Miscellaneous This and That - A Bit of Kvetch, Too

DH and I had decided to skip Renaissance Festival this past Sunday and have a relaxing day enjoying football. I asked him for a read-through of my latest story for LJ Idol, which he did, and his suggestions were quite helpful. After a lot of writing and re-writing, I think I have it ready to submit. Of course, last story, although I did manage to survive another week, I was still in the bottom for voting. I know that's because I don't have a wide circle of outside friends or relatives I can ask to vote for me, and I'm VERY appreciative of each and every one of you who do cast your vote in my favor. I'll submit my next story today and it will go live later in the week. As the saying goes ... I live to write another day - LOL. 

I live to write another week, and this week's tale 
will be posted today. I don't think voting will open 
until later in the week, I'll let all of you know. 

My first task this morning (after my meditation, shower and brewing a cup of tea) was to find a supplier for a new batch of Mr Clean Thin Eraser. They're amazingly difficult to find but I vastly prefer them over the thicker eraser pads that you find everywhere. One complete clean of my shower will destroy any pad, and with the thin ones,  I get 16 pads in a box. Over time, it's far more economical for my usage. But it's hard to find. I finally found a good price on a carton from a cleaning supply company in Pennsylvania. I ordered five containers of four boxes each. That will keep my in stock for a minimum of six months, probably closer to a year. 

I prefer using the thin sheets to clean my 
shower and bathrooms. They do fall apart, 
but so do the thick ones. I get 16 in a box 
of these, so they actually last a LOT longer 
than the thicker cleaning pads do. 

I start my last week of comfortable work schedule today. Chickie goes on a two week vacation starting next week, and DH and I will have to work six days a week at the shop for two weeks. That will be as close to hell as I can possibly think, and I'll be MORE than grateful when she gets back into town. DH tends to spend most of his time in the basement, or growling about bills and cash flow. Either way, he's always in a bad mood, and I hate being tied to my space on the sales floor without even the ability to get any computer work done. If anything will crash and burn my writing contest for me, it'll be Chickie's vacation. She well deserves the time off, but two weeks in a row is harsh for DH and I. 

While Chickie is away on vacation starting next week, 
DH and I will have to work six day weeks to have two 
people at the store at all times. I won't get my days off, 
nor will he. That's the reality of working with a small 
staff - you have to pitch in for one another. But we rarely 
take blocks of time off. She's taking two full weeks off 
in a row. *sigh*

Still, I have one "normal" week left, and I'm going to try and enjoy it to the fullest - LOL. On that note, I'm going to wrap this "kvetch" fest up and start my day with a nice cup of tea and breakfast. Have a lovely Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

LJ Idol, Lighting, Dehydrating and the Treadmill - Lots Going On

I survived my latest LJ Idol challenge, and the next one has been issued. I'll be turning this one around in my head for a bit, but not for too long. The deadline is on Thursday. I enjoy contests like this - writing challenges in school were always my favorite thing. To pick something up from a minimal theme and write something worth reading was always a fun quest. Now to cogitate ... LOL. 

I'm starting to get excited about getting my new 
treadmill. It's one step closer ... but not quite here 
yet. I'll have to really educate DH about how I need 
this taken care of. He's a bit of a slob, and I'm not having 
my new machine mishandled. 

I bought peaches and a pineapple at the store yesterday, thinking to put them into the dehydrator for some lovely snacks. The peaches cut up into three trays worth of fruit, so I did those overnight. Then, after my morning meditation, I brought the dried peaches up, pulled them off the trays and into a baggie for storage, and then cleaned everything, cut up the pineapple, and put that fruit into the dehydrator to dry throughout the day. The cycle should be finished in the early evening, giving me plenty of time to empty and clean the dehydrator and then return it to the cupboard where I keep it. 

I love my new dehydrator, and I've been using it 
a lot. I bought extra mesh shelving and catch trays 
for it - just received those last week. That opened me 
up to being able to do the fruit that I've been doing 
yesterday and today. 

I'm having a kitchen ceiling light that's trying to die. *sigh* There's nothing that bothers me much more than a flickering light, so as soon as I drop my laptop off at the store, I'm heading over to Menard's hardware store for a quick purchase of replacement bulbs. My fixture takes two ring fluorescent bulbs - a 12" and an 8". The 12" is flickering a lot, but it doesn't make sense to me to only replace the single bulb. If one is going (and they were both purchased and replaced at the same time), the other one is surely going to be going soon. So, I'll look for two circular fluorescent bulbs and hopefully get those changed tonight. Flickering lights drive me CRAZY. 

My kitchen fixture is similar to this. It used to have 
a square shade around it, but the shade broke from 
old age and I haven't found a replacement that looks 
decent. So I keep the bulbs uncovered. At least it 
gives me very good lighting in my kitchen - an important 
room to have good lighting in while using sharp knives. 

I texted back and forth with the saleswoman for my treadmill yesterday. Apparently, on Wednesday, her phone decided that a dunk in a body of water was called for, and therefore, died. She spent Thursday getting a new phone and then hours of work getting it set up again and downloading the many things she had, including my sales proposal. She's back up and running now, and we discussed which of two screens I wanted, as well as the strictures on our delivery date because of Chickie's upcoming vacation. She'll check with her delivery people, send me a final copy of the invoice for payment, and I'll get the money transferred to her when everything is set up properly. I can hardly wait to get my new treadmill, even though it might not actually arrive until early next month (depending on their own delivery schedule meshing with Chickie's planned days off). 

I'm looking forward to my dehydrated pineapple. The peaches 
that I did overnight turned out wonderful, and I'm sure the 
pineapple also will. I love having dehydrated fruit for a 
quick pick-me-up snack. 

So, as I have my pineapple drying in the dehydrator, my new theme for the next story assigned, and my basic schedule for the day established, I hope you have a wonderful Saturday. We've cooled off considerably from our very HOT State Fair, and even though it's comfortable, I'm back in long sleeved shirts and jeans. It might be comfortable, but I'm usually cold, no matter what. Why I live in the Frozen Northlands is a mystery to me sometimes - LOL. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini! 

It's Voting Time With a Twist - PLEASE Read and Vote For My Story This Week

Gary is making things VERY interesting this week for votes. Instead of just checking a box, you actually have to email him about the story(ies) you're voting for. So here's the link to all of the stories. Each person has their individual link in their comment. Then, you read and vote. Now here's the killer - whoever wins this week has IMMUNITY. Now that's HUGE. So, I'd very much appreciate your taking that extra step and emailing him at clauderainsrm@gmail.com before Friday (today) at 7:00 pm. If you're voting for more than one, please make it alphabetical by author, it's a bit easier for him. He will email you in return, acknowledging your vote. 

Once again votes are open, but there's a different 
twist this time, and a VERY short timeline. Please 
send your email as stated above, and I hope you 
enjoyed reading my tale in six drabbles. 

That's it. Votes need to be in by 7:00 pm Eastern Time Zone TODAY, and I'd VERY much appreciate your votes. I decided to dive back into a format that I've loved for years, and made my story a series of six drabbles. The theme was "bycatch" - a term I'd never heard before, but apparently a lot of people were familiar with it. 

Bycatch - it was a term I wasn't familiar with, and I 
suspect I did a different take on it with my entry this 
week, but I like what I did, and I hope you enjoy reading 
it and voting for it. Voting is a bit different this week, 
but it's really not horrid, just different. 

I only get two more weeks of working with Chickie before she heads to the East Coast for a two-week vacation. I may be in prison for killing DH by the time she returns - LOL. But ... we've done it before and we'll do it again. It's not easy, but far from impossible, to work two six-day weeks in a row. I'll be cranky and a bit out of sorts, but at least I'll have my swimming and that will help. Still, that's two weeks in the future. I don't have to deal with that this week. 

DH finally read my story and really enjoyed it. Asking 
him to vote would be an exercise in futility, however. *sigh* 
At least he read it, that's a start. 

So, I do hope you read my story and vote for it, and read some of the others too. There are some really excellent authors out here in this group, and I'm always honored that I seem to be able to keep my head above water with them. Have an excellent Friday. I'm off to the pool for a rare Friday swim (since I missed my Tuesday this week). Slava Ukraini, I'll be back tomorrow to wrap this week up. 

A Short Post, A Request for a Vote and This & That

Just a short post today since today is my Wednesday ... yeah. Monday holidays can really mess with my schedule, and this time is no exception. So ... today is trash day - the trash bucket, the recycling bucket AND the yard waste bucket all have to be at the curb no later than 6:00 am. I take the trash and recycling out of the garage and put them down there before I leave for the pool, but I really can't see the west sidewalk in the dark, so the yard waste bucket gets put out when I get home from swimming and the sun is up and helping me see where the sidewalk ends and the dirt begins. 

Our raspberries didn't bear much this year - DH was in them early in the Spring thinning out the plants and doing some trim work. He warned me that we wouldn't have much of a crop this year, and he was right. Next year, however, should be abundant because the plants just LOVED that extra bit of attention and a year off to recover and grow. They're very high and very bushy and I'm expecting a bumper crop next summer. 

Although this is NOT my raspberry patch, in a good year, 
it's exactly what my patch looks like. We knew we 
wouldn't get a crop this year because this year was a 
rebuilding year, but next year should be spectacular. 

I got the check from my account delivered to my front door yesterday, and quickly took it to my bank and had it deposited into my account. I'm set to pay for my treadmill now, and left a voice message for my sales rep letting her know everything was set to go on my end. I'm sure yesterday was spent unpacking and going through all of the various orders collected from the Fair, but I'll hear from her soon, hopefully by the end of tomorrow. My next concern is a delivery date that will mesh with Chickie's East Coast trip. I have faith it will all work out in the long run, however. 

I have this week's story up. I almost took a Bye, but an 
idea came to me and I'm quite pleased with the end 
result. I'd very much appreciate your vote. The person 
with the most votes from this week wins IMMUNITY! 

I'm in a bit of a rush today, and although I have some photos to share, I think I'll save those until Saturday when I have a bit more breathing room. I'm swimming today and tomorrow since I didn't get my Tuesday swim in this week, so my schedule is shifted slightly. I also have a new story up in LJ Idol ( https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1159092.html ) and, as always, would very much appreciate your reading, commenting, and VOTING. The person receiving the most votes this week receives IMMUNITY - that's HUGE. So, read, and please vote for me. Have an excellent Thursday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Synopsis of the MN State Fair - Life Returns to "Normal" Again

I always gain weight at the State Fair - it's almost mandatory, but I've already dropped three pounds and only have another one before I'm right back to my normal weight. I can't even think that I ate that much - I actually didn't. But on the final day, when we were with DH, we were more food oriented. Sharon and I tend to ignore most of the food - or Sharon wants this or that but I skip it. DH wanders here and there for this and for that, and we also ended up spending a good deal of our end-of-day time in the Frontier Bar - our usual hangout. But all is good, the three pounds I gained are already almost all gone. 

This is our usual hangout when we need to rest our feet 
for a while. The Frontier Bar at the State Fair is one 
of a row of bars and eating places for people to relax in 
while recovering for the next walk-a-bout. We love the 
Frontier, it's loud, but relaxing for us. We can still 
carry on a conversation, or just chill and enjoy the music. 

Sharon was put onto her plane (well, dropped at the airport door, to be honest - LOL) and is home again, welcoming her kitties and her sister and recovering from her annual visit. She's welcome any time - it's always such a joy to see her. We were disappointed in my local steak house this time, so I'll try a different one, closer to downtown St Paul, next time. Except for that slight disappointment, it was a perfect visit. We had a chance to catch up, and it cleared my head enough to write once again. 

 I didn't think I'd get a story done in time for tonight's 
deadline, but I actually managed one. The voting will 
open tomorrow and I'll send along the link and request 
your votes (which really DO make a difference). 

Stories for the current LJ Idol are due at 7:00 pm today, and I actually had an idea and a chance to sit and write, so I pulled my "Bye" back, and submitted a story yesterday afternoon. When everything is live and I need votes, I'll put the link here (probably in tomorrow's post). I love it when ideas come to me off the top and I'm allowed to run with them. I'm pleased with this particular tale. 

Chickie leaves for vacation soon, and I'll be stuck 
working six day weeks for that time span. I'm 
NOT looking forward to it AT ALL. But, she 
certainly deserves her vacation. 

Chickie leaves on her vacation on the 23rd. She's taking two weeks to go to the East Coast for a family thing. DH and I may kill each other during those two weeks. We'll have to work six days a week with each other, and that means I don't get the bathroom breaks I need, my lunch is an afterthought, and I don't have an immediate second person on the sales floor to help when I'm pulling stock for customers. It's a problem. For a day or so, we manage. For an extended period of time, we barely tolerate it. *sigh* But ... nothing to be done. She's well entitled to her vacation. She's earned it. 

Life is now returning to "normal" although that really 
won't happen until AFTER Chickie's upcoming 
vacation. I'm certainly NOT looking forward to working 
six days a week while she's out of town, but she 
certainly deserves her time off. So, I'll bitch and 
moan, but I'll do what I have to and make it work. 

So, I'm off to the pool. The outdoor pool is now closed and we're back in the indoor pool. That tends to be less crowded because our visitors from other branches of the YMCA stay at their own pools instead of coming out for our outdoor Olympic-sized pool. Life is returning to normal. The BIG Ferris Wheel was missing all of it's carts by the time I drove home yesterday. Only the skeleton of the wheel was silhouetted against the evening sky as I drove home from work. The Fair is officially completed again for the year. 

We set attendance records for five days this year, but fell slightly short of making an annual record, which is still held by our 2019 record of 2,126,551 total attendance. Interested in how we stacked up compared to other years? Here's a link - check it out. Texas might have larger numbers, but that's because they're a longer Fair. If they were open for our number of days, we'd be leaving them to wilt in the hot Texas sun - LOL. I'll chat again tomorrow, and give you the link to my latest story which will be open for voting by then. Have an excellent Wednesday. I'll be doing laundry and laundry and more laundry - LOL. Slava Ukraini. 

The People You'll Meet and the Things You'll Do - It Was a FABULOUS State Fair

Sharon and I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time at the "Great Minnesota Get Together" aka the Minnesota State Fair. As always, it didn't disappoint. I actually don't think the Fair would be able to disappoint me in any way ... ever. I adore the State Fair. On Friday we started out early, after having had a chance to catch up a bit over dinner at Red Lobster the previous night. There were things we both wanted to see, and foods we wanted to have once again - our agenda was set. 

Sharon and I (and also Chickie) do the State Fair History 
Walking Tour every year. Although some of the stops 
are the same, there are always new stops on the map and 
walking to all of them allows us to learn a bit about the history 
of the State Fair as well as get some serious miles under our 
belts. Sharon and I did ours on Friday - a LOT of walking 
and a LOT of fun. 

Friday we devoted to truly walking the Fair (although we did a "fair" amount of walking every day - 10 miles on Friday, 10 miles on Saturday, about 7.5 miles on Sunday and more than 5 miles on Monday). My fitness watch was happily buzzing and flashing "10,000" at me and that made me very happy since I'm usually a very sedentary person - stuck in front of the shop computer for most of my time. 

We did ride the huge ferris wheel again - it's always such 
a fun thing to do. I had a chance to speak with one of the 
guys who operate the ride. Apparently set-up isn't that big 
of a deal, but tear-down is a total PITA - LOL. Today will 
be tear-down day for them, and they'll have the ride 
disassembled and onto their trucks, ready to go to their 
next stop within 24 hours. Pretty darned amazing. 

As I understand it, Governor (future Vice President) Walz was at the Fair on Saturday. Not really a surprise. Appearances at the State Fair by politicians is a strong tradition in my state. He didn't stay long, and we weren't anywhere close to him, but that was just fine. LOL 

The treadmill that I'm getting is the Matrix TF30 
folding treadmill with a great, interactive screen. 
My salesperson knocked more than $2000 off the 
price and they'll also do free delivery and set-up, 
as well as take away my old, broken Nordic Track. 
I'm quite pleased. DH actually liked it. BTW, DH 
also tried out ellipticals there (he had poo-poo'd them 
for ages). He was VERY surprised at how much of 
a workout he was getting on them. If my Doc wasn't 
insisting that I have impact resistance which I get on 
a treadmill, I'd SO love to have an elliptical instead, 
but ... my Doc rules. LOL

The major thing we did (aside from walking here, there, and everywhere) was try out a treadmill. I totally fell in love with this treadmill. For those unfamiliar ... I've used a treadmill at home (along with DH) for decades. I think we got our treadmill in the very early 2000's. But it broke down several months ago and a vital part of my exercise routine was eliminated. My doctor has been very insistent that I need that type of exercise for my bone density (which wasn't that great on the last scan), so I've needed a replacement. But getting DH on the same page ... that was a hard sell. But, I really liked this machine. So, I arranged with Elizabeth (the sales person) and Sharon, that we would bring DH to this booth on Sunday when we were all together (along with Chickie). The girls would help me get him listening. 

I'm thrilled - absolutely THRILLED that I'll finally have 
a functional treadmill again. And I really liked the feel of 
this one. It's solid, sturdy, and will be reliable. We got 
more than 20 years from our old Nordic Track, if I'm 
still able to use this one when I'm in my 90's, it's a 
total win/win. 

It actually WORKED! We got DH onto the treadmill, Elizabeth answered all of the questions he had, we spent a long time there, and I'm getting a treadmill! I'm contacting my broker today, pulling out the funds, and getting a Matrix folding treadmill. That's the brand that my gym uses, so I know it's quality because the machines at the YMCA are heavily used and they work really well. Hopefully, by the end of next week, I'll have a new treadmill in place and my exercise regime will once again include 3 days of running/fast walking alongside my 3 days of swimming. 

This isn't quite the same as MY button - mine is a white 
background, and the letters are black for the first 
and third lines, and red for the middle line. I LOVE that 
button and wore it at the Fair all weekend. I actually 
bought quite a few Kamala/Walz buttons. I'm very happy 
with every one of them. 

All in all, it was a magnificent weekend. We didn't see everything and didn't do everything, but we were all together - DH and I, Chickie and Sharon. We're the Four Musketeers, and once again we conquered. LOL I'll be dropping Sharon back at the airport in three hours or so, and heading to the shop to start working another week. The Fair will disassemble, and the streets I usually drive to get from home to the shop and back will once again be passable (no State Fair traffic). Oh ... and as a closing note, one of the best buttons that I bought at the DFL (Democrats) booth at the Fair was one that goes: OMG GOP WTF. I wore it all weekend and I'm going to treasure this one - LOL. Have an exceptionally wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Last Post Until Sharon Leaves - Prairie Grasses and the Fair

I'll be on "Radio Silence" for several days, not returning to write with all of you until next week, Wednesday. I pick Sharon up from the airport today (I hope I wrote that flight number down ... oh well, I have the time and I know approximately where it will arrive). I'll drop her back off at the airport on Tuesday morning and proceed to the shop from there. It's going to be 4+ days of mayhem, poor food choices, noises from each and every direction, smells - good and bad, and experiences not to be topped. In other words, it's going to be glorious! LOL

Sharon and I will definitely be going on the large ferris 
wheel, for sure! We always do. We just love seeing 
the fairgrounds from the height, and we're usually 
with kids, so we can point places out to them from 
the heights. It's great fun! 

After a serious rain storm on Tuesday night, I looked at the culvert on Wednesday morning and saw that the cleared banks hadn't been as clear as they had thought. We had a huge pile of sticks and logs and vegetative matter clogging up the south end of the culvert - the end that's on my property. I immediately contacted Able - the guy in charge of the whole project. He said he was currently across the street from me where they were clear-cutting the north side of the culvert, and he'd wander over and take a look. So, I met him at the top of my property and led him down. 

The culvert after our first heavy rainstorm. Ir looks like a 
beaver built a dam here. Under the vegetation to the left 
is a concrete tunnel, and it's not working as a tunnel for 
the water in this photo at all. I'll try and post a photo next 
week of the cleared culvert so that you can see what it 
looked like after they cleared away the debris. 

"You've managed to make me a beaver dam," I said, and he agreed. He also pointed out that we actually have beavers living a short distance south in Oasis Pond. I actually was quite pleased with that - beavers mean we've got a healthy ecosystem. But, to return to the point ... he agreed that it had to be cleared out, and since we're expecting more rain today (Thursday), he said it would be done by the end of the day. (And he was good for his word - it was cleared by 6:00 pm.) 

I'm pretty amazed by the root structures of some of 
the native grasses. We've got a very steep slope heading 
into the culvert, and I'm very afraid of erosion. I think 
the County is equally concerned, however, and that their 
plan - in the long run - will be an excellent one. 

He discussed how selective native grass seeds would be put onto our raw dirt banks. He said that it would take 1-3 years for it to really take hold, and to let him know if I saw bare patches that they should reseed. The native grasses apparently have been chosen because of their deep root structures, some of which will go down up to 11 FEET! That's pretty impressive. Once the grasses take root, it should stop any erosion of the banks. At least, that's the goal. I thought I had taken a photo of the cleared culvert, because it was cleared before the end of the day, just as he had promised. But, I guess I didn't have my phone with me when I checked. But, I'm pleased - with the response, and with the long-term goals. It will be a PITA for a while, but it should be super good as an end result. 

This is an illustration of prairie grasses. When the farmers 
from the East moved into the prairies and pulled all of the 
native grasses up to plant their crops, they eliminated 
this root structure and caused the dust bowl (which 
contributed to the Great Depression). Grasses are powerful 
plants. 

So, I'm out of here. I pick Sharon up this afternoon, then we'll be at the State Fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and at Renaissance Festival on Monday. Chickie will join us for several days as well, so it'll be a great friend get-together for all of us. DH is a bit of a third wheel, but he manages. I'll be back on Wednesday next week with my next post. In the meanwhile, if you enjoyed my haiku for "Idol", I'd really appreciate your vote. Have an excellent few days. Slava Ukraini.