Aiming for the GHGs (Official)

[gadgetgirlil]

Happy Summer Solstice!

My brain started swirling at 2:30am and just would not stop. I did have to be up a bit earlier today as I have an oil change at 7:30am and I want to get to the gym first. But 2:30am was about 2 hours earlier than necessary. Guess I'm practicing for Colorado when we need to be up and at the trailheads by 3:30am ///

Had a nice walk with my friend yesterday. We did 5.5 miles. There were a LOT of people out on the trails and a whole swarm of them endlessly climbing up and down the stairs where there used to be a toboggan slide. It is a popular place to train for stair climbing but in the full sun with the temps well in the 80s??? NOPE None of them looked happy. We had shade for about 95% of our walk so that helped. Bugs weren't too bad. Cicadas still around but not too noisy. They get really noisy in the afternoon heat.

Got a shower and then met my dissertation adviser for lunch. It was great to get caught up with her! Then I spent what was left of the afternoon studying maps for Colorado as I wanted to figure out where the trails are in relation to where we are staying. Lots of texting with my cousin as we are both pretty excited about our upcoming adventure.

Have a great day!

[pepper]

Good morning!

gadgetgirlil and Cyn, my Astros have been in Chicago this week with the cicadas. (We don’t have them here.) The announcer said he played golf yesterday and they were everywhere. A couple of them got on his shirt. Ick. In happier news, there were lots of butterflies. They had a shot of two umpires talking and there was a butterfly sitting on one guy’s head. There was another sitting on a batter’s helmet.

Some of my woodworking stuff came early enough to play with yesterday. I was using an old desk as a work table, and I discovered that it isn’t nearly sturdy enough. I need to do something about that. Tonight I have a class where we use a lathe to make a pen. I don’t care about the pen, but I have to have some wood turning experience before I can take the class where we turn a bowl with an attached pedestal.

I’m feeling very down today. It’s odd how I get SAD in the summer., but it kind of makes sense. It’s too miserable to get out and about. The work project I’ve got to focus on is tedious, detailed, and important. I need a brain transplant if I’m going to get it done.

Have a great day!

[V]

Morning.

Yesterday was a slog for me, but I made it through. I got home and MG babied me: naps, he went grocery shopping, put it all away, and then made supper for me. I finished the last glass of a peach wine and another opened bottle of raspberry apple. Then I went to bed and slept like the dead. I could have slept another 8 hours the way I feel. But at least work this morning is quiet for now.

SIL came down to see MamaV for herself and bring them supper. She was up and doing more than when I had seen her Tuesday. I would venture a guess that by the time I go to check on her today, she'll be puttering around as if nothing was wrong. At least that crisis is on a low simmer now.

The weather is still wonky. Fog this morning and heat warnings for the rest of the week. The air is so thick it feels like swimming. That doesn't bode well for finishing the eave or getting out for a run. We have a charity 5k on Saturday that none of us are prepared for. Sunday evening we're heading to the winery to catch up now that the girls are back home.

ETA I also got a price back from the deck guy. He said that his original estimate plus about $2-4k for higher material cost still stands- $2k for wood decking, closer to 4 or 5k for Trex (which I will probably go with). He had been about $4k cheaper than the other guy last fall, so this is entirely acceptable and in line with other contractors. I meet with him this weekend to firm up the schedule and seal the deal. All told, under $16k for the deck and railings (front and back) while having it by the end of next month! 

[Cyn]

Heading out shortly for my 3rd try at donating platelets. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to just giving whole blood again.

I'm back up a bit on today's WI, mostly because of the heat and because I had this amazing personal pan pizza for lunch yesterday. Delicious, but ooof.

I did get an early walk in yesterday am, and E and I walked both ways to the restaurant.

I got my lovely, brand new A/C installed yesterday-squeeeeee!

TTFN.

[sherrydorlando2]

morning ladies:
Rain and more rain again yesterday. I got my laundry done and not much else. Today has no big plans. My world is now on a even keel as cherries are finally under $2 per pound! I love this short time of year. It is hard to believe today is first day of Summer and it will get hotter....

[newmoose]

Good morning from my last morning in Portland!

We are headed over to eat brunch with our kids and then a looooooooooooooooooooooong drive to Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The car buying took much longer than we expected, so none of the things we wanted to do otherwise got done. We did go eat Korean barbeque and played some pinball. It was a great day after all.

I had better get going so that we can get going.

I hope you all have a great day!

[gadgetgirlil]

TGIF!!

Although it seems like my practicing for retirement this summer is making all the days seem pretty similar. I will be on campus today as I have things to wrap up before I'm out of town for nearly 2 weeks.

Oil change took longer than usual as the dealership was really busy. Glad my appointment was at 7:30am as I got my car around 9:15am. Ran some more errands and then went over to the arboretum to talk with a young man in their development group. The arboretum has a new president so this young man is tasked with talking with long-time members (we have been members for over 30 years!) to get their impressions. We talked about all sorts of things as he grew up in Wyoming. It was fun to think back to all the ways that we have engaged with the arboretum over the years. In 2005, I made a large donation to have my dad's name put on a tree. When I had checked the tree sometime in the last few years, the memorial tags were gone. I mentioned this and it turned out that unless the tree dies, the memorial tags stay on it forever. Apparently squirrels have been enjoying taking tags off of the trees. They will get the tags replaced. They have changed the way they do the tags so now I can have up to 5 lines of text. I now have a homework project to come up with a simple, yet meaningful, inscription for his tree! They will also make a duplicate set of tags for me to keep. I also talked with him about volunteering and he sent me the list of all the possible options. There are a couple I didn't know about. Apparently they have a waitlist for volunteers so early next year I will get the application process going.

I finally figured out how the maps for Ohio work. The Ice Age Trail map sets go from west to east. The Ohio maps go from east to west. They aren't marked like the IAT maps to tell you which is the next in the set. So I now have written on them so I know what order the 3 double-sided maps should be used. I also got a book about the trails in Hocking Hills and found that there is a quiet set of trails in a state natural area to explore. It requires a permit (free) so I put in my application as they require 14 day notice. Thus, I hope to explore that set of trails on July 4th before I drive home.

Tomorrow is my long bike ride. I don't want to look at the temperatures.

Have a great day!

[pepper]

Howdy!

The wood working class (using a wood lathe, a band saw, and a drill press to make a pen) last night was a ton of fun, but went an hour and a half (!!!) over the scheduled time. It was supposed to end at 8:30 but it was 10 when we left and 10:30 when I got home. That is way past my bedtime. It was filled with activity and info, though, so I think they need to reconsider how they schedule it. In fairness, there are two types of pens, a simple one and a more complex one, and we all chose the more complex one. It was fun and I’m glad I went.

I don’t have any plans for the weekend other than maybe pulling things out of the garden to prep for fall planting. It’s that time of year here.

Have a great day!

[sherrydorlando2]

Good Morning Ladies"
We had a quick walk this am before the rain starts. Much cooler. Yesterday was a stop at Publix for BOGO's on the way home from NOT picking up DGD for her to do laundry. I think I mentioned they had spent 4 days with the Chicago cousin, aunt and uncle. As I was about 5 min from getting her she called to caution me that the aunt checked positive for Covid that am and DGD didn't want me to be exposed. She did ask if she could leave her laundry on the porch and me do it....I said no thanks..that laundry has been exposed to all of you covid folk. I had it twice and that was twice too many times. So, I wasted the day with TV, book, puzzles, shopping and casinos on line. Today is up for grabs, but I will def do at least a few productive things.....probably....

[newmoose]

Good morning from Twin Falls, Idaho!

Yesterday was so long, but it was worth the later time getting to our motel to spend more time with the kids.

Today we move on the Cheyenne, Wyoming, another long day. After today things should work out for us to enjoy our destinations.

I hope you all have a great day!

[gadgetgirlil]

Greetings!

It is 3:30am and only has dropped down to 78 degrees. BLECH. Colorado mountains are going to feel so good if I survive the next 6 weeks of our oppressive heat and humidity.

I'm up early to start the big ride just as soon as they let us. It is a 90+ minute drive out to Princeton (west of LaSalle/Peru for folks familiar with Illinois).

Have a great day!

Regina

[pepper]

Howdy!

newmoose, our fall growing season is pretty nice. Tomatoes do better then. Lots of people at the community garden had tomatoes well into January.

My thumb is fine. I cut it at the very end of class while putting the tools away. Those long tools used to shape wood on the lathe? Some of them have tiny little blades that are crazy sharp. Follow me for more obvious woodworking tips. 😁

I bit the bullet yesterday and registered for a 7 week Fundamentals of Woodworking class at Austin School of Furniture. I was hesitant because it is from 6:00 to 10:00 every Tuesday and I like to be in bed earlier than that. Then I realized what a lame excuse that was and how much fun woodworking is and signed up. It starts July 23. I’m excited about it!

I had to fire the CEO’s daughter yesterday. Bleh. He was on board with it and it was long overdue. Her heart just wasn’t in it and it was affecting the people and work in my division. She is a prime example of a very smart, capable person being in a job that didn’t suit them. She was bored and unhappy and life is too short for that. Now BossMan can go back to being her dad, which she really needs at her age. (I wouldn’t return to my mid-20s for all the tea in China.)

I have no real plans today. I might try to find a used workbench. The old desk I attempted to use is nowhere near sturdy enough.

Have a great day!

[sherrydorlando2]

Good Morning Ladies:
Most of yesterday was storms off and on (the dogs will not touch wet grass--remember). I was proud of all the housework I got done. Today is a tea with the Brigerton theme and I have a dress that looks surprisingly like their daytime cottons. Several of us going. Maybe we will have a pic.

[newmoose]

Good morning from Cheyenne, Wyoming! I think my favorite state to travel through is Wyoming. I love the landscape. That said, I am ready to drive through Nebraska on my way to home.

I hope you all have a great day!

[gadgetgirlil]

Greetings!

Big storms rolled through last night. We needed the rain. Temps are more normal today but will climb right back up for all my hiking in Ohio.

The bike ride was nice except for the heat and any sections that went south or west thanks to the winds that really started to pick up around 8am. I have no regrets about cutting the ride short and only doing 61 miles. I like how they do their routes as it makes it easy to change to a short return trip back to the starting point if you realize that it isn't going to be the ride you hoped for thanks to weather conditions. Always lovely to be out on quiet country roads!

Today will be lots of errands and organizing stuff for my trip. More of the same tomorrow and then I will depart super early on Tuesday.

Have a great day!

[V]

Morning.

I am sad that I have missed Moose and DH on the way through Lincoln yesterday. I had a 5k in the morning and the heat just zapped me.

That means that I STILL have not finished painting the last part of the eave this weekend. BUT!!!! The deck guy showed up. There is a contract in place. There is a check in his pocket for materials. And he should be delivering them this afternoon to start with the tear down tomorrow!!!! Actual price just over $16k (still in line with pricing and area labor costs), but it does not cover the extra railing or the cement pad. Those will be separate projects for after the major deck replacement is done.

However, the dumbass kid showed up at my liberal, pro-union house wearing a shirt poking fun at Biden with an expletive on it. MG saw it and was ready to show him the door. He has a short temper and a shorter fuse about both the political aspect and the language. No matter who we hire, they will not share our liberal bent in this area. The other guy that bid had a Trump sticker on the bumper. This kid had business t shirts last year and so I had a glimmer of hope until I saw his friend's confederate flag tattoo while they were measuring. I sent him a note after he left Friday to please refrain from wearing political shirts while working on our property. When he brought the contract to me he apologized and had put on a business t. The funny part was that he was apologizing to me not realizing that the offended party that held the 5-figure retainer check in the balance was MG. I can say that if he had responded negatively to my request, I would have gone elsewhere.

So, after work the plan is to move all the patio/deck furniture littering my back yard and then get together with YF & CSO for a MUCH-NEEDED trip to the winery. We are all missing each other so much after the last couple of weeks. YF, just back from her DH's Grandmother's funeral and the long road trip to Washington state, is experiencing some sore feelings about a couple of local fundraisers. The guy who has his finger in all the groups orchestrating the planning of several committees and fetes was rather rude to her about her involvement and vague about her area of responsibility. It came to a head last night and she is frustrated and sad. CSO was going to get an A/C unit in the bistro kitchen, but it turned out that the unit they were going to install didn't work for their purpose. She is just back from a SheepDog PTSD camp that she goes to regularly. That was relaxing, but being away that long from her grandkids, bistro, and home take a toll. We got together with G yesterday for the aforementioned 5k and realized how poorly acclimated and out of shape we are. Well, G whipped us all and went an additional 5k to fulfill her training program. But the rest of us were shot. The heat got up to mid 90's yesterday and everyone just ended up taking naps afterward.

And now I want a nap after just relaying all of that here.

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday!

[sherrydorlando2]

Good Morning:
Yesterday was showers a few times again. The tea was fun. Trivia contests, etc and I won one. Today is a few errands in town (pick up meds and gas and couple groceries). I was up almost all night long with an upset tummy...my grandma called it The Quick Step. I hope that is all done. A nap will def be in the mix.
Hope you all get to do what you want today!!

[pepper]

Howdy!

There’s an article in my local paper today about how extreme heat adds to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, motivation, trouble getting going, etc. I feel seen. Their solution was to stay in the air conditioning. Duh. But heaven help you if your main form of stress relief and getting grounded involves being outside. Summer sucks.

I need the flowers I got Mom for her birthday to die. Being in the same room with them for very long gives me a raging headache. It’s not as bad when I’m at work during the day, but weekends . . .

I’m a ray of sunshine today, eh?

Have a good day!

[newmoose]

Good morning from Lincoln, NE!

We got here later than planned due to lots of road construction. We had built that time in, but it made it very difficult for us to make plans with V and MG.

Today we head to Columbia, MO. It's another "easy" day. I hope we are lucky enough to find the kind of dog friendly places that we found here in Lincoln. Lincoln has been the best.

I hope you all have a great day!

[pepper]

Howdy!

Yesterday was a relaxing, somewhat boring day. I cleared a lot of no-longer-producing plants from my garden and trimmed back the remaining ones so they don’t need so much water. It’s a precious resource here this time of year. Trimming back the over 6’ tall tomato plants that will allegedly start producing again in the fall should allow the squash and cucumbers more light and air. I found a 2 pound cucumber under there!

This is going to be hell week at work. I’ve got a big annual report due on June 30 that I need Bossman to sign on Friday. Since June 30 is on Sunday, I need to check to see if the deadline is on Monday. Fingers crossed that it is. I still want to finish by Friday, though, because I want it out of my head.

Have a great day!

[gadgetgirlil]

Greetings!

Less than 24 hours and I will be headed east to Ohio! I have several piles of clothing and gear that need to get organized and packed as I check things off my list.

Yesterday's weather was much more pleasant than Saturday's. I took a quick drive over to the arboretum to double-check where my father's tree is. I don't remember exactly which one of the firs in the clump it is, but I know that I have the right location. I'm sending over the information for the memorial tag today. It will feel good to get this resolved. Speaking of things to get resolved, my claim status for that $50 is back to "in line for review". That means they got the fax from the brokerage firm. I doubt I will hear anything further until July as I feel like they have one person who works 1/2 day a week working on these claims. But at least the ball is in their court again.

Have a great day!

[V]

Morning.

Yesterday was nice once work ended. The work itself wasn't even terrible. I got home and immediately moved all the deck/lawn furniture out of the area with the help of YMV. Then showered and headed to meet YF. YF & DH, CSO & DH, and I went to Manhattan to the winery and then out to eat. 'Twas a lovely evening with the group and we hadn't been able to do anything like that for weeks. I feel like I gained 5# overnight, but that is the risk I'm willing to take. We all needed it so much.

As I was arriving home, the deck guy pulled in the driveway with his trailer of materials. MG was a little miffed as he didn't realize the guy would arrive so late (930), but I had an inkling based on our previous conversations that it would be at least dusk. MG just hadn't gotten that memo. MG had stayed home to install fencing that would allow access to the back yard while preserving the integrity of the fence for Ripley. This morning, I noticed that MG had lowered the blinds to the deck so that Ripley might be able to make it through the day without losing her mind over the guy in our back yard threatening her family. *fingers crossed* He should get started tearing off the deck this morning.

IT"S HAPPENING!!! SQUEEEEEE!

[Cyn]

Hi,
Got a 30-day tracking streak still going.
Sticking to the plan: work in progress.
Found a cool looking salad recipe-somebody kindly posted it for me on the Friday Night Roll Call thread. I will report back.
Cooler weather has meant being able to get back outside and walkabout,yay!
Still no cicadas here. Given all I've been reading about how bad it is for birds to feed them to nestlings-lack of Vitamin A so they develop serious eye problems-has me hoping they'll stay away until the end of nesting season.

[newmoose]

Good morning from Columbia, MO!

We found a couple of nice places to take the dogs out for a bit. It was so hot that it was important to get some place in the shade. There was also a bar that had on soccer. The bartender said they weren't technically dog-friendly, but since they weren't busy, and if my dogs were well behaved, we could bring them in. My dogs are the best and we got to sit inside until nearly dark.

Dinner was a slice of pizza and a salad at a place called Shakespeare's Pizza. It was delicious and a really quirky place.

Today we are stopping St. Louis to deliver something to a friend. Then, on to Louisville for our last night on the road.

I hope you all have a great day!

[sherrydorlando2]

Good Morning Ladies:
Hope all are well. Yesterday got several things done that I wanted--yay. Picked up meds, BOGO's, gas then groceries at Aldi. All plants watered and fertilized, and sheets changed. Had DD and DGS13 over for dinner. Ate very little. Scale is still not moving. It has been a bit cooler most days due to all of the rain and clouds and wind. I see a good chance for more of it today. I don't care what it does as long as it is keeping temp down...
Sorry it is Monday.