Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[easyas123]

Good evening everyone, and happy Memorial Day to you all.
We didn't get as much accomplished this weekend as we hoped, husband came home sick Friday afternoon. Long story short, and 4 covid tests later, we deduced he's got one hell of a summer cold. It knocked him for a loop, but he rallied a bit on and off thru the weekend. Feeling tired, coughing some but he's already feeling better.
We canceled our small family get together on Saturday, since the family that were coming over were getting over a similar cold and were not eager to get it again! But that's okay, we will catch up next weekend or the following weekend.
The weather this weekend has been wonderful! We got the barn power washed (never got to painting due to my husband not feeling well) and some other yard work completed. I popped up out to get a few new dog beds and a few more plants from Lowes. Geez Lowes was a madhouse!!! nuts!!!

I went in the house and thought "nope, way too hot for the fans"

Yeah...I can handle it, but my husband and the dogs are more precious and need the AC sooner! I do love my electric bill in May, June Sept. & October w/o heat & AC costs.

Did anyone else see that thread and another one or two?

I did - at least one of them, my son is just off his 3rd deployment and soon out of the service this October, he also prefers to fly under the radar. He feels very uncomfortable by the attention and seeks to avoid it. He is just 25, so who knows how he will feel after another 40 years. Both of my grandfathers were in WW2 and you won't know it if you talked to them. Neither of them talked much about it or ever wore any hats/jackets or clothing indicating their branch of the service or anything. Both my grandmothers were nurses in the war, neither of them had much to say, either....I think different folks process the experience differently and that dictates how they respond.
I don't think anyone should ever feel offended if their "Thank you for your service" doesn't hit like they intended.
Intention...that is the crux of it after all. The intention is good and decent on the givers part, and I think it's also worth mentioning that the recipients sometimes prefer not to have to deal with it for a myriad of reasons.
With that said, I would presume that if someone chooses to broadcast their service by wearing hats/jackets whatever, that they would be receptive to comments from a appreciative public.

I know I need to just immerse myself in it and let the emotions just have their way.

I've said it before, but I feel I should reiterate my appreciation for you sharing your story. Your strength has been admirable, and honestly I think you sharing your story will be a benefit for many of us at some point in our life. I know these days are difficult but I hope it brings you some satisfaction to know that you are helping others.

We quickly learned that goldens are counter height and had to have something else for dinner.

Our dane can rest his face on the counter - it's been a bit of a struggle. It's not uncommon to hear "excuse me, please remove your face from the counter!" on occasion around here! Butter is his weakness, so no butter dishes left near the counter!

Left over cookout tonight.

We've been eating pulled pork for 3 days straight. We planned on having family over Saturday, but when that got scuttled we still had to smoke the pork. So we did. It turned out - well, really really good. So we've just been eating it all weekend, I haven't cooked since Saturday afternoon

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I liked it. I liked how there were throw backs put in to the first movie. I think I liked the first one better, but I usually always like the originals more than the sequels. It was good though, would definitely recommend it.

It was ok. If you haven't seen the first one, you will lose a lot of the nuances in the 2nd. I think it was trying a little to hard to be the first one. Good music, still, though.

Our dane can rest his face on the counter - it's been a bit of a struggle. It's not uncommon to hear "excuse me, please remove your face from the counter!" on occasion around here! Butter is his weakness, so no butter dishes left near the counter!

One of our cats will eat the butter if we leave it out. She also eats hamburgers, some cheeses (cheddar is her favorite, won't touch string cheese ), steak and pork chops, and some chicken.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I remember that thread. It unnerved me a little bit too, but I decided that person likely represented a "vocal minority", and I do think most people appreciate it. If I'm going to make an error, I'd rather the result be someone shaking his head at my naivete than someone feeling forgotten.

Good way to look at it. But I did confirm with some others they feel that way, too. They seem to like the “Welcome Home”, though. Idk.

I understand completely. You need your freedom right now, as you figure out the things you want to do, without having to consider anyone else.

This is one way to look at it, absolutely. My way of thinking is that it’s one of the principles of mind/body medicine that you can’t worry about one thing when your mind is focused on something else. I took a great course with the father of Mind/Body Medicine, Dr. Herbert Benson, and basically the whole course was about that type of thing: How stress accumulates and can push people over into a disease state if not reeled in. The best way to reel it in is to practice the Relaxation Response. There are lots of ways to do this, and enjoying a pet is one of them.

Read more: The Power of the Relaxation Response

Of course, if a dog is going to cause more stress, then that wouldn’t be good. But if you get the right dog, one that melds well with your living situation and personality, then that could be beneficial.

If you haven't finished putting stuff up, maybe some of these frames would be a good idea? - you don't have to take them down to change the kids' artwork:

View attachment 672812 (link)

or this one that has three slots, and no glass, so it accommodates 3D projects:

View attachment 672813

I really love these! Great gift idea! Where you you get them?

 

[PollyannaMom]

We had shelties for 25 years before the goldens. Shelties are small and do not counter surf. The first day the recued goldens arrived at our house, I had chicken breasts on the counter marinating. The dogs must have though "This life is great, chicken for the taking." We quickly learned that goldens are counter height and had to have something else for dinner.

Have you ever roasted it? I really like it that way.

DS loves broccoli that way too!

Thank you for posting that, Carol. Powerfully beautiful indeed!

I agree!

Yeah...I can handle it, but my husband and the dogs are more precious and need the AC sooner! I do love my electric bill in May, June Sept. & October w/o heat & AC costs.

Spring is our "negative bill" season! We have solar panels, and for a couple of months before the pool filter and AC are running a lot, we make more than we use.

Our dane can rest his face on the counter - it's been a bit of a struggle. It's not uncommon to hear "excuse me, please remove your face from the counter!" on occasion around here! Butter is his weakness, so no butter dishes left near the counter!

It was ok. If you haven't seen the first one, you will lose a lot of the nuances in the 2nd. I think it was trying a little to hard to be the first one. Good music, still, though.

I should re-watch the first one before I see it then. I'm sure I've forgotten a lot.

One of our cats will eat the butter if we leave it out. She also eats hamburgers, some cheeses (cheddar is her favorite, won't touch string cheese ), steak and pork chops, and some chicken.

I really love these! Great gift idea! Where you you get them?

Don't know why those two quotes are smushed together?

Anyway, on cats - one of mine loves cream cheese! I had one years ago who did as well - would lick it right off your bagel if you weren't looking.

On the frames - I don't actually have them, just remembered seeing them in a catalog. The first link is Lakeside Collection, and the second is Amazon.


The new fire pit is here! DH and I bought some pavers and set it up today, but DS is at work until quite late. I think we're going to wait until tomorrow to test it out all together.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

I enjoyed a long conversation with my cousins in Houston. Thank God they are home and wow did Steve have a great day. He and Ruth were able to enjoy a long walk at the zoo. They had great hospital support, sadly from many doctors and nurses who had Covid and long-term Covid firsthand but are choosing so kindly to use their experiences to impact others. One of the most important things that Steve was often told is how being as active as possible, having a strong faith is a huge step toward healing. The chaplain they met while in the hospital sounded just lovely, too, a new graduate.

Just love your entire post, (minus, big-time, of course, the part about your being sick, Easyas. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words, my friend.

B&B, lol to the antics of your hungry kitty! I'm glad you also enjoyed Top Gun 2.

Thank you as always, Pea for your own kind and thoughtful words and shares.

PollyannaMom, I'm with your cat with the cream cheese vote, although I use very little on my own bagels. I've never been a butter on anything fan. I remember my grandma telling me that her mother was the only other person she has ever known who didn't care for buttered toast for example. I hope you and your DH enjoy many a relaxing evening by your new fire pit. I am thinking your young charges would enjoy making S'mores over it sometime during the summer.

Have a good evening and night's sleep, everyone.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sunday, church. Our pastor gave a very heartfelt sermon. It got a little political but was for social justice, something the Methodist church does. She said she may have lost a few parishioners but had to say it. Here are the words to one of the hymns we sang. It was written this week.
God, our nation feels the loss
as our children pay the cost
for the violence we accept,
for the silence we have kept.
Rachel weeps for children gone;
God of love, this can’t go on!
Jesus, Lord, we hear you say,
“Don’t turn little ones away!”
May we build a kinder land
where our children understand:
Every child here matters more
than the guns we clamor for.
Holy Spirit, wind and flame,
send us out in Jesus’ name.
May we shout and say, “Enough!”
May we build a world of love—
till the sounds of weapons cease,
till our young can grow in peace.

This is nice. I think there is work to be done, and I support that. I think we need to apply it broadly, though. There have been a lot of children killed by bullets and other violence in inner cities, too, but there is little mention of it. Only when there’s a school shooting that we hear a lot of outrage. (And rightfully so.) We need ‘buy in’ from all walks of life, as a country, together. We need to come together in a lot of areas. It’s a tall order the way things are right now. It keeps me awake many nights. I am not a gun owner, btw, and find myself firmly in the middle on a lot of these issues, seeing points on both sides.

I favor looking at mental health as well as legislation for background checks and possibly limitations on certain types of weapons. I think social media has been both a blessing and a curse for our society. I think it’s not healthy for our young people to be playing so many violent video games in place of healthy interactions with people - they can’t develop empathy if they don’t. (And without empathy, it’s easy to kill people.) Holllywood has a lot to answer for, as well. They make violent movies that yield them a lot of money and lavish lifestyles, and they pay for private security who carry weapons, as well as own guns themselves, but then speak out against them. That seems hypocritical to me. That’s probably more than I should say. But it’s how I feel, too.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Came back to add to my above post and see dear Pea, added a post first. We all need to come together in kind, faithful compassion with one another indeed!

I just ordered a Custom Bookmark with 4 pictures for my dad for Father's Day on Amazon. I used these three Google found images with a nice picture of dad and I that Terri took last Christmastime after the green balloon. I hope it will mark the pages of many happy book chapters for him

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh, about the broccoli. We have roasted it. We roast a lot of vegetables, especially in the fall. But I’m not crazy about broccoli roasted, when it gets a llttle burnt.

 

[footballmouse]

Happy Tuesday!

It's going to be a hot one today. Rain again tomorrow.

Not much to report on since I worked all day yesterday. Working from home today. I'm hoping to finish up the pond later this afternoon. I might meet up with Ds1 & DIL for dinner tonight.

I also have a cat that loves people food (hence why her name is Chili ). When I get Chipotle, I get a cup of sour cream on the side for her and then she usually eats part of a taco. She also is a butter-lover. For breakfast, she gets 3 slices of lunch meat. I usually don't finish my dinner just so she has a little to eat. Obviously she's not a big fan of cat food, the only cat food that I found that she'll eat is Fresh Pet.

I have to agree with the comment about the generation that doesn't talk about their service. My dad was in the Korean War and we really don't know much about it because he would never talk about it and never accepted any medals. My son doesn't wear anything Army related and when he was serving, the couple of times he flew home, it was always in regular clothes. I asked him why he did that and he said that he didn't want to bring attention to himself.

Well back to work. Have a great day!

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning! Another hot one today and tomorrow, then a cool down. Turned the AC on yesterday and will leave it on till at least tomorrow night. Just checked the garden and there are already some cuke, squash , and zucchini seeds popping their heads up. Between all the rain, and sun in between,,they are getting perfect weather. Off to water the garden now before it gets too hot. I like to water at night better, but they say plants shouldn't go to bed with their 'feet' wet, lol!

There were some powerful posts on this thread yesterday, and I thank you all for sharing.

Mower is being delivered today, but will probably be too hot to try it out, even though the grass does need mowing. But at least it will be here! Only took almost 3 months, lol.

Mr L binge watched Criminal Minds yesterday, I did the same, but with Hawaii 5-O (the reboot one). There wasn't much on tv last nite that was new, so taped Shazam,,we like trying to guess along with the songs.

Have a lovely day everyone~~

 

[Judique]

Trying to keep up but I get busy.

My father was in WWII as was my half brother's father who perished there and is buried in Italy. My father did talk about it. He talked about sharing his food with little children that were hungry. Anyway that's my memory and maybe he just said that stuff when we didn't want to eat dinner. He was in England, Italy and France that I know of. He came home alive, but was in the same company when my brother's father was killed.

My ex was in the service for 24 years. He joined just before the Viet Nam war ended, so is of that era. MY youngest DD's father was a Viet Nam army vet.

I needed a new flag this year. I was going to get the one at Costco and forgot to circle back. I hope it's still there when I go out tomorrow.

Had coffee on the patio with the birds. DD is working from home today.

Picked up a Hibiscus for my front porch. Transplanted it into a huge tub. It's looking better this morning. I will over winter it in the greenhouse but it probably won't survive. I know they need at least 40-50 degrees, and we get some pretty cold winter nights. Usually I've put them in the ground and let them just die.

I also bought a huge organic cherry tomato plant - about 3 feet tall. Considering a huge tub for that also but it probably will be better off in the ground. Over the years I've cut down my planting as my strength and stamina wanes. I still need to plant some cucumbers.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good morning, friends with love. Cool last day of May here. I'm glad June (closer to summer) is coming. Enjoy this last day of the merry month of May

 

[easyas123]

I needed a new flag this year. I was going to get the one at Costco and forgot to circle back. I hope it's still there when I go out tomorrow.

If they are out, I noticed a LOT of them in various sizes at Lowes yesterday.

Short week this week, and now next week, too. Sunday we decided to pop down to FL to pay a quick visit to my folks, make sure they are staying out of trouble. So I booked the flights, then yesterday husband got a call that his uncle needed help w/ the hay at their family farm in far western , MD - up by Lynn. It's early for the first cut up there, but it is what it is. So he just left to head up there for a few days, and I rebooked our flights for Saturday, and we will come back next Tuesday. Sounds like youngest may have a version of the cold my husband had, I'm waiting for it to hit me next! Oh well - not a whole lot I can do about it at this point

I've got to do some weed pulling & weed spraying this evening. My back will be killing me by the time I'm done if I don't pace myself, so I'll start that chore this evening and finish it tomorrow or Thursday evening.

Dinner this evening may be take away soup from the place down the street, or perhaps pancakes or something simple like that. I think it's going to be super hot outside if I remember the weather correctly.

 

[AuntieMe3]

ETA.... this was supposed to be posted last night but apparently it didn't so I'm just posting it now...lol

Happy Monday all....my dad and I just got back from my brother's and we had a great time. It ended up just being the two of us because my niece ended up getting sick the night before so they decided to stay home. My dad and brother did something together all day yesterday and I spent time with my nephews and sister in law. I took the boys to see Dr Strange in the morning and then SIL and her sister took me to a fantastic late lunch, early dinner at a really good restaurant in their little old town.

Took some of their pictures of their backyard to share...they have a garden up on the hill. A couple fruit trees, different varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, blueberries and blackberries...my brother is a chef and he uses what they grow.

And then the rest of their yard is dought tolerant desert landscape. Water restrictions are tough here in California and getting stricter all the time.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Good morning, all. Not much to write about here. Weather is hot this morning, but is actually supposed to grow cooler as the day progresses. I'm doing some laundry and just finished making a grocery list.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Easyas and healthy prayers! always get my vote!

I'm so thankful you had a great time, AuntieMe3, you needed some fun! I hope your niece is feeling better!

Waving hi to you, PollyannaMom

Good afternoon to all

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thread Save! So quiet around here. I hope that means all of you are having a good Tuesday. Dad just got home from picking up a library book and dropping off both of our ballots at a voting drop box near the library. Thankful that's done and he's home. Been a quiet afternoon of a good

 

[Snowysmom]

I love to roast veggies especially broccoli. I like broccoli a bit burned and I roast it with minced garlic. Carrots are good roasted with olive oil. Green beans too.

Interesting appt with the therapist. She gave me some ideas to think about. I have been very sad, mad, and scared lately. All this change has been difficult. Chris has been yelled at a bit in addition to my crying alot. I see him rolling his eyes and saying, she's yelling at me again! But I am right.

Have a good evening.

 

[lynxstch]

We got to 93 today,,its still 90 out. I waited till 2 pm..then called the mower place to confirm that the mower was indeed going to be delivered today. Guy said as soon as he comes back from the call he's on,,he will be out to deliver yours. It was almost 4:45 when I saw a huge truck with a trailer on it, with my mower . the only thing on it,,pull across the street. The guy came out (older man), and asked if I was Lynn,, I said yes..he said well then I guess this is your mower. He was afraid to try and back that big trailer into our driveway ( we live on a very busy road), so he lowered his trailer bed down, started up the mower and drove it across the street and up the driveway. Parked it and showed me the basics to it (he doesn't know much about then, he just picks up and delivers. I managed to figure out how to start it, and get it going forwards..took me a little longer to figure out how to back up ..lol I drove it over between our 2 sheds, got the cover out (took me longer to get the cover on than to figure out the mower, lol) and locked the frame up with a long strong cable lock. It has to stay out there till the handyman comes back and finishes the ramp for the shed. I have to call him tomorrow..didn't get his voicemail when I tried earlier. Came in and made boneless pork chops, with zucchini and mashed potatoes for dinner. I have to go and read the manual for the do's and dont's . I didn't attempt to put the blades out today to mow anything..will do that tomorrow after grocery shopping if it's not 95 degrees again.
Have a nice evening...

 

[PollyannaMom]

Glad you finally got your mower, Lynn!!

I got my grocery shopping and some laundry done today, but mostly sat out with the cats (they each got two turns) reading my library book. I made stuffed peppers for dinner.