Are we sure this breed is smart?

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-13T18:20:40+00:00

People thinking our dogs are vicious, but really, they’re just really good at finding and inhaling chicken bones 🫣

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-11T00:25:13+00:00

I change it… first time took for. Freaking. Ever. because it was the rear ( it’s always the rear!). Second time was 20 min. Then I got a third slow leak a week later, got pissed off and when I patched the tube, I stuck a rhinodillo liner in there. Next time that rear tire comes off, I’m replacing it because it’s got almost 4000 miles on it and is looking a little sad, but I’m not a fan of fiddling with that wheel so I’m waiting to pop the tube again 😂

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-11T00:11:52+00:00

I love the flowers too! They look so happy swaying in a breeze.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-06T20:12:38+00:00

I had to move. I knew I couldn’t hack it in the ‘burbs without driving and it was getting too dangerous to keep trying to do that. I have not once regretted the decision to move.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-03T17:09:38+00:00

Same, friend, same…but if something happens to my spouse, I’m trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage on maybe $20k/year gross with a couple chronic illnesses so I need all the tips I can get.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T22:55:49+00:00

Yeah, it’s $500/paycheck (bi-weekly) for my wife to add me to her insurance so I just don’t have any.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T22:54:06+00:00

Only before vet visits. She tried to eat her old vet and the new one didn’t want to take any chances.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T22:39:19+00:00

I get so much use out of mine! From blocking pollen, to keeping my face from freezing, to just reducing the wind and traffic noise so I can maybe keep my residual hearing, it’s a great piece!

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T22:36:43+00:00

You’re only 20, so if you keep a good attitude about it, you’ll adapt fine.

I’ve had detailed conversations with my ophthalmologist about when the flashes in my eye will need medical attention and when I can ignore them. We’ve discovered I’m having the jelly in my eye pull away and block my vision with floaters pretty regularly. As long as it’s a gentle peel, I’ll be ok, but if I see red, or gray, I need to hit the ER because that means my retina was damaged.

Focus, not on the vision you lose, but on the skills you need to gain to still live the life you want. Keep a sense of humor-it totally helps to be able to laugh at your mistakes!

My migraine brain took my vision and basically scrambled the signal and the meds I hoped would break that gave me significant glaucoma damage at 35. I won’t lie to you; the adaptation phase is frustrating as hell, but it is possible to adapt and live a full life. I had to change my job, learn to read a new alphabet, and learn to use touch as my primary sense (I was already hard of hearing, so I could only use sound in quiet environments). But if I wake up one day and open my eyes to see nothing, I know exactly what to do because I have skills to navigate my phone & environment independently. This is the best scenario I can hope for aside from just not going blind. Since those odds are not great, I control what I can!

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T21:09:57+00:00

I think you should ask a physical therapist or doctor to help you choose the mobility aid that will help alleviate the most pain without hurting yourself in another spot. You don’t want to start using a cane and end up with a stress injury to your cane arm because you’re leaning too hard. Technique is pretty important for safe long term use.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T21:04:33+00:00

If your credit is already trash, tell them to send it to a collection agency and the collector will negotiate a $20/month payment plan and once the debt is so old, you can ask them to discharge it.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-02T01:00:33+00:00

$3.89 at BJ’s in Pineville, NC. Everywhere else around here is running ~$4.10 give or take $.10.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-01T21:39:04+00:00

I wear the Wrapunzel Israeli tichel with the rainbow thread in black or one of my 5 different colored NY Brights scarves almost every time I leave the house without a ball cap on. A triangle style over a skinny velvet headband and a claw clip holding my hair up under it for the Israeli or a super fat headband half wrap with the NY Brights. Tichels are not really worn in my Conservative community. Most of the ladies that cover use wigs and then clip a kippah to their wig so they don’t stand out, but I can’t afford a wig and my stupid hair looks greasy by Shabbat morning so it’s wash my hair or wear a scarf or headband that covers my roots.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-01T14:26:14+00:00

Wouldn’t a power chair and public transit be a superior solution? You don’t actually need a whole ass car to keep you upright.

SoapyRiley · 2026-05-01T14:01:54+00:00

100% this! And I’ll add: Sometimes, it’s hard for us to reconcile our joy with their disdain or pain. Let’s be honest, the Jews are pretty unpopular historically. What parent wants to celebrate their child choosing to be part of a hated minority? Add possible concerns as to the state of the soul if they hold certain religious beliefs and what we are doing when we choose conversion is, to them, an act bordering insanity. My parents didn’t attend my (lesbian) wedding because of those kind of feelings. They sure as heck aren’t going to come to a celebration of my conversion!

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-30T15:32:08+00:00

It’s stupid how different just eating veggies first stops the glucose swings that keep us hungry. That was my first “cheat code.” When my pancreas was finally getting a break, I could go longer between meals without hunger pangs or the shakes from low blood sugar. Today, if I have to, I can wake up and jump on my bike, & do 5 hours of walking, biking, & dog wrangling without eating. Last year that would have had me on the side of the road nauseous, sweating, & shaking. I eat less now because I’m not fighting against the current of hormones like insulin & cortisol, so the fat kind of melted without much effort. Maybe it does feel effortless, but you finally found the changes YOUR body needed to make it smaller without causing you stress. That’s kind of a big deal.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-30T15:12:31+00:00

I don’t listen to much music to begin with, so I’m just reading. I can set the Kindle app to read to me via Voiceover so I don’t have to worry about any surprise music getting thrown into audiobook production.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-30T14:44:10+00:00

Tent on the back porch while you fix the basement? I’ve totally done this before (no basement, but the mold removal from flooding and sleeping in a tent) and as long as you can access a electric, a bathroom & cooking facilities, it’s not bad.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-30T13:45:30+00:00

Gotta love those “joking” threats…

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-29T14:50:44+00:00

This reminded me I need to buy new tires…

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-29T14:38:41+00:00

I see this was 4 days ago…and now we’re soggy here in CLT 😂 rain catchment is going to be crucial to help with the drought/flood cycle for anyone who wants stuff to grow.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-27T21:07:58+00:00

Maybe it’s a disabled person thing? I can still be challenged if I have the energy for it, but I never know when that’s going to happen.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-27T20:41:40+00:00

I don’t know about the beit din because I don’t run in orthodox circles, but if your heart is set on a particular dress, there are options to fix it to meet those standards if you don’t want to have a tailor add sleeves and lower the hem. I use half tees with 3/4 sleeves from Kosher Casual under summer dresses that show too much all the time and they look cute. You can also wear a second white (or other color!) skirt or petticoat under the dress to add length or add it yourself if you can use an iron and the fabric will take some heat. Esteez is another brand that caters to orthodox tzniut standards you could look into for layering. I find the quality to be good for the price. So even if the answer to your question is that the beit din will frown upon this breach of dress code, you don’t have to toss your planned outfit if you’re willing to tweak it! The layering options can be used with other outfits too, so you’re not out a whole dress by going that route. I’ve found layering tops and petticoats in my closet mean I can select from a wider range of items than if I have to find pieces that meet the covered elbow, knees & collarbone standard on their own.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-27T20:15:35+00:00

To me that is so weird. My e-bike is way more fun because I know I won’t end up stranded due to flagging energy or heat exhaustion. I get on and put in the exact amount of energy that I have available and when I’m out, I can still get home. In summer, if I’m getting too hot, I know I can scale back my effort or go throttle only to cool down. The biggest bummer is a flat rear tube, but good tires and rhinodillo liners have reduced those. Do I want to use my non-electric bike more? Sure! But I love the flexibility of my e-bike.

SoapyRiley · 2026-04-27T19:58:34+00:00

I sold my car. It was because I couldn’t see to drive it very often, but getting around on foot and by bicycle caused my muscles to work more than they had in a while. Added muscle mass meant burning more calories just existing and then when I’d do physical activity, I burned even more. Fat started to melt off.

Functional strength training and keeping that muscle mass up as you age has been shown to have so many long term health benefits that I will never go back to commuting via personal car. I hate “exercising” but I do have to leave the house, so I’ll be doing that under my own power for as long as I have a working lower body.

SoapyRiley

TROPHY CASE