The Daily Peeve / Rant

Eco warriors. So tiresome.

So I noticed the absence of the carpenter bee colony at our community garden. We have a nice wooden pergola there that’s been there for 22 years and the bees have burrowed into it and they hang out there. I find them extremely entertaining. They try to intimidate the hu-mans. Hilarious!

DH casually mentioned that the community garden management team had caused their holes to be filled up and that’s why they left. When the hu-mans sat with their drinks under the pergola, sawdust fell into their drinks. Can’t have that! And the weak and lily livered among them were scared of the bees.

Meanwhile, the eco warriors are floating around yakking about Asclepius for “ the pollinators” I.e. Monarch butterflies. Why don’t I plant these yak yak yak natives? ( um, because I want to plant lilies ‘n iris! Do ya think they are pollenless !) What about blah blah blah the bees love it they say.

Yet they drove away the long established colony of pollinators at our community garden. Doh.

People can be very annoying.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Eco warriors. So tiresome.

So I noticed the absence of the carpenter bee colony at our community garden. We have a nice wooden pergola there that’s been there for 22 years and the bees have burrowed into it and they hang out there. I find them extremely entertaining. They try to intimidate the hu-mans. Hilarious!

DH casually mentioned that the community garden management team had caused their holes to be filled up and that’s why they left. When the hu-mans sat with their drinks under the pergola, sawdust fell into their drinks. Can’t have that! And the weak and lily livered among them were scared of the bees.

Meanwhile, the eco warriors are floating around yakking about Asclepius for “ the pollinators” I.e. Monarch butterflies. Why don’t I plant these yak yak yak natives? ( um, because I want to plant lilies ‘n iris! Do ya think they are pollenless !) What about blah blah blah the bees love it they say.

Yet they drove away the long established colonies of pollinators at our community garden. Doh.

People can be very annoying.

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Hey, I got MY asiepius going. What's wrong with YOU, IL?? ;).

That is truly a bummer about the bees and the pergola. I just read this awesome article yesterday in the NYT (if you can read it w/o a paywall) and they said if you want to attract birds, don't take down dead trees beyond what you must for safety. Pretty much for the same reasons you mention--those little holes and crannies provide places for birds to nest and pick out goodies. So now I'm thinking if I DO have to remove the ash tree in the front lawn of my NJ home, maybe I'll just cut it down to 10-15 feet. Drive my neighbors crazy.

I did actually plant a "pollinator garden" just yesterday!!! I took out the sod myself and planted milkweed, echinacea (native ruby star), New England aster, lavender and my favorite balloon flowers.

But I have to agree with you that your eco-warrior buddies sound VERY annoying!

ETA: I have a somewhat similar rant. DH got a power washer to wash down the house in preparation for painting, and he said he was going to power wash our little pergola. The pergola has a vintage bench underneath that had paint wearing off. Very wabi-sabi. So DH finishes the power washing and says, "hey! Look how good the bench looks!" And I wanted to cry. Stripped down to shriveling bare wood--all the rustic charm vanished with a swoosh of the power wand. I couldn't complain because he thought he did good. But I thought of all those years of wear--all that patina gone. :(

Oh I know about keeping dead plants around, there’s a whole movement in St. Louis about not cleaning up your garden and the winter because it provides habitat for critters. My Eco warrior friend who’s all about pollinators and Asclepius and no Roundup practically fainted in horror at the thought of all those weed seeds spreading throughout a garden in the No,Cleanup mode.

I always have a giggle when the philosophies clash within echo warrior world. I am mean that way!


That is too bad about your garden bench! At this very moment I am judging a virtual flower show where we have 32 decorated garden benches to evaluate. When I’m done with it later today I’ll post a couple of them. One of them is a beautiful old lichen covered garden seat, really cool!

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

One of them is a beautiful old lichen covered garden seat, really cool!

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Don't say that! Mine had lichen on it!!! Here are pictures of the before and after. (I don't know how to delete the thumbnail bar)

Attachment 3291Attachment 3290

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Originally Posted by catherine

Don't say that! Mine had lichen on it!!! Here are pictures of the before and after. (I don't know how to delete the thumbnail bar)

Attachment 3291Attachment 3290

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awwww, too bad. :(

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Originally Posted by catherine

Don't say that! Mine had lichen on it!!! Here are pictures of the before and after. (I don't know how to delete the thumbnail bar)

Attachment 3291Attachment 3290

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what a beautiful pictures--love the tomatoes.

The uber-annoying signs at the local health food emporium telling us where to stand, and the best, "Do not advance until the cashier calls you."
I get it, but I don't want to shop there anymore--none of the other groceries have these obnoxious signs and I have seen zero obnoxious behavior from customers. Everyone is wearing masks and keeping +6 feet away.

Their prices are inflated, too.

Catherine, too bad about the bench. Ugh!

Drought. The last one killed some plants and I finally filled in the last of the gaps this year and here comes another drought.

We have our outside plants on irrigation. My flower pots I water by hand daily.

I’m going to rant on my own idiotic behavior: yesterday I went to the grocery store at 5:00 PM. It was so dumb. It was crowded. All the working people were coming back from work and doing shopping. None of them needed me fussing around the aisles where I read labels and look at calorie counts, so I am an idiotic person who stands in one place for a long time.


Slap my hands. I will be cognizant of when I go shopping, next time, The time of day. There’s no logical reason for old retired people like me to go when working people are there.


My regular grocery store where I went shopping is lining up people 6 feet apart and making these incredibly long checkout lines, but the checkout lines move very quickly. They periodically have voices come over the loudspeaker system that say in one message “we’re all in this together, thank you for maintaining 6 feet of distance, thank you for wearing a mask, etc. etc. “


Another message says At timed intervals “cashiers, it is time to clean your workstations. Please stop what you’re doing and clean workstations. “

It all seems to be working out nicely.

I've never posted a rant topic but I think it's time. Returned home yesterday from a wonderful 5 week vacation, the first thing I noticed upon arriving home was that our mailbox and post was laying on the ground, it appears someone backed into it while turning around (we're at the end of a cul-de-sac). The next thing I noticed was our pool had lost about 6 inches of water, turned out to be a leak in the skimmer. And the coup de gras came this morning when our central air unit died on a 90* day with about 70% humidity.

So, we spent the early afternoon arranging to have a new AC unit installed and actually added a new furnace to the order since it's now 25 years old and what the hell. The problem is the earliest install we could arrange is Thursday and man the house is already uncomfortable. Then off to the hardware store for a new plumbing fitting for the pool and a new mailbox post which took the rest of the afternoon to install because when I sunk the first one 25 years ago I may have used a little more concrete than I really needed. Tomorrow morning I need to complete the pool repair because my grandson is coming over in the afternoon and he's been waiting over a month to come over and swim.

Just hoping now that nothing else goes wrong, the heat makes me cranky enough.

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Originally Posted by Alan

I've never posted a rant topic but I think it's time. Returned home yesterday from a wonderful 5 week vacation, the first thing I noticed upon arriving home was that our mailbox and post was laying on the ground, it appears someone backed into it while turning around (we're at the end of a cul-de-sac). The next thing I noticed was our pool had lost about 6 inches of water, turned out to be a leak in the skimmer. And the coup de gras came this morning when our central air unit died on a 90* day with about 70% humidity.

So, we spent the early afternoon arranging to have a new AC unit installed and actually added a new furnace to the order since it's now 25 years old and what the hell. The problem is the earliest install we could arrange is Thursday and man the house is already uncomfortable. Then off to the hardware store for a new plumbing fitting for the pool and a new mailbox post which took the rest of the afternoon to install because when I sunk the first one 25 years ago I may have used a little more concrete than I really needed. Tomorrow morning I need to complete the pool repair because my grandson is coming over in the afternoon and he's been waiting over a month to come over and swim.

Just hoping now that nothing else goes wrong, the heat makes me cranky enough.

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Wow, what a brutal end to a your vacation!! I don't blame you for being cranky! I'd be tempted to get back in the RV and take off again.

Lower Midwest heat is crap. Sympathy.

I always hated when that "That was a great vacation!" feeling lasted all of 30 minutes once you got home. So sorry, Alan.

Alan, I hope the pool gets fixed, and soon. You guys need it in this heat!

I have also never posted a rant, but my wallet was stolen while I was hundreds of miles from home taking care of my MIL who is in denial of aging, has early cognitive decline, is a clutterbug, and is unhappy that the family recently moved her to an apartment with no stairs. I really did not need this stress on top of everything else.

Alan that really sucks.

Alan and Rosemary, both things suck.

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Originally Posted by catherine

Wow, what a brutal end to a your vacation!! I don't blame you for being cranky! I'd be tempted to get back in the RV and take off again.

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Ha, don't think we haven't considered it. We're already thiiiisssss close to parking it in the driveway just to sleep in with the AC on high. It's against our township zoning rules but maybe no one will notice.

One more unexpected occurrence, after posting my rant last night and going to bed the Android tablet I've been using for the past 6 or 7 years to read in bed with died. Or more specifically it seems to be caught in a boot loop where it appears to be doing something but can't quite get it done. I've spent several hours today trying to get it back to it's default state without success. I think it's time to have the Amazon machine deliver a new Kindle while I wait for the next bit of Pixie mischief directed at me.

I would definitely be violating the law and sleeping in the RV. I don’t deal well with heat.

Our son who can fix anything told us that if our AC goes out, we need to buy a window AC for the bedroom and use that room until he can get to Phoenix to install a new mini-split for us to replace the unit on our roof. He forbids us to hire anyone else. 😄

I can empathize with you both (Alan and Rosemary). We had 2 days of grief. DH hit his head (is ok now), both sink and toilet in main bath had problems, water purifier died, fairly new bed sheets .... bottom sheet ripped majorly. Roofers came to re-do flat roof that was done in too cold of weather last year. They got here late in the day and could not finish. We got 3 inches of rain and the roof leaked causing holes in ceiling and tiles to split. Roofers came and finished outside yesterday. Supposedly, will be here tomorrow to fix inside. Everything is repaired or replaced except inside ceiling. Too much at one time!

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Originally Posted by Alan

Ha, don't think we haven't considered it. We're already thiiiisssss close to parking it in the driveway just to sleep in with the AC on high. It's against our township zoning rules but maybe no one will notice.

One more unexpected occurrence, after posting my rant last night and going to bed the Android tablet I've been using for the past 6 or 7 years to read in bed with died. Or more specifically it seems to be caught in a boot loop where it appears to be doing something but can't quite get it done. I've spent several hours today trying to get it back to it's default state without success. I think it's time to have the Amazon machine deliver a new Kindle while I wait for the next bit of Pixie mischief directed at me.

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Can’t imagine anyone would complain for a day or two??

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Originally Posted by frugal-one

Can’t imagine anyone would complain for a day or two??

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Twice now I've had notices left on my door with pictures of our old motorhome parked in the drive. One of our township employees apparently drives around looking for infractions, taking pictures and leaving them at the residences with the threat of a fine if not moved within 24 hours. Both times I've contacted the township, explained that we must be able to pack and unpack our RV's without threat of a fine so we'd appreciate a little leeway. I'm afraid to get another one because did I mention that this heat makes me cranky?

You poor people!

Frugal so sorry. Alan that’s ridiculous. You need to be able to pack it at a reasonable pace.

I am exhausted and the first thing I saw when I turned on my computer this morning was a photo of a 39 year old man assaulting a 59 year old woman. Punching her, kicking her when she's down and calling her a monkey. What is wrong humanity?

The exhaustion is from struggling because I developed allergies to not one, but three, of the medications we tried to treat one of my health issues. My body is exhausted from the yo-yo of different medications practically every day. Along with the underlying health condition that necessitates said medication. And on Monday night, exactly one week after the cat attack landed us in the emergency room, my boxer got skunked, in the face, from about 2 feet away. Her mouth was foaming, my husband was holding her trying to keep her from attacking the skunk, who was standing his ground. It was 10 pm. We've never had a skunked pet before. At midnight we finally made it to bed. The most damage was to my dog's mouth. The vet said she should be okay by Friday, but her gums are all swollen and were a bit bloody this morning. I put her meds in her wet food but she can smell it and refused to eat it. I'm so tired and it's not even 11 am.

And hotel desk clerks are being beaten up by men who don't have an ounce of decency. Just want to go back to bed.

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Originally Posted by Geila

I am exhausted and the first thing I saw when I turned on my computer this morning was a photo of a 39 year old man assaulting a 59 year old woman. Punching her, kicking her when she's down and calling her a monkey. What is wrong humanity?

The exhaustion is from struggling because I developed allergies to not one, but three, of the medications we tried to treat one of my health issues. My body is exhausted from the yo-yo of different medications practically every day. Along with the underlying health condition that necessitates said medication. And on Monday night, exactly one week after the cat attack landed us in the emergency room, my boxer got skunked, in the face, from about 2 feet away. Her mouth was foaming, my husband was holding her trying to keep her from attacking the skunk, who was standing his ground. It was 10 pm. We've never had a skunked pet before. At midnight we finally made it to bed. The most damage was to my dog's mouth. The vet said she should be okay by Friday, but her gums are all swollen and were a bit bloody this morning. I put her meds in her wet food but she can smell it and refused to eat it. I'm so tired and it's not even 11 am.

And hotel desk clerks are being beaten up by men who don't have an ounce of decency. Just want to go back to bed.

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Time to give yourself a news break. There is too much negativity. You need a rest from it.

Yesterday I was at the grocery store and not one but two men stand right next to me in line, shoulders practically touching. I snarled at both of them to back off. One guy I had to say it twice and point to his X on the floor and told him that's where he's supposed to be. Next time I growl. And maybe give a swift kick. Not in the mood to suffer fools.

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Originally Posted by Geila

Yesterday I was at the grocery store and not one but two men stand right next to me in line, shoulders practically touching. I snarled at both of them to back off. One guy I had to say it twice and point to his X on the floor and told him that's where he's supposed to be. Next time I growl. And maybe give a swift kick. Not in the mood to suffer fools.

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I appreciate grocery delivery more every day.

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

I appreciate grocery delivery more every day.

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You know, I never got Instacart off the ground. I signed up for an account and I put some things in the cart and kind of got distracted about how it’s gonna work and then during the height of the virus lockdown I couldn’t make sense of how to get deliveries to our house at a time when we would be here. We still go to Hermann a few days a week.And I could not make sense of the time pick up either.

When I did on site grocery shopping during the height of lockdown I liked going in during senior citizen time at the grocery store down the street.

I use Amazon Fresh and schedule my delivery in the 7 to 9 AM slot. So far, I've had only a few substitutions, and everything has been delivered by about 7:20. Because I have Prime, delivery is free, but I usually tip generously. I'm totally spoiled. And I've recently found an Indian grocer that delivers, to that opens up more possibilities.

I'm annoyed that my spouse thinks everything I want to do is too dangerous (covid). I mentioned going to a local brewery that has outside pouring, and a large area where you can bring your personal chairs and site them away from everyone else. Nope. I mentioned a winery that has wine slushies, and that I would go in with a mask and do the ordering, bring them outside and we could again put our chairs away from everyone else. Nope. Beaches are too crowded, so are local hiking trails. A couple of towns over, they have weekly outdoor concerts. Doesn't want to have to wear a mask for 2 hours. The only thing he's willing to do is drive around in the car, on the same roads we go all the time. I feel so mentally "itchy", and wanting to get out and (distantly) be around other people. I feel completely isolated. The only people I see are related to me - and spouse wasn't crazy about my nephew visiting last weekend even though he had a negative covid test the day he left.

I had a tough time getting him out of the house to do things before the pandemic. Now its 100x worse, with no end in sight.

My town of 12000 has had a total of 30 cases over 5 months, and the areas we are visiting are rural and even lower rates.

Herb, I would do the beaches and the hiking trails and maybe the concert. We had four wineries here identified as Covid spots in the contact tracing in our county a few weeks ago. Also four pubs. Maybe I would skip those two types of places?

We have been to outside dining or pubs that are following all the rules.

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Originally Posted by herbgeek

I'm annoyed that my spouse thinks everything I want to do is too dangerous (covid). I mentioned going to a local brewery that has outside pouring, and a large area where you can bring your personal chairs and site them away from everyone else. Nope. I mentioned a winery that has wine slushies, and that I would go in with a mask and do the ordering, bring them outside and we could again put our chairs away from everyone else. Nope. Beaches are too crowded, so are local hiking trails. A couple of towns over, they have weekly outdoor concerts. Doesn't want to have to wear a mask for 2 hours. The only thing he's willing to do is drive around in the car, on the same roads we go all the time. I feel so mentally "itchy", and wanting to get out and (distantly) be around other people. I feel completely isolated. The only people I see are related to me - and spouse wasn't crazy about my nephew visiting last weekend even though he had a negative covid test the day he left.

I had a tough time getting him out of the house to do things before the pandemic. Now its 100x worse, with no end in sight.

My town of 12000 has had a total of 30 cases over 5 months, and the areas we are visiting are rural and even lower rates.

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You are not alone. I mentioned a few of those things too and got a negative response. DH is an introvert so this does not bother him as much. I went to a local outdoor farmer's market this past week by myself and was excited just to get away and see people. We don't have family so this is especially difficult.

I understand some of DH's reticence -- your exposure is his exposure. You going inside to pick up a couple of slushies does expose you more than staying outside entirely (or staying home). But your collective mental health is important, too. And a five-minute exposure with everyone wearing masks and disinfectant wipes/hand sanitizer present in an area of low incidence (at least as far as anyone knows right now) is, I think, a fair trade-off for something you would enjoy doing. I don't know as it's possible to live a functional life and avoid any exposure to the virus.

DW and I have concluded that we're going to have to choose our exposures for the foreseeable future. We take the precautions we can take, we try not to amass a full day of exposure, and we realize that 1) saying 'yes' to one thing may require saying 'no' to another. We think this will keep us fairly safe -- and sane. Battening down the hatches totally for a month or two was one thing, but this is turning into a marathon, not a sprint. A different approach makes sense.

Poison ivy.

Last night one of our ancient maple trees got hit by lightening and this morning it is in my backyard, having fallen and taken out my fence, part of my pole barn, my electric to the pole barn.
We are already under so much stress and our ideas about how to handle this are already different and at odds with each other. My husband just stated he wanted to build a second woodshed to hold all the wood. This seems to me insane since we are already planning to move and have a completely full woodshed that I have been begging him to clear out by selling the wood on Craigslist.

We have been making offers on other houses in another state. We are trying to sell a property that we bought, ill-advised, in the pandemic. Now he is angry with me because I shut down his woodshed idea.

I just want all this s$$t to go away.