snippets of the weekend 11.20.2023

To wake up on a Friday in mid-November and have it be 60 some degrees is insane and amazing. I had to take a walk down to the beach before work. I had massive tech issues Friday and had to call Xfinity which made me rage. I got my nails painted during that though - this is the red from this year's OPI Holiday Collection - Rebel without a Clause. It's a really good red.

After work walk was a good one. Mr. Rooney ends up in a bag on the way back when we walk far, which we did Friday. We had soup for dinner and watched reruns of The Office. 

We got going early on Saturday for a fun day along Route 9. We hit Treasures Past first, where I picked up two tables for bedsides that have a bookshelf under them. I got one from there last year and was thrilled to walk in 20 minutes after they opened to find these for $12 each. A freaking steal, and they were just dropped off that morning. I will paint them as I did with the one I got last year. 

Next we popped into CoHo Antiques before heading on to historic Cold Spring Village - we thought the grounds were open despite the buildings being closed but that was not the case. We took a quick walk around the perimeter before heading out again to Treehouse Antiques of Cape May. Wonderful owners, great conversation, and two mid century mod dining chairs I am obsessed with. I only wish there were two more! We popped in to Aldi on the way back and that was that. A successful day out!

When we got back, we took a family walk to the beach then came home to watch Beckham. Doesn't Mr. Rooney look like a muppet dog?

Sunday MFD headed back to Philly and I had a nice slow Sunday - lots of coffee, read a book, took a long walk in the afternoon that included a Kohr Bros cinnamon/pumpkin twist, thundering waves, surf watch, and sunshine. I made steamed broccoli and salmon for dinner and stayed up later than normal watching Bakeoff. 

weekending reels on Instagram - current favorite weekend look back mode.

Friday Files 4.28.2023

What it looks like on the bay and what it looks like less than 10 minutes later on the windows four blocks up the street. I have spent so much life chasing light without regret.

My shore corner store (Boyar's) is back, baby! I'm super thrilled. I ate meals from their hot case and ordered this week. They got new produce cases and I'm thrilled even though it costs a king's ransom for any of it. In the summer I'll pay it to be able to walk

Seen while walking

Imagine being this dog. A big galoot for a pug who still insists on being a lap dog. His feelings are very hurt because we've been walking for about an hour after work every night and he is a couch dog by now. I used to walk him miles all over this town when he was a puppy trying to get him to be less afraid of people. That didn't work, but it did encourage him to be more at home among pillows and blankets. Ben is the best good boy and would walk with me forever.

Travel is back back back. I did some more refining of Griswold Summer European Vacation trip this week and booked Vatican tickets. I also booked one of my top three must see before I die destinations for February: Morocco. I've wanted to go since I first set foot in EPCOT's version when I was like five or six years old, and it's been high on MFD's radar for the past 10+ years as well so it's perfect. Our travel priorities do not always align LOL. I got an absolutely tremendous deal - the total for flights/hotels/transfers/breakfasts was the same for two of us as I've been pricing out for one of us over the past 1.5 years, and in the pre-Covid years as well. I booked this trip as a one stop shop, where a company books your flights/hotels/transport between cities. I'm comfortable doing that but it's nice to take a break from that too, so when going to countries where I am less familiar with how the transit works - and where there is a language barrier I consider more surmountable than usual - I don't mind having a company do that. Especially when they run insane deals.

If you are free to travel whenever you want, there are some great deals out there for Europe airfare right now.

Speaking of travel...have you ever noticed that most of the complaining reviews of anywhere international - countries, hotels, services, etc - are made my Americans? It's like if it doesn't work exactly the same as it does in America, people lose their fucking minds. I hate it.

I have also ordered several dresses that I do not need for Europe, but want to try anyway. 

Billy Hicks the Creep lording over those of us in the backyard before I left Philly this week

Why I do not buy shit in stores anymore - nor do I buy it online of the stores that have locked every fucking thing up. What the fuck kind of country values corporate profit over health and has its citizens in a position where they don't make enough to cover necessities. 

Not interested in uniting with flag humpers who surely stand for law and order yet park in a fire lane and sit there while behind them the parking lot is a sea of empty spots. If you are with someone who needs door drop off, do that then park your car. 

No, I am not happy Joe Biden is running again. I wasn't happy he was running the first time, or that he won the nomination. Yes I will be voting for him because despite what internet commenters think, no one is going to challenge him. Not because there isn't someone better, but because we do not currently exist in a system where someone from within the party is going to challenge an incumbent president and the main reason we are not in that system is lack of campaign finance regulations and the existence of Citizens United. Get money out of politics, as I have said ad infinitum. And yes, not voting for Biden by simply refraining from the vote or writing in someone who will not win is a vote for fascism. Fascism as conducted by the GOP is unfolding in FL, TN, OK, and MT in ways we have not seen before - in the censure of democratically (the process, not the party) elected lawmakers at the state level. This is well beyond the fascist book bans, anti-abortion, anti-trans, anti-Black, anti-gay methodology we are more familiar with. This is very fucking serious shit and if you care about not living in a fascist country, vote for Biden or commit to the revolution, which will be violent out of necessity because things have gone well too far. Since no one could even commit to a national strike or halfheartedly throw a Molotov cocktail in response to a corrupt court striking down Roe or in response to the gun murders we are subjected to daily, both actions which would be and have been done in other countries for those things and much less, people who think they know in the comment sections can STFU. This is fucking dire. 

Coming to the end of dogs on the regular beach season in Ocean City. We are not okay. We can still drive to Dog Beach, but we are not okay.

The faces of the beach this week.

And the bay...they imploded boiler units on the former power plant that is across the bay from us. The smokestack is coming down in the future too and internet commenters are...lamenting this as a loss in the landscape? Just because it's always been in your sunset photos doesn't mean it belongs there. It is a fucking phallic smoke stack of a shut down power plant,  not a fucking lighthouse! What's to mourn?

Today is super rainy so we've not been out much...we're living on the memory of the previous few days, where we've spent at least an hour outside after work every day walking around.

Have a good weekend! Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day - support your local! 

Friday Five 4.2.2021

1. I walked past the catholic church at the end of my street while Holy Thursday mass was in session last night. A door was propped open and I could hear singing. It would be nice if all church doors were open and welcoming of all people. As they are.  

2. Friday reminder from your favorite (?) feminist buzzkill to drink your water. 

3. I love seeing discarded flowers on the beach. I think up all kinds of stories surrounding them. 

4. We're under construction replacing our apartment entry off the drive here to attempt to address a structural issue in the house. Door replacement is next, all doors are finally in. 

5. You need these in your Easter baskets, peeps. My oreo testing family friends Ashley & John & their girls had these on the Instagram and I was like hell yes these are for me and they were, indeed, for me. 

What else? Kate and Dan are up in the house with the kids. Mom and Rich and Debbie were supposed to be here also, but best laid plans...Mom sent food though! 

I put all my Covid vaccine stuff in a story highlight on Instagram. 

My back is out like the 44 year old I am, and I was googling local chiros last night since mine is in Philly and I haven't seen him since February 2020. I also googled elderly foot care for foot pain and came up with articles about seniors so maybe elderly is not a good word for my age LOL. I bought heat tape for the shore to add to my pre-season list and have plans to hit the local meat shop around the corner as they open this weekend. 

You? 

Happy Friday, Happy Passover as I only said that out loud on Instagram last week, and Happy Easter! 

TWTW - the one with no title

Friday was finishing cleaning the house before 7 am, working from the shore with my canine coworkers, painting my nails (Rimmel Red Hot Chili Pepper) at lunch, meeting weekend renters, a visit to the angry sea and boardwalk bike ride after work, making a vat of chicken salad and hanging with the dogs on the porch. Since I was up at 5, I was in bed by 7 and asleep by 9. 

Saturday was a beautiful day, a full day, yet not an easy day. I'll try to write more about that tomorrow. Started it out with a 5 am walk with all dogs, then sunrise on the beach with Bruce.

A visit to Dog Beach for all dogs, much to Mae's dismay.

An hour plus reading on the windy AF beach and watching a fool get whistled off the slippery AF pipe.

A bike ride to the bay for sunset.

Lots of dog time including their favorite time (bone time), finishing a book, starting another, and caprese for dinner. 

Sunday was cleaning up dog poop at 4 am but then sleeping in until 6:20, walks, and porch time. Just Bruce at Dog Beach while the old dogs rested. Cleaning up the apartment before a bike ride and beach afternoon for the Air Show where I finished a book and also had ice cream.

Cleaning up the house after the renters left (late). I didn’t get home until 10:30 and to sleep at midnight. 

Weekly food prep: breakfast is breakfast burritos from the freezer (will also be making more of those to freeze this week), lunch is PB&J, snacks are bananas and cucumbers and celery, dinners are Mexican stuffed shells from the freezer and whatever soup I happen to pull out of the freezer. 

I'm off today watching my niece and nephew and it's the one year anniversary of Geege dying so their funny little selves will be a good distraction. I know he's with me, but I miss the touchable presence of my soul mate dog as much today as I did in the weeks after. 

Local friends, are you around Wednesday night? MFD is having a fundraiser at Katie O'Donnell's near Franklin Mills with Ed Rendell and Larry Arrata. Committee people $15, Student $10, supporter $27, Sponsor $100, host $2500. Light apps included, drinks are on you. Will I see you there? Buy tickets here.

Happy happy birthday to my friend Shelby today! 

Hope you all had a great weekend! I need to change my tag after TWTW. After over seven years of TWTW, I'm running out of the one withs.

Thursday Thoughts - morning has broken

Biking everywhere.

Writing this on the same morning I'm publishing it. I started blogging that way back in 2011, but as time went on I found it harder to throw something together in the mornings. I still love writing live more. It's truly a reflection of the morning mood, not what I anticipate my mood might be the next morning; and a gauge of what I'm thinking about in the moment, not what I was thinking about last night.

Sitting on porches with dogs.

Riding in cars with dogs.

Roaming free on beaches with dogs.

Tiring dogs right the fuck out.

Wishing my smartest sassiest cutest goddaughter a very happy birthday today.

Painting the kitchen ceiling and bathroom ceilings at the shore. Priming, that is. They need to be gone over with Killz-ish primer every once in a while because it's so humid down here.

Hoping my diatomaceous earth concoction will draw the oil spills up out of the driveway from renters using the grill.

Sprucing up the apartment porch.

Spending time on the beach with MFD, which has been rare this year. He goes home this morning and takes the dogs.

Sweating my ass off. It's been excessively humid this week.

Reading:  I finished a book Thursday night and have read three more since then. I'll finish the fourth today - an advanced reader copy of the newest from Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones and The Six. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. I love my book tees but this one has become a painting tee.

Thanking the universe that I spend so many mornings sitting alone on the beach at dawn. When I get there my mind is whirring but after about 15 minutes without even realizing it I exhale and there is just peace, no matter what is going on. I've needed that a lot this year. 

Counting down the days until this election is over. 61. 

Wondering if someone is wearing the flip flops I lost Tuesday. I was on the beach, moved my chair closer to the water, and when I came back they were gone. I'm glad it was an old pair.  

Reminding us all:

E-carding: Plans for the next two days minus cleaning up the house for weekend renters, putting another coat of primer on the ceilings, and continuing the DE experiment.

What's new with you?

Linking up with Kristen

TWTW - the one that happened almost a week ago now

Since I use this sort of as a diary of where I was, here it is anyway.

Friday night I had to run MFD back and forth to get tires fixed, then it was Jane's surprise 70th - Jane has always been like a second mom to me and she's Stephen's actual godmother. She also doesn't look a day over 50. It was nice to see everyone! We got home around 11 and fell out around 12.

Saturday I was on the way to the shore solo by 7:30, armed with coffee and a large to do list. Turnover was sweaty and frantic as I attempted to locate mysteriously missing blinds, which the newest guests ended up finding, and had a nervous breakdown over a fake bug that I thought was real. The last photo is what turnover aftermath looks like in my apartment. Also check out that amazing chalk art someone left.

Beach, pizza, and asleep 10:30.

Sunday was one of the best days ever. I saw the sunrise, got my favorite takeout coffee, made up some shower spray and foaming hand soap, organized things for next weekend, cleared up the turnover detritus, and was on the beach by 9:30. I read two books, had a buffalo chicken panini and frozen yogurt for lunch, people watching including a photo shoot, and didn't make it back home until almost nine hours later. A quick shower and run over to 16th Street Seafood to get scrimps and fried mac and cheese. I let my phone die and totally peaced out and it was amazing. MFD and the dogs arrived after midnight.

Monday I took a bike ride, then we had breakfast at Dockside Kitchen with MFD and our friend Joe. I went to the library before hitting the beach to continue reading in my natural habitat. We had a delicious dinner at OC Eatery then went up to the boardwalk to people watch and poke around in stores. We were assed out by 11 as were the dogs.

Tuesday started at the dog beach and Bungalow Bowls with Bruce Springsteen. We spent the day down at Corson's Inlet. No crowds, lots of surfing, a unicorn in the waves, cheesy poofs for lunch, more books, MFD on the phone working much of the time (many people think he is no longer selling real estate since he's running for office but he certainly is - that's how we pay bills so if you're in the market to buy or sell in PA or NJ, let me know), home to do some frantic cleaning up and packing, last bike ride on my yellow bike as I took it over to drop it off (Carol gave me her old bike, stay tuned for my new ride), and finally leaving with the dogs just before 9 only to hit g.d. traffic on the way home. Seriously, 95? It was nice to spend time together at the shore where I was sure we'd be every weekend this year, but you never know what's coming and you have to adapt. I think we've done well given everything we have going on individually. We're still here and we still like each other, so that's good.

Weekly food prep - LOL, no. I worked from home yesterday so I could be available for the comedy show of getting my Dad back from knee replacement surgery with Carol. A painful thing but we had a lot of laughs. I also went to two libraries - the Langhorne one to drop off Lola's books and the Philly one to return and pick up mine (that's three different library systems for me since Monday for those counting). Last night I packed up to go to the lake with the girls and my travelling Wilbury dogs this weekend so I ordered pizza from a new place and called it a day. I'll get back to food prep Sunday. Maybe. Maybe not. It is the slide into the deepest summer after all.

So on the eve eve of the next weekend, let me ask you how your last weekend was. A derr, right?

Sponsored post on here yesterday which long time readers should have known was sponsored right away by the title, and two more coming. When I need time off I don't mind filling in with posts I would never write that someone might like to read, especially if I get paid for them. I'm still recovering from the substance abuse post I did and will be skimming my own surface for a bit. 

Thursday Thoughts clearly has the day off today for the first time in a long time. Pumped for the criminal justice reform victory in the form of Wesley Bell in St. Louis. Disappointed in Ohio and Michigan primary results but the show must go on. 

Also, local friends, MFD is having a fundraising taco party in South Philly Monday night. I'd love to see you even if we've never met face to face! You can buy tickets that start at $25 here.