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

[PollyannaMom]

@Snowysmom, I love that you saw a bunny, and that you are planning a treat for yourself today! I think you are smart to remember Chris's advice about new routines.

The condo place I am looking at does not allow pets and to be honest, I know I will not get another pet. However strangely enough I am not happy they don't allow pets as I would like to see some dogs around.

I know what you mean. I love seeing dogs in the neighborhood, and always like to stop and pet them when their owners encourage it, but I have no desire to take on the responsibilities of a dog myself.

There are a couple of parks around here where lots of people walk their dogs, though. Once you are settled, perhaps there will will be one not too far from your condo where you can walk?

 

[footballmouse]

Happy Wednesday!

I never realized how boring of a life I have until I started doing these daily check-ins . Pretty routine yesterday, came home from work, made dinner and then watched TV. I could go to the gym but I really don't feel like it. I definitely don't want to go this month, all the New Year's resolution people flood the gym, I might wait until next month when they start to give up on their resolutions . At least I have The Amazing Race to look forward to tonight. Last night I made eggs, goetta and biscuits for dinner. Tonight I'm doing spaghetti, meat sauce and garlic bread. I woke up this morning and my knees were so achy, first time they felt that bad. I have a rather big step into the garage from the kitchen and when I went to get the cat food this morning, that's when I really felt it. Then I had the bright idea to park on the second level of the parking garage and take the steps. Not the best idea I've had lately . Good thing nobody was behind me going down the steps. I'm hoping it's just the cold weather making them feel like this. Pretty bored at work this morning, waiting on quite a few responses for meeting availability, so I think I'm going to slowly walk to the cafe across the hall and get a Coke and maybe a cookie.

Hope everyone has a good day!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Jen, my life is as exciting as yours except I don't go to work.

DH and I still have coughs, mine going on 3 weeks which is not unusual for me. So today we are taking a road trip to Chester, PA (45 minutes) for a drive through COVID test, just because we can.

I love seeing dogs in the neighborhood, and always like to stop and pet them when their owners encourage it, but I have no desire to take on the responsibilities of a dog myself.

Same here. I had dogs for 40+ years and miss my former dogs, but there is a lot of freedom without them. My next door neighbors got a yellow lab puppy and I love visiting over the fence with Stella. I have offered to pet sit if they need it. And we do get the grand-dog periodically.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning

Hooray for Mr. L's improved chair.

Pea and thank you always for your kind and insightful words.

I love the doggie reminders. Seeing them around indeed brings much joy! I also miss having a canine companion.

Snowysmomalways and if it is God's will maybe a condo that does allow dogs just might become available. I am so glad you are going to treat yourself later to that scone--enjoy!

Carol and Jen, sometimes, especially in these days, a simple routine is such a blessing simply for the health and mind to be doing it

Waving hi also to dear you PollyannaMom and anyone else I may have missed.

Love to all and Happy Wednesday!

 

[lynxstch]

It was smart of us to go to Aldi's, Martins and Walmart at 9:30..Martins had 4 cars in the parking lot (huge lot too), Aldi's had about 10 cars..noone in line at the register. Walmarts parking lot was only about 1/4 full,,and noone at the U Scans..it took me 10 min in Martins (coke 12 pks b2g2. Aldi's took me about 15 min, and Walmart took me all of 35 min, even after standing at the deli chatting with the lady behind the counter for 10. Empty U Scan, I was in and out in no time. They actually had more cat food on the shelves than in a long time, but I had enough of all the Friskies flavors they had. They had a lot of the 9 LIves wet food variety packs, and I even managed to snag 8 4-pks of the seafood platter flavor. My cats all love that, and it's really hard to find. I thought they had discontinued it like Friskies did with their flaked tuna and tuna and egg. Those 2 flavors were our oldest cats favorite, why would a cat food company discontinue 2 of the most popular flavors? I have a dozen tuna and egg in the back of my cat food pantry downstairs, and Comet gets one on special days like his birthday and Christmas..lol!

Its sunny and 38 so far outside

 

[Judique]

Hello all!

I've been busy yesterday and today. Perhaps you all don't know me well enough yet to know that I'm a do it your selfer, even when I should let the professionals have first crack.

So, since Costco wants the old dishwasher removed before the installers arrive and since I hadn't yet had a call from the installers, I was anxious to pull mine out and to see if all the requirements were in place - ie whether I had the outlet for a plug, and whether I had the correct shut of valve.

Watched a bunch of youtube videos and got started.

Unscrewed the two tabs at the top that hold it in place. That was easy.

Next I started to wiggle it out. It's not very heavy so this was easy for a bit. Then I had to climb under the sink and push the water hose out the hole to be able to move it enough to see behind it.

The first thing I saw was a pile of fur (pets) and assorted bottle caps and lots of dirt. I guess after 13 years I could expect that. Not like people regularly disconnect appliances to clean under them. At least I don't, and this is a tight fit. I couldn't get the kick plate off on one side, so needed to get the whole thing out to see.

Anyway, I got it out, an outlet is in place and the correct water hook up is there. All good. That's when I should have stopped and pushed it back in place, but no, that would have been too easy.

Instead I unplugged it, turned off the valve and unscrewed the stainless water hose under the sink (pressure hose). Mopped up a bit of water and left the towel under the sink.

Then I started on the machine and suddenly it had water in the bottom. I'm sure it was dry earlier but can't say I had checked. So I have to bail it out. Got that done and pulled the connections off the drain hose (easy) and unscrewed the water hose from the machine end. Pushed the old machine onto my deck for later pickup.

That's when I noticed the towel under the sink was getting very wet. So, I run to my basement and turn off the water. Back up to dry out under the sink. But, the water kept seeping out, not much but enough to make a mess that couldn't be left.

Called my plumber who has yet to call me back. But meanwhile, I screw the water hose back on and place the end in a clean cat litter pan. Overnight it kept seeping and produced maybe a quart of water. Not much, but with wood floors I don't need water on them. I kept the main water valve turned off but had to turn it back on for sanitary reasons and then back off again. Still seeping.

Installers called and they can't come until Wednesday, next week. Meanwhile I should probably call the plumber again and get him over to replace the valve. Around here a call for just a valve is almost $200. Don't ask me how I already know this. But it's too awkward for me to do it myself so, I'm stuck. Will also have to deal with whatever the installers decide. They might not install with the valve leaking water, but we will see. It is dry when hooked up to the hose. Just seeping water out the open end.

Signed, wannabe plumber.....

 

[tazdev3225]

Good afternoon everyone.

Warmed up a bit today. Took my husband to his foot doctor appointment and I had to stop the doctor from telling my husband he can wear sneakers. Of course, he did say as long as they were well fitting. My husband had reconstructive surgery on his foot. He cannot get off the rack shoes and I am NOT wasting his one free pair of shoes a year on sneakers. The custom shoes run $1,000+ a pair. I joked that you cannot give my husband a centimeter he will want 10,000 miles. Thankfully we are holding off on sneakers.

Then I got a reminder that today is the 4th anniversary of his best friend's wife death. I made sure to tell him to call his friend. I feel so bad for him. He was in his 50's before he found the love of his life and she died just 5 years after they were married, of an embolism. The only person that could calm him down was my husband. They have been best friends since they were freshmen in high school. I will be forever grateful to the support they gave us after the strokes and just a few months later we were supporting him. She truly was one of the nicest people I ever knew.

@Judique - I feel your pain on the plumbing. When we had the kitchen done last year we found out that the pipes under the kitchen, and the valves were leaking. The flooring was soaked and we weren't sure how much damage there would be to the subfloor. Thankfully once it dried there was a very small section that needed repairs. The plumber that came out wouldn't touch the main for fear of breaking that because it had some corrosion, but he was nice and didn't charge me. The plumber I called sent 2 of the dumbest workers I have ever met who couldn't shut off the main at the curb and then wanted $5,000 for the work if they did it. Thankfully my grandson's former boss came out and replaced the pipes in the kitchen and into the garage for under $1,000. They also wrapped the pipes with some insulation so hopefully they won't freeze any more. The pipes in the garage had some bad spots that were ready to go from a few bad winters. Plumbing is the one thing I cannot do on my own.

The cat food issue makes me so glad my cat's will eat anything and prefer dry food and people food. I had to share my lasagna with them the other day. I made a huge thing of lasagna on Sunday and still have 2 more meals out of it. The cats are happy about that.

Hope everyone has a nice rest of the day.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Afternoon, friends,

I just found and ordered this Birthday Tablecloth on Amazon! It's perfect size for a card table and is bright and cheerful, too.

Good shopping, Lynn! to Comet's special treat food that is so sweet of you to do that for him!

Wow, Judique, good for you for all your plumbing effort. I am sorry prices are so expensive for plumbers and related parts

You're a good friend, dear Taz.

ETA: Do any of you dear Quackers have friends or family in the following states:

Alaska
Arkansas
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Louisiana
Mississippi
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

I did just find Dis Member States thread which I might check out more recent posts from. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable though randomly contacting unknown Dis-ers (in general and for something that would require mail) which is an extra reason for reaching out to my Quacker family first.

Dad's birthday newspaper puzzle surprise has grown thanks to the good Lord! With help from some of dear all of you, too! I decided since I'm "close" it would be fun to at least try to get a contribution from each of the 50 states. I need for sure from the above and thought it was worth asking.

to all Quackers.

 

[Snowysmom]

Flyingdumbo127 I like the tablecloth. It is bright and cheerful. Very nice.
Judique You are very adventurous. I admire your can do attitude.
Taz You are taking such good care of your DH. I am sorry about his friend's wife. I am sure his (and your) friend will appreciate a kind phone call.

The blueberry coffee and raspberry almond scone were delicious. The scone is buttery and so yummy. My treat for a while but so worth it. I went to Target and got what I needed and some things I didn't. I got the grandkids books for when we get together on Sunday. Since I already gave them their Christmas gifts I wanted to have something to give them when we all get together. I started Valentine's Day shopping too. I hope to have the stuffed dogs by then to give to each grandchild. I will have to save one for grandchild on the way. I have candy and a couple books. Need to get books for the 3 older grandkids. The financial meeting went well. I like the advisor. She was very knowledgeable and wanted to get to know me, what my goals are, and how to best work together. My son thought she was good. We have a plan in place to move forward with the financial planning and different retirement scenarios. Hopefully this can all be in place in a month or 2. I would like to see what the scenario would be retiring in one year, 2 years, 3 years, etc. It is hard to be doing this without Chris. It is nice to have my younger DS to help and be sure things are done correctly. I talked to Chris after the meeting and told him I was not supposed to be doing this alone. On the way to the house I put on his radio station just to see what song was playing and again heard the song, Better Days are Coming. Since I do not believe in coincidences I believe he was answering me back. I cried a bit but then it was comforting.

It is 38 degrees here today. I took a nice long walk and cleared my brain.

Have a nice evening.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

I loved your post, dear Snowysmom because as you (all) know I don't believe in coincidences (or luck) either--only and always in LOVE--God ) Big hugs, and prayers that hearing Chris' answer brought you extra peace. Thank you, on the tablecloth!

 

[Judique]

Good afternoon everyone.

Warmed up a bit today. Took my husband to his foot doctor appointment and I had to stop the doctor from telling my husband he can wear sneakers. Of course, he did say as long as they were well fitting. My husband had reconstructive surgery on his foot. He cannot get off the rack shoes and I am NOT wasting his one free pair of shoes a year on sneakers. The custom shoes run $1,000+ a pair. I joked that you cannot give my husband a centimeter he will want 10,000 miles. Thankfully we are holding off on sneakers.

Then I got a reminder that today is the 4th anniversary of his best friend's wife death. I made sure to tell him to call his friend. I feel so bad for him. He was in his 50's before he found the love of his life and she died just 5 years after they were married, of an embolism. The only person that could calm him down was my husband. They have been best friends since they were freshmen in high school. I will be forever grateful to the support they gave us after the strokes and just a few months later we were supporting him. She truly was one of the nicest people I ever knew.

@Judique - I feel your pain on the plumbing. When we had the kitchen done last year we found out that the pipes under the kitchen, and the valves were leaking. The flooring was soaked and we weren't sure how much damage there would be to the subfloor. Thankfully once it dried there was a very small section that needed repairs. The plumber that came out wouldn't touch the main for fear of breaking that because it had some corrosion, but he was nice and didn't charge me. The plumber I called sent 2 of the dumbest workers I have ever met who couldn't shut off the main at the curb and then wanted $5,000 for the work if they did it. Thankfully my grandson's former boss came out and replaced the pipes in the kitchen and into the garage for under $1,000. They also wrapped the pipes with some insulation so hopefully they won't freeze any more. The pipes in the garage had some bad spots that were ready to go from a few bad winters. Plumbing is the one thing I cannot do on my own.

The cat food issue makes me so glad my cat's will eat anything and prefer dry food and people food. I had to share my lasagna with them the other day. I made a huge thing of lasagna on Sunday and still have 2 more meals out of it. The cats are happy about that.

Hope everyone has a nice rest of the day.

My post was getting so long I didn't put my additional thoughts in.

The valve is right at the floor and is not attached to the sink cut off valve structure. It comes through the wall behind the cabinet right at the floor so whoever fixes it will probably have to cut through the cabinet and the wall. This was new construction in 2008 and the plumber who installed the dishwasher than also installed the faucets and garbage disposal and hooked up the sink drains. So, I don't understand why this valve wasn't integrated into the lines going to the faucet. It's different than what I see in the youtube videos.

The valve does not leak when attached to the hose, but water comes out of the hose on the other end. What I think is that the valve is not shutting off completely because it hits the floor, stopping it from closing completely. In other words it does not complete 1/4 turn, by a cm or two. So tiny, yet so aggravating!

If the installer uses the valve as is, it should be okay. It would then be in the 'on' position again, until another dishwasher is needed in 10 - 15 years depending on how great this one is. Also, it is my intention to do some kitchen renovation and replace cabinets and sink. Sink is now a double and I want a single, wide enough to wash cookie sheets and larger pots and pans. Maybe this year if I find what I like. I'm a bit stymied because I like my granite, but I want a different cabinet configuration. I find the corner cabinet annoying and I want to go to all drawers where right now I have a mix. I also want to go to a different cabinet color, but that's not my main reason for changing up.

And, I think it would dry up if I could leave the water turned off. But there are certain things like showers and toilet that need water, so as soon as it comes close to finishing seeping, I turn the water back on which feeds the line again.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

In no way a plumber either a DYI or professional just an extra hug, Judique. I admire your can-do spirit! Good for you. Lol, want to come fix our shower?

 

[Judique]

Good afternoon everyone.

Warmed up a bit today. Took my husband to his foot doctor appointment and I had to stop the doctor from telling my husband he can wear sneakers. Of course, he did say as long as they were well fitting. My husband had reconstructive surgery on his foot. He cannot get off the rack shoes and I am NOT wasting his one free pair of shoes a year on sneakers. The custom shoes run $1,000+ a pair. I joked that you cannot give my husband a centimeter he will want 10,000 miles. Thankfully we are holding off on sneakers.

Then I got a reminder that today is the 4th anniversary of his best friend's wife death. I made sure to tell him to call his friend. I feel so bad for him. He was in his 50's before he found the love of his life and she died just 5 years after they were married, of an embolism. The only person that could calm him down was my husband. They have been best friends since they were freshmen in high school. I will be forever grateful to the support they gave us after the strokes and just a few months later we were supporting him. She truly was one of the nicest people I ever knew.

@Judique - I feel your pain on the plumbing. When we had the kitchen done last year we found out that the pipes under the kitchen, and the valves were leaking. The flooring was soaked and we weren't sure how much damage there would be to the subfloor. Thankfully once it dried there was a very small section that needed repairs. The plumber that came out wouldn't touch the main for fear of breaking that because it had some corrosion, but he was nice and didn't charge me. The plumber I called sent 2 of the dumbest workers I have ever met who couldn't shut off the main at the curb and then wanted $5,000 for the work if they did it. Thankfully my grandson's former boss came out and replaced the pipes in the kitchen and into the garage for under $1,000. They also wrapped the pipes with some insulation so hopefully they won't freeze any more. The pipes in the garage had some bad spots that were ready to go from a few bad winters. Plumbing is the one thing I cannot do on my own.

The cat food issue makes me so glad my cat's will eat anything and prefer dry food and people food. I had to share my lasagna with them the other day. I made a huge thing of lasagna on Sunday and still have 2 more meals out of it. The cats are happy about that.

Hope everyone has a nice rest of the day.

My post was getting so long I didn't put my additional thoughts in.

The valve is right at the floor and is not attached to the sink cut off valve structure. It comes through the wall behind the cabinet right at the floor so whoever fixes it will probably have to cut through the cabinet and the wall. This was new construction in 2008 and the plumber who installed the dishwasher back then also installed the faucets and garbage disposal and hooked up the sink drains. So, I don't understand why this valve wasn't integrated into the lines going to the faucet. It's different than what I see in the youtube videos.

The valve does not leak when attached to the hose, but water comes out of the hose on the other end. What I think is that the valve is not shutting off completely because it hits the floor, stopping it from closing completely. In other words it does not complete 1/4 turn, by a cm or two. So tiny, yet so aggravating!

If the installer uses the valve as is, it should be okay. It would then be in the 'on' position again, until another dishwasher is needed in 10 - 15 years depending on how great this one is.

And, I think it would dry up if I could leave the water turned off. But there are certain things like showers and toilet that need water, so as soon as it comes close to finishing seeping, I turn the water back on which feeds the line again.

 

[Judique]

In no way a plumber either a DYI or professional just an extra hug, Judique. I admire your can-do spirit! Good for you. Lol, want to come fix our shower?

What's wrong with it? That may be a fairly easy fix.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow, @Judique! Impressed you take things like that on! Our dishwasher was on the fritz for a while. Like, I basically had to rewash everything by hand at the end of each cycle. I dreaded buying a new one because the one we had wasn’t very old, yet was broken beyond repair, and I really didn’t like it nearly as well as the one we had before that, either. So I started looking around for one that would work for us and have the features I wanted, the main one of which was a one hour wash cycle. While I was waiting for them to go on sale at Lowe’s, I noticed there was the same one on Craigslist that seemed like it was barely used, and we could go get it that night. So off DH, DS and I went to go check it out and hopefully take it home. We arrived in the dark, and turned out it was the dishwasher in a pool house of a very expensive, ritzy home that was hardly ever used, being sold because they were going to renovate the pool house (which was pretty shocking because it looked amazing as it was). So DH disconnected it then and there, and we took it on a pulley through the yard around to the front of the house and the waiting car, lol. (We were laughing so hard!) DH was able to install it pretty quickly at home and [knock on wood] it’s been working perfectly ever since! Cost: $100. We kept the silverware holder from our previous dishwasher because I liked it better, but it’s been so nice having a dishwasher that actually works again! DH always does the installations, he’s very handy that way, thankfully!

 

[Judique]

Wow, @Judique! Impressed you take things like that on! Our dishwasher was on the fritz for a while. Like, I basically had to rewash everything by hand at the end of each cycle. I dreaded buying a new one because the one we had wasn’t very old, yet was broken beyond repair, and I really didn’t like it nearly as well as the one we had before that, either. So I started looking around for one that would work for us and have the features I wanted, the main one of which was a one hour wash cycle. While I was waiting for them to go on sale at Lowe’s, I noticed there was the same one on Craigslist that seemed like it was barely used, and we could go get it that night. So off DH, DS and I went to go check it out and hopefully take it home. We arrived in the dark, and turned out it was the dishwasher in a pool house of a very expensive, ritzy home that was hardly ever used, being sold because they were going to renovate the pool house (which was pretty shocking because it looked amazing as it was). So DH disconnected it then and there, and we took it on a pulley through the yard around to the front of the house and the waiting car, lol. (We were laughing so hard!) DH was able to install it pretty quickly at home and [knock on wood] it’s been working perfectly ever since! Cost: $100. We kept the silverware holder from our previous dishwasher because I liked it better, but it’s been so nice having a dishwasher that actually works again! DH always does the installations, he’s very handy that way, thankfully!

What great luck! I was ready for new so didn't look at Craigslist.

But, before I bought my Speed Queens, I needed a dryer while I waited for my old washer to expire. Got one offered on Craigslist for $50. When we went to pick it up, my son and DD (both students at the time) the lady said we could have it for nothing. Then she said she was sorry it didn't work very well, and couldn't take money for it. I took it home and cleaned enough lint out of it to have caused quite a nice housefire. It's still working but I bought my SQ's anyway as I was ready for a pair that matched. I'm keeping it as a standby just in case someone needs it. It's called hoarding.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks, Judique so much. One of the sliding doors is stuck, sort of like the one on my closet actually. The faucets (that were installed last year) are becoming harder to turn. Other than that, it's just a case of cheap plumbing in an old building! Grateful to have a shower though

Wow, great bargain, Pea!

It's not even 4pm yet already feels much later. Still no snail mail delivery. We didn't get any mailbox mail yesterday just a package through the mail. We'll see what comes today.

Have a good evening everyone.

 

[easyas123]

ugg
So long afternoon. Our one pup is no longer with us, and it was a draining experience BUT it's over....and ironically he's getting the same urn as our Boxer. It'll be a rough couple of days, our other dog will need to adjust to being a only pup but we have some comfort in knowing it was the right decision. Just sucks. And that is okay, it's supposed to suck, but we will survive.

As for the family situation, it is almost resolved and as soon as some family members are on their way back to the USA it will be fully resolved. And that may be by tomorrow so fingers crossed there.

Geez is it the weekend yet?

Dinner was triscuits w/ cream cheese and a stiff drink.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

{{{{hugs}}}} @easyas123. I know that heartbreak all to well. A stiff drink was definitely in order.

 

[lynxstch]

So sorry about your pup, @easyas123