Jane and I are doing well, muddling along in this stay-home order, and Washington is apparently passing the hump of the curve. There have been 10 dead in our county, but the infection rate is slowing. Even in Seattle, with its huge population.
We are also still under lockdown, getting stuff only by takeout or home cooking.
I also don’t trust salad fixings from the supermarket, and they’re too delicate to wash properly, so I’ve started an Aerogarden for lettuce. We don’t know how long this lockdown will last. And my trust of supermarket lettuce will lag our at-ease order considerably.
Had a crazy spot of what could have been gunfire last night, close. Dunno if it’s someone gone cabin-crazy, or what, but we’re fine. Didn’t hear any sirens, so no one died. And we did report it.
I’m cooking a lot more than usual. Takeout is rare for us.
Working away. Weeding the garden. Opening the pond: the fish all look good.
It keeps snowing—you wake up and there’s a half-inch snow coat. This is not supposed to happen after St. Paddy’s Day.
But all is well here. Wear a mask. Make people wonder who was that masked customer. Carry a little baggie of wipes in the car, and some gloves, just in case. Take care of yourselves. We are.
Wore a silk scarf over my nose and mouth to go grocery shopping Sunday, prompting comments:
“Are you planning to rob a stagecoach?”
“The weed of crime bears bitter fruit.” Bonus points if you can identify the source of that quote.
The Shadow knows . . .
…What evil lurks in the hearts of men?
Not surprising; we have a gang of literate people here 😀
Crime does not pay.
Crime does pay, right up until the limit when it does not and bites back hard. The exception is when the criminal is in a high and legal position, as government, insurance, and smoother notable stances. But even then, it only pays for a while. Ultimately, crime does not pay, but a large number of unscrupulous people seem to make a lot of profit off of others, while exploiting the limits.
But that caveat aside, yeah, what NosenDove said.
—–
I don’t want a full meal, but I don’t have much in the way o good snacks. This is a serious miscalculation. Just about out of any chips / crisps, but I still have some cheese.
So that’s what’s going to happen.
Alton Brown and wife Elizabeth have Quarantine Quitchen on YouTube tonight, fun stuff and off the wall.
Uh-oh…what did the feline five just do? Going to look…a box went thud. No cat outcry and I did not hear anything break, so we are probably OK. Mostly.
Darn, I wish Star Trek Outpost or Star Trek Excelsior had new episodes….
Don’t know if you ever saw these 2 animated Trek fanfic:
Star Trek: Aurora
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mHyGlqsjsQ
Star Trek: Aurora: Mudd in your I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkEm0btAgBI
Both of those are pretty good. The guy who did them was on a learning curve with an underpowered computer and early software, and put in a ton of work. He had more in the works, but when the studio shut down fan films and issued their rules / “guidelines,” it shut down everyone.
Definitely worth watching again; I liked the first one a lot, thought the second was promising, both have growing pains, but wow, is that a lot of effort put in on the animation.
There were a few live-action fan films before Star Trek: Continues, concurrent with James Cawley’s Phase II / New Voyages that were very good, set in the TOS era, and a few set in the TNG era.
Back when the Shadow movie came out, my dad made the rare comment that he’d really liked The Shadow radio program and comics. My mom did too. I hadn’t known about them until then, and it was a surprise to me, as a young adult, that my parents volunteered this look into their teen and young adult fandom. Aside from that movie, whichch I’ve only seen once, I haven’t ever thought to look for the old radio shows or any reprints like comic collections as books.
My mom was a big fan of Pogo comics, back in the day, I think her college years and a while after. — She was never a fan of one or the other of Goodwill or Salvation Army donations of used goods, because — while mom was away at college, living in a very bad garage or other “apartment,” paying her own way — my grandmother threw out my mom’s childhood / teenage comic collection, including things like Sheena of the Jungle and possibly Wonder Woman, I think. She (Mom) called, but no, she couldn’t get her things back. Thereafter not a fan of the donations, but she did sometimes give away clothes and other things. — My mom later told a new friend with teen daughters, and me, how she had loved Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and I believe it was, Aisha, on which the 50’s/60’s fantasy movie was based. These were, again, looks into my mom’s early fandom. She had had a Reader’s Digest hardbound book of some rare(?) classic science fiction short stories. I don’t recall the book title exactly, but it would’ve been 50’s to 60’s vintage, I think, dark écru with burgundy rectangles and gold leaf for the title. I really hope that is still OK and in storage, as I recall liking several of the stories when I read them in the 80’s as a mid-teen. — One, I no longer recall the title or author, involved a post-apocalyptic future where America had regressed to little city-states or county-like regions, each varied per beliefs and customs and laws. Where the main character lived was an Amish/Mennonite-like area, rural farms and villages, religious and old-fashioned pioneer-era way of life, and a belief in mutants and radiation poisoned land and sickness as witchcraft or demonic. So the main character, with spidery fingers and polydactyly, was an outsider, and seeking refuge. In the latter half of the story, unless I’m confusing it with another, a rival faction comes in, maybe from across the Atlantic, with 50’s-style imaginings of non-lethal guns that shoot things like a needler or a tangle net to immobilize people. Thus, the protagonist at first thinks he’s done for, but instead finds freedom in a less superstitious and prejudiced, more modern kind of thinking. The story has mention of areas that had been poisoned by radiation, so the plants and animals are mutants, unsafe, things like that, and if I remember, periodically, the people are beset by illnesses borne by radioactive particles or from remaining poisoned crops and so on, even though they guard against things strictly. There were a number of other stories. It may have been 50 Greatest (Best?) Science Fiction Classics / Stories, something like that. Slightly larger than paperback size, medium-thick. (Now I’m going to look for it used.)
These were things I never would’ve known about my parents without chance mentions and revivals, remakes.
Oh, and we all enjoyed the Beastmaster 1st movie. Mom and I compared it to Andre Norton’s books for the many differences and similarities. I’m OK to say it was “inspired by” but original enough to tiptoe past. I’m sure it was capitalizing on the Conan and Tarzan movies around then.
I got some mil-surplus bandanas to use as masks when I go out.
I buy salad kits at the supermarket. They’re safe – they’ve been washed – and they generally make two generous (1.5-2 cup) servings. (The Dole “Bountiful” aren’t as large – they make one very large or two smaller.) You’d have to watch out for onions and garlic, which I know are in some of them. That said – coleslaw mix is generally safe, if somewhat boring (cabbage and carrots).
(Note: I posted a link back to @CJ ‘s bread and pizza dough recipes for @Cathy in PA and others. I’d copied the link when I saved the text, so don’t get super-impressed with my google-fu.)
( @Walt had asked for a link to @CJ ‘s hydroponics garden whats-its on FB, if anyone has it, since he doesn’t have FB. Neither do I.)
My grocery order from Kroger’s is scheduled for Sunday morning, the earliest available date.
Amazon Fresh just claimed it has (gasp) Toilet Paper. But wait, it can’t deliver to me on any day it shows, today through Wednesdayl
Note: I am chancing the pre-packaged salads and some fresh veggies and fruit because I’m in need of some for a recipe and desperate for the taste. The fresh produce will get rinsed.
I’d already posted in the prior thread about my adventures in online delivery lately.
I hae bandanas somewhere. The order of masks and disposable gloves — won’t be here until the end of April or mid-May, because everything is made in China these days, and it’ll have to go through quarantine and customs both places before it gets to me.
The cats are doing OK, and I am going to sleep, try to.
I’m also trying to use up the pantry and fridge items prior to moving. So I am out of a weird mix of things and have extras of others.
The cats got individual bowls tonight, to try to keep everyone fair. It worked! But oh, the extra dishes. Oh well.
I found it from CJ’s description above, I think:
https://www.aerogarden.com/
Google-fu. Brilliant. Consider it absconded with.
We are having breakfast for dinner tonight; a casserole actually. Simple and goes well with hot sauce or chilies. Costco has packages of dehydrated hash browns: add boiling water to a wax carton, and 10 minutes later, 2 cups of shredded potatoes. Brown a 12 ounce tube of sausage; I split the difference and used half sausage, half chorizo for the latest one. Layer the following in a 2 quart pan: hash browns, browned sausage, and shredded cheese in your favorite flavor. Beat 6 eggs together and pour over the top, then bake for an hour. No onions or garlic, unless you want to add such things, and reheats magnificently. It is raining here, and the outside cats wish to let me know that they Do Not Approve of this Rain nonsense.
Here in the Flatlands of Tx, we’re starting to get up into the 80’s F (26 C). We’ve been having this yo-yo weather for quite a while now, waving through in about weekly cycles. It goes up and down and up and down, up into the 70’s and down into the 40’s, then up into the 80’s and down into the 50’s. It’ll be nice and warm one day, and then four days later it’s cold again. Strange.
Here on the spectrum, I socially isolate pretty much as a lifestyle, so my life has not much changed. However, my mom has been having a hard time with the social isolation. She is a people person, and being cut off from all her friends has been telling. She and I are both doing OK, though.
I’ve noticed that on Amazon, the used hardbacks are pretty much always cheaper than the used paperbacks, sez the person living on a fixed income.
Hi All, Thanks for the link to CJ’s post about pizza, BCS, and thanks to CJ as well. Pretty much what I do for bread, I’ve been baking bread since I was a girl, a long time ago. Yeast baking is my favorite; but as I have to watch carbs, I do little these days. I’ve gone the sourdough route at times, and did make a starter, and decided to skip it, as it requires feeding to get going, although you can slow it once established. Only have one bag of flour and a bit, so no. I have 3 packs of yeast, so I did what the Romans did, pretty much, and made the dough and set out in a cool kitchen the night before. Doing the slow ferment overnight means you can use about 1/2 teaspoon of yeast instead of a full pack. Don’t have a pizza stone, but I do have a really nice big round cast iron pizza pan, handy for a lot of different things. A slick of olive oil, a hot oven, and nice crispy crust. Will do Naan breads next as Hubby is running out of sandwich bread; that’s one of the easiest breads to make.
All is still okay with our family, although we’re in very hot spots. Daughter’s busy working from home maintaining science university library website and online classes, while making masks for friends. The duck that left her husband and went for a walk across the fields last week, then calmly walked back home with the grandson suddenly laid an egg again today; the first since fall; spring takes many forms 🙂
We don’t venture out any farther than the yard, and to deep dive in the basement freezer, leading to some interesting dinners LOL. A winner the other night was a box of Annie’s White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Shells, to which Walter added some bits of frozen, leftover ham, a couple of handfuls of frozen peas, a bit of extra milk and a bit more random shreds of cheeses needing used. Quick and tasty. I’d bought the Annie’s shells in a pack at Costco or BJ’s, earlier in spring, to keep in the camper as rations for the ravenous 12 year old grandson. We thought the Annies were light years better than the orange Kraft kinds; for us we’d make homemade ordinarily, but he loves that orange stuff 🙂 . Since he eats anything, loves salads and raw vegetables and well, ANYTHING, I don’t worry too much about very occasional orange “cheese”,
Someone mentioned the packaged coleslaw mix of shredded cabbage & carrots; if it’s a bit past it’s crispy prime, but still decent, it’s good stir fried with a bit of asian seasonings; or into a soup pot. No fresh salad things are coming in here, and we’re holding firm on not going out. The hydroponics unit I so hope will give us some spinach, leaf lettuce etc. is an AeroGarden. Pricey, but there was a fantastic one day deal I couldn’t pass up. Today the deal was a slightly smaller model, so they seem to rotate the deals every day or so. I’m worried about our hard water, but we’ll see what happens. Stay safe, peeps.
Further Adventures:
@WOL, LOL, I borrowed the term, google-fu, so you’re welcome to borrow it too. 😀 And borrow the recipes for sure.
@Cathy in PA — You’re very welcome! — Alas, the coleslaw mix reached…no, that’s too far gone…or it would’ve been good added to something cooked. (When and If I get my website back up, later, I have a recipe borrowed from someone either here or at Sheridan or in the Farscape fandom, for homemade, pretty easy spring / egg rolls. I have been known to toss in a bag of coleslaw mix as an easy alternative to chopping the cabbage myself. — I haven’t tried Annie’s Mac and cheese, but when looking at Amazon Fresh, I saw Annie’s Pizza Poppers, which are likely not the healthiest things, but sounded intriguing nonetheless. I have never had naan or much Indian food, much remiss, but I see both Kroger’s and Amazon carry naan, so I’ll try it. — Hmm, one surmises Mme. Canard (Duck) and her day’s walk and Monsieur Canard (hubby Duck) had something to do with that egg coming due. Congratulations to mama and papa duck and to the forthcoming duckling, if he/she makes it. And to the grandson as surrogate…duck master? Haha. (I’m cool with the Kraft Mac and cheese, though I tend to go with the Velveeta, which is likely not any healthier. I reason that it’s macaroni, healthy enough, and something approximating cheese, and that cheese is…oh, nuts, it’s a thing, I just go with it. (Lately, it ends up in tuna casserole, usually, which has been known to get tomato paste added, besides peas and carrots, because, single and the budget is shot, and that’s a cheap way to get decent food.) — I have been slacking on veggies lately and I don’t know why.
I grew up eating plenty of veggies. (Influence from my grandmother and parents.) As a kid, the only things I didn’t like (at all) were Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and liver. My mom eventually found a way to get me to eat liver by smothering it in rice, cream of mushroom soup, and something or other else, but it was rare by then. Brussels sprouts, I learned to like, then love as an adult, roasted with lemon juice and seasoning…and I’ve just noticed I’ve forgotten a recipe a Farscape fan sent years ago. I’ll have to see if I still have it. Common way to roast them. Asparagus, I made the comment to a friend, a former regular cabbie, and he (Italian heritage, his grandma was from the old country and fixed food and spices and garden by hand, daily) he insisted he knew why I didn’t like asparagus: I’d grown up with only the awful, limp, bad-tasting canned stuff. He insisted I try it fresh, explained how to prep it, lemon juice and olive oil and a little spice. Oh. Dang, now that was totally different and much better. Ah, he did warn me about the after-effects of asparagus to one’s output (urine). So I’ve learned to outgrow all but one of the things I didn’t like to eat as a kid. I still don’t like liver, but if I knew that recipe, I’d do it rarely. Very rarely. OK, I’d probably pass. Haha.
The Mac and cheese with ham and vegges sounds very good. — And @chondrite, that hash browns and sausage and cheese recipe sounds yummy. I have some sausage but no hash browns or potatoes at present, and out of milk. Do you brown the hash browns or put them in as raw shaved potatoes, basically, into the casserole prep? I’d think they’d cook like an au gratin that way, so no browning needed. Hmm, chorizo, I could get that in another order.
I ventured to modify my Kroger’s order, since it won’t be delivered until Sunday morning. Wacky way to celebrate Easter, that. Aha, they accepted the changed order (more trash bags, still no toilet paper, and I added the desired carrot cake mix and cream cheese frosting after seeing the price difference versus a frozen one or bakery goods. One other item, I think.) But they didn’t then ask for my credit card again. My guess is, the charge doesn’t go through anyway until purchase, pending what;’s in stock then, so they don’t ask for re-approval. My card is on file anyway. So, I should get most of what I want, and ouch, but about what I expected price-wise, not significantly over cost, despite getting other things.
Amazon Fresh — I tried Walt’s suggestion. I also modified the cart to remove and add things. So the order is less than it was, which is good. I then tried checkout again, and — NO, still no delivery times available at all, today, tomorrow, or Thursday. Drat! — So I still won’t have toilet paper for a while, or those Pizza Poppers or other items. But OK, I am not out of TP yet, so maybe by the time I can get an Amazon Fresh delivery, or another Kroger’s delivery, it might be in stock. Yes, I’ve always been a dreamer, how’d you guess? Hahah. Well, so I won’t have multiple grocery deliveries within a week’s time, unless I run out of something unexpected.
Ham. I don’t have ham, unless there’s still some lunch meat. Will need to check. Am not going to put in an order for only that. It will wait.
It’s been edging into the 90’s here, but then we’ve had a cool-ish snap the last few days — But nowhere near freezing for over a month. Easter is our last-ditch chance for a frost, and there’s no way we’re going to have that low a dip before Easter. We are in for a hot summer here.
The cats are fine. Goober stood his ground when Peppercorn wanted on the desk last night. They had a Mexican standoff, and Peppercorn amazingly did not escalate and sat down and laid down. So Goober kept his spot, sitting up facing her and grumbling and chittering, for a few minutes, with me hoping they didn’t get into a big fight over nothing. — So all was well. They sat nearby later in another spot. I don’t know if this is progress, but at least there was not a battle and no one got hurt.
Feeding mama and kittens had worked well yesterday for supper, individual bowls. I didn’t try that this morning for breakfast, but did use another plate and one can more of food. This worked fine, and I got the jump on them, so I didn’t get kitten-tree-leg-climbing, thank goodness. (Really, kitten, and definitely, mama, NO, don’t do that, ow, it hurts, I am NOT a tree, gods-rot-it.) — Goober did fine, but then let one and then another kitten steal his food. They have learned they can come into the room and do this and he will let them. I have been picking up said kittens and removing them back to their kitchen bowls, saying no, don’t steal Goober’s food. But two managed to get tastes before I stopped them this morning. Never mind there was still food in their bowls in the kitchen, this was…whatever it is to them. It surely doesn’t feel good to Goober, but he has not been swatting them or hissing at them to make them stop. He just acquiesces and then looks dismayed and sits there watching them eat his food. I have been scolding the kittens and physically removing them back to their bowls. I have not bopped their noses. They keep doing this and Goober won’t stick up for himself. But he can see I am not letting them do it, at least not the first time in a session. I have been figuring, if they do it a second time and he still does nothing, then it’s on him, he’s not hungry enough or territorial enough to want to fuss with them. Darn it, Goober, you have every right to fuss at them. I wish you would. I don’t want them to gang up on him, but double-teaming him is not OK either. Sigh. The most Non-Assertive Cat in the Universe strikes again. I love him. He’s a wuss and I love him, but I wish he’d stick up for himself more and mean it. He just doesn’t want to, isn’t built for it, I guess. (Only twice has it been Dubhan, Beige Boy. Never Wizard. It’s mostly the other three.) Wizard is highest in my Keeper list now, but Dubhan remains 2nd on the two-man keeper list.
Also — Er, as personal as it is — Wizard is still…undescended. Whatever genetic or biochemical thing is going on with him, he is, well, male with undescended testicles, one or both, or else he has one of the many conditions which we now call intersex, biologically and biochemically and genetically in-between male and female, what used to be called hermaphrodite, while that term is now confined to having both sets of organs, like our friendly earthworms. So little Mr. Wizard is, well, not the usual little fellow, and not the usual little girl, either. The vet says male with undescended testicles, and they should have dropped in by now. He’ll be OK, but there’s some biological process going on there outside the norm. So OK, buddy, I have some sympathy for you, and you’re welcome to stay, high voice and all. Hmm, uh, he’s well enough endowed otherwise, er, properly male. Or so it appears. I am going with the vet’s declaration of male and undescended. When it’s time for him to be neutered, that will happen. The vet cautioned she’ll have to go in abdominal / inguinal, for the undescended one or two. So his will be more involved and have more healing time than his two normative / cis / typical brothers. Dubhan is typical / normal, as is Ducky, the other brother, who’s mostly quiet, while Dubhan is active but a mama’s boy. Heh.
The kittens got rowdy in the past two days, and so I discovered the bedspread, drying, was no longer draped over the clothes rack, but instead on the living room floor, occupied by a very comfy-cozy kitty. Who may or may not be the one who knocked it down. (Thank heavens they did not knock over the clothes rack itself, or they and objects around could have been hurt. I wouldn’t be thrilled abut objects. I’d be quite upset if a kitten or cat got hurt.) Well, so it’ll be rewashed and hung again to dry, this time on the shower curtain rod, which is bolted into the walls, so won’t come loose. (One of the shower rods at my old house was inexplicably not bolted in, wedged there, and would fall down at inopportune times, though never thankfully , while occupied! Yeah, that would’ve been alarming.)
I may be brave and tackle the refrigerator today. Or I may go for something else, or both. Depends how motivated I am. Still tired and draggy, but I got a little sleep last night, betta than I have in almost a week. Also need to clean out the pantry, due to unwelcome tiny critters with too many legs. (That is, more than four.)
So, doing OK here, I think I can hold out until the groceries arrive Sunday, but dang, will I need them then. I wonder how long it will be until I run out of toilet paper, and until it’s actually available and on its way to me.
Masks and gloves — Who was that masked man? No silver bullets, no wonderfully trained and loyal horse, no Indian (Native American) sidekick with noted pidgin English. Darn it. (Hey, I could go for that….) — I need to locate the bandanas. I had to do away with my cowboy boots and have not felt like I could afford a new pair since. I had an everyday pair and a dressier pair, since my senior year in high school and my sophomore year n college, but they were too damaged before my move from the old house, and were casualties. My old felt hat is supposed to be in storage, with a newer felt brown hat, nice. And a formerly brand-new and as yet unplayed guitar Grr. It will be after the quarantine before I get to go there again, but hopefully, closing on the new house before that.
Hoping to catch up on packing and have it all done but what’s needed for kitten and bathroom here, then pack that and move out in one fell swoop. Then move the storage space after that. That’s my current plan, anyway. — Assuming we don’t get another stay into mid-May. :-/
Take care, everyone. Please stay well. I’m “socially distanced and self-isolating” by default, so there’s not really any big changes for me, except the grocery delivery being so out of whack, and this one of the biggest US cities. — Our mayor and the county judge reported the other day that we are still low on deaths and low on cases with the virus, compared to other large cities. (We’ve had around 1150 confirmed cases so far, at least 10 deaths, but these are under- reported due to lack of testing and supplies, thanks to our Federal govt.’s mismanagement under the current administration. States, counties, and cities are having to do for themselves, without adequate help from the Fed. And of course, it’s the job of the Fed, both the Executive and the Legislative branches, to provide that help, testing kits, supplies, funding, and so on. Unbelievably bad.
So our county and city are doing better than average, we have not yet seen the peak or the end of this, here. They think we may hit that before May.
Stay well, everyone. Even though I’ve never met any of you in person, you are friends and associates, and I like very much getting to interact, such as it is. I guess I’m weird and atypical in person, I don’t know. But you ae all well liked and would be missed. I’m struggling with feeling too isolated, and telling myself I do have friends and not to let myself get down, just keep on keeping on.
So…maybe some catching up today toward moving prep, packing and cleanup and reducing the too much stuff. (Surfeit of clothes…why did I do this, even with the dryer being out so long?) — I wonder if or when the repairs will get done. They do have groundskeeping staff and people at the leasing office. The one repair doesn’t need any entry into the apartment, but if someone would knock loudly enough for me to hear it, I’d be glad for them to come in and do repairs, and I’d shuffle the cats to my room during. — I have no expectation when or if repairs will happen. I think they’ve forgotten about the prior three items, and will forget about the new item (gate latch and fence board).
Gah…how much have I written? Why so chatty and in concise? I don’t know. Too isolated? Cabin fever? Maybe just lonesome? I don’t know.
Up since 3 am thanks to mama cat meowing to be fed too soon. But I know I won’t get to sleep, and want to wait until evening, so — trying to catch up on chores. Be safe, y’all.
Well, ick, that was both better and worse than I thought. Only the top shelf of the pantry is cleaned out, but it’s done. The remainder is, I hope, in better shape, but will still get the same treatment, perhaps less strongly. I also discovered, hmm, I need to dust for cobwebs way more often. An intricate and way too thorough system of webs across the kitchen ceiling, now done away with. I need a better and longer brush / mop for that. I can’t believe how much time that took. Wiped, scrubbed with Clorox Wipes, drying now, some items washed, others wiped / dusted. Some pans washed, drying, to be packed, unless I use them the remainder of the month, or time I’m here. I think I’m going to check more often. Shame on me for letting it get that bad. But oh, I want in my own place, where insects are not such a continual, recurring problem.
I threw out a very seldom-used sushi rolling mat. I’ve never made sushi, but did try it for spring rolls. I will get another and it will oh, most definitely be in a baggie or sealed box. I am going to go more for baggies and sealed boxes. I’ve gotten paranoid and disgusted about bugs getting to things.
Not sure I’ll tackle the rest of the pantry and the fridge today, but it will get done this week, maybe tomorrow. I’m taking a break before doing anything else. I feel lazy. Just can’t believe that little an amount of work took as long s it did, and I wasn’t dawdling. But maybe the rest will go faster. Possibly, I will have scared the bugs instead of only making them mad. Heh. I’d rather annihilate them. — I’m not saying a thing on it to mgmt. until.I move out. The plan is to have it professionally cleaned after I move out, before handing it over to mgmt., so we know it’s done so no one can fuss. Only twice have I ever seen their exterminator, and all he did was argue, once while I had a leak waiting to be fixed, and a partial loss of power in the apt., due to a breaker being too weak for the load, as it turned out; replaced by a more powerful one. After we’d had the Great Reshuffle and pro cleaning and taken pictures — previous mgmt. never did anything about exterminating. So I expect nothing now. The repairs are still not done, but while I’m cleaning, packing, etc., I don’t care too much, except I wanted it done. Note the past tense. I just want out, now. I so, so hope the new house will be a good deal and workable, sustainable.
The most irritating thing is, this would not be bad, if only the recurring problems were resolved. That, and if the noisy neighbors would calm and quiet the heck down, especially at night. But of course I don’t expect them to sound off while anyone comes around. — No idea when the apt. inspections will take place. But at this point, I’m not sure I care. And my defense about the cats will be, yes, I took in a foster mama cat and kittens. No, I had no plans to keep them all this long, but every place I’ve called is shut down until May, at least. — Note, the state, county, and city have all said, no evictions except for violence or domestic violence cases, until the shutdown is lifted, and no utilities will be turned off, because too many people are not working and not getting paid, and under these conditions, the govt. levels have shown some blessed common sense and compassion for such folks. (My place is too cluttered and a mess, but over two pets is a violation.) I’m not really expecting trouble. But I’m aggravated, in a slow simmer background out of way, about the whole situation. Basically, the landlord (apt. mgmt. and owners) have all the power and the tenants have almost none, per contract. But clearly the maintenance is not handled well enough, or the mgmt. cuts costs for the owner by…not doing it. So, nuts to ’em. And the stuff is mostly minor, only a few hours or a day or two, and they could get it all fixed. Just…maddenin. And dang it, I haven’t heard any knocks. So…just bearing with it, a small irritation, bu meaningful. At least to me.
LOL, Goober was completely unfazed by the cleaning. He’s used to it. Not much complaint or curiosity from mama, who is also used to maintenance and groundskeeping and inexplicable human doings and noises. The kittens wee only vaguely curious, more interested in their own thing. — Too bad I couldn’t get them to work. Oh well.
Goober’s decided he needs to lie down on my arm and keep me here and get attention. OK, kitty, I know when I’m licked, figuratively or literally. Heh.
Just got back from a lovely amble through our neighborhood and local cemetery/park (remember, the Boston area started the idea of landscaped, “garden” cemeteries with Mount Auburn Cemetery In 1831). Luckily, our small city of Malden, MA has not shut the cemeteries although the mayor did have to shut down the formal parks because too many “chowda-heads” kept gathering in groups to play sports… and Mt Auburn Cemetery itself is shut, my old boss who lives just outside it informed me.
This was my first walk out wearing a mask—a doubled-up, simple white “painters/carpenters” mask from Home Depot or wherever. We had a bag of them in the cellar. I was surprised that the double mask set up worked fine in terms of breathability—which probably means that lots and lots of air gets in around the edges 🙁 . I need to haul my sewing machine out and get making some from my quilting fabric once my spouse stops using the table to design a T-Trak (N-scale) model train layout of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan which is our current modeling project.
Our mayor just did a public update (got the call) as I was typing this. We went from 9 confirmed cases of COVID-19 last week to 192 as of today—yikes. Still no deaths in the city (pop. ~60,000). My Massachusetts History co-professor and fellow, Malden resident has it but is unlikely to be one of the confirmed cases as he got turned down for testing 2 1/2 weeks ago because of scarcity of test kits then despite the recommendation by his doctor. This is serious stuff.
All right, but is the spousal unit including a scale model Gojira / Godzilla to scare the train and prefecture populace? For verisimilitude of detail, you understand. 😀
My experience with painter’s masks was, it’s hard to breath, the fumes make your nose run and sneeze, but yes, if you have a lot of dust or fumes, you want the mask and goggles. But I wondered if a full helmet motorcycle or Star Wars style, would be more effective, besides more stylish. Heh.
I just set up a kitten / cat food and litter order with Petco, since Amazon doesn’t want to do Subscribe and Save more frequently than 1 month. I didn’t get all I wanted, product-wise, so I am still going to use Amazon for what I couldn’t find via Petco. But geez, the prices are about equal, and it’s costly feeding growing kittens who are on adult portions now, 3 oz. each. I’ve decided to go with separate bowls, now easier than a few plates, no longer communal. Doing better this way.
Amazon Fresh is done easing about toilet paper in stock that I cannot get delivered. Now they don’t have it, so I won’t need Fresh for a while. Kroger’s website won’t admit if they have it in-store to deliver or do curbside pickup.
Once groceries and pet supplies get here, I hope fervently I will be set for the rest of the month, except toilet paper and anything I run out of. There will be another Petco delivery in two weeks from the present order. I hope I’m estimating right, finally, on cat food and litter.
Peppercorn — after supper, I went back in the kitchen to find, to my great consternation, she was sitting on the stovetop, which I do NOT want her to do. Dangerous, and a bad example for the kittens. I moved to pick her up and told her no and scolded her, told her to get down. She didn’t want to be picked up and gave a low, warning growl. So I let go and backed off. Hoping I can get her in the carrier next time, which will be to give her away. This makes it definite: I can’t keep her if she’s going to be like that, plus do something truly potentially dangerous. I do not want any cat or me getting hurt. I do’t want a fire hazard. The Tove was off, not used tonight. But still…eee-yyaaii.
Dubhan and Wizrd didn’t stay with me last night, they stayed with mama in the living room. I will be evaluating whether they are bonded to me, over the remaining weeks. I hope one or both are, I want one or both for company for Goober and for me. But only if they are truly bonded to me, if they really want to be with me and with Goober. They may just be so comfortable that they are happy anywhere in the apt., and curious about everything.
My neighbors (and their kids) are not distancing or isolating. They’re probably desperate to entertain the kids and themselves. I just hope they don’t get sick.
Doing OK here, but every time I sniffle or sneeze or cough, I worry if I’ve got it. I think it’s only fatigue and from packing and cleanup and fiddling with the cats. Symptoms keep occurring, stopping a while, restarting. No fever, no serious dry cough, no trouble breathing other than just the normal allergy / cold symptoms. So I still think I’m fine. Hope so.
I want time with Goober and with mama and kittens. Today sped by, but I didn’t get nearly as much done as I thought I would.
If it seems like I’m worried and stressed, well, yeah. I will call my friends tomorrow to check on any progress about the new house, but I don’t expect anything new. 🙁
Be well everyone.
Took another walk today wearing a fresh (double) set of basic, painters masks. I’m trying to do a three-day rotation of the mask sets. This set was a bit dusty—making me want to sneeze. I managed to suppress the urge to pull off the masks so I could sneeze unencumbered —the point of masking occurring to me in time—and luckily that distraction suppressed the sneeze too. I wish the same could have been said for the persistent tickle on the side of my nose, but no furtive face scritching occurred.
BCS: my spouse is a fantasy & war-gamer of long standing. Rest assured that our many Godzilla and fellow monster figures will be trampling our train layout, that will double as a game layout. We also chose the Ibaraki Prefecture location because it is the location of Ooarai and the “home port” for the anime series, Girls und Panzer. If you are not familiar with this great anime series and movie, look it up. I am not too wild about most anime—but this is astoundingly inventive and well-researched: ‘high school’ girls have WWII combat tank teams. Our hero’s’ school is located on an aircraft carrier. We will also be running said tank competitions (already have the models) through the streets, fields and hills of our train layout.
Ooh, that sounds too cool. — And I believe chondrite and husband have D&D gaming nights. (No experience here.) But that, including all the models sounds like a fun setup for gaming and mayhem.
Hmm…now if you have a demigorgon and a mind-flayer and a group of precocious kids…. Too much? Dunno. 😀
Flyovers from a classic Cylon Raider? Hmm….
— Peppercorn is feeling the need to call again tonight, restless, maybe bored, and — I had not considered the possible side-effects after her surgery. Her hormones must be doing a real roller coaster ride. Poor baby. But possibly, she just wants some attention. Think I’ll check on them again and then crash.
@BCS: I just looked a Amazon–full store–and they seem to have TP, 2-day delivery (maybe?) Don’t just look at Amazon Fresh.
@Raesean: If you have a P-100 mask, often used in hobbies and DIY, I believe that will work. My amateur understanding is P=petroleum/oily products (maybe oil paint?), N=not P; 100=100%, really 99.something% particle catching, 95=95%. But the biggest problem is not sealing tightly, especially across the nose.
@all: 6′ or 2m is a precaution, not certainty. Sneezes, not a COVID-19 symptom, can spread 10m, IIRC. COVID-19 seems to be fully airborne* so wind direction could be an issue, and HVAC, and it can stay viable in air for a few hours. Plese be very, very safe if you have risk factors or your area is not yet at peak or is hospital-stressed.
* https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/health/aerosol-coronavirus-spread-white-house-letter/index.html
(Repeat of previous link.)
Toilet Paper — Kroger’s still doesn’t show any. Amazon Fresh has it listed again, but no delivery date-times through the end of the week, and doesn’t show beyond that. Amazon via the whole site, not limited to Fresh, I haven’t found anything with near-term delivery. Just out of stock, or into May, in one case, June (!), and one has a temp image with text saying, they won’t be accepting more orders until June. — I still have two rolls, and won’t be surprised if I’m down to washcloths or Kleenex or thin paper napkins.
Since Fresh is effectively unavailable for me, I’ve removed all but the TP and two food items I can’t get via Kroger’s, and soft drinks, no Dr. Pepper. If and when a delivery time pops up, and I see it, I’ll jump on that. However, as noted, if an item goes out of stock, Amazon Fresh removes it from your cart. So salads and previous toilet paper both were auto-deleted. I will likely try them once the shutdown is over, but for now, I can’t get an order from them anyway.
The Kroger’s order is still scheduled for Sunday morning. Heh.
I’m about to clean the rest of the pantry. Then some laundry. If I’m not too frustrated after the pantry, I’ll switch to the clothes racks (2) and the closets.
I ordred a long-handled ceiling / wall / blinds dust mop, and was glad to find one for $15 rather than $30 bucks. It’s due at the end of the month. I think I’m OK on things through the end of the month, once the groceries and pet food and litter get here. Still kinda in shock: I had been ordering cat food in small spurts. Seeing it all together for an estimated two week period, ouch.
Didn’t have a problem feeding the cats this morning, except Unicorn wanted to jump, still. Sigh. Once food was down, we were good. — I wish I could find an ideal shallow bowl or saucer, just enough so it doesn’t spill over the sides as the cats eat. I have a few, but I’m using those each feeding, no spares. The disposable plastic or foam bowls tip over and are too tall for the kittens. Something about like the little metal bowls from Petco or Petsmart might do it, and are what I have. Going to see how much 8 of those would cost, and see if I can find something cheaper. Hmm, the little paper shallow trans like they use for some takeout or restaurant fast food orders would work, except they would soak through and leak.
I want to spend time with the cats, once I’m done with a run dof chores. They are wanting to play, into everything, or fast asleep. They have been with mama since she got back home, and haven’t really slept with me. Feeling kinda left out there.
— GaaAAAaaaHHHhhh — For reasons unknown, my iPhone somehow added Amber Alerts when I did a recent update. I must have clicked past something, thinking that was fine. — The thing just scared the snot outta me with a truly loud and annoying tone that would have woke me if I’d been asleep. Oh, I am so turning that off. I am never likely to se anything anyway, so those alerts, well-meaning as they are, don’t do me any good. I’m hardly ever out anywhere. Wow, that startled me….
Take care, everyone. I’m still low o sleep, allergy symptoms going from cleaning yesterday too.
I don’t use an iPhone, but maybe you have the selections Android has somewhere. I go into settings and search for Alert. Short of turning off the whole system, I can turn off (individually) Amber alerts, the monthly test, and public safety alerts, while leaving on severe and extreme alerts–in your case, maybe hurricanes and tornadoes. It also has settings to obey or disobey volume settings, alert only once, and a few others.
___
Here’s a thing about Amazon Fresh (AF):
“Friday, April 10, 7pm-9pm (Doorstep Delivery)”
* * *
“You have until 12:16PM on Friday, April 10 to make changes to this order. ”
So, you can just pick one thing immediately, and select a time which they’ll hold for an hour. Then continue your shopping, and AF will warn you if something isn’t available at your delivery time. You can modify the order to hit the $35 minimum, submit the order, and you’ll get a message like the above. Then, apparently, you can keep modifying your order as new items appear or change availability.
I’ll probably try modifying my order Thursday night and/or Friday morning.
I hunted through the Notifications settings, and down toward the tail of the list, they show govt. settings such as Amber Alerts and three or so other emergency alerts. I don’t recall weather alerts being an item, but that would be a good idea. So I turned off the one and left the others.
BTW, weather.com has gotten slow and iffy on my iMac for a while now. I don’t know what it doesn’t like or why, but the last time I tried to reset from the default location by searching for my zip code, it wouldn’t even click into the search box. Apple provides very basic weather on my iMac and iPhone. — When Harvey was coming in and after, I got weather alerts, by the way, on my then iPhone. (It went obsolete, too fun or too old, back in the last quarter of last year, and I had to upgrade. It was shy of three years old.)
Amazon Fresh — huh? From what I can tell, you have to hit the Checkout button to select whether you want it delivered with in-person attendance or left by its lonesome at your doorstep, and then select the date and time and finish checkout payment. If I can select that without submitting the order, that’s great, but haha, there would have to be any dates and times available. So far, for almost a week, it’s had nothing available, even just after midnight for the upcoming newly available day, two days ahead. I will keep looking and try it if/when it has an available time.
—–
My friend came by today unannounced and I didn’t hear him knock. He called after he’d dropped things off, rather than while there. (Which would’ve been more sensible, imho.) I was surprised and said, hey, yeah, I was in the kitchen working, cleaning out the pantry. He couldn’t understand why I couldn’t hear him. I don’t know how hard he knocked, but I heard not a thing, and my hearing isn’t bad.
He left, hurray, a package of more than 6 rolls of toilet paper. Very thankful.
He then reminded me about the cats, and I reiterated, no place is open; not the no-kill shelters anyway, and during this, I wouldn’t try the non-no-kill shelters, such as the ASPCA, city pound, and county pound. I told him, yes, I know the lease allows only two pets, and I’d give them away if I could, but places are closed. He talked further, and asked about a neighborhood forum or CraigsList. I said there are already too many stray cats around here from people who don’t take care of them. That’s how I got in this in the first place, so I don’t have any expectation that anyone in the apartments would take care of a new cat. And I’ve seen what passes for the community forum for the apartments. Dysfunctional and not much used. I told him I’m stuck with them here, there is nothing I can do until the shelters open back up to the public, and as far as I can tell, none are, but I will keep looking. I said that would be my answer if anyone from management wants to fuss about it. I’m fostering them, it’s not permanent, and I did not expect the shutdown. Once it’s lifted, and things start up again, then I can (I hope) get mama and kittens to a shelter to be adopted out. They take your vet’s information and verify and go from there.
I also said no one has been by yet to do the repairs inside or out, and the outside items (gate and fence, but not the porch light) don’t even require entry into the apartment. Groundskeeping and maintenance staff and office stafff are still working, but s usual, no repairs yet.
I know my friend meant well about the cats, but he’s a dog owner and he should understand. So I didn’t much need to be reminded or feel like I was being scolded.
Heh, despite putting the dry food in individual dishes, the cats thought that since I was in the kitchen at the pantry, surely I must be there to feed them moist food instead of that boring old dry food. Heh. Sorry, mama and kittens, no luck. And I notice it doesn’t stop them from stealing Goober’s food or the dry in the dish by the hall water bowl. They’re fine, they just want to be spoiled. But it meant I didn’t get much done. At least the shelves I got cleaned were not as bad as the top shelf. And the air vent is right above the pantry. Not really a good idea, that.
I fixed noodles, then promptly spilled the full container into the sink, as I was transferring from the pot to the fridge container. Dang it. So I fixed more noodles, as those were wasted.
I looked, spent way too long, trying to find cheaper bowls for the cats. Those won’t arrive until the end of the month; another is too pricey, another is too flimsy or tipsy or paper, wrong size, and on like the, until I’d also looked at larger ramekins and small salad bowls or sauce bowls. The cat bowls, steel or ceramic or other, are in the $5 and up range, except for one that’s out of stock (of course). — Finally, it was down to, I might have to pay the price for the Petco steel dishes to arrive by April 18th, but that’s $5 per bowl, for 8 bowls. I’d rather not. — At last I found an option on Amazon for small “fruit bowls” 4 oz, shallow, melamine. Not quite the size I’d wanted, but good enough, maybe and cheap, a dozen for $14. I won’t microwave those anyway, so it should be fine. The disposable people-food plastic bowls are either too prone to tip or too tall, for kittens, but OK for adult cats. So rather than $40, I paid $14. Hoping these are a good enough compromise to have enough to swap out for the foster cats until the end of the month, or when they can be given away.
Not nearly what I thought I’d get done. Tomorrow, when the cats are napping after breakfast, I should have a better chance to finish the pantry without everybody underfoot and wanting food, just because. At lest I got a little done. Trying to get the cats into a twice-daily, morning and evening, regular feeding schedule for moist, with dry available all the time, which is what I do for the adults. I might out-stubborn the foster kitties. Maybe. Assuming I don’t get climbed, clawed, or…I don’t think we’re ready for eat or be eaten yet. Heh.But mama and little miss trouble-kitten, she of the leg-climbing habit, still not stopped, are…too insistent about it. I really like their sweet side, but I really don’t like that pushy, aggressive side. The other four kittens are OK, no real behavioral problems I’ve seen.
Little miss leg climber, aka Unicorn / Springer — lost her collar somewhere this morning, probably climbing or tussling with her siblings. So she now has on another kitten collar, just different enough to readily identify, I hope. Her collar and Wizard’s are somewhere in the apartment, not found yet. I will find them at some point soon, surely.
They are still in kitten-sized collars, not yet graduated to adult-size collars, but getting close to it. I have changed everyone’s collar once by now, twice for Unicorn Springer.
not exactly super exciting, I know.
The second batch of noodles turned out fine, and the stew beef and veggies and teriyaki sauce is good, although the meat didn’t get tender enough the time. I’m going to skip sew meat for a while, in favor of what’s easier to chew.
Very slowly making a dent in things, but maybe by the time the ban is lifted, I’ll have reduced down enough of the excess and be ready to move.
The seller is just as locked down as I am. He won’t be putting in the appliances until the house is sold, so they aren’t sitting in an empty house, and so there’s someone there to accept delivery. ut hey, I won’t be moved in yet then. Anyway, things are stalled. — But aha, I have toilet paper, no longer in urgent need.
All is well enough for now. Hoping you all are OK too. I’ve been up since three am again, so I’m tired and stuffy from allergies and packing / cleanup. Going to wait until 5 if I can to feed the cats, then nap if I can.
Severe and extreme alerts include the weather alerts.
IBM bought Weather.com, and now it’s slow.
Amazon Fresh: maybe I’ve been lucky because Amazon has been expanding here. You might try 10 CT = 12 PT where Amazon is.
A few days ago we had a tsunami scare from an earthquake in the Kurils. Lo. ptwc.weather.com was down; this is where we get our notifications about incoming tsunamis. Still down, with not even a redirect. Not cool.
I believe the emergency alerts are different, from government authorities like NOAA or USGS. This doesn’t make them flawless–such as the alert to Hawaii of an incoming North Korean missile–but it means you’re not dependent on an app, just Apple or Google keeping the smartphone working.
Dang, I woke up (3rd time during the night) at 4:30am, went to the bathroom, and was surrounded by mama and kittens. Yay, he’s up, feed us! Dang it, OK, they are hungry and it’s been close to 12 hours. Little Unicorn / Springer launched herself and landed on my upper leg, little claws and all, while I was getting their food. (Individual bowls are working better, I think.) Yow-ow and cussing (from me) and, ow, no-no, NO! Don’t do that! I dislodged her with no problems, but dang it, she has GOT to stop this and learn what “NO” means. Curbed my flare of (ow-ow and temper) and went right on feeding them. So everybody was happy. Goober was waiting nearby. He apparently was also just as eager to be fed. He’s now used to being fed separately, and did fine. Good kitty. If Unicorn and Peppercorn behaved like Goober, it’d be much calmer around here. I’ve begun to think I need combat gear to deal with them. (Mama has been doing better, though.) Unicorn’s only bad habit is this jump/climb thing at feeding time. Thus, Springer as an alternate name. Otherwise, she’s got a huge, wonderful purr. But I think she takes after mama as a take-charge little girl.
So, fine, everyone’s fed and it’s too danged early to want to bang around in the pantry or closets. I’m not sleepy, but I need sleep still.
I checked the two major no-kill volunteer shelters and they (and everyone else) are shut down until May 1st or when the order is lifted, whichever comes first. So little trouble girl and mama spicy alpha boss lady and crew are here, sure enough, for the duration. I like them, I love them, I am going stir-crazy with the behavior issues and being in a two-bedroom, decent-sized apt. with 7 cats. And litterbox duty. Yuck. And feeding time, which involves insisting I am NOT a tree, dang it, how would you like it if someone climbed on you, claws out? But all that goes with the territory. Whew, kitten fostering at this age is not for sissies. My legs are all pin-cushiony.
The kittens have not been sleeping with me since mama got back, almost a week now. I’ve discovered Dubhan is a little mama’s boy, when I thought he’d be the leader. Wizard is not quite shy, but not an alpha, exactly, and Ducky is, as noted, often keeping to himself, but he’s better lately, a little more likely to warm up to me. That’s good, as it means he’ll have a better chance at getting a good home where he’ll be loved and happy. Pinky, the other girl beside Unicorn, is not quite shy but not quite outgoing. She’s the one who liked to dig through the litter as a kitten and had he shoulder holster thing going on. I really hope they all get good homes.
I am not sure what to do about Dubhan and Wizard. If they show signs of being bonded with me and/or Goober, if they want to stay, I’d like that. If they want somewhere else, then I want that for them rather than to be selfish and keep them if they aren’t really bonded to me or to Goober, preferably both. But we have 3 weeks more to figure it out. I had thought they both liked being with me, so I was planning on keeping them. Wait and see, I guess.
The bed is going to get changed again as a precaution. I can’t smell anything, but that could be due to my stuffy, sniffly lnose. Hoping to make better headway today through Saturday on cleanup and packing and reducing clutter. Easter will be getting groceries, I fervently hope, and maybe some cooking, but mostly taking it easy. Then back to it so I can be ready to move if and when the ban is lifted.
My friend did not get things from the dang office when he came by yesterday. Aarrgh.
So, bopping right along here, better than I think. I have mild cabin fever and I’m discouraged / depressed, even though I should feel fine. There’s a little progress.
Keeping on with it. — Take care, everyone.
Yeah, last year somebody walking into a store wearing a bandana over his face, Western style, would’ve caused a panic. Nowadays nobody notices!