24th March 2025, 05:35 AM
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Trash Day is still pretty chill around here, I just heard the truck doing it's thing. But it going to get Spicier next month, we'll have two trash companies.
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24th March 2025, 07:59 AM
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Two trash companies, Wolf! Spicy, indeed! We're waiting for a new trash-bag regulation to come into effect, which is going to leave us with just short of a million black bags that we'll no longer have use for.
I just told my boss about my early retirement, and she took it really well. What a relief! I was able to convince her that it'll be better for her to start the next school year with a new admin-assistant, rather than having to hire a new one mid-year. Wheeeeeeeee! It's a fairly grey day, here, but the birdies are singing! It's the first day I've heard them, both at home and then at work. Here's to time marching on. 
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25th March 2025, 08:30 AM
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Well, my boss just called to ask me whether I'd consider being a board member after I retire. I had already given that some thought, but I'm almost surprised that my boss herself would like to see it happen...because, in essence, I would directly go from being her employee to being one of her bosses (which I must admit amuses me). Anyway, it's nice to know that she trusts me enough for that, and it's nice to know that the other board members have said that they want me.
And the sun is shining today, and it's warm! Mr. Duck will fire up the bbq when I get home.
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25th March 2025, 11:14 AM
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But, our current trash service said they were going to continue to provide service in our area as a bunch of people are unhappy with the city. So we signed up for the minimum service from the mandated one and then trash only service from the one we like. So we now have three bins and two days a week we can put stuff out.
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25th March 2025, 07:19 PM
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One of the places I pass on my evening shamble had a poly kayak sitting at the curb next to the trash cans last night. I went back this morning and yup they were getting rid of it. It had been sitting long enough to have plants growing out of it, but under the grunge it was still solid. Needs a new seat and a minor paddle repair but otherwise is good to go.
I slid it into the back of the wagon and drove home slow since I forgot to bring a rope. But as I was crossing the main drag it slipped back and fell out right in the middle of the highway. Half a dozen cars had to wait while the dumb guy parked and jogged back to clear the road. Oh well, another couple of beauty marks. This afternoon was a bonus sun break so I dragged it out on the lawn and worked it over with a brush. Most of the crud scrubbed right off but I think it will need a little bleach to discourage the last of the lichen. Tomorrow the rainfest starts again so I've got a little time to fab a couple of fitted rails to strap it to the roof rack. Its only an 8 footer so its nice and light. And being a little scruffy and expendible makes it more useful than a new one. Then I called up a friend who just bought a mountain bike and has been looking for places to go. We went for the easy route over by the park and through a couple neighborhoods. Just right for a noob to be sore tomorrow but not paralyzed. I bragged about the hill o' death up at old quarry, but thats still closed for the winter. We'll see. Last edited by Jaglavak; 25th March 2025 at 07:27 PM.
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26th March 2025, 06:21 AM
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Nice snag on the kayak!
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26th March 2025, 07:30 AM
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I do love serendipitous finds like that! I once snagged a leather topped Empire drum table (mahogany stain; not sure of the hard wood underneath).
Still going strong, 40 years later... Trash days are tricky. All but 2 houses on our street use the 1 of 2 trash companies available here. Frankly, I'd like to convince those 2 to follow the sheep because it's annoying to have those loud trucks barrel through here twice a week.  I'm a TON of fun at parties...
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29th March 2025, 04:29 AM
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I've been awake since 2 AM so all I'm doing besides posting here is drinking coffee and staring.
I want to look like this  but I actually look like this 
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29th March 2025, 08:57 AM
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We just got back from a hike. I got my latest Covid vax the day before yesterday, and I thought I got over the post-vax ickiness yesterday. But boy, was I dragging on this hike. I had zero energy reserves and had to stop every 100 feet or so to recharge. I guess nowadays I need two days to get back to normal after a jab.
But it was green and lush on the hike, which went past a seasonal small lake. We saw mergansers and mallards on the water, and plenty of turkeys and squirrels. Also damage done by the damned wild pigs.
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31st March 2025, 05:46 PM
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That sounds like a lovely hike, teela (and I hope you're feeling better now). I'm bound and determined to start hiking again this summer. The trail that's near me burned during 2023's forest fire, so it won't be picturesque, but it'll be nice to observe new growth. And I figure that the bear that used to spook me has moved on (or at least I'm going to tell myself that).
 I ordered a bunch of plastic eggs with miniature stuffed animals inside them to hide around my daughter's house when we visit at Easter. (I can't hide chocolate because of an Insatiable Doggo). They were loose in the box they were shipped in, and about a third of them had popped open just a little, exposing fluffy little butts and open beaks etc. I laughed out loud when I saw them! It was like opening an egg carton and finding some actual chicks.
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1st April 2025, 01:18 PM
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Trash Day has taken a turn for the comical. The city mandated company issued new bins and today was the first collection day for them. And Jimmy across the street had the wheels broken off of his bin by the hydraulic pick up arm. Glad to see they know what they are doing and provide great customer service.
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2nd April 2025, 01:45 PM
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It's been raining HARD here, on and off, all day. My neighbor's back yard is flooded (big puddle in the middle). We're getting socked, but not nearly as badly as southern IL, and no tornadoes here, thank God. Did get some hail, and apparently are getting some more now.
So much for my walk. I COULD walk in the rain--sometimes I like to do that--but not today. Too windy. Just finished the 30 page packet for my pension (lump sum distribution); just need TH's notarized signature and then I can submit it. Turns out doing it ONLINE (exact same paperwork) is only the "preliminary" application. I swear getting set up in retirement is a full time job by itself. Of course, since I worked for 2 different healthcare systems, I get to do all this twice. Given that so many no longer even have pensions as an option, I will STFU. But financial paperwork IS tedious! If I didn't take it as a rollover to my IRA, I'd get something like $77 a month, so it's not like I'm rolling in dough over here... I can't speak to what has happened to NIH and the CDC and the libraries and museums. It's reprehensible. Also, had a grandbaby weekend last weekend. Sweet Baby Ray now says "ball" and "bubbles", but not Mama or Dada (specific to them, that is).
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4th April 2025, 05:56 AM
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Got a little snow last night. Plan is to go play pickle ball during geezer time and then work on a project.
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5th April 2025, 06:29 AM
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Still snowing a little bit. Noticed a square area on the back porch that is clear of snow. The back porch is flagstone and there is an area in it that is quite square and all the snow has melted. My guess is that there is an original concrete porch that the flagstone one was built over and it conducts heat better than what the rest of the flagstones are laid over.
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5th April 2025, 08:51 AM
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I'm going for an upgrade today. I finally decided my ratty old couch has given its all. So in a couple hours I'm getting a new couch and recliner delivered. I dragged the old one around and vacuumed behind it for safety. Not so much the dust bunnies. But years ago I found out just how hard a girl can blush when I helped move her couch and we found a spare toy hidden under there. Now I always scope it out first, for safety.
After that we've got one more dry day and then another week of rain. So I'm going to rake up the lawn and scatter some grass seed. Also there's still some branches to chop up from tree trimming last week. And then sort out the garage a little and do some laundry. Funny how stuff crawls under the door at night and just fills the place right up.
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6th April 2025, 09:50 AM
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I think I have solved The Mystery Of The Unmatched Sock!
So Mrs. Larsen has multiple groups of socks, all the socks of a group are identical. And there was one group that I always ended up with an unmatched one when I did laundry. And I put it off as one was in the dirty clothes hamper or summat. But cleaning up today, I found a sock from that group behind her dresser. So I'll wash it and mate it up with another sock from that group. (I don't have this problem, I only wear socks of a particular type and color from Hanes and don't bother mating them up, they are all the same. When too many of them get thrown out, I buy another bag and the cycle repeats.)
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7th April 2025, 05:32 AM
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How's the new couch? I'm thinking about a new one. I'm the only one that sits on the current couch and it isn't very comfortable. And the back door on the new place is much larger than any door in either our old house or the rental, so it won't be the same production moving a couch it used to be. (In the old house we had to take off a storm window, prop the single hung up and bring the couch in or out over the porch rail.)
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7th April 2025, 06:07 AM
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Trash Day can dawn on the week of the three Trash Days.
Yes, we have three pickups this week. Today is the last time the good company picks up on the old schedule. Tuesday is the day the bad company picks up on their schedule. Then Friday is the first day that the good company picks up on the new schedule. Yes, this is complicated.
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7th April 2025, 08:21 AM
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I'm liking the couch, its very floopable. I learned something when they delivered it. The back of the couch can be popped right off in three sections by prying up little spring clips with a screwdriver and lifting them off the guide rails* Plus the base unbolts into three pieces if necessary. The recliner comes apart the same way. The delivery guys said the industry has standardized on that system so pretty much all of them work like that. That little tidbit could have saved me a sore back more than once.
* Lift up the velcro apron on the back of the couch and you should see stubby drawer slide looking rails with spring clip retainers left and right. Last edited by Jaglavak; 7th April 2025 at 09:22 PM.
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8th April 2025, 06:05 PM
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My theory is that the missing socks morph into plastic container lids. And vice versa. That's why there are always strays in both departments, as it were...
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8th April 2025, 07:56 PM
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9th April 2025, 04:51 PM
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Today I scrubbed fridge shelves and stove burners. Tonight the oven is running its self-clean cycle; tomorrow I run the stove at max. (This is known as "kashering" or making the oven and stove very, very clean so that every last crumb has been literally burned out of every crevice.)
Tomorrow is moving bakeware and dishes. Friday is cooking. Meanwhile Snorkel Maiden has an event after school Friday and all of Saturday. There will be no time to floop this weekend. Monday is my brother-in-law's (civil) wedding! We are going to bring a Passover desserty thing and at least two bottles of sparkling grape. I found a Champagne bottle that needs opening -- and the rule of dry sparkling wine is, share it and finish it.
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10th April 2025, 05:55 PM
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11th April 2025, 09:06 AM
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See now, this is where investing in 100% merino socks pays off--they can't turn into Tupperware lids if they don't have any plastic in them, that's just science too! I also think the Sock Monster doesn't like wool because I've only lost ONE sock in the past fifteen years and it was on the verge of needing darning anyway. Wool for the win!
Yesterday was Spendy Day--had to go to DMV, which was surprisingly painless as I'd made an appointment and they were right on time so that was nice. Got registration and title taken care of (I'd applied for the title change online but something went amiss with that) and got my Real ID with my correct name on it (I'm SO glad I tackled that mess with Social Security last year before the shit hit the fan) and got home to discover that Shoga had managed to tear off one of her dewclaws with the quick exposed (OUCH!) She'd damaged it a few days ago but this finished the job. Took her into the vet for a "between appointments appointment" and the upshot is there's nothing much to do but keep it covered so she doesn't lick at it and make it worse and let it grow back. Since I had her there I had them clip the rest of her nails then when I went to pick her up I took Kosh with to get his done too. They both have black nails so I'm always a bit timid about clipping them and infinitely prefer a professional tend to it. I picked up some vet wrap to keep the owwie one bandaged up--that stuff is amazing and she's leaving it be for now so...  So yeah, big money day but got plenty accomplished so that's good.
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11th April 2025, 03:56 PM
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I had a hand knit sock go missing for six years and over a move of houses. I kept the mate because I’m an optimist. I finally found the missing sock in a bin of maternity clothes when I was pregnant with Swimmy. I still have them. I call them the prodigal socks.
The big girls went to the DMV last weekend because we’re going on a flying vacation in the near future (I am very excited) and they needed real IDs. They “take a number” ticket said there were 32 people ahead of them and the estimated wait was two hours. It wound up being 3.5. This DMV runs like clockwork, they were just slammed. I have to get mine renewed but will wait until after the real ID deadline and try to go during a weekday. Everyone got new tennis shoes for vacation. Swimmy is in a size six. I think her legs are as long as mine. Two more weeks and we move MD home from her first year of college. It hardly seems possible. Eldest is on track to graduate a semester early and is thinking about law school but wants to try out the real world for a bit first. The less said about the state of the real world, the better.
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12th April 2025, 06:22 AM
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I’m not driving to see The Mouse. It’s a 15hr drive not counting stops. It will be Swimmy’s first flight so she’s a little anxious about that.
The older kids went to LA for spring break a week or so after that plane rolled on landing. They had an ugly landing in Newark that had them pretty rattled.
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12th April 2025, 06:01 PM
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That's why, whenever I'm in a plane that lands successfully, I always say "Cheated death, yet again." Sometimes, I got nasty comments from other survivors who actually heard me say it.
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13th April 2025, 08:22 PM
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We've got a string of nice sunny cool spring days happening around here. The cherry trees are just starting to bloom. I went for a nice long afternoon shamble along the creek. The summertime walkers will be along presently, but for now I've got lots of elbow room.
The kids up the street have been shooting basketball at a ratty old portable hoop since they could hoist the ball. But the backboard finally let go in a wind storm a couple weeks ago. They were so desperate for a game that they were shooting nothing but net with no backboard for awhile. So I donated an old scrap of plywood to the cause. Their dad did all the work and I got partial credit so it was a win-win. I told the kids when they had an NBA deal and a bizjet, remember their old neighbor.
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14th April 2025, 12:35 PM
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And in the south, autumn is a month old. Days are cooler and some hissing down predicted later this week.
The place is on term break (2 weeks) but I've got students catching up with fieldwork, and marking and test writing. However, I got Covid late March, took 10 days to test -ve. Now left with a hacking cough and feeling shit. Off to the doc tomorrow, most likely not much can be done but wise to get checked over. It's my first dose of Covid which is surprising due to mixing with festering students, a large number of whom had to take time off ill the last few years.
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14th April 2025, 01:19 PM
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Sorry to hear you got Covid. Sadly the cough hangs on for a long time.
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20th April 2025, 03:33 PM
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In all seriousness, I hope your flight is safe. Sorry about the health issues and how Covid just keeps on giving... Just back from a weekend spent with Sweet Baby Ray. He's 16 months now and a firecracker. He loves being physically active, but will also sit (mostly) for reading board books. He's not a snuggler, but that's fine. He's a redhead with huge eyes--hard to say if they're hazel or brown. He's great fun. He says ball and bubbles and book. He also says All Gone and can sign All Done. Grands are such fun!
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20th April 2025, 05:41 PM
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Grands are the best! DIL and grandkid took off to soak up some sun in AZ--and got socked with what looks like about four inches of fluffy schnow. We, on the other hand, had several days in a row of sunny bright days in the mid 70s. Global weirding, y'all.
I'm babysitting Delaney Dog and she's getting so old but is still trying to keep up with my hooligans. I've been slipping her gabapentin to help ease her old lady pains. She has fun gimping around the back yard barking at the world. She's getting noticeably deaf and her eyesight's pretty challenged too. It's sad, wish time would slow down for the pets, seriously. In the small victories column, I got the trash out to the curb just about 45 seconds before a downpour occurred. Ha ha, take that, weather gods! 
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21st April 2025, 04:33 AM
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This afternoon I'm making an offer on a house, (after weeks of looking at everything in a very sluggish market) and I have a bunch of stuff to do to prepare for my phone meeting with a lender at 9 AM.
I have a bunch of stuff to do. so NATURALLY I am watching YouTube videos and posting here. Ultimately, I don't feel competent to own a home but am going forward anyway. Likely my offer won't be accepted for various reasons and it's at the very top of what I've decided I can spend so if the owner counter offers we are done. And it will have been good for me to make the decision and go through the steps for the next (better!) house that comes along. (All weekend I've been monitoring how much I want my offer to be accepted and it's around 50% currently) I'm not yet feeling  and so far urge surfing my desire to have extra ETA: Quote:
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21st April 2025, 11:00 AM
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Jackie, good for you. I hope things work out, being a homeowner is a hard occupation but it offers so many rewards.
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21st April 2025, 12:46 PM
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The deal already fell through, due to my upper limit being below what the seller is willing to take. But I learned a lot in the process of making the decision. Just this morning I learned there are already companies that will not sell home owners insurance to "that side of town" at any price. State farm still does (and includes wildfire in their homeowners insurance) but that may change. the property I was looking at was way west and smack up against BLM land which is excellent when you want to hike. I hear nothing but good about wild fire fighting in the gorge, but it's not like this place is going to get less windy, or the federal government is going to increase funding for fire fighting anytime soon. My realtor asked if this means we rule out any home on the west side and I said, no, it's just a part of the whole picture and the more I know the better choices I can make. She also said this was by far the worst winter for real estates listings in the 15 years she's been doing it and it has not picked up with the spring.  so, here I sit in my tiny apartment with no closet, using the trunk and backseat of my car for storage. LOL
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22nd April 2025, 06:05 AM
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Trash Day can dawn on the Bad Trash Company pick up day with a symphony of competence! Man and machine fused into one seamless whole that quickly and effortlessly empties the bin and puts it back unerringly in place.
Naww. I got to watch the pickup this morning. The arm grabbed the bin okay, but couldn't put it down correctly. It kept dropping it on its side. The poor bin got the shit beat out of it as the arm picked it up, smashed it into the ground and repeated. Finally the driver had to get out and pick the bin up by hand. I'll go out later and see how bad the bin is damaged.
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22nd April 2025, 07:32 AM
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Sorry to hear about the listing, it sounds like a very nice place. And insurers can be dickish but wildfires are serious business. A friend who lives east of Troutdale is considering moving because their homeowners insurance has risen 300% in the past five years.
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22nd April 2025, 07:58 AM
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Now would be a good time, before his property value craters due to the outrageous insurance premiums.
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22nd April 2025, 04:31 PM
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I've got a food waste collection bucket. It lasted years then the lid broke off. City replaced it and on it's first use, the slack jaw cracked it from top to bottom as the clowns tosses them back onto the lawn. I still use it, will get around to requesting a replacement sometime. The current operator seems a bit more calmer and places it on the lawn
In health news, my Covid turned into a chest infection. Boss sent me home Tuesday last week as I looked bad. I'd already booked a doc visit for Wednesday the previous week. Still not over it, on 14 days of antibiotics
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22nd April 2025, 04:31 PM
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Um... garbage man came this morning and took both my trash, and then later, my yard waste. My bins lived to tell the tale.
So far, so good..... I spent too much money last month. It was all needed stuff, but some of it wasn't so much needed as "It would be a good idea to purchase this now, but I really could live a full life without it." When does THAT habit/ hobby/ proclivity die?
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23rd April 2025, 06:18 AM
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23rd April 2025, 03:13 PM
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I can't believe it's Cherry Festival time again!
Today I saw them setting up the world's skinniest carnival* and I'm already thinking I should just plan on having funnel cakes at least once *one block wide, so how could it be any skinnier?
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23rd April 2025, 04:20 PM
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Now I am become death, the destroyer of creeping Charlie!
My front lawn is 50% of the stuff by area. I did my homework late last summer and learned triclopyr should take care of it, but had to wait until it was in active growth mode so I’ve been biding my time. The herbicide (and now my yard) smells like a tire fire. It’s in the pyridine family, so that checks out. Pyridine is in my top ten least favorite smells list. The good news is it won’t hurt the bees. The bad news is I’ll need to be patient because it takes a couple weeks to work. MD moves home for the summer tomorrow. I’m happy to have her back. Less happy at the prospect of hauling all her stuff. Enjoying the porch again after spending several weekends scraping excess mortar from a less than tidy repointing several years back, followed by washing it all down with HCl, then power washing. Porch season is my favorite season.
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23rd April 2025, 04:37 PM
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I'm sorta jealous because my front porch has a great view of the grommets playing basketball in the street, and their dad fixing up yet another hot rod. Not where I want to hang out. So, do you hang bug nets?
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