What did you do today? 2017 version

[REWahoo]

Nearing completion of painting DW's laundry/sewing/craft room. Far more work than I anticipated for such a small room thanks to having to remove, sand, paint and reinstall 12 drawers and 14 cabinet doors, plus the cabinets themselves. Painting walls is far, far easier.

 

[tulak]

Maybe I need to reconsider when my son gets his license.... He hasn't shown a huge degree of spacial awareness so I've been delaying/discouraging .... but this driving in rush hour traffic is going to get old quick.

I put this off as long as possible with DS. Now that he's driving, it's wonderful. DD is next. She's already pushing for driver's ed, mostly because DS is off to college in the fall and she doesn't want to take the bus.

Beyond worrying that they might get hurt, the worst part is insurance. Ours doubled. I'm hoping it won't go up too much once DD is added to the policy.

 

[MRG]

Woke up to a fresh 12-15" of snow. I tried to beat the county snowplow but he'd already packed 30" in the front of the driveway. Pretty fluffy still so it was not too bad.

I think he's going to have to come back as the roads pretty deep still. I know he can find another 30" to push in the driveway again. I gotta find the operator and buy him some beer.

 

[W2R]

Today is Mardi Gras, and we have three huge parades going right by our houses, back to back, starting an hour or two ago. They will last until probably around 5-6 PM.

I awakened WAY too early to the sounds of people parking in front of my house. They like to arrive early to stake out a good viewing spot. By now, the street has no more parking spots at all. Overhead, I hear the sounds of multiple helicopters. We have news helicopters, and also military and police helicopters overhead as always when there are parades.

We are kind of stuck here since driving is insane. That's part of living on a parade route here during Mardi Gras. If we go out to lunch, HE is going to have to drive because I am definitely not driving in this. No way, no how, huh uh, ain' gonna happen.

We may walk down and watch the parades. If we do, we will be the only people there with convenient access to a bathroom so I guess we are lucky.

I secretly get a kick out of Mardi Gras every year, but pretend to grumble and hate it like other local residents. OK, it's the kid in me thinking, "Whoopee, a parade!!"

 

[Nemo2]

Submitted our passport renewal forms - ever the optimist I went for the 10 year version, (as did DW, but in 10 years she'll still be 3 weeks younger than I am now......whereas I may be pushing the limits...or the daisies).

 

[jjquantz]

Today is Mardi Gras, ...
We are kind of stuck here since driving is insane. That's part of living on a parade route here during Mardi Gras. If we go out to lunch, HE is going to have to drive because I am definitely not driving in this. No way, no how, huh uh, ain' gonna happen.

We may walk down and watch the parades. If we do, we will be the only people there with convenient access to a bathroom so I guess we are lucky.

I secretly get a kick out of Mardi Gras every year, but pretend to grumble and hate it like other local residents. OK, it's the kid in me thinking, "Whoopee, a parade!!"

I sympathize. Our first year in NO, 1982, DW and I were stranded twice when we went out to eat at restaurants that were on parade routes. Only one way in and out of the parking lot and that way had a parade going by. By our 5th Mardi Gras we had things figured out pretty well, as it sounds like you do.

 

[W2R]

If we go out to lunch, HE is going to have to drive because I am definitely not driving in this. No way, no how, huh uh, ain' gonna happen.

Oh no, wish me luck. It turns out that his driveway is completely blocked. Mine has a little room to get out, so he wants me to drive because I could (possibly) get out of my driveway. I am so weak willed that I said I would.


jjquantz, I guess we are lucky that we are actually on a side street about 1/2 block from the actual parade route. So, all we have to deal with is a bazillion people swarming all over and parking everywhere.

 

[Meadbh]

Oh no, wish me luck. It turns out that his driveway is completely blocked. Mine has a little room to get out, so he wants me to drive because I could (possibly) get out of my driveway. I am so weak willed that I said I would.

Or you could make lunch at home.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Or you could make lunch at home.

Alternatively, have food delivered?

 

[jjquantz]

Cancelled our SiriusXM radio subscription. I finally convinced DW that listening to approximately 30 innings of Cub baseball each year was not worth $240.

Of course, it was one of those frustrating/silly things.
Operator, "Why are you cancelling?"

Me, "Because you only offer 2 classical channels and I can stream 80 through an app on my phone at less than 1/4 the cost."

Operator, "Let me see what I can do on my end. If you upgrade to All access you can get 4 channels, 2 of them online."

Me, "So you are asking me to pay more for something that still only gives me the same two channels in the car?"

Operator, "That is correct."

Me, "No thanks, please cancel my subscription."

Can't really blame her, she has to follow her script.

 

[W2R]

Alternatively, have food delivered?

I guess I didn't fully describe how huge the crowds are here in New Orleans this close to a major parade route right now. Think of the most crowded Mardi Gras photos you have ever seen, and it's much more crowded than that. Delivery trucks are not an option at any price until later tonight. And as for Meadbh's helpful suggestion, well, he wanted to go out so out we went. I am putty in his hands, so to speak. I know, I know. It's the 21st century. But when he looks at me a certain way, I just turn to mush. He's got me wrapped around his little finger I guess.

Amazingly we were able to make it out and back. It was quite an experience.

 

[W2R]

Oh no, it's HILARIOUS!! My street is so narrow that with cars parked on both sides, only one car can barely pass between them. The driveways are nearly all blocked with parked cars, and there is no place to pull aside if a car is heading towards you.

So just now I heard a lot of horns and people yelling so I went out there. About ten cars tailgating one another are headed out, and about five cars also tailgating one another are headed in. Nobody can move! They have to get the last guy in the line of incoming cars to back up, and he won't. Meanwhile the streets are a sea of people and most of them drunk and contributing their opinions or tussling around with one another. This is like a Laurel and Hardy or Three Stooges episode.

 

[braumeister]

Les bon temps ne sont pas roulant aujourd'hui, n'est-de pas?

 

[W2R]

Les bon temps ne sont pas roulant aujourd'hui, n'est-de pas?

Well, it's pretty much fun from where I sit! Not so much for those stuck out there on my street. I think it's starting to dissipate so maybe they got that guy to back up.

 

[braumeister]

Ah, oui.
L'enfer, c'est les autres dans la rue.

 

[Nemo2]

Ah, oui.
L'enfer, c'est les autres dans la rue.

"Pas de moi, c'est eux."

 

[braumeister]

"Pas de moi, c'est eux."

Naturellement!

 

[braumeister]

We just moved here the summer before last, and I was delighted to discover that this state allows anyone over 65 to take classes at any state college or university for free, even for credit, as long as there is room in the classroom.

Something I have wanted to do all my life is to learn to speak respectable German. I'm fluent in French and Portuguese, but only have what I call restaurant and train German, and I've always been a bit embarrassed about that, since I'm half German by ancestry.

So today I went to the local university (just about five miles from home) and registered as a student for the Fall term. Folks at the admissions office couldn't have been nicer to deal with, and I'm excited about it.

Part of the impetus for this was hearing about rodi's enthusiasm for her Italian classes, so I'm expecting the same pleasure from mine.

 

[jjquantz]

Ausgezeichnet, braumeister.

 

[Music Lover]

I had a new septic tank installed today. As the overhead electric line was in the way, the service had to be disconnected. In spite of it being disconnected for 8 hours and starting out at -20, the temperature in the house only dropped from 21C to 18C.

I dodged a very, very large bullet with $$ signs written all over it...the main cast iron drain from the house to the septic tank was broken under the basement floor slab. Luckily, the break was only 3 feet from the footing and by digging a little deeper and under the footing, the crew was able to connect new ABS pipe to the cast iron drain which saved me an emergency call to a plumber to break up the basement floor to replace it. Words can't describe how relieved I was

 

[brewer12345]

Closed out hunting season by spending the morning hunting my favorite spot with a buddy. At about 11AM the snow arrived and all the critters went down to earth, so I cleaned the take and headed home. After unloading my stuff I did some consulting work, cleaned up around the house (and the quail breeder), and oversaw dinner prep.


Tomorrow is 24 years since DW and I started dating.

 

[street]

brewer12345 >>> quail hunting sounds fun.

I hiked for deer horns for most of the day.

 

[NW-Bound]

Or you could make lunch at home.

Alternatively, have food delivered?

I vote for walk to lunch. Less stress than driving, and one gets to see the craziness going on in the street.

 

[Rambler]

Yesterday, DW and I were talking about how long it had been since we'd gone to Hawaii, and how it had been too long (4 months). Found a reasonable deal on flights, checked the hotel we like to stay at, then called the last remaining piece...the kennel for our precious pooches. When they said they had space, I clicked on the "complete reservation" button on the flights and hotel. Today, I'm dipping my toes in the water at the beach in Waikiki. Too bad it's gonna rain tomorrow, but the forecast for the rest of the week is very nice! I love retirement!

 

[coveredbridge]

Is it easy to care for the varieties of fruit trees you have? Did you grow them from saplings?

I have 4 apple trees and 1 pear tree. Three of the apple trees were planted by my father and are 35 to 45 years old. I planted the other apple tree and the pear tree from seedlings provided by the Arbor Day Foundation and are 20 to 25 years old. I also planted another apple tree, two peach trees and two cherry trees that died from disease and or browsing by deer.

Proper care includes regular pruning, spraying, fertilizing, and thinning of fruit. I do as much as I can, but the level of care I provide is generally inadequate. It is a hobby for me and not my livelihood. Threats from pests and disease are constant especially for the apple trees, and adverse weather, such as untimely frost and drought, can destroy or severely limit a crop.

The pear tree (Bartlett) is clearly the hardiest and will produce a good yield of pears with little care other than pruning, as long as the blossoms don't freeze. The pests and disease that attack other fruit trees don't seem to affect the pear tree. I haven't had a decent crop of apples in about 5 years due to a variety of pests, weather events and disease. The most recent pest afflicting my apples is the brown marmorated stink bug. They are fond of boring holes in the apple just before it is ready to pick, rendering the fruit worthless.