What I'm Reading This Week #4

Howdy do Friday boo's?  I hope your week was bitchin' and you got the business done.  My allergies let me know in no uncertain terms it was past time for me to sweep and mop the floors so I got to it.  Then the next day it was like nothing was ever touched with shoe prints and every crumb was like "hey, let's jump on the floor!"  I remembered a $50 gift card for Sur La Table I had sitting around for 4 years and got a long vinyl runner to go across the front and garage door entries because I'm over it.  I wanted something I could sweep with the hand vac and easily swiffer and move on.  Did you know hand vacs have this thing called a filter and apparently you're supposed to change them and stuff.  😋  So I felt like I made decent steps in cleaning only to feel back at square one the next day.  I did manage to paint the wall gash where the delivery idiots left their marks.  Only took 20 months.  As you see, when I procrastinate, I go all in.

Enough procrastinating, let's get to:

The Best 30-Day Dinner Plan to Help Lower Cholesterol  (Sounds like a yummy way to get shizz done!)

Surefire Ways to Boost Immunity Right Now, Say Dietitians  (Lord knows we all need it right now)

10 Protein-Rich Recipes That Use Nutritional Yeast, the Cheesy Vegan Seasoning Linked To Improving Your Mood  (I use it every day for the B vitamins)

Clean your water bottle correctly so you don't put your health at risk from mold  (No one wants a mold party in their bottle!  This is the one I use and the dishwasher does good at getting it spic and span)

The Right Amount Of Time To Steep Herbal Tea, From An Herbalist  (Gotta say, I tried this with my tea infuser balls and it worked like a charm!)

Pandemic Blues: Lessons from Psychotherapy for Everyday Life (We're all struggling in some form whether we choose to admit it or not.)

Getting Stuck in Negative Emotions and Relationship Patterns  (Really interesting and how I wish I could be one of the "30 minutes later" people)

Why Do Clothes Feel Soft Coming Out Of The Dryer, But Crunchy When They’re Air-Dried?  (The article that gave me the push to tear apart our dryer.)

24 Food And Snack Hacks That'll Make You Say, "You Know, That's Actually Really Smart"  (I'm going to remember the teepee toast for sure and #10 is pretty cool for any straight outta the pint eaters!)

Jeff Goldblum Reviews Impressions of Himself  (OMG, I can't stop laughing.  I know you either love him or hate him but the Mr and I are firmly in the love camp!)

I don't think we've got anything going on.  I wouldn't mind this push of productivity continuing but who knows.  I do know Mt. Amazon Box needs to be conquered but I peeled off the labels so my work is done here.  HA!

Anything exciting on your end for the weekend?

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Hump Day Poll: Movie Flip Flop

What is a movie you loathed as a kid but like as an adult?

I absolutely REFUSED to see Dirty Dancing when it came out.  I am one of those people that if the masses love it, I instantly want nothing to do with it.  I was not a Patrick Swayze fan at all and when my freshman football player boyfriend and I visited my friend, her mom pulled me aside and said "he's cute!  He looks like Patrick Swayze."  I couldn't unsee it after that and that didn't last too much longer after that.  

But at some point, I did see it on TV maybe 4 or 5 years after its release, I couldn't help myself and really like the movie.  Dare I say Patrick Swayze was charming in it even if YouTube footage behind the scenes show the contrary a bit and Jennifer Grey pointing out how he absolutely hated the line about putting Baby in a corner.  I can look past that and enjoy the innocence of the time it represented even if the movie is about people dry humping on the dance floor.

What is a movie you loathed as a kid but like as an adult?

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So That Happened...Weekend Recap

Happy Monday y'all!  How was your weekend?  Ours was actually super productive for once!   Friday I decided to take down all of the Christmas stuff until we break it out again in November.  Of course I had to undo all of the crappy things I just chucked in the bins leaving it for 'future me to worry about.'

(screenshots from Tenor.com)

Once I got all of the Fall stuff in the proper boxes and the Spring stuff stacked and ready to roll in a few months I could get my Christmas bins upstairs and packed up properly.  Now it's just cozy browns and neutrals to help me enjoy the winter.

After having our re-made slider blind box becoming a piece of furniture we were adept at stepping over, we decided to put it up since the tree was out of the way.  We have construction literally all around us and as soon as our tree went up, this became our view:

I can tell you, it is NOT cool to look out and see a bunch of worker dudes just looking over at you in your own living room.  I didn't feel like we should have to now live with the curtains closed for 8 more months so we got this light filtering blind from Blinds.com and now we'll have privacy on work days or at night.  

They also have free redo's if you mess up your measurements.  Don't ask how I know.  They don't even make you send them back, they tell you to donate them or do whatever with them so our annoying neighbor got one for free.

So after cutting myself on a stiff air dried towel, I was over it.  Thursday night I was perusing YouTube and they made it seem like replacing the belt/rollers was pretty easy as did the comments.  For under $35 I figured the worst we'd be out is a little money, time and be no worse off clothes drying wise than we are now.  I sent it over to the Mr and asked if he was game and he agreed especially since on his morning call when he mentioned it was broke, the guys were like "just fix it yourself."  Cute.  The Mr did not grow up with a dad who did that sort of thing and if something looks too hard to fix ourselves via videos then we usually call someone but given the current world situation...no.  So we ordered the kit we needed (hoping that the rollers were the problem) and they came Saturday after we hung the blind.

Armed with a few YouTube videos, we headed down, did a sign of the cross and dug in.  We had a time getting the top off initially but once we did, the rest went just as the video said.  With each part dismantled, it got a little more like "this will either work or the appliance store will be hauling away pieces in a heap in the corner."  It's unnerving seeing your dryer in pieces.

With each panel and part, the Mr would hand them to me and I would vacuum them out and wipe 'em down.  People, I know you won't do this but I highly recommend finding a YouTube video for your particular model and opening the shell if for no other reason than to vacuum out the insides.  We've had ours for 13 years and there was probably 2" of lint on the bottom but then the part where the lint filter sits is completely coated in lint.  We empty the lint filter after every single load so this was pretty surprising.  I suctioned all of that out then wiped it down so it's basically brand new.  The Mr replaced the rollers and the ones in the back of the dryer were a little more tricky.  We had to contort with him on the ground on his knees holding the back of the nut with a 14mm wrench while I was bent over him with my 10mm ratchet wrench like we were trying to spice up our sex lives or waiting to hear left foot red.  We finally got that situated, he replaced the pulley and belt (something he was dreading but was actually the easiest part) and started screwing everything back together.  We were happy that at minimum, we had it all back in one piece.

We decided to get a load of laundry going to see how we did.  After keeping an eye on it the first half hour and the dissipating smell of heated lint initially, SUCCESS!  I had the Mr grab all of the previously line dried towels to put in with the two we'd been using last week so we could have SOFT towels again.  I will never take a dryer for granted again, that's for sure!  We know we'll have to replace them but want to get as much out of them as we can.  I'm just glad he was game to give it a shot and we seem to be okay for now and it took about 2ish hours.

Saturday night we 'rewarded' ourselves with a binge on Ozark which honestly, I'm so over.  The only reason I watched last season was because Tom Pelphrey was so amazing on it.  This season is back to Snoozeville for me.  I think the Mr is more invested than I am but we finished "part 1" and at this point it's like get it over with.

Sunday the Mr was a bundle of sore, which I knew he would be.  Plus we got a decent little bit of snow to potentially walk in later so to thank him profusely for being down with my idea, I wanted to attempt to make his favorite brunch dish from Vermont, maple sausage and biscuits.  I made the biscuits from scratch and made a skim milk gravy.  (Southerners just fainted)  I knew it'd last us pretty much all day.

He was quite thankful and happy!  (Probably wondering what else we have broken to get fixin'!)  I got dinner thrown in the crockpot so I wouldn't have to do anything at all later.  We rested a bit and then strapped on our snow gear to get out in the white stuff.

While it was nice to be out again, the first round was utterly treacherous!  There was 2-3" of solid ice under the 2" of snow from the snow melt that froze from last week.  We engaged our core and butts praying we didn't go down.  Then the Mr remembered we had our Vermont arsenal still in the car and we got serious.

We strapped these crampons on over our shoes and breezed through another lap!  I was actually looking for exposed patches of ice and they handled them with ease.  Didn't slip once so we were very glad to have that option and burn off 700 calories worth of sausage and biscuits!

Then it was time to head home and I'll say there is nothing better than walking into your home after a workout like that to smell a whole chicken with red potatoes, onions and carrots wafting through the house and 3% work on my part!  WOOOOOOT!!

It was quite the weekend and we're feeling accomplished and rewarded and probably sore as hell today because snow shoeing never seems to come without a being hit by a mac truck feeling for us!

How was your weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #3

Revenge of the short week.   This week felt 10 days long and that's always how it seems to go.  Our snow was gone as quick as it came thanks to the irritants of sun one day then 40 degrees the next.  I hate the sun in the winter time not only because it blinds me but because even on a 17 degree day it can still melt the precious little snow we get.  Pffft.

I got the burst of motivation to transition some spots to winter décor over Christmas stuff.  Apparently that burst didn't translate to hitting post on this after I found out (well after the fact) that several family members are/were sick with Covid or "colds" with the exact same symptoms but they didn't bother to test and my 90 year old grandma is probably going to die from pneumonia now.  So forgive the late post and likely typos.

Enough of that crap, let's get to...

How to Order Your Free At-Home COVID Tests From the Government  (Good because you sure as heck can't find them in the wild right now and if you have a "cold" please friggin TEST)

Olive oil linked to lower death risks from Alzheimer's disease, all causes  (Good to know!  I'll have to grab an extra bottle!)

Flaxseeds vs. Chia Seeds: Which Is Healthier? (Annnd now as a regular chia eater, I'm looking at flax seeds after reading this!)

4 Small Things Husbands Stop Doing Once They're Married— From A Guy Whose Wife Divorced Him  (Don't read into this, I'm not saying these describe the Mr (though the walking thing resonates. LOL)  But for any of you that may need to discuss 'an interesting article I read today' with your spouse.  The little things are the big things.) 

How I Got Over My Fear of Starting Therapy (Definitely relate)

5 Symptoms of Repressed Anger (Hence the article above)

Why we hold onto things we don’t need — and how to let them go  (For those looking to dig in to cleaning soon)

How to Deal With Movies That Bounce From Too Quiet to Too Loud  (Mr, we MUST try this!  I know we're tired of the constant back and forth.)

What to Do If You Find an Unknown Apple AirTag With You  (Keep your guard up.  Oh and you DON'T need an Apple product to be tracked!  There's this app that you can use to scan your Android device.   Unfortunately it's manual but it's a good idea to do a manual scan before heading home.  Should you have to do that?  No.  But it's something to help safeguard against a not well thought out release.)

Design FAILs that will 100% lead to catastrophe  (Oh my Lord, some real dim bulbs in the box on this one.)

50 Of The Most Blessed Images From This Online Community To Boost Your Mood (It sure does!)

Probably taking down Christmas stuff this weekend.  Other than that, just trying not to lose it.

Any plans for you this weekend?

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Hump Day Poll: A Piece of Their Legacy

(source)

What’s the best piece of advice someone that has passed has given you?

My grandma used to say "not everyone needs to know your business or they'll talk about it."  (Equivalent to if they gossip to you, they'll gossip about you.)  She was a very private and modest person.  She had 5 sisters so she grew up with people always having something to say about everyone else's decisions and I think she saw how all of her kids were gossipy too and wanted me to do better.  So I'm incredibly private which should come as no shock because once you see how people talk about other people behind their backs, you can bet your life doesn't get a pass.

What’s the best piece of advice someone that has passed has given you?  (They say the best way to keep someone's memory alive is to talk about them.  So share their advice, and if you like, a story about them that related to the advice.)

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Snow Day Stowe Day

That's what the Mr declared it since we got a small blanket of snow overnight into Monday.  While we weren't as lucky as our second home of Stowe, Vermont...

...we at least had enough to go play in and wanted to get out there before noon and people started brining their dogs to the park.  The Mr grabbed our trekking poles for an upper body workout and our snow sneakers and away we went.

We didn't think there was enough of a base for our snow shoes because we knew from being out in it the night before there was a layer of ice under there and the metal cleat can sometimes slip on ice so this was the safer bet.

There was a bird meeting going on down by the creek.

We enjoyed mostly having the trail to ourselves until the final round.

When we got back, it was time for lunch the only way a snow day should be done while our wet pants dried by the fire:

Snowy days were made for grilled cheese and soup!  (If you need some warm fuzzies)

A week or so ago, we enjoyed coloring a little and lamented over the bleed from modern coloring books so I surprised the Mr with some vintage Star Wars books for him and Peanuts for me.

(source)

Later that evening, we headed back to the park because I always said when there's snow, we're going to do a fire and that's what we did.

I won't say it's the warmest we've ever been since the wind was in full effect the whole time and I'm pretty sure the Mr was cursing me under his breath but we did it so there's that.  As soon as we got home, I hopped right into the shower to wash off the campfire smoke and warm up.  Pretty sad when hot water on your skin runs cold off of you.  We turned on the fireplace and cozied in for the rest of the night and made the most of our snow day from beginning to end since it'll be gone tomorrow.

Anyone else get snow?

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Blast Off Weekend Recap

Guess what it is?

(source)

Pretty sure all Mondays would be awesome if we went into them like Bastian and Falcor!

This weekend was low key as predicted.  We went back to pioneer drying...week 2.  When your stocking hangers become something else...

This is going to suck because the one thing you don't think about is how a dryer makes your clothes soft.  When you hang them up to dry, they are stiff and like you left them outside to freeze into a board.  The towels which are typically soft and fluffy are rough and horrible.  Even tried the vinegar trick to soften line dried towels...nope.  Given our cases just doubled after doubling before Christmas, we're not out of this 'fun' way to dry clothes anytime soon.

We decided it was time to start the binge of season 3 of You on Netflix since we're done with Dexter.  Got through the first part of the season Saturday and the rest Sunday.  We walked at Grandma's cemetery in what was supposed to be snow but started as ice pellets then changed to rain.  I hate all of our meteorologists...NONE of them know what the hell they're talking about.  Nothing shows up on the radar...looks outside...all the weather. 

(source)

Other than that, we just stayed in, had leftover tuna casserole and I stared out the window waiting for it.

(source)

What did you do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #2

Hello all!  I hope you're all doing well, staying healthy and are ready for the weekend!  Whether that means kicking back, jumping into a project or binging a show, I hope there's some good stuff coming up for you!

It's been a comfort food week over here.  I threw together a tuna noodle casserole which I haven't made in decades then the next night we had skillet chicken pot pie.  Subbed in low sodium chicken broth, 1/3 less fat cream cheese and used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  Highly recommended if you need a hug from the inside.

Now let's get into...

15 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out When You're Just Not Feeling It  (Very good suggestions!  We've got this!)

You Don't Need Dumbbells to Lift Weights — Use These Everyday Items as Alternatives  (Great ideas!  Lifting weights is SUPER important!  Resistance bands are incredibly helpful and great for travel.)

3 Expert-Backed Tips To Support Healthy Circulation On A Daily Basis  (Get that blood churnin')

Can you think yourself young?  (Courtesy of the Mr.  Amazing study and I'll take 1982 please.)

5 Mindless Habits That Are Making You More Irritable  (I'm looking at you This is Us!  I may have to make that a next day watch.  It doesn't matter that I know what's happening but when you've had a family member go through dementia, a show like that will bring every horrible emotion to the surface.)

14 Things Highly Sensitive People Need for Happiness (Truth)

4 Habits of ALL Successful Relationships (One of the videos for our Workshop Wednesday.  Applies to all of humanity, not just marriage.)

Model says a stranger used an Apple AirTag to track her  (**This is not the first story like this since these came out!**  You NEED to be aware and take action to try to protect yourself.  Of course the company just claims they 'take privacy seriously' with ZERO ACTION to back it up!)

10 Moments from 50 Years Ago that Touch Our Lives Today  (I know one...)

Artist Creates 30 Cute Relatable Comics About Life As A Couple (#3, 6, 9, sometimes 12, 15, 18, 19)

No plans for the weekend.  We've still got Christmas stuff up but I'm not sure if I feel like taking it all down just yet.  We'll see if the mood strikes.  There's a squinty chance of snow that'll likely be gone by the time you read this.  I really don't like to take it down until there's been a decent snowfall but that seems less and less every year.

(tenor.com)

Anything going on this weekend?

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Hump Day Poll: That Time I Almost Died

Not a super fun topic but...

Have you ever almost died?

When I was 15, I was at my dad's for the summer.  We were on the beach near San Luis Obispo and my step brother and I were out swimming having a good ol' time.  All of a sudden I got smacked by a wave and pulled under and tossed around pretty good.  I came up for air only to get hit by the next one and pulled under in the set.  My brother got separated from me and every time I came up to scream for help, I would get hit by another wave and pulled further back and out into the ocean.  I finally got out of it and saw my dad with my brother who "got knocked down by a wave" but they seemed completely oblivious to what I'd just been through despite the two of us being out there together.  That's when I went off asking where he (Dad) was, that I got pulled under 6 waves and basically thought I was dead.  My brother said he 'thought I was kidding.'  (???)  That was a fun ride home.  

To this day, I get panic attacks if we see a movie that has any kind of almost drowning scene or swimming in underwater caves.  Takes me right back to being completely helpless from the rip current.

Have you ever almost died?

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Gift Ideas for the New (to them) Homeowner

We are a rarity.  The Mr and I have been in our home our whole married life.  (We closed two weeks before our wedding and our first night in the home was our wedding night.)   We fantasize about moving and what that might entail and the things we 'd want to do or need if moving into a previously owned home.

I love a practical gift and I think most people appreciate the thought that goes into that even if they're not the most glamorous thing out there.  I'd rather give something someone can actually use than a trendy gift that's going to sit in the corner collecting dust, whipping up guilt for not using it or get donated.  Most people move into a home that has been previously owned and they might appreciate the following ideas for a new homeowner gift basket to give them a nice housewarming gift.

The Squeaky Clean Gift Basket gives them everything they need to deep clean their house before moving in (or as they go.)  Start off with this foldable storage bin to hold everything.  Go with a neutral color so they can use it where they see fit whether under the sink, in the garage, in an armoire, etc.  If you've confirmed they're inheriting the appliances, they're going to want to clean those asap.  No one wants someone else's hardened oven gunk to cook their first pizza on move in day and that's where this fume free oven cleaner comes in.  No noxious fumes, wipe it down and they're ready to make their very own oven messes!  This deep clean set of brushes will help them get into those nooks and crannies that they can't quite get to with any other brush or scrubber.  Bar Keepers Friend is seriously the best cleaner ever.  It cleans everything from grout to tubs to cookware!  Dishwashers harbor all kinds of gunk and having other people's food scunge on your dishes is no bueno.  These dishwasher cleaner tabs should do the trick and freshen things up.  Throw in a Swiffer Wet and Dry so they can clean up the aftermath of moving day from kicked up dust to dried dirty shoe prints.  These microfiber cloths are perfect for quick dry off of wet dishes, cleaning or whatever else they might need them for.  The scalloped edge means they're nice enough to leave out.

Half the fun of a new house is to get everything all organized and finding new homes for your stuff.  These cupboard shelves are great gifts!  I have several in cupboards to organize cookbooks with a tea chest underneath, glasses and in the linen closet.  People LOVE these!  These under the sink storage drawers work well regardless of which sink they'd choose.  They can wrangle brushes, lotion, potions, razors, shave gel, etc. in the bathroom or sandwich bags, sponges, cleaners or whatever under the kitchen sink.  Maybe even in the laundry room for stain sticks, dryer sheets/balls, water bottle for the iron, etc.  Broom/utility tool organizers will get their garage, closet or mud room off to a great start!  It allows them to have all of their cleaning tools like brooms, mops and such at their fingertips.  Or if they want to use it for gardening tools like a rake, hoe, and hooks for gardening gloves in the garage.  Wrangling things in the fridge and freezer also makes you feel organized which is where these clear fridge/freezer bins come in.  Perfect to hold those stray things that end up getting pushed to the back!  This closet organizer is great for those first weeks in their new place to throw some tees, undies, socks to have at the ready while they're still unpacking.  It's also perfect in the laundry room to hold extra sets of sheets, tablecloths, utility towels and microfiber cloths.  Obviously, you need something to hold all of these goodies and that's where this collapsible laundry basket comes in!  It collapses down super slim so they can store it under a bed, in between spaces and don't have a huge basket to find space for.

(source)

If they are moving to a new city, it's time to put your sleuthing hat on.  Gift cards are always appreciated especially to new to them places.  Look up the top rated restaurants that would fit their vibe.  (Don't get cards to a place that's so fancy they wouldn't be able to find something they want on the menu if fancy dining isn't their thing.)  Look across multiple platforms (Yelp, Tripadvisor and Google) if you find a place you think looks good to verify it's good then see if they do gift cards.  A local sweet shop or bakery is a good idea too.  Pick a well reviewed pizza place and/or a chain restaurant you know they like.  A gift card to the nearest grocery store so they can pick up some basics on your dime is always appreciated.  Even $20 goes a good amount to get some eggs, milk, bread and the like.   Maybe there's an attraction their new city is known for and a gift card to go toward admission would be a welcome date/family night idea.  Consider loading the cards up in this card holder so that they can have them all in one place.  You can put a card in one slot then on a piece of paper in the next slot write down what are the popular items at the new to them restaurants.

I hope this has given you some fun ideas to get or to mix and match to come up with your own basket for someone starting a new chapter in their lives!

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The Early Grind of 2022

Is it 2023 yet?  😆

Let's start with the good stuff.  We got in some good walks. 

I was very happy to see a bit of the white stuff floating down on occasion though it left us without much to stick.  Despite it being 22 degrees outside, we strapped on the thermals, mittens and big coats and walked in the little bit we were granted.

We were thankfully the only ones on the trail and enjoyed the flurries as we trudged in our snow sneakers which definitely give good ankle support.  We had a bunch of rain the few days before so any squishy, deep shoeprints froze and made walking more hairy than usual.  When we got back, we warmed up with tea, jalapeno shrimp and grits and colored in some coloring books to unwind.

Saturday we grabbed some lunch curbside and were close to my friend who is also high risk so I texted him to look down off of his balcony and we did a drive by hi and waved to him.  It was so nice to see him even if from a few floors away.  We went for a 4 hour long drive in the country until my butt was numb then headed home.  We activated a Netflix gift card I got for my birthday so we could watch Cobra Kai from 6-12am when the Dexter finale was available.  The Mr said it was okay but a lot of missed opportunities which I agree with but I feel ultimately they should've let sleeping lumberjacks lie.  We called it from episode two and sadly, I didn't feel Clancy Brown was given the right stuff to be a proper 'big bad' even though he clearly has the chops.  Sigh.  But it was nice to see MCH again and now time to promptly cancel Showtime.  

Sunday we grabbed the Fresh delivery off of the porch and started the last few episodes of Cobra Kai.  Anything season three on is basically the same thing with new people but the constant is William Zabka is gold.  Then we watched Jim Gaffigan Comedy Monster which was hilarious.  Recommended for some good, much needed laughs.  

The Mr was doing laundry and when he started the dryer, I heard a weird noise.  It almost sounded like wind blowing.  He kept starting and stopping it but the noise got worse.  A quick internet search showed it was likely a problem where metal was now grinding on metal and we're just waiting to start a fire.  

Yay.

If you think we're having two delivery people come in here during Omicron, you're high.  

I needed to get out of the house so we walked and I caught a nice sunset on the way home.

Then we flipped around the clothes on hangers in the basement that had the fans going on them while we were gone so the other side could get dry-ish and flipped on the fireplace to get some stuff on 'speed dry' for the coming days.

(This is our life now)

We're going to try to hold out for a Presidents Day sale because we just had to drop a buttload on some other stuff too and I'm trying to keep my twitching under control.  We knew this was coming with the washer but the dryer was a fun twist so we'll keep an eye on cases and go pioneer style on drying stuff for a bit.  It's not a travesty but not ideal either.  

How was your weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #1

Finally Friday!  Week number one.  A whole new adventure *looks around* maybe not.

This week has been ungodly long and I'm over it and all of the poopy first world problems I've been dealing with.  It doesn't help it's post holiday detox week and that Aunt Flo and Uncle Red are in for a visit for the annoyance factor.  (Oh look a euphemism for my period that a younger person stumbling upon this blog for the first time might be tempted to gripe about since I'm failing as a woman to "normalize" the monthly bleed.  Nope.  Save your digit strength for texting and move on to a blog where the person's ovaries aren't shriveling as you read.  I've earned the right to describe it however I please.)  

(source)

So that all about describes my mood this week!  Bwaaahaha!  

I think watching old episodes of The Real World LA didn't help things along.  1) You realize just how good we had it back then as far as all of the available music, the lack of internet, much more patience and problem solving, etc.  2)  People really haven't changed very much (also watching the Homecoming reunion as it's released) so it makes me question how much change I've really gone through when I feel I have and do we ever have the capacity to change who we really are at the core.  (Rhetorical.)  3) Just how much your lens changes over 30 years and how you can be both grateful and sad about it at the same time.  Pretty sure I'm the only person who can make watching nostalgia TV depressing.  😆
 

Anyhoo...enough of the "real" world and let's get to...

Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to Help Lower Cholesterol  (Every little bit counts!)

Stop Cooking with Coconut Oil  (I don't but an interesting read.)

5 Hand Stretches You Need To Know If You’re Interacting With Tech All Day, Every Day  (Yes please)

4 Mantras to Finally Get Started in 2022  (I'm on it...tomorrow.)

How Positive Talk Can Improve Your Life (Worth a shot)

Decluttering tips for your big New Year purge  (In case you gots da urge to purge)

Patients in comas could be conscious, but are left ignored  (It's not just the movies that says you should talk to them when they're out should you ever be in the situation.)

Building complete and warm survival shelter | Bushcraft earth hut, grass roof & fireplace with clay  (Is it weird I want to do this?)

Man of the People: Gene Kelly and An American in Paris  (Love me some Gene onscreen!)

Mel Brooks on the Making of Spaceballs  (LOVE this movie!  Time to give it another watch.)

Nothing on the agenda that I'm aware of.  It seems like everyone has gotten snow but us so I'm very tempted to just hop in the car and keep driving until we hit some.  We might get to installing the replacement blind we got to block out the construction in the back.  I'm tired of keeping the sheers closed so they can't look in.  Now if we could only get a bubble on the outside to block out the noise too!

Anything on tap for you guys this weekend?

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Hump Day Poll: There Goes the Neighborhood

I saw this question and thought it was interesting.

Do you seek out contact with your neighbors or try to keep to yourself?

I thought I would love to have the kind of neighborhoods we had when I was a kid where you knew a few and they all looked out for each other, I know that isn't realistic without a whole lot of nibby BS that accompanies it in today's society.  I mean have you seen the crap on the Next Door app?  (Just Google it, no need to sign up for that poop fest!)

Our immediate next door neighbor on one side got the SWAT team called a month into the pandemic for threatening his girlfriend with a gun and menacing six cops while they were here.  He's almost 60.  Charges dropped after 5 months.  Thanks. The one on the other side has lived here as long as we have and pretty sure her picture is next to the word two faced in the dictionary.  We'll wave or chat from a distance but nothing meaningful or prolonged because she's shown her true colors enough over the years to keep things surface.  

When the pandemic started, we began walking our neighborhood after a few months and got to say hi to some regulars that we passed with dogs. Since our run in with the lunatic in June, we haven't walked our neighborhood which we were going to stop anyway due to too many cars and no sidewalks.  But I do miss one lady and her pups and that's about it.  She said some people asked if she still saw "that nice couple that always walked" so at least our neighborhood stock is up with some people.  We make a point to smile and wave to others but that's the extent of it.  We keep to ourselves otherwise because we are surrounded by busybodies.

Do you seek out contact with your neighbors or try to keep to yourself?

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You Just Couldn't Resist, Could You 2021? Weekend Recap

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Happy New Year to you all!  I hope you had a nice weekend.  We started out by walking midday Friday in the 50 degree weather.  Ugh.  I would like some snow please.  When we were done we decided to do a drive thru date.  You go to a different drive through restaurant for each course.  (App, entree, side and dessert.  You're supposed to do drink but we didn't get a chance because we had a grocery pickup.)  It was a fun idea but I'll tell you with the current great resignation/staff shortages, this will not be a quick date.  It was fun but took like 45 minutes even though the four places were within a mile of each other.  

Of course, there isn't a person alive by now who doesn't know 2021's final shitty blow...

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What can you say about Betty that a million people haven't already said?  She's literally staring at me as I type from the Golden Girls season 5 DVD I got for Christmas.  We should all be as lucky as Betty to live that long and die that peacefully.  She's with her love now.

We got Paramount+ free trial so we could watch the Real World Homecoming earlier in the week so we spent most of the night watching season one of the Real World which we both remember watching together when we were in the first 6 months of our dating life.  It brought back so many memories.  About 30 minutes before midnight we synced up Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve 1981-1982.  That's right, we had a WAAAAAY better time watching a 40 year old dip into the new year.  We were secretly hoping that we'd open the door and run into the street and see a Datsun whizzing by with women in heavy makeup and feathered hair hanging out the windows but nay.  It was great singing to Rick Springfield, Alabama, Rick James and The Four Tops perform whilst watching Charlene Tilton and Tom Wopat host.  We toasted with some ice wine from Niagara on the Lake and instead of it making me loopy, it made me tired and I was asleep within 10 minutes while the Mr fell asleep re-watching The Matrix. 

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Sunday we stayed in bed and binged a little more Real World before grabbing lunch at the only crap show that was open around here because I forgot to put my pork roast in early.  We watched (fast forwarded) through the Rose parade.  It rained all day at a decent clip so going on a drive or going anywhere since every place was closed wasn't an option.  We basically just hung out all day until it was time for the second to last Dexter at 12:01am.  Man, they have a LOT to tie up in the finale and we both have theories of how it could end and will probably end.  After that I'll be able to fully process whether they should've just let sleeping lumberjacks lie.

Sunday we slept in and I made breakfast.  We got a little spittle of snow and walked in it at the park but it didn't last long.  When we got home we played some Scrabble and Racko then just chilled the rest of the night.  Scintillating.  A pretty low key start to the new year but that's fine with me.

How did you start your new year?

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