snippets of the weekend 7.17.2023

Summer scummer bum around weekend, second in a row

Waited for our plumber to come and fix the outdoor shower leaks then got the fuck out of the shore Friday at noon because the vibe from the two week renters who had been in for a week was totally off. MFD stayed to fish. At home I puttered around, made spaghetti with veggie meat sauce I had in the freezer, watched the Wham! documentary on Netflix, and then The Outlaws. Passable to zone out to but not an award winner. Wham! was great. I listened to them all weekend, including through the ill-fated attempt to assemble an IKEA Billy bookcase that was literally crumbling before assembly. I got grocery delivery through Weiss via Amazon and it was awful - do not do it, local friends. All produce was turned or about to and the half and half was expired. 

Saturday and Sunday cat visits at Aubrey & Stephen's. I found a new to me pedicure place right up the street from my house. Painted my nails at home. Got flowers from Produce Junction. Made wings in the air fryer. Read two books. Hung with my dogs - Ben in his replacement bed that is way too large because I am not gifted in eyeballing things especially when ordering online LOL

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

snippets of the weekend 7.10.2023

Summer scummer bum around weekend. 

First try at Friday hours shutting down at noon on Friday was a success. Beach with MFD, corned beef from the crockpot with a side of Boyar's potato salad for dinner, a night on the couch. 

Saturday turnover solo after a very nice family left. Beach. Books. Fresh veggies Boyar's hotcase for dinner. Couch. Person checking in not arriving until Sunday.

Sunday beach day. Playa Bowls mango base. Seagulls. Watched belongings of folks who went into the ocean in their full on clothes including socks. A beautiful summer rain on the porch. 

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

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

Thursday Thoughts: We were standing on the edge with the sand under our feet

Feels like summer. Do do do do do do do do

I have seen my BFF Kim and her family nearly every day this week and loved it. A sweaty as F Farmer's Market outing Wednesday. 

Brown's donuts are delightful even if they arrive mangled. The combination of a hot off the press and long walk doesn't make for pretty, but their recipe is always delicious. As is Steve's breakfast. 

Lots of time on the boards this week - storm rolled in on Tuesday.

Libby and I met up with Amanda, Eva, and Donna on Wednesday. Then I had a glass of wine with Kim & Steve on the deck. Solid Wednesday night, they are rarely that good. 

Glimpses of nice evening skies, but no super moon on Wednesday. There was a shelf of clouds just off-shore. 

Nail talk. I got gel polish at the nail salon before we went on our road trip vacation. The last time I got gel polish was before I went to Ireland in 2016. I absolutely hate my nails after and that's what I'm going through now. That shit under the lights absolutely weakens your nails and they are bending and chipping and annoying AF right now. And I say that as someone who has almost superhuman strong nails. 

The first month without Show Us Your Books linkup since October 2014. It would have been Tuesday. It still feels like freedom. I'll be posting a what I've been reading post at the end of July. 

My black and white animals frequently conspire.

My Ben and Bruce are much nicer. Bruce, much lazier.

I watched snippets of the Uvalde school shooting video yesterday. This wrecked me for the day. To see police standing lackadaisically in the hallway, getting hand sanitizer. Looking at the freaking punisher screen saver on the phone in their hand instead of rescuing children who were getting shot. The shots are heard clearly in the video. The screams of the children were edited out. Not for those police standing in the hallway though. They heard the screams. And did nothing. So much for the good guys with the guns counteracting mass shooter theories, huh? Hero worship, near blanket immunity from prosecution, a ruling of the supreme court in 2005 that police do not have a constitutional duty to protect people from harm, and back the blue flags have led to this. It is not fixable within the current system. It is not fixable when governors like Greg Abbott fight to not release the videos. And when the Mayor instead of criticizing the lack of response criticizes the media for releasing them. Is this not clear to people, still? 

Local to me abortion supporters: I hope you have followed abortionfunds and signed up for more info - if you have, and you are near me, you should have gotten an email from Abortion Liberation Fund of PA. Please follow them on IG, access/read/share their Post-Roe Tool Kit, and consider making a one time - and, ideally, monthly donation if you are financially able to, and if not share their organization. They were formerly Women's Medical Fund and have been operating in Philly since 1985, and in a post-Roe world protecting and expanding abortion access through direct service and community organizing. With PA state senate having begun the process through the passage of SB 956 to add an amendment to the state constitution that would criminalize abortion and other critical reproductive healthcare - denying the right to abortion care in Pennsylvania even in cases of rape, incest, or life threatening conditions AND pre-empt any state court from protecting abortion care in the absence of federal protections...which is weird since people have been shrugging their shoulders and saying it's not illegal, it's just back to the states...then GOP state senators are passing bills like this out of committee at 11:45 at night, past curfew, and without input from the citizens they represent; federal GOP going after abortion access everywhere for the last 50 years, and democrats not being aggressive enough, we are responsible at the community level to keep each other safe and rely on the networks established abortion funds have built over years. At this time, that mostly means talking about abortion, sharing resources like these, and donating as much as you can. Sharpen your teeth and protect each other.

In the background of everything, an attempted presidential coup it is quite clear the majority of elected GOP officials knew was happening with a false claim of a stolen election and they did absolutely nothing about it. So the attempted coup, then, is not just presidential, but Republican, and now there is a judicial coup in process while republican legislatures in states attempt to limit voting rights and criminalize abortion so that people convicted lose their voting rights. Fascism isn't coming, it's here. What are you going to do now? Nothing, like the DOJ is doing to people who will not comply with subpoenas? Nothing, like the DOJ is doing with the former White House squatter who is attempting to contact witnesses that have not yet testified against him?

To think about, as collected by We the Urban:

Endlessly becoming. I don't know why anyone ever thinks they are done becoming in this life. We are becoming constantly. Done means dead to me. I love this poem by Lucille Clifton. I mean... a changed changer, I continue to continue. How can you not think about that at pop up points always after first reading it 20+ years ago? It is amazing writing.

I'm off tomorrow. Hallelujah & amen

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Feels Like Summer by Samuel Jacks

Snippets of the weekend 7.11.2022

Tremendous skies Saturday and Sunday nights. Neon lights on amusement piers. Friday early evening in the North End with MFD. Quality time with Kim, Libby, and Steve Saturday and Sunday. Hydrangeas peaking. Sea glass Sunday after Saturday night's passing rain shower. 

Easy turnover on Saturday, returning guests checking in. Sign back in to the zillion streaming services. Replace broken lamp. Iced coffee making disaster due to coffee pot not on correctly resulting in coffee allover the table, shelves, boxes, under couch...bumping into Sunday morning alone time serenity. The only way to make hard boiled eggs for eternity now is in the air fryer, Preheat for 5 at 400, cook for 16 at 260.

Ice cream season. Sandwich season. Walk to the corner store for grocery shopping season.

Dogs off to Philly with MFD Saturday afternoon for a few days while he has work stuff. Shifty cat left with me.

TWTW - the long Labor Day one

Friday Our last guests of the season checked out. On my lunch I cleaned the house. MFD went to the laundromat and refilled water jugs. Dad and Carol arrived before 5, Stephen soon after, and Aubrey and the kids by 6:30. We got pizzas from Angelo's and had leftover cake from my dad's official official retirement. He "retired" last year, but was still working eight days a month to transition out this year. Friday was officially his last day of work ever. He was with his company for 45 years. Congrats Dad! We were celebrating that and MFD's ability to smoke in his own driveway again.

Saturday We were on the beach early, and my dad and brother biked down to see a high school football game since my brother's school was playing in it. It was a great long beach day Debbie arrived in the middle of followed by a boardwalk night. And my first pumpkin/cinnamon swirl of the season. 

Sunday Aubrey did her chalk art driveway sign for the September 1 birthday babies and we were on the beach early again but hooo boy the winds. It was excessive and untenable but we did last much longer than I thought we would. In the end we left around two and the ladies did some Asbury shopping while the boys did party prep and arcades. 

Driveway Party 2021: Guess what time Mike will be home, rain delay, charcoal grill smokeout, roasting marshmallows, bingo, pin the teeth on the shark (all three Stephens placed), chalk art (Aubrey, family artist), pie eating contest I was sure I would win but Dad won, and prizes for all. It was a great time. Thanks to our family Activities Director Carol for another fun Driveway Party!

Monday We did masks per Lola's request, then headed to another perfect beach day. Debbie left in the afternoon and we did a family photo before my brother had to take off  earlier than planned due to BatteryGate 2021. I went up to the boards with Aubrey, the kids, Dad and Carol and we got curly fries, lemonade, chicken fingers, and Opa for dinner before doing two rides and the arcade and walking back. 

Tuesday The best day off is the day after Labor Day. Carol and I got donuts from Nauti Donuts, we did the beach, Aubrey and the kids and Mike left, and Dad and Carol and I cleaned up, had 16th Street Seafood for dinner and ice cream cake. I was laying down by 9:30. 

Consider this Thursday Thoughts as well? I love our Labor Day weekend time.

TWTW - the one with the girls at the lake

Friday if I was any more relaxed, I would have been dead. Mom and I got to Lori's lake house around 8:30 on Thursday night and settled into relaxation station. Lolling around just being and enjoying the silence for most of the day, painting nails (Lori gave me the blue color and I'm super jazzed), snacking, playing with the dogs in the yard, reading. Melissa arrived early afternoon and Debbie early evening and we did more sitting around and talking before hitting the hay.

Saturday we headed into Montrose to do some strolling and shopping early with the Bs. There's the cutest store there that looks like it's just a flower shop and while it is it also sings to my tie dye loving heart. I got a dress and headbands there thanks to Lori!

We came back and chowed down, did a little floating and relaxing, talked talked talked, went for ice cream, and rounded the day out with CAH and hair mane games.

Sunday I woke up to let the dogs out at 5:30 and Bruce had an accident then had super hurt feelings about it and was shaking for an hour. Loon. I finished a book over coffee and we sat out on the porch together before Mom and I hit the road around 10:30. I love this weekend. It is super relaxing, we are all so easy together, it's beautiful up there, my dogs can be there, Jack pops in, and Lori is a wonderful hostess. Love my ladies! I stopped at a farmers market off the turnpike on the way home, dropped Mom off, got home and changed our sheets and washed towels, and took a little snooze. MFD got home from the shore and we went for sushi at Sakura. 

Carol's birthday was Sunday. Happy birthday Carol! We love you! Thanks for everything you do for us. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is breakfast burritos. Lunch is zucchini pie. Snacks are grape tomatoes, blueberries, peaches. Dinners are tomato sandwiches and corn on the cob and pasta with lemon and broccoli. I didn't need anything for today so the zucchini pie will get made tonight. 

Show Us Your Books tomorrow! See you here for that.