Now I really did it :((

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy last week of August. Labor day is coming up in one week. So fast.

PierreBear I am continuing to keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers and hope you all are safe and sound and doing OK. (((Hugs))).

Marcy LOL on the battle of the covers. I always win that one. Poor Greg. I keep the bedroom freezing and then snuggle under the comforter and take no prisoners. How about California King flat sheets?
I am glad your nieces and their families are safe from this awful storm. Praying for everyone affected.

How are you doing re the glasses saga? As if you needed another complication yanno. This optical (pardon my french) sucks.
How is the eye drop instillation going? How is your vision?

Sorry Marty is gone again and being away most of the month is tough. Hoping September brings you more Marty than not.
Fifth Element was a good movie I agree. Never saw the 4K version. Glad you enjoyed it.

Austina I hope you enjoyed the weekend and that your son's home is safe from the storm. How was Allied?
Love that photo of Dottie on the sofa all comfy and cozy.

Aww Scandi thank you and back at ya. Christmas visit? And OMG those photos of your sweet fur babies are super sweet Yay for lots of jewel colored pillows. Now we are talking. Hoping your house project is somehow back on track and sending you more good luck vibes.

Sharon yay for exercise helping your knee. Exercise really is good for body and soul as long as we don't overdo. Those endorphins get me through some rough times that is for sure. Sending more healing vibes your way.

We enjoyed a wonderful 3 days here and are actually stretching it out for one more morning as we like to do if schedule and weather permits. So going for a cycling ride soon but wanted to say hello and happy last Monday in August. Wow the last few months went so fast. Met with Butch both days this weekend cycling and went out to dinner and it was an activity filled weekend and the weather was PERFECT which hardly ever happens here. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today in the 70s and sunny and just lovely all around.

And amidst all this activity my dh was still able to create a cooling system for my legs while we cycle to help protect me from the effects of the heat bursting my blood vessels. So as we ride I douse my legs with water every 15 minutes or so depending on how fast it evaporates and if necessary I turn this fan on to help cool my legs off. The fan isn't powerful enough but maybe we can figure out a way to operate a more powerful fan at a later date. For now I will take it and I am super appreciative my dh isn't giving up and working towards allowing me to cycle as long as we want with minimal side effects from this purpuric condition I have. The water dousing is working pretty well except sun is getting through the spf pants when I douse myself with water so I am getting tan on my thighs. That is a side effect I wish I could prevent but I have to choose one or the other so right now I choose to minimize the bursting of my blood vessels and hope the sun doesn't cause too much damage.

Here's the set up:





And last photo from this weekend. Butch and I took a quick pic from our cycling adventures together this weekend. Excuse the wet legs LOL. I had just doused myself with water when Butch wanted to stop for a second and then we decided photo op




Continuing to send good thoughts and PS DUST to all those affected by Horrible Harvey. I feel badly that there are so many dealing with this hurricane and I am sending buckets and buckets of good wishes and prayers for safety and full recovery from the destruction. In our area so many are still dealing with the effects of Sandy fro 2012 so I completely empathize in every way. I know how awful it feels and how scary it is and sending as many positive thoughts and wishes as I can. And (((HUGS))) to everyone who is affected.

Have a good Monday girls and PierreBear if you can please let us know how you and your family are. (((HUGS))).

 

[MarionC]

Good morning, everyone!
For some reason I checked in today and glad I did, as I saw the exciting news for Missy! Wow, a lot has happened since my last visit.
Heading back to France for a month. Unbelievably too soon, but it was the only time my young friends could go. [I'm not complaining!]
Planning to take a few days at the west coast to look for fossils in the rocky cliffs. The days of jack-hammering walls are over. I'm ready for a real vacation.
At the same time I am in France, my friend from Paris will be visiting Cleveland and is very excited. That made me smile.
I wonder if where I go in France is like the French Cleveland : )

Hugs to everyone!
I miss you!
I am hoping to become a more active part of this thread when I return.

 

[missy]

Good morning, everyone!
For some reason I checked in today and glad I did, as I saw the exciting news for Missy! Wow, a lot has happened since my last visit.
Heading back to France for a month. Unbelievably too soon, but it was the only time my young friends could go. [I'm not complaining!]
Planning to take a few days at the west coast to look for fossils in the rocky cliffs. The days of jack-hammering walls are over. I'm ready for a real vacation.
At the same time I am in France, my friend from Paris will be visiting Cleveland and is very excited. That made me smile.
I wonder if where I go in France is like the French Cleveland : )

Hugs to everyone!
I miss you!
I am hoping to become a more active part of this thread when I return.

OMG and LOL we are so on the same wavelength. I emailed you at the same time you posted this literally. Check your email. Super mental telepathy power/ Love you sweet Jimmianne and as always I am here for you and wish you a wonderful French adventure. Big hugs and much love.

And looking forward to seeing you here when you have the time.

 

[PierreBear]

Hi PS friends! Happy Monday morning. Thank you for the concerns. I try to stay away from the computer on the weekend so the lack of posts wasn’t a sign that we were in danger. However, I’ll have to say that the rain did get the best of us as it’s raining inside our home too. We have a leak in the kitchen ceiling. With some buckets and towels, it is luckily contained but I feel anxious in the home. It’s a leak we’ve struggled with in the past and it just feels like no one knows how to resolve it. I need to keep it into perspective though as I’ve seen much more damage that Hurricane Harvey has had. Our problem is minor and we are all healthy and safe! Thanks again for the dust and the thoughts!! Ya’ll are so kind!

@canuk-gal – Sorry to hear that your knee isn’t feel better. When you are going to the pool are you swimming or walking? Can you put a buoy in between your thighs and just swim with your arms with paddles if you still want exercise?

Wow kittah TV? I’m imagining this is just watching cute kittens romp around? : ) Sounds like my type of show.

@junebut17 – Can’t go wrong with giving books. I usually default to something educational if I don’t know the newest craze.

Gosh what a heart attack when the person told you that the funds weren’t there. Haha… I would have done the same thing and deposited the check asap.

Aiyaya… Sorry to hear about having to replace the kitchen ceiling. Looks like we are in the same boat. Congrats on the offer though! You are a trooper getting through all of this.

@missy – Thanks for the PS dust! Really awesome to hear how long you’ve been at your profession and stayed with an employer for such a long period of time. I know my generation does more job hopping so I admire someone who just hunkers down and dedicates the time. I hope to stay with my current employer for as long as it will last but there are some things out of control like legislation that impacts the longevity.

Thanks for sharing that wonderful photo of Greg and D. I’m sure D had some great stories to share about their 50 year friendship.

Wow, love the new set up on your bike with the fan. DH is so creative!

@Austina – I’m glad your DS and gf are doing well in Austin. Whew! Good luck to you and DH starting up golf possibly. If you aren’t tired from theme parks in Orlando, I guess you can always give it a try!

Look at Dottie with her memory foam sofa… so peaceful!

@marcy – Oh lady… I hope you figure out your vision. Not to sound like a mom but I was picturing you zooming around in your fast car and not being able to see the signs well. Stay safe! Glad the eye drops are working!

Marty missed out on your dinner. Crock pot roast and mashed potatoes sounds delicious!

@Scandinavian – Ohhh show us the pillows! How did you pick the colors? Is it an accent color to a wall or rug or something? Can you tell I like to watch decorating shows? Haha

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

It's been a glorious day here, it's a holiday, so we've had the day off . We went to the country park for our walk instead, as it was likely to be very busy at VW.

Glad everything is okish with you @PierreBear , we have been monitoring the weather closely, and Austin is ok. Poor people elsewhere who've lost their homes, just devastating for them. I hope you can find the cause of the leak, water is so invasive, it's not always obvious where it's coming from as it travels through the tiniest of holes.

We are the opposite @marcy I'm always hot and throwing the covers off, and DH is always cold. Glad to hear your family in Houston is safe, and their homes are intact. Such a scary situation to be in.

Greg is so inventive @missy, how clever to rig up a fan to help cool your legs. Perhaps it can be rigged to work on pedal power, the faster you pedal, the cooler you get .

DH enjoyed Allied, me, not so much, it was OK, but I'm glad we didn't go out to see it. We have a movie package with our satellite TV, so get recent releases.

I hope your knee is continuing to improve @canuk-gal

Enjoy your time in France Jimmianne

DS's birthday tomorrow, I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 34 year old Where did all the years go?

Have a lovely evening whatever you decide to do

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Missy, glad you win the battle of the covers. I might try some CA King twin sheets.
I am worried about everyone in the flooded areas; it is so awful and they have more rain coming. It’s incredible how many every day people are out helping rescue them. It’s cool to see.
Nothing new with my glasses or vision. I am better at the eye drops.
The best part of the 5th element is the scream. It’s a classic.
Great pictures from your cycling and I think adding a fan is a great idea. Anything that helps. Sorry you are getting some tanning through everything but I agree it’s better than burst blood vessels.
Enjoy your long weekend.

Jimmianne, wow I can’t believe you are going back to France already. Have a fabulous and safe trip.

PierreBear, sorry to hear about your leak but glad to hear you are safe. The devastation is heartbreaking. My nephew said his neighbors are getting water in their houses today. So far his cameras in the house aren’t showing any flooding.
I am glad my vision is improving (basically going back to what it was not totally corrected) but I also don’t know how it happened and why it started improving before the drops. I don’t like unexplained things.

Austina, glad you had a lovely day while enjoying a holiday.
I am cold most of the time. I was telling my boss today if I’m hot or sweating someone should probably take me to the hospital.
Have fun celebrating your DS’s birthday with him tomorrow. Time does fly by.

Long day at work and because I didn’t look in the right place for an update I ended up working about an hour late. Oh well. I even called or texted 3 people thinking we had a mistake. Way to impress people including my boss. Oops.

Our new company put out a new dress code policy last week which contains you must cover up tattoos. Naturally one of my malcontented employees has a lot of large tattoos so she is whining up a storm about it. My boss said he’d talk to her or I could so I pulled her aside because what she had on today wasn’t covering tattoos on her chest or arms. But as my boss told all of us today - I” don’t always like what they want us to do but you either put up with it and do what they say or you look for another job”. I’ve created some reports and macros that could easily replace one person’s work load. So much of what we do is manual data entry so I pulled data that compares what we did versus the schedules; then eliminates duplicates and all that remains are “issues”. Pretty quick and painless. The most time consuming part is waiting for the reports to generate.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.
Marcy

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone! Just got in from a day at my mother's house and am wiped out but I wanted to check in real quick -

Missy, thanks for your support, I appreciate it very much! Great pics of you, the canopy, and your friends. Wow, 50 years of friendship for Greg, that is amazing! So glad you were able to enjoy the lovely weather and get some cycling in. Your weekend sounds great and I'm glad you had a nice time. Greg did a great job with the fan in the canopy. I hope you were able to keep your rash under control.

Austina, good to hear things are ok at your son's house! Yes, the incident at the bank was scary but I just keep reminding myself everything worked out. Love sweet Dottie sleeping on her comfy bed! Glad you are having good weather and are enjoying your day. Wishing your ds a very happy birthday, I'm glad he's having a good visit. I know what you mean about the years flying by, I honestly don't know where they went.

Marcy, I'm glad you were able to order new glasses and that you're getting used to putting the drops in. I'm so happy they're helping and your vision has improved. Good news that they were able to tweak your glasses too. I know how worrisome this has been for you and I'm sending lots of good wishes that your eyesight stays stable at this point. Sorry Marty has to travel again, hopefully the time will go quickly and your nirdis are here to keep you company in the meantime. Yes, thank goodness she tracked down that money! I feel like I'm reliving a nightmare when I think about it. Sorry your employee is being difficult with regard to the dress code and tattoos. It's not unusal for a company to have that policy so hopefully she will be able to just accept it.

Scandi, love the pic of your furbaby! Thanks for your sympathy about the bank episode, I think I'm still recovering lol. Jewel colored pillows will look really pretty on your new couch.

Sharon, so glad your knee seems a little better, sounds like icing it is doing the trick. Thanks for your good wishes on getting the ceiling fixed, the realtor gave me the names of a couple of guys who can do it.

PierreBear, I'm so sorry about the ceiling, and I feel your pain since I'm dealing with the same issue, ugh. I'm glad you're not having any other issues with the bad weather. I am heartbroken over the devastation from this storm and feel so badly for all those who are suffering. Very glad to hear you're safe!

Jimmianne, so good to hear from your my friend! I've missed you. I'm so glad you are heading back to France, I know how much you love being there. And yes, no renovations this time, just focus on having fun!

Had a nice time at the birthday party, saw some people I hadn't seen in a while. I can't believe dh's friend is a grandfather now - we were all in college together! So many years ago. We were all so young once.

Well, on that cheerful note I guess I'll go to bed! Sweet dreams all!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

PierreBear so relieved you are safe and hopefully Harvey will be gone very soon. I am sorry about that leak and hope it can be fixed for good soon. Hang in there and I will keep you posted re today. Fingers crossed. We could all use some fun and happy news.

Austina happy birthday to your DS. Enjoy a wonderful celebration together. I am glad you all enjoyed a lovely holiday yesterday and that the weather cooperated. When the weather is beautiful everything seems nicer and I think that is why the people who live in sunny and temperate climates are so much more cheerful and upbeat lol.

Marcy I hope everyone will abide by that dress code and I am sorry you got stuck at work for an extra hour last night but good on you for figuring it out and fixing the issue. I am glad you are finding it easier to instill the eyedrops and hoping they are working their magic and that your vision continues improving.

Junie I am happy you enjoyed the party and yes it is hard to believe your friends are becoming (or already) grandparents and time does speed by no matter what happens. We all were young once and when I look at those photos I try remembering what I felt and thought back then...ahh memories. Glad you had a good weekend. Sending you more dust for a smooth resolution to all the house selling and buying complexities. And (((hugs))).

Have a good day girls. Today I am visiting Adam and then meeting Greg for a late lunch this first week of my retirement. Hope you all enjoy a lovely Tuesday.

 

[Scandinavian]

@missy, please post pictures from Adam....

 

[MarionC]

Hi June, you are so kind : )
I hope things are progressing with your Mom's house.
You sound good.
And don't we ALL need vacations! As often as possible!

 

[MarionC]

@missy, please post pictures from Adam....

I dunno, Scandi - sounds dangerous!
Missy, you lucky girl, getting to visit that nice man with all the bling.

 

[missy]

I dunno, Scandi - sounds dangerous!
Missy, you lucky girl, getting to visit that nice man with all the bling.

LOL I know right? Scandi and Jimmianne I will see what I can do but no promises. This week is proving to be very stressful for me health wise and I cannot go into detail but suffice it to say I have another thing going on and was leaning towards making an emergency doctor appointment but don't want to disappoint PierreBear so just sucking it up and going to visit Adam and have my date with my dh later that afternoon. I am just trying to hold it together yanno but life is challenging in all sorts of ways so hoping the bling distracts (and heals ) me.

Hugs to both of you. And Jimmianne let me know if you get my email from this AM.

 

[PierreBear]

Good morning! Thank you for the concerns on the home leakage. I am fortunate to say that it has stopped raining in Austin. In fact, it felt like fall this morning. 70 degrees with that tint of cool air that always smells so good to me. We do in fact have a hole in the ceiling. DH did some inspection and it looks like the wood framing isn’t rotting or has substantial issues. He kindly put a flag over the hole to keep my mind at ease. Haha... surprisingly it has helped and I’m feeling more at peace. We are thinking that the issue is due to the windows. Not sure if it wasn’t set right or if the product failed but something isn’t functioning right. At the end of both windows they slide open. We are thinking it’s the sliders that is allowing water to come in. There are weep holes in the window but it’s not draining out of the house but rather going into our home. We are going to contact them to see if there is a solution. Hopefully one that isn’t too costly where you have to do full open heart surgery on the home. Yikes! I feel overwhelmed just thinking of that as a possibility. One step at a time. I need to harness my “inner Junebug17”!

Hope everyone is doing well though. I start my baking course tomorrow. Go to class in the morning and then rush over to work. It will be a long day but hopefully a fun one. Hopefully I won’t eat too many of the treats?!

@missy – Ohhh giirrllll… I do hope you have fun at OWD on my behalf. However, this hurricane has really put things in perspective though. As mentioned already, you wouldn’t disappoint me in any way if you didn’t go.

Sending PS dust and prayers that your health improves though. Health and safety is much more important than bling. I believe that 100%!

@Austina – Enjoy the birthday celebrations. Are you going to do a cake a have DS blow out 34 candles? I’m terrible at blowing out candles. I always feel like I’m just spitting on the food. haha… no graceful way to do it!

@marcy – Wow way to go on creating macros! I can do some basic ones but always wish I could do more. How did you pick up that skill set or have any recommendations?

I live in a very liberal town where tattoos are prevalent. I do wonder what other people do and the company policies. I don’t have any though I think I would enjoy having a little cat face on my wrist. I’m not bold enough to do it. I’m not sure I’ll like it when I’m older either.

@junebug17 – Glad you had fun at the birthday party. Nice break from all that home selling huh?

 

[Austina]

Another lovely day here, sun is shining, it's dry and warm.

I'm glad you've found the source of the leak @PierreBear and that it's stopped raining. They were saying on the news, the rainfall in Houston is equivalent to a year's worth here. I really hope it stops soon so people can assess the damage and set about trying to get their homes and businesses sorted. It's going to be a lengthy process.

Glad you had a good time at the party @junebug17 our best friends are about to become first time grandparents any day now. I hope things are moving forward with the house sale, and it'll soon be done.

I really don't understand the fascination with tattoos, why do people want to cover themselves with graffiti? I always wonder what they'll think when they're old and wrinkly and their tats are all distorted? You get all the good tasks don't you @marcy ? You're a clever thing, anything to do with computers is a foreign language to me

Oh no, sorry to hear you're not feeling good @missy , I hope whatever ails you is only temporary and you'll soon be feeling better.

We're going out to our favourite Italian restaurant for dinner tonight, have a good day all.

 

[rainwood]

@missy Love the fan and water solution. I'm so glad it seems to be working. You and Greg are so resourceful!!! I hope you're enjoying the start of this new phase in your life. Sounds like the weather is lovely.

@Jimmianne Have a great time in France. I'm so glad you found your special place in the world. And if you're going to be there next April or May, let me know.

@junebug17 Sorry to say I'm not surprised by the goofs at the bank. My bank managed to give the estate accounts for my DH's and my mom's accounts the same account number and for a couple of months I was paying all sorts of things out of the wrong accounts. Plus a variety of other horror stories. I think when the word "estate" comes up, financial institutions start to develop brain freeze!!

@Scandinavian I'm so sorry to hear about your flaky contractor. They certainly have been a problem for you from the beginning. But you are clever enough to find the solution.

@azstonie Wish you'd been on that beach too!!

@marcy Loved how you enjoyed the comforts of home and the eclipse at the same time. Smart living!

@canuk-gal Glad you're able to cycle despite the knee.

@Austina Glad you missed the hurricane and are safely back home. I've managed to travel and hit 3, though only one was really bad. Still loving the photos of Dottie, the beloved Spumoni. My girl had those kind of comfy beds all over the house. Last count was nine!!

@PierreBear Glad you're okay though frustrating about the roof leak. I read A Gentleman in Moscow and loved it until just at the end which I found both confusing and disappointing.

I just got back from Canada and had a great trip. We went up to Tofino, and had absolutely perfect weather. Sunny when it mattered, rain at night so everything was lush and green, and overcast when we were in the rainforest. I got back at 3 on Saturday and by 6 was going to dinner and the theater with friends, then another get-together on Sunday.

Some of you have already seen these on IG, but here are a couple of photos from the trip:





Hope everyone has a good week!!

 

[azstonie]

I'm just gonna be there next time, Rainy, you'll be surprised to say the least!!!

Junie/Rainy/Marcy, my estate $ bank story: We finally got Bob's late mom's estate settled when the last thing, the property/house, was sold. So we had a 6-figure check to deposit into our account (I asked Bob to require a wire transfer but HE POO-POO'ED ME ) . Took it to the bank. Deposited it. Waited the requisite 2 days for it to appear (what bull@#it) even though the manager called to make sure the money was available to clear the check. 2 days later, NO 6 FIGURES IN THE ACCOUNT . Called my bank. They could tell us NOTHING. Called the bank it was written from. They could tell us NOTHING. WTF? 6 figures out there in the damn wind? I don't think so. After I demanded both the issuing and deposit bank get on a conference call with me, SOMEHOW the 6 figures was FOUND and was in our account.

LESSON LEARNED: If its over a couple thou, GET IT DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT BY WIRE.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Junebug, I hope you rested up today after spending a day at your Mom’s house. I remember those days and know you come home pretty worn down mentally and physically. Glad to hear you have some leads on finding someone to fix the ceiling.
Thanks for the well wishes for my eyes. I am faithfully wearing my sunglasses on the way to and from work. I want to protect my eyes as much as possible. I noticed today my wavy lines aren’t as dramatic. That’s good other than still not knowing why it’s improving.
I appreciate you and the other NIRDI’s keeping me company while Marty is traveling for work.
I imagine thinking about that money is like living a nightmare. I am angry with you about that mess.
Yes, a lot of businesses have dress codes that include covering tattoos and body piercings.
That’s great you enjoyed the birthday party and caught up with some old friends. Time does fly.

Missy, I chuckled about people’s moods and their climate. Maybe that explains some of my employees. LOL.
How was your lunch date with Greg? Meeting your sweetie plus going to Adam’s place is a great way to start your retirement. What pretty bling did you see? I’d best check instagram.
I am so sorry to hear you are having some health issues. Healing and get better dust coming your way.

Scandi, any luck finding new contractors?

PierreBear, I am glad the leak has stopped and your DH has temporarily patched it for you. Hopefully it is an easy fix without a lot of effort to get to the problem.
My nieces are in Austin - I’ll tell them to wave at you. They are hearing a big concern in the Houston area is the sewer and of course most of the roads and highways are closed. Johnson Space Center is closed until at least next Tuesday and Boeing is assessing one day at a time but both girls can work remotely so that is lucky. My niece’s husband works at a university so he may be the first one to try and venture back home. I fear the voyage and what he finds at home will be challenging. It is so terrible.
Have fun at your baking course and I’ll be anxious to hear what you make.
I wouldn’t call myself good at macros but I have played with them enough to get better at it. And google answers many questions for me. Macros saves me hours and hours worth of work a week.
I’d do a tiny teddy bear tattoo or Snoopy but only one that would wash off. Needles full of ink under my skin? No thanks.

Austina, glad you had a nice, sunny day. It was gorgeous here this morning and it wasn’t windy. I was telling someone as we walked in to work I keep losing my balance because I don’t have to lean forward to walk in to the wind.
You are so right about the flood recovery will be a lengthy process. I feel so bad for everyone dealing with it.
Yes, I do get a lot of pleasant tasks at work. It keeps my life interesting though.
I’d have to give Marty credit for my computer knowledge and skills. When I bought my first computer I wanted him to tell me what button do I push to get it to do what I want. He wasn’t having that; he wanted me to know what I was doing, how I was doing it and why. We had a few heated exchanges over the first few weeks but I am glad I learned that way.
Mm to Italian for dinner. What did you get?

Rainwood, sounds like you had a fun time with the banks too with estate money. I wonder if they hope people will let things slide and they just have these unclaimed funds in the bank? It’s not like they can take it.
Beautiful pictures from your trip.

Kristie, holy crap to Bob’s estate money disappearing. I am so glad you were able to get it straightened out. I would have been freaking out. Looks like too many of us has had that problem.

My parents primary bank was a major PITA. My parents each bought a $25,000 life insurance policy but they always called them an annuity and listed it as such on their account list. I even went with my dad to the bank when he cashed in the one for my mom plus we had my name put on his as the beneficiary that day. So after my dad passed away I called that guy and he wouldn’t return my call. I finally got a number to his secretary and all she said she would do is relay the message. I finally got a voice message at home from the guy saying my dad didn’t have an annuity with them. I started digging through the paperwork from my mom’s death and found a number to call on her payout and the company helped me cash it in without the bank. You can’t tell me that the guy at the bank pulled up my dad’s account which he didn’t see the life insurance policy listed for that same amount.
Then after settling the estate I got a notice in the mail from that bank about a money certificate that was up for renewal. I didn’t know a thing about it.
So the moral to that story is I have to ask the right questions; not base my expectations on what I know.

Work was kind of busy again today with lots of updates. The busy season (the next 9 months) is upon us. Yay for having macros help me through the day.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning girls!
I'm spending my days calling around for new contractors. So far no luck. Or, lots of people who can help after Christmas. And that will not do... I'm reading along but no time for a propper post. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day! Hugs to you all!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

PierreBear haha I am happy to visit Adam any day. He really is super accommodating and so knowledgeable and I am always blown away by his amazbling selection. I mean it's like being in a candy (albeit a very rich haha) store. YUMMMMMMY
Please keep us posted. I LOVED the 2 top OEC contenders...glad your dh is onboard with your decision all the way.
Hope all is going smoothly at home with the leak and that it is on its way to being permanently fixed!

Rainwood I am glad you enjoyed a lovely Canadian visit and that your weather cooperated. Gorgeous photos.

Marcy it was very nice meeting my dh for a "date" after my Adam visit. A perfect day of bling and food and romance. What more could a girl want? Of course I wish this pesky new issue would go away so I could have some peace of mind but fingers crossed as I am going to see a nurse practitioner gyn today. LOL I sure hope this won't be a repeat of the horrible podiatrist experience but a last minute appointment with your doctor before a holiday weekend is just not possible. Please think good thoughts for me.

How is your eye coming along? Any changes? Hope work is OK today and not stressful and good luck with all the updates.

Austina hope your dinner at the Italian restaurant last night was fun. I love Italian food.

Sharon I hope your knee is continuing to heal and feel better and that more cycling is on your horizon.

Hi Kristie. Glad you got to swim yesterday...go girl!

Callie sending bucket loads of good luck dust your way sweetheart.

Scandi aww I am sorry and hope you can find someone to pick up where your last contractor and workers left off and that the process goes as smoothly as it can. Sending more good thoughts your way. I am not posting photos from Adam (PierreBear has them if she wants to share otherwise I think we should all just wait patiently for her decision) but I will post a photo from yesterday during my date with Greg and hope that will do. Posting the photos just for you sweetie.

We went to Blue Ribbon Federal Grill yesterday and it was just OK. Not as good as their Blue Ribbon Sushi or Blue Ribbon Brooklyn restaurants but we wanted to try it as it is a relatively new addition. The atmosphere was lovely but the food just OK IMO. I don't think we would return.

Greg's dish


and my market salad.


OK ladies I am off and getting ready for my AM Gynecologist NP appointment...I am nervous and please keep good thoughts for me and wish me luck. See you later.

 

[junebug17]

Will write more later, just want to send good wishes for a productive appointment Missy!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Boo, it's raining today

@missy I hope your appointment went well today, and your mind has been put at rest. Not much fun being a woman sometimes

The food looks delicious, Greg's burger is certainly a whopper It feels vaguely naughty meeting up with your love, rather than going somewhere together doesn't it ?

I hope you can find a good contractor to finish up the work @Scandinavian, we were very fortunate when we moved here, we'd had some great recommendations, who proved to be trustworthy and good workers.

That's good news that things are improving @marcy. We had a lovely meal last night, the food's always consistently good. DH and I had lasagne as a starter, it's to die for, DS had minestrone, I had scallopine alla crema, DH had liver, and DS scallopine Milanese, sautéed potatoes, cabbage and onions and courgettes (zucchini). They both has tiramisu, I was too full for dessert!

The photos are lovely @rainwood, glad to hear you had such a good trip, you've certainly had a busy weekend.

Good grief @azstonie that must've been heart stopping waiting for the money to show up

Ooooo @PierreBear sounds like Missy's visit has yielded results for you.

Last few hours here for DS, he's going out for dinner with a college friend, then leaving at 9am tomorrow to head home sad Just getting all his laundry done so he can unpack tomorrow and not have to worry about it.

The week's flown by, but it's only another few weeks before we all meet up in Florida

Hope you're all having a good day

 

[PierreBear]

Hello! First day of advanced baking. *gulp* just talking through the syllabus has me anxious. We did introductions around the class and I haven’t worked with anyone before. Most of these students are serious, wanting to open up their own shop one day or open up their own bakery department. I introduced myself saying that I was the casual home cook and was better at eating pastries than making it. Hope that doesn’t scare off anyone from being my partner. Hehehe… It’s a lively bunch and it’s a blessing to learn something new. A bit of an excitement from work life.

Yes, so ya’ll caught on that kind and sweet Missy checked out some OECs. The next step is for Adam to ship them over so we will check them out in person. Keep ya’ll posted! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

@Austina – I sent some pictures to the window manufacturers but I hope the next appropriate steps are their technician coming out and confirming *fingers crossed* that the window is a manufacture defect and will replace them. The lesson learned is that sliding windows just have more issues than fixed windows. We really shouldn’t have any sliding windows that face north as we get crazy wind on this semi-hill we are on. Thank you for rooting for us but yes Houston has it much worse.

@rainwood – I’ll confess that I started to love A Gentleman in Moscow but got bored of it. I enjoyed the character development and the personalities of the little girl and the main character intrigued me. However, there wasn’t enough of a plot line for me to be interested. I guess only so much “excitement” can happen when you are sequestered in a hotel room. Haha the irony. Anyhow, sorry to hear that the ending was disappointing but glad I put the book down. Sometimes I have that habit of “finish it!” even though I’m not enjoying it. I’m reading another book that I’m really enjoying. It’s called The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. Just randomly found that one off of the library shelf but I’m interested in reading her other books as well.

Your Canada trip looks amazing. Gosh those colors in the sky. Glad you had fun!

@marcy – Hello to your nieces! Are they just starting school for the semester or just visiting? Hope their travels back to Houston will be ok.

Ah I only know how to record macros really. So simple repetitive things… that maybe I could then combine into one larger one. I’m not a pro at it. Excel is such a wonderful tool and I know so much more can be done than what I currently use it for. Good luck with your busy season! You got it girl!

@Scandinavian – Good luck finding new contractors. They sure are busy over where you live. I feel like there are many day workers around my area that are so eager for work!

@missy – Thank you again for scoping out the two OECs. DH and I are eager to see it in person. Yiippeeee yiiaahh yaaay! I tried to make that sound Texan but honestly I would never say that out loud. Haha!

Golly that salad picture looks fantastic. I would even dare say that it looks better than Greg’s burger. Love DH’s pink accent on his outfit. He’s so daring with his clothes.

Good luck with your gyn appointment!

 

[CJ2008]

Hi guys

Missy just wanted to stop in real quick and let you know I hope all goes well at your appointment today. I'm sorry to hear you're having more health issues.

I miss you guys.

Hope you are all doing ok.

Hugs.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandi, calling around trying to find contractors is a major pain. Good luck!

Missy, are you loving retirement? Like i said your date and seeing Adam was a good way to spend a day.
I hope the nurse practitioner was able to help you. I am worried about you. I hope things turn out okay. Pesky problems. I am thinking good thoughts for you. Always.
I am anxious to see / hear about the OEC you liked for PierreBear.
As for my vision, I noticed today the wavy lines aren’t as bad or obvious. I still don’t think my sunglasses are right but we have so much smoke haze here it’s hard to say how clear the sky is now.
Greg’s burger looks huge. That reminded me of a funny story. Marty made really thick burgers last summer then bought thick kaiser buns when we had company last summer. The little girl started crying because she couldn’t get her mouth over it to take a bite. Her mom had to cut the burger in half down the middle and trimmed off some of the inside of the bun. We were giving Marty a hard time - nice making a little girl cry by giving her food she can’t eat.

Hi Junebug and CJ.

Austina, that’s great the food is always good and your choices sound delicious. There is a fabulous Italian restaurant in the town my sister lives in; I never mind eating there when we are in town.
Sorry to hear DS’s visit is over already. But thanks for mentioning laundry I’ve got some stuff getting wrinkled in my dryer right now.

PierreBear, do tell about the OEC options. Pictures? Inquiring nosy bling minds want to know.
I think your course will be a blast and I am sure you’ll find a nice partner.
I hope the window is an easy fix. We got sliding windows in this house and both of us quickly decided it was a mistake. Our other house had fixed windows that opened with a handle and they seemed to stick so we though sure we’ll go with sliders. We had sliding glass doors for the patio and deck and replaced those with fixed French Doors last summer. It made an amazing difference.
My nieces went to grad school at College Station then the oldest one got her doctorate there. Both work in Houston now. They apparently made it home today too. My sister said they stocked up on dry goods and bottled water before leaving Austin. The niece that’s married didn’t have any water in their house but they had 2 leaks in the roof. That will be a pain to get fixed but compared to what other people have going on that is minor. The other niece is on the 2nd floor of an apartment building.
I should take a class for Excel and Access; I stumble around to get things to work but I am sure I could learn a lot of things that would be useful to me at work. We are busy from September to May then slow for the summer. I was bored last week and looking forward to being busier. What was I thinking?

My sister had her right knee replaced yesterday and is doing well; tired but not in too much pain. My BIL was telling me their cat decided about 1 am he didn’t like that mom wasn’t home and kept waking him up trying to get him to get up and go help the cat look for her. That is pretty funny.

Speaking of laundry I’d best go get my stuff hung up.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Thanks all for your caring and concern and good wishes. I am waiting for results but so far so good. She wasn't overly concerned about anything. There were white blood cells in the urine but it was sent out to the lab so I have to wait and see. I am feeling OK today.

Well except for the fact we got up at 5AM getting ready to go to the shore and of course it is always something. Our Subzero fridge is not working. What a pain in the neck. Holiday weekend and there are exactly 2 authorized subzero dealers in NYC. I have so much food in the freezer and fridge that is going to spoil. Ugh. So I called around at 5:30 this morning (after Greg took the condenser or whatever it is called apart and cleaned it and still couldn't get the compressor running) and found an authorized dealer and hopefully we can get an appointment today.

LOL what are the chances it will be fixed today though. Oy. So not going to beach today and who knows about tomorrow. Gotta try what we can do to get it fixed but not sure what is going to happen. These things never occur at a good time. Holidays, weekends etc. Oh well. I know it's not the end of the world but it's aggravating nonetheless.

Anyone have a good counter depth fridge/freezer they can recommend that doesn't cost 10K?

Junie hey there thank you so much for your communication and concern. You are such a love. Hope things are going smoothly re ceiling repair and inspection today and good luck on the appraisal next week. Sending more good thoughts and hugs your way. There is an end in sight and hold onto that. (((Hugs))).

Austina sorry it was raining yesterday by you. Yes it does feel rather naughty lol to meet my dh in the middle of the day for a rendezvous. Well food rendezvous not as naughty but yes it still feels like ooh we are doing something illicit.
Aww sorry your DS is leaving today but yes in a few weeks you will all get together again in Florida so yay!

PierreBear thanks sweetie and that baking class is serious business. Haha I am scared just thinking about it but I can barely boil water. I cannot wait to hear and see some of the delicious goods you bake in class this season. Please share with us. I agree my salad looked better than Greg's burger but I don't eat that stuff so probably that has something to do with it. LOL.

Marcy I am glad your sister's knee replacement went smoothly. Aww the poor kitty is missing his mommy. Hope she is back home with all her loved ones soon. I remember being bummed my kitties couldn't visit me when I was in the hospital for all that time recovering from surgery. I thought it wasn't fair that kids could visit but my furbaby kids could not.
Glad your vision is improving somewhat but sorry there is so much haze you guys have you cannot be sure. That burger was over $30 so it better be big LOL. That story about Marty's burger and the little girl who was upset as she could get her mouth around it because it was so big hahaha. That is officially too big. I however am sort of grossed out when I see meat so ignore me please. Greg ordered it because I insisted as that was what he wanted but yechhh.

I am loving retirement but so far with all the stuff happening I am not very relaxed at all LOL. My blood pressure at the nurse practitioner's visit yesterday was 154/90 OYOYOY. But when I took it this AM (before I realized the fridge was broken) it was 94/60. However it is possible my blood pressure machine isn't working right. Hahaha but I daren't take it now as I am sure it is quite high given my state of mind with the fridge and postponing our shore getaway.

CJ honey thanks for checking in with us and sending good wishes. How are you doing? I am thinking of you and that sweet kitty you rescued and I hope you get some good news soon. If Tabby's Place cannot take her perhaps there is a home who has no other kitties who would love to adopt her? I know it's not easy though as my parents had no luck and I also tried to help them and that is why they ended up adopting that little FIV+ kitty. And all is going well with them and all their kitties by the way. It really is a low risk of transmission especially if you get your other kitties vaccinated...again I am not saying to do this but just putting that out there as something perhaps to consider. I am also asking around for you to try to find a person or family who might be interested in adopting who doesn't already have a cat. I will keep you posted.

Had a lovely day with my girlfriend yesterday and speaking of salads here was the delicious salad I enjoyed yesterday.



and speaking of cats here is a big one we saw yesterday.



and while I am on the subject of animals (haha see how I did that) here are a couple of pics of how New Yorkers bring their furbabies onto the trains.





OK girls that is it for my update right now. I hate to ask for more good thoughts especially for an inanimate object but well I love having a fridge/freezer that works so if you don't mind sending more good thoughts and PS dust for this issue to be resolved as soon as possible I would as always greatly appreciate it.

Sending lots of love and hugs and good thoughts your way as we approach this Labor Day weekend and would love to hear what everyone's plans are for the holiday weekend.

 

[CJ2008]

CJ honey thanks for checking in with us and sending good wishes. How are you doing? I am thinking of you and that sweet kitty you rescued and I hope you get some good news soon. If Tabby's Place cannot take her perhaps there is a home who has no other kitties who would love to adopt her? I know it's not easy though as my parents had no luck and I also tried to help them and that is why they ended up adopting that little FIV+ kitty. And all is going well with them and all their kitties by the way. It really is a low risk of transmission especially if you get your other kitties vaccinated...again I am not saying to do this but just putting that out there as something perhaps to consider. I am also asking around for you to try to find a person or family who might be interested in adopting who doesn't already have a cat. I will keep you posted.

missy I am sending you dust for both the fridge and for your body and just a general PS dusting to surround you thank you for always taking a minute to ask about all of us even when you have so much going on yourself.

I am doing OK. I worry about her a lot. And when something goes wrong it makes it even more agonizing because I know I lose ground with her when I take her to the vet. This past time it took her 7 days to come out and eat in front of me. And she is still retreating into the back of her carrier a lot.

But yes, ideally she would go to someone's home. Either someone with no other cats or someone with FIV+ cats. I don't know "who" she is but something tells me she might like the company of another cat, as long as he/she was a nice cat. Thank you so so much that you have already started to put the word out there.

I say a home ideally but yet the sanctuary place seems "safer" in the sense that I will know *exactly* where she will go and will happen to her. The thought of a stranger taking her, that I won't ever really know what they're all about (unless someone I trust knows them) feels more scary.

I cannot keep her for reasons other than the FIV status. So I need to find her somewhere to go. I just want it to be the right place for her.

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Missy, I'm glad that at this point your issues don't seem to be anything too serious, fingers crossed the eval turns out ok. Good to hear you're feeling alright! Oh no to the fridge not working! That really is such a pain and I hope you can get it fixed asap. I'm sorry it put such a crimp in your plans. Your meals look delicious, glad you had a nice time eating out with your friend and with Greg. Yes, that is one big burger lol. Great pics of the furbabies on the subway!

PierreBear, sending lots of good thoughts that you can fix the leak with the least amount of trouble and expense. Lol to channeling your inner junebug, that's nice of you - honestly most of the time I feel like I'm barely hanging on!

Your baking class sounds really great and I'm sure you'll learn a lot. I'm looking forward to hearing what you make! I'm sure you'll do fine, and having a creative outlet is very healthy and good for the mind and spirit imo. Once all of this estate business is over I am planning on taking some type of art/painting class.

Wow, it's very exciting that you have two diamonds to choose from and I can't wait to hear what you decide!

Rainwood, I'm sorry you had banking issues too. I've had a few other problems with this bank as well and I'm so glad my association with it is over. Welcome home, so glad you had a good trip and I love the pics, gorgeous scenery! Your weekend sounds like it was busy and very enjoyable.

Marcy, I'm so glad your eyesight has improved, and fingers crossed that whatever is helping it keeps on working! It's terrible you had bank problems as well. It's such a stressful and hard time as it is without dealing with money mysteriously disappearing from accounts. I'm so glad your nieces are ok. The situation in Houston is just terrible. Dh's business was just bought by a company whose headquarters is in Houston and some of the employees are going through a really hard time. Dh is finding out if there is a fund set up to help them. Sorry your sister had to have a knee replacement but I'm glad she's doing ok, and I wish her a quick and smooth recovery. Aw, that is so cute that the kitty was looking for her!

Kristie, omg, that is just awful! I'm sad to say I know how you felt, what an awful experience. I am so glad the money was found, in both our cases! I cringe when I think of trying to explain to my family how I managed to lose thousands of dollars.

CJ, hi, and I hope you're doing ok. It is amazing what you have done, and continue to do, for this sweet kitty. You saved her life and are working like crazy to find an appropriate home for her. It is so much more than most people would do and I admire you so much. I just wanted to let you know that. I'm sending lots of good wishes and support to you. I know this hasn't been easy.

Austina, sorry your son had to head back but at least you have your wonderful trip to look forward to. Hope you have a nice weekend.

Dh and I decided at the last minute to go to SC for a few days - we're here now and and are going back to NJ on Sunday. I really didn't want to come, just feel like there's a lot going on between buying this condo and seliing the house, but it seemed important to dh to get away for a few days. I guess I can handle things from here as well as in NJ. We had an inspection done yesterday, who knows what that revealed, I'm nervous to find out. My mother's house is old and not in great shape. We found someone to fix the ceiling thankfully, it has to be fixed by next week when the appraisal is done. I so don't want to deal with any of this lol.

I hope everyone is doing well, the weekend is almost here!

 

[missy]

missy I am sending you dust for both the fridge and for your body and just a general PS dusting to surround you thank you for always taking a minute to ask about all of us even when you have so much going on yourself.

I am doing OK. I worry about her a lot. And when something goes wrong it makes it even more agonizing because I know I lose ground with her when I take her to the vet. This past time it took her 7 days to come out and eat in front of me. And she is still retreating into the back of her carrier a lot.

But yes, ideally she would go to someone's home. Either someone with no other cats or someone with FIV+ cats. I don't know "who" she is but something tells me she might like the company of another cat, as long as he/she was a nice cat. Thank you so so much that you have already started to put the word out there.

I say a home ideally but yet the sanctuary place seems "safer" in the sense that I will know *exactly* where she will go and will happen to her. The thought of a stranger taking her, that I won't ever really know what they're all about (unless someone I trust knows them) feels more scary.

I cannot keep her for reasons other than the FIV status. So I need to find her somewhere to go. I just want it to be the right place for her.

CJ I completely understand and will also email every rescue animal group I know to see if anyone knows of anyone etc. as networking is the way to reach out as far as possible.

Maybe start a PS thread asking for help to see who might know someone who might know someone? It worked for Jane's cats Theo, Zeke and Yoshi and knock wood they are doing so well. Thanks to their PS guardian angels J and P!!!


We are here for you and will help any way we can and I cannot thank you enough for doing all you can for this sweet kitty. Don't worry about losing ground. She's just had a momentary upset. She will get back to trusting you again. She knows you are taking good care of her. (((Hugs))).


Junie! Enjoy South Carolina!!! Have a lovely vacation. Don't worry about real life right now ok. It will get sorted out in due time. Hugs.

 

[CJ2008]

June you made me cry. Thank you.

 

[PierreBear]

Hello hello! Got a run in this morning and it was in the 70s. My favorite season is fall and I feel like it's just right around the corner! I got sad news to share though... my coworker has multiple kidney stones and she's debating between two invasive procedures. She's up there in age and in her 70s but she's a fighter and honestly one of the hardest workers at my office. I care for her very much but am worried for her. What a bummer of a post... sorry... anyhow, at least it is Thursday and that means tomorrow is Friday. Woo hoo! DH is taking the day off and will get some car/home maintenance taken care of. I love a handy husband! Ya'll have a great day!

@marcy – hahaha I would love Marty to make me a burger so big that I couldn’t take a bite. It makes me think about those cooking shows where they are trying to eat these egregiously large pizzas/burgers/desserts that meant to be party sized portions to divided up but the guy tries to eat it all at once.

Oh gosh, sure I am happy to share a bit about the OEC options! This whole hurricane has put things into perspective so I’ve been keeping it a bit hush given the circumstances. However, it is still exciting and it’s to commemorate a big anniversary so I need to keep that in mind as well. Given my finger size of 3.75 (thank you mom!), I think the largest I feel comfortable wearing is in the 9 to 9.5 mm range. Adam kindly found two stones that we are considering that fell within that range. 3 carat K and a 3 carat L. There is about a $6K price difference between the two so I’m going to have DH present it to me blind and just see which one speaks out more to me. I don’t have an eagle expert eye like Missy but per the video, the L seems to have really crisp facets and captures all those pastel colors that I think are very unique. The K on the other hand has more facets and are perhaps more even/symmetrical so it shows up as more “on” than those dark extinguished spots. Adam is in process of shipping stones so I don’t have pictures yet so I hope Missy doesn’t mind me sharing hers. The K is the one on the top and the L is the one on the bottom. Any thoughts to chime in on? Worth the $6K difference? I got the coveted Missy approval on both of them so I know either way we can't go wrong!! What a relief to get a thumbs up from such an expert!! : )



Thanks for sharing your experience with windows. It wasn’t a custom home so we were just going along with what it came with. Now I know and can gladly spread the news on the disadvantages of sliding doors. We have some French doors as well that used to leak a bunch. Put an awning on top that helped a lot but of course it’s not the perfect solution.

Glad all your nieces are safe but sorry to hear that she has water intrusion issues too. Good luck to your sister’s knee recovery. Hope it goes smoothly and she’s back to normal in no time!

@missy – I’m glad you are feeling ok today and we are all rooting for you to feel well! Gosh good luck on getting the subzero fridge repaired. OK this is very bizarre and was surprised to see this but we recently went through our insurance policy and was considering filing one due to the window issue. In our policies it covered the loss of food/items that spoil if the fridge isn’t working. Perhaps something to check into? I think the downside though is if you file a claim you might lose the “no claim discount” if you haven’t filed before. So perhaps consider whether it’s worth it. Or perhaps you can ask a neighbor to store some of your items?!

I hope you don’t have to replace it and that it can get fixed though. I had a fridge door and it was leaking on the outside. It was out of warranty but still called the manufactuer and they offered a deal on purchasing a replacement door and I got a contractor to install it. Cheaper that way and so far it has been good and worth it to go that route. Perhaps consider that as well? Fridge/freezers seem to be getting more expensive these days and not last very long. So fancy too… I’ve seen friends/neighbors with a unit that is touch screen and you can even watch tv. Just more things to break? Maybe I’m old school….

Ha! Love the furbaby picture on the train. I always think about bringing my cat around in a backpack. He wouldn’t be happy and I probably wouldn’t want vomit in a backpack either. : )

@junebug17 – Oohhh art/painting class sounds like a blast. I don’t have the talent for drawing at all… it looks like a kid drew it. Haha…

I had a better idea of the baking class yesterday and started to flip through the recipes. In the basic baking course, it was pretty much follow one recipe and you get one end product such as muffins or brownies etc. This course is making more complex desserts that have multiple components. For instance, next week we are making a cake but you have to make the genoise and also the meringue and layer in jam/syrup. Then put it all together! I’m really always the worst one in all my classes so I’m a bit intimidated. I know I would never go to all this trouble on my own so this class environment will be good for me.

Have fun in SC and try not to worry about house items until you get back so you get a break yourself! Glad you have someone to fix the ceiling!

@CJ2008 – Echoing the comments that have already been said. Way to go on caring for a kitten. You have a kind heart and it is wonderful to hear about others who serve so well.