Closing out the week with that Friday energy

Onto the next bathroom project. This is not a total gut to studs. We're getting all the shiteous useless trim removed from the big bath at the shore, sheet rock over the hideous wallboard and ceiling, paint wall and ceiling, install exhaust fan, new baseboard trim, new hooks/towel holder/toilet paper holder/mirrors, and better use of the dead space behind the shower. We already switched out the vanity light fixture and ceiling light fixture. This should be done by the end of next week and I am pumped. I hate this room. I need to call my plumber about changing the shower fixtures too but that's for spring.

T-shirts this week.

This week on the beach.

Squad.

Happiness. Happy birthday to Lori yesterday, one of my people on this earth!

Library hold pickups.

That post-omicron booster shot feeling. Terrible. I had high hopes this time but 27 hours after it got me. Fever and intense body aches. I still have a lot of fatigue and body aches but I've been walking through it this time and I'm happy about that. 

Otherwise, laying low this week. It's the first time we've all been at the shore at the same time in over a month. We're transitioning stuff over to fall here - putting away the ACs and getting out the portable fireplaces - and spending time outside. 

 

snippets of the weekend 10.17.2022

Friday work event prep and an evening at the Doylestown Bookshop seeing Lisa Regan talk about the Josie Quinn series! I saw that she'd be there Friday morning and made sure I got there. Very cool! If you aren't reading the Josie books, you should - #16 comes out in December and they are consistently solid reads. 

Saturday was entirely centered around errands for, set up and break down, and running an event for my company at Franklin Square in Philly.

Sunday I did some returns from that event and could not pass up the Feliz Navidad pillow in the Target $5 spot (a pompom promptly fell off). I was on my way to the shore by 11 and unpacked, hit the thrift store and grocery store, and did a beach walk with all the dogs and started the newest Tracy Crosswhite book.

Monday I was off and did nothing aside from annual vet visits for Bruce and Ben, back to pick Bruce up after a dental, a solo beach walk with Ben, lounging and reading, porch sitting, a bike ride back by the bay, and the interior door work started in the main house which is not exciting to most people but is definitely exciting to me. 

In addition to snippets here, I've been doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

Second week in a row where snippets of the weekend is happening on a Wednesday. Let's not call it a pattern yet.

Thursday Thoughts - If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine

Season winding down. We've entered August, the storied month where the crowds and our regular rental season wind down. We have two returning guests coming in in September, and a few family and friends coming through also that are not rentals although still have us occupied, but we are in the home stretch of rental season and are really looking forward to that and our great returning guests the next three weeks. Only one unknown to us guest left this summer. And a full list of fall house projects already. 

Happy birthday Evan! Happy to spend time with him, Jenny, and their kids on their vacation week. We made sure all the shades of blue and green were represented the other night.

Back at it. Zumba yesterday with all the 65+ crowd, which is mostly who attends community center classes in this shore town LOL. 

GenX forever. Also Wrestlemania coming to Philly!

Ivana in the grave reel. Have you seen this? It is hilarious in a macabre way, of course. Before anyone is like how is that funny your former grifter cult leader insurrectionist anti-America president buried his ex on a golf course to set himself up for business tax relief. Fuck off out of here. The nickname Don the Con didn't come out of nowhere.

Farmers Market stuff. Plus plums, peaches, cherries, and some amazing pizza from Tony's

My uncle died this week, and I'm still trying to process this. The best way for me to do that is writing, which I did in an IG caption. Continued love and support to my cousins and their families as well as my two aunts who have so much of their lives intertwined with his through shared history and children.

There is.

After work life. 7 pm swims. Coastal grandmother vibes. Soupy, sticky air.

A tale of two hobbies that coexist well. Reading and fishing.

Dog days of summer. 

PACT Act passes to help veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins, no thanks to a bunch of GOP Senators who are allegedly for the troops. Except Rand Paul, who is apparently just outwardly not anymore. He does not support paying for healthcare for vets because they cannot prove where their illnesses come from. It's weird that a man who has the very best healthcare coverage available does not want to pay for healthcare for people that put their lives on the line for this country. He has consistently voted for tax cuts for corporations and the 1%  without care for how much money that would cost us as a nation but draws the line at military veterans possibly gaming the system, just like he voted against sick 9/11 first responders. Hmm. Who is voting for this person and people like him? And why are you doing that?

Abortion. The people of Kansas overwhelmingly voted in favor of keeping abortion rights protected in their state Constitution. Atlanta gets an Abortion Fund. A 19 year old woman raises over $2M in response to disgusting misogynist pedophile underage sex trafficker rep from FL Matt Gaetz's anti-abortion remarks. The vast majority of Americans agree abortion should be legal. Stop electing people that go against majority opinion. That is not democracy when minority rule strangles all of us. Yellow backgrounds collected by DesignMom, periwinkle backgrounds collected by femislay

 
What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Ripple by The Grateful Dead

Snippets of the Weekend 8.1.2022

Time with great friends you have known forever, pink skies, red wine, lingering too long in the backyard, and burgers in a Krispy Kreme makeshift bun are always cures for what ails you - thanks to Frank & Amanda for being the hosts with the mosts at their annual backyard barbecue.

Even when what ails you is a truly dirty turnover. Just nauseating. Including all that food and bev shoved behind a mattress on the top floor.

Those things were Saturday. Friday night I was at the shore solo with Billy. Sunday we hit the beach with Evan, Jenny, Griffin, and Quinn and I peaced out on the couch Sunday night to close out the weekend.

In addition to snippets here, I've taken to doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

TWTW - the one with the girls 2

Girls weekend take two, only not my junior high and high school forever BFFs, this time it's my great friends of 22 years. I saw Mimi last year, but the last time we all saw each other was January 2019 so it was a well due weekend of eating, lounging, talking, shopping, watching TV,  and just being together. Borrowed some pics from the Google album, so some are Gwen's or Gena's. We finally got a true beach day Saturday, the first of the season at the Jersey shore. It's late. 

The message remains: my female friendships are crucial to my life and well being, and I hope you have true go to these women with anything type of friends in your life too. I'm grateful to have these women for so many years. 

Since it is Memorial Day week, we also had some shore chores as we get ready for Memorial Day Weekend renters, which these ladies were recruited for here and there. MFD worked on the outside, we had the same battles we do every year when we do this, and also are feeling the rush of the last week despite thinking it was all already mostly done. tra la laaaaaa. I just have a little painting and some odds and ends left to do, and same for MFD. Whew. We are tired and smelly

ALSO. I finally invested in the Cadillac of Beach Chairs, it is its own cart. You can't tell me anything.

This is a packed week for me, I'll be here, there, and everywhere. Memorial Day weekend on the horizon. 

Thursday Thoughts - Hang the sign upon the door, say, 'Don't disturb this groove'

Sinking into that quiet first week January candles cozy don't disturb this groove hygge flow

Thinking a lot of us think endings are bad when they are a fact of life and usually good in retrospect, often necessary when we think about the situations we are no longer in or the people we are no longer required to move among. Regarding situations, sometimes we don't realize we need a change in the way we're moving about in this world until we make one, which is sometimes forced on us by an external scenario. Regarding people, sometimes we're friends because of circumstance, and circumstances change. There's no hard feelings over that even though we'd like to assign hard feelings to it when relationships or friendships die out. Social media has us thinking we should never stop interacting with people and that is simply not the case. If you need to stop with me, I wish you well. 

Reminding that January 6, 2021 was an insurrection called for by the outgoing president of the United States and should be investigated and prosecuted as such. Any support for it regardless of how you are politically affiliated is anti-American. Coups happen in banana republics and you live in one when you elect a shyster clown. Happy Treason Anniversary cult members!

Shoveling snow Monday. So much fucking snow, 13 inches of heavy ass snow. I am not into that kind of snow. I am into the day immediately after the snow though, for icicles and such.

Returning to the beach after a few weeks away 

Deciding against walking to the beach with Bruce (which he had feelings about) when it was the frozen tundra because he pulls when he is excited and I did not want to break an arm falling on ice in a dark and lonely town. Ben would love to go but would be too cold before we even got there.

Watching dogs melt into electric blankets like it is a river of syrup

Looking around for my fourth dog who is of course no longer with us

Working around deadlines 

Ignoring COVID shit that is not CDC memes because I can't right now. I really hope so many people having it right now is leading us into endemic territory instead of pandemic territory because I'm tired and the government continues to suck farts on the management and mitigation of this

Keeping a thought for the people who perished in the Fairmount fire in Philly yesterday. So awful. Thanks to PFD for their service as always. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS REGULARLY. If you need help doing so, please contact your local fire department and ask for resources. Here's a list collected by WHYY on how to help survivors. 

Taking lots of Ben photos this week. The ear photo reminds me of one of these things is not like the others

Using my lavender heated shoulder pack thingy that always feels like a hoax when I see them but is quite pleasant in execution

Watching Insecure on HBO and Abbott Elementary on I don't know. ABC?

Reading I picked a slow one to start off the year, moved on to a Netgalley that comes out 1/11. The first Show Us Your Books of 2022 is this Tuesday, January 11, which seems fast. The Favorite Reads linkup is still open until Sunday also. 

What's new with you?

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is The System Don't Disturb this Groove