Healthy Living Thread

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Saturday kids!

Curby, how's the packing going? TBE is looking great! I occasionally get an eye twitch when I'm annoyed. From now on instead of pressing my finger to the corner of my eye and saying, "Eye twitch," I'm going to grab my right buttock and scream, "A$$ twitch!" I'll make sure you get full credit.

DeeGee, I'm sure your Lexus loaner will be fine. The Carrie of Lexuses (or is it Lexi?) only comes along once in a generation and I got it. Happy belated birthday to Matt! I hope you can find a nice place to rent and get away for a little while. Have you decided to stay until next year? What you need is a countdown calendar. I had one when I decided to bail. It had columns for both total days and in office days and I took great delight I crossing of a row every day!

Yesterday I took pics of Christmas dishes (Set #2... there are at least five more in the dining room I can think of off the top of my head) and then made a big run to the grocery store. I tried to make chicken with Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese for dinner but the skinless boneless cutlets I got where very thin. It turned out OK, but next time I'll try it with real, bigger chicken breasts.

I went to an estate sale this morning and got the cake stand and two sets of blue glasses I wanted, plus two more little sets of glasses. I was back at the house by about 10:30. This afternoon I went through a bunch of random auction boxes and cleared them out -- stuff either got put in the "keep" pile, thrown out, or is part of the big Salvation Army run Liam is on now.

Once my back calms down a little I'll either take a nap or wash another set of dishes to photograph tomorrow. Maybe both! I also need to do my nails because they have turned into talons. I've already filed them down twice now so I guess it's time to start over.

Alright... off to make an afternoon plan!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I'm a total fan of those big blue bags. I just ordered 12 more. I only got our coat closet and part of my clothes packed, so they work great. I even left things on the hangers. We'll see how that works out ... to me it's worth every penny. Screw those packing boxes you have to tape. Marty went in search of wine boxes for all our billions of glasses, he had to get smaller boxes, many without inserts. I think he went overboard on what he brought home though. We got rid of quite a few things yesterday to a church garage sale. I told them, I might call them for more. They came and got things too.

LOL to a$$twitch. I'll do the same. I am going to lift today or tomorrow and will see if it comes back. As stressed as I am about all this going on, I'm surprised my eye isn't twitching.

LOL to Carrie Lexus. I like that.

Your chicken sounds good. Chicken parm is definitely one of my favorite dishes.

Speaking of blue glasses, I'm excited to find my light blue wine glasses and I'll be getting some of my blue swirl glasses back from the mancave at TBE because we won't have a mancave kitchenette at first.

I hope you back continues to get better. My knees are yelling nasty things at me, I think I am going to try some of the knee compression socks after we move.

Our walkthrough got moved to 3 p.m. tomorow, I'm too lazy to go back and look and see if I told you that already. We ran out after breakfast and they hadn't done anything on the painting outside since Friday.

Laters,
Curby

 

[deegee]

dee*jay- I was at an event Sunday, and there was lots of cobalt blue glassware. It made me think of you and all your blue glasses! I need to see what good stuff you have in stock. I am working on a project at work right now that I’d like to see through. My goal is to finish 2024 and reassess in January.

marcy-I love that your cast was royal blue! I have broken my left wrist 3 or 4 times (I’ve lost count) and I have lingering thumb joint pain. I don’t attempt to pick of anything valuable with my left hand. I am always aware of my leg where I broke it. Some days it makes itself known more than others. But honestly, my entire left side has been an issue since my car accident 20+ years ago, so I’ve learned to ignore it the best I can. It’s just another pain to add to the others. Now if I break something on my right side, I’m really going to be mad! I absolutely love your new house. Gorgeous colors. How did the walkthrough go?

My car was returned to me after its spa day and ceramic coating. It was so pretty and clean and shiny when they dropped it off. The sun was blazing in the sky and I was going to take a pic of my car when I got home, but the skies opened up as I was leaving work and I had to drive through muddy water across the road. Another day. And I had a Lexus RX 500h performance vehicle as a loaner. I’m not going to say it tried to kill me, but it did speed up a few times when I took my foot off the gas. We finally got a new front door installed today. It has taken YEARS to get an installer, so we held off on ordering the door. What color is it, you ask? Blue, of course! Matt sent me this pic earlier in the day and I have to say it freaked me out a little to see the big hole in the front of the house. The door has been installed and I’m thrilled. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[Dee*Jay]

This is a fly by post but I have to tell you gals the craziest story.

I'm visiting my friends in Michigan. I got here ahead of them yesterday (more on the tree falling across the highway right in front of me later) and they gave me the code to get into the house. I started carrying my stuff in from the car. When I got into the kitchen I saw one of their many (like five or six, I'm not really sure) cats taking a nap in the kitchen in front of the refrigerator. Made a second trip in from the car. Cat was still taking a nap. With it's eyes open. And it's tongue hanging out of the side of it's mouth a little. Wow that cat was REALLY sleeping. Third trip in from the car. Still DEAD asleep. No... just... DEAD. For real. Black and white tuxedo cat DEAD in the kitchen.

Now one of my friends is very sentimental and emotional (we'll call him S/E) and the other one is very practical and rational (we'll call him P/R). When they got here I bolted outside, hugged P/R and whispered in his ear, "There's dead cat in the kitchen." P/R was like, "Oh, that's OK" (WTF ???) and went into the house while I stalled S/E outside by being all nonchalant and like, "So how was your drive?" and not saying anything about the cat.

A few minutes later P/R comes outside CARRYING THE CAT. It was stiff as a board. Leg's sticking up in the air like some sort of cartoon. S/E sees him coming so I have to tell him what's going on. And S/E Isn't. Upset. At. All. Double WTF. But P/R IS upset. TIPLE WTF. Then S/E gets a good look a the cat.. and goes bolting into the house saying something about "the wrong cat."

So long story short (too late, I know!), they have cat with cancer, and they've decided if it doesn't go to the great cat tree in the sky on its own this week they're taking it in next week and do the kind thing. But the cat with cancer IS NOT THE CAT THAT'S DEAD. THIS (dead) cat was 100% perfectly fine that morning when they had left. The BLACK AND WHITE TUXEDO CAT with CANCER is FINE. (Well, in a relative sense.)

I swear to god I could not make this up.

That's all for now. I need to go and have another glass of wine. But I HAD to share his with you!

 

[deegee]

dee*jay- that story! OMG! That’s definitely a startling thing to find, and I feel so sad for your friends. They’re going to lose 2 cats close together. But it had to be super confusing that they weren’t upset at first. LAWD. One of my cats sleeps on her back with her feet up in the air, right in the middle of the floor. When I check my kitty spy cam during the day, I turn on the microphone and give her a little shout just to make sure she’s still alive.

I have nothing exciting to report. Other than getting my car back and the new front door, it’s been all work this week. Oh, and a rug I ordered for the family room finally got delivered yesterday. It got stuck in Pittsburg. I have 4 cats and a senior dog, so I do NOT spend big $$ on rugs because they get replaced every year or two. This one came from Home Depot, and they gave me a $100 credit for it being delivered late. I’m seeing Lily and 3 of 4 cats stretched out on it right now. Have a wonderful Friday!

Marcy-I hope things are going well. I’m sure you’re super busy!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

DeeGee, I totally understand not spending big $$$ on rugs with pets! How do you like the new front door? Liam finally replaced the front door here in the spring and I'm so happy that come winter we won't walk through the entryway and get frostbite LOL. I exaggerate, but only slightly. One really windy winter day last year the door actually FLEW OPEN. That was the sign it couldn't be put off any more.

Curby, what's going on?!? We want to know everything!

So the rest of my trip to Michigan was not nearly so eventful as my arrival -- thank god. And I forgot to tell you what happened with the tree falling. I was cruising right along heading out of Indiana and into Michigan, and all the sudden I saw movement off to the side of the road and then a semi cut across from the right hand lane clear to the left shoulder by the concrete median. A tree had fallen on the side of the highway and if the truck hadn't reacted so quickly the tree would have landed right on it. By the time I realized what was going on I was past the situation. I called my friends to tell them so they could go a different way if possible because I knew that was going to cause a big back-up. They were right behind a soda truck that had just exploded on the highway that they were on heading out of the city, with cans of pop flying all over the place. No idea what caused it!

The balance of the trip was all antique malls and prosecco and grilling out. After everything on the front end we needed a break!

I headed back early today because I was awake, so why not get on the road. Plus I had four orders to pack up.

Now I'm having a second glass of wine and considering going to lie flat in bed. Today is Day 21 of the back situation and I'm getting better... but I'm not there yet!

 

[deegee]

Dee*Jay-you had an eventful trip! I’m curious about the soda truck exploding. And the other truck having a close call with a tree…yikes. We passed an overturned semi on the way to dinner tonight. Our interstates are super curvy, and semis don’t slow down and end up rolling over. And I LOVE the new front door. The frame on the old one was rotting, the lock set was broken and we had to tape it open just to be able to open the door (only locked with the deadbolt), and the delivery people broke the storm door trying to get the new fridge in a few years ago and we’ve been having to tie it shut with a scarf. Good thing we’re on a hill and our neighbors couldn’t see what a mess it was. There would have been a petition to kick us out of the neighborhood! We couldn’t find anyone who would do the installation. We tried! I kept envisioning the window above the door crashing down. I totally understand what you mean about frostbite in the entryway.

Absolutely nothing to report. I crashed hard on the couch for about an hour after work today, then we went out to dinner and for a walk afterwards. It wasn’t so blazing hot today. It was 86, which normally would feel hot. After weeks of 99 with the heat index in the 100’s, 86 felt quite nice. Even had a little breeze. Have a great weekend!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy expensive Sunday kids!

DeeGee, LOL to tying the door shut with a scarf! Liam's front door only locked on certain days in certain seasons and 90% of the time the house was open and widely available to any burglar. Thankfully no one ever did come in --that we know of anyway... because there is Ring doorbell... but it doesn't work. The frequency interferes with the TV in the family room so it had to be disabled. Maybe just having it there is a deterrent? Regardless, if anyone did break in and take anything there is SO MUCH in this house I'm not even sure we'd miss it!

Curby, how goes the unpacking? As long as you've got the booze out the rest of it will go smoother!

Yesterday didn't go as I'd planned. (Oh how many times I type that exact sentence!) I was about to start washing glasses when Liam called me from the auction he went to and said I needed to come with boxes and packing paper. And A LOT of it. Oy. So I bolted over there and packed up the stuff he'd bought. Don't get me wrong, I'm always grateful he gets me stuff... but my back still isn't right and bending over to wrap and pack all that stuff did me absolutely no favors.

When we got back had to answer some questions for a lady who wanted specific dishes, figure out three sets of stemware another lady wanted as a gift for three different people, unload the car (except for one box that was so heavy I'm not sure I could have lifted it when I was in tip top shape!), take my second shower for the day, and finally uncork the wine while Liam grilled a steak.

So for the expensive part... Curby knows this already, but DeeGee, when Liam was really little he got a transformer for Christmas. Somehow the arm got broken literally that morning and his parents didn't get him another one. I've been hearing about this damn toy for like seven years now so for his birthday in September I found one on eBay still in the original box and factory sealed. Well I stalked it for quite a while and this morning I finally bought it on auction. The auction was scheduled to end around seven this morning and I'd set my alarm and everything. Lian NEVER comes up stairs in the morning until he hears me taking a shower so I made sure to be super quiet so he wouldn't know I was up. And WHO comes breezing right through the door at ten to seven? YEP!!! I was like, uhhhhhhh... what are you doing? And of course he wanted to sit on the bed and talk to me about his plan for the day and every other thing under the sun. Finally I bolted up, threw on the same clothes I had taken off when I went bed last night, and ran down the stairs. He was standing in the kitchen not ten feet away from me as I was hitting the button. I've never bid on an eBay auction before and I wasn't sure if I was going to have to go through some sort of "verification" process or whatever, but I just bid and hoped for the best. Talk about nerve wracking!!!!! But I got it! And now Liam is getting a CHILD'S TOY for his birthday that I paid in excess of three thousand dollars for. Oh well; he never really wants anything, and we're not going on a trip for his 50th because there's a conflict with the date so at least he's getting this. I really really REALLY hope he LOVES it.

Alright, off to take some picture and wash more dishes. I just launched "Christmas in July" on my Etsy store so hopefully lots of people will stock up on their holiday glasses and dishes over the next ten days!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

We are mostly - kind of - moved in to TBE.

Deegee, I remember your bad car accident. Let's hope your right side stays pain and hurt free. When I broke my left wrist, I figured it I had to break anything, that would be my choice. I hope you have more good days and bad. And good idea to finished out the year then assess what you want to do. Your door looks great! We get the full glass storm doors too and it does kind of freak you out because you think the door is open. I'm going to get one ordered this week for TBE. It sounds like your door did need replaced. That's too bad about the semi, and yours get knocked over on curves, the wind takes them out here. If it's really windy, I say it's semi-tipping day. I feel for those guys.

Dee Jay, what an ordeal - the tree and the cat. I can't imagine the semi could dodge a tree too easily and I'm quite curious how the soda pop truck blew up. Good thing Liam replace the door, no one wants to get frostbite. Sorry you had to go pack up all those glasses with your back. I am sure Liam will love his birthday gift. And isn't that how it goes? When you're trying to do something, they just show up.

This week was a whirlwind. Marty and I were packing and packing. I still have no idea where some things are, nor where I put them in TBE. The day before closing, the buyers were ready to walk. Shocking - NOT - as they seem to be a couple of Karen's. It was a beef over the 5K toward closing that they wanted a cash difference, since they were paying cash their closing wasn't that high. Our realtor worked it out so it came out of her commission which ticked Marty off that she had to do that.

The movers came Wednesday night and loaded up the truck as much as they could. Marty met them at 8 on Thursday to let them in the garage. Once they hit the house on Thursday, they were relentless in picking up things we hadn't packed yet. So last minute stuff was getting thrown in here and there. The builders said the house was clean - and I'd say they use the term loosely - and we could move in Thursday after 1 p.m. We at least got our bed set up so spent the night here Thursday.

They movers didn't seem to follow my logic, they put boxes in places first, then the furniture. Well, you can't put furniture where it goes with all those boxes in the way. They didn't finish getting everything out of our house on Thursday, so had to do one more load Friday morning. They had most things in our house by about 3 on Friday so Marty let them go. Sadly, there were still a lot of very heavy things that needed moved to the basement in the garage.

As to be expected, there were some issues. I had a crystal serving dish my mom bought me and I also ended up with hers when we cleaned out their house. Sadly, one of them had about an inch chip out of it. I told myself, it was mine that was broke, not hers. The gun safe we have, flew open supposedly and fell face down on cement. It wouldn't lock anymore. I am worried about Marty's watches that were in there. We were going to remove them and my jewelry but decided against it and put them on the bottom under a blanket. Marty agreed to go 1/2 on it though, in case we did leave it unlocked. I doubt we did, but we'll never know.

We found the dishwasher didn't work yet and the fridge didn't have ice or water. The builder's warranty guy came Saturday and fixed them. They hadn't hooked up the fridge yet and hadn't pulled the plug out of the back of the dishwasher.

We finally got done enough today, most things are unpacked. Some friends helped us both yesterday and today. One of them broke down all the boxes and we're paying her daughter and "the boyfriend" to haul them to the dump for us. One less thing to do.

The biggest PITA is no internet. The high speed fiber internet is to the property line, but we can't get the local guy to call us back and the online keeps saying it's not available in your area. Great.

Laters,
Curby

 

[deegee]

dee*jay-I LOVE that story about the transformer. You are the QUEEN of gift giving! And of course he’d be hanging around right when you didn’t want him to be. I bought a blink doorbell but we haven’t hooked it up. I hope it doesn’t interfere with anything. We have cameras up around the outside, but we don’t have a doorbell of any kind anymore and the blink seemed like a quick and easy fix, plus it will tie in with all the cameras.

Marcy-Yay! I’m so glad you got moved with only a few minor incidents. Hopefully before long you’ll have everything set up and be enjoying your new home. That picture is after they pulled out the old door. We replaced it with a solid blue door with sidelights. I haven’t decided if I want another storm door or not. It’s weird opening the door without one though. You’re suddenly outside as soon as you open the door. I guess you have semi-tipping winds and we have semi-tipping roads!

We went to KY yesterday to celebrate Matt’s birthday a week late and my sister’s birthday a week early. Today I did laundry and not much else. I’m trying to set up my new robot vacuum, but it’s being kind of a jerk and I’ll try again tomorrow. I bought mom one for Christmas and she absolutely loves it, so I thought I’d give one a try. Lots of pet fur in this house. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, no move is ever smooth, but I would have expected more out of the builder. Those water issues are just plain sloppy work. And frankly, if the builder told you high speed fiber internet was available where you are and it is not then you have an actionable item. You can probably get him to pay for the cost to install anything you might need above and beyond that to get adequate connectivity.

DeeGee, I bought robot vacuum back when I lived in the big open loft. The space was basically one big open 2500 square foot room with walls only in the bathrooms. The CB (so the guy pre-Liam) and I sat around watching the thing all weekend long, did some calculations, and figured it would take six days for the thing to make one complete pass over the whole space. Back it went!

This morning I bit the bullet and made an appoint at the chiropractor for Wednesday. I CAN move now pretty much... but I'm AFRAID to LOL. One wrong turn and YOWCH.

I should have taken pictures of some Christmas dishes this morning, but they are still sitting in the dining room unwashed. When I get back from the post office run I'll start on those so they're ready for photos tomorrow.

But I have gotten some things done today! I renewed the plates on my Audi, renewed my CPA license, ordered a shelf unit for the laundry room, and ran by the liquor store since my prosecco is on major sale. The guy there was nice enough to put in the car for me but I carried it into the house two bottles at a time when I got back, ha ha.

Other than that, not much to report!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Deegee, those doorbell cameras are nice. Right now our doorbell doesn’t ring, that’s because Marty told them not to put in a chime because he was going to hook up a video doorbell. It’s on his list. I did but a request for a consultation today with Pella for the storm door. I’m waiting to hear from a place that does window covers. I was going to call to get our ducts cleaned today, but didn’t get to that. You need to establish your dominance over your robot vacuum. They do sound pretty cool. Sounds like a fun time this weekend with the family.

Dee Jay, the last minute stuff was sloppy and there’s still little pieces of blue tape every where. I tried to sweep off some little white spots today and they are paint. The paint on the banister hasn’t cured yet and boxes setting on it for a few days, ripped up paint. I agree, they builder 100% has “high speed internet” in their sales pitch for this area. One of the really fancy Starlink satellite is thousands of dollars. I hope the chiropractor can help your back. Of course you should stock up on Prosecco was on sale.

Marty got up at 3:30 and I woke up. About 4:30 - when I hadn’t fallen asleep yet - he called me because he locked himself out of the house. I went to the front door. Nope. Then tried the garage door and there he was. He got his keys and headed to the gym. I stayed up and tried to work after I got around. That was interesting on my hotspot. If I left the room with my phone, the connection was cut. I had to stop and help Marty point the satellite dish for several hours. Turns out the connectors he had on the coax cable were bad. He went and bought a new cable with connectors and we had it pointed in no time. Yay. I had to run a check to the title company, they called me on Friday saying we had money coming from the sale of our house. Today she called and said - sorry, we need most of that back. So I had to run them a check. I tried to work when I got home but was too tired. About then they called me saying my sunglasses were ready to pick up, so I headed out again. Since I was hungry, I stopped and ate supper. I did organize a few drawers today. It’s quite smoky here. The Thunderbirds arrived for their show on Wednesday. They flew right over our house a few times, but were hard to follow lower in the sky, due to the smoke and my vision. They should be decent to watch from here Wednesday. Yay.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Tuesday kids!

Curby, well I caught the super early awakes from you apparently. I was WIDE awake from about 3:30 - 6:30 this morning. I was SO awake I'd almost talked myself into getting up. But then, just after I managed to go back to sleep, Liam woke me up again at 7:00 when he took a shower. Ugh. I had a crazy dream about the real estate attorney that I've been using for the past twenty years. He was showing me all the choices he was making in remodeling his kitchen, and every one was uglier than the last. I was tying to suggest other options but he was not listening. No idea what any of that means! So it sound like you've got good internet now... ?

I took the pictures of the Christmas dishes today that I should have done yesterday, washed the sheets, and ran to Costco and the post office. Now it's raining like a mo fo and I'm glad everything I needed to do outside the house is done!

If I can motivate myself I'm going to wash up some Christmas glasses that Liam bought me at the auction last weekend so they are queued up for photos tomorrow or Thursday. I've got my Blue Cross Blue Shield card and my HSA debit card already in my bag for the early trip to the chiro tomorrow morning. If he can fix me it would be worth any amount of $$$!

Alright, off to see what the creatures are barking at. I doubt it's an animal in this rain so maybe we're getting a delivery.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Liam's gift arrived! I had a note on the front door about the delivery person knocking because the doorbell doesn't work... and who comes walking in at lunchtime? Liam! He was like, what's going on with the note? I told him I had ordered a shelving unit from Ikea for the laundry room and it was out for delivery. (I DID order a shelving unit from Ikea for the laundry room, and it has SHIPPED -- but likely won't be delivered today. It also won't require a signature... but he won't figure any of this out. I'll just tell him the delivery date got updated and it will show up tomorrow or the next day). Anyway, it was well padded -- which I was worried about -- and seems to be as described. I really debated whether to open it and see if really is 100% brand new in the box, but both sides are taped shut and the tape is old and yellowed so I guess I'm just gonna go with it. Come September if that thing is not new and "factory sealed" as the listing stated I'm going to be on the phone with Am Ex SO fast! I packaged it back up and it's in a big box sitting under a table in my inventory room with a sticker that says "Big Blue Flowered Platter." So if I get hit by a bus or struck by lightening before Liam's birthday someone please make sure he opens that box and doesn't ship it off with all my glass to an auction or something!

I went to the chiro this morning for the first time. I'm a little sore, but I think it's just from being manipulated. I really like the guy a lot! He even checked my knees and said that some of my issues can be stemming from one hip being higher than the other due to my back issues and he's going to work on all of that. Basically I need a full body overhaul.

Alright, off to put the white chicken chili I made earlier in freeze containers. I was a little skeptical of it for the first few hours but it somehow came together.

 

[deegee]

dee*Jay-yay! The gift came in! Brilliant disguise for it too. I hope the chiro helps you. It always helped me as long as I went multiple times and kept up maintenance. He also gave me stretches to do at home and they really helped.

Marcy-The Pella guy ghosted us for the front door. He finally came to the house and did measurements and then we never heard from him again. I hope you have better luck! I haven’t tried setting up the robot vacuum again. I think I need to reboot the router, and it’s upstairs and I’ve been REALLY lazy. Our bedroom is downstairs so upstairs is like a foreign land. How far are you from shopping and all of that where you live now? We used to be really close to everything, but now we live out a winding road, up a hill and we’ve sure become homebodies.

Welp, yesterday I whacked my head really hard on the corner of my overhead cabinet at work. Immediate knot and headache. I have had enough concussions to know this wasn’t a concussion, but it sure threw me for a loop. I’m taking the next 2 days off because I just need to. I’m swamped and I honestly need some rest. I told my boss that I’m unplugging until Monday. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids,

Dee Jay, I hope you don’t have anymore early morning incidents. They suck. That happens to me too, I’m almost asleep again and it’s time to get up or Marty is noisy.

That’s a crazy dream.

Isn’t that just typical that Liam shows up and sees the note? Good idea to disguise his gift as a dish.

That’s gteat the chiropractor thinks he can help your knees too. I hope your back is doing better. Good luck with all of that.

 

[marcy]

Deegee, oh no to hitting your head. I’m glad to hear you don’t think it’s a concussion. I hope your knot and headache go away soon. That’s the same way I gave myself one. That spot still bothers me sometime.

That’s too bad the Pella guy ghosted you. I’ll see if they show up next week. The blindguy is coming Saturday. He’s got a 4 hour drive, we will see if he shows up.

Our house is 8 minutes from our old house. I’d say the places we shop is about 15-20 minutes. Not bad at all.

Enjoy your long weekend.

We had a busy day. Some friends came over to watch the Thunderbirds, I ran errands, and worked some. The post office called and said the keys to our mailbox were ready. Yay, mail.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Thursday kids!

DeeGee, holy cow! You, Curby and I are the Klutz Cousins for sure! Good idea to unplug for a while and I hope you have a nice restful weekend. Dr. Dee Jay will write your a prescription for all the booze you need!

Curby, what a cool picture! Did you get all your technology set up? Is your mailbox at/near the house or to do you have to go to an actual post office? My paternal grandmother lived next door to the post office in her tiny town. It was on a tree lined street and really didn't look much different than all the brick houses. We had to keep the front door locked or else people would just waltz right into the living room thinking they were at the PO!

After two days in a row of listing big sets of dishes I think I might take it easy/easier tomorrow. I still have one more big set (with serving pieces) and some other random Christmas stuff, but I can dribble that out over a couple of days and still post it in July. Come November I'll be damn glad I did all this early... but right now I'm EXHAUSTED!

Nothing exciting to report for the afternoon now that I've got today's listing photos done and everything down in the basement. YF and OF were going to go to Costco but YF was afraid he'd get in trouble for using my Costco card because he read something online, so they went to Meijer instead. Of course they came home with no real food, just half a dozen bags of junk.

My social media person is making progress, and I'm hopeful there will be actual visible progress some time soon LOL. She designed ten logo options for me and I really liked one of them. It needs some tweaks but I think I'm going to have to print it out and hand draw them because I'm not doing a good job trying to edit it otherwise.

OK, off to draft the listings from this morning and make a trip to the post office. My retired life is like onnnnnnne lonnnnnnnng weekend!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, you nailed it! I feel like the queen of klutzes after spilling wine all over the couch, loveseat, floor, wall and more. I washed it with some soapy water but I sure smell it. Guess I’ll get someone in here to clean the upholstry. The wall needs painting. Ugh.

We are on so rural postal route so the USPS informed delivery doesn’t work. The group mailbox is about a mile or so from us. Any package that won’t fit in their 2 larger mailboxes gets returned to the post office for pickup. That’s something about your grandma’s house being mistaken for the post office.

Apparently the internet company ran the wires to our house today. When we get a modem installed, who knows.

Not surprised the ferals picked up junk food. I imagine they would have trouble using your credit card.

Nice you are living a long weekend.

Apparently I spaced out the astronomy meeting tonight. Oh well. Maybe they’ll fire me.

I ran a few errands today and got some work done. We had grilled steaks and corn on the cob for supper. That hit the spot. Too bad Marty opened a bottle of Malbec.

Take care.
Curby

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

I worked 8 hours today. My hotspot 5G limit must be reached, it was SLOW.

I worked on bringing up more stuff from the basement. I am running out of places to put things.

Tomorrow we’re going to get the UTV (4-wheeler) and have a guy coming to measure the windows for shades/shutters or whatever we order.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Saturday kids!

Curby... so no joy on the permanent internet... ? Ugh. I can't even imagine. Did you get your UTV? I can see us having a couple of margaritas and doing a little off-roading!

Yesterday I made the decision that I wasn't going to list anything. I went to the chiro at eleven, ran by Home Depot and Lowes, ate lunch on the fly, stopped by the local big antique mall to see if they have any booths open (they don't and the waiting list is loooonnnng), and tried a couple of places to find cuter alternatives to tennis shoes. No luck. I did see some things on DSW's site last night, but I'm not really interested in going there on a weekend so maybe I try on Monday or Tuesday.

This morning I took video and pics for a the last big set of Christmas dishes.... and then realized that there are two different versions of the cups and I mixed them up. Seriously!!! So I had to retake the video and about half of the photos. I'll finish those up tomorrow and then I swear I'm not even thinking about Christmas stuff again until about October!

I finally got around to making an Instagram post for the first time in months. I kept thinking one of my two social medial people would get started... but we see how far that's gotten LOL.

My back is feeling quite a bit better. I'm still being careful, but I haven't had any actual pain for a couple of days now. Maybe I'm going to live after all!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday kids!

I am officially done doing Christmas listings for now! I swear, one more snowman, nutcracker, or holly berry and I was going to start muttering Bah Humbug under my breath.

It's only eight o'clock on a Sunday night and I've already got my weekend orders packed (including one big oval Christmas bowl on it's way to Arizona). If this was a regular Sunday night before going to work on Monday I'd be happy right now. As it is, a RETIRED Sunday night, I'm REALLY happy right now!

We reorganized the laundry room yesterday and since Liam and YF are heading out on their road trip on Wednesday I'm trying to get everything washed up. I also need to run by Old Navy tomorrow because everything is half off and YF needs a few more pairs of shorts.

We took the easy way out and did Culvers for dinner. I just love those buffalo chicken fingers.

Other than that, I have absolutely nothing to report. As you can see, the Excite O Meter is pegged in the red here at The North Estate.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

We have internet. Woo hoo!

Dee Jay, we will get the UTV on Friday (probably).. Yes, we’d have fun tooling around after a few drinks. Dukes of Hazard … Or Thelma and Louise?

I am so glad to hear your back is doing better. That pesky we’re not 20 anymore and it takes longer to recover crap. Not acceptable.

I did see some of your Christmas listings on Instagram.

A pegged out excite-o-meter is all right with me. So you will officially have the run of the place for a few days? Sweet.

We’ve still been busy doing house stuff. This weekend we spent time setting up more things, hanging pictures and spending a fortune ordering Hunter-Douglas Roman shades. I technically still haven’t paid for them yet. I wrote my last check to them and then he said I get a bit more of a discount for paying cash. Sorry, I’m out of checks. He’ll stop by this coming week and get one.

The main floor is mostly set up. Some of the basement and garage are kind of in place.

Our hotspots on our phones both ran out yesterday and working online was painful. The internet guy showed up today, I could have hugged him I was so happy to see him.

Marty got done at the gym early, so we went out to supper. I ran over to a Tuesday farmer’s market to get some peaches this afternoon.

I’m totally enjoying the view from TBE. We had a great sunset tonight.

Laters,
Curby

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, I'm glad you're back among the "connected"! I was telling Liam about it and he was truly concerned LOL. Coming from the perspective that he and the ferals are online 24/7 your situation would have been a genuine tragedy! Wow -- your sunsets are amazing! I'm trying to remember the orientation of your lot... will you always have a totally clear view or is it possible that someone could build between you and the horizon? Is Marty closer or father from his gym now?

Well I'm free!!!!! (For the next four days anyway.) This morning I took Liam to pick up the rental car right when they opened and he and YF pulled out of the driveway before 8:30. Since I was already up and had prepped a bunch of listings I dove right in. I'm a moron BTW. I thought I was done with X-mas... but then July turned out to have 31 days. I'd already posted all the listings I had ready for the month, so this morning the first thing I did was another Christmas one and then I OFFICIALLY officially said I'm done with that for a few months. Now I'm on to other things! And my goal is to get A LOT done while the guys are gone. When they're here I clean everything out of the kitchen every day so it's usable for things like meals (silly, right?!) but I won't need to do that between now and Sunday. There's a pork chop in the fridge for dinner tonight, I've got some hamburger thawing out and I'll make chili tomorrow, and beyond that it's gonna be all peanut butter cups and prosecco.

Alright, off for a quick run to UPS and then maybe a nap. As you can see, the needle doesn't move much on the Excite O Meter when I'm alone either!

 

[deegee]

Marcy-Wow! Gorgeous sunset! I could get used to that every day. That’s also a very cool picture of the Thunderbirds. There is a national guard base here, and all we ever get to see are C130 cargo planes as they’re taking off or landing. Not real exciting. I had a hair appointment yesterday and that spot on my noggin is still sore! I’m glad the internet guy showed up. I hope everything works for you now. During the lost years of 2020-2023 when we both were working from home, we had horrible internet and had to use our hotspots. And that did not work so well sometimes. I hope you’re really going to love your new place.

dee*jay-What are you going to do with the place to yourself? Don’t go too crazy and throw a wild rager! You take really great pictures for your shop. It’s a good thing you retired because you absolutely don’t have time for a job! I discovered today I have a friend who has a sister who places people in non-profit jobs. I’ll forward my resume to her sometime before I quit and hopefully she can let me know what’s out there. Kind of exciting!

Matt and I ended up heading to a cabin in the mountains for a 4-day weekend last week. I got several messages from work on Friday, and I finally told them I didn’t have my laptop and couldn’t help. I’m unplugged people, come on! My niece is coming to stay this weekend and a she’s coming a day earlier than planned, so tonight we did some emergency cleaning. I’m not kidding when I say we have fur tumbleweeds everywhere! I haven’t had the cleaners start back after the lost covid years. I hate to bring them back if I retire soon. I soooo hate cleaning, but I keep telling myself I can deal with it if I’m not working full-time. Off to bed. Have a great day tomorrow!

 

[deegee]

Matt washed my new car and took a pic. I LOVE the blue!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy super early Thursday kids!

DeeGee, that is one good lookin' car!!! At the beginning of covid Liam called the internet company because I was suddenly all zoom meetings all the time and they kept dropping. The company was like, yah, sure, we can you give a package with double the speed and bandwidth at half the price. Why wouldn't they have just done that in the first place?! That sounds like a great idea with the nonprofit lady! But if I can give you one piece of advice (because... yanno... I've been retired almost two months now ) is take a little time in the beginning before you jump into the next thing. I know that sounds ridiculous coming from me with my full time store "job," but I am definitely waiting a bit to see how things pan out before I even consider a (part time) accounting job -- or anything else!

Yes indeed, things are WILD here! After UPS and napping I made a pork chop for dinner, packed up all the stuff I listed yesterday, washed up stuff to list today, and went to bed early. It's kind of glorious frankly.

The dogs went CRAZY around six this morning (which is why I'm typing a message now as I sit on the couch, mad that I'm sure I won't be able to go back to sleep). I let them out, where they promptly ran into the middle of the yard, looked around AT NOTHING, and then bolted back inside to be fed breakfast. I was like, NOPE! You need to at least pee before I let you back in or else you'll eat and then want to go out again. We had a standoff, which I won by turning my back on them and walking away from the deck door. They eventually did their business and then I let them in for food. Morons.

I've got an order to go to Germany today so I'll pack that up later and drop if off on my way to the chiro in the afternoon. Other than that, I'm debating between taking pictures or migrating some listings over to eBay. I would really like to do photos, but I wonder if I'm better off only doing it every other day since it involves being on my feet for hours and hours and ending up in a weird bent over position to get to counter height. We'll see how my back feels once I actually get off the couch here and take a shower.

Alright, off to read the news and drink my coffee!

 

[deegee]

dee*jay-my dog Lily is 16 and I know if she demands that I get up, she has urgent business to take care of. She’s good to run out, do her thing and come right back in. I went to bed at 1am, woke up at 3, 5:15, and 6:28. My alarm goes off at 6:30, and I and it really ticks me off to wake up 2 minutes early! Matt said he worries about me retiring because my self worth comes from doing my job well and getting stuff done. He’s not wrong. I am pretty much crap at everything except my job and taking care of my pets. I’ve lived in my house for 11 years and can’t even pick a paint color for the kitchen. I hope the chiropractor is helping your back. Stupid aches and pains.

My niece is at my house for the weekend. She and her sister always came to visit during the summer. One year we were trying to figure out something to do, so we went to a Pittsburgh pirates game. We ate across the river from the stadium and took the ferry to the game. It became a tradition and we’ve done it every year since, even though none of us are Pirates fans. The older niece is a teacher and has work commitments this time so she couldn’t come. Adulting is so hard! We’re heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow. Dee*jay- I have in my mind you are either from there or lived there once? Have a great Friday. Woo-hoo!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

DeeGee, I totally get you on your self worth coming from your job! When I was thinking of leaving the financial industry and becoming a full time real estate agent (which I ultimately did do), when Bill and I were married he said to me, "How are you going to feel the first time someone asks you what you do and you say 'I'm a realtor,' and they look at you like you're a moron, versus now when you say, 'I'm the chief compliance office officer of a hedge fund,' and they suddenly back up a few steps out of respect.'?" That was probably the most insightful thing he ever said to me the whole time we were married! And I DID take pause and think it over. Of course I DID also go off and sell real estate for a few years until I was so bored I was ready to throw my self off the balcony of a 50 story high rise. But I think it's different for you now because you're not quitting being Queen of the Universe to go make sandwiches at Jimmy John's. Retirement gets respect because you've proven yourself and paid your dues, and ultimately earned the right to turn the lights out behind you and go off and do what YOU want. I suspect for a while after you retire you'll say, "I just retired from XXXXXXXXX." But after a while you might just go with, "I'm retired." And if someone wants more info great, but if not, that's ok too. Just my two cents, and really, what the he!! do I know?!

Yes, I am from Pittsburgh! And strangely enough Liam and YF are there RIGHT NOW. Their meandering road trip includes Ohio, Pennsylvania, and I think Kentucky. Possibly Michigan too, but don't quote me on that. They drove by my old house today and sent me a video. They also sent me a picture of some grumpy old many sitting on the porch of the house one up the hill and asked me if I knew who he was. I was like, "No... but I'm probably related to him somehow."

Unlike yesterday (where I fell back asleep on the couch and didn't get up until 11:30 -- !!!), today has been pretty productive. I took a bunch of photos, shipped two orders, continued washing the giant pile of blankets that live on the living room sofa, and did some other general stuff. I'm debating whether to was up more things to list or plan on doing non-photo things tomorrow (like migrate more listings onto Ebay) which don't require standing up for hours on end).

I've had two glasses of prosecco so I'm likely moving on to sparking water at this point... but there's a dark chocolate bar in the secret area of the cabinet calling my name!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Ugh... I've had my identity stolen. Just spent and ungodly amount of time on the phone with a bunch of credit cart companies. I should have known something was up this afternoon when I got a text from Barclays, but I thought it was some sort of phishing thing so I just ignored it. Then I got a notification that a credit inquiry had been made by JP Morgan Chase and I started digging around.

The scammers apparently:
- opened a $20,000 Frontier Airlines master card with Barclays (which has been sent out but is now cancelled),
- tried twice to open a Best Buy account (which is through Citi), but couldn't because I'd already put a credit freeze on with all of the credit agencies,
- applied for a card through JPM, but it's still in process so I have to call the application department first thing tomorrow morning and get that cancelled
- applied for credit through some sort of leasing company (I guess like those places where you rent furniture or something like that... ?) but they were closed by the time I tried to call them tonight

And who knows what else. They are even using my actual address, which I was able to confirm with both Barclays and Citi.

I'm so torqued off right now. Once I get this all sorted I'll have to petition the credit bureaus to take the inquiries off my credit report or else they'll be on there for two years.

Seriously. WTF. Argh.