Tanmi, Irish, Merr

[merr]

I don't cook with herbs enough to make keeping them worthwhile, but I love kitchens that have cute little herb plants in them. I would like plants in my house but I can't keep them alive and my house doesn't have anywhere to put any unless I hang them.

[KyleEl]

Mar 11, 2021 13:44:27 GMT -5 tanmi said:

The garden for now is just four herbs. I always plant tomatoes, as well, but the last couple of years have not been productive. It's very strange. You're right though, it's practically September before there are any to harvest. I love planting jalapeno's and peppers. There's always plenty on those plants and they look lush. I like cucumbers, but to be honest, the plants become very scraggly and I get tired of looking at them. I tired corn in pots the last two years, but we have never been able to eat them. Deer and other critters always get them first.

My grandfather had a garden and he planted all sorts of stuff. All I do is mow grass there. I let a tree start growing and now at age 30-something it's huge.

[KyleEl]

Mar 11, 2021 12:56:53 GMT -5 merr said:

As soon as it gets dark I feel like it's time for bed and the day is over.

My mom took me to a parking lot once. I then did a driver's ed class at school where I drove a total of 4 times. I managed to pass my test first try, having driven a total of 5 times. Here the kids have to take a little harder driving class where they get to drive a bit more than I did. The driving test really only includes some parking. Technically they are required to have driven 40 hours with their permit, but they don't have any way of making sure that happens or not.

I drove way more than that. I don't remember how many days.

My father took me to the church parking lot and I didn't do so well the first time. Then we went to the cemetery with lots of curves and hills. I drove in the cemetery I guess enough times until my father thought I had done enough.

It took me two times to pass. I did a terrible job on the three-point turn and when added to everything else, I didn't get a 70. I barely passed the second time and the examiner explained that didn't really mean he thought I was ready. I explained nothing would change and that I'd continue just driving with someone else in the car. But my learner's permit expired that day and I would have had to go through a process. Normally they made me wait a week to try again but in this case it was five days and they made an exception for that reason.

[tanmi]

Well, Kyle, I'm sure you have improved... :-)

I watched "Derry Girls" on Netflix. It wasn't difficult, it comes in 30 minute episodes. It's about a group of girls and one fellow, who go to a Catholic school, in Ireland, in the 90's. I liked it. There were two seasons and apparently, there will be a 3rd. One of the girls was on Bridgerton. No doubt I am way out of the expected demographic, but it was fun. I had to watch it with the closed-captioning on. I find I'm doing that a lot lately, with Great Britain shows.

I have several appointments this week, so I'm in and out of work, at least through Wednesday. Wednesday will be a full-day off.

The guys who plow the roads just came through and removed the orange markers for the driveways and end of roads. They must be optimistic that we aren't getting more snow. :-) We are forecasted for something tonight. It shows snow/rain. It's getting cold, so it could be a mix. We really could use some rain. The pond out back is really low.

[merr]

We have friends in Casper Wyoming and they got almost 4 ft! The snow plows had to stop because too many of them were sliding off the roads. They basically just shut the entire city down. Yuck!

Emily takes the ACT tomorrow, but she's coming down with a cold. Hopefully it still goes well.

First race of the season is on Saturday...I'm hoping the weather cooperates and we don't get rain or snow. It won't be very warm either way. Emily is driving Kevin's car and he's copiloting for her. This race is in the sand and her car just isn't built for it, but she loves sand.

I'll make sure to send good vibes your way all week long tanmi!

[tanmi]

Okay, my response disappeared again. I must be doing something wrong.

Thank you for the positive thought, Merr. It means a lot.

Emily is having another big week. I wish her luck on her exams and the race.

I looked up states with least weather events. Michigan was number one. In fact, they narrowed it down to a town. Trouble is, Detroit... The city with continued financial meltdowns!!

[merr]

I'm surprised that Michigan has the least weather events...Michigan doesn't seem like it has great weather.

Junior year is a rough one...her senior year should actually be quite a bit easier.

[tanmi]

You're right, we don't have great weather. Our summers however, are usually fantastic, just seem so short. They were referring to the fact that MI doesn't get weather events like, several feet of snow, floods, excessive tornadoes and earthquakes. It's quiet in comparison to other Midwest states.

LOL. I hope you didn't just jinx yourself and Emily saying the senior year should be easier!!

I'm still being lazy with the yoga. I have one that is totally done on the floor!! LOL. I need to do it more, it works the back and abs very well. Walking would be a good thing, I can't go very far right now and it would do me good to try to work on that.

I was looking at clothes online yesterday, wanting new tops. I'm pretty much devoted to Levi's these days, so tops are all I shop for. I decided not to get anything. I don't go anywhere!!!

[merr]

I like the dry air in Utah...I'm not a fan of humidity.

I'm always lazier than I should/want to be! I have been doing well at the treadmill most days. My chiropractor wants me to stretch and work on my abs, but after walking for 30 minutes, I don't want to spend more time stretching and exercising my abs!! I do try and fit stretching in here and there throughout the day when I remember.

Winter always feels long, but when I look at my clothes and how few times I feel like I got to wear my cute sweaters etc, it isn't that long after all. There isn't that much time where it is cold enough here to wear a sweater. I've been thinking of getting new clothes for spring too...we'll see if I bother.

[tanmi]

I don't like humidity either. Here in MI, we have only about a couple of weeks of it, then summer is great. It's why we don't live in Florida, where Marc's family is. Hate the weather ten months of the year.

I really need to do some things around this house. Now that the sun is shining regularly, the windows are embarrassing!! But, jeez, who wants to clean windows.

There also seems to be a lot envelopes on the entry table. I don't know what the deal with that is. We have always been prone to throwing them out. A lot of financial advisor stuff; a guy actually stopped by the house the other day, with an assistant, and asked if he could talk to us. I didn't open the storm door and pretty much told him to go away. Also, the yard guys; flyers everywhere and envelopes!! Marc does the yard, but we do use a company for the fertilizer now.

Have fun this weekend and be safe. Good luck to Emily.

[merr]

My windows are never clean. I do wash the insides of them sometimes, but I never bother with the outside...I should really hire someone to do it. haha

I hate door to door people! So annoying. I just don't answer the door if I can tell that is who is at the door.

I'll be spending most of the day getting ready for the race. We've already been out getting some last minute things. I still have a bit of grocery shopping to do before we got and then I've got to cook a bit and get the camper all packed up. The weather is not going to be great tomorrow so the kids will probably spend the whole day in the camper and out of the cold/rain.

Have a good weekend yourself!

[tanmi]

How did Emily do in the race?

I watched that Jennifer Garner movie, "Yes Day" on Netflix. I don't think I was exactly the demographic. Perhaps having kids makes it more relatable. I found myself losing interest and nearly turning it off a couple of times. However, I hung in there until it finished.

It's gorgeous out today. Supposed to be nearly 70. Amazing.

Marc trimmed my hair over the weekend. It was sweet of him. Now, he needs to do my roots!!

[merr]

Emily did great! There were 3 laps that were about 2 hours each. The first lap went really well and the weather was still nice...her and Kevin both were hot so Emily took off a sweatshirt and Kevin took off his rain gear jacket. They both were regretting that not long into the beginning of the 2nd lap. The weather turned, like we knew it would, and it started to rain and snow. They got back from the 2nd lap freezing cold. They took a long pit stop and added more layers, put the rain gear back on, got dry gloves and switched to Kevin driving for the last lap. Emily was too cold and couldn't drive anymore and Kevin was happy to take a turn. They were doing really well the last lap until Kevin drove too hard (as usual) and broke the car. They managed to limp it across the finish line though! They were 6th out of 21 and last to finish. The other 15 cars all dropped out at some point so only 6 cars out of 21 actually finished the race. It was a good day! Did you see the pictures I posted on facebook?

I like Jennifer Garner, but I'm not sure that movie is for me either.

Our weather is cold and rainy for the week, but the weekend is looking promising. Me and Emily will be traveling 3 hours south to her last normal season cheer competition this weekend. Kevin will be leaving for Hawaii Thursday and our niece who is here for college is going to come watch the boys while me and Emily are gone to cheer. I'm definitely ready for some more warm weather!

That was sweet of him!

[tanmi]

Good for Emily!!! But, wow, I never thought that a lap was 2 hours!!

Today is not an easy day with work. It's as though everyone decided to be cranky. I called one person out on it.

I have been feeding a squirrel through the winter and he still comes everyday. Today, I heard the bowl moving, so I went to watch him. It was a chipmunk. He was so cute, he had to sit on the edge of the bowl to reach the nuts. I got a good look at him while he ate. It was fun, because they don't stay still long enough to get a good look usually. Using no imagination at all, we named the squirrel Rocky. So...what to call a chipmunk? LOL.

[merr]

Weren't Chip and Dale chipmunks? From the cartoon Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers? That was one I watched as a kid...I vote for Chip. Can you tell if they have favorite nuts? Or nuts that they don't eat?

The laps were 50 miles and as much as they'd like to drive fast, there is a lot of slowing down for hard parts etc so they obviously only averaged 25 miles an hour. She is still sore from it, it's hard work. She didn't wear gloves the first lap because the weather was still nice and she's regretting it now because she has 8 (at least that is how many she said) blisters on her hands.

Kevin and his friends all came to our house early this morning to do their spit tests together to get tested for Covid before heading to Hawaii on Thursday...now they wait and are all stressed out until the results come back, hoping they come in time. They tried to do it last night but they wouldn't let them because it was 75 hours and not 72...but they scheduled the latest appointment they had available. The company doesn't want to be blamed for not getting the timing right though so I'm not surprised they made them do it this morning instead.

[tanmi]

Chip and Dale are chipmunks!! Oh, that's far better than Alvin, which is all I could think of... So far, all nuts appear to be popular. I did put a piece of bread out there, the end piece cut up small, and that lasted a couple of days, they didn't seem to go for it.

It makes me smile that Kevin is going all the way to Hawaii to work. Well, at least the house will be further along.

[merr]

We were talking about it at lunch and I guess they're hoping to be done Tuesday and that gives them Wednesday and most of Thursday to "play" if they so choose. Just a bunch of dudes going to the beach together in Hawaii. Kevin wants to go fishing...so not quite the same thing.

Have the people at work decided to be less grumpy this afternoon?

[tanmi]

No, they are still cranky. I have made mistakes today, which bothers me. I am not focusing.

[tanmi]

I think part of my problem is that I don't want to work any longer. I shouldn't say it like that, because it does give me purpose. I think I just don't feel like messing with the issues any longer and some of the people are just a big ole pain. By the end of the workday, all I want to do is veg, with as little to annoy me as possible. LOL.

[merr]

I feel the same way...once work is over for the day, I want to be as lazy as possible and just read, watch TV and play on my phone. With Kevin going to Hawaii for a week, I've got to be careful and make sure to stay on my same schedule so I don't get behind. When he's gone I get really lazy and don't accomplish much. I'm going to try and stay on the same schedule as usual while he's gone so I continue to exercise every morning and work my same hours...crossing my fingers I do well.

Emily has a boy coming over to our house for the first time on Thursday night! They are both very indecisive and can't decide on anything to do together so she just invited him over to play MarioKart. What do I do?! It's too weird.

[tanmi]

What do you do? Make dinner. Order pizza. Make them stay in living room. ;-)

[merr]

They already have the rule that if for some reason they go in her bedroom, the door must remain open at all times. The kids hang out in the basement while we are usually upstairs, but I'll have to play with them or just leave her brothers downstairs to chaperone. lol

How much am I supposed to talk to the kid? Or do I pretend he isn't there? Teenage boys don't want to talk to their friends moms and I'm not a big fan of wanting to talk to random teenage boys. haha

[merr]

Kevin left this morning. He won't be back until next Friday morning. I don't know that we've ever been apart quite this long before...at least nothing comes to mind. Our poor dog is going to be stressed out for the next week because he's now got to be in charge. It's amazing how much he changes when he knows that Kevin isn't around to protect us. He barks at every little noise and stays upstairs to sleep instead of going to the basement.

I have a chiropractor appointment in a few minutes, but so far I've made sure to go to the gym and get ready for the day as usual. Let's hope I can keep it up after I get back from the chiro and not get behind on work.

[tanmi]

How did the visit with the boy go? Were you a stranger in your own house? ;-)

Is the chiropractor helping? I know you changed doctor and are exercising more.

That's a long time for your honey to be gone. That is sweet about your dog. Poor fellow shouldn't stress about taking care of his people.

I made a strawberry skillet cake this morning. House smells good.

I get my second vaccination on Sunday.

I have a book I need to start reading, "West with Giraffes".

[tanmi]

I didn't read "West with Giraffes" after all. It's loaded in my Kindle, I guess I'll get to it. I have been reading a lot mysteries and find them easy to read before sleep. Not the violent ones, the cozy ones.

I watched "The Irregulars" on Netflix over Saturday and Sunday. It was interesting, with tie-ins to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I found I get embarrassed when kids kiss, so I was FF or looking away. LOL. Luckily, there wasn't much of it.

[merr]

Mar 26, 2021 10:49:10 GMT -5 tanmi said:

How did the visit with the boy go? Were you a stranger in your own house? ;-)

Is the chiropractor helping? I know you changed doctor and are exercising more.

That's a long time for your honey to be gone. That is sweet about your dog. Poor fellow shouldn't stress about taking care of his people.

I made a strawberry skillet cake this morning. House smells good.

I get my second vaccination on Sunday.

I have a book I need to start reading, "West with Giraffes".

The visit went well. He didn't come over until 9ish because he had a school soccer game he played and came over afterward. They went to McDonald's first and then came back. They played some MarioKart in the office for a bit and then when they were bored with that, her brothers went to bed and then they went downstairs and watched some old Disney show from when they were little. I just stayed in our living room the whole time. He stayed until his curfew of midnight.

Went to bed and then had to be up in the morning to leave for cheer around 8am. It snowed for 125 miles of the 250 mile trip...it was awful!

The chiropractor is helping. He's able to get everything where it goes so the pain goes away for a while. It comes and goes in between visits, but doesn't seem to "stay" like it used to. Right now I'm mostly trying to remember to do the stretching that is supposed to help me. He says we'll get to strengthening stuff later.

It felt like I was gone forever and so it feels good to be back in a routine, but work wise I really only missed Friday. lol

Kevin had already finished the plumbing stuff he wanted to get done yesterday. I'm not sure what he's going to do next. I'll talk to him sometime today, but he's been so busy working nonstop, I've barely gotten to talk to him since he left.

[merr]

Mar 29, 2021 8:31:05 GMT -5 tanmi said:

I didn't read "West with Giraffes" after all. It's loaded in my Kindle, I guess I'll get to it. I have been reading a lot mysteries and find them easy to read before sleep. Not the violent ones, the cozy ones.

I watched "The Irregulars" on Netflix over Saturday and Sunday. It was interesting, with tie-ins to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I found I get embarrassed when kids kiss, so I was FF or looking away. LOL. Luckily, there wasn't much of it.

I haven't heard of that show, but it sounds interesting...Sherlock is always fun. I've been watching the episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as they come out...only 2 so far, but I'm really enjoying it. Kind of sad there are only going to be 6 of them. WandaVision was also really good.

I've struggled to read this month...I've only read the books that I've been reading while on the treadmill in the morning. I did start a new book last night...I tried one book that I had downloaded and it wasn't catching my attention, so I tried another one and it is better. I somehow have been reading books about witches a lot lately...not sure how that happened.

[tanmi]

I don't have Disney+, or whatever it's called. I wish I did, because I would love to see those shows. I just don't want to pay for something else.

Is Kevin going to start on the walls and such? He's energetic enough to get that house finished!! ;-)

[merr]

He'd probably love to get started on the drywall if he could, but the electrical still needs to be done before they can do that. They did find an electrician that is going to do the work, but it will be slow going because the guy says they are struggling to get the parts they need right now. If that wasn't the case, he'd get going on the electrical too. They do have some "yard work" stuff they are planning on doing as well. Bringing in more lava rock to spread around to contain the mud that is inevitable with so much rain. I'm hoping to talk to him today so I can see what else they plan on doing. I know he's hoping to go fishing at least one day...the weather isn't great though. It is supposed to rain every single day they are there.

Do you have Verizon? You can get Disney + for free with verizon. There are no contracts, so you can always cancel as soon as you've seen what you want.

[tanmi]

I'm struggling to type today. Alex appears to believe I need his help. He is licking my hands, as I type. So, he's sitting between me and the laptop. He has been doing this off-and-on all morning.

Were you able to talk with Kevin?