Watcha Doin' - 2019 Showing 1,551-1,600 of 2,486

[Cherie]

Instead of building a small house in the back yard, there are people using travel trailers as alternate housing in my area. They park them in their side yard and erect a shelter over them. They use an extension cord to plug in for electricity and can even hook up to the water faucet (like at a travel park). When the sewage tank gets full, it can be driven to the nearest community facility and be emptied. Complete autonomy from the ones living in the house, if desired.

[Janice, Moderator]

When I was house shopping, I looked for houses that had self contained basement suites in them. I figured I could rent it out and use it to pay my mortgage. Problem was, the banks won't calculate potential income into the magic number that says you qualify for the mortgage. They will only consider actual income.

Basement suites are quite common here. A separate building isn't all that common.

[Margo]

Rusalka wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Goodness - I'm exhausted, lol. I think I'm just going to laze aaround today...I wish! What's "the tip?"

I whole-heartedly approve!!

Oh sorry. The "tip" is what we call the rubbish/..."

Rusalka, We call it "the tip" here too.

I have to go for a rest - exhausted just reading that list!!!

I'm recovering from my visitors. It was a tough few days as I can barely walk at the moment! My rash had been quite for a while (thanks to Lisa and Rus help :-)) so I took my eye off of it and, of course, it flared again :-O I wasn't able to use my leg brace as it rubs against the sore spots. My cousin, god bless her, spent the few days waiting on everyone as she was the fittest one there and she's just got her disabled parking disk LOL

But of course, I had to a certain amount of walking and am now suffering from muscle strain as well. Had to bring my mum to the doctor this morning to get urgent bloods taken as there was a query on her repeat test. I have to ring at 5pm for results so that is kind of worrying. It could be a long day.

[Janice, Moderator]

I hope you get good news, Margo.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I hope everything goes well, Margo.

[Sandra, Moderator]

It is almost 7pm here and we are still having 41C (105.8 F). It is driving me crazy. Or it would drive me crazy if I had enough energy for that...

[Peggy]

Same here Sandra. I pulled some weeds from the garden this morning when it was only 27C, but I got hot so fast and then it took ages to cool down as there is nowhere to actually cool down. Except in the shower.

Saturday it will cool down to 29C here, and it feels weird saying that as 29C is what we normally think of as hot!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Exactly! The max for tomorrow is 30 here, and I am sure it will feel cool in comparison!

[Margo]

Mum's results were a bit better this time so we're spared a trip to A&E thank god. More bloods Monday though 😯

I feel so sorry for all of you in the rest of Europe and the UK! That is HOT!!! Once again we are escaping the worst of it. It was 25C today but it very humid and the night time temps are not dropping much. I really can't complain though seeing what mainland Europe is going through 😔

[Peggy]

Glad the news is better Margo!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Great news, Margo. Let's hope Monday's results are even better.

[Sarah]

31C here but some parts of the UK hit 38C. Ridiculous heat. We stupidly went shopping in Bath ahead of our holiday in a few weeks. Not the best plan we've had.

[Lisa]

It got up to 35C in my part of the UK today. The humidity has been ridiculous too. I'm not a fan of heat at the best of times but today has just been crazy. I pity the poor people who have had to travel by train as the temperatures have been causing havoc on the railways and many of the trains don't have air conditioning 😳. Thankfully it's meant to be at least 10C cooler tomorrow.

[Lisa]

Margo wrote: "Mum's results were a bit better this time so we're spared a trip to A&E thank god. More bloods Monday though 😯

I feel so sorry for all of you in the rest of Europe and the UK! That is HOT!!! Once ..."

Glad you got some good news with regards to your mum, Margo. Hopefully Monday's results will be good too.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Hope you're all keeping cool!

Glad you're Mum's bloods were okay, Margo.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I had a busy, but good day today. I went to a drag brunch with a bunch of girlfriends. It was a lot of fun. A bunch of us old ladies hooting and hollering. lol

Then I went to an author event this evening where Ruta Sepetys was speaking. She was excellent. She was just what you’d want to hear from an author - engaging, personable, humorous, intelligent... I really enjoyed listening to her.

[Margo]

Kristie wrote: "I had a busy, but good day today. I went to a drag brunch with a bunch of girlfriends. It was a lot of fun. A bunch of us old ladies hooting and hollering. lol

Then I went to an author event this..."

It's great when an author is like that Kristie. I listened to a Reading Women podcast last night w8th Jessica Handler who write The Magnetic Girl. She was also great. Interesting and intelligent. I highly recommend that series.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Nice, Margo. I really liked that it felt like she was talking to the audience versus giving a lecture It felt conversational. She was so nice and humble when I met her at the end to get a book signed.

I listened to Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea on audio, so I only had Out of the Easy to get signed. I haven't read that one yet.

[Sandra, Moderator]

We are back home in the US. We arrived yesterday and everything is a mess, bit I hope to get it sorting during this week.

[Peggy]

I had no idea you were going back again Sandra. Has it been a year already? Incredible!

What did you think of your year abroad overall?

[Lilisa]

Sandra wrote: "We are back home in the US. We arrived yesterday and everything is a mess, bit I hope to get it sorting during this week."

Welcome home, Sandra!

[Janice, Moderator]

That year went quickly, Sandra. What a great experience for your children. And for you.

[Margo]

Sandra wrote: "We are back home in the US. We arrived yesterday and everything is a mess, bit I hope to get it sorting during this week."

Wow, that year went so quick! I don't envy you the sorting out :-O Hope you're glad to be home and all enjoyed the French lifestyle. It must have been a great learning experience.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Thank you, everyone.

I think it was a very positive experience for everyone. I would have liked to stay one more year really, or at least 6 months, because I have the feeling we left when we were in the best part. We weren't struggling with the language anymore, we knew how things worked, we knew people. But well, it is what it is.

[Lisa]

Welcome back to the US, Sandra.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Welcome back to the US, Sandra. That did seem a fast year. Where about in the US did you land?

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Oh wow! I can't believe that is a year! I appreciate it would have been good to have a few months longer there particularly from a language point of view. But it must be lovely to be home too.

[Sarah]

Wow, time has flown by. I'm pleased you enjoyed your stay there. Are you planning on staying in the US for now Sandra?

[Sandra, Moderator]

We came back to our house, the very same place we were living before moving, in central Pennsylvania. My husband sabbatical is over, so we are staying here now. :)

[Cherie]

Yes, that was a quick year, Sandra. I hope your house sitters were not too rough on your house. It does seem hard to have to leave, just when things were getting easier to live there.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Cherie wrote: "Yes, that was a quick year, Sandra. I hope your house sitters were not too rough on your house."

Nope. I'm not very happy at how I found my house. :/

[Cherie]

Sandra wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Yes, that was a quick year, Sandra. I hope your house sitters were not too rough on your house."

Nope. I'm not very happy at how I found my house. :/"

I am so sorry, Sandra. I do not understand why people cannot respect other people's property and return them in the same or better shape than when they received them. I am sure that you and your family had everything all clean and ship shape for them to live in your house before you left for France and expected to return to it in the same way.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Sandra wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Yes, that was a quick year, Sandra. I hope your house sitters were not too rough on your house."

Nope. I'm not very happy at how I found my house. :/"

Oh, that's really disappointing Sandra.

[Sandra, Moderator]

The dishwasher is not draining and the oven is locked and can't be unlocked, but both things were just unfortunate events. I am not upset about that. Both appliances are old and probably that would have happened to us at some point.
It is the dirt everywhere that is driving me crazy. I spent many our this last 2 days cleaning (specially kitchen and bathrooms, since they were disgusting) and still today a cleaning lady came to take a look and she thinks she will need 20 hours of deep cleaning to get it ready! I have always done all the cleaning myself. This is the first time I am going to pay someone to help me, but I really feel overwhelmed, specially with all the kids here on vacations it is impossible for me to focus on the cleaning, and there is also so much to do in this month before school starts (for the kids and also my husband). I am not going to bore you with details, but I am sure, I am positive, that the house wasn't cleaned, not even once, in the whole year. It was shocking and upsetting to find it that way.
But well... first world problems... I guess if I can afford being upset because my house is dirty that means I don't have more serious problems to worry about.

[Kristie, Moderator]

That's awful, Sandra. So gross. Take advantage of being able to have someone come in to help you clean it. Twenty hours of a cleaning lady's time will be worth it to you to not have to spend that much of your own time and energy on it right now. Too bad you had to do that though. Can you take the expense of the cleaning lady out of their security deposit at least, so you don't have to absorb that cost?

[Sandra, Moderator]

Yes, we can afford to pay for the cleaning. Actually we have already decided to find someone when coming back because the household was becoming too much for me, and I am glad we had this lady recommended because I really liked her.

[Janice, Moderator]

What a shame, Sandra! So stressful.

[Travis]

Well apparently ylto was on my mind last night because many of your names were in my dreams. I can't say many people because I don't actually know what anyone looks like so you just had random bodies. Have no idea what, or if, there was a point to my dream. It was all over. I do remember wanting to go past Janice and someone threw me some suction cup thingy and I jumped to the ceiling to go by her and my suction cups didn't stick and I fell.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Lol Travis!

[Janice, Moderator]

ROFL! I just can't be beat no matter how you try to get around me.

[Travis]

Guess not Janice! Lol

[Renee]

I wondered what happened to my suction cup thingy. LOL

[Margo]

Travis wrote: "Well apparently ylto was on my mind last night because many of your names were in my dreams. I can't say many people because I don't actually know what anyone looks like so you just had random bodi..."

ROFL Travis! You'll recognise me anyway, I'm gorgeous ;-p

[Janice, Moderator]

Margo wrote: "ROFL Travis! You'll recognise me anyway, I'm gorgeous ;-p "

That's probably why he fell off the ceiling - momentarily lost his grip on the suction cup thingy. It's like falling head over heels.

[Tricia]

lol You guys make me smile. I think Margo needs to add the suction cup thingy to her dictionary.

[Travis]

I was gonna blame faulty acme suction cup thingy but Margo's beauty could have distracted me

[Janice, Moderator]

Travis wrote: "I was gonna blame faulty acme suction cup thingy but Margo's beauty could have distracted me"

LOL!

[Peggy]

Hi from Iceland! It's so so so beautiful here, I have no words for it.

The weather has been very nice too, sunny and sometimes even warm enough for just a tshirt. Not much longer though, we're heading eastwards and to the fjords. Prediction is only 6C on Monday, yikes! Cloudy as well unfortunately, but it seems it will at least be dry.

[Lisa]

Sounds wonderful, Peggy! Have a lovely time!

[Janice, Moderator]

I'm glad you're having a great time, Peggy. I've heard that Iceland is beautiful.