20th August

[Pie]

Hi friends,

I don't see a new week's thread yet, so here goes.

[Pie]

Re: 20th August

Our weather forecast needs only four words to be complete: No relief in sight. Have switched my community watering focus to trying to save trees. Every morning I set 4 hoses to trickle water for about an hour on reachable trees. Also, our many Crape Myrtles put out babies that would normally get mowed over, but putting some garden fencing around those allows them to grow. I like to think that there are many other people around the globe showing kindness to our environment, and that our combined efforts make a difference. Worth a try anyway.

Have been working a highly entertaining jigsaw puzzle that I can't wait to share with my neighbor. Pieland is mighty quiet these days. Will pop back in to post if I think of something more to report.

[Mick]

Re: 20th August

hiya pie ,you are the first ...how are you doing today then? hope all is well with you didnt know you were into jigsaws have fun with it . ...hows the doggy fostering going ?thanks for starting the post off..I dont know whats happening with it ...well thats it ...the country is in mourning now ...Englands ladies team lost the world cup to Spain ..strange how some things are more important than others ...oh well.
been working on the fireplace most of the weekend ,wasnt too happy with the oak beam,but I managed to find an old pine one ..I stripped the fireplace down and rebuilt it to suit ...sanded it ...still got some to do .but it will be a closer match pine to pine ..the beam still has rectangular nail holes in it .

Screenshot_20230820_142726_Gallery.jpg

Ive got some ideas to distress the fireplace ,and then wax it all up ...no varnish ...wax and elbow grease...Its just started chucking it down and the nutty rabbit wont come in ...She is in ..he is playing ...Argh....soaked ..he thought itv was funny to run around in the rain..

hiya Lav how are you doing ? hope all is well.I got another 6 tomatoes off this morning ..some weird ones but tasty .Also my roses are in their second bloom. .

big hiya to everyone ...Im going to get changed !!!!

[Pie]

Re: 20th August

That wood surrounding your fireplace is stunning, Mick! It?s hard to beat the natural beauty of wood and stone. Jigsaw puzzles aren?t my first love, but I do enjoy them, and they?re great for filling the time between projects.

[porqoui]

Re: 20th August

MAE ALL...tried posting on Friday but it wouldn't take. After 3 attempts I gave up. It was friggin cold on Friday. 7C/44F overcast and looked like it was going to snow. Yesterday was my running around day and I managed to get my hair cut. YAY Not up to much today, laundry, cleaning, etc.

Pi...I like doing jigsaws but don't have the room now. I just can't do them on the computer, not the same.

Mick...I like the pine, it looks great. Of course he's out running around in the rain. Haha

Will catch up with everyone else tomorrow. Dying my hair and it's time to rinse. Have a good night all...:smile:PPQP

[Lavande]

Re: 20th August

Happy Sunday everyone

Thanks for the start up Pie. I love the idea of saving your trees & myrtles in this relentless heat. I just did a little watering myself on some new myrtles we planted recently. I love puzzles but have a hard time sitting in one place too long (can you say ADHD?) haha!

Mick, your fireplace is going to look gorgeous, good job!!
I hope sir bunny decided to come inside & get dried off. I heard about the ladies losing the world cup on the news last night, sorry.
It’s gotten to the point we’re just tearing things out of the garden & giving it to the chickens. YB likes to garden but we can’t possibly eat it all. The chickens love tomatoes

PQ, you really did get a cold snap, wow! We’re supposed to hit 93 tomorrow with extra humidity, yuck. This summer needs to go away soon haha.
Congrats on the haircut & I hope your new color turned out nice.

Hello to Cyn, Slo & everyone popping by later.
Have a nice night all!

Lav

[Slo]

Re: 20th August

MAE,

I didn’t post on Saturday because Mick and Lav’s posts wouldn’t load onto the thread. Finally when Lav posted again, then they appeared.

Young Daughter & I drove home today from our visit with D3 & her HB & baby Andy. With no construction workers on the highways and no rush hour traffic, we made it home in about 5 1/2 hours. That was better! Now she will be going off back to college this week, so I’m glad I had this extra time with my baby.
The trip was a good antidote for my loneliness of late.

Lav, I have two adaptive cushions in my car seat from my Gokhale Movement & Posture class, to help my older & damaged body withstand long car rides.

Boyd is home from the pet hotel, and is so happy to be back out on his balcony.

Pie, I can see where jigsaw puzzles are an effective substitute for drinking; something to keep you relaxed and in flow.
A couple of my neighbors have mentioned leaving a hose to trickle by a tree to water it…that was new to me.

The mantle is looking really good, Mick. I like it even better than the old one so far.

I got in for my cut n’ color last week, PQ. Finally!

Wishing you all a good new week.

[treegirl]

Re: 20th August

Mae all -

Thanks for the startup Pie, and good work on keeping the trees alive... yes, the "trickle" watering really works, so glad you are able to do that.

Mick, I'll look at the pics after I post (so I don't lose everything!) but your plan for the mantle sounds wonderful. Hope the mr. rabbit got dry eventually!

Lav, who knew chickens like tomatoes? Nice that you have a place to give the extras from the garden . Yes, the Maui tragedy would be hard to summarize in a piece of art - good luck with that! And how did I miss out on the Ukraine bags? Don't remember that... and BTW did I ever pay you for the dish towels? (My niece was so happily surprised! Thx!)

SLO - glad you had a good trip, but sorry about the Chicago portion... I've been in that mess once or twice... terrible! (And the construction never ends!)

PPQ - sounds like the drama is abating a little? Hope so - you are cold and we are hot. The next few days will be in the 90s, and Wednesday is due to be 104 F... what the heck is going on? Dear me...

Sorry if I have been in and out of the thread... I seem to get lost in time these days and can't really tell one day from the next, unless there's a special thing going on. I will start back up with my elder tomorrow, so that may help regulate my sense of time. I MUST finish my taxes tomorrow... but I"m having to take things in small bits... I work for a while then all of a sudden all the pieces of paper and numbers seem incomprehensible to me... so I'm not charging ahead with that. Being self-employed, the Return is more complicated than a normal working person... but I did interview at Trader Joe's (which is across the street). I would love to have a paycheck, with taxes already taken out, no estimating my taxes easier tax return, all of it. Just part-time, since my Social Security pays the bills, but not much more. I would love to have a little more income, and I should probably be with other people more than I am... isolation isn't good for me.

And... I'm sorry to disagree on the subject of vaccines, but just for another viewpoint... I am thankful that I got mine last fall - I think without it, I would definitely have ended up in the hospital when I got sick in February, and that would have been a whole other "ball of wax". Anything to reduce the chance of getting this virus again... it is so tricky, and can damage so many parts of us. I keep wondering how my husband would have fared if there had been a vaccine in the early months of COVID... it definitely saved a lot of lives after it became available.

Well, off to bed... I hope all are having a good evening/morning wherever you are. Wishing everyone safe weather -- Cheers,
TG

[treegirl]

Re: 20th August

PS - Gorgeous mantle, Mick! And those lanterns, wow!

[Pie]

Re: 20th August

A little more income from a part time paycheck would suit me as well, TG. I could see enjoying the environment at a Trader Joe?s, especially one so near to where you live. For similar reasons I have an alert set up for job openings at Ikea.

Raising my hand to join the ?time for hair color refresh? group. Maybe this week?

Marvelous to hear your garden is so successful, Lav. Lucky chickens to get the leftovers.

You certainly stay active with family, Slo. Good for you!

Feeling comfortable with 4th month of alcohol freedom. Being free from the shame of it all maybe tops my list of benefits. Being able to come and go as I please is pretty sweet as well.

[NoSugar]

Re: 20th August

Appreciating the freedom is key in my opinion, Pie. It is great to hear you feel that way. When things are good, I think about how they would be lessened if I were drinking and when things are tough, I think about how they would be worse and I wouldn't be able to cope if I hadn't gotten that millstone off my neck. There is a box of wine here that the previous renters apparently left behind. I love how stupid and unappealing it looks to me. I bet it tastes GROSS - cheap in the first place and who knows how old it is!!

Your description of what you're dealing with, TG, sure sounds like the posts I see on twitter from people with long covid. I'm so sorry that is happening to you. I hope this new doctor has some good ideas. It is great that you've found someone who takes you seriously.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, SLO. Grandkids are great but my husband and I are enjoying the quiet that began yesterday afternoon. We even watched a show last night on Apple+ - Hijack. The first 2 episodes were really good.

The midwest is under a 'heat dome' this week so I think we're going to lose the moderate temps we've been having. But, it still will be several degrees cooler than at home so I guess that's a win. Your weather whiplash is really something, PQ! Hope you get something in the middle soon.

I love your fireplace, Mick. It is so cool that you can do things like that.

I bet Wags is on the trip she and her wife had planned for August. Hope she's having fun and RELAXING!!

[NoSugar]

Re: 20th August

Well, something is up. I just posted and it shows up under Latest Forum Posts but it isn't here. Hope it appears eventually. NS

[Mick]

Re: 20th August

hiya all,how are we doing today then? hope all is well. Ive been working on the fire surround again today ....almost finished ,Ive got to chase new brackets into the wall ,and wax polish it ...then job done ..I spent most of the morning sanding the !fiddly bits ,and distressing the pine carcass to match the top ..it came up pretty good as a match ..believe it or not its kind of difficult making new look like old .Ive also got my next project lined up ...a pelmet rail to take back and also a. television cabinet .

hiya pie ...congrats on the 4 months .one of the things I enjoy about not boozing is the fact I can do as I wish driving wise ...no more am I over the limit thoughts /panics ,and as you say the freedom it gives .Ill pass on the hair colour gang !!

hiya teegee ,how are you doing ? hope all is well.how did you get on with your elder today?Those brass lamps were my dads ...one is dated 1941 ,the other 42,they came off ships that he served on ..he did 30 odd years in the Royal Navy ending up as Fleet Chief Petty Officer .the highest non commissioned rank there is .Strangely enough they said he wasnt officer material..hmm I wonder why..Im pretty satisfied the way the surround is turning out .
As for the vaccines ,I agree that they saved millions of lives ...what I am saying is that one particular one, was the cause of several actions /reactions in people ,and that has been identified ,2 that I know of for sure are an aching arm,similar to a deadarm which lasts/lasted for from days to months .the other I do know ,it gave Amys boyfriend an irregular heartbeat which he still has .now for everything there has to be risk ,and its a case of the balance of risk..was it an acceptable proposition ? I believe it was .I too had that particular jab ,and nowadays get tired and lethargic at times...now whether that is age or related I dont know ..but even if it is ,if I had to go though hte same scenario again ,I would still get jabbed up .What I cannot forgive is the political lies hype and circus media that went in tow with it all.I still believe our government through it actions and inactions is culpable for the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of the elderly in the homes ,Did yo get your tax return done?

hiya ppqp...how are you doing today then? hope all is well ..still peace in the trenches at work?have you still got the cold weather?And yes he was running around in the rain...Julies turn to get wet!!Bonnie just sits watching him as if to say what are you doing you nutcase !!hope you have a good day

hiya Lav ,how are you today then?hope all is good Chickens on tomatoes?are you not making chutney?This morning it was pretty obvious the seasons are on the turn here ..it had that autumnal wake up ..take care and have a good one .

big shout to everyone else ..

I went into my 12 year old sons bedroom yesterday and saw he had a 42 inch plasma TV... so when he got home from school I questioned him...
"Where did you get the TV, did you steal it?"
"No, I didn't steal it, I bought it."
"Where did you get the money, you dealing drugs?"
"Of corse not, I saved up my hiking money."
"Wtf is hiking money?"
"Well whenever your out, uncle Bob comes round, gives me a twenty and says 'take a hike'..."

My blonde wife got home with a painting of a policeman!
I said ?why did you buy that??
She said .. ?The man said it was a Constable!?

I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends. One is engaged, one is a mistress, and I, the third one, have been married for 20+ years.
We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by greeting them at the door wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes.
Here?s how it all went.
My engaged friend:
The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos, and a mask. He saw me and said, ?You are the woman of my dreams?I love you.? Then we made passionate love all night long.
The mistress:
'Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn?t say a word, but he started to tremble and we made wild love all night.'
Then I had to share my story:
'When my husband came home I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. When he came in the door and saw me he said,
?What?s for dinner, Zorro??'

I went into a shop and I said, "Can someone sell me a kettle." The bloke said "Kenwood" I said, "Where is he?"

[Lavande]

Re: 20th August

Early check in for me. I am actually concerned about Wags, she hasn’t checked in & didn’t answer a text message I sent a few days ago. The wildfires in her area are pretty big causing lots of evacuations. What a nightmare, hope she’s OK :hug:
90ish & partly sunny here, humid as usual. I am so ready for Fall.

NS, hope you can enjoy your time away despite the heat dome. This weather really wipes me out.

Mick, I absolutely refuse to spend time making & canning salsa & the like. I used to do all that & no one appreciated it much so I quit haha! The chickens are such good recyclers, I just toss them all the stuff I don’t want or need. Good job with the wood working, keeps you busy.

Slo, glad you had a successful weekend with the family. I miss seeing my grandsons who live in the same zipcode but we don’t want to deal with their out of control bipolar mother. There’s nothing we can do about her, just protecting my peace.

Cyn, I also would jump at the chance to work PT at Trader Joes. It’s such a happy place but we don’t have one around here. Our daughter does have one in her town so we always stop in when we visit. Our taxes got so complicated we finally handed all that over to an accountant friend of ours. They get all the estimated taxes set up for us so we know who to pay & when. We paid him a little over $600 this year but it’s worth it, honestly. No more time wasted on our part & no more headaches. Hope you can get all that squared away soon.

PQ, how did the hair turn out? It always makes me feel better getting my 3 colors blended into one haha!!
If you have any extra cool air you can send it on down to me - please

Pie, hope you’re doing OK. Congrats on your 4 AF months :welldone:
Be proud & just keep going, you’ll never be sorry!

May check in again later.

Lav

[Lavande]

Re: 20th August

Oh- Cyn!
I’m glad your niece liked the towels. I think I sent you a Venmo request……if I didn’t let me know LOL
That just goes to show you my mind is pretty scattered these days too