Minion, Cooking and Planning - It Was a Very Good Day

Yesterday's annual auto checkup was a very different story from last year's. This year I got a bill for under $150, last year ... well, let's just say it was a VERY different story. Of course, I didn't need new tires this year, but the mechanical things that they had to deal with last year were also not an issue. Minion is ready to drive me around for another year and I'm happy I got off lightly. 

When I first purchased Minion, this building didn't even 
exist. I purchased it from them across the highway, where 
they have their Chevy dealership. At that time, Mazda was 
just a small part of their business. They were then bought out 
by a different group of people, and they immediately started 
building this specifically for the Mazda lineup. It's nice and 
it gets a lot of business. There are a lot of Minions in the 
Twin Cities area. 

For some unknown reason my city is switching their trash and recycling barrels. The trash buckets were changed about six months ago, and the recycling bucket will be switched over on pickup day over the next two weeks. I'm hoping the new bucket won't take any more space in the garage than our current one does. Things are a bit snug there, and they rest in front of my car. I have room to give more space if needed, but it won't make me super happy. 

OK, this isn't my photo, but it is the recipe I made for 
the pork roast which was absolutely delicious! I'm glad 
I decided to take a chance on it - easy to fix and very tasty. 

The time when I wasn't at the auto dealer, I happily spent cooking. I had four pork chops and two smaller pork loins that I wanted to cook. Everything went really smoothly and I had some of the pork loin for dinner last night. It was a new recipe, but I really liked it. I'll be doing this one again - great flavor and very easy ... right up my alley - LOL. 

I adore my BBQ pork chops recipe and make it often. 
It's minimal muss and fuss, only needs BBQ sauce and 
an onion, and it's a never fail for me. I have four of these 
lovely chops packed up and as soon as I clear some freezer 
space, several of them will be moving there for later in the 
week or next week. 

Of course, it's also the end of May. Spring is officially over and Summer is beginning. We'll be getting some summer temps next week, so I hope my many tomato plants appreciate it - LOL. My hummingbirds are happily feeding from my feeder, the birds are swooping around the yard, and our fencing is still not keeping out all of the pests. *sigh* But, it wouldn't be a garden if we weren't dealing with moles, voles and other irritants. DH did go a bit overboard on my tomato plants, however, so I'd better start figuring out how to deal with an overabundance of that fruit. I hate to waste something that tastes that good! 

I have no idea any more about what varieties of tomatoes 
I have in my pots this year. I'm quite sure I'll be cooking 
some down and drying others. No other choice since they all 
seem to come ripe at approximately the same time. 

Have a truly excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Be safe, be happy and Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Busy "Day Off" Today

It's a busy "day off" today. I have an appointment for my car - long overdue - for a six-month checkup, possible oil change, etc. Standard stuff and shouldn't take long, but I have a bunch of stuff to do today in addition, so the sooner I can get out of the car dealership, the better. Still, they've always done well by me, and if I absolutely needed it, they'd lend me a car at no charge. I'm not that desperate on time today, though. 

I'm very accustomed to my "Ogre Juice" for my lunches. 
I use the basic recipe from years ago - whatever green 
veggies look good and a variety of other veggies, blended 
with spices and honey (essential ingredient for me). I rely 
on these for my lunches at the shop and for my general health. 

I do need to get to the grocery store - I need veggies for my next batch of "Ogre Juice", and I need a bit of this and a bit of that. But again, if I don't get there, no problem. I can pick up essentials on my way to work tomorrow and keep them in the store's ancient refrigerator for the day before bringing them home with me after the shop closes. In other words ... I'm flexible. 

I don't have the link to this humorous presentation, but if 
you look up the title and Pete Silvia, I'm sure you'll find 
it without any problem. It's a good one. 

Taking a quick look at my upcoming schedule, I don't have another doctor appointment until I appear for labs on June 27th and then get my Prolia injection in July. It's just as well my calendar is open because Chickie and Chickie Mama are heading to Montana for a family reunion (something that occurs every year or two). She'll be gone from the 9th through the 17th of June and I'll have to work every day while she's out of town. ICK! That DOES put a cramp into my schedule. But Chickie is entitled to her vacation time, and just because I don't get any ... she certainly chipped in and worked a lot of extra time while I was dealing with my cancer earlier this year. 

I know that several of my friends around the world have 
similar issues with wildlife and their gardens. I don't plant 
the garden - that's DH's territory - but he gets VERY 
frustrated when the deer eat his flowers. We lost a dahlia 
yesterday and he grumped about it all day. 

So, I'm ready to get moving on this lovely day in the Great State of Minnesota. The grass is green, the sun is shining, the animals are all happily munching from garden to garden and the people planting those gardens are grumbling about their eaten plants - LOL. It's a normal summer in the Great North. I hope you have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Fences and Wishes and a Clean Car - Well, It's a Saturday

It was a slow day at the shop yesterday, so I took advantage and did a deep clean (which desperately needed to be done), and then got back to work with my master list of Swarovski crystal beads for our upcoming sale. The master list is almost complete now, and I'm liking the way it is working. It's not quite 100% ready for use, but I wish I had codified all of this in this fashion a long time ago. *sigh* As the old saying goes, "If wishes were fishes, we'd all swim in riches". 

It's odd that this old quotation came up being assigned to 
TJ Klune. I suppose it's only fair since his birthday is on 
Monday, but I had to laugh a bit. There are so many variation 
on this old poem - ascribed to the Scottish, so I'm sure my 
friends from Scotland have their own version as well. 

I've got to put my new license tags onto Minion tomorrow (or maybe today). My current tabs expire at the end of the month, and the new ones are sitting in front of me, here at my desk. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to get them updated and legal, I'm just being lazy. 

Like most states, our state uses annual stickers to renew a 
set of license plates for another year. This doesn't happen 
forever. After a set time, you have to go and get a new set 
of physical plates. It does save on recycling, however, and 
is a lot less expensive to deal with in the long run. 

One thing I am grateful for, however, is buying the annual car wash membership that I picked up earlier this week. Minion was looking beautiful, but yesterday as I was leaving the shop, I noticed bird crap on my window frame, and that she was looking really dusty from all of the pollen in the air. My car wash membership allows me to wash the car daily, if I want. I'm planning to take some serious use from this, just need to get used to the method of guidance that the drive-in works with. It's a FABULOUS wash - she turns out simply beautiful. I might just do that on my way to the shop today. 

I was actually pretty impressed with the quality 
of the car wash I got from Tsunami, and it's so 
close to my home that getting it done is fast and 
easy. I signed up for an annual membership, meaning 
if I wanted to, I could wash Minion every day. 
She's going to be looking good! LOL

We're really looking forward to the next stage of our new fence, which happens next Tuesday. They'll rip down the rest of the fencing, and set and pour new footings. I don't know how long the footings will have to cure before they can install the new panels, but it hopefully won't be too long. We might actually have our privacy back within a month! We can hardly wait! It's not that Laura and Fahkri aren't great neighbors - it's been fun getting to know them. But we love the privacy that our patio affords us, and having the southern section open to the neighborhood is NOT privacy - LOL. 

Of course, this ISN'T our fence, or our property, but I do 
believe that good fences can promote good neighbors. 
I'm quite sure Laura and I will keep in touch after the new 
fence is up. I should phone her today and update her on 
the scheduling for everything. She works from home, so I 
don't want to startle her when a bunch of workpeople are 
working on the property line. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading out to the shop. I might get Minion washed on my way over. That would be an excellent start to my day. Have an excellent Saturday and wonderful weekend, and I plan on boring you once again on Monday. LOL Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל. 

Holiday Cards Update and Happy Hanukkah to All

Happy Hanukkah to those friends who celebrate the feast of lights. Although I don't celebrate it, I do acknowledge it and remember lighting the menorah from days of my childhood. I remember playing with the dreidel, I remember foil-covered chocolate "gelt", and visiting my Tante Gerty and her family to share a meal. That side of the family is totally gone now - my cousin having died from a life-long illness during the Covid shut-down. It's said that as long as someone is remembered, they aren't truly dead. So today I remember my "aunt" and cousin, along with others who have passed. 

We're in the middle of celebrating the Feast of Lights now. It 
brings back fond memories of lighting the candles every 
night, of gold-colored foil covering dark chocolate "gelt", and 
of spinning the dreidel. We were more secular Jews than 
religious ones, so this holiday was right up our alley. 

I spent yesterday getting my holiday cards completed and ready to put into the mail. All of my international cards were mailed yesterday, and as soon as I triple-check my list for my domestics, my hand-made cards will be mailed. That's probably going to be today, Monday at the latest. That will leave the few commercial cards - the "make-up" cards; those cards that will fill in for the hand-made cards that I'm missing. If I stay on schedule, those will be mailed on Wednesday. It's been a true "Labor of Love" for all of you, and a lesson in how well I can roll with the punches for me - LOL. *sigh* 

I love making my holiday cards every year. This 
year's card tried to foil me at every step (rather like 
a reflection of how we're managing to close the 
store). Nonetheless, even with twists and turns 
in the road, they're either already mailed or will 
be within a few short days. 

I need to make a service appointment for my car - I'm almost two months late. But, given that it's December, I really don't have time to spare. I'll contact the service department of my dealership on Monday and try and make an appointment for early January. I also HAVE to get gas in the car. I'm quite sure I'm almost down to fumes. I wanted to get some yesterday, and it just didn't work out. It's mandatory for today, though. 

My "Tire Rotation" light on Minnion turned on yesterday 
while I was doing errands. I know I'm overdue for 
service - usually I'm there in November. but, I'll have to 
push this off until January. The warning, however, is taking 
over my screen so I watched a quick You Tube video on 
how to clear it off the screen. Of course, the video was 
British, thus the British spelling of "tire". I'll phone the 
dealer on Monday and set up an appointment for January. 

So that's all that's exciting in my life right now. DH is busy repricing our gold-filled and 24 Kt gold findings at the shop. We don't sell a lot of those, but they do need to be accurate in price. We always make an adjustment based on the daily market price of gold - it is a precious metal, after all. But the base price has to be accurate first, and that's his job. It's one of those parts of owning a shop that drives me a bit crazy. I'm really not much of a "numbers" person. On that note, I hope all of you have a lovely weekend. I'll be working tomorrow for the 2nd of our three open Sundays. Ick! LOL I'm already looking forward to my next "day off " on Wednesday. 

I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Happy Birthday to Me - Another Year Completed and Starting

Happy birthday to me. I'm going to celebrate getting back into the swimming pool. Yesterday's plan of swimming, then getting my car done, and then doing my various errands hit a wall when the pool chemicals were out of balance and it was going to be closed for an hour. So, my swimming this week has shifted over a day and I'll be swimming today and Friday instead of my usual days. 

Time is fluid, and yesterday's challenges can look 
like today's successes. I'll just move my swimming 
days over by a day this week, and swim today 
and tomorrow instead. 

Having the pool closed yesterday was rather amusing. There is a small crowd of people who gather at the doors of the YMCA, waiting for them to be unlocked at 5:00 am. Meg, Rosemary and I are usually the first three people, and who is first varies - yesterday it was me. Behind us are a group of others, almost all also pool people. I estimate that up to 20 people are early morning pool people - not all swimming laps. There's a large group of water exercise/aerobic people too. 

As one, we all turned our backs on the gym 
doors and headed back to our cars. There was 
Meg, Rosemary and I, Mark, Connie and Karen, 
and Gail, who had just closed her car door, 
just turned around in her parking space and 
re-entered her car, preparing to drive East to the 
White Bear Lake YMCA instead (she swims 
every day no matter what). 

It was amusing, though, when Beth, our lifeguard, came to the doors and said that the pool chemicals were out of balance and opening would be delayed. I'm not sure there was anyone left who was interested in the gym! It was a small cadre of people who turned around and headed back to their cars - LOL. Of course, I could have taken my shower, but it was just as easy to go home and do it here. So, that's what I did. 

I got to the car dealership without issue, and was out 
of there by 8:30 am. All in all, despite the YMCA's 
pool closure, it was a successful morning and I was 
finished with my errands and multitudes of grocery 
stores before 10:00 am. Success! 

I got to the car dealership with plenty of time, and it turns out I didn't need new tires (yet). We'll look at that again in the Fall. I did need some essential things, though, including a new drive band. According to the video, there was a large crack down the center of my drive band. That could have been very bad if it snapped while I was going hither and yon. So, I'm still out a few hundred $, but I now have a car that's in great shape with a few new filters and a brand new drive band. Whoot! 

My local grocery store sent me an e-coupon for a 
free cupcake for my birthday. I'll have to ask DH 
what flavor he would like and get it for him on 
Friday. Their cupcakes are wonderful, but I refuse 
to eat them any more. He'll enjoy it on my behalf. 

So, today I'll celebrate getting one more year older (Bleh!) and one more year better (a bit less Bleh!), and I'll laugh with all of you as I look another year in the face and tell it "I'll conquer you too." Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow before I head to the pool on an "off day" to catch up on my cancelled swim. I'll get my three days in, one way or another - LOL. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Busy Day in My Mundane Life - LOL

Yesterday's swim was wonderful, although I did end up cutting my workout slightly short because I had a slight twinge in my eye and decided "Better safe than sorry".  Today I'm hitting the day running - I'll swim, then drop off my swimming stuff, and then head immediately to the car dealership for my semi-annual/annual checkup and tune up. I have a 7:00 am appointment there, and I want to get in and out as soon as possible. I'll take my laptop along with me, they have a pretty nice set-up for electronics with easy access to plugs in their customer waiting area. 

If I drove a Ford, I could easily walk back home after 
dropping it off, then walk back to pick it up. But no ... I 
drive a Mazda, and it's a good 20+ miles to get to the 
closest dealer for servicing. Still, Minion likes the care she 
gets from people who know her, so I drive out to 
"car row" - the Eastern part of the Cities where there are 
most of the car dealerships. At least their waiting room is 
comfortable and has good tables for my laptop. 

I'm hoping against hope that I won't need a new set of tires. I was warned, last time I had the car in for servicing, however, that I would probably have enough tread wear that a new set would be necessary on my next check-in. Well, today is that day, and they are running a good sale on tires right now, so if I need a set, I'll take advantage of the sale. However, I'd rather skip the expense until the Fall if I can. 

Tires are expensive, and I knew they do this 
sale two times a year - Fall and Spring. I wanted 
to be sure I caught this because I'm 90% sure I need 
new tires on Minion. 

Isn't that often the way of it? Something you know needs to be done, but you'll postpone it for as long as you can. You won't allow things to get out of hand - if it's mandatory, you'll do it. But, if you can push it off a bit longer, you'll try that first. I'm not sure when that became part of human nature, but it's probably a good thing that second-guessing and double-checking have become more common. Instead of rushing out to kill the lion, only to become kibble for the pack, we've learned to watch and gauge our actions more carefully. Less kibble for the lions, more exquisite sunsets to enjoy for us. 

Less kibble and more kibble, why do we feed our pets 
kibble or similar products in the first place? Can this 
possibly actually be healthy for our pets? 

Of course, it's also a "day off". I need to figure out what I want to cook today, because my side of the refrigerator is sadly empty. I need my meals for the next week. The weather is warmer, but I might make a batch of my roasted peppers and tomato soup. I always like that, and in terms of prep, it's not horrible. Yeah ... that might be a winner for today. I have time to think, however. I won't be going to the store until after the car is done, so I'll be rather late at the store today. It'll give me time to think about what I'd like to eat before I head over and buy my chicken for tonight's dinner. 

Today is Wednesday, which means baked chicken breast 
for dinner. I don't have to make up my mind about what 
to make for my dinners until Friday, since I get two portions 
of food from one breast. But, I might as well start 
thinking about what I'll want for the rest of the week. 

In any case, life is usual and mundane, and that's not all bad - LOL. Have a totally excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Holiday Cards Are On Their Way and Gasoline Woes in Winter Cold

In all of the snafu regarding the family reunion, I forgot to mention that my holiday cards were handed to my friendly post-person on Saturday. I already received a lovely "Thank You" from my youngest niece last night, so I know they're on their way to all of you on my list. It was a fun card to make this year. I wanted to "uncomplicate" things, so relied on image transfers and painting for a change. Ont thing is certain - I'm NOT using that stationary again. There was no stick on the envelopes, so I ended up taping all of them before sending them. I've already received the stationery I'm planning to use for next year's cards, however, so it shouldn't be a problem (unless I misplace what I've already purchased and have to buy it again. That's happened in the past). 

I handed my card bundle to my friendly Post Office 
person, Jean, on Saturday. I had 11 international 
cards, and the rest of them were for the USA. I love 
sending my cards all around the world, it always 
makes me smile when I think of the long-time friends 
I've had whom I've never met, but I know them because 
we interact almost every day. Cyber friends are just 
as excellent as friends in "real life". I just can't hug 
them when we get together, since we're oceans
apart from each other and may never 
meet in person. 

Today is a swimming day, and DH has an appointment with his eye doctor at 8:40 am. That requires me to awaken him at 7:00 am - not really a problem, but I did set a reminder on my phone so that I won't forget while I'm busy with breakfast and getting my things together for the shop today. It's another cold one, so I need to make sure I layer for warmth. 

I'm well aware of layering clothing for warmth. I 
usually carry a set of winter-weight leggings to 
the shop with me - sometimes the shop gets super 
cold because of people coming in and going out 
all day. I often wear undergarments, then a turtle 
neck shirt, and then an overshirt. Sometimes I'll 
have a sweater over that, and finally, there's my 
long down jacket, a scarf and my winter hat. I'll 
wear a heavy-weight skirt with winter leggings or 
a set of long pants with leggings for my bottom half, 
and often add an additional set of socks to help 
keep my feet warm in my winter boots. Survival - 
Minnesota-style. 

DH is blaming some of his neck/dizzy episodes on his pillows. Apparently I didn't isolate his pillows properly when I changed the cases on Wednesday for laundry day. Now ... he uses three pillows - one at his side (the flattest of the bunch) and the other two for watching TV and sleeping. I can't tell the difference between the twins. but the flat one is quite obvious to anyone with a brain and a set of hands. Apparently he was sleeping with the flat one and it was causing his neck to spasm. WHATEVER! I really think anyone with partial intelligence would have been able to pick the flat pillow out from the other two in a dark room with roaming jaguars looking for their dinner! Duh! So once again I am blamed for something I am totally blameless about. *sigh*

I learned to swim almost before I could walk. We 
didn't have a nearby pool for Mom to be worried 
about, she just thought it was a good idea. I adored 
the water and haven't looked back since. Thanks, 
Mom! 

I'm looking forward to the pool in an hour, even though it's only 12 F (-11.11 C) outside. I have good winter clothing that will keep me warm. The thing of most concern to me is the gasoline level in Minion. I'm below 100 miles, and that's of concern in the winter months. I'll try to get a tank today, but at worst, tomorrow is my "day off" and I can grab a tank first thing tomorrow morning. The shop and home are quite close by, so I won't be at a level where I'm in any danger (provided we don't have a blizzard today). In winter, however, I always like to keep at least 1/2 tank full just in case of poor weather and bad roads. 

I'm not at a danger point yet, but I'm below 100 
miles and that, in the winter, always makes me 
a bit nervous. I'll try to squeeze a quick trip to 
the gas station in on my way to work. It's a bit 
out of my way, so I would prefer to wait until 
tomorrow, but I know it'll bug me all day, so I'll 
try to add it in on my way to work today. 

On that optimistic viewpoint (LOL) I'm out of here. Have a fabulous Tuesday, and keep your eyes open for my holiday card. It's on its' way to you if you're on my list. I guarantee it! *Hugs* to all and Slava Ukraini. 

It's Definitely Autumn - Time For Thoughts of Autumns Past

I'm running a little late today, so this may be a bit shorter than usual. Still, I'm here, I did my run this morning, and I took a bit of extra time to set up the portable clothing rack I had purchased from Amazon and hang my Mother's evening gowns onto it. The next stage in the photography and sale of these clothes will come with tacking a sheet up for a backdrop. Working in the spare bedroom is never comfortable in the winter - it gets the least heat of any room in the house. But, I do want to continue working on the project. I don't have a deadline, but it would be nice to progress - baby steps notwithstanding. 

Progress isn't measured by time, but by action. I made 
one more step towards my goal of fixing and selling 
my Mother's gowns this morning by setting up the 
portable clothing rack and getting them hung on it. 
Now that they're not being crowded in the coat closet, 
I can concentrate on photographing and listing them for
sale on Ebay or Etsy.   

DH and I actually had a relaxing Sunday. It was quite windy, so raking leaves, despite the (relatively) nice temperatures and full sunshine, just wasn't a possibility. I think the wind finally managed to get almost all of our leaves down, though, so DH will probably get started on raking the leaves this week. We need to get them off the lawn before the snowfall comes, and the later we get into the season, the more difficult that will be to accomplish. It's a hella-lot of work to get our leaves taken care of, and the gutters will need to be cleaned once more too. The gutters are pretty easy - a precursor for when DH will need to rake the roof after every snowfall. But when there's moisture that has frozen in them, the gutters are much more difficult. Hauling the leaves over to our compost pile is much easier with two of us but still takes a lot of trips back and forth from the upper back yard to the farthest corner of the front yard near the drainage ditch. 

Although this is NOT my yard, it looks pretty much like 
what my yard looks like right now. Fall leaves everywhere. 
In my yard, after yesterday's windy day, my trees are now 
almost completely bare. The fallen leaves are exactly 
like what you're seeing here, though. A carpet of golden 
leaves just waiting to be raked. 

Obviously we didn't get any gutter guards installed - yet. He's mulling it over, and we'll probably get some within the year. The quotation is good for a year, so we have that in our favor. We rarely jump on things as quickly as sales people would like. Even with Minion, I went back and forth to the car dealership several times and measured, then measured again. I double-checked all of the specs, made sure it would totally meet my needs, and then, finally, bought her. She's been a great car to have, and I've never regretted that purchase. So sometimes we just move slowly - but we end up with exactly what we wanted. 

I have a 2015 Mazda CX-5 and I love it. I loved it so much, 
that when Chickie needed a new car, she got a 2014 version 
of the same car. So we BOTH love our cars. I'd get another one 
in a flash - it's been extremely dependable and very easy 
to operate. Before we had the truck, Minion was our truck 
and performed the job well. I have about 65,000 miles on 
her now, so expect her to last several more years before I 
need to look at a replacement. 

The only exception we've ever made to the "check it out and then check it several more times" unspoken rule is with appliances. When the refrigerator died, we were there buying a new one immediately, even though we couldn't get exactly what we ideally wanted. We had to settle, because life just isn't good without a refrigerator. It was still several days before the installation could happen, and we were living with dry ice and lot of ice cubes in coolers for several miserable days. The oven replacement, on the other hand, took months because that was extremely size specific and we could live without an oven. Still, I'm quite happy with our new oven, and I'm getting quite comfortable with it. 

This year I'll be able to make a Thanksgiving 
turkey on time in our oven. Last year we didn't 
get our replacement oven until closer to 
Christmas, so we had turkey, but our true 
Thanksgiving turkey was a dinner out. It was 
good, but it didn't give us that lovely smell that 
we associate with Thanksgiving throughout my 
house. I've been getting used to my new oven and 
I like it. It's a delight to have a functional broiler 
once again. 

So sometimes taking some time before choosing a product or device isn't a bad thing. Some things need to be replaced immediately (when the upstairs TV died, DH had a new one installed before the day was ended). Other things can take much longer (we've needed new windows for two decades. Maybe next year). But through it all, life goes on. The sun rises and sets, people are happy or sad, and the Great Wheel turns, never-ending, in the dance of the Universe. May you find your place within the Great Dance and have a wonderful day. Slava Ukraini. 

The Car is Ready for Winter - Also a Raingutter Saga

I got my car winterized and I feel relieved about getting that finished. The tires are "borderline" - just coming in at a tread that requires new tires, but I can still safely use them until the Spring, and given that we're coming in to winter snow, I'll hold off that bit longer. It'll be close to $800 to do a new set of tires, and that's a serious expense and not something that brings me great happiness. But safety also plays a role, so Spring, when they run their next "buy three, get the fourth for 1 cent" sale, will be a better idea for my budget. 

They hold a tire sale of "Buy 3, get the 
fourth for $1" two times a year. It's actually 
just started for the Fall, but it will return 
in May next year. I'll probably think about 
replacing my tires then, but I can also 
spend some time thinking about what I want
 for a tire and how much I'm willing to spend. 

I finished early at the car dealership, so had time to take a quick run through the grocery store for dinner fixings before going home to meet with the Leaf Filter guy. Matthew was prompt, which I appreciate in anyone with appointments, and he was personable - a good quality for someone in sales and outreach. He spent more than an hour looking at what we wanted done, measuring, calculating, and finally coming inside for his sales "spiel" and final quotation. The final dollar amount is a little daunting, but not outside the realm of possibility. DH, of course, hit the roof and also had a couple of questions I wasn't able to answer, so I'll be contacting Leaf Filter again today to get a few answers. 

I spent more than an hour with the sales 
consultant from Leaf Filter. But DH still 
has questions, and yes, it is NOT inexpensive. 
I'm not so sure we'll be making up our mind 
as soon as we had thought. 

DH was expecting a quotation number that was lower, I actually was thinking a bit higher, and the discounts that I was offered are only good until the close of business tomorrow, so we're in a time crunch. I'll call them today for some additional information, and see what I can do about getting that "deadline" extended to the end of the month. 

I'll probably see about getting our deadline 
extended until the end of the month. It'll 
be a push, but we need that additional 
time to do measurements of our own and 
a bit more research. 

Will this system be the perfect solution? Frankly, I doubt that anything will be, but it does seem like a good and comprehensive solution to a problem we've had for decades. And yes, it is expensive - quite expensive. But far from out of my ballpark for this job. (DH hates to spend money, so practically anything would be expensive to him.) And yes, our gutters were quite a lot less, but they were also purchased in 2002, so a very LONG time ago. 

So I'm off for my final swim of the week. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow, at least that's my plan. I'm grateful that the car is done and I can face my upcoming winter with a bit more confidence on the roads, so I'll call yesterday a success. Slava Ukraini. 

The First Part Went Well - Then Things Changed *sigh*

Well, best laid plans, etc, etc. I had my day planned out - grocery shopping, a bit of computer work, then on to the movie theatre to see Minions, then Best Buy to return one item I had purchased on Wednesday, and finally home to make Ogre Juice and dinner. The first part went well. 

I really wanted to see "Rise of Gru" on opening day. It was 
a special treat for myself. Unfortunately an idiot decided 
to use a gun and mess it up for me and other people. GRRRR. 

The second part ... well ... let's just call that one a clusterf**k. On Wednesday night (the 29th), at the last showing of the night in the multiplex, some asshole had started shooting in one of the screening rooms. Apparently it was a directed shooting, not some random thing, but still, it was guns, in the movies, yet again. But that was Wednesday night, and it was now Friday. I figured things would be back to normal. I was too busy to check my email. 

I love that Mini Gru and the Minions are 
gathered in the movie theatre and the 
poster is for Jaws. That dates it from Summer, 
1975, no earlier, because Jaws was released then. 

If I had checked my email, I would have seen that my showing was cancelled and my ticket refunded. I didn't see that, actually knocked on the locked doors until the manager came out to tell me (and the woman with two kids accompanying her who also, obviously, hadn't read her email either). So, I got a refund, but I didn't get the opportunity to see Minions on opening day. My next chance to see the movie on my own is on the 15th. Maybe I'll grab Chickie for a Tuesday showing on the 5th or 12th instead. But I'm VERY disappointed, nonetheless. 

I love stir fried Crimari mushrooms with 
onions. I added some fresh Thyme to the 
mix this time too. They're very tasty. 

So I busied myself in the kitchen for the afternoon. I made my next batches of Ogre Juice, fried up some onions and mushrooms for dinner over the next few days, and baked a cubed butternut squash I had planned to bake up two weeks prior. I'm one of those "make something, then clean the kitchen completely, then make the next thing" people, so I now have a refrigerator full of food, a clean kitchen, and I had a good afternoon with my Oladance bone induction headphone on and my Hip-Hop play list blaring from Spotify to my headphones. I was a whirling dervish, who missed her Minions; so sad, but at least I accomplished a lot. I also got the hummingbird feeder refilled, so I'll have happy birds once again. 

I'm a bit of a headphone junkie and my Oladance 
open ear bone induction earphones are my 
favorite non-swimming headphones. I love their 
fit and I love their sound. For swimming I use 
Shokz - they have one that is made for swimming 
and other watery activities and I use that for the 
pool and the treadmill. 

That's all for today. It's back to the grind now - work today then Sunday off. But I'll also have Monday off for Independence Day and it's rare to have two days off in a row. I'm already looking forward to it. I might do a minimal post wishing everyone a good 4th of July, but a serious post won't happen again until Tuesday. So have a good extended weekend and I'll be back on Tuesday. Slava Ukraini. 

A Summit Finish in the Pyrenees and Minions at the Olympics

Welcome to Stage 17 of Le Tour de France. Sunday is starting to loom in the thoughts of the riders, but there's still a lot of miles to go before Paris. Today we're still in the Pyrenees and we end on a steep summit climb. After fantastic riding for the past 16 stages, it's looking as though if Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates/UAE) can hang in there, he'll be wearing Yellow on the way in to Paris. He's got a solid five minute lead which doesn't sound like much, but in a race where winners are determined by seconds, five minutes is actually a lot. Fifty-three riders have abandoned the race for a variety of reasons, but the remainder face a tough day in the high mountains today. 

We only have today and tomorrow in the Pyrenees, but look 
at today's profile. The start is deceptive - the roads are still 
narrow and winding. At the end is the Hor Cat mountain peak 
finish on Col du Portet with an average grade of 8.7%. Ooof! 
It's Bastille Day in France. Will a Frenchman be able to 
upset Pogacar and win on their independence day?  

The stage starts with kindness, but that rapidly fades to challenge followed by challenge, followed by a penultimate challenge on Col du Portet. There's nothing more challenging than hitting the highest peak at the end of a long day's race, and having the finish at the summit. It should be a very exciting stage. 

                    If you can't view the video above, here's the You Tube link for you 

                    to follow ( https://youtu.be/lnzT5S5ey3I ) . I adore the Minions, 

                    and really love the Olympics Minion commercials. 

On a totally different note, I'm sure my long-time readers know I adore the Minions. Have you seen the two Olympics commercials the Minions have been appearing in? I've got the gymnastics autograph with Simone Biles and the swimming session with Caleb Dressel to share with you. I'll put links separately into my text also just in case the You Tube links don't come across well in the end post. Every time I see Minions I smile. They just make me very happy. I have them in my car and at work and of course, my car's nickname is Minion. I'm surrounded by happy yellow "helpful" entities. 

                    The swimming video is equally dear. Minions in the pool, Minions 

                    either swimming or with floater tubes. A hoot! Again, I'll post the 

                    You Tube link here in case the video doesn't transfer over to your 

                    platform. ( https://youtu.be/su2YvRYHRm8 )

I'm sending some photographs of Egyptian sunrises to my tattoo artist. I don't want the solar disk on my head to look like a red birthmark. I want it to look like the sunrise with the Eye of Horus on top of it. I'll get those sent off today. It's going to be a very full day though. I have a TON of stuff to try to get done today, so I'd probably better plug in the photos and head out. Have an excellent day and please, stay safe and be kind. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Tune Ups and Machine Evolution

In an hour I'm heading out to the Mazda dealership for an oil change and tire rotation. Minion need this - probably should have had it done last year, But Covid ... you know ... put everything into the closet for a year. So, time to get it done now. Hopefully it won't be too expensive, but it'll be what it is. 

I love my 2015 Mazda CX5. It was hard to give up my 
PT Cruiser, but "Grape" was getting really old and I 
needed a reliable car that we could haul things in. The 
Mazda totally fit the bill, and we used her to haul stuff 
to the compost areas for a few years before we got 
DH's Toyota truck. Now Minion gets to just take me 
around town and on day trips. I wanted at least 10 years 
from it and I think I'll get at least that. 

Today, being Friday, is usually a "day off" for my tattoo artist. I'm hoping he has some time to work up a final drawing for me with the revisions we've asked him for. I hate to be a bother, but I really need it, so I'll probably email him (in fact, I broke away from this posting to get an email sent out to him). I'm very focused on Wednesday already - I've been dreaming about this tattoo for months and months now, and now it's less than a week away and I'm thrilled. 

He's planning to use his rotary equipment for my skull 
tattoo, and I'm totally in favor of that. It means smoother 
lines and a much softer sound. 

I've been spending a lot of time working on my meditation and breathing techniques as well as some self-hypnosis to help me through this session of tattooing. Most people are fine with the first hour or so in any tattoo session, but after that, it starts to hurt. It's far from unbearable - people wouldn't keep going back again and again if it was horrific. But yes - you are getting needles pushed into your skin and ink injected into you. So there is some pain involved. I'm not sure I'll be up for the full seven hours we have scheduled, but I'm sure going to try to do as much as I possibly can in the one sitting. 

The older-style coil tattoo equipment is what many 
people are more familiar with. He has that too - 
he has quite a lot of equipment in his drawer. There 
are some applications where he knows that will 
put down a better line than his rotary equipment will. 

When I got my first tattoos in 2007, equipment was quite different than it is today. The machinery was klunkier, and harder for the artist to control. The traditional "Coil" style of tattoo machine pulled electromagnetic current through coils to trigger a draw and release. It's a hammer-like effect. The "Rotary" style of machine Rodney intends to use on me is much smoother. It's extremely quiet with an encased motor and a smoother delivery allowing for smoother lines. He said I could easily listen to music or whatever through headphones and I wouldn't hear the machine. So, I'm planning on that. 

The rotary equipment is much quieter and smoother 
in operation, allowing for smoother lines and easier 
operation for the artist. It'll be easier on both of 
us since I'll be able to listen to a book or music 
of my choice while we're in session. 

I have to get going here, so I'm cutting this off here. Have a glorious Friday, enjoy your day, and please stay safe and be kind. I'll be back tomorrow.