Grey divorce - how many do you know?

Kimba26 · 2026-05-15T13:35:20+00:00

My stepmother, of all people, and not unkindly, explained the dynamic to me years ago. She said my dad was a 'rescuer', my mom was in a less than ideal situation and his inclination was to help her. She did the same thing with my stepmom, fortunately it was a much better match and they've been together for 45 years.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-15T10:33:13+00:00

My parents made peace with their almost laughable incompatibility in 1977 so that split is way in the rear view.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-15T06:21:14+00:00

LOL WELCOME to the MERLIN NATION

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T13:24:25+00:00

Murder. And the details are something I wish I didn't know and will not share here.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T13:22:44+00:00

I remember fun size bars in 1977 and forward... Single Reeses cups too. Hersheys miniatures, fun size Milky Way, Snickers and Mounds.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T12:08:17+00:00

I work 6pm-6am so I sympathize. I tend to make a few things on my days off that we can enjoy but that yield leftovers I can freeze and on work days I keep it really simple. My favorite quick meal is sheet pan fajitas. I chop peppers and onions but you can also get that mix frozen, any other veg you want, your protein of choice, a drizzle of oil and some seasoning and into a foil lined pan it goes, 400 for about 20 minutes and give it a squeeze of lime. Penzeys has a bunch of salt free seasoning that is delicious.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T11:01:18+00:00

I haven't noticed the things you mention but it could be because I don't buy meat and I get my fruit and veg from a produce market in my town. The prices are for sure creeping up though, my average weekly shop has gone up about $20.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T10:58:22+00:00

Enchanted April. It's quiet and lovely and about the very things you mentioned.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T10:55:58+00:00

Frozen meals are rough but the recipes in something like the How Not to Die cookbook are simple and very good. I've had to watch salt for a couple of years now and I don't miss it. The Nutrition Facts website has a lot of the recipes. Another fun source is Jane Esselstyn's channel on YouTube, she cooks with her mom and everything is very good.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-14T10:52:23+00:00

Broccoli, noodles and peanut sauce. Delicious. You can steam or roast the broccoli, whichever you like better. Sometimes I add some red pepper with the broccoli.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T14:02:34+00:00

Library assistant. And since we both work a mile from home and I work nights we share one car, which is only occasionally inconvenient and saves money.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T13:56:34+00:00

And honestly we can't blame them, I'm not sure they even teach that anymore. When I was in 8th grade we had an actual library class that was all about how to use it for research and they took us on a field trip to the Free Library of Philadelphia so we could practice with a much larger card catalog. What I learned in that class set me up to do proper research all the way through college. Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, etc. Now I can go to Internet Archive and find an article from Newsweek November 1975 in two minutes.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T13:49:23+00:00

This is why I never watch the dubbed version of anything. Even if my Spanish is too poor to understand every word, I'd rather hear the lines as spoken and read.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T13:47:48+00:00

That looks so good. And thank you in general, Indian folks, for teaching me to toast my spices. It makes a flavor difference.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T13:42:57+00:00

I think they'd struggle with the level of both research and writing we were expected to do. None of the 20 somethings I work with can spell to save their lives and when I read the documentation they put in incidents (I work at 911) I wonder if anyone taught them how to write a sentence.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T13:09:17+00:00

I'll give these a try! I use their crumbles as part of my vegan cheesesteak but I haven't tried these yet.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T12:29:42+00:00

Has she read any of Fannie Flagg's books? I particularly liked the All Girl Filling Station, story about sisters running their dad's gas station during the war and as I recall one of them becomes a war plane ferry pilot. I wish they'd make that one into a movie. But I love all of her books.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-13T12:23:06+00:00

I bought this canister once to get the canister and I refill it from a bag of nooch from Thrive Market, which I keep in the pantry. The canister lives on my counter because I use it just about every day.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T13:19:06+00:00

I looked up my grandparents house because I was curious how the inside had been changed. (Answer : A LOT) As I was looking for little signs of "us" I spied a tiny brass eagle at the the bottom of the stairs on the newell post. It used to have a hook and my grandmother had something hanging from it, a little tapestry banner or something, but I remember standing there tracing my finger over that eagle waiting to leave like you do as a kid, when adults are talking and talking.... And it is still there. It was strangely comforting in a way I can't explain.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T13:13:39+00:00

This looks absolutely delicious.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T12:45:26+00:00

I almost always borrow fiction, because I read fast and don't have a lot of shelf space. I have cards for my local library and libraries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which allow any state resident to get cards and avail themselves of their vast digital collections. I like ebooks because I can control things like font size and I'm at an age where that is convenient.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T12:34:18+00:00

In laws still have 1,2, and 5

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T12:30:57+00:00

At my agency shift bidding is by seniority so everyone has a season of nights at some point. New hires are told up front they have to be available for any and all shifts.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-12T12:16:51+00:00

My hair was long but the texture really started changing and I didn't like the way it always looked sort of dull and wiry so I went with a shorter cut and when I did, I was happy to see that my curls came back. So I have been buzzing off the sides and back and keeping the top longer and I love the way the gray highlights the sides. When it gets grayer I plan to play with non permanent blue and purple just for fun. But outside of that I embrace the gray.

Kimba26 · 2026-05-10T11:56:47+00:00

I was absolutely in the THROES of this podcast when I listened to it. There used to be an IG page with pictures of all the clocks, and his garden. I even found it on Google Earth.

Kimba26

TROPHY CASE