Thursday Thoughts - I can cut the lawn, cut my hair, cut out my cholesterol

Scored a dresser for the shore house on Freecycle. Freecycle is king at the shore as we ramp up to rental season. I probably will not paint it (this year at least), but may change the hardware. I'm pumped, this was one of my few remaining want to dos before the season.

Forgotten annoyance. It's been a while, since 2019 or 2018, that I had someone cancel a week at the shore for no reason after they booked. I have one house and an 11 week season. If you sit on one of my weeks as claimed for six months and cancel, it is absolutely not the same as cancelling at a hotel. It re-booked but come on, dudes. 

Put lipstick on a pig bathroom almost finished. We just need a bar for the back wall that I'll put baskets on. This is how it looked when we bought the house and as we were taking down the top wall covering in 2020:

In 2021 MFD changed the top half of the walls.

This year we had the wall tiles and ceiling painted, I painted the floor, and we replaced the toilet and the light fixture. I just need to find a replacement bar that I can hang baskets from for TP, etc

Bay walks are back. I usually avoid them in the winter, for no reason.

Radishes in the air fryer. Olive oil, garlic powder, onion salt, salt. Preheat for 5, cook for 15. Radishes are too much for me raw but I love them like this. It changes the taste completely.

Flex time on nice days. Good times with Melissa and her crew this week, I grabbed a few hours out with them in the afternoon Tuesday before they left and worked at night since I was solo. I appreciate having the ability to work when it is best for me if there are no meetings. 

Unexpected work by the water company. I was out front at 7 yesterday on no coffee pushing down my White Ladies Wilding Out as the workers are not the ones responsible for not telling me this was happening. They will have to come back at some point and restore curbs and cement so we're not finished. 

New coworker. Billy is into my shore setup now.

Cute Easter bag from Carol. Cracked into her homemade candy eggs too - coconut creme for MFD, buttercream for me, PB for both. 

Mom and Rich arrive today, family weekend down this way. Hope you enjoy yours! Happy Passover and Happy Easter and if neither applies, happy weekend!

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Enid by Bare Naked Ladies

Thursday Thoughts - Excuse me, but can I be you for a while my dog won't bite if you sit real still

1. My main plans for this weekend are to peace the fuck out and spend the entire thing alone with no schedule or must dos/must be at/must attend/must get done. The last few weekends have been peopley and schedule/event oriented and while I love my people and have enjoyed my events, I am so looking forward to doing absolutely nothing that's been planned in advance.

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2. I would like to end the year less frazzled feeling so I think I'll likely dedicate some weekend time brainstorming and making lists. These are a few of my favorite things.

3. Tuesday was National Pug Day, which Bruce Springsteen would have you know is every day, okay. Every.day.

4. Yesterday we pulled the winners of the Show Us Your Books 5th Anniversary giveaway. Three Megans (well two Megans and one Meghan to be concise) were winners plus a Shawn and an Audrey. As Jana said, it was a good day to be a Megan.

5. I finished The Testaments by Margaret Atwood this week and started this book right after. From what I gather, at least the backdrop of the story will be the book women of KY, which I haven't heard more than a shout about in my life then I read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson in May and now this book. I liked Book Woman and I feel bad that it will be overshadowed by Stars given the larger name recognition of Jojo Moyes. There's apparently a buzz about these two books and I'm sort of shocked by the pull comparisons in this article someone shared on The Tumbling Nomads IG yesterday! The Moyes is dragging for me and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m anticipating a book similar to one I’ve already read, because I don’t like one of the main characters, or because I’ve been put off by the similarities pointed out in the article or what.

6. My nail polish did not hold up well this week. I look to get a solid six days out of it and that was absolutely not the case given that I painted them on Friday morning and they were chipped beyond repair by Wednesday night. I'm hoping for some more staying power this week. Pacifica Luxe Interior.

7. I put the moon pendant Lori got me last weekend on my Grandmom's long necklace and I'm quite pleased with it.

8. Last night’s weather was hell. There were no shuttles at the train station so I walked 3/4 of a mile in the pouring rain and took a direct wall of water hit from a passing car to the pants. I decided it was a good night for monkey bread, which never fails to bring my Home Ec teacher, Ms. Paxson, to mind.

9. Reminder: It's the little things that build the life.

10. Ecards. 

I couldn't even get into your president's nonsensical idiot letter to Turkey today because I just fucking can't. His irresponsible actions put American soldiers and allies in danger and they're releasing fucking ISIS prisoners which seems weird for the Muslim Ban supporters to be okay with. So foreign policy, much presidential. One hundred million eyerolls he is unfit for office fight me on this. 

Rest in peace, Elijah Cummings. A true patriot and public servant. 

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Silent All These Years by Tori Amos

TWTW - the one with the friends

Friday night dinner at Parx Grill with Frank & Amanda followed by entertainment by the hilarious Jim Breuer, and then we met up with my brother and Aubrey and other friends after. I was in a casino AND out until 11:30 on a Friday. Alert the media. We got home and I shredded chicken for Saturday while MFD washed both couches because of dog poop incidents. People arriving at 10 am Saturday? It's fine. Perfect timing for a poopacalypse.

Up and at it early on Saturday morning. I was out at the store and back, then I finished the shredded BBQ chicken in the crockpot, zucchini pie, and spinach casserole and frantically picked up the house and set up for coffee and breakfast. In a race against the clock, I did not make it into the shower before campaign volunteers arrived so hair washing was sacrificed for the cause. File under: you can't do it all. Team Debbie/me/Bruce were out on the morning and afternoon shift and Bruce got himself a seat at the table numerous times and it was so awesome to see my friend since elementary school Bridget both days this weekend. MFD has had awesome people out to volunteer for him the past two weekends - framily and people we've known forever and some we've just met in the past year. It's very humbling for people to give up their time for you.

Golden Girls Murder Mystery Dinner at the Cock 'n Bull (lol lol lolol) restaurant in Peddler's Village with some fine ladies on Saturday night, including the second night in a row I hung out with Amanda. The dessert was of course cheesecake because GOLDEN GIRLS. The poor three women sharing the table with the six of us were subject to poop and vomit stories as well as aggressive adult stories. At one point they were literally silent with their mouths hanging open.

Sunday I was up and out by 8:30 to DD then to visit my most adorable niece and nephew then off to ShopRite to pick up a few things. Another race against the clock to clear the kitchen from the day before, wipe down the bathrooms, get towels going, and pick up the house before volunteers arrived. I barely made it and definitely no shower until 2 pm so they saw me in all of my day old makeup and t-shirt glory. Bruce ate a coaster and made an enormous fucking mess while I was showering. I made soup for volunteers and did some campaign work while I stared at my book wishing I was reading it. I did finish it Sunday evening.  Oh and I painted my janky chipped nails before the Golden Girls Saturday night (Essie Swept Off My Feet and Essie Penny Talk).

Weekly food prep: lol. TBD. Maybe next weekend. 

Was it even the weekend? How was yours?

Happy birthday to my mother-in-law today! 

How Bruce Springsteen came to be - the dog, not the man

I know this is a post about how we got our dog, but I should be honest and say up front that I don't care how you get your dogs. I don't care if you're an adopt don't shop person, if you have a preferred shelter, if you have a preferred breeder, if you get them from a friend with a dog who had puppies, if you prefer to foster dogs versus own them, if you pick your puppy up off the side of the road, if you take a dog in someone is giving away. I don't care if you get whatever dog you click with at the time or if you look for a specific breed. I don't like that pet stores encourage puppy mills to remain in business, but at the end of the day I don't even care if you get your dog from there. Because all dogs need homes - puppies, older dogs, behavior problem dogs, pet store dogs, big dogs, small dogs, all freaking dogs.

I do care that you get the dog that is right for your family. At this time, I don't get big dogs because I don't have the time to give them the exercise they need and I don't have a yard big enough for them to get that on their own. Getting one because I'd like one would be good for me, shitty for the dog. Do your research. Think about how this dog will fit into your life now and five or 10 years from now. Weigh your ability to care for it this year and next year and eight years from now. Dogs depend on us to make good decisions starting with taking them into our homes. They are family. They deserve love, time, attention, excellent medical care, and quality food. If you look at some Freshpet reviews you will see what that food should look like. And if you cannot give them any of those things for any reason at any point in time, you can give them the next best thing to your home: a new one where they will get all of that.

I will never judge you for how you get your dogs, but I will judge the shit out of you for treating them poorly.

Let me remove myself from my soapbox to tell you how Bruce Springsteen the dog came to be.

When Geege died, I knew before he even went that we'd get another dog. I didn't know when or how, but I knew we'd get one. Two no longer felt like the right number, especially as the two dogs remaining were not bonded to each other at all and were missing the oil that made the engine run. To state the obvious, this puppy does not replace Geege. That's not how it works. In fact he makes me miss Geege more, and the first time I cried about Geege in over a week was the second day we had him. But he also makes me laugh and reminds me that even though my heart is shaped differently now from breaking and reassembling, it does still work as it should in giving and receiving love. 

Geege came to us via re-homing, as did Mae. I assumed this time we'd do the same for another dog, take one in who needed a home. I made some inquiries. Lori mentioned a puppy in Egg Harbor Township, and I was like nah.  I set up a meeting for Saturday morning for a pug in Lancaster that needed to be re-homed. That lady flaked on me and I thought let me put the brakes on this dog search. The more I thought about it the more I realized it would not be a good move for Mae or Gus or us to take in an older dog at this time. We needed an injection of youth. Nothing I came across felt like the right move, but it still felt like the right time. I think when someone or in this case somedog dies, you never stop missing them. The right time is when you think is the right time, whether that's the next day or never. 

I was looking for replacement dressers for the shore in the South Jersey Craigslist, searching by furniture and town when a listing for pug puppies came up in the shore town where we first took Gus and Geege as young dogs. People like me take a listing that comes up in the wrong place as a sign, 

I contacted the woman on Wednesday before I could even stop myself. Internally we had a lot of back and forth, mostly on MFD's part. We made an appointment for Saturday morning just to see. Well, for MFD to see...as soon as I woke up on Friday I knew in my gut it was right. I even ordered a crate and puppy stuff just in case.

Bruce Springsteen's dog dad Leo is now fixed, but as it happens Leo and dog mom Mia ended up with four puppies. The owners couldn't keep because they didn't have the space. They were really nice people, the puppies were well loved and well cared for, and the puppy parents were such good dogs. We will be keeping in touch so they can see Bruce as he grows up since we're only two towns over. I could not have asked for a better scenario.

Meanwhile if you told me a week ago I'd have a puppy on Saturday I would have laughed in your face. Life is funny. 

Bruce is home, and it's like he was always supposed to be here. We are all happy. And I know Geege led me to him, which makes me really happy.

When it's right, it's right. Another lesson in going with your gut even when it makes you feel crazy...maybe especially then. 

And if you got here because you were looking for how Bruce Springsteen the man came to be, there's a book for that.

Thanks to both of our moms for puppy help today! It takes a village even when they're furry.

TWTW - the last one with Geege

Geegie boy, forever would not have been long enough with you. Thank you for one more weekend of cheeseburgers and ice cream and a trip to the beach, of burrowing into my leg, of letting me lay with you and cry my heart out, of just being here. We tried to give Geege the best day ever Saturday so he went to the beach with us solo, rode in the front seat to feel the wind on his face, had ice cream, and didn't spend any time without one of us next to him. 

Geege, I will love everything about you always. I will miss everything about you always, especially your huge heart that in the end was not strong enough for all the love you had in it. I will remember everything about you always, especially never spending a day in your presence without your eyes on me all the time, how you greeted me ecstatically every time I came in the door even if I was only out front for two minutes, how you were always the best boy, how you had your own rabble rabble language, how you were a weekend warrior and always so tired on Mondays, 

how your tongue was always out when you were tired, how you liked to pause during walks and roll around in the grass, how much you loved to eat, how protective you were of babies, how you would wrap your tail around my wrist when I gave you your last pet at night, how we had a nose kiss/inside of the ear whisper ritual before I got in bed every night, how you lay on your dad's pillow before burrowing under the blankets in the winter, how bad your breath smelled but how much you loved to give soft kisses, how you loved your birthday cheeseburger on May 8, how I woke up with you laying back to back with me arching your head every once in a while to make sure I was still there, how you cried throughout our wedding ceremony because you were behind me and couldn't see my face,

how you were the only well behaved dog on car rides, how valiantly you patrolled the bay window ledge and front door, how you both barked and wagged your tail with your whole body, how much you hated fireworks and loud noises earning you the names Heebie Jeebie and Shakey Jakey, how you endured costumes stoically to humor me, how you always waited on the bathroom floor for me to get out of the shower, how you followed me around the house overseeing my chores, how good you were at putting up with Gus's jackassery and Mae's insertion into everything, how you loved the sun and the beach, how you were the best head tilter, how you always sniffed my eyes especially when I was upset, 

how you responded to each of your 190 nicknames, how you would sit languidly on my lap relaxing in the late afternoon sun letting me hold you during our porch sits, how you hated the heat but loved to dash through the snow, how you squeezed yourself into Mae's tiny dog bed, how you dug a nest to make yourself spots, how you weren't shy about making the other two move so you could sit with me, how you made every day okay even when it sucked, how much you loved all of us, how patient you were,

how very much you loved to run, and how you always ran like the wind but stopped at a certain distance to look back for me and wait for me to say go ahead Geege, mama's okay. So like I told you yesterday...go ahead Geege...mama's okay. Run like the wind forever. It is physically painful not to have you here but I am happy knowing you are running like the wind on the beach, through the fields near our house, all over Treat Lady's woods, and along Lake Chrisann as well as anywhere and everywhere I am. I'll carry you with me forever. You are at peace. I am at peace. So many people and dogs were there to greet you.

We are grateful that we had one last weekend together in the sun and in the comfort of our home, which will be okay of course, but never ever the same. We had the best life together, the four of us, then when Mae came the five of us.

Much thanks to Lap of Love for taking my phone call Friday night and for coming out on Sunday to our house so Geege could go peacefully at home on his couch surrounded by his pack. If you are local and you need to make this decision, please consider them. They are kind when you need it, truly compassionate, and make everything as easy as it can be. They left us with a paw impression and a lock of hair, and Geege's ashes will come back to us in a few weeks so he can be scattered in his special places.

Thanks so much to everyone for the lovely words and thoughts last week and especially this weekend. I absolutely loved sharing Geege with all of you - he was the best good boy and we all know it. I want you to know he was ready and at peace. If I have not responded individually, know that in that moment I could not and likely will not but I have read and absorbed and appreciated all of your kindness. Thanks for being with us in spirit, reading the terribly sad things we have posted on various forms of media way more than once, and being patient as we try to get the sad out so it can't take root inside. Thanks also to Kim and Mario who gave us Jake just before he turned three on May 6, 2007. He will always be one of the best gifts of our lives. This weekend was terribly painful but I would not give up one second of our 10+ years together to avoid one second of the grief.

Geege was thoughtful even at the end. I had all last week alone to grieve what was coming, and he knows I grieve best alone. He has watched me do it many times. Do you think dogs can be soulmates? He was mine. I will have other dogs but not another soulmate dog. He also knew his dad would need a few days when he got back, and he gave him that too. Yesterday we told the vet what we did with him on Saturday and he was shocked because by Sunday morning he was so very ready to go. We thought Geege's Best Day Ever was our last gift to him but it was actually his last gift to us. His heart and generosity with his love were huge even when the rest of his body was finished. 

Knowing it was time and having the vet confirm it does not make it any easier. I feel at peace because he is at peace and his comfort is more important to me than my own. Yesterday I learned that peace is not solace. I don't find solace anywhere right now. 

Universe, please be gentle with our household this week as our pack attempts to navigate the world with four instead of five. I feel like my skin is on inside out and I think every other living thing in this house feels the same. It's a very raw feeling like a small touch would burn. Sunday I did my food prep and over cooked my eggs and purged my house and read my book and acted in any way I could, because that's how I get through things. Action. Movement. And Geege was following me around like he always has and always will, watching that I do things right.

Goodbye for now in the physical sense, my best good boy.

Thursday Thoughts - what happened to April?

1. Tuesday morning I stepped into the elevator with a woman. I was digging around in my purse for my office key when I caught the tail end of, "wkjrojf smells so good." I said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She said, "Your coffee smells so good. I think it's your coffee. Unless you're wearing cologne that smells like coffee." Say what now? She was totally serious. I think it's the coffee, ma'am. Have a nice day now.

2. It's all fun and games until someone trips over the dog bowl and nearly breaks their face, which is a daily occurrence in our house. I don't know which ahole dog is trying to kill us or if they're all conspiring or what.

3. One week until my dentist appointment. Welcome to my personal march of doom countdown. Sit down! Relax. Enjoy. But don't google march of doom countdown. Weird things come up.

4. Is it Ellen who always wears sneakers with everything? That's going to be me soon. I have a real problem with athleisure shoes and sneakers at this time. I need to stop buying them.

5. Grumpy old men: pug edition.

6. Now that I'm at the shore most weekends, Wednesday night is sort of my hausfrau night. Last night I did some freezer cooking (finished up the breakfast burritos I started this weekend and made power breakfast muffins), changed the sheets and towels and did laundry. I've gone back to my pinterest love affair to figure my way out of this food rut and I don't care who knows. I'm in the process of laying waste to many of my boards on there, deleting a shit ton of things. So expect some revived weekly food prep around these parts. I hope.

7. The NFL draft is in Philly starting today. My walk to the library yesterday was not as pleasing as it normally is. People were in a hot rage over there, yelling at each other, cursing the construction on the Parkway near the draft, beeping. But the fountains are back on so it was a good day in my world. Except for the part where some angry woman gunned it through a stop sign crossing 19th Street and almost ran me over yesterday. She didn't care even a little bit.

8. If one goddamn program that helps citizens of this country is cut while that fucking bound to be ineffectual border wall gets funded and Cheeto Jesus's weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago and housing of his wife and child in New York at the expense of the taxpayers continue unchallenged and unabated, my head is going to spin off.

9. I feel a real need to fit in a quick trip to some Utah National Parks and the Grand Canyon because I don't know how this administration is going to attempt to fuck with federally protected lands. This executive order to review and remove protection from National Monuments so they can be drilled for oil and bullshit was one of my biggest fears from a Cheeto Jesus victory. This makes me sick to my stomach. Have these people never BEEN to the National Parks and Monuments great presidents had the foresight to protect under federal law throughout our history? So that we may see something as untouched as it's been for many years? No president has ever rolled back anything under protection of the Antiquities Act. This is fucking absurd at this point. So the rich get richer and all of our public land starts to look like the poor districts of the Hunger Games, abused and tapped out. Doesn't the president have anything more important to do, like fix the infrastructure and bring in bigly jobs like he promised? Why is he leaving those campaign promises until last and acting on the ones that benefit his businesses first? So weird, right? Crazy. It must be a coincidence.

10. E-card of the week: Tomorrow is National Super Hero Day (really). This one's for you golden gods:

You are the true heroes of the Internet. 

Linking up with Kristin & Joey