The New Water Cooler
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Hope you had a good bike ride.
Almost through Friday.
We'll see what the weekend brings.
Friyay.0 -
We have gophers/ground squirrels but have seen very few regular squirrels that climb on our property. No Oak trees for acorns...
I am worried about bears but we haven't seen one here yet. The feeder could attract one but our yard is pretty open and I don't think they inhabit the woods on our road. No sightings by us or neighbors anyway. We shall see what comes our way, LOL! Stay tuned!
My sister Becky, the one that broke her ribs, was in our driveway when we got home from Traverse City. She was near by so stopped to say hi. I guess she isn't mad at me for not cleaning her pool. She is a whirlwind. She comes in, comments on our finished deck, wants to know what type of stain we used, asks about my wall paper removal and gasps at the price (this from the woman that pays 40,000 cash for a bathroom redo that wasn't necessary). Asks about my garden and comments on what I should be doing. Gets my hackles up! I don't like being told what I should do in my own home. I don't tell her or anyone else what to do in their home. It's just her way, no boundaries...
We will wait and put the feeders out when we get home Monday. We leave town tomorrow for that concert down state so we want to be home in case the seed attracts unwanted predators.
TGIF! I hope you have a nice weekend. I may not take my computer with me to Ann Arbor. If I do I will check in, otherwise I'll comment Monday eve.0 -
We are off to Ann Arbor in a bit and I'm not going to take my computer. I'm not sure I can check in on my phone like I use to. If I can find the thread I will. Otherwise, I'll talk to you Monday eve.
Have a great weekend!0 -
Hope this finds that you had a safe and FUN trip.
While I'm glad that your sister didn't seem to hold any ill-will about you not cleaning her pool, it is so disheartening isn't it when people come in and say things about how you are doing things in your own place with your own funds. It just hurts.
Nothing much to really report. I did have a 'big' talk with Bernie Friday night about how I'm feeling and blah, blah, blah. It didn't seem to help though. It just seems to roll off. I did literally 'make' him stay and listen - told him if he walked off before I had my say to just get out. But I can't say it made me feel better. I am still.... upset. I don't know.
Another week, here we go.
And BOO fireworks sales started yesterday. It's SOOOO dry. I pray people aren't too stupid and don't start any fires. I hate firework weeks.0 -
We had rain yesterday and today. More predicted for tomorrow. We arrived home about an hour ago. The temps have dropped to low 60's and it is foggy outside. Low 70's this week and warmer temps back next week. My friend arrives Friday. I just hope it doesn't rain all weekend.
I hope you get rain before the fireworks begin. I think this rain will help the fire hazard here but I hope people are careful. As far as I know, the local villages are doing their fireworks displays.
Our trip to Ann Arbor went fairly well. I hadn't been to Ann Arbor since college and only a couple of times then. The University of MI is located there and is pretty much the city. It's the kind of campus that sprawls throughout the downtown and into the suburbs, not contained on a campus. The whole down town and campus had road construction every where. It was difficult to navigate. When we went down town for the concert we parked in a ramp and walked to dinner and then to the auditorium. I don't know if it is because of the construction or what, but that is a dirty down town. The streets and sidewalks had litter every where. We ate at a tavern and the food was excellent. Then we went to Panera across from the auditorium because I needed a coffee drink for the caffeine. A storm rolled in with straight line winds while we were in Panera. We waited it out and then walked across the street to the concert. They didn't let us into our seats until 8pm. My seat wasn't great. Russ always has to have the aisle so he gets the leg room. This also gives him a clear view of the stage. I was one seat in and it was fine at first until the couple in front of us arrived. The guys head blocked my view of the stage and trying to look around him gave me a sore neck. Then the couple next to us switched seats and the guy ended up next to me. He must have thought we paid to hear him sing. When he knew the lyrics, he sang as loud as he could while he tapped his legs. He was singing into my right ear so he drowned out Jason Isbel, the main attraction. His tapping and moving shook my seat. Very annoying but I focused on staring at the ceiling or watching the keyboard player while I listened to the music. A concert is only as good as the performance, the venue and who sits around you.
I am very tired today. We drove to East Lansing to have lunch at El Azteca and then headed north. We stopped in the middle of no where at a general store we see commercials about on tv. Not what we thought it would be but we saw parts of MI we didn't know. It's good to be home.
Tomorrow I have a well check at my doctor's and then lunch and a bike ride with a friend. Wednesday I need to begin to prepare for my friend's visit.
I've noticed with Russ and Rory that they appear to not listen, but then ponder what was said on their own time. Do you think Bernie does this? I'm sorry he didn't engage and listen. I am proud of you for speaking up and demanding he stay until you had your say. Has Bernie had any more interviews or gotten a job?
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I have to say, I don't think I would have enjoyed your concert. Whenever we had kids concerts and plays - my enjoyment of those would always be affected by the people around me. I literally do not understand people who come to things and talk through them, get up and walk up and down the aisles during a song, ugh - hated that so much. If you don't want to watch an event, stay home.
Hope you got a good sleep and ready to have a great doc appointment.
Roll on week, roll on.0 -
Doctor appt went well. She renewed my two meds and made a referral to a dermatologist for me to get a whole body skin check. I worry about skin cancer since I have so much sun damage from life guarding and just being outside and bad sun burns over the years. They weighed me and commented that I had lost weight so that was nice. I said I plan to lose the rest over the next 3 years, slowly.
The Canadian fires are making MI really smokey. Today it smelled horrible outside and the smoke is lingering among the trees, over the lakes, etc. My friend Mary and I decided not to ride our bikes but went out to lunch instead. We went to cafe I wanted to try and then we looked in a few shops. I bought birthday cards for my stash and for Hannah and Chantrelle. They both have birthdays next week. I found some yarn to knit dish cloths at a store I had never been in. We got ice cream cones and sat on a bench and chatted. Then on the way home, we stopped at a fruit stand and bought fresh strawberries.
Mary's brother-in-law and his 34 year old son were white water rafting on the Colorado River on Sunday. The raft flipped and the son made it to shore. The BIL hung on to the raft and went down river. He is missing and they don't know if he is alive or dead. It was his own raft and they shouldn't have been on the river. Due to high snow melt from the winter, there are warnings that the river is too high and rafting is too dangerous. Mary said that would be like him to think he can do it and they are exaggerating. Her husband comes from a family of 11 kids and they all bring their kids/grandkids up here every July 4th for a family holiday weekend and spend time together. Now that their brother is missing, three of them (Mary's husband included) went to CO to talk with Search and Rescue, walk the river banks and see if they can find him alive or recover his body. At least 18 people have died this spring from the high waters there. One body went 10 miles down river before being found. Others can be submerged and trapped and it can take them 2 years to surface or never. It is horrific this has happened but people do stupid things and unfortunate circumstances occur. They may never get closure.
I agree about people who are inconsiderate in movies, concerts, seminars, etc. My pet peeve is people who talk when a presenter is talking, talking through a movie, talking over someone else, etc. It annoys me big time! I can't watch TV with my sister Lynn because she talks through the show and narrates what is happening so I can't hear and watch for myself. She is totally unaware she is doing it or doesn't know how annoying it is.
Well we are eating popcorn for dinner and it is my job to pop it on the stove. Off to make dinner, LOL!0 -
I made myself get up and go to Aqua Fit this morning. It felt good but now I'm dragging. I'm doing laundry and a little cleaning today but the big push will be tomorrow before my friend arrives Friday morning. House looks good, just a little dusty, floors need vacuuming, and guest bathroom needs a wipe down.
Russ ordered a flat of freshly picked strawberries from the nearby strawberry farm everyone loves. They were picked this morning and he picked them up. He vacuum sealed many and put fresh whole strawberries in glass mason jars in the fridge for us to eat in the next few days. I saw a tip that storing the berries in glass jars in the fridge allows them to last up to three weeks. We are seeing if it works.
Beautiful day out but potential rain tomorrow. I need to check my garden after the rain these last days and check my flower pots.
Hope all is well with you.0 -
All ready for my friend Kristin's arrival tomorrow morning. I will pick her up at the airport at 10:15am. We have a busy weekend planned so I may not check in until Monday afternoon/eve.
TGIF! Have a good weekend and 4th of July.0 -
Oh, that is terrible about Mary's brother. I hope they can find peace somehow.
Let me know if that strawberry trick works. Strawberries don't often last longer than a day if boys are home, but maybe in the future. Mmmmm, fresh strawberries.
I hope you have a fun visit with your friend.
I can't believe how the days slipped away this week.
And, next Saturday is my niece's wedding. Oh my.
Today was supposed to be a haircut for Zach (it can be so hard to get in with Tammy) and was glad he got in before the wedding, but then I guess he just got an interview for something he put in for and canceled so he could prep. I'm so glad he got an interview. Now, to figure out how to get him a haircut so he doesn't look like a hooligan. He tried Supercuts this winter and they nearly gave him a buzz cut. So bad. Here's hoping this is a good interview, etc, etc.
A lot going on with Bernie, but I need to be in the right frame to get into it all.
Eye appointments yesterday. I ordered new glasses. I had quite a change. Hopefully the new pair is great and work well. We all know that changing glasses can sometimes not go well - at least it's that way for me.
Have a great visit and weekend.
Later dear J.0 -
I am so over fireworks. They have been shooting those g-awful mortar rounds around my house for days. My windows shake and the house rattles. It's so effing loud and scary. I HATE this.
We got a fantastic rain soaking in Columbus Saturday. What a blessing. Not a drop at the Wayne or Pender farms. Horrible.
Caleb moved to Lincoln Saturday (in the rain nonetheless). I didn't realize it was moving time until he loaded up. He couldn't wait to get in to their house. I hope it goes well for them.
The interview was more of a 'pre-interview' I guess basically proving he knew enough about programming to be an option. Gatekeeper. He thinks he made it past. We'll see. This one is in Norfolk which would involve moving. We'll see.
Wedding week. I'm starting to get information from Caitlin on what she would like us to help with. Good to know, but still will be glad to get this over with.0 -
Busy summer for your family. How far is Norfolk if Z gets the job and moves? C seems to like living on his own with friends. I loved it too! Nice when they learn about independence and keeping their own house.
Wow wedding weekend this coming weekend? What are you wearing? Is it in Columbus?
Perfect weather while my friend Kristen was here. We had a great weekend and she loved it here. I hadn't seen her in over 3 years so it was so fun to catch up, laugh, and show her around our area. She wants to come back with her husband. I am educating the Minnesotans that visit that Michigan is an upper and lower peninsula. Before coming here, they only really understood the upper peninsula existed and thought I was moving there. Even when I told them that wasn't the case, they didn't understand. They seem to understand MN, WI, IA, Florida, CA, and big cities around the country like NY, Chicago, and San Francisco. They didn't know the beauty of MI and that where I live now existed. Fun to share it with others.
I'm tired and being lazy. I dropped off Kristen at the airport at 1:30 today and have done nothing since. Reading, relaxing, and ate leftovers for my lunch/dinner.
You will have a busy week gearing up for the wedding. Good luck to Z. If he doesn't get the job, it is still good practice and means he is moving forward. Is he interested in the job?
Bernie being Bernie again?0 -
Today was fairly lazy. I slept in until 8am, had coffee, had the Roomba do some vacuuming, washed towels and sheets from Kristen's room, watered my plants and checked the garden. We invited my sister Lynn over to cook hotdogs over the fire and have dinner with us. Tomorrow we have a picnic at my cousin's beach house but Lynn can't go because she can't walk in the sand and on the board walk to get to the beach house with her hip and can issues right now. So Russ and I had her over tonight so she at least had some type of July 4th dinner. We roasted marshmallows and had s'mores too. I made a big veggie pasta salad today so we had that with the dogs and baked beans. She seemed happy to be invited over. I feel bad she can't join all of us tomorrow eve. My cousin feels bad too because she didn't think about Lynn not being able to access her house when she invited her cousins for the picnic.
What did you do for the 4th?0 -
That's so great you had such a nice visit with your friend. And that new flights into your area can/will make it easier to get more visits. Win-win!
It had to make your sister feel seen to come over to your house for a nice little visit. Something low-key and fun. Come on smores!!
I worked Monday and then was off yesterday. I did make potato salad that we all ate with our meals Monday night and Tuesday (it's already gone), but there wasn't anything else we did. Bernie and I grumbled about the neighbors and their stupid fireworks and am so glad it should mostly be over now. I'm sure there will still be some random ones as people won't care about it being illegal now. But the complete insanity should be over. Ugh. I hate fireworks and the 4th.
I think being sick and the all the stuff with the lack of working by my family has really taken a toll on my mood. I am finally feeling physically better. But I am still feeling really 'bad' emotionally. I am still kind of weepy feeling and definitely falling too easily into 'poor me' attitudes. I even am dreading and having, well, unkind thoughts about my niece's wedding. My only niece, who is almost a daughter. But I just don't care about it. Am feeling put out about it and I don't know. Yuck.
We got another storm yesterday afternoon. Glad for the rain in Columbus, but once again nothing hit the Wayne or Pender farms. The drought crisis compounds.
Have fun at your picnic.0 -
I'm wondering if you have a mild case of depression? What do you think? You have had so many things cause you stress and upheaval this past year and now you aren't excited for your niece's wedding. You use to get so excited to do things for her or with her. Do you think an anti-depressant would be useful to get through this uncertain period for you? I took them when I was newly divorced and many women I worked with took them as they began peri menopause and moved in to menopause. If you think it may help, consult with your doctor and see what they think.
We haven't had any rain lately but did get some in mid June. My sister did have a nice time last night eating with us. She hadn't been over in a long time with her hip and back pain, surgery, etc. I had bought some of those jumbo marshmallows at Aldis. I roasted them over the fire and they are huge and hard to get off the stick because they are so big. They would be great for rice krispie treats but I think I like the regular size for roasting and s'mores.
I weeded earlier and then showered. We are going to my cousin's beach house this afternoon on Lake MI. I am not planning to swim because she has algae that has floated in to shore. Gross! It's too bad because her cove is pure sand bottom and crystal clear water. I plan to sit on the deck and relax.
I haven't been back to the Y since before Kristen came. I am tired from all our running around and have enjoyed just sleeping in, drinking coffee on the front porch and planning my day.
Has your brother-in-law or Bernie found a job yet?0 -
I have had depression issues for years. I have tried many different anti-depressants and basically failed with all of them. The couple that worked for a time ended up as with almost all other medications for me, having the side effects make them unusable for me. Cymbalta helped for a bit, then ended up making my legs swell like balloons. Then they tried several others (I can't even remember), then I had a go with buproprion, which I actually really felt pretty good with. Then a after a number of months I fell into having repeated UTI's and the doc said it was likely a side effect of the pill. And with always having to do the scary 'weaning' to get off the various pills - I just gave up on them. I generally have found enough coping mechanisms to be satisfied with my moods. It's likely just a valley and as with valleys I should climb out of it, but it's just a struggle for now.0
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That is rough! Maybe continuing to be mindful of what you eat and increasing exercise for the endorphins will help pull you through this. If the job situation is ongoing, that is probably stressing you out. It appears from my reading your posts, that you are more frustrated with Bernie's lack of investment into your relationship and working through issues. Maybe stuff is accumulating and coming to a head for you? You are reaching your max level of tolerating it all? I hope you get some closure on the employment situation and it works out for all.
I am still lazy and haven't gone to the Y. Today will be only 70 and I may ride on my bike for a short ride. That will help me feel better. I also want to make my tic tac toe game for the deck out of painted rocks and a piece of wood from a tree. I need to continue to weed one area at a time too. I finished one area yesterday and should do the front porch area today.
We had some rain over night but today will be nice.0 -
Holy sheez balls. Caitlin just sent out the 'detailed' instruction list. Holy.... It's 23 pages. And many of those pages are for me and Bernie. Setting up flowers, pining on boutonnieres, getting people to pictures on times. Watching the guest book, cutting cake, giving out the tips, moving things from the church to the venue, setting them up there. Oy. I'm tired already. I mean I want to help, but wow it sounds like a lot. Whoosh. Well I do got the boys. They better be up for long-azz day(s).
I am definitely at my max level. He knows I want to him to express that he knows he has done some bad things, that I carry a lot, etc - but still not getting it. I just have to plod along and get through this period.
Yep. It's official. I am not excited for the wedding. This is my karma for being out of commission for the shower.0 -
Well I hope the wedding goes well, is beautiful, and you end up having a good time despite all the work you have to do to make it happen. I have been to a couple of family weapons that were labor intensive for us as family/guests. Glad we could help decorate for the reception but it was a lot. I have to admit when we were in Mexico for David and Chantrelle's wedding, I did not show up at the beach house to help. She had so many friends and other family that we didn't go pitch in. My knees were killing me at that time and I couldn't stand for long periods of time without pain. I think I sat by the pool that day. If we had stayed at the beach house like some other family, I would have done what I could. We were down the beach from them and know they had a lot of people around.
Yesterday, I weeded the area by the porch but still have one two more smaller front areas to do. Then another day I will do the back porch area. Russ went to pick up cedar wood chips to put around all the bushes. It has been two years since the last chips were laid and they are pretty disintegrated. The people before us did small pea rock and it is buried in the soil so it is hard to plant or dig. We had done rock in MN at one point and then ended up putting it all under the deck and doing chips.
It is a beautiful day. I need to decide if I'm riding or going to water yoga this afternoon. Yesterday I ended up relaxing on the porch and reading after weeding.
I imagine you will be in the chaos starting today for the wedding prep. Have a good weekend and I hope it all goes well. Are they going on a honeymoon?0 -
Yeah - she has been able to accumlate enough vacation/comp time that they will gone for almost two weeks. One of the Sandals resorts (don't remember which one). I'm sure it will be amazing.
I just hope I have enough energy/go-go-go to make all my tasks happen. It's not that I don't want to do everything I can, but (1) it's a lot and (2) I'm barely feeling like myself after this last covid stop. I have put the boys on warning that they are going to have to step up too (I even sent them a you tube video on how to pin boutonnieres). Here's hoping the Paden's can rally. I have them shopping for drinks and snacks since we will be onsite a lot more than I anticipated. Hydrated and fed will be key. I know there will be food - but my food clock will be different I'm sure. Plus, I may not be able to eat when it's 'time'. We can do, we can do it. My biggest fear is apparently we have to stay to the bitter end to hand out all the tips and make sure any inebriated people get Ubers. Yikes. That's going to be past midnight. I am usually out by 9. I made the boys go get canned espresso drinks for me. Here's also hoping that my dad is not his usual grumpy/angry self when out in public - i.e. commenting on how expensive things are (even though nothing is costing him anything), how fancy something is (again, not paying for it).
Phew. I wish my body tolerated anxiety meds.
We put rock all around the house and boy it was a pain. Heavy and the weeds still grow through it. I saw a neighbor who had done the mulch/chips stuff recently pulled it all out and went with rock. I guess no matter what - it all takes upkeep.
Here we go. Let's do this.0
