Good Grief! 7 Things To Tell You On A Tuesday Morning In August

/ Ally Bean

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1 – I am laughing. I think with passwords you cannot win– and maybe you’re not supposed to, maybe they’re here with us to provide frustration. Why do we assume they’re on our side? Anyhow, go HERE to do your best to create a password.

2 – I am organized. A couple of weeks ago Zen-Den finished painting the interior of the garage [with exterior paint, oh the irony]. Then last week we had 1-800-GOT-JUNK come to the house to haul away the stuff we no longer wanted, stuff that had been stored in the garage for years. This is a huge step forward toward simplifying our lives. And I could not be happier.

3 – I am enjoying. We’ve discovered Tajín, a mild spice blend with chili peppers, lime, and sea salt. On watermelon it’s divine, so now I’m into trying it on almost everything fruity or vegetable-y. Once I like a flavor profile I go with it.

4 – I am anticipating. Only Murders in the Building returns today and we’re here for it. Season 3 is with Meryl Streep, so even though I say I never binge-watch anything, this could be the show that changes all that.

5 – I am pleased. I stumbled over The Love Language Quiz so I took it. Come to find out my love language is Acts of Service. This makes sense to me and brings to mind a certain song. Oh Zen-Den my Sweet Baboo, “I’m getting hungry, peel me a grape.”

6 – I am fascinated. Our neighbors have bought an electric robotic lawnmower. It’s white and looks like an albino turtle so I’ve named it Yertle. It scurries around their yard going hither and yon, eventually covering the whole area. Then, and this is what I think is wonderful, Yertle goes to his little charging station, his home, under their deck.

7 – I am prudent.  I knew about the Cardinal Sins, years ago having declared SLOTH as my fave, but now I’ve learned there are Cardinal Virtues. Who knew? Thus in the spirit of being a forthright blogger who shares important personal information, I’ve decided that my favorite virtue is PRUDENCE.

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QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Anyone else about had it with passwords, the bane of my online existence?

What are you looking forward to watching [TV or movies] during August?

What is your Love Language? Your favorite Cardinal Sin? Your favorite Cardinal Virtue?

Anything interesting going on in your world? Or over at your neighbor’s house?

You know I love to know what’s up with you!

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259 thoughts on “Good Grief! 7 Things To Tell You On A Tuesday Morning In August”

  2. Anyone else about had it with passwords, the bane of my online existence? SO ANNOYING!

    What are you looking forward to watching [TV or movies] during August? MY BIG FAT WEDDING 3! Comes out on September 8, so I will rewatch 1 & 2 soon 😀

    What is your Love Language? Your favorite Cardinal Sin? Your favorite Cardinal Virtue? QUALITY TIME / SLOTH / TEMPERANCE

    Anything interesting going on in your world? Or over at your neighbor’s house? Hang on, lemme check my spycam…

    Like

    • Paula, yep to annoying passwords. They drive me nuttier than most things, which is saying something. Is My Big Fat Wedding 3 a TV show or another movie? I’m out of the loop.

      Very impressed that you have a spycam at the ready to see what’s up with your neighbors. You are joking, right? 😳

      Liked by 1 person

      • It’s a movie! Oh, I highly recommend the first one. So good, so funny. The second one is just OK, but I’m very excited for no. 3

        Yes, joking. I’m too self centered to care about my neighbors 😂

        Liked by 1 person

        • We saw the first one in the theater years ago. The story hit close to home for us, almost too real for words. Will look for the other movies. Thanks.

          Good to know you’re self-centered. That I understand more than spying on people. A gossip I am not.

          Liked by 1 person

  3. I’m bad at identifying items in a password quiz. I often imagine a telephone wire or traffic light is hidden in one of the blocks, and flunk the test.

    What am I looking forward to? Reading Linda Joy Myers’ The Forger of Marseille. I may do that before cleaning up the kitchen.

    Like

    • Marian, yes I know what you mean. Those little images that are supposed to convince the system that you’re not a bot are way too small. And open for interpretation.

      I don’t know of Linda Joy Myers’ The Forger of Marseille but if it keeps you from doing household chores, then it’s a great book. N’est-ce pas?

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I am so down with a robotic lawn mower named Yertle. We’d need a fleet of them, but wouldn’t that make for a great blog video?
    I dream of contacting a company to remove my husband’s junk. But sadly, I’d have to get rid of the husband first and that I’m not willing to do.
    Billions is coming back for its final season this Sunday so that’s where I’ll be at 8:00pm.
    😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl, you would need a fleet of Yertles and that would be way cool once you got them into formation, but watching our neighbor mess around with just one leads me to believe there’s a learning curve involved when programming them.

      I don’t know about Billions. It’s a TV show… that’s been around for a while… about money…?

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Hi Ally, Our human wavelength path is connecting this morning, again. 😊Top of my morning list is to organize my passwords for my family if/when I die.🤪 Never heard of Tajin…lime is cropping up often in recent recipes…must try. Yes, I am a huge fan of “Murders” – only 2 episodes released today…my evening reward. Prudent aligns with your #2 point. Good on you, Ally!💕

    Liked by 1 person

    • Erica/Erika, I have the same thing about passwords for the same reason on my August ToDo List. Let’s hope updating them doesn’t lead to an early grave.

      I read about Tajín somewhere and got curious. I like spice blends. I didn’t realize it was only 2 episodes of Only Murders today, but I’ll take ’em.

      Hadn’t put together being Prudent with 1-800-GOT-JUNK but you’re right. Of course if I hadn’t been a Sloth about stuff in the garage then none of junk hauling would be necessary.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. There has GOT to be something better than all this password crap that we have to juggle. I get that there are programs that manage them and browsers that store them, etc., but that still cannot be the key. Maybe an actual physical KEY is the key. A laser fob thingy. I don’t know, but I’m so sick of passwords.

    I’m a strictly Acts Of Service person. These five words in order are foreplay for me: I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT. You can have me simply by saying those five words just like that…after I’ve said things like “The faucet is dripping”; “The garbage needs to go to the curb”; “There’s a raccoon living in the garage”; “I simply cannot imagine making dinner tonight.”

    I’ve seen the Yertle, but what I really want is a Roomba.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, I agree with you, of course. I know that I’m doing the best I can, and I know that I’m not senile [yet], but it is overwhelming to keep track of passwords. They make me anxious, knowing that one mistake on my end, or the system’s end, will lock me out of what I need.

      I also agree that I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT are five beautiful words creating one perfect sentence. In fact those words might be the key to a happy marriage.

      I like those Roombas, too. Wonder how tricky they are to program, she asks rhetorically?

      Like

  9. 1GDf**kingsonofab++t*hshoveitupyourA$$FU. Sorry. That password is already taken.
    Quality time – Sloth – Patience. If I had a lawn to mow, my slothful self would buy a Yertle, but by design, Her Slothfulness lives in a condo where somebody else nows for her. Now that I know My Big Fat Wedding 3 is coming out soon, it’s on my list. Thanks, Paula. No new news but no news is good news, so I’m good with no news.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Julia, I’m laughing out loud and nodding my head in understanding about your PERFECT password. Honestly, why are they such a nightmare?

      I like your reasoning about living in a condo. I’ve done that and let someone else deal with the yard, but it seems to me that Yertle could bring a new level of ease to our lives… if we could afford one and program it.

      I agree, thanks to Paula. I didn’t even know there was a 2nd My Big Fat Greek Wedding, let alone this 3rd one. Something to look forward to.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Nancy, thanks for the link. I knew of this system but not the details so when I stumbled over the quiz I had to take it. I often say my love language is information, kind of an act of service.

      I followed the link in your old post to Jeanne’s blog, one I was not familiar with, then saw the blog name Piglet in Portugal. I remember her from way back, and now I see she has a book. Small blog world.

      Like

  11. I know I am going straight to hell but I have two passwords that I use everywhere. I did the test and got all checkmarks except for the first one – 25 characters? Puh-leeze! Eight is Enough 😉

    I haven’t started “Only Murders in the Building” yet. I am catching up on “The Americans” coz I didn’t watch it then. I binged “The Bear 2” and am already in mourning. Not sure what I am looking forward to other than that.

    Love Language is Time together – but that’s normal coz I’m in a long-distance relationship so… Sin: Sloth, only coz the others are too much! Virtue: hard choice. Fortitude only coz I’ve had to but the other three in proper measures.

    Yertle! I dunno that I’d want one. I kind of like doing my lawn…

    Nothing overly new and exciting other than having my family over for my mothers 82nd birthday. The lustre is off the new job but I’m thinking it’ll do until I retire (I really, REALLY don’t want to have to do another search and I really, REALLY want to retire soon.)

    Happy Tuesday! As always, a fun and participatory post.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dale, I admire your simply way of dealing with passwords. I’ve taken it to heart that I have to have different ones everywhere– and I’m losing my mind.

      I started The Bear, but it didn’t grab me. However everyone I know likes it so I’ll try again. If you watch Only Murders, be prepared to laugh and also amazed by the mysteries.

      Sloth and fortitude for you, then. I can see that. I know what you mean about having your own Yertle. We still like to mow the yard and our property is hilly so I don’t know if Yertle could do it.

      Happy Birthday to your mother! I can imagine about your current *new* job. If you can stick it out, there’s a logic to it. Good luck.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’ve been told it’s foolish. I change them now and again 😉

        Oh, I loved it. (But I love anything to do with cooking and restaurants, so…) I wanted to watch it with Marc and was waiting for him but he got rid of Prime so, I’ll be on it soon!

        You can, can you? 🙂 I just can’t imagine the thing not getting caught on roots (I’ve quite a few) or simply running off the sidewalk!

        Thank you. She’s in pretty darn good shape. Yeah. It’s mostly fun, my boss is mostly cool, except when she isn’t and it’s easy to get to. Winter will be the real test.

        Like

  12. I never think about passwords, except when I forget one and have to consult the hidden hard copy. I rarely watch tv or films, and prefer Cardinal flowers to cardinal virtues and sins, so there we are. Like nearly everyone down here, I’m focused on surviving this heat (day ‘whatever’ of over 100F and no rain in the forecast), so we’re approaching the point where mental and physical lethargy are equal. Onward!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I forget passwords often and am forever looking them up. I don’t consider myself to be addled, but maybe I am. Or maybe I’m password phobic, so I forget them about as soon as I create them.

      You do rock flowers. I can understand how your interest is elsewhere than on the TV/movies. Of course if your heatwave continues unabated you many be watching stuff on the screen more than you want.

      Stay cool, if you can.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. My love language is acts of service, too. Probably why I married a guy who can cook. Passwords, ugh. I finally had to write them all down. They are on post-its on my monitor or in the folder for the corresponding non-profit organization. Since cyber theft is a lot more likely than someone making it past my big dogs and into my physical office! What I hate are the “captcha” thinking where you have to find the parts of a motorcycle or all the crosswalks. I swear it’s a judgment call on things like a bit of handlebar and I always call it wrong.

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  14. I made it to Rule 8 with the password game and then was rolling with laughter -although the flashbacks were intense by that point remembering previous password creation attempts.

    I too am excited for Only Murders to come back- a show I didn’t expect to last but love it. I have already started on season 2 of Good Omens- David Tennant plays the fallen angel now doing Satan’s work, but with a twist. Love that show.

    My oldest had a roomba vacuum. On the occasions when I would house sit the dogs for a few days it was set to clean at midnight in their downstairs. The dogs woke up, I woke up and then had to listen to it roll across the hardwood flooring. I wanted to put the thing outside and let it roll off down the street.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, you did great with the game. Congrats. I dropped out at Rule 4, my patience was exhausted. Passwords are stupid.

      I love David Tennant so will look for Good Omens. It sounds like a fascinating premise. Thanks for the suggestion.

      I never thought of how noisy a Roomba could be. We have wood or tile floors on the first floor so that’d be something to consider. Yertle is quiet, almost sneaky quiet, and great fun to watch do an elaborate “K” turn at the end of rows. I live a simple life.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yes passwords are stupid. I may be one of those people who uses the same one for everything… 😉

        Lots of actors faces you will recognize in GO. Season 1 was way back in 2019 but is important for the backstory. I was so happy to see it back and hear mentions of a season 3 maybe?

        I think a Yertle would be great if I had a yard 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’ve made a note about GO and will look for it after our new Roku arrives, later today, supposedly.

          Our yard is hilly with lots of trees so I don’t know if Yertle would work, but I do like the look of him.

          Liked by 1 person

    • Frank, I love Snoopy, he’s my spirit animal. I’ll wait for Oppenheimer to be streamed, as I will the Barbie movie. I’m never current when it comes to movies.

      Like

  17. Yertle! What a perfect name. My daughter and I see one of these devices on our drive home from her school and she calls it Mowbot.

    My love language is Words of Affirmation, which I knew going in. But it was very closely followed by Quality Time, which surprised me a little! I think my husband would say Quality Time is his love language, so maybe I’ve adapted to him over time?

    Speaking of Quality Time, my husband and I just started watching Quarterback and I am finding it to be riveting.

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    • Suzanne, Mowbot is a great name, too. I’m fascinated with Yertle, but not to the point of buying one. They’re pricey.

      I like the concept of each person having her own love language. It explains relationships to me. Interesting how your love language has changed over time, I bet that’s pretty normal.

      I don’t know about Quarterback, never heard of it. Will look for it, thanks for the suggestion.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I thought I was doing well on the password creation until I hit rule 6. That does so closely resemble what many of the most insignificant sites want from me.

    My love languages are acts of service and quality time. Kind of sounds like I appreciate attention. I like to give attention, too, so that seems fair.

    I love the whole idea of Yertle.

    I had never heard of the 4 cardinal values. I cannot decide on a favorite but I find myself picturing a conclave of cardinals having a philosophical discussion. I also learned that cardinals were named for Cardinals due to their bright red feathers and sort of pointy crest. If you search for what a group of cardinals is called, conclave is my favorite option. If you image search a conclave of cardinals you get a bunch of Cardinals instead. All in all, it’s very confusing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Zazzy, I adored the password game, if for no other reason than it confirmed my suspicion that I’m not alone thinking that the creation of them is infuriating.

      I’d never heard of the 4 Virtues, either. Considering my education in English Lit it seems like I should have stumbled over them before, I certainly know about the 7 Cardinal sins from my reading. I didn’t know a group of cardinals [the birds] was called a conclave. I did know about the RC Cardinal connection to the birds, see first sentence about majoring in English Lit.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I also scored ‘acts of service’ on the love language test. I felt like that test could’ve just been more straight forward and asked me if I like getting gifts or would I rather if my husband help me with things/show appreciation. I also wonder if I was accustomed to getting gifts from Coach, if I might have answered differently – but I doubt it. I need help and I like it when he ptiches in and lightens my load.

    I have heard such good things about Only Murders in the Building, but we don’t get that streaming service. We don’t really watch anything. I do stay up late and watch a movie with my older kids frequently, but the choosing of a movie takes almost as long as the watching of the movie. It would be nice to have a go-to. Mini did introduce me to something called Jury Duty, it’s a hoax and the juror is the only one that doesn’t know it is a hoax. It was pretty funny. Apparently there are lots of episodes and I’ve only seen the first one.

    I have seen one of those little robot lawn mowers. I love the name Yertle for the neighbor’s lawn service bot. Funny stuff.

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    • Ernie, gifts or help? That is a good way of making the Love Language questions more direct. The concept of this has been around for a long time, but this was the first time I knew of a quiz.

      We got Hulu just so we could watch Only Murders, which seems indulgent except that we don’t do cable anymore so it really is less expensive to have a few streaming channels regardless of how much we watch on any of them.

      Yertle is cute as the bee’s knees. Gotta say, if I was going to get a robotic lawn mower I’d want it to look like Yertle, not some John Deere wannabe.

      Like

  21. Oh…passwords. You hit a sore spot, Ally. I live with a master password creator who thinks all of his passwords are beyond intuitive – for him – and doesn’t understand why I can’t crawl into his brain to recall oddball p/w that are quirky combos of things that make sense in his neural network. Of course, I want to just write them down, but nooooo we need to have multi-factor-authentication apps that yes — you guessed it – require their own passwords to get into Fort Knox. Sigh. Can’t wait to take a peek at your password game. Maybe it’ll shake some sense into the hubs? 🤣

    Like

  22. That password game made me laugh – it’s pretty much my experience with all passwords!

    The robotic mower would make me nervous! I had a robotic vacuum that went berzerk all the time. It would start vacuuming for no reason, sometimes in the middle of the night! Or it would go out into the middle of the room and spin around and around like it was possessed. It was a cheap knockoff brand with no timer or connection to my phone, so there was no telling it what to do. It could never find its home base to charge up, and it usually ran out of battery under my bed, so it was a huge production to crawl under there and retrieve it.
    Needless to say, I got rid of it!!

    Like

    • Michelle, I’m loving your experience with your robotic vacuum. It sounds like it was deranged which from my point of view, NOT dealing with it, is funny. I’m sure for you, however, it was a trial. I’d jump out of my skin if a vacuum started up in the middle of the night, just because it wanted to. I understand why you got rid of it. Hope Yertle doesn’t go berserk, but if he does at least he’s not mine to mind.

      Like

  23. I like the idea of the robotic lawnmower. Although, if I had my way, Al the yards would be vegetable gardens with a few flowers and no grass. It seems like a waste of water to me! The HOA, of course, is keeping me in line. And finally made peace with our passwords a couple of years ago. My husband and I now use a password manager app. It has a random password generator which makes things easy. Best of all, if one of us dies or is incapacitated, the other can still pay the bills. It has a shared area where we can give each other individual and master passwords for things. We have no secrets between us, but lots of passwords!

    Like

    • KDKH, Yertle is doing great on the neighbor’s flat-ish yard with few planting beds, but our property is hilly with planting islands so I don’t see him joining us soon.

      I know of password management apps. I’ve not looked into doing that but you raise a great point about how either of us would be able to pay all the bills should it be necessary. Things are very compartmentalized right now.

      Liked by 1 person

      • The password app is the only way I could keep track of long, convoluted passwords! I work enough with computer security that I know how critical that stuff is. So I had to bite the bullet. It has been so easy to use, that I wish I’d done it sooner!

        Liked by 1 person

          • We use Last Pass, which uses a family sharing function. My husband and I have no secrets, but we change our passwords frequently and always forgot to tell each other. This seemed simpler. When my husband was in the hospital recently, making sure I could take care of business was NOT something I had to worry about. That was a relief.

            We recently implemented multi-factor authentication in the app, which makes it even safer. That turned out to be easier to use than I expected! It interfaces between our cell phones and computer easily, too.

            Liked by 1 person

            • Thanks for this information. You’ve shared the very reason I’m interested in one of these password management apps. If one of us is hospitalized, then the other one is going to have to pay bills, keep track of things.

              My experience with multi-factor authentication has been difficult, but it could only get better, right? Again thanks for this. Much appreciate it.

              Liked by 1 person

  24. I add “real salt” to my watermelon and cantaloupe have you tried the new spice mix on cantaloupe? Is it yummy if so?

    Yes, passwords are a pain in ass! There you go one of my cardinal sins…swearing. Although my favorite swear word begins with the letter F. I don’t trust password managers so I haven’t used one. I keep mine written down and locked up so it’s a pain if I can’t remember one to have to go to the place where they are and get to them.

    I’m feeling the pull to unload more “stuff” so I’ll remember this post to come look for the got junk link. Starting with dishes. I have a lot I love but, don’t use so…maybe it’s time for them to have a new home?

    We’ve had #1 Grandson for about a month this summer so my house is covered in Legos, but it’s been wonderful but, coming to an end. He goes home at the end of the week.
    We’ve started going up to Reno to watch the Aces (AAA+ baseball) play a couple times a month this summer and it’s been a blast. This is going on our summer rotation going forward. That’s about it.

    I haven’t heard of Only Murders in the Building. It’s probably on a network I don’t have but, I love murder mysteries and binge watching so I’ll look it up. I’ve been binge watching Lewis of late and am up to Season 7.
    There all caught up! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, I’ve not tried Tajín on cantaloupe but it’s good on cooked veggies like zucchini and broccoli. I know how you feel about not using a password manager, I have qualms about them, too.

      We have lots of dishes, too. Four full sets in fact. Why? Because we inherited some and because I like having them around, they connect me with my ancestors.

      I enjoy AAA or AA baseball games. They’re relaxed and easy to follow. I hope you get to keep going to them.

      Only Murders is on Hulu. It’s funny plus has some good twisty murder plots. We enjoy it.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Passwords are a pain but necessary so I have them, many of them. 🙂 I watched Joe Pickett, but it’s over so now we’re watching the new Justified, Lincoln Lawyer, and Dark Winds. I’d love to watch Yertle because most of my neighbors never step outside except to talk to their lawn service folks. We have one young guy who gardens, and I watch his projects because I can never figure them out or what his long term goal is.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, you’re right that we need passwords, so we have them. I don’t know about Joe Pickett, but the other shows I’ve heard of.

      The thing about the Yertle family is that they’re the only ones who ever talk with us, so now that they aren’t out mowing it’s back to us not talking with immediate neighbors. Maybe your young guy does his projects just to get out of the house, more than with any gardening goal? 🤷‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

      • Do you remember the days when you knew your neighbors? We even knew their cars and would wave. Now, it seems like everyone lives a life without a need for community. Interesting evolution. So, my young neighbor guy works for an agricultural arm of the government and knows his stuff about plants, trees, etc. He put up a fence around his fruit trees using small trees as the poles. The trees are all different sizes, shapes, and height. It kind of looks like an old wild west corral. Then he planted a meadow in his front yard that he lets go all year. I know what it is, but it looks like he just hasn’t mowed, and he doesn’t trim his shrubs which cover his windows. He has a garden that produces to the point that he hauls it off somewhere. He definitely knows what he is doing, it’s just not the typical landscape you’d think about going with a nice, small, Cape Cod. He always keeps me looking though. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • I do remember those days. There was a sense of community based on your street, not on some other variable like your profession or your FB *friends*. I miss being able to ask a neighbor to keep an eye on the house when we go away for a weekend.

          Your young neighbor guy’s approach to growing things is unique. Suppose he’s a scientist at heart and these are all experiments? I approach growing things first to make the house look pretty, then to learn something about the plants. I was a humanities major, so what do you expect? 😉

          Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, I am enthusiastic about any future password situation in which I don’t have to remember a series of random numbers, letter, punctuation. We pretty much just have Hulu for Only Murders, but there must be other stuff on there that I’ll get to someday.

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  27. I hate passwords so much that variations on “i hate passwords” was what I used for work. Variations because we had to change them every six months, which I hate more than passwords themselves.

    I’m a words of affirmation girl, which I already knew. I was surprised by what came up second, but the next few were all really close. I got 0% for gifts, which was also not a surprise. I think this makes me an easy woman to please, tbh.

    As for sins and virtues, I’m with you on sloth. The virtue that has most ruled me is justice, which hasn’t served me (personally) as well as prudence might.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rita, I did that for a while, too. My password was I HATE PASSWORDS, using a muddle of letters, numbers, and punctuation. But then I changed them when the time came, another reason to dislike passwords, the changing of said.

      The results of the Love Language quiz are fascinating. In my case it made perfect sense. I also go 0% on the gifts angle.

      Justice is a good virtue, but kind of difficult to hold onto and not become cynical when we see all that is going on around us in this country. Sloth-y people are the best, of course.

      Like

  28. The password thing was making me laugh so hard, especially when I added some numbers and it said the number had to add up to 25. Include one of our sponsors! LOLOL. That laugh will keep me going through the whole day.

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    • NGS, me too. I did the password game and got laughing because it was so ridiculously accurate to the way I feel when I try to create them. Glad I could add a smile to your day.

      Like

  29. I can’t stand it when I get logged out of something and have to remember a password. Amazon locked me out the other day! My son installed a master password manager and it never worked for me. There’s a master password that we created and I must of made a typo on it.

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  30. Another happy organized garage person. Doesn’t it feel great to get rid of stuff. Oh and I am alway conscious of what my neighbours are doing. I find it very entertaining. Keep us posted on Yertle. I an curious/nosy.

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    • Jenn, it feels wonderful to get rid of the useless stuff in the garage. And now all the gardening tools are in a certain place and the snow shovels are lined up and don’t get me going about having the trash cans/recycling container with assigned homes in the garage.

      Yertle is impossible to miss when we sit on our deck, so you know I’ll be keeping an eye on him, the little dear.

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  31. There are so many good things in this post.
    The website Neal.fun that you linked to for the passwords has a lot of fun stuff on it.
    Our entire family has been looking forward to Only Murders in the Building. Anna said that she stayed up until 11 last night to watch. 🤣
    I took the love languages quiz and discovered that words of affirmations are my most important love language, which didn’t surprise me.
    I’ve seen those little lawnmowers at businesses and they’re so cute.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kari, I didn’t look around the Neal.com website, so now I will. Only Murders has been on our radar all summer, but I’m not as motivated as Anna. We’ll see it soon enough.

      The Love Language quiz seems to confirm what people know about themselves already. The little lawnmowers are beginning to show up in suburbia. They’re fun to watch and they’re quiet which is another good thing about them.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I hate that there are bad people in the world that make passwords, locks, and alarms necessary. Can you imagine how easier and less expensive (to say nothing of happier and peaceful) life would be without people out there thinking of clever ways to do harm? Such a small minority, yet they have a big, negative impact.

    Okay, on to happier things…

    We use Tijan too. Here in the southwest where our cuisine is influenced by our southern neighbors, you can find it everywhere. I make a salad of cut-up watermelon, mango, pineapple, and cucumber, and sprinkle it with Tijan and lime. Yum!

    Now I’m off to see what my love language is, but I suspect it has something to do with food.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, you’re right that the small minority that cause us trouble are the reason we have to deal with passwords and locks and alarms. I do not like those people. I wonder if they like themselves… thinking they’re clever? [rhetorical question]

      Your salad sounds delicious to me. Tajín is new to me, so I’m into it this summer. Will try your salad. Thanks.

      Good luck with your Love Language. It’s a fun quiz that I stumbled over and had to share it here. HAD TO I tell ‘ya.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I just took the test and I am Acts of Service too. Funny, though… I would say that this is definitely age-dependent. At this stage in life, I have ZERO interest in gifts. Also, lots of questions about sending time together. Now that we are both retired and spend TONS of time together, my love language might be to be given more alone time. 🙂

        Like

        • You’re onto something. I agree that when I was younger gifts meant more to me and I agree that now that we’re together almost 24/7 being alone has a certain appeal. Smart thinking, my dear.

          Like

  33. I’m also in the clean up garage and junk removal process this month – ugh! At least our weather has been tolerable. Prudence is a good one – not much of it going on and desperately needed!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jan, I hear you about the process of doing the garage clean up BUT when it’s finished it is wonderful. I can’t get over the difference it makes having a tidy garage– and suddenly I feel like I’m my mother.

      You’re right about the lack of prudence. A little more wisdom, caution, thrift could only help our world.

      Like

  34. At our house we have more fun creating passwords that put smiles on our faces when we use them!!! And of course Diana Krall’s artful, inventive piano style and lush contralto voice always caresses and soothes our artistic souls while restoring our spirits!!!! Very creative post!

    Liked by 1 person

  35. If my phone or computer doesn’t automatically know the password to something, I start sweating. It’s a true anxious feeling that comes over me. I don’t like it!

    I’ve not watched Only Murders, but I keep hearing about it, so eventually, I will.

    My love language is Acts Of Service as well, but I could have guessed that one. 😜

    My across-the-street neighbors sold their house at least 2. 5 months ago; so far, there’s only been people over there painting/working on the interior. I don’t know when someone will move in…this is frustrating the Gladys Kravitz in me.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, I get anxious, too, when my gadgets and accounts don’t work instantly. I sense doom and go into panic mode.

      So far everyone has agreed with the results of the Love Language quiz. I find that as interesting as the actual results.

      How very rude of your new neighbors to not make themselves known to you immediately upon signing the contract for the house. OBVIOUSLY you, Gladys, need to know who they, where they’re from, and how many dogs they have. Some people… 😒

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Love Only Murders in the Building. One of the things produced after 1964 I actually enjoyed. Just such a fun and talent filled show.
    And yes, I’ve had it with passwords, especially the ones who don’t give you thee option to see what you’re typing in. Everybody knows that everybody in the world is tapped into your computer and reading everything you type….except you! And just to round things off, I hate those robot checkers too. Ugh.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Micheal, yes! Good point about the passwords that don’t show you what you just typed. I get interrupted often enough during the day so that I need to doublecheck what I’ve typed. Usually in a kind of “now where was I?” moment…

      Liked by 1 person

  38. PASSWORDS, please don’t get us started. Got Junk is the best, Only Murders, saw a preview last night (Geeked), & today is demo day. We are remodeling a 25+ year master bath. Yes it is gross.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Danny, we’ve used 1-800-GOT-JUNK a few times and they’ve been all they said they’d be. Can’t beat that.

      Good luck with your master bath remodeling project. It’ll be worth it in the end. At least that is my conclusion having had ours remodeled a few years ago.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Great post, Ally. It feels like passwords could send me insane. I have so, so many of them. Ugh. My love language is physical touch followed very closely by words of affirmation. I was raised Catholic and was always afraid of sloth; fortitude was also drummed into my little head. Took me a long time to realise that I was taking these a little too seriously … I don’t have a yard any more, but if I did I would want a Yertle. Great name! Thanks for this fun post. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, I’m with you about passwords and insanity. I use them, but resent them. They cause me anxiety but there’s no way around them.

      I’ve been fascinated by everyone’s preferred Love Language. It’s all over the place, which makes sense, but it’s not something I’ve ever thought much about before.

      Yertle is cute and effective. We’re not planning on getting one at the moment, but I do like watching the neighbor’s little [extremely pricey] gadget do its thing.

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Hi there! Happy Tuesday. My love language is also Acts of Service BUT while I was taking the quiz I was thinking that those are the things I like now, whereas perhaps when I was younger the physical contact or the surprising with little gifts might have been more what I was looking for. So it makes me think that the love language may change over time. I have come to enjoy passwords. I do have to write them down but I like making phrases that I think no one else will understand. I check them with the “how strong is my password” site. I am anticipating ONLY MURDERS! I promised my daughter I wouldn’t watch it without her and she’s in Costa Rica until the weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, you raise a good point about how our love language may change over time. I agree with you, I’m less into gifts now [well not at all] but at one time they meant a lot to me.

      We probably won’t get to Only Murders until the weekend, although not because anyone is in Costa Rica. That sounds like fun.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. Passwords – UGH! I’m glad it’s not just me. We had to change ours at work every 3 frigging months, so I would say out loud in the Operating Theatre, which dog name I was using now. The year went with the dog, so if I could remember which dog, the next part was easy. My home ones tend to be the same 3 recycled, so if one doesn’t work, I just move on!
    Yertle would have to work non-stop at my house. Hey, maybe it would chew up gophers as it mowed. I practice gratitude daily, often as I am a bit too glutinous about food😏. But hey, as long as the physical hugs keep coming, I guess I am doing something right!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bernie, a couple of other commenters have mentioned using just a few passwords over and over again. There’s a wisdom to that, especially for home things– although the dog trick is a good one.

      Yertle fascinates me, but we aren’t planning on getting one. We can still mow like normal suburbanites. I like your summation, if someone is still hugging you then it’s all good.

      Liked by 1 person

  42. I use a password manager (was LastPass, now NordPass) to generate and store passwords. If I have to make one up on my own, I use the first letters of the words of long sentences, substituting numbers and symbols for letters where needed. The latest thing is passwordless sign-ons, where you send them your email address and they send you an email with a link to sign you on, or maybe you provide a thumbprint or something.

    Liked by 1 person

    • John, I’ve never tried a password manager. I’ve heard positive and negative things about them, so am being cautious about them.

      Using email [exclusively?] to get into your accounts? Oh say it is not so. I don’t check email often, like for days. The last thing I want to do is mess around with email accounts when all I want to do is get into Instagram now. That sounds like a worse hell than these passwords.

      Like

      • You can also have the sign-on send you a text with the code. I like the two-factor authentication that lets you use something like Authy or Google Authenticator to give you a six-digit number that you use to verify it’s you. The authenticator is an app on your smartphone that uses information you get when you sign up for it to generate the code. It works really well…

        Liked by 1 person

        • To me this sounds complicated so thanks for explaining. I try to use my smart phone as little as possible, preferring to do things on my desktop or not at all. You add more than one step to anything computer-y and my mind shuts down. Refuses to play the game. And I swear, loudly. 🤬

          Liked by 1 person

  43. Passwords and pins … the bane of my life too. I’d love a yertle …
    I’ll check the links Ally Bean. I wonder what they’ll say. Yes, 7 virtues to balance the other lot. Good to be reminded of them.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Susan, yep, all these passwords and pins are an attempt to drive me/us insane. Yertle is cute as the bee’s knees, but comes with a big price tag from what I’ve seen.

      I knew about the Cardinal Sins, but these virtues were new to me. I don’t know how I missed them, but I did. I like your idea that they provide balance.

      Liked by 1 person

  45. Passwords drive me insane, but so do security questions. I’ve had them ask me where my vacation home is (I don’t have one) and my sister’s birthday (I don’t have a sister). It confounds me and makes me wonder if I’m high when I answer the questions initially? But no, I don’t get high, so . . .

    My love language has always been physical touch and quality time. Acts of service is always last for me. I think I just like to do things myself?

    Like

    • Bijoux, you’ve been asked some odd security questions that seem kind of nuts. I’ve been asked about pets or teachers, wondering why the system assumed I had any pets or why it thought I remembered all my teachers, but not about a non-existent sibling. You win in that category.

      It’s amazing how different we all are when it comes to Love Language. I don’t think there is a right or wrong one, just best to thine own self be true.

      Like

  46. Love this post! Laughing, organized, enjoying, anticipating, pleased, fascinated, and prudent. What a lovely list – and 7 things to go with 7 sins and 7 virtues. Nice to have such symmetry. But I’m fascinated by Yertle. Does the neighbor have a perfectly shaped rectangle or other shape? How does Yertle know not to go out of bounds? And you didn’t report how it looks? Like a nice mowing job?

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Passwords are the devil’s (or in this case, the IT department) creation, I’m convinced of it. They just changed the criteria for our passwords to log in. Our passwords must be TWENTY-ONE characters! They claim that’s so we won’t have to change them so often. I think it’s just because they like to torture us. And the other day, I realized they are slowly changing it across the board with all the different systems, as I was required to make a new password for one system that requires at least fifteen characters, an uppercase letter and a special character- it’s making me insane.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Gigi, 21 characters! I can’t even fathom how you can create anything that ridiculously long and jumbled and difficult to remember. Why not work on stopping the bad guys from hacking into accounts rather than inconveniencing users such as yourself? This is the saddest thing I’ve read all day, I’m sorry for you. I think you’re onto something with the IT department is the Devil.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It is wild. When they upgraded my laptop last year, they sent me the new twenty-one character password with instructions on how to change it. I never did change it because how was I too come up with something that long? For the other system I went with something like Thisistoolong23!

        Like

  48. Ally, I totally forgot to mention this earlier, but I tried Tajin on pineapple this weekend and it was an excellent combination. It was sprinkled on some fruit at a restaurant; the other fruits were honeydew (yuck) and red grapes (meh), so I didn’t try them. Tajin is also good on the rim of a margarita.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. Great questions, Ally!
    1. My password system usually works for me…until it doesn’t – right when I desperately need it.
    2. I am not a TV watcher, but I just finished reading Asking for a Friend by Kerry Clare. It goes public at the end of September (I read the ARC). I highly recommend it.
    3. I look forward to reading This is How We Grow by several writers who blog in this corner of the blogisphere. Edited by Y. Prior of Priorhouse Blog.
    4. Words are my Love Language. Aren’t words the answer to everything? ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, you said it about password systems. No matter what you do they are infuriating.

      I’m not familiar with Kerry Clare nor do I know what ARC means, BUT I’ll look for her book. Thanks for the suggestion. I saw that Yvette had put together a book, it explains her absence from blogland for all these months.

      I like words, of course. I often say that information is my love language. While not specifically one of the categories on the quiz, I figure it’s kind of like acts of service!

      Liked by 1 person

  50. Oh, my, the password issue is thorny although I do have a gray book full of them for various sites. However, if I don’t have access to it (like with my cell phone away from home), forget about it! I think my older daughter uses that spice; I hate melons so I would have to try it on something else. Any suggestions? I will take the love language quiz but I predict words and touch, can’t remember the exact descriptions. I’m not big on acts of service (which is John’s language) or gifts as I recall. I intend to watch “Dark Winds” (Tony Hillerman) which is on my cable TV. There’s so much that streams on services that I don’t want to pay for. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, you and me both. If I’m at home I can find the password I need in my various PAPER files, but if I’m out somewhere there’s no way I’ll remember the magic password to gain entry to my accounts.

      I’ve put the Tajín on cooked vegetables, like broccoli or zuchini. Jan, a commenter above, suggested it was good on pineapple.

      I’ve heard a few people speak highly of Dark Winds, but I don’t know if it’s on any of the streaming services we have. You’re right, there are only so many of those services I want to pay for so some good TV shows go unavailable.

      Like

  51. Well Ally, I dutifully did the password fun and got to #9, whereupon my Roman numerals knowledge is sketchy, so I bowed out. Amazon Prime has a funny commercial which I believe is for Apple Pay. I don’t have a Mac computer or an iPhone, so I’m not familiar with the app, but the woman is trying to order something online where you have to check boxes of similar things, so she is trying to figure out in the category of “farm animals” if a sheep herding dog is technically a farm animal. You have to see it – it’s funnier than my description. As to TV shows, I am watching “Everwood” which was a TV series on Warner Bros. that ran from 2002 to 2006. I had basic cable from 2000-2010 when I cancelled it, but must not have had Warner Bros. I heard about the show after actor Treat Williams died in a motorcycle accident in mid-June. His obituary and news reports listed his movies/TV shows and I thought it sounded interesting. It’s got a different medical story each week, a little too much teenage angst sometimes, but I’m vested in it so much that I have gotten to the final season pretty quickly. After it’s done, I have to get back to reading again as I set a goal in Goodreads. I’d like to watch “Yellowstone” next. maybe in the Winter, as I have up to the current season on the Peacock network which I get free with Comcast.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I can imagine the scenario in the commercial because it’s so believable. No one is sure what those dumb Captcha picture thingies are asking for. It’s a gamble.

      I sort of remember the name, Everwood, but nothing more. If you enjoy the series and are invested in it, regardless of its flaws, you have to see it through.

      I know of Yellowstone, but have yet to tackle it. To me that seems like a winter show to watch one episode a night. Of course reading books is also a good idea.

      Liked by 1 person

      • That the word … Captcha. I couldn’t think of it at the time – yes it is a little crazy. Back in the 80s, 90s and 00s, there were a lot of good TV shows, made-for-TV-movies, regular movies and the great miniseries. At that time we had two TVs and two VCRs as there were often three shows at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. and staying up late every night was too much. I’m probably the only person who never watched “Friends” or “Cheers” and I’d really like to see “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Murphy Brown” (which is available on Paramount through Amazon, 11 seasons at $9.99/month. I’ll wait ’til I’m retired to do that. I just stream what I watch and may buy a TV then. My TVs are very old and haven’t been used in about 15 years. Reading has taken a back seat since blogging – I took the bus to Downtown Detroit for about 30 years and always read during that commute.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I watched most of Friends and Cheers when they were on in the 90s. I also watched Murphy Brown, but not Grey’s Anatomy. Last winter we tried watching a few episodes of Murphy Brown [the original one] and it seemed stale now. Kind of a bummer as we loved it back then.

          I like many new TV shows BUT finding out about them is really word of mouth and THEN having the right streaming service to watch them is hit or miss. Once you retire and focus more on TV you’ll see what I mean. It’s a game.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Well thanks for the heads up on Murphy Brown Ally. That makes sense. I was listening to a news story about everyone cutting the cord and they recommended YouTube which is $72.00/month but has a wide variety of prime channels. I would definitely wait until I retire to decide.

            Liked by 1 person

              • Yes, it’s ridiculous isn’t it? They have a special on right now for $64.00 – still a lot of $ in my opinion either. Even in my TV-watching heyday with all the shows/movies and miniseries, I would say 15-20 hours of TV a week and I thought that was excessive. Then again I would zip through commercials – imagine watching that much TV without fast forwarding commercials?!

                Liked by 1 person

  53. One of the people in my writing group has a robot that vacuums the house. Apparently, due to the quality of the work, the maid will not worry about losing her job anytime soon. It will be interesting to me to see if these devices actually learn by doing

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pete, from some people I’ve heard that the robotic vacuums are great, while other people say they’re more trouble than they’re worth. I’m with you, waiting to find out if the robotic vacuums get better– or are a passing fad.

      Liked by 1 person

  54. Yeah, hate the passwords, but loved Snoopy’s conundrum! I’ll skip the Love thingy (with a curmudgeonly snarl), and jump to sins and virtues: there’s a sloth/pride contest going on in the former category; justice for the latter.

    The neighbors? Do I have neighbors? Uh, no, I don’t think so. (One is a pathological introvert, the other has been vacant over a year)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, I laughed when I saw Snoopy’s screen. That’s how I feel with those Captcha thingies.

      Sloth or Pride, you say? That’s a battle that makes me smile. Who will win? Justice is a good virtue.

      No neighbors, to speak of. I’m sorry, or happy, for you– depending on what you prefer. Around here we got the people and their gadgets.

      Liked by 1 person

  55. I use a password manager, so I only need to create and remember one password. I use the trick of basing it loosely on a sentence.

    I still haven’t seen the Barbie movie and would like to see it.

    My love language is also acts of service.

    Our dog ate a big marrow bone down to a handful of shards the other day and has had diarrhea since then which has been fun!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Melissa, a couple of other commenters have mentioned a password manager. I’ll look into them.

      I’d like to see the Barbie movie, too. When it came out I didn’t think I’d like it, but now with so many friends talking highly about it, I want to see it.

      Your poor dear dog– and you, of course. Pets are wonderful, but have their moments of less-than-wonderful-ness.

      Like

  56. Read the love language stuff w/ Gary Chapman years ago…Touch is definitely one of mine, that and gifts. The Mrs is like you..acts of service..cardinal sins…hate to admit it but probably gluttony I LOVE my Starbucks/ french roast…love, love, love a lot. Never heard of the cardinal virtues…I would say Prudence for me as well. thanks for asking! Enjoyed this post Ally Bean. DM

    Liked by 1 person

    • DM, I vaguely remember Gary Chapman, but nothing specific– or at least until I took the quiz and I realized I was aware of his Love Languages. Gluttony is a cousin of Sloth, I’m sure. And yes about the Cardinal Virtues, new to me but timeless as humanity. Thanks for reading and commenting.

      Liked by 1 person

  57. Skin me a peach, save the fuzz for my pillow…
    I love that song! I also love Snoopy and greatly appreciate seeing him on your blog!
    I’m an Acts of Service girl myself.
    I don’t know if I have a favourite cardinal sin or virtue, but that reminded me of the movie Seven. My kids recently watched it and I told them I saw it in theatres when it came out and it is SO creepy. They don’t usually have the same point of view as I do but they also were creeped out and reminded me of a few scenes I had forgotten and could go my whole life without thinking about ever again.

    Liked by 1 person

    • YES, Nicole! I love that song, too. And Zen-Den knows that, having internalized its message. 😍

      Oh I hadn’t thought about Seven in years. Interesting how your boys got creeped out by it. I don’t even want to know which scenes they told you about. Some movies are best left forgotten.

      Like

    • Nicole, it feels wonderful to have a clean garage, tidy, and for once I can open my car doors on both sides of the car without hitting anything. This is close to heaven, suburban-style.

      Like

  59. Congrats on getting that stuff out of your garage! That’s huge!

    I was just griping about passwords when I cicked on your post. So yes, I have had it with them. My love language is words of affirmation. Some friends of mine are enjoying Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. I have to use them, because I already binged the shows I looked forward to already (Is It Cake2, Hack My Home, and Stay Here).

    Liked by 2 people

    • L. Marie, thank you. Cleaning up the garage has been on my list for years, so easy to put off until next year, ‘ya know? I’m really enjoying having space and organization out there.

      I like kismet, but maybe not when it comes to griping about passwords.

      I’ve heard of Lincoln Lawyer but never checked it out. Will look for it. It sounds intriguing. I haven’t heard of any of the three shows you mention, so more to look into. Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

      • If you like shows where the designers employ hacks probably found on Tiktok and other places, then Hack My Home is the show for you. One of the designers came from MIT. So I guess that’s a plus? 😄Is It Cake 2 is a show with realistic looking cakes.

        Liked by 1 person

    • No kidding! As we walk around our neighborhood, we can see that more garages than not are used as storage! HUGE!!!

      As for passwords, I played the fun game, though I gave up on “Your password must include the current phase of the moon as an emoji.” 😀

      One of our favorite shows is Ted Lasso (Apple TV). Gets the BingeWorthy sticker 🙂

      And thank you for such a delightful post, Ally, the first one I read after my unplanned hiatus, a wonderful (and prudent? 🙂 ) way to land back!

      Like

      • EW, happy to see you back to blogging. We never quite use our garage solely for storage, we did have a lot of stuff in it. The password game is EXACTLY why I dislike creating a password.

        I know Ted Lasso is great, but we don’t get Apple+ TV so until it finds its way to something we stream it’s on the To Be Watched list. I like tv but not enough to invest in a lot of streaming services.

        Like

  60. My love language is also Acts of Service!

    I love, love, love the satisfaction of getting rid of things I no longer need. I try to consign/donate as much as possible, but garbage day every second Friday gives me a boost of endorphins every single time. Even getting rid of excess plastic and paper feels like a win.

    We have a robotic vacuum cleaner (two actually) which I LOVE, and I just said to my husband today that we need a robotic lawn mower. And look at that – the tech exists?! I didn’t know and now I’m very tempted to buy one!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Elisabeth, many other bloggers have said that Acts of Service is their love language. Don’t know what to take from that, but there you go.

      We donate lots of things, but this stuff in the garage was way beyond giving away– broken, concrete, dilapidated. I’m with you, I enjoy responsibly getting rid of that which we don’t need or is trash.

      Yertle is a cutie. I don’t know which brand he is, but he is white, VERY white, which I’m guessing is a clue. If you get a robotic mower I’ll be fascinated to learn how it works out for you.

      Like

  61. Anyone else about had it with passwords, the bane of my online existence? (I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of mine! My hubby uses an autogenerating tool so he doesn’t have to remember any of them. I don’t trust technology as much as he does).

    What are you looking forward to watching [TV or movies] during August? (I don’t watch TV much at all)

    What is your Love Language? I’m the same as you! Your favorite Cardinal Sin? I didn’t take that quiz Your favorite Cardinal Virtue? Depending upon the situation I go between all of them!

    Anything interesting going on in your world? It rained, my morning glories are growing up the lattice, and we still have a LONG list of to-do-before winter projects. Or over at your neighbor’s house? They’re overachievers and not named Jones. We love them though!

    You know I love to know what’s up with you! Congratulations on completing the garage and discarding the old stuff – that is a WONDERFUL feeling, I’m inspired by your words of happiness!

    Like

    • Shelley, I know some people feel comfortable with using a password app manager, but so far I/we haven’t done that. Z-D has his passwords on a spreadsheet too. Mine are on index cards.

      I’m laughing about your take on Cardinal Virtues. Not committing to one keeps you about as virtuous as need be in any situation.

      We still have a few projects to complete before winter, but living where we do we have more time to do them than you. We don’t have any overachievers on this street, but maybe they’re like that on the inside of the house. Who knows?

      Having a freshly painted tidy garage is lovely. Highly recommend. Two thumbs up. Five stars, would do again. Good luck.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I had another random thought about passwords. I heard once that a fun way to make up passwords is to have a favorite sentence that only you know and the password becomes the first letter of each word in your favorite sentence, alternating with upper case and lower case. For example, “I adore little dogs with cute noses.” becomes a password IaLdWcN. If nothing else it makes password setting more playful possibly. 😂🤔

        I remain in awe and envious of your tidy garage. 🏆🏆🏆

        Liked by 1 person

  62. I think I am going to steal…. er, borrow Yertle to mow my grass, which has gotten out of control due to all the rain we’ve been getting. I’m sure he can find his way back to his charging station about 400 miles away….

    Liked by 1 person

  63. Yes, Ally, I have indeed had it with passwords! I hate that we even need them, but I know we do. Ugh. On a brighter note, I also am excited to watch Only Murders in the Building. I have been not so patiently awaiting the new season release since the last season ended.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Christie, you said it. We need passwords, but I resent using them. Life is tricky sometimes. We’re waiting for the weekend to watch Only Murders, have been waiting this long what’s a few more days?

      Like

  64. How did it go with 1-800-GOT-JUNK? I’ve forgotten about them, and getting rid of stuff is always a challenge for us. Our usual go-to is St. Vincent De Paul, but they have a wait of usually three weeks or so. TV shows: We’ve discovered “DI Ray” on PBS of late and really like it. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, we give useable stuff to St. Vincent de Paul and you’re right there’s always a couple week wait. 1-800-GOT-JUNK was available in 48 hours, showed up on time, were personable & professional, took away all our heavy crap, but cost a pretty penny. Very happy with them, this is the third time over the years we’ve called them.

      I don’t know about DI Ray, so thanks for the idea. Will check it out.

      Liked by 1 person

  65. Ah passwords – so many letter, uppercase, numbers and special characters. I’d love to be able to include a schwa (remember those in school or am I aging myself?). As for show watching, my husband and I are working are way through Melrose Place – pure 1990s silliness, but lots of fun 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Barbara, no one likes passwords. That’s my conclusion after reading the comments here. Melrose Place! I haven’t thought of that show in years. I bet it is a hoot to watch now, as mature adults. Thanks for the idea.

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  66. After a bout of depression, I now have a heavy cold, so I’m popping in to blogland to relieve my grumpiness!

    I’m an Ally clone in all three areas. I am running out of inspiration for passwords, especially since I had to do a wholesale change of my most commonly used ones. I’ve seen password managers talked about and maybe I’m getting old enough for that to be a good idea 😉

    PS: thank you for Yertle the turtle 🙂 It has put a big smile on my face.

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    • Deb, I’m sorry you’re not feeling up to snuff* but am pleased you’ve chosen this blog to read. No one likes passwords and I’m sorry to read that you had to change all of yours. That makes me anxious just thinking about it.

      Yertle is my new favorite neighbor. You can understand why, I’m sure. 😎

      * This is an old-fashioned way to say in “good health” but I’ve no idea if you’re familiar with the saying OR if anyone says it anymore. Also, this might be the first time I’ve footnoted in a comment. Feeling wordy today

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  67. It’s a saying I’m extremely fond of. I don’t use it often as I am also not sure if it’s one people are familiar with. I like that you use in too.

    I am also delighted that you’ve broken out the footnotes for my response. I shall preen 😀

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  68. I like tajin best on pineapple, but it’s great on popcorn, too. It even makes rice cakes palatable (though no less drier, unfortunately).

    We caught the first episode of OMITB Season 3 and, spoiler alert, that Meryl Streep is one hell of an actress.

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  69. Hi Ally, thanks for providing a few things to ponder on an otherwise sloth-like morning. I gave up on the password thing after #5, Touch, followed by Acts of Service was my love language. I’ve watched 2 episodes of Murders, not this morning, but I might watch a third before my 11:00 appt. Team Meryll! I saw one of those little robot lawnmowers in action, but I don’t have a lawn to mow right now so probably not practical. Other mindless things to do in this unmerciful heat – watch multiple episodes of Idiot Test to convince me I am not an idiot, but the fact that I am watching Idiot Test sort of negates that notion. A clean garage is a wonderful thing – go you!

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    • Suzanne, I only made it to Rule 4 so you did better than I. Another Acts of Service person! There seem to be many of us here in this corner of blogland.

      We’ve watched two episodes of Only Murders so far. I agree about Team Meryl. I just knew she’d be great.

      I don’t know about Idiot Test, but I’m a bit anxious just thinking about such a show. I’d fear it’d confirm that I am one, when I prefer my current illusion that I am not. The garage is wonderful. So nice.

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  70. My parents have a lawn mower robot – his name is Robby (ha!) and he/she/it has its own little house that he retires to 🙂

    We just (finally) had our kitchen floor replaced and it feels like a huge upgrade – even though the handymen did a mediocre job on the molding/finishing touches and the cabinets are still old and ugly, but the floors look NICE 🙂

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    • San, Yertle has his home, too. You’re the first person who has any [sort of] direct experience with a robotic lawn mower. Robby is a lovely name.

      I’m glad you got your new kitchen floor finally. I know it’s been an ongoing issue for a while. Sorry the workmanship isn’t all that, but something that looks nice is something nice to have.

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  71. I heard something funny on the radio yesterday, on NPR. They said that bots are better at proving they are human on those capcha tests than humans are. A lot better. I had a good laugh at that.

    I’ve never maintained a lawn, but I know some people take great pride in the lines being straight and even when they mow. Does Yertle do that? Or is it more haphazard? My grandpa used to vacuum that way too. BTW, Yertle is the PERFECT name. King of all he surveys, and best if he doesn’t survey too much.

    We’re enjoying Only Murders in the Building thus far. I wish it were bingeable! I mean, I guess it would be if we waited for them all to be available, but instead it is more appointment TV at this point.

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    • J, oh that is funny about bots acing Capcha better than we mortals. There’s a lesson in there.

      I suppose if someone was into it Yertle could make perfectly straight rows, but our neighbor isn’t like that. In fact Z-D and I were just talking about how the mowing pattern looks a lot like a Klingon’s forehead. Think Worf.

      When I wrote this I didn’t realize that Only Murders was going to be released in installments so I couldn’t binge watch it if I wanted to. Which I don’t. So far it’s a delight and a hoot and making my August worthwhile.

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  72. I’m sure out of the 200 some-odd comments already, I am the 201st some-odd person to agree about the password situation that has become a part of our culture. I don’t worry too much about the one for my utility company, because I actually hope someone will hack my account and start paying my electric bill. Otherwise, for the life of me, I can’t stop trying to make passwords “meaningful,” which will be my downfall.
    At my first house, I hid the keys under the doormats, however I hid the back door key under the front doormat, and vise versa.
    Yertle concerns me. That’s just a little bit like equipping a self-driving Tesla with a whirling blade. No? Just me?

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    • Roy, I’m laughing about your idea that a stranger/hacker could pay your utility bill. I agree, no need to worry about your password on that account. HOWEVER everywhere else I prefer that my accounts have passwords that keep the bad guys out… granted I have to remember the passwords… and therein is the fly in the ointment.

      Clever with your keys, why not confound the potential thieves? We’ve wondered about what’d happen if Yertle took off across our yard, how it would happen, and would we care? He does a dandy job of mowing, so maybe not.

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  73. Yes, the joy of getting rid of stuff!
    Try Tajin on popcorn!
    Same on acts of service! I do love it when people do stuff for me. 😉
    Lawn Roombas now exist?!?! Amazing!
    Good for you on virtues/sins. By process of elimination, I realized I’m envy. :/ Boo, but I guess it could be worse. No clue on my virtue, which is also not good. Hah! 🙂
    Finally getting caught up on blogs! Sundays are good days for me and this activity. Please don’t feel jilted! I still love you, AB, even though I’m a slowpoke! 🙂

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  74. I think the Love Languages are so helpful, not just to understand your own, but to understand your friends/family. I had a friend (not as close now as years ago) who had Gifts as her number one. It’s my last one. But I had to remember to buy her a “just because” token, a BD present, and something for Christmas…. and she had to remember to give me a hug every now and then (it’s my number 2, her number 5). It really did help the relationship. My number one – Time Spent. My hubby’s number one – Acts of Service. And yeah, I recognize them when he does them… and know what they mean.

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    • Pat, you raise a good point about knowing yourself as well as knowing and respecting other people’s Love Languages. I’m sure you’re right that relationships evolve & thrive because we’re aware of how to make someone else feel special. I vaguely remembered this book, however when I took the quiz I immediately could see the wisdom of the Love Languages. Plus the quiz was fun.

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  75. Love Love Languages and can’t wait to see Meryl Streep in the series! I’m trying to put my show-watching on hold a bit as I enjoy the last month or so of summer–it’s gone by so quickly:).

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    • Kay, I thought the Love Languages were cool, too. It makes sense. August is our *inside* summer month so watching good TV shows pass the time. Once the humidity and pollen pass on by here I’ll want to be back outside again. Enjoy your last bit of summer.

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  76. We thought we’d really enjoy Rough Diamonds, a Netflix series set in the diamond district of Antwerp, Belgium. But the plot continually confused us. Maybe it confused the screenwriters too! Anyway, tonight we’re going to give Fisk a shot. It sounds good. It’s another Netflix series.

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    • I know of Rough Diamonds, but you’re the only person I know who has tried to watch it. I’m not familiar with Fisk, but I hope it is worth the watching. You never know with TV shows now, some that sound like a yawn turn out to be great– and vice versa.

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  77. Ahhh, so good to be back to my blogging buddies. I’ve just taken a MONTH blogging break – is that a sin or a virtue? It felt sinful but I think the virtue was getting away from the computer/phone for a longish time. I also stayed away from much TV, so no special August shows I’m looking forward to. We did watch Grantchester. Love Grantchester and sad at each season’s finale. With the writers/actors’ strike, not expecting a lot of choices come Fall. Lastly, oh, ferggit it, I never come to lastly, I think of too many other things to comment on. But I better go and work on a post for Friday – first one since mid-July. Hmm, wonder what my WP password is? 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  78. I enjoy Only Murders too, but Hulu is conspiring against me, and has decided that it does not want me to login and view on my TV or laptop. If you want to figure out your Hulu password and forward it on over to me, that might solve everything. I’ll keep your password secret–I won’t share it, I promise 😉

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    • Gwen, I’m sorry that Hulu is being such a bother. Every once in a while we have that problem with them, then one day Hulu likes our password again. Hoping that proves true for you, too.

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  79. I have had it with passwords! I find myself watching less and less TV. We found the best show last year, The Repair Shop, a British show. SOOO good, and now it is unavailable here on any paid channel or app. I am bummed. On the bright side, summer has been cool and our pool (aka vacation spot) has been as wonderful as ever. Next year is my 40th year teaching preschool. Lucky me!

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  80. We love Tajin, too! It goes so well with veggies and fruit – perfect for summer – or when you want to feel like summer.
    Passwords -UGH. I’m back to putting them on paper. Given up. Laughed at the comment about those “prove you’re not a robot” being out smarted by bots!
    (It would be so hard not to have a robe lawn mower and not make assorted signs to attach to it’s “back” so it could march back and forth commenting all the time!)

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    • Philmouse, I hadn’t thought about Tajín being the taste of summer, but it is. I’ve put in on some vegetables now, too. Yum, I say.

      I don’t know anyone who is totally comfortable with the way they keep track of their passwords. It’s a never-ending chore. I liked that comment about bots too.

      I hadn’t thought of the sign possibility on Yertle. If our neighbors would do that I’d love it, but as it stands now watching it mow is entertaining enough.

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  81. Passwords on infrequently used sites drive me crazy. I have been watching a slightly disturbing but factual swedish series called Riding into Darkness and an Aussie comedy called Utopia. It pokes fun at bureaucratic government failings.

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