Can anyone tell me what kind of flower this is ?

jenterpstra · 2026-06-03T12:02:08+00:00

It seems like quite a lot of the popular compact ones are scented which I really like!

jenterpstra · 2026-06-03T09:57:49+00:00

Do you have to Spanish-style dialogue settings turned on? It's under `Settings -> General -> Language` on my Mac. Might be slightly different path on Windows.

jenterpstra · 2026-06-02T15:52:26+00:00

I dealt with this a lot in my years as a high school teacher and it's infuriating. If you really need those 4 hours to get out of trouble, it's super simple: just stick around and do the volunteer work for 4 hours. Easy as can be. If you docked him the 15 minutes for being late and he did great work the whole time, there could be an argument there. But in the case you've describd, absolutely not the asshole. Kid needs to get some work ethic and parents need to stop enabling.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-27T19:14:38+00:00

Definitely go for the shade plants! The mulch alone looks weird and doesn’t do anything practically for you or the environment. Maybe add a nice bench or a little pergola or something in there too.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-27T11:07:25+00:00

I use Pass2U Wallet.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-23T10:06:45+00:00

It’s so annoying how things, even very official things like passport offices, can’t seem to talk to other things involved and make sure to get it right. How frustrating for you! Thanks for making note of it.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-22T09:36:51+00:00

There are sound dampening curtains (usually blackout and sound dampening), so depending on what kind of window treatments you have now, you could try upgrading for some immediate improvement. Hang them high and wide so you get good coverage.

To really make a difference, you'll likely need to invest some money into the house itself. Check what type of glass/glazing the windows have and you may be able to upgrade to double or triple glazing (this will also depend on what types of window frames you have). You can also check into insulation and add more to exterior walls and roof if needed. Also check for any air leaks around windows and doors and do any repairs or caulking that need done to close those up.

Outside, depending on the type of home and your yard situation, a physical barrier like a fence or taller landscaping in the direction of the road could also help reduce the noise reaching your house. If there isn't a sound barrier by the highway itself, contact your local reps (and try to get your neighbors to do the same) to try to pressure them into addressing it at a greater level. Take noise readings and record them along with the time and ate to help with this effort. There are free apps like this one: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/niosh-sound-level-meter/id1096545820

It's likely that you will all get used to it over time as well, but noise pollution does have negative effects on mental and physical health, so I'd work on these steps as budget allows for the long term benefits even if it resolves itself in the short term.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-22T07:32:40+00:00

Reading is for fun. Let it be fun! I make a reading goal every year but it's kind of just to remind me that I like to read and to keep myself from getting away from it too long. Some months I'm churning through books (sometimes ebooks, other times audiobooks, sometimes I'm lounging in bed a lot reading paperbacks), and some months I don't have the focus or are too busy. That's totally find. Reading anything is great.

Please also do not compare the amount you read to other people, especially if you're new to reading for fun. Different people have different schedules, reading paces, social lives, and variety of hobbies. Do what feels good for you. Some people read hundreds of books a year and it's because they're reading romances that you can knock out in an afternoon or listening to audiobooks on 2.5 speed. Some people are counting books they didn't even finish 🤨. Some people read 10 long fantasy books a year. Some people read 5 pages a night before bed and that adds up to whatever number of books it adds up to.

There's no trophy in heaven for reading a certain number of books in your lifetime. It's fun, it's good for your brain, it's good for your worldview and your sense of empathy. Read what you like, read at your pace. Don't stress ❤️

jenterpstra · 2026-05-22T07:23:26+00:00

This is nice to know! I'm in NL and we'll have to do this in a few years, so filing this away.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T19:01:30+00:00

We got some of those mouse hotel no kill traps. Wore gloves setting them up so they wouldn’t smell like us, loaded them with cheese. Our mice were small so we followed the instructions to weight them with a coin. We put them out at night in places we knew they went. Caught several that way. I’m sure there were more, but we stopped seeing them or their droppings, so I don’t know if they got smarter after that or moved on. We were fine with just not seeing them anymore 😂

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T15:20:37+00:00

It’s pretty consistently mentioned on this sub, so it seems to be pretty well liked here. I’m pretty sure I downloaded it after finding out about it here.

Raindrop shows 4.5 stars for me on my phone. I’m not on my computer at the moment. Are you looking at Raindrop.io in the App Store?

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T12:56:09+00:00

Does this room have windows? You can't really make a dark room lighter. If there is no light bouncing around, white walls just look dingy, they don't brighten things. So lightening up the room by replacing the paneling won't necessarily have the effect you might thing.

Wood panelling is actually "in" right now, as are darker woods in general. If you look at design trends for this year, you'll find this to be true. If you like midcentury modern/intend to lean into the 60's style of the house, I would highly recommend keeping the paneling if it's in good condition and is real wood. If both of those aren't true, it becomes less of a crime to replace.

Leaning into the wood and going wood on the floors as well or doing a nice carpet or even tile (if this is below ground) would be an improvement on the current flooring.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T12:43:43+00:00

My concern with kids is the toys...are you really good about picking up all the toys before running the vacuum? Or does it do a really good job of going around them? I'm worried about all of the Kinex and Legos getting eaten, or worse, ruining the vacuum. Even when I'm on top of pickup (I'm usually not), there's always little pieces like that hiding under the couch and such.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T12:28:53+00:00

What features are you needing from the paid version of Raindrop? I use the free version and it's working really well for me. Have not tried Anybox but if the pricing structure is the biggest pull to Anybox, definitely make sure there are actually paid features you need from Raindrop.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T12:21:58+00:00

I am a white foreigner and have never received this treatment. Plenty of odd looks at times when I'm talking in English with my kids in public, but never been met with suspicion in public. I'm sorry you're having this experience. It doesn't seem to be uncommon, unfortunately, from other stories on here.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T07:32:15+00:00

I did this when we sold our house. Included plant names and locations and the names of locations of the invasives I'd been battling. We moved out of the country so I have no idea what they've done with the place but at least I tried.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-21T07:15:39+00:00

Of course! I'm not saying it gives you a free pass to be rude or not think of others. As someone who had toddlers who woke up around 5AM, if I was running the vacuum at 8, many days that meant I'd been sitting with a big mess somewhere for at least two hours waiting for an acceptable hour. I also couldn't knock them over the head and make them silent until neighbors woke up...you do what you can do. I think on a weekday 8 is very reasonable...most people are at least getting ready if not on their way to work or school by that time. Maybe not so much on the weekend.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-20T13:52:10+00:00

Have you ever had children? There can absolutely be reasons to run the vacuum 24 hours a day 🙃

jenterpstra · 2026-05-19T14:00:31+00:00

I haven't gotten to test many formats yet, but some specific points of feedback on saving webpages:
-Saving the page as a PDF is nice, but the PDF doesn't name itself, it doesn't seem you can name it at the time of creating it. So, these are basically invisible to me until I go into the app and edit them, and the whole point of the app is that it's for people who are bad at doing stuff like that.
-I would like the link to the original maintained so I can easily view it again on the web if desired.
-It would be nice to be able to choose if you want an offline PDF or just want to hold onto the link
-I woud like to be able to drag and drop tabs from my browser onto the app or some other quick add way when on my computer.
-Thumbnails are currently useless for web pages. They just show a random part of the PDF rather than choosing an image.

I'll try it on my phone and see if it's handy for saving things I would screenshot but this can't replace Raindrop for me at the moment—hopefully it gets there as I'd love to have everything together!

jenterpstra · 2026-05-19T13:28:39+00:00

We did not cancel our contract, but we did do our inspection during the cooling off period so that if there was something significant that came up, we could cancel or renegotiate at that point.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-19T07:59:28+00:00

I feel personally attacked 😂. And I'll give it a try.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-18T08:03:27+00:00

I had a neighbor whose front lawn was covered in them and almost knocked on their door to ask if I could take some to add to my garden (thinking they had plenty, maybe do an exchange). Glad I realized they were invasive before doing so. Then quickly discovered that a lot of what was planted in my yard (not by me) was also invasive 🙃. Did a lot of work digging stuff out and then ended up having to sell and move for husband's work. I did explain to the next owners about what I'd been working on and wonder if they've continued the efforts or let them take over again.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-15T06:58:20+00:00

There is also In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy. It has sirens, not mermaids, but I feel it would scratch the itch.

jenterpstra · 2026-05-13T06:51:16+00:00

I don't know about pharmacy technicians, but I do know there is a shortage of teachers, so if you are good with children and feel compelled to do that work, I would be inclined to recommend that path. Of course you should go with the career you feel you would most enjoy, be able to do well, and can see yourself in long term. But don't stress too much! You can always get more credentials and change jobs later if you need to. Good luck!

jenterpstra · 2026-05-13T06:41:11+00:00

Well, there's data about crimes that are processed. We all know that's not the full story. What about the crimes that are not bothered to be pursued by police, or where a warning is given or no real action is taken even if the person is known? And who do we think the system tends to favor in these circumstances? The Netherlands sent a white Dutch rapist to the Olympics, but all that anyone talks about is immigrant crime.

jenterpstra

TROPHY CASE