tuesday is a brighter day

-not that every day hasn’t been bright, humid and with 90° + weather. I felt really low yesterday. That was probably the lowest I’ve felt since this whole thing started in March. I overdid it on Sunday with a 10 mile ride in the afternoon. I came home and threw myself into the she-pool and soaked. I was so thirsty that I couldn’t drink enough even though I took alot of water with me to drink and douse myself. Yesterday I felt like I had a hangover all day and was weepy. I hate Mondays like that.

Today is much better. I got up early and fed the cat and packed Charlie’s lunch and helped her get ready to go work. I feel like I’ve become the housewife in this situation. I’m Wilma from the Flintstones and Charlie’s Fred going off to the rock plant.

(And, I’m going to need to put my hair in a bun before this thing is over)

After I got her situated I went for a short walk – 2 miles is short for me – because I had a call at 9. I listen to Elton John’s Rocket Hour on Apple music. If you haven’t hear it you should tune in. He’s always featuring new music/musicians and it’s very hip. Here’s a video clip of his 150th episode:

Although, he just rolled over his 250th episode this past week. I just listened to it and it’s fantastic, so check it out!

Among other things, I made some really fantastic shrimp tacos last Friday. I’ve decided that tacos are for Fridays and birthdays – which, I have one coming up the end of this month. Here’s the taco recipe:

Plus, I marinated the shrimp again prior to putting on the grill with this recipe: Quick and Easy Cilantro Lime Marinade

I also cut up an ear of corn into mini sections and put them on a skewer and marinaded them as well. It all turned out very well! (according to Fred er Charlie)

So, we picked another batch of blackberries last Sunday morning and I canned 5 more jars. We have about 20 jars of different degrees of pepper spiciness in the pantry. I sent Charlie off this morning with a jar to give to a client/friend of ours. I’m thinking of making care packages out of them.

And, if you listen to Elton John’s Rocket Hour you will hear this song which is a new favorite: STFU – Rina Sawayama. Be prepared to turn this up and rock out. The video isn’t bad, either.

My sentiment matches hers when it comes to the news, the media and social media these days. I just want to turn it off and say STFU. I’m just really over everything. Wake me up when this is over. Send me my ballot so I can vote and let’s be DONE with it. And, wear a muthafuckingmask! PERIOD.

Ok, I’ve had my Tuesday rant. I think I’ve given y’all enough to chew on today. I hope you have a great rest of the week and I’ll probably check back in with you on Friday. Cheers!

DIY friday chex mix

I’ve been trying to stay busy and do projects lately. So, Charlie finished the patio:

When she first lit that thing she said, I wonder why the flame isn’t very high and – WHOOOOOSH! I felt my leg hairs singe a little. Mental note to self – get a few stick lighters up in dis crib.

I thankfully did not paddle last weekend and it was a good thing because this happened:

March on Stone Mtn.

Not that that is a bad thing but there was no way I wanted to be in the middle of a 200+ armed march on Stone Mtn. Hopefully, there will be no demonstrations this weekend as I’m planning on going out to paddle – very early.

I found a couple of really great places to go blackberry picking around here and Charlie and I went last weekend and after a bunch of blood, sweat, cursing and tears we got enough to can a bunch of jars of blackberry jalapeno lime jam. It all came out pretty good, too. We’re planning on going out again on Sunday morning as it was so hot the last time we went. Below is the second batch where I used more jalapenos and seeds than the first. I’ve tasted both and can’t really tell a difference. There’s the flavor of the peppers but no heat.

We’ve had a thing for jalapenos lately. We marinade those in a jar of silver tequila and use it to make margaritas and it’s fantastic!  I almost won’t drink regular tequila anymore.

Which reminds me – it’s about time for some chicken enchiladas. First, I do the chicken in an instapot. This is the recipe:

Instapot Shredded Chicken for Enchiladas

I like this one because you make your own enchilada sauce, although I always add a can of Verde green enchilada sauce just to give it some more flavor. I also use large flour tortillas because they hold together better. Honestly, I could eat tacos and mexican food every night for dinner but Charlie can’t. We made this recipe the other night:

Cheesesteak peppers

It was good BUT I still like my cheesteak on a bun not a pepper.

So, a few things we’ve been watching is Hanna on Prime. We watched season 1 a while back and season 2 just came out and I liked it a lot better than 1. Also on Prime we started watching Hidden and Life in Pieces -which is a bit of a comic relief. Of course, I’m still working on The Good wife as my fall back. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I run out of things to watch.

It’s a very quiet Friday so far. I may go out for a ride before it gets a 1,000 degrees outside. Almost every night this week we’ve been out at the pool and it’s started raining and we’ve had to move to the shed or the carport. Apparently, stock tanks have been on backorder from Tractor supply. Folks be doing their DIY projects and pools. Ours was a gift from a client who ended up installing a real lap pool in her backyard (which, to this day she never uses). We’ve been getting a ton of use out of ours. I’m thankful we have a large back yard that we can do all these things with.

Anyway, have I given yall enough pics and links to chew on? Happy Friday, btw! I hope y’all have a lovely safe weekend! And, it’s 5:00 somewhere so cheers!

(I think we need some watermelon/jalapeno beer. Maybe I’ll talk to Nick about that….)

pre-holiday, no holiday chex mix

Well, again, I’ve started a post several times and deleted it. I’ve been pretty much holed up all week just working and trying to stick to a routine. This morning, the dogs are joining me in the office for wordpress blog publishing and work. It makes them feel important to be office support staff.

(Plus, they like Sirius radio Yacht Rock)

Yesterday, I was able to walk in the a.m. and bike at lunch so I had two workouts that day and it was nice. Today, I’m more motivated to stay in the office in the a.m. and hit the bike at lunch for a ride. Maybe I’ll even go farther than yesterday. Yesterday my home button got stuck and Siri kept coming on and asking me if she could help and cutting out my music. It was super annoying! I cut my ride short and went home and looked up ways to turn that bitch off. I managed to do that so hopefully it was a Siri issue and not a hardware issue. Please. We just bought Charlie and new phone and I’m trying to hold out on my 7 as long as possible.

They just declared a public emergency in our county because of the rising C-19 cases and they’re warning us to stay in as much as possible. They particularly warn about the place I go paddling -that there will be a surge of folks over the weekend there. I wonder why they just don’t close the place down? Probably because of $$. Even so, I don’t plan on paddling over the holiday weekend.

There’s only three places we typically go and that’s the grocery, liquor store and Homo-depot.  No more going out for a drink to sit on a patio somewhere for a while. We are planning on having a movie night in the garage this weekend – a friend of ours gave us his old screen and we have a projector we’re hooking up to our computer to stream a movie. Any suggestions? We have Netflix, Prime and Hulu. Thinking of starting with the Wicker Man (2006 Nicholas Cage).

Also, we’re going to ride motorcycles around town but not stop anywhere like we normally do. I’m sure we can find many things to occupy ourselves – is what I tell myself. I don’t want to celebrate the 4^th. I want to celebrate being alive and not independence. I think fireworks are overrated anyway. They scare the wildlife down at the lake and it’s obnoxious. Fortunately, our dogs are oblivious to it so that’s a plus.

I’ve been continuing to study for my ITIL Foundation exam. I’m really trying to get that certification under my belt before school starts. It’s my goal to take the exam by the end of July. I’m still plugging away on practice exams and notes. Other than that, I got nothing! Be safe out there this weekend! Independence day is not worth catching the C.

I know it’s 5:00 somewhere so cheers!

the upside down

 

(A little more detail from the previous post below)

So, there’s been a series of really weird omen-like stuff going on lately. It’s made me really paranoid and on the lookout for signs and forewarnings.

I took off this week Thursday – Monday initially because we were planning on sneaking down to Florida to see the kids. Both Charlie and I had discussed it at length two weeks ago when we decided to do it. We got our pet sitter to come, we got Link to fill in the gaps between when the pet sitter was working. We set aside money. We even went to the local brewery and got a shit-ton of beer to take to them. (Watermelon Emergency Drinking Beer is in season now and the kids love it).

Then, the “shituation” happened and we had to get the sewer pipe replaced. That same week, Charlie had to go to the doctor to have a biopsy done. (We still haven’t gotten the results but the doctor was pretty sure it was going to be benign – keep your fingers crossed). Next, probably from all the stress of the previous week Charlie felt rundown and tired. She started to feel better then – the transmission on the work truck acted up and we had to have it towed to the shop.

As we were standing in the driveway watching AAA load the truck up she said, Maybe we shouldn’t go to Florida right now.

I was instantly relieved and said, Yeah, maybe not. I’m scared and worried since Florida is becoming the epicenter (I didn’t even know what that word meant until recently) of C-19 and the kids seem kind of oblivious to it, to be honest.  

Yeah, let’s stick a pin in it for now.

We felt bad. The kids felt bad. But, better safe than sorry. I still planned on taking off and paddling and relaxing because despite working from home, my job has been really stressful lately and I’m just OVER it. I have this one project where I’m just babysitting male engineers who won’t do their jobs.

We called the kids and told them. Called the pet sitter told him. Called Link and told her. Then, Link’s bff’s mother fell down the stairs and died on Thursday. We were supposed to paddle together that morning but she fell back asleep (she later told me) and later in the day I just had this feeling that something wasn’t right and texted her and asked if she was ok and she told me what happened. She was to leave the next day (today) to fly up to Maine and be with the family.

Seriously, it’s been crazy the past two weeks.  I just want there to be some light at the end of this tunnel of strange, awful times. I feel like we’re in an episode of Stranger Things and we’re in The Upside Down.

I’m going to try to not worry.

I’m going to embrace that it’s Friday.

I’m going to wish all of you a happy Friday and hope you have a great and wonderful weekend and stay safe!

And, those of you who are reading this that it’s after 5:00 have a drink for me! Cheers!

midweek Friday chex mix

I just feel lately that it’s been one thing after another. First, it was the sewer pipe, now the work truck went out. We had to have it towed to the shop today. If it’s the transmission I cannot imagine what that would cost to be fixed. It seems like every time we get a little bit ahead we have a setback.

We were going to sneak down to Florida to see the kids. Charlie and I were like, I wonder if this truck thing is an omen to not go. I agreed. Maybe we’d better just stay put. So, we aren’t going. Plus, Florida’s really scary with C-19 now. I mean, so is Georgia but at least we’re in our home and not out and about a whole lot.  I’m still taking off work, though, and doing a staycation. I’ve had a week at work so I’m in need of a break. I know it can’t be that bad – more time to paddle, more time to study for my ITIL test. More importantly – being on the safe side. I’m trying to look on the bright side of all of this.

So, happy midweek Friday to me!

sh*tuation chex mix

I’ve started a post three times and closed out. I seem to start writing in the mornings and then I get distracted and then by the end of the day I’m like, Ef this.

The biggest news is that we got our shituation taken care of on Monday. Monday was a huge day.

It was a good thing we had a new pipe put in because the old one was completely full of roots at the cleanout. Bidet be damned there was no way we could have gone on much longer. I’m trying not to let the large hump of dirt in the front yard bother me. At least we can flush and use toilet paper again.

I took off last Friday and Link and I went paddling. It was the maiden voyage on her Sweetwater board. We also paddled on Sunday for a very long time. It was very hot when we got off the lake.

Saturday, Charlie and I went on a motorcycle ride through the city. It’s quite nice right now as there’s really not a lot of traffic. We plan on doing that again this coming weekend. The weekend cannot get here sooner, I’m ready! It’s supposed to be a scorcher here, though. Guess we’ll have to get out on the lake early and into the stock tank earlier. The quarantine days arn’t bad when you have stuff to do in your backyard. Speaking of backyards, we have the local neighborhood garden club coming tomorrow to look at the back to possibly put on a garden tour.

We’re like, Well, tell Dorothy not to look at the front yard just come on to the back, sweetie! 

This should be interesting to say the least. Stay tuned and happy Friday-eve!

 

 

water related topics chex mix

Yesterday, we went to Sweetwater Brewery to have lunch and beers. Sweetwater is part of just a handful of places that has reopened and has seating far enough apart that you can social distance but still get your drink on. This has become our Sunday hangout. The folks who work there are always very pleasant and it’s a fun atmosphere. Hell, a tractor pull would be fun at this point!

So, while we were there we asked about this paddleboard that was leaning against the wall by their store. The bartender said he didn’t think it was for sale that it was a promotional thing but he would ask anyway. Our friend, Link, was meeting us there and we thought wouldn’t it be great if SHE bought the board as she’s been looking for one recently. (Plus, we’re still saving $$ to alleviate our “shituation”)

Our friend sat down and we told her that we asked about that board and if we could negotiate with the manager would she be interested in buying it. She said, Yes. We went back and forth a couple of times negotiating and the manager came over and saw that we had all our Sweetwater gear on and said, I have to give it to you as you’re all decked out.

So, afterwards he even helped us load it onto the top of the SUV. It helped that we already have it equipped with a SUP rack. We do have to go back down there this week and get the fin for the board as he didn’t have it on site. They had just been using it as a display item so they had left the fin off. Here’s a photo of it:

Of course we’re temporarily storing it for her. I could probably take it out anytime I wanted, too. 😉

Last week, Charlie installed bidets in both bathrooms. These things are really a necessity since our main sewer line is being held together with Band-Aids and prayers right now. It took some getting used to. At first, it was like OOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! We were cracking up and we weren’t even drunk. Plus, you have to CLOSE your legs or else it sprays out the front and takes the paint off the cabinets. We’ve only had it on the FIRST DOT – that last dot – not sure what that’s for unless you’re giving yourself an enema or spraying the whole bathroom down.

Hopefully, these will get us by in the inter-rim. Stay tuned and have a great week!

friday chex mix

Well, we made it through this week which wasn’t a small feat.

Monday we found ourselves peeing in the backyard waiting for the plumber to come and unclog a blockage in our main drain. Yeah, 60 foot of snake. Wasn’t pretty. He got it unclogged but, of course, our main feed needs replacing. It’s only a matter of time before it become a major “shit”uation if you get my drift.

Also, Charlie needs to get in to see the doctor but since all the pandemic stuff going on the doctor’s office isn’t even open. I mean, what if folks accidentally cut their appendages off? (which, didn’t happen) Is it open then?

Then, I found myself out on a Monday night searching for, ugh, feminine products, when I went around the corner to the Walmart it was closed and boarded up. Seems they were expecting riots. This was my first realization of it being close to home. I turned around and went to the small Kroger in town which was fine.

The end of the week has looked up and I want to let out a whoop that we made it to Friday! I got this letter in the mail stating I still had some retirement money left over from my stint with the state. I thought, surely I’ve moved that over. I remember moving some money over when I left the horrible place that builds roads but wasn’t sure. I logged in and sure enough I had 3400 sitting in there that I can have dropped into my checking account. This is almost half the price of a new drain. So, we may be getting the yard dug up sooner than I thought.

We’re the type of folks who always check in on folks and after the Monday fiasco and Charlie’s doctor worry we had some folks call us to check in to see if we were ok and ask if there was anything they could do. It was nice – we had about a handful of folks check in.

Then, there’s others that don’t check in with us at all and who also don’t answer when we ask them if everything’s ok. I’m actually mystified by this. I tell myself that maybe I shouldn’t waste precious time and energy towards this – that it’s a drain-so to speak. I deleted my FB app on my phone so I won’t look at it anymore. I can’t stand it these days. I think the only reason I haven’t deactivated the account is because of all the photos.

So, it’s Friday and we made it through the week. I’m going to go throw the board up on the roof of the car and prepare to go paddling both days. What are y’all up to this weekend? Whatever it is be safe and cheers!

 

TGIF-Eve

I know it was a short week. But, it was after a massively fun weekend. Which, I paid for dearly. One of the things that I’m not complaining about this week is being able to work from home and no one but my wife can see my epic cold sore. I get these things when I’ve been stressed or am run down and tired. Probably has to do with last weekend and blowing it out and not putting sunscreen on my lips because we were in too much of a rush after the whole fiasco to get on the lake.
It’s been raining almost every day this week. I’m probably going to have to get out and walk in it today at some point just to get out and move around. I did a little bit yesterday and got soaked. I should have taken the umbrella. The rain is kind of a mood killer. I want to be out riding both the bicycle and the motorcycle. Granted, I could ride in the rain but I don’t want to.

I started my ITIL Foundation class yesterday. I’m already on module 2 so I may go for another one of these by the end of the summer (the next one is Managing Professional). I was looking at jobs that require this certification and some of them are big time. If I can only stick it out with the county for 2 more years I may have a chance. Of course, my career may shift after starting graduate school. At least there are options.

I just got back from a walk and the rain almost caught me but I had my umbrella this time. There are several folks out walking this time of day. What I really love (not) are the ones who play chicken with you. You see them and think to cross the street and look for traffic and start to cross only to see they are doing the same. My Gawd, make a decision, Karen. There were several Karen’s out today. But, on the upside I get more steps in that way, I guess. Thank you, Karen, now you can bring potato salad to the next under 10 gathering.

Summer’s going to be interesting, isn’t it? We have plenty of things to do in the backyard fortunately and I have my paddleboard. Which, a year ago today I purchased off some Trump supporter in Morningside.

You know that saying one good deed never goes unpunished? I’m finding out how true that can be. Prior to all this lockdown, I went to my boss and told her about closing one of my projects and asked for another. Trying to win Project manager of the year award, I guess. (plus, my 6 month review was due then that I never got) She gave me a total coal in the stocking of a project after that. There are so many politicos on this one that every meeting is a shit storm. I think I’ve bitten my tongue so much since this started that it’s gone now. PM’s are often confused for whipping posts.

So, a co-worker friend of mine just booked a trip to Hilton Head Island the end of June for a long weekend beach trip. I don’t know whether to be jealous or glad it’s you and not me, sista. The uncertainty is kind of unnerving. I really do hope that we continue to work from home and don’t go in at all. I also hope that my job is not affected by all this and we’re able to keep working through it. Most of all, I hope that none of us get sick and if we do we’ll kick it.

holiday weekend chex mix

I’m trusting everyone had a great holiday weekend despite everything else going on?

We did, however, there were some obstacles’. If you read the previous post, we bought motorcycles which we starting riding immediately after being delivered. But, one of them has an oil leak and the other, the rear brake is dragging a little. So, they both have to go back to the shop. Which was very disappointing because we were planning on riding them all weekend. I really hope these things don’t turn out to be lemons on two wheels.

Saturday, we had a reservation to rent a pontoon on Lake Allatoona. Originally, we asked our friends Katie & Calvin to go along with Link. The kids called later in the week and wanted to come up but we said, Oh, we already have plans to go on the boat and we can’t have that many people on there for social distancing. Can we make it another time? And, give us more notice so we can make a plan. Then, K & C bail on us so we could have had the kids with us had we known. I didn’t get too torqued about it but I made a mental note not to invite them on the boat anymore. It’s become a rule. If you’re asked and then bail you won’t be asked again.

So, the email confirmation that the boat rental place had the wrong address on it. We actually went to Lake Lanier instead of Allatoona. (Honestly, I should never trust anything and should have checked the confirmation address) When we got there – there were TONS of folks walking around with no masks. We were the only ones along with two other men with them on. Which, was disconcerting. When I got up to the window to check in, of course, they didn’t have our reservation because it was for the wrong place. I was like, OH MY GAWD! Long story short, we had to drive all the way to the Allatoona location. By the time we got there we were spoiling for a fight but they assured us that we’d get our 4 hours and they would give us a coupon for some $$ off our next visit. So, we go load up on the boat and – some @sshole comes by and tells us to get everyone off because he just sold that particular boat. I was pissed. I went walking up to the check-in women again and explained that we just got kicked off a boat that we were getting ready to launch because it was sold and now we have to go through the checkout process with another boat and we need another 30 minutes. One of the girls was about to open her mouth to say something when I added, We’ll have it back by 4:00, when the other girl put her hand her to shut her up and said, 4:00!

We could have probably gotten it back at 7 and no one would have said anything but we were burnt and tired by the time we got back. I also managed to get a free tube thrown in and they gave us a coupon for $100 off the next rental. So, I’m thinking of going again in June before the 4th of July madness and another C19 spike. We may only invite Link this time unless the kids could possibly make a plan to come up in June.

Sunday, we had our friends L & L over for dinner. We sat outside and grilled and talked. It was a lot of fun! We’ve been hanging with them a lot more lately since they just live right up the street. Yesterday we just hung out and then played darts at the shed later in the afternoon. Today, I am whipped. I’m really glad it’s a short week. Tonight all I want to do is chill and watch some TV.

How was your weekend?