Hi Michelle - you snuck in on me! Sounds like you had a super busy weekend - I hope your back is feeling better today. I've been watering but not doing much in the way of yard work. I didn't put down weed cloth in the veggie patch, so that'll need to be weeded very soon. Ugh. Our grass is very dry, though we do have some shade. Still I'm wondering if I'll need to start watering the lawn to keep it from dying off. How do I tell if the lawn has just gone dormant or if it's dying??!!

Sorry you have such a long commute, and that you have to work long days this week. Make sure you get your rest!

Morning all,

Had a nice day out with the cousins yesterday. I need to make a new resume - abbreviated - which is more appropriate to some of the jobs I was applying for out this way. I'm finding that mind stumping. Wonder if this means I have outlived my usefulness to hold down a job We are also supposed to start working on cleaning and sorting in the garages but today is Farmers Market day which I want to check out as well as needed a few things for this week's mostly grill out type menus. We haven't had rain in about a week although there is a 50 percent chance tomorrow. Yesterday I gave everything a good watering and the grass is really really dry. We have about 40 percent humidity which is very low. Good thing is that we don't have sticky hot, just desert dry heat which means you feel your skin burning quickly if sitting outside for extended periods.

Looks like the critters stayed away last night. DH said he's going to have to take apart the stairs in order to rebuild them properly (crappy job in the first place) and close off the raccoon access route under the porch. He asked if I wanted to go underneath the porch to check for them and was met with a total DUH look from me. He was j/k. To those who asked if we can call someone to take away the bear, the answer is no. One can call the DNR - Dept of Natural Resources - but they just come out, inspect your area and tell you it's against the law to kill/maim/harm/feed a bear. They would have to tranquilize the bear so unless I called as it was ripping down the side of the house and eating DH, there's no way of catching it. About all we can do is make sure we have no available food sources and hope it goes away on it's own. The population seems quite active, my cousin has one up his way too. Maybe these are Gen Y bears who don't want to leave home

Laura - I was told that in times of drought that the grass will brown up and just go dormant on it's own. We have accidently burned our grass on 2 occasions when we laid the tarps out to dry in the sun not realizing they acted as a magnifying glass and burned the grass. Dormant grass is light brown. Burnt and dead grass is either a dark brownish green (like stiff straw) or a very very light - almost whitish tan color. Dormant grass is what it looks like in winter. I've heard you just leave it and it will come back on it's own. Unless you're talking newly laid sod in which case you better just live out there with the hose And yes, raccoons are very destructive and they are probably the most adept at getting access to food, no matter how you store it. I have also heard of them destroying roofs (my sister having experienced that) as they try to get into home attics and eves to find a warm spot for the winter. Glad you enjoyed the concert and the movie. Can you go over to the mall and do some power walking where it's cool to get a workout in? Probably not worth the hassle of getting to WF tho.

Geez Michelle - you are always on the run. No wonder you are tired. I sooooo hear you on being cranky after the long commute. I swear that was 60 percent of the aggrivation of working. After dealing with the doo dahs on the road, I'd come in the house just raving mad and often times poor DH caught the volcano exploding. I hope things work out with the other place - I'd take a shorter commute over better pay if I had to pick. It's really helpful that you have all this up to date web experience. See that side work helped in more ways than one! Thanks for the prayers for Mom, glad your DMIL is happier with you also. Thanks for the bear info, I heard if the bears get hungry enough, they will scavange for small animal carcasses and anything they can find in the trash. We may have to resort to storing our cans in the garage - once we make some room Hope you get some rain, I guess you just missed the storms that hit south of you. Are you missing Summerfest right now? That's a shame, I know how you enjoyed it. I could imagine the heat would be doublely troublesome for DH.

Mel - I love your sun - kept a copy of it. So simple but cute. One thing I think of with NY is power outtages and my horror in life - stuck in ELEVATORS I'm glad you at least have an option if you hit brown outs. I'm sure the seniors would be freaking out. I completely understand about making stuff ahead of time and then not wanting it a couple of days later. Why does that happen? How goes it with the tummy? Settling down?

Patty - we have a webcam outside pointed at the house. Guess we could put some bells on - would have to put it high enough for the bear but not low enough for the raccoons to set them off. I do understand what you mean about being bummed out that the weight loss efforts are stalled. Look at it this way, you still have time to work on it before the cold weather sets in and the insulation sticks harder to the bones

Shad - I'm sorry but I just the biggest kick out of your Christmas Shack store. Probably because I can picture you rolling your eyes in disgust that it stays open all year Thank you for posting for us. Hope you are surviving the go live.

Do you guys realize that Shad's Christmas is during the summer down under?

Ceejay - stay cool - we are watching the awful heat down your way and more than ever grateful that we are far from it. Is it sticky humid too?

Ok, I'd better get going if I will make the farmers market.

Just a quick check in to sneak another quick peek at the thread. I also had to mention something...I was checking out some of the bands playing Summerfest this week, and found one with an EXCELLENT NAME - "The Joy Formidable", and I immediately thought of our own dear formidable Shad.

I spent the better part of the morning working on a project to update a file, and then one of my co-workers didn't notice that I had the file checked out in our version control system, so he overwrote my changes with his own. Back to square one. And I can't even start re-inputting my changes until he is done. Oh well. No biggie.


=======================

Laura - I am right there with ya' that the thought of a power outage with all this heat and humidity scares the daylights out of me. I hope the power stays on for everyone! I don't know if they sell aerosol cans of water to mist you, but I know they have those spray bottles with fans that can either mist you, or create a breeze or both. As for the lawn being dormant or dead...I'm not sure how you tell. Established lawns are fairly drought tolerant, even in California. And up here in WI, once we get a good soaker rain, the lawns usually green right up. We're supposed to have isolated t-storms today...I hope they bring a lot of rain.

Happy - If you're updating your resume...I highly recommend you check out any and all books by Robin Ryan. I credit the things I learned from her books/audiobooks to helping me wind up with 3 great job offers (and hopefully a 4th one coming this week). Have fun at the Farmer's Market. I wanted to go to ours on Saturday, but my back was too sore and walking was not a good thing for me. As for Summerfest, we haven't been yet. If DH is feeling better, I'd like to go one night this week or weekend, but there are always other fests/fairs if we don't get there this year.

I got the job at the hospital!! I start on July 16 with two days of orientation!!

I'm so excited!!! yay!!! The salary is not as much as my current job, but more than I made at the company I just left...and the commute will only be about 15-20 minutes each way!!

Michelle
Yipee, I'm excited for your newest job. Wow, dh is having a time with this sinus/bronchitis infection. I finally have mine under control.

Hello All....

I always wonder why the weeds grow magnificantly without water and the veggies and flowers need extra attention. Got the veggies and flowers and even the two tress in my little bitty yard a little drink. Getting ready to harvest lettuce/spinach for the 4th time. Gave away two bags as I couldn't eat that much. Grilled a zuchinni over the weekend out of the garden. I planted a yellow zuchinni. It was very tasty...I have a mess of green tomatos coming on, when they come ripe it will be a bundle. Green onions are about ready to harvest also. Everything else is going to take some time.

Looks like I will have to go into work for about 4 hours tomorrow. I am claiming 8 hours of work time as we are supposed to get paid early release. Guess I will only have Wed as a Co holiday, then taking Thurs, Fri as vacation. Nothing planned so no big deal.

Nothing really planned for my days off except maybe spending one day in dad's yard doing a couple of things for him. I love working outside so it really is a great thing for me and him. Should only take a couple of hours fro no more than he wants done.

C is in bed already since 8 pm. I think after I post I may head that way since I have all my chores done. Kitchen done, laundry folded and put away, gardens (veggie & flower) watered. Not much else I want to acccomplish tonite. Just too tired and nothing that won't wait till I am off later in the week.

Oh CHELLE...I am so excited for you...Congrats on the dream job. The commute and liking the job will be well worth the it. I am so stinkin' happy for you.....YAAAAAHOOOOOO!!!:c heer2:

HAPPY...the whole bear thing just shakes me. Keep your b*tt in the house after dark...I do NOT want to learn that you were his dinner......block off the deck underneath....the d*mn raccoons will wreck it all under there.

LAURA....I watch the good wife and like it. However it is out of order and doesn't make a lot of connections to other episodes. I need to rent from season 1 and then forward.

MELLIE...hope you made it to TJs. Christmas in July...no thank you...I can barely afford it in December. Smack Smack.....

One Day...I know I SUCKED in June, I am right there with you. We need to get our act together..May the force be with us!

SHADDIE...really posting pix of Christmas Huts...their heads need examined. Hope you are making progress with the idiots.

ELLEN...hope you are keeping your sanity with your kiddos and momma's woes. May the force be with you sista! Hugs.

Hello to all the sensational worldlie chicklets!!

Love and Hugs

Prayers Request needed for my mom. She has a infection or something in her left wrist. Taking her to have a MRI tomorrow, then back to the specialist on thursday.

Mitchellez - So happy for you, I'm doing the Happy Dance

Annie - we need to talk about growing lettuce next year. I have the hardest time finding green leaf lettuce. I too have lots of green tomatoes, can't wait to eat them.

Happy - I hope you made it on time to Farmers Market. Do bears wonder more at night or during the day? What if you are BBqing does the smell bring them to the house?

Laura - has your grass been green at all? Does it go dormant in the summer? I thought it only did that in winter. I guess i would water so it doesn't get so dry & brittle. (fire danger)

Mel - I hope you had a good day. I hope you were ablee to make your calls.

Ellen, Ceejay & Shad - I hope you all are having a good day!

Aaargh, it's late and I only just got in. Time for a shower and sleep and hope that no one decides to do some computer work during the night.

I'll try to catch up with you all tomorrow.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

MORNING CHICKS

YESTERDAY WAS EVEN WUIETER THAN THE WEEKEND.
MADE MY CALLS, HUNG SIGNS ANSD TALKED TO RICHIE.
THAT WAS ALL I GOT DONE.
OH YEAH....I DID CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE & FREEZER.
THIS WAY ON THURSDAY....ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TOSS THE NEW GROCERIES IN.
NO FUSS OR MUSS.
STAYING COOL AND INSIDE. A BIT BORED.
HOPE YOU GALS ARE TAKING PRECAUTIONS IN THIS HEAT.
SEE YOU ALL MANANA.




LAURA....FUNNY HOW WE CAN GET HOOKED ON A SERIES.
JEN & RICHIE GOT HOOKED ON BONES & HOUSE.
GLAD YOU ENJOYED THE CONCERT EVEN WITH THE HEAT.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE SHUTTLE BUS YIKES!!!
THESE NEW ACTION MOVIES MAKE ME DIZZY!!
MUST BE TOO MUCH MOTION FOR MY INNER EAR!!!





MICHELLE.....SORRY TO HEAR THAT YOUR BACK IS BOTHERING YOU.
HOPE THE MAUSEA IS GONE BY NOW
ANOTHER HUG FOR THE DH
AT SOME POINT YOU MIGHT JUST HAVE TO TELL THE DMIL....NOT RIGHT NOW.
NOT EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR YOU AND DH.





HAPPY.....THANKS FOR TELLING US ABOUT THE DNR. I WAS WONDERING.
GUESS THEY'RE NOT MUCH HELP.
LET US HOPE MR BEAR DECIDES TO MOVE ON NOW THAT YOU'RE NOT FEEDING ANYTHING.
I HAD A DREAM ABOUT YOU AND THE BUNNY.
I FORGET WHAT IT WAS ABOUT BUT YOU ENDED UP WITH 2!!!!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE RESUME AND WHAT JOBS ARE YOU LOOKING INTO?





CEEJAY....GLAD TO HEAR YOUR SINUSES ARE UNDER CONTROL.
A TOUGH THING TO DO IN THIS WEATHER




ANNIE.....YOUR DAD MUST LOVE WHEN YOU COME TO HELP OUTSIDE.
YOU GOT A LOT DONE THIS WEEKEND AND LOTS OF VEGGIES. WOW.
SOME OF THE SENIORS PLANTS ARE DYING EVEN WITH WATER.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DEPTH TO OUR DIRT AREAS.
HOPE YOUR DAYS OFF ARE GREAT ONES. ENJOY!!




PATTY.....SENDING HEALING THOUGHTS OUT TO MOM.
THAT MUST BE PAINFUL. POOR WOMAN
HUGS FOR BOTH OF YOU!




SHAD.....GOOD TO BE HOME??? ENJOY THE SLEEP!!
YOU CERTAINLY DESERVE IT.

Back at work today, guess I will start my vacay on the 4th, for the remainder of the week. 4th is a paid holiday so will only burn (literally) with this heat lol, two vacay days to make a 5 day break.

No time really to post, will try to get back tonite. 100 degrees for the next couple of day...blah!

Love and Hugs...

Shad
You busy, busy woman. Get some rest.

Mel
Don't blame you forstayiing inside in theis heat. Yep it does get a bit boring. I'm going to clean out my fridge Thursday.

Patty
Hope things go well with your mom. Sending healing thought her way.

Annie
I didn't get all the things I wanted to get done last night but will finish them tonight. One of those is to water the front lawn. Enjoy the time at your dad's even thought it will be outside.

Ellen
How are things in your coner of the world?

Happy
Any more sightings of the bear? I'm with Annie don't go outside after dark.

Michelle
When do you start the dream job. Be careful conerning your back.

------
The water usage has gone up since last month. It almost like late July and August. The weather person is thrilled as she has a small pop up thunderstorm to report. Supposed to be 104 today at 4 p.m.

Morning all. Not a lot of time right now so I'll just say to Michelle on getting the job. Patty, I'll say a prayer for your mother.

Probably won't get back until much later or perhaps tomorrow. TTFN!

quick check in for me to say thanks to all you wonderful ladies!! I start my dream job on 7/16 with two days of orientation.

got some bad news yesterday too, unfortunately, DH has pneumonia again. The pulmonologist wanted to put him in the hospital yesterday, but since our insurance isn't very good, DH convinced the doc to postpone the hospital stay unless he's not doing at least a little better by Thursday. Poor guy. He's so sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Patty - Sending lots of prayers for your mom.

Hopefully we'll get rain today so that some communities can do fireworks. Even if we do get rain, we have high heat warnings through late Friday night. :P

Anyway, I'd better get back to work.

Much love,

MICHELLE....I FORGOT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB.
I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU
HOPE YOU LOVE IT MORE WITH EACH DAY THAT PASSES

Morning all,

We had some storms roll through last night - lots of lightening and everything got a good drink of water. It was worse up in Minnesota - winds of 80 miles per hour and ping pong sized hail in some parts. As the storm moved in I heard things rolling on the deck so I went out to pick up loose stuff like sprinkling cans and such. There were some empty garden pots rolling on the far side of the garage but I was nervous about going out there at dark so I asked DH to "spot me". Turns out he had to pick up some stuff too so he took care of it - pistol in one hand, stuff in the other We have not "seen" the bear in 2 days but that just means he didn't walk past the spot where we have the camera. I think they forage in the late evening and at night although in the early spring we saw them frequently during the day. We're under a heat advisory the next few days so I doubt we will get much done in the garages because even with the doors open, it's pretty stifling. I went into town yesterday and the Mongolian hoardes are in town for the holiday weekend. Very crowded and people are just plain IGNORANT. Block the aisles, reach in front of you, zoom past as you are trying to carefully back out of the parking space, heaven forbid that people could actually wait their turn or use the phrase "excuse me". And this was true of people of all ages. It was women for the most part as I have to admit the few guys I saw there looked like deer in headlights There was one family in particular who was frustrating - a young girl holding a baby rocking it back and forth, standing and blocking access to the produce section, cold meat, dairy and juices. At arms length was her mother and close to them was Dad pushing the cart. They stopped all over the store completely blocking access while they casually discussed what they might want to make. They were completely oblivious to anyone trying to shop and believe me, the store was more crowded than I had ever seen it. The carnival last week wasn't as crowded as this Twice I had to ask these people to move so I could get at what I needed and they barely moved aside. I sure was glad to get out of there and don't plan on going to town until next week. Tourists haven't been as bad as I thought but they sure are awful on the special summer weekends like Memorial Day or Independence Day which brings more in I guess. With it being so hot it would be nice to rent a boat and go on the lake or for an ATV ride but it will be just too crowded. The Farmers Market in town was a big joke. 3 small trucks. One was a guy who bought produce from another place - tomatoes and small potatoes and was reselling it. I know this because he had a sign saying just that. Another truck was 2 ladies selling homemade candles and soaps. And the 3rd truck was a local meat farm selling frozen meats. I did buy some soup bones, 2 steaks, a couple of sandwich steaks, some ground beef patties and some beef soup meat - all which looked nice. I am well stocked for food and should be able to sit in my little slice of heaven and forget about the world for the next week

Ceejay - I would imagine that the water demands would be as high as the electricity usage during these hot times. Keeps you busy, eh? I always felt sorry for the trash pickup men during these hot days - hard work and stinky, stinky garbage cans

Michelle - congrats on getting the job that you wanted I hope it will be everything that you want it to be. When are you going to tell your current employer?

Annie - that stinks that you had to go into work for not one but two days when you were planning on taking off. Hope you can at least enjoy a long weekend. Have fun digging in the garden - don't get sunburned!

Mel - glad you had a quiet day. Hope that continues. Will you get to see fireworks over the Hudson? OMG - you are dreaming about more bunnies???? Maybe Ms. Shad's warnings are coming true!

Patty - sending some prayers to Mum - hope everything will be ok.

Shad - sleep deep and well. Wake up refreshed for round 2.

Hello to Ellen who is no doubt working hard on her vacation.

Later chicks