Attacked By Gnats

Many tiny ones and two big ones.

Lizzie has been trumping in the house.

Meanwhile, the washing machine is toast, thanks in part to Ron’s fooling around with it and the unavailability of a part (timer). I’m hoping we get approved for a new one.

Tired of the public bashing of Wendy Williams. Tired generally of the shrinking circle of integrity and proliferation of new in-crowds. Tired of not getting a response to my offer to volunteer to the Town. Tired of Ron’s fiddling with my house and shed. All well and good for him to experiment but he’s lousy at correcting his failures.

I am not looking forward to the phone conversation with the warranty company this afternoon.

Just…Stopped

Put down straw on the last two gardens yesterday and by mid-afternoon, my get-up-and-go got up and went. Cooked burgers and fries for supper.

Ron was busy with one thing or another.

Our homeowners claim was rejected. After three phonecalls, I was (finally) able to access our account at A&E Factory Service.

Lizzie barked a little before 5 am this morning. She’d leaked and trumped and was very hungry.

More on the Uvalde massacre: the teacher shut the door but it didn’t lock. IT DIDN’T LOCK and as a result, 21 people were murdered. Maybe Ted Cruz is on to something.

Memorial Day

Finished planting and spreading mulch!

Put in lettuce, cukes and zukes in the far left garden.

Hung out laundry. Two loads. Ron came wandering out when I was almost done, offering advice. I’m glad I didn’t kill him although I wanted to. Did a third load of whites.

Ron discovered a puddle of water next to the right side of the washing machine. He worked for an hour or more cleaning it up. Ran the fan all night to dry it out.

He did a transfer station run, too. Relieved they were open!

Watched “Operation Mincemeat” after “PBS Newshour” which, mercifully, was absent the Donkey Face. If only…..

Compost, Vegetables

Finished mixing in the compost that Ron shoveled out of the nearest bin.

I planted tomatoes and marigolds and bush bean, zuke and sunflower seeds. Spread mulch on flower gardens.

Ron turned the compost in the other bins. We really need a better setup.

We watched the last half of Dune. I was impressed, Ron was not.

Ron has been obsessed with the Senate’s resistance to gun control of any kind. Since amending the Constitution is pretty much impossible, I think population change in gun-loving states is the only way the current rule by minority would end.

Ron claims to have lost about 57 pounds from his heaviest back in Oakland.

Why We Are Screwed

The Constitution guarantees it.

Eric Black | Columnist for MINNPost

“But, according to the calculation of Ian Millhiser, writing for Vox, if you add up the population of states and assign half to each of their two senators, “the Democratic half of the Senate represents 41,549,808 more people (12.5%) than the Republican half.”

“Millhiser’s piece is named after that fact: “America’s anti-democratic Senate, in one number.”

 “In the very short Article V, which lays out the process for amending the Constitution (you know: two-thirds of both houses have to agree and then three-quarters of all the states have to ratify) there is one provision of the Constitution that the Constitution itself says can never be changed. It says, clearly and bluntly: “that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.””

Plantings

Added compost and straw to the tomato garden. Planted the two biggest tomatoes in horizontal trenches, along with some pathetic lettuce that had almost no roots and marigolds.

Planted old zuke and bush bean seeds in the top garden.

Planted herbs. Ron offered to help offload compost, so once he’s done that, I’ll put in cukes and squash, the rest of the tomatoes, the second set of lettuce, sunflower seeds and marigolds.

It’s been grey and cloudy all day, cool but humid. Great planting weather.

I did a .66 mile walk this morning in Old Cotuit Port. Boring, boring, boring. Stopped in to a bakery and plant sale. Some nice plants but didn’t see anything I couldn’t live without, especially the $30 hangars. Ouch!

Paint Worked, Done Weeding, Fencing Finished

Ron finished the fencing around the right side garden!

I finished weeding both left-side gardens.

Found the correct paint for the kitchen and living room. Ordered it online at the Benjamin Moore website and picked it up at Aubuchon last evening.

Ron’s latest fetish is to not use pressure-treated wood in the gardens. He asked Shelley her advice. Got to chat and visit with her and her little dog for a few minutes, which was nice. The wood in the left-side garden isn’t pressure treated anyway, it’s rotting nicely.

So it turns out that Pedro Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde school district, didn’t order the cops to enter the two classrooms.

We also learned that the cops outside the school focused on crowd control not protecting the public from harm, tackling at least one parent who tried to get inside the school.

As the sign says, can’t fix stupid. Or cowardice. Or collecting a paycheck and receiving benefits but not doing your damned job.

Lizzie Leaked, Yardwork

Lizzie barked early this morning, 4:30 am. Ron got up to check her out. Turns out, she’d wet her bed in the living room.

Forgoing Hyannis, I picked up mulch from Ace in Mashpee that worked just as well. Also food for Lizzie and peanut butter for us from Roche. Filled up at Stop & Shop, saved $9.

We did a lot of yardwork yesterday. Ron mowed and I did more weeding and raking. Finished one garden with straw. Hurting last night but got to sleep without pain meds. Woke up around 9:30 pm to bring in tools and button down the tonneau cover; Ron helped. Just as well: it did rain a little this morning.

Washer repair person will be here on Saturday morning. Appointment made for phone call with HSC Claims next Thursday.

Guessed wrong on the paint, will try again today.

Four Mistakes

Forgot to upload files yesterday for NEPS.

Messed up not one but two HSC claims, the latest today. Filed a claim for the dishwasher instead of the washing machine. Didn’t cost us, but the first might.

Overdrawn on the joint account. By less than $8, but still not like me.

I asked Ron once again to keep his hypercritical remarks to himself. It hasn’t helped. Feels like I can’t make a move without bracing myself for some petty criticism.

Better Today

Glad to be feeling better. Tried the home COVID test; negative.

Hung out soaking wet laundry. Ron thinks one of his plastic bags may be blocking the drain in the washing machine. We’ll find out tomorrow.

Spoke with a person from Mutual Boiler RE about the furnace claim. Still no word from Home Service Club.

Pulled out another big milkweed root.

Lizzie trumped last night. She greeted some neighbors this morning.

Did some edits for NEPS.