Friday, July 31, 2020

What I'm Reading This Week #31

Happy Friday everyone!  Sorry for the light week but literally NOTHING has been going on and I didn't have it in me to make crap up.  I did have an irritated throat for like 24 hours (after a workout that got me hacking because my lung capacity sucks) and it's sad how an irritated throat now sends you down the rabbit hole and you're all like...

(tenor.com)


Other than that, I'm going stir crazy.  

(Source)


Now let's consume...


How to Relieve Sore Muscles in 5 Easy Steps   (We've been sore AF the past few weeks.)

Should You Exercise When You Are Sore?  (See above)

I tried a 74-year-old fitness influencer's daily workout for a week and it kicked my butt!  (Get it girl!)

25 Ways You're Borrowing Self from Others  (Interesting)

7 Ways That Childhood Adversity Can Affect the Brain  (Oh but "kids are resilient!"  *rolling eyes*  Something adults like to say to gloss over their contribution to a potential lifetime of issues.)

Things you should never clean with disinfecting wipes   (Good to know)

What Is Noise Pollution? Here's Exactly How It Affects Your Health, and What to Do About It  (I can attest.  There's a dude that for the first 3 months of lock down drove up and down the street 6-10x a day with his loud muffler and I was ready to raaaaaage.)

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries (Yum!)

15 Items You Should Be Buying Vintage, But Aren’t  (Sometimes you can find some good stuff out there!)

The most influential music videos of all time  (Man, so many memories!)

How Each State Got Its Shape   (For your next virtual trivia night)

I do want to wish a very happy birthday to my bestie!  The world is a better place with her in it.

If you need something to watch this weekend, Lollapalooza is on YouTube for free.  I plan on watching The Cure tonight. 

It looks like the blast furnace that is the weather will be turned down about 10 degrees for a few days in exchange for rain.  I'm good with that.  No clue what the weekend will look like for us but I'm hoping mind numbing boredom isn't on tap.  I need a change of scenery...SOON.

Anything going on this weekend for you?

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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Hump Day Poll: Soothing the Savage Beast


When I was kid, when my grandma (dad's mom) would babysit me, if we were in her car, it was always tuned to the classical station.  We wouldn't really talk, we'd just sit there listening to the soothing music.  I never complained because I loved it.  Funnily enough, one of my teachers in broadcasting was one of the DJ's from that station and it was so funny to hear him put on his "classical" voice and I was like "you put me to sleep every night!" and he was like "thanks!?"  😂

In high school, I took music appreciation class and loved learning all of the different symphonies and watching Amadeus.  My favorite are the classics like Bach (Air on G was in our wedding as we had a symphonic trio for the ceremony), Mozart, Haydn, Handel, Brahms, Vivaldi and such.  All of the calming symphonies automatically soothe this savage beast and I'm thankful my grandma exposed me to that kind of music at such a young age.

Do you like classical music?

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Monday, July 27, 2020

Meh Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone!  Last one of July and in the midst of the dog days of summer.  Woof.


Friday was actually pretty nice.  An old friend of ours was doing a live stream concert with his jazz band that's been together for decades and I wasn't going to miss that.  We've always said we should go but aren't bar people so this was the perfect solution.  I sent the Mr an Evite for a wine and jazz date and surprised him with the concert.


It was a nice evening and they really did a great job.  We were kind of cringing at the sax player blowing out into the audience but just made us even happier we weren't there in person.  The wine was only half flat but still made me hot to prepare me for when peri-menopause decides to sneak up on me one day.

Saturday was pretty meh.  We couldn't decide what we wanted for lunch so we drove around for awhile but never really got into the "country" so it just felt like a frustrating aimless drive around town.  We stopped at some horrible fast food place outside the city because it was the only option to which I put two mints in my mouth a few minutes later to wipe the regret off of my taste buds.  I considered yaking out the window and then thought of the logistics of that at 50 mph and it's something the people behind us nor the passenger side of the Mr's car would appreciate so I refrained.

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I was antsy again and I suggested we drive by the nearest Hobby Lobby to see if it was crowded.  We couldn't really tell so we masked up with our Air Tamers and were ready to bolt if there was a crowd.  I knew exactly what I needed so I grabbed them and I was going to get the heck out of there but the Mr wanted to look at models and I was happy to oblige since I figured he'd want to get out too.  We never encountered another person there except for a woman who almost came up our aisle and waited for us to pass.  I'd say we were in there less than 15 minutes. It was nice to see a familiar store but still don't feel comfortable being out there even though if we go somewhere it's the last hour they're open.  So I've got my pumpkins for the window box outside for the fall and a few pumpkin picks for the pot out front.  We came home, stripped and threw the clothes in the wash and watched some old school Saturday morning toons in the form of Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo and some School House Rock we had on DVD.  I can't tell you how nice it was to relax and laugh to that stuff!

I know y'all are sick of seeing pics of my morning glories but here's another one.  We had six total which is the most we've ever had at once and there are two you can't see on top.


It was also the first time we had two different colors at once.  Color us easily amused these days. 

Sunday was a snooze fest.  Watered the plants, thinned the morning glories out front which refuse to bloom and the leaves are so big, it's filled in the trellis and we've named it Gossamer.  It was hotter than hell out there so no desire to be out in it.  I made grilled cheese and soup as one does when it's 90+ and then we stared at each other.  We decided to get our workout done and we did the booty day on Barre from Beachbody on Demand.  I'm sure I'll be hobbling today.  We stared at  our screens for a few hours, I made dinner and we zoned out in front of the tube.  Renovation Island is our only form of must see TV these days and I know it's going to be coming to an end soon. 

Such thrills.

I reeeeeally need to focus on water.  It's been badder than bad lately.  Don't know why I told you that, I suppose more of a reminder to me.

How was your weekend?

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Friday, July 24, 2020

What I'm Reading This Week #30

Skoo-da-leedooo, it's Friday!!!  I thought if I went into it more enthusiastically, it'd trick me into thinking something awesome is on tap for the weekend.  I'll report back how that goes.   It's been a long week and I'd say I'm ready for the weekend but, you know.   2020.

(Source)



Now let me invite you to see...


4 Arm Exercises That’ll Help You Feel Stronger While Kayaking  (One day it'll be cool enough to kayak again without fear of heat stroke.)

Monkey study reveals weightlifting strengthens 1 vital organ before muscles  (Good for you all around...start lifting!)

6 Tips For Squashing Negative Self-Talk and Feeling More Confident in Your Own Skin   (I wish it came naturally to me, it doesn't.)

24 Clever Uses for Plastic Bags You Have Lying Around the House  (Anyone else have a big plastic bag full of small plastic bags???)

The 12 Dysfunctional Rules of the Narcissistic Family  (Um, yep.)

20 positive changes to make in your marriage, according to experts   (Important stuff!)

Patient pup waits his turn at the ice cream truck  (Aww, sweetness!)

Dog groomer tricked into working on her new puppy  (So sweet!  Lots of squealing in case you're on a Zoom call.)

Bugs Bunny Stamps Coming Soon!  (Break out the pen and paper or cards and send someone a smile!)

Tiny Hedgehog Goes Camping And His Adorable Photos Will Make Your Day   (OMG, cute OVERLOAD!!!!)

Last night we ran over to a local shop that had a pick up order ready for me but we grabbed a few other things before heading out.   The owner and I chatted for a few minutes after she grabbed my pre-paid order and that's the most people we'll probably see for a few weeks.  The weekend might be spent getting some digital clean up going but that's about all I can think of especially since it's still going to be a sweaty sauna outside.  No thanks.

You got any mischief on tap?

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Monday, July 20, 2020

Fiery and Tipsy Weekend Recap

Happy Monday to ya's.  I hope you were able to not melt and such over the weekend.  It was hot as balls out there and our objective was to stay in the A/C.  The weekend started off with a conversation with someone about some crap going down that I "should be in the loop on."  (I shouldn't have.)  I'm kind of debating whether to talk about it in a separate post that I've scheduled and reverted to draft several times because it airs some stuff but I also feel like it could be a cautionary tale.   I'm still mulling it but not quite how I wanted to kick the weekend off...anyhoo.

My body was ready for a rest day.  We really broke ourselves last week with the workouts.  I wish we had the motivation we used to have.  It feels more like punching in and out for work.

Saturday morning, I saw another purple morning glory which is what they typically look like.


So all of the colors in the mix have bloomed at least once with pink being the dominant color.  At this point, I'm just thankful for every bloom because the sun is trying to kill every plant in full sun so the umbrella may need to go up in the afternoon to protect them a little more.

We got take out from a Nashville chicken place not too far from us and brought it home. 



I'm glad it was good this time because when we ordered it for dinner a few weeks ago, it was awful.  Since we don't know how small restaurants will fare, we figure get in the places that aren't chains because they'll be the first to go.  I love Nashville chicken and when that place is good, it doesn't love me so we'll say we stayed home for a few hours and leave it at that.  Later we went to the nursery when it was pretty empty to get some plants for a pot whose annuals have fried in the sun and then did our drive in the country.  It's always interesting how you can find back roads and surprise!...a new way to get to a place you might've passed through once in your life.

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The Mr has kindly taken on the task of copying over some home movies from DVD.  We've been talking about doing this for years and never did it.  Finally, when having watched anything of interest on every platform out there, I was getting ragey.  Let's add more frustration to everything else going on.  It's not that I don't have things I could do *looks around house* but yeah.  He bought this external drive, so we could hook it up to our TV with them on there when we're bored and want to get nostalgic.  I'll take what I can get.

Due to aforementioned ragey-ness, we also added more to our 80's DVD library.  (We still like DVD's, I need something physical in my mitts.)  We had a lot of old shows from back in the day like All in the Family, Dukes of Hazzard, Three's Company, etc but there are more we wanted to add so we could have a few nights where we just go back in time for a few hours.  We added Night Court, Buck Rogers, Happy Days, Facts of Life and a few others since Hollywood isn't going to have our normal programming back in time for Fall.  So it'll be like new old TV nights for us.

Saturday night, I was on edge, big time.  I was fidgety, bored and everything was just getting to me.  I decided to bust open that apple wine we bought at Christmas from Aldi.



I wasn't a huge fan off the bat because it tasted like apple cider vinegar to me, which is why the Mr liked it.  But after a few sips, I didn't taste that any more and damn when you're not a drinker, one glass is all it takes to send that edgy monster to chill on your mental couch and walking diagonally across the bedroom.   I think I might now understand all of that wine apparel they try to peddle on social media.

Sunday I was up at 5:30 am which seems to be my protocol the past two weeks and only getting in 5-10 minutes of lucid sleep every 2 hours until I get up.  Yay.  I made brunch while the Mr had the laundry going and we got to labeling some of the home movies on the drive because what else were we going to do that sounded remotely "fun?"  (Especially since it was tipping triple digits.  I am in hell and they forbid being outside naked which is the only appropriate "outfit" for the occasion so...)  We got in our workout and tried to stay sane the rest of the night and topped it off with another glass of wine because now I'm on the countdown for it not to go flat.  What a shame.  At least we were treated to some lovely colors post sunset:



How was your weekend?

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Friday, July 17, 2020

What I'm Reading This Week #29

Happy Friday.  I feel no need to put an exclamation point after it because you know, Friday isn't what it used to be.  😑  I got in a few movies this week.  The F**k It List on Netflix because you know, look around.  It was decent.  Typical teen movie where parents are stupid, suck and don't understand their kids.  What else?  The Long Dumb Road indie film was okay.  Better than most we've seen.  (That might've been the week before though but whose counting?)   Always Be My Maybe which I've been meaning to watch and it was good especially if there's any Keanu Reeves is my boyfriend kind of peeps out there and make sure to watch the credits, and not click on what Netflix tries to spoon feed you next.  We watched Blow Out with John Travolta from 1981 on Amazon Prime and OMG, it was so, so bad.  The Mr still can't get over the ending but I saw it coming to a degree.  Two days later, he's like "I STILL can't believe he did that!!!"  Memorable, I guess!

We had a few less gross days early in the week but man it didn't take long to be right back to full baste.  66 days until Fall.  (Remember when I posted 92 days until Fall?)

Now let's fall into...



This Dentist's Face Mask Hack Is a Must For Anyone Who Can't Get a Tight Fit   (I'm sure you've seen this already but in case you didn't)

You Might Be Guilty of Quarantine Phubbing if You’re Reading This on Your Phone Right Now   (We're both guilty.)

What To Do When You Discover You Fundamentally Disagree With People in Your Life   (Some good tips.  Pretty sure I'm going to be needing this soon.)

The 7 Hardest No-Equipment Exercises, Ranked   (That piston squat would leave me hospitalized.)

4 Ways To Soothe Sore Muscles & Stiff Joints After All That Sitting  (Lord knows we all probably need it.)

Can Stress Cause Diarrhea? And How To Manage The Symptoms  (In this house, we call them "stress trots."  Ahh, the good ol' days of our early travel where we would load up on Pepto so we weren't faced with wrecking a plane toilet and the conundrum of the aftermath because airplane toilets.  I've said too much.)

7 Strategies for Resuming a Good Habit After a Slip  (For the banana peels of life)

Plant-Based Crab Cakes and Fish Burgers Are Coming Soon to a Freezer Section Near You   (*gives side eye*  But I'll still try them if for no other reason than to bash them with authori-tah)

What Are the Symptoms of Having a Weak Pelvic Floor? We Asked 4 Experts to Explain   (I need to get on the ball with the pelvic floor PT class I bought.  Just an FYI- peeing when you sneeze isn't a fact of life getting older.  My gynie and I had a loooong talk about that before she took a teaching job and she said that's the #1 thing she wished women knew they didn't have to suffer with.)

Why Apathy May Be A Better Indicator Of Dementia Risk Than Depression  (Good article because every bit of info helps.)

17 Styling Tricks That Will Make Your Living Room Feel Way Bigger Than It Is   (Definitely doing a few of those now but some would never work in here like "floating" our furniture.)

Enchanting fairy tale homes that’ll put you under a spell  (OMG, I want to move.  NOW.)

Just take the 2:46 seconds to not think about a friggin' thing to do with the pandemic,politics and all of the other crap to relax

We're approaching public health meltdown levels so I'm going to say if there are any specialty restaurants we might want take out from, we should get it this weekend.  Maybe for the last time, who knows anymore.  I should probably get that rack of ribs out of the freezer at some point from the first great meat shortage that never happened.  We need the room.

Any plans for your weekend?

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Thursday, July 16, 2020

Our Week in Pics

Welp, we decided to pull the plug...


on our Aerogarden.  For whatever reason, with each harvest of the romaine lettuce, it either started dying off or would come back bitter.  The last bit was paltry at best.


I slapped some on a veggie burger and we called it quits until seeding time next year.  (Or maybe if I try to force some paper whites around Christmas.)

We got a nice note from the FedEx guy.


We make sure all of our delivery peeps are taken care of and the Amazon dude loaded up the other day.   I'm sure that might be the only lunch they have time to eat some days so I hope the Pringles, Nutter Butters and Cheez Its held him over.  😄

We got our first white flower on the vine.


It held up all day so it didn't get the morning memo but that was fine with me.

I decided it was time to try TJ's fresh scallops that we picked up on our run last weekend.


I have to say, I wasn't super impressed.  No matter how much I dried them off, I still couldn't get the water out so I didn't get a good sear.  I put them over some of my jalapeno "cornbread" cheesy grits.


I thought I'd refrain from taking a picture of us dropping off our recycling for fear of putting you over the edge with jealousy.

The thrills keep on comin'.

How's your week?

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Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Hump Day Poll: Young Literary Faves

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When I was wee little, my favorite books were Home for a Bunny, The Ghost of Windy Hill and this collection of Disney books of the Aristocats, Pinocchio, and The Three Little Pigs.   (Or Pee-ags as I would say at 2 years old.)   When my friend had her baby last year, we made sure she had Home for a Bunny and the Mr's favorite book and she loved that they were our childhood faves to pass on to her son.

What were your favorite books as a tot that were read to you?

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Monday, July 13, 2020

The People in Your Neighborhood Weekend Recap

Yawn...hello Monday, you saucy wench. 

Friday started out with our teas arriving and I was more excited than I probably should've been. 


Harney and Sons makes me feel fancy pants.  I got the Mr the Paris blend, I got the New England Breakfast tea which is English breakfast with maple (so yum!) and they sent two samples.   If you sign up for their email, they'll give you $5 off.  Not sponsored, I just love them and their silky sachets.  In these times, treat yo'self.

I am happy to report that the Mr passed his certification test.  The night before, I put some overnight oats in the fridge and set out a banana and some herbal tea so the caffeine wouldn't make him jittery so he could enjoy a relaxed breakfast before his test.  The past two tests he's taken in person have had parking issues or something like that where he was rushed and frantic going in so we thought given this was a remote test he was scot free.  Of course, then he goes to check in for his remote proxy and there's all kinds of issues so out the window goes the relaxation.   I hope that's the end of it for him and nothing but continuing education credits from here on out because it's a disruption to normal life with the constant studying.   That's been most of our life together for 20 years but like Murtaugh...


When he was done, we grabbed some takeout from a favorite burger joint and ate lunch in the car.  Then we went on a drive in the country on the opposite side of town and find we really require them.  It's just nice to get away from traffic and stuff because as the memes say, it's too peopley out there.

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When we got home, we did a Bill Paxton early career double feature of Mortuary and Brain Dead.  Both were awful but at least Mortuary was comical and we couldn't stop laughing at him because he was so Bill.  Brain Dead will leave you feeling that way so be forewarned...not that you would watch it anyway but still. 

Sunday, I thought "oh, it's 72 degrees, we should walk the hood."  We got dressed and out by like 10:30 am and my God the humidity was a wall.  It was my mistake.  I read 72 with the mind of it being like Spring or Fall 72, not Summer 72 which is a guaranteed stagnant air sweat fest.  We were on the third mile when we stopped to talk to the Bassett hound's mom while she was doing her lawn.  (10' away)  Apparently, she has a major problem with this other neighbor who we've seen walking her dog but seems a bit like an indifferent person that keeps to herself.  Getting a hi out of her is like pulling teeth so sometimes we say hi, and sometimes we know she ain't having it.  Well, this woman is talking about how nasty she is and how the lady told her to "stop mowing and watering her f**king lawn."   Now they hiss at each other and throw insults when she walks by 3x a day.  Then she began talking in circles and repeating herself as I'm sweating like I'm in a sauna.  I kept trying to redirect and say that she's just miserable, that's about her and let her pass by and then enjoy.  She said it was her mission to let as many people know about her as possible.  All I could think was "this is telling me more about you than her" and we were just hoping the lady she was talking about didn't round the corner so she couldn't say "I told them about you and how miserable you are" and then she would look at us like a-holes.  Don't we have more to worry about right now? 

We come back and the Mr is all like "we should dig out the neighbors patch of grass and put down the mulch since it's cooler."  Perhaps you could've mentioned that before walking 3 miles?  So we sweat outside for an hour doing that after getting her permission and I'm ready to collapse.  We grabbed our grocery pickup of which 2/3 of it was not filled then ate lunch and I started my SECOND order from another location to hopefully get what the first one didn't have.  We went to pick that up later and did our 5-6 week Trader Joe run the last hour they're open and felt like we'd been run ragged. 

Not a thrilling weekend but a weekend nonetheless and feels like we need one more day.

How was yours?

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Friday, July 10, 2020

What I'm Reading This Week #28

Hot diggity dog, it's Friday!  It's also the last day the Mr had better EVER have to study for a certification for work again.  It's been hot as a mutha over here and we've been spending time in the A/C because the option is melting.  Thankfully, we did pick up some bomb pops to cool us down here and there and make us feel like kids again sans the drippy mess running down our arms.  

Now let's run down...


Finding the Balance between Rosy and Ominous Predictions  (Nice way to look at things.)

2020 Is Making Us Old Before Our Time  (Hell yes it is.)

This Is the Least Amount of Exercise You Need to Live Longer  (Good news!)

Overindulging in quarantine? Hit the reset button with these 5 tips  (Does that lemon water really work for anyone?  I've tried it before and saw zero difference.)

10 Ways Mentally Strong People Handle a Pandemic  (I don't see blow up in public, end up on YouTube and lose everything on here.)

It’s Never Too Late to Start Living a Healthier Life, Research Suggests   (Something to think about.)

How to clear out Google Drive and free up space for new files  (Had to deal with this when switching to a better camera (aka phone.))

This Is What Happens to Your Brain When You Declutter Your Home  (This sounds quite lovely...maybe I'll do it someday.)

Jellyfish Succulents are the Whimsical Addition Your Garden Needs  (How adorable!)

Dixie on Maine Cabin Masters podcast  (Love me some Dixie!)

15 details that fans might have missed in the 1993 movie 'Jurassic Park'   (Dang people have a lot of time on their...oh wait.)

What do we say?  (That's right, Watson.)

These Perfectly Timed Nature Photos Will Make You Laugh Out Loud   (Love 'em!)

The Mr is taking his test tomorrow via remote proctor, so if you could send out a good vibe or two, that would be awesome.  We're both looking forward to be out from under the cloud of this constant study, practice test and real test that has been our life the past year.  (Obviously, him more than me since he's the one actually taking it.)  As long as all goes well, he should only have to do continuing credits and I'm going to be ticked if they want him to work on any other certs within the next year. 

Other than that, zero plans for the weekend since we're spiking like a volleyball over here.

Anything on your plate this weekend?

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Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Hump Day Poll: Start or End?



♫ Sunriiiiise....sunset. ♫

I love both but I'm usually up for sunset and like to just spend that time chilling and thinking about nothing.  The only time I'm up for sunrise, I'm on Maui or Kauai or somewhere on the water.

Which do you prefer?  Sunrise or Sunset?

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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

How to Enjoy a Safer In-State Vacation


Disclaimer:  Traveling is a risk that you may or may not be willing to take at this time.  I shouldn't have to say this but unfortunately this virus seems to bring out the worst in people.  This is meant as an informative post for people looking to potentially engage in safer in-state travel during these times.  It is not a political post or an opportunity for people to jump on others (me included) about either being an overreacter or about the dangers of traveling during a pandemic depending on which side you may fall.  Travel or don't travel, your choice but I hope this helps someone out there considering it for a change of scenery for a few days.


***

Some of us have had to cancel or seriously modify our vacation plans this year due to Covid-19.  For those who have been continuing to basically lock down with those in your household this whole time, the cabin fever is real.  Perhaps you're hoping to get a change of scenery within your own state but wondering if it's safe to do so.  Many travel experts say it's safer to rent a private home to ensure the ability to social distance which you can't control in a hotel.  I understand many do not feel comfortable staying anywhere and you shouldn't do that until you can fully enjoy yourself.  For those who are choosing to vacation responsibly, here's a checklist to follow that may help you relax into your getaway without worrying about what the previous renters may have left behind.  First, if you're using a rental service, check the availability calendar to see if there is a gap between the previous renters and your stay.  During the first peak of Covid, companies were giving a 3 day gap between rentals for any particles to die.  I'm not consistently seeing that with this spike so use your judgment on what you're comfortable with.

We have been renting private homes for 20 years and I can tell you that I don't put immense trust the cleaning companies under normal circumstances.  (I can count on one hand how many places have been sparkling clean.)  We will only rent places with 5 stars and we have found some pretty gross things over the years.  A few places we refused to stay in until I cleaned it top to bottom and that was before the great crap fest of 2020.  Rental companies say they have implemented extra cleaning measures to make you feel better about renting.  But the fact is, it's still on the honor system that the cleaners are doing more than they were before and that's not enough for us.  I know that surface contact is not the main way the virus is transmitted but any risk is still a risk nonetheless.

Here is what we would do if we were renting a place right now.

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Many cleaning supplies in rental homes are locked up in a closet that only the paid cleaners can access.  This means the most you might have access to is a stray bottle of dish soap and maybe some Windex.  The likelihood of you getting your hands on anything of the disinfecting variety is slim to none, especially during this time.  Here are the things I would make sure to bring with me and yes, they can be hard to find so have people on the lookout if they're in stores too.

1) Disinfecting spray like Lysol or anything that kills 99.9% of germs for surfaces like remotes, door knobs, hot tub controls, playground equipment, etc.

2) Disinfecting wipes.  I mean actual disinfecting wipes that again list that they kill 99.9% of germs like Lysol, Clorox or store brand equivalents.  Baby wipes or toilet wipes do not disinfect or kill germs.   Use these for things like fridge, stove and microwave handles, chairs, hard surfaces, counter tops, etc

3)  Fabric disinfecting spray.  Yes, such a beast exists!  I found some Febreze professional (8-30 rating) that lists it kills 99.9% of germs and you must spray until the item is damp for at least 5 minutes.  The rating MUST SAY 8-30 for it to be the disinfectant.  I would use it on couches, chairs, cushions on patios or dining room chairs, and definitely throw pillows because you know those have never been washed, ever!  There are other sprays out there like it too, so do your research.  (Obviously, do a small patch test to make sure it doesn't hurt any fabric in your rental.)  It's not a must have but good to get if you can find it, even for your own house.  Spray down your soft surfaces or your coats after going out when the weather cools down.

Masks/gloves and paper towels.  Some rentals only give one roll (or even the half roll left from the previous people) with no access to more.  You're gonna need them or your own microfiber towels that you toss in the washer later.

Now that you've arrived with your supplies in hand, let's get that place spic and span so you can enjoy your downtime during crazy times.



When you arrive, before moving anything into the house, put on your mask and gloves.  There's still a lot to touch before you can get to cleaning like opening the front door, and unloading the cooler if you have one.  This will allow you to get to business and first thing's first...


Most of the time, I can tell if sheets have been washed or not but you throw those disgusting comforters or bedspreads that don't get washed regularly on top and what's the point?  Take the sheets off of all beds you'll be using and put them in with like colored towels.  I can't tell you how many towels we go to use after a shower and they have a funky or mildew smell that you don't want touching your clean body.  I follow that up with checking the bedspreads to make sure they're not dry clean only and put them in on cold or warm after the sheets are done and dry them on nothing higher than medium heat.  (You totally take on the risk should you decide to do this.)

Finally, I wash the community blankets that are draped on couches and/or chairs.  I can't cuddle up on cool evenings with other people's cooties on a good day and I haven't met a blanket on a couch yet that doesn't smell "stale" to me.  **If you don't feel comfortable washing the bedspreads/blankets, you can use a sanitizing spray like I got, just make sure it's damp for at least 5 minutes for antibacterial strength.**

Okay, now that you've got your sheets/towels in the washer, don't skip this important step before getting your clean on...


With your gloves still on, open all of the windows in every room and turn on ceiling and/or standing fans.  This circulates the stale, potentially contaminated air out of the house and anything you kick up while you begin your cleaning.


Every shared surface as well as run all of the dishes and flatware you're going to use through the dishwasher.  Wash up any pots and pans too because people are gross under normal circumstances and many cleaning companies assume because the plates are put away they're been washed and not just rinsed to save time.  Just flip on some music and it'll go by fast.  Get all light switches, knobs, remotes, tabletops, counter tops, chairs, appliances, and don't forget shared outdoor spaces like outdoor furniture, playground equipment, hot tub controls, weenie roasters/lighters (if provided), chairs by the fire pit and whatever else could've been used by a previous renter.  This includes things like activities for you to do like corn hole bags and boards need to be sprayed down and any other games, puzzles, etc they may provide.


**Optional but we would do it**

Some would say this is nuts, I say we're living in a pandemic and if I'm taking the risk of traveling, we're doing what makes us feel the safest.  Regardless of traveling in the heat or cold, you're going to be running the HVAC the recirculated air has the potential for issues.  Find the furnace and check the size of the filter.  Run to the nearest hardware store and grab the best furnace filter they have.   No, you can't clean out the ducts so there is still that potential but we personally feel better taking that extra step.  Doesn't matter if their filter appears newer, if the place was rented before you, whatever they did, sneezed and coughed has the potential to be recirculated.

Could the cleaning crew have done a good bit of this?  Yes.  Could you be wasting your time/money?  Maybe.   Would you be kicking yourself if you or someone you loved got sick or worse because you blindly put your faith in other people to clean the way you would clean yourself?  Absolutely.

An hour or so of being extra cautious (or "paranoid" as some might see it) is worth the hours of memories and peace of mind you can enjoy when you're done.

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Monday, July 6, 2020

Grillin' and Chillin' Weekend Recap

Happy Monday to you all!  I hope you were able to relax a bit this weekend and if you spent any time outside you didn't ignite or get sunburned.  Our weekend started with some big "excitement" for me.  The morning glories finally bloomed!


I love the starburst effect inside!  These were a mix so I wasn't sure what color would bloom.


They seem to be closed up by 10-10:15am everyday so I need to make a point to get downstairs earlier.  I am so happy to have raised them from seed to bloom! 

Another planting triumph were these:


My wee bridal veil cuttings that I bare rooted from an Etsy gardener, have finally been blooming their pretty white flowers!  I have them mixed in with geraniums and English ivy on the window box.


I'm so glad I chose to do those as filler because it would've taken a ton of ivy to get all of the drippage I wanted.  But I love how it looks like the picture above it is spilling into real life.

I was the grill master on Saturday and was thankful for the prep we did the night before so we could enjoy a plate of filling summertime goodness.


Thank God for ramekins and my obsession with small condiment bowls to keep a plate manageable. 

It was hotter than balls out there so we listened to some tunes and turned on the outdoor misting fan(affiliate link)


It definitely helps keep things more tolerable for the time you can bare to be out in the heat. 

I got the Mr hooked on Renovation Island (aka Island of Bryan) while we cooled off in the A/C.  We went back outside later when it cooled down and listened to some fools shoot off fireworks for 2 hours straight.  I suppose that cancelled vacation money went to some good use for whoever could see them, which wasn't us. 

Obviously, its not summer until we jam one of these in our gullet to lessen the chance of heat stroke.

(Medicinal...calorie exempt.)
We drove around for a bit and visited our dog and fur sister at the pet cemetery before heading home.  The Mr had a coupon for Redbox but there is nothing good to rent for a decent price right now.  It looks like once some of these go from premium $20 rentals from being released straight to VOD that we'll have a few good rents in our future FINALLY.  The past few years have totally sucked for movies.  I remember when, on a good month, we'd be renting at least one a week.  I honestly don't remember doing that in the past three years. 

Then it was winding down for the night and that's that.

How was your weekend?

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Friday, July 3, 2020

What I'm Scrolling This Week #27

Happy Friday peeps.  We had a health scare with the MIL that thankfully turned out to be nothing in the scheme of things but left me adrenalized.  I suppose if the Mr ever wondered if me saying I love his mom after a rough 15 year start was lip service, he learned that day. 

It's not been a good week for uplifting reads and the more I read, the more depressed I got.   The crap I was reading wasn't of any unicorns sledding on rainbows quality so I wasn't going to share any of it.  Instead, you can see what I've been scrolling on Instagram to make me laugh.  I've been trying to get my doom and gloom out first thing and then follow it up with meme scrolls to try to stop me from crying or smacking some folks.    (Set up Friday link style)


FOR REAL!!!

Almost every night (and yes, that's Marnie and Kal from Halloweentown)

I won't even go over there.  It's not for my generation and his face is accurate.

She's absolutely correct

...or my husband

I cried so hard copying the link I couldn't even look at it because truth

They assume fat people do this anyway, I'll prove the stereotype right

It's 2020...anything is possible

I would so do that if I had that costume

Guilty!  The Mr knows

Rumour has it

Yep

Keep the change, ya filthy animal

We're grilling and chilling this weekend, that umbrella is staying up and the outdoor fan will be ON if we decide to eat outside.  Of course, it's going to be hell fire hot for the next 10 days so I'll be in a tank top with my back fat baguettes seeping out the armholes if I don't ignite first.

Any plans?

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Wednesday, July 1, 2020

New Month Hump Day Poll




We're going into a new month.  (Am I the only one that cringes at the thought now?) 

That wasn't the question for today though...

What do you think things are going to look like for you a month from now when we're going into August?

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