Just need to talk to my friends (209)

Good morning. Going to have heat indices in the 100's today. Thus, I'll get out and mow early this a.m. Also need to get groceries and go get the title transfer on our new to us car.

Carls description is spot on…lol

Lorita …it may be time for you to go through your pantry and throw out everything out of date.

Beth…I want your garage and the little white car!

My "other" children are here from Italy so the rumicube will be busy.

I bought a box of Angel Food cake mix once. It produced a better cake than one from scratch. I will buy a box of Gheridelli brownie mix and use part strong coffee as part of the liquid.

You are a lucky man, Ron. Now aren't you glad you moved to Missouri? I see Steak N Shake hasn't changed much. I worked for them in the summer I was 15, selling burgers for 31 cents. You couldn't buy the pickle for that price now.

It's 100 degrees on the asphalt today, and the man selling produce in the parking lot is as red as his Chief's T-shirt. He and others have coveted my paper "Panama" hat. I bought a bag of tomatoes, then washed the car so it won't be dusty and daubed with bird droppings when I take my niece to lunch tomorrow.

I saw on TV that a canyon in LA is on fire, and firefighters are battling it in protective gear and 100+ heat. I am not going to complain about a single thing.

Steak N Shakes all look alike, and I recognized it instantly. I was sure after I read the paper liner in the plastic basket.

Ron, you have good looking grandkids! So glad you have time together now! Making memories.

The car is a Lexus convertible. Feeling happy!

Sleep well, Lorita. I'm glad Billy's OK.

The calendar says the full moon is tomorrow night, but the moon tonight is certainly round and gold. Lovely evening.

Carl - I guess I do know what BPV and the Epley maneuver is - I just didn't know that's what they were called. I remember my mom doing the Epley maneuver on occasion. It seemed pretty uncomfortable.

Beth - your car is super cute. However — I have a looooonng way to go before our garage looks like yours.

Lorita - I've never used a cake mix beyond the sell by date. Sometimes I'll use stuff if it's only a few months past, but after that, nope, I don't use it.

Judith - Ghirardelli brownie mix - yes, yes, yes! The double chocolate one (the one with the chips). So good.

We just got back home from an attempt to see an aurora - all the numbers were quite good, so we thought we had a good chance. We managed to see a very faded, washed out one, but the low clouds and the full (or almost full) moon made viewing quite difficult. I never really think about how bad light pollution really is until I'm out trying to see something (like an aurora) and have to compete with all the light. I know the light pollution causes harm to nocturnal animals too - like nighttime pollinators, etc.

Good morning. It's almost 6 here and just getting light— a sign that summer is winding down.

Ron— It's nice you're grandchildren are so close now. They're cute kids; I love DGS's "leg day" band and your DGD is an exceptionally pretty girl.

My DH would envy you the lunch at Steak'n'Shake. The intense love of that place one vestige of his midwest upbringing that remains. I would never say no to their shoestring fries.

LOL, Steak'n'Shake is how DH discovered his lactose intolerance. On a visit to see his mom in Indianapolis when DS was a toddler, he bought milk shakes every afternoon to try to put some weight on her. A few days in her started have intense GI pain which worsened. His brother, an ER doc, assumed it to be a gall bladder attack and said he could refer for surgery or he could head home and take care of it there.

Brother loaded him up with enough fentanyl to make it home, I packed the car and we headed off for Philly 669 miles away. I had a tire blowout on I-70 and managed to pull into a rest stop. I had a full sized spare, but I had a DH too stoned to look after himself much less a toddler. A young couple, both theology students from out hometown, changed the tire for me while I kept DS and DH from wandering into traffic. The wife shared that she'd just found out they had a baby on the way. I have never let my DH forget that he let a pregnant woman change his tire because he was "gassy".

Lady Z— I hope your picky daughter finds a place that appeals. It can be hard when an entire office moves into a place and all need to find homes in the area.

Carl— It's great you have a group of like-minded guys. There's a diner near where mom's hair salon and pharmacy are that has a number of similar guys meeting up regularly.

Beth— That is a very sweet ride you have there. Your garage looks like something out of one of those garage make-over ads.

I have had the itchy eyelid thing. In my case it was caused by a skin care product that was too harsh for my sensitive skin. A little OTC hydrocortisone cream calmed it down quickly. I hope that works for you as well. One thing that was suggested to me was to make sure you change your pillowcase frequently until it's cleared.

Gothic G— I kind of like the whole idea of a mother-of-the-bride in a flapper costume. Most MOB dresses are kind of a predictable uniform anyway, so this is much cooler.

I'm down with the Ghirardelli Brown Mix, too. I always have the Costco club pack on hand in case I need a batch for some reason. I'd hadn't thought of adding strong coffee instead of water.

Lorita— I wouldn't use out-of-code cake mix unless it was really close. Not only does the leavening lose strength with age, the other ingredients, especially any fats, will oxidize with time. Once I unwittingly used a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix at mom's not realizing it was expired. The resulting cornbread was nasty— no rise and kind of bitter tasting.

Judith— I hope your world stops spinning.

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I had a mom-day yesterday. She "needed" a haircut and a pedi ahead of her trip next week. Mom called me Wednesday evening in a lather about when her next cut was. She started this by asking me if I had taken her appointment card. Red flag for me. I didn't have anything in my phone and then recalled that last appointment she didn't schedule because she was sure of her travel dates. Turns out that was the case, but they were able to take her yesterday. She's a 20-minute wash, cut and blowout which is crazy. Her stylist does a wonderful job TBH. And quickly.

While she did that, I liaised with her pharmacist to make sure she'd have all the meds she needed for the trip. He was getting ready to make up her packets but was short her AREDS-2. They've been ordered and she'll get 4 weeks of meds delivered on Monday in tidy little pill packets.

She picked a French pedi rather than her usual bright color. I can't say I like the outcome but she's happy with it. The edges look really white to me rather than subtler white with OPI Bubbly Bath over. While I waited, I was chatting with 2 ladies my age who were picking their colors. The one with the tattoo sleeve when for royal purple on her toes and neon orange on her fingers. The other lady was deciding between white and bright yellow. LOL, they told me my mani looked "clean and healthy". I guess I'm not very festive.

DH called me. The guys who did our driveways (seal coat mom and new asphalt us) stopped by to schedule sealing. DH said he "gingerly" asked "if mom was still with us". DH confirmed that she was out getting a pedi for an upcoming trip and he was pleased to hear it. He got a real kick out of her.

She's mostly set for her girls' weekend Aug 14th-17th. I'll pack her bag on Wednesday. The trip has gone completely sideways. They added niece's BFF to the mix; this young woman has a terminal diagnosis and has always been even more extra than mom. Niece did a birthday trip with this girl and spent the 4 days venting to me by text about what a PITA she was being. Niece paid for everything and BFF is the type who orders multiple cocktails and top of the menu.

Niece says mom invited her; mom insists niece did. I suspect Kendal Jackson and/or Kim Crawford had a hand in this. Since the trip went sideways, niece included her younger sister, whose feelings were hurt by not being included in the birthday trip. My mom can only handle her in microdoses for a whole lot of reasons. I can't wait to meet up with my older niece for a postmortem after the trip. Mom will pay for her share plus a little extra, but I suspect niece will be funding the bulk of the trip for the other 2 as they're both chronically broke. Mom resents them being included; she sees this as "her trip" and she resents the extra cost for 2 people she'd rather not spend a lot of time with. I encouraged her to pull out of the trip so niece could cancel, but she refused. This is going to be the stuff of family legend.

HB

GG, Sometimes if you use a camera to look at an aurora, the camera picks up what the naked eye cannot. By the way, there is to be a major meteor shower this coming week: I believe the 12th and 13th there could be 100 meteors per hour. Please google for more info on when and where to view if interested.

HB…OPI Bubble Bath v Essie Ballet Slippers???

@jfkoc Mom's looks like Bubble Bath with a thick White-Out edge. BUbble Bath is the default "French" base for lighter tones at this place.

My current go-to is Zoya Naked Manicure Perfector in pink. Zoya is a Big10 Free line of polishes. It also comes in a "plus" version that has nail treatment and ridge filler.

You must have a steadier hand than I have.

I don't think it's wrong. I've seen all manner of color iterations— it's part of the fun.

TBH, I'm not sure why mom's pedi looks weird to me. Maybe they cut her nails super short. Maybe the tips were too thin or thick.

Mom tries to be super fashionable, but sometimes she's just a bit off. Like she buys cute wide leg crops and then wears them with socks and lace-up oxfords when she has the perfect ballet flats and espadrilles in her closet. My niece will see her next week and weigh in. She's the final arbiter of cool girl vs try hard.