Happy weekend, everyone! Here is Liz, wearing her Elizabethan collar and gloves, courtesy of reader Hilda K.
Weekend Open Thread
95 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”
Comments are closed.
Happy weekend, everyone! Here is Liz, wearing her Elizabethan collar and gloves, courtesy of reader Hilda K.
Comments are closed.
Hi Liz the cat! You look very pretty with your gloves and collar. [As another Liz, I had to comment.]
Isn’t that a ruff? Oh, wait a minute, that’s to do with dogs, isn’t it?
Well, aren’t we all nice and proper for Saturday morning! Tea and crumpets, my dear??
(Just what IS a crumpet, by the way??)
Crumpets are similar to english muffins I think but not as thick and not pre-sliced. Ok, here’s an article explaining the differences: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-crumpets-113577
Either way they’re delish. Especially crumpets spread with lemon curd and/or real devon cream. Mmmm Mmmm
In the UK, they call English Muffins…wait for it….”muffins” ?
What do they call those things americans call muffins? small cakes?
off to the Google!
Hmm, I know that ‘cupcakes’ (US) are ‘fairy cakes’ (UK) but I don’t know about muffins.
We call them either cupcakes or fairy cakes, I think the former is becoming more common, the latter sounding a bit pretentious. My husband suggests that cupcakes have plenty of buttercream, fairy cakes plain, but we’re no experts!
A muffin (a sweet one, anyway) is just double the size of a cupcake. So a muffin could be sweet or savoury, depending on the context, even though they are two completely different items! It’s possible that sweet/American muffins are relatively newer, neither of us remember seeing them as kids (we’re late 30’s/early 40’s).
Hope that helps.
I’ve found a slight reference to “American” muffins, but also they can just call them blueberry muffins (or whatever flavour). What Americans call the “English” muffin is just called a muffin. And I found out more about “pancakes” than I knew existed. https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/07/baked-goods.html
THAT was FUN! Thanks, Maia, I’ve even subscribed. I’m married to a Brit who is a bit of a linguist so this should provide lots of conversation.
The English call them “American Muffins” which is hilarious as an American. They probably think “…well, of course! What else would we call them?”
“Out damn spot” (the dog)…
Oh so prim and proper, maybe we should just call her Violet after Maggie Smith’s Countess on Downton Abbey.
Nothing exciting for this weekend, going be kinda boring. I have a ton of laundry to do, some house cleaning then hockey tonight. Then tomorrow, groceries and other errands. Whoopee!
Morning, all! I just saw this and wanted to share: From “The Late Show” it’s Stephen Colbert and actor Aubrey Plaza using alternative facts to introduce puppies up for adoption:
That was pretty deadly–I DO NOT NEED A DOG. And the cats would hate another roomie. Also hilarious.
Saw it last night – so fun. I just love how antic Stephen Colbert is, he’s wonderful. I’ll be those puppies will be adopted soon – they have provenance!
And the one puppy may poop a treasure map in your apartment! ?
That kiss was so sweet! Love how she rolled with it. “We’re also in a long-term relationship.”
Morning everyone. I’ve just returned from a lab where I participated in a sleep study. UGH! Even though I generally have no trouble falling asleep and sleeping deeply, it was awful trying to sleep in a strange place with wires and electrodes everywhere. I’m tired and headachy and irritated now. I sense my Saturday is a write-off. I did the sleep study because I occasionally grind my teeth at night and my doc thought we should try to get to the bottom of it. The only good that I can see to come from the study was that I was so unrelaxed in my strange cot in a strange place that I’m CERTAIN I was grinding my teeth.
I did one of those once, and came out of it like you did. I’m sorry that you are feeling bad. My best advice is drink lots of water for the headache and be extra careful if you have to drive anywhere. If you can take the day to do nothing, good. 🙂
I’ve always wondered what those are like. Now I’m glad I don’t know first hand.. Sorry to hear you’re feeling icky..
I’ve had two of them and expect to take another – my shoulder postponed my ability to do another one. I don’t mind them and I do have mild apnea but not to the point where insurance will cover a cpap machine. But I have such horrible daytime sleepiness that sometimes it’s hard to get anything done.
We had a goodly portion of our house painted and while I’m not altogether thrilled with the quality of the painting, the overall effect is very good. I’m really fussy about painting, I hate it when brush strokes show, I hate rollers because they leave dimples, can’t stand drips – like I say, a fusspot. But it was a huge job from our front door, down to the basement, up to the attic, mostly woodwork and stair spindles, so it would’ve taken me a year to do it. Glad it’s done, now putting stuff back, getting rid of stuff – very satisfying.
My husband has had a CPAP for years now, and his machine has a card in it that records his sleep patterns. So instead of another sleep study to make sure the CPAP is properly adjusted for him, he just drops off the card every few months at the VA hospital and they tell him if he needs to bring the machine in to be reset. I am very envious of the *superlative* care he gets from the Tampa VA!
That’s so clever! It makes a lot of sense to track somebody’s sleep when they’re in their normal environment rather than in a lab.
That does make a lot of sense. The second study I had was a load of CRAP (which is what CPAP can look like if you’re not paying attention). The facility was an independent venue with a doctor who kept bragging about his horses. The air conditioner kept cycling on and off noisily – on it was freezing cold, off it was so hot, so I kept kicking my covers off and putting them on again. The doctor told me I had restless leg syndrome! Yeah, buddy, you try sleeping in this crappy little s***hole. Suffice to say, I didn’t believe anything about that sleep study. The first one I had was in a hospital, and was really good, with monitor there all night. Much more satisfactory, tho’ I didn’t know it at the tome.
A quality roller with the smoothest texture should not leave dimples right?
You might think.
Liz is very pretty. Stephen and Aubrey are very funny. Spent a few minutes watching April the giraffe. She’s just hanging out, while daddy kept running in and out of his side of the pen.
I keep checking in on her. Funny how concerned we can be for those we know not.
🙂
hi, everyone,
I know I don’t post much- I am more of a lurker, but Please, I could use some hugs; we had to make the final decision on our elderly cat yesterday. Edgar was nearly 20 and had a good life; he didn’t suffer (much) at the end. But today there is a huge hole in the house. And our other kitty keeps looking for him. My husband is taking it even harder than I am. I know we will get used to it, but right now is so awful, even knowing we did the right thing.
Maia, I’m so sorry for your loss. Pls be good to yourselves as you and your family grieve!
My condolences, Maia, and to your husband as well. You must have given Edgar the best of love and care for him to have lived so long.
Hugs to everyone in your house and give some extra cuddles to your other kitty, that may help her (and probably you as well). Saying good bye to our pets is never easy.
That much be such a feeling of loss after 20 years. I am thinking of you. I can’t imagine how you and the others in your household are feeling. HUGS.
Hugs, Maia. It’s a horrible feeling. Spend lots of time with hubby and other kitty? Edgar misses you all too, I’m sure, but appreciates your willingness to do the right thing.
Maia, I also send condolences. Edgar is a name that is dear to me. How did he get it? Poe? Masters? Or is there another inspiration?
We’re Seattle-area, and named him for Edgar Martinez, the designated hitter of the Seattle Mariners at the time. Eventually we knighted him after he saved our other kitty from a dog, and he became “Sir Edgar”. And we buried him in my old Mariners sweatshirt along with some catnip.
Awww. What a special way to honor Edgar.
Having grieved for pets myself maybe this thought will help. While you as humans must live without Edgar, as your pet he did not have to live without you. This comforts me when my mind wanders to the inevitable parting. I’d rather be alone than even contemplate the reverse.
That IS a comforting thought! Some of my former ferals would not adapt well to a new human or household.
Thank you, Faye. I agree, that is a very comforting thought. I will share it with my family.
Good. I’m glad I could help if even a little bit. ?
Uplifting and tender thought, Faye.
I’m sorry about your kitty.
When my Pablo died the cats were looking for him for a week or two before they seemed to get used to the idea he was gone.
Big hugs to all of you.
Oh, man, that is so tough! I’m so sorry for the loss of your dear puss. Ours is 17 – I’ve never lived with an animal for that long and I know I’ll feel the same as you do whenever the time comes that she’s no longer with us. Just be very kind to yourselves and each other.
Maia, I am so sorry for your loss. You and your husband loved Edgar enough to do the right thing at the right time and that’s what matters. I’m 100% certain that he knew he was loved and so he felt no anxiety at the end. Our furbabies do leave enormous holes in our hearts and in our lives but one thing I know for sure is that they would want us to be happy. My thoughts are with you.
I’m so very sorry, Maia. I know how much you all miss Edgar. But take comfort in happy memories when the pain eases a bit. You gave Edgar a wonderful life and a loving parting tribute. I know he still loves and misses you all, too!
I’m so sorry to hear that, Maia.
Our lives are so much better when they’re shared with our furry little pals. I can say this even after my Rosiecat woke me by throwing up early this morning. I still adore the little furball.
Huge hugs to you Maia (and husband). The loss of a pet has its own unique pain but I think on this site we all know it. I didn’t think anything would help me at the time I had to let my pets go but I am glad I buried them with some of their favorite things…it was comforting after all and turned out to be a nice thing to think back on.
Dear Maia, please accept my condolences on the loss of Edgar. Sending comforting hugs and good thoughts for you and your husband. <3 <3 <3
Thank you to everyone. Your kindness has made a tough day easier. Thank you, Mike, for making this site where such a wonderful community can gather. Hugs back to everyone from me and my family.
Oh, wasn’t he gorgeous! My sympathies to you and your family.
Oh Maia – I am so sorry to hear of your Edgar. He sure was a gorgeous kitty. My thoughts are with you as I’ve been crying through all of the thoughtful comments from your Cutropolis Family. It is the thing I dread the most, having to say goodbye to one of my fur-babies. Sending lots of love and good thoughts your (and hubbies) way tonight.
Awww, a panther puss – Edgar, I’m sure you made the world a better place.
Oh my. So handsome! Lovely eyes.
Gosh. He looked like the feline love of my life, Topik (who is now sleeping on my lap). The more I feel your pain.
A big hug, Maia. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a loved one…
Dear Maia,
Thank you for giving Edgar the gift of a loving home for 20 years. Ricky and I are sending you hugs and puppy kisses as you deal with your great loss. Edgar was as lucky to have you as you were to have him. We wish you strength and comfort.
You will always find sympathy here at Cutetropolis whenever you need it. I know because I’ve found it here too.
Please be kind to yourselves, you and your husband.
Aww Maia, lots of hugs coming your way.
Maia – I feel sad for you and am so very sorry for your loss. 🙁
Such pretty paws!
Liz the Cat looks fabulous in her wonderful accessories.
I just dropped money on yarn for 4 more sweaters, but at $35 per garment for beautiful natural fibers, it was a real steal. I’d have been crazy NOT to do it! (Especially since I’m trying to make 17 garments in 2017).
While I wait for my new yarn to arrive, I’ll be relaxing. Big photo shoot on Tues and Wed means I need to store up positive energy.
Laundering the bed linens for myself and Millie. Then… artwork. My reward for doing what I was supposed to do rather than skipping chores to draw!
Good for you, Faye – I’ve been managing to do some watercolor in anticipation of the class I teach starting this coming Wednesday. I have at least 10 students, at least 4 of whom aren’t beginners and one is a friend who is a fairly accomplished pen and ink sketcher who just needs to learn about the use of the paint.
Have fun – maybe you can teach Millie how to paint!!!?
Millie is more into making sure I run the “hotel” correctly. At least I get tipped in kissies and snuggles.
Hi, all. I have a quiet weekend planned. I have to finish our taxes — yuck! I hate doing them but don’t trust anyone else to do them as well — since I’m about 75% done with them. And I have some actual paying *work* for a welcome change. The people I work for have contracts with assorted federal agencies, and it’s like the whole government is holding its breath waiting for the other shoe to drop! So we’ve all just been twiddling our thumbs for weeks now.
At least I’ve gotten a few more pairs of socks knitted for my daughter. I’ve been filling a box, and the last two pairs I’m working on will finish stuffing it so I can send it off. Then it’s time to knit a few baby things for our niece, who’s expecting this summer. Yay! Baby things are so sweet to knit!
DebG, have you seen the socks yarns at The Loopy Ewe that are based on various cat colors? I got the tortoiseshell since my daughter’s kitty is a tortie, and it’s looking *exactly* like a tortie’s coat! I don’t think there’s one with the lovely ruff and mitt accents of Liz, unfortunately. Her mittens truly are amazing, they’re so sharply outlined!
I hope everyone has a good week!
Are those yarns dyed at Ancient Arts Fibre Craft? Caroline Sommerfeld of AAFC has been working with us on a kit based on my cat Ursula–as soon as I can, I’ll release pix here. And Loopy Ewe is literally 5 minutes away from work. I love working in Colorado!
Your daighter’s sock sound delightful!
After what seemed like an eternity of living with a kitchen with no sink, cupboards, drawers, appliances or plaster on the walls, the remodelling is almost complete and I have rejoined the 21st century. I’m fairly sure that this is the first new plaster the room has seen since the house was built in 1906…
Wow! Congratulations on having your kitchen back!!!!!
That is a good feeling – we had workmen here painting for 4 days and it seems an eternity. But I have had the experience of construction jobs that took weeks and it’s maddening after a bit – but in the end so worth it.
Played soccer this morning. Last week I went to dinner with friends and saw the Oscar-nominated animated shorts, but today I decided just to go see the live action ones on my own this afternoon rather than trying to organize an outing.
I haven’t been very good about seeing movies this past year, but while I can see the movies up for awards tomorrow basically anytime (yay Netflix!), it’s much harder to see the shorts, so I want to take advantage. And it’s the last regular season home game for our pro indoor soccer team at the exact same time tomorrow, so I’ll be watching them rather than the Oscars (and getting a free shirt, woo!).
Other than that, my hope is to be productive this weekend. I’m a little behind on the “one less item per day” decluttering plan, but I hope to divest myself of some items tomorrow. Plus laundry and vacuuming. I have to say, I’ve been much more successful with the “365 fewer things” scheme than any others, although there’s a bit of Hondo (Kondo?) thrown in with a joy sparking question and a “thank you for your service” send-off.
I love animation – don’t know if Ill find a theater that plays them here – we so rarely go to the movies anyway! Maybe on Netflix? And you ARE a warrior, playing soccer! Am most impressed.
Hi All and Happy Weekend!
I spent the day enjoying the crazy sunshine in Philadelphia! It has been above normal temps all week . While I have absolutely enjoyed them I have also found them to be deeply disconcerting. It should not be 75° in February! I went for a bike ride and then sat on the deck in the sun dis-entangling yarn and watching oldies but goodies, Willow and Treasure Planet. I might even have gotten a little bit of color!
I hope no one minds but I wanted to put a plug in for anyone in the Philadelphia area for a new restaurant – EAT Café. Which stands for Everyone At the Table Cafe. A few co-workers and I went on Thursday and I have been raving about to everyone ever since. It is a Pay-What-You -Can establishment. Suggested cost of meal is $15. For this you get a three course meal – appetizer, main course, and dessert. PLUS! There is no tipping! The service staff is given a fair wage and they ask that in lieu of tipping you pay-it-forward. So that the extra goes toward the cost of defraying someone who cannot pay $15 for a meal. Which means, those who cannot afford $15 for a decent meal are also welcome here. My coworkers spotted someone they knew was homeless behind me and I watched a mother and two daughters behind them fill out vouchers (I think). The place was packed, the food was excellent and I cannot wait to go back. The menu changes every week. This week was Southern Cuisine, last week Jamaican, and the week before Meditarranian. I just wanted to pass on the review to other Philly people because it seems you are the kind of people who would frequent such an establishment. Check it out here: http://www.eatcafe.org/ and Bon Appetit!
Tara, that cafe sounds famtastic. What a lovely idea.
Agree about the weather – have a feeling hydrangeas will be missing from the garden this year – they’re already leafing out and if we have a freeze they’re toast ( how’s that for messing up a metaphor)
The restaurant sounds great – we don’t eat out much and rarely in town, but I’ll keep it in mind if we do. Thanks for letting us know.
This afternoon I discovered there is a Woof Gang Bakery and Pet Store near(ish) me. 🙂
http://woofgangbakery.com/
Also, I was in the general vicinity of my friend’s house, which is in the process of being raised, so I took a small detour to see how it looks. It was already two stories. Oh my god it’s tall. And since there’s no front porch the door looks like it’s just kinda hanging there in midair, and the frame of the garage door sitting up a story above the ground is really odd-looking. Can’t wait to see it finished.
At first I assumed that autocorrect had changed “razed” to “raised” but you mean “raised” as in lifted higher – I’m assuming this is near water?
Yup. They got eight feet of water down their street during hurricane Sandy. Their foundation was only about 3 feet up. They’ve added about 9 feet. Only took four years (they’ve been out of the house since October; hopefully they’ll be done by April).
Several other houses on their street are being or have been raised (a few were already built atop their garages, and one was torn down) so at least they’re not alone. But theirs feels bigger because it’s basically a big two-story rectangular box with the long side facing the street. The way some of the other houses are shaped makes them seem less huge when looking at them from the road, even though some of them are the same height.
I just drove to Island Park, NY and I’m back and forth to Long Beach, NY from my home about a half hour away.
There are many many homes raised already and many just being raised four years since the hurricane.
While I know it is necessary and the safe solution I find it difficult to get used to the sight of these tall houses on tiny lots. And the houses that are not raised seem surrounded.
But having watched my Saturn SUV get covered by six feet of water from the safety of my second floor apartment I would raise my house if I owned one.
And so many homes are knocked down or just empty. Talk about long term consequences since October 29, 2012.
I longed to own a tiny house in Long Beach for 40+ years and never got a down payment together… It seems that for me I was better off never having got my act together.
Migosh, Faye, I knew you’d been through Sandy but hearing a detail like seeing your car swallowed by water brings home the reality of it more succinctly. Sounds like you did dodge a bullet – glad you’re safe and happy where you are. May you always be!
Spring has sprung here in the great Pacific Northwest! It’s raining this morning (natch), but there’s been sunshine the last few days!
More:
And another:
Nice! Snowdrops and hellebores are blooming here near Philly.
I don’t have snowdrops, but I do have hellebores. They’re all blooming or have buds too!
Two years ago, I planted an apple core in a pot. Last year, I had a short stick with two leaves growing on it in that pot. I kept the baby inside over the winter, and yesterday, when I went to water it, I discovered not only was it starting to leaf again, but it is starting to grow a branch!
And I discovered my flower bulbs are starting to poke green through the soil. Spring might actually come this year.
Wow, I didn’t know you could do that with an apple core! Very cool!
Nature can be fascinatin’! I had a friend who planted an orange seed that grew into a nice houseplant – no oranges but nice glossy leaves. And you can grow a pineapple just by cutting off the leaves leaving about 1/2″ of the pineapple top. Another friend gets a pineapple every other year! But she has a hothouse to overwinter it. I let mine die because it got too big to bring it inside – my overwintering capacity isn’t that great – in the basement under fluorescent light – and it had reached said capacity.
Duckie, keep that little plant going! Don’t expect any apples, tho’ – so many of those plants are hybridized and the could either not grow fruit at all or revert to the original parent plant.
And speaking of nature, check out these rainbow eucalyptus trees! (not sure why the link is so long)
http://www.reshareworthy.com/rainbow-eucalyptus-tree/?utm_source=Reshareworthy+Newsletter&utm_campaign=fe2776df8f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6e07917f92-fe2776df8f-196811721
I’m assuming you clicked a link from an email or another page? All the gibberish is just referencing wherever it was redirected from. You can delete the question mark and everything after it to get just the page link.
Thanks – I wasn’t sure where the break point might be.
You have a cute cat and your blogs are amazing! Keep it up!
What a wonderful cat! I have a Persian cat at home colored white and orange, its just as beautiful as this cat.