Good morning.

Lovely to read what everybody us up to!

The jury is still out on his I'm going to face the day.

Tatoulia, I knew your presentation would go well. You don't give yourself enough credit.

I do not have a hen that would brood the baby chicks. Generally you can't get a hen to do that unless she has been sitting on eggs, and even then you have to be careful.

CM, I too prefer jobs that will not come back. Lately my life feels very full of the other kind though.

I'll have to come back and update later.

Good Evening Everybody
What wonderful posts to read! :D

That's wonderful to hear Subclinical
Just what I wanted for you. Time to create in an atmosphere of social distancing. (((HUG)))

WTG! for dropping off recycling.
Hope those two crates are easy to get all sorted out.


Hi CriticalMass
WTG! for fixing the bench and cat waterer!
When we are kids we have to wear whatever our mothers buy for us.
When we are older we have figured out what feels good and works best on us.
We are not being OCD, just smart. ;)
I hate that cheap crap too.

After Steven had his brain tumor removed I told him I liked the tumor better than him, it was nicer and I missed talking to it. LOL
But I would be alright with a nice alien body snatcher too. :D

I don't remember it being too difficult to fix Steven quick simple meals when he was radioactive.
But I didn't have a cookbook, just a list of things he couldn't eat.



Hi Tatoulia
YEA!!! You ACED the presentation!!! :D

Hope Kitty learns lap sitting is fun for both of them.

WAY TO GO! with all your financial decluttering!!!
Money is one thing it's alright to have more of and even some for Justin Case. ;)


The weather today was gorgeous.
Not too warm & not too cool. Lots of sunshine and a pleasant breeze.
Been keeping up with housework cleaning & tidying as I go along so nothing much needing done at any time.
So today I played and did beading and watched movies.
Twinkles stayed out under the sagebrush for hours and when he finally came in I brushed him.

Hello! It all went well! Very well. It was worth every minute of work and worry last night. I logged off my computer at 450 and napped. One of my speakers knew I was worried and he pulled it together today. He timed in at 35 minutes (yesterday he merely read his slides and came in around 55 minutes and I nearly died of boredom). Our second speaker was excellent. So they were both excellent and I was pleased with the program!!

So mom's cat is now spending time on her lap! Not a lot of time but time nonetheless! Those two girls!!!

SubC what a lovely experience you had today at the studio. I could picture it perfectly! How lovely!

Cm nothing wrong with wanting things the way you want them! Uncomfortable clothes are terrible. For me, my pjs have to be woven cotton. Thin woven cotton. My sheets have to be percale. I get it.

Tillie how are you? My house is a bit of a mess right now. I'm feeling humid even though it's not really humid right now. I heard on the news that our lovely weather is about to be replaced with heat and humidity. I am considering putting the AC on tonight.

I've blocked off my morning tomorrow so I can just work. Isn't that a hoot???

I worked on my June expense report last night and have ~600 coming to me. I'll pop that right into savings. I'm tempted to put that on my loan but I think savings makes better sense. I have set up automatic payments on my loan; paying the full monthly amount every two weeks. I'm also paying drips and drabs from when I don't buy something. So if I start looking at shoes (honestly, who wears shoes anymore) or other nonsense, I put what I would've mindlessly spent onto the loan. I hope that I can keep up with this. I'd really and truly like to see this end in November 2021. I have a plan. And that's what is important.
Okay off to clean the kitchen. My favorite girl is asleep on her chair.

I'll try to keep this post not so wordy as I sometimes get, but still newsy. Heehee.

SubC, I would be over the moon if I could go paint at some sort of roomy studio. :)

Today was when quilting was to resume, but I'm not sure if I want to do much but coast until after the 4th of July, when roommate's treatment is over.

She's a bit frustrated with having to take time to cook everything from scratch from the low iodine cookbook while working from home too.

Weather's been hot. Storms this weekend maybe.

I got the patio bench bolts tightened today and cleaned out the cats' drinking fountain and changed the filter in it.

These were items on the To-Do list I'd started about 3 weeks ago. I especially love getting one-time tasks done. Repeated tasks, well, they don't give the satisfaction of closure, and coordinating them with the one-offs makes my brain hurt. This is one reason why I get tempted to procrastinate.

I'll just have to work with that or try to distract my mind from overthinking it.

Getting a few more items off the sewing table. Won't be long before I can be productive there. Since going to church again, I've realized most of my summer pastel cotton capris don't have adequate pockets for my smartphone either.

I'd tried a few years back to locate the sort of cotton fabric those are made of, thinking I'd sew some from scratch. Had no luck. Hancock's where I once worked carried it but they went out of business. So, I'll probably just have to make hidden side seam pockets in what I have.

Sometimes flip phones had their advantages!

Just in case you haven't figured it out, I have sort of OCD issues with my clothes - fabric fiber and thickness, being able to have my "pocket items" with me wherever, etc.

Used to be okay when I could find the type of clothes that worked for me year after year, reasonably priced, in several stores - then suddenly everything had gone to polyester and tiny or no pockets, often flimsy, garish, faddish cheap stuff I wouldn't give two cents for.

Hate having to waste time tweaking everything just to be able to get dressed to go places. :P

Tatoulia I'm glad to hear your job situation seems okay. Hope bf's does well too.

SubC, close your eyes and think "Hens! Hens! Hens!" ;)

Tillie, I hope that's really Steven and not an alien body snatcher - though if the alien is willing to declutter we shan't complain either way, eh? LOL

I went to the studio.

It was really nice. All the doors and windows open, fans going, I entered through the back where there was a masked person working in her studio space in the far corner, then through the main room where I stopped to get my work off my shelf - three masked people throwing pots at widely spaced wheels and one masked employee supervising and keeping his distance, into the glaze studio, where I was the only person and was able to claim the best work station by the big picture window and work in the sun with a lovely breeze, uninterrupted for three hours!

I did have one conversation with the masked employee loading the kilns in the next room (the rooms are delineated by floor height, not a wall, but he was far away.) he is the glaze guru, and I had a question, so he came over and stood about 8 feet from me so that he could see what he needed to see and helped me with words.

After three hours I had finished three large pots and another person came in. She was working twelve feet away on the other side of a partition in the low-fire section, but I decided I had reached a good stopping point, cleaned and disinfected my space, and left.

I have two more large pots and two small pots to glaze, and I may use the slab roller (in the main room) in a few weeks depending on how I feel about things. I don't know if I will go back again this week or wait until next Tuesday. Definitely not tomorrow. Too much scheduled in the space. I will only go when there are large stretches with no classes or activities.

Afterwards I stopped by my empty school, took some pictures of equipment I needed to take, and picked up the things my friend left on my desk. I also dropped off a jar of corks for the craft supply closet.

Then I dropped my recycling at the community drop off and came home.

Following my no leaving the house unless something leaves with me rule. Although, my friend left me two big crates of stuff. I just brought it home to sort out.

Good Morning

A male duck is called a drake when it is an adult. During adolescence, ducks of both sexes are simply referred to as ducklings. An adult female can be known as either a hen or a duck. A group of ducks is called a raft, team or paddling.

Your flower boxes sound so cheerful Tatoulia :)
YEA! for a beautiful day there, find time to enjoy it.
Hope you are panicking for nothing and your seminar goes great (((HUG)))

Morning Subclinical
Really hoping you are at the pottery studio.
YEA! that the Rats love your special snacks!!!
Grateful your Dh is still working (((HUG)))

Yes, Turkeys are amazing when they fly :D
Peacocks too.
When your Chicks hatch in the incubator can you then stick them out under a Hen to raise?

I can picture Mr Kitty and if I sit really quiet, I can hear the kitty clinks.

Tillie with God as my witness, it never occurred to me that baby quails would be the size of the eggs! I feel so stupid! I bet they are adorable.

From what I read, SubC, with ducks you can't always tell if there's a boy duck with them (such a city slicker-I don't know the proper names for boy ducks).

A day in the studio sounds lovely!

It is another sunny and cool day here. I have a few more things to finish up before panicking before the seminar.

Oh a week or so ago I changed out my flower boxes. I now have one pink abs one white geranium in each box. I used the same box as the pansies (very small). Generally I use larger boxes at this phase but I liked the look of the 15" boxes.

Coffee clinks!

Actually, kitty clinks. Mr kitty stays out at night now, and in the morning he comes in for his cereal. He pushes his bowl around in the corner and it clinks against the molding.

Tillie, I am glad that the garbage is going away.

I know about chickens, but the first time I saw how far and high wild turkeys can fly, it shocked me!

I can't believe someone could hatch store eggs. They must sell them up refrigerated? I snuck two extra into the incubator first thing in the morning. It was less that a 12 hour spread, so hopefully it will be fine. 27. I am setting my hopes low. 4 good hens.

I prefer to broody hatch chicks, but right now I need to do this.

Tatoulia, that was a long work day!

I hope things are ok for your bf. Dh is feeling relieved again right now because his group dodged the second round of layoffs this week.

I love mail, but it is a problem for me. If someone writes me a letter, I cannot let it go.

Good news from the barn. The rats finally found the snack bar. Now I just need to keep providing them with special rat snax until they stop showing up.

I think that I am going to try to go to the pottery studio and glaze today. I have to go this morning because there is a class in the afternoon.

Good Evening Everyone
Was a nice dark cool day, tomorrow is supposed to be hot.

Hi Tatoulia
Hope everything is working out with your email (((HUG)))
It takes a LOT to get me to speak up, usually I just walk away because I know from experience people don't want to change their minds.

Knocking on wood myself to not jinx Steven's cleaning.
Can't mention it to him because he will get angry and stop.

So HAPPY you are receiving mail back!!!
I used to enjoy getting cards and letters but now I only get junk mail. :P

Good Luck with your presentation tomorrow.
Hoping everybody is awake and on their game. :D

Funny how I forget that things and sights common to me are unique and alien to a city girl.
Watching chicks hatch in an incubator is always fun.
I have Quail parents come through my yard each evening now with their tiny little babies running along with them.
Cottontail bunnies frolicking in my grass mornings and nights.
Quail are a lot like chickens, will lay eggs around here & there at times.
When they nest, their eggs all hatch at the same time and you can see almost 20 babies running around the mother's legs looking like dust because they are so tiny, the size of a Quail egg.
The babies peck up their own food, the parents don't feed them like other birds.
Even when still very small they can fly enough to get over fences or up in trees.
Did you know Chickens can fly too?
They can.

SubC did you read about the woman who was able to hatch duck eggs from the supermarket???

Boy I would love to see your incubator and the eggs.

Thank you for your support. I feel like it's a fading into a non-issue. I haven't heard back from the CEO so I'll take that as a sign that he's mulling it over. The other person cc'd on the email said she'd back me up and that it was beautifully written. And I've been so busy today (nearly 10 PM and I'm just now done with work).

So true about all voices. We need to be inclusive.

Big day again tmr.

So Tillie, I feel like I have to whisper. I don't want to disturb whatever is in the air that is helping Steven right now! I know it's hard to get hopeful so I'll just be grateful.

I worked all day. I got the garbage out. That's it for household things. I have a new summer skirt that is the most comfortable thing ever. I'm wearing it about every other day. I just love it. I still have to pull out last years clothes and wash them up. The tops should fit but the skirts may be less cooperative.

BF's businesses aren't making any money right now. I am not sure if he's dipping into savings or not. We decided early on not to take any loans, even the ones touting forgiveness. I'll have to ask him what the deal is. Last week he seemed pretty upset but this week he seems happier. He's scads more reserved than I ever could be.

I don't think our thrift shops are open yet. I so want to drop off things.

I need to go to my car this week. It just occurred to me that I've only started it once or twice since March.

I'm starting to get return mail! Now I know how people feel when they get my cards! It's pure joy. I mailed 8 postcards today and I have 7 ready to go for tmr. I'm now buying two sheets of postcard stamps at a time, and sometimes I buy all the little singletons and orphan stamps too. This is such fun for me.

Well I have to try to calm down and get some sleep. My big presentation is tmr. The dry run didn't go well. One of the speakers sounded like he was asleep.

Goodnight friends.

For about a little over a week now Steven has been slowly removing bag after bag of garbage from the garage.
He also removed about half the hoard from the back of the truck to have room for all this garbage.
He also did a bit of garbage removal from the passenger side of the truck.

This garbage is food related. Packaging/wrapping and used paper products, empty cans & bottles, etc.
All the kinds of garbage that attracts rodents and insects.
He also put an old broken microwave in the truck rather than keep saving it for "parts" for Justin Case.

Hope he keeps doing this.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
You're welcome (((HUG)))
Happy you are feeling stronger today.
Fingers crossed you get a bumper crop of Hens.
Maybe there will be a low key local Chicken swap near you.

Hi CriticalMass
Best of luck revamping the Bunny club!
Good luck getting that bench bolted and useable.
That patio area looks so nice. :D
Just keep doing whatever it takes to keep yourself healthy even if everybody else has thrown caution to the wind. (((hug)))


Hi Tatoulia
WTG! keeping up with things and for keeping your mind sharp with the crosswords!
That's so fantastic about your finances.
Wonderful that your hard work is paying you back. :D

Why is Mom not eating?
Keep bringing her things she may eat and YEA! for
The staff bringing her down (((HUG)))

When it comes to working on racism, we all need to listen to ALL sides.
Nobody can know what is offensive to me without listening to me.
Well meaning people very often don't understand.
Only way to do this correctly is to give every one a voice.
To truly know, you must walk a mile in my moccasins.
Wishing you all the best and that they are wise enough to take what you said and work with it and not against it. (((((HUG)))))


Have no plans for today except to do whatever I feel like.
Kitchen is clean, laundry is done, house is clean enough.
Nice new layer of dust but I refuse to dust EVERYDAY.
My spine is feeling better but I will keep resting it.

Good morning!

Mr kitty and I enjoyed the long posts!

Tatoulia, your company has a history of valuing people and behaving in a compassionate manner, so i hope that your ceo is smart enough to appreciate what you did.

How great to be able to see the end of your loan coming - only one more winter and spring!

I'm glad you got to see your mom again. I think she has good people taking care of her.

CM, glad to hear you got new talent in the bunny club.

And you found the bolts!

I hope you get your shorts done.

I am with you on the being more careful. I am appalled by the number of people I see out with no masks. I don't understand. Do they not understand that if they would all just wear masks whenever they go out, WE COULD STOP PEOPLE FROM DYING. How is that not simple?

People think it's ok to do all these things because it's "allowed" now. But the only things that have changed since we shut down is that there are MORE active cases in my state than when we shut down, hand sanitizer is available, and we know that wearing masks helps.

Tillie, thank you for your kind response. I needed to hear that.

Before I went to bed last night I washed two sweaters that had been waiting to be washed and put away since before school ended and blocked them out on racks to dry.

I also set up 25 eggs in the incubator I borrowed from school for the summer. Hopefully there will be fewer roosters this time.

I am feeling a little stronger today.

Chugging along...

Went to church - I was more calm, I don't know if less sad but it wasn't so on the surface as before. Father got many well wishes - people seemed oblivious to social distancing as they made their way to the exit, though. Most have apparently ditched mask wearing. I went to another exit and down the sidewalk and waited for the crowd to thin.

The bunny club board meeting was encouraging. Met the new people. They are going to be good for us if they do what they say they will. One is excited to be an event planner - she already did that sort of thing in her job. Another can help with the bookkeeping which was needed.

We brainstormed ideas for a fundraiser in August involving food trucks and outdoor activities. This would be at the church where the founding mother and daughter go and where we've had events in the past. The adoptable bunnies would be inside the church in the AC, of course.

If I can get on top of what I need to do to get organized, it may go well. Being on the board awhile longer is okay. I'll know if/when it's time to step down. It's actually been rather amazing the times we've been about to go under yet from one direction or another help comes. Like God wants us to be able to keep on helping the bunnies! ;)

Tillie, I'm glad you have had some nicer weather. Our temps are hot but not too bad in the shade, a little stuffy but not unbearable. Wind keeps it from being oppressive - as long as the wind is reasonable.

SubC, teaching is quite high energy demanding at the best of times. Glad you got to talk to your cousin the counselor.

Glad to hear from you, Tatoulia. Hope all works out for the best with your job. I think they would know you are a good worker and a caring person. WTG on the food and blankets for your mom. And for your financial progress - that's something to celebrate!

I need to take a look at my money situation and see if I can set some goals. Also my organizing and projects. This computer, I will just put up with its quirks until after my roommate gets done with her treatment. It's the last Friday this month and the effects will be gone in a week or so thereafter. By the 4th of July we should be beginning to get back to "normal."

The canopy has a bench under it you may have seen but it has bolts needing replaced before it is safe to sit on. I think I found which bolts we had purchased quite some time ago, still in their bag. Back when many things were even crazier - red van days and plumbing pipes days etc.

We have to take the dog tomorrow for the rest of the shots so he can be boarded. An errand or two, nothing big. Hoping I can hone in on what thing would be the best thing to do - and what is doable without making a bigger mess. The shorts might be it - they really have inadequate pockets, and I rely on pockets absolutely. I have enough existing shorts to wear, but if I could get these sewn it would just give me a few extra colors and get a project done.

The computer is something I'll want to deal with but maybe wait till after roommate's treatment to take it to the shop if that's what I decide it needs. Meanwhile I can do more pared down sessions with it. Just gotta not tax it to the max at this time. Interestingly, I decided to put the dilemma to my ADHD support group on Facebook, and I got a few hints. One gal said she has had similar issues even with a very new computer; she thinks websites just take a lot of RAM to run these days. That makes sense, as there are so many ads and videos trying to play, etc.

This time is rather odd in the pandemic with some things reopening, yet my desire is to play it safe more than many people are doing. The events in the headlines recently have made it harder to just concentrate on where we are with Covid. I'd LOVE to go to the Library and the Y, yet I don't think it's time just yet. Especially at the library I struggle enough with people who don't always respect personal space; I don't want to get irritated and I certainly don't want to actually be unsafe. And I don't know how the Y would be that safe yet with people exercising and breathing hard, etc.

I sense I am rambling... guess I'll say good night for now.

Hello everyone! I'm here! Showered and in my pjs. It's is absolutely lovely these days. Sunny and cool with no humidity. I have been able to sleep with the windows open. Absolutely lovely.

I caught up on posts earlier today Of course, now I don't remember a thing. I enjoyed seeing pictures of your yard, CM! It looks lovely. When is the Radiation for your roommate? I don't remember having a lot of problems with the diet. I don't eat cold cuts and I don't cook with salt. That's all I can remember. I do remember getting up early the day of eating bread at 5:00 AM. I think my treatment was in the afternoon. The worst part was no water. And when they gave me the pill, I asked if I could please drink the whole glass of water and they gave me a second one, too. I then slept because I still couldn't eat for X number of hours.

I've been doing better. Keeping up with the house and chores. I've started reading the Sunday NYTimes and doing the crossword puzzle. It is so peaceful. I'm sending about 30 postcards a week. My list has grown and grown. It's a hoot. And I'm starting to get mail back.

I'm overwhelmed at work. It's all meetings now. Absolutely no time to actually work. It's getting ridiculous so I'm going to start blocking off Wednesdays as work days. No meetings, no calls.

Tuesday is my national seminar. The slides my speakers gave me are a wreck. I finished fixing them on Saturday. They need more editing but I can't devote the time.

I'm working hard on my bills and expenses. At last I have more money than I do expenses. It's been about 12 years since I could say that. I've doubled on my small loan. If I can keep this rate going, it'll be paid off by November 2021. I also have a good bit in savings. I'm working hard on my finances and truly, this pandemic has helped me. I'm just not shopping.

I have a bag to go to my car of donations. I still need to pull out my summer clothes and wash them. But I feel good.

I called over to mom's today to ask the woman at the desk to help me. I wanted to drop off food and pick up mom's comforter. Well I had a big surprise because she must've told my mother so she arranged for my mom to be in the lobby. And some of the aides cane down to see me, too. I picked up mom's comforter and cover to wash for her. A few weeks back, I'd freshened up her summer bedspread. I also brought her chicken and rice because she hasn't been eating her food.

SubC I hope you can find a way to just escape for a bit. You deserve it. You, too, CM. You have some losses to grieve.

Tillie I'm worried about my job. My company was about to make a terrible mistake and I wrote an email to the CEO and i didn't mince words and now I wonder if I'll be fired. At the time, I felt I'd be hailed as a hero. I still needed to write the email. They were about to do something really stupid. It's done and I am not going to walk back what I said. I just felt that their planned response to looking at racism in the company was going to be really bad. Unintentional yet still tone-deaf bad. And someone told me. And she felt she couldn't say something. So I did. I wrote the email to her and to the CEO and the colleague called it "stunning" and said that she's "stunned".

I have to look out for my company and I have a moral obligation to my colleagues of color. But I'm nervous.

Okay I love you all. I love hearing about the kitties. My little dearheart is sound asleep

WAY TO GO! Subclinical for dishes, laundry, picking up and putting some things away!!!
But Especially for spending quality time with Mr. Kitty! :)

I understand.
You need time away from dealing with any school related things.
You just recently spent time at the school cleaning your room.
Now you need a vacation from it all.
Time to have your hands out in the soil tending your garden, time to be creative with your own arts, time to just BE.


I washed dishes & wiped up the kitchen.
In a few minutes I will start watering the grass.
Pleasant weather today.
Cool 75F with a slightly cooler little breeze and lots of sun, few high clouds.

Well, the only thing I accomplished outside today was cleaning up some things I had left next to the outdoor faucet.

Dh expected me to bounce back as soon as school was over. Or at least by the time I got my evaluations done.

School has been out for three weeks and I haven't cleaned up all my papers or turned in my receipts.

I have 11 weeks until open house. If we have open house....

I loaded and started the dishwasher and I Washed and put away a load of laundry and I picked up a few things in the basement.

And I spent a lot of tim e rubbing Mr. Kitty.

Good Morning Everybody

HI TATOULIA :)

Hi CriticalMass
Change is hard and lots of changes all at once is even harder.
Understandable that you are sad with your Priest moving on at this time.

Have you and Roommate spent any time enjoying the covered patio?
Can you wear the shorts as they are now and put the pockets in later, when you find the time?
Stay cool and keep well hydrated in that hot dry weather (((HUG)))


Hi Subclinical
WTG! for all the self control when looking at all the books offered!

Great that you can try rearranging bin/box contents to get some more things stored there.
If you could find a "Space Bag" the teddy bear could be flattened out smaller.

Nobody thought you would bounce back as soon as online classes ended.
Everything is still all up in the air and will be for some time to come yet.
Very glad you talked with your counselor Cousin.
Just don't be hard on yourself, you are not being lazy.
You need time (((HUG)))


My plan for today is to water the garden this morning and the grass this late afternoon early evening.
Take a shower and go back to bed when the sun is going down.

CM,
good luck with your bunny club.

I have found that with volunteer groups, people don't come forward to replace you until you actually step down.

I'm glad you got to go to Mass.

Tillie,

I do have stuff for the kids stored in bins on shelves in the basement.

1) the shelves are full and the basement floor is not cleared.
2) I also have a bedroom closet packed floor to ceiling.

I will not be buying more bins because the goal is to have all the stuff fit in the bins that fit on the shelves. Buying bins would be going backward.

I may enlist "Now" and use some of dd2's cardboard boxes to store dd1's belongings for Now. But ideally I can work on the basement and reduce the stuff enough to repurpose two bins and pack dd2's things away. The biggest challenge is a giant teddy bear that she does not want in her apartment, but wants to keep because it was so cool to have a teddy bear the size of her when she was a kid and she wants kids some day. It is half a bin by itself.

I also think I didn't tell you that I brought home 7 books from school. The teacher in the classroom next to me put them in the hall to discard. I actually showed great self control, because she covered a six foot table several books deep. I found two other books I already had at home to discard so far. So I am up 5 books. DD's books do not count, because they are not mine.

The weather is supposed to be nice here today, so I will try to make myself work outside. I have been lazy the last few days. I feel badly about it, but then, I have moments like yesterday when I tried to watch an online seminar about mentally and emotionally supporting students and staff when we return to school, and I found myself crying. I think I may be underestimating the impact of online school on me and I might just need time to heal.

I called my cousin who is a really good school counselor and talked to her for a long time yesterday.

Hi

Didn't do much today. Rested because I was sad. It hit me that I could go to the Mass tonight and tomorrow. So I went. That sort of helped my disappointment over missing the impromptu gathering for Father yesterday.

Tomorrow afternoon the bunny club board meets. I have no fresh ideas. As usual I never get around to integrating the notes from previous meetings to my messy stash of club info (which of course I wanted to organize a long time ago but can't concentrate and get done). Still would like to be a volunteer rather than a board member. Some of them have resigned and other people stepped up. Maybe my turn will come.

My roommate found a recipe to make margarine that fits her low iodine diet, using Spectrum shortening, butter flavoring, yellow coloring, and non-iodized salt. I tasted it - not bad. She was able to enjoy a baked potato. The old rickety hand mixer she'd had was failing, so she bought a Kitchenaid one yesterday. I'm gonna have fun with that myself - after the diet business I'll whip up a cake we can both enjoy.

Weather here has been and will be HOT. And dry, and often windy.

Good Evening Everyone

Happy you got to have another socially distanced visit! :D

So Dd2 will take the bookshelf and still leave the rest of her things there for now.
Hummm...
Good luck finding the best way to store it all.
As I recall you have some basement shelves where you have bins of kids stuff. (?)
Guess you'll be adding to that.
Would you need to find more plastic bins?



Made deviled eggs because I am tired of eating bread.
It was pleasantly cool today but now getting colder.
Going to be another cold night.
Scooter snuggles up against me very tight when it's cold.
I end up waking up sore and stiff from not being able to turn in my sleep because he has me pinned down.
When it's warmer he just sleeps next to me.

CM, that is an impressive canopy! A nice yard too!

The kids came over. They took my plastic feed bag trash from the barn to throw away at their house and left all the cardboard boxes from their gifts for me to use under mulch in the garden. They also borrowed my small canner to use for sterilizing bottles.

We had a nice socially distant visit.

Dd2 has decided to take the bookshelf. Also an extra blanket that she made when she was a teenager. I need to figure out packing up the rest of her stuff.

Hey CriticalMass
That little covered patio area you two made looks like a wonderful place to sit! :D

The flower pictures are lovely and thanks for the little cartoon giggles.

Good Afternoon Everyone
Very cool and dark with lots of cloud cover.
Moving very slow today.
All that up & down on the step ladder and reaching up to dust the ceiling fan and light fixtures has my spine and muscles sore & aching today.
Been doing some cooking, taking advantage of the cool weather and enjoying the added heat in the house.
I think I have decided on deviled eggs but will make the final decision after the eggs are boiled.
They are on the stove now.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

So many school changes for you Subclinical (((HUG)))
Hope when the dust settles, work environment levels out and is a peaceful productive place to be.

Unfortunately the anti mask people seem to be winning almost every battle everywhere in the US.
Leaving us the option to just stay home or risk the chance of unnecessary exposure.
I do everything to stay well but Steven just undermines all my efforts.

So, what plans do you have for redoing that room this Summer?
Would it still be a bedroom, a part time nursery? a guestroom?
Maybe a sewing room?
Sounds like a lot of fun having a whole room to re-do. :D

Yep, all the Chicks here are scarce too.
Even city people were buying them up and they have no idea how to keep Chickens.
Very glad you can produce your own and hope Mr Fox crossed that rainbow bridge soon.


Yesterday only got up to 70F and very quickly cooled down after sundown.
The wind was strong and in the 50s and it brought a sprinkling of rain.
Just a sprinkling but it smelled so heavenly.
Got below 40 degrees over night and won't get out of the 60s today.
I should find things to bake in the oven.

Hi CM,

Glad you are feeling better. I know you will miss your priest. I'm hoping his replacement is wonderful for you.

Tillie, I am going to have an egg salad sandwich today. I made the egg salad yesterday. It will be the last batch (two sandwiches worth) for a while because I am saving eggs to set in the school incubator., which I brought home fir the summer. I need to increase my flock thanks to Mx fox. I had actually planned to buy some different breeds this spring, but...corona chick hoarding.

Dd will go home tomorrow or Monday and she will either take her shelf or not. If she doesn't take it, she may still claim it later, but I will probably use it meanwhile. I am planning to completely redo that room this summer. We'll see if it happens...

Dd1 and sil are coming out today. They want to do a pregnant Dd photo shoot.

I am still processing Wednesday, but I am ready to talk some about it. My end of the year conference with my administration. Had it's ups and downs. They asked me how the online teaching things went and seemed shocked when I said it was horrible. They said they had heard wonderful things about my classes. We discussed ways they might be able to offer more information and support if this happens again.

They are open to some physical changes I want to make in my classroom.

And I got heavy pushback about requiring masks in my classroom. Apparently they have had a lot of communication from parents that their children will not attend if we require masks! I am wondering how many children will not attend if we don't require masks. I don't think any of us were happy with where we ended, but we will revisit the issue in August.

I called my coworker friend. I have two coworker friends, but I discovered that one of them who I have been starting to see as a real friend doesn't actually need me in her life. She responded minimally every time I reached out (only a few times, I wasn't overbearing) during online teaching and in the week after we wrapped up, ignored my (Admittedly understated) request for her phone number (I used to have it, but I lost it) and never initiated contact. So, ok, I am just a work friend and that is good to know.

But my other work friend is a real friend, so I called her to ask how her end of the year conference went. She couldn't give me anything to compare because they didn't talk about next year. She is moving to a different state in July to live with her oldest daughter and be childcare for her preschool granddaughter. This is a fantastic move for her, and I am really happy for her, but it is a huge blow to my school, and to me personally and professionally. This woman taught all of my kids. She basically helped raise my youngest. I'm pretty sure I will never see her again. I am not allowed to tell my kids yet.

She said she left me a bunch of stuff in my classroom.

She also told me that another teacher is not returning in September, but I knew that the day my state shut down - he Is older and has health issues that make teaching too dangerous for him without a vaccine.

I am now the senior member of the art department. I wonder when they are planning to tell me. At least I now understand why they were asking about my sil's plans for next year. Silly me, I thought it was social. (He has subbed for my coworker before and could take most of her classes over, plus provide new ones to fill gaps)

Thanks Subclinical

That bookshelf sounds like it was a big project.
So much to donate and even more to find new homes for.

Hope Dh understands you used up all your decision making capabilities with nothing left to even tear up lettuce for salad.

The bookshelf in my room is small but able to hold a lot and the one in the pantry holds an insane amount.
That's what makes shelves so useful, especially when you don't have any built in storage like cabinets & closets.

So, when will she know if she wants/needs that shelf at her place?
Would you have a place and use for it?
You need some place other than your scullery to put all the things that come in but don't have a real home.

You did a great job in the studio making storage areas for your art/pottery tools.


Hello CriticalMass
I have windows 10...
After my laptop upgraded to it I went through and deleted almost everything that had been installed so my computer doesn't have any of those annoyances.
That's what most people do, remove or disable anything not necessary to how they use it.

Are there any spices and herbs Roommate can use to flavor up her food?
I find lemon or lime is a fantastic substitute for salt.
Ginger & cinnamon also good in many things.
I love fresh Rosemary, dill, basil and cilantro.

I'm pretty sure the seminary is a safe place far enough away from any hot spots.



The wind blew in lots of cloud cover helping to keep the heat down.
No chance for rain, not here not ever.
Trying to decide if I want egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs tomorrow.
Today I am having canned peaches and cottage cheese.

Hi

Slept okay last night, and the aches from the pipe cutting are pretty much gone. I haven't done a whole lot today. Thought about taking this laptop in to the computer store for advice, but decided to wait till next week.

Talked to a friend of mine, she's an IT type. She said the way I compute, with many tabs and documents open, could be a lot of the problem. She also didn't recommend Linux for someone like me who doesn't want to spend a lot of time fiddling. But I don't want Windows 10 and I can't afford nor do I know much about Apple.

I was on my roommate's Windows 10 laptop for awhile today; she let me use it while she went to the store. I got a few things done, but some of the quirky annoying things it did just reinforced how much I hate Windows 10.

Sigh.

Even had the thought come to me this morning that I could maybe sell this laptop and get something else... but WHAT?! Everything wants to hook you up to their corporate data mining, give you pop up ads that interrupt your workflow, ugh ugh UGH.

So I'm kinda meh. But I did get a few small computer things done. Anything's better than nothing, right?

It's also really hitting me about our priest's last day being this Sunday. The secretary has texted out some really memorable pictures of him. Which only make me want to cry... This morning the daily Mass crowd had a little get together after out on the lawn with social distancing.

Wish I'd thought to go today. I used to be less disorganized and had an easy time making it to the weekday morning Mass fairly often. When I lived in my parents' house before the foreclosure. It was closer to the church and I'd just pop over easily.

I also worry about him going to the seminary which is near St. Louis, with all the civil unrest stuff. It seems to be out away from the city though.

Our quilting is supposed to start up this Tuesday, too. I may have mentioned that. Everything is just so dang DIFFERENT. We all know that. Welcome to 2020.

Well, I just must keep the faith, in more ways than one. My roommate started her diet today and she's not real happy about it. I don't blame her though. We are different in our food preferences - if it were me I'd just eat minimally, and probably lose some weight, and I don't mind bland food. She wants more flavor. So it's probably harder on her that it would be on me - and I'm the picky eater around here!

Sorry about Steven Tillie.

I'm glad you got some dust free time.

Dd and I cleaned off her bookshelf she left here.

Made a big pile for goodwill, filled a bin to store in my basement, set aside enough stuff for at least two more bins. Packed two paper grocery bags for her to take home. Can't figure out how all that stuff was on one bookshelf!

She thought she wanted to take the shelf back to her apartment, but now she is not sure.

Dh wants me to help cook dinner and I ran away. Too wrung out from the bookshelf.

Good Afternoon

Took two hours to slowly saunter around removing dust.
Wind just started to gust.
But for a little while I have been sitting here enjoying the dustless environment.

Should find a fun project to get into.
Nothing interests me :P

Steven is being extra ugly and mean because I don't want to listen to his rants.
I don't watch the news because it stresses me too much.
And I don't care about his dead friend's widow's relative problems, not my dog.

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!"

Good luck today with catching up Subclinical. :)

There are still a lot of shortages here, lots of empty shelf space.
But it's not completely wiped out like it was before.
Lots of items have a limit of one or two per customer.
I'm just so grateful that there is anything at all.

When Steven had surgery for a blood clot in his leg artery he got MRSA while in the hospital.
His wound has healed but I still need to use antibacterial disinfecting products at times.
He is on blood thinners and occasionally bleeds without knowing from even a tiny break in the skin.


So glad I minimized my gardening chores!
What I still have wears me out and makes my body ache but it's not killing me to keep it up.
Plus I am still physically able to do other things too after tending to the garden and things don't take away too much time so I can do other things.

My plan for today is to wander around removing dust in the house.
The winds will be picking up over the next few days replacing any dust I remove and bringing up the wildfire danger to extreme conditions.
So happy I don't have an overabundance of random knickknacks to fuss with dusting. ;D

There are still shortages here. The stores know they will sell out to the people who come inside before the next shipment comes in.

The CVS had a two per item limit on both bleach and alcohol. I bought the last two small jugs of bleach. I thought about only taking one, but I haven't been in a store since April 13 and don't know when I will go again. Also, I know Dd1 is having trouble getting bleach, and they are more careful about disinfecting than we are and use it on a lot of surfaces. If they had had big jugs, I would have gotten one. The alcohol was actually still in its shipping box behind the counter. You had to ask for it.

I lost ground on the dishes and laundry yesterday, so my goal is to work on those and then I don't know what else. Definitely be more productive than yesterday!

Good Evening People

Glad the wisdom teeth removal went well Subclinical.
Sorry the assistant was such an idiot.
Unfortunately many of them are and Dentists put up with them because good assistants are hard to find.
I too resent being touched by random strange people and also hate when someone unknown to me calls me by my first name.

Strange they won't put bleach or rubbing alcohol in the orders.
But glad you were able to safely enter the other store to get some.
Also glad stores have been able to restock most things like that.

WTG! for dropping off donations!
That's always a freeing feeling.

Hope you get to stay home and away from people the next few weeks.


I got everything I wanted to get done today.
House looks good, could use some more dusting, as always. :(

Had Scooter & Twinkles out with me while watering this morning.
Jack came by and before Scooter saw him I picked Scooter up and put him inside.
Scooter saw Jack as I was carrying him and his body immediately tensed up and Scooter said a lot of mean nasty things to Jack.
Jack totally ignored Scooter but Scooter always wants to start something with Jack.

Scooter used to always hiss at Cowgirl Kitty but stopped because now as soon as she sees him she hisses first.
Scooter gets sad wondering why she always hisses at him.
Idiot animal...

Yay canopy frame!

I took Dd2 to get her teeth out. She is doing well. I dropped the library book - used a disposable napkin to open the chute. Dropped off the goodwill stuff - Opened the car up before I got the cart and cleaned my hands after touching the cart and Then closed up the car. I felt lighter after getting rid of that stuff. Had to go in the CVS, but there was only one older, masked customer and I avoided being in the same aisle. Pharmacist and cashier were masked and behind plexiglass. AND I was able to buy bleach and rubbing alcohol. The grocery store won't put those in a pick up order.

Went back and sat in my car for two hours waiting for her. The code They gave me for their internet didn't work and I didn't want to go back in the building. I was lost in thought when they came out to tell me she was done, and the person came up and started talking at my open window and I screamed I little. Then she touched my arm. Why would you just randomly touch people right now? That is one of the things I LIKE about social distancing. If you are older than 5 and I don't love you, just don't ever Touch me.

Sat with Dd while she drifted in and out for about three hours and made sure she took her medicine, then took a 3 hour nap. I was exhausted. Leaving home and being around people is even more exhausting for me than it used to be.

Well, I did everything I listed this morning except water the grass.
Also did a bunch of other miscellaneous tasks
AND scrubbed, sanitized , dried out in the sun & heat and then refilled the litter boxes.

It's 2:40pm and I still haven't eaten.
Off to find some food! :D

Good Morning Everybody
Still morning here

Hi Tatoulia
Thanks for the drive-by :D
Good luck with all your meetings today.


Got up and got dressed and went out and watered the garden and lilac bushes before it gets hot today.
Folded up my bedding and remade the couch.
Soon I will wash dishes and clean the kitchen.
Then I will crawl around and round up all of Scooter's toys so I can vacuum if or when Steven gets up.
Later this late afternoon/early evening I plan to water the grass.
Best for me to water grass in the evening so the sun does not magnify the water drops and burn the grass and any plants it gets on.
No worry about mold growing on the wet plants/grass here.
Plus the grass leaves have a chance to enjoy the water longer with the cooler overnight temperatures.

OK rest break is over, back to work. ;)

I'm here. Just busy with work. Cleaners came yesterday. Such a joy. All day meetings today. Will write more later

10pm.

Hi CriticalMass
Hope you are sleeping soundly.
Tomorrow morning you will be all stiff and sore.
Walk it off.
Glad you two got that canopy frame set up.
Better to sometimes sit all alone outside than always all alone inside while in quarantine.

In about 4 days you should be able to handle using scissors again and start fixing the shorts. ;)


Today I watered the trees.
Maybe tomorrow I will do something else (?)

Just popping in to say roommate and I got the framework for the patio canopy up. She used chain link fence top rail pipe. I'll try and get a picture on IG. She's going to use shade cloth for the "roof."

I used a pipe cutter tool to cut a dozen or more pipes. My hands, arms, and other muscles ache. Took aspirin. Hope tiredness will make me sleep well.

I'll work on the shorts more as soon as I can wield scissors without pain. She wanted to have the canopy as a place to sit outside when she's radioactive. Today was cooler so a good day to get it done.

Hi CriticalMass
Just finished watching "Dark Shadows, the beginning".
Sometime soon I will watch the 2 different 3 hour specials.

Good luck cutting caffeine out.
Chocolate is another thing to watch out for.

Good idea using "print friendly" to help speed up, free up the computer.

I am pretty positive EVERYBODY is all filled with stress hormones right now and the ongoing stress day after day week after week is making us all overweight and sleep deprived.

Sew your pockets!
Wear your shorts NOW!!!
Make Summer clothes a priority. It won't take long to sew in the pockets.
Yes, I am yelling. ;p

Keep chipping away at the organizing/bed freeing project.

Hi, this was going to be a driveby but it got a little longer than that. Enjoy.

I didn't go to bed till a little after 4:00 a.m. this morning. That was NOT planned! So today I'm the Walking Dead. Guess the sleep schedule struggle is not entirely over. I frequently poop out midafternoons here lately and can do nothing but nap. Wonder if it has to do with this going down on the antidepressant. I do believe it'll sort itself out but may take a week or two.

And I'm hypersensitive to caffeine even more than usual. Can't have any in the evenings, especially if I have napped. We went through the drive-thru at Arby's last night, and because it was later in the evening, I didn't want to bother making decaf iced tea at home, so I got some of theirs. Diluted it with ice, and really didn't sip that much of it, but it may still have had an effect.

Tillie, of course, Rachel - Storm Area 51! That was only last fall but boy doesn't it seem like 5 years ago now.

Enterprising crafters have started selling 2020 commemorative Dumpster Fire candles. I kid you not.

Roommate is on her laptop with a work meeting. Then we'll go do this patio project where she has the stuff to put up a shady canopy.

We got zero rain last night, dangit.

I've been on this laptop getting a few of those tabs dealt with - what I do is copy the URLs to this site called PrintFriendly. It then makes a clean copy I can either print, or hit another button and save as a PDF.

The majority of stuff I do that with is for my novel or nonfiction writing research. Plus a few topics of personal interest. I can read online or offline that way, and keep them together in files, so that when I want to write or blog on that topic, there they all are. Stuff I've "curated" via Google searches, picking the wheat from the chaff. It does entail an investment of time, but is more efficient for working later on.

The reason I keep tabs open - I do use bookmarking too, but it's like burying things out of sight out of mind. With the ADHD, I seem to need approximately 7 acres to spread things out (real papers/books or virtual either one) so I don't forget about them. And even then it's dicey. Sigh.

SubC, I did download the D&D manual PDF sometime back thinking it might help when I want to play around with character development and plot for my science fiction. I also had purchased gaming dice a few years back, for this purpose and any simple solitaire games that use them. Who knows, maybe someday I will even play D&D.

I miss having a bunch of people to play board games with. In the community I know there are some groups that meet. Something to keep in mind for the future when I get my backlog cleared out.

I think my boyfriend and his buddies probably wanted to kill off my and my girlfriend's character back in the day when we were being twits. Maybe if this boyfriend had been a better person I would've been interested. I dunno.

Back then, too, I had not fully embraced my geekiness. I'd gotten into science fiction in high school after seeing "Star Wars" but then in college there was academic snobbery against genre writing, so I tried to comply with that and stuff down my inner nerd again. Now I'm too old to give a hoot, and am not trying to make it in academia either. I'm free to like what I like!

Rats may evolve to take over the planet when humankind is no more! Along with cockroaches.

Hope the wisdom teeth removal goes off without a hitch and recovery is swift and minimal or no pain. I was surprised when I had that tooth out in February how I didn't really have pain - but that one was about to come out on its own I think.

I have gained another pound - RATS. I'm not into a radical change of diet at this time, but I can sort of join my roommate in eating less while she endures her low iodine diet - solidarity might help both of us. And extra episodes of Dark Shadows if we can fit them in. We do enjoy that show!

All the stress going on in society, I wouldn't be surprised if that has made my body full of cortisol and more prone to pack on the pounds, and I have been snacking more than I should, no denying it. I can do something about that. Calmly and with empowerment, not feeling resentful, and sort of sneaking it past my resistance. Got to get in the chill headspace to do it.

Still working on getting the room in order then I can get the rest of the stuff off the bed - right now it literally has no place to go. I've been able to get some of it off and be able to stretch out a bit more. This is such a crazy way to live. All I can do is chip away at it...

Yesterday I did manage to try my new scheme with where to store office supplies. Some bugs to work out yet, but I think it'll ultimately work. I guess I mentioned that in my other post. What I did so far with it enabled me to make progress in my room. There's much more to go, but if I keep going I may get in the groove with it all.

Last night while watching TV I did some more cutting up of old T-shirts which will provide fabric to enlarge the pockets of my cotton knit shorts. Who knows, maybe I will even get them sewn and be able to wear the shorts before winter? This is my life.

Well, as you can see, my tired mind tends toward rambling. As I've entered into this run-up toward the two weeks of her diet (and my sorta diet, LOL), I'm going to find more little projects like the T-shirts.

Good Morning Everybody
What nice long posts :D

Hi CriticalMass
Of course we have many UFO nutters. Rachel Nevada is where area 51 is. LOL :D
The thrift shop is full of Tshirts and coffee cups and other touristy crap from there.

Yep, multitasking, many open and running tabs/windows will surely slow down any computer.
All the different programs are still running in the background.
Try sticking some of them in "favorites" or bringing them back up from "history" to free up computer speed.

WTG! for clearing off the bed and sleeping there!

It's not so bad once you two settle into her isolation routine and it will be over pretty quickly too.
Every day she will be less radioactive than she was the day before.

Post when you can, even a fast drive-by is appreciated. (((HUG)))


Hi Subclinical
Yes, rats are freakin smart and learn by other's mistakes.
Most rat poison is warfarin/coumadin based and it takes a little while for the rats to internally bleed to death, far enough away from the source.
Good luck and best wishes for a great outcome.

I used to play D&D.
One night Dan was whining about how he didn't want to play and was being an irritant.
So when it was my turn I killed his character.
That way he could leave us to play in peace.

Wishing Dd2 all the best with the wisdom teeth (((HUG)))
Your plan for dropping off donations sounds like a very safe way to do it.

Wonderful rule to get things out!
Never leave home empty handed and always return home without it. ;)


Supposed to get into the mid 80s today before getting into the 90s by tomorrow.
Today I need to clean the kitchen before it gets out of control.
Should do something more but I just don't care about anything any more.

Good morning!

CM, so nice to have a long post from you! I will remember not to worry if you are missing fir a while.

I'm glad you are sleeping in your bed again. Maybe that would be a good goal for This medical challenge period - to only take things off of your bed and not put anything on it even for a minute so that you have a safe, comfortable place to get enough sleep.

I started playing D&D when I was 12. By college I was playing for hours almost every weekend. Sometimes the whole weekend. Some games ran all night. Then I graduated, got a husband and a day job, and left it all behind. The books sat on my shelf for years and I didn't even teach my kids how to play.

When the guy who ran the D&D club at school decided to leave for seminary, my administration was struggling to replace him. I happened into the office and one of them said "(Subclinical), you don't know anything about Dungeons and Dragons do you?" Long story short, I ended up coming home and emailing my best friend "you're not going to believe this, but I'm going to get paid for playing D&D!"

It has been really fun. The hardest part is remembering that my gamers are my students, not my friends.

Anyway, survey results are: an hour a session, or six, afternoons, or evenings (no), once a week, or every day, high level, or moderate, off the wall characters, or standard, Stand alone, or integrated with the school year universe. Cooperative. It should definitely be cooperative. If they were going to agree on only one thing, I guess I'm happy that they don't want to fight each other. It took me long enough to teach them not to do that!

Tillie, good job on your diddlysquat!

The rats won't go near the rat traps anymore. I watched one come in along the base of the wall, get close to a snap trap filled with yummy peanut butter, turn, and run. They are too smart. I hope the poison kills them slowly enough and far enough from the feeder station that they don't figure it out.

Paperwork this morning. Rain this afternoon. Dd2 is coming tonight to stay with us for a few days. I am Taking her to get her wisdom teeth out tomorrow. I think I will drop off my library book and maybe take things to goodwill. I would roll a cart out to my car, put the things in it, and roll the cart back. Then I would clean my hands afterwards. It seems ok.

I have made a new rule that I don't leave the house unless I take something with me that doesn't come back. (Yesterday it was the trash, which I tossed in the trash can next to the gas pump)

Post 2

Trying something different - Chromium browser instead of Firefox (in which I have too many tabs open because I can't get time to deal with them). And a quick text edit app to save a copy of what I'm posting, instead of having to open up LibreOffice, in which I also have too many open documents that I can't ever get closure on. Computer techie stuff blah blah blah...

I SO need to be living by myself to even have any hope of working uninterrupted. But it isn't meant to be at this time, so I do the best I can. If it weren't for Covid-19, I'd be jetting off to the library frequently, getting at least some of my creative and researching business taken care of on their fast computers, leaving less to deal with on my slow one at home.

If only I could make the slow one be faster, able to deal with the way I need to work. Because I don't see my brain changing and becoming less full of ideas - and I wouldn't want to. My ideas are my hope for doing good in the world, having fun, and maybe even making some money again.

Okay. Rant over.

What I wanted to post about earlier - yesterday now - was that I had started the reorganizing in the bedroom, rearranging my office supplies to be more accessible. It had been tentative, because I had to see if they'd fit where I wanted to put them.

Well, then I got interrupted by roommate wanting to go to the grocery store and my van was parked behind her car. But as I have needed to go to the store too, I drove us both there. The unexpected interruption sort of blew my train of thought and motivation re the organizing, though. Plus after getting home and eating a turkey sandwich I got sleepy and ended up taking another nap.

I did, however, get the bed cleared off enough to sleep in there - if I am not up all night getting this post typed. I had been on the sofa 2-3 nights due to having set things on the bed while rearranging.

It seems the sacrifice of seeing her through these next couple of weeks has begun already. I don't mean to sound so petulant about it. I'm trying to accept the necessity of sacrifice - after all, it is so much better than the thought of her having to suffer through a lengthy and difficult thing like chemo, and with a less certain prognosis. Once we survive this, these sacrifices will look quite worth it from the other side.

Human nature, being what it is, though, tends to exaggerate the feeling of inconvenience and struggle.

We did get a break from the heat. This evening a cold front blew through and the temp is now 59. I hope we'll get rain - there was this huge radar display of rain across the whole state, but now it seems to be drifting northward. We have 5 rain barrels that are empty. It'll be back up to 96 degrees by Monday, too, so if we don't get the barrels filled, it'll be city water to keep the gardens going.

It's not really so terrible, but I know my roommate is tense about this treatment coming up, and I want to be supportive. It has been a wearying year. I sure pray and hope this might be the last big complicated thing for awhile.

And I should probably say at this point that we're heading into uncharted waters, so if I post even less frequently until the end of the month, don't worry. I hope I will get to post almost as often as I have been, though. I like to, and it's easier to keep up with everyone that way.

Took another nap today. Midafternoon slumps have been frequent lately, maybe it's been the heat.

So I'm up late posting this, which I'd wanted to do so much earlier in the day. On my computer which was behaving okay when I first turned it on, but is now being a little slow. So I'm going to do more than one post, and am keeping my fingers crossed I'll be able to get what I want to say posted before I hit the wall and have to shut 'er down.

I hadn't thought about people being home also affecting computers, Tillie, that's a good point. Although I think for me the most likely culprit is my multitasking. But it's hard to say 100% as I'm only a junior grade geek in that area.

So you have local UFO nutters - I guess that goes with the territory in NV & NM, eh? I've found in doing my UFO research for my satirical novel that it's often difficult to determine what angle a given person is coming at it from. Books from the 80s and 90s are actually my primary source, as that's the timeframe for the UFO related part of the plot.

I'm glad of that. Videos and websites and social media these days on the subject are way more confusing. I look at a little bit of it, but as I say, it gets to the point where Joe Blow is debunking Moe Schmoe's debunking of Bo Crow's debunking of... aaand I'm lost! Can't keep track of who's who and what each one's position is.

Hope Steven was able to get anything that might've had bedbugs off the property and not carry any in on his person or clothing. Let him deal with his own rats, LOL.

The D&D game sounds interesting SubC. My first boyfriend was into D&D in the early 80s, and got me and a girlfriend to try it but we were not in the mood to learn how to play it seriously so we were snarky and annoying. It's amazing how far RPGs have come in the present day. I don't know if I'd be good at keeping track of what's going on, though. Plotting is my bugbear in my own writing.
But I bet your students will be way more familiar with gaming than I was, and enjoy it.

Okay, I am going to have to abruptly end this post, shut everything down and reboot, and make a second post, maybe more. This is beyond annoying.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Subclinical
WTG! you did a lot!

OK yeah, that bar by the little town sounds interesting. ;p

Glad your tomato plants are all in the ground.
Wishing you great luck with all your veggies.

Relieved you safely got your Goat meds, gasoline and rat poison.
With only 10 cases found here so far, many people are going mask-less.
Wish they wouldn't.


I use those really big rat snap traps when a rat starts living under the house, gnawing on the beams and electrical wires.
Steven wants me to get the rats & mice that are out in his hoard.
I refuse, say "let them live, the snakes need to eat too".

Managed to accomplish diddlysquat today.
Been sitting watching stuff on the Roku.
Made and ate a salad and also a whole bunch of pure crap.

Did do the usual everyday cat related tasks.
Had to, the cats are slave drivers.

So Tillie, did you work on doing the nothing you haven't finished?;)

My kids are giving me suggestions all over the map. It's like trying to pick a restaurant with my family!

I planted the last of my tomato plants - they will be happy to be out of the pots! Washed and dried a load of laundry and washed and put away a load of dishes.

Unloaded the car but didn't take the stuff out from the scullery. Dh says the car is ok to drive and is putting off the oil change.

I drove to the little town away from the city (in a county with very few cases) and restocked my goat medicine cabinet and bought rat poison using curb side service. Then I filled my gas tank, sanitized my hands, and drove home. I wore my mask, but I didn't see another single person wearing one. The bar by the highway had a big sheet out front spray painted "no mask, no pants, no problem!"

Still need to do my school receipts/notes/class proposal by 11 tomorrow.

Good Morning Everyone

So sorry Subclinical about the rats & fox

I have seen some good youtube videos on mice that have given me ideas of things to try.
Maybe there are rat videos that have good ideas?
So scary when having to resort to poison and trying to keep other creatures safe (((HUG)))

Best of luck with all your plans for today.

An ongoing game of D&D sounds like fun.
Good luck Dungeon Mistress! ;)


I have no idea what I will do today or if I will do anything.

Well, they came out and stood. Everything is relative.

The fox came back. It went badly (not for the fox)

Also, I went back out to the barn for something I forgot late last night. I now have a better understanding of the scope of the rat problem. It, going to have to resort to poison. This makes me more sad and more angry. I have to figure out how to do it safely.

I got an email from my boss. We are going to have a 4 week online summer program starting in mid July. Teachers are invited to submit proposals. By tomorrow. Planning does not seem to be a strong point right now.

I am going to run a D&D game. Dh is not sure this is a good idea, but I told him gaming is different. I will not set the schoolroom back up. I will figure out another place the Internet works and leave the gaming table set up for 4 weeks because I don't have to switch things around. I sent an email out to my kids asking for guidance on what I should offer.

Today I am going to unload all the school pottery stuff from my car into the studio barn - it will make a mess. I am also going to move school pottery stuff out of my scullery where I have parked it. Dh is going to change my oil after work, so I will hang out with him while he does that (car work happens in the studio barn which is also the shop) and sort through some of it.

Finish my school receipts so I can ask how to submit them during my end of year meeting tomorrow, and make other notes for the meeting.

At least one load of laundry and one of dishes.

Plant something.

That may be enough.