Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s 61 degrees Ferret Height(16.111 Centipedes) outside. There’s an owl going off outside. It’s too late for mating season, I wonder if it has Irritable Owl Syndrome?
{{{{Hippie}}}}
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 12c/54f with a predicted high of 17c/62f and partly cloudy. Weather app says “Could be colder, could be fucking warmer. I wish this weather would make it’s fucking mind up.”
I saw the pics on FB, you rode through some beautiful places. I’m glad you enjoyed being outside but sorry to hear your knees dind’t thaink you for it. I hope you feel better today.
I’m glad to hear you’re talking about it, and those are lovely shoes!
It’s a tricky situation, especially with this student who has a history of making complaints about all sorts of things, and complaining about people she’s never even met. Her Reasonable Adjustments Plan says she can use a laptop, I could have stopped reading at that point. There was a note further down (it’s a new database thing, we don’t get an actual document like we used to) that mentions spellcheck but also says “where core competencies allow” but nowhere has a definition of “core competencies”. We’ve also established that her mark for the exam was not affected by spelling errors, she got a low mark because her translation was poor, there were no marks deducted for spelling. It’s in the hands of the gods…
shoe we are all invested in the mystery of the disappearing M&Ms! So far, we have made no progress although we do know there are security cameras in our office, I’m tempted to ask if they’re actually working!
doggio good idea, but I’m hiding in the basement with the Amontillado while EDS and TM fight it out upstairs to find ou which one of them is the most tedious!
Nut we have the same thing, it’s daft because we end up paying for readers/scribes who have to be there but aren’t required. Even the students with extra time never seem to use it!
That was kind of them, they know you are Good People. And it’s a beautiful plant too.
You would probably end up on the fainting couch for a week! The Poor Unfortunate Person has not done anything that a reasonable individual would be offended by. A new role was created in the School which brought all of the postgraduate and distance learning programme administration into one job. She applied for it and was successful, and the role is a higher grade than TM is on. This might well have been the start of the saga since TM is a professional victim. She has said several times to me that PUP gets everything she wants, that job was created for her and she was given it. In reality, the job wasn’t created for her, she turned it down when she was first offered it (and it’s a job TM did not want and didn’t apply for). Then PUP went on maternity leave. TM’s peer (my other minion) took PUP’s role as a secondment, enjoyed the experience but was happy to go back to his former role at the end of it. During this time, his job was covered by a lovely youngster from Brazil who came to us on a fixed term contract. She and TM were very close so I think the fact that youngster had to leave when PUP came back is also a black mark (youngster got a permie job in the Law School so they still meet up). Also, when PUP came back to work, she negotiated with HR to reduce her hours slightly for childcare reasons, so she only works 4 days a week. She gets to pick which days she comes to campus (and does her best to avoid TM when possible), again this was seen as PUP “getting whatever she wanted”. It is pointless trying to reason with TM over any of this, she has all of this fixed in her head, and frankly, I think she should be seeing a counsellor over the fact she can’t let anything go. There are many more tales I could tell you about TM but that gives you an idea of the sticky mess I have to deal with!
hippie what a beautiful story, I am sure there’s something in my eye too.
Lily hurrah for finally getting that soak in the bath you’ve been longing for. I hope it lived up to expectations.
flyboy yay for getting health cover, I hope you get everything you need from it. Your health cover stuff is far too complicated for my peabrain to cope with.
Yesterday was fun, I had a busy irk day but it was productive. Scooted out of the office a whole 10 minutes early and was home in good time. We debated dinner plans and (after tending to the needs of cats), we walked to a local pub that does Polish food. I had only been there once before (pre-Covid) and since then, the menu had been drastically reduced. However, food was good and the chef was quite charming! We left there and walked the rest of the way into town to the Giff. Three bands, all ones we’ve seen before so it was a good night. The headline act was from Buffalo, NY (saw them last time they were over here, about 3 years ago) so we picked up a new CD from them. As it was a school night, I didn’t want to be out too late, and was home in bed just before midnight. Fortunately I’m working from home today 
'im indoors is cooking tonight, he brought back some haggis so that’s tonight’s dinner.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 60 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 87 and mostly sunny. The big item on today’s agenda is to go over to the church house to take care of candle and other duties. I took some chikin thighs outta da freezer to thaw as Sunday is first Sunday brunch. I shall make Death Chikin. I am sure it will be a hit. The rest of the day will be spent in high RDOS inactivities. Sup will be the leftover psuedo Philly cheesesteaks with some oven fries.
JtC your mention of the crow/mockin’ bird thunder dome reminded me of one of my favorite silly jokes.
What’s blackandwhiteandgreenandwhiteandblack and smells terrible?
BrightTree your bun reminds me of my geckos. I have two every year out on the back porch. I named them Liz and Ard.
Lily yay for bath time! Hope the dental work goes accordin’ to plan. Also yay for the book move. Hope the new place does good by ya.
doggio I like the concept of grumpy old owl.
BooFae those two would complain about not havin’ anything to complain about it seems. Glad y’all had a good time last night. Haggis for dinner sounds umm… adventurous.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then I suppose I should purtify. The good thing is I am goin’ only to the church house where no one else will be around and right back to da cave, so I can get away with tshirt, shorts, and probably sandals.
Happy Firday Y’all!
{{{Hippie}}} what a sweet memory!
Two skunks fightin’ over a pickle.
Thank you all for the kind words
How old ARE you???
I think so. I briefly had Part B, but dumped it because I was able to keep my insurance after I retired. It’s obscenely expensive, but going with Medicare for both of us to get almost the same coverage would have been even more expensive. Anyway, should I opt for Part B for some stupid reason, I know it would be more than the $184 I was originally charged.
Today starts at 60 Ferrets going to the low 90s. It’s laundry day, but it will start with a trek to Food Lion and Aldi in the hopes that they’ve restocked and I can get the stuff I couldn’t get the other day. In fact, I’ll hit the shower shortly, double-check my list, then head out.
I got confirmation email and text from my Dr about my Moanday appointment. They’ve also started taking the copay ahead of time - I guess that way if you miss your appointment, they get something. I’m sure that’s why the multiple reminders - too many people flake out. I’ve got on one my Outlook, but my appt is 7:10 of the AM, so I shall shortly set Alexa to wake me on time, since I’m thinking about it.
Not sure what the balance of the day holds, but I’ll figure it out as I go along. Tomorrow, I’ll be back working on the boat, but today, it’s house and maybe yard.
Happy Firday!!!
Your system seems much more rational to me. Until 1973, when Nixon signed the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Act, insurance companies were non-profit.
THAT old.
Yesterday, the Coldstone Creamery ice cream shop was awash in banners and posters for the new Supergirl movie. “Welcome Heroes!” said one pair of banners, and sprinkles were rebadged as Supergirl sprinkles. Perhaps the product/movie tie-in will make sense when/if I see the movie. I’ve always liked the Superman stories. When I was a boy I signed up to get my membership card for the Supermen Of America club.
Science Friday will be on today, on your public radio station.
i survived the office event. the good thing is the restaurant is 4 blocks from my condo. the food was good, the butter cake the usual amazing. i got home by 6:30 and lager decided he would sit with me for a bit.
aspenglow, i second the possibility of beavers for your pond. they do amazing work revitalizing wetlands. good luck with the buttons.
jtc, i am envious of your firefly petunias. when i was a wee child we did have fireflys in the city. not many, but it was fun trying to catch them. they are one of the few insects with whom i will interact. i have noticed a deep decline in insect population.
scareyfaerie, have y’all dusted for prints? i’m thinking english lit nabbed them. i await further tm stories with bells on.
mollie, chloe is beyond adorable!
susan, wonderful news! there is nothing likke a good soak. enjoy!
asknott, i’ve seen teasers for the supergirl movie…i don’t remember ice cream being involved. krypto is a very cute dog.
Mornin’ everyone.
It’s 53F and mostly clear outside, although the forecast states it’s mostly cloudy. The forecast calls for cloudy to mostly cloudy skies, a daytime high of 60F, and afternoon rain showers.
Hippie, that is a lovely story.
BrightTree, I had bunnies in the yard until the nesting Dark-eyed Juncoes chased them out. Hopefully, the bunnies will be back.
Lily, yay for finally getting to take a bath. I hope the new book publication plan works out.
JtC, I have the Firefly Petunias, too. I have to say I haven’t noticed any bioluminescence, and I kind of wonder if we got “regular” white petunias that were mislabeled. They weren’t cheap.
I was pretty busy most of yesterday.
We were out the door just before 8:00 a.m. for Mr. Taters’ appointment at the optometrist. We got a prescription for readers that are adjusted to his astigmatism as well. We’ll see how they work out. He also needs to take prednisone drops for a week because there was still some swelling in his eyes, so we picked those up at the Kaiser pharmacy.
After the appointment, we decided to go out to breakfast. As we drove past the DOL office, I remembered my tabs had expired last month, so we stopped, and I dashed in to purchase them.
We drove across the parking lot to a breakfast place that’s always crowded, even on weekdays. It was…okay. We’ve eaten there before. It’s a pancake house known for house-made pancakes and waffles, including Dutch babies, and some giant apple pancake monstrosity.
We headed home, and then I decided I wanted to get some filler plants at one of the nurseries I frequent. I didn’t purchase much there, and, as it turns out, they were unloading plants that had been delivered but not set out yet, so I didn’t have a wide variety to choose from. I found that unusual, but I’ve probably just hit the nursery right every time I’ve gone before. After visiting that nursery, I decided I needed to head down to Lowe’s to get some pavers. While there, I purchased some dirt and a few more plants.
On the drive home, I ended up pulling up behind my husband’s car at a light. He had offered to take a friend to the store, because the friend can’t drive due to some inner ear issues. Anyway, I followed him to the house, came in, cleaned the kitchen, watered all my plants on both the front porch and in the back yard, unloaded my Jeep, set everything out, and watered those plants, too.
Then I came in, did some puttering around the house, and finally sat down around 4:00 p.m.
I should probably get the lawn mowed before the forecasted rain rolls in, and then get stuff transplanted again. I was almost done, but created more work for myself, lol. As we all know, a gardener’s work is never done.
Welp, it’s that time. Please take care of yourselves.
Good morning, everyone. My walking alarm went off a little early, so I shut it down, counting on Mrs Magill’s alarm as a backup. She was tired last night and didn’t set it, expecting me to get up. Anyhow, we both needed that extra hour of sleep.
The raspberry bush is producing, so Mrs Magill is getting her fresh raspberry fix. It looks like the bush will continue to produce for the next week or two. The tomatoes are about ready to start picking. I just need about ten to fifteen pounds of them, so I may make sauce.
Franklin Pride Fest is tomorrow. I have this afternoon off, so I may start the load in. I have one other family to help me. My primary goal is to get the tent up and maybe set up the table. I’ll keep the flyers, candy, and Pocket Jesodes in the car and put them out in the morning. I am really looking forward to this year - it’s not supposed to rain for once. Hmm… maybe that’s a sign. I hope I get to see Ray, so I may thank him for getting my egg to crack.
I promise I’ll stop nattering on about Pride and all that. I don’t want to turn into a one trick pony.
I met up with my friends last night and played Deep Regrets. It was a lot of fun. Things got a little chaotic when The Plug was discovered and the sea started to drain, but I won, which is not something that normally happens. I also discovered that one of my friends is sixteen years younger than me. I hate having to tell people I like to stay off my lawn.
Hooray!
Always good advice. As Mrs Magill says: the blood is supposed to stay on the inside.
Flyboy We really need to fix Medicare. I hope the next Congress is able to get something done, but I’m not too hopeful.
For years, decades even, I’d been either ignoring or addressing only the high level symptoms, and not the underlying issue. My hope is that by addressing the GD in addition to the depression, insomnia, et cetera, I will be more there for my family.
I know! Right?
Swampy I have saved the Death Chicken recipe. I think a link to the Mumpers Recipes should be in the FAQ. I had no idea such a beast existed.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted, pups tended to and fixing to do KP. Another RDOS day slated.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
And a good late morning to all. Slept in past 7am and then did the Firday shopping (prices are really getting ridiculous out there) and came home to some pancakes and syrup after putting stuff away. Am now just getting caught up. Looks to be another fine day, 78F heading to 85F and no rain anywhere close.
And of course there is 20 messages to digest, so best be about it…
I understand that, Methuselah… 
Whatayatalk. whatayatalk, whatayatalk, whatayataalk, whatayatalk?
lily, happy bathing! Best wishes for the dental work and lovely wife’s surgery.
flyboy, I got signed up for Medicare A and B pretty much automatically once I retired from the Government and still carry Blue Cross/Blue Shield as a backup. Almost afraid to look at how much they are charging me, but so far it hasn’t been a problem.
I got nothin’.
boo fae, I think that there is a universal law that no office with more than 3 people cannot go out without some personal drama. Sorry you have to put up with this one.
swampy, nice joke, that reminds me of an old one from college days, “What is green and red and goes 500 miles an hour?” A frog in a blender
FCM, think your right about the appointments, I get 3-4 reminders before my medical and dental checkups, so hard to forget them.
Knots, the nearest Coldstone place is 30 minutes drive away but damn now that you have mentioned it, I may need to find an excuse to go over that way…
rocky, good food makes up for many things.
Taters, that was a pretty full day.
Mollie, congrats on winning the game.
And onward into the day. Only have had one Pepsi so far, so my will-power is strong (but the damn bladder is weak, feels like I need to go again…). Take care all.
Long as you turn that trick with Pride (old geezer song).
Great story! Bird squabbles are like car wrecks, I think. You’d rather not look, but it’s hard not to!
I’ve got imperious blue jays that like to annoy all the other birds, though they give the ravens a wide berth.
There’s also a mated pair of birds, I have no idea what they are, who can’t seem to get enough of their reflections in the sliding glass door that goes outside from my bedroom. Every morning for about the past month, I’ve caught them flying at the glass until I get up and shoo them away. I wouldn’t mind except for all the bird crap that accumulates beneath the slider. They also perch on the hot tub and make a mess of that, too. Idiots.
hippie, that was a very touching story. What a wonderful relationship you and your mother had. No surprise you miss her so.
metal mouse, I promise bun updates when there are some to share.
Lily, hooray for a bath at last! It must have been heavenly! Best wishes for your lovely wife’s surgery today!
swampy, geckos are so fun! We don’t have them here, but I’ve enjoyed them when I’ve encountered them in various places. They’d always be welcome. Love the silly joke, too. 
rocky, I would be fine with beavers, too, if I could persuade them to stay where I need them. Unfortunately, they’re far more interested in building a dam in the creek below the pond that the pond spills into. Have had to have them removed before so my driveway wouldn’t end up underwater. 
But I do appreciate the good they do in wetland revitalization.
taters, happy gardening!
mollie, you can find the link to the recipes here: The MMP FAQ, about two thirds of the way down that page.
Ok, errands must be run. I’m off!
Thanks for all of the positive move mojo! 
Yesterday went very smoothly, and the moving truck pulled away from the new place shortly after 2:30pm – two hours earlier than estimated, meaning the final cost was $1000 less than estimated (
). But that money will be spoken for pretty quickly, because I can’t seem to stop noticing stuff I need for this place (e.g., I just realized that I need a chair mat for the home office, because the hardwood-appropriate wheels on my desk chair don’t work so well on carpet)! I was in awe of how efficient and strong the movers were. And, even though it doesn’t really matter, I was happy to see a woman as part of the crew: a short and fluffy Latina who carried just as much stuff on her back as the boys.
Speaking of backs, right now mine is very cross with me for moving to a three-level townhouse after 13 years in one-level homes. My knees are pretty annoyed, too. I didn’t help matters by deciding to move my large, solid-wood dresser (with attached mirror) to a different wall this morning: I took the drawers out first and used furniture-moving pads, but lifting that beast in order to slide the pads under the legs – and then pushing it around – was still quite an effort. Happily, I’m pretty sure that’s the only really big thing I’ll want to relocate. I’m used to doing stuff like this by myself, but I have to remember that the last time I moved I was still in my 40s. Heh.
The movers actually unpacked the kitchen and home office for me and were able to take a lot of empty boxes away, which was a huge help (though I’ll still be facing a mountain of carboard and packing paper for quite some time). That’s the upside of letting them unpack: the downside is that they put stuff everywhere/anywhere! I made a good dent in the kitchen yesterday, which wasn’t too bad because I just had to put things in cabinets/drawers, but this morning I tackled the home office and had to put away a bunch of unrelated stuff in order to clear off my desk before I could start setting anything up. My personal computer was the priority, and is what I’m typing on right now. The monitors I use with my work laptop are in place, but I haven’t connected them or that docking station yet. My tolerance for being on the floor/under the desk is a bit low at the moment.
I had big plans for what I wanted to get done today, but I underestimated how sore I’d be (and I’m a little tired, despite sleeping well). So instead I will take the day slowly, and maybe just focus on moving a few of the things that will eventually go in the basement but are currently upstairs. I need to have one hand free for the bannister when going up/down, because my feel for the stairs isn’t great yet: it makes for slower transfers, and it’s harder to move heavy things, but I’ll figure everything out. I will likely spend most of the afternoon in the basement, since it’s going to be a sunny 91°F today. Yesterday I got the TV and new bean bag chair[1] all set up down there, and I also have some unpacking to do in that room. Possibly some napping, as well. 
That was a cutesplosion right there!
Great news!
My memory moments like that with my mom (who passed 10.5 years ago) are fewer and farther between these days, but things related to the dog (who passed 9 months ago) can still get me.
Don’t you dare!
filling in until the new couch is delivered tomorrow ↩︎
I recently read Raising Hare, learned a lot about hares but your bun bun made me think of the wild hare raised wildly by the author who stumbled across the defenseless leverette and rescued it and then what next?
It’s not likely to be the same bun. Wild rabbits tend to have short lives. A couple of years ago, Mrs Magill and I would see the same young rabbit frolicking on the edge of a field on our walks every morning, until one day we didn’t. We figured there was a fox somewhere with a full belly.
Roller blades still even existed? I was using those when I was a tween, which was … not recently.
Holy crap. WANT.
I resemble this comment.
I knew when I moved outta TX they were gonna be one of the things I’d miss.
Sound advice.
If someone spent extra time in the potty, you may have a suspect.
… well? What?
Oh.
Oh, that’s really awful.
Imma SO tell that one at work tonight.
Erm … what?
Nah, hon, you’re good.
It matters.
Here in western Mitten State, it’s 
raining, it’s pouring, the black cat is snoring. 
Tonight is NOT LONG NIGHT (yay!) but tomorrow will be (boo).
Stopped by the dispo last night, by happy chance got the manager (who lurves me) at their drive-thru, and made puppy dog eyes about this weekend being my Hippo Burpday and also, I hafta close every night, and can he hook a girl up with something a lil’ extra fun?
The 3 minutes drive home, I was like, “Wait for your birthday, wait for your birthday.” Barely took my shoes off before I was digging through the paper sack like a starving orphan.
Woke up snuggled in bed, thirsty as a camel, phone abandoned on the coffee table (but at least plugged in) and no idea what I ate for dinner but tummy seemed happy (e.g. no morning blurlfs) so, uh, I guess he hooked a girl up!
Yay for Friday! I’ve a hankering for some margaritas and Mexican food, hopefully I can cajole someone to come along for company. Too bad none of you Mumpers are close or I’d bundle you along for some guaranteed good company.
The water finally ran clear around 6 once some neighbors got home and presumably started using their water as well. The end of the street is still torn up but hopefully they won’t need to shut the water off again for repairs.
JtC you need to let us know what that driveway ends up costing. It can’t be cheap, and I can’t imagine how much they’ll pay to heat the water to run under it…
hippie that’s a lovely story and hugs about your mom.
lilly yay for a bath! That had to feel just wonderful.
Mollie have fun at Pride!!
oopsie congrats on the successful move! And it’s amazing how exhausting the moving process is, even when you’ve hired movers
Ray is Spike’s friend’s older brother, whom I’ve known since he was in elementary school and going by Regan. I saw him at Pride Fest last year, looking truly happy for the first time. Subconsciously, I realized I wanted that for myself. Six months later, my egg cracked, and I came out to myself.