Weekly Chat Thread May 1st - 7th

[staytuned]

And what happens if you party too much:

[jesmelric]

Wow Chap, that is so frightening! They have those armband things for runners with your phone, maybe something like that would work? Yikes!!

We are getting quite hot today, heat index of 90. Now is the time of year I try to get my errands done early and be home by 10 a.m. or so. Some chances of rain next week, I really hope we get some and don't have a drought like last summer.

An old friend and I are going shopping together for a bit tomorrow and I am looking forward to it, I haven't seen her since Christmas. We are going to Ross, TJ Maxx and Burlington, I hope to find a few things for the "new" bathroom.

[frakinfashion]

Chap, what a terrible story. It was good luck for that poor guy that you were there. So glad you are safe. Some people have such uncontrollable rage; it's a good thing that guy didn't have a gun as well.

[val2525]

May 5, 2023 16:35:19 GMT frakinfashion said:

Chap, what a terrible story. It was good luck for that poor guy that you were there. So glad you are safe. Some people have such uncontrollable rage; it's a good thing that guy didn't have a gun as well.

Good thing it wasn't here in TX. We have probably the most lax gun laws of any state. Heck, even the dogs here probably carry.

Sunny, high of 90 and moderately humid here today. I think I'm going to rearrange my office furniture today. Such an exciting life I lead...

[Dawn R]

I took advantage of the 65 and Sunny temperatures to put down about 30 bags of mulch which makes me about half way done.

Tomorrow my husband and I am replacing a 50 foot section of 6 foot privacy fence. Obviously, we won't get it all done in one daysince we need to concrete more of the posts. We paid a company to do it nearly 20 years ago and they didn't concrete any of the posts except the corners and now it is starting to fall.

So, that's my weekend plans.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

[chapeaunoir]

Mmmm...Cinco de Mayo - I might have some commemorative Mexican food for dinner. 

It's drizzling and 40s here again. Tomorrow is the bike swap meet down in Tacoma - it's the most fun of the swap meets as it's basic neighbourhood, everyday people and small shops, and has not been taken over by the big bike consortiums that set up huge booths with piles of mass produced new cut-rate stuff from China, and who push everyone else out to the sides or take over completely. The Seattle swap meet is just an exercise in frustration now - it used to be the kick-off for the racing season and a big meet-n-greet for the community, but it's turned into a cash cow with really high rates for tables and massive set-up/tear-down problems. 

At any rate, it supposed to be NOT raining tomorrow, just cloudy and cool (the swap meet is outside) so it should be good. I got my bike trailer at the last Tacoma swap meet and it served me well through the whole pandemic/lockdown as I was able to tow items for delivery and curb surf when everything was closed.

[staytuned]

No Mexican food here or tequila. I had to finish the last 1 3/4 bun-length Nathan's hot dogs so had 3/4 for lunch and one for dinner. In case you're wondering, DH went out with Butthead after work on Wed. Whenever he comes home, he chows down on stuff in the fridge. I didn't realize until Thurs. the smartass took a bite out of one of the hot dogs. He could have at least eaten 1/4 of the bun.

[labbypaws]

Great day here! Got out walking. Back up to 3.5 miles. Dogs are aging though and I think I am going to have to retire one of them from my walks. Leaves me 2 that I can walk. One of the two is the slacker.

Buying odds and ends for the puppy. He comes home in 3 weeks. A new collar, name tag, AirTag, puppy food, Embark DNA kit for health tests, a few stuffies and some chews.

We are finishing up the fence barriers today.

And I think I can get hubby to help me with the Hallmark tubs so I can inventory them. Set up the spreadsheet last night.

[RetroMonde]

WOW CHAP- that's so scary and I know you put yourself at risk by getting involved yet I'm so proud of you for intervening in that attack! If only someone, anyone, had said NO and stepped in on that NYC subway this past week

Day whatever of the kitchen remodel- I'd say we're about 1/3 of the way thru. Having no kitchen is very like tent camping but at least we have the camper parked in the driveway. Making dinner is even more of a challenge than usual. We're trying hard not to do takeout more than once a week. DD & DH got the old window over the sink unstuck so now we'll need a couple of screens. Today I have to mop the ceiling and then go look at paint colors- we're thinking about a mellow yellow (yeah sorry... now that tune's stuck in my head too lol). Cabinets are off white and we chose a black and blue speckled squares of Marmoleum that we'll set in a checkerboard pattern. We were going to wallpaper in the breakfast nook (the house was built in 1935) but dang! wallpaper got expensive and I really didn't see anything I liked so we're going to sponge or rag roll the walls to disguise the uneven wall surface. The house was moved for the highway in 1961 just before my family bought it and surface cracks in the ceilings are normal. Can't wait to have some pictures to share but right now it looks like a kitchen in a squatters house, lol.

[labbypaws]

Thanks for the heads up on auto International shipping. I got the email for my one account today and opted out. Waiting for the other seller account email.

[val2525]

RetroMonde , do you have an airfryer, slow cooker and/or instant pot?  Those are awesome and you could cook in the dining room. Well, if you have a dining room When I moved to PHX, I was in a Studio 6 room for about a month and a half. They come with a kitchenette but no stove, just a burner. No oven. I had the airfryer and slow cooker with me and there was plenty of room on the breakfast bar. So I was able to cook real food.

Yard sale is over. I didn't participate but I did watch out the window. We had a good bit of traffic for about 2 hours.  What I suspect were two resellers were trolling the sale. Two trucks started driving around the complex around 8:30 and were hitting people up as they set up their stuff (yard sale start time was 9:00 am). Both trucks made multiple laps for about an hour, then headed out. I guess they were going to the next sale on their list. Every lap they made, I could recognize the trucks by the stuff in the back   My next door neighbors were out front but I don't think they sold that much.  It looked like they hauled almost as much back to their apartment as they hauled out to set up. 

I've been packing up the fall/winter clothes and pulling out the summer stuff.  I'm also listening to a good Eve Dallas book on audible so the biannual chore isn't as onerous as it usually is. 

[denise15601]

Such a nice day today! Low 70's and sunny so I hit up Agway. I had planned to buy 3 big bags of Miracle-Gro potting soil, but when I saw that they were $15 each, I only bought 2 bags.
So now, of course, I have to go back for another bag.
I was able to find everything that I wanted-cherry tomatoes, cukes, onions, peppers, yellow squash and zucchini. And I have more squash seeds to plant, as well as bean and lettuce seeds.
And lots of pretty flowers.
I read that it is okay to use pinecones in the bottoms of pots as a filler, and I do have a lot of those! I am glad that I didn't finish raking up all of the pine twigs and cones.
I worked for 4 hours and then mowed and weed whacked and am really tired now.
So I feel okay in spite of the fact that I am allergic now to the chemo that I have had for 16 years. They switched me to a bio-similar chemo and after trying to figure out for over a year, why I got sick once I got home, we figured it was an allergy.
So I had to take Alegra before my treatment and Benadryl & Tylenol when I got home. And that kept me from getting the tremors, headache, bad leg pains, chills and fever.
When I see my onc soon, I will ask to go back on the original chemo instead of a generic one.

[val2525]

For some reason this evening, I thought it was Sunday night. I was soooo happy to realize it was Saturday

I'm watching the highlights of the coronation of Charles and Camilla. They look exhausted and frail. Not a look I usually associate with either of them

Critter was back tonight. Possibly two critters. It started crying and scared the crap out of me and the cats. 😡

[chapeaunoir]

I personally think Charles should take a year as King and then abdicate in favour of Will and Kate - the UK needs a younger more vital figurehead with a young family they can relate to.  Chuck and Camilla are just too old - QEII could do it because she had been through so much with England and was so loved, but not many have taken to Charles, though he's got a keen eye for conservation. I think Will and Kate would streamline the royal presence and update it so much better, though Charles has said that he will do this. Tradition is important, but it needs to be relevant.

We had fun at the swap meet - as usual, the older patrons asked DH if he used to race (he didn't) whereas they never asked me (I did) lol. Good grief - more and more I feel like the Boomer generation must be my parents instead of my peers. But there was also a great variety of people at the swap meet, and especially families.  The Seattle meet has turned into a cash cow (everything in Seattle is a cash cow) and it's too spendy for families and young folks to attend - not the Tacoma one, you just come in and shop. I had a chance to chat with one of the organisers and told him how great I thought the meet was. The DH and I made a little money, got rid of some stuff, it was a nice day and our friends showed up - all good. And it only sprinkled a little!

Tomorrow the DH has a hilly metric century as part of his training for RAMROD and I have a combined run and OTF to wear me out. We'll go to a pub in the evening, probably one within a couple of miles of walking because we like to do beer tastings and refuse to drive while buzzed.

[frakinfashion]

Charles so much wanted to be king for so many decades of II's life. He will never give it up until his last breath. All that envy takes its toll. My prediction is Louis will turn out to be another Harry. At 5, he looks like he's already had enough. Watch him drum his hands on the balcony.

[denise15601]

Now I have my own "critter"! A mourning dove has built her nest under a group of my daylilies which is about 4 feet from my back steps.
So when I go down the steps or nearby, she flies out loudly chirping and scares the crap out of me. Heart attack time.

My daughter has had one since she moved into her house, that nests in one of her window flower boxes. But my grandson can pet her since she is a cool bird and quite domesticated.

[val2525]

Charles abdicating isn't going to happen. The monarchy takes abdication of duties, no matter how light the duties might be, as tacit but unspoken treason to the Crown. They banished Edward after he abdicated (although that was partly due to some of his more stupid political moves), and pretty much disowned Harry when he stepped back. Nope. Charles is in there to stay. I think he'll do OK though. He's said for years that the royalty needs to be streamlined, and he's taken moves to do that. The coronation was far less ornate than Elizabeth's was, and Charles has reduced the number of working royals (Andrew was really pissed about that one since his daughters were removed as working royals). He also thinks the Monarchy should try to support itself and has said for years that he wanted to open Buckingham Palace year-round for public tours. Several of his personal properties have been converted to business use (sustainable farms, B&B, etc). I think he'll make a good dent in making the monarchy "more modern".

I actually liked Charles' coronation better than the film clips I've seen of Elizabeth's. Plus, Charles had the decency (and respect) to have Camilla crowned as Queen Consort at the same time. Elizabeth declined to have Phillip crowned as Prince consort when she took the throne. She didn't grant Phillip the title of Prince until a good 10 years after she ascended the throne. Very petty of her, IMO.

[val2525]

May 7, 2023 18:26:35 GMT denise15601 said:

Now I have my own "critter"! A mourning dove has built her nest under a group of my daylilies which is about 4 feet from my back steps. So when I go down the steps or nearby, she flies out loudly chirping and scares the crap out of me. Heart attack time.

I'll happily trade you my ceiling critter for your dove. At least you know what yours is, where it is, and can do something about it.  You can always shake a broom at the flowers before you go down the stairs.  I'm stuck with a critter removal company and their many futile attempts to get rid of whatever is up there. If I didn't have to pay for movers, I'd be asking the office to move me to another unit and waive all fees associated with the move. Although that really wouldn't help, since it appears multiple buildings have had critter problems Mid 80s and humid on tap here today. Possible thunderstorms. I don't know if SA has a rainy season, but if it does, we're in it

[chapeaunoir]

May 7, 2023 18:44:16 GMT val2525 said:

Charles abdicating isn't going to happen. The monarchy takes abdication of duties, no matter how light the duties might be, as tacit but unspoken treason to the Crown. They banished Edward after he abdicated (although that was partly due to some of his more stupid political moves), and pretty much disowned Harry when he stepped back. Nope. Charles is in there to stay. I think he'll do OK though. He's said for years that the royalty needs to be streamlined, and he's taken moves to do that. The coronation was far less ornate than Elizabeth's was, and Charles has reduced the number of working royals (Andrew was really pissed about that one since his daughters were removed as working royals). He also thinks the Monarchy should try to support itself and has said for years that he wanted to open Buckingham Palace year-round for public tours. Several of his personal properties have been converted to business use (sustainable farms, B&B, etc). I think he'll make a good dent in making the monarchy "more modern".

I actually liked Charles' coronation better than the film clips I've seen of Elizabeth's. Plus, Charles had the decency (and respect) to have Camilla crowned as Queen Consort at the same time. Elizabeth declined to have Phillip crowned as Prince consort when she took the throne. She didn't grant Phillip the title of Prince until a good 10 years after she ascended the throne. Very petty of her, IMO.

I hope Charles does a good job. I know abdication is a big deal, but it's not always considered a treasonable act - for instance, it was Edward's political moves, as you say, that sealed his 'traitor king' moniker rather than his stepping aside to marry. About half of Britain want Charles to step aside for Will and I have no doubt that exceptions could be carved out. If Charles can somehow be more relevant by his actions it would help as even Princess Anne is more popular. My wish that he would just step aside was something that I didn't think would happen. 

QEII BTW in 2022 had asked for Camilla to be crowned Queen Consort. Interestingly, Elizabeth had broken with tradition in using her first given name as her regal name - Charles is doing the same thing despite his having about four names to choose from - given the associations with "King Charles" (Charles I beheaded, Charles II a bit whack, though he was a bit better than history likes to paint him). 

[val2525]

Maybe Charles III is trying to break the trend - you know, third time is the charm.

[chapeaunoir]

I thinking also that it says well for his desire to remain "real" and not change his focus.  Also I suspect Louis is just a typical squirmy little kid who gets restless and wants to do SOMETHING. I've seen it happen at weddings enough. 

Penny Mordaunt looked impressive - as leader of the House of Commons she was the sword bearor - that 17th century sword is apparently heavy, and she had to hold it arrow straight and away from herself as they processed. Charles was wearing sacks of flour in velvet under his hat to get ready for that heavy crown. 

[val2525]

I wondered who she was! I looked it up last night - the crown used during the ceremony weighs almost 5 lbs. He switched to a different crown (about 1.5 lb) when the ceremony was over but right before he walked out of the cathedral. Can't say as I blame him. I bet they're both glad all of that is over and they can go back to life as usual. Well, back to whatever is usual for a king anyway.

[val2525]

May 7, 2023 18:00:39 GMT frakinfashion said:

Charles so much wanted to be king for so many decades of II's life. He will never give it up until his last breath. All that envy takes its toll. My prediction is Louis will turn out to be another Harry. At 5, he looks like he's already had enough. Watch him drum his hands on the balcony.

Or be like Princess Margaret. I blame Elizabeth for that. Margaret wanted to be more involved and from what I've read, Elizabeth refused more often than not. Apparently she didn't trust Margaret to keep up the image of the monarchy. Same problem with Harry - he too was in a holding pattern with no real chance of becoming anything. You'd think they would have been happy that Harry turned out like he did instead of demonizing him. He didn't turn to drink like Margaret did and Harry is still very involved in charity work. I was glad to see him at the coronation ceremony.

Besides, Louis wasn't doing anything that George didn't do before him (well, so far LOL).

[chapeaunoir]

Being the "spare" is generally a strain - historically it's almost axiomatic that the second son is frustrated and ends up either becoming a complete mess or distinguishing himself - hence the title of that ghost-written book "Spare".