The New Water Cooler
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I would have been surprised if Penn beat Huskers. The Huskers seem like they have much more elevated play than what I saw with Penn.
Laundry room is being put back together. Russ is working on the washer and dryer, light fixture and heat vent. My part is done for now. It looks nice and it will be a fun room when the accent wall paper is put up.
My sister Lynn and I are headed to Traverse City in a bit. I need to pick up more yarn for Christmas stockings and we will pick up my cousin at the airport who is coming home from her tests at Mayo. My window washer, Darrin, just arrived to clean out our gutters. That will be a relief to have that done. I imagine they are pretty bad. When we paint the house we will replace them and get covers to put on them.
I am looking at those Ruggable rugs that are washable. I want one for my mudroom and laundry room. The floors are slippery and cold. The current rug in the mudroom is so hard to vacuum and is a dark brown. When Russ gets the new garage entry steps and landing done, it will go out there for wiping our feet and collecting moisture from our shoes.
I hope you are having a good weekend.0 -
Let me know if you get a ruggable. I have looked at seriously a couple of times and just couldn’t quite pull the trigger.
Penn was complete fire the first two sets. Dialed in, owning the back line. We were really struggling with serve/receive and Lexie (libero) was not picking up like her normal awesomeness. Fortunately at the end of set two you could see they started shaking off the stumbles and got into it. Merritt Beason could be National player of the year. Rutgers again tomorrow should be not as stressful. But it’s away and we keep coming out looking back on our heels in these away environments. Opportunities to learn and grow!0 -
I have never pulled the trigger on a Ruggable either. I look at them enough but haven't ever made a decision. I have it narrowed down to 2 colors/patterns. I want 2 3X5's to cover the areas. I am going to get them once I decide because I love that they can be thrown in the machine. Those are two high traffic areas that catch all the dirt coming into the house from the garage. I'll let you know what I think once I get them and have them for a bit.
I may have seen Penn on a not so great night. I do think team's play better against better teams. It brings out their best performance and the challenge of the competition. That goes for any sport, I think.
Christmas is becoming quite the drama here with my sister, Becky. When Lynn and I picked up our cousin Polly yesterday she said that she and Becky had talked about Christmas. I think I told you Becky didn't want to host and doesn't want so many people attending when she hosts. Family is growing with grand kids and if my kids all show up that is a lot of people. We are hosting Thanksgiving and that can be anywhere from 7 to 13 people depending on who is around. My boys who are far away don't come here for Thanksgiving. Rory and Hannah alternate years. Anyway, if all my kids show up with their kids, Becky doesn't want us all at her house Christmas Eve. Nice, right? She and my cousin decided that a small group would go to Becky's for dinner Christmas Eve, Russ, me and family could have our own dinner, and they could visit us Christmas Day to see the kids. Russ and I are fine with that but if only Rory and Hannah end up coming, I still may boycott Becky's. I have never felt very welcome at her house over the years. When I was living in MN and would plan a summer family trip to come here, she would call and tell me that she couldn't see me because she had to work for a living. She would also tell me that her husband's family were going to be at their cottage and she needed to spend her time with them. I think she has some deep seated issues with me but can't identify them honestly. I am so tired of her drama, trying to get out of holidays (she wants Russ and I to always be the hosts), and stressing on the issue for months and months to whomever will listen. I never knew this was such an issue for her before we moved back here. I love our place and our life, but I have a small level of regret that we came back. My sister Becky can suck the joy out of the holidays with her need for
control, holiday anxiety and need to get out of hosting. So stay tuned...
I hope you have a good work week. Russ is going to start rebuilding the garage steps into the house tomorrow. I will go to Power Books in the afternoon. I have a haircut and dental appt this week, aqua fit, and Kathy and Steve will come for dinner next Saturday eve. Lots going on...0 -
I ordered two Ruggables of the same size and color. They get rave reviews so I'll let you know what I think.0
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I am excited to hear about the Ruggables. I came close on getting a few of the runner styles. I have unmatched runner in three different areas and wouldn't mind getting something more cohesive (and nicer) and easier to keep clean.
I'm sorry to hear about Becky making the holidays stressful. I hope it doesn't steal your joy.
I have hair this week too. I wonder what the plan of attack will be. She hasn't done a full on set of highlights and color since I last got sick because she didn't want to stress my hair, and I do think I have had more shed than normal (a bit thinner in my thin spot) but not as bad as first Covid. So we'll see.
I will be having Thanksgiving for my family on Wednesday night (about 10 of us) since Michele will be having the entire Broekemeier brood at her house on Thursday. Sometimes we go to that one with our family so she only has to go to one, but there are so many Broekemeiers it gets overwhelming (over 50). Our group is definitely more low key and easier for my folks to be around too.
Here's to a new week.0 -
I am also fretting about the length on my hair. I like my long-ish hair, but the ends have been so brittle and fragile recently. Maybe age, maybe Covid side effects - whatever - but I probably need to cut a bunch off and it's not my favorite look/style and I'm also afraid it won't 'solve' the fragileness. Sigh. I still can't believe that in a matter of months I went from basically having too much hair (so hard to manage - so thick ) to worrying about every strand that falls out. :<(0
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Oh my!!! Zach has an interview tomorrow. Zach has an interview tomorrow!!!! Can I steal a prayer from you? Please help him find his way to the right door. If not this one but continue in the right direction0
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Exciting for Z! What is the company? Is he excited? Sending prayers his way that it goes well.
I was reading something about Vitamin D deficiency yesterday. Hair thinning and loss was a symptom. Have you ever had your D levels measured? It helps my leg discomfort at night so I bought some and take 2000iu's a day. I probably could take more but am testing the waters. Years ago, my primary doctor in MN told me to take it for my nightly leg pain. It helped a lot and then I got out of the habit. I decided to take it again.
I saw Becky at Aquafit today and she did not mention Christmas at all. I wonder if Lynn told her not to mention it to me or that we are doing our own thing. Maybe I won't have to hear about it anymore.
I am doing a portal call to my knitting mentor in MN in a few minutes. I have some questions on these Christmas stockings. I need to get knitting!
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This one is with the Columbus Public Schools district. It’s more in the network side of things but it’s something. I can tell he’s really nervous and was talking about how he had felt such a good vibe with BD and feeling like he could really work with these people…. Sigh. Hopefully it goes well and there are good people there who can see the potential in him. There have also been a couple of amazing jobs open at NPPD (Nebraska public power) that would be amazing. It’s just soul crushing how hard this is.
But let’s go!!!!0 -
Well. Meh. Zach said he thought he did a pretty good job but he didn’t get a good vibe with the group. They made it clear they wanted to find someone who wouldn’t need training. Which, WTH? You can see from his resume he is young and needs some mentorship. Bleh0
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Pretty short sighted not to want to train someone in the way you want them to do things. Most learning is on the job and college provides the baseline for future learning (my experience anyway). Did Z apply to the power company too?
Two Christmas stockings felted and drying. Knitting a third. I knitted over 35 rows yesterday until my hands/arthritis couldn't do another row. I need to get 79 knitted rows done to do the heel of the stocking. I decided dividing up the number of rows per day would help my hands. Hopefully I can knit a minimum of 35 rows today if I pace myself. I know I'm going to need another portal session with my friend Kris to interpret the heel instructions again. I waited too long to do these on my own. I should have kept going after she left in September.
I have a dentist appt for a cleaning this morning. Then I am suppose to call a friend in AZ to discuss a book and
interview we have both read and listened to.
Russ is diligently working on getting the garage entry steps done. We have to go out the front door and around to the garage to get in the car or items from the outside fridge/freezer. It will be nice when finished. Beautiful day today. I should take a walk and drop apples for the deer. Hunting is happening, not sure which season right now. Deer hunting (gun) starts Nov. 15th.
I just found out my great nephew burned both his hands on a firepit. He was driven by ambulance down state to a children's burn unit Second degree burns on both palms. He is turning one years old in December. Yikes!
Have a nice day!0 -
Oh that poor baby. I hope he will be okay. Prayers sweet boy.0
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Zach's mood definitely took a plummet. This is all so frustrating. I really can't believe anybody would believe that a new hire wouldn't take training and mentorship. Even a 40-year old would need some training. If you want them assimilate and buy in to your culture, you have to spend time with them. But even aside from that it's clear from his resume he just graduated, so if you are a die-hard about wanting more experience - why bring him in. **Throws hands up** Maybe Zach misinterpreted the cues. He's not super strong on social-emotional reading. Still trying to cling to hope about getting an interview from NPPD (Nebraska public power district). Plus he's been sending out applications in Lincoln and beyond.
Yup, deer season.
Good luck getting your knitting done!
At least it's Friday. I am so annoyed at work. Our benefits representative/coordinator quit a few months ago so work 'outsourced' this hugely important thing. And now it's open enrollment and everyone (including all the floor/manufacturing partners) have to do their own enrollments. Benefits are one of the main reasons people work and the enrolling for benefits is complicated. The likelihood of people getting it wrong while fumbling through it is high. And then they will be without for a year. Just another insanity. They'll keep hiring people like another president, another vp of something, another director of something, but a job that's really crucial to people's lives? That's a good one to use for a cost savings. Idiots.
Friday.0 -
I hope Z finds something and he doesn't have to stray too far to find it. Your company seems to be a mess for the regular workers. I believe people at the top think about themselves and what benefits them. Probably a level of incompetence in whomever is leading the operation.
I went to water yoga today. I've been knitting row after row to get to the heel of the stocking. Almost there! It was my sister Lynn's 73rd birthday today. She did not want to celebrate and wanted to remain low key. I went to a bakery in Traverse City before class and found her a cupcake with frosting and a pink frosting rose on top. We had been talking lately about the cakes my Dad always bought for my Mom's birthday. They were frosted with roses and we would beg to have the rose on our piece. Since Lynn has been so glum and isn't aging well, I showed up with a card and the cupcake and told her "every day, week, month and year we are alive is a blessing so celebrate". She was pretty tickled with the cupcake and thanked me several times. I hope I brightened her day.
Tomorrow I talk with my friend about that book, do a quick vacuuming and cleaning the guest bathroom, and knit some more. Kathy and Steve come over at 5:30 for make your own pizzas with the pizza oven and sundaes for dessert. Not low cal at all!
Enjoy your Saturday and Sunday!0 -
That was a super neat treat for your sister. A special shared memory and day brightening. Way to go.0
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I have made tons of progress on the 3rd Christmas stocking. I am getting close to knitting the heel and when I get through that part of the patterns it is a short distance to the toe and done. I will felt it in the washing machine as soon as it is done and then start on the bright red stocking. I think I will get these done for Christmas. I hope the kids come for the holiday.
My friend Candy and I had a good discussion about the book and interview that went with it. We talked for two hours about the book and other things in our lives. She and her husband are going to sell their house in MN and buy her parents' second home in AZ in a 55+ community that they love. I have never been to AZ so I look forward to visiting her in her new home when they settle in sometime next year.
Our dinner with Kathy and Steve went well. We joked that they came over to make their own dinner and dessert since we made our own individual pizzas for the pizza oven and sundaes with toppings. They enjoyed the pizzas and were intrigued by the oven.We played Dominoes and talked the night away. Their oldest son and two of his kids arrive tomorrow from CA. He is coming for hunting and she gets time with the grand kids. In a week his wife and the oldest son will arrive for Thanksgiving and they will celebrate Christmas with them too while they are here.
Russ is almost done with the garage steps. They are usable and so much easier for me to go up and down than the old ones which had a tall rise. I'll be glad to get the garage organized and not such a mess all the time. Having the landing outside the door will help for storage of recycling, boots, etc.
Tomorrow I will visit my friend who had the stroke at rehab. Then I have a shift at the theater working concessions.
Have a nice Sunday!
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Husker volleyball today. (At least we still have volleyball). Illinois started slow and then took the third set and battled the fourth. We got it. With Wiscy dropping their match to Penn yesterday we should have at least a share of the B1G title for the first time in years. GBR!!! I’m voting Bekka Alick for player of the week, Andi Jackson for freshman of the week and Laney Choboy for defensive play of the week. 😉. I expect to see the crazy save Laney made hit sports center.
Ugh. Sunday.0 -
Exciting! I haven't watched a game this week. My high school girl's vball team won regionals and heads to the quarter finals of state on Tuesday eve. It will be the last season my friend Laurie is coaching so it would be great for her and the 5 seniors on the team to get to the finals and hopefully win the state title.
We are getting ready for our Nashville trip. Tonight we booked tickets for the back stage Grand Ole' Opry tour and the Country Music Hall of Fame. We will do the hop on hop off trolley tour around Nashville and see what else we want to explore. We plan to visit Honky Tonk Row for free music of upcoming artists and wannabees. Should be a fun few days. We will explore Tennessee BBQ, Nashville Hot Chicken and Maneet Chauhan's restaurants (Food Network Chef we like a lot).
It will be around 60 in Nashville so that is a plus for us!0 -
That sounds like fun! Hopefully you can get in to Maneet's place - I bet it can be tough to get in to.
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I hit a couple dead on. Andi Jackson is co-B1G freshman of the week and Laneys running save is number one on Sports Center highlights. GBR!0
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WTG!!!
I knitted and made progress today. I'm calling my friend in a bit for a refresher class on knitting the heel. It will take another couple of phone calls after this one as I progress forward. It's just knitting the "foot" of the stocking now.
I volunteered at Power Book Bags this afternoon. The room didn't have any heat! By the time I left I was freezing. It's an old building and not in good condition. I'm sure they will be evicted in the next year. A development group bought the building and will probably knock it down and build condos, retail or restaurant, or all of the above. It's a primo spot with a view of the bay right in town. I don't know where PBs could move to. They have cheap rent at this building and won't find that anywhere else around here.
Laundry done, packing list done, and will pack tomorrow after aquafit.0 -
We are packed and ready to roll to TN. I am still knitting! I am at the hardest part of the stocking on by third one and am letting it rest for a bit. I started the 4th one so I can do straight knitting in the car and not have to look at a pattern.
I didn't wake up in time to go to Aqua Fit this morning. I was awake for over two hours in the night and then finally fell asleep. When my alarm went off I decided I needed sleep more than pool time so went back to sleep until after 8am.
We went to Traverse City to get cheap gas, eat an early dinner, wash the car and check out some items at Lowes.
Not too busy of a day.
I hope you are having a good week.0 -
I just realized I haven't really logged in this week. Weird. Been pondering Thanksgiving sides. Aside from the turkey and potatoes I plan to make some simple roasted veggies (probably butternut squash and maybe something else) and a quinoa salad I did last year that I thought was pretty good. My family gives me a hard time (teasing) for always making something weird (i.e. not traditional), but I like having a lighter option. Usually at least one of us is watching what we eat somewhat and it's nice to have something not as heavy. There will still be plenty of traditional dishes and the stuff I make will be nice to have the next day with leftovers too.
I made a ham and bean soup over the weekend and it was my first time using dried beans. I didn't soak or pre-cook them, just threw them in with a bunch of broth, leftover ham and some seasonings. I cooked it forever before the beans finally were tender, but it seems to have been a winner. Zach ate the heck out of it. I have always been intimidated by dried beans, but it went ok. I may have to try it again!
Back when I was a young newlywed I always did all the frugal things like making broth with my carcasses - but stopped years ago because it is kind of a hassle and I wasn't really using the broth that often. Caleb loves soup and if I can do ones easy like that in the slow cooker, maybe I'll have to boil that turkey carcass this year and try it all with homemade broth.
If you are already on your trip, safe travels and have fun!0 -
Nashville is quite the place. We did a hop on hop off tour today and it was interesting to see the city. They've done a nice job with all the different areas to emphasize their origin, war history, music history, the people, etc. Broadway, the street with all the bars, nightclubs, live music...is very busy. It is great people watching!!!! Some of the women dress pretty sleazy, some with sequins and boots, some I'm not sure if they are prostitutes or just young girls dressing sleazy. The music is great! After the tour, we had Nashville fried chicken for lunch. Mine was mild and Russ' was hot/spicy. Our morning Uber driver recommended a club for music and a roof top view. We spent part of the afternoon there. Then we went to bar that our airbnb hosts recommended for old time country. Quite the dive but the music was great. We sat on bar stools for hours, did a little day drinking (so out of character for us) and enjoyed the music and people around us. We ate dinner there. Probably the cheapest food on Broadway. We called an Uber and are back in our rental for the evening. Our feet and butts are tired, long day. Leave the night life to the younger set. Tomorrow is another day.
Your Thanksgiving meal sounds nice. We made our grocery list last night after we got here so we can shop on Monday when we get home.
All the kids are coming for Christmas. David and Chantrelle will stay with us for two weeks! It will be crazy but nice to have them visit us. I hope we have snow when they are with us.
My high school girls vball team goes to semi finals of the state championship tomorrow. If they win, state finals are on Saturday. I hope they win it this year. This is my friend Laurie's last season coaching. She has 5 seniors on her team too.
Tomorrow we visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame. We will find more music in different establishments when we are done with those tours.
I like making soups. I avoid dry beans because of the hassle of soaking them. Your soup sounds like it turned out fine. Ham and bean soup is the best. I also love home made tomato, chicken noodle, and chicken and dumpling.0 -
Today we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame. Very interesting! We ate BBQ for lunch on Broadway and are stuffed so don't need dinner. We didn't do the drinking and music scene today. My feet are tired from walking and standing. Tomorrow we tour backstage of the Grand Ole Oprey and will visit a historical park. Then we will go to a bar or two in the afternoon for music, then head back to spend time with our hosts tomorrow eve (family friends) before we leave Sunday morning. We will probably return here at some point to see more attractions, maybe go to Memphis too. Interesting part of the country's history.
My high school vball team will play in the state finals tomorrow. Yay!!!!0 -
Good luck to your volleyball team!!
Husker volleyball sweeps Michigan last night to remain undefeated and clinched at least a portion of the big 10 title. With a win tomorrow it’s all theirs. Woo!
Sounds like a fun trip for you guys
Safe travels
And super excited for you to have all your family coming for Christmas. Yay!0 -
Bernie *kitten* totaled Zach’s car after spending the day with his *kitten* family. While it may not have been legally his fault, if he would’ve not spent the day with those *kitten* then I would have still had a perfectly good used car that was low mileage and in great shape. Now its totaled and if Zach would get a job he has no car. Of course we’ll have to replace it and have the money for that but then it will be even longer until I can look for myself. That stupid *kitten*0
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What in the world happened that Bernie totaled the car? Did he get hurt or just mess up the car? You have had a year!
We are home as of 20 minutes a go. Beautiful sunny day but a long drive. Nashville was fun and we learned a lot about the history of country, blues and rock music along with Tennessee's history from the 1700's onward in the revolutionary and civil wars. In addition, our country's history of stealing land from the Native Americans. We will go back another time. The tour of the back stage of the Grand Ole Opry was interesting. I didn't realize country stars' membership there was by invite only and quite the club.
Tomorrow begins prep for Thanksgiving family gathering. It will be a busy week.
Hang in there!0 -
Bernie didn't actually do anything wrong, just driving home from Fremont (but if he hadn't spent the day with that effing family he wouldn't have been out) - by the Walmart stop light he was green and going through and got creamed by an inattentive 16 year old girl. I'm not sure if she was turning across and just ran the red the other way. Whatever, it's toast. He's fine - and while I know that's all that matters, I'm not going to be able to replace that car for they are going to say it's worth. KBB is below 2000. That car was a unicorn. Ran perfect, barely 120000 miles for being a 2004. It was an awesome vehicle. Used vehicles are so overpriced and I'm just pissed. It would have been better if he had been in his stupid truck. It's still worth what it cost and the insurance would have replaced it. I'll be lucky to get a check for 1500. It will cost me close to 10000 to get anything decent. I'm just so pissed. And yes, because he took off for a day with 'those' people, he didn't tell me about it, just disappeared. He had time to do that, still hasn't done a million and one things for me - but that he could do and it cost me a car.0
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Why didn't he drive his truck? Does he use both vehicles equally? How far away is Fremont?
I am lazy this morning. I need to shower and get ready to volunteer this afternoon. Russ went to Traverse City to get groceries for Thanksgiving. I made the guestroom bed for Christmas and am washing our sheets. I need to pull up the sheets from the basement and wash this too. Tomorrow I will begin to clean and get tables and buffet area ready for the big meal. I don't want to be doing it all the last minute. I am not big at entertaining and find it stressful. Too much work getting ready and cleaning up.
It's a beautiful, cold day here.0
