As promised, here is the return of Test Cat. Whenever a placeholder is needed, Test Cat is there, selflessly sitting still for the cause of scientific discovery. Test Cat, we salute you!
Via Imgur.
Weekend Open Thread
168 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”
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Hi, all! Hope your weekend will be happy and rewarding.
Here in Doylestown, Bucks County, we have an arts and
crafts fair this weekend, with professional bicycle races
tomorrow making an exciting circuit right through the
center of town. It is exhilarating when they fly past,
stirring up a strong breeze. It’s an international event,
with some prestige. And a lot of Spandex.?
Oooh!
This picture should be in dictionaries illustrating the meaning of “plush.”
I was noticing the plushness as well!
I have a strong urge to gently squish just above the paws between my thumb and forefinger. His ankles? Wrists?
How deep would my fingers sink?
Is it springy, or would my fingers sink in disappearing?
So many questions!
In this case, curiosity squished the cat. 😉
Nice one! I too admire the cuddliness of this particular Test Cat.
Thanks for the lovely kitty, Mike! Is he part of the Shiro gang?
I’m guessing not. I’ll have to see if there’s any info on this picture.
Seriously plush.
Good morning, everyone..
Awwwwwwawa, so darling. Very sproingy cat, too. Nice poofy paws.
I’m stuck here. This is my life now. Sleepy blankie chihuahua pink nose wiggles = ded.
Howcum I don’t feel sorry for you, Faye?
What a cutie!
Faye, for a second I thought this was the was wawa in your avatar! ?
Awww. Nice thought. Sadly no.
It was the fur color and pink tee that did it. Once I really looked I could tell she had fluffier ears than your baby. ?
Pink vs black nose too. But equally enchanting.
Totally missed the nose! Told you it was a fleeting thought (from a without-coffee brain!) ?
I prefer the black nose btw.?
Good morning all – Hope all will be as relaxed & mellow as Test Cat this weekend. Rainy here later so that’s my excuse to spend some quality lap time with my fur baby and a book….
Nancy, these tasks never need an excuse. Own them proudly.
NEW MATTRESS just got delivered! More kitchen upgrade tasks and then a nice long nap are on my schedule today.
Wow, a mattress in the kitchen? That IS an upgrade.?
lol
I know, right? The fridge right next to the bed! Imagine the possibilities.
How’s the shoulder doing?
It’s pretty good, mostly pain-free except when I do my exercises and then it hurts like hades but I ice it and it calms down. I’m a bit nudgey and would like to be doing something but it’s beastly hot here and not conducive. I think I’ll try a bit of left-handed water color painting, that should keep me occupied for a bit! And it’s kind of you to ask – everyone here is kindness itself.
Glad you feel like trying the painting, Murray.
Good news. Exercise those brain cells as well
as the shoulder. Doing stuff with the off hand
is revealing sometimes of one’s ability to
withstand frustration, of new ways of looking
at things. I do it sometimes with crosswords
for the heckuvit.
I’m doing pretty well, but the crossword wasn’t so good – hubby and I do it together and I usually write sideways, but writing small left handed was not cutting it.
Isn’t that called a “New York City apartment”?
? Every day it’s breakfast in bed – and lunch, AND dinner…..
It’s a bed IN breakfast.
Yes. I had one of those once.
When I was in college my cousin was living in Manhattan. One day my brother and I went up to visit and he took us to do some touristy things and then eat at some not-so-touristy places. We stopped by his apartment; he had the bedroom and his roommate’s bed took up most of the living room.
I have a small refrigerator and a chest freezer in my bedroom. ?
Ooo, dangerous.
Usually ok except for Ben & Jerry Fudge Brownie. If I get a soup spoon from the kitchen I’m doomed.
Seriously? During my migraine life I toyed with having a small
fridge/freezer in the bedroom at arm’s length and easily accessed
(remember Dick Van Dyke and his testing the access to Laura’s
suitcase when she was due? No? I am old.) Having cold cloths
and ice at hand would have been good. Now it would be ice
cream.
I will be reading reading and reading. I think I will read.
I will.
Also finalizing computer configuration, domains and starting a blog for my art.
Tomorrow errands and watching 9/11 ceremonies and documentaries. Can’t not.
Hope you will make a link available to your blog, Faye! You go, girl!
Let’s see if I can get anything up first. Unfortunately, I understand computer concepts just fine. Terrible on execution.
Signed up. Found a possible template. Taking a break here.
Faye, what blogging platform are you using? I may be able to answer questions.
Oh my. Thank you Mike. I’m using Wix. I tried WordPress and it was too difficult for me. I spent the whole day with Wix and got a fully functional site started. My first page is published. It’s a portfolio of artwork and accompanying text descriptions. I will also do a blog of stream of consciousness re art books dreams and therapy. I’ve decided to put myself out there and see what happens.
Can I email if I need help?
Not ready to share here until blog is started.
I’m not familiar with Wix, but I understand page-building systems in general. If you’re having a problem, describe it to me, and I may at least be able to do a Google search that could lead to answers.
Thanks Mike. So far so good.
Amen to that.
As someone noticed when this picture first appeared, there isn’t a single cat hair on that chair. Must be some sort of miracle. 🙂
A non-shedding cat? WANT!
Lint roller after he got up there?
Friend of Mugomogu, borrows her vacuum cleaner.
Ha!?
No cat hair?! Bad ice cream?!! What is happening?? *looking around suspiciously*
Hello everyone and Happy Weekend! It’s been a long week here at Casa Birdcage. A death in the family, a lot of funeral arranging and meetings with lawyers and bankers and ministers and nursing home staff. I’m tired. And not TIFF has started (Toronto International Film Festival). I saw 1 film last night and have tickets for 2 more today. It’s raining which will make line-standing less than ideal, but that’s OK. Looking forward to a more relaxing day tomorrow.
{{{{Hugs}}}
Oh, Birdcage. I am sorry for your loss. Please take good care of yourself, I’m sure you need it.
Sorry for your loss, too, Birdcage.
I am also envious of your rain. We have a drought warning now in Delaware County in SE PA. I was out 3 days watering – no mean trick since I’m a one-armed schpritzer. Mostly I just move a small sprinkler from place to place at 15 or 20 minute intervals. It’s so stinkin’ HOT for September-records being broken.
Tomorrow should bring relief, Murray. Hope it does for the bike racers and
spectators. My garden, such as it is, is severely stressed from this horrible
summer. Six or seven heat waves by now. Unbelievable. Is indeed like
walking into a dog’s mouth, as you said earlier in the summer.??
I certainly hope so, I ho’ I do wish the relief included some rain, not just the lower temps – but I’ll be glad for that. Even trees are being affected by this and nary a hurricane in sight. Be careful what I wish for, I know.?
Sorry for your loss, Birdcage. I hope your tomorrow turns out to be relaxing.
So sorry to hear. Hope all goes smoothly.
Sorry for your loss, Birdcage, and wish you all the best with the coming
days, weeks, of stress that all this brings. Stop by here for hugs anytime.
You have my condolences. {HUG}
Sorry for your loss, and that it’s been such a wearying week.
Heya Birdcage, I am sorry to read about you and your family’s sad, exhausting, stressful week. On a distracting note though– what movies did you see and what is your opinion on them?
Yesterday I was browsing page-a-day calendars on the B&N website while I was bored at work in hopes of finding something I might like for next year (sorry Grumpy Cat, but you’ve gotten a little repetitive in year two). I looked at crosswords and other puzzles, and Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Chihuahua puppies and The New Yorker…and then I found this one and it seemed like just the kind of random fun the Cutetropolitan community would love. It’s different every day!
There are several pages pictured on the B&N page, too.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/2017-its-different-every-day-page-a-day-calendar-brooke-and-boaz-frankel-barker/1123478003?ean=9780761190943
I love the drawings!
Now I just need to find the B&N gift card someone gave me!
Hey, where’s Murray C.? I brought snacks!
😛
Oh, you beast, you!!!?
Good one, Allein!
Hey, on my phone you are still a Christmas tree!
Yummmmmmmm… :9
You got sauce on u Murray C. Right there, no there, almost…
Doesn’t this qualify as cannibalism? ?
I knew I wouldn’t have to make the cannibalism joke. 😉
When did we revert to cannibalism?
Hey, Murray’s the one who turned into a blue corn chip yesterday.
(Although I still see her as Christmas tree on the page; I only see the blue character in my email.)
Right. I remember.
Today is my 2nd oldest daughter’s birthday (she is 37, don’t tell her I told you), so it’ll be dinner, cake and ice cream, and games at her younger sister’s house. The younger sister, who has 3 kids (ages 5, 3 and 18 mos) suddenly became foster mother to a newborn baby boy. I shared the story of my niece and my temporary custody of her daughter, I think. This baby boy is her newborn. There was a DCF case open against her, and once she screwed up her stay at the shelter by not following the rules, they kicked her out, so DCF took the baby. They wanted to place him with family, my daughter volunteered, and they got approved as a foster family. The niece knows where he is, and she is relieved he isn’t with strangers. Let’s hope she gets her stuff together and gets a job and a place to live, so she can have him back.
Wow, Patty. Happy birthday to your daughter and congrats to the new foster mom. Wishing all the best for your niece.
Oh, Patti, that’s got to be so hard on your family – but what a good-hearted thing for your daughter to do! And knowing the little guy is safely ensconced with family is a blessing.
Wasn’t it your husband the one having back problems awhile back? (Hard keeping track of everyone) How is he doing?
Must have been someone else with back problems. He has back problems, but nothing that keeps him from installing ceilings. He’s a trooper, still working, even after an amputation that makes stilts impossible to use, and ladders difficult.
My niece’s main problem is an abusive boyfriend. If she had stayed away from him, she would still have the new baby. That was a condition of the DCF allowing her and the baby to go to the shelter. He claims the baby isn’t his, refused to sign the birth certificate, and wanted her to give him up for adoption. It’s a good thing he claims not to be the daddy or DCF would have released the baby to him, like they did with the daughter he does claim. BTW, this is his 7th baby, with 6 baby mamas. 2 of those kids are ones he sees on a regular basis, and my great niece is the only one he supports. I suspect he’ll ask for child support once the niece gets a job. These kids makes me ever grateful for the ones I have.
Oops, sorry for the error.
Good on you for keeping the silver lining in your view.
Finally getting over a week-long cold so I’m just going to sip more tea and look at this unbelievably adorable and relaxing kitty.
The ultimate cure – glad you’re feeling better.
The tail. It would make a lovely body pillow.
Actually the whole kitty would make a lovely pillow. Imagine a plush cat big enough to cuddle beside, with all the lovely purring. So relaxing…
When NOMTOM posted the Japanese bunny bags recently, I followed the link to find life-size body pillows made to look like baby seals. They were a way to hold extra blankets in a small Japanese home. You could make one that’s giant-kitty-sized.
I saw that, too. But what if I need a blanket and a pillow?
But how would I make it purr?
(Say in Young Frankenstein voice:) IT… COULD… WORK!!!!!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShebboDesign?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Those pillows are awesome!
Perfect fall weather here in central Europe. And school begins on Monday. I teach at a small high school where the kids, mostly boys, learn mechanical engineering and manufacturing. I teach English, much to their dismay. I have done nothing, NOTHING, for school during my 65 day break. Last year was so challenging (physically, mentally) that I spent the summer focusing on my health, far-away family, friends, bf, and being in the great outdoors. I hope the routine I’ve built up will carry me through the first crazy weeks of the semester!
N. Fritz, you were smart to take care of yourself over the break. I think I burned out because I didn’t do enough of that. The classes will take care of themselves.
Thanks for the affirmation DebG. Burnout is really common here. Another year like last year and I’d really be in trouble. I think I’ve only got one school this year which should reduce the number of preps from 10 to 6!
Good for you! We shouldn’t HAVE TO do “things for school” on our unpaid break! My former administrator used to say, “Here’s something else you can read/think about/plan while you lie on the beach this summer!” I also had a horribly stressful school year–so much I would have retired if possible. Best wishes to you for a better time this year!
So you’re teaching now, 6Rabbits? How’s it going?
Yeah, we started 8/17. My class is way better than last year–thank the gods!–but the rest of the crap teachers have to put up with has increased. (I’m in a state hostile to teachers. We even have a teacher shortage now!)
Oh, I almost forgot. Saw this the other day. Thought our resident grammar nerds would like it.
Why the green great dragon can’t exist
I saw that and thought it was overly simplistic. The modifier closest to the noun is the one that provides the most basic definition: “great dragon,” as opposed to “lesser dragon.”
Additional modifiers then further clarify the modified noun: “green great dragon” as distinguished from “red great dragon.”
Loved that post, Allein. When I was studying and then teaching Latin, I learned far more about English. My students did too. We could go on for 15 minutes at a time considering how many English words came from a single Latin root. Hurray for grammar nerds.
My grandson is learning Latin, in kindergarten. He loves it, and the headmaster says learning Latin will make it easier to learn other languages when they are older. That makes sense, since a lot of other languages seem to use the same Latin roots.
Latin will help with Romance languages (French,Spanish,Italian etc). What 2 years of Latin helped me with was vocabulary! If you know your Greek and Latin roots and affixes you are set. We just teach the roots and affixes in elementary school.
Latin root words got me fantastic grades in all my science courses and Shakespeare too.
In high school my Philology teacher said the same thing, only carried it
a bit further. Knowing the origins of words helps one define unfamiliar
words that contain similar elements. He, through the philology, took
us through centuries of the English language and its parents with a great
deal of wit. He even spoke Anglo-Saxon to us. My favorite teacher of all time. My favorite class of all time.
You had Philology in HIGHSCHOOL?! I am soooo jealous! We were lucky to be offered Latin and Astronomy! I feel about my Latin teacher the same way. I learned so much more from him than a language.?
In Philly, back in the day, Honors English students could take
it as an elective. Eight in the morning, so one had to really
want it. Most enjoyable course I’ve ever taken, right above
bellydancing classes I took in Jersey from a dancer who
asked me to sub for her at a Greek wedding. I chickened out.
Gutless, I was, but flattered.
And I wanted to take Latin, but was the only kid to request it,
so no dice. Took four years of Spanish, which has been useful.
I was useless at Latin – that and math were the worst grades I ever got. I was however very good in French and Spanish but I didn’t like Spanish. I only wish I’d had college level French – I had a better accent than my HS French teacher.?
That actually makes sense, Murray C. Latin is very mathematical and abilities in Latin and math usually correlate pretty strongly. Nothing to be ashamed of!
I was taught by nuns and never had a relationship with any teacher afterward, even into college. I was extremely shy around them and never cottoned on to the idea that they were there to help. I went to a private school with 40 students in my whole class and the math teacher – who told a girlfriend of mine that I was “cultured”(?) – still never singled me out to see why I was having trouble – and I was too out of it to ask and I had no idea I could do that. I only figured this out relatively recently!
My husband is terrible at math but Latin he knows! Of course, he had 14 years of it, so I would hope so.?
“Knowing the origins of words helps one define unfamiliar words that contain similar elements” – so true! Not too long ago I came across the word ‘perspicuous’ and because I knew a couple of similar words I was able to figure out its meaning – I geeked out so hard! 😀
Thrilled to learn that there are so many Latin fans out there. That’s what I should be teaching, along with ancient Greek, archaeology, mythology, and art history. But fate landed me in ESL. Hoping to find a position teaching high school Latin in the next year or so!
May it come to pass!
I had three years of Latin in HS. We had a Latin teacher who was simply a great teacher. There was serious competition to get into third-year Latin – people sat on window sills in the classroom to audit. He was so good that many of us considered majoring in classics in college – this was the ’60s! He made it seem like an important field.
Great post! Total language nerd here. I might disagree with the word order depending on the meaning of great: bigger? wonderful? Or is great being used with dragon as it is with “great apes.”
The furry, black, great ape ate a mango.
The glistening, green, great dragon roared.
All depends on the usage.?
I thought about that, too. Not sure that particular phrasing was the best example of his point.
But in the case of that list of modifiers preceding the noun, no commas are necessary.
/Laura the comma nerd
Oh, I hate seeing commas used like that. For example, putting a comma in “tonight’s concert by singer, Barbara Streisand.”
That doesn’t even make sense!
Commas are so overused.
Not as much as apostrophes, IMHO.
Laura, after killing my brain reading about comma usage,? it seems that if there is only one modifier before the noun-as-an-adjective there would be no comma: “furry great ape.” But add another descriptor and a comma becomes necessary: “furry, black great ape.” So I had an extra comma. The link is to the article I base this on; see the part with the example sentence “Dobby”.
http://wilcoxwrites.com/writing/nonfiction/when-place-comma-between-prenominal-modifiers ?
That occurred to me, too, that if “great dragon” was a compound noun, the “green” would have to go in front of it. Like if you were saying “the brown least bittern.” (Bird-word nerdiness….)
I got up with a migraine and had a fight with the hubby all in all not a great start to the weekend.
{{{hugs}}}
Awwww – man, there have been a lot of folks with headaches today – I wish you all quick release from the pain( auto correct turned pain into party! Thank goodness I was paying attention!!!)
Hello Cutetropolitans – let’s see, this morning I was dealing with PTSD stuff (ironically, not 9/11-related) but was able to take a batch of stuff to the dump, get annual flu shot at the pharmacy, and buy 2 nice blankets at the Big Box store (after I launder the old blanket, I’ll donate it to the pet shelter).
Tomorrow – go to laundromat, maybe bagel shop, and if I feel inspired, weed a bunch of papers at home to shred/recycle.
I get to refill my pain meds in a couple of days, which will help my mind as well as my body – looking forward to that! Then I should be able to do more ambitious stuff – replace a broken window, divide and re-pot a big Anthurium, and salvage/toss some items from back porch. Oh, and cook…
SmartyPants, it sounds like you’ve visited more than one circle of the Inferno. Hope you can hang in ’til the meds come thru. Rootin for you.
Sympathies on your PTSD. Me too. Not 9/11. From my childhood. Sigh. Doing so much better with an excellent doc. Hope you have help Smartypants.
Murray and Faye, thank you very much. It’s been a haul, but I’m lucky to have a really good healthcare team, and neighbors who add so much to my quality of life that they don’t know. And of course the community here – this is the first place I go to reorient myself after a rough night.
Feeling pretty good this morning – hope you guys are too. I’m off to the laundromat. Hope everyone has a refreshing, stress-free day!
Hi, everybody. My condolences to Birdcage, I’m glad the shoulder is improving, Murray, sounds like your part of the family is doing what it can for your niece and I’m glad the baby is safe, Patti, and I hope your migraine goes away soon, Gigi. I hope I didn’t forget anyone — this is such a wonderful little community NTMTOM has built here!
I’m trying to relax today after an insane few days. The campaign work has gotten more intensive and deadlines have gotten crazy and we’ve been hard-pressed to keep up. Seriously, anyone who claims Hillary lacks stamina doesn’t know what they’re talking about — even if I was half her age, I’d be hard-pressed to keep up with her!
Sebastian got the splint off his leg today that he’s had on all week. The vet never could decide if he had a broken toe or a ligament issue, although he was very sore and hopped on 3 legs, but today he’s trotting around on all 4 legs again. So it appears the worst damage was to our bank account. Ouch! Vets cost more than human doctors these days!
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the weekend!
Wow, Laura, well summarized!????
Ditto to Laura’s sentiments in the first two paragraphs! I am late to the game today. Woke up with a headache that started yesterday so skipped the farmer’s market this morning. Feeling much better now, though.
Today in my college town, there is a major football game between intrastate rivals. Introvert and non-sports fan that I am, I would have stayed in anyway to avoid the madness! It’ll be a night game which means people have had all day to drink! Honestly, I don’t know how they do it! I enjoy my wine, but phew…that amount of drinking would kill me! So this evening I will watch some Netflix and enjoy the peace and quiet of home!
I’m bird sitting again, and killing myself laughing. Cricket was sitting in his cage, with the door open so he could come out and visit. Hubby sat down on his chair and picked up a bag of Tostitos corn chips. Before either of us could blink, Cricket jumped out of the cage, ran-flew across the floor, climbed hubby’s leg, attacked the bag and tried to force his way through for a chip!
Oh I hope Cricket got a chip for going to all that trouble! ?
Yes. I didn’t have the heart to refuse him. Just a small piece, tho. Don’t want a sick bird on my hands. Or conscience.
Actually, I don’t think I had a choice. I was afraid he would attack me if I refused.
Dickie, What kind of bird is Cricket? Wow! Gangbusters. Coming through!
I’m hoping ‘Dickie’ was a typo…
Cricket is a green lovebird with a red face and blue tail and very warm feet.
I sent Mike a pic.
Duckie. Of course.
Cricket, my love of a love bird that isn’t mine.
Sooo pretty.
Thank you. I think so, too.
Wow!
Since I said good morning with a Chihuahua, I shall say good night with one as well. I couldn’t find a good gif of a Chi tucking him/herself into bed, so here is Pablo, who did indeed tuck himself into bed.
Good night, everyone!
What a cutie-I’ll bet he could hear you bite into a marshmallow!
Probably, but he wouldn’t have cared. Goldfish crackers, on the other hand…
O my! The ears on Pablo are just redonk!?
They were lots of fun to play with. (He didn’t seem to mind.)
My weakness is chihuahuas with big stand up ears and dreamy faces. Check ears. Check face. Pablo is adorable.
He was. I miss him.
Plain to see. I’m all teary thinking of all my darlings that have passed the fjords – and not a parrot among them.?
Allein, I know. I know.
Murray, I like the idea of my sweet chihuahua crossing the fjords. ?
Confession-Monty Python reference.
Confession – I got the reference but I’ve never seen the movie.
It was a skit from their regular TV show rather than from a movie.
Never seen that either (though I’ve seen some clips on youtube).
No matter. Thank you for the image. I. Still. Miss. My. Girl. ?
Awwww, (gives hug and pats your shoulder knowingly)
Thank you Murray C.
Allein, I regret not knowing Pablo. I can empathize fully with missing a furry child.
He was the best thing about my relationship with his daddy. 😛
If I was smart I would have said “keep the money you owe me and I’ll keep the dog” when we broke up.
He’s also spoiled me a bit for other dogs. If/when I am able to get one again I might be very picky.
Did you share Pablo after you broke up? That would’ve been hard!
Yeah. Pablo was his (he was three when we met), but a few months after we broke up he called and asked if I could take him for a couple weeks, which turned into 8 months. That was late 2005. He went home a week after we got the cats in July 2006. In July 2008 he asked if I could take him again, which at that point I was in an apartment where I couldn’t have pets, but my parents agreed to take him. That 2 weeks turned into 7 months (he died in January 2009). In between I would go visit or we’d meet at the park or sometimes I’d take him for the weekend just because.
Wow. Poor Pablo. Im glad you were able to take him when your ex couldn’t, but that had to be hard for you AND the pup! I would have had a hard time dealing with that situation.?
I’m sure he was happier at my parents’ house; they’re retired so he was never alone for more than a few hours at a time. If they were going to be gone longer than that, it was usually on a weekend and I would stay with him.
That’s sorta how my sister’s Beagle became my dad’s Beagle! BonnieBelle was a total traitor and settled for the good life with nary a fare-thee-well to her family of 6 years!?
Luckily Pablo was good with just about anyone (one thing my ex did right…took him everywhere he could as a puppy so he got used to people), so it was no problem leaving him with my parents, but I was still his favorite. 😛
Positive thoughts to all of you who have had a less than stellar Saturday, and who
have been having stressful days. We are a resourceful bunch here and deserve a
wonderful Sunday. MyMike just announced he wants us to go to Lhasa. My shredded
tendons(left ankle) have been issues on our more sedate jaunts to Italy, but at least,
in most places, I could sit somewhere pleasant (cafe, anyone?) to ease the pain.
Lhasa?!?!?! We’re not talking level surfaces here. I’m OK on level surfaces and
wear ankle-supporting boots with frequent stops so then can do most stuff.
But Lhasa?!?! I think we are going to have a serious discussion about this and
it could be stressful. Thanks for listening.
Wow, to be honest I didn’t know Lhasa was a place – only familiar with Lhasa Apso dogs. I’ll have to go look it up.
I hope the discussion goes well with your DH – if you explain it just as you did here, hopefully he will see the light.
I hope he gets the idea. Walking home from the bike races was not just
hot, but painful after so much standing on hard surfaces. I was not happy.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and will have an even better week.
G’night, all.