I'll Tumble For You

 Oh, I have to say thank you for being interested in this silly little nerd hobby.  My little kid heart is So Excited to share.

This is going to be a photo heavy bloggity because we can’t talk about these without SEEING them.  If you were here in person, OMG.

When I read Angela's comment, I had a little trill of panic.  It hadn’t occurred to me to check the power bill.  I did check and there was no power usage change with the little tumbler.  The bill cycle with the new tumbler is now in process so I won’t be able to tell until the end of May.  Kevin, who does think of these things, said he couldn’t imagine that it would be a big draw.

The gift tumbler is on the left and the big girl tumbler on the right:

What do I do with the rocks:  I have them everywhere.  Not, like, a hoarding situation but you know, tastefully.  Lol.   I have most of them in my office.  I started a rock organization project a few summers ago and it has turned into this display:

They are sorted by color, mostly.  There is also a jar of beach junk that I’ve found: marbles, broken pottery/dishes, sea glass (actually river glass).  There are also jars of feathers and shells. I started this project way back at the end of the pandemic (Geology Rocks)

I like how the sun catches them throughout the day.  There is a jar of quartz that sparkles and I thought that was absolute magic when I was little.  I haven’t polished any of those yet for fear the sparkle will smooth away or they’ll disintegrate.  (a simple internet search will probably answer that but I like learning by doing)

The other display is in a repurposed planter.  My mother-in-law gave me a succulent garden and I just have no talent for keeping unkillable plants alive.  So it now holds my favorite rocks; rocks that will never be polished, I should say.

What makes them My Favorite?  If someone gave one to me.  Kevin brings me home rocks from his work; rocks are literally his job.  Or I will pick them up when I’m on a specific adventure like our trip to Ellensburg.  Sometimes, they will just appear; I found one in the middle of a brand new gravel driveway and it looks like a galaxy to me.  I found an agate in the river during walkies one morning, the sun caught it just right and I had to take two steps into the water to get it. Very Wonderful World of Disney.

I also like the feel of them, if they’re shaped a certain way.  Worry rocks were a thing a long time ago and every once in a while, I find one that’s just pleasant to hold.  I’ve found those kinds in all shapes and sizes, one is a perfect egg shape but nearly as large as my fist. Another is flat that fits in the palm of your hand.

Then, as if that isn’t enough, I have heart shaped rocks.  Only three, right now, and those have become a quest to find.  Those seem like a gift from the universe though.  

I’ve talked here before about wish rocks.  One of my friends hadn’t heard of those and I was surprised.   A wish rock is one that has a vein that wraps all the way around a rock in an unbroken line.  Bonus if they are smooth lines or multiple lines.  And yes, I gave her wish rocks after I learned she didn’t know what they were.

Then there are these.  These are amazing.  Two green agates, one found in a river and one found in the creek on our property.  I will never polish these, they are too magical.

The rest are - what I just learned - metamorphic rock, you can see the layers as the soil, earth, water or all, changed around them.  Our neighbor is a retired geology professor and I keep saying that I want to invite him to the house to talk about rocks.

I’ve found rocks in almost every color.  This was a goal I set a while ago.  Green, quartz, and black is common on the river, purple and white are common on the ocean beaches.  Orange is difficult because they are the best example of a rock changing color once they are dried.  Blue rocks are pretty difficult to find and the only place I have consistently found them is at a very out-of-the-way beach on an island that is on the Salish Sea. (that Lucy hates because there is a steel grid staircase AND the waves are too close)

Where I live, there are a few inactive volcanos. (Mt. St. Helens is four hours away)  With that, there is plenty of pumice and lava rock, granite and shale.  I’m not as enamored with those types of rock. I often refer to pumice as “dog food rock” because that’s what my brain relates it to.  Shale is pretty but there is not a lot of variation.  

What do I do with rocks that I bring home and decide that I don’t like them as much (see: orange rocks)  I have a garden, it’s technically a rock garden with what’s called Quarry Rock and pieces even as large as what is colloquially called “one man rock”  as in one man can carry it.  I’ve taken the discarded rocks from my adventures and thrown them out there as filler.  Sometimes I will see one of those rocks and grant it a reprieve if I decide that I like it again.

This is a crap photo but I don't have the patience to wait for the sun
to rise in order to take a better photo. 

A coworker is also a rock nerd and I asked her what she does with her rocks.  She said that once she’s done with them, she takes them back to the beach.  She makes a wish and returns them to nature.  I love that idea and could give that a try someday too.  

This is not a hobby for the impatient.  Especially when you learn that the longer you do certain stages in the tumbler, the better the outcome.  I'm on stage five of second polishing for the second attempt. (how's that for confusing) It's supposed to be done tomorrow. I'm taking this process as a lesson from the Universe.  Also, I have had a few disappointments because I didn't know what rocks polished and which only smoothed.  There are people who do this on the ticktock so that has been helpful to watch.  

I even have insta photos of rocks, here is my favorite:

@kellwynn93

This started during the pandemic, I needed something to focus on and because we were doing daily walkies, it was easy to incorporate.  Then when I was gifted the tumbler, it reawakened some childhood dreams and next thing we know some hurt has been healed.  Because of silly rocks.

I mentioned this in the original post a few years ago: want a rock?  I'll gladly send you one.  :)

The Tip of The Refrigerator

 Well, as we all know, we have had just the worst past two years.  The worst.  I mean, I'm not daring the Universe or anything but mydawg.

We've weathered it okay so far, there have been a few times that we lost it; mentally, spiritually, physically.  Luckily we haven't spun out at the same time, mostly sticking to our "One Crazy Person At A Time" policy.

Until the refrigerator stopped working.  That apparently was the limit.

Kevin mentioned last weekend that the ice cream was soft.  We both just kind of went "Hmmmm" and moved on with our lives.  Then on Wednesday I grabbed the butter and it was soft. You're sensing a theme, aren't you?

I checked out the fridge section and it was cold but not COLD.  The freezer was as best as I can describe as meh.  The ice machine is making ice and happy, the vegetables were frozen, but the ice cream was soft.  I texted Kevin that I thought there was a problem, like, for real though.

He came home and went into problem-solving mode.  He discovered that the coils desperately needed cleaning.  It's a newish fridge and they are on the bottom and not on the back as we were used to.  Thanks to two years of just GAAAAAAAHHHHH, this maintenance task just didn't even make it onto the to-do list.  There was a whole other dog's worth of hair and dust under there.  Sigh.

Using the shop vac and an air compressor, he cleaned it all and we waited.  Kevin said that he'd noticed that the refrigerator had been running more lately.  I hadn't and tried not to raise an eyebrow at the not mentioning of that.

We left it closed until the next morning, hoping that would fix it.  It didn't.  I unplugged it for an hour to let it reset, as suggested by the interwebs.   Nope.  Kevin said that he would look into it more and ask his friends if they knew anything.  

I was in the middle of one big work project and had just finished another.  I didn't make time to research any possible causes or fixes.  So we were not as proactive as we both usually would be.  We were both victims of magical thinking, it was just going to fix itself.

He came home and I was making dinner, at which time I decided that I should probably stop eating food from that refrigerator and freezer.  He tried a few things and we looked at the owners manual to no avail.

Then we both kind of just...stop thinking about it.  It was an unsolvable problem.

This is Not Like Us At All Ever.

This morning I spent an hour trying to find an appliance repair company.  It is shocking the lack of skilled technicians.  I left a voicemail for one at 8:03 this morning, they open at 8:00.  It's now 11:30 and no response. 

Then I phoned the store where we bought the washer and the dishwasher.  They're local and their customer service is really good.  They have a technician and....he can be at the house on Monday, May 12th.  I asked if there were any other options and she put me on hold.  They are "working me in" for next Tuesday afternoon.  That's one...two...three...almost four days without a refrigerator. But I scheduled it.

NOW my brain flips into Go Mode.  I can get ice and fill the ice chests. Something I should have done two days ago but WE LISTEN AND WE DON'T JUDGE.   I cancelled all the cold stuff from the grocery order. Maybe I can buy a dorm fridge to get us through the weekend.  We'll just have to eat out all weekend and WON'T THAT BE FUN.  

Sigh.

Kevin phoned a friend and our Nephew.  Nephew said that there is a reset switch that probably needs pushed.  It's inconveniently located at the back of the refrigerator.  I pulled it out (it's on coasters) but I can't get back there still.  Instead of being on the evening news for being crushed to death by a dying refrigerator, I am waiting for either Kevin or Nephew to get home later today.

We're not buying a dorm fridge because I realized that once we were done, we have zero use for it.  Now I'm back to buying ice.  Then I realized that other than water, most of the stuff in the refrigerator is going into the garbage.  Sigh. And I already submitted the grocery order.  Also, now I have to empty everything, fill up our recycling that I just took, and then replace everything. 

Now I'm spun out again

Instead I'm listening to music on my headphones while alone in a silent house because my brain is the frog in the Bugs Bunny cartoons.  (Michigan J. Frog)

The Perfect Date

 

On Tuesdays, We Rock

 Firstly: my dearest Swistle has full permission to skip this post as I imagine if she has to hear about this topic one more time, I fear she will run screaming into the abyss.  

I have become Liz in Shrinking, I fear.  

I was given a the rock tumbler for Christmas and I'm obsessing, like the proper nerd I am. What had happened was my Nephew drew my name and wasn't sure what to give.  My Niece came in clutch and chose a rock tumbler.  Nephew was Very Skeptical and relieved when he saw that I was so happy. SO HAPPY.

So, I started it like the 27th of December, we'll say.  It's run almost non-stop since then.  The other day I switched it around and it threw an error code.  I tried a few things then searched the interwebs. ZERO SHADE to the gift giver, but it turns out that this is a cheap tumbler.  (Again: ZERO SHADE because really it's a good thing because who knew if the alphabet brain was going to be satisfied after doing it once or twice)  

One of the suggestions I found was essentially "You can just wire around it" and I laughed.  "Cause of house fire: a sketchy wired rock tumbler".   Oh, and I have it in Monica's Closet.  Yeah, it's a little noisy but not as bad as one would think. Kevin said it sounded like running water, which he did not enjoy.

Kevin said to just go get another one at the hardware store and I dragged my feet.  It's only $70 (only, sigh) but I just couldn't do it.  So he called the store and there was only one in stock so he asked them to hold it.  Then he called me and said Go Get It Now.  So I stopped my Spring Break binge-watching and got it.  I am so neglected and abused by that man, LOL.

The new tumbler is not effing around.  It's more industrial and it has two barrels instead of one.  It's louder and accumulates heat so we moved it from my office out into the garden shed.  I started a new batch and had one batch that was on the last cycle.  On a whim, I tried the gift one and it started again.  Luckily, I had gone to Deception Pass the day before so I had another new batch of rocks. (this is adorable because, really: I always have a batch of rocks)

I started those then will switch it to the new one when the first cycle finishes.  Kevin mentioned that while it's good that it works again, it's probably not worth risking burning down the house. #buzzkill. See: "cause of fire"  

I'm having fun learning which rocks will polish and not polish, which rocks just reduce in size, and which ones come out REALLY GOOD.  Instead of trying to find rocks of a specific color or type, now I will search for ones that might polish.  Now instead of finding new trails to take Lucy walkies, I'm looking for places where I can find cool rocks.

This is what I've learned so far: green ones smooth and are pretty but don't shine.  Black ones significantly reduce in size and are pleasingly smooth.  White ones from the ocean turn out MAGICAL, smooth and round and shiny. And often agates that glow when you put light under them. Purple does shine and shows veins.  (this is the level of nerd I have become: veins, not lines)  I just started a batch of orange rocks and we'll see.

Right now, I have a tray of polished rocks on the table next to my chair because it's just so pleasing to look at them.  I will need to find a way to display the next batches though, or start giving them away.  But right now, they're My Precious.

While learning all about this, I realized that this has become one of those Healing Childhood Wounds.  Over the holidays, there were videos on the clock app about parents or grandparents receiving gifts of toys from their childhoods that they wanted and never received. (if you need a good cry, go watch) This is absolutely that.

  I have always collected rocks and have wanted a tumbler since I was a kid. Growing up on a lake and running through the woods, you always found treasures. I would often be disappointed when once dried, the rocks appearance changed and I knew a tumbler would fix that.  Alas, decades later, here we are.

The cycles run in about seven days per so now on Tuesday afternoons I can go play with my rocks.  I bought a specific strainer to rinse them, I use an old soup pot that I brought home from my parents house, and even have a scale that Kevin gave me to make sure I don't overload the new tumbler (like I probably did with the gift one).  There's a bin to keep all the supplies.  I have a system and am In It. 

There are rocks that can be cut in half to show agates and I have (so far) drawn the line at using power tools (probably)  Maybe once I get bored with this tumbler.  Like that's going to happen. Because, LOOK:

At Least the Pizza was Good

 Yesterday we travelled "east of the mountains" because our niece had her very first art showing.  She graduated with a fine arts degree a few years ago and she was a featured artist at the college she attended. She has sold commissions, but this was her first professional art showing.  Why her first showing wasn't local is a convoluted story not worth telling. (someone knew a guy who knew a guy)

Unfortunately, it was in a small town (population 19,000)  It's a university town and it has a famous rodeo.  When I searched for things to do in this town, there were like seven things.  Three of which were breweries and wine cellars and one was a local museum.

So, we took "the back roads" to get there before crossing over the main pass outside of Seattle.  We were in no hurry and it was a really nice trip over the mountains. 

At the top of the pass, we stopped to use the bathroom and get breakfast.  But we took one exit too soon and we ended up in a tourist trap, most of which wasn't open yet.  We impulsively decided on getting an overpriced breakfast sandwich and left.  Just to see the town we were supposed to stop in off the next exit.  Welcome to traveling with Surely and Kevin.

While we were waiting for said sandwich, I was looking at the display locomotive across the street and making Sheldon jokes when I noticed a sign in the window.  The Health Department rating for this particular establishment was a C.  As in: okay.  LITERALLY IT SAID "OKAY".  The next available rating was Above Average and the next was Excellent.  I thought it was a good sandwich, Kevin was meh about it.  Probably because I unwisely pointed out the "C" rating to him.

We get to this town two hours later, maybe, and there is a landmark that all truckers and farmers know.  Kevin LIT UP because he remembered seeing it when he rode with his dad to get hay when he was a child.  Pause:  Kevin's dad was a long-haul truck driver and bucked hay for YEARS.  Continue.

Now we are there about five hours too early and we can't check into the hotel until 3.  We found it anyway, on the main street, that is literally called Main Street and was satisfied with the location and appearance.  I had chosen a private, local hotel over a chain hotel on the outskirts of town.

I now refer to the Top Things to Do in Town.  There are few.

This region of the state is the only place in the whole world to find blue agates.  So, that was my goal. We went to the park on the list, which was riverside and looked for rocks.  While I went to the bathroom, Kevin spotted one in the river and went to get it.  He stayed dry but opened his finger on something.  He told me he said to himself  "Maybe I should have waited for Surely to come back or at least leave the car keys on the bank."  See, I'm not the only one in this house who makes questionable decisions searching for rocks.  And I think that first rock is indeed a blue agate.

Then we walked along the interpretive trail along the river where I learned about materials like pit run, gravel, sand, etc.  We talked about erosion and remediation. Kevin can do DEEP into this particular topic.   I was reminded of how it was when we went to the Grand Canyon. Fun fact: you don't take an excavation company pit boss to a canyon.  Color him: unimpressed.

We met a few dogs and had a nice walk in the SUN.  Mygosh, the SUN WAS OUT.  We were in t-shirts!!!  Kevin said that alone was worth the trip.

We started to return to town when we spotted a coffee stand.  We stopped and got a drink then found a place to eat lunch. We found a nice restaurant in the center of town, staffed with college kids.  It was clearly a locals hangout.  I don't know why but we were clearly marked as outsiders.  Maybe because we weren't wearing cowboys boots.

One of our favorite games is to overhear and interpret conversations. The winner being a guy ghosting a girl on a date when she went to the bathroom.  He paid the bill and peaced out. To be fair, she was on her phone the ENTIRE TIME.

Anyway.

There were two elderly gentleman having lunch and they were talking about farming and fishing and all the things you would expect.  Then a couple and a man sat across from us.  Kevin motioned with his eyes to peek and I thought "Oh, no.  It's a pastor."  He had a notebook and papers, dressed in a suit. It was obvious that they were meeting to go over something

Then Kevin heard something about a car and insurance.  But I heard something about an excavator so now I'm curious. Then Kevin flinched and did the ASL sign for crying.  I exclaimed "OH NO" significantly louder than I wanted to.

Meanwhile, Kevin is also watching a toddler eat mac and cheese with his dad.  His dad who is doing dad things and not paying attention.  Kevin reported that little man spilled a big spoonful of mac and cheese onto the seat.  Not to be wasteful, he scooped it up in this little fist and ate it.  Then shortly thereafter, ran said hand through his hair.  By the time they left, it was everywhere; including his sock monkey backpack.

But now I'm invested in the couple across from us.  It turns out that they had either lost their house or had it heavily damaged by what sounded like flooding, but man caused flooding.  

Then I learned that text message responses can be admissible in court.  Because the couple received a shrug emoji text in response to a question and the lawyer said "Between the emails and the texts, we should  be able to make a case with the judge."  

We had to leave so we didn't get to hear the rest of the situation but I'm still thinking about that poor couple.

Next, we drove down the street parallel to main street, which was literally just another main street.  All brick buildings in good repair, many store fronts closed and not much interesting.  We bumped into a grocery store, which was perfect timing because I had to GO.  And yes, Kevin asked why I didn't go at the restaurant and I don't have a good reason.

Now we have two hours still before we can go to the hotel. I looked at the list of Things to Do and found  one of the things was just a few blocks away.  It was a private home, decorated with thousands of bottle caps, reflectors, and other repurposed items.  The display notice said they've been working on it for over 45 years and had other artists help.  There was a twisted chimney with a mannequin head in it and it's a good thing I'm not a screamer because it scared the snot out of me. We walked around the block and saw all the things then returned to the car.  That took about twenty minutes.  

I searched for Antique stores and nothing. I searched for ice cream and nothing beyond fast food or grocery stores.  We have already crossed off the Travel for Ice Cream Adventure off of our list.

Again, there is nothing to do in this town and we had done most of what was listed:

#6 was the gallery opening. #1 and 2 were closed

We went to the hotel and figured out parking. It is a refurbished building and the parking is in the back of the hotel but not right behind it so it was kind of a thing.  Kevin thought we should just go in and see if there was a room ready or if the hotel had a suggestion of things to do.

Luckily our room was ready and there was really not anything else to do.  (even the girl at the coffee stand laughed uncomfortably and didn't have any suggestions when we asked)  We went to our room, unpacked and took a really good nap.  It was a relief to not have something to do, somewhere to go, someone to take care of.  I don't think either of us realize how tired we actually were. Mentally and physically.

We woke up in time to attend the opening.  We dressed up a little because we didn't know and got in the car.  Kevin said "I hope we don't lose our parking spot" because the lot had filled since we arrived.  He pulled out into the street, saw our family outside the gallery that we didn't notice was RIGHT THERE.  He pulled around the block and someone had ALREADY taken our spot.  We found another and laughed at the situation.  

We walked the whole block to the gallery and it was fun to say "We're here for the Niece's Name showing" and be shown to the gallery.  She does charcoal drawings and they're pretty amazing.  There were twenty hung around the room.  They had her full name as the artist, they were gallery priced and had a note card with her as the featured artist for attendees, and a posted bio.  It was quite the experience to see her in that element.

It was fun to watch which drawings people gravitate to.  We all had our favorites so it was an ongoing discussion.  We encouraged her and created ways to get her to interact with attendees, which I can't imagine how awkward one would feel doing.  Then we walked through the rest of the gallery/museum then left thirty minutes before closing.  

Kevin decided he wanted pizza for dinner, which is unlike him.  I will eat pizza every day but he's kind of whatever about it.  Where we live, there are a million Mexican and Thai places but not a really good pizza place.  So, we had a goal.  Kevin asked the gallery curator (who was wearing custom cowboy boots with her dress) where to go.  Turns out, it was walkable and right next to the grocery store we had been at earlier. 

Now it's Friday evening and the restaurant is full.  We could wait thirty minutes or we could eat outside.  The sun hadn't gone down yet so I'm all Let's Eat Outside.  I didn't do the math of the Restaurant is Full versus the time it would take to get our meal.  We were chilled by the time the food arrived but the pizza was SO GOOD.  I lamented that we found great pizza and it's over a doggone mountain pass to get to it.

We walked back to the hotel and CRASHED.  Kevin was asleep almost immediately but I was determined to relax a minute. I read two chapters of my book and realized This is Dumb, Go to SLEEP.  We woke up at 7:30 and was on the road at 8:00.  Originally we were going to return to the restaurant for breakfast but we were both not in the mood.  We went back to the only coffee stand in town then got onto the highway.

This time, we travelled the main thoroughfare the whole way.  Traffic was omgosh speeding and we made record time back to the green side of the state.  We stopped for breakfast at our regular place.  Yes, we have a regular place, we have gotten that old.  

The gallery is featuring Niece through May and she sold one painting after we left.  The curator seemed to think that selling more wasn't going to be a problem.  Now she's officially a professional artist and she can decide if she wants to pursue that more or return to doing commissions and for pleasure.

This was our Christmas gift a few years ago

Now we are home to a very happy dog and still have the weekend ahead of us.  We're glad we went and equally glad to be home.  And we don't feel the need to return to that town.  Everyone was nice, every place we went to was nice.  We just don't need to go back.  Except  maybe for pizza.