Had the usual Old Fashioned with fries and a mushroom Swiss burger.
I share my birthday with Boris Pasternak, Lon Chaney Jr., and Laura Dern.
Need your bowl to sparkle?
Want it to gleam?
forget elbow grease
use the rhyming shaving cream!
Burma-Shave
(I have a book on the Burma shave ad campaign)
Mighty hunters indeed!
I share a birthday with Joe Namath and Clint Eastwood. yawn
Cheesy dinner tonight. ¼ pound Costco Dinner Frank, grilled, with American cheese, mayo, and Sriracha; Beecher’s smoked sharp cheddar; and triple-cream brie. And wine.
Howdy all. I am back from my cruise. Got back on Saturday but took until today to get settled in. We had fun except my friend was seasick for the first two days. Finally another passenger gave her a patch to wear behind her ear and she got OK. She did not go into Grand Turk but I did in search of a pharmacy to get sea bands. None to be had. Grand Turk is a British Territory so they drive on the wrong side of the road. All I got to see was the route through town and lots of hurricane damaged homes and buildings. My impression is there are lots of islanders in Grand Turk living in abject poverty.
We both made it into the Dominican Republic. Hired a taxi and he gave us the grand tour of Puerto Plata, the nearest town from the port. We visited the Amber museum, the cigar factory and the chocolate factory. The part of the DR we were in, the north coast, was very hilly and mountainous. Very pretty.
The cruise itself was fine. We spent a lot of time just chilling in the suite since she was puny. We did make it to the casino a couple nights. Didn’t win any earth shattering amounts of money just prolonged play. The second day was a bust so we didn’t stay long.
I am glad to be home. There is no place like home. My boy Buddy was just thrilled to have me back. The cat could not have cared less.
Happy Birthday *Mooommm. *
Butters, glad the cruise went well, I’ve never been to the Dominican Republic in my Caribbean sailings, may have to look for a chance to do that.
Metal Mouse, please…never have worn braces in my entire life… 
Concur with the swimming working most of the body, but I imagine my 500 time is a lot slower than daughter’s ever was…
swampy, sounds like great reading matter when it’s close to bedtime…
FCM, DQ is always a good choice. Haven’t seen a deer around here in awhile, although I have a fairly large forest area just a couple houses away.
Dinner was provided by WhataBurger, but they are still pretty slow on things and they left some onion on my burger, so may have to let them get broken in for awhile. Heading off now to play with my laptop and see if I can get the Wifi to work. Then off to bed.
Take care all.
I mailed my DIL’s birthday present, then went to the gym. My sister called as I was leaving, then immediately after that, my brother called. I’m so grateful to have sibling whom I like so much and that we’re all so tight. It makes all the crap I’ve had to deal with much more bearable. I really dread the days when we start dying off.
On a happier note, I share a birthday with Sophia Loren and Upton Sinclair. The three of us get together to get drunk and play Twister. Upton doesn’t play too well, as he’s a little stiff.
Maybe we could send HER in a box to somewhere peaceful and quiet .
Holy hamstrings, Batman! That’s really impressive!
I’m consumed with curiosity. Explanations on how to do what? Iron a surplice? Train a jackalope? Raise Porcupines for Fun and Profit?
Oh, THAT was fun.
She goes, “Have you changed the filter in the furnace???!?”
Me: “What filter?”
Cue five minutes of her bopping around taking pictures of my furnace…
(…ME: “I looked for the filter already… but go ahead!”)
She finally cannot find the filter (cue Shoe face of surprise) and will call the furnace company. To find out where the F is the filter, how I’m supposed to replace it, etc.
So I will have more random men in my home.
Snerk
Has ironed them under proper supervision, the “helpful” advice would have taken more than 28 pages.
I’d totally kick in a few bucks to ship sari off to a desert island for a week, but I’m sure not big enough to make her get into a box. However…I’ll bet if I filled the box with comfy pillows and clean sheets, she would settle down quite nicely all on her own. Now I want a box of my own!
We had been worried about our housekeeper and how well she was recovering from the plague and all because she lives with her son, wife and three kids in a small place about the size of ours. She loves them but says she loves going on cruises because her home is always full of noise and confusion.
We were wrong to worry, she has been staying with her sister who lives in California. Her sister has an even smaller place with just a twin bed and lots of boxes in the spare room, but it is quiet and her sister has been taking good care of her. She will be back a week from Wednesday. Which is good. But sucks because dusting is just going to have to happen without her which means I’m the one who is going to be doing it because hubs is unable to see dust or floors that need sweeping.
I’m guessing someone pulled a dirty filter out of the furnace but didn’t replace it and it never was there when you were looking. And why was this not noticed when you had your last inspection? How much has this been costing you in heating bills, furnaces need filters to work efficiently. Not grumbling at you, grumbling at the incompetent inspectors and management company.
Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.
Welcome home DorthyButters!
I’ve seen this movie.
Weird that they can’t find it, most HVAC units have the filter behind a big honking grate.
“Iron Surplice” would be an epic metal band. \m/–\m/
Good morning everyone. 40-something (F) here and supposed to rain and maybe snow later.
Been a rough week and I’m way late in MMP-ing. Wife was on a trip last week and while I was on the phone with her, our dog had a sudden seizure and died before I could even carry him to the car. After the wreck, covid, wife’s back problems (preventing her from traveling home) and finally losing my best friend – I was just reeling. So spent my birthday sitting alone on the kitchen floor cradling my best friend. I had to deal with my buddy’s remains and clean everything up alone, but at least things were put away and tidied before she arrived home. Maybe it was easier for her, I had a rough time walking past his bowls and bed for a few days.
We still haven’t gotten a settlement from the insurance company(ies), almost two months after the accident. But they seem to have agreed on who covers what, and promised X dollars is “in the mail… trust us!” Since we need to get on with things, I searched and found a suitable replacement for the truck, and drove it home yesterday. It’s in the driveway and once I get enough energy (still battling covid problems) I’ll try to “move” into it, so to speak. You know things are rough when a Texan isn’t excited about his new pickup. The whole process was a chore, but it might have helped me get a better deal, since I didn’t care about one truck or the other – just wanted to meet minimum requirements and get it over with.
As for upcoming plans: Will test one more time to ensure I’m still negative, then back to PT. Other than that, my former plans to water some overly-dry bushes are being handled by Mother Nature today. Since it’s a down* day, I’ll probably just binge on my latest Netflix series and hot soup.
Hope everyone has a good week. And Happy Birthday FCM.
*Covid recovery seems to be a few days up, then a few days down. But the cycle is trending upward and each “series” is an improvement over the last. It’s getting better, just too slow for my taste.
Just found out this morning on our Nextdoor page that there’s going to be a DQ in Leonardtown, making it a couple of miles closer than the one in Charlotte Hall. That could be dangerous…
My sibs rarely call, but of late, we’ve been exchanging emails more frequently. Since I left home at 19 and have mostly lived pretty far from them for the last 50 years, we don’t have a particularly close relationship, but there’s no animosity. We’re just mostly strangers in a lot of ways. We get along fine when we’re together, but I’d not have chosen any of them as friends - we have such different interests and personalities. But I think we’d each do anything we could for any of the others, which is more than some sibs can say.
Did you look at the cold air return vent? That’s where my in-laws’ filter is in their FL house. It’s in the ceiling, which makes it a pain in the patoot to change. In one of our houses, the filter was in that vent rather than in the furnace assembly. Just a thought, if you want to avoid strange, random men.
Saw this and wondered why someone would post a personal ad here… 
Then I read on - OMG, you need a {{{{hug}}}} - I hope your life settles on a more even keel for a while.
My Toddler Terror will be here in about an hour, so I’m enjoying some quiet in the interim. Well, as quiet as it can be with idiot Higgs barking and any movement she sees outside the front window. People are going to work and school, so much is moving on the road. Idiot dog.
Some time in the next few days or so, I’ll be talking to my daughter about the child care situation. She and SIL need to do some serious planning. But I’m not going to leave them in the lurch. I want to tell them to quit going out to eat - I know what that costs and it would go a long way towards covering daycare - we’re not talking once a week - we’re talking sometimes multiple times a day. NOT smart. However, I can’t direct their budget, but I can give them a deadline.
FCD and I also discussed impending inheritances - he doesn’t expect his mom to live out the year. Of course, it’s just been 2 weeks, and if she’s able to get into the senior apartment complex, she may make friends and raise her spirits. But still, she’ll be 92 in June and my mom just turned 89 - neither of them will live much longer. And we’ve decided that we’ll pay for Tobias to go to the Montessori school like his sister did when we have the money. That’ll still leave us enough to have some fun.
Speaking of money - I need to do my taxes, dammit. I got an email from my mortgage company directing me to their site for my tax documents. But the site said the documents won’t be available toll Jan 31. Way to tease!! Except I’m pretty sure I can find the info about how much interest we paid, and I’m further sure that we don’t have enough to itemize, so it doesn’t matter, does it? There’s got to be a better way to fund the gummint.
And that’s as political as I’ll get. It’s cold, we might get evil white stuff tomorrow, and a week from Firday, we go on our mini-vacation.
Happy Tuesday!!
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 31 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 61 and N.O.S. for the day. Today is laundry day. I can hardly contain myself. There will be the usual sloth and general overall uselessness. Sup shall be leftovers from last night’s sup.
{{{Pulley}}} I am so sorry for the loss of your doggie! I know how heartbroken the two of you must be. I’m glad you found a replacement for truck. Hope you are over the plague soonest. Recovery from that does seem to be a slow process.
Nellie we are beginnin’ the process of searchin’ for a new full-time Priest. It is a long, slow process with many steps along the way. I am hopin’ it will be done by year’s end but am not willin’ to place bets on that.
Butters glad you enjoyed the cruise. You’re right though, home is the best place on Earth.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.
Happy Tuesday Y’all!
Good morning everyone.
It’s 36 degrees and dark outside. We will have cloudy skies with an expected high of 45 degrees.
pullin, I’m so sorry about your dog. I hope the insurance companies get their heinies in gear and that you start feeling 100% soonest.
butters, I’m glad you enjoyed the cruise.
I share a birthday with Malcolm X, John Hopkins, the founder of Johns Hopkins U, a surprising array of composers and artists, and so on.
Work was busy, even though hardly anyone was around. I have to switch my “going to the office” day to Thursday because a peer is retiring, and nobody can collect his badge, keys, credit card, and equipment. I hate commuting on Thursdays. I am hopeful that he will leave early so I can leave early, too, and spend the afternoon working from home. The reason for that is that I have an important meeting from 2:30 to 3:30, and when I work from the office, I usually leave at 3:00. If I leave even 15 minutes later, my one-hour commute turns into almost two hours.
I am not particularly close with either of my sisters. The middle sister and I grew up together, and although we love each other and would help each other in a hot minute, we don’t share many of the same interests. She runs over people in conversation, which gets on my last nerve, so I don’t spend much time with her. She lives over on the peninsula, so we rarely see each other. I didn’t grow up with my youngest sister, but we seem to have much more in common. We have the best time when we do get together. She lives in Texas, so we don’t see other very often, although we communicate via the Book of Faces. I plan to take a few days and travel down there just to meet up with her and her family. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. The last time I saw her in person was when our father died. It’s been too long.
Well, I should finish my coffee and tidy the kitchen.
I hope you all have a great day.
Glad you’re going to be talking to the kids soon about daycare arrangements, FCM.
pullin So sorry about your dog.
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s a balmy 2c/35f with little change, and mostly sunny. Weather app says “Asking someone to be positive about the weather is like asking them to smile more. It’s totally fucking annoying”.
{{{{{pullin}}}}} I am so sorry to hear about your dog, that must have been such a shock. Fingers crossed for your continued recovery from the lurgy too.
Butters glad you enjoyed the cruise, it’s not our fault you lot drive on the wrong side of the road 
Taters sorry to hear you have unscheduled commuting, I hope you manage to get out early. I don’t have to drive but my public transport commute takes an hour and a quarter on a good day but it doesn’t take much to throw that out completely and turn it into a 2-3hr nightmare.
I share my birthday with Bryan Cranston, Rob Roy, Maurice Ravel and Rik Mayall (amongst others). Not a bad selection really!
Glad you enjoyed your cruise butters. Like you, I’m always ready to come back home too.
shoe, I’ve never rented a place that expected me to change furnace filters without showing me where it is and specifying the part number in the lease. That’s just weird that your landlord didn’t even know, let alone give you instructions.
{{{yank}}} I am so sorry about your dog. That had to come as a shock. Glad you found a suitable truck though and that your up days are now outnumbering the down.
Up between naps for morning meds, taking Nelson out and having some yogurt and a scrambled aig. I may peel and quarter the apples on the fruit stand and put them in the mini-crockpot for applesauce (at least I can eat them in that form). I also have to go to the pharmacy this afternoon to pick up a 'script. While I’m there, I’ll pick up some 'nanners and ensure for sustenance that can be eaten without chewing. I’ve just been more-or-less napping for 2-3 hours at a time since this started. I get up when I need to nuke the heat pack, make a cup of tea, take more meds or eat. I’ll be so glad when it’s over.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Morning, everyone. I am not feeling good today at all. I was dealing with some drama with online friends last night. It was so exhausting and heartbreaking to deal with.
Apparently Oscar Goldman is working for us now, because there was a sign on SSLAW #2: Do not touch, Level 2 tech is rebuilding. so of course, we only had one working today.
I’m an only child. I wonder why. 
{{{{{Pulley}}}}} We’ve had too much of this the last month or so.
{{{{GodBod}}}}
I’m so very sorry to hear this! I send you, and yours, my most sincere condolences.
Too many have left us recently.
{{{Yank}}}, that’s a horrible way to start the year. I wish you and wife comfort and condolences. And when you start to feel better, pictures of new truck would be nice…
Godbod, sorry for the online drama; being an old geezer I’m not as intimately involved with other people electronically (except here and we’re a pretty mellow bunch) but I have some idea how important it is to you youngn’s. Hope things get on the mend soon.
Taters, hope the commute is bearable. I was about a 20 minute drive away from where I worked for the last 10 years and almost never ran into traffic, be safe.
FCM, I usually eat out 3-4 times a week, but 3 of them are sammiches only, just one dinner. I can’t imagine budgeting for a family to do it 2-3 times a day. Hope they get a little sense. I’ll do my taxes when I get back from my travels in February; they aren’t to complex and Edward D. Jones is always slow on their paperwork.
Not particularly close to Brother, we’ve lived apart for over 40 years, he’s fundamentalist Lutheran conservative and…I’m not those things, but I see him and the rest of his family on Thanksgiving and Xmas and we exchange calls/texts now and then.
shoe, that’s almost hilarious about the filter; hope the great mystery gets solved.
OK, need to break my fast and call AT&T about my ^&*%%$^& wireless that I cannot get to connect to my laptop (thought I had it solved, but…). Take care all.