Sunday Funday. It snowed overnight maybe 2 inches. Finally. It’s been bleak here in no. Illinois. I am taking down the Christmas tree today and will have the Australian Open (tennis) on in the background. I’m sure a nap will be involved.
FCD took the trash and recycling - it was a big load! I don’t think I’d gone since I took the Christmas detritus. While he was gone, I showered and was starting to dress when the phone rang. His aunt was calling from somewhere along I-76 wanting to know how to get to I-70. FCD had given her an exit number that took her to a little country road, so that was wrong. So I pulled up Google maps, figured out where she was, and told her what she needed to do. She’s using her GPS, but she didn’t trust it. Anyway, it’s been an hour, so she should be on I-70 now.
I took care of last night’s dishes since I didn’t feel like dealing with them last night. I cleaned the critter fountain. Second load is in the washer and first is in the dryer. I also ran to Food Lion for milk, since ours went bad - we don’t drink a whole lot. I should freeze some - any of you ever frozen milk for future use?
Apart from one more load to be laundered, I’m pretty much done for the day. I won’t be surprised if we have to go rescue Aunt and Uncle when they get closer. We shall see.
And so it goes…
Happy Sunday!
The rain wasn’t expected to start for another hour, but I can hear some drizzle…mostly, though, it’s just cloudy and cold (36°F) with an expected high of only 41. Pretty “bleh,” but every day that it doesn’t snow is a good day. 
I’ve used housecleaners since shortly after moving into my current place. It’s a small house, and just me and the dog: I keep up with most of the cleaning myself, but I hate doing floors and bathrooms. These days I can afford to pay someone else to do them, so why not. I always hire companies, not individuals, and I wound up “firing” one company in March 2020 – just days before I started working from home (they kept messing up; it wasn’t because of the pandemic). According to my records, I hired my current cleaners only three months later. That surprises me a little, as COVID was in full swing and I would have thought that I’d wait longer. Oh well. The ladies always wear masks when they’re here, plus Bailey and I stay in my home office with the door shut until they leave (they haven’t been inside this room in years).
Speaking of Bailey, she fell off the bed this morning! I was sort of awake but dozing, and she rolled over in her sleep and went off the edge. That hadn’t happened in a while. I’m smiling about it now, but my initial reaction was just worry that she might have hurt herself. I literally jumped out of bed. In the past, I would have laughed before making sure she was OK; now that she’s 14, it’s reversed. 
I’ve had my usual breakfast (a coffee protein shake), and am enjoying a slow start to the day. There’s still plenty of time before I need to jump in the shower and get dressed/head to my former colleague’s memorial service. I’m definitely going to wear the t-shirt he designed 20 years ago, but there are still minor gaps in my post-weightloss wardrobe and I find myself wishing that I had a cardigan or a flannel shirt to layer with. At the risk of looking like a female Sheldon Cooper, I might be able to find a long-sleeved t-shirt to wear under it; otherwise, if the memorial venue is chilly I’ll just wind up covering it with my coat more than I’d hoped. I’ll know that I’m wearing it!
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Year of the Cat!
As I might have mentioned, COVID delayed our Christmas with my lovely wife’s family by a week, overlapping with Gregorian new year, so we decided that instead of our usual ham, black-eyed peas, and collard greens, we’d celebrate on the Chinese calendar (though we’ve told the cat that we’re celebrating Tet lest his feelings be hurt). Lunch is cucumber salad with black sesame seeds, barbecued pork with hot mustard, rice, and GF banana fritters. Dinner is wonton soup (mine with cilantro/chicken wontons, my lovely wife’s with gluten-free gyoza), gluten-free egg rolls, and tangerines. Served on a red tablecloth, of course!
Looks like Aunt and Uncle have made it. They called from the main road that goes almost directly to the apartment, so that’s good.
Laundry is done. Boredom reigns.
Yikes. Hello. I continue living.
It is snowing. I have to go back to work - where, no doubt, as snow blows into my face, I will listen to people informing me that it’s cold & snowy out there.
So you’re saying you get a lot of meteorologists ordering from your establishment?
Howdy Y’all! We deheathenated and then OYKW sat around in the Parish hall whilst I attended a search committee meetin’. Oh, I don’t think I mentioned I am on the search committee for our new Priest. Anywho, we both got to eat pizza for N.O.L. cause we had pizza and sallit at the meetin’. I made sure he got fed cause I’m all nice like that, dammit. Then it was back to da cave for nappage. ‘Tis rainin’ again (heavy rain!) so glad to be inside and dry. Thus it is in swampland.
MOOOOOOM glad the travelers have made it without too many problems. I am sure MIL will enjoy the visit with her sis and BIL. Here’s hopin’ she goes back with them for a while to visit. It would do her good.
doggio enjoy bein de-heavein’-ated.
Oopsie hope the weather is not too bad for the memorial. Poor Bailey! Glad she was not hurt.
Lily the menu sounds nummy!
shoe when folks tell you it’s cold and snowy out, you could say, “Really! It’s all warm and dry in here!”
For some reason, I slept late. I have no idea why. I didn’t even work out yesterday. After I get done watering plants, I’ll walk to the pharmacy to get an Rx and then the opposite direction to get a few food items from the grocery store, so about 3 miles or so total. The kids should call later on.
I have someone coming in to clean because I don’t think I see all the dirt. She comes in every two weeks and is incredibly inexpensive, like 25% of the going rate around here. I’ve tried to talk her into raising her rate a little due to inflation, but she refuses. She’s become a good friend, too.
Lily, your menus sound delicious, and I’m so glad you and your lovely wife are healthy again and up to celebrating.
Same. I am not unhappy about no accumulation. Nobody owns a snow shovel around here, so the walking gets Not Our Dicey.
red, hope the crown stays put. I’ve never heard of one shifting. Does that mean the cement or whatever they use needs replacing? Why does dentistry sound so much like road construction? Cement, drilling, filling in cavities…I’d rather listen to a jackhammer than a dentist’s drill, though.
Or even the Dahmer party.
shoe! Glad you popped in!
Happy Sunday!
It’s 34 degrees outside, supposed to rain later today.
It doesn’t matter much; I’ll be inside all day.
No park today, so I slept in until 730.
I probably would have slept longer but Cerby was laying up against me and pushing me out of the bed.
That dog needs to learn some manners.
We’ve had him for three months now, and he has come a long way.
He still has a long way to go.
I have to keep reminding myself too, he is not a shar pei, and he never will be.
He’s never going to do neat little hops onto the bed and settle in a corner.
Nope, it will always be bellyflops into the center of the bed, followed by a sprawl.
He’s never going to trot to the door and sit quietly when the mailman comes, I think he is always going to charge the door, but at least he’s not screaming his head off anymore.
I don’t know if he will ever learn to come when called.
I think he is always going to bark too much.
I could be depressed, I don’t know. I don’t feel sad, but I am tired all the time, and I don’t want to do anything, even fun stuff. I just want to be left alone and not have to deal with anything or anybody. Little things upset me, even though they shouldn’t. I cuss a lot. I forget to do things all the time. I messed up my irk schedule again yesterday and scheduled my grocery pickup in the middle of my shift.
So, depression, or stress? I don’t know, but it’ll pass, eventually.
I think I will get a shot in my knee tomorrow.
Every time I think about it, I get upset.
I know it doesn’t hurt much, but it still makes me cringe.
My son went upstairs to see if the roof was leaking.
It wasn’t, but the resident bat was in the dishpan.
He doesn’t know if there was a little water and the bat was drinking?
I would love to have a house cleaner come in. The way my house looks right now, I wouldn’t let anybody in. I should clean it up a little and get a pro in.
I’d probably feel better.
Poor Bailey, probably more shocked than hurt.
I’m glad you can quit worrying about the traveling inlaws for a while.
Petey does bear a slight resemblance to Petey, except for the circle around the eye.
I hear he is a naughty little dog who likes to steal human food off the table.
I know I’m missing a bunch of stuff
I’ve never frozen milk Mooooooom. I do keep some evaporated and some powdered on hand for emergencies though.
Glad that Bailey isn’t hurt oopsie.
Sunday chores done, Walgreen’s visited, mail dropped in the blue box and in the process of eating the chicken veggie soup. I managed to get some work done in the studio as well, so it’s been a productive day.
Very windy here today, so slight chance of power issues, but it hasn’t rained for a few days, so with any luck the ground’s resolidifying so trees will stay put.
The next week looks good, except for low-30s temps at night (highs are projected for as high as 60). It’ll be time to better organize the emergency gear and store it soon.
Continuing living is good.
We had a break in the rain so I hauled the biiiiiiiiiiiiig trash can all the way down to the road for pickup tomorrow. I could have done it early tomorrow mornin’, but I’d rather put it out on Sunday night. It’s supposed to be out by seven a.m., but the trash folk are never here that early. Still it worries me if’n it’s not out. I be weird about strange things like that.
sari maybe a house cleaner would be a thing that takes one thing off your mind. Anything that can ease the load is a good thing.
We are supposed to put ours out between 4pm and midnight.
I don’t know why we’re not supposed to after midnight.
I agree a house cleaner should be on the agenda.
Even if just once to make it clean and ease my mind a bit.
My son does a lot, but he is not good at getting under stuff and into corners.
I don’t complain because he does most of the houseirk.
Well, got the tubs of emergency supplies stashed (I may need to find an alternate location, I’m not sure where they are now is really going to work) and out of the way. Decided that some items I only have one of need twins. Each of the two red bins has the same contents. That way, once we’re in a 2-vehicle situation, if we were to get separated in a crisis, we’d both have at least some of everything.
Even managed to get around to spraying my umbrellas with Scotchgard.
I ke do powdered around too. Sometimes I make up a cup of it the night before and put it in the fridge. Good enough for my oatmeal in the morning. I don’t like running to the store for just a few things. That’s kinda my motto now: “good enough”.
Nice day with the grands. Just laid down the toddler, now to spend some quality with his big sister, then read her two books before bed.
Then I’ll drag my worn out commodious butt home and rest all day tomorrow. As mooom will tell yah, grandma-ing is not for sissies.
I cleaned, I laundered, I napped. I took out the garbage and recycling between rain showers. I started watching Wednesday Now I’m having a Wisconsin Old Fashioned while the poke tenderloin cooks.
We are pleased.
That would eat at me.
Poor Bailey, glad she’s OK. That means I can giggle at it. 
Your DH is pretty likely to not be at home when an emergency happens, does he have room in his trunk now for his bin?
A clean house always settles my mind. The nice thing about a housekeeper is that you can tell them what to do and when. If you only have the energy to tell someone how to clean one room, that is what they will do. Mine doesn’t do the laundry or change the beds because we don’t want to pay her to do that, but she will clean the oven when we think it needs it.
Honestly, if you think about it right, hiring a cleaner is a down right patriotic thing to do. You will be helping someone pay their ever increasing rent and will be stimulating the economy by adding money to it. Changes are very good that you will find yourself donating things that were adding to the clutter without adding anything to your life. Helping the less fortunate have nice things is always a good thing too!
Remember, your mess is their bread and butter, they won’t judge or talk about you behind your back. (Unless you want your cleaner to clean the toilets with shaving cream 
Our housekeeper totally talks about that!)
FCM, milk doesn’t freeze well. Freezing causes the cream and whey to separate and asplodes the fat cells, changing the flavor and mouth feel. It will also go bad in just a few days after being thawed.
Whole milk lasts much longer than 2% milk and cream lasts much longer than whole milk. Powdered milk is usually low fat and doesn’t have the nice taste and mouth feel that undehydrated milk has because of the damage to the lovely fat cells. If you mix up your powdered milk the night before and add some cream to it, you get some pretty acceptable drinking milk.
Ultra pasteurized milk lasts longer in the fridge than regular milk or cream. It has the same taste and mouth feel as regular milk but is worthless for making regular cheese. Ultra pasteurized shelf stable milk lasts for months on the shelf and a very long time in the fridge after opening. I don’t like the taste, but it is popular world wide.
The LWT bundles them up and takes them outside every day. I can see them all going in 97 different directions at once and just watching wears me out. I’d need a nap after half an hour of that sort of frantic activity, you two are amazing.
Good to know. Do your best to not scream “Yes, I fucking know it’s snowing, just give me your fucking money and let me close the goddamn window for a few minutes.”
I’m glad Bailey is OK. I laugh when GG falls off the bed, I worry when crabby old cat does it.
Dinner was more of the same, plus wonton soup.