Now I really did it :((

[CJ2008]

Good morning and yay Friday lovely girls!

And since Missy didn't use this icon today, I get to use it yay!

marcy LOL no at least IT'S NOT ALL CAPS. I would have fired him over that. LOL This year it was kind of my fault I could have sent everything much earlier but didn't. I totally procrastinated. On the plus side I am getting quite comfortable with the idea of extending the deadline.

That cleaning lady is annoying. Unprofessional. If you let her come over can you scare her with one of your killer bears

jimmianne I love being tired when I get on a plane and sleep the whole time. Safe flight!

missy So lovely whether it's a letter or a post it. I love that your kitties get their own counter. How cool is that. If I ever come back as a cat - which is very likely - would you and Greg like to adopt me? I keep to myself a lot and other than my own computer I don't need much more.

pierre Yes tapioca balls I love them. And no wonder it's good - condensed milk and tea. That sounds like it has little calories. Pierre I guarantee you your kitty is sprawling himself all over the kitchen counter when you're not home.

I am so glad your new job's environment is healthy. And you're so welcome. I think we associate our worth so much with how well we do our jobs it's so much more than just a "job."

thanks junie all better today. I just finished a bagel and enjoying a nice cup of coffee life is good right now.

thanks austina and BTW thanks again for saving Dottie I read your story in the other thread I didn't know it to such detail. She's a lucky girl and we're lucky to have yet another kind animal lover as a NIRDI.

Girls, I finally - after a few years of letting it just sit - moved some money out of a place and put it into another. It's a very small sum, but still. I let it sit there doing nothing and paid a fee for that every year. Every year I would get charged the fee, I hated paying it and still did nothing. Well, that's done.

Also - I've texted my last manicurist twice now (the one with the colon cancer and going through chemo) and she's not responding. I hope she is OK. at first I thought nothing of it when she didn't reply like two weeks ago, even though she always responded in the past. But we're not "friends" I'm just a client and she may be feeling overwhelmed and who knows what else. But she didn't respond today either. I think when/if she responds I'm going to ask her if I can visit her. Nothing long, maybe just to have a cup of tea or something. I hope she's OK.

Speaking of manicurists the girl I chose to use now (she had left 3 girls as possibilities) is actually awesome as far as how good she is. But - she's a little snotty. She wasn't the first time I sat down with her. But I think maybe she thought I didn't tip her enough. The manicure and pedicure is $37 and I left her $8 which is a little over 20%. I suspect that's the reason because I had given her a $10 and asked for change and she asked a couple of times so you want $2 back? I didn't think anything of it at the time but looking back now I think she was trying to either make me feel self conscious or she was implying I should have given her the whole $10. And the thing is that she had done such an awesome job I really considered leaving her $9 but I didn't want that to become the default tip where I felt obligated to leave her that all the time. But then I really started feeling guilty that maybe I hadn't left enough. So last week I went in to have a polish change which is $7 and I said to myself I'll leave her $3 which is $1 more than I might usually do. But when I gave her the $10 she didn't even ask me if I wanted back any change. So this whole thing is starting to annoy me because it's not a good feeling. Granted $8 may not be an awesome tip but it's not a bad tip or not bad enough to warrant an attitude.

Well that's my story for the week.

Hugs to you all.

 

[LLJsmom]

Love your hair cut and color @Austina. Gorgeous!!! And I love that piece of blue agate jewelry you made. That is so lovely. I really love that.
My fingers crossed for good news for Colin's results!

Haha no @PierreBear those are the feral who are outside. My 4 rescues are inside all the way. LOL they'd have a heart attack if I asked them to go outside.

@CJ2008 I am so glad the accountant did what he was supposed to do (it's about time). Hope your energy picked up and you are able to accomplish what you wanted to today. Thinking of you. (((Hugs))).

OK just have to share with y'all how adorable Tommy is. Look at him right this minute. OMG too freaking adorable.








And since I'm sharing pics. Look at what I woke up to this morning. Greg always leaves me little notes when he leaves before I wake up but I don't think I ever shared them with you before. I love how he colored this post it with pink in the heart and all. Awww.

Just sayin: Greg and Tommy. TOOOO. CUTE!!!!!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Safe journey @Jimmianne - this transatlantic life is very tiring, hope you manage to get some sleep on the flight tonight.

I hope your manicurist is ok @CJ2008 Our tipping culture is quite different here, 10% is considered very acceptable. I have read of a waiter in a NY restaurant following a customer out and berating him for leaving a 20% tip That, to me, is totally outrageous behaviour.

Did your cleaning lady deign to honour you with her presence @marcy ?

Any plans for the weekend @PierreBear ? I would think that’s a new nail you can see growing in, I lost one of mine and when it dropped off, there was a new one underneath.

Hope you’ve been having a good day @missy , will you be at the beach house this weekend now it’s all spick and span ?

Did your feathered friends find their way home @junebug17 or are they still visiting ?


It’s been another glorious day here, so I got my ice cream maker out. I haven’t used it for at least 8 years, but decided to give it another try, so I have a tub of frozen vanilla Greek yogurt and a tub of frozen Greek stratchiella yogurt in the freezer now. Will report back tomorrow on how it tastes.

Colin’s biopsy came back clear

Have a great day

 

[MarionC]

Great news about Colin, Austina.

I landed at CDG about an hour ago and am now sitting in a hotel bar at the train station.
Uneventful flight. Funny older German gentleman seat mate who unfolded and folded my tray table at what he considered appropriate moments, explained how everything worked, and named all the movie genres I could choose from. When he wanted to talk to me he would pull my noise canceling headphone away from my ear and yell. Every so often he would type on his phone some flight detail and show it to me.
During the flight I kept waiting for his craziness to escalate, bit no, just a super extroverted "helpful" guy.
I always have fun seat mates.

Just wanted to check in...
Happy weekend!

 

[Austina]

Thanks @Jimmianne , glad you made it to France ok, strange seat mate notwithstanding! Hope the rest of your journey goes smoothly.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

@CJ2008 me too! Coming back as a well loved house kitty is not a bad gig. And I am right with you. Give me my kitties, my dh and my laptop (with working internet) and I am all set. Haha and yes of course. We will be more than happy to adopt you and @Austina and Colin.

I hope your favorite manicurist is OK CJ. Thinking good thoughts for her. Life is random and can be so harsh Which makes me even more incredulous re that other manicurist. Who the heck does she think she is? What an entitled spoiled brat. That would cause my blood to boil and I would not want to deal with any more of her unpleasantness. Trust your gut. If you think she was annoyed at the tip and is not the nicest would it be too hard to switch to another manicurist? IDK but if I am spending time and money on a regular basis I want the service person to provide service without an attitude. Life is hard enough and I dont want to put up with crap I do not have to put up with. Her skills are easily reproduced by others and it is not like she is a surgeon or other critical professional. So if you can I say cut her right out of your manicure life.

Sorry you have to deal with this and hope you can find someone nicer and more pleasant and hope your original manicurist is doing well and will be OK.

@Austina yay!!! So relieved for Colin's negative biopsy!

No beach house this weekend. We have an 8AM appointment with our internist Monday morning (2 years since our last annual physical so we are a bit overdue) and it would be a rushed visit for us to make sure we were back in time if we went to the beach so we decided to stay here. So much to do now that the weather is lovely here and still a bit cool for cycling so I am good with our decision to remain in NYC.

Awwww @LLJsmom thank you. They are super precious. Love your new bling.

@Jimmianne woohoo so glad you have arrived safely at least done with the first leg of your long journey. What a cuckoo gentleman you were sitting next to and I can laugh about it because I have been there myself. What is it about us? I think it is because we are empathetic and open and kind so sometimes we attract people who others might not attract. LOL and glad he was harmless. I am sure he was delighted to have such a lovely seat mate. May the rest of your journey go safely and uneventfully.

We had a wonderful day yesterday. Went for a long walk in the afternoon because it was just a beautiful sunny day and went all the way to one of our rescue cat places and I got to visit with them and feed them and took some more pics for the group's leader. These are the cats that are not being fostered so they live in this pet food store. It's not a bad setup as their cages are bigger than the usual but of course it would be so much better if they had foster homes until they found their purrrrmanent homes. These are the same cats I shared pics of last weekend. Saturday is the day the public gets to visit and see them and hopefully adopt them. Last weekend no luck. Fingers crossed for them today.

Pics from yesterday. First the 2 brothers Loren and Lexi who were abandoned basically after having them since they were kitties because of the owners allergies and now they are both about 1 year old and do not look like kittens anymore so not as adoptable. BUT super friendly! The black kitty rolls on her back showing you her tummy for more rubs and the grey kitty wants you to scratch her ears and is a purry love.




And of course Goldie. What a sweet girl she is.



Have a wonderful Caturday Saturday lovely ladies.

 

[marcy]

This is pretty funny

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s! I am so far behind.

Doberman, I love your ring!

Jimmianne, great picture of your ring stack. I don’t have a robot vacuum but I should get one. You have your traveling time down to an art. I hope you are snuggly settled in your French home now. Your seat mate was at least friendly. Oh no that the raccoons invaded the bird feeders.

Missy, very pretty butterflies and precious kitties. Great pictures from the beach house. The water is so blue. That is awesome the kitties have their own counter in the new kitchen. Thanks for the song and picture of Nancy S. That’s a trip down memory lane. I am glad you are enjoying a weekend in the city. Good luck with your appointments on Monday. I know you and Greg will be out on your tandem bike soon. Yippee. I am sure you can hardly wait.

PierreBear, thanks for explaining to me what bubble tea is; it does sound good and look delicious. Glad to hear you had a fun time shopping with your friend. Woo hoo that DH got home. Oh no that your nail came off; I hope it doesn’t hurt too bad. My sister who is married to a wheat farmer walks their fields all the time to pull rye out of the wheat and looses her toe nails all the time from so much walking.

Junebug, that is awesome you get so many critters wandering through your yard. Our old house had a ton of rabbits but I don’t see them around here.

Austina, I totally chuckled that Colin will be having words with Greg about leaving notes on the frig; I can hear Marty saying the same thing. I hope you are enjoying the nice weather this weekend. That’s good news your friend got her surgery scheduled. I hope things go well for her. I am so relieved to hear Colin’s test came back negative. I need to remind Marty to get a checkup; he cancelled his last appointment and has never scheduled it again.

CJ, I did see your it’s Friday gif yesterday. It made my morning. Thanks. Yay for moving your money so you don’t have to pay a fee on it. It’s the principle of it, right? Did you hear from your manicurist? I hope she is okay. That new manicurist you are using does sound a bit snotty. I think 20% of a decent tip - or at least it is where I live.

Since I last bored you with my blathering about today . . .

Thursday night we went to supper and wandered around the mall for awhile. I found some battery operated star lights with a remote that I am going to put in a crystal vase and probably put on the mantle. That is a weekend project.

Last night we had our astronomy meeting then went out with friends from the club for a late supper.

Today we were heading to Denver but there is already 3” of snow on the ground and it’s still snowing. I don’t think the roads would be bad at all but Marty said he didn’t want to go to Denver in case it was icy. Darn I had my jewelry packed up for cleaning, checking and of course what can I trade in for today? I guess we’ll try next Saturday.

We did hire the new cleaning lady. We know some of the same people and she currently works for one of my dad’s buddies at the school district. She said our house would take 2 1/2 hours to clean and our current ladies take 4 hours. I guess if we find the new lady is missing something we can let her know. She charges a flat rate of $95 no matter how long it takes her to clean. We will see. I also need to let the other girl know we aren’t going to have her clean anymore.

Work finally slowed down on Friday afternoon. We have some stuff to take care of this weekend but not much. My passive aggressive, negative, woe is me employee really ticked me off with a response to an email I sent her asking her to take care of something she missed. She blamed it on a glitchy program but the first word was “Obviously”. She won’t be happy with me this coming week. Then again she is never happy so I’ll just add to her victim mentality.

I put a roast in the crock pot for supper tonight since we are staying home. Easy dinner.

Marcy Not going bling shopping today

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, « obviously » your employee has a problem. Ugh. Im sorry. Her using that word even pushed MY buttons.
And sorry you have to stay home when you were all packed for adventure. That’s disappointing.

Missy, i have my fingers crossed too for the kitties. It hurts to see them but i tell myself at least they are safe and cared for. But forever homes would be super.

Llsmom,

Austina, thanks. Love your haircut, by the way. This side of the pond is looking very good this morning. Thanks for ordering the good weather!

CJ, that tip thing would annoy me too. For petes sake, anything over the cost is a bonus. Of course you have to be careful with manicurists as they wield sharp instruments, lol

I learned a great stress relieving trick from my flight attendant neighbor here who told me about a specific hotel bar at the airport. The train station was totally jammed wall to wall with travellers. No place to sit, long lines for food & toilettes, deafening noise. Simply overwhelming after the flight. On neighbor’s suggestion I went back upstairs to the airport and went in the fancy hotel bar... plush leather club chairs, big screen tv, dark, quiet and cozy non-stressful. $15 for a cup of coffee, water and a passcard for the clean toillettes ...& well worth every single penny.
Missy, i know that price for a coffee would not seem too awful in NYC! Lol

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies from another bright and sunny day!

Glad the weather is suiting you @Jimmianne , I tried my best to ensure it would be good. Hope you had a good night’s sleep and have woken up refreshed.

I can’t believe those beautiful kitties haven’t been snapped up @missy, they’re just too cute. Sounds like you had the purrfect day, and good luck with your Drs appts tomorrow.

Glad you’ve sorted out a new cleaning lady @marcy, sounds like she’s more efficient if she can do the work in nearly half the time. Sorry you didn’t get to go and look at sparklies because of the weather. Hopefully next weekend.

Well 40 years ago today, I met Colin I can’t believe where all the years have gone, literally feels like the blink of an eye. Makes me sad to think there won’t be another 40, but I have no complaints, life is good.

Hope you’re all having a lovely day

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Happy Earth Day!

Marcy woohoo for your new cleaning lady and I hope she works out very well. Hope she is reliable and thorough. Sorry you couldn't get to Denver. Darn snow. But next weekend sounds good. I mean we are almost into May so fingers crossed no more snow and you can get that jewelry cleaned. Glad you had a good astronomy meeting and dinner with friends Friday night. And yes to work slowing down somewhat by Friday afternoon. Here's to no work interruptions for you this weekend.Again sorry you aren't going bling shopping but there will be many more weekends for that so do not despair. And when you come visit I will tire you out with bling shopping. If we can get LLJsmom to visit at the same time we will for sure both wear you out. We like to shop.

Jimmianne what a brilliant idea and glad you were able to get away from the chaos and that alone is worth the $15 cup of coffee.
Thank you for keeping the kitties in your thoughts.

Austina Happy 40th anniversary from the first day you met. And hahaha yes our DHs will chat in just a few months. Somehow I think we both might benefit from that chat given our love of diamonds and their love for their wives.
Glad you are enjoying another lovely sunny day.

We have another wonderful sunny beautiful calm day here as well. Enjoyed yesterday walking in the neighborhood visiting the rescues and also visiting a local interior designer who owns a furniture store here discussing possible redos for our beach living room. Will keep you posted. Lots of ideas. Today is such a gorgeous day again so not sure what we are going to do but it will definitely be mainly outdoors. Enjoy your Sunday girls!

And look at this adorable apron we bought yesterday for my mom modeled by Greg. Love our local shoppes.

 

[CJ2008]

Good morning and happy Sunday lovely NIRDIs!

austina - I can totally understand how if after providing what you think is perfectly acceptable service it would be so disappointing and annoying to get a bad tip (which I guess here in the US would be anything less than maybe like 18% or so.) Not that I'm implying that less than 20% would then make it OK to chase a customer out of a restaurant. But I could see how it would be annoying and if it happens often that resentment could build up for the service person. Maybe what happens sometimes is that the waiter/waitress goes above and beyond expecting they're going to secure themselves a tip over 20% and it doesn't always happen.

So glad to hear about Colin's biopsy YAY and happy meeting Colin anniversary!

I see you already got dibs on being adopted by Missy and Greg. You're good Austina, really good. I propose we submit adoption applications and then we let Missy and Greg decide.

missy yeah, it's annoying how this new manicurist feels entitled to a better tip when my tip is not only acceptable it's actually 21.5% so it's more than just 20%. Plus I'm a decent client meaning that I don't look to chat the whole time and I am pleasant even when they make mistakes. She is a tiny bit aggressive with the cuticles and she DID cut me that day (hands) and I was nice about it. (BTW jimmianne how funny you mentioned about the sharp tools LOL) I have my requests but I make up for it by not requiring certain things (no massage, no soaking, etc.) so they don't need any longer with me than with anyone else.

All that said, what I care about MOST is coming out with nails well done. I am super picky on the polishing and it is NOT easy to find someone who polishes to my standards. (even my last girl who is sick now was not perfect with the polish, although she was better than most - but this new girl is better). And unless she gives me attitude that I can't ignore - like say, she starts purposely doing a bad job, or answers me rudely, etc. I'll ignore it even if it stings a little bit. Sometimes it may even be better - it might mean we both stay quiet during the whole service other than a few quick pleasantries. Which is nice.

So that whole big explanation to say that yes, it would be hard to find someone else.

Poor little kitties that live at the pet food store. I hope they find fosters or a forever home soon even though they're safe and cared for. That's why it's so nice that you guys go visit them they get to be let out of their cages for that time and given extra love. (((hugs)))

Good luck with your appointments tomorrow.

Cute apron.

marcy I'm so glad that gif made your morning. (((hugs))) It's the principle AND principal but yeah, it really was time to take control of that. My manicurist has not texted me yet. Something is definitely wrong. My next text is going to be asking her if she minds if I go visit to share a cup of tea with her. If she doesn't answer that I might actually ring her phone. I don't want to intrude but I want her to know I really mean wanting to see her/make sure she's OK. I'll do whatever I can to make sure she doesn't feel obligated in any way if she just wants to be left alone. Marcy, for SURE 20% (21.5% is what I left her) is a decent tip here too. The other thing I thought of is that it's possible that some people just "round up" services like that - in other words, a $10 bill. But huh, no that's not happening, especially not if I am being made to feel that how dare not give a $10. I'll probably give her $8 always now instead of sometimes giving her $9.

OK I'm blathering on too you're probably thinking

Glad you got a new cleaning lady. Hope she works out well.

Obviously.



(I had a similar passive aggressive thing happen to me this week too. Someone (a family member) sent a smiley face as a response when it was clear our conversation was a little bit...strained. I didn't even reply.) Maybe that would work with your employee. Ignore her passive aggressiveness. She still has to do what you tell her.

hi Pierre

OK girls I was super chatty this morning.

I had strawberry ice cream yesterday it was so good. On the other hand it's been like 4 days since I've had cookies. which means today is the day I will have some. We watched War of the Apes (or something like that) last night it was pretty good even if a little bit romanticized and too lighthearted towards the end which didn't match the rest of the movie. I don't know something was "off" but I still enjoyed it.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Hugs.

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone! Have fallen behind so will do a quick catch-up -

Missy, love the pics of those sweet kitties! so hard to see them in cages, but some comfort that they are safe, warm, and well-cared for. I so hope they find homes soon. It's great the weather is finally warm enough to be out and about, have a great time with Greg today. The apron is really cute, great gift idea!

Austina, nice that you're enjoying some warm weather. Such great news about Colin, so happy to hear it. Wonderful that things worked out with your friend and she's getting the surgery she needs. And congratulations on the 40 year anniversary! Sounds like you and I share similar relationships, my first date with dh was in 1976 lol. I totally agree, the years have gone by so quickly and it truly doesn't feel like that long ago.

PB, oh no to losing a toenail! I hope it doesn't keep you from doing things. No eggs from this neighbor, in fact I've never met them. Hard to explain, but their house in a bit of a distance from me and their house faces a different street. Their property extends to the back of my house though. I am really loving my new car, such a pleasure to drive.

CJ, congrats on moving the money, it feels good to do a task that's been put off for a while. Sorry about the awkwardness with the manicurist, if she continues making you feel uncomfortable it might be a good idea to switch. Or maybe have the exact amount, that's what I try to do - this way you just hand her the tip and it's over. Very sad about the manicurist who is ill, such a scary and terrible thing to have to go through.

Jimmianne, so glad your trip went smoothly, and what a great tip from your friend! I would gladly pay $15 for the comfort and convenience. Sorry about your travel companion, especially on such a long flight, yikes. I hope you're adjusting well and getting settled in.

Marcy, lol to that cartoon, very funny! I am so sorry the snow kept you from going to Denver. Love your diy project, I think that is such a pretty look. I recently bought a mason jar with sea shells and those lights in it and it looks really nice. Ugh, so sorry your employee continues to be such a headache. Glad you found another cleaning person and I hope it works out well.

My chicken friends are still showing up, now there are 3. They are very cute and I don't mind (although dh might not feel quite the same way) but I'm starting to get worried they're not being cared for or looked after. I went over to the house on Thursday and knocked on the door but nobody answered. I really, really don't want to have to go over there again but I guess I'll have to. I think a landscaper owns the house but he rents it out.

And poor dh hurt his ankle yesterday - he's in SC on a golf outing with friends and got hit in the ankle with a golf ball - says it's his fault because he was in front of the guy who was teeing off. His foot is very swollen and sore but he can walk on it - in fact he finished the round lol. Hopefully it's just badly bruised and nothing more serious.

Dh is getting home later on today, and I'm just doing some odds and ends around the house until then. Maybe take a walk and enjoy this nice weather. Have a great Sunday everyone!

 

[junebug17]

CJ, we were posting at the same time - Ignore my advice to switch manicurists lol!

 

[CJ2008]

CJ, we were posting at the same time - Ignore my advice to switch manicurists lol!

are you trying to avoid another 3 page explanation june

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

CJ--I would say a big YOU BETCHA for the two bucks back! And thank you very much--with a big smile!

JuneB--I LOL at "your chicken" friends comment--although I would worry for their care and safety. You are a good neighbor. Sorry for your DH golf injury--those darn balls!

Warm temps and melting snow is making me happy. It is predicted to be 21C this week--and NONE too SOON! OK I just lied cuz I said I wouldn't discuss the weather anymore!

PB--sorry for your toenail. My DH repeatedly loses one--he plays hockey. They grow back so he can lose another one..lol

JA--I love your travel stories...actually I (just) love all your stories. Best 15 bucks you ever spent!

Shout out to all the NIRDI posters and lurkers.

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, obviously indeed about my employee. Sigh. What a difference it made for you going to the fancy hotel bar. It was definitely worth every penny. When Marty was traveling overseas he hit 100K status and sure enjoyed the first class lounge. The trips to LA don’t get him there though. Darn.

Austina, that is very cool you met Colin 40 years ago today. That is something rare and special these days to be together so long. I am glad you have no complaints. Yes, life is good.

Missy, I did chuckle at your comment about getting my jewelry cleaned; they always ask me “do you wear this?” Their lifetime warranty requires that I get it checked at least once a year though. I am sure you and LLJsmom would show me a great time shopping. Bling, clothes and bags. What fun that would be. I love the cat apron. It’s perfect for you.

CJ, I am sure it’s hard to find someone who is really good at painting your nails. I have never had a manicure or pedicure - it’s one of those areas where I’m cheap. I am right handed so my left hand looks pretty good when I paint my nails but my right hand needs some cleanup when my nails are dry. I am the kind of person that will tip more than 20% if they deserve it or if I don’t feel like waiting for change of a dollar or two; however if they expect it then I’m going to stick to 20% and sometimes less when we get bad service or they act like my employees. I was thinking the new cleaning lady is smart; she said her flat rate is $95; so if you tip her 20% she’d get about $115 so most people would just round up to $120. Clever. Obviously and blathering. Ha Ha. Funny you should mention cookies; I tried a sugar cookie recipe today that I used years ago; I don’t like them as well as my sour cream sugar cookies. I’ll take them to work tomorrow and they’ll be gone.

Junebug, oh no that your DH sprained his ankle. I hope he is doing better. I am glad to hear you say you are loving your new car. I finally dug through my settings this weekend and changed the door lock and unlock setting to trigger all the doors at the same time. I like your idea of a mason jar for putting the lights inside; your sea shells and lights sounds pretty. I was considering looking for one of those pasta jars with lid. I hope your neighbor is taking care of his chickens.

Sharon, woo hoo it’s warming up there. It is pretty sunny here today and we might reach 70 degrees F here this week. Oh no that your DH loses his toe nails too.

I didn’t follow your request to make Snickerdoodles but I should have; the sugar cookie recipe I made is just adequate.

Marty is at DIA waiting to head to LA again. We had a pretty lazy day. Marty met one of his golf buddies for breakfast so I made some blueberry muffins for my breakfast and the freezer. We had leftover roast beef and fresh fruit for lunch. I had popcorn for supper and a few hot cookies.

Marty ordered an Apple 3 watch which is getting delivered on Wednesday. I don’t know why he didn’t wait until he was going to be in town; I may have to take the day off for delivery. I doubt they would accept a teddy bear’s signature for a package.

Have a fabulous evening.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, anybody who would not accept a teddy bear’s signature is sadly unenlightened!
Congratulations on warmer weather!

Sharon haha I knew you could not disappoint us! i always look forward to your weather reports and even feel warmer myself this morning knowing you’ll finally be able to stick your head out of the igloo,

Missy, omg that apron. Forgive me but with the photo so tiny on my phone, I first I thought Greg was sporting a pair of lounging PJs. Either way, you’ve got yourself a handsome clothes horse who can wear a three piece suit or a kitty apron with equal panache.

Yesterday included a typical two hour multi-course lunch with wine with DD at inlaws. It was a perfect first day; warm and sunny, lunch in the garden, slightly jetlagged and boozy. Today I sign the revised house contract with DD’s name on it. She has already signed and is back in Dijon for the week. She stayed overnight with me and now I miss her so much. I scrubbed the moss off the patio until dark last night to keep busy,
Today my guyfriend arrives for the season. I probably won’t see him for a few days as he will have made the long journey from CA through Iceland then driving from Paris to here and will be in recovery. That works for me - I look about 100 years old from my travels!

Good day, dear NIRDIs
Hugs!

 

[PierreBear]

We had a good weekend and had brunch with friends and also met up with different friend’s and saw their burger restaurant after the renovations. Sunday was relaxing with some movie watching at home and weeding in the garden. I accidentally stepped on some cactus babies though… aiayaya… I think they will be fine but it breaks my heart. I jumped away so quickly that the mother plant’s prickly barbs cut up my leg. Nothing serious but it seemed like fair pay back. I love how the cactus garden has filled out nicely but it means it’s hard to reach into certain places to weed without getting pricked.

Today is mystery box challenge day. I don’t feel worried about it but I did realize that my chef instructor showed up in my dreams over the weekend so my subconscious is keeping me on my toes about it. Have a great day!

@CJ2008 – Hope your manicurist is doing ok! Yikes, color cancer, my grandfather passed from that specific illness. Tipping always feels awkward to me in general. I think I would be ok if everyone just inflated the prices and built in the appropriate wages. Now, there are pre-set tipping where 15%, 20% or no tip etc are the only options. We were at a taco truck over the weekend for brunch and I usually don’t think of a stand as a place to tip since there isn’t service involved since you pick up your own food and throw away your own trash.

Don’t let them bully you into more than what you feel comfortable doing though!

@Austina – Yes, there is a new something growing underneath the torn off nail but I can’t quite call it a nail. It seems like a pre-mature nail that is soft and bendy. So far so good though as I painted over that bad boy and at least from 6 feet away it looks normal. Haha

Yummm how did the ice cream turn out? We are still waiting to finish what we have in the fridge before making another batch and trying out new flavors.

Hurray to 40 years!! Ya’ll are an amazing couple. Cheers and hope ya’ll celebrate in addition to your upcoming upgrade. : )

@Jimmianne – Very interactive seat mate indeed. Did he buy you a drink?! Hehehe

@marcy – Wow, your sister is a tough lady. I bet it must be so rewarding to see everything that has grown though and then harvest the crops. Good luck with the new cleaning lady and nice to know about the flat rate. Is it less expensive than your previous one?

@missy – Wonderful cat apron! Too bad I can’t use something festive like that at cooking school. We have a uniform and it’s all boring whites that just get dirty with stains.

@junebug17 – Aww your chicken friends… hope they get back to their home though. Don’t they roost at night so I would think in the evenings they would go back to their sleeping spots?

Sorry that your DH hurt his ankle. Seems like a freak accident but I bet it hurt a bunch. : / May the swelling go down and just heal on it’s own.

@canuk-gal – Wow your DH plays hockey?! Am I picturing it right that it is outdoors given your weather climate? I can’t ice skate… ohhh goodness. I don’t have the skill set to balance myself. Do you skate?

 

[CJ2008]

Good morning NIRDIs.

Got one more thing out of the way this morning.

I feel like I'm making strides in some small projects that had been sitting on my list and were weighing on me. I still have a few more but at least I'm making progress.

On top of the manicure/pedicure tip - my big toe on the right foot is swollen and throbbing by the cuticle area. I don't know if an infection could take this long to build since my pedicure was before my trip, around March 22nd or so. But I have not done anything to my feet so it's possible she cut me on my big toe also. This is now the second time I have this issue after a pedicure there. The last time it developed much closer to the actual pedicure time I have to look up the dates. That time I was also on a trip and had to go to the emergency care so they could drain it since it was really painful. They supposedly disinfect their tools properly and they use new tools for every customer and they use a plastic covering in the tub that they change for each person. But still, something happened. From what I can tell, it might be Paronychia. Nothing serious, but still scary and shines a light on the dangers of cutting or pushing back your cuticles. Seems like once you have it it can always come back. She probably cut me on my toes toe and maybe I didn't feel it.

Thanks June yes it does feel good to cross things off the list. You know my feelings about the manicurist. But yes if it does cross a line where she is outwardly rude or I feel awkward when I am sitting with her I will either say something and fix it or switch people. On top of it usually I have zero cash on me - and put the tip on the card - but both times I saw her I went out of my way to be nice and made sure I had cash, which is a pain the butt for me because my bank is not super close. And the idea of having to think about having cash on me every time I see her is too much work. So since she's not appreciating any of this even less I am inclined to do it. (especially in light of what I say above that she probably cut me on my toe too). And yes, super sad about my manicurist. I am afraid to find out how she's doing.

The chickens are adorable and I feel your pain not wanting to go over there. I hope next time you go you can just resolve it.

Hope your DH is better.

sharon - Or even better, "oh, you know what, now that you've asked twice, you just reminded me - it's the only cash I have and I need it. Give me back $3."

marcy I am cheap too which is why I'm not giving her a $10 bill. And if she had been nice, I would definitely sometimes give her $9. And I must say I wouldn't be rounding up the cleaning lady to $120 I'd make sure I had the $115 nice and crisp and ready to go.

I am sure your cookies were a hit.

I had such a craving for popcorn last night. I wonder if it's related to your post because I had read it some time yesterday. Could I give you specifics to build into your post.

I think bear signatures should be as valid as human signatures.

pierre oh i am so sorry to hear about your cactus babies I hope they're OK.

Did you guys watch anything good?

Best of luck with your challenge today - you're going to rock it!

Yeah, colon cancer. Sorry about your grandfather. Cancer sucks it really does.

I hate the tipping thing they do now where it's on the iPad so the person is staring at you as you pick NO TIP. Hate it. But I've learned to get over it and even though it's a little awkward, I still pick no tip if I don't want to tip.

We do tip at our regular pizza take out place and our regular coffee shop because we see them quite often.

But no, with the manicurist the more tactless she gets the more I will stick to 20%. And I won't go out of my way to get cash, either.

OK NIRDIs that's my story for the day.

Hugs.

 

[CJ2008]

missy OMG how could I have I have missed you!

Just at least wanted to say hi

I know you're getting some input over at your thread and I am keeping my fingers crossed that some of it is helpful.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Love and hugs.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Another lovely day here, I could get used to this

Hope your signing went well @Jimmianne and everything is now in place for a uncomplicated completion.

Aww, love the kitty apron @missy. Hope your appts went well this morning. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with even more medical issues I wish there was something I could do to help, I hate to think of you having to go through all this, and I’m glad you have such a great DH beside you.

Yay to warmer temps @canuk-gal - at long last, make the most of it.

Ouch @CJ2008 it sounds nasty and painful. I hope your toe gets better soon. You leave my new Mummy & Daddy alone, I’ll be enough of a handful for them

Oh dear, I hope your DH isn’t in pain @junebug17 - who knew playing golf was so dangerous Sounds like you could have a flock of chickens soon, they must be spreading the word that you’ve got a great place!

I hope you didn’t end up looking like a porcupine from all the cactus spines @PierreBear Sounds like you had a great weekend with your friends.

Good luck with the mystery box, you’ll nail it!

Your comment made me @marcy it’s a shame you don’t have one of those doorbells that you can answer from your phone. You could take a bear to work and when Marty’s delivery arrives, hold it in front of the camera and tell the driver to leave it in a safe place. Can you imagine his face?

We’ve finally made a start on the garden, got some pruning and weeding done yesterday, still lots more to do though. Our new neighbour called round to collect some logs, we’ve got mountains of them so told him to help himself. He was asking about a new kitchen, so we recommended the people who did ours, and also the guy who did our ensuite. They haven’t had much luck since they moved in, they’ve just had a new furnace, and discovered a leak in one of their bathrooms which has caused a lot of damage.

 

[missy]

Hi girls! Sorry I missed posting this AM. Early morning and both Greg and I had our physicals. I really love our internist. We missed our annuals last year but time goes so fast lol.

Junie how is your dh's ankle doing today? So sorry about that and hope he recovers quickly. Glad you are loving your new car. Love that new car smell that lasts for months and months too. Heaven. Hope your dh is back home with you safe and sound and that you are both enjoying this Monday. Hugs to precious Zoe. Thanks for all your encouraging support always.

CJ hello and thank you. Yes we had a wonderful weekend and will share pics below. Hope you had a lovely Sunday and relaxed and rejuvenated and I am glad got the stuff done you wanted to and are making progress on other stuff. Chipping away bit by bit that is the way to do it. Oh no about your big toe. I think I have shared my thoughts before on manicures and pedicures but basically (according to my BIL who is a podiatrist) there is no way they can effectively disinfect the tub b/w clients so he always told us do not get pedicures. But I know it is a treat and one you might not want to give up. Hope your toe heals quickly. (((Hugs))) .

Austina so happy you are enjoying the garden and that finally the weather is cooperating. Sorry about your new neighbor not having much luck with his house and it is very kind of you to give him the lumber he needs. It's so lovely to be and have a good neighbor. Thank you for all your good wishes. I appreciate that very much. I am doing OK. Hanging in there. I am tougher than I look.

Jimmianne glad you like the apron. It was too cute not to purchase and I hope my mom likes it. Greg doesn't wear one when cooking and you know I don't cook so my mom was the obvious choice. Haha. Love that you enjoyed a wonderful multi course multi hour lunch with your DD and the inlaws. Perfect. And glad you have her name on the property. Hopefully that will make things go smoothly. Enjoy your guy friend's visit.

Marcy hello there. Hope Marty got to his destination safely. Did someone say snickerdoodles? Congrats on your new cleaning lady and I hope you love her. Glad you had a good astronomy meeting and I forgot to tell you I shared your pic with our astronomy friend. Yummy to blueberry muffins. Yay to Marty's new apple watch. Hope your Monday is going smoothly at work and nobody is being a big baby today.

Sharon so pleased for you that your weather is warming up woohoo And please talk about the weather as much as you like. I enjoy weather chat.

PierreBear oh no sorry about your cactus babies. Hope they will be OK. Your weekend sounded lovely and glad you enjoyed brunch. Good luck with your cooking mystery challenge today. I am sorry your grandfather died from colon cancer. Today my internist was like when am I going to get my first colonoscopy and I was like I am not ready yet so doing Cologuard instead.

We had a very lovely Sunday. Went to Brooklyn Heights (which is very close to us) and visited the Promenade, the dog park, the Carousel, Brooklyn Bridge park and Brooklyn flea. All within a mile or 2 of each other and we did a lot of walking and it was a gorgeous day.

The Promenade in Brooklyn Heights


Brooklyn Bridge Park


with the Brooklyn Bridge view


and the famous Carousel


and of course the Dog Park. The cutest dogs play here. See the Frenchie Eugene? He is a LOVE.


OK that's all for now folks. Enjoy the rest of this Monday.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

Jimmianne, I know - who wouldn’t accept a teddy bear’s signature? It’s obvious they have the run of the place. Lunch with the inlaws sounds like a lot of fun especially the boozy part. Awe that you missed your DD after she left. I hope your guy friend shows up soon. I am sure you don’t look 100 but being jet lagged you may kind of feel that way for a day or three.

PierreBear, it sounds like you had a great weekend. Oh no to stepping on some baby cactus but ouch to getting stabbed by one. I will be anxious to hear about your cooking challenge tonight. I usually let food trucks keep the change if it’s a dollar or two but you are right it’s not like you got a lot of service there other than they prepared the food. My sister and BIL do live a hard life. He grows winter wheat and the only help he hires in is combiners to cut the wheat in the summer. My sister helps him move equipment between fields and runs food and water out to him several times a day. So much is out of their control too; they have lost a lot of crops to hail. I’ve been paying the sisters who clean for me $100 each time; they charge me $20 an hour and usually are here for 4 hours. I used to pay them $90 each time but have been paying them $100 for about a year. if I tip the new lady a $20 then it will be a little higher. I need to let the sisters know we aren’t going to have them clean anymore. I’ve never called either one of them but hate to just text them. I guess that’s what I’ll do.

CJ, yay for getting some projects done. I have some mail on the table to go through and take care of; but my other projects are done. Oh no to your big toe hurting and swelling; maybe soak it in epson salt? I definitely will go with $115. If she impresses me I’ll probably go to $120. The cookies were mostly gone by 10 am. I put them over by the coffee pot and microwave. I agree - I am sure my bears could accept a package and sign for it.

Austina, I am glad you are enjoying the lovely weather. I see the new royal baby arrived today, too. Your idea for my package did make me laugh. As a matter of fact we do have a door bell that rings our phone; I could forward our phone to my cell phone and stick a bear in the window “watching” the package. That would be so funny. Spring is definitely there if you are starting on the garden and yard. That is too bad about your neighbor having a nasty leak.

Missy, I was sorry to see your other thread, I hate to hear that. I am glad you are doing okay and hanging in there. Big hugs to you. I am glad your shared my picture with your astronomy friend. I showed everyone at our astronomy meeting; we were talking about the old days when you had to use film and wait until at least the next day to see how your picture turned out. Your outing on Sunday looks really fun. Great pictures of Mr. Greg too.

We are having our first thunderstorm this afternoon. I saw lightning and it rained quite a bit. I also got to see the first rainbow of the year. Woo hoo!

I stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home for supper just primarily because I wanted a dish of soft serve ice cream.

Tonight I dug out one of my crystal bowls to put my string of star lights in; it looks nice. I might go get some colored glass marbles to fill the bowl. I put it over by the TV and the receiver remote makes the lights flicker.

My biggest whiner called in sick today which was lucky for me because I handed out some new task sheets I want filled out plus handed out a sheet of here is what you should be doing this year. I also emphasized punctuality, negativity and clearly said to knock off the power and ego battles in here. The whiner will get her own personal meeting with me tomorrow. OBVIOUSLY!!!

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Austina, congrats on the country’s new baby!
I can’t believe how Mom gave birthday and in less than a day was walking around wearing heels showing off her son for the press. Ouch. She made it look so easy.
Enjoy your gardening. I’m working on mine too, every evening until dark. The iris are blooming and the roses are just about to start. What’s going on in your garden?

Marcy, how ever do you put up with the nonsense from people. I hope you are awarded the gold medal for not killing employees. Maybe one with diamonds on it. Obviously.

Missy, it’s great that you can enjoy other people’s pets so much. It seems
like the perfect way to have a dog! Cats are so much easier when you live in the city.
Your photos are awesome, the bridge view is iconic and should be made poster sized and framed!

CJ, I’m sorry to hear you got an infection. I hate having pedicures as I am always afraid of being cut, and with my last manicure the polish she used ruined my nails and they peeled and broke off at the quick. So I am doomed to be untidy. But you are brave, and I hope your toe is feeling better this morning!

June, are you still enjoying your volunteer chickens? I love my chickens and find them quite personable and more intellegent than people give them credit for. They are good at getting rid of bugs in the garden, so perhaps your chickens are being useful?
I hope your dh is doing better this morning. Is he a good patient?

My friends here keep a turtle in the garden to eat snails. I found the first seven (huge) snails of the spring yesterday. Last year the total count was around fifty but perhaps I’ve put a dent in the population for this year because the Iris actually have leaves for a change!
I catch my dear escargot and release them down by the river in tall grass.
Missy, you concentrate on the kitty rescue while I take care of the snails. Lucky you. Your charges are much cuter, softer and less slimy LOL

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie how is your dh's ankle today? I hope you have been enjoying our perfect weather these past few days. Glorious. Today is going to be less nice and tomorrow just a rainy mess. Hope you have been enjoying.

Marcy wow your sister and BIL do work hard but it sounds like it is a work of passion. I am sorry they lost so many crops to hail this year. Thunderstorms are so pretty and while I do appreciate their beauty I am always holding my breath we don't lose power during the more violent ones. LOL. Thanks for the compliments re Mr Greg and don't worry about me. We Brooklyn girls are tough remember? Seriously though I am pretty nervous today. Going to see the dermatologist specialist (the one with the exorbitant fees of $1250 just to start oy) this afternoon and I do have lots of butterflies in my tummy. Glad you didnt have to deal with your most whiny employee yesterday and hope the task sheets you handed out helps your employees do what they need to do and do it without complaining. Those glass bowls and colored marbles sound very pretty.

Jimmianne thank you for rescuing the snails. Be careful of them as they can carry parasites so though I know I do not have to tell you this wash your hands thoroughly even if wearing gloves after handling them and do not touch your face while rescuing them. I mean we all carry parasites including and maybe especially the rescue cats till they are all treated so I am always as careful as I can be. Just want to remind you to be careful but I am sure you are being careful anyway. Thank you for the lovely comments about the photos. We actually do have a Brooklyn Bridge photo (taken by our dear friend who is an artist) framed in our apartment. I love that photo by him.

CJ how is your toe feeling today? Hope the swelling has come down and you are feeling better. (((Hugs))).

Austina congrats on your country's newest royal baby.

PB how did class go and how did the mystery challenge yesterday turn out for you?
Have a lovely day girls.

 

[missy]

Girls just getting rid of some photos (too many on my phone) and came across this one. From my sister's wedding in 2005. I don't know how the stylist did it but somehow my hair looks thick here right? Let me tell you those days are gone. And look at how my eyebrows are still there...But at least I have my memories right?



Must remember not to smile so widely now that I am losing my hair. I won't have anything to balance it lol.

 

[missy]

Oh and for you my dear @Jimmianne ...an interesting perspective of the Brooklyn Bridge. Which is my favorite bridge of all time. The oldest suspension bridge.




Notice the sign on the lower right of the photo?

 

[missy]

Hahaha just one more photo...look at these guys on Sunday in the East River. Brooklynites are a hardy bunch

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls -

Missy, sending good thoughts for your dermatologist visit today, I hope he can help in some capacity. Sending lots of hugs and support too, I know this has been a difficult time for you. And I hope you're getting some useful information from your other thread.

Thanks for asking about dh, his ankle is very swollen and bruised but he can walk on it and has been going to work, so it seems like it's just badly bruised. I'd be more comfortable if he had it x-rayed but he's thinking it's not necessary but we'll see.

Yes, that beautiful weather yesterday was really enjoyable! Love the pics of your day out, beautiful views of the city and the carousel is really pretty. And such cute dogs, fun to see them playing and enjoying themselves.

Sharon, woo-hoo to warmer weather and melting snow! You deserve it and I'm happy for you, you've had a brutal winter.

CJ, lol, not at all! I get where you're coming from and since she does such a great job it's worth it to try to make it work with her. Hopefully her attitude will change. So sorry about the infection though, and I hope it clears up soon.

Marcy, lol to figuring out the locks, I need to do that too! The Macan is a dream to drive, that's for sure. Good idea to try marbles in the vase. I love the look of lights, I enjoy seeing them at Christmas and wish they'd be kept up all year long! Good luck with your employees this week, and maybe taking off on Wednesday isn't such a a bad thing!

Jimmianne, your lunch with the in-laws does sound like the perfect first day! I'm sorry you are missing dd so much, sending hugs and I hope you can get together with your friend soon. My dh is probably not the best patient in that he can be a tad stubborn at times lol, but he seems to be doing ok right now and not in too much pain. So kind of you to rescue the snails!

PB, sounds like you had a lovely weekend, although I'm sorry about stepping on the cactus babies and getting scratched. Hope your challenge went well! And thanks so much for the good wishes for dh.

Austina, I'm glad you've been able to get started on your garden. It's great you were able to help your neighbor out, and I'm sure it was really helpful to get a recommendation for their kitchen, it can be daunting finding someone reliable for a big job like that. And I see that your country has had some excitement with the birth of the new prince!

I was able to speak with the owner of the chickens, and he's heading over sometime today to get them. They are adorable and I've enjoyed having them around, they are so sweet - but they were settling in and I'm not really equipped to take care of them.

Just spoke with dh on the phone, he says the swelling seems to have gone down a little - also told me he looked outside this morning and there was a chicken and 3 deer eating bird seed that was on the ground - I had taken the bird feeder down yesterday, and it's starting to look like it might have to stay that way!

Nothing much else going on - I have a little paperwork that I've been putting off so I'm going to buckle down and just do it - have a great day everyone!