CalicoKitty

MORE SMOKE!! I was hoping that our air would stay clear this summer. We are now getting smoke from the Mosquito fire in Placer and El Dorado Counties. My brother and his wife are on a vacation in Tahoe right now, and he said the air is really bad there, too. Our AQI is usually under 20, and I just received an alert that it is around 315. The last I heard, there is no containment of the fire. I have no idea how widespread the smoke is in CA. This is a different fire than the saw milll in Weed, CA. I think they have that one contained, but I think there was quite a bit of structure loss. Luckily I bought a large air purifier last year, and have plenty of projects at home, so I can stay inside. But I really hate all this smoke. At least our temperature will be dropping in the next couple of days. It should be in the 80's by Sunday. Heat and smoke. Ugh.

Any bets on long Philip lasts in "college"? I'm just waiting for Jill's excuse.

Are we sure there actually was a test? This could just be Jill's dreaming.

If Philip is really "2nd in his class", that is a really sad group of students. They will have to start from square one. At least he is able to get away from the house during the day.

The weather is obviously much cooler than where I am. Leggings, skirt, blouse, all topped off by a long-sleeved jacket. I am overheated just thinking about it. We have been under a heat advisory here, and today is "supposed" to be the last day before the temperature drops slightly. I'm not wearing anything near the amount of clothing she is. At least Dave has water and short sleeves.

Tater Tots with condensed milk sounds awful. I would think the texture would be changed, as well as being very sweet. I have avoided Tater Tots ever since I slipped on one in the school cafeteria and had two shoulder surgeries. Those things are very slippery.

Been there, done that. I finally made sure the shampoo was always on the same shelf and the conditioner was always on the other one. Lasik helped a lot.

Didn't she just post a bean soup she made? I guess pills are easier than bean soup--and pills don't have all those pesky vegetables.

As I recall, this was a MAMA shower, not a baby shower. Some people have a lot of nerve, I guess.

Well, both my parents are from Iowa, and I lived there as a child. My aunt and uncle had a good-sized garden, plus we had relatives who farmed and grew acres of sweet corn. When we had corn, we had corn. Everyone at the table would have at least 3, and often many more, ears. There would be a big platter on the table where everyone put the empty cobs. You can't stop at only one ear of fresh-out-of-the garden corn. It's just not possible. Same with tomatoes. How I miss fresh Iowa corn and tomatoes! Jill's plate of corn looks good, but it not nearly enough for her family for one meal. I am not impressed.

Does Jessa still have her couch? Maybe she "rehomed" it at Joy's house.

I agree. That is a very strange style. Maybe that is why the original owners "gifted" it.

Maybe some tears on the back. Maybe the people are changing decor. It happens. Someone gave my neighbor a leather reclining sofa just because they didn't want it anymore. It is in perfect condition.

I can picture it. Our living room was a twin to your's, except my mom was heavy into blue and green with a lot of gold. Definitely the dark Mediterranean furniture. Everything seemed to be blue and green. Did I mention I really don't like green?

But how will the M's learn to say per-pen-dic-u-lar?

Both cats are in my lap, and Flora decided she needed a pillow. Lily doesn't seem to mind. We are just happy it is cool in the house. We are in a heat warning. Record rainfall at the beginning of the month, and now record high temps. August has proven to be an interesting month.

My parents had a 20 x 30 living room covered in green shag carpet, complete with rake. And an avocado green refrigerator. (I really don't like green)

I guess I did misunderstand. Sorry.

The streaming service you use for live TV (Hulu, YoutubeTV, etc) usually has a subscription that is commercial-free for a higher fee. You sign up for it from the individual service site. That has nothing to do with the Fire Stick itself. Fire Stick has no fees outside of the purchase price.

@Cinnabon- I did not see your Fire Stick question, but I use Fire Stick and Fire Cube all the time. There are no extra ads, just the regular live commercials if you are watching a streaming service like YoutubeTV or Hulu. Streaming on things like BritBox or Acorn have no commercials. There are no "extra" Amazon commercials or ads. I use a Fire Stick on one TV and a Fire Cube on another TV, even though they are both "smart" TVs. I really like the ease of use, and being able to change channels and control the TV by voice. With the Cube, I can control everything exclusively by voice. Hopes this helps.

I just read the book reviews on Amazon. 43% are one star reviews. A couple of the reviews commented on the poor grammar. One 3 star review said some middle-of-the-road comments, and then said they received a free copy but were not required to leave a positive review. Many compliments on the illustrations themselves, but complaints on the context in which they were used. I have a hunch Amazon will be giving this a deep discount in the near future.

If I recall correctly, Medicare pays for the first 6 weeks of care in a facility (nursing home) after release from hospital. (I think it was 6 weeks--it is not very long). Then the family has the responsibility to either find a nursing home, and pay out of pocket, or take the patient home and either pay for care or take care of the patient themselves. My brother and I had in-home care for my parents--mom with dementia and dad who could not walk or speak--and it was very expensive. In CA it was about $24/hour for care from a reputable agency. After Dad fell and hit his head, we moved them to a very nice assisted living home. We were VERY fortunate that our parents could afford to pay for their care. By the time we counted the cost of the in-home aides, groceries, utilities, property taxes, and worry, it was less expensive by far to have them in the assisted living home than staying in their house with the aides. And we had the relief to know that they were being taken care of and watched 24/7. My brother and I both have worked in health care (pharmacist and RN) and we know what was going on and did a lot of the care. I cannot imagine having no background and relying on "the kindness of strangers" to care for my parents. They have no idea what they are in for.

I lived in CA for over 60 years. The only time I heard the term used was by someone who was not a CA resident, and they were immediately corrected by someone else. Like saying "Frisco' for San Francisco. I just is not done.

As someone who lived 3 blocks from one in CA, I can attest that it is VERY popular. The drive thu line would wind though the parking lot and into a very, very busy street. It would block traffic for a couple of blocks. I learned not to drive home that way during times near to meal times. If you go on "off" times, it is much easier. Another one opened a couple of miles away, and they were hoping it would ease some of the traffic around the first one. I like their hamburgers, and I find I kind of miss being so close to one. There is one about 10 miles away, but I haven't stopped there yet. They are very picky about who they hire, and everyone is neat, clean, and very polite. (And the people running the cash register actually know how to make change!)