Morning everyone and welcome to a new week! Last week's Weekly Chat ended with some interesting entries and very interesting links (wonderful pix of swan giving cygnets a ride, courtesy of Lindybird, and, thanks very much Alan; another perspective on those oil-covered pelicans - good news too!). OG: Not rushing and dashing; kids are here and headed to bed early for ultra-early departure. Margobird: Thanks for update on Hope and Lily.
Gather USA/England draw was result of bungle by England goalkeeper?
Unknown said: I also wish they'd do whole new blogs rather than updates since you have to scroll through all the comments to find the official word on some development, but whatever works for the staff is fine, given that they're doing all the work! :-)
I also wish they'd do whole new blogs rather than updates since you have to scroll through all the comments to find the official word on some development, but whatever works for the staff is fine, given that they're doing all the work! :-)
Annette - I have put a note about this on David's page - but included grateful thanks for all they do and the access we have etc.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Annette – interesting that you in your climate were “heating up” quiche – I always prefer it cold, even in the UK winter time! (potential new topic to take over from cupcakes: “how do you like your quiche?”). Pleased the young folks arrived safe home – even if they were late, they still have time to relax before work tomorrow. Do I detect favouritism? “Formerly-yappy-but-now-grown-up dog lolled” in the chairs, but Lightning has to “Sneak up there”! Anyway, pleased about the lack of dog hairs.
It seems to be a holiday Monday. Oh, the Queen’s birthday. How did that snuck up on me? Not June already!!!!! Down to 2 C this morn. Soon the weather man will be predicting "fosts & frogs".
Margobird - I don’t have a choice with the outfits as Bride 2 has chosen dark blue for her older bridesmaid and light blue for Miss 14. My deep blue is too similar, so I’ll wear it to the first (where b-maids are in dusky pink). Lindybird - When I see little old ladies in their 90s shrinking, I wonder if I should have kept my former smaller clothes in case I ever shrink. LOL. OG - Yes, I do expect to reuse at least the top or skirt. Top with black pants, I reckon. BrendaH - What there are more headaches to come? Oh dear. Annette - Christenings? Baby-sitting duties follow those, do they not? And emergency calls to collect sick chick from child care/ kindergarten/school? Am I ready for this again? Diane - I would be too scared to venture into your garage. Who knows what may be lurking!!! Dibnlib - Weddings in July are avoided ‘cos it is usually cold & wet. Of course venues are cheaper then, so that’s a plus.
My thoughts on the Main Diary Page are that it takes so long to load when there are 300+ comments and all I want is to scroll down to read the official updates. But I am grateful to LG for providing such a wonderful site. Occasionally I dip into another blog (unrelated topic) where far too often it degenerates into a slanging match. I like this chatter page because we are all so friendly, I love the humour, and I am learning so much about everything under the sun! Cannot say it too often -thank you all for news, pics, links.
I have tended to use the main page every day as this one took a while to dig down to. However, I have saved it to my browser bar now so it will be quicker to find. I have watched the webcam for the last 3 years and follow the blog on the sea eagles as well. I think I was one of the first to sign up for these pages but tended to go back to my old ways of the main page!!!!!
Hallo All and Welcome Valc! We talk about everything but ospreys on the Weekly Chat (so we don't upset folks who prefer not to hear about our ironing and other household events). . If you've found the LG Daily Update page, it's a blow-by-blow account of fish deliveries, intruder alerts, chick antics, weather news, etc. Sounds like you're one of the site's old-timers and probably have a lot of insight into all the doings at LG, which is always welcome. This is only my second year so still learning a lot from observations of others.
Suddenly woke up (well, got some energy) around 4:30 and now on third wash of towels (easy, since no ironing required).
OG: Good idea to include thanks with that note to David. The quiche had been in the refrigerator, and I don't like cold pastry crust, hence the heat-up (also doesn't seem to taste as "fat" when warm). Lightning, as you know, is huge and white. She also sheds day in-day out and has been chased off the furniture enough times to know better! Granddaughter brought pix of her Arizona garden with the patio table, two chairs, and two dogs (they have three) sitting up on the chairs looking for all the world as if expecting tea to be served.
AQ: Haven't heard "fosts and frogs." :-) Those color combos sound pretty. And yes, sorry, christenings are followed by baby-sitting, runny noses, spilled milk (and worse), school plays, etc. My sister and bro-in-law have decided that they'd rather celebrate granddaughter's birthdays in small family setting rather than go to one more party with a crowd of shrieking little girls rushing about!
Last load of towels now in the dryer; super-large load of dirty dishes now get scrubbed clean in the Bosch, so all's well with the world. Take care all and have a nice Monday.
dibnlib said: DIANE like the sound of stinky, but do tell , is he stinky????/ don't know much about snakes but didnot think they were smelly if not the obvious, how did he get his name?
DIANE like the sound of stinky, but do tell , is he stinky????/ don't know much about snakes but didnot think they were smelly if not the obvious, how did he get his name?
Hi, all. This post is for dibnlib and the others who inquired about Stinky, the snake who lives on my land (a wild snake, not captive). If you don't like snakes, just skip this post and move on down. LOL
On my 50th birthday (nearly 3 years ago), my Dad came into the house from grocery shopping. I jumped up to retrieve the groceries from the car, and he said, "Don't be alarmed; there's a snake outside." (My Dad is a master of understatement!) I walked outside and smelled a terrible foul odor. Snakes produce musk in the cloacal glands at the base of their tails. When they are frightened, they release the musk to deter the predator. Females are especially likely to use this defense, so Stinky may be female. The smell has been described as a fragrant perfurme of poo, rotten eggs, and dead mouse. Others seem to think it smells more like rotten cucumbers. I think that's closer. LOL Anyway, that's why I dubbed her "Stinky". She had sprayed my Dad.
I didn't see her until I started to go down off the step. She was stretched full length against the bottom of the step where it meets the sidewalk -- right in front of our door -- sunning herself on the concrete. She's nearly 6 feet long and a stunning glossy black with white at the base of the scales. Black rat snakes, called black snakes or pilot snakes here, are constrictors (they squeeze their prey), and they can live 15 years in the wild. They're good climbers, and often can be seen high in trees. This is what they look like (although Stinky looks shinier than this one). http://canal.mcmullans.org/black_snake.htm
When they're afraid, they'll usually just freeze. Sometimes they go into a very strange rippled posture, like this: http://canal.mcmullans.org/images/Rippled%20Snake.jpg They might also shake their tails to mimic a rattlesnake. They are shy creatures and not usually aggressive, unless someone tries to corner them or pick them up and they have no choice but to strike. They aren't venemous. I have encountered Stinky several times, and she has always seemed very comfortable with me. She doesn't freeze or musk me, and we always just give each other a respectful space.
One more story, and I'll shut up:
One time we had plumbing problems and a backhoe operator had dug into our ground to uncover a pipe. He was to return that afternoon to fill up the large hole. I looked outside, and there on the huge mound of dirt was Stinky, happily sunning herself. I was afraid the backhoe guy would accidentally or deliberately hurt her. So I went out to try to get her to move along. Snakes don't have ears and can't hear like we do; they pick up "vibrations", so I wasn't at all sure how to communicate the urgency of the situation to Stinky.
I tried talking to her, but she just looked at me. So I leaned down and tapped on the ground, in what I hoped was snake Morse code for "you have to go somewhere else!" My Dad was watching out the window and laughing so hard he could barely stand. Stinky raised her head and looked intensely at me. She slithered around me and then up the apple tree. I was so relieved that she was out of harm's way. When I stood up, I saw that my nearest neighbor had come down the lane to see my Dad, and he had been watching in horror as I conversed with Stinky. Since that time, I have been known by the towns folk to be a little "eccentric". LOL
Diane: Eeeeeuw! Stinky by name; stinky by nature! Such a lovely combo of pongs. :-) Still, Stinky has the same rights as all of us walking (or slithering) around. You realize that talking to snakes would've given those folks in Salem something to think about.
LOL, Annette! Wow, I was talky tonight and took up a lot of space. I think I mentioned talking to Stinky back in March and I promised to tell the story, but I never did. Hope no one minds that I was wordy tonight. I love quiche, but only warm, so I agree with you. So glad that your granddaughter and her OH made it back safely. Thanks for the stork link.
Lindybird: Isn't it funny how dogs have such a keen sense of time? They know the exact minute that their dinner should be ready. LOL HeatherB: Thanks for your kind and funny post to me! ValC: Welcome! Have a good day, OG!
Hello to all! OMG I got all teary-eyed reading your inquiries 'bout me!!! You lovely people, we do have a great bunch of folks here don't we. Well, I am quite OK but as somebody guessed been very busy at work, so haven't had energy to participate chats, sorry. I promise to behave better after this week :) My summer break starts coming Monday so will have more free time, probably will sleep the first week though LOL. I have also been having problems with LG cam, it goes black way too often and also buffers a lot so I just have been reading everybody's comments on Daily thread. Hugs and kisses to you all! And "see" you next week
my photos in flickr