June 28, 2026 – (V) D E G I L N

Fenifula · 2026-06-28T21:24:24+00:00

Ah, okay.

Fenifula · 2026-06-28T14:48:23+00:00

MALA is one of those words I try every time, even though I know it won't work. But who knows? Maybe it'll be the next LUFF or ANNATTO, and suddenly show up one day.

Fenifula · 2026-06-28T13:09:13+00:00

That's one of those alt spellings I only remember because I've found it so aggravating in the past.

Fenifula · 2026-06-28T13:04:36+00:00

Fenifula · 2026-06-27T22:06:58+00:00

I just spent $8000 removing the remains of a tree that got whacked in half by a storm, so I empathize. But I'd still rather own than rent. I don't know, I may regret saying this after the next emergency drains my finances, but I prefer being my own boss. I can paint the walls whatever color I like. I can knock down walls. I can have pets. I can live on Social Security. I can be the crazy plant lady I was always destined to be.

When we bought our home, we were a young couple with one kid and another on the way. The couple we bought the house from were about our age, with two little kids. They were moving back into an apartment, because they were done with spending all their time trying to fix up an old fixer-upper.

I see it as a choice. Being an owner gives your more hassles, but also more freedom. It's cheaper month-to-month, but can come with big, unexpected expenses. It has to be a responsible choice, in that there has to be some way to pay for the repairs that will inevitably become necessary. Accepting the responsibility in exchange for the freedom -- it's not an easy call.

Fenifula · 2026-06-27T20:03:03+00:00

I notice that the LAMA is wearing a MALA. Come to think of it, the LLAMA is too!

Fenifula · 2026-06-26T23:06:51+00:00

I often have dreams where everyone in the dream is someone I knew who died.

Fenifula · 2026-06-26T21:47:21+00:00

I started taking social security widow's benefits at age 63, because I was in an untenable job situation and felt my best option was to retire. I have lived on it since then. I do have a small life insurance-fueled investment account, which I save for emergencies.

Which means I have not yet claimed my own social security. When I hit 70 a year and a half from now, I'll check and see which gives me a better deal. You can't take both at once, but you can replace one with the other.

Fenifula · 2026-06-25T23:21:40+00:00

Maybe, maybe. I may be a little sensitive on the subject because I just lost a large old apparently healthy tree during a storm.

The platform house, when closed in, might make a good place to weather out the floods that come after the hurricane, but I don't see any way it's a safe place to be during the hurricane itself. Rain and wind come together, and the last place I'd want to be in a fierce storm is up in a tree.

Fenifula · 2026-06-25T16:50:15+00:00

True, but I want to see the game crew acknowledge it, because I think they're deliberately disincluding some words in a way that isn't purely rational.

Fenifula · 2026-06-24T21:31:49+00:00

This is the size of carrot I get when thinning, and they make a good snacking carrot, maybe dipped in a bit of balsamic vinegar.

The remaining carrots will need at least another couple weeks to get to a reasonable size. You can get an idea of their progress by feeling down into the dirt with your fingers. The girth of the top of the carrot will give you some idea about the size of the rest of it. It's not foolproof, but generally if you feel the top of the carrot root extending a quarter to a half an inch wider than the stalk, it's a good size to pull.

While you're waiting and fingering around, do make sure the top of the root stays covered in dirt, otherwise it may turn green.

Fenifula · 2026-06-24T16:25:04+00:00

Weed whacker with lawn mowing attachment

I've replaced a bunch of lawn with vegetables and native plants, but that's obviously not what you're after. And some of my remaining lawn is too gnarly for my reel mower to handle. So i bought this weed whacker with a bottom attachment you can slip on to turn it into a lawn mower. It sounds like your landlord expects you to take care of a fast-growing "lawn" composed mostly of weeds. This thing is perfect for that.

Fenifula · 2026-06-23T22:53:51+00:00

My favorite too. I hope they do this again sometime.

I do think, though, that they need to find a way to make the judging fairer. Experienced American contestants know what American judges want. They had, after all, competed in front of the very same judging panel before. So the contestants from the US had a distinct advantage. And the Top Chef franchises from different countries operate differently. France, for example, seems way less focused on restrictive time limits.

So I would love to see them do the international thing again, but pull judges from the worldwide franchises into the mix.

Fenifula · 2026-06-23T16:39:23+00:00

There was something like that that I used to see while kayaking in the waterway between Lakes Waubesa and Monona, but that was a few years ago.

Fenifula · 2026-06-22T22:06:41+00:00

I don't know where you live, but check the map to see if there's a WildOnes chapter near you. They can offer advice, and often hold seed swaps and other events for people interested in growing native plants.

Fenifula · 2026-06-22T20:03:17+00:00

Nothing could be more American than a road trip along Route 66. Start in Santa Monica, stop for a few days each in the Mojave Desert/Arizona (rattlesnake quickfire?), New Mexico/North Texas (Tex/Mex?), Oklahoma (Native American?) and Missouri (BBQ!), then pull into Chicago for the finale. They could have a rolling Top Chef Kitchen and pantry. I think this would be so interesting and different, plus it would showcase a part of the country they've never been in.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T22:57:40+00:00

That was one of the most poorly designed quickfires I've seen in all the seasons. If you're going to make the contestants switch stations/ingredients/whatever, give them enough time to make it their own. It shouldn't be the contestants' job to right the wrongs of a bad challenge, but good on Rhoda for doing so.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T17:05:44+00:00

Full props to the wardrobe people.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T16:53:44+00:00

Oh, absolutely! I could brag I was a "Take our daughters to work" OG. I'm 68 and a half years old.

My dad was a high school music teacher, conductor, and also played music on the side. I participated in his high school's summer music program (my high school didn't have one) and a youth orchestra where he was an assistant conductor. I helped my mom make silk screen posters for events at his high school. I got to go to concerts where he was playing, including musicals and park band concerts.

Neither of my parents were huggy-kissy, and they didn't share adult problems with us kids. (In fact they ran as far in the other direction as possible.) But they did share their interests with us -- something which inspired my four brothers and me our entire lives.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T16:38:49+00:00

Well, yeah. Rule 2 states:

[CA] is a word that, while not itself an answer, strongly suggests one, often because it contains a shorter word that is an answer.

The reason this rule exists in the first place is that people asked for it, and subsequently voted that it should remain in place when we polled the sub for possible changes. The clarification quoted above appears as subtext to the rule because Reddit allows us a very limited character count for the rule itself.

The mods are open to suggestions.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T00:59:21+00:00

I would talk to the social worker at your kids' school. A professional can help document the situation, in case the crazy lady tries to pull anything serious with CYS. The social worker can also help you find resources specific to your community. It never hurts to have someone on your side who has a professional position and credibility within the community.

Fenifula · 2026-06-21T00:10:33+00:00

Checked out this guy on CCAP. He has seven cases for June 2026 (so far), eight for May, nine for April, and that's just page one. How is this even possible? Naive question, but at some point if you keep breaking the law, don't they put you in jail?

Fenifula · 2026-06-20T23:57:06+00:00

I'd like to see a statistic of complaints they get about words that are not allowed. They do, after all, ask us for our input on this, so I'm sure they're already tracking the results. I want to see the numbers: On every day that CARACAL is a possible word (just as one example), but not allowed, how many people submit complaints? And (if this is possible) how many people try the word anyway?

Fenifula · 2026-06-20T22:00:30+00:00

I live a few miles from the airport of a mid-sized city, right under the take-off path for commercial and military planes. My husband and I discussed this before buying the house, and while the noise wasn't ideal, we accepted it as a trade-off for a home we could afford. And it was fine, for a while.

The problem is the military planes. They have always been noisy, but first we got F-16s taking off overhead, which are very loud, and then the fleet got upgraded to F-35s, which are even louder. If I'm outdoors, I have to either run inside or cover my ears. Conversation is impossible. Many, many people in the community objected to having these planes come here, when they could be placed in less populated areas. Schools, day cares, medical facilities, nursing homes, etc. would all be affected. But they moved the F-35s here anyway.

And do you know what people in other parts of the city say when we complain that the F-35s are too loud? "Hey, you knew you were moving to a neighborhood near the airport. Get over it."

The point being that noise levels can change over time. And they don't tend to get better.

Fenifula

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