wittenlover

Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! Happy spooky szn, y'all! On a heartwrenching/heartwarming note... NASCAR fam showing up big to help folks in NC/SC with airlifting/hauling much needed supplies into the hardest hit areas. Multiple teams/individuals within the NASCAR community are using "all available air assets" to get supplies to folks and help get folks who need out, out. Just this morning, Joe Gibbs Racing rolled one of their test car haulers (just as big as the ones that go to the track) out at 10 am full to the brim with donated supplies headed for western NC as far as it was safe for them to go. I know there are MANY more stories and helpers that we're not hearing about but for those of you that may be in these areas, know that... We SEE you! Help is COMING! Hang in there. Personally, one of my best friends who rode out the storm at home in Simpsonville, SC experienced a tree hitting her family's home (damage yet unknown - they have not yet been able to clear the tree to investigate) and they have been without power since early Friday morning. They are hearing they may get power back by late Thursday evening but that hinges on other infrastructure repairs proceeding as planned. Ouch. She says that her family and the neighbors close by have been sharing a flat top-equipped grill to cook up meals, most often breakfasts, with the supplies they're pooling together. Personally, my trip to Charlotte next week will take a detour after I grab my other buddy from IN. Normally, we'd end up on I-40 (on the very stretch that got washed out - this breaks our hearts seeing the devastation in that area). This time around, since we drive through the night, we will be sticking to major interstates (for our safety and better familiarity) instead of back roads (that the map indicates would be fastest). That will take us through Nashville, down to Atlanta, and then turn us north on I-85 to head up to SC for our third musketeer and finally on into Charlotte. We have told our SC buddy to keep us posted on anything that they need that might be easy for us to grab/toss in the car with us. Same goes for any of you - if you happen to be on our route and need a hand with small(ish) supplies, we might be able to pull off detouring to you to lend a hand. It's our vacation but that does not blind us to the fact that so many need a hand/basic supplies that may be hard to come by in the damaged areas. Much love to all of our GD'er fam struggling with Helene's aftermath...

Oooooh... Call 'em out, Brad!

1) "Ahhhh Black Friday is here again... All those poor suckers think they're getting these doorbusters? Oughta be great fun to watch 'em all fight over 3 TVs, 1 PlayStation 5, and 2 XBox consoles, then watch the rest drown their sorrows in the board game section when they're not one of the lucky ones..." 2) (Cashier at lane 6): [counting] "21, 22, 23... Well, so much for ending my shift on time... Been on since 3 am and probably won't leave till midnight if this keeps up... Ohhh my achin' feet!" 3) (Lady laying across daughter's lap) "Malls are dead, they said... The lines'll be shorter there this year, they said... TELL THAT TO THE [BLEEP]ING CROWD LINED OUT THE DOOR AT BATH & BODY WORKS STACKING ALL THEIR COUPONS!!! Kill me! Kill me now!!!" (passes out from exhaustion)

NEEEEEEEEED!!!! This is awesome, Brad!

Same! And having been around for so many years, the GD crew feels like family, even though I've never met any of ya in real life (that I know of! lol).

CHRISTMAS TREE CAKES! YES!!! (I might be a bit of a fan... Heh...) Not sure if they can get them over there but Andes Peppermint Crunch candies usually have festive candy canes molded on the individually wrapped ones and they hold up pretty darn well, flavor-wise (I ration mine out to myself for a few months lol). I'll give this some more thought and let you know if I come up with other good suggestions.

Same! Also love the "Crushed Candy Cane" scent from B&BW in my Wallflower nearest the kitchen - gets me in the mood for all my Christmas baking.

Done!

And now we're really getting into the swing of things! This would make for an awesome prize as my iPad is definitely starting to show its age.

Piles of dill, good romaine harvest, good red/green leaf lettuce harvest, spinach was meh but I think that was at least partially my fault (will attempt again next year), celery is doing well and almost ready to harvest. Parsley regrew from last year as well and was beautiful. I eventually let it bolt to get seeds. Good stuff.

September already... Crazy how fast the time flies. My cuke vines have been trying to fight the good fight against yet another fungus attack this year. Boo hiss. I've only gotten an average of maybe a cuke and a half per vine this year. Oof. Hoping for better things next year as I continue learning about best practices for my gardening and creative potential helps to keep the darn fungus at bay (or at least further limit its destruction). My brussels that have grown from those I did not harvest last year are starting to produce sprouts of their own for harvesting in about a month or so. I'm excited about that since no one really knew what would happen when I told them what the brussels were doing in the spring. Now I know! Fun to know I'll have a decent sprout harvest again here soon. Sorry to hear about your mom, Bopeep. Hugs and prayers for you and yours. Losing mom is rough.

Welcome to August... Wow how time flies. On the agenda for the month for me: - Once again fighting a potentially losing battle against fungus on my cuke vines (ugh) - Buddy coming in to town to visit for about a week. While she's here: Heading to MIS for the NASCAR races (will stay at home vs camping at track but will enjoy all the track activity) A few days at Cedar Point Possibly some other fun adventures as time permits - Finishing up plans and material list for my planned makeshift greenhouse space I am creating out of an existing tubular structure originally designed to hold up a tarp for entertainment space (to allow for a longer grow season and maybe even some late fall lettuce if I do it right) Hope all the GDer fam is doing well!

It is a combo unit. It's been dropping connection more lately. I've reset it multiple times, troubleshot other things, hasn't resolved the dropping connections... Line outside coming into the house was replaced shortly after I bought the house last year and is still in good condition. So yeah... Thinking it's just telling me it's time to retire it. lol

Yep. Thanks! As a Comcast user for almost 25 years, I am well aware, sadly... smh I'm looking at a couple from manufacturers I've had good luck with in the past and doing my homework before I pull the trigger on anything. It's certainly not an immediate need at the moment - I can just tell my poor modem/router is nearing its end... LOL I'm also checking to ensure I won't have issues if I switch internet providers (something I'm considering) within the next year or so.

After what I've determined is approximately a decade or so of solid service, my cable modem/router combo is in the process of kicking the bucket, so I'm on a hunt for a deal on that front. That said, I definitely prefer the combo to two individual pieces, even though I know there are some advantages of having them separated. I don't have a large footprint to cover nor do I have many devices requiring the network (counted max of 10 last night, I think, and that's when they're all turned on, which is rare). I figure on getting one that will hopefully last me at least another 5 , if not 10, years or so. Not exactly a great time for me to be spending money (had some other unexpected bills lately) but I have to have reliable access since I work from home half the week. With Prime Day sales going on, maybe I'll get lucky.

Thanks! We confirmed we unintentionally suppressed her thyroid a bit too much. She got a full break from the meds yesterday to give her little body time to rebound a bit and we restarted this morning with a reduced dosage in between what she was on before and what we'd increased to. I'm watching her appetite over next few days and, if it craters again, I'm supposed to call back and we can further re-assess. I have a hunch I know where the magic spot might be but I don't want to assume, as I am definitely -not- a vet nor medication expert. I will say her appetite began to return as the day progressed yesterday, so that was a good sign (and further confirmation of the overshot with the meds).

July already... Where does the time go??? Planning on seeing four fireworks shows this week, weather-permitting. Locally, Kensington Metropark is doing their display tomorrow night - always a solid show. Wednesday night, I'm taking a slightly longer road trip north to Frankenmuth for their show. Thursday will be a "game-time decision" as far as where I go because Mother Nature is not necessarily going to play nice for where I was originally planning on going, so I'm looking at alternative spots in case weather messes up "Plan A" (finding other fireworks shows on the 4th? Impossible! LOL). Friday, I'm headed to the "Salute to America" event at The Henry Ford, just a short 15 minute (give or take) drive from home. That said, my kitty Mew has not been feeling her best and I believe it is due to a rather large increase in her thyroid meds over the past month and a half or so. Going to be discussing this with her vet today. She's not wanting to eat at all now, which can be a symptom of taking her thyroid levels too low. It's one thing to increase meds initially to bring things back into a normal range quickly (fight the fire!) but I don't think we're at the "sweet spot" for her maintenance dosage at the moment. She seems fine otherwise but, as 16.5 years old, no telling how much longer we've got.

I call that "body out of warranty"... Seriously, hope June is kinder to you and that your back continues to heal. Definitely doesn't take as much as we get older. Ugh!!! (Getting older = 0 out of 10, do not recommend!)

As the executor on my mom's estate when she passed, I recall things being pretty crazy/chaotic for me for a while as well... Grieving while dealing with the business of settling everything was definitely not easy nor pleasant (obviously). I was very thankful, however, that Mom took care of setting her affairs in pretty solid order while she was still well enough to do so, which, according to her probate attorney, made my job far easier than it could have been. My prayers continue for you as you walk this journey and find/adjust to the new normal. I spent Saturday down in Detroit for some of the Detroit GP festivities (yep, race fan through and through). That was a good time, as I met up with a few friends and we wandered the race circuit together for much of the day. (My feet would disagree, though, as I walked more than 8 miles! LOL) My cats officially hate your team (but I know I appreciate knowing these important pieces of our warning system are in proper working order). lol This year, Father's Day once again falls on my mom's birthday so that will be a bittersweet day for me as I celebrate the blessing of still having my dad here while missing mom on what would have been her 74th birthday. Hard for me to believe that this year is 18 years that she's been gone... I'm actually spending the evening of the anniversary of her passing (6/12) up at Berlin Raceway watching a buddy of mine (whose primary job is spotting for one of my favorite NASCAR drivers) race his own car. Somewhere, I imagine Mom smiling, seeing as she's the reason I'm so into racing.

Avid? No... Enthusiastic rookie gardener still learning many things? Yes. lol

Indeed. And as one whose body revolts physically at even the scent of the stuff, there are certain areas I can't even visit any more because of it. Such a shame.

Hardest decision we pet parents ever have to make... Much love to you from one pet parent who's been there (and will be there again someday) to another.

This. Is. May. Greatest month for us auto racing fanatics, culminating with the triple on Sunday, May 26th (F1 in the morning, Indy 500 around lunchtime, NASCAR's Coke 600 around dinner time). Those of us in Charlotte for the 600 will start our day watching F1, move to the race track and catch the 500 via the screens in various merch haulers (and on our phones), then enjoy the 600 from the stands. Long, crazy, fun day.

Nope. I wished for good weather and Mother Nature delivered on Sunday. Was absolutely gorgeous. Win.

This is 48! Celebrated my birthday on Sunday. Had gorgeous weather here in SE MI, so I even broke out a dress for the occasion. Mark that on your calendars, folks! This doesn’t happen often! lol