Ahhhh….sitting here, enjoying the cool breeze and sipping my new coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, contemplating the 3-day weekend, and recharging after an exhausting week.
We had a temp break Thursday, and the humidity is down as well as the temps–mid 70s to 80s. By Tuesday we’ll be back up to our “new normal” of high 80s to mid 90s with the humidity of the Amazon jungle!
Despite many stressors, right this second I am feeling optimistic and refreshed.?
NancySeptember 3, 2016 / 9:47 am
Beautiful weather here, warm fuzzies to those facing hurricane/remnants of wet weather. Cuddle your fur babies and relax & keep safe!
AJSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:04 am
Yea, it’s the weekend and it’s three days not two!!! Started the weekend off right by having dinner at a new Korean BBQ place by our house. It’s one of those places that they bring out the meat and you cook it on a grill set into the table. Oh so yummy, and they also give you the little side dishes so got my fill of pickled radish, kim-chee, black beans, etc.
Not much planned this weekend. Hubby found out Wed he didn’t have to work Sat so wanted to get the heck out of dodge. Let’s go to Vegas! Seattle! San Fran! anywhere but here! After much grumbling and grousing because either a) everywhere’s booked, b) off the charts expensive because of last minute booking, or c) too dang hot to go there, we’re doing some day trips. Today we’re off to one of the old rancheros, then to a railway museum and later this weekend maybe driving up to the mountains.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Gigi the cat ladySeptember 3, 2016 / 10:13 am
I got up with a bad headache this morning. It’s my own fault for spending the whole day yesterday reading a book. I got so entranced I couldn’t be bothered to stop to eat properly, just grabbed whatever I could eat with one hand from the fridge and pantry. I used to do that a lot when I was younger but my eyes and my system are not what they used to be.
So today I’m turning off the e-reader and the computer. It’s a nice day outside, no humidity and a temperature of 23c (73f) perfect to walk around and take care of some errands at the same time.
I wish everybody a nice day and I’ll see you tomorrow.
benvolioSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:25 am
Now I want to know, which book did you find so enthralling? I have been making my way through the Newbery Award winners and just finished “Rifles for Watie,” a superbly written novel about a young Civil War soldier. Makes me glad I don’t live in the 1800s.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 10:47 am
I was up really late reading, but I’m afraid it was not a book. The other day my friend made me aware of the fact that Married at First Sight has started up again, so yesterday I watched the episodes that are available on demand, then got sucked into the Facebook comments on the show’s page.
(The one guy was apparently smoking pot on the honeymoon, and I can’t decide what bothers me more; that so many people think marijuana would be impossible to get in Puerto Rico, or that so many of them (often the same people, it seems) are unaware that Puerto Rico is part of the United States. The sheer number of comments along the lines of “how would he get pot in a foreign country?” or assuming he had to have smuggled it onto the plane have me shaking my head.)
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 12:16 pm
I also watch Married At First Sight. I’m rooting for the couple with the guy who lives on the bus and the girl with the tiny black chihuahua. Nice couple.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 12:36 pm
I love that dog. His name is Zeus!
I watched the first season because it was written about on a blog I read (which he wrote about only because one of the original “experts” is the Humanist chaplain at Harvard and it’s a blog about atheism) and every season since I’ve said I’m not going to get sucked in…then my friend mentioned it and here I am again. Except the first episode is no longer available on demand so I only saw from the wedding episode. (They couldn’t move the one ceremony inside when it was pouring rain? Or wait a little bit, since it stopped raining right at the end..) I like Sonia and Nick, too; she just needs to stop overanalyzing everything and he needs to rein in the dogs just a tad (but he did put them outside while they were eating dinner so I think that’s a good sign). Everyone on facebook is hating on Heather; she could have handled things better but I think Derek’s kind of a jerk, too.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:09 pm
The third couple are not compatible in my opinion. I’ll wait on the second couple. I think the dogs are gonna be a big issue.
Of the entire cast including the counselors, I like little Zeus the best. ?
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 1:18 pm
Yeah, I don’t think he quite understands how much the dogs frighten her. But she did have the little one’s leash when they were looking at houses, so at least she’s trying. I cut them a little slack because I’m sure they missed him and hopefully they’ll calm down some once they start to get settled in (although face-licking I can’t do; I love dogs but ick). I’m also a shy introvert so I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt on that front. We shall see.
Zeus seems well-trained. Can’t decide if he’s a Chihuahua or a MinPin (or maybe some kind of mix?). Either way. I WANT HIM!
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 9:58 pm
Deerhead Chihuahua.
FlowerfanaticSeptember 3, 2016 / 6:28 pm
I, too, have no idea how they paired Heather and hubby. She has absolutely NO personality and doesn’t seem to like anybody or anything!! I don’t really like him as they seem so incompatible. I’m not a fan of beards like he has either. That couple isn’t going to last. I say send her back to flying and forget marriage. I think the couple with the bus will be finding a house as he wants her to be happy but she’s not making a huge fuss at this point. She knows he’s trying. They’ve got great chemistry. Haven’t made a decision on the doggy couple. I know I wouldn’t be too happy with all the doggy kisses but she IS trying as someone said she was holding the leash of one of them when they were house looking. Sorry but I can’t remember names, only descriptions at this point. My memory doesn’t work well any more at my age.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 9:10 pm
Yeah, that beard would have to go.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:00 pm
I can’t do names. Even in fiction.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 10:36 am
Re: the hover text — Oh my god it’s is me in cat form!
Just waiting to see what Hermine is gonna bring us this weekend. Looking a tad breezy outside. Keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t cause any bad flooding for my best friend (who is still waiting to get her house raised after Sandy sent 8 feet of water down her street). Our county is in the tropical storm warning area. (I’m further inland, though, so my biggest worry is wind.) Sounds like it’s gonna be a good thing work is closed on Monday. Now debating if there’s anything I need at the store, and if I need it badly enough to brave the inevitable crowds of people on a holiday weekend expecting a storm.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 12:31 pm
Me too. I’m more inland than I was during Sandy by about 10 miles. So I’m mostly worried for other people.
I was scared by Sandy and would never move back to Long Beach, NY and I still get upset about hurricanes.
But I was so lucky compared to others. Even though I lost my car and could not move the majority of the big items from my apartment to where I am now I was very lucky that I did not own a home. Which is ironic because I was always sad I could not pull that off. It worked out for the best because I could pack up what I needed and leave with my two chihuahuas. I gave everything else away. It was more of an early downsizing.
I have a brand new car and I live in a lovely house with friends, a porch, backyard, off street parking etc. in a nice neighborhood. I’m happy. I count my blessings every single day.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 12:46 pm
Yeah, my friend owns her house (with her mom, but her mom doesn’t live there anymore; she moved in with her boyfriend a few years ago). It’s a two-family house and her sister lives upstairs with her two kids, and she and her husband live downstairs with their two. Sandy pretty much took everything downstairs and they had to completely redo it, and it was months before they could even move back in upstairs (and a few more months before the downstairs was livable, so she and her husband and daughter were living in the room above the garage for a while). She would like to move (out of a flood zone and closer to work), but she’ll have a hard time selling that house.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:01 pm
Hundreds of homes still for sale in Long Beach.
LauraSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:33 pm
You guys be careful. Hermine dumped a LOT of rain in some areas around here — we only got a few inches, but only a few miles from us they got 20 inches, which is hard to deal with, to put it mildly. And apparently just a few miles offshore, there was one patch where Hermine dumped close to 40 inches, so we’re grateful that stayed offshore! The winds just missed us, too; we had zero wind, but only a few miles away there were gusts up to 78 mph. The folks near the coast got it a lot worse. In fact, Hubs and Melody had their regular monthly therapy visit to a troubled kids’ home canceled for today since they’re still cleaning up there.
I don’t blame you for not wanting to be in a bad storm again, Faye! A few years before I met him, my husband lost everything in Typhoon Omar when he was living in Guam. It still bothers him, all the family photos, not to mention his cameras and collection of photos he’d been taking all over Asia for years, that washed away. About all he had left were (very wet) clothes. So I’ve learned storm prep from him.
One useful trick: Fill milk jugs nearly full of water, then stick them in your freezer. Two or three will keep an entire upright freezer contents safely frozen for several days even if your power fails. That served us well in New Orleans, where we had regular storms. (We moved away one month before Katrina; fortunately, the area our house was in didn’t flood, so the young man who’d sunk his life savings into the house didn’t lose it all, unlike a whole lot of other people we knew.)
I don’t ever want to experience rain again like the time in New Orleans when we got 24 inches in 24 hours, 16 inches in 4 hours. That teaches you real fast what Mother Nature can do. I was also living in L.A. during the Northridge earthquake; that’ll teach you real fast what’s important, when you help a friend decide what to grab out of her apartment in a building that’s been yellow-tagged (which means you can still enter but can’t live there) in case she can never get back in. It seems wherever you are, Mother Nature does something to remind us who’s in charge!
And speaking of earthquakes, my cousin in Oklahoma just had an earthquake strong enough to knock stuff off her shelves!
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 1:39 pm
Ooh, I have a couple empty milk jugs still waiting to go out (recycling bins in this place fill up too quickly). I just might do that, just in case.
debgSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:45 pm
Keeping you all in my thoughts this weekend–stay safe and DRY.
Stay safe and dry everyone! I feel a little guilty having milder summer and winters than everyone and not having to deal with tornadoes, hurricanes or extreme flooding. On the other hand I live in the ash-fallout zone of 6 large volcanoes, 3 of which are highly unstable, and within tsunami range of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (which they keep promising will unleash The Big One any day now), so there’s that… ಠ_ಠ
Autumn has apparently shown up early here in the Pacific NW – I had a little over an inch of rain yesterday (which we sorely needed). It only got up to 57°F (~14C) and I actually had to put on a sweatshirt. Much of the rain came with thunder which is rare around here. Note: Lily does NOT like thunder!
I have a some what busy weekend planned, I’m going out of town next week and I have to get stuff ready for the house&kitten sitter. Can’t leave the baby all by herself!
Duckie ?September 3, 2016 / 10:59 am
Lily’s nose is looking so much better. And that intent expression on her face makes me worry for my toes.
I wish I could kitten sit for you.
So do I!? I cat-sit an elderly, chronically ill cat. It would be fun to play with a kitty again!
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 12:47 pm
Such an earnest face!
debgSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:46 pm
Oh, the darling! Yes, any extremities are fair game to kittens. She looks so pretty.
fkaWaldenPondSeptember 3, 2016 / 6:33 pm
Yes, her nose really has come along; all the better for booping now.
Mich PattSeptember 3, 2016 / 7:01 pm
Have you considered a thunder shirt for her? My mom had one for her dog and my friend has one for her cat and both say the difference is miraculous! http://www.thundershirt.com/
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. For now, while it bothers her, she doesn’t outright panic. She doesn’t seem to like fireworks either (that are going off right now), but again, no panic. I can only image though that she’ll be really disturbed on the 4th of July, this town is fireworks-happy and goes overboard on them!
PattySeptember 3, 2016 / 11:26 am
I woke up this morning at 7 am to the bed rocking. Husband woke up, we looked at each other and he said,”earthquake?” I said, “earthquake” and went back to sleep. I guess there was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake near Pawnee, OK, and it was felt here in central Kansas (and several other states). My niece had her baby boy on the 30th, healthy 8 lbs 1 oz. His face was bruised, and his nose was smushed, both cleared up a lot by the next day. He came down hard and fast, so said the nurse.
JenDeyanSeptember 3, 2016 / 11:41 am
Congratulations on your great-nephew. I’m a great aunt myself. It’s awesome! All the benefits of baby cuddling without any of the drawbacks. Looks like your little guy has a good head of hair for a newborn.
PattySeptember 3, 2016 / 12:02 pm
Thanks! This is my 2nd great nephew, I have 2 great nieces, and another due on the 12th. Most of the babies in my family were born with lots of hair. All 5 of mine had the same dark hair, even though one of them wound up with light brown hair (when she was 3, if you asked her what color her hair was, she would say “peanut butter colored”).
debgSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:47 pm
Congrats on the new addition to your family! And I’m so glad not to be in Kansas anymore–after experiencing earthquakes in California, it seems unfair that they’ve moved to the Midwest too.
PattySeptember 3, 2016 / 2:12 pm
They are usually centered in OK, and mostly make us Kansans wonder about our sanity, since they are so mild. I just go to facebook to see everyone asking “Did anyone else feel that?” and the news sites to prove to my husband they really did happen. He felt this one, but the fact that we still have a waterbed (beds are expensive, still sleeping on one I’ve had since the 80s) may have made it easier to feel.
amylizSeptember 3, 2016 / 2:15 pm
Welcome to the world, little one!
amylizSeptember 3, 2016 / 11:43 am
The last three weeks have been very busy and stressful so I am grateful for the long weekend and beautiful weather. Just returned from the farmer’s market where I made the acquaintance of sweet Bernese Mountain dog named Heidi. I should start bringing dog treats to the market! Just don’t tell my cats!
Phred's MomSeptember 3, 2016 / 12:54 pm
Hermine has been tickling us here in SE PA with nice healthy
breezes, increasing clouds. Let’s hope she goes out to sea before
hitting Jersey! My next-door neighbor is in the middle of a two
week vacation down the shore, and will be in a first-class swivet
if it hits while she’s there. Let’s everybody pucker up and blow
Hermine out to sea.. . . ready? One, two, three, blow!!????
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 1:06 pm
It’s getting pretty gray here in Monmouth County, too. I should probably get showered and do my errands. I might look like one of those stocking-up-before-the-storm people but I realized I actually legitimately need milk. Also have some cookies to drop off at my parents’ house. I made them to take to dinner at a friend’s the other night; brought them a dozen+ ([plus] = however many I added to the plate to make the lid on the container containing the rest of them fit 😛 ), and set aside some for my parents because otherwise I will eat them all! And I put them in a Valentine-themed Chinese food box that I have lying around as an excuse to give the box back to my mother and get it out of my house, since it is in perfect condition and it feels wasteful to just throw it out.
Phred's MomSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:34 pm
Dang, my emoji of winds blowing eastward
showed up as blank blocks! Another try???
Phred's MomSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:37 pm
Apparently the winds finally showed up
on my comment. They were empty white
boxes a minute ago. Wah?
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 1:06 pm
Oh, hey, is it lunchtime already?
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:10 pm
Hey! Don’t get between that big puppy and the food! ROFLOL.
Ms Can OpenerSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:10 pm
I’m with Noodle, plans galore but it’s already noon and I haven’t even emptied the dishwasher. Must…get…moving. Love all Torties. Oh my, look at those puppy bellies.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 1:21 pm
I totally missed that the kitty’s name is Noodle! Love it. Noodle’s such a fun word. 🙂
Argh! After a power outage yesterday, my air conditioning unit no longer cools the air, and I have to crawl around out back flipping the circuit breaker to see if I can get it to start again. I can’t even see the circuit switch to tell what position it’s in, so I took pictures of it and then opened the pictures on my computer, and I can just barely make out what’s going on down there. 🙁
debgSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:48 pm
Oh, Mike, what a bummer. Good luck getting everything back on.
amylizSeptember 3, 2016 / 2:12 pm
Yes, situations like that are so frustrating. Good luck, Mike!
Update: It’s working again. After resetting the circuit breaker and waiting about 30 minutes as recommended, I restarted the system and the compressor started working again. I can definitely feel cool air circulating. 😀
it’s not so bad. I have ceiling fans and it’s a cool day outside, so the temp is only two degrees higher than my thermostat setting.
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:20 pm
You are lucky that the weather is cooperating! I would DIE in a puddle of sweat without AC or fans, especially with the high humidity we’ve been having! Crossing my fingers for you!
Duckie ?September 3, 2016 / 5:39 pm
Percussive maintenance always works for me.
fkaWaldenPondSeptember 3, 2016 / 6:37 pm
😀 Come to think about it Duckie, that kept my old dvd player up and running for some time.
Right. At this point, I’ve exhausted all the home remedies and will have to call in a repair service, and I’ll have to wait until Tuesday. *sigh*
fkaWaldenPondSeptember 3, 2016 / 7:17 pm
Fans? I live up here next to Lake Ontario and yes am aware of the stifling humidity down in your neck of the woods but! I find fans really help. Don’t use the oscillating feature, it is always noisy and generally ineffective. Just set that sucker behind you as you work. Bring it around wherever you are, bathroom, shower, washing dishes; I am team fan these days.
Regardless, hang in there!
debgSeptember 3, 2016 / 1:55 pm
Guess what my plans include, everybody! If you said “kitchen,” you win. Backsplash and grout on the long wall are done, but I still have the area around the stove left. Plus more shelves and cat-themed wall art. Someday it will all be finished . . .
Will try to add photos when I remember how to compress the jpgs.
Mich PattSeptember 3, 2016 / 7:14 pm
I feel positively spoiled rotten after reading all of the above. We’ve had no crazy storms nor earthquakes. (though we are located on the San Andreas Fault and have been expecting The Big One for years now) There’s nothing we can do about the Fault expect be prepared so we’ve got an emergency plan, cash, and enough supplies/food/water/medical items to last us and the cat for more than a week.
Without anything scary on the horizon, we’ve had a relaxing day with gorgeous blue skies and perfect temps and little planned for the long weekend except hobbying. The one exciting thing on the agenda is attending a performance of The Book of Mormon tonight at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. So excited!
Hope y’all stay safe and sound, happy and healthy!
fkaWaldenPondSeptember 3, 2016 / 7:30 pm
No sign yet of Murray C.?
Duckie ?September 3, 2016 / 10:57 pm
I emailed her yesterday, but have not heard back.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 8:21 pm
Just popping in to say it’s beautiful and cool and breezy outside. Was fairly sunny but now it’s dark. I did get a few drops of rain while I was driving (like, literally 4 or 5).
They’re saying peak rain Sunday morning – afternoon, and peak flooding threat Sunday evening – night. Might still be getting some by the time I have to go to work Tuesday, but I don’t have to go anywhere until then.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:15 pm
Oh my goodness. Allein that kitty gif is one of the best. Adorable tiny morsel.
FayeSeptember 3, 2016 / 10:22 pm
Well I did all my chores today. I only need to fold and hang clean laundry tomorrow.
The weather will determine if I run out to pick up a prescription.
I had a huge amount of food delivered today. Enough for one month. I love to stock up. I only need to buy salad items and fresh apples before anything else runs out.
Bagels and scallion cream cheese all ready for brunch.
Art work all weekend. My work is not as gruesome now so may go through Mike to post a positive one.
Will check in tomorrow. Have a fun/safe holiday everyone.
allein ?September 3, 2016 / 10:57 pm
I went to the store and got milk (hoping the power does not go out for an extended period of time; maybe I shouldn’t have gotten a whole gallon), and strawberries and bananas and a small head of red cabbage and butter lettuce and radishes…and two ears of corn that I had for dinner with lots of butter and salt and pepper. I plan to trim the radishes and strawberries so I can take the trash out tonight, before the storm. Because radish greens start to smell bad pretty quick and I don’t want them potentially sitting in my trash can for two days.
I am now sitting here watching National Geographic’s Eat: The Story of Food which I got from the library earlier this week. And getting hungry (except not so much now because the fish episode just started and I don’t eat fish).
I got an email from Murray C. last night with this message: “I’m through my surgery but in a fair amount of pain and wearing a big contraption, so while I’m reading Cutetropolis I’m not much in the way of writing since I have to do it one-fingered, left-handed. Best to you and the gang!”
FayeSeptember 4, 2016 / 9:24 am
Awww poor Murray C. At least the surgery is OVER. You will feel better every day.
Thank you Mike for update. Cutetropolis is such a caring place.
Duckie ?September 4, 2016 / 11:57 am
Get well soon, Murray. Thoughts , prayers, best wishes and very gentle hugs in your direction.
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:23 pm
Hang in there, Murray! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Phred's MomSeptember 4, 2016 / 6:39 pm
You are stronger than you feel right now, Murray, and
will get through this in fine fettle. I send positive thoughts
and figurative hugs. All the best.
fkaWaldenPondSeptember 4, 2016 / 10:17 am
Off to Niagara on the Lake for the remainder of the weekend; be well everyone! 🙂
FayeSeptember 4, 2016 / 1:16 pm
Coffee, garlic bagel with scallion cream cheese while wearing pjs. Nice!
Now reading on porch in breezy sunshine pre hurricane rain. Reading Psychoanalytic Treatment: an intersubjective approach. By Stolorow. Post Grad level so slow close reading with a pen in hand. Good to stretch the mind. It’s been a long time since I have studied even informally.
(I confess even though I’m a librarian I write in my own books, curl back covers and turn down pages.)
I’ve decided to sit outside today while it is nice and draw tonight and tomorrow while the rain comes down and wind blows.
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:33 pm
I always tell my students it is okay to write in a book if they OWN it. (They can dog-ear corners, lay it flat and break the binding, do whatever!, as long as it is actually theirs.)
I make notes in nonfiction books I own all the time. I also play editor and fix all the grammar, sentence structure, and logic mistakes in my books, too.? (And I admit I do fix “I could care less” every time I read it in ANY book, because it irks me ? to the nth degree!)
allein ?September 4, 2016 / 4:39 pm
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:51 pm
This would be my personal opinion, and I would flog anyone who dog-eared MY books, or LIBRARY books. ? Just sayin’. ( I am VERY picky about how my students treat the 500+ books I have purchased for my classroom! Though there is no flogging, of course, there are other repercussions for disrespect of others’ property.)
Phred's MomSeptember 4, 2016 / 6:49 pm
Oh, boy, do I ever agree with you about the grammar, spelling,
punctuation goofs one finds in books. Has it gotten worse in the
last few years, or have I become a full-fledged, card-carrying
curmudgeon in my golden years?!? And don’t start with the
“could care less” folks. I live with one whom I love, but who
makes me grind my teeth with that one. There is one popular
“cozy” mystery writer who uses the adverb “slowly” so much
that I can’t continue reading after the tenth usage,
She’s made me notice that word in the writing of others.
Overused in a lot of fiction.
allein ?September 4, 2016 / 8:00 pm
The book I was reading last week had a number of proofreading mistakes (a sentence with no ending punctuation, “though” where it was clearly supposed to say “through,” a repeated phrase…). It was really distracting.
allein ?September 4, 2016 / 4:34 pm
So, I have a big decision to make, and I thought maybe folks here would be a good sounding board. So, here goes:
I also considered Springtime. Sadly, they do not have Chihuahuas.
The ones I have currently are these. I have 11 left (which will last me a little bit still since I pay most of my bills online).
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:59 pm
I get my checks from Artistic Checks. They do have an option where you can send in a photo to put on your checks. Their prices are comparable to Current. When I googled “chihuahua checks” quite a variety came up from many different companies. Some are very cute!
6rabbitsSeptember 4, 2016 / 4:43 pm
Depends on how much you like owls, I guess. Do you write a lot of checks? If you don’t write a lot of checks you could be using owls for a long time. Will you still like them enough when they are no longer “in”? I think you could read your checks easier with the flowers version. I try to take that into consideration when getting stylish checks. Flip a coin. Once it’s in the air you’ll know which one you really want because you’ll be hoping it lands on that side!? Good luck!
allein ?September 4, 2016 / 4:56 pm
I don’t write a lot of checks anymore; mostly I do stuff online these days, but there are a few things I still have to write a check for. I have 11 left and I’m not in a hurry because they will likely last me at least a few months still. And, yeah, I was thinking the flowers might be easier to read (although the colors in reality aren’t as dark as they appear online; they do that so you can see the image better on the screen. I also usually write checks with a black Sharpie pen). But I do like the side-eye on the little purple owl.
I only get one box at a time because I know by the time I get through them I’ll want something different. 😉
I think the owls design is bolder. The thin lines of the flowers design tend to get overshadowed by the check printing in the foreground.
Gigi the cat ladySeptember 4, 2016 / 5:01 pm
I like the owls. Of course I’m bias since I’ve been collecting owls for 40 years, I have owls jewelry, crystal owls, ceramic owls, pewter owls, etc. etc….
I started collecting when I started going out with my husband, for some reason he reminded me of an owl. So together we are “The owl and the pussy cat”
allein ?September 4, 2016 / 5:04 pm
My mom collected owls when I was a kid. They were all over the place.
Ahhhh….sitting here, enjoying the cool breeze and sipping my new coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, contemplating the 3-day weekend, and recharging after an exhausting week.
We had a temp break Thursday, and the humidity is down as well as the temps–mid 70s to 80s. By Tuesday we’ll be back up to our “new normal” of high 80s to mid 90s with the humidity of the Amazon jungle!
Despite many stressors, right this second I am feeling optimistic and refreshed.?
Beautiful weather here, warm fuzzies to those facing hurricane/remnants of wet weather. Cuddle your fur babies and relax & keep safe!
Yea, it’s the weekend and it’s three days not two!!! Started the weekend off right by having dinner at a new Korean BBQ place by our house. It’s one of those places that they bring out the meat and you cook it on a grill set into the table. Oh so yummy, and they also give you the little side dishes so got my fill of pickled radish, kim-chee, black beans, etc.
Not much planned this weekend. Hubby found out Wed he didn’t have to work Sat so wanted to get the heck out of dodge. Let’s go to Vegas! Seattle! San Fran! anywhere but here! After much grumbling and grousing because either a) everywhere’s booked, b) off the charts expensive because of last minute booking, or c) too dang hot to go there, we’re doing some day trips. Today we’re off to one of the old rancheros, then to a railway museum and later this weekend maybe driving up to the mountains.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I got up with a bad headache this morning. It’s my own fault for spending the whole day yesterday reading a book. I got so entranced I couldn’t be bothered to stop to eat properly, just grabbed whatever I could eat with one hand from the fridge and pantry. I used to do that a lot when I was younger but my eyes and my system are not what they used to be.
So today I’m turning off the e-reader and the computer. It’s a nice day outside, no humidity and a temperature of 23c (73f) perfect to walk around and take care of some errands at the same time.
I wish everybody a nice day and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Now I want to know, which book did you find so enthralling? I have been making my way through the Newbery Award winners and just finished “Rifles for Watie,” a superbly written novel about a young Civil War soldier. Makes me glad I don’t live in the 1800s.
I was up really late reading, but I’m afraid it was not a book. The other day my friend made me aware of the fact that Married at First Sight has started up again, so yesterday I watched the episodes that are available on demand, then got sucked into the Facebook comments on the show’s page.
(The one guy was apparently smoking pot on the honeymoon, and I can’t decide what bothers me more; that so many people think marijuana would be impossible to get in Puerto Rico, or that so many of them (often the same people, it seems) are unaware that Puerto Rico is part of the United States. The sheer number of comments along the lines of “how would he get pot in a foreign country?” or assuming he had to have smuggled it onto the plane have me shaking my head.)
I also watch Married At First Sight. I’m rooting for the couple with the guy who lives on the bus and the girl with the tiny black chihuahua. Nice couple.
I love that dog. His name is Zeus!
I watched the first season because it was written about on a blog I read (which he wrote about only because one of the original “experts” is the Humanist chaplain at Harvard and it’s a blog about atheism) and every season since I’ve said I’m not going to get sucked in…then my friend mentioned it and here I am again. Except the first episode is no longer available on demand so I only saw from the wedding episode. (They couldn’t move the one ceremony inside when it was pouring rain? Or wait a little bit, since it stopped raining right at the end..) I like Sonia and Nick, too; she just needs to stop overanalyzing everything and he needs to rein in the dogs just a tad (but he did put them outside while they were eating dinner so I think that’s a good sign). Everyone on facebook is hating on Heather; she could have handled things better but I think Derek’s kind of a jerk, too.
The third couple are not compatible in my opinion. I’ll wait on the second couple. I think the dogs are gonna be a big issue.
Of the entire cast including the counselors, I like little Zeus the best. ?
Yeah, I don’t think he quite understands how much the dogs frighten her. But she did have the little one’s leash when they were looking at houses, so at least she’s trying. I cut them a little slack because I’m sure they missed him and hopefully they’ll calm down some once they start to get settled in (although face-licking I can’t do; I love dogs but ick). I’m also a shy introvert so I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt on that front. We shall see.
Zeus seems well-trained. Can’t decide if he’s a Chihuahua or a MinPin (or maybe some kind of mix?). Either way. I WANT HIM!
Deerhead Chihuahua.
I, too, have no idea how they paired Heather and hubby. She has absolutely NO personality and doesn’t seem to like anybody or anything!! I don’t really like him as they seem so incompatible. I’m not a fan of beards like he has either. That couple isn’t going to last. I say send her back to flying and forget marriage. I think the couple with the bus will be finding a house as he wants her to be happy but she’s not making a huge fuss at this point. She knows he’s trying. They’ve got great chemistry. Haven’t made a decision on the doggy couple. I know I wouldn’t be too happy with all the doggy kisses but she IS trying as someone said she was holding the leash of one of them when they were house looking. Sorry but I can’t remember names, only descriptions at this point. My memory doesn’t work well any more at my age.
Yeah, that beard would have to go.
I can’t do names. Even in fiction.
Re: the hover text — Oh my god it’s is me in cat form!
Just waiting to see what Hermine is gonna bring us this weekend. Looking a tad breezy outside. Keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t cause any bad flooding for my best friend (who is still waiting to get her house raised after Sandy sent 8 feet of water down her street). Our county is in the tropical storm warning area. (I’m further inland, though, so my biggest worry is wind.) Sounds like it’s gonna be a good thing work is closed on Monday. Now debating if there’s anything I need at the store, and if I need it badly enough to brave the inevitable crowds of people on a holiday weekend expecting a storm.
Me too. I’m more inland than I was during Sandy by about 10 miles. So I’m mostly worried for other people.
I was scared by Sandy and would never move back to Long Beach, NY and I still get upset about hurricanes.
But I was so lucky compared to others. Even though I lost my car and could not move the majority of the big items from my apartment to where I am now I was very lucky that I did not own a home. Which is ironic because I was always sad I could not pull that off. It worked out for the best because I could pack up what I needed and leave with my two chihuahuas. I gave everything else away. It was more of an early downsizing.
I have a brand new car and I live in a lovely house with friends, a porch, backyard, off street parking etc. in a nice neighborhood. I’m happy. I count my blessings every single day.
Yeah, my friend owns her house (with her mom, but her mom doesn’t live there anymore; she moved in with her boyfriend a few years ago). It’s a two-family house and her sister lives upstairs with her two kids, and she and her husband live downstairs with their two. Sandy pretty much took everything downstairs and they had to completely redo it, and it was months before they could even move back in upstairs (and a few more months before the downstairs was livable, so she and her husband and daughter were living in the room above the garage for a while). She would like to move (out of a flood zone and closer to work), but she’ll have a hard time selling that house.
Hundreds of homes still for sale in Long Beach.
You guys be careful. Hermine dumped a LOT of rain in some areas around here — we only got a few inches, but only a few miles from us they got 20 inches, which is hard to deal with, to put it mildly. And apparently just a few miles offshore, there was one patch where Hermine dumped close to 40 inches, so we’re grateful that stayed offshore! The winds just missed us, too; we had zero wind, but only a few miles away there were gusts up to 78 mph. The folks near the coast got it a lot worse. In fact, Hubs and Melody had their regular monthly therapy visit to a troubled kids’ home canceled for today since they’re still cleaning up there.
I don’t blame you for not wanting to be in a bad storm again, Faye! A few years before I met him, my husband lost everything in Typhoon Omar when he was living in Guam. It still bothers him, all the family photos, not to mention his cameras and collection of photos he’d been taking all over Asia for years, that washed away. About all he had left were (very wet) clothes. So I’ve learned storm prep from him.
One useful trick: Fill milk jugs nearly full of water, then stick them in your freezer. Two or three will keep an entire upright freezer contents safely frozen for several days even if your power fails. That served us well in New Orleans, where we had regular storms. (We moved away one month before Katrina; fortunately, the area our house was in didn’t flood, so the young man who’d sunk his life savings into the house didn’t lose it all, unlike a whole lot of other people we knew.)
I don’t ever want to experience rain again like the time in New Orleans when we got 24 inches in 24 hours, 16 inches in 4 hours. That teaches you real fast what Mother Nature can do. I was also living in L.A. during the Northridge earthquake; that’ll teach you real fast what’s important, when you help a friend decide what to grab out of her apartment in a building that’s been yellow-tagged (which means you can still enter but can’t live there) in case she can never get back in. It seems wherever you are, Mother Nature does something to remind us who’s in charge!
And speaking of earthquakes, my cousin in Oklahoma just had an earthquake strong enough to knock stuff off her shelves!
Ooh, I have a couple empty milk jugs still waiting to go out (recycling bins in this place fill up too quickly). I just might do that, just in case.
Keeping you all in my thoughts this weekend–stay safe and DRY.
Stay safe and dry everyone! I feel a little guilty having milder summer and winters than everyone and not having to deal with tornadoes, hurricanes or extreme flooding. On the other hand I live in the ash-fallout zone of 6 large volcanoes, 3 of which are highly unstable, and within tsunami range of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (which they keep promising will unleash The Big One any day now), so there’s that… ಠ_ಠ
Autumn has apparently shown up early here in the Pacific NW – I had a little over an inch of rain yesterday (which we sorely needed). It only got up to 57°F (~14C) and I actually had to put on a sweatshirt. Much of the rain came with thunder which is rare around here. Note: Lily does NOT like thunder!
I have a some what busy weekend planned, I’m going out of town next week and I have to get stuff ready for the house&kitten sitter. Can’t leave the baby all by herself!
Lily’s nose is looking so much better. And that intent expression on her face makes me worry for my toes.
I wish I could kitten sit for you.
Fingers, toes and any other extraneous bits that you have, she will gladly subdue for you! All she asks is an unlimited supply of Greenie treats!
Where do you live? I shall start your shipments today.
Just don’t forget the band-aids! ?
So do I!? I cat-sit an elderly, chronically ill cat. It would be fun to play with a kitty again!
Such an earnest face!
Oh, the darling! Yes, any extremities are fair game to kittens. She looks so pretty.
Yes, her nose really has come along; all the better for booping now.
Have you considered a thunder shirt for her? My mom had one for her dog and my friend has one for her cat and both say the difference is miraculous! http://www.thundershirt.com/
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. For now, while it bothers her, she doesn’t outright panic. She doesn’t seem to like fireworks either (that are going off right now), but again, no panic. I can only image though that she’ll be really disturbed on the 4th of July, this town is fireworks-happy and goes overboard on them!
I woke up this morning at 7 am to the bed rocking. Husband woke up, we looked at each other and he said,”earthquake?” I said, “earthquake” and went back to sleep. I guess there was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake near Pawnee, OK, and it was felt here in central Kansas (and several other states). My niece had her baby boy on the 30th, healthy 8 lbs 1 oz. His face was bruised, and his nose was smushed, both cleared up a lot by the next day. He came down hard and fast, so said the nurse.
Congratulations on your great-nephew. I’m a great aunt myself. It’s awesome! All the benefits of baby cuddling without any of the drawbacks. Looks like your little guy has a good head of hair for a newborn.
Thanks! This is my 2nd great nephew, I have 2 great nieces, and another due on the 12th. Most of the babies in my family were born with lots of hair. All 5 of mine had the same dark hair, even though one of them wound up with light brown hair (when she was 3, if you asked her what color her hair was, she would say “peanut butter colored”).
Congrats on the new addition to your family! And I’m so glad not to be in Kansas anymore–after experiencing earthquakes in California, it seems unfair that they’ve moved to the Midwest too.
They are usually centered in OK, and mostly make us Kansans wonder about our sanity, since they are so mild. I just go to facebook to see everyone asking “Did anyone else feel that?” and the news sites to prove to my husband they really did happen. He felt this one, but the fact that we still have a waterbed (beds are expensive, still sleeping on one I’ve had since the 80s) may have made it easier to feel.
Welcome to the world, little one!
The last three weeks have been very busy and stressful so I am grateful for the long weekend and beautiful weather. Just returned from the farmer’s market where I made the acquaintance of sweet Bernese Mountain dog named Heidi. I should start bringing dog treats to the market! Just don’t tell my cats!
Hermine has been tickling us here in SE PA with nice healthy
breezes, increasing clouds. Let’s hope she goes out to sea before
hitting Jersey! My next-door neighbor is in the middle of a two
week vacation down the shore, and will be in a first-class swivet
if it hits while she’s there. Let’s everybody pucker up and blow
Hermine out to sea.. . . ready? One, two, three, blow!!????
It’s getting pretty gray here in Monmouth County, too. I should probably get showered and do my errands. I might look like one of those stocking-up-before-the-storm people but I realized I actually legitimately need milk. Also have some cookies to drop off at my parents’ house. I made them to take to dinner at a friend’s the other night; brought them a dozen+ ([plus] = however many I added to the plate to make the lid on the container containing the rest of them fit 😛 ), and set aside some for my parents because otherwise I will eat them all! And I put them in a Valentine-themed Chinese food box that I have lying around as an excuse to give the box back to my mother and get it out of my house, since it is in perfect condition and it feels wasteful to just throw it out.
Dang, my emoji of winds blowing eastward
showed up as blank blocks! Another try???
Apparently the winds finally showed up
on my comment. They were empty white
boxes a minute ago. Wah?
Oh, hey, is it lunchtime already?
Hey! Don’t get between that big puppy and the food! ROFLOL.
I’m with Noodle, plans galore but it’s already noon and I haven’t even emptied the dishwasher. Must…get…moving. Love all Torties. Oh my, look at those puppy bellies.
I totally missed that the kitty’s name is Noodle! Love it. Noodle’s such a fun word. 🙂
Argh! After a power outage yesterday, my air conditioning unit no longer cools the air, and I have to crawl around out back flipping the circuit breaker to see if I can get it to start again. I can’t even see the circuit switch to tell what position it’s in, so I took pictures of it and then opened the pictures on my computer, and I can just barely make out what’s going on down there. 🙁
Oh, Mike, what a bummer. Good luck getting everything back on.
Yes, situations like that are so frustrating. Good luck, Mike!
Update: It’s working again. After resetting the circuit breaker and waiting about 30 minutes as recommended, I restarted the system and the compressor started working again. I can definitely feel cool air circulating. 😀
Updated update: The a/c unit turned on, but then turned off again. Not sure what to make of this now. :/
You have my deepest sympathy. I HATE being hot.
it’s not so bad. I have ceiling fans and it’s a cool day outside, so the temp is only two degrees higher than my thermostat setting.
You are lucky that the weather is cooperating! I would DIE in a puddle of sweat without AC or fans, especially with the high humidity we’ve been having! Crossing my fingers for you!
Percussive maintenance always works for me.
😀 Come to think about it Duckie, that kept my old dvd player up and running for some time.
? It is my first inclination, also!
Uh oh; and naturally it is a long weekend.
Right. At this point, I’ve exhausted all the home remedies and will have to call in a repair service, and I’ll have to wait until Tuesday. *sigh*
Fans? I live up here next to Lake Ontario and yes am aware of the stifling humidity down in your neck of the woods but! I find fans really help. Don’t use the oscillating feature, it is always noisy and generally ineffective. Just set that sucker behind you as you work. Bring it around wherever you are, bathroom, shower, washing dishes; I am team fan these days.
Regardless, hang in there!
Guess what my plans include, everybody! If you said “kitchen,” you win. Backsplash and grout on the long wall are done, but I still have the area around the stove left. Plus more shelves and cat-themed wall art. Someday it will all be finished . . .
Will try to add photos when I remember how to compress the jpgs.
I feel positively spoiled rotten after reading all of the above. We’ve had no crazy storms nor earthquakes. (though we are located on the San Andreas Fault and have been expecting The Big One for years now) There’s nothing we can do about the Fault expect be prepared so we’ve got an emergency plan, cash, and enough supplies/food/water/medical items to last us and the cat for more than a week.
Without anything scary on the horizon, we’ve had a relaxing day with gorgeous blue skies and perfect temps and little planned for the long weekend except hobbying. The one exciting thing on the agenda is attending a performance of The Book of Mormon tonight at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. So excited!
Hope y’all stay safe and sound, happy and healthy!
No sign yet of Murray C.?
I emailed her yesterday, but have not heard back.
Just popping in to say it’s beautiful and cool and breezy outside. Was fairly sunny but now it’s dark. I did get a few drops of rain while I was driving (like, literally 4 or 5).
They’re saying peak rain Sunday morning – afternoon, and peak flooding threat Sunday evening – night. Might still be getting some by the time I have to go to work Tuesday, but I don’t have to go anywhere until then.
Oh my goodness. Allein that kitty gif is one of the best. Adorable tiny morsel.
Well I did all my chores today. I only need to fold and hang clean laundry tomorrow.
The weather will determine if I run out to pick up a prescription.
I had a huge amount of food delivered today. Enough for one month. I love to stock up. I only need to buy salad items and fresh apples before anything else runs out.
Bagels and scallion cream cheese all ready for brunch.
Art work all weekend. My work is not as gruesome now so may go through Mike to post a positive one.
Will check in tomorrow. Have a fun/safe holiday everyone.
I went to the store and got milk (hoping the power does not go out for an extended period of time; maybe I shouldn’t have gotten a whole gallon), and strawberries and bananas and a small head of red cabbage and butter lettuce and radishes…and two ears of corn that I had for dinner with lots of butter and salt and pepper. I plan to trim the radishes and strawberries so I can take the trash out tonight, before the storm. Because radish greens start to smell bad pretty quick and I don’t want them potentially sitting in my trash can for two days.
I am now sitting here watching National Geographic’s Eat: The Story of Food which I got from the library earlier this week. And getting hungry (except not so much now because the fish episode just started and I don’t eat fish).
I got an email from Murray C. last night with this message: “I’m through my surgery but in a fair amount of pain and wearing a big contraption, so while I’m reading Cutetropolis I’m not much in the way of writing since I have to do it one-fingered, left-handed. Best to you and the gang!”
Awww poor Murray C. At least the surgery is OVER. You will feel better every day.
Thank you Mike for update. Cutetropolis is such a caring place.
Get well soon, Murray. Thoughts , prayers, best wishes and very gentle hugs in your direction.
Hang in there, Murray! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
You are stronger than you feel right now, Murray, and
will get through this in fine fettle. I send positive thoughts
and figurative hugs. All the best.
Off to Niagara on the Lake for the remainder of the weekend; be well everyone! 🙂
Coffee, garlic bagel with scallion cream cheese while wearing pjs. Nice!
Now reading on porch in breezy sunshine pre hurricane rain. Reading Psychoanalytic Treatment: an intersubjective approach. By Stolorow. Post Grad level so slow close reading with a pen in hand. Good to stretch the mind. It’s been a long time since I have studied even informally.
(I confess even though I’m a librarian I write in my own books, curl back covers and turn down pages.)
I’ve decided to sit outside today while it is nice and draw tonight and tomorrow while the rain comes down and wind blows.
I always tell my students it is okay to write in a book if they OWN it. (They can dog-ear corners, lay it flat and break the binding, do whatever!, as long as it is actually theirs.)
I make notes in nonfiction books I own all the time. I also play editor and fix all the grammar, sentence structure, and logic mistakes in my books, too.? (And I admit I do fix “I could care less” every time I read it in ANY book, because it irks me ? to the nth degree!)
This would be my personal opinion, and I would flog anyone who dog-eared MY books, or LIBRARY books. ? Just sayin’. ( I am VERY picky about how my students treat the 500+ books I have purchased for my classroom! Though there is no flogging, of course, there are other repercussions for disrespect of others’ property.)
Oh, boy, do I ever agree with you about the grammar, spelling,
punctuation goofs one finds in books. Has it gotten worse in the
last few years, or have I become a full-fledged, card-carrying
curmudgeon in my golden years?!? And don’t start with the
“could care less” folks. I live with one whom I love, but who
makes me grind my teeth with that one. There is one popular
“cozy” mystery writer who uses the adverb “slowly” so much
that I can’t continue reading after the tenth usage,
She’s made me notice that word in the writing of others.
Overused in a lot of fiction.
The book I was reading last week had a number of proofreading mistakes (a sentence with no ending punctuation, “though” where it was clearly supposed to say “through,” a repeated phrase…). It was really distracting.
So, I have a big decision to make, and I thought maybe folks here would be a good sounding board. So, here goes:
Owls or doodly flowers?
http://www.currentcatalog.com/product/owluminations-checks-478649.do?sortby=bestSellers
http://www.currentcatalog.com/product/sketched-flowers-checks-479164.do?sortby=bestSellers
Hmmm. I’m surprised you’re torn. Owls, of course.
I also considered Springtime. Sadly, they do not have Chihuahuas.
The ones I have currently are these. I have 11 left (which will last me a little bit still since I pay most of my bills online).
I get my checks from Artistic Checks. They do have an option where you can send in a photo to put on your checks. Their prices are comparable to Current. When I googled “chihuahua checks” quite a variety came up from many different companies. Some are very cute!
Depends on how much you like owls, I guess. Do you write a lot of checks? If you don’t write a lot of checks you could be using owls for a long time. Will you still like them enough when they are no longer “in”? I think you could read your checks easier with the flowers version. I try to take that into consideration when getting stylish checks. Flip a coin. Once it’s in the air you’ll know which one you really want because you’ll be hoping it lands on that side!? Good luck!
I don’t write a lot of checks anymore; mostly I do stuff online these days, but there are a few things I still have to write a check for. I have 11 left and I’m not in a hurry because they will likely last me at least a few months still. And, yeah, I was thinking the flowers might be easier to read (although the colors in reality aren’t as dark as they appear online; they do that so you can see the image better on the screen. I also usually write checks with a black Sharpie pen). But I do like the side-eye on the little purple owl.
I only get one box at a time because I know by the time I get through them I’ll want something different. 😉
I think the owls design is bolder. The thin lines of the flowers design tend to get overshadowed by the check printing in the foreground.
I like the owls. Of course I’m bias since I’ve been collecting owls for 40 years, I have owls jewelry, crystal owls, ceramic owls, pewter owls, etc. etc….
I started collecting when I started going out with my husband, for some reason he reminded me of an owl. So together we are “The owl and the pussy cat”
My mom collected owls when I was a kid. They were all over the place.