Evening all. Hope you're all doing well.

Ceejay - New vehicle - nice! Hope you're enjoying it. It'll be good to have the AWD when the you-know-what comes.

Happy - Hope that last hummingbird got out of Dodge safe and sound! == The only thing that's thriving for me as to veggies are my basil plants. Started by seed and ended up with two and I took cuttings and have 4 more plants now, plus 3 more cuttings taking root. I'll need to bring them in and put them in my mini greenhouse in the basement and keep them going - at least some of them. Haven't done much with leaves I've harvested so far, but I will dry some and freeze others. Make a pretty tasty Caprese panini with some.== The craft cabinets sound nice. I have a smallish sewing cabinet upstairs, but no room for fabric and extra sewing notions, etc. I sometimes think it would be nice to set up a nice sewing space for myself in our basement rec room with everything stored together. Right now the stuff I don't have room for upstairs is in the basement. Of course I have to turn the "wreck" room back into a rec room before these plans can be made. Good cool weather project. Did you get rid of the unused clothes in the closet? I use two closets for my clothes (in addition to a dresser and some underbed boxes). The closets are small, but there's still so much I don't wear. With WFH, I'm more aware than ever of all the clothes I no longer wear. Maybe my motivation to clear out the closets is to have enough room for my sewing stuff because I do agree that the natural light in our basement leaves much to be desired (we are also below ground level and have window wells ). == I'm sorry you won't be seeing your mom this year. I hope you can get out there in 2021. === Do you have new mattresses now? I thought you had the tempur-pedic kind of mattresses - are you going with something different now? I hope you like the new ones.

Annie - Yeh, be grateful for the job you have (but keep looking for one that might be a better fit). == Has that check to the tax man cleared yet? Another thing to be grateful for - not having Uncle Sam browbeating you! == Yay for Cindy being in the clear. I do hope those vacation plans for next year can happen!!! === Awesome you're within 10 pounds of your goal weight!! Keep plugging away. Maybe you need to really break that down into mini-goals.

Susie - I'm glad the shot helped your shoulder feel a bit better. == Good job on the 7 pounds lost! I've been logging my eating and it's been helpful to know my calorie intake...but I need to work to bring that number down now!! === You asked about my work - I haven't been to the office since mid-March, so I've been WFH for over 6 months now. The office is closed except for business critical needs, and pre-approval is required to go in the office. I don't think me wanting to get some of my shoes and some other personal belongings fits in that category, LOL. == We had an all-employee meeting last week and it will likely be spring before we might go back to the office...and management will be sending a survey to see if this WFH might be closer to the new normal. That would be interesting. == I hope your Las Vegas trip can happen in 2021!

Hi Shad!!

Not much going on with me. Dentist appoint Saturday was fine. Sunday I met a friend for breakfast. We spent about 3 hours chatting!! On the way home from the restaurant I went to a park in our neighboring suburb that I've been curious about. It was a lovely day and they have a nice walking path, so I enjoyed going there. Yesterday I took a vacation day and ran a couple errands. It was another beautiful day, so later in the afternoon I went to a nature center about 10 miles from home that has conservations areas - prairielands, wetlands, and woodlands. It was nice to spend time outside walking on the paved and unpaved paths that go through the 135 acres of the land. I'm going to try to get back there once the fall color has gotten going.

I've got one of those strange headaches right now, so I'm going to get this posted, eat a snack, and take some migraine pain reliever. Everyone take care! TTFN.

Good morning ladies,

Today marks 48 years ago that DH picked me up at a dance and the rest is history. It's so hard to believe that much time has passed. I certainly hope we don't look as old as someone who has been together for 48 years would be.

The autumn colors turned quickly here and a friend went up to the apple orchards on the shores of Lake Superior Sunday. She reported back that the colors are stunning so we changed our plans yesterday from going to the gym to taking a ride. So glad we did - I guess being close to the lakeshore it's warmer and they didn't get the hard freeze we did. Reds and oranges were amazing. It was an overcast day so perfect lighting for pictures and no sun to wash the colors out. We did the orchard route - I got about 7 bags of apples - various varieties. I love homemade applesauce and multiple varieties make the tastiest sauce.

On the way up we were talking and DH said he regretted that he might not live long enough to enjoy our money (given the current crazy state of the world). I asked what he felt he was missing out on. I said I thought about having a nicer house, one that was a single level for easier access with a nice bigger cook's kitchen but that would take too much money for it and going forward. I then said the only thing I can think of that I'd like to do is to take a 4 to 6 week vacation to visit Australia and New Zealand. Always wanted to do that. I guess that caught his attention as we talked about it most of the trip and today I guess he is upstairs making a list of what he'd like to visit! Watch out Shad...

Going to our friends house tonight to watch the debates for as long as we can stand them. Which might not be too long.

I keep getting interrupted so have to put this on hold until tomorrow probably. Will be back...

Good morning, let's try this again.


It's gray and windy and cool out. Autumn is winding down although it's supposed to warm up a bit next week. We are taking one more road trip this weekend to see if we can catch some color further downstate and then that will be it I imagine. Time to swap out the summer clothes and shoes and get ready for the chill. I looked at the boxes in the garage that I still have not gone though. Perhaps next week when it's nice during the day. I have a lot of decorations I no longer use - should take them to the thrift shop but they are so overloaded with stuff right now. I am trying very hard to make a plan, stay focused and get some things done. I would like to set up the upstairs for a desk and craft area. I think the heat vent is by the windows which will keep me warm and the loft area will be warmer too.


We had a nice dinner with friends yesterday before the debates. She made warm rolls and chicken noodle soup. I brought a fall salad of mixed lettuces, chopped fresh apples (I showed her how wonderful a crank style apple peeler is), slivered almonds, dried cranberries, sweet cheddar cheese shreds and a vinaigrette I made from cranberry pear balsamic vinegar and oil. L said her husband's mouth would fall off if he ever ate a salad so she said it was a special treat for her. I brought apple pie sticks for dessert. Good meal. Then we watched the fiasco of the debates. We left at 10pm and came home and watched the recap for about an hour and then headed to bed. DH got a new Puffy mattress - like the Purple brand mattress but cheaper. IF you consider $1700 for a single twin XL mattress cheaper. The Purple was about $2500 for one mattress. Yikes. So of course, I had no choice but to get one too. I don't think I like it. It's very HIGH. He's got to build a step for me because the top of the bed comes halfway between my (droopy) boobs and waistline. It's VERY hard to get into the bed. And it's sort of squishy. I kind of collapse into it and it makes me snore. The cats like it though. I have to fight them to get my space on the bed. This is not a bed for an old person. I would take the frame and mattress and put it straight on the floor but DH likes to tilt the bed when he's watching tv. That's the main reason we got another memory foam mattress - you can't tilt the bed with a standard mattress. First world problems...


The goons in town have decided they are going to have weekly trump parades where they decorate their trucks and cars and drive through town at the height of busy times. But first they gather in clumps packed tightly, yelling and cheering each other maskless and the rest of us just point to our state being number 3 and rising in new Covid cases. This election can't come fast enough. I know there will be a lot of civil unrest no matter what happens afterwards for a while but I pray we can get back to sanity or I'm going to have to sell the compound and move to even more rural Canada.


But for now I'm going to make a pot of beef vegetable soup and process all those apples I bought into sauce.


Laura - did you get your basil transferred back into the house? My Mom said that you were getting a cold spell soon but probably not to freezing yet. One of the things I thought was really cool as far as craft storage goes was a double wide closet like we had in AH with shuttered doors. There was plenty of width for lots of cubbyholes and shelves for storage and the work table was on castors to pull out to get more light. The only issue was running electrical so you could plug in a sewing machine or lights or whatever. It was really neat. I agree it's kind of hard to get good light in a deep basement with window wells. We have canned lights in the ceiling the the "hobby room" part but while it would be great for reading or watching TV, not great for close up work, particularly as we get older and seem to need more light for fine detail work. Hope you come up with something. I too am going to take a hard look at the nicer clothes that I have in the closet and don't wear. Particularly if I am giving up bingo and activities that get me out of the house. I am embracing being a hermit more and more. And I like to be a warm hermit so many of the nice blouses and pants just don't work any more. Good luck to both of us!!


Susie - how is the shoulder coming along? How did the appointment go? I hear you on the yo yo of weight loss. I sincerely believe the key is to never have developed the fat cells in the first place. It's so much effort now ...


Annie - how is the arm coming along? Are the kids back in school again or is it chaos at your house?


Ceejay - hope you are enjoying the new car. Take some drives to get away from Sis and go enjoy the outdoors.


Shad - have you gotten over the sinus thing yet? This is allergy season max for me. Vertigo is back and so is the sniffing. Hope you feel better.


Ok kids, time for me to get off the computer and go get busy. Hope you are all doing well. Check in soon.

Afternoon all.

Lovely sunny crisp day here, but of course I’m inside working. I did get out to pick up lunch for myself, but that was it. Maybe after work I’ll get out for a walk.

Happy – Happy 48 years since meeting your DH! Speaking of your DH – enjoying his photos so much! I think I’m going to seek his permission to use one as my background for remote conference calls!! == I hope you’re enjoying the fall color up there while it lasts. == I was in Galena for the weekend and there was only a touch of color starting. Otherwise, it was green and very pretty. There are a couple trees that changed color in the next block behind the house that I can see outside my home office window, so I’m enjoying those. == How are you doing at turning all those apples into applesauce? I think our farmers market is still going – on Sunday I’ll have to get over there and buy some apples and maybe a half gallon of fresh apple cider. I bought a bottle of hard cider from a winery in Galena. == How’s that bucket list going (making it, not checking it off)?? === Have you gone through anymore of the garage boxes yet? BF bought a couple pairs of shoes yesterday and I got him to go through all the shoes in his closet. He got rid of a couple pairs of old slippers and 3-4 pairs of shoes. One seldom-worn pair of heavy old-school hiking boots he’s had for decades is in good enough condition to donate. Maybe some lumberjack wannabe will want them, lol. I gave him the hanging shoe bag I used to have at work (when I had a skinny closet as part of my cubicle in our previous office space). He was able to store his infrequently worn shoes in that in the closet of our home office. I was sleep-deprived yesterday (didn't sleep well/enough over the weekend) and didn’t feel like going through and purging my shoes. However, when I started thinking about all the places in the house where I store shoes, it was sort of silly – four different closets have my shoes in them! Well, one of them, the entrance closet, is where I store my winter boots, and I won’t move those. But I should at least try to consolidate the shoes in three closets down to two. == Have you gotten accustomed to your high bed yet? Be careful with the overnight bathroom trips. It’s a scary thing when the floor isn’t where it should be!! Are you going to buy a step stool or some sort fancy steps to help you? == One of my basil plants shriveled up, but they are all in the house now, most in the 3-season room facing south, windows closed. It’s time to set up the lighting in my basement mini greenhouse!!

Hellos to the rest of you! Hope you’re all doing well.

I had last Friday off work for the girls weekend in Galena. My friend D, who lives south, had her son drop her off at my house and we drove up together late Friday morning. We met the other 4 who’d driven up in pairs at the hotel later in the afternoon, and we had dinner together and convened in the hotel pool area afterwards. A few swam and went in the hot tub while a few of us chatted, and then we all played a game of Yahtzee. On Saturday we strolled the downtown shops (brisk but not mobbed, thankfully, and the whole area was a designated mask zone), picked up carryout and ate lunch outdoors at a winery not far from town that had very pretty views. Dinner was at a supper club with an awesome view of the river and surrounding area. Once again we gathered in the hotel pool area afterwards. This time we played Uno. I had a nice time. We had two friends from outside our core group and that was a nice change. I also enjoyed the time talking to my friend D on the drive out and back.

The weather was just okay – a bit chilly because it was pretty cloudy the entire time. But only a wee bit of drizzle driving back from dinner Saturday night. As I told Happy, the fall color had barely started, but the scenery was still lovely to see. COVID dining restrictions that took effect in the area on Saturday meant we had to either eat outdoors (a chilly proposition) or take it to go and eat elsewhere. Saturday we took carryouts to the winery for lunch on their wraparound porch. For dinner, there was a bit of drama. An 8:00 pm reservation was made for a restaurant in East Dubuque, which somehow was allowed for indoor dining. That was deemed too late for a couple of people. Those people wanted to just order pizza to eat at the hotel. Unfortunately, we couldn’t eat in public areas of the hotel, so it would have to be our rooms. Ultimately, we were able to get a 6 pm reservation (which wasn’t available when the 8 pm res was being made) and all was well.

Driving home on Sunday morning, the weather was clear and sunny, of course. Oh well, it was a nice drive home. I’m glad I got away and had a nice change of scenery. I would have liked to have had more outdoor time spent in nature, but it wasn’t that kind of weekend. Besides, two of my friends we were with are not in the best physical condition and really can’t do much in the way of physical activities, so we don’t do that kind of thing (hike/walk, etc.) together . Hopefully the local weather will permit some quality outdoor time over the next few weekends for me to get out and enjoy the fall weather.

That’s about it for me, so back to work. TTFN.

Still alive and kicking. Not getting notifications although sometimes they end up in the spam box. I'm over the sinus although I'm still supposed to be taking the medication.

Am just out the door to go to meet some people, then I need to pick up some supplies from the hardware store and then take the dog out to check out some new walking paths in the Eagleby Wetlands. After that I will be back to post. I thought retirement was supposed to be slow and steady. Oh, was that before COVID???

Made it back. I've half an hour before I am supposed to be somewhere else. This Probus club (club for retirees and semi retirees) has been taking up a lot of my time. The president packed a sad and resigned because the committee didn't see it his way, and even tho' he has resigned he is still trying to control the committee. Apparently I am head nerd so I get all the technical problems to sort out and I find he had delusions of grandeur because he sourced a grant of money from the local council and has bought a stack of technical gear and guess what, no one knows how to work it. That's okay, just dump it at Joy's place, she will sort it out. Bah humbug. Since all of the committee except for the president were new to the Probus scene and ethics, we are bumbling our way through the myriad of hall leases, certificates of covid compliance, etc.etc.etc.

So, apart from that, what's been happening? Well the sinus got a massive dose of antibiotics which cleared up a lot of the pain and mucus, and then I had to go onto prednisolone which doesn't appear to agree with me too much. So I stopped it for a while and went back to the doctor who said finish the repeats. Only two more to go. Then I'll either be in a coma or fixed.
COVID comes and goes and we have State elections here this month. Since Queensland is at the moment a Labor State (and out of the 7 States and Territories, only two are Labour held) and the Federal government is a liberal one we are getting bombarded with accusations of unfairness and stupidity because we have kept the borders closed to NSW and Victoria who are not yet COVID free. All the rest are doing just fine thank you. I'm tired of the news singling us out because one person couldn't come up to a funeral or for a hospital visit. This border closure is apparently stopping the economy from growing. Well hallelujah, look back at history and it will tell you that we will take at least 5 years to get back to where we were - and in my opinion we have an opportunity to make things better for all people, land care, environmental issues and wildlife if we give it some thought. Still since we have older middle aged grey haired or balding men in power, things will not change. Where's a women prime minister here?

I have been reading the posts from time to time - when my eyes stopped having the jazzy lines around them and I see we are all going along in a fair to muddling fashion. COVID is affecting all of the people in many different ways. I also see that Happy's DH is planning his lifetime trip downunder. I hope he has a good map of Australia, since the land area is bigger than that of the US and it really does take 2-3 days to travel 1" of the standard map. The tyranny of distance. Happy, tell him that as soon as he books the tickets I will go out and plant cauliflowers and put a box of mushroom spores in the shed so dinner will be ready when you get here
Seriously though, guide books are really good things, however the locals usually have some special spots that don't make the guide books. I went out on a jaunt last Sunday - had cabin fever so left home for the day. I went to so places that had been badly burnt during last years bush fires and so many people and animals lost their homes and livelihoods. So I injected a bit of cash into the local economy. It's not the big cities that I go to, they get enough publicity on their plight (the border is closed so I can't sell my coffee/ crap from China/ nail polish etc. I go to the little places up in the hills and much of it is very pretty again, but with a distinct lack of birds and animals now. Recovery is slow. And again in my opinion the only things people NEED are - a place to call home, a roof over their heads, running water, food in their belly, enough clothes to enable a change of them and some shoes and add in transport. Everything else is a nice to have. When there are no jobs, people are working from home, none or not much money coming in then pull your woolly head in and go for the basics, save some cash for a rainy day.

Okay what else - well the whole house is now fitted with Plantation Shutters apart from the sliding door which are going to be replaced shortly. Two major things came off the to do list, so that is pleasing. The family is all keeping well and safe and we have little family gatherings from time to time to make sure we are all okay. No-one in the family has been laid off work yet although my niece had a couple of weeks off at the beginning of the crisis before she got set up to work from home. So she is back to earning again.
Ruger the dog has been diagnosed with a disease called EPI. Basically speaking his pancreas is dying and he isn't producing enough enzymes to digest his food. So he got very thin. However we have changed his diet completely and he has been given some human tablets called Creon which are replacing those enzymes and he is more or less back to his normal self. Romeo the cat is his normal catself and evermore shall be I guess.
The garden is nearly finished. This month will see me pull out the last of the early tomatoes and the last of the second crop of potatoes. Beans are done and the carrots and beetroot are nearly ready. So there will be work to be done there soon. I'll leave the onions and garlic in for a while longer. Then I can turn over the soil and fertilise and mulch heavily for the summer and plant again next autumn.

I think that is about it. Adelaide family are doing okay although getting hacked off with the never ending saga of the house. DS1 calls it the house that does not want to be built. Shortages of materials, discontinuing lines without letting the owners know so they can go pick something else etc.
I think we just skipped Spring and went straight to summer - although the humidity is not too bad yet and the mornings are still delightfully cool. No doubt that will change, and we badly need rain again. It's either a feast or a famine around here - mostly famine.

Okay, that's it, I'm off, got to go see a man about some microphones, then come back here to water the yard again, check out suppliers of security screens and chop another branch off the Calistemon tree.
I'll try not to be too long getting back here again. I did think of you all and even picked up the phone to call Happy once, but then the nose started bleeding again and that was the end of that. I will get to it one of these days. Be good, be careful, wear a mask - not just for your own health, for the sake of others too.
Annie Laura Ceejay Happy Susie (congrats on the weight loss by the way)

Good Afternoon,

Some much needed good news and excitement. I did get the offer from another company and I accepted. I put in my two week notice here tomorrow. Start my new job on October 26. I am so excited and I am sure I will love it. I will be the BOA-Business Office Administor for an Edward Jones office. Money is a bit better, not a lot but better, same insurance. I am rather happy about it all. There is an opportunity 4x a year, which will make it a LOT more $$ than I make here. Very nice. It will be just me and the financial advisor and a trainee advisor. THIS IS STILL UNDER WRAPS FOR NOW. Nothing on FB please.

I will post more later tomorrow. I need to get things done here. Just wanted to update you all with some good news for a change!!

Thank you for all the sisterly love, prayers and good vibes!

4x a year bonus, sorry left that word out of the sentence.

Woohoo Annie

Great news Annie!!

Annie, this is fantastic news!!! Congratulations!!

Good morning all,

Annie :congratulations: That is wonderful news. I didn't realize you were looking. How wonderful to snag something at this time when I imagine things would be on the quieter side on the job front. I hope you will be very happy. They are soon to find out how lucky they will be to have you as you are a on the ball, think ahead kind of lady. And I'm sure your past experience will help too. My first thought after yay was that you will be in a small office - less opportunity for others to annoy you. And if you are going to be one of the very few in the office doing everything, you might as well be the manager Can't wait to hear how it goes. FINALLY you get a break you righteously deserve. So happy for you Will your commute be easier?

Shad - good to hear you are muddling along. Sounds like you deal with the same political battles that we do here in the states. People have lost their darn minds and I am so tired of the push back on the virus which is politically motivated. Meanwhile we are the 3rd highest new outbreak in the USA. We have cases in my little neck of the woods but thank goodness are mild and people are quarantining at home so because people are not actually DYING, the majority of fools here are more concerned about driving around in their big trucks with big trump flags in an effort to intimidate all while crying about their freedoms being trampled. Can't wait for this to be over. I'm not sure about the virus if people don't step up and just do what they have to. I hear you on the need for a leader with common sense. I'm sorry to hear about Ruger. That had to be difficult to watch as he thinned out. So glad they found him a treatment that looks to be working for him. Smiled at your comment about tech guru. It's funny that we have come so far, computers are a part of everyday life and still there are a great many who are woefully unskilled or terrified of them. Your skills and time will be in high demand. Bummer on the woes of DS's new home. I swear that is an omen. The man who built our current house was not a pleasant fellow. His wife was a sweet lady - he was the opposite. They built this house during the housing boom and then the real estate market crashed and they owed more than the house was worth so he divorced his wife (she was in her 70's !!), walked away from the house to avoid his debts. There were some (and still occasionally are) days in this house where I consider "bad juju" in here that affected DH and I in our relationship. I needed some crosses, sage and special stones to ward it off However I do think there are some underlying things that affect a property. I hope that is not the case with your son's new home. As for notifications on the in box, I find I get some from this site but not all. I saw the notification from Laura but not from you and certainly not from Annie. I guess best to just check in every once in a while.

Laura - DH would be flattered that you use his photo. He is fine with people admiring them, just of course does not want anyone to sell them for commercial gain which is why he puts a signature or watermark on them. If one of his photos has such, let me know which and I will email you a copy sans markings. To your question, no I have not gotten on my new high bed yet. Today is the day. I have to find a step that is safe to use and clear out some of my shoes under the bed - today's the day for that prep work. Meanwhile the cats think mummy bought them a nice, new bed - WRONG. I will have to push them all to DH's side of the bed Glad you had a good time in Galena, we always enjoyed our weekend getaway trips up to that area. Sorry your friends could not be more outdoors active, I can commiserate - that's me now and it bugs me a great deal that I am so compromised. Still it sounds as if you had a much needed getaway and a chance to relax and enjoy yourself.

Hello to the rest of you ladies

Nothing exciting going on in my life. My knee if giving me fits. I am trying to do the NuStep and my knee is complaining after 10 minutes. I think I have gotten away from the things I need to focus on for recovery. Since this is soft tissue aches, I should be able to control it. Cooler weather brings on more aches which doesn't help. And this is the height of my allergy season so dealing with sinus congestion, stuffy nose, scratchy throat and headaches with the occasional vertigo. This will last until a couple of good long frosts to destroy the mold spores outside. At least it's not Covid.

DH and I took a couple of drives - we are trying to go out at least once a week to enjoy the last days of nice weather. The colors this fall have been brilliant and we have really enjoyed them. I don't know why DH is not posting more pictures. He is very critical and frankly he deems so many not good enough that I think are just fine so I tell him we all lose out! I am keeping my work with the Humane Society at arms length. SO much drama at the shop I don't want to go in there so I go after hours or at closing to pick up my paperwork to process. They are doing very well taking in the money so that's a good thing. We had an online auction this past week and yesterday I played cashier for those picking up their items. I managed to buy one of DH's donations (I was trying to bid up the price a bit) and also got a nice watercolor framed print of poppies. I have several framed prints I need to hang. It's just a hassle because when I ask DH to hang them he asks why we don't have more of HIS work hanging and doesn't like my arrangement and it's just very frustrating so the pictures sit against the wall. I really need to get my act together this winter and do some major redecorating. We have gone to the apple orchards and I made a batch of apple sauce that came out delicious. Made 4 quarts, gave one away, ate one. I have enough apples to make another 4 quarts which I will probably do this week. I should get in the habit of eating a plain apple each day or so. I got some fresh cranberries too so will have to make some chutney and sauce. Two weeks ago I picked up a bag of salad mix that had a tangerine vinaigrette dressing. I finally made the salad (had to toss the greens because I forgot about it) but used the dressing and added fresh romaine lettuce, slivered almonds, added some chopped fresh tangerines which I zested before I cut them up. The salad mix had a packet of shaved cheese bits also. Served it with chicken kiev and DH just loved the salad. Of course that was a seasonal salad mix but I was able to order a bottle of tangerine balsamic vinegar from one of my favorite oil and vinegar stores. So hoping to make a nice recreation of that dressing and enjoy another tangerine salad with pork chops tonight. I realize we barely grilled this year which was odd because we were home so much. This year actually did pass quickly in retrospect. I am on a Housing Board that was not supposed to require much of my time. Until I joined that is There is an incident which we need to meet on so had to rearrange my tomorrow for it. Still trying to get to swimming once a week. Not going down to visit my Mom. BIL is acting as landlord for his dad's apartment building while he is recovering from medical issues. BIL found out the tenant he talked to for about an hour tested positive for Covid so he and sis are laying low. They all had the virus earlier but I don't need to risk any possible exposure. As such everyone is keeping at bay from my Mom out of concern.

So with that I will post this and head to the next task at hand. Stay safe and healthy everyone.

HOWDIE!!

Thank you for all the congrats! Sent my resignation letter to my branch manager last Friday the 9th and he is yet to respond or acknowledge it. I know HR knows cause they have sent me an exit survey. All that just makes me know I made the right decision to move on. All the other bossy "managers" have not said anything either. I know they also know cause I asked one of them. She said yes the grapevine is active. So no one really cares that I am leaving. Good cause I care about my mental health and happiness.

HAPPY...yes indeed. The new place is about 10 minutes closer to my house and I do not have to get on 465 highway. I can just scoot along back roads. I did a couple of test runs, it may be right at 20 mins from the house. My new boss has called and/or texted me every week just to chat. We are on week 3, so far a phone call and then a text this morning to see how Cs heart test went yesterday. Cs heart test was ok I guess as they did not send him on to the hospital or anything. Plus he went out fishing last evening on our pond. His job is sucking and his boss is a dingbat.

SHADDIE...glad Ruger is getting all situated. I have more sympathy for animals on most days than people. lol

Took they boys to the pumpkin patch yesterday afternoon. We were the only ones there. It was weird like a syfi movie. Couple of other mom friends of Samantha went and their kids. It was a very nice sunshiny 70 degree day. Petting zoo, slides, haystacks, kids had a ball.

Not much else going on around here. Stay healthy.

Congratulations Annie

Evening all. Happy Friday. Thinking back to last Friday when the weather was in the low 80’s and just gorgeous, and it was followed by a fabulous Saturday and Sunday in the 70’s. The colors are gorgeous. When the sun shines, the trees glow! Last Saturday I went back to the nature preserve, and brought bf with me for a walk around the paths and trails. It was later in the afternoon, after a lot of people had already gone. It was wonderful. We are having much more fall-like weather this week. Kind of chilly and gloomy, and really blustery too. Oh well, it had to happen sometime…

Shad – Head nerd! == I’m glad the sinus woes have been successfully treated. == What are the jazzy lines around your eyes?? I hope there isn’t an issue. I’ve had my new progressive lens eyeglasses for probably a couple months now and I don’t think they’re quite right. Not horrible, but some eyestrain. Or maybe I just spend too much time looking at my phone when I’m not looking at my computer screen! == I do agree with you that we really don’t need all that much in the way of material goods. Bf and I are at the point in our house that after 20 years in it, it’s getting full! With the start of my WFH in mid-March, I was focused on making room for my computer setup. Now I need to make space for the relatively sparse amount of paper I’ve generated from work. So now I need to empty out space from one of the file drawers in the home office. Guess I’ll finally purge all those old tax returns, lol. And the basement has filled up too, so the “indoor season” will be a good opportunity to do a purge. == BF has commented that we just need to take a match to it, and I know he’s being facetious…but I also know that he’ll probably want to toss items that I think should just be donated or even sold. We’ll fight those battles when we come to them, I’m sure. == I’m glad your family is staying safe and healthy. == I hope Ruger continues to thrive with the enzyme tablets and his revamped diet!

Happy – Gosh, I do think you should have someone to the house to do that smudging or whatever they call it, and maybe call in a house whisperer (I saw one on House Hunters, LOL)!! == So how is that new high bed? Instead of steps, maybe you just need one of those springboards that the gymnasts use to leap to the vault!! Just be careful with the knee. Sorry to hear it’s giving you trouble. Will you get into the hot tub to relieve the pain? == I’m glad to not have much in the way of fall allergies, or I’m just not around the things that I react to. BF was happy to get a little flyer left by our door from an enterprising teen in our area that’s willing to rake leaves. Our big oak has barely dropped any yet, but the leaf mold is an issue for me, so if that kid’s willing to rake, we’re willing to pay! == Having enjoyed the scenery so much in Galena, I’m envious of how much beauty you have up close and personal to you. Please urge your DH to keep posting his photos so he can share the beauty with all of us urban and suburban dwellers!! == Hope your BIL is okay, along with the rest of the family! The positivity rate is back up in our area and we have to remain diligent.

Annie – The response from the managers to your resignation notice is crummy. Well, good riddance to them!! I thought when you went back to that company that it would be a good thing to have the tenure for benefits purposes, but you obviously weren’t at all happy in your position, so that’s that. I hope you love this new job. Sounds like your new boss is communicative, so that’s good! And yay for a shorter commute!! Are you taking any time off before you start the new gig? == I’m glad C’s heart test went alright. == Awww, the pumpkin patch. Sounds fun. I’d say it would be fun to carve a pumpkin like I did a few years ago, but now that I think about it…it wasn’t fun scooping all the goop and seed out of it…

Hellos to Ceejay and Susie!! Miss you!

Not a whole lot going on. Work is work. I’ve been slacking on the exercise lately. I’m sort of wanting to do what a friend of mine did – take small group personal training classes at a small gym – but she told me a couple of days ago that the gym was closed for two weeks because of a covid outbreak there. Anyway, I need to get back in the exercise groove somehow. Still logging all my eating. Not losing weight, just up and down a few pounds. Need to work on more home-cooked meals as the carryout stuff we get is generally not light or healthy.

So we’ve had the pantry emptied out all week and the contents sitting in the kitchen, dining room, and 3-season room. Bf is installing a new shelving system. What’s taking so long is that we’d never painted it when we moved in (insert blushing emoji here), so the walls were really ugly, especially after removing all the shelf supports for the old wooden shelves. There was a lot of patching to do, and then the painting, both interspersed with drying time. But today is finally the day that the new shelves go in!

Last Sunday I was browsing my FB garage sale groups and came across a cabinet from the same Ethan Allen collection (vintage, i.e., 70’s era) as my sewing cabinet, so I quickly snatched it up. It sat in the garage all week and a couple days ago I wiped it down inside and out. It was cheap, in great shape, and it’s just the right size to fit in the spare bedroom with the sewing cabinet, which it matches exactly. I’m happy about that since I’ve kind of been looking for a small cabinet to serve as a side table for the daybed in that room, as well as additional storage for my sewing stuff. Even better, when we clean out the basement, bf will move his keyboard setup out of that spare bedroom. That really makes me happy because I hate seeing all that electronic equipment!

Nothing exciting planned for this weekend, just a lot of to-do's around the house. Hope you all have a good weekend! TTFN.