The New Water Cooler
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My friends just left. They are going as far as Appleton, WI to one of my friend's mother's house and then driving to Mpls tomorrow. It was a whirlwind, wonderful week with them. They are both so low key and chill. Easy to be around and we just planned each day as it came. Russ cooked 3 dinners for us and we all went out one night for dinner. We hiked, went to the sand dunes in the national park, visited wineries/cidery, Fishtown in Leland (historic fishing village that has been made in to shops, etc.), went rock hunting, watched the sunset from the beach one night, talked until late each night, and had fun. I walked more steps in this week than I have per day/week in the last decade. We had a beautiful weather week with temps in the mid to high 70's and sunny every day.
I hope C adjusts and loves UNL. Z must be gone by now too? It takes a bit to adjust to the empty nest. We didn't take the time and adopted two dogs to spoil, haha!
I have a hair cut at noon, need to harvest veggies in the garden, and then plan to read and relax. I'm hoping I can convince Russ to go out for a Rueban Sandwich or Detroit style pizza. We never ate the soup so I put it in the freezer for Russ and I to have for lunch and dinner with crusty bread at some point.
Happy Birthday to C!0 -
sounds like a great visit. I sure hope you got your sandwich or pizza. I just ate lunch and I'm still hungry.
Zach is still home until Sunday morning. Crazy how late he goes back. But, it's not long now.
While I know animals would take the empty out of the house, I sure hope I (or Bernie) don't do that. I really am animal-ed out.
Fri-yay!0 -
We ended up going to a tavern for burgers since the sandwich/pizza place was closed. We had not been to this tavern before. It's in a small village within the county. Food was good. The server was both bartender and server all by herself. Internet and cell service was down so cash only. I felt for her and had to resist saying that I had served tables before and would jump up and help, LOL! The late afternoon and evening servers and bartender arrived and all was well after a while.
I am still tired. I picked peppers, tomatoes and carrots this morning. I pulled out over grown lettuce and put on trail for the rabbits and deer. I have more to pick and will replant some lettuce for Fall. Then I'm done for the summer. Lots of green tomatoes still so we will see if they ripen on the vine. I vacuumed and have the last load of towels and sheets in the dryer. I'll put the rooms back together tomorrow and wait to clean just before the kids arrive on the 3rd.
We will portal with Jeff, Karah and the kids tonight and David, Chantrelle and Halen tomorrow. I haven't seen the kids in awhile. Russ just talked to Rory so all caught up with him. They move to their new apartment at the end of the week.
Any special plans with Z this weekend?0 -
Just getting his stuff together. He’s so excited to get back.
How is Chantrelle doing?
Your visit with Rory is coming fast!
I pulled most of pictures off the mantle and am moving them downstairs. Going to try something different. Seems like a good time for different0 -
It's nice Z is excited to go back. His last year will go so fast!
We just portaled with David, Chantrelle, and Halen. We were able to have a little conversation with Halen. She used single words and has lots of articulation errors (hope that clears up) but she answered our questions and offered information like "dog" when her dog appeared and when Charlie was visible. Chantrelle looks good and has a little less than 2 months to go. David is done fishing but will be captaining a boat in OR for a week starting next Saturday. He hopes to fly out here on the 5th with Halen if the job in OR ends by then. It is a week long job but could be affected by weather. Chantrelle's doctor said she could travel but she is looking forward to being alone and getting some things done before baby arrives. I would do the same. They are still unclear if they are delivering in Anchorage or Homer but hope to know by the end of the week. I may be going if they deliver in Anchorage. They will have to help me with the airline ticket and schedule if that's the case. I hate navigating that.
Rory and Hannah arrive on the 3rd, Jeff and Karah on the 6th and possibly David and Halen on the 5th or 6th. Jeff and Karah do not plan to drive to WI this trip to see his Dad and stepmom. David isn't sure he is going there either. They would do that visit in a separate visit. His Dad and Shari have made no time/effort to go to AK since Halen was born so David doesn't feel bad if he doesn't get to WI this trip. I'm sure there will be a trip they are all in WI and we don't see them but need to be understanding. My big fear is that Don and Shari will show up in our driveway with their tiny camper without telling us and expect to share our visit with the boys and grand kids. I would be ticked about that. It is the way they roll.
Nice day but no motivation. I did manage to remake the guestroom bed and will do the downstairs beds another day.
I hope you are having a good weekend. Did you need to drive Z to Wayne or does he have a car he uses to get back and forth?
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And then there were none.
Zach headed off and got himself moved in. He has our 2004 Buick Rendezvous that still runs really well. I loved that car. The encore was not the same. He was looking forward to a welcome back game of dungeons and dragons.
Here’s hoping for a successful semester for all the students0 -
My first day waking up with both at school. An exclamation point on that is my weight being way up. Perfect. I have a little over a month before my annual visit. Tomorrow I go back to the dermatologist p.a. and see about getting more of the spots frozen off. I think the shoulder reliever thing I got is helping my shoulder issues. I still don't feel perfect, and I don't like general 'weak' feeling, but pleased to see some range of motion starting to come back.0
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I ordered this generic arthritis, over the counter, gel for my joints, pain in my foot, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T66W7QN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
My friends both had it so I tried one of theirs on my foot after hiking. It was a fast relief and I was able to sleep at night. It is like a gel ibuprofen/NSAID so dosage or not exceeding dosage is important. It gives a guide for that. The non generic is Voltaren. It is sold at Walgreens, etc. but I ordered off of Amazon since it is not convenient for me to go to Traverse City for just one item. It may help your shoulder pain to get some relief.
How did it feel waking up to a quiet house and no boys around? It is an adjustment.
My weight isn't going anywhere either. I'm sure the ice cream I eat at night isn't helping, LOL!
Nice that Z can drive himself back and forth from Wayne. Is UNL further away or just a couple of hours? What is C's first impression of school?
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Wayne and Lincoln are about the same distance away - just different directions. Wayne is northeast about an hour and a half and Lincoln is southeast about an hour and a half. I can't tell you for sure what Caleb thinks of school since all I have gotten from him is one text that 'it's goin' good' and one picture with a sign 'thank you family' that I am sure someone else made him do since he looked annoyed in it. I check on his location occasionally and it looks like he is all over campus and the area around it. I hope he is just taking advantage of all the gatherings, orientations and events and just soaking it all up.
have a great day0 -
I'm sure C is so busy meeting new people, attending social events, participating in dorm and dorm floor socials, etc. What a fun time! If I could go back in time, I would repeat college over again and do it differently.
I walked Charlie this morning, dead headed some plants that are done for the season, did a little weeding, and harvested more tomatoes and carrots in the garden. The lettuce that I put out for the deer and rabbits on the path two days ago is gone. I ripped out the rest of the over grown lettuce and some very small carrots and put those out for them today. It's a feast! I've decided not to replant the lettuce. I'm done as soon as the tomatoes are done, carrots are all picked, and herbs are dried or frozen.
David called today. Chantrelle may make the trip if he and Halen comes. He isn't sure yet if he can make the trip but if he does, he will arrive on the 6th.
Russ is at work. I'm lazing around after my few chores. I should sit on the deck in the sun and enjoy the day but my skin has had enough sun for a season. I was going to ride my bike today but am being lazy. I need to snap out of this laziness. I would feel better if I did.
How is it being home with Bernie alone or is he traveling for his job?0 -
Hump day.
Bernie's grandma Lee (step-gma) is coming to Columbus Thursday for a car show and invited Bernie to dinner in an email. Bernie said I was invited too. After the fiasco of the Saturday lunch invite that disappeared after I said I would go to, I'm not sure I'm feeling it. Everything is such a 'thing' with his family. Although, frankly with mine too. Right now I might be too much in my feels with the boys just being gone. We'll see if I am feeling strong enough.
Got a bunch of spots zapped yesterday. Doing fine, they are a bit inflamed at this point, kind of like small points of sun burn, but not overly bothersome. Definitely less painful than getting cut.
Back to mooning over my weight.0 -
Do you like B's step grandma or is she part of the family problem? I can see why you wouldn't want to go to lunch with them. Does B want you to go?
Hope your spots feel better soon.
A MN friend called this morning and we talked a long time. Afterwards, I went to ride my bike and something is wrong with the chain or gears, not sure which. I couldn't get the gears to change and the pedals were spinning. I'm guessing the chain but don't know how it happened. I'll ask Russ to look at it. I hope I don't need to take it in to the bike store to be fixed.
I've been working on laundry, refilled the hummingbird feeders, and have been watching a Netflix show. I probably need more structure in my life!
My weight is an issue too but so be it. I can't stress over it all the time.
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last night's dinner was silliness. It wasn't just a dinner with Lee to try to maybe work on things. No. It was a dinner with her Corvette club. So 19 men and women in their 70's. It was three hours of banal chit chat with people I have nothing in common with. Were they nice? Sure, mostly. But it was hot, loud and took forever and not what I was led to believe. A dinner with Lee to sit and talk. FFS. And yet again, this HE (my Bernie) has time for. Again, FFS.
And work SUCKS.
Sigh. Enough whining.
Hope you are doing well and having another wonderful week!
Friyay!
Oh yeah Husker volleyball starts tonight. I love watching volleyball!0 -
Russ put the chain back on but I need to do a test ride and see if it is ok. My sister texted last night and asked if I wanted to ride today. I told her I needed to ride it for a bit this morning and if ok, we could ride early afternoon but I wouldn't ride on the highway. A few minutes ago I get a text from her (is was 8:15am), asking if we are going to ride or not because she will go to Traverse City, if not. I told her to go ahead because I'm still in my robe and haven't gotten outside to test ride. She is so impatient! Why ask me to ride and then rush me so early? She can't sit still long and even a ride is rush, rush, rush with few water breaks. I prefer leisurely rides and she just gets it done.
I will test ride my bike when I'm dressed, pick some tomatoes to make a home made tomato sauce, and also plan to make some mini omelette loaves to freeze for breakfast. Russ could easily microwave them on the mornings he has to work early and it would give me a few mornings of a protein boost. I'm going to crumble tator tots in the bottom, add sausage crumbles, peppers, cheese and egg and bake.
How is the more quiet house feeling to you? Do you have plans to go to parent days at the schools at all? Is there a group at your church that you could return to singing to do something you love and attend practices, concerts, etc.?
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ah dang, my c kid. I asked how his first few classes went. He said his calc professor has a hard language barrier and is teaching it completely different that he has learned and his physics 'picked up from high school' with stuff he has never learned. I can feel the panic coming through. Which of course sets off my anxiety. I reminded him to find the tutors. To seek a study group. To take time to talk with the profs. But he did also say his other two classes were not going to be bad. But, obviously calc and physics are going to be way more important to being successful in an eng program. I am sending good vibes for him.
I chuckle in my mind about the language barrier, because I had made a comment this summer about how much I hated my Econ classes because both the profs were Indian and I couldn't understand them. I spent so much time trying to decipher what they said I usually missed most of the content - well and plus is was a lot of graphing and math so yuck on that. He dismissed what I said and thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Mmmm-hmm language barriers plus hard content. BIG DEAL!0 -
I remember math and physics professors being from other countries and had a very thick accent with English as their second language. It was tough for me too. I also believe that they may be good in the sciences but some can't teach effectively. He's better off going to the professor's or teaching assistant's office hours if he needs extra help.
My sister and I rode our bikes 26 miles today. I am tired! Russ and I went to a Mexican Food truck that parks in our town on weekends this time of year. Not very good today. I had a taco salad and it was the worst one I've ever had.
Yesterday I made the mini egg loaves with veggies. They taste pretty good. I also cooked a spaghetti sauce in the crockpot for 8 hours. It was made with tomatoes from my garden, onions, pepper, Italian seasoning, dried chili flakes, red wine, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil from my garden...It needs some doctoring when it's time to use it.
What are you doing on your quiet weekend?0 -
Watched volleyball last night and a little of the terrible football game today. Good heavens. So sad. At least we have volleyball. Church tonight. Trying to get through to a 'customer service' representative because an online payment I tried is held for some reason, I've been waiting for 30 minutes so far. Fun0
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I volunteer at the theater tonight. Not sure what movie is showing. I'm guessing, Spiderman.
I had a rough night with joint discomfort after the ride yesterday. I had to take ibuprofen in the middle of the night.
I am hoping to watch my alma mater's vball team play this season. My friend is the coach and we played together in high school. She has had several state championships for Class D but I'm not sure what this year's team will be like. I do enjoy college vball but never make time to watch. We went to a couple of vball games at
Univ of MN when we lived there. One was when they played Penn State since my friend's daughter played for them. She got us tickets in the Penn State section.
So far the weather is looking good for when the kids are here. Mid 70's and low possibility of rain. Fingers crossed...
I feel a lazy day coming on but I may make the bran muffin recipe that is kept in the fridge and then bake when we
want some. It is made from Raisen Bran Cereal.
Enjoy your Sunday.0 -
I'm off to try to figure out why the bank held this online account I created with Zelle (what they required) so I could electronically transfer money to Caleb. I was on with Zelle for 45 minutes Saturday and it ended being the bank who held it. I called this morning and they said they would look into and I still haven't heard back. I guess I will walk in. Grr.0
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What do you mean they "held it"? Is it an account to deposit money into for C or to pay his tuition?
I went to Costco today and renewed our membership and spent a fortune on paper products and cleaning supplies. We buy in bulk and keep in the basement. I hadn't shopped in bulk since last Fall. We had bought toilet paper in small quantities a couple of times at the grocery but have gone through our Covid paper products we stocked in the past two years. I met Russ at the Fireplace Store to discuss getting new logs and doors for our fireplace. It was a wood fireplace that the previous owner converted to gas at some point. The door trim was never put on the outside and looks bad. We moved the logs so soot accumulated inside on the wall and on the inside of the doors. It's a mess and all looks bad. Time for an update look and better function. I will call tomorrow and schedule for an appointment for them to measure. We were given catalogs of what we needed to pick out for door trim, glass and logs. We've done that.
We went out for lunch and then came home. That was our big meal of the day.
Tomorrow I need to begin getting the downstairs ready for Jeff's family, pick toys for the basket and shelves up and down stairs, and choose some age appropriate books to have out for Miles and Halen if she comes to visit.
Have a nice evening. You haven't mentioned how it is being home with just Bernie and what the empty nest feels like.
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