what are you doing right now?

[soupandstew]

We’re coming up on election of new directors for our community association and one neighbor said the quiet part out loud, “there are many retired, bored with nothing to do, white color background who would like to have something to do part time.” No, he did not mean white collar. And another neighbor called those who serve or served previously “hos” who should be burned out of our houses. Yeah, why we have cameras and alarms, not because of my neighbors from other countries 😢

[Pink Cashmere]

So, this is for anyone concerned about USPS and mail in ballots.

My side gig is me and people from other private businesses visiting federal facilities to talk to employees that want to talk to us. At all of the federal facilities, we are contained to one room, usually an employee break room and are not allowed to wander freely through the buildings. An employee at each facility is assigned to “babysit” us, and often must even escort us to the restroom and back.

Today we were at a USPS facility. A USPS regional employee set the whole thing up. A couple hours after we were there, the plant manager came scurrying, talking fast and asking who was in charge (the USPS employee that set it up was there) and the one “in charge”) and he told her that we were going to have to leave. His area manager had got in his ass, because no outside people are supposed to be in the building for any reason until after the election. The maintenance manager for the building told me later that he can’t even have contractors come in the building to fix anything, until after the election. No matter what breaks that his employees can’t fix. 

We started packing up and the plant manager got another call from his area manager and told us to hold on while he went to take the call. He came back and said we could stay.

But that whole episode and what the plant manager and maintenance manager said, made me think that they really are serious about trying to ensure that there is no interference with their duties regarding the election. 

[soupandstew]

Oct 30, 2024 19:28:28 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Oct 30, 2024 15:05:01 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I've been playing with the idea of changing up our Thanksgiving meal.  I love all the traditional foods but that makes no sense for just 2 people with a quite small fridge/freezer.  Nor does hours of cooking and a long clean-up make sense either.  I talked to DH about it today and he's totally onboard with something I'm calling "grazing all day" which will allow us to watch the parade and some football and enjoy good food without excess work.  Some things will be bought and some made at home.

This is what I have so far:

    Stuffed mushrooms (from Aldi, bake in oven for 20 minutes)
    Bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts with maple syrup glaze (make at home)
    Spinach/artichoke dip from local restaurant with crostini
    Jumbo shrimp cocktail (make at home)
    Baba ghanoush and pita bread (Whole Foods)
    Kofta skewers (from Whole Foods, bake in oven or grill as weather allows)
    Tres leches cake portions (local bakery)

Ideas

Sounds like a great day! Thanksgiving 2020 husband and I stayed home (obviously) and it was our favorite holiday ever. We made the dinner we wanted, sat at our dining room table together, drank wine (and mourned our old lady we put down the day before). We've been trying to do Thanksgiving alone again ever since but both our moms are good at guilt trips. This year is my mom's year with us, and if she gives me any inclination that my sister isn't doing anything then we are staying home and not telling anyone!

Thank you for sharing your story. I think I’ve always tried to create the classic holiday because that’s what I’ve always dreamed of but it’s time and more for me to relinquish that. I hope you and your DH have another good thanksgiving together this year

[countrygirl2]

We had the fireplace on about an hour and a half and its a toasty 75 in here. We have natural gas out here which was surprising to us. The electric does go off up here in winds and trees downing the lines. This will be fantastic if it goes off in the winter to keep us warm. It is non electric so no worry there.

Ok its 6:36, I need to get dinner, its getting late.

[cooper88]

My chest freezer was trashed in the flood. Those who may have a need should plan around that for now. However, since my yard is still filled with debris, a weird hole will not be noticed at all. Plan accordingly.

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 30, 2024 20:47:50 GMT -5 cooper88 said:

My chest freezer was trashed in the flood. Those who may have a need should plan around that for now. However, since my yard is still filled with debris, a weird hole will not be noticed at all. Plan accordingly.

I like the way you think, and appreciate the offer.

[toomuchreality]

Oct 30, 2024 20:47:50 GMT -5 cooper88 said:

My chest freezer was trashed in the flood. Those who may have a need should plan around that for now. However, since my yard is still filled with debris, a weird hole will not be noticed at all. Plan accordingly.

Thanks for the heads up and the suggestion (your thoughtfulness).
I laughed. 🤣

[andi9899]

Oct 30, 2024 17:04:06 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Oct 30, 2024 16:53:27 GMT -5 msventoux said:

I’m intrigued. I had to Google it. Roasted turkey, gravy, cranberries, green beans, sweet potatoes, crispy onions, and both mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a Detroit-style crust.  It doesn’t look that bad, but it doesn’t sound that good either, and they totally lost me at the gravy. 

Gravy, instead of tomato/marinara sauce?

I don't like my foods to touch, so it's probably not for me. But at least it's not majorly expensive.

Ot doesn't sound like I would like the Thanksgiving pizza, but I love breakfast pizza! Sausage gravy instead of marinara, eggs, bacon, cheese, onions, etc. My mouth is watering just typing it.

[andi9899]

I may make breakfast for dinner tomorrow now that I've been thinking about it. Yum.

[andi9899]

Oct 30, 2024 17:40:48 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Oct 30, 2024 15:49:00 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Didn't someone recently have their air ducts cleaned? I'm wondering how much it was. Stanley Steemer won't give me a ballpark over the phone.

Not sure how much, but from my understanding if you are going to do you will have to any furniture close to vent for the equipment.

I don't understand. Are you saying that I need to move any furniture away from the registers?

[andi9899]

Oct 30, 2024 19:13:10 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I got my glasses finally today and I love the new frames. Very old lady chic. Or 90's librarian. They're also my first pair of progressives so that's a little less fun and is going to take some time to adjust to.

Loving old lady chic. I was talking about decorating the new house with a cousin. I told her I wanted something modern, but homey. I told her think contemporary abuelita. That's my vision. Right now my colors are black/white/grey/tan if that makes sense.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Oct 30, 2024 20:38:07 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

We had the fireplace on about an hour and a half and its a toasty 75 in here. We have natural gas out here which was surprising to us. The electric does go off up here in winds and trees downing the lines. This will be fantastic if it goes off in the winter to keep us warm. It is non electric so no worry there.

Ok it’s 6:36, I need to get dinner, it’s getting late.

Gas powered fireplaces do not heat very well without electricity.  We have a gas powered fireplace too, but the hot air is blown out by an electric motor that goes on when you turn on the fireplace.  No electricity=no electric blower motor=no heat.  

We installed a blower motor after a bad electric outage.  The house got damn cold after a day or so, so I went into work with TD.  After that outage, we got a generator, which is sufficient to run the blower motor.  

[andi9899]

Oct 30, 2024 19:49:57 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Mister was irritated when he came home to take YD to work this morning, but I was not bothered and he got better during the day.

I called him when I left home because if I had time, I was going to stop and get some chicken wings to take to my side gig with me, and I wanted to know if he wanted me to drop him some off since I’d be near him. He said he’d put some steaks in the refrigerator to thaw so he could cook them when he got home to work. But if he got home too late, he might not cook them tonight, because he’s not coming home and go straight to the kitchen to cook. Then he said “Y’all are gonna have to start cooking”. I told him I’ll start cooking on my days off work, but I’m the last person to get home from work, and I’m not going straight in the kitchen to cook either. Mind you, when YD DOES work, which is only a few days/week, it’s also only 4 hours, and she gets off work before either of us do. That was pretty much the end of that conversation.

So I got home about 30 minutes ago, and he’s on the phone with OD, who apparently called him on YD’s behalf, because there is no dinner. Mister was naming stuff that’s in the kitchen that YD could have cooked. He didn’t sound bothered that OD had called him, fussing about dinner. Mind you, OD isn’t even in the area, she’s away at college.

5 minutes after he got off the phone, he comes and tells me he’s gonna go ahead and cook the steaks tonight, so they don’t go bad. I said how would they go bad before tomorrow, when you just put them in the refrigerator last night? He said “well, I just don’t want to take the chance”. LIES! He is cooking them so YD can have dinner, because OD called him. But I was walking back and forth through the house when he was on the phone with OD, so maybe he thinks I don’t know what the conversation was about and he decided to just tell me anything about why he changed his mind and decided to start cooking the steaks at 7:30.

I tried to write just the facts, and mostly leave my thoughts and reactions out of it. But my thought is “these people are crazy”.

When you come here for the weekend one day I'll cook for you. I'm a pretty good cook.
Just saying.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My old buddies have left.  

We all worked together some 30+ years ago in San Antonio.  One is in Austin, another in WI and me.  We spent the last couple of days in San Juan Island and had a great time.  I think we drove TD nuts, but he was a really good sport about it. 

Over the 7 days they were here (2 in Friday Harbor), we went through 3 lbs of coffee beans and a case and half of wine.  

We aren’t going to wait 30+ years again.

[andi9899]

Oct 30, 2024 19:50:33 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Work has already started with the big bowls of candy out, next week it will be even worse as everyone brings in their surplus.  I have absolutely ZERO self control with candy. I haven't touched a doughnut since July which is unbelievable, but candy?  Yeah. I will grab that shit.

I'm not mad at you. That would be me too and I don't really eat sweets.

[Pink Cashmere]

My best friend who lost her Mom to COVID, her 14yo Grandson 2 years ago next month, and her husband a couple months ago when he had a fatal heart attack…. one of her close friends died this morning. Her friend was complaining last night of a headache and feeling like she had a cold. And this morning she was gone, and no one knows why. 

I really don’t even know what to say to my friend at this point. 

[Pink Cashmere]

Oct 30, 2024 21:25:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Oct 30, 2024 19:49:57 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Mister was irritated when he came home to take YD to work this morning, but I was not bothered and he got better during the day.

I called him when I left home because if I had time, I was going to stop and get some chicken wings to take to my side gig with me, and I wanted to know if he wanted me to drop him some off since I’d be near him. He said he’d put some steaks in the refrigerator to thaw so he could cook them when he got home to work. But if he got home too late, he might not cook them tonight, because he’s not coming home and go straight to the kitchen to cook. Then he said “Y’all are gonna have to start cooking”. I told him I’ll start cooking on my days off work, but I’m the last person to get home from work, and I’m not going straight in the kitchen to cook either. Mind you, when YD DOES work, which is only a few days/week, it’s also only 4 hours, and she gets off work before either of us do. That was pretty much the end of that conversation.

So I got home about 30 minutes ago, and he’s on the phone with OD, who apparently called him on YD’s behalf, because there is no dinner. Mister was naming stuff that’s in the kitchen that YD could have cooked. He didn’t sound bothered that OD had called him, fussing about dinner. Mind you, OD isn’t even in the area, she’s away at college.

5 minutes after he got off the phone, he comes and tells me he’s gonna go ahead and cook the steaks tonight, so they don’t go bad. I said how would they go bad before tomorrow, when you just put them in the refrigerator last night? He said “well, I just don’t want to take the chance”. LIES! He is cooking them so YD can have dinner, because OD called him. But I was walking back and forth through the house when he was on the phone with OD, so maybe he thinks I don’t know what the conversation was about and he decided to just tell me anything about why he changed his mind and decided to start cooking the steaks at 7:30.

I tried to write just the facts, and mostly leave my thoughts and reactions out of it. But my thought is “these people are crazy”.

When you come here for the weekend one day I'll cook for you. I'm a pretty good cook.
Just saying.

I will keep you company while you cook, and clean the kitchen after we eat. I love to eat and would rather clean after the cook that prepares a meal that I get to enjoy, than cook myself. It’s even better when the cook is good at what they do. So that’s a deal!

[countrygirl2]

That is horrible.

Yes, hubs knows without a fan what it is like. We have a genny big enough to run at least 2 heaters, the fridge, and lights. Had to get it  big enough when we lived in Texas to run the pump on the water well too. I think its surge of 13500 kws, I don't remember now. but it runs a lot of stuff but no furnace. This house is much smaller so should serve us well.

[toomuchreality]

Oct 30, 2024 21:07:51 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

I may make breakfast for dinner tomorrow now that I've been thinking about it. Yum.

I prefer breakfast at dinner time and dinner for breakfast. (Usually it's leftovers, for breakfast)

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My dad’s last remaining sister died this morning.  I have been trying to get to NYC, but the timing wasn’t ever good for us or her.  I’m kicking myself now.