Thursday Thoughts - Same as the wind blows

1. Sometimes I have to walk past my dining room table and say FUCK IT! I'll do it tomorrow. This is a combination of stuff that came home from the shore, stuff that needs to go to the shore, stuff that was bought and needs to be returned, mail I went through, work bag, and empty clothes bag.

2. Have I mentioned how terrible pugs are with heat? Exhibit Geege.

3. Happy birthday to one of my BFFs today! Michelle is someone I'd call to help me bury a body and I'd expect the same call from her. Then we'd go out for Mexican after. I trust her implicitly, with anything and everything. Love you so much Michelle, have the best birthday!

4. Stamp options rock right now.

5. Do you guys wear Athleta? Pieces cost one million dollars each but good lord it is worth every blessed penny. It's comfortable and doesn't look like you're walking around town wearing a schlumpy bag of dicks. The metro line at least, of which I have shorts, capris, and skorts. Be honest. My description has enticed you, hasn't it?

6. From the never say never category: I have always been all I will never do my own toes, I hate it and I refuse. Cut to me dialing that shit back. I've realized I might need to give up getting pedicures for the summer at least. I know, I know, the time to get them IS in the summer. But I get one, I go to the shore, and it's destroyed in five minutes from the sand/sun/water/walking barefoot. It's basically like flushing $40 down the drain. I freaking hate doing my own toes but I'm going to give it a go. I do my own nails so it's not like I don't have the stuff.

7. Check these out:
Seth Abramson's twitter thread on what happens if trump attempts to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Rick Wilson's twitter thread on similar
Eric Garland's twitter thread on what's gone on and The Resistance, which made me laugh and cry
How a major crisis could redraw the political map overnight video or article - really important in light of the shooting at the congressional baseball game practice field yesterday. I sincerely hope that was not our Reichstag Fire.

8. My eyes are on an Attorney General who can't recall a damn thing - do we want someone like that in charge of the Justice Department? - and Senators working in secrecy on a healthcare bill. Why so secretive, Senators? Show us the bill.

9. There's still time! I am still hosting a KEEP Collective fundraiser for 350.org - an organization working in more than 180 countries to keep carbon in the ground, help build a low-carbon economy, and pressuring the government to limit emissions. If you'd like the link to peruse with no pressure to buy, it's in the comments below. If you'd like to be added to the FB group, please let me know. This photo is some of my favorite keep stuff - bracelets and charms shown here, interchangeable and you can essentially wear something new daily. They also have necklaces and keychains. 50% of commissions will be donated to 350.org. If you'd like to peruse, click here to shop my link.  A few of my personal totems from Keep: 

10. E-card of the week. 

Your thoughts? 

Things I don't ever feel like doing

Waiting for a train

Cleaning the shower

Putting laundry away

Talking on the phone

Sticking my head in the sand about current events

Sitting in traffic

Listening to bullshit

Talking about where I see myself in five or 10 years

Going to the grocery store

Weeding

Leaving the shore

Self evaluations

Putting up with assholes

Going out more than one night in a row

Being out after 9 pm

Picking up dog poop

Getting out of bed when the weather is perfect for sleeping

Finishing a book that doesn't speak to me

Staying up late

Seeing a movie in the theater

Refraining from punching people who tell me to smile

Being patient

Putting off until tomorrow what I can do today

 Making pie crust

Anything when it's hot and humid

What don't you ever feel like doing?

Show us your Books: June 2017

Can you freaking believe we're at the halfway point of the reading year? Wasn't it just New Year's Day yesterday? I'm drowing in e-books right now, so I suspect I'll be on overload of those for a little. Hell I'm also drowning in physical books. What a glorious predicament. 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next is  Tuesday, July 11, 2017 

1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button (need it? let me know) or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I've read from the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite #1) by Robert Dugoni - I love finding a new series. I'll be settling in for the next of these. Amazon kindle e-book

Breaking Silence (Kate Burkholder #3) by Linda Castillo - More more more of this series. I love it and am motoring through it. library hardback

Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder #4) by Linda Castillo - Can't stop won't stop. I could consume these. library hardback

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine - I was annoyed with this at first: lots of repetition like yes yes we freaking get it she's careful. Then I got into it and was propelled forward in a nice finish in 24 hours type of way. Amazon Kindle First for June

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti - I like books set in one horse towns. This one had a lot going on, some of which felt extraneous, and I think if a side story or two were dropped it would have been sharper and more impactful. Still not a bad read. Not a great one either. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Savage Rising: A Backwoods Justice Novel by C. Hoyt Caldwell - This book made me laugh out loud numerous times thanks to the colorful language and the author's turn of phrase. Even so there are some serious threads running through it. It's like the show Justified in book form. I liked Dani Savage a lot, as well as her crew. I was in a slug reading period with this one and still made it through. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg - It's been quite a while since I've read an Elizabeth Berg novel. This one reminded me of why I enjoy her so much and why it shouldn't be so long in between next time. I liked all of these characters. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany - It's hard to really rate this book. I actually didn't like the pace and I didn't love the characters. I thought some of the events were told in too much of a chick lit manner for such a serious topic. All that being said, I think it does make some statements that need to be made and examine some things that need to be talked about. library hardback

Roses of May (The Collector #2) by Dot Hutchison - I really liked The Butterfly, as much as you can like a book that is creepy as fuck. This one was a lot different. I didn't mind it, but since it's #2, I thought it would be more of a continuation of #1 and it really wasn't. I liked the fierce females in this book and the FBI agents as family. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Her Final Breath (Tracy Crosswhite #2) by Robert Dugoni - I didn't love it like the first, but it was serviceable. library hardback

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn - This is exactly why the short story is not my preferred genre. I always want more. I read this in 20 minutes, for shit's sake, and I need to know what happened. Amazon e-book

The Sun in Your Eyes by Deborah Shapiro - I liked the writing a lot, the story less so. It's clear this author has a way with words, but I don't know if she has the breadth and depth of the story telling. I picked through a little - do I need this? do I need this? No. No. Lots of stuff hanging out in the ether without a tie to the present. I think an editor could have helped a lot here. Amazon e-book

Firefly Summer by Nan Rossiter - This is the kind of book that typically makes me roll my eyes because it's too something...predictable? perfect? Americana? contrived? I don't know. But while I did do a little eye rolling, I also liked it. I read a shit ton of books with bad guys. It's nice to read a sweet and boring little book where everything works out in the end and is wrapped up pretty every once in a while. I've had it on my kindle forever. e-book

Not Worth It



Did Not Finish

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - I came to the end much, much quicker than he did. library hardback

What are you reading?

An InLinkz Link-up

TWTW - the one with the 40th celebration

My welcome to the shore moment Thursday night was a full moon over the water. I saw the moon again at 5:30 am Friday, along with a lovely pink and yellow sunrise. The moon was also lovely Friday night, and the strawberry moon Saturday night was amazing. I am a child of the moon.

After sunrise Friday I organized stuff in our apartment with my trusty label maker like the dork I am and hit the Ventnor City Farmers Market for some knish, berries, local honey, soap, and a sweet bracelet.

Six friends with over 25 years of history living in four different states with full lives and responsibilities plus very different schedules means picking a date months in advance and praying it still works for everyone when it arrives. It did, and it was great. At various times with these women I feel 12, 16, 18, 22, 30, 35, 40. They've been there through it all, and Lord do we have a ton to reminisce over and laugh about, past and present, while we ruminate on the future together.

After Laura and I picked Kim up at the AC Airport, we met Melissa and Angie at the house and spent the day on the beach. KVSR arrived early Saturday and aside from the kayakers' foray into the bay, we spent Saturday on the beach as well, simultaneously entertaining and repelling people around us with our always ridiculous conversations. Laura and I walked the boards Friday and Saturday night like we did when we were 13 except instead of dressing up to troll for boys like we did then, we went as we were trolling for old lady flip flops and candy. We had lights and a mic thanks to Melissa. We hung out on the porch and couches, walked for coffee in the mornings, and covered conversational topics that ran the gamut from topical to unsuitable for public. Kim and I stopped for a Kohr Bros on her way out of town. I truly love these women and had a great time.

#respectthegun #Ifeellikeyoudo #wattawattawatta #thekayakers

You cannot put a price on time together with people who know you like that, or the love and acceptance of people who love you, warts and all. Our goal is to reconvene here annually.

After cleaning up and clearing out, Laura hit the road first. Kim, Kim, Angie, Melissa, and I had lunch at Frankie's on the Bay, then KVSR, Angie, and Melissa hit the road too. Kim and I had a rest and got some Kohr Bros. I took her to the AC Airport, then headed back home to make three batches of shower spray, do a final house walk through, paint my nails (wet n wild Megalast in Bite the Bullet), clean up our apartment, load up my car, take the first outdoor shower of the summer season, and chill with MFD and the dogs before making a late trip to the beach. MFD came down to get a new grill (they don't last long in the salt air) and fix a leak in one of the upstairs bathrooms. And go fishing and get sunburnt like a fool. Dinner was a calzone and salad from Piccini.

Weekly food prep, happening tonight: breakfast is breakfast burritos from the freezer; snacks are power breakfast muffins and yogurt; lunch is salads with chicken (making tonight, I don't need lunch Monday), and dinners are chicken breasts marinated in pineapple/hot sauce thanks to My Shitty Kitchen over mashed potatoes as well as enchilada pasta.

 I did manage to finish a book on the beach on Saturday and start a new one Sunday night. Tomorrow is Show Us Your Books with me & Jana! See you back here for that.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

How can you hide a water tank in your property?

One of the things I love about shore towns like Ocean City is how they hide utility stuff outside. They turn it into art. Here's an article from Jesse in Australia on how you might hide a water tank on your personal property.

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Having an outdoor water tank can be a very environmentally-friendly idea, or even a necessity in drier climates that rely on harvested rain for watering the garden. Unfortunately, they're not always that attractive.

A few tips on "hiding" your water tank can help improve the look of your yard. Whether you just make a couple small touch-ups, or start a larger renovation to bury the tank (you'll want to get a utility locating service to help before you dig), you can turn that eyesore into a lovely focal point.

Placement

First of all, could the tank be placed in a less obvious location? With a little additional eaves trough, hose or pipe, you may be able to extend your supply line a little farther, which would allow you to place the tank around a corner where it's not as visible. Don't assume that they always need to be placed directly under your existing downspouts.

Camouflage Coloring

Most tanks are some sort of neutral color, or just plain unfinished sheet metal. If you have a dark home that is a particular color, that can make the tank stand out like a sore thumb. A couple coats of matching paint and that tank will blend in in no time.

Another option involving paint is to actually make it more visible but also more attractive with some colorful paint. If you have some artistic skill, think of your tank as an outdoor canvas and create some art.

Cover Ups

Now here are a few suggestions on how to literally hide or block your tank from view. One of the simplest options is to plant a few shrubs around the tank to create a hedge to block its view. You may need a little patience with this approach unless you buy plants that are already large enough to do the job. Otherwise, it can take a few years to have a decent screen in place. Certain plants do grow faster than others, so chose accordingly.

If you would rather build something for a more immediate result, you can start to get creative. Fencing, lattice and even tall planters are all materials that work well in building a perfect tank screen that would blend in with the rest of your landscape decor.

Bury It

A standard water tank should not be completely buried because the tank walls are not designed to withstand the pressures from the outside. But you can get away with dropping the tank down a couple of feet below the surface, which can significantly reduce its visual impact. Of course, if the base of the tank is below ground, that can get in the way of using a spigot of tap that is set at the bottom of the tank. You'll have to judge for yourself if this is an option that would help in your situation.

So if you are unhappy with the look of your water tank, or have even avoided getting one because they are unattractive, there are lots of ways you can make it "disappear" in your yard. 

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Do you have an outdoor water tank?