I hear ya. I was a varsity leTTerman for basketbaLL and voLLeybaLL when I was young, plus I did a lot of other things like croSS country, surfing, coMMunity stuFF like helping to clean beaches. I wasn't kind to my body. Mostly in North Carolina and Florida, but I didn't do much in Pennsylvania. For the most part, I hated the kids I grew up with around here. If they would've droPPed a bomb on this town, and is neighbors, I don't sEE where the world would have lost much in general.

With my arthritis I try to watch it. I don't heal so gOOd after a break anymore.

I hear you on the online, that is where most of my interactions are as weLL, and I'm preTTy happy with it. Got a few I video chat with now and then, but mostly it's FB, meSSage boards and such.

I thought Winter was done with us when we had a few nice days, reaLLy nice days, but the bitch came back at us a heLLing. Glad I got plenty of fuel oil. She's been a frigid ho this past wEEk. How are things down around there for you guys?

Winter wasn't tOO tough this year.  A few cold days but no hard frEEzes.  Rediscovered my local library recently and I plan to catch up on some reading.  Also maybe ask if they caRRy music cds.  Just generaLLy get used to using the library again. 

I started with the intention of reading some literature type bOOks but got sidetracked into reading bOOks by recent political figures --- Alexander Vindman, Stephanie Grisham...reading a great book by Fiona HiLL at the moment.  Learning aLL sorts of things.

I mostly read fantasy, scifi, or hoRRor, sometimes I hit a few others like westerns. Love David EDDings. GoTTa be my favorite author. I've read his The Belgariad series more times than I can count. Worn out a few copies I have. lol

Things have finaLLy warmed up and stayed steady here. I got my flower bed out front and my flower pots on the front steps aLL planted up. I'm going to give them a few days before taking any pictures of them. Give them time to seTTle in, considering when you first plant things they tend to be a bit drOOpy.

Planted a few I haven't planted before, so we'LL sEE how they do. Next time I have oFF, I might work on doing some edibles.

You guys doing any gardening this year?

I mostly read mysteries and westerns, though I just finished a teRRific memoir by Marie Yovanovitch.  HopefuLLy her bOOk wiLL be the last political reading for a while.

I'm not much into gardening.  We mow and edge...any improvements are aLL hers.

I like posies. I like to sEE how they turn out when they start reaLLy growing. I don't do as much as i used to anymore. It's just tOO much on the legs. I think I'LL grow some tomatoes and a few other things in some buckets, but I don't sEE me doing the whole big garden thing anymore. I'm just not up to it, and I reaLLy don't nEEd a lot of stuFF anyway. I am thinking about doing some indOOr gardening in the one room in basement, smaLL stuFF. Nothing big.

You geTTing through the suMMer ok?  It's been preTTy hot here, and not much rain.  In the last few wEEks we've had more rain, and we nEEd it.  Kinda stiLL waiting on a huRRicane.  We don't have one every year, but they are normal enough.  Sometimes devastating but never truly abnormal.

I've taken up going to the library again this year...started checking out books at the end of winter.  I read mostly mysteries but I've given general fiction a little try.  I don't like what I've read in general fiction very much...too many stories about relationships.  I'd rather read about tough guys solving problems LOL.

Take care, I hope you are well.

We've bEEn going through a bit of a dry speLL, but for the last few days we've actuaLLy been geTTing a nice, gentle, soaking rain, which we desperately nEEd in this area.

My weLL busted, so I'm living on boTTled water for now. Got myself some five and thrEE gaLLon stackable water boTTles, and I've always saved gaLLon jugs from milk, water, etc. Bought a smaLL portable washer that handles everything but blankets and only uses about thrEE gaLLons to wash and the same to rinse. It has a spin dryer that works extremely weLL. After that, oFF to the dryer.

I also got a counter top dishwasher with a hold tank that I can drain into a bucket. It only uses a gaLLon and a half, and holds a lot of dishes. TOOk me a wEEk to fiLL it enough to run a load. The water I use for dishes, bathing, washing clothes, etc. aLL goes down the toilet. So, I usuaLLy get at least two, if not thrEE, uses out of each batch of water.

I learned how to be water thrifty when I lived in the trailer. Every Winter, never failed, we ended up at least a few wEEks without ruNNing water due to frEEze. So I'm weLL trained for living without ruNNing water for a while. lol

I'm talking with the insurance company and the USDA, and it lOOks like when it's aLL said and done I'LL mostly likely end up with a new weLL, and aLL the fixing that go with it, plus a new driveway for around $250 or so. It's just paperwork at this moment. It's a bit inconvenient, but nothing that is going to kiLL me.

Glad you haven't had any huRRicanes. I lived in Florida. Those things can get nasty. Up here, we've bEEn basically dry and hot until recently.

Were you able to score your new weLL?  Always good to have the water you nEEd, when you nEEd it.

We reaLLy haven't changed many of our activities...stiLL sort of in Covid cover up mode.  We go out to eat every few wEEks and that's nice but we mostly avoid close encounters.  Going to Walmart is bad enough LOL.

WeLL is aLL fixed. Got my house back in order. Total cost of the weLL, $6200, but not what I paid. I actuaLLy paid $200 deductible. :)

My special nEEds senior kiTTy Alex paSSed a few wEEks ago. He was a swEEt boy. I'm glad I was able to give him a nice comfy home for his last days.

Mostly I've bEEn working a lot, because we're so understaFFed, but that is hopefuLLy about to change. Got a new one coming in this wEEk, and maybe another one next wEEk. HeLL, I might actuaLLy get to have a life again.lol

I'm scared. It's bEEn so long since I was able to have a life I'm not sure I'LL remember how to do that anymore. :P

ALL the OT has helped with geTTing even further ahead on my house payments. I'm working towards paying it oFF early so I can hopefuLLy retire at a reasonable age. It's also helped me aDD to my DVD coLLection. I want to try to break 2000 titles by end of year. My girls just giGGle at me when I teLL them that.lol

Glad to hear you guys are doing weLL for the most part.

Do you think we'LL ever be frEE of all the covid crap? I'm so sick of this shit lol

DeaNNa, I think Covid wiLL always be here.  I'm sick of it, tOO, but I believe I'LL be wearing a mask forever.  Things could be worse - I could be dead.

I believe in the vaCCine.  Some people don't and I believe those people are a problem, but I'm not geTTing around them.  I'm kEEping mostly to myself.

HaPPy Thanksgiving and stay weLL.

WeLl I've become an antisocial old bitch. So kEEping to myself is easy.

I teLL people I'm a gOOd puPPy. I got aLL my shots.lol

To work where I do you have to have them, hospital and aLL.

I'LL be working Thanksgiving this year, but I'm complaining. We don't have anything plaNNed in the family. Most of us are working that day, and quite a few of us are working Xmas and New Years tOO.

I'm goNNa have a lot of double time, holiday pay, this year. :)

You guys have a safe and haPPy Thanksgiving tOO!
 

I've worked a few holidays in my time.  In fact, everyone in my maRRied family has.  ALL of us were working shift work, wEEkends, nights...you name it.  Holidays and birthdays were always a liTTle iFFy, and we got preTTy good at selecting workaround/alternate dates.  If Thanksgiving fell on a Thursday when some of us were working, we chose the closest day when we were aLL frEE.  If Thanksgiving in our houses meant having it on a Monday in December, that's when it was.

Mostly, we tried to avoid asking our work for special days oFF.  We figured it wasn't the calendar day that so important...it was geTTing together when we could that was important.

I like people, but I've bEEn able to enjoy being solitaire as long as I can remember.  I'm not sociaLLy adept...I'm the type that hangs oFF to one side and smiles and listens.  But Thanksgiving is a time to gather, and we wiLL.

Take care.

We went to a Chinese buFFet yesterday.  First time we've bEEn there since late 2019 or early 2020.  This particular restaurant doesn't put salt and pePPer shakers on the table, but I asked for some and the server brought us the liTTle paper packets.  GOOd enough.

I can't teLL you the fOOd was great - hey, it's a buFFet - but it was delicious.  We used to go there a lot and it was great to be back.  Kind of created the iLLusion that we are trying to be normal.  This restaurant was always preTTy busy pre-Covid.  We went early, entered just after they opened for the day, got out before the rush.  Not bad ataLL.

I guess diFFerent restaurants, diFFerent establishments of aLL types will have diFFerent philosophies on how they do business, deal with the pandemic.  I know this Chinese buFFet was closed for a few months during 2020.  They had some extra plastic safeguards up around the buFFet fOOd.  They are using the paper packets for seasonings.  We were pleased the fOOd tasted just as it always had.

Got finished yesterday cashing in my saved spare change...did that right after fEEding at the buFFet.  TOOk me a wEEk to haul it aLL in to the Coinstar machine, but I turned all that metal in and exchanged it for over $1000 in green money.  First step in cleaning up my rOOm LOL.  I shuDDer to think how fast we'LL spend it now that we have it LOL.

HaPPy Turkey Day again.  I hope you'll have a chance to visit with your family sometime close to the holiday.  Work is important, but family is more important.  GoTTA fit family in somewhere during a hectic schedule.

Take care.