Thursday Thoughts - Reminded who are we by the girls of wild strawberries

I carried a watermelon. MFD wanted to run and get his camera to capture the moment. 

Pasta salad season. Mine varies but is typically a Barilla veggie pasta base, some type of cheese, and obviously veggies. I lean to cucumber, broccoli (I throw it in with for the last minute and a half of pasta cooking), olives (kalamata in here but open to all), grape tomatoes, a bit of red onion, italian salami, an orange pepper that was about to go down, garlic salt, onion salt, garlic powder, and Olive Garden dressing. It's like a complete meal for summer. 

Getting rental season ready by doing things we could have done all winter. Insert upside down smiley face here. Painting shelves, touch up paint, trim paint touch ups, having powder room sink braced by a local handyman, replacing broken trim pieces, dry wall repair, Mermaid surgery to reattach the hangers to the back, anticipating arrival of new bench and stools that will need assembly. When I paint furniture these days, I prefer the Heirloom Traditions All in One Paint. No prep aside from cleaning needed, dries quickly, and it lasts. This is it after 1.5 coats in Capri on the right, I left it intentionally distressed in spots. It is pretty impossible to fuck up. I am painting two dressers this fall, one in navy and one probably in tea rose. 

Multiple mass shootings since Uvalde - which I wrote at length about last week - we have work to do as citizens. We cannot accept strangled minority rule. We must become ungovernable in the current system, and everyone operating in it holding change back must go, regardless of who they are and what "side" they represent. Follow Emilyinyourphone on Instagram, who is bringing action items as they come. Follow Shannon Watts, who founded Moms Demand. Moms....demand action here. Please. I am sorry it is falling on you like most things do, but if you just continue the work school after school activity wash rinse repeat nothing will change and we really need it to. We're all being ground down to not have the energy to effect change, but we must. We cannot have kids dying like this in America when it is not happening elsewhere on the globe where there are also guns, mental illness, otherness, misogyny, etc. These shootings and this culture of violence is entirely preventable and all of us are responsible for breaking the broken system. Some thoughts that resonated with me. 

Reminder, especially to women who are chastised for being aggressive or too much when working for something you care about, like kids being safe in schools. 

General reminder.

Analog LOLs

My perfect iced tea is brewed in a maker, and it's Boston Mint-in-Tea with a smidge of sugar and some fresh citrus, whatever is available

Happy happy birthday to my lady loves of over 30 years, KVSR who had her birthday yesterday and Kim who celebrates Sunday. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Girls of Wild Strawberries by Guided by Voices

Thursday Thoughts - day after day it reappears

Thrifted. I love my shore thrift store. I was going to drag my big ass iced tea maker down but I got this baby one for there and two round cake pans because I only have those at the shore and have to bring them back to Philly when I need them. 

Monday was a lovely weather day. The rest of this week, not so much. 

Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. I've had at least two long, out loud laughs at lines in this book. That's rare for me, and appreciated. 

This week is National Library Week. My love letter to libraries went on Instagram but I wanted to make sure to acknowledge it here. 

Abortion on demand, without apology. The laws close in, more and more anti-woman legislation. Zero legislation or provisions to care for children already here or coming. Pro-birth is fucked up. Oklahoma, you are the latest in the demonic and disappointing behavior of falsely moral legislators. Fuck all of you. 

Office day. I'm in the office today, which I had to mentally prepare for all day yesterday even though this was my standard routine for almost 12 years prior to Covid. My, how we've changed. My brain will never be the same. If the commute didn't suck so hard, I'd be in more.

Greed is destroying us. It's wild out there. 

This is from this day in history, but for tomorrow. 79 years ago on April 8.

Forward, always. No matter what.

This cat acts like it came from an alley instead of a bougie kittery. He is in everyone's business, is scrappy AF, hunts birds and squirrels, eats bugs alive, and helps himself to dog food and people food.

My wish for all people is to be willing to take a swing and live life off-recipe. This week I made trash can tacos (should I trademark?) in which everything immediately expired, about to expire, or taking up room in the fridge with 1/4 left in the container went into the mix and they were amazing. I also made some concoction with similar - a week expired pasta, a jar of DiBruno cheese spread, the end of an everything goat cheese log, some spinach, green onions about to go, the last 1/4 of the broccoli slaw bag, olive oil, and I forget what else - and that turned out fine. Two cheers for being resourceful and no food waste. With the price of food right now, it makes the idea of food waste even more repugnant to me. 

Recommend. 

Last food item. I ordered Jeni's for the strawberry pretzel but am head over heels for the pineapple upside down cake. 

Ukraine. What next. What next. It reminds me of that Men at Work Overkill lyric, "I can't get to sleep. I think about the implications..." 

Do one small thing. When I am sluggish or unmotivated, I do one small thing. Likewise, when the world feels heavy or overwhelming, I do one small thing. I cannot stop war, but I can advocate for peace. I cannot help all refugees, but I can sign up to host or donate to fund one. I cannot battle the government zealots intent on outlawing abortion everywhere, but I can provide resources and support for other women. I cannot cure childhood hunger but I can find mutual aid groups in neighborhoods near me and donate food, time, money. I cannot eradicate racism, but I can be loud about anti-racism.

Happy 8th Birthday to Eva, it was Tuesday.

The week in dogs. Bruce doesn't act the same in Philly, it takes him a few days to settle back in here and relax. Ben is comfortable destroying shit everywhere. And no one cares if humans need pillows.

Happy Friday eve!

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Overkill by Men at Work

Thursday Thoughts - good night and joy be with you all

1. Happy St. Paddy's Day. You are a fucking delight and the pot of gold is inside yourself. Roasted corned beef on deck for today. 

2. I miss celebrating my birthday with my Grandmom - mine was Tuesday and hers today - we would alternate picking restaurants to go to and she always had corned beef for St. Paddy's Day. Hers was the best. 

3. I did much of nothing on my birthday, which was the plan. I had spent the weekend in reflective mode, which is typical for birthday time. MFD waited on me hand and foot, I read a whole book, unboxed my new homemade quilt made by Lori, had my favorite pepperoni & provolone bagel for breakfast, went on a long walk, spent a lot of time outside, was at the beach twice, took an afternoon nap, had a nice dinner out, and caught the tail end of a nice sunset. And of course I took the day off of work. Things of course went not according to plan also because this is real life - our street was dug up right outside my window at 7 am so no sleeping in, the restaurant I wanted to go to was not open Tuesday - but it was a good day and I am still here to age when so many people are not. This is 45 and it is damn good to be here. I wrote a bunch of phone notes that never transferred to a blog post but this is my instagram birthday caption where I try to collect my thoughts from the day. 

4. The electric work I had done in the main shore house was $300 over estimate because previous owners had cut corners. Use junction boxes, kids! I have three remaining that have not been replaced and now I'm moving that to the top of the list. Here are some of the new ones. I really love the hallway ones. Not pictured is a soft pink one for the small bath. I have a cheapie in the powder room, and need to repair the ceiling around it and put my preferred lightbulbs in all of them. All the interior door hinges and knobs are being switched out to black in May. The lights were those hideous boob lights and I'm glad they're gone. Just three more to go.

5. I am convinced that 99% of people who design sun hats have never sat on the beach all day in the slightest wind and absolutely never put their creation on with a pair of large sunglasses. Despite this belief, I continue to search high and low for one that I can lean my head back in, that won't fall off if you whisper at it, can be worn with large sunglasses, provides facial coverage from the sun but doesn't have an enormously ridiculous brim so I can't see a fucking thing, and doesn't give me a headache after 30 minutes. The first test of the season is on its way to me. 

6. We tried Crumbl cookies last week. They were fine? We got all six flavors for the week and I only loved one. The chocolate chip is straight trash, I stand by this statement. I need to get off the Sugar Dragon's back things are bad right now. My mom just loaded us up with Easter candy too. We are eating it all like fat asses then going straight to vegetables and fruit. Contact me for all of your nutrition needs. 

7. A good week on the beach, all days. 

8. The world is heavy to live in. Help people however you can, and accept help yourself when it is offered. 

9. Reminder via thepaperfern: I saw this just when I needed to, which happens a lot. This quote from Glennon Doyle is important - we focus so much on happiness that when I feel other sorts of ways, I am annoyed at myself. Like pissed off when my feelings are hurt which is...no. All of these things are a part of being human - we don't exist only in situations that feel good. Disappointment is the hardest thing to swallow, isn't it? 

10. Ecards - 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is The Parting Glass, this version is The Dubliners

Thursday Thoughts - Could you smile when inside you just want to cry, want to cry

1. Sometimes I get stuck in a loop with a song, and it's never a new song. Last year it was Midnight Blue at some point by Lou Gramm. Right now it's If I'd Been the One by .38 Special. Who I always envision in my head as ZZ Top even though I know they do not look like ZZ Top. They look like this. And of course the title lyric is from this song. This has been a glimpse into the mind of an 80s kid. Come back any time.

2. This week's birthday month behavior: painted my nails and toes at home, got my hair spruced up by Kristi at Salon Harmony (this is the before, obvi), did some maintenance acupuncture for wellness, made a comfort food casserole as part of my use all the shit in the freezer and pantry quest, and ordered two holographic nail polishes from mooncat. 

3. We also caught The Dinner Party episode of The Office, which is one of the top TV show episodes of all time. 

4. I was in the city yesterday, which means elevator selfies and other people's coffee and train station steps. And not much else because the rain. I was there with no umbrella or hood like an idiot (descrip below) who has forgotten how to operate in public. I also had to use my wool jacket as an umbrella to walk the half mile back to my car at the end of the day.

It also meant lunches out with coworkers, which I miss. Walking the three blocks back to my office in a particular monsoon time meant water literally dripping from my face and having to dry off with paper towels. Do not recommend. 

5.In many book talking spaces on the internet it appears people buy all books and when libraries are suggested it is clear they do not know libraries are free for ALL people, you just need a card. So in case anyone out there doesn't know, you don't need to buy ALL books. It is great to buy to support some authors and if you want to read books the library does not have, but in general please use your public libraries.  If you only read e-books, you can do that through your library as well and a librarian would be happy to help you figure out how to do that. Libraries are a community resource and one of the very few things in this country that remains FREE and available to ALL.

6. Do we need this at this time? I don't want to speak for you but I do not. Giant spiders dropping from the sky not welcome

7.  Pantry cleanout means mixing pasta remnants. MFD had to learn yesterday. I did a post on stretching your food budget yesterday. Not an easy world out there right now on so many fronts. Hope you're all hanging in there. 

8. Dad & Carol are here this week for dad's other cataract surgery. The dogs have been pleased. They get tired of just us sometimes...even if you can't tell from these pics

9. Reminder via itsbananacrush - I know when there is so much to be done or when so much is going on within you and around you it seems like the best option is to push through, but that's not usually the case. Most of the time it's to pull back and regroup. It took me a long time to learn this, I hope it takes you less. 

10. Ecards - 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is If I'd Been the One by .38 Special

Thursday Thoughts - waiting, waiting on a sunny day...gonna chase the clouds away

1. I bought a cotton sweater from the Gap for spring and I'm pretty sure I owned the exact one in a different color in 1992. I wish I saved my original JCrew rollneck cotton sweaters also, hell any 100% cotton sweater. They are the only ones I want to wear. 

2. Other birthday month behavior this week includes making a list of things I want to do, and assembling all of my hoarded gift cards so I can begin to place orders. Sephora down so far.

3. Billy thinks Ben is is best friend, but Ben is like Bill, I already have a best friend. You don't like him that much.

4. Does this sound nonsensical yet? I can't tell. I am high on hours worked, low on hours slept, and quite short on patience. Never a good combination. I can't keep up with everything this week and I felt that on Monday so I never tried. 

5. Last night on the beach felt like spring and I felt like crying in relief. This winter has felt both short and long.  The first set of pics is the photo I was going for and the two I got by accident LOL

6. I admire the Ukrainian people so much. This is where we see heroes, but we must not let that romanticize war in our minds. There's no fucking way anywhere should be at war in 2022. Anywhere. Regardless of the dominant skin color or religion of the region or the economic interest world super powers like the United States hold within. There is also no fucking way authoritarianism and fascism should be creeping up everywhere including and especially within the United States where we have made sure to destroy public ed to the point where people cannot even recognize authoritarianism and fascism when they see it. I am sick of the goddamn doublespeak in this country. You cannot salute WWII vets and also support people attempting to overthrow elections on a false premise. Get it the fuck together. The bombing of the Holocaust Memorial at Babyn Yar this week was just. I don't even know what to say. There is so much going on out there right now and it is hard to process in a 24/7 news cycle. Don't assume someone doesn't care because they're not speaking about it using avenues you have access to. Life goes on through everything, and so does joy and other emotions that don't match dire situations happening elsewhere. It always has, or we would not still be here. 

7. The State of the Union was fine. Joe is not the one, but I appreciate his leadership on the world stage right now. While I don't exactly jive with either of them, I appreciate the historic scene behind the President with women in both seats for the first time in the history of this country. If you don't think that matters, fuck off, I'm not the one. The photo to the right is reporters interviewing Boebert and Greene after the speech. 

8. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. 

9. Reminder via 

10. Ecards - 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Waitin' on a Sunny Day by Bruce Springsteen