ChiCricket

Don't go. 😦 I'm (used to be) blonde and (still am) blue eyed, and I took it more as a dig at the fundie obsession with building huge WHITE armies for Jesus. We white peeps just a lot of the time happen to be blond and blue eyed. We just don't usually look like brothers and sisters when we find our mates, like the fundies do. (Not me..I went with a Puerto Rican)😁 I too have lots and lots of very, very pale blondes in my family...and I happen to not think any of my family look creepy or inbred either....it's just...THESE fundie family trees don't seem to fork...kwim? Don't go!

Oooh..I wouldn't like that at all. I'd complain.

Now you made me curious...where was this list with the fried pickle as the state food? (now I have to try it) This was all I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_foods I went looking to see what Illinois' was..state snack: popcorn, state grain: corn Illinois sure is corny 🙄 😂

I read the most fascinating YA book about the Manhattan project called The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. I couldn't put it down. I had never even heard of it before that. I mean, I had heard of the atomic bomb, just not of stories of the men and women's work that went into making it. (And the aftermath on their lives afterward) I'd love to go to Russia, but I'd be too afraid to go, even on a tour, tbh. China either. Too totalitarian.

Had to go way back to find out who to thank for this suggestion. Thanks @EVS !🙂 I just finished the 7th book of the series. Now I think I need something a little more unpredictable. 😁 I'm going to go back and see what other books you all recommended. 😊

I'm getting used to it (with my family) but I don't like it at all. It was already bad enough that I had to communicate that way with my son and his family in Germany..now it's all five of my kids and all 14 grandkids I can only "see" that way. I think it's harder (for me) to keep up and hear everything everyone is saying, much less try to get a word in edgewise myself..kwim? It's like I'm always stepping on someone else starting to talk, which I don't think I do in real life. And even private one on one conversations...someone else in the family always seems to be in earshot. I'm sometimes like "shoot! Can't their FATHER take care of them for two minutes while we talk uninterrupted?!" But I just think it..because they already feel that way themselves.😂 It's exhausting. And I miss good old HUGS.

Has anyone else noticed a change in their TV viewing habits since all this started? I don't feel like watching anything I used to like watching. Usually I watched snarkable things like the Duggars, 90 day Finance, Married At First Sight, etc. The trashier/weirder people and families, the better. I also liked watching The View, Late Night programs and anything to do with news or politics. Now? No way..can't stand any of them. (I do watch local virus updates.) I have no interest in any other TV anymore. Just me?

And just like that, my granddaughter Elizabeth is done with high school forever (her last day was today.) At least she got her Senior pictures done before the pandemic. Also, their Prom was officially cancelled, even though they took a vote and asked if the kids would guarantee payment if they did it later. Everyone agreed to pre-pay and they still cancelled it. On top of all of this, she broke up with her longtime boyfriend. He was a nice kid, but tbh, the rest of the family are glad they broke up. But still, poor kid. (she's way too good for him, in our eyes, natch😁)

24 hours only! ..I'm cleaning to it 😁 🙂

Good for you! I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision. You should be proud of yourself.

My sister must be trying to show me that she "gets it" about covid. She sent me this, and she never does potty humor (or curses) and she knows I do both from my Facebook posts (not in messages to her though.) She's obviously trying to come down to what she thinks is my level. 😂 (The second meme is just because I thought it was funny)😁

My sister sent me a reminder that I hadn't played my turn, along with a total change of subject, so I guess she wants to make up. I played my scrabble turn with her....but I sent her this gif instead of our usual funny/cute ones to let her know I played...because I'm still very pissed off.😂 The one below is what the one I sent said..but the actual GIF was to big to fit in here.

This sister and I play Scrabble online together. It's a special site where you pay $15 a year, and it sends an email to the other person after they took their turn. Theres a spot to write messages to the other person before they hit the "play" button. Then you see that message in the email you get (informing you it's now your turn.) That worked great for us for years..after we BOTH agreed to never talk about religion or politics during our "sister scrabble chat." Then I kept missing the notifications that she had played, because I so rarely check my email anymore...so I got her to use messenger. It was fun, because now we could send gifs to each other along with a message that we had played (and whatever else we wanted to blab about...as long as that wasn't religion or politics.) I said all that to say...I know better than to even look at anything she posts on Facebook, but our messenger chats were a free from BSC talk zone...until today.😭

I just totally lost it (in Facebook messenger) with my crazy bible beating 76yo sister. She may never speak to me again...and that's all right with me.😭 I am so done with her preaching at me. PERIOD😠 (no offense to any non-crazy bible fans in here) aaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!

My oldest daughter is a Girl Scout troop leader. She has a troop of 26 girls, from itty bitty Brownies, up to Senior Girl Scouts that are in high school. She's been growing this troop for years, and has gotten girls (and their families) involved by word of mouth that have never been in Scouts before. (the girls go to the same magnet school my granddaughter does.) She got "volunteered" into it when her daughter was a Brownie and that leader broke her leg on an icy sidewalk...but now my daughter wouldn't quit "her girls" for anything. She was the one that took a lot of them camping for the first time in their lives, first time they rode a horse, made s'mores over a campfire, went hiking...you name it. 🙂 But....she just sent me this: "Got the terrible news today that all GS camp activities are cancelled through August 14th, so that means we won't be camping in June. I don't know how to even tell the girls."😭😭😭 (and if I was a betting woman, I bet it won't be open the rest of the summer either..imho) Then she wrote: "Plus, they worked so hard, and they sold sooo many cookies this year, more than ever, and we can't use the money for any fun events." (She then asked me for ideas) I just don't know what to suggest for fun things for them to do. I mean...what? Rent a new movie to watch virtually together? (Maybe different movies for different age groups?) Ugh..that's not much of an idea. I know I can't compare what they can do now to what they could do then..but it's so hard not to. I went on a lot of those outings as an extra helper, and they had so much fun! With the cookie sale money, we took the littlest Scouts (& some of the bigger ones) to build-a bear, and the biggest ones to an escape room..things like that. And they all went horse back riding and on architectural boat tour of the Chicago river. They are already holding virtual troop meetings, but she said it feels stilted and awful...nothing like their lively meetings . Hopefully it'll get better with practice...but about ¼ of the troop doesn't have online access , so they're left out completely.🙁 (sorry..I can't sleep, and I just need to talk)

Wow, that's great. And you'll have such a story to go with that blanket! 🙂 Looking on the bright side of this whole thing, I was just sitting in my back yard and thought how nice it was not to have an airplane going over my backyard every 9 minutes (and they're so low you have to pause talking until they go by.) I mean, we got this house cheap because it's right near O'Hare and under a flight path, so I know it won't stay like this...so I'm just going to enjoy it while I can. Btw, 2 weeks ago my gate-agent daughter told us this: 'I have some good news. Today my job announced they are doing a “Platoon” schedule. There will be 2 groups (named after airplanes), 787 and 777. What it is that we are going to work 2 weeks and be off 2 weeks (with pay but on call). They are trying to lesson the amount of workers that are there all at the same time. It starts this Sun and I got assigned the 777 group which is the 1st group so I am off for the next two weeks (I only had to work Mon, Tues, Wed this week).' The reason I'm posting that is to say that she went back to work (after the last two weeks off) today, and just sent us this picture, with this description: "I met two planes all day and now this is what I’m doing at work. I am so bored." She said she misses "shooting the sh-t with the other employees on breaks, and that it's way too lonely now. She says she even misses the "irates" (crabby customers) at this point. 😂

I've been having some really weird colorful dreams since this started, and I don't usually dream much anymore. Last night I had my first covid-fear dream. My husband and I were in a movie theater, and some guy kept coming and sitting in the seat next to us even though the rest of the theater was empty, no matter how many times we moved! And I specifically remember saying to my husband (in the dream) "he's going to get us sick!" And then being very frustrated that my husband didn't want to move away from the guy. I woke up with my heart pounding.🙄 I sure hope so..and then our governor puts this out there:😕 https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/prtizker-illinois-students-and-teachers-should-prepare-for-elearning-use-in-the-fall/2262144/ PS right now I'm on the phone with someone in another country about an insurance problem...I've been on hold SO LONG, and I'm so irritated..but I've been on hold for so long that now I don't want to give up... oh wait..duh..it's Monday..why did I call on a MONDAY?! I'm going to hang up....aaaahhhh...should have done that two hours ago!!!! 😂 :::::old lady rant ahead :::: don't we have people in THIS country who can answer phones who need jobs?! I'm married to someone with a thick accent...that's not my objection. It's having the phone quality sound like it's being made by two tin cans connected by string run beneath the ocean that frosts my cookies. And the stilted British English, tbh. now get off my lawn😜

Thanks. I might have confessed this here before, but I am a huge Lin-Manuel fan (and that includes anything and anyone who has been in one of his productions..I fell hard.) 😁 Leslie looks so different with hair! Love the quarantask! I'll have to share that with with my daughters. One just got her husband to finally mud(?) and paint a drywall panel fix he originally started in their house...5 years ago 😱 (he works art Home Depot and does handyman jobs on the side..but you know..the shoemaker's children have no shoes) 😂 Another one finally got her husband to fix their electric fireplace starter..just in time for summer. And now I realize I also have a scare room and not a spare room. Heh. Amen to this. I can't imagine the stress of having to make decisions in the best of times, much less now. And I wanted to share this ^^ have no idea how to get rid of that dead link..they had tech issues last night^^

Am I the only one that has fantasies of sending people like this an anonymous letter in the mail telling them just how annoying they are, and how people are laughing behind their backs? I'm too chicken-s#it to actually do it ...plus I'd shrivel up in mortification if someone sent a letter like that to me...so...yeah..better not..karma and all that... 😁

Two things from this post... I want a cat again so much (now to get my husband to agree) and I'm so glad I'm way past pms...I do not miss those days.

No. I cannot babysit my husband through another round of quarantine. Stick a fork in me. I'm ready to buy a tiger and cover him (my husband) in sardine oil, and .....

Oh, I love Debbie Macomber, but I've never read the blossom street series...and my library has the first book. Thanks! Thanks! I'll read that after the blossom street series. I read books with religious stuff in it all all the time, I just slide over the preachy parts. I'd miss out on a lot of really good books if I didn't. Doesn't matter what religion either. Characters talking about their religion doesn't bother me, if the story is good enough without that part by itself..kwim? Lately, I've been going back and comfort reading the kinds of books like the Orphan Train books, and anything to do with the Amish..simpler times ,I guess?

In honor of World Book Day, I would like to recommend the book series that starts with the book: Welcome to the World Baby Girl, by Fannie Flagg I just finished the series...and I can't stop thinking about it. (read them in order) Anybody have another book series suggestion for me? (I can't do scary, dystopian, or depressing right now, for obvious reasons.) Escapism is my jam rn. I'll read just about anything else...including cheesy mail-order bride romance junk😂

Happy Birthday @Ijustwantsomechips and @doodlebug ! (these were the best gifs I could find for you both.) Well, a lot of the ones I found for Doodle besides this one were UGLY little (real) bugs! 😂

I wimped out, didn't call Mery and tell her off...she invited him again, he wimped out and joined them again tonight... They said the Rosary..then proceeded to all just talk about the pandemic, how all the family is doing, and everyone was done in about hour and then everyone said goodbye..no other church people drama at all. I wonder if him being missing for a day gave them the hint that he wasn't happy?🙃 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (let's see if it stays that way)😁