my house and I would’ve had to close the home office window anyway.

Speaking of rain and open windows, the warped storm door out front is officially a pain in the butt. I emailed my property manager about it a week ago, with “here’s why I need a new door and what I’d like to get, I know I need your approval, I’m willing to pay for it but would you be willing to supply the labor for the installation,” etc. I actually got a pretty quick reply, but he only said that he’d need to coordinate with his brother – who does all of the maintenance – for the installation. I responded with great, thanks, please have him call or text me. Have I heard a peep from either of them all week? Nope. I assume his reply meant that he’s OK with the idea/project, but I need to follow up for confirmation and ask if I can/should contact his brother directly (I’ve dealt with him a few times over the years; he knows me, and we get along). I’ll wait until after the holiday, but I always have to seriously nag this guy about anything having to do with the house…I know it’s just how property managers are, and he’s actually one of the better ones, but it’s still super annoying. I’d love to have a new storm door in place before any fall weather starts.

Anyway, work has been quite manageable again today. At the risk of tempting the wrath of the whatever from the high atop the thing, I think it will remain quiet – thank you, holiday weekend! – and I’ll be able to log off a little early. :crossed_fingers:

Meanwhile, it’s lunchtime and I had some yummy Panera delivered: half of a ciabatta cheesesteak, with a fruit cup side. Lest you be concerned, I also got a few bakery goods for later. :grin:

Here is the tattoo removal progress photo that I couldn’t get ImgBB to upload yesterday:

It’s still visible, but definitely on the way out! The pic on the left was taken just before session #1 – the tattoo was 23 years old at the time – and I took the one on the right a day after session #12.

LOL! One good thing about when I can watch the Yankees is that sometimes they’re the visitors and I get the home team’s broadcasters. :joy:

Possibly my least favorite five words in the English language.

When I was little, my family’s apartment building burned to the ground: luckily none of us was hurt, but we lost everything…including our cat (though I like to believe that Nona was able to run away, because almost 50 years later I still tear up at the idea of her dying in the fire). I was only about to start kindergarten, but I still have some vivid memories. The cause? An upstairs neighbor who had fallen asleep while smoking (cigarettes) in bed.

Just to be clear, I’m not upset or triggered or anything; that phrase will just always give me pause. :slight_smile:

It’s why I’m psychologically incapable of leaving a room or going to sleep if a candle is burning; and, my lifelong admiration of firefighters is due to sharing an ambulance ride (when I went into shock) with a fireman who had fallen through the roof of the building while venting it.

My ex and I adopted Bailey when she was 3 months old: one of his only rules was that she wasn’t allowed to sleep with us – and the other dog – until she was able to get off the bed on her own. :grin: I was 100% on board, but man did that puppy hate being crated at night!! Happily, she was able to join us just a couple of months later. So funny how the circle of life is: 16 years later, most days she can’t get on/off the bed anymore.

178

I remember you posting your requirements a lil’ while ago, and thinking, “Dang, that’s way better than what I’ve got!”

May I ask which door you’re hoping to get, if there’s an online linky?

I hate that shit. “Ball’s in your court” means YOU do the next step in whatever process we’re undertaking.

I’ve never understood people who do that.

179

@JaneDoe42 , Ariel hates any disruption in her pattern of life. She is bonded to her next door neighbor, Red Wonder (gelding). The Barn manager would not listen to me when I ask him before the move to please put Ariel and red wonder next to each other. Our manager has known Ariel for over seven years and he knows her behavior yet he did not listen to me. Ariel screamed and spun in her stall for three days until I moved Red Wonder over next to her. I’m very irked at the Barn manager. Actually I’m beyond irked. Hopefully the roof will be finished in a few days and life will get back to normal.

180

Buddy apparently reads my posts. Had a hell of a time finding him, getting him out from under the bed, and stuffing him into the carrier.