Random Ramblings

Hope you all have a wonderful ong Memorial Day weekend.

Yep, we have Memorial Day ( Dodenherdenking on May 4th.
Then we remember all people who died in the WWII.
We remember all soldiers who have given their life so we can be free now.
Soldiers from the USA and Canada.

Matsi went to the vet on Friday.
He needed a little surgery.
I'm so happy he's doing well now.

When the trees start listening to Heavy Metal.

rockerVu2 wrote:

Matsi went to the vet on Friday.
He needed a little surgery.
I'm so happy he's doing well now.

So happy to hear that Matsi is doing well! 

Xid wrote:

When the trees start listening to Heavy Metal.

Facebook's group chats are the devil!  Why is there no way to opt out of all of them?

Facebook is the devil!

Normaniac wrote:

Facebook is the devil!

I wouldn’t know. Have never EVER had a FB account! Forums only for me!

MikeInFla wrote:

Normaniac wrote:

Facebook is the devil!

I wouldn’t know. Have never EVER had a FB account! Forums only for me!

You are probably the smartest man in America!

You know you art getting old when you randomly fall while in the shower.  I'm okay, but I destroyed the shower curtain!

Wozers!  How's the hip?

alldatndensum wrote:

You know you art getting old when you randomly fall while in the shower.  I'm okay, but I destroyed the shower curtain!

Ouch, I hope you are doing ok.  I completely fell out of the shower about 3 years ago (taking the shower curtain with me).  Scared the bejeebers out of Mrs Staybrite.  I can laugh about it now, but was definitely sore the next day.... so guessing you might be kind of sore.

A cautionary tale about buying fresh chilis.  Since moving to Arizona we have noticed the green colored chili section of our produce department has many more offerings.  Some of the smaller ones look almost identical.  I went shopping late Friday night for a family reunion dinner on Sunday (yesterday) were I did about 75% of the cooking and food preperation (like usual).  Oh, and this is one side of my wife's family (not mine).
I made green tomatillo salsa for the first time yesterday. It called for roasted jalapenos (along with the rest of the ingredients). I fired my traeger grill/smoker up to 350 degrees and grill roasted the tomatillos, a white onion, some garlic, and two jalapenos. The recipe called for 2 or 3 jalapenos depending on how spicy you wanted your salsa. Given that around a dozen or so people would be eating the salsa I decided to make it "less spicy" and added only one jalapeno (de-seeded...and roasted mind you). After making the salsa I dipped a spoon in it and took a very small taste. My tongue went almost completely numb for the next twenty minutes. I was a bit surprised to say the least. I chopped up the other roasted jalapeno (about 30 minutes later) and figured I would try a small piece (about 1-1/2 times the size of a tic-tac). I couldn't feel my lips for the next 30 minutes.
I'm pretty sure those green little chilis were not jalapenos. Thinking they were some very spicy serrano chili's instead. Fortunately there was a teen and his adult uncle at the family reunion who are from New Mexico and had eaten seriously spicy foods for years. They absolutely loved the salsa and devoured most of it.
Now I am afraid to shop for jalapenos anymore. 

Mmmm I would’ve loved it! The hotter the better! I like to feel it on the way in AND on the way out!  

Staybrite wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

You know you art getting old when you randomly fall while in the shower.  I'm okay, but I destroyed the shower curtain!

Ouch, I hope you are doing ok.  I completely fell out of the shower about 3 years ago (taking the shower curtain with me).  Scared the bejeebers out of Mrs Staybrite.  I can laugh about it now, but was definitely sore the next day.... so guessing you might be kind of sore.

I was for a few days.  My knee, which I didn't even hit, still hurts a little.

Is anyone excited about summer?
Since moving to Arizona summer has certainly become one of my least favorite season of the year.  And it isn't just the heat (although that can be pretty rough).

Staybrite wrote:

Is anyone excited about summer?
Since moving to Arizona summer has certainly become one of my least favorite season of the year.  And it isn't just the heat (although that can be pretty rough).

Seeing that we've only had highs, for the most part, in the 80s and that I am out of school for 9 weeks, I am absolutely STOKED for summer!!!

I'm all about the sunshine and we get lots of it down here.

Staybrite wrote:

Is anyone excited about summer?
Since moving to Arizona summer has certainly become one of my least favorite season of the year.  And it isn't just the heat (although that can be pretty rough).

Why not just the heat?  What else don't you like about summer?

For me, summer is my least favourite season.  I don't lilke the heat and it was 23/73 yesterday, and that was too hot for me.  I'm a winter/autumn/spring guy, and I would happily give up summer for a longer any-other-season!

After a spring with rain and cold, it's summer here. It's very warm and it seems the weather says so for the next weeks.

Fundy wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Is anyone excited about summer?
Since moving to Arizona summer has certainly become one of my least favorite season of the year.  And it isn't just the heat (although that can be pretty rough).

Why not just the heat?  What else don't you like about summer?

For me, summer is my least favourite season.  I don't lilke the heat and it was 23/73 yesterday, and that was too hot for me.  I'm a winter/autumn/spring guy, and I would happily give up summer for a longer any-other-season!

Summer in the desert brings the storms.  On days that it rains it is usually still in the mid 90's (around 35 Celsius) and very humid.  This can last for 6 weeks (occasionally more).  The rain storms can also bring severe flooding (at least 3 people in the valley died during last years flooding).  The bugs go crazy and if you spend more than a few minutes outside without bug spray you get eaten alive by biting gnats and mosquitos.  The rains also bring the poisonous Sonoran Toad out of the ground and they are most active in the evening.  So when you take your dog outside in the morning or evening you have to make sure they don't chase any kind of toad or frog (I killed 7 of them last year just in my back yard).  If your dog or cat get's one it it's mouth they could be dead in minutes (you can't leave a water bowl outside without finding a toad in it). Taking the dog out during the day can be difficult too.  It get's so hot sometimes that the rocks and pavement (even the artificial turf) can burn their feet.
I also tend to live in a little anxiety of our air-conditioning unit just quitting out the blue.  It is only 2 years old, so I'm worrying for nothing, but our brand new refrigerator died in less than two years....so maybe I'm not being silly. 
Back when I lived in a more even climate the winter, autumn and spring was my favorite... no that I live in a much warmer climate it seems that winter is the only season that will bring much cooler weather.
Don't get me wrong, there are serious pluses to living in a drier climate.  I never have to shovel snow, and I'm not at all concerned about my water pipes freezing.

Changed insurance companies today.

Normaniac wrote:

Changed insurance companies today.  

Car insurance, home insurance, renter's insurance, health insurance...dental insurance?

I gotta say summer in Michigan sure beats the Florida heat! Haven’t used the AC much here and if we were still in Florida we would’ve had it on nonstop since March. We’ve had a few warm days in the upper 80’s but with no humidity it doesn’t feel as hot as Florida. Lately it’s been in the mid 70’s during the day and around 55 at night. Perfect weather for the windows to be open!

We love it here! Oldest daughter has only been here a month and she admits she is having a hard time adjusting to life so far away from where she grew up. She left all her friends behind. I told her we all had to adjust last year when we moved here and that it was particularly hard on her middle school aged sister because she can’t just hop in a car and drive somewhere to explore. And it was hard on me starting a new job and having to fake it til I make it as I didn’t adapt to work as fast as I thought I would. 

Anyway, summer is nice here and can’t wait for fall! Such pretty colors on the leaves!

Normaniac wrote:

Changed insurance companies today.  

Think I am doing this today too. Car insurance is pretty high. Home owners is acceptable. But I got a quote from Progressive on home and auto. Home goes up $300 a year but auto insurance bundled with them saves us close to $200 a month. So in the long run it will probably be better than Allstate. Gotta say after being with Allstate for 23 years (home) they can’t be beat. Auto another story. Will look at some numbers today and compare and probably call the Progressice guy back to switch.

MikeInFla wrote:

I gotta say summer in Michigan sure beats the Florida heat! Haven’t used the AC much here and if we were still in Florida we would’ve had it on nonstop since March. We’ve had a few warm days in the upper 80’s but with no humidity it doesn’t feel as hot as Florida. Lately it’s been in the mid 70’s during the day and around 55 at night. Perfect weather for the windows to be open!

We love it here! Oldest daughter has only been here a month and she admits she is having a hard time adjusting to life so far away from where she grew up. She left all her friends behind. I told her we all had to adjust last year when we moved here and that it was particularly hard on her middle school aged sister because she can’t just hop in a car and drive somewhere to explore. And it was hard on me starting a new job and having to fake it til I make it as I didn’t adapt to work as fast as I thought I would. 

Anyway, summer is nice here and can’t wait for fall! Such pretty colors on the leaves!

We had to turn our AC on in late April and it will probably have to run non-stop until October (sadly).  It wouldn't bother me too much but even with maintenance nobody here in Arizona can seem to get an air-conditioner to last more than 10 years.  They are stupid expensive to replace.

I wonder about changing jobs/careers in my mid 50's now.  It can't be easy and it seems like it would take a bit of time to get used to (especially anything even remotely complicated).