Groupthink

I'll be in Prince Edward County (not Island!) today, tomorrow and part of Thursday. There will be much beer imbibed, I'm sure. We'll probably do some antique hunting, What's everybody else doing?

  Good morning!  In honor of hot summer days, let’s talk frozen treats. Are you a fan? What’s your favorite? Popsicles, gelato, iced drinks, frozen fruit, ice cream, sorbet…. I personally love of good chocolate/vanilla twist soft serve cone, but boy do they melt too fast if eaten on a hot day outside. What are you reading/watching/listening to this week? I just finished Death’s Daughter by S.A. Barnes, and it was enjoyable from beginning to end. It seems to be the start of a series, which I’m excited about, because the author is an excellent writer. 

  Good morning, GT. Happy Sunday! Aside from doing a quick Sprouts run, my day is totally free. I don't have to see anyone or talk to anyone and I'm going to enjoy every second of it.  I was planning to give the pups a bath, but it's only going to be in the low 70s so I think I'll wait for a warmer day. They don't love baths to begin with so I don't want to make it worse by bathing them on "cold" and windy day.  Anyway, enough from me. How are you all doing today? How are you closing out the weekend?

  Happy Saturday night, groupthink! Pal helped me choose the music again, Susanne Sundfør's "White Foxes." We're home from lunch. My passion fruit margarita was delicious & my in-laws gave me an immersion blender for my birthday. Very thoughtful & handy! We're settling in for an afternoon of World Cup. Maybe a nap. I'm stuffed. How are you?

Our Insulation and HVAC project was completed before Next Week's heat wave. Temperature is going to be between 95 degF and 100 degF. I have not yet visited the utility for more Solar Panels. Today we have Jungle rainstorms and Flash Flood warnings. Other chores are driving into LV to pick up a bookcase from the IKEA drop ship. Maybe Tues, I have to goto Lex Monday to see the Pulmonologist, and I don't want to drive 160 miles. 

 It's the last weekend in June!  Maybe in July I can put away my jackets for a while?  Seriously y'all, it's been a weird couple of months here. I got caught in traffic on the way to the periodontist. It's a long explanation but basically an XL semi took up all but half a lane. On the way home, another truck was on fire so the whole highway was shut down for a couple of exits.  It's already such a long drive, especially on an empty stomach.  I am straight up exhausted, so I am going to try to take it easy today. I've got sauce and meatballs in the fridge, so dinner is sorted.  I'm sending Mr to the store for bread. I ain't baking today lol.  I'm hoping to get to a little gardening tomorrow and I need to buy some tickets for my trip.   TLDR- My weekend looks pretty boring. How's yours looking? 

  Good morning & happy Friday! It's raining here, regular rain, not purple. I had plans to run errands but we'll see. Prince & coffee will help me figure out the game plan, lol. The World Cup was fun yesterday even though we lost. Fuck yeah. It's nice to have something positive to focus on for a bit! I'll decide fuck its after I'm fully awake.  How are you? 

 Lovely new opening cut to attic space above Toni's bedroom.    Lovely new HVAC.   Today is the last day of our Attic Project. The insulators are here to blow 17 inch of fiberglass shreds to cover the attic floor. This should take the attic to R49, the recommended rating for our area is R35. I will spend the remaining budget on leasing more Solar Panels from our Municipal Utility. We will end up with 20 250watt panels, about 1/2 of our load. The utility is raising rates soon, but our credit for electricity generated by our panels will go up as well. Excuse me for being an Engineer, this is all to save money and reduce consumption of fossil fuels.  

  I have a chiro appointment early this afternoon, and we're forecast to have storms; I hope I don't get caught in it. For anyone who missed it, I had Biscuit euthanized yesterday. His chest cavity had filled with fluid, which was why he was having breathing, and the vet said that any fix would be very temporary, and given his age, and fragile state, I felt it was time to let him go. He had a very good and long life. This is the last picture I took of him, a couple of days ago;

 Hello Wednesday! I am looking out the window at my flagpole garden and a gentle rain.  Both of those things are my wins today.  I'm willing the spreading plants to do their thing and keep my soil in place.   Next on the list is finding a tailor/seamstress (Is there a difference and what is it?) since mine moved off to the city.  I have a bag of really cute summer stuff that I need to make work.  I never learned to use a sewing machine, and I have no desire to learn it now.  I have an appointment later on and I need to make some chocolate syrup. Chocolate milk is the perfect bedtime snack.   What's going on?  Any wins or wishes today? 

  I have nothing planned for the day, but I'm scoring a free printer! Linda doesn't want to drag her printer along with her when she moves; she'll have access to one at the place where she's volunteering, so she's passing hers on to me. I need a printer to print out my temporary parking permits when I park the rental car in the city. So that's going to come in useful.

 Good Morning! Since the World Cup is happening, I thought I’d ask if you watch any sports regularly? If not, do you watch sports for special events only (Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, World Series, etc)? Or are you a non-sports person? Any TV/movies you’ve loved lately? I loved Widow’s Bay, and am enjoying Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and Star City, all on AppleTV which is killing it with great series and not cancelling them (looking at you Netflix). Silo S3 starts beginning of July. Any food stuff you want to talk about? 

  Good morning, everyone. Happy Sunday!  Today I'm going to spend some time with my dad and we are going to chow down on Thai food. It has been a minute since I've had pineapple fried rice and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Yum, yum! I'm also tempted to get a Thai iced coffee but I know it'll have me bouncing off the walls. That will be a last minute decision.  That's pretty much all I have planned for the day. Oh! I am going to make some more pickled cauliflower and I might throw in some cucumbers as well. Ever since my first batch of pickled cauliflower turned out well I've been wanting to do ALL of the pickling. Carrots will be next but I'm not sure if I should to spears or rounds.  Anyway, enough of my rambling. How are you all doing today? Any plans for the day?  Happy Father's Day to all of you who are celebrating today!

  Happy Saturday night, gang! Exciting news, we're having cheeseburgers for dinner, lol. I guess it is a little exciting because we eat them rarely. Anyway, I'm still having problems inserting gifs into posts so here is the only song I know about burgers. 😂 I'll be having mine with all the toppings, mayo, & an ice cold beer.  What are your favorite toppings? What's up?

Smutz is Yiddish for Grimy Dirt.    For the first 60 years of our House, it had a Coal burning furnace. About 1970, it was converted to a Natural Gas furnace. Both of these produce Soot when burned. This Soot accumulated in the attic, which is why we had the old crumby insulation removed as a part of our insulation project. We also had debris from the original Cedar Shake roof mixed into the old insulation. Complicating our lives, the City has undertaken a rehab of the "War Mothers" concrete bridge. It is closed on weekends, with 24 hour work taking place, LOUDLY. They started yesterday evening, with jackhammer demolition until 3am. Our city is split in half by a river, with five bridges (originally) downtown. The two near Broadway St carried Broadway street and the Railroad. The Broadway street bridge has been closed for decades, it was removed last year after it started falling in the river. The railroad bridge is still there, and in use. The Steel Bridge was closed two yea...

 It's the weekend!  I have some things that I am looking forward to and some things I'm dreading.   I'll be finishing up putting all the plants into their outdoor forever homes and starting work on the Father's Day gumbo.   While looking for a gif, I saw that lots had the rice IN THE POT with the gumbo.  Don't do that.  Lastly, today is World Refugee Day so I'm also holding a thought for the folks here in the shire that found a place to make a life.  They're happy to be here and we're happy to have them.   What's on your vagenda? 

  Our attic insulation project has hit a snag - yesterday's morning weather. We had at least 4 small Tornados in the area, one resulting in a collision between a Tree and a House. Our Electricians are on an Emergency Call, waiting for the ChainSaw crew to remove enough of the Tree to re-connect the House to the Power Line. They have completed the attic work lights, but not connected the exhaust fan. The Old Insulation suckers are up there today, with the New Insulation installers and the Electricians returning Monday. We also discovered the Quote did not include the Extension above Toni's bedroom, adding an additional 300 sq. ft. I Ok'ed adding it. It always takes longer and costs more than estimated. 

  Good morning, groupthink! Technically, it's Thursday night. We're staying up to finish the soccer match. Mexico's crowd is bananas & it looks like an incredible time.  Here's some Earth,Wind and Fire to kick things off. By the way, Questlove's new HBO documentary about them is very good. Right now, I'm free of complaints, but tomorrow is another day, lol. How's it going?

 I think the backing looks like a Jewish Prayer Shawl. It is the fringe along the edge. She and Katie very carefully cut the edges on the dining room table. It will end up as a Wall Hanging in the Guest Room, maybe.

 Biscuit is getting his annual checkup today. I don't expect any surprises; he's currently in the slow decline of old age, but nothing has changed drastically. We're supposed to get rain in the morning and then sun in the afternoon, which will be good for walking over to the vet, and maybe I can get some yard work in; yesterday, I could hear my creepy backyard neighbour banging around in his shed, and I dislike engaging with him, so I just went back inside. What's everybody else doing today?

 Here we go Wednesday. I had a lovely dinner out. We were the only ones in the restaurant, so I had a nice catch up with the server I'm friendly with.  She and her spouse came here from Ukraine. They are slowly but surely building themselves a nice little life here.  I so needed a break and some good news.  That's my win.   I'm going to leave this one here as well.  I saved it a while ago and came across it again recently.  Keep fighting the good fight sisters.  “Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions, for safety in the streets, for child care, for social welfare, for rape crisis centres, women's refuges, reforms in the law. If someone says, 'Oh, I'm not a feminist', I ask, 'Why? What's your problem?” ― Dale Spender, Man Made Language

  The optometrist's office called me back yesterday, and said that they require people to wear new prescriptions for at least 7 days, to make sure that it's not just a problem with the adjustment period. My experience has been that if the prescription and the fitting are correct, then everything snaps into focus with crystal clarity. At this point, because of the issues with timing (my car rental and trips to the cottage), I'm almost inclined to say "screw it", and look into laser eye surgery in the fall. Rant over.  What's everybody else doing?

Happy Monday! Read / listen to anything good this week? Have you ever been in a book club or a silent book club?  Farm stands and farmer’s markets are in full swing, is there something you love to pick up fresh especially in the summer? Bonus: gardens in full swing, if you have one, what’s growing? At my house the yellow raspberries just got going, and they’re DELICIOUS.

  Good morning, GT. Happy Sunday!  Congrats to any Knicks fans! I didn't watch the game, but I heard it was good.  Anyway, I woke up way too early and just couldn’t fall back asleep. I ended up showering and will be headed to the market in a bit. Other than that, no plans for the day.  How are y’all doing? Any plans for the day?

  Happy Saturday night, groupthink! Pal helped me choose the music. It turned into a bit of thing & now he's bugging me by playing 30 seconds of EVERYTHING, lol. Anyway, it is a good song. We're enjoying the heck out of our day. It's been very relaxing & we had tacos. What's not to love? How are you?

 Welcome to Saturday. We are now just a day away from being the full-blown Idiocracy that we thought was just satire. Even though that decrepit ding-dong is no Terry Crews. There's a sea glass fair that I might check out today. I'll be finishing up with some planters on the deck as well.  And I'm making mole chicken enchiladas for tonight's dinner.  An any old kind of weekend... What's on your vagenda?

  Good morning, groupthink! I woke up a little too early today with this song stuck in my head. It reminded me of a story. One day, I found myself on a back road, stuck behind two old gals riding around in a land yacht at an incredibly SLOW speed. It gave me plenty of time to chuckle to myself & look around. That's how I spotted a mysterious ball of white fluff running through the grass. I kept watching it get closer to the road until the cutest little puppy popped her head out! So, I scooped her up off the side of the road & took her home. We named her Greta & she lived out her days with some family friends with a farm.  I haven't found a dog in a while, but had a streak going for a bit, lol. Anyway, how are you? Share your fuck its/fuck yeahs!

      Toni and I hung her Covered Bridge pictures on the Guest Room wall. We had re-arranged the furniture so we had a large empty wall. Toni and her late husband had been the Fundraisers for the project to rehab the old bridge.  The Bridge was rehabbed in the early 90's, and the bridge was knocked off its footings by a flood in '96. The rehab held well enough for the bridge to not be smashed to flinders, and it was re-attached to the footings later. The wall hanging went well despite bad measurements and loud arguments.  

  Weather depending (rain still in the forecast), I'll be doing an expedition to The Empire of Evil Walmart to look for concert earplugs and concert accoutrements. The concert is several months away, but it always pays to be on top of things. I've had Eargasm and Loop earplugs recommended, and I'm also looking for earrings in the shape of; gold equilateral triangles or pyramids, hot dogs, sardines or dice, and polka dot shirts or sneakers. What's everybody else doing?

 It's hot and stuffy in here.  Nobody is arguing or rolling their eyes about the AC.  That's a win I'm happy to take. I cannot abide anything over 22 degrees- sorry/not sorry. That's 72ish for those who speak Fahrenheit.  If I can muster up the motivation today, I'll get the remaining herbs potted up.  It's not yet the full moon but they need to get out there. I want my house back.   How's your day looking?

  More gardening today; another gorgeous day. A bonus for those who can't make it to any of their shows (I know Al was trying for tickets); Angine de Poitrine, live in France doing "Ababa Hotel", their jazziest piece. They are changing things up for many of the live shows, and the guitarist, Khn is doing more improv on top of the loops. And they have a great relationship with their audiences.

Good morning!  What are you reading/listening to this week? What defunct website or blog do you miss? What’s on the menu this week?  What’s your favorite drink in the summer?

  Good morning, everyone. Happy Sunday! Yesterday my grandma was in the mood to declutter so we cleaned out a lot of old clothes and random boxes and gift bags she had lying around her room. We didn't finish, but there is already so much more room. Today we are going to tackle the closet.  How are y'all doing today? What are you getting up to?

  Happy Saturday night, gang! Our snack delivery arrived just in time for a dumb movie & I'm happily eating skinny pop & sipping wine while considering baking a cake despite the missing strawberries. Why do they always forget the one really important item? There's no good reason it can't pivot to a chocolate buttercream. 😂 What's up?

  We are on day THREE of sunshine.  I'll be doing some yard work.  Our pollen is wicked this year so I'm limiting my time outdoors.  My body generates plenty-nough yuck inducing maladies. I don't need any outside help.   How's your weekend looking?  

  Happy Friday, groupthink! I'm hanging out on the front porch sipping coffee. It's been so nice this week. Another fuck yeah for Pal's has show tonight. It's late & I'm skipping it to chill at home. It's too early to make myself mad remembering fuck its, but they're sure to come to me later, lol. How are you? How's the weekend looking?

 Somewhere, I have lost the ability to comment on posts. No button for it ?  

  It's supposed to get pretty hot today, so if I want to do any yard work, I'd better get out in the morning. The forecast is for rain into the weekend, and I think the gardens are ready for it. How is everybody else doing?

 Well it's Wednesday. I am hoping for a bit of sun here. At dinner last night the tourists were in toques and  jackets.  Pro tip, look up seasonal weather trends before booking that big summer vacation folks.   The new bar is in and we've gotten the glassware & liquor stored in there.  My small win this week is that Mr and I were able to recognize being at edge of an argument and moved around it. "We never argue" has great for 40 years but it does mean that we now have no idea now what to do with our emotions when we're pissing each other off.  One is never too old to learn, I guess.  Anyway, that's what's doing here. How's your Wednesday looking?  

Our neighbor has lost a cat. She was named Bella, a small Tortoise Shell. She has been missing for a couple of weeks, a search turning up her collar, with a tracker detached and missing, under the bridge. Her people posted "Missing" posters, and got a call that stated she had been killed by an Auto on Second St, and the finder buried her on the Riverbank, and left her collar on the surface nearby. Bella had been friends with the previous owners of our house, and came over to visit them, and slept on our porch swing. I thought I had a picture of her, but cannot find one. Our cat Hank got very territorial and fussed at her.  I made jokes about them smoking catnip reefers and drinking beer on the porch, like human teenagers. I further joked they did not elope, Hank was still here. I suggested her people check Bella's facebook page, to see if she ran away.  Our cats are in danger from the traffic on Second street, but seem to stay near the house to guard their territory....

  It's supposed to be another gorgeous day here; sunny and around 72 F. Gardening, maybe. How about everybody else?

Good Morning GT! Happy Monday and Happy June! What is your favorite TV show to rewatch?  Whatcha reading / listening to this week? On the food front, now that summer is here,  are you a fan of eating outside? Picnic, patio, deck, at home or restaurant? What’s on the menu this week?