I got all my errands done, yay. Now laundry, dishes, games and compulsive email checking.

So I had to go out again and exchange products. But the little trek was not a total loss. I found non-dairy Ben & Jerry products. They only had a few flavors, but they are a welcome addition to the non-dairy
section. I will try them someday.

Meanwhile, here is another episode of Hardy Boys. David Gates and Bread are singing... such a sad song... such a sweet voice...

Cooking ahead: six chicken thighs, browned and then roasted; four chicken thighs, browned and cooked with black beans and seasonings (lemon, chicken broth, red pepper, cumin, garlic, onion and a touch of oregano) for Chicken Che Guevara; previously frozen, homemade pulled pork, cooked with pinto beans and spices for chili and/or burritos. Will make yellow rice tomorrow, using some of the broth from the Chicken Che, plus turmeric (of course). Small (2 meal) portions of everything will be labeled and frozen.

Tonight I will try the chili with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole and see if the seasonings need to be adjusted before freezing that. Using the smokey pulled pork makes seasoning any recipe properly a little iffy. But the tasting process is GOOD.

Have added one miniscule, do-able shop at a fave place and applied for another [presumed] easy shop at a place that sometimes has other shop types. Think it might be easier to perform the basic task than to avoid being noticed, questioned, and/or asked to leave. Hmm.

So we got a tv bundle. I have watched part of one show. The hubby has watched nothing. I sincerely believed that I would be a PBS junkie (as I as in the past) and watch at least a few things on a regular basis. But this is not happening. I am happy with my old equipment and personally selected programming. It might be a good idea to cancel the bundle. I will have time to deal with that on Friday.

Now that the semester is done, I have a week and a half to get my living room painted. I'm going to get the paint today on a shop.

The hardware shop was great until I found out the paint that I wanted was $56. The reimbursement was $5. I'll get the paint that I want from Home Depot for $11.

I ended up getting peat moss for my low water plants. My lavender plant has a root fungus, so I have to fix that.

Four tomatoes are budding. The windowsill squash hasn't sprouted.

It's thundering, so I am going to put my houseplants outside for a drink.

So I thought about the Crown Ministries balanced, scriptural view of money. My takeaway? My current strengths are: this non-virgin can trim a wick, oil her wick, help to feed and clothe, not boast of moth-magnets, and not experience any difficulty with guiding her camel through the needle.

Back in modern terms, today is all about work, extra work, some sort of workout, and tiny projects.

Dealing with a sick 7 year old kid. It seems like of all 4 of my kids (5, if you count the one we "took in), this one is sick the most often... :/

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2019 07:53AM by Jill_L.

I had a hardware store shop today. I need some longer screws for the legs of my bedroom TV. I could not find the legs anywhere. It's not like I live in a mansion with a lot of clutter. I checked every nook and cranny: no legs.

Today is a spiritual path meeting, and a lot of errands afterwards. I'm currently in reading mode so not a lot gets done except that.

My dining room table seems to have become the landing pad for anything that I have not decided where to store. It probably also has stuff that I have not yet decided whether to store or to recycle or just pitch. Time for an intervention. The some kitchen clean-up in the wake of a cooking-ahead spree.

The day began well. The early job happened at a not-too-too late time. The early morning was lovely and soft-summery. The next item on the lengthy to-do list was interesting. We encountered someone's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Our intention: clean the car. Fist stop? The dumpster. We had assorted small bits of flotsam and jetsam that had accumulated for about a week. This is typical for us and probably for most people on the planet. We had barely begun our little task when the day's version of 'Alexander' accosted us. Apparently, some person or persons had been dumping the type of stuff that belongs at the dump and then driving away without using the paid services at this car wash. WELLLLLLLLLL. Did we hear about it. And WELLLLLLLLLLLL. We were chastised for someone else's bad behavior, treated like @#$^&, and as if that were not enough, we discovered issues with the paid services. There was no end piece on the vacuum. For our purpose, that did not matter. The air suction was powerful and the round, unadorned end did a great job of cleaning the interior of our vehicle. And WELLLLLLLLLLLLL. The missing end piece somehow became our crime, too. But we are intrepid, and I wanted to find out just what the heck could happen..... so I put in my ten quarters and started a four-minute car wash. Being just a little cynical, I started with power rinse and did not add product. This was a good choice because the car wash shut down after less than one minute. At the very end of the interesting encounter with 'Alexander' and their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, we informed ttptb (the tyrannical powers that be) that the car wash had shut down early. We did not request a refund. Why bother. We probably would have been killed or maimed for less than a five spot. We were told that we should find a better fit. We did not retort that everyone already has a better fit at any other car wash anywhere in the world.

The rest of the task list should be as usual: just a bunch of things to do between now and tomorrow so that I can do a bunch more things tomorrow and every day after that!

Open house this afternoon, so I have to disappear into our over the top heat wave. Good news, doing my most favorite job lately at the new improved Whole Foods with a fabulous restaurant bar with leather chairs for lounging, great food, eat at the bar and stay cool...the bartenders there are fun, and the store will take up my afternoon, so this morning brings, straightening up, doing a load of wash, making everything pretty (yet again).
Renter bought a house, so, very quiet around here....>(

Irene,
Because most buyers now rely on their buyer agents, instead of open houses, you really do NOT need open houses except the ones where agents are invited (and fed) to introduce them to the property.

My advice ......Don't let your listing agent make you believe that they are doing a good job by having lots of open houses! If you do not yet have an offer, in a hot market, consider a price adjustment before your listing becomes "stale." I know that you were in the RE business for a long time; but buyer agency is now so prevalent that times have not just changed. It has been a revolution! So, make it easy for buyers' agents to bring their clients to see your home during daylight hours, and enjoy not having to evacuate it for 3-4 hours at a time! (19 years experience as a buyer's agent)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2019 03:23PM by walesmaven.

I'm very updated and want an open house on Sunday, as this brings different agents to view house. The market here has been slow due to many properties for sale. Where I live, everyone wants Granite, wood floors and upgrades. I don't have Mellow Roos which saves buyers 500+ a month. I know your an expert, but not in CA.
which is a different market. We had one interested through my open house, and since it has been on the market for three weeks with many for sale, I feel I am doing the right thing. People like to look on a Sunday. Open houses are popular, viewing the signs, so I'm right in there with what's going on. Had I put in Granite in the kitchen, it would have been sold. My home is not a "family home", but a nice home for a working couple, having the outside taken care of, so the majority is looking for a family home as the schools are good here. I need the "right buyer". Price is what the comp's are showing, and someone can always offer less, it is NOT overpriced for my area.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2019 03:36PM by Irene_L.A..

Spent the last few weekends marathon shopping and now my flower beds are a jungle. Been out there all morning trying to tame them.

Today was a good day! I went to church, and the service was great as always. I picked up some Freecycle items, and then did a nearby shop. I spoke with my parents. They are doing well.

Went to church then did my monthly volunteer money counting of the collection. Came home and the rest of the day got away from me with little to show for it :-(

Hah! A few hours ago, when rearranging furniture, I remembered my "manners". According to Suzette Elgin, the correct response would have been, "When did you start thinking that I would do [whatever you seem to think I am doing and which I am not doing, never would do, and never will do]?

We got useful furniture today. it was on sale. Our world just got a little tidier...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2019 05:00PM by Shop-et-al.

I'm doing a car wash shop today. I have to clean out my car beforehand. I will be amazed at how many french fries they find.

LOL! Hours after the interesting experience (not a shop) at the diy car wash, I found exactly five pieces of junk that emerged when we re-positioned the seats to accommodate the furniture. Little objects seem to gravitate to the little indentations at the base of the seats. That's pretty good-- for us. We had a professional cleaning (not a shop) a few months ago. The cost of this was deducted by the seller of the used vehicle because they had not cleaned it before selling it. Since then, we have been doing a pretty good job of keeping the car clean by ourselves. When it is cooler, I will detail the big beast.

Today is all about busy. So far, I cleared up four boxes of $#%^%&, did dishes, and put away yesterday's laundry. Later, I go to the dentist and merch. I cannot plan any other assignments until I have my merch box in hand. If it arrives early, I can leave early enough for a few shops. If not... I wait and end up with an inefficient work day. Oh, well. OTOH, there is time for an audio book or an opera during the drive. Hubby will be there, so there will be only an opportunity for an audio book. He is not a fan of opera.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2019 01:11PM by Shop-et-al.

The vehicle I bought a couple of weeks ago is new enough that I can do car wash shops. I've been looking on the job board, but so far haven't seen any yet :-)

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I'm doing a car wash shop today. I have to clean out my car beforehand. I will be amazed at how many french fries they find.

I just washed and cleaned out my car for the first time in 2 months. It was an absolute pit but I've been so busy I haven't had time to do it. I got it all cleaned up and its soooo purty. Except where I found someone keyed it on the passenger side. Sorry %@$#@&%$.

I cleaned my car up a bit before I went. I found a necklace. They found shoes, socks gloves and makeup. The neatly piled everything in the backseat. I'm going to keep it clean, it looks so good!

Got a house maintenance chore done today that hubby & I realized we had NEGLECTED for TOO MANY YEARS!! What was it? We got our septic tank sucked out!! It had been (yipes!) 14 years!!! OMG!!! Anyhow, got it done through a GREAT company who gave us a 10% discount because hubby served in the military. The guy also did a great job, too! Phew, glad that nasty job is done....won't wait that many years next time!! But the years have just FLOWN BY as we have gotten older!!

Well then. It is all settled. Now that tracking info has been updated and I know the earliest possible day for my last-minute merch, I can settle in for a few days of previously planned tasks. We will stay at home and transplant more plants, get rid of more #*@^&&, and make a grocery list. So what if the last-minute (due to shipping) is really like the last-week? It;s a job, it now can be added to other planned work, and the new oddball route might include shops that can be added on the fly. Maybe odd is good.

Running household errands; welcoming new housemate to the lower level apartment this afternoon; tidying my kitchen.

Running household errands; welcoming new housemate to the lower level apartment this afternoon; tidying my kitchen.

Doing certifications and vacuuming/dusting the bedrooms and upstairs areas.

Wales, hope your new housemate works out to be a great match for all involved!