what are you doing right now?

[TheOtherMe]

Drama, are you going to the State Fair?

If my mom's side of the family has an emergency or death in the family, all we would have to do is call the campgrounds as most of the family is there.  All of my local family is there for the weekend.  

I miss camping at the fair but I'm not sure I want to do it with the big RV's with all of the comforts of home.

I'm sure there is no longer a shower building or buildings with toilets with no doors.  We all suffered in the heat and froze when it got cold.  But we had so much fun.  

[Artemis Windsong]

Waiting.  My Grson and GrGrson are on the rode to return GrGrson to WA state. 

Last night we were told they'd swing by at 6:00 a.m. to get GrGrson's jacket.  9:30 now.  I called Grson's sister, whose car he is driving, asking if they had left or were delayed.  Yes, they left but she only heard them leave and didn't know the time. 

I know what that pup/cat feels like waiting for mom to get home.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

We are. We will be there Thursday the 15th and Sunday the 18th.

We'll be in Des Moines that enter chunk of the week.

We've never camped we always get a hotel. I almost left it too long this year. Glad the place we wanted still had rooms.



DH and I have toyed with the idea of camping before. Gwen is NOT a camper though.

[Artemis Windsong]

Aug 10, 2024 9:15:27 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Found this little bear at the thrift store just thrown on a shelf.

He made me think of the bear I got made from my mom's sweater and I couldn't stand tye idea of him being left unloved on a shelf.

So he came home and I repaired his arm. I named him Patches.

Been thinking about mom a lot this week. This little guy got some big feelings transfered onto him.

I hope whoever made him and whoever loved him first is happy he found a new home.When

When I was about 7, I rescued a doll shaped like a jester.  It was in the mud when my parents cleaned out my mother's mom's house after her death.  For some odd reason about age 9 I put it in the trash.  I still miss it.

Thanks for rescuing the doll.

Many years ago, a sewing machine shop would invite women in to make bears to be given to a charity to give out.  I hope the bears are loved like your find!

[Artemis Windsong]

My next hobby is going to be breaking (not).  I'm watching the Olympic breaking competition.

[andi9899]

Aug 10, 2024 7:37:44 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

OD has gotten tickets for speeding so fast in her car (which is actually a small SUV) that the tickets were for reckless driving. So I understand why Mister won’t let her drive the Tahoe.

If my son had gotten tickets for reckless driving he wouldn't be allowed to back my car out of a parking space period. I have no clue on insurance guidelines but had a friend whose kid had several claims and she was on her mothers insurance. Her agent dropped her daughter and they had to go with one of the high risk companies. She was not allowed behind the wheel of her mother's car and if she did drive mother's car and had accident insurance was void.

I don't get what the particular car has anything to do with not letting her drive. She shouldn't be driving any car he/you have unless it's just not a big deal. Don't know age of Mister's daughter but geeze Louise!! 

ETA: I think the term used was "excluded driver" on her mother's policy! Long ago so not sure about that. 

That is the term. Some states will allow you to exclude a driver and some won't. My insurance got canceled after both girls wrecked their cars. KS doesn't allow for excluded drivers, so I got canceled too. I would have had to have been able to prove that both girls lived somewhere else to be reinstated. Since I couldn't, I wrote the three of us separate policies elsewhere.

[giramomma]

Are we talking about board breaking?

The peanut can break like 2-3 boards at once.

[giramomma]

My mac and cheese looks a little funky.

I used pre-shredded cheese, and so it didn't melt as well, i don't think,

Should still taste OK.

Zucchini bread is in the oven.

I also burned my arm a little, which displeases me.

[Ava]

I haven't been around in forever.
Lots of things going on with new kitten, new job, and mom being here.
There's a lot to read and a lot I want to share.

But right now I wanted to let you know I paid off my credit card balance in full!!!!
I'm so happy about that.

I was stagnating at the old job, not just work wise, but financially, too.
My raises were tiny, and being there for 12 years meant inflation was eating a bigger and bigger part of my paycheck.
So I opened a credit card with Wells Fargo that offered 0% interest for the first 15 months.
I put my plane ticket, my mom's plane ticket (she paid me for it when she arrived, I bought it because it's cheaper if you buy from the US, no idea why), and an Airbnb in Uruguay for vacation.

I know none of those things are needs. But I was looking for a job when I got the card, and I wanted the plane ticket and the Airbnb. New job pays 15% more and I'm not maxing out retirement accounts until January 2025.

The Airbnb is a house near the beach and it has a pool!!!

Well, today I paid off the balance on the card, in full.
I haven't cancelled the card because Airbnb would refund me on the method of payment if there's any issue with the house. Hope there's no issues at all!!

I will post pictures of the house and the pool when I come back from vacation.

My other two goals for the year are
1- pay off the car loan
2- max out retirement accounts again.

I was maxing out at the old job but here they set you up automatically for 6% 401k and they contribute 3%. I'm taking till year end with just that and focusing on first cc debt (done!!) and now car loan.

Plus, new job includes a subsidized membership to the local YMCA. I only pay$6 a month. Well, right now I pay $12 because mom also goes. I get to swim every day which is something I love to do!!!

I'm having plenty of issues with mom being here. We bicker a lot and I'm really exhausted, resentful, and counting the days till she leaves. Of course, at the same time I feel guilty for that.
She's 81 right now. She's constantly telling me what I should do, what I'm neglecting, what I should do differently, etc. And she takes all my free time and my energy.
Living so far from her means I also feel guilty for not being around now she's older. It's an emotional mess. I'm focusing on it with my therapist but haven't found a solution to this problem yet.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 10, 2024 0:18:50 GMT -5 weltz said:

Aug 9, 2024 15:39:35 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Yes, weltz . Check in and let us know how you are doing.

Not doing great.

Sorry to hear that.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 10, 2024 6:29:45 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Aug 9, 2024 19:03:27 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Goddammit!  The deer got all the hostas on the deck on their return trip last night!  Bambi’s starting to look a lot more like venison these days.  

This house is freaking surrounded by vegetation on 3 sides that they are welcome to munch.  The deck is off limits.  

They want the good stuff! They kill my hostas every freaking year. 5 feet from my front door. They do not mess with the hydrangeas and I have no idea why,  they are right next to the the biggest hosta. They also eat my planters of American Sedum, which are 5 feet from the porch and 2 feet away from my vehicle.  And we have a freezer full of venison because DH sometimes hunts from the back deck. 

We used to have a big pot of crocuses at the garage door entrance. Within 24 hours of blooming, they were nubs.  We took the crocuses out, replaced it with a hydrangea and it survived and flourished on the deck.  I don’t think there is enough summer left here for the plant to do anything but recover.  

We put in an apple tree and it has a fence around it.  Any branch that goes out the fence gets eaten.  Our rose bush gets eaten if TD forgets to put the fence up after he mows.  It’s been pruned by deer regularly.  

TD’s talking about putting a gate up now.  That’s pretty ballsy, getting onto a deck where they’d get trapped easily. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I found a parlor that also does children's ear piercing.

If Abby really wants to try again I'm going to take her there to make sure it's done properly this time.

She's clearly allergic to nickel even more so than I am so Claire's is out this time.

The parlor uses medical grade titanium.

Gwen has currently changed her mind about her nose/belly button but since she now has a drivers permit if she wanted I can sign off.

DH isn't thrilled but I told him given what other kids her age are getting into in this city if her act of rebellion is a nose piercing let her have it. I'd much much rather that than half the shit she's gossiped to me about concerning school.

[Pink Cashmere]

Aug 10, 2024 6:22:51 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Aug 9, 2024 18:48:47 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

So Mister and OD seem to be playing musical cars. She came over today in her car, and drove away in Mister’s Honda. 

He said today that she keeps asking to drive the Tahoe instead of taking his Honda. I’ve been driving for 40 years, starting a few years before I was old enough to get a driver’s license, and I learned to drive in big boat kind of cars. So I am confident that I can drive anything except maybe a commercial vehicle with a long trailer behind. And even with all of that, even though I do like driving it, the Tahoe is still a lot of vehicle for me. 

When we got home from going to pick up his Mustang, Mister said more than once that he was surprised with how I was rolling the Tahoe on the way back home. He got away from me several times, sometimes because he was driving faster than I was willing to drive, and sometimes because when we were rolling through traffic, I tightened up behind him to try to keep other vehicles from getting between us, but sometimes cars did get between us because the Tahoe needs room to stop if I have to hit the brakes, so I didn’t get as close to him as I would’ve in a lighter vehicle. I can ride a bumper with mere inches to spare in my car, but it is much lighter and more nimble than the Tahoe. I don’t play those kind of games in the Tahoe. It does not stop “on a dime”, it needs a few dollars worth of dimes before it stops moving.

I feel like handling the Tahoe like I did, with it being such a large and heavy vehicle, has to do with decades of past experience driving different kinds of vehicles, even though both of my current vehicles are tiny. 

OD has gotten tickets for speeding so fast in her car (which is actually a small SUV) that the tickets were for reckless driving. So I understand why Mister won’t let her drive the Tahoe.

She wanted to drive the Mustang when she first saw it, and got disgusted when she saw it was a stick shift. So far, Mister hasn’t said anything about teaching her to drive it. 

So now her car is parked in our driveway. I guess it didn’t run hot while she was driving it here. Mister says they are taking it to the shop Monday. She has his Honda again because she has some stuff she needs to do this weekend. I don’t really care, as long as my Honda and my Jeep aren’t options for her to drive.

I won’t be surprised if she ends up taking his Honda when they go back to college in a few weeks. I’ve only voiced that thought here, and I will revisit in a couple of weeks to say whether I’m right or not.

I'm guessing the Tahoe is "prettier", because no 20  something YO that I've ever known would want to drive a "mom" vehicle like a Tahoe.

Either way she would be driving a free car. I wish I had that in my 20s, lol. IA that she will likely get his Honda as a hand me down. And I've done that for my own kids, but my kids also treat with me with respect and are grateful for what they get. 

I don’t think Mister will just give her his car, I think he’ll probably just let her use it until they figure out what they’re going to do with her car. But she and her Mom won’t feel a sense of urgency to deal with OD’s car, as long as Mister keeps letting her drive his.

When the “new” wears off on the Mustang, he’s going to want his Honda for a daily driver again, for the same reason he doesn’t drive the Tahoe every day. GAS. The Mustang runs on Premium gas, and it is a true gas guzzler. Plus, he loves his Honda.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We stopped at Chick Fil a to grab dinner last night on the way to pick up DS.  The parking lot is a freaking zoo, and TD had to get out to move cones so I could get out.  It’s set up such that if you pull up in front to get a hc spot, if there are no spots it forces you through the drive thru.  We found another spot in the lot and went in to order via their app.  The line was out the door, so grabbed a table.  

On one side of us was a large church group, the other about 20 teenagers where half had drinks, the rest nothing.  Since there were no seats left, a bunch of them just hulked over us.  Since when did HS boys get so big?  By the time we finished eating, both the church group and kids had gone.  

[Pink Cashmere]

Aug 10, 2024 7:37:44 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

OD has gotten tickets for speeding so fast in her car (which is actually a small SUV) that the tickets were for reckless driving. So I understand why Mister won’t let her drive the Tahoe.

If my son had gotten tickets for reckless driving he wouldn't be allowed to back my car out of a parking space period. I have no clue on insurance guidelines but had a friend whose kid had several claims and she was on her mothers insurance. Her agent dropped her daughter and they had to go with one of the high risk companies. She was not allowed behind the wheel of her mother's car and if she did drive mother's car and had accident insurance was void.

I don't get what the particular car has anything to do with not letting her drive. She shouldn't be driving any car he/you have unless it's just not a big deal. Don't know age of Mister's daughter but geeze Louise!! 

ETA: I think the term used was "excluded driver" on her mother's policy! Long ago so not sure about that. 

Same here, I wouldn’t let my child drive my car if they had those kind of tickets either. She is on her Mom’s insurance. Well, at one point I think she didn’t even have insurance, so I actually don’t know her insurance situation.

It would be a big deal for me, but in case you haven’t noticed, Mister and I see a lot of things differently.

[seriousthistime]

Aug 10, 2024 0:18:50 GMT -5 weltz said:

Aug 9, 2024 15:39:35 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Yes, weltz . Check in and let us know how you are doing.

Not doing great.

So sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself and post here when you are up to it. You are obviously missed.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 10, 2024 9:51:20 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Aug 10, 2024 7:37:44 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

If my son had gotten tickets for reckless driving he wouldn't be allowed to back my car out of a parking space period. I have no clue on insurance guidelines but had a friend whose kid had several claims and she was on her mothers insurance. Her agent dropped her daughter and they had to go with one of the high risk companies. She was not allowed behind the wheel of her mother's car and if she did drive mother's car and had accident insurance was void.

I don't get what the particular car has anything to do with not letting her drive. She shouldn't be driving any car he/you have unless it's just not a big deal. Don't know age of Mister's daughter but geeze Louise!! 

ETA: I think the term used was "excluded driver" on her mother's policy! Long ago so not sure about that. 

That is the term. Some states will allow you to exclude a driver and some won't. My insurance got canceled after both girls wrecked their cars. KS doesn't allow for excluded drivers, so I got canceled too. I would have had to have been able to prove that both girls lived somewhere else to be reinstated. Since I couldn't, I wrote the three of us separate policies elsewhere.

We got told when we were driving that if we got kicked off my parent’s insurance due to tickets, that was the end of us driving their cars.  My brother was the only one who challenged this.  My dad made him get his own car and insurance.  

[andi9899]

Sitting on my butt.i did most of my chores. I'm waiting for the floors to dry. Then I'll vacuum and be done. After I shower I need to go to Sam's. I don't have anything else on my agenda after that other than the Chiefs game. Yay football!

[minnesotapaintlady]

Stick a fork in me.  I am so done!  It took us 2 hours to get out of the parking lot last night after the concert so we weren't home until 1am after a long day of festival going.  Then we had to get up at 7am to get Carrot back there again to play with the high school band.  While he did that I ran to Sam's Club and JCPenneys.  Got the grocery shopping done and all his school shirts.  Just need to get him a couple pairs of pants and new shoes and that's done. 

If I sit down too long I'm going to just fall asleep and I don't want to do that so I'm going to go mow.  Easy way to veg out while getting something done at the same time. We may or may not go back to watch Bret Michaels tonight. I'm leaving it up to Carrot. He's the concert obsessed one now and fought his way through the crowds at the Journey concert to get some great videos.

[NastyWoman]

Aug 10, 2024 13:27:41 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Aug 10, 2024 9:51:20 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

That is the term. Some states will allow you to exclude a driver and some won't. My insurance got canceled after both girls wrecked their cars. KS doesn't allow for excluded drivers, so I got canceled too. I would have had to have been able to prove that both girls lived somewhere else to be reinstated. Since I couldn't, I wrote the three of us separate policies elsewhere.

We got told when we were driving that if we got kicked off my parent’s insurance due to tickets, that was the end of us driving their cars.  My brother was the only one who challenged this.  My dad made him get his own car and insurance.  

Somewhat similar to what we did: the kids got the use of a car while in college but I kept the cars in my name. The rule was, you get tickets, I fly up and take MY car. Drive it home and sell it. I was a pushover as a mom but when I drew a line you better toe that line because I never made empty threats.

Both cars were totalled (5 years apart) when they hit black ice. Neither the tropics nor the SF bay area are good training grounds for winter time surprises. Still - no tickets. And neither one particularly likes driving nowadays

[soupandstew]

After breakfast I decided to start washing windows.  I was only going to do part of them, but it was only 87 degrees (82 at 6 am again) and there was a tiny breeze so I got them all done.  And my new hose in the back is amazing!  100 ft, absolutely will not kink and light enough that I can hold the whole length in one hand.  The windows were gross and the screens too with bits of vegetation stuck on them from the hurricane.  While I was at it, I hosed down the outdoor rugs too. 

I washed and filled my new olive oil sprayer and it's wonderful - I'll probably get another one from the canola oil.  

[soupandstew]

Ava It's great to hear from you and learn about your good progress.  Don't be a stranger and keep us posted as you can

[soupandstew]

weltz I'm sorry none of us are close enough geographically to help, but you are truly in our thoughts and hearts.   

[soupandstew]

Aug 9, 2024 23:53:02 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

I missed Houston and the diversity down there, from the food to the people.

Today felt good, I went into Starbucks, there was a lady in a wheelchair young people, people of every color and race, all enjoying life together, old people. To me this is what America is about and this is what a lot of middle America cannot understand. I bet there were all kinds of religions represented or none at all. And to me this is as it should be. I don't want the kind of America one of our candidates is trying to push on us, I want the America I saw represented today. And I once again feel like I'm a part of it. Strange, but I never felt like I belonged where I grew up. I even had people tell me growing up, I did not fit in with people there. I'm sure glad I never did. I think I will be very happy here.

I'm glad you have landed in a place that better aligns with your values.  I do remember you saying that the community you bought into was solidly white and all retired Marines.  I suspect that, like much of America, our armed forces weren't very diverse and inclusive back in that period.  

And I'm also happy, if somewhat surprised, to hear you are settling into your new home.  Your initial reports said the rooms were too small for your furniture, the closets too small for your clothes, and the overall layout was bad.  As someone with a small home who has to maximize every inch of closet space, I solidly recommend the Elfa storage systems from the Container Store - installation is a breeze and you can totally customize stuff to fit your needs.  Also, both Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel have collections of smaller-scale furniture and excellent quality.  

[andi9899]

Aug 10, 2024 13:27:41 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Aug 10, 2024 9:51:20 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

That is the term. Some states will allow you to exclude a driver and some won't. My insurance got canceled after both girls wrecked their cars. KS doesn't allow for excluded drivers, so I got canceled too. I would have had to have been able to prove that both girls lived somewhere else to be reinstated. Since I couldn't, I wrote the three of us separate policies elsewhere.

We got told when we were driving that if we got kicked off my parent’s insurance due to tickets, that was the end of us driving their cars.  My brother was the only one who challenged this.  My dad made him get his own car and insurance.  

Yep. I put the kids on my insurance to help them save money. They paid their own premiums because I wasn’t doing that. They're too grown. They got me canceled and now they're dead to any of my insurance policies.

[chiver78]

I haven't done a damn thing all day, have been lazy and watching Olympics coverage so far. today's national Lazy Day, according to what I'm seeing on FB, so I'll roll with that haha. 

I'll get moving once the coverage switches to basketball. I'm not terribly invested in that to sit and watch the whole thing, and rather annoyed with the coach of the US team - he's healthy scratched the best player on the NBA Championship-winning Celtics not once, but twice. what's this guy's effing problem? oh right, he's the Golden State Warriors coach and he's organizing his team of Western Conference All-Stars. I cannot wait to see what Jayson Tatum does to the rest of the NBA next season. 

[TheOtherMe]

I subscribe to the Boulder paper online.  There's an ad in today's paper for a house for rent.  No mention of it being for sale.  The rent is $45,000 per month.  


It's located in the Superior burn area.  Guessing the house was torn down and this one built in it's place.  I can't imagine that kind of rent.  

Of course, you must be income qualified to even get a showing.

[cooper88]

I got some work done outside before it got too hot. Then I went to Ace Hardware for a couple of things, and I took my dog with me. She picked out a pig snout for herself. She is now obsessed with it. She keeps walking around looking for a place to hide it, but IDK who she is hiding it from. Her human and cat family don't want it. Silly dog.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We are doing lamb on the grill tonight so am making up a fresh batch of toum.  So far, I have cleaned up 2 heads of garlic and still do not have enough cloves.  

Menu is grilled lamb, pita with toum, rice pilaf and grilled asparagus.  

[daisylu]

Aug 10, 2024 9:54:53 GMT -5 giramomma said:

Are we talking about board breaking?

The peanut can break like 2-3 boards at once.

Break dancing.