Now I really did it :((

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Yikes @Sandeek when is your nightmare going to end?. I hope all your tests goes well and the bone graft can be done as easily and smoothly as possible. Sending lots of healing vibes your way.

Glad you had a relaxing weekend @marcy, that laundry never stops does it? Good news that you’re not starting a cold, that pesky smoke is really being a bother.

Hi @Tekate, we had all young cabin crew, and I have to say, on the whole, they’re generally better than the ones biding their time till retirement. Keep getting well.

You did it @missy, well done, and you deserved that ice cream after hitting your target.

You won’t be surprised to hear, we’re still waiting for the insurance company to pay up, so 5 weeks on, we stil don’t have working gates

Dottie is fine, she always settles back in straight away, she’s such a good girl.

We were hoping to go and see Crazy Rich Asians this afternoon, but the man who came to fix the boiler got held up on another job. By the time he’d finished, it was too late. The good news is, everything is working as it should

Back to Pilates tomorrow, I’m gonna ache big time

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Congrats on hitting your cycling goal this year MIssy! Impressive! Sadly we've not done a thing since we've been back from vacation--straight to cold sucky weather. And the good news there is a snowfall warning--yes you read that correctly--for up to 30cms in the higher elevations. We could get 15 cms here starting tonight.

I never get depressed and certainly not over weather--but this year his turned the tide for me. I am DREADING what is to come. We had no Spring and now we've missed Fall. I don't know how I am to survive 8 or 9 months of winter. Unprecedented low seasonal temps and precipitation already....

Anyway, I guess our bikes will be garaged shortly.

Sorry to hear your gates are still in disrepair Austina. But heat is good!!

Healing vibes to all the NIRDIs

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

Missy, Woo hoo! Missy and Greg rock! Congratulations on reaching your 3K goal. That is more than the diameter of the Moon. Your ice cream looks way better than my caramel slow churned ice cream. I did enjoy it though. Sorry you have little Sun in the winter. I would say wind is our most abundant item in our forecast. We get plenty of snow but the Sun comes out a lot too. I agree; life is challenging so it’s good to keep your sense of humor.

Austina, i was happy a cold wasn’t knocking at my door. The smoke has been bad this summer. That is pretty rotten you don’t have the insurance money yet for your gates. Good luck getting that settled. Darn that you didn’t make it to the movies but what a relief to have your boiler up and running again.

Sharon, I can’t believe snow is flying already. That storm is moving our way in a few days. We had 7 inches of snow in some of our mountains. I hope you get some more nice fall weather.

Not much going on at work today. I had 3 meetings and little work but I did watch 4 programs I’d had on my DVR. Tough day, huh?

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls! Happy Tuesday!

@canuk-gal thank you! I am sorry your weather is behaving in a winter way already and I feel for you. I cannot stand the extreme temps and cold weather this early is brutal. 8 or 9 months of winter is enough to bring down anyone's mood Sharon and I am sending you warm sunny hugs and bright skies and hoping your weather calms down. And if you ever decide you want to head here we would make you comfortable I promise. Though winter isn't our best time of year either but we generally do enjoy (some what of a) Spring and that's only 6 months or so away...

@marcy glad work went well yesterday and that you had a not tough day. You deserve it. And thank you! We hit 3070 yesterday. The weather has been so lovely. But yes we are very familiar with wind too. Yesterday was a very strong wind from the southwest but we soldiered on and are loving the mild temps.



Oh no to a storm moving your way already. Holding good thoughts for calm weather for all the NIRDIs!
Did you name your new Teddy (aka Entree) yet?

@Austina oh no but yes I believe it. Sorry for the long drawn out process to fix the damage. But relieved for you that your boiler is fixed and that you have heat now. WoohooAnd I hear you re Pilates. When we got back to Brooklyn and I started doing my Pilates on the reformer I was hurting big time. Like I was hit by a two ton truck. Felt a bit like the flu. But finally I got back into the no pain zone after doing it every day for a week or so but now we are back at the beach and no Pilates Reformer so I start all over again in a few weeks. Oy. I have to buy another Reformer but I am tired of spending double for double the stuff and I am running out of room so have been putting it off. Plus we don't come here that often in winter so might just delay getting another one for at least the next 6 months or so. We will see. Anyway enjoy your Pilates and hope you aren't in too much pain.

@Sandeek how is your week going? Hope work is not overworking you and that you are enjoying each day and no more (for now at least) hyperbaric treatments. Thinking of you. (((Hugs))).

@Tekate what's going on in your part of the woods? How's the weather in Maine? It's been a long time since Greg and I have made our New England road trip and we always ended up in Maine. Love it there. So peaceful and exhilarating and the air is fresh and clean. I have never been there in winter however and not sure I would be able to tolerate a winter there. But the autumn is perfect there. Crisp fresh air and lots of outdoor activities. I have many fond memories of our trips there. Hope your week is going well and that you are feeling good.

So this won't surprise many of you here but we are off cycling in a bit. Going to take advantage of the good weather while it lasts. Hope everyone has a wonderful day and sending good thoughts and hugs to each one of you. XO.

Leaving you with 2 action shots from our ride yesterday. I call these "Cycling Clouds" or the more classic "Clouds As We Cycle"

 

[Tekate]

@marcy Hi girl. Marcy I was wondering and maybe others have suggested/asked, this employee of yours, can you transfer him to another manager? We as women love to understand things and assist, and give chances, men will fire you. I am not necessarily suggesting you let him go, altho at this time in my life would consider it, I learned over any years that people don't change at work. Can you put him on the miracle mile? at IBM we started the firing process with a one year (YUP ONE EFFING YEAR) on improvement, whether that was work sucked, negative personal. relationships, etc. BUT IBM had many many people. I dunno, no employee should cause this much annoyance to you. I learned, jettison early, if a person was not a 1-2 performer they shouldn't be on my team.

@junebug17 my bestie's son lives in Dallas and I'm trying to steer my younger son to look for jobs there rather than in NYC.. love Dallas (if it isn't tooooo hot there anyway).

@Jimmianne how's France? is your daughter getting married at your house? beautiful home.

@canuk-gal Did I read you had snow? Stay warm Sharon!

@missy I'm glad I just erased a long tome to you.. sigh.. All good here, I'm so glad you made your over 3K miles.. that is such an accomplishment. How is your kitty? HOW ARE YOU? This fall time is a busy time for me, bdays, holidays, etc.. How's Greg? have you said when you are going back to Brooklyn? I might have missed it. I have the Oral Surgeon on Thursday this week, have you been to the doctor? I send you love.

@Austina what up girl? how's your Brexit going? what I read here is that it is still a mess.

Not doing a damn thing today!

sending love to you all.

 

[Tekate]

@missy added: doors open here in Maine anytime xo

 

[marcy]

Good morning ladies.

 

[junebug17]

Hi all!

Missy, beautiful pics of the bridge and the view from your backyard. The Verrazano is such a pretty bridge. The rocks at the beach are just beautiful And yes, a relaxing warm bath is the perfect way to end all that activity. Pretty pics of the clouds too. Congratulations on reaching your goal, great job and very impressive!

PierreBear, I hope you had a great weekend and that you sold the piano. Omg, I was a teenager when the first Stars Wars came out. I feel very old right now It was such a big deal, and everyone was wowed by the special effects lol.

Austina, nice to hear you had a relaxing weekend. Good for you for cooking meals in advance, it does make things easier during the week. I'm glad you're feeling better and I hope the soreness from Pilates is lessening by now. Ugh, so sorry the insurance is still not settled, such an incovenience and I hope it's not much longer for you. Glad your heat is running properly now!

Tekate, stocking up on maple syrup sounds good! Glad you had a good time at the fair. Yay to having your house professionally cleaned! An electic throw sounds AWESOME!

Marcy, good job getting the newsletter done. Love your new bear, he is so cute! Lol to Marty's idea for a name, what a comedian he is . Sounds like you avoided coming down with a cold, thank goodness. It's too early in the season for one of those! I hope your workday is going as well as yesterday's. And wow, that is a gorgeous pic of the sunrise, those colors are amazing!

Sandeek, I'm sending lots of good thoughts to you as you prepare for your surgery and deal with your medical issues. I hope you're managing to get some rest with all you have going on. Very happy to hear you're done with your treatments and hopefully your distance vision will improve very soon. So fun you are getting into wedding planning, it's nice having a happy event to look forward to.

Sharon, I"m sorry you're feeling depressed about the cold weather, I feel your pain and I'm definitely not looking forward to it either. You have certainly been cheated out of some nice weather. At least we can commiserate with each other, if nothing else! Oooh, those boxes are very intriguing and I'm glad you treated yourself - I guess that's one way to fight the winter doldrums

We had a nice time Dallas this weekend. Went to the Museum at the School Book Depository and spent some time at Dealey Plaza and the grassy knoll where JFK was assassinated - really interesting to see and learn about but also sobering and sad. Also went to a football game at ATand T stadium (the Cowboys won, thank goodness lol). Went to a restaurant called Tupelo Honey and it was great. The weather held out and it didn't rain and the temp was very comfortable. (Hey Sharon, maybe we should move to Dallas haha!) Dallas seems like a great city and the people are so nice.

Not a whole lot going on here, just doing some things around the house. We're going to SC for the weekend but it's a quick trip so not much packing involved.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

 

[PierreBear]

Hello hello! I’m excited to report that the piano sold but more importantly to a lovely family. Mother knows how to play and will make use of it as well. So it will be loved by mother and daughter. Turns out we have a lot in common with the family such as endurance trail running so hopefully will run into them again. If not, I might have invited myself to the daughter’s future piano recital. Haha… I’m really excited for them!!! Also, slowly trying to figure out living room decorations. Hope ya’ll are doing well.

@junebug17 – I actually enjoyed Star Wars more than I thought! The special effects were pretty interesting and very ahead of its time in my opinion. Oh Interesting that you went to the JFK assassination. I watched the Jackie movie recently starring Natalie Portman and thought it evoked a lot of emotions from a perspective that I had not really thought about (her point of view). Glad you had fun and even caught a football game!

@missy – Beautiful cycling clouds. It has been raining a lot over the weekend when usually we should be riding. I’m back on the tri bike so ouucchhh… uncomfortable position. Way to go on hitting 3K!

@marcy – Aawwww a teddy bear in the passenger seat? Very sweet to see him clipped in and safe too. Hope things at work are doing well.

@canuk-gal – Bummer to hear about the cold weather already?! Gosh, hang in there…!

@Austina – Hope you get to catch Crazy Rich Asians movie some other time. PS – I had Asian Austina over if that makes sense. She’s lovely and so easy to connect with.

@Sandeek – Oh my goodness… your foot/mouth challenges. Good luck with those upcoming appointments.

@Tekate – Oh wow, it must be lovely to see the fall colors where you are. You are speaking my language when you are talking about mountains and nature! Enjoy!

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Ugh @canuk-gal I know we laugh about the weather here, and say we can have all 4 seasons in a day, but in truth, I like the fact we have 4 distinct seasons, it eases us into each one. The thought of such a long winter ahead is depressing, so no wonder you’re feeling down.

Glad you enjoyed Dallas @junebug17 , I thought you were going to Houston I blame Kate for mentioning WF

Hi @Tekate, we’re getting fed up with Brexit, it’s been handled really badly, no strong negotiators fighting our corner, telling the EU what WE want, not being brow beaten by their constant ‘non’. I doubt it’s going to be a good deal for us, but the majority vote was OUT, so they need to get it done.

Doesn’t sound like yesterday was too awful at work @marcy, hopefully today was a good day too. Woohoo that you haven’t developed a cold, I hope it stays that way. That sunrise is really spectacular

Yay to it still being cycling weather @missy, fill yer boots as we say here Pilates wasn’t too bad today, I’m glad to get back into it. We don’t use reformers in class, it’s all mat work. We got into some interesting positions today

We went to the cinema today, saw King of Thieves about the Hatton Garden heist a few years ago, carried out by the old geezers. I didn’t like that every other word was F*** , just unnecessary IMO.

Yay to selling the piano @PierreBear and great that it’s gone to a good home. We’ll try to catch Crazy Rich Asians another time if it’s still on. Glad you and Kim got together, hope you had fun.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Yes please keep the sympathy coming--the snow is not abating....and I dunno 20cms?

I got a call to work early AM...but I had an appt I didn't want to cancel. Seems I made the wrong decision...I was 2 hours going a few kms…..late for my appointment. White out conditions. Really??? I should have walked to work and got paid. As I get older I swear I am getting stupider--what was I thinking, driving??

OKOK enough about me and snow.

Glad you sold your piano--PB. Sounds like it went to a great home!

JuneB, Missy, Austina, Marcy, Sandeek and Tekate: HELLO's! (Austina can I Brexit from this weather???)

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

Missy, look at that odometer. SWEET!!! Heck you might hit 3.5K before the snow flies. I have not named my new teddy yet. Entree seems to be sticking. Great pictures from your ride. You have such a lovely view along your happy trails.

Tekate, I wish I could transfer 2 of my employees - that guy and the negative nelly but my senior manager knows their baggage and won’t pawn them off on another department. You won’t be surprised to know every employee I currently have ended up on my team from an interdepartmental employee swap. I tell you they wear me out. I used to give them talks, lectures or whatever you want to call it but I didn’t get anywhere. Marty pointed out until they want to know why they don’t get raises or promotions they aren’t going to listen to your suggestions of where to change or improve. Our company does have performance improvement plans that can lead to termination. I had one of my team on a plan this year and she did quite well. I think my negative nelly might be on one next year. We do them with their annual reviews or if something awful happens. Good luck at the oral surgeon on Thursday. I have a crown that flares up more often than not.

Junebug, your weekend in Dallas does sound like a nice time and I am sure going to where JFK was shot was pretty emotional. Such a horrible moment in history. The weather sounds perfect while you were there. Enjoy SC this weekend.

Austina, it’s nice you have 4 seasons there and I totally chuckled that you have all 4 seasons in one day; sounds like Wyoming. I often think that too when a movie has way too much vulgarity in it; I’m not easily offended but I don’t see the point. That movie does sound interesting though.

Sharon, oh no the snow keeps coming. I am glad you made it to work and back but sorry the conditions were so bad. Stay safe!

Work was rather amusing today. Old Negative Nelly was in rare form, blaming everyone and everything for her issues. She had a few big mistakes that would have triggered emails every few hours tonight so I made her fix them. i told my boss 3 of my employees would rat out their grandmother to make themselves look better.

Marty grilled steaks and boiled potatoes for us for supper. I made the mashed potatoes and a plate of raw veggies to go with it. I saved half of my supper for lunch tomorrow. I am so looking forward to taking off Thursday.

Thank you for the kind words about the sunrise. I was complaining to a friend of mine my photos always look fuzzy so then I closed my left eye and voila - the picture was clear. Maybe I should wear a patch. Call me Marrrrrrcy.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@junebug17 your weekend in Dallas sounded like so much fun. What a lovely way to spend the weekend. Wonderful that the people in Dallas are so lovely and nice and the weather behaved too. And yay to going to SC this weekend. So many good things to look forward to and enjoy! Looks like weather might cooperate fingers crossed. I cannot believe how amazing the weather has been here lately.

@Tekate thank you! I hope one day we will resume our New England road trip as that was a highlight of our travels every year in October and I do miss it. And when we do we will definitely stop by and visit. Good luck with the oral surgeon tomorrow. I am thinking of you and sending buckets of healing good luck dust to you. I am doing OK and just focusing on being in the moment. Health issues I have to take care of will have to wait til later in the autumn and just focusing on enjoying each day to the best of my ability. Thanks for asking dear Kate. We are returning to Brooklyn 3rd week of October most likely depending on weather and such. I am looking forward to some visits from long distance friends in the near future and need to be home by then for sure. I send you lots of love too. (((Hugs))).

LOL @marcy work was amusing wasn't it. And those 3 employees who would rat out their grandma? ROFLMAO and shame on them. I love mashed potatoes and raw veggies. Have you ever tried sweet potato mash? Amazingly delicious and good for you. Your photos are divine always. Marrrrrrcy.
Love and hugs to Entree. And another beautiful sunrise photo, thank you.

@canuk-gal hahaha yes Brexit from the snowy weather. I am with you! Sending you (hot) tea and sympathy and lots of warm hugs. Hoping your snow dissipates and the sun returns and the warmth with it...hoping your autumn weather arrives soon. Fingers crossed.

@Austina glad you enjoyed the cinema the other day and I am with you. Too much gratuitous violence and swear words everywhere. We are desensitized to it for the most part which is unfortunate. Glad Pilates went well. I don't think I would do well with mat Pilates. I like the Reformer as I am not so low to the ground and it is easier on and off. LOL.

@PierreBear woohoo on the sale of you piano to a family who will enjoy it. Pleased for you. Hope work is going more smoothly.

@Sandeek How are you doing? Continuing to keep you in my thoughts and prayers and sending you lots of healing dust and good luck wishes and gentle (((hugs))). Long weekend coming up with Columbus Day and I hope you have something fun and relaxing planned. The long weekends are something to look forward to when one is working. Hope you are enjoying work and not working too hard. (((Hugs))).

Off cycling soon ladies. Enjoy a wonderful Wednesday!

Leaving you with another cloud photo. From yesterday. Same spot different photo. Autumn clouds are the prettiest I think.



And a quick Costco photo of Bubbalah as we had to do a Costco run yesterday after cycling. OMG we are going broke saving money at Costco. LOL. In for a few things and $400 later out of there.



Enjoy the day girls!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI's!

Missy, Bubbalah gets prettier every time I see here. She is glowing in your picture. Great cloud picture too; we had a lot of clouds tonight as well. Sadly no rain. I am glad you are doing okay and taking one day at a time. I swear those 3 employees would rat out their grandmother; it is a good thing I can just laugh about this stuff. Entree is going well, he's setting on one of the speakers watching TV. i love raw veggies; I eat them with every meal. Mashed potatoes seem to be something I start craving and I have no idea why. I ate a lot of them when I had a tooth pulled and after that I just get hungry for them. I have not tried sweet potatoes; Marty bakes them often I'll have to try a bite and see if I like them. I am glad you are getting in a lot of miles this week. Woo hoo!

I sure watched the clock today since I was anxious to start my day off. Marty leaves for Chicago in the morning for a coach strength training seminar. He'll be home Monday. The cleaning lady comes at 9:30. A friend is coming over for lunch at 11:30 and then I am going to run some errands. Our credit union has an accelerated savings account that offers 4.99% on $1000. I can open up one for each one of us so why not? You have to always keep the account under $1000 and the dividends you transfer out cost $5 but it still sounds like a good deal. I'll see. I need some groceries for the weekend and then it's back to work.

Last night I painted my nails. Marty came up from the man cave and commented on the smell of nail polish. I told him I really messed up my thumb and instead of realizing I was talking about smearing my nail polish he immediately thought I cut myself with a knife. He goes - what were you cutting up with a knife. I thought that was funny. Knock on wood but I haven't had a knifing incident in a quite a while.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

To all that snow @canuk-gal, I’ve seen photos, it looks horrendous, I know you’re more geared to dealing with it than we are, but it doesn’t look like fun. Your heating bills must be huge when you have snow for months.

Mashed potatoes are real comfort food @marcy , perhaps that’s the appeal ? Colin likes sweet potato fries, but I find them too sweet, a mix of potato/sweet potato mash is good though.

Yay to today off, enjoy your lunch with your friend, and getting your errands done. Our interest rates are so low, that it makes sense to maximise your savings wherever you can.

Hubba hubba to Bubbalah @missy , she’s the supermodel of OECs and it’s impossible to take a bad photo of her

I hate that you and the other lovely NIRDIS face a daily battle with health issues, I wish I could wave a magic wand and make them better I know your positive attitude to getting on with each day helps so much, and I firmly believe in this ethos.

We had to take back the excess paint from the house yesterday, and got a refund which was good, then we went to Costco for a few things. Managed to get off very lightly for once

Everything crossed for you today @Tekate

I managed to get a great fire shot of Bella while I was in the car yesterday



Not much on the cards today, taking Dottie out, then food shopping to do.

Have a good one

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@marcy you have a busy day on tap...but you will come home to a clean home and I hope you enjoy your lunch date with your friend today.Wishing Marty a safe flight to Chicago and a good strength training seminar. You must try sweet potatoes. They are my favorite carb (these days since almost everything else is verboten on AIP) and really yummy. I love them grilled but they taste good baked and roasted also. I think it would be hard to mess them up any way you cook them. Lots of good nutrients in them too.

Haha Marty's man cave smelling like nail polish. Tell him Entree's nails are next. I have not painted my nails in eons but yes it does stink the place up though these days I would think they have come up with better non toxic smelling options. I have to say nails do look prettier with polish on them but I am so lazy and I also have an allergic reaction to any type of nail polish including base polish. Turns my nails yellow. The main reason I have not polish my nails for so many years. But oh it looks so sophisticated a good red or dark (black purple-my fave) nail IMO. And it makes bling POP.

Speaking of which thanks very much for all your kind Bubbalah comments. She is getting a much needed cleaning right now in my new Ultrasonic. Cleaning her isn't the problem. It's drying her with that halo setting...I cannot seem to get the surface dry without spots and without snagging the microfiber on the prongs. In the halo setting with so many prongs it is much harder to keep Bubbalah clean than it is to keep a diamond in a solitaire setting clean. I would hate to change the setting just because of that though and feel I am missing something on how to clean and dry a diamond in a halo setting...I have a steamer from many years ago that Greg says is ancient but I wonder if there is a good steam cleaner for diamonds that is more up to date and smaller than the huge bulky one from so many years ago...OK enough on my diatribe about diamonds and cleaning. Thank goodness this is a diamond forum and I know you get it.

How is work going? Are you off today? Long weekend coming up woohoo thank you Mr. Columbus.

And knock wood no knife incidents for you or me or any of the NIRDIs! I know you understand when I say this from one Klutz to another...may this continue to be a Klutz free fall (haha fall let's use the word autumn shall we) for all of us!!!

@Austina oh Bella is the Bell of the Ball and so bella bella wunderbar She is firelicious in the above photo you took of her. Looking so beautiful in her new home with her new momma. One day she will meet Bubbalah again (remember they met for a short time a few years ago and then just this year) and today she is meeting another dear NIRDI diamond...cannot wait. Woohoo.

Glad you got a refund on the excess paint. And good for you getting off lightly at Costco. I swear we never get out of there lightly lol. But I am an impulse buyer and I have the reward checks from them at the end of the year to prove it. Do you remember what I shared about what my BIL says about Costco? We are going broke saving money at Costco. True dat.

Hugs to Sweet Dottie and hope you have a lovely day.

@Tekate hey there girlfriend...What are you up to for the holiday weekend? How's the family doing? How far along is your nephew's wife in her pregnancy? I forget when she is due. Hope she is having an easy and uneventful pregnancy.

@Sandeek how are you? How is your week going? Thinking of you and hoping you are feeling well and having a good week. (((Hugs))).

We had a great cycling day yesterday but were both quite beat up when we got back. All these days in a row of cycling against the wind for half the ride is building up in our exhaustion tank lol and glad today is a rest day since we are meeting a dear friend. Ended up at this total after yesterday's ride. 3,153 miles...No way we are going to reach 3500 miles before the end of next week Marcy but I like the way you think. (Greg however does not like that idea at all and just wants us to enjoy riding without the goals. But I love having goals. Poor Greg.



and Greg finished the feral feeder house after our long ride yesterday. Now he only has to finish the actual feeder portion which should happen this morning.










Another warm day on tap with lots of sunshine. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday.

 

[Tekate]

@missy Bubbalah is beautiful.. I said to my husband I can't wait to see Missy's 5ct ring, he said, yes just seeing is fine but no wanting it Catherine! he can be a real charmer that husband of mine. My dream stone is a OEC/AVR 3 carats D-I color range AGS 0. maybe someday, if I win the lottery, but I do love my 3 stone ACA stones, it really is my other dream ring.. so I am very lucky. Looking forward to november! Cycling today?

@Austina Bella is bella! gosh such a beautiful stone.. I'll take it when you're done, freebie of course for old people ha! j/k.. Brexit what a mess, but once March passes and time heals some of the animosity I think Britain and the EU will work out fine.

@canuk-gal Sharon, snow yes! but no.. it's such a pain to get around but it is so beautiful. Hope your skies clear up and it get's a big warmer.

@junebug17 was it hot in Dallas? it's been really rainy in Austin according to my son.. Have fun in SC!

@marcy I love sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and potatoes! I'm not sure I would like sweet potatoes mashed with yukon golds say, but my bestie makes mashed potatoes and rutabaga which is delish.. her grandma was from Ireland, I had lots of Irish relatives etc and they never mashed them together but she swears it's Irish so I say delicious! Isn't it amazing how stubborn people can be when it comes to their work? Your employees are lucky to have a job.. always surprises me how entitled people feel, a good boss deserves good employees. I've not seen interest that high on any savings accounts here in Maine but then again I don't look.. but almost 5% is like back in what the 80s? that is good news, bad news for people seeking mortgages but it's been years at such low interest rates it's time for a good raise in them.

@PierreBear so happy your piano has found a loving new home.. it makes one feel good to know the things that meant something or bring happiness move on to the next home. The colors are marvelous right now.. reds, yellows, oranges, green still, but we have had several rainy days lately so the leaves fall down faster.. but we always need rain.

@Sandeek I'm off to the oral surgeon today.. he doesn't do much but it's always nice to see a really cute 42 year old guy I hope you are feeling well, your tests are all going well - I send you happy, healing thoughts every day..

Hey all you ladies, thank you always for your kind thoughts, vibes and good juju, you guys make me happy!

I worked with any brilliant people at IBM and one of them is in Westbrook, Maine next town over to me.. AND she's a jeweler, she owned her own store in Poughkeepsie area in NY but her hubby left IBM after 40 years and she sold the business and they moved to Maine, a dream of theirs (he is from Maine).. one of the IBM network peeps told her I was here and she contacted me.. She has 2 daughters 27 and 23 and she aches missing them, having a hard time leaving all her life behind.. I understand this for sure. We went to dinner at their house and had a wonderful time, our turn now! I told her to give it some more time and if she is still so homesick there is no reason at 61 to live in a place that is not working. Too short a time to worry about that stuff.

I went to lunch with my bestie from high school yesterday and we spoke of my sister and honored her as yesterday it was 2 years Gen died. I am getting better about accepting her death, I mean what can you do? but I still feel this huge hold in me.. My friend has 6 sisters so I get sister love from all the girls

gonna rain today I think but we need it, today we are going out to dinner, my and John only! at David's in Portland, I've not been there in a few years so this should be fun and hey I don't have to cook.. parking is a bitch tho. good thing hubster drives, I never drive with him because he's nervous nell, otherwise known as MR CONTROL.. pffft screw that. lol and I told him that too. Love him..

Spoke to my nephew yesterday and he said his baby is due around April 1st.. woo hoo yes! he's a good dad.

to all the NIRDI's - have a great Thursday.

 

[missy]

Dear @Tekate, Kate (or do you prefer Catherine?) I am so sorry for the loss of your dear darling sister Gen. I don't think one truly ever recovers from the loss of a dear beloved close family member like a sister. Sending you comforting hugs and love and I am happy you have a good friend whose 6 sisters share the love with you. And you always hold Gen close in your heart though I know she will always be missed by you and all those who loved her. {{{Hugs}}}.

Wow your grandnephew/niece Baby is due April 1st! He/She will be here before you know it. Glad to hear your nephew is a good dad. I never had any doubts coming from your loving warm family.

Sweet you and John are going to dinner just the two of you. Romantic. Woohoo no cooking tonight for either of us haha. And I hear you re the Mr Control thing lol. We love them anyway but men and some of their annoying habits... Speaking of our men and their annoying habits look what I just found from yesterday on the camera roll. Another Candid shot from Mr Greg Grrrrrr. I told him no more candid shots but does he listen to me? LOL OK take all the candids you want dear husband as long as I can get all the bling I want.

Candid shot by DH of a cycling break by Avon by the Sea. See how beautiful it is here?





Need more coffee...only slept a few hours last night courtesy of another annoying habit by my dh...occasional snoring.Thank goodness he doesn't do it too often because I am a super light sleeper and was up at 3AM today and could not get back to sleep. That's OK. Got a head start on some things today including cleaning my bling in my new Ultrasonic...oops forgot about it there.

@Tekate GOOD LUCK today with the oral surgeon!!!! Sending you buckets and buckets of healing dust and good luck vibes. And (((HUGS))).

Oh and Kate we can plan on bling shopping for your 3 plus AVR D VVS diamond as soon as you are ready...happy to help...jus say the word and shhhhhh we won't tell John till after we get you your dream AVR.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Yes, a little D diamond would set me up for life!!!! Count me in Catherine and Missy!!!

The sun helped melt some of the 45 cms of snow we got...but still along way to go. Lots of broken trees with the heavy snow. Temps are decent during the day but cold at night so this stuff may stay. I will say phooey in pleasant company but off line I say worse!!!

JB--hope you have fun on your trip.

We will travel home for Thanksgiving. My sisters are all accomplished cooks so it doesn't matter where we eat as I know it will be good.

Your cycling picture made me jealous Missy--good for you tho. Get out while the getting good.

Hello NIRDIs Have a great long weekend, keep safe and healthy.

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

Austina, good idea to mix regular and sweet potatoes together. The only time I’ve tried sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving when it has the sugar and marshmallows on it and it was not my cup of tea. I know what you mean about interest rates. We get something like 1.5% in our checking but .10 in our savings account. I don’t trust myself to keep money in checking though because I’ll see “enough” there to buy earrings. Nice fire shot on Bella; very pretty. Good deal for getting out of Costco without leaving an arm and a leg behind. Yay for a refund on your paint.

Missy, I must give sweet potatoes a try. I was a very picky eater as a kid and one of the things I wouldn’t consider trying was cheesecake; I was certainly wrong there. I am enjoying my clean house. I do agree nails look better with some polish on them. My nails start splitting after wearing polish and my nails do get kind of yellowish. I tend to use light to medium colors because the look okay longer. I go through spells when I paint them all the time or not at all. I hate when the cloth snags on prongs after shining our beauties up. I use paper towels on rings that snag a lot. I have the Jewel Jet steam cleaner that I dig out now and then. I also started using a glass cleaning cloth that is kind of like silky polyester instead of microfiber. It seems to snag less. I am not working today and enjoying it thoroughly. Sadly I don’t get Columbus Day off. We only get the big holidays off (7 of them). I’m with you on a Klutz free fall. Woo hoo for 3153 miles and counting. Ssh we’ll keep our goals to our selves. Hi Greg! His feral kitty cottage is looking awesome. Greg’s candid shots are just focusing on the one that he loves. Sorry you woke up so early. We both sleep with ear plugs; it seems to help. Marty generally is pretty quiet but as soon as I take my earplugs out; he rolls over and starts snoring.

Tekate, too funny your DH says it’s okay seeing a 5 carat diamond is fine but wanting one is something else. Do you have a picture of your 3 stone ACA? I am sure I’ve seen it but of course more pictures are always welcome. I keep often hold my ACA studs up to my ACA solitaire and think “ooh”. Those potato dishes sounds great. I honestly will borrow a taste from Marty next time he has one. Maybe I’ll find a new healthy food to eat, eh? I was TOTALLY wrong about the almost 5% interest; it is 5% annually. I didn’t read the fine print. Darn. I wish it was that high. I knew it was too good to be true. I don’t get my employees view of life either. My mom and dad raised me to work hard and be respectful and responsible. Not everyone is like that though. That is too bad that lady doesn’t like living in Maine. Maybe finding friends like you guys will help change that for her. It can be hard to give up what you know. Sorry to hear yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of losing your sister. From my experience it never gets better or easier; you just get used to it. Hugs to you. Have fun at dinner. Marty won’t ride with me either; he always says he has to be drunk or he can’t take it. Pshaw! The friend who came over for lunch was born on April 1st. It’s fun to mess with her on her birthday.

Sharon, I am glad some of the snow melted. That is awful so many trees got damaged. One year we had 22” about this time of year. Marty was on a plane to come home and they closed DIA so the cancelled the flight. He didn’t get home for 3 days. Our place was completed snowed in both garage door and front door so I have to hire someone to come shovel we out. Such fun. That’s good your sisters are good cooks. There are 3 of us; one of us doesn’t cook. She is good a raw veggie trays though.

I got up at 6. Marty was getting ready to head to the airport so after he left I took my shower and headed out to do some shopping. The grocery store didn't have any cashiers yet; just self checkout. I had a full cart so I asked a guy stocking candy if there were any checkers available so he opened for me. I am a baby and hate self checkout; I want a discount if I have to wait on myself. A friend of mine came over for lunch; I ordered us pizza and we played cribbage. I may as well work on some laundry while I'm home. Marty is getting a new bar for his weights that I hope to catch the delivery man so he can carry it in the house for me. I may even wander in to a jewelry store or 5 today to look around.

BTW, as I mentioned above; I can’t read - that 4.88% interest is yearly not monthly. I didn’t read the fine print.

Have a fabulous day!

 

[MarionC]

Sharon, wow about the snow. It is not snowing here and my car has four doors. Need I say more?

Marcy, aren’t men weird? [what were you cutting with the knife?] Or haven’t you noticed.
Best if we don’t notice too much, right? Anyway, that made me laugh and I’m glad it was your polish and not your thumb.

Missy, the kitty hut is so cute and so well done. Please tell Greg how much we enjoyed seeing it and are looking forward to photos of kitties using it. Meanwhile, I get it about the ring cleaning. She looks beautiful, and I do like the halo so much, but sorry you are the one who has to deal with it. All I can say is...keep up the good work!

Catherine [the star formally known as “Kate”] You have your priorities right - handsome doctors ... who cares if they don't really do mcuh doctoring...but that is a good thing, right?
You are needing him less and less.

HI to everyone. Each time I feel guilty when trying to catch up,and not doing a good job because going back even a page is overwhelming.

I made an appointment to test drive a car yesterday, but when I got there I discovered it was an appointment to make an appointment to test drive a car. Fill out some paperwork and come back in a week. Ha. The French. Comedians. As with other large purchases I’ve made here, it is not about getting what you truly desire, it is about getting ANYTHING. I kid you not.
But we do have the house now. Here are a few random photos I took yesterday.
Kitchen to dining room, dining room, kitchen [ugh to those red tiles and ‘distressed’ new cabinets made to look old], stairs to 2nd floor next to my groundfloor bedroom.
I love the pale walls and floors.

 

[missy]

GM girls!!!

@canuk-gal glad your snow is melting somewhat and here's hoping it melts all the way. I am holding out hope for you that there are still some mild days in the autumn lineup for you so you can cycle some more before winter arrives in full force. The weather here has gone from warm to windy and cooler but we are going out soon and seeing how strong the winds are. Always stronger here at the shore but taking the canopy down today so we can fight the winds more easily. Thank you for sharing in my cycling joy! And sending lots of cycling wishes back at ya hoping with fingers crossed you enjoy cycling adventures very soon. Your Thanksgiving plans sound wonderful. Especially when there is yummy food and loved ones involved. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Though we host and it is a lot of work it is fun and I love when people enjoy themselves and enjoy yummy food.

@marcy thank you for the wonderful suggestion of the glass cleaning cloth. I think the microfiber is leaving little fibers on the diamonds somehow. Do you feel the jewel jet is a worthwhile purchase or do you think I can get the same mileage with the magnasonic Ultrasonic I just purchased with canned air to dry the diamonds? Sorry you aren't off for Columbus Day but glad you enjoyed being off yesterday. Pizza and Cribbage sound perfect for a fun day off. Did you get to go bling shopping too? Food and bling are the perfect combo...just what we got to do yesterday too. Thank you for all the compliments and Greg thanks you too. The feral kitty feeder is now in place woohoo!



Marcy hope you caught the delivery man to bring in that heavy piece of equipment for you. You're such a good wife. Hope Marty's seminar is going well. And good luck today at work.


@Jimmianne LOVE LOVE LOVE the house!!! It's so romantic and charming and French...Charmante et belle maison.
Congrats on a super purchase! @rainwood and I were talking about you yesterday. Were your ears burning? So happy and thrilled for you and your DD and her FI.

@Tekate how did your appointment go yesterday? Thinking of you and hoping you received good news! And I am also looking forward to November. (((Hugs))).

@Sandeek woohoo it's Friday and the weekend is almost here. Hoping you are feeling well and have a nice long holiday weekend ahead to enjoy.


We had a lovely time yesterday. Took the ferry in and hiked many miles through the city. My phone says we walked 9 miles yesterday. We met our dear friend @rainwood (who may be reading but not posting fyi and posting a photo of Elle with her permission) and Elle and Bubbalah met in person. How exciting that was and we had a delicious meal in Central Park and the weather cooperated wonderfully till we had to hike back to the ferry and it started pouring. I had my parasol so that worked out for me but poor Greg got soaked. And I got wet enough because it became windy but oh well. Just another fun adventure and we did not melt.

Bling photos were challenging to take yesterday as I don't like to draw attention to our big diamonds in Central park bwahaha. And so I did the best I could. Definitely does not do Elle or Bubbalah any justice. I will say the people photos came out much better but am not sharing any people photos of anyone but Greg and me here.

First up the requisite bling shots. (So sorry all the bling pics sort of suck big time....I did my best but with the light and the crowds I couldn't take the photos I would have liked to take...next time when we are in the privacy of our own homes/backyard. Will redo a bling photo shoot for all of you. Promise. OK without further ado...presenting Elle and Bubbalah's first meeting.

In a cab on the way to the restaurant.



At the restaurant.





and lastly a lovely photo by @rainwood of Greg and me.



Not to be a tease but I love the photos of @rainwood and me. Greg took some wonderful photos of us, thank you dh.

Lovely day with the most lovely people.

Speaking of lovely people wishing all you lovely people a wonderful Friday.

 

[missy]

OK will share one last pic...@rainwood is going to edit this one for us because the light made it sort of dark and fuzzy (and I don't know how to edit anything obviously as you can see by the length of my posts bawahaha). But will share this because the background scenery is so pretty.

 

[canuk-gal]

Sharon, wow about the snow. It is not snowing here and my car has four doors. Need I say more?

Marcy, aren’t men weird? [what were you cutting with the knife?] Or haven’t you noticed.
Best if we don’t notice too much, right? Anyway, that made me laugh and I’m glad it was your polish and not your thumb.

Missy, the kitty hut is so cute and so well done. Please tell Greg how much we enjoyed seeing it and are looking forward to photos of kitties using it. Meanwhile, I get it about the ring cleaning. She looks beautiful, and I do like the halo so much, but sorry you are the one who has to deal with it. All I can say is...keep up the good work!

Catherine [the star formally known as “Kate”] You have your priorities right - handsome doctors ... who cares if they don't really do mcuh doctoring...but that is a good thing, right?
You are needing him less and less.

HI to everyone. Each time I feel guilty when trying to catch up,and not doing a good job because going back even a page is overwhelming.

I made an appointment to test drive a car yesterday, but when I got there I discovered it was an appointment to make an appointment to test drive a car. Fill out some paperwork and come back in a week. Ha. The French. Comedians. As with other large purchases I’ve made here, it is not about getting what you truly desire, it is about getting ANYTHING. I kid you not.
But we do have the house now. Here are a few random photos I took yesterday.
Kitchen to dining room, dining room, kitchen [ugh to those red tiles and ‘distressed’ new cabinets made to look old], stairs to 2nd floor next to my groundfloor bedroom.
I love the pale walls and floors.

Gorgeous house! Like a cathedral!! Good luck on your car. lol Sounds like you need luck!

 

[canuk-gal]

Still have a lot of snow, not much melting. Now I hear another big storm is on its way... and will prevent us travelling home for TG. I want to cry.

 

[junebug17]

Hi Nirdis!

Missy, it's great the nice weather is allowing you and Greg to do some extra cycling. Such pretty pics of the sky and Bubbalah And the boardwalk really is such a lovely place to be. The kitty feeder looks fantastic! How great you, Greg, and rainwood had a lovely day together, and the bling pics are just amazing! Wonderful pics of you and Greg too.

Pierrebear, I'm so glad your piano has found a new home, and one where it will be loved and appreciated! Star Wars really is a good movie, it really captured everyone's imagination back in the day. I was really struck by Jackie Kennedy's strength, she somehow managed to carry on on that horrible day even though I'm sure she was in shock and very traumatized.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

@canuk-gal, I am so sorry you're getting so much snow already! Stay safe. I hope the weather improves enough for you to travel at Thanksgiving...I'm not giving up hope yet!

Marcy, lol to your employees ratting out their grandmothers! And too funny that Marty assumed you cut your thumb. Sounds like your negative Nelly outdid herself this week. Glad you had a nice day off and I hope you made it to at least one jewelry store! Sorry the savings account didn't pan out, it's good you thought to read the fine print!

Austina, what an amazing pic of your gorgeous Bella! It's wonderful that you are enjoying her so much. Very glad to hear you were able to return the unused paint, that's a help!

Tekate, how great that a former collegue lives so close to you! I'm glad you had a nice time getting together with her and her husband. I do feel for her though, and totally get that she really misses her kids. It's great you got together with your best friend and I'm glad it brought you some comfort at such a hard time. I am so very sorry for the loss of your sister, losing a close relative is just devastating. Have a great time going out to dinner with the hubs - and my dh gets pretty nervous when I drive too And...just sayin'...I'd love to see a pic of that 3 stone ACA ring Hope things went well at your cute doctor's appointment!

Jimmianne, what a picturesque, romantic, and quaint house! I wish you, your dd, and her fiance every happiness in this new home. Thank you for the pics, so fun to see homes in other countries. Oh no to having to make an appointment...to make an appointment! so interesting how things vary from country to country, and I hope you get to test drive that car soon!

We got to SC late last night, so today was a bit of a lost day, just ran to the store and went out for something to eat. Sat on the beach for a bit too, the weather here is sunny and very warm. A little cleaning is on the agenda for tomorrow, boo - but with dh and I doing it, it shouldn't take too long.

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

 

[missy]

GM girls! Happy Columbus Day weekend and Happy Thanksgiving! (((Hugs))) to @canuk-gal


@junebug17 glad you are back at the beach and your weather is sunny and warm. Hope tomorrow you and dh are able to easily clean up everything and just enjoy this Columbus Day weekend. Is sweet Zoe with you this trip?

@canuk-gal aww sweetie I am so sorry. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make the weather cooperate for you and I especially wish you could go home for your Thanksgiving holiday. Sending warm hugs and sunny vibes and hoping somehow you can still make it home for Thanksgiving. Bad weather go away and pretty please do not let that storm come to fruition!

Beautiful scenic snowy photo Sharon. Really lovely. Snow can be so inconvenient but it is quite beautiful at times.

@Sandeek just saying hey and thinking of you.

@Tekate how's your holiday weekend going? How did your appointment go? Hoping all is well in Catherine Land.

@marcy happy Columbus Day weekend. Sorry you don't have a long weekend but at least it's the weekend and 2 days ahead of no work and no negative employees. Here's hoping they leave you alone this weekend. Hope you have a nice quiet weekend.

We had a lovely cycling day (albeit windy) yesterday though now my left eyebrow remembered hey it's fall and decided to start acting up again. Last year it was this same time it started...late september/early october and right on schedule just last week and now in more full force. I keep telling myself ignore ignore ignore.
Today is overcast and windy but OK for cycling and it will be another no canopy cycling day to help with the wind.

Here's a fun photo I took as we were climbing the elevated part of the highway yesterday. Another pantascopic shot. Cool perspective.



and we saw more deer yesterday.



Have a wonderful Caturday Saturday girls. Thinking of all of you who need extra (((hugs))) and hoping it's a good day.

 

[junebug17]

Will be back later, but I didn’t realize this was thanksgiving weekend for @canuk-gal I’m sorry you couldn’t travel to see your family Sharon, and I hope you were able to enjoy the holiday.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Oh no @canuk-gal , I’m so sorry the weather has ruined your TG plans I hope the predicted storm doesn’t cause anymore problems there.

Glad you got to SC safely @junebug17 how lovely you’ve still got beach weather to enjoy. Have a lovely relaxing weekend.

What an interesting looking home @Jimmianne those thick walls should keep the heat in Thank goodness that’s all sorted out, now to get the car bought, then you’re all set to go. What’s the weather like there?

Aww phooey to not getting any extra time off @marcy. I hope your employees behave themselves by way of compensation. I tend to keep my nails polished all the time, as I’m not careful with my hands. I use gel polish, and will go bare for a couple of days now and then, when I drench my nails with oils to rehydrate them. At the moment, my nails are scarlet

Hi @Tekate , how’re things with you? I don’t know how to break it to you, but there’ll never be a time when I’ll tire of Bella After waiting 40 years for her, and never in a million years imagining I’d ever have anything soooo beautiful, you’ll have to get in the queue to prise her off my cold dead hand

Wow, the Kitty Cottage looks magnificent @missy, Greg is a really clever sausage constructing it, so much care and thought gone into the design. Loving the photos of the beautiful bling, and the beautiful couple. One of these days, we’re going to have to have a NIRDI blingfest. Can you imagine, you could see the sparkles from space ?

Yay to continued cycling weather, make the most of it while you can.

I had a lovely day yesterday, I had lunch with my former work colleague, and we watched her wedding DVD. She looked absolutely stunning.

It’s absolutely miserable here today, been raining from first thing, and isn’t about to stop any time soon. Colin & Dottie looked like drowned rats after their walk.

We’re going to a friends for dinner tonight, so no cooking for me

Have a lovely weekend

 

[Tekate]

@Austina SURELY! you jest dear girl?? I couldn't think of a better hand for Bella to live on.. she is a beauty... I love looking at people's DVDs of weddings.. I love weddings if I'm not paying Have fun with your friends tonight! I made chili yesterday so it's chili tonite! (again).

@canuk-gal Happy Thanksgiving Monday.. do you guys eat turkey or poutine! I love poutine and let me tell you my hips look like it, I could eat a 1000 butter tarts.. Canada, thank you for sticking the US - it's been hard!. Sorry about your weather, I have a friend in Minnesota and she had snow yesterday.. Here in Maine, high 60, overcast but we will hit 70 this week a few times EEEK. I would love to send some of that heat your way Sharon. I am so sorry your won't make it home for Thanksgiving, I understand about the weather, my sister when she was alive lived in Erie PA, eeekk, so much lake effect snow, sometimes they couldn't get out for holidays downstate, she was the only one with kids and we all missed them so much, so I feel your sadness. sending you a huge old lady HUG Sharon.

@missy hello! all is well in catherland! I like that. Doc said see you in 3 months, we will talk about implants then. Went out to dinner Thursday nite, had a delicious meat loaf and garlic mashed potatoes and John had salmon..we went to David's in Portland, if anyone is in Portland - this is a great restaurant, right in the middle of Monument Square in Portland. We watched a march against Kavanaugh, kids dressed up as ghouls (I hope it was kids).. it is always nice to feel part of a city! My nephew's son is due 'around' April 1, her first 3 kids were all C-sects so this will be too.. she is soooo fit..You know most of my news if not all have a good holiday Missy and Greg and kitties! talk soon on my plans. YOUR and RAINWOOD's rings, I'm dying but with joy, such beauty, as we all know, I love diamonds.. glad you had a great time with rainwood Central Park.. such memories, making out in Central Park with my boyfriend (now ex hubster) seeing J Geils Band, Dr Hook, drinking beer, walking around such great memories.. glad you went there yesterday and you look beautiful as always

@Jimmianne I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering about the weather in France.. Hope you are staying warm in your beautiful home, your pictures are so so etc so gorgeous.. wow wow, charming, classic, wow.. love the place!

@junebug17 have fun at your beach home.. glad the weather is cooperating! Junie thank you so much for you kind, and heartfelt words about me and my life and my friends, hard time of the year for me and my niece but we made it thru.. You are a gem Junebug truly. Thank you.

@marcy thank you Marcy, very much. My husband thinks I'm out of my league with you all, but I try to explain to him 1) I'm happy with what I have and 2) everyone here isn't here to show off but to SHARE.. I know I can never afford a 3 carat diamond, but I have what I have and I'm very happy with it, my 3 stone ring and my former 1.33 AVC made me super duper happy, I love the diamonds everyone has and I love more the kindness of all the people here. my husband is a good man, so I alway say and I say again, I was granted some great fairy dust in my life! Interest rates are going up Marcy and now that we are UNDER full employment expect inflation to set in a bit.. we shall see.

BBIB I have to go to the market with hubster have a great weekend EVERYONE and as I said BBIB. xo