Step Away From the Ink Pad, Barney Fife

Yesterday, two of my coworkers and I were trained as fingerprint technicians; the purpose of which is to provide another revenue stream for the corporation that owns Day Job. We are now in a position to charge for the service, and, will mostly be handling people who require fingerprinting for pre-employment background checks or adoptions, as well as for screening volunteers for our own programming.

When I volunteered for the training, I was under the mistaken impression that we would be using old-school fingerprinting technology AKA: an ink pad.

Au contraire, mon frere.

Instead, we were trained on the most cutting edge technology available, and, while I was a titch disappointed about not getting to semi-permanently stain the fingers of unsuspecting strangers; I took to the laser scan like a duck takes to water.

Which is to say; I passed the training and can now perform fingerprinting services with confidence; it won't result in anything like a pay raise, but, it will be another item on my ridiculously eclectic resume.

Yay?

What's Up Wednesday: May 2019

Hey, What's Up?! Today, I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay, to answer that age-old question, and, by age-old, I mean, for the past year or so. Eh, details. Anyhoodle, onward and upward!

What We're Eating

I temporarily set aside the ongoing quest for a summer-ready body by indulging in a ham and cheese crepe during Sunday brunch at the winery where Queen B did her college internship, and, I didn't regret it for a second.

Of course, I immediately went back to allll the salads and lean proteins, which, hasn't actually resulted in progress toward aforementioned summer-ready body, so....I kind of wished I'd had two crepes. Or, a half dozen of the french macrons, hand-made at the winery. Maybe next Sunday.

What I'm Reminiscing About

It's graduation season here in Petticoat Junction and Facebook keeps reminding me that Queen B and the Man-Cub graduated five and two years ago, respectively. I don't actually need reminders, Facebook, but, bless your heart for thinking of me.
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What I'm Loving

Obviously, I am loving having the Man-Cub back under my roof. He arrived from Hawaii a week ago, and has already started work, rejoined his men's baseball league, and thrown the ball for the Boomer dog approximately three million times. It's good to have him home.

This store-brand marinade, from my local supermarket, is the bomb-diggity. We liked it so much, I purchased several other flavors from the same line, and we have been using them on repeat now that Hugh is back in grilling mode.

What I've Been Up To

I am deep in the throes of MOU season at Day Job; this means I am no fun to be around, unfortunately. On the bright side, I am only ten signatures away from completion and my deadline is still thirty days away. Knock on wood; I might just pull it off again this year (please don't smite me for my hubris, Universe).

What I'm Dreading

Thankfully, I can't think of anything!

What I'm Working On

The porch is ready for Porch Night season, and, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Porch Night-appropriate weather; Mother Nature has been a bit of a touchy bitch, lately and, frankly, I'm over her.

What I'm Excited About

I keep thinking I should be getting excited for summer, but, when the temperatures are barely crawling out of the fifties and snow is still forecast for the mountains, it's really kind of hard to do. Of course, it's Colorado, so, give me five minutes and we'll see what it's doing.

What I'm Watching

My dependency on Netflix continues! This month alone, I binge watched the entire first seasons of Dead To Me and Roswell, New Mexico. I also watched Wine Country, which reminded me of The Girls and the epic trips that we have taken together.

What I'm Reading

There is nothing I like better than a fully stocked library, and, while I love the feel of a book in my hands, I'll take a full Kindle library over nothing.

Currently, I am working my way through eight new titles. I've finished I'm Fine and Neither are You and Verity. I'm in the middle of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, and, so far I am enjoying it. Verity was very well written and will probably top my list of favorites this year, while I'm Fine and Neither are You was a fun read, but, nothing that I'd feel the need to read for a second time.

What I'm Listening To

One of the many bonuses of purchasing a new car is the fully functioning CD player; the player in the old Tahoe went belly-up several years before we sold it, and, we were too cheap to replace it, so  I spent most of my time listening to Sirius. The sound system on the new Tahoe is far superior to what I had in the old Tahoe, so, I am enjoying all of my old mix CDs at a volume completely inappropriate for street driving. Sorry not sorry, fellow travelers!

I recently purchased the soundtrack from A Star Is Born and have been listening to it on my way to and from work. The music is great, but, there is also a lot of dialogue from the movie included among the tracks and I find it super distracting, which is unfortunate. Still a good listen, though.

What I'm Wearing

I'm usually not one for trying clothing on in the store; I'm more of a "take it home and return it later" (generally because it failed to make me magically skinny, like it did for the store mannequin). I have recently discovered, however, that our local Marshalls has magic dressing rooms, with flattering light and mirrors that shave five pounds off middle-aged women, so, of course I've been trying shit on. This shirt is my most recent find, and, once the weather finally warms up, I may even get to wear it!

See?! MAGIC mirrors!

What We're Doing This Weekend

Queen B and I have plans to ride our bikes around Neighboring City and I'm planning to watch the Man-Cub's baseball game on Sunday while Hugh officiates, so, it should be a busy one.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

Well, actually getting the boat out of dry dock would be nice (wow, Chelle! Aim high!).

What Else Is New

Today, I am learning how to fingerprint people at Day Job. It's not a skill set that I ever thought I would possess, but, life is strange. At least it's never dull.

This Weekend Update Brought to You by the Color Purple

The past three days were as relaxing as any I have had in quite a while, and, while I was a bit nostalgic for the days when we spent the long Memorial Day weekend on the lake, with a gaggle of kids, several dogs, and good friends; I managed to enjoy the weekend, regardless.

Saturday morning, in preparation of Memorial Day, I swapped out my spring mantel decor for patriotic fare that will stay up until just after the 4th of July...

...then, I ran into Hooterville, making a Starbucks run, where I scored a tomato and mozzarella panini (my favorite!) before continuing on to to the "fancy"nursery for flowers for my planters.

The nursery I have relied on for years has recently converted to a hemp business, so I had no choice but to pay a little more at the fancy nursery, and, even then, I was unimpressed with the vast majority of the flowers; I don't know if it's the crappy weather or just a popular trend, but, the majority of flowers were dull, pale, and more than a bit lackluster to me. I did snag a few purple and white petunias, a purple hydrangea, and a fuchsia for my grandfather's old wheelbarrow, so, I didn't leave completely flowerless.

That said: the salvia in my flowerbeds has exploded this year, as have the bearded iris, and, it looks like I'm going to have a bumper crop of peonies, so, all is not lost. And, if anyone should ask, I can always say that I was going for a purple theme in my yard.

I had just finished planting the flowers and setting up my fairy garden (new location this year!) when the weather got super crappy (gusty winds, rain, frigid temperatures), so I finished the day with a marathon watching of Roswell, New Mexico on Netflix and a foot massage, courtesy of the Man-Cub (have I mentioned how much I am enjoying having him home?).

Thankfully, the weather was slightly better Sunday morning, when I attended the Man-Cub's first baseball game of the summer. Hugh was officiating, Oscar and Emily stopped by, and, Mama Jill came to watch as well, so, it was a family affair. Ironically, the team uniforms are purple again this year, so, yeah...not getting away from that.

Later that evening, we went into town for a celebration of Darren's birthday, before poking around the box stores, in search of new furniture for Hugh's gazebo (the old stuff is starting to show its age, big-time).

Monday, I caught up on my book work at the hardware before putting together a pot of chili for dinner with Chris and Jana later in the evening. The fact that I am making chili the last week of May should tell you even more about the crappy weather that we are having. On the bright side, I got to spend the evening with Jana and a good bottle of Malbec, weather be damned.

It would, however, be nice to have an actual nice weekend-weatherwise-this coming weekend, when we are back at the baseball field again. Also,we really would like to take the boat out at some point this summer.

In the meantime, I guess I'll enjoy the view of my purple yard from the porch (wrapped in a quilt, with a hot toddy. Come on, Mother Nature!)

This is what it looks like when the wind ISN'T blowing, hurricane-style

Please Disregard Previous Post

If you read yesterday's post, you know that I was certain that end times were near. If you haven't read it, scroll back and acquaint yourself with the content; go ahead, I'll wait...

...done? Great!

Now, disregard that dire warning about the impending Doomsday, because, today Hugh managed to lose a sixteen thousand dollar check in the space of time that it took between me endorsing it and him walking to his truck, which was parked in our garage.

And, although he located the check within minutes of misplacing it, the balance of power in our home was restored.

I actually felt the Earth shifting back on its axis, resulting in us narrowly avoiding total catastrophe.

I'm sure you're all relieved.

I would, however, keep your bunker stocked, you know, just in case.

There Are Certain Signs of End Times, and, This Is One of Them

The Man-Cub starts work at his summer job tomorrow, at 5:00 a.m. He spent the past couple of hours looking for his insulated lunch box after having forgotten where he put it at the end of last summer. In a surprising turn of events, it was Hugh who suggested that he look in the attic, where all of the rest of our coolers are stored, and, there it was.

That means that Hugh found a lost item.

This is unheard of in our household. I mean, it's an historical fact that Hugh is our resident loser. And, by loser, I don't mean loser, loser; I mean, he's a loser, in that he loses things. Lots of things. Everything, actually. If I had a dollar for every time he's misplaced an item and then blamed me for: A, hiding it, B., moving it, or C., "putting it away in the wrong spot", I would be a very, very wealthy woman.

So, this little turn of events is more than a bit perplexing; it's almost definitely the first sign of the impending apocalypse. Get your bunkers ready.

The Cub Flew Home Yesterday and, Man, Are His Arms Tired

Bah, dum, dum...thankyouvery much! I'll be here all week.

But, seriously, with the overnight flight, time change, and break-neck pace that he and Kenzie kept last week when Kenzie was visiting the island; he's completely exhausted.

Fortunately for him, the cure for jetlag is rest. Unfortunately for him, he has to be in Neighboring City at 8:00 this morning to update his paperwork and drug test for his summer job.

I'm expecting a grumpus in da house later this evening, but, I'll still revel in the knowledge that my youngest is back under my roof (at least until he starts work next week, when he will be living under his sister's roof, which, is still technically my roof, so, I'll take it).

His second semester of his second year of college went well. His grades were good, he learned a lot, and he is now halfway done with school. We are super proud of him!

And, did I mention he's home, now? Because, yeah...

Weekend Shenanigans

This weekend was a whirl-wind of fun activities, which, hasn't happened in a while. To say I loved it would be an understatement.

Saturday morning, Mom, Hugh, and I attended a graduation party for Johnna, who is both a friend of the family and the soon-to-be bride of Darren (two for one!). I will be photographing the wedding in August, and, since the wedding will be held at the house where the graduation party was, I was able to get an idea of what to expect, logistics-wise.

After the grad party, we went shopping for flowers for my front porch, and, while I struck out (nothing caught my eye, plus, it was freaking chilly out, which dampened my enthusiasm for wandering around the garden center at the Home Depot), Mom did manage to find cushions for her deck furniture, so not all was lost.

Saturday evening, Phoebe, Petey, and two of their three kids stopped by for a BBQ; they were in town for Phoebe's niece's graduation and it was so nice to see them. Phoebe and I got caught up and plotted our next destination for a Girl's Trip (we are hoping for Napa in October, assuming we can get everyone on the same page; fingers crossed!).

Sunday morning, we were up early, headed to Neighboring City where Hugh was officiating a baseball game while Mom, Queen B, and I hit the winery for brunch. It was amazing! I had a ham and cheese crepe that was seriously to die for, while Mom and Queen B each had turkey and brie panninis that were, according to them, absolutely delicious. We toasted with mimosas and relaxed in the vineyard before hitting the shopping center for fun things that we may not have needed, but adore, nonetheless. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

Today, I am at Day Job, where I am attending a strategic planning retreat at the local mental health center. Yay, me.

On the bright side, the Man-Cub's plane lands at 11:00! Mom and Queen B are picking him up at the airport and we have a steak dinner planned for later tonight. Both my babies under my roof and tasty food? Yes, please!

It's shaping up to be a great week!