Trader Joe's stripped to the barest shelves

Zoey cat was ecstatic when we finally let her go upstairs. The access doors were the last thing finished. Well in truth that hot mess will never be truly finished, it was what the asshats called finished.

So Big Daddy goes to TJ's and there is nothing but wine. I am okay with him getting the wine but damn we need some food too. There was a lady with crazed eyes and 3 carts, she was throwing everything she could touch into the carts. When she checked out she told them she was coming right back. WTF, that woman never ate canned hominy in her life and now she has a lifetime supply.

Village Market and Fresh Farms Market, the expensive stores did have things in stock. Village Market said there was a run on chicken but they were keeping up. This is really crazy town.

But gasoline at Costco was a buck 75. Yes, $1.75. Not too shabby, wonder how long Putin is gonna fight with MBS, or should I just call him BS.

Birthday Cake

My birthday cake, a carrot cake and it was delicious. Big Daddy said the people at work almost tramped each other for the left overs. Do you do that, send food to the office so you don't eat it at home?

An old friend of mine made the cake and I am so glad I found her again.

The Comcast equipment arrived today and I am sure BD will spend the weekend trying to fix the TV sets scattered around the house.

BD ordered a crap duvet from Costco for 200 bucks and it was ugly and not soft and not staying. Nope, going back.

Need to try my recipes for Thanksgiving and possibly for gift baskets. Yea, yea, yea, I am no cook. I think I can do this with BD's help and everyone will think I am a genius.

Uno, dos, tres, . .

Grotesques at Reed College Library, this was the outer wall they built around for the expansion.

I am really concerned about my Mexicans. For the 4 millionth time in 2 weeks they have asked me how many people are sorting their parts. It is 2 per shift for 3 shifts and they cannot get that straight. Really, how hard is this.

Just finished reading "The Mockingbird Next Door" about a Chicago Trib writer that was very close to the Lee sisters and wrote of their lives and friendship. The only thing left to read is the actual tale. Big Daddy bought it at Costco and will start that next week. Need some trashy reading first so I am going for Jonathan Kellerman "The Murderer's Daughter".

BD and I had a quiet weekend, mani-pedi, groceries, dog cookies to buy, and then I discovered a new store. Gymboree. Curly is gonna be the best dressed girl in town. This outfit is the cat's ass and I get coupons and points and it is the best thing in town for grandmama's with disposable income.

We had a light lunch at the Red Crown and I still have not cheated since arriving home. Weight is fluctuating but have still maintained the lost 5 pounds. It would help if I remembered to take my meds as the thyroid is an issue. BD discovered they sell Delta Biscoff at Costco and they are very low in calorie and cholesterol so that may be my weekend cheat.

The boss is on vacation next week so I am hoping for some peace and quiet. And I have Labor Day weekend off.

All Good Things must come to an End

We have not had a serious car accident in quite some time, until Friday afternoon. Big Daddy had to avoid a car that ran a red light and his evasive action landed him right on the "bumper" of an old well- built truck.

It even cracked the windshield.

Things we learned, on this car when the battery is gone so are the door locks and the ability to open the trunk. When you have just left Costco with your trunk stuffed full of stuff, well it now becomes a project to open the trunk through the escape hatch. Thank goodness the lease on this car is up in less than 6 months. But our rental car coverage is only good  for one month and I don't think we are gonna make it to the end without having to pay extra. Thank goodness we have the means to pay.

But, seriously you could not open the door to get out and if that accident had started a fire, well BD would have been toast. And the airbag never went off. And we both think it should have at the speed and angle of the contact. Does not make me happy. BD will follow up with the insurance company.

Work is worse than ever and I have never ever seen anything this bad. I have refused to work over the holiday shutdown and we will see how that works out. I did get a special lunch and recognition last week for doing a great job. I had to chuckle, it was almost a special pat on the back for not quitting this nightmare and becoming a professional greeter.

We now know our Polish cleaning lady is laughing her ass off at us. For some reason last night BD was turning and tossing and found a zipper on the silk bed cover he brought back from Mysore, India. It is not a bed cover it is a duvet cover and we look like the Clampetts. WTF.

We want Pie

These are my new shoes.
I never buy anything so colorful, but these shoes touched my soul.

Big Daddy went to Eastern Market this Saturday morning and came home with the first Michigan strawberries. They are wonderful. We had them Saturday night with just a bit of whipped cream. We had them Sunday morning as strawberry shortcake. We are having strawberry pie for dessert tonight. I am in strawberry heaven.

Saturday night we had rack of lamb. I am not a lamb person. Badger talked up the Australian lamb at Costco so much, I thought we should just go for it. It was wonderful, rack of lamb and I could try this again. Not sure if I am ready for the leg of lamb. Big Daddy says he thinks I only had mutton in the past-making me a non-lamb lover.

Punkin Head gave me my latest laugh, he tells me water fountains out there are called bubblers. That is kinda cute.

Gotta figure out what to do with the extra strawberry pie.

Labor Day

Watering the ferns.

Punkin Head called and they are just getting in the U-Haul and leaving. That gets them into Des Moines around 9 PM if all goes to plan. This is gonna be a trip, if ya know what I mean.

I have been thinking all day-as our hot water electric pot died-we need appliances. I bought the hot water pot last September I believe and it just petered out. Since I paid around 40 bucks I think it should have lasted a bit longer. We looked all over the Internet and Big Daddy set out to get a new one at Costco. They are closed today. I say hurray for the workers and it sucks to be me. He got a replacement at Target and I decided that for our anniversary we need a "European" coffee maker again.

Years ago when I returned from Austria the one thing I craved was the coffee, and I deduced it was the coffee maker that made the huge difference. They have these pressure machines and a simple cup of coffee is simply divine. Yes, you have to make each cup by hand, but it is worth it. Delightful coffee. Our last was a Saeco and we worked it until it died.

So for our 37th anniversary this September 25 Big Daddy will be picking out a new coffee maker.

And that is good because I have a very jewelry idea for my birthday this year. And everyone knows I love jewelry. I think it is time my mother returned my jewelry as she really does not like jewelry anymore.

Strange Neighbors

You know after thinking about it, we really do have some strange neighbors. And some stranger ones that moved on. Most neighborhoods have one wacko. We've had so many I've lost count.

I live in an affluent community in a pretty nice neighborhood, not rich on my block but good incomes and homes. But a wacko magnet it is. Currently we have entertainment from the Vegans, the Flower Lady, the Musicians, the Cookie people, Grandma, the Newbies (who bought the Al Queda House), the Clampetts and the behind us people. This is on a short dead end street. And the recently departed, tear up the landscaping people, known as OHMYGOODNESS.

The spawn of the devil children seem to be made up of the Clampett ringleaders, the Vegans and the departed OHMYGOODNESS. When the OHMYGOODNESSES departed it took landscapers 2 days to put the $17,000.00 landscaping back in order and by the looks of it at quite a bit less cost- the plantings are not as lush as before. You might ask why that much money for landscaping on a street you claim is not rich. We asked the same question.

When we moved here for my son's schooling our new house had mature landscaping and we were busy people and paying for private school necessities. Well the middle bush in front of the porch died a few years in. I told my husband to paint it green and no one could tell from the street it was dead. He dug it up. Now we had a hole in the landscaping and there is nothing you can do with 40 year old shrubs that is going to look right. Then grandma started complaining about this fir tree on her side of our house. We know cause she talked real loud to everyone but us. Well it turns out the fir tree was on Grandma's property but the former owner of our house planted it. In a group effort we all got together and took down the tree. It truly was too big for the area and everyone was happy.

Now huge tree gone, hole in shrubs there and the place is looking crappy. My Punkin Head was now working for a landscaper and he and Big Daddy took out all the old stuff and picked nice but inexpensive border material and redid the front of the house, some modest planting-a new yard light from Costco-it looked okay. Next year we did the back yard which involved pulling up 20+hedge type trees, wrought iron fencing and cement type slabs. Well the garden games were on.

Now every ones' yards looked okay but ours. Now everyone was redoing their landscaping and yard lights. This was hilarious. The kicker was the OHMYGOODNESS house which had beautiful landscaping replaced in a ridiculous keep up with Joneses mentality. $17,000.00 dollars for landscaping on a small corner lot with a house worth under $200,000.00 with virtually no yard. I don't know who owns it now, I thought GMAC at one time. Whoever should just be grateful it has rained the last couple days on the new plantings and Big Daddy and GrrDog are watching out for them.

Only one neighborhood story per blog. Tomorrow the Plastic Flower Lady.