rodent, it occurs to me to suggest that you make sure your bank is aware of your imminent out-of-country trip so you don’t find yourself with a blocked card if your bank worries about you using it outside your normal area. That could be a huge problem while traveling.
The worse knee is barking tonight. The one with screws in it.
Good call on alerting the rat about his CC’s and travel.
Dark or light rum? Asking for a friend…
I have one password. It works for all those stoopid requirements and I can remember it. Anyone who knows me well could easily figure it out, but I don’t think I’m in much danger of hubs hacking into my needlework forums and posting dickpics so it’s all good.
I have one PIN. Hubs doesn’t need to worry about hacking that one cause he already knows it.
I remember liking sodas when I was young. I can’t really remember how old I was when I switched to unsweet ice tea, but it was before hubs, so maybe in my late 20s? I still like foo-foo coffees and cocktails and think that mimosa’s are grand so no idea why I turned away from soda. My ice-water-with-lemon habit is prolly the only good habit I have anymore.
Hi me! I can remember when **FCM’**s apple cake would have sounded amazing to me. Now it sounds like something I would take one bite of and say many nice things while feeding it to the closest toddler or dog. I’m sure it is delightful, but it certainly isn’t to my taste. Of course, FCM isn’t the sort of person to force cake on people, so it’s all good. (My inlaws were horrible about that, but work potlucks were horrible.)
I am so sorry you had to see that, lucky, but geeze, why do people keep doing that? Just because one lane stops for someone doesn’t mean that all of the lanes are going to stop. It is dangerous and rude.
They are lucky that you were there so your amazing good luck would stop you from having to witness someone getting smooshed.
Sounds pretty sensible to me. Most of the greenhouses I’ve seen have had gravel floors with stepping stones or lattice wood walkways. How hard would it be to have a water line and tap installed? Could you use the money you save on the floor for that? It could make things much easier for her.
As long as you are putting water in, maybe consider a large sink on the outside of the greenhouse using the same water line.
Please don’t kill anyone in front of the camera’s.
Been there, writing the grants as I type.
Wonders if this is a good place to tell the story about dropping a needle on the carpet and finding it with my bare toe. It was a long needle and there was a small blood mark under my toenail for quite a while. (We now have no carpets and I always wear shoes.)
I’ve always known you were a smart guy.
I agree with the above advice about telling your bank you will be traveling. I know you do it a bunch, but we all forget stuff at times.
So, it was nice and N.O.S today so I wasted it sitting inside and blowing my nose. I also spent a lot of time sneezing and my throat hurts. This sucks, I had two meetings scheduled tomorrow and I have already been in contact with both organizers but these meetings are important and I really do need to go.
I started the laundry today, but when I emptied the basket on our bed, VBC jumped on the bed and made herself a nest and just needed some warm laundry time before going back out and dealing with GG, so I folded what she wasn’t using and left her alone.
She came out for dinner time but when I went back in to finish folding and putting away, the Crabby Old Cat (not to be confused with GOG) was curled up in the nest. He’s a tiny cat, so I got some more laundry folded and put away.
I guess I’ll be able to finish folding and putting away when hubs gives everyone their nighttime treats.
Hubs keeps wondering how our cats got to be so spoiled.
Up, caffeinated, and shveled. Off to heave. It’s my Firday!
Plantation 5 year single pot. Darker and more funky than Bacardi
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 30 Amurrkin out and partly cloudy (mostly moony?) with a predicted high of 60 and N.O.S. for the day. I have a gnawin’ and a cravin’ for some down home cookin’. Thus, we shall sup upon cubed steak 'n onion gravy, peas/butterbeans/okra cooked together, creamed corn, smashed N.O.T., and bizkits. The big plus is, not only will it take care of the main need to feed today, there will be leftovers for tomorrow’s main feed. WIN-WIN!
MetalMouse I third (or is it fourth?) the idea of lettin’ your bank/credit card institution know you are travelin’ out of the country. Anything to lessen a surprise whilst travelin’.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Happy Sattidy Y’all!
Now, I’d say Coke Zero tastes more like TAB, tho I haven’t had one in decades. Once upon a time, it was about the only diet soda one could buy - like back in the 70s… YOIKS! I’ve been drinking these artificially sweetened things that long? Shouldn’t all those chemicals have turned me into some sort of mutant by now?? < waiting for comments from the peanut gallery >
This cracked me up!
We have a rendezvous in the WaWa parking lot at 9 to get a couple of dining room chairs that I saw on FB Marketplace. Almost ever since moving here, we’ve been saying we need to get some extra chairs since we only have 6 with our dining room set. We’ve used the piano bench and my desk chair when extras were needed, but neither of them work well. So when I saw these two for $20, I figured it was time. Now to figure out where they’ll live when we don’t have lots of dinner guests.
I went out early to start the pellet stove in the shop since we’ll be working out there today, unpacking and sorting FIL’s tools. It’s been 20+ minutes and it hasn’t fired up yet. I’m about to head out there again. (I can see the chimney, so I know whether it’s burning or not.)
#####
And I just saw why it wasn’t igniting - the tray where the pellets fall was a solid chunk of old ash. I dumped it out and restarted the sequence. It should be burning shortly. I hope.
Anyway, it’s going to be a rough day for FCD, sorting his dad’s tools. Not to mention trying to figure out where to put everything. I just hope it spawns some good memories for him.
Meanwhile, caffeination continues. Happy Saturday!!
After discussing the incident with Mr. brown, we came to that conclusion, too. The whole group of guys did not look like upstanding citizens.
Speaking of Mr. brown, he is having another attack of gout, his third. He’s popping Aleve to tamp down the pain and ignoring my warnings that that stuff can eat a hole in your stomach lining if you take it too often (I speak from experience). Whatever we plan for this weekend has to accommodate his swollen, lame foot. This flare doesn’t seem as bad as the last one, though, when I had to rent a knee scooter for him so he could get from bed to bathroom.
I’d sure like to buy a piece of good fresh fish for dinner tonight. We’ve been eating too much beef lately. Our local supermarkets have a limited selection of better quality stuff - it’s pretty much salmon or tilapia (ick). Maybe I’ll make a road trip to an Asian supermarket and buy a whole fresh fish and filet it myself. I watch a heck of a lot of youtube videos of Japanese chefs fileting fish and I think I’ve got their technique down.
I agree with you on this - tilapia tastes like dirt to me. I keep seeing something called swai in my Food Lion, but considering how cheap it is, I’m not inclined to try it. I’m guessing it’s not a particularly high-quality product. My favorite is tuna steak, followed by cod and salmon.
I see swai, too, and wonder about it. Maybe I’ll experiment and get a bit, cook it up, and report back here if it tastes like tilapia.
There’s a species of catfish used by Vietnamese restaurants that’s pretty tasty. It has only a very slight background taste of algae, not enough to put me off. They put chunks of it in pho soups and stir frys, and it’s good. I’ll have to look it up to find its name and if I see it at the Asian market, I’ll try it out. If I batter it and fry it and serve it with tartar sauce and lemon, that should disguise any off tastes.
ETA: I checked - swai IS Vietnamese catfish. So I’ve had it, and it’s pretty good. It’s cheap because it’s farmed.
Mooooom and teela, I live in the land of fried catfish and, no, it isn’t my favorite. I’ll eat it, so it isn’t a total blecccccch, but if I’m eating catfish, I want it in pho or grilled.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. Messing around in the studio and sloth are high on the agenda today.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Too bad you don’t live near me. We own a knee scooter we would be willing to lend if the distance were reasonable.
As far as fish, I love halibut but my wallet does not. (sigh) Most other fish I’m good with, though. The one time I remember trying catfish (probably at some place like Hometown Buffet or Golden Corral) it tasted much more like dirt than like fish. Ugh.
Yep, have already done so, but always a good suggestion for overseas travel. They say Argentina is mostly a cash economy, but we’ll see. Thanks to all.
Good morning all. Agreed to coach a indoor soccer game at 3pm and referee the next two from 4-6, so my afternoon is booked. May take the new laptop over to the library and play with it a little (quietly of course) so any headaches can be worked out (If I’m at home there are too many distractions).
Not a fish eater, so far I’ve made it through life without it, so no opinion on catfish or any other denizens from the sea.
Lucky, I’ve never had gout, and from what I’ve read, I never want it. Best wishes to Mr. Lucky.
FCM, hope the rendezvous goes as planned and the merchandize meets your expectations. Stay warm.
JtC, I’m the opposite, I have different passwords for everything, and I change my computer PIN every year. Guess all those hacker horror stories have gotten to me…
OK, need to break fast and look presentable to the library patrons. All y’all take care.
Wise rodent. 
Remember, I used to work in a call center that handled pre-paid debit cards and saw people surprised to find their cards locked when they were in the next state over from where they lived, let alone another time zone or country. I strongly suspect a regular bank debit card can have that happen, too, and it would ruin a trip I know you’re really looking forward to.
Good morning everyone.
It’s currently 41 degrees with an expected high of 45 and cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. Temps will drop into the low thirties tonight and stay there for a bit.
teela, what you endured is frightening. I’m glad you weren’t hurt, though.
Yes, telling the bank you’re going to be traveling outside of your normal range is a good idea. However, they sometimes mess up. Years ago, my son had to complete a quarter of schooling in Paris, France, for his degree. He told his credit union that he would be in Paris for three months. They didn’t flip the appropriate switch. It was a bit of a nightmare for his first week, but things got sorted eventually. Thank goodness we had international calling on our cell phone plan. Texting too, but sometimes it’s just faster with a call.
Agree that tilapia is awful. To tell the truth, I rarely eat fish anymore, but if I do, it’s mostly cod or halibut. I will sometimes treat myself to Copper River salmon, but other than that, I leave salmon alone. I ate way too much of it growing up, like every single week. I just burned out on it and don’t want anything to do with it. Also, I grew up eating fish I caught, so I knew it was fresh or fresh when it was put in the freezer. I’m always highly suspicious of supermarket fish.
I am hopeful we’re going to UHaul today to rent a utility trailer or truck to make a dump run. I have some yard debris that needs to go, plus some odds and ends in the garage that I need to dispose of. I feel another purging mood coming on.
Hopefully, the husband will rise soon so we can get this squared away.
I’ve got some tidying to do, so I’ll finish my coffee and do that before I shower.
I hope you all have a good day.
The chairs are quite nice. With a good cleaning and some Old English scratch cover, they’ll be presentable for company! 
And they’re good, solid chairs with substantial legs and back spindles. Definitely a good deal!
We just quit (for a while) working in the shop. FCD is a bit bothered because it’s not affecting him as he thinks it should. I keep telling him grief is highly personal and it might hit him in a week or a month or who knows… Or maybe he did all his grieving as his dad declined. But it still bothers him that it doesn’t bother him.
And OMG, do we have screwdrivers!!! Between what FCD has accumulated, what we got from my dad’s shop 20 years ago, and what he just got from his dad, we have got a gazillion, literally!!! So many duplicates of so many things. We may end up having a tool sale. He’s definitely going to sell his planer because his dad’s is so much better. And the hand tools and power tools and carving tools… So many tools!
Daughter and the kids are coming over for basement time. In fact, they just got here. Off I go!!
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s 5c/41f with no predicted change, and cloudy. The outside of my window agrees with that. Weather app says “It’s not that cold outside. It would be a lot colder if we were on a fucking whale watching trip”. So there you have it.
It’s been a busy day - got up early and was in the gym by 8am. Three classes done, then home for a quick change before heading out to get my hair cut. Back home for a cuppa, collect 'im indoors and go to the pet store for cat litter, fancy urinary care biscuits and some of the tinned food Shadow likes, before heading into town for lunch at the Good Chinese Place, errands and then back to pick up the car and get petrol on the way home.
Now I’m having a restorative cuppa or two before dinner, and we are off to see bands tonight. I’ve got a sore throat and a stuffy nose ( just a cold, according to my covid test) so hopefully a couple of paracetamol tablets will deal with that. I’m driving to the gig as it’s about 10 miles away, so I’ll be drinking plenty of water while we’re there. Hopefully we’ll be home by midnight and will be able to park without having to deal with the complete cockwombles who use the Heritage Centre down the street and have absolutely no clue about safe parking practices.
Happy Caturday!
Mrs. L.A. hasn’t wanted the traditional Saturday breakfast (deadpig strips, cackleberries, and home-fried tubers) the last couple of weeks. I did make it last week, but she didn’t eat her potatoes. Last night she informed me she didn’t want breakfast today. So I made myself a bowl of porridge (steel-cut oats, salt, and cream) and she had a bowl of yoghurt.
I have three more logs to split, plus the one I’ve been using as a chopping block. I’ll wait an hour or so for the carbs to be available, and then get to it.
SWMBO wants fettuccine Alfredo for dinner. She wanted to order some to take home last night because ‘You never make it’, but I told her I’d make her fettuccine Alfredo any time she wants. I’ll make her some, with shrimp. I think I’ll pan-sear some mahi-mahi for myself, and steam some yellow squash for the both of us (if she wants some). She bought hot dog buns last week, so I’ll probably use one to make her some garlic bread.
Hooray for Saturdays!!
So far today I’ve paid my bills, and caught up on some volunteering-related things. I’m waiting for replies to a few emails that I sent yesterday morning: I keep having to remind myself to be patient, and that not everyone is as tech-savvy as me when it comes to their branch webmail. Or as OCD (heh). I need to do some laundry, but it can wait until tomorrow. I got my car inspected on Wednesday and went to the grocery store yesterday (and then cleaned out my freezer), and I can’t think of any other chores that need to be done any time soon. 
Ever since I passed the 1-year post-op mark and discovered that I can tolerate a lot more foods these days, I’ve been craving tuna casserole (don’t judge! it’s a long-time comfort food). Nutritionally it’s pretty terrible for me and I wasn’t sure how/whether I’d tolerate the pasta – which has been hit-or-miss – but last night I finally gave in and made it. And had no problems! 
It’s something I might make once a year (it takes over an hour and is way too much like actual cooking to be worth the carbs more often than that), but right now I’m happy because I’m set for lunch and dinner all weekend…at least: a batch used to only last 2-3 meals, but I can’t eat as much as I used to so the leftovers will last longer. Tuna casserole is one of the few foods I’m always happy to have leftovers of, because I don’t get tired of it before they run out.
Oh hey, look: it’s lunchtime! 
Yes, you definitely get it!!
FWIW, I’ve been meaning to sympathize: grants are very different beasts, but I was a proposal writer for 7 years and a proposal manager for 3 years (responding to federal RFPs). The latter is what I did right before my current job, with the same company, and I still support corporate proposals from time to time (because I’m a masochist). In addition to my day job I’m currently managing the “past performance” writeups for an effort we think will be due next month, and I just – this morning – agreed to do some editing for three other responses in the actual office on Monday. I’ve never had any interest in grants, but I have a lot of respect for people who do that work!
Busy morning, since we had to do the Next Day air that arrived the next day after it was supposed to be delivered. laundry’s in the dryer, and it’s naptime.
And because it takes less ink to print “swai” than “Vietnamese catfish”
Only users lose drugs.
waves from snowy Western Mitten State