Missed my edit window:
Irish breakfast tends to be my go-to for a pot of loose leaf tea. Sufficient caffeine for the day and pretty tasty.
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Decades ago in Boston I got attached to strong, brewed tea, sometimes with milk and sugar and I guarantee it wasn’t Lipton then. Typhoo was my tea of choice then-easy to buy there. Brewed in a proper pot, as the gods intend.
Coffee shops can steam cream for your London Fog. Sometimes I have to tell them the recipe~the Earl Grey aromantics seem enhanced by the cream. My youngest son introduced me to them years ago when he was still an undergrad. Lots of blustery grey winter day opportunities for London Fog on the windswept prairies of Nebraska.
At home I cheat and heat the cream (or whole milk) to steaming in the microwave.
Napped. Had an Old Fashioned with a taco style cheeseburger.
“The Detective”. Something about the Irish flat cap and trench coat
I also enjoy it(Twinnings tea bags)
I micorwave my water, because 'MURICA! < waves at boofae >
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Happy Moonday!
Cold and windy out. My only exposure to the outdoors has been to open and close the door for the dogs.
We should have gone over to the old house today to bring in the recycle bin, but we can do it tomorrow.
I slept a good bit of the day. I got a few things done, but not as much as I wanted.
I think you are probably right JtC, that I was under so much stress for so long that now my body is trying to catch up on rest/sleep.
The last two years have been chaotic.
Hopefully we will close on the house soon and ::fingers crossed:: everything settles down for a bit.
I have an appointment to get an oil change tomorrow morning. The little indicator came on and I am down to 18% oil life. It started at 25% about a week ago. I don’t like letting it go this long. It’s the first time the indicator has come on. I don’t know how accurate it is, I’m pretty sure I just had the oil changed last spring and I only drive about 4000 miles a year.
On the way home from that, I have to go by the old house and pay the guys who are coming to haul the rest of the tree away. They estimate two guys for two hours, $170.
Thursday, the 21st, the mold guy is coming out. Friday, the 22nd, the drywall guy is coming out.
The walk-thru is supposed to be Tuesday, the 26th, but somewhere between the drywall guy and the walk-thru, the appraiser is supposed to come back. He has to approve the drywall before we can close on Thursday the 28th.
The buyer is paying for the drywall.
I told my realtor I am glad she is driving and I’m just along for the ride, metaphorically speaking.
I can’t believe Christmas is almost here already.
All my shopping is done and I think it all has been delivered.
I need to talk with Niece1’s ex-husband. Something is going on and we didn’t get a chance to talk because I was irking. His mother has cancer. I need to catch up with him.
My new phone should be here tomorrow. AT&T cancelled my order for security reasons, so I went out to Best Buy and got a better deal anyway. I haven’t changed my address with AT&T yet, so I assume that is the problem.
I really need to get back to my address change list. It’s such a PITA. Some places are so easy, and then others make you jump through hoops.
I need to call gas, electricity, and water to see what I need to do about the name transfer.
And I need to find a trash collection company, and get ahold of the guy who cleans the septic filter every six months.
My garage door got stuck in the open position again yesterday. I looked it up online and there are a few reasons why garage doors will stick on rainy days. Also, reasons why garage doors will stick on sunny days, and humid days.
Persnickety little fuckers.
I think we need to get a garage person to look at it.
The fun around here never ends!
Echo seems to be getting back to normal, finally.
She had her vet check last week and the vet called me about the hairless spot on Echo’s tail, and left me some info on what to do about it. There is nothing to do about the hairless spot. Echo’s tail curls over her back and the part that touches her back is bald because she rubs the hair off when she wags her tail. She’s had that little bald spot since she was a puppy. It’s not raw or sore, just a little hairless spot.
I’m happy for you that you are home now HIppie and all went well.
I have to get up early tomorrow. Not looking forward to it.
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s going to get down to 30 this morning. I’m trying to finish my Aldi list for after work, but somebody is alternately gnawing on my pen and drinking my ice water.
Hopefully you can get the house sold, Son gets bored with games, and you can get back to a better normal, sari And I’ll have to remember about “Happy Bald Spot Syndrome” if I ever get a Shar Pei.
An admission: I’m addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies. Oh, I don’t watch them - Jesus, what am I, demented? - but I love to tune in for a few minutes until I see three things:
1 - How rich everyone is no matter what they do for a living. Three million dollar houses, fifty thousand dollar cars, shopping sprees at a whim and they run a Candy Cane store downtown that’s failing. It always makes perfect sense to me
B - Nobody has any problems beyond the main premise of the movie - newly single women move back to their home towns and immediately meet Mr. Right, or someone’s best friend just opened a muffin shop directly across from theirs and OMG!!
And finally - how there are no assholes. Everyone is nice. Every one is polite. No one ever snaps. No ever argues. Everyone agrees and every one loves each other. Occasionally they’ll throw in a antagonist but her major fault is usually that she wants a treasured tree cut down or some ridiculous shit.
I’d love to see just one Hallmark Christmas movie where a newly single copywriter moves back home, because she’s broke but she can’t stay with her mom because her step-dad used to hit on her so she ends up crashing with her BFF and meets her brother, who’s an ex-con and asks if her if she’d be willing to swallow a few condoms full of meth for him, so she checks into the fleabag motel downtown with her last fifty bucks before deciding to give it up and move to Tijuana. Feliz Navidad.
Yes, we are very lucky to have some great venues near us. The smallest one (The Giffard Arms) is only half an hour’s walk from home but the venue capacity is only 50-100 at the most. Half an hour’s drive takes me to The Station in Cannock which has a 500-ish capacity, great venue but difficult to get to if you don’t drive.
There’s also the 700-capacity Robin in Bilston where we used to see quite a lot of bands but they’ve changed ownership recently and don’t have so much on that we’re interested in.
Top venue for us is also within walking distance from home - KK’s Steel Mill (owned by KK Downing from Judas Priest). They have two spaces, one’s a 250-capacity room so if your ticket sales are low, you’re likely to be in there. If you outgrow it and there’s nothing else booked in the main section, your capacity can go up to about 3,000!
As for distance, we’re about 140 miles from Harrogate, and it would take you three different train journeys to get here (Harrogate to Leeds, Leeds to Manchester, and Manc to Wolves)!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 36 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 49 and N.O.S. for the day. A chilly day! We shall get shorn this mornin’ as we are both in need of doin’ so. It’s also laundry day. I can hardly contain myself. Sup shall be tacos 'n fixin’s just cause.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, so much bother, I suppose I must needs purtify and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. Oh the agony!
Happy Tuesday Y’all!
Got one. Ten years ago, my mom and I were on a 4-week cruise, so I know the fun of rinsing undies in the sink. This cruise is 16 nights and I think we’ve pretty well figured out how to make do with one suitcase and carry-on each.
My sister had this on her FB and you brought it to mind…
Today will be my last kidlet wrangling day, barring unforeseen stuff like sick days. While it’s a relief, I’m kinda sad, too. It’s been a treasure watching these two grow up, Tobias especially, since I’ve had the most time with him as a little. I didn’t get to watch my own daughter the same way since I had to work. On the other hand, I’m nearly 70 and they wear me out! I will take them occasionally on weekends to give their mom a break, but the almost daily interaction is pretty much at an end. < sigh >
Today’s agenda -
Yep, that looks right. 
I also need to ping on my brother - I need to know if I should take some foods over on Christmas. I usually do deviled eggs, but I’m tired of that. Not sure what he has planned, tho, and I don’t have a lot of time to figure something out. At least I have our gift exchange game ready to do.
And today is my daughter’s bestie’s birthday - her friend since kindergarten is 38 today. How the heck did that happen???
Happy Tuesday!!
Mornin’ everyone.
It’s 44F, dark and damp outside. We’ll have steady rain all this morning, tapering off to showers in the afternoon, and a high temp of 52F. In other words, soggy, soggy, soggy.
Meh, I have gripes, but I’ll keep them to myself.
Yesterday was an in-office day. Not many folks were in, which suits me just fine. I put out Christmas cards and a little treat for my peers on the management team, treats on the “treat table” for the rest of the office staff (chocolates), and hauled in a very nice pack-n-play for my SD. She just welcomed a new granddaughter and the pack-n-play is just taking up space in my closet. I’ve meant to donate it for the longest time but never got around to it. It’s a nice one too: full bassinet, portable bassinet, changing table, and the pen itself. It also vibrates and plays music. I bought it when my granddaughter was born. I don’t have any use for it anymore.
Today is my last work day until the 28th. Then I work one day and have another three-day weekend due to the New Year holiday. The SD was asking me to check in for the Christmas party tomorrow, but I’m not driving down there for an hour, and I won’t do the online thing. I have things to do, and I’d rather not have my day chopped up by that. She did say she understood I’m off. I told her I’d be unlikely to do either because I had errands to run.
Yesterday’s commute home was terrible! It took me nearly an hour and a half. Traffic was literally stop-and-go the minute I got onto Highway 101 and most of the way up I-5. Hwy 512 was just as bad, and finally, the main road leading to where I live was utterly borked up too. I was pretty irritable when I got home, but once I sat down and relaxed for about 30 minutes, I was fine.
sari, I hope things settle back down to normal for you very, very soon.
nellie, I’m very sorry your knee continues to bother you. I would be irked too.
FCM, I hope today is an easy day with the grandkids.
As much as I love natural light, I really don’t mind the darkness in the winter. I kind of like hibernating, so the long hours of darkness do not bother me. Also, I hear less of the neighbors since they tend to stay indoors due to the weather and the darkness.
Yes, I used to get frost on the windows in my bedroom in the house where I grew up from third grade on. I had the coldest room in the house, and it those windows always frosted up. Said frost always melted, so I had to constantly make sure the windows and tracks were clean and met my mother’s approval. Her standards were high.
I was up at 1:30 a.m. to let them potty and then had to get back up at 2:45 a.m. to let them potty again. I just stayed up and made some coffee. I had to let them out again a final time around 3:30, and they finally settled down to sleep.
BLUF: It’s gonna be one looooong day.
shoe, I sure hope today is a better day for you.
Alrighty, I’m going to finish my coffee, cruise the net for a bit, tidy the kitchen, and start my work day.
My wife is very proud of her Polish roots, which means I get to have babka along with the cookies. I draw the line at borscht, however.
Today will be our first delivered meal from a local restaurant that is located in a nearby art museum. This is something you sign up for and once a month they bring you a fancy dinner. We’ll see if it’s worth it.
Cold and clear today, and still zero chance of white stuff for Christmas. I’m fine with that, although a little would be nice.
Morning all. A brisk 30F to wake up to, not supposed to get past 47F, so the heat will be on most of the day. Nothing much on the agenda, do want to get to the gym later on, but mostly sloth and puzzles (Sunday NY Times had a full-2 page crossword with over 600 clues to solve, so I may take that to the library for 3-4 hours of brain exercise).
Sari, maybe you don’t see it with all the stuff remaining to do, but I can see the progress being made. Once that old house is behind you I think things will settle down considerably. Be well.
Cookie, hope the restaurant delivers a real work of art, culinary speaking.
Taters, you have nocturnal pups! Hope their bathroom habits settle down as they get older. Enjoy the time off.
FCM, enjoy your collapse in about 12-13 hours from now.
Never have watched a Hallmark Movie to the best of my recollection and after J-Bats and FCM’s notes, that has been a wise decision on my part.
Also not a tea drinker, except for the Southern USA custom of having ‘sweet tea’ when you dine out, which is not at all like BBBoo’s stuff. Also used to drink ‘chai’ in the UAE, a hot, sweet tea served in mini-cups for visitors.
boo fae, sounds like a great location for live music. I’ve never been a big music fan, have no idea where I would go to hear bands like that.
Need to go break my fast now, everyone have a good 2sday.
Mornin’ all. ‘Bout 2 hours post sunrise and 3 post-wakeup as I start typing this. Caffinatin’ just about finished. Sunny now and 55/13. Was 50/10 (brrr) when I woke up & should top out around 72/22. Her Ladyship yet slumbers while I Dope. She’s got an afternoon of appointments so I’ll come up with some bachelor-compatible activity. Otherwise my slate is clean.
Doggio / Detective:
I microwave both water & cream to make morning coffee. The former to heat the cup, the latter to heat the cream. Overcooking the cream to slightly scalded is ideal, but it just takes a couple more seconds to convert “Yummy scalded cream in the cup” into “Empty cup and cream-encrusted oven.” I hate it when that happens. 
Sari it’s great to hear you sounding less defeated. You still have a lot going on, but less all the time. Take care of yourself first and yourself will take care of the stuff eventually.
I’d watch that movie. The others? Not so much. Great plot synopsis.
boofae, live music within walking distance is surely one of the best features of living in civilization rather than the boonies. There are tradeoffs of course but, like you, I’d much rather have live music close to hand.
Swampie thanks for the shearing reminder; I’m due / overdue too. Although I did laundry yesterday, so neener neener 
I remain in awe. But yeah, a couple hours of a couple littles can kick one’s butt.
Very impressive your daughter has managed to stay in touch with somebody for 33 years. I’m darn lucky to be able to contact anyone I’ve not seen face to face in the last ~3 years. Friends older than about 5 years are like about 2 or 3 people. I’m not anti-social; stuff just drifts away unnoticed.
Good to hear of Taters light workload for once; you’ve sure earned it.
Cheers to all!!
Good morning everyone.
I feel a bit better today and I am going to try to do at least one lap in our local mall. It won’t be fast but I need to get back in the game.
I start cardiac rehab class tomorrow
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s a toasty 8c/46f with a predicted high of 11c/51f, and mostly cloudy. Weather app asks “Are you tired of taking about the fucking weather? I’d be more than happy to tell you about my fucking crippling anxiety”. Something tells me Weather App needs to talk!
doggio there are reasons we ditched you dreadful Colonials, microwaving water to make tea is top of the list!
Taters I don’t blame you for ditching the office gathering, you shouldn’t be guilted into doing things you aren’t keen on when you’ve booked time off and you have better things to do. You already give that job/office far more than they deserve, they can’t have your free time as well.
hippie good to hear from you, I am so glad your surgery went so well and you were able to get home quickly. I am sure Sunflower is very happy with that result.
Cookie I hope the restaurant delivers something impressive! We are going away on Thursday so our culinary plans are somewhat limited. I have leftover chilli in the fridge for dinner tonight and need to make some food for campus tomorrow. That will use up the leftover cabbage, leek, mushrooms and chorizo. I’ve got a very small onion that will get thrown in too. Wednesday night we are planning to try out a new Indian takeaway that’s been advertising recently. Never ordered from them before, it’s a short drive from home but hopefully worth the bother.
sari I hope life calms down for you soon, perhaps when you have finally finished with the old house, you will have a few less things to focus on.
My day has been fairly productive, I hauled the biiiiiig bin out last night ready for today’s collection as the timing is a bit unpredictable. It’s normal rubbish today, they come any time from 7am onwards whereas the recycling collection is closer to mid-morning. Got up to do feline bums and tums, got my hair washed and dried, logged into irk, did a few things, had breakfast, did more stuff, popped out a lunchtime to the nearest supermarket as I needed a couple of things, came back to eat lunch, wrapped a couple of extra gifts, then did a bit more irk.
It’s 3pm now, definitely time for tea!
The smart player doesn’t do that as one large out-and-back or loop where if you get all the way out and get pooped then you can’t get back. Far smarter to make multiple smaller out-and-backs adding up to the same thing.
Did a lot of that while my late first wife was in various gradations of raggedy. Planning for 100 yards out and back 3 times is much better than doing 300 yards out, and now you’re stuck. BTDT.
Kids is here. Laundry is started. FCD is at the dentist getting a crown reattached. My car is in the shop for new tires.
More excitement than a body can stand!
If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium Burien.
Only took 2½ hours to get in this morning.
Local nursery advertising cut trees starting at $70! Yoiks! Really?
Polish angel-wing cookies – favourite snack of the Polish winged hussars?
Twining’s Irish breakfast is the tea I usually buy.
Lady SCAdian went out this morning to go to work and found the driver’s door on her car ajar and the ignition lying on the floor. Cop came to have a look – seems the thief was more successful at a house down the street. She’s talking to the insurance people now.