Daily Ooos: July 23-24: Weekend Edition

[faerywings]

Happy weekend to all who celebrate!
hahaha!!! It feels like I need that disclaimer these days. I am so bored with my life right now, it is like every day is the same. Even with the next party coming up, it feels like I have been planning the same darn thing since April The good news is that Tom and Caitlyn want to do a lot of the party prep so I am not in charge. I am more of a sounding board.

The "good" news about the car: Of course, they didn't hear the noise even though Gary told them you could only hear it driving very slowly. They took the tires off, didn't see anything wrong, put the tires back on, and told us to pick it up. Gary didn't hear the noise anymore, so maybe something was just a bit loose and fixed itself.
Scott got a job offer at the Ecology Center!! It would be an excellent position, doing something that he would really enjoy. The money is decent but no benefits. Boo. The good/bad part depending on your POV is that it comes with housing on-site. A little cabin which would be perfect for him. Not for me!! I am not ready! I am going to be an awful empty-nester. Simply awful. I am happy for him but told him that if I seem off that changes are hard for me and I recognize how spoiled I am to have the 2 of them with me as long as I have. He hasn't accepted the job yet, he has a meeting with the person currently in the position to get some more info, and then he is going to talk to his boss at the County Park position to see if they can either match the salary or guarantee a promotion. I am honestly so happy for him that he has opportunities and options to do somehting he loves.
Caitlyn spent two hours on the phone with her boss yesterday doing prep for her job interview on Monday. That is for Women's Center/LGBTQ+ Services.
So many good things!

Caitlyn and I are off to the FP in a bit and I am going to get my hands in some dirt this afternoon. I tried to get outside yesterday but everything is so dry there wasn't much to do. I am also totally stuck on some scrapping, Might try to work on that as well. Again...

HAGD!

 

[faerywings]

@LSlycord good interview/call back vibes to you!!
Have you checked out ballotpedia.org? My kids told me about that site a few years ago and it is really helpful, especially for local races where you don't get the same amount of press coverage.

@BrightEyes I saw the photo of the headstone on FB, it is truly beautiful xo
How awesome to have so many plums, and that is a smart way to get them to ripen without the critters eating them before they do.
Sorry to hear that the umbrella/AC trick didn't work out, it would have been helpful if it did.
Hope that by the time you read this your computer is running perfectly and fast!

@taxed4ever My mojo is out the window too. I need to make a card for Tom's birthday today and I have no ideas whatsoever pfft
What a sweet dream to have about your dad, it must have been wonderful to "see" him <3

@tanteva Whew, very glad that Marten is doing better. Such a fantastic time with your friends, it is soul-reviving to be able to get together and catch up. And of course, calories don't count when you get together!

@bcgal00 Hope you and the pups were able to stay cool in the yard. Do they swim in your pool? J would not come inside yesterday, the silly dog with black fur wanted to lay in the driveway nonstop with the heat index almost at 100*
How is the back today?

@Cherylndesigns I am sooooo happy that you are feeling better today. Sometimes you just have to say I am not ok and let it roll through you. And seriously. who can be sad with Ava around, she wouldn't let you stay in a funk for long at all, would she? *G*

hugs!

 

[LSlycord]

Oh @faerywings, what? Both kids moving out about the same time! That would be really hard! But it does sound like a really cool job...it would be even cooler with benefits. Says the lady that doesn't have any. I got a call yesterday afternoon scheduling a second interview for August 3. The hiring manager is out of the office all next week so we are waiting for her to get back in the office. It sounds pretty promising right now.

Shaun is in some kind of funk and won't talk about it. It seems to have something to do with some girl that he kind of likes at work but I don't know what. Anyway, since both kids were home last night, we drug them out to supper last night. Used up the last of the gift cards. Shaun still didn't talk much.

Got a new hose which goes all around the pool deck. Talk about an easy fix...sometimes I just get so caught up in the weeds that I forget to look at the trees...very literally in this situation. I'm like you Chris...life seems pretty boring right now. The good news is that I still have thousands of photos that need to be scrapped. LOL

 

[LSlycord]

@BrightEyes it sounds like the tech guy was a good one! I'm so glad that you accomplished so much with him there. What a huge harvest of plums you have! Will you make anything special with them or just eat them fresh. I hear you on the cycles. We had a huge crop of lemons last year and this year I don't think we are going to get any. I'd prefer a happy medium every year. LOL

@taxed4ever I love that happy dream that you had with your dad. Thanks for sharing that. It made me feel good this morning. Missing parents is so, so hard. And not much longer until you are with your entire family. That is going to be so much joy!! And wow, the scenery is always so amazing to me on Virgin River. You need to check it out for sure...tell me if that is really how it looks!

@tanteva I'm glad that you were able to get out with friends. Sounds like a pretty wonderful ending to vacation time! And I am now done with Virgin River. I finished it last night...I binged it in three nights. I told myself that I wouldn't but of course I did!

@bcgal00 it sounds like a good time with Jen and the dogs! I'm sure that they loved playing in the water. Less than 3 weeks until cruise time right? That is going to be so wonderful!

@Cherylndesigns glad that things are going well for Steph. I'm sorry that you couldn't hop a plane but the plane situation is a mess right now and Covid is on the rise down here. Found out this week that there is NO protocol at all for students at UF where Syd is going and the students seem to be passing it around like crazy in the dorms. But the professors expect the kids in class, so there is no opportunity to keep from exposing each other. Ugh...

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, gals. We had a bit of rain late yesterday which cooled it down a little bit. Woke up to only 68*F so have the house open to air it out and cool it down. And the extra good news is I can see the mountain clearly... no smoke or ozone in the air!! And there are hot air balloons up every morning. Always brings a smile to the face to see them floating along. I am trying to get use to DH's computer and glad I have it so I can be on-line at the same time as I am using my old computer to copy files. Just have to remember which mouse/keyboard goes with which computer. Yes, I am already copying files... not sure how long it will take to finish them. I am winnowing down a bunch of files (not copying them) as I go.

@faerywings Thanks for the sweet words about the FB photo of DH's headstone. I was so happy to finally see a photo of it set in place. Congrats to Scott on the new job offer... hope his boss will make a few additions to his job so he could stay with them. Yes, you may ended up as empty-nesters with both kids gone about the same time. <<< hugs >>>

@LSlycord The 2nd interview sounds promising! Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it means you get the job. I will be sharing the plums with family and friends. I won't be able to reach the plums that are in the top branches so the birds will have some to feast on. LOL

@Cherylndesigns Hope you are feeling a bit better mood wise. <<< hugs >>>

@taxed4ever What a wonderful dream about your Dad. Getting close to time for the trip to be with the family... know you are excited and can hardly wait.

The coffee cup is empty and it is time to close the house up. Hope you all have a good weekend.

 

[tanteva]

Mårten has been puking again & now refuses to eat. Even the boiled cod. Doesn't seem to have any pain though. Yet. Gave him some nausea meds that we had left since last time he was sick. The vet will call in 3 hrs. Not that I know what good it will do. So hard to get an appointment to a vet in Sweden right now. It's a shortage of vets all over the country. (The vet that will call is a consultant vet that our pet insurance company provide via their app) Last time Mårten was sick, we had to drive 4 hr single way, and that was on a weekday. I'm having anxiety, debating with myself if I should take a tablet or not. I get so tired & mushy brained. Effing life!

 

[taxed4ever]

Good afternoon ladies... just popping in to say hello and then I am outside for the rest of the day. We are cleaning up the front facing of the decks so that when we get back home we can start on painting them. It never ends right?? Have been to the grocery store and got a few things. I didn't want to get too much as we will be leaving on Friday. It still cost $100 WTH?? It is just insane how much the price of food has risen! Dropped off the gift cards and handmade cards to SIL's three grands, they were thrilled!! I know that SIL Linda will have her hands full with three grandkids for the entire weekend, but they should have fun being up at the Lake and getting lots of swimming in. It is another warm and sunny day, so a great day to be at the beach! Ok I gotta go and get changed into my work clothes. Have a great weekend everyone!!

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good afternoon. I'm doing much better today - crawling back out of the hole. Asher's bd party was today - his bd isn't til the 25th but they decided to have his party today. I got to FT with him while he opened his present from us. He was SO excited - and funny! He was really wound up!

Chris @faerywings the empty nest syndrome is not going to be easy for you. Do you happen to have Karen Schulz's Empty Nest Kit? I just love it and it so full of positivity. Yes, it's hard to be down with Ava around. She's in Florida for a few days, but manages to text me and send pictures. She just sent me a text asking me if I was doing OK. She's THE sweetest thing. She'll only be gone til Tues. Adrienne and I went out to lunch and did a small amount of shopping.

Kay @BrightEyes I saw the beautiful headstone on FB, too. Very lovely. We have gotten some much needed rain here, too - we need more, but will take what we can get.

Linda @LSlycord sorry to hear that Shaun is not talking - has to be a girl. Poor guy, this is a rough time. Maybe he is thinking about Syd leaving? Yes, Steph says Covid is breaking out again - I hope Syd is extremely careful at school and carries hand sanitizer with her all the time.

Trudy @taxed4ever isn't it wonderful to wake up from a dream like that? I don't very often, but I just want to lay there and savor it. I know you're getting anxious to see your family!!

Eve @tanteva sorry your kitty is puking. Poor thing. Poor you. Hang in there.

Talk oater - I actually got one of the challenges done last night so I'm off to post that.

 

[bcgal00]

@faerywings Taz too likes to lay out in the heat, he will seek out the sunniest area and stretch out, panting and squinting, yet won't move from that spot to somewhere cooler. We don't let the dogs in the pool, it was be too dangerous if they got in without us around to watch them. They are not really into swimming so the deep water so it wouldn't thrill then once they got in and realized they couldn't stand up but I know they would keep trying, thinking hmmm...maybe now it isn't so deep? LOL There are so many wonderful things happening for your kids, I know the empty nester feeling will be awful for you but I know you know how great it is to have these great life opportunities come their way.

@taxed4ever Yes, food is just too darn pricey here now. I can't believe what we pay for essentials now. I am thankful for costco and superstore/independent where there are decent prices and sales.

Jen and I are back from shopping, turned out to be 5 hours instead of the hour or so I thought We had fun.

 

[faerywings]

hellO O-Fam

It looks like today might be the last of the 90+* weather. I hope so because I am stressing so much over the electric bill. At least we can turn the AC off at night and get a few hours of fresh air. I was out in the yard for a little over an hour yesterday and I was drenched. Too bad I couldn't wring myself out and water my dried-out flowers and plants. All that I did in the yard was cut back all of the dead leaves, and there were lots. I chatted with Tif. Apparently, Tif is a female toad (b/c of her size) and has been hanging out on the patio along with a ton of teeny toads every night. They sit under the porchlight and gobble up the bugs. If you haven't seen a toad or frog snag a bug out of the air with their tongue you are missing something cool. Tif has been hanging out in the planter that I placed the broken pot in and she's been underneath that and I keep adding water to the soil so she can stay hydrated.

Cait and I had a nice talk about her job interview tomorrow and why I have been feeling a little moody. I think a lot of it is that for 2 years, life was in limbo from Covid. Now that things are relatively back to normal (yeah, whatever that means! LOL), it is like I can't keep up with the changes all at once. She gets it and said that anytime I needed to talk that she was there.
She also said that Scott and Sam are functioning as a couple even if they haven't put a label on it. It is going to be --interesting-- (I am not sure if there is an actual word that applies here ha!) when they go camping this upcoming weekend.
Every year, the kids go camping -- it would be the 6 of them. Sam and Ian, Scott and Leah, Caitlyn and her now ex-boyfriend. Last year, Tom went with them and the people who run the place joked about the "new guy." We are wondering what in the world they will say when they see Scott and Sam but no losers attached to them. The other couple that is going with them is Scott's first GF from high school. So weird and funny.

Today is more of the same, I have to push myself to get some housework done, I have been leaving stuff all over the house which gives the rest of the family "permission" to do the same. Crap is shoved everywhere.
Tom's b-day was yesterday as he asked for Beyond Burgers and homemade vegan french fries for dinner.

Have fun and stay cool!

 

[faerywings]

@LSlycord I am hoping that they don't move out at the same time, Caitlyn says at least a year before she and Tom look for their own place. I wish that benefits would be part of every job- or that health insurance wasn't so darn expensive.
Yippppppeeee! Congrats and good luck with the next interview!!
Hugs to you and Shaun. It is so darn hard when they are obviously bummed about something and won't talk. Hope he feels better and/or opens up to you (obv want him to feel better but as I know that takes time, I hope he opens up to you in the meantime. Why I didn't say that in the first place, who knows?? )

@BrightEyes thank goodness for some rain! The sky must have looked brilliant - blue and filled with balloons, were you able to get any pics?
I am so happy that your computer/copying files are going so well.

@tanteva Oh no, poor baby. Any update on Marten??? I remember you guys having to make that long drive to the vet. It is astounding to me that you have such a shortage. I hope that he is better xoxo

@taxed4ever Didn't you guys just finish painting?? I swear, your Gary goes around the house, mucking things up, just so you have to clean it up again
I have decided to stick with shopping online, it is not as depressing as trying to do it in person. I feel like I have more control and am not as shocked when I check out. It's worth the $5 fee. It is utterly horrible how expensive it all is.

@Cherylndesigns Happy early B-day to Asher!! I haven't gotten that kit by Karen S but I love every kit that I do have of hers. I should keep that one in mind for "someday." Eep.
So glad that your family keeps you steady and that you do the same for them. Cici is da bomb

@bcgal00 Taz is too funny! Why do dogs do that? Do they have to be out in the heat?? Apparently, they do!
Very smart to keep the dogs away from the pool, just like if you have little kids...
It feels strange, I am soooo incredibly happy for my kids but my life is centered on them and I guess I feel a bit adrift IYKWIM?
Although, as I see that you and Jen spent hours together shopping and had fun the same with Cheryl and Adrienne, things don't necessarily have to be all that different.

love to you all

 

[LSlycord]

Good morning ladies. I've been up at 5:30 both days this weekend. Good grief...what's that about? Admittedly, I did get in two naps yesterday. I had a migraine...haven't had one in quite awhile. And bang...there she was...a full blown migraine. Sydney has been working the early street

But today I feel good. I've made homemade strawberry ice cream already today and feeling very well rested. Might actually accomplish something today. ;-)

@tanteva I hope that Marten is doing better today. It is so stressful when you have a sick fur baby. Especially with the kind of vet shortage you described.

@faerywings well that camping trip will certainly be interesting! I bet that they call themselves a couple on the return home. Team Sam! LOL Our electric bill is through the roof in the summer but it will go way down for the winter so I can't complain too much.

@BrightEyes hope the weather is still holding up for you. A nice morning, watching hot air balloons might distract me from my computer and files for a bit.

@Cherylndesigns so glad that you were able to FT with Asher. That will help you start to feel normal!

@bcgal00 our Newfypoo would swim all day if you would let her. The Sheepadoodle really doesn't like it that well. She can do it, but she gets nervous. Andie, on the other hand, I think could rescue a person.

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, all. It is a 'cooler' morning so opened the house up again a few minutes ago. Love feeling a soft cool breeze blowing through the windows. Still hitting over 100*F in the afternoon... so staying inside most of the time. DD#3 popped over yesterday afternoon. She was going to go to the pool but it was so crowded she decided to come for a visit. LOL... 6 hours later she headed home. She (and I) needed that long relaxing time together. With 4 adults and only 2 cars, she doesn't get to come down very often.

Before she arrived, I spent a lot of time crawling around under the desk. Needed to move the mouse USB from the front USB port to the back of DH's computer so I would have room to plug the the new ExHD in. Discovered that the speakers for that computer was unplugged because the wires were short. It came unplugged when I moved the tower over slightly. So spent time moving the speakers down onto the left corner of the desk... only to realize that they still weren't working! Long story short - I plugged it into the wrong spot. Then the mouse was cutting in and out so had to change the battery. It was still not tracking in precise moves so decided it was time to switch out the keyboard and mouse to the one on my computer that I am used to using. Yep... back down on hands and knees under the desk to reach my computer tower to unplug keyboard and mouse and the one on DH's tower. Both are wired keyboards. The good news is I got files copied onto the ExHD and it is now plugged into DH's computer. And I have PSE19 software on it!!! I still have a lot of files that I want to copy onto DVDs from my computer... as backup in case something happens with the HD. I used the arbitrary dates of 2020-2022 to select which files to copy to the HD which made it easier to select the files. But, I want to make sure I get all the files from the designers I work with saved so I still have work to do. I will slowly get back into a more "normal" scrapping routine now that the move to DH's computer is done.... finally.!!! I love having the larger/wider monitor and am glad to have switched the keyboard/mouse.

Coffee cup is empty and so is my tummy. Just realized that DD and I were so busy visiting, we forgot about supper. No wonder I am feeling empty! CYL

 

[LSlycord]

@BrightEyes your persistence with those computers is impressive. I'm sure I would have thrown those speakers in the trash!! I'm so glad that you had that nice visit with your daughter...sounds very relaxing and refreshing.

 

[tanteva]

We are still home. None of the vet clinics within driving distance can see us. All of them are full. Mårten has eaten ONE tiny food pellet today. We're feeding him small portions of water with a syringe (probably not the right word). We have this gel that you put on the ear to help with nausea. I do have some pain medication that I can give him if he starts hurting, but the vet I spoke to said if it's something else (IE he has swallowed something), that medication could do more harm than good. Mårten is a bit more slow and tired than usual. But basically he's his normal self. No puke for 11 hrs now. Tomorrow morning we can call our local vet, and they must damn well agree to meet us. I must go in to work, but Urban doesn't have to be at work until noon, so he will go to the vet.

Basically: FML

 

[faerywings]

Good thoughts to Marten xoxoxo

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning ladies. Had a full day of shopping with Jen yesterday. I have never spent so much time and money buying underclothes LOL. We had so much fun together. I ended up with 3 pairs of shoes, socks, underwear, bras and then the last store La Vie En Rose had really cute jammies that said "take me to the ocean" so of course we had to buy the pajama tees and night gown. Everything we bought is super comfy.

Finally got the cruise app to work on my phone. For some reason the cruise line wasn't bringing up our cruise when I signed in. D and J had no trouble getting into their accts on their phones. I had to call them and whatever was wrong they fixed. So we did the pre-check in and loaded all the info they need i.e. passport, medical, etc. The only thing left is our covid test 2 days prior that we need to show for boarding. I ordered small sling backpacks for me and Jen. It's a small birthday gift we can give her along with the personalized travel cup we got made for her. Got D birthday gifts for the cruise (they are the 29th and 30th).

Today I'll stay home, get some chores done and have a pool/hot tub afternoon and then binge a few more shows of Joe and Carol tonight.

@faerywings I love your frog stories. As for empty nester, you will be fine. You are such a close knit family that no matter what you will all be very involved with each other. Change is always weird at first but then you settle in and find your groove. I'm sending positive vibes and lots of good thoughts to C for tomorrow.

@LSlycord I've never had a true water dog who swam a lot. Bella might be the one to really love it but Remi is still young (a few months behind Bella so maybe she'll catch up and start to feel confident swimming, not touching the bottom).

@BrightEyes I cringe with all the computer woes. I can relate to all of it.

@tanteva I hope that Marten is now recovering from whatever happened. Hopefully the appetite will pick up now.

I'm getting more coffee and am going to start looking at cruise excursions and get a few booked today. That should be fun.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good afternoon all,

Nothing too exciting today - Ava has texted me a few times and sent more pictures. I really do miss FL except for the summer humidity. Alyssa flew with Ava and her bf and Braden and Hayden leave at 1 today. Roger also heads back to his "real job" in Boca.

The pool installation is moving along. They hope to be able to pour the gunite this week. That's like concrete, but special made for freezing and thawing.

Chris @faerywings glad you and Cait had a good talk. Yes, we all keep each other in line here. LOL You really need to get that kit by Karen - Empty Nesters - I said Nest, but you knew what I meant. It's very comforting.

Kay @BrightEyes be careful crawling around under your desk. Remember what happened to me - under my desk. Glad you're "mission" is nearing an end - you've worked so hard.

Linda @LSlycord yes, FTing with Asher made me feel a whole lot better. What made me feel even better was that he was having SO much fun and was so excited! Hope Shaun is feeling better today.

I'm still on a mission to get things organized. I found my plastic bag of ribbon just a minute ago! I've been looking for them all week. I told Chuck if I can't find something, it's time to clean. LOL Works every time.

Happy Sunday everybody.