WEEK OF MAY 24 - BOARDS, PEOPLE, ANIMALS, PLANTS, BALLOONS,

 Another mash-up week of experiences and dealing with peoples...

First after much agonizing over a complicated recommendation (complete with background, justifications, evidence, stats and conclusion) and proudly sending it out for comment, I got nada, zero, zilch. Fortunately at my advanced age and experience, I do not really need the accolades of ego stroking on my masterful presentation,. It just means it's good to go and present it at the meeting. Also I hate stroking egos if any commentary had been made anyway heh heh heh. 

Having idly conceived the "oh why don't we think about redoing the deck" about a month ago it is in full swing several thousand dollars later. Decisions had to be made instantaneously as prices went up every week, actually every day. These are truly strange times. Literally $5 every few days.

As much of the material had arrived at the store, the debate about pickup vs delivery ensued. $90 for delivery or badger our contractor and the OH to do it themselves. The contractor owning a 16 foot trailer and, recently parting ways with his significant other, realized this allowed him a place to "store" it for awhile. A decision that he later regretted as it took a full 3 hours in maximum heat to complete the task. As we were shorted nine boards and two were damaged it turned out to be an even more brilliant decision by all involved as they were immediately reordered at the store's expense. Of course the pieces for the pergola that have to be painted are stuck under all the composite boards, so this will be an exercise in "just in time" frantic activity to meet deadlines for installation as the deck is constructed. 

Speaking of surprises, is anyone surprised our illustrious repub brothers and sisters decided they did not want an in-depth investigation of the January 6 insurrection? Complicit much? I cannot believe it is all about loyalty to the orange one. The Dems get accused of being all excited about the "voter suppression" rules being pushed saying "if you think the election was so honest what do you have to worry about".  Irony, got to love it. Of course the problem is the losers have already proven themeselves sore losers and believe "cheating" is the only way they will win and they are not terribly subtle about it.

Another perk about the retired folk is the ability to go a-whining in the middle of the day. We met two other couples at a local winery, one set whom we have not seen for a year, and made an afternoon of it. Gorgeous weather, great wine and cheese and the bon mot of the day teasing one with a particularly colorful hat "I don't think I would ever feel comfortable wearing a red ball cap anymore" (maga days). After laughing about the early bird specials the older contingency relishes we ended up at a restaurant at 5:00 for dinner LOL.  Great greek choices though and no crowd,...hmm I get it.

Seems that after a year in seclusion we grown-ups forgot how to act in public. Notwithstanding the local and ongoing altercations over mask-wearing and general garbage, recently avid fans mobbed golfer Phil Mickelson grabbing him around the neck and an attendee dumped popcorn over an injured basketball player. A flight attendant was attacked losing two teeth from a disgruntled passenger and the general shootings go merrily on without pause. The OH and I agree there is evil in the world and many are not trying to hide it anymore and the son-in-law chimed in with how the inconsiderate, flagrant and downright dangereous drivers are more prevalent than ever. This ME-first attitude is reaching a peak.

On that note, my second podcast is published entitled "Dealing with Difficult People"...

On a happier note, the OH and I engaged in a 50th anniversary picture-taking extravaganza with a local photographer that turned out to be quite an adventure in old people being silly. Katie is a lot of fun as a photographer and she had us posing in all kinds of ways similar to wedding shots like the "Superman" "Walking Away" "Into the Vinyard" "Admiring the Ring" "Fake Kisses" "Casual Lean on the Wall" and my personal favorite "give me the Raquel Welch vibe"-that one is hard to explain but I was actually trying to recreate my Ann Margaret look. At one point near a lily pad pool a bullfrog croaked really loudly and Katie almost did a header into the pool. That would have been hysterical. She apparently liked the proofs so much she asked us to sign a release to use some on her website. Hmm.

Oh yeah about the balloon. One was drifting down the canal at the lake house gliding into every nook and cranny scaring fish and fowl along the way in the tremendous winds of Saturday which ended with no dinner but lots of s'mores....

WEEK OF MAY 17 - MISCELLANOUS RAMBLINGS

Something different this week rather than the day by day as it gets so lonnnnggg.  Plus was without a 'puter at the lake for 4 days, not by design, however.

What is it about specialty coffees? I learned early, in college, to drink coffee black without enhancements as I did not want to forego my brew if I can't find my sweet and creamy whenever I was jonesing for caffeine .  That lack of a sweet disguise probably explains my affinity for full-bodied red wine and undiluted whiskey. Anyway I am always perplexed on what to order when someone proposes a meeting at a coffee shop. I cannot relate to their absolutely ruined day if they don't get their macchi oh oh, a caramel uh huh or veni vidi vici sized cup. I am so afraid to order wrongly, earning the derision of the barista, I just say plain black coffee which is usually kept in no-person's land in jugs at the end of the counter. I label it the $4 cup of sugar which is why I am assuming most specialty coffee quaffers don't order breakfast. All the calories you need to start the day resting cosy in a warm cup for the price of a McDonalds full breakfast.

Ever notice how much criticism womens' clothing gets? I do it myself I confess. Dressing professionally but not fussy as a Safety Rep was tricky at best. As stated before I sometimes managed a quick change in the car if I knew I knew things were going to get muddy, bloody or beery. Because of the curves, one must oversize outfits to be taken seriously. Men throw on a suit and they're good. Women get critiqued if their clothes are too tight, too loose too revealing, too fussy, wrong color, pants vs. dresses etc. The current hassle of not being able to try things on when shopping due to covideedee makes it especially tedious as women's clothing sizes are not the same - really. One can fit in an 8 and be squeezed in a 12. It is designer roulette. Taking home 17 similar items and bringing them back is not an option.

Silly political bruhaha this week. There are so many but this one was so transparently indicative of the repub strategy directed by the orange slusher. Heralding opposition to a Commission to investigate the insurrection of January 6 as being too partisan (more dems than repubs), the speaker changed the make-up of the Committee to be equally democrat and republican as requested - non-partisan.  So tactics changed and they oppose it again because, duh it was their supporters and, not a few, sitting congress people and their squishy leader who incited the whole attack on democracy in the first place. Which could very possibly come to light when you have more honest people running the executive office and Dept. of Justice. Mueller, you were shanghied. Might even dispel that Clyde statement it was just a tour group that got a little boisterous.

You know you are of a vintage age when you go shopping for techie stuff - even not so techie just updated lingo. Shopping for a cheapo TV for the lake I ask the young (important for context) sales associate where I would find the "rabbit ears". Blank look which repeating the phrase "rabbit ears" does not alleviate. Catching my personal faux pas I restate "external antenna-no cable".  OH. Did you know time has marched on? They have these nifty little HDTV multi-directional antenna that are sleek and compact that you just plug into the TV and hang on the wall. 

                                                  

I was also telling the man about what we get without cable like Antenna TV with all the old shows. He smiles and says like 2 and a Half Men-OUCH. That show's in the 2000's time frame. I was thinking more like Bewitched (1964-72), Chips (1977-83).  Sudden feeling I should be drooling and using a cane at this point. Oh well.

Enroute to a lunch meeting with our financial dude (he's buying so the restaurant is definitely upscale) I noticed a couple of men using weed whips around the restaurant I had originally picked for lunch. Again due to covidee dum they were not open until 4 - argghhh. But another high-scale eatery was basically acoss the street (Okemos you know) so we moved over. 

Anyway the men were wearing harnesses attached to the weed whip which made maneuvering much easier on the physique. The weed whipper snappers reminded me of my time back at the City where we employed numerous seasonal laborers working in the parks. Always a 3-person crew with one on a riding mower, one with a self-propelled regular mower and one poor soul wielding the whip. Of course the "senior" dude got to use the riding mower. When I suggested (after multiple strains and sprains) that ergonomically it would make sense to trade off every couple of hours, the seniority dude of course was not having it.  So a Parks supervisor and myself came up with a seat belt-type contraption to hold the weed whip and make it easier on the physique. Nice to see the rest of the world came to the same conclusion. Wonder if he ever patented the design.

The carp were a'courting this week at the lake. Tremendous splashes and equally tremendous fish were having their way with each other in the canal.  These babies were huge! Joe would have been in heaven fishing but I doubt they had food on their minds. The "smaller" males would kind of herd the ladies into a tight spot and attempt romance resulting in much splashing and, I would assume, giggling.

Also the OH completed his latest "green and white" project stringing lights all around the patio. "Not that anyone comes out here at night" he grumbled. But we are ready, willing and stocked with wine, beer and beds for the partiers. Always open and welcoming at the "Idle Ide's Little Venice" resort.

THE MICHIGAN SHUFFLE (MAY 10)

 Surreal week as I lost my blog for awhile. My need to scribe was compromised and it made me question my very existence. She writes, therefore she is (thanks for the shout out moment Descartes) Maybe it's Google's way of making me review my security or maybe they are just too security conscious. However when we see how easily hackers get into any system-government, corporations, or otherwise no one is really secure. As my daughter posted earlier this week-we put everything into the internet then think we're safe as we creep onboard in the comfort of our homes.  Full disclosure-wide open for any decent computer nerd to infiltrate.

Observations for the week are varied as a result beginning with the volatility of crypto currency.  Does anyone really know what it is? It is whatever the inventer says it is including its value. When the word of Elon Musk can destroy the value of the new Doge coin by calling it a hustle on Saturday Night Live and then devalue bitcoin by now refusing to accept it I imagine people would be begging for precious metal or government backed currency in the future. Or not.

Excitement of the week was watching the neighbor's Dad manipulate a bobcat in tearing down their backyard shed and prep the ground for the newer bigger one to come.  The OH was perched on a chair by the sliding glass doors watching the action but itching to get involved. I slipped on my flip-flops over socks (LOL) and headed outside so we could join  the party. The long suspected, by Burt, and disputed, by the county, drain was found in the corner after the bobcat blade ripped the drain cover from its mooring. A whole Jessica-type hole was uncovered (remember the little girl that fell down the well in Texas). The OH was vindicated. Though what to do now as debate raged about calling attention to it to government officials as we assumed it was a "private" attempt to stop the flooding back there. Cover replaced and life goes on.

Next drama was the haul-away of the old shed picked up precariously on 10 foot forks which resulted in its total collapse as it was flipped upside down outside the torn apart fence. The little 4-year old behind this house came out and saw the flipped over shed and innocently asked "was there a tornado?" Obviously a Wizard of Oz fan. 

Politics-wise the not-so-wise Repubs dumped their No. 3 leader Cheney due to her "once in her life" telling the truth about the big election lie and the big liar. Sad that to be a loyal member you have to be loyal to a narcissistic maniac and call the rioters on Janury 6 patriots. They don't even bother with ideas or platforms or anything constructive apparently, except maybe bemoaning the "wokeness" of Dr. Seuss books and de-genderizing of Mr/Ms Potato Head. 

After much agonizing and 3 weeks of indecision we decided to add a pergola with the new deck. Then reality sets in, with our hearts decided on cedar (no maintenance), we cannot get the, rather important, giant support beams for 94 days! Everyone seems to think these posts are somewhat vital to the whole shebang. As I am more of a get the project done once I decreed it a project, I was willing to compromise on a cheaper wood that must be painted occasionally.  OH is set on the cedar so now I may have to call around lumber yards to see if I can find these giant posts elsewhere sooner or trust an August 4 date which is dangerously close to our September 4 party date.

I was tossed back into old work memories when I drove by a road patching crew. They were doing work in the road pulling materials off one truck and another truck was behind the workers on sentry/protection duty. A concept I tried to talk the City workers into when they did road patching. Their logic was that someone would just hit the protective truck and drive it into them which apparently is more of a threat than being hit directly and with no warning. It was amazing how many times I engaged in arguments to make worker lives safer and, I don't know, go home in one piece. 

Did finally get to the Lake and do some grass cutting, weed pulling and planting. Enjoyed our first guests, Kathy and Mark and discovered a new restaurant for breakfast. Mask on, mask off. As of 9 am Saturday it was a crap shoot for us fully vaxed residents. We erred on the safe side and carried and donned masks as it seemed appropriate.  What was really eye-opening was seeing all the bare faces in church, including the priest. Since I attend the "older folks Mass", not really surprising that most of us were vaxed.

Back to today's title. The Michigan Shuffle is what we Michiganders do every Spring around the first of May. It's Spring dammit and I'm getting my plants now!!!  Garden centers are overrun with frantic growers and planters scooping up any green things they can find. Of course you can't really plant yet as the weather usually turns to cold, ice, up to and including snow on occasion right until Memorial Day. We know this, but we do it anyway. Lo to the soul that waits until true good weather sets in as their choices are limited to the frail and sickly little plants left behind. The "shuffle" is the nightly regimen of covering up our "too-soon planted" plants or placing them in a box and escorting their fragile little selves inside (often under a heat lamp) until the frost passes in the morning. Set to music it becomes the ever - popular Michigan Shuffle.

JOE'S BIRTHDAY WEEK ( MAY 2)

 MONDAY:  Have to love how the "fiscally responsible" repubs say the infrastruture bill is too expensive and are bemoaning the fact that taxing the rich and corporations to fund it will hurt the economy. Even checking a few sources will tell you the 2017 cut which was about a 40% decrease to corporations also depleted the treasury in 2018 by 40% (funny how that works). Few employees got a wage boost and little new business investment was created. Instead money was funneled to  investors and enriched the wealthy's bottom line three -fold (Brookings report).

TUESDAY:  When you're nine and the sole grandchild, you get multiple birthday celebrations. One for school-handing out treats; one with Grandma and one with Nana.  His Sunday birthday was appropriately honored with cake and gifts from Mom and Dad, Grandma and Uncle John (the latter 2 primed to spoil). Then Tuesday he was greeted when the garage door went up with a new bike from Nana/Grandpa to use at the lake (also prime spoilers). He saw the balloon tied to the handle bars and assumed the best.  Then he and Grandpa practiced putting, with his perfectly sized clubs, hitting the Grandfather clock when exuberance overruled precision. Then receiving his first baseball glove he and Grandpa eagerly went out in the backyard to enjoy some "catch".  He actually loves going after grounders and he's got a pretty good throwing arm. Deja vu all over again as it reminded me of the OH and his Mom out there playing catch...

WEDNESDAY:  My older sister and I went dress shopping today which led to a discussion of gravity, proper foundations and the passage of time. None are particularly kind, but who else will give you an honest opinion than your nearest and dearest.  We had fun.

Meanwhile the Repubs keep self-destructing by 1) not disassociating with the orange man;                   2) perpetuating the big lie; 3) crashing and crushing any member who does not do 1 & 2;  and 4) not supporting any policy or program that actually benifits "we the people". How silly to think they would change game plans rather changing the game rules. But that is the hallmark of cowards and would-be dictators. We used to be good at deposing crazy dictators; in fact  the US was known for it. Funny we don't recognize it at home.

My first podcast was posted to the platforms late last night so be kind if you stumble across Safety Spectrum from the Michigan Safety Conference.  Two are awaiting editing and many lines have been cast out of the boat to record more. Hoping to get the distracted driving professor and drug testing czar recorded in betweeen Augmented Reality, Wearable Technology and Preventing Catastrophic Incidents (I know very eclectic right?)

THURSDAY:  More fun on the phone. This time with insurance (BlueCross) where I explained the medical provider is charging three times the normal co-pay and refuses to negotiate or adequately explain the discrepency.  A game of you already said that, you already said that, you already said that, etc. Hard to believe but it was me who had to tell the "customer service" dude (what  a joke) he needed to calm down and start over as he began shouting. I have witnesses. If the goal posts have been changed just tell me. Impossible apparently. Pulled out all the insurance info they send every year, and yes the co-pay has not changed and there is no explanation of why we're being charged three times more.

I remember reading about this "scam" with McLaren. The doctor's office is in a McLaren medical professional building not the hospital yet they are trying to charge a "facility" fee like you were in the hospital and receiving "services". The OH has been going to this Doctor for years at this office and never been charged more than the co-pay for the twice-yearly reissue of prescriptions - no services performed except general wellness check. The kicker is, to dispute you are put on hold for 10 minutes-no lie, then you can only leave a message for billing who, surprise, never call you back. BC insurance tries and gets same run-around so they are not going to do anything apparently, and the scam goes on. So I left a message for the Doctor's nurse about changing Doctors and we shall see what happens next. The office asked me if I wanted to give permission for the nurse to leave a message. Hell no. I will carry this phone into the bathroom if need be. Trying to get a call-back is what this whole mess is about.

One funny side note.  I thought I would try State of Michigan retiree office to see if they have any insight. When I was in Personnel it did not matter whose problem it was, when people get frustrated they call the benefits folks.  Hopefully, they have heard of this "scam" before.  I was hung up on FIVE times after going through the long menu and agreeing to a callback, receiving said call-back and every time they would hang up - FIVE FREAKIN' TIMES!!! Apparently their method for dealing with those pesky retirees.  I shudder to think what folks with limited hearing and understanding go through. 

FRIDAY:  A little shopping today but no dressing rooms available.  What do people do? They have to take it home and bring it back if it doesn't fit. Wow. Just pondering, would there not be more risk from folks taking items home, leaving them lying around and bringing them back-no doubt sneezing or doing other obscene activities around the clothes in frustration? Not to mention all the paperwork and effort for returns. I think a little ventilation and wiping of surfaces would probably suffice at the store. 

This employee shortage is hitting everything. I saw a gentlemen carefully folding ladies' shirts and putting them back on the counter I asked him if he worked there. Oh no, he chuckled. I'm just trying to put things back the way they were. Hmmm. Shopping for Mother's Day (a brave man who buys clothes for the lady/ies in his life) or a pervert who likes to fondle ladies' clothing.  If it was the underwear I guess I would be a little more suspicious. He was an excellent folder though.

Gaetz and Taylor-Greene launched their "America First" circus act. If you want to understand the Repub party right now, "America First" is spearheaded by an alleged sex trafficker and a person who believes Jewish lasers start wildfires in California.  And in other news, black is white and in Arizona an audit crew called Cyber Ninjas (with no experience in audits) is looking for bamboo fibers in ballots to prove 1000s of illegal ballots were dumped from China. If you put this in an action movie everyone would be laughing.  Not laughing.

UPDATE: ongoing Comedy-cast adventures over the install of the new cable. Saw my bill and they charged an extra $100 for a home visit!  Holy shitoly. Back into electronic Hades, and with surprisingly little fanfare my customer service dude immediately got me a credit for the $100. Which begs the question. Is this another scam hoping a person would not notice or be elderly enough not to understand and pursue a retraction. Should label this Fraud Week.

SATURDAY:  Yard beautification continues with one lonely hard-working man mulching our entire front and back yards.  The OH mentioned he takes a lot of breaks. I have done this job myself and totally understand how strenuous it is between shoveling from the pile to the wheelbarrow, pushing wheelbarrow to the area, shoveling out the mulch and raking to spread. I said right and when we did it, you didn't allow any breaks; good thing he isn't working for you.

Even I can see a "nanny state" overreach with the Administration wanting to ban menthol cigarettes. Yes, cigarettes cause all sorts of health issues; the menthol is even more addictive; it is mostly enjoyed by people of color and new smokers; however. We all know how well banning things work. Think the failed alohol prohibition years and the "war on drugs". It just makes it more desirable and leads to criminal activity of trying to obtain contraband while stretching and wasting enforcement personnel. We can't just legislate our way out of everything people choose to do and up to now has been legal. Spend the time and money on other methods to discourage unhealthy habits similar to those gut-wrenching commercials of ex-smokers with half a face, etc.... 

SUNDAY:  Nice Mother's Day overall, though two ladies are missing that are always in my thoughts. Two of my favorites joined us for dinner. Nice certificate for a wine shop (she knows her Mother) and a snarky card (again, she knows her Mother). There was a discussion with Joe about what meal we were having in the middle of the afternoon. He said is this lunch and Grandpa said no, it's dinner which was confusing to Joe as he insisted the appetizers were a snack. When we asked what the difference was, he said snacks are smaller than lunch. He then proceeded to tell other Grandma about the appetizers Grandpa had put out. He said "I call it a snack, but they called it lunch".  Another one of those "must have three meals a day folks" regardless.

Reading the obituaries (just to keep track of folks as I get older), I noticed a nice one for someone I only knew through other people. One of my former bosses thought he was a real jerk for how he treated his first wife (her friend) who suffered cancer and subsequently passed. According to my boss there was no compassion while the lady was sick claiming poor him and how incovenient it all was and he married again quickly. However in reading his obituary, he was a knight in resplendent reflection (outlived the 2nd wife too). So which is the true man? My advice is write your own obituary. You never know who will and what story will survive...

ANOTHER WEEK/ANOTHER PODCAST

 MONDAY:  Can you believe it? Still wrangling with "Comedy-Cast" over my wayward cord in the yard. Even with cheerful multi-colored flags performing a hulu in the wind does not temper my annoyance. What was especially daunting was the landscaper hired to "roll" our yard had to contend with the cord and flags while towing a 250 pound pancake smasher. Now I was not in proximity when he hit the compromised part of the lawn so I do not know the extent of flag fatalities.  However, as he careened around the corner and saw me at the back door he waved cheerily, so apparently their demise was not too unsettling to his psyche. I am not sure what lawn rolling does besides squish the oxygen-seeking worms who got too close to the sun, but that probably made it easier for the robins to collect and dine.

My "Casting" denizen for today was named Himanshi, a legitimate Indian name which of course I could tell by his accent in our instant messaging notations. I kept typing "COMPLAINT" and he definitely understood my angst and exchanged pleasantries while (I imagine) regaling his counterparts with "it's that crazy lady again".  After we spent at least 30 minutes on hold punctuated every few with "thank you for being so patient" (as if I had a choice) he assured "his team" would be on the job immediately.  Oh fun fact, first person I talked to before I went to COMPLAINT said my order was on a Winter Hold until May 1, really (since April 5? they lie). Then I have two weeks after that? Yes.  I answered with ARRGGHH

TUESDAY:  Cue the music "Do You Believe in Miracles". Well long story short, the "bury guy" showed up, dug up the lawn and stole the little flags.  All is right in the kingdom.

Another black man shot in the back of the head "execution style" by police over drugs. Keep a race indentured (jailed) allow none to move into a better neighborhood, attend separate inferior schools, provide lousy subsistence job opportunities and what do you think they are going to do for money? They know they aren't going to live long or well. Did he try to run a police officer down in escaping-possibly; there are no angels here.

How can you claim to be pro-life and defender of individual rights when you promote more and more lethal guns and ban a woman's right to make her own birth control and personal body choices. A lot of white republican men are showing their hypicrosy. Just asking for a friend Oklahoma.

Dress rehearsal went well today. As this speaker is well-versed in her topic and has spoken to multiple, world-wide audiences, hopefully no problems tomorrow. Just me and technology to worry about.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Well I was wrong.  My speaker was more nervous than I had anticipated. Something about being recorded that makes us a little "gun-shy" though I have been assured by others that the little glitches that loom so glaringly to me are probably missed by the audience. It's just different when you are in front of a group and getting immediate feedback and they don't really noticw every little faux pas, unless it's a really BIG Pas de Faux. 

She also likes to talk with her hands (I can relate-have knocked over more than one glass). At any rate once it was in the "can" I worried all night that I forgot to ask one of our questions. As I was moving to the "final thoughts" segment (after 30 minutes) she said I thought we were going to talk about strategies, well maybe next time".  OOPS. So at 7 am I cheerily emailed the recording host and my guest and said can we reshoot the end of the interview with that forgotten question inserted? That way we have the same background (she is moving) and we can remember what we were wearing. Cool, cool. Then she showed up in a different outfit. As I said before probably no one will notice, but I still think asking the question closed the loop on our discussion better.  Now it's up to the magic of editing to make it work.

FRIDAY:  Still perusing venues for the Sept 4 soiree. Places are hesitant to commit as they anticipate the next disaster, but I have one "technically" back-up option in case I strike out on a better option. Also idly texted my "handy-person" about giving a quote on a deck. BOOM-he's on the phone in 30 seconds flat. This guy is BUSY but he loves me. Paying the bill, not criticizing constantly and going with the flow, meaning minimal changes during the job, works wonders for repeat business. 

He told us to go to the hardware store and price materials to see what we wanted. So heading into Menards (the construction folks preferred store) we ran smack dably into our long-haired "handy person".  Even with the mask I recognize that mop of hair. As my daughter can attest, he is a talker. 30 minutes later we ran some numbers with a building specialist.  He thanked us for an entertaining encounter - although some people don't enjoy my sense of humor he did. He gave us a piece of composite material to take home and deadpanned "sorry I don't have a wood sample to give you". I said I know what wood looks like.  Laughs all around.

Even at the horribly inflated price of wood right now, composite is roughly double-but no maintenance. Now the handy person is talking pergola, etc., etc. We floated out a number that if it was over that we might balk this year.  The OH is getting the hang of this bargaining system. Of course he blamed me and said "well she said if it's over this, she's going to have a problem". I have no problem being the problem if I get a better price. 😉

SATURDAY:  OH to the lake to do yardwork and I'm off to Pierre's "fancy dress" store to find a new dress.  Appointments only and you have to take your shoes off. Nice if they had told me that over the phone but at least I had pretty nail polish.  Why do they always think women "of a certain age" don't want something attractive though in their defense the owner said I certainly didn't look like I was celebrating 50 years. /That took all of 10 minutes to reject everything and back home to "cringe" over the podcast and recommend editing. I will get better at this I promise.

SUNDAY: Started out looking to discard a box of old work materials and sort some pictures for a bit which turned into a full scale sorting and shredding years worth of files jamboree. The OH gave out early from all the activitiy.  I gave up when the shredder overheated. Oh well another day. It's freakin' 80 degrees out, I better hit the deck, literally...