I think I slept thru the night - at least I felt mostly rested when my eyes popped open at 6. I have a few chores that were neglected yesterday and a lot of plans for the next few days. The kitchen is a mess (and I didn’t cook yesterday? How does that happen?) We’re supposed to get some rain over the next several days and I want to fling some grass seed and clover seed before that happens. Which means I need to go get some fertilizer, too. And I need to figure out how I’m going to set up the chicken wire around my veggie beds - probably need to build individual panels so I can take it out as needed. And I really should push the mower across the front ditches.
Dang - what the heck am I doing in front of the computer, then??
Oh, right, it’s cold out there and I’m in my robe and slipper still…
But I do want to get the seed and fertilizer spread and I need to make the chicken wire fencing. Plus the dishwasher needs to be emptied and refilled - if I accomplish that much, it’ll be a good day. So, onward… to read the comics.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN I was a slugabed until seven! 'Tis 51 Amurrkin out and fair (as opposed to ugly?) with a predicted high of 86 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. So kinda Spring/Summer today. We shall procure provisions today. Mowage could take place but do not hold your breath in anticipation. Sup shall be sketties 'n meatballs, sallit, and cheesey garlic bread.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, alas and bother, I suppose I should purtify and don appropriate bein’ amongst the public attire. Oh the agony!
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s cold again today, yesterday we had snow and today it’s just grey out there. Weather app says “Do you ever wonder if the clouds look down on us and think, “Look at all those fucking dipshits”?” It also promises me 4C/39F up to 6C/43F, mostly cloudy. That looks about right.
It’s my last day of easter break so I’ll be back at work tomorrow which just means unplugging my personal laptop from the big screen and attaching the uni laptop instead. No plans for today, I’ve already taken advantage of the cats sleeping elsewhere to change the bedding and get that washed. I can’t decide whether to do a workout here this afternoon or go for a walk round the park. The cold weather should keep the majority of idiots at home, and I should be able to get a good couple of miles in as well.
Lunch first though, I picked up some smoked peppered mackerel at the supermarket last night, I’m sure Shadow will be happy to help me with that. Better get cooking then!
They are coming for the tree today! After two weeks of pretty high wind, we will not have to worry any more that it will fall on the house or the cars parked in front.
Morning all. Actually made a list of things I need to do this morning, so since I made a list I will have to do them, so I’ll be getting up and getting properly attired for public here in a bit. Nice and heading for 80F but the rains show up tonight.
Hippie, hope the tree removal goes as planned. Given the size of the tree, it wouldn’t surprise me if some 3-4 foot long ants climbed out of it…
swampy, like you I am contemplating mowage, we’ll see how I feel after getting back from the aforementioned chores.
Dicey, good luck on the washer…I have Sunday penciled in for Laundry Day at Casa Rat.
nellie, won’t lecture, but 9 miles without fluids is not advised by anyone. Take care.
Ok, need to work out my route and prepare for the errand run. All y’all have a good Hump Day.
Back from Lowe’s and Aldi. I’m having a bowl of bean soup, after which I’ll don shorts and grubby shoes and head out to seed and feed a future patch of lawn. I’m hoping it sprouts before we leave town next Saturday. That way, all Daughter will have to do is put a little water on it if we don’t get rain.
I was just thinking how 3 years ago, we were planning a trek to FL to welcome the RoxStar. It was a much nicer trip than the one coming up next week.
Yesterday was putting along just fine until about 4:30, when the esposa yelled that the toilet wasn’t flushing. I went in and vigorously applied the plunger with no luck. Uh-oh. I went downstairs to see if the toilet down there was working. Double uh-oh. Called a plumbing shop that does after-hours work and they sent a guy to analyze the problem. $200 visitation before any work is done. After poking around in the crawl space and checking the cleanouts, he tried a closet snake with no success and told me that he’d have to get the power snake and remove the toilet to use it. Total cost: $1500. So, $1700 later, we can now pee freely.
I hope you’re feeling better today, nellie! Nine miles is a looooong way to go without water, though I get you with the bathroom situation.
Overlygirl wasn’t terribly happy going to school this morning after yesterday afternoon’s events, but she was pretty happy to be there after getting out of the car. I swear I’m not ready for the drama that is pre-teen girls.
The comments about mowage have reminded me - I need to figure out where to go to get my blades sharpened. We’ve had a service cut our grass since the kids were tiny, but now that they’re older, we don’t have as much in the way of taking care of kids to do since they often take care of themselves. Plus, there’s the fact that they’re fully capable of mowing the grass, too, so they may shortly earn themselves a new chore. Also, I changed the carburetor last year, so I’ve got to take advantage of that $12 fix.
Just got back from the Oncologist. Mrs Magill’s numbers are looking good. Her WBC is more than double what it was last Friday. It’s still nowhere near where it should be, but it’s headed in the right direction. Same story with her hemoglobin and platelet count. We stopped by the Krispy Kreme afterwards to get a celebratory doughnut. If her numbers keep improving, she should be able to attend Fang’s graduation next month.
All this talk of mowing has motivated me…to think some more about it…
And talky, what events yesterday? You can leave us MMP’ers hanging like that… And I take my mower to a place in Huntsville about every other year for tune-up and sharpening, hope you can find one close. Do you bag or mulch?
Cookie, ouch! on the toilet repairs. Still, we have been spoiled by indoor plumbing…
Dry cleaning dropped off (pickup next Moanday, due to cleaning a King-Sized Comforter), 3 bags of plastic bags recycled at Wal-Mart (and bought a new watch while I was there), Water bill paid (along with a application to reduce my bill due to my advancing years…), and finally a stop at the Dollar Tree to pick up more mugs. I mean, these are heavy-duty, 32 oz. mugs and they are a buck apiece…they show up only now and then, so I get them when I can…umm, anyone want 8 16oz Pepsi glasses???
Lunch has been placed in my belly and the digestive process is underway. About 90 minutes to decide if mowage will take place or not. It really should…
A few thoughts - is it the sensory aspect that is a concern? If so, you could try ear plugs - I use some that are made for musicians. They really cut down on the noise but I can hear people if I need to. I also use sunglasses. One final thought - leave yourself some extra time in case you need to get off and take a break.
Dice good luck with the washer. I will definitely be checking into the pick up my wash idea. That would really help.
Hippie yay for tree removal!
nellie I will nag. Can you carry water or plan two shorter walks instead of one long one? Is there a place at the midpoint where you could buy a drink and use the bathroom? Please be careful. We’re awfully fond of you.
mommmm Did you make the bean soup? Do you have a recipe? I’m trying to get more beans into my diet.
cookie eek for the plumbing woes. Glad to hear that you are now I.P. Freely.
talky we got our blades sharpened at a place that sold lawn mowing equipment. I agree with MetalMouse - what happened yesterday? Inquiring minds…
wizardyay for good news on Lady Wizard. I hope it continues.
The weather here continues its unfamiliarity with the previously understood atmospheric behavior. Last night we had The Habit for dinner. I love them. Today hubby gets a shot. I think it’s J&J, lucky guy.
Should I buy a new iPad. I want one, but on the other hand do I need one? Decisions, decisions.
Good to know - we usually mulch if we’re doing it ourselves. I actually really enjoy mowing - not only is it satisfying cutting the grass, no one can talk to me while the mower is on!
I completely forgot I hadn’t spilled here - a couple of things happened. Put your seatbelts on and prepare for the drama. What follows in a thing 2 is a lot of “well, she said…” but is a good example of why the internet makes everything really complicated especially for kids.
Thing 1: I got a call from the principal of my daughter’s school yesterday. Apparently a classmate filled a cup with hand sanitizer to trick some other kind into drinking it. My daughter saw and when the kid went to drink from the cup, she told him not to and told the teacher. She did the right thing and I’m proud of her for that, but she was really upset because she felt like she should’ve acted sooner and was a little nervous to go in today because she thought the teacher was mad at her (she wasn’t - everyone just wanted to make sure she was okay).
Thing 2 (verbose even for me): My daughter told me a few weeks ago that two of her friends came out as pansexual. Her other friend told my daughter around the same time that she was bisexual. Overlygirl told me about it, we chatted a little bit about how she felt about it, etc. I know girls’ hormones are a hot mess and sexual identities are taught in school now, so it was unusual but not that unusual that her friends would have more language for whatever they’re feeling. So I made a mental note and moved on. What really escalated the drama last night was my daughter told me every one of these girls posted a detailed, emotional coming out video on tiktok over the weekend. Using their public settings so any creep could view or comment. These girls are 11. Their respective sexual identities are their own, but posting that type of information in a public forum for millions to see when you’re so young is really not safe at all. What’s more, none of their moms knew about their own daughters, but found out about each other’s girls. So my phone starts blowing up, each mom gossiping about the other moms’ girls and how their daughter would never be stupid enough to do that, that they don’t even know the meaning of the word pansexual or bisexual yet. Well.
I try to be all innocent and say, “Oh, wow, how scary! Well maybe just in case you might want to check your daughter’s tiktok - just to make sure she her private settings are still on.” God help me, every single girl had plastered their sexual identity all over tiktok. This is one of the many, many, many reasons my daughter does not have that app. I know she’s up to things of which I am unaware, but holy moly, the internet is a fraught, fraught place.
We very frequently talk about that and what’s safe and what’s not. She doesn’t have social media yet, but I’m definitely not naïve enough to think that she doesn’t take advantage of her friends’ parents more lenient policies, so we talk a LOT about what should or should not be made public for sure.
A year or so back, our kitchen sink wouldn’t drain. The trap was clean, liquid drain opener didn’t help, and even the plumber we called couldn’t figure it out. So FCD and SIL started taking down wall and ceiling panels in the basement to follow the drain line and discovered that when we put up one of the wall panels, we shot the nails right into the PVC pipe. It took several years for enough gunk to accumulate and block the line. The fix was easy, but finding it was a huge mess. The ceiling still hasn’t been repaired, but it’s in the basement, so who cares?
I’ve seeded and put down fertilizer in the back yard. The sprinkler is going. I also did some weeding and planted a few flowers that I picked up at Lowe’s this morning. I have a timer set so I know when to move the sprinkler to a new part of the yard. Once I finish my break, I’ve got a planter that I want to fill with dirt and sunflower seeds. I also need to move the 3 spider plants back out on the porch, since we’re past freezing.
I mowed the little patch in front of the shop and I took down some of the tallest weeds in the middle of the yard. Not a complete job, but an improvement. And I pulled some leftover salisbury steak out of the freezer for supper. There’s some serious adulting going on here today!
It’s not really the sensory things that are concerning me (although that can be a problem.) It’s more the level of crowding that there might be on a bus. I don’t want to get too close to other people, and the transit company does recommend people stay away from each other in buses. Of course, I’ll be masked.
I do plan to be at the appointment a bit early. They said not to show up until a few minutes before your appointment. Probably to avoid long lines. On the first day that vaccinations were open here, there were people lined up for blocks, but now they say to just come a bit before your appointment (and stay for a little while after, as is usual with vaccinations.)
You shipped helicopters outta the Baltimore Aquarium? How did that go?
We ate at Bubba Gumps in Kona about 15 years ago. It was okay but not great. Maybe it’s gone downhill since.
I mowed yesterday. Well, I mowed most of the yard.Then the mower, that I just bought last July, died. Acts like it’s outta gas. (It isn’t). I did all the usual things, new spark plug, checked air filter, etc. Anything else would involve taking things apart. That’s not something I want to do.
And Midget Motors, the place I used to take our old mower, (That worked for 30+ years) went out of business last year.
Plus also, I fell down again yesterday. Fourth time in the last year. Caught my toe on the step up to the driveway with a lawn spreader in one hand and the gate in the other. Apparently I’m dragging my left foot. I prolly should go see the physical therapist. Getting old ain’t for sissies.
'Tis 51 Amurrkin out and fair (as opposed to ugly?) with a predicted high of 86 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. So kinda Spring/Summer today. We shall procure provisions today. Mowage could take place but do not hold your breath in anticipation. Sup shall be sketties 'n meatballs, sallit, and cheesey garlic bread.
I had a bowl of cereal, and 
Acts like it’s outta gas. (It isn’t). I did all the usual things, new spark plug, checked air filter, etc. Anything else would involve taking things apart. That’s not something I want to do.