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Altaira
Superuser
Jul 31 2020, 4:07pm
Post #1 of 43
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Another Friday and another Fiesta!!
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Greetings, everyone! I hope your summer is going by swimmingly (see what I did there?  ).
We're still up to our hobbit-ears in house renovations. After one electrician who came back from lunch with his wife and 3 sons to 'help', and let his 8 year-old run all over the house spilling fertilizer and playing with our power tools, we found some good electricians. Then we found out there's a national appliance shortage. Who knew? We want to sell the place with a 4-piece suite of new appliances all the same brand (refrigerator, range, dishwasher, microwave), and darned if at least two of the four aren't back-ordered in every brand (well, the affordable ones anyway). That pushed going to market an entire month, to late August (I ordered them at the beginning of July).  On the flip side, we found the best handyman ever, and the rest of us are having a great time doing the things we can manage.
How about you? What summer/winter adventures have you been having this week, or have planned for the weekend? Inquiring hobbit, elf and dwarf ears want to know! So, help yourself to the yummy selection of fresh summer fruits, melons, and corn on the cob at the buffet, and - oh yes - those blenders are already whirring to make frozen summer delights! Not to worry for you S. hemisphere folks - there's coffee and hot chocolate a-plenty!
*puts quarters on juke box* play us something summery!
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!!   
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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dernwyn
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Jul 31 2020, 4:37pm
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It's good to have you back, taking a break from Adventures in Home Renovation. Could I have a coffee and vanilla ice cream smoothie, please?
What in the world was that first electrician thinking! (I hope you were able to lodge a complaint with someone.) And sooo glad you've now got decent electricians, AND a good handyman, those kinds of folks are worth their weight, tools included, in gold.
The store where we got our appliances when we re-did our kitchen last year has been sending out emails warning of shortages. We're replacing some carpets right now, and that store let us know it's going to take a couple weeks longer than usual for the carpeting to get to them.
Thinking about it, we should be grateful that manufacturers have been able to keep some production going! However a bit more warning about the shortages would have been helpful. It's like going into the store, and realizing the shelves for certain odd items are empty. (And it seems to be different items every couple of weeks.)
Staying cool has been my primary goal this past week, and for this weekend! It's gotten into the low 90's with high humidity a couple of days. We have an air conditioner in the bedroom, so sleeping is comfortable, but the other rooms have just ceiling or floor fans. I'm thinking that sitting in the breeze of a fan with iced tea and a book might be the best way to spend the weekend! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Jul 31 2020, 6:56pm
Post #3 of 43
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No, not me! The appliance shortage. I wouldn't expect it late July. I wonder what's behind it?
I do remember in March, when EVERYTHING was in short supply, that a relative got sick with what we thought was COVID (no testing at the time), and he was fortunately just hit with fever and extreme fatigue, nothing worth hospitalization, but he was so drained his parents went online and bought him a small freezer, which he was lacking, then bought food for him on Instacart. They had a devil of a time finding any freezer at all, and then the price was jacked up, and it was an unheard-of brand, and it died in about 3 months while "brand-new." But, March was a very different time, and China was still largely closed down then, so manufactured goods were scarce.
Good point about rolling shortages. My grocery store in Boston is nearly fully stocked with everything now, but there's often one thing missing one week (paper towels), then I come back in 2 weeks and there are tons of paper towels but no cleaning supplies, then 2 weeks later it's something else, like peanuts. What's a little bit funny is they clearly ordered toilet paper from every supplier on Earth, so that's been in stock since June, even if the packaging is all in Spanish or French. Well, you know, I don't exactly need directions in how to use it, just to clear up any possible lingering doubts, my dear readers, so the language issue is not a barrier, more of an amusement.
Today I just had my first meal at a restaurant since February: outdoors, in their parking lot, at a picnic table in the shade. Nothing special, but I wanted to support a local business, and anything that even slightly bears the aroma of the normal, pre-COVID world is welcome.
Happy weekend, everyone, and stay cool! (Or warm Down Under.)
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Altaira
Superuser
Jul 31 2020, 7:54pm
Post #4 of 43
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is that they stopped manufacturing during the COVID shutdowns, then got hit with more demand than they thought they would during the Memorial Day and July 4th sales. I ran into the same thing with selectblinds.com, my go-to place for ordering mini-blinds. They usually take 10-14 days, but warned it could be more like 30-45, and everyplace else I checked was 45-60. Thankfully, they came through in less than 10 days, so that was a nice surprise.
90+ degrees and high humidity can be miserable. In addition to the AC and fans, I bet you're also an expert at managing which blinds and curtains are open at certain times of the day. In France, they have roll-down awnings they use on the side of the house that gets the afternoon sun. There are all sorts of tricks to use and I'm sure we know the ones that work in our own houses and use them all!
The fan and a good book sounds like just the ticket! Enjoy!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Altaira
Superuser
Jul 31 2020, 8:04pm
Post #5 of 43
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It must have been nice to sit outside and enjoy being served good food. We're still doing the Door Dash thing to support local restaurants, but hope to make it to one of them in person sooner than later. Our state of Colorado is doing great keeping the virus at bay with low numbers of new cases and very few deaths, some days with thankfully zero. We do have a mandatory masks policy in place for now, but even before then most people were good about wearing them in public places.
It *is* always an adventure to observe the supermarket shelves rotating through out-of-stock products. Glad to hear you don't need instructions in English, or any language, for that toilet paper.
Enjoy the weekend!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Jul 31 2020, 9:02pm
Post #6 of 43
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and it went out with a bang here, with a sensational sunset after a too-hot-for-comfort day. On the subject of shortages of various things, I've noticed a reduction of the number of lines of various things in stock in the supermarkets, but I can usually get what I want. I'm keeping a bit more in stock than I usually would do, in case things go mad again at some point. I imagine, with regard to the larger appliances etc, more people have been doing home improvements with the money they would otherwise have spent on holidays? That, combined with factory shutdowns or reductions due to lockdown, illness, lack of parts from overseas, complicates the situation. We live in interesting times, as they say... they're likely to stay interesting for a while, too, sadly. My friend has just booked a self-catering cottage, so she can go and visit relatives - unfortunately in an area (Lancashire) that has just had restrictions tightened again at a few hours notice. She's waiting to see if it's worth going at all. Not a disaster in the grand scheme of things, but the restrictions are disrupting so many aspects of people's lives - admittedly not as much as having the virus would, of course! We just have to grin and bear it and get on with whatever we can do, not fret too much over what we can't. I will drink tea (how English!) and gnaw on a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer (how Scottish!) to relieve my feelings. Yum! Have a good weekend, folks, and stay safe.
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Altaira
Superuser
Jul 31 2020, 9:13pm
Post #7 of 43
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Our hottest days have come and gone here in Colorado, so hopefully it will be the same there. Of course, a 'not hottest' day can still be uncomfortable! Beautiful sunsets, a cup o' tea and some yummy nibbles can do wonders to make up for it.
Here's hoping you have a fantastic weekend!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Ataahua
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Jul 31 2020, 10:01pm
Post #8 of 43
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A hot chocolate please, madam barkeep.
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It's a dull, grey day here, but there's no wind or rain so I'll take it. :)
Work has gone absolutely mental: I have too many urgent jobs on for one person, yet my offsider is unable to help as he's been pulled into a separate, large project so it's just 'do the best you can' time. I was so happy when my non-work Friday rolled around.
We had a scare with a family member more than a week ago: he's a farmer on hilly land and had an accident that resulted in a heavy farm vehicle rolling onto him, breaking his back and puncturing a lung. But did he stay where he was until emergency services arrived? Of course not. He got his farm worker to help him walk back to the house, then an hour later asked him to take him to hospital in a ute.  He's about to leave hospital with two plates in his spine and a few months of rehab ahead of him - but will he finally leave the farm? Of course not - he plans to get back into it when he's able.
This is just months after he was laid-up after being trampled by a bull, and a year after a hip replacement.
The universe is telling him to slow down!
*sigh*
Anyway, apart from a handful of really quite selfish people breaking out of mandatory border isolation, we're still doing well re Covid-19 down here. But the stories from Victoria, Australia are a sobering reminder of just how quickly a good situation can turn bad.
Perhaps if you could Irish-up that hot chocolate, Altaira...
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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Jul 31 2020, 10:03pm
Post #9 of 43
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And sooo glad you've now got decent electricians, AND a good handyman, those kinds of folks are worth their weight, tools included, in gold.
I've finally got a good handyman and he's fixed long-standing leak issues around house, but I haven't seen him for more than a month because he's so busy. It's the same with builders, electricians, plumbers ... probably because during lockdown people spent so much time at home that they decided to finally organise all those home-improvement jobs that have been on their to-do list.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Altaira
Superuser
Jul 31 2020, 10:11pm
Post #10 of 43
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This should put a smile on your face!
Oh my goodness about your relative! I guess the term 'working through the pain' especially applies to him. 
I hope work settles down for you. I'm sure it's especially difficult to prioritize jobs when they're all urgent. It brings to mind the saying (which I've been repeating to myself a lot related to our huge house renovation project): How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Good luck and have a relaxing and restful rest of your weekend!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Aug 1 2020, 2:13am
Post #11 of 43
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le papier toilette? Eh bien, ce n'est rien!
What I've yet to find on grocery shelves is 70% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol. It's great for cleaning the clear covers we put over book jackets and the laminate we put on paperbacks (and in a library, that's why we use them - fingersmudges, dried fruit drippings, dried melted chocolate... ). I was running low in April, and ordered online from some place that way overcharged for 32 oz., but they shipped it discreetly in a box for an entirely different product.
Al fresco dining - there's something heartening about enjoying some small bit of "normalcy"!
That's a bummer about the small freezer. Were they able to get another one?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Aug 1 2020, 2:24am
Post #12 of 43
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that when the shutdown began, a LOT of folks decided it was the perfect time to do some home remodeling or renovations! I'm glad the blinds arrived in good time. Is it mainly the appliances you need to wait for, before selling the house?
I've seen houses around here, near the beach, with those awnings - makes a lot of sense! We're surrounded by trees so most of our sunlight is filtered, fortunately. Wish we could filter out the humidity, though!
I hope you can take a bit of time to relax. That house has been a labor of love!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Aug 1 2020, 2:31am
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We were chatting with our handyman today about a small job, and he said he's had so much work to do! He's done work for us for about 35 years now, and we're hoping he never decides it's time to fully retire...
Leaks can be frustrating, your handyman is a "keeper"!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Aug 1 2020, 2:48am
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I find myself doing the same thing
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If I see an item I regularly use starting to get low on the shelves, I pick up an extra, and sadly I've found some "hunches" were correct when the item was then gone for a couple of weeks. It may be that we've all gotten into the habit of making sure there's enough to "tide us over" - just in case.
If your friend has enough to stay isolated except for the visits, it would seem like she should be okay! It's un-nerving when this virus flares up in certain areas. Have you and the grandsons been able to do more visiting?
I think I'll make another gelatin salad tomorrow, that's been keeping my guys happy. Lime jello, shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, and mini-marshmallows: sweet and cool and crunchy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Aug 1 2020, 2:58am
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Has he no sensitivity to pain? How in the world did he even walk! I'm glad he's getting the treatment he needs, but still...!
You've been doing as well as you possibly can, down there! There will unfortunately always be those who are...what's a good term...pig-headed?
I hope you can get a good rest to help you through the rest of the work-craziness! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Ataahua
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Aug 1 2020, 3:54am
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and nothing will get him to change his mind once it's set - including, evidently, walking off broken bones!
And yeah, there are a few terms to describe those who have broken out of isolation, none of which I can type on TORN without warning myself about the TOS.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Aug 1 2020, 8:16am
Post #17 of 43
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August has started with a mild, grey morning -
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real heat rarely lasts long in these parts! We're usually at the mercy of the jet stream and Atlantic weather systems.
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Aug 1 2020, 8:26am
Post #18 of 43
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When the local shops are a short walk away
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(two small supermarkets, a pharmacy and an excellent butcher/deli selling eggs from a local farm) it's easy to let stocks run low, but in these uncertain times a well-filled store cupboard is reassuring - one less thing to sorry about! That salad sounds interesting - wouldn't work for the grandsons as they're being raised vegetarian, so anything containing gelatin is a no-no. I'm lucky they live just a few miles away, so I've been able to see them quite regularly.
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Aug 1 2020, 11:10pm
Post #19 of 43
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I get bottles of it from their online delivery, and it's pretty reasonable. The problem is shipping costs, but if you throw in a garden hose or some T-shirts or something . . .
I put it in a spray bottle and spray things I *think* might have the potential to be be-sprinkled with Virus.
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dernwyn
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Aug 2 2020, 11:21pm
Post #20 of 43
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One of those bottles that eyeglasses cleanser comes in, would be a nice pocket-size!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Aug 3 2020, 12:07pm
Post #21 of 43
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Another shortage contributor...
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Most of the items (parts and whole) are from overseas. Between the virus, covid isolation/stoppage, trade talks, etc... there's quite a big burp going on. I think from south and/or north of the US border might be where we're getting things through (after their factory assembly of more accessible parts).
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Aug 3 2020, 12:16pm
Post #22 of 43
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There's some cooler weather here in Michigan right now... so I'll send it over to you asap! There's also some rain in there. The crops and grass are giggling :D
I hope you have great luck with your carpet choices. My sweet Aunt (Mom's surviving sibling) ordered new counter tops in February, and the day before they were supposed to be installed is when everything shut down. It was so long since she ordered them, she forgot what they looked like! When they were finally installed 2 weeks ago... she discovered she didn't like them... and she's NOT one of those picky, difficult people. The little sample she had didn't show all the grain colours. Too much pinkish for her earth-tone kitchen décor. But she's going to keep them cuz she's worried about another shutdown.
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Aug 3 2020, 12:50pm
Post #23 of 43
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Great handyman news... bummer on appliance news :(
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You're already dealing with such a huge project getting the house in order, it figures the final vital touches would cause a delay. On the other hand, it's so great you've found a prince of a handyman who you can also use for any of your own projects :D
I've been on the run for the past several days, but all's well that ends better. Things will be quieting down now. I had my Baltimore peeps (g'son & daughter) visiting for the good part of the last week. We've had a few long walks, good food, and lots of Banagrams (like individualized Scrabble)! Those two have been playing it all summer with this shut down, so they're powerhouses of impressive words while I'm a master at 3-4 letter words. ;)
No other big plans for the summer. Some serious cleaning *urp* and finishing touchups and sealing in the chimney resurfacing project. I can't believe it's already August! *whoooooosh!!* Summer is nearly over. Bummer...
I've got one more short trip planned to meet up with Dex (mine ex) for lunch somewhere in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (midway point) to celebrate our 50th Anniversary last May (wedding date, not years married). We get along great, so we both feel like we should get together and shake our heads at what our union has brought to the world! Great Children, G'Children, and a very long list of addresses in my Mom's old address book (3 pages). I moved 22 times in 20 years until I bought my home 30 years ago.
Thanks for taking such great care of us, Altaira! Best of luck on your appliance hunt! I think I'll grab a chocolate milkshake and sip on it with luxurious satisfaction :D
Take care everyone! Please stay safe!
We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
TIME Google Calendar
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dernwyn
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Aug 3 2020, 4:40pm
Post #24 of 43
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for the hurricane remnant we're supposed to get tomorrow? Thunderstorms and wind, and watch out for flooding!
Oh no, did they only show her a small sample? There's such a huge variation in colors in granite, they really should have warned her! When we picked out ours, we were sent to a huge warehouse, where we choose the 4' x 6' (I think) slab we liked, and they tagged it as ours.
The carpet place warns you that the dye-lots can be a bit off from the samples, but that's okay, we picked sort of generic colors that go with just about anything. Now, if I'd ordered a particular shade of hot pink...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Aug 3 2020, 4:57pm
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That's like living out of boxes!
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22 times in 20 years? No time to really settle anywhere - not even a Rivendell to return to on occasion! It must have taken a while to adjust to having a permanent home!
Happy anniv- er, what would you call it? Remembrances Day? 50 years ago! How's Dex doing these days? Is he able to get around pretty well?
And did you get the grandson settled into his dorm okay? I can't believe it's his last year already!
Bananagrams (did I get enough "na"s in there?) is a very portable game! Have you ever played it while waiting for the food in a restaurant?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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