Finish the week Friday

[Harmony]

Norma, I'm glad his knee did well.
Isn't Sadie's DSon's procedure soon?

For anyone who is on my FB list, I just shared the best video recap I've ever seen made of Hurricane Charley. Anybody who watches will know just what we went through, what I've been talking about all these years.

[FelineFriend]

Quick C. I.

Went to elderly Dfriend's home, she turned 98 on Tues./12th, gave her a pixie sculpture, and we chatted. I have the same pixie here, so will be reminded of Dfriend, when I look at mine, on the eating bar shelves, in the kitchen/dining/great room area.

Sun's coming out, I received 1 letter, 1 book, and we got a bill, too. DH is watching "I.T.", a baseball news show, while I do my calendar and dry laundry. Need to run and wash whites.

Nancy, I'm SO HAPPY FOR you! New baby chicks are so precious, delicate, and soft- as well as cute and adorable! ♥

Have an amazing afternoon, Ladies.

[Lilac]

Didn't mean to disappear again but I woke up feeling really crummy yesterday. I spent the day on the sofa, reading, sleeping and watching TV. Today I felt somewhat better but it was noon before I was ready to go to the grocery stores.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Posting from the car, just east of Quebec City. We'll get to our hotel between 8:30 and 9:00.

Got off at 1:00, switched drivers at 3:00 (after a 20 minute break), I drove until 6 and dh will drive the rest of the way. I got the rush hour traffic as we drove around Montreal. It only came to a complete stop three times and I used that time to get the gps in the car set with the town the hotel is in. My gps on my computer has the directions to the hotel itself (no time to type it into the car gps before the traffic started moving again.)

Easy drive so far. It is a cool day and cloudy but we've missed rain so far.

Breakfast was great but it made getting out of the apartment much later than planned.

[FelineFriend]

Lilac, I hope you'll continue to improve and feel better tonight and this weekend, too. Glad you made it to the store.

Kathryn, Enjoy your trip. It's always very interesting to hear about your travels.

The last LOL is drying, DH mowed, and is watching the Mariners play.

I wrote a note to a gal, already asking for November story titles and issues, but told her they're not even done with the October ones yet. So it'll be awhile. Talk about wanting titles way too early.

This is just a quick C. I. again. Everyone, have a nice evening.

[BookSaver]

I see that some of you understand my aversion for clothes shopping.
Before I left the house, I tried on my outfit again to confirm that there is not really a problem with the fit. It looks as good as I can expect.

Which is good, because the only formal dress the store had in my size was very mother-of-the-bride, something I would never wear again .... so I didn't even try it on.

The only issue with the outfit I have is that it is dressy in the sense of summer cocktail party at a resort, instead of dressy in the sense of formal evening gown. I'm ok with that. The wedding is in the afternoon in the middle of hot August. That's why I put together the outfit I did. I'm a little concerned that the sleeves on the top are a touch too short -- I would rather they were 3/4 length -- but oh well. The top has a single line of sparkle near the neck, just enough for a party but not enough to clash with jewelry.

Hmm, it just occurred to me that I have a few vintage evening bags. If one of them looks good with the outfit, I could just carry a lipstick, comb, hankie, and car key with me and leave my big purse locked in the car trunk. That would really help. And I will take off my big everyday watch and put on a bracelet instead.

The trip to the clothing store was not a total bust, I found the blue jeans that I wanted the last time I was there when they didn't have my size. They fit right and were on sale in addition to the coupon. Also pantyhose, leggings, socks, and a bra, all boring but necessary shopping items. I can only hope that I won't need any more new clothes for a few months.

[lucylee]

AAAUGGHGHGHHH!!!
and
Hallelujah!

Finally, after spending over 2 hours total on the phone, talking to 5 technicians, and having a technician spend approx. 2 hours under the floor...
Finally, we are back on line.

Maybe we have resolved this problem -- until mice/squirrels/chipmunks? make ANOTHER feast of our wiring.

Any tips on how to prevent mice from having a party under the house? We have a crawl space. So far NO mice problems indoors... but UGH... we knew we had a problem b/c we could hear them sometimes under the bathtubs. I guess that is a noisier place to party? Apparently they have been having a great time.
I will be going to the county co-op and looking for those pouches of rat poison that can be thrown under the floor... but otherwise... what can we do?

BookSaver, I definitely share your aversion to shopping (especially since I have gained so much weight over the last 10 years or so!) AND I share your problem of having clothes for formal/dressy occasions.
I have no evening bags, either. It's a real problem around here. Fortunately, I am not often invited to such goings-on.

Hope you have a great trip, Kathryn...

Hope all is well (better?) w/you, Lilac... I've been so out-of-the-loop since the computer went on the blink.

Also glad to hear Mr. Guy is doing well, Norma! (I have to have PAPER, too, btw! I love my iphone, but I never put appts in it... they go on my wall calendar & in my paper planner, which is bulky and cumbersome, but it is what it is.)

Waving to FF... Dee... Nancy... Harmony... and EVERYONE else! I've missed you girls!!!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Booksaver: what about a shawl to cover your arms and dress up the outfit? You are probably out of shopping time, so if you don't own something, give up and do your dressing up with jewelry and the evening bag. I've even dressed up shoes by adding clip earrings to them to give them some 'bling'.

I have my amazing travel dress (travel knit, from Coldwater Creek but they don't do that material or style anymore) that is a plain black dress, right to my ankles. I can wear it like that (or with a bright scarf around my waist), with sandals and a sunhat and it is casual. I can wear it with pumps, a belt tight on my waist and the dress hitched up to below the knee length with a blazer and scarf around my neck and it is all business. And I have worn it to a formal dinner at the Gold Room at Stockholm City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out, dressed up with a fancy shawl, pearls and earrings, and, since I didn't have an evening bag, I tied another pretty scarf into a furoshiki bag to carry my stuff. Accessories can really change the mood of an outfit.

The way you carry yourself can do the same. Imagine someone in an evening dress, hunched shoulders, eyes downcast, puffing on a cigarette, in the corner of a room. Is she really formal? On the other hand, someone dressed less formally, but confident, appropriately outgoing, mixing with others to take the strain of the family members to have to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves, and flashing smiles whenever you look at her will make a much more positive impression.

Now, go dazzle them!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

At the hotel. Had the devil of the time connecting to the internet but eventually a reboot and some other magical incantations made it work. In the car, I could connect but not disconnect so had to literally pull the USB modem stick from my computer to disconnect.

Hotel is nice.

The bathroom is wonderful. It is larger than all three of our bathrooms and the storage closet - combined!

[Harriet]

This has been a good thread for cleaning-style music! Thanks, Ramblin'.

Glad Kathryn arrived safely.

And that lucylee is back to tech-connectivity.

Lilac, I hope you keep feeling better.

Norma, it doesn't seem like it's been that many weeks. Hope the two of you enjoy travel and grandkids.

Nancy, I hope you can soon make a close guess on the breed - yes, such fun. She is a good hen. She knows her stuff.

Big push to clean out fridge and clean off counters, then off to grocery shop. Back home, S2slippers so that my hair will be curled in the scrunchie well for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is baking, fussing over some decorating, and more cleaning.