Hi everyone: And a good Sunday and rest of the week to you all. Don't forget to check the last posts of last week's chat for clever moving graphics from Tiger and Alicat (and maybe some others), pix of OG's friends' garden, late updates on one thing or t'other - and pix of my trip north! :-)
Weather these last few days are more like a not-very-nice English summer day. Unbroken gray skies, low clouds, and a constant soft drizzle. All very odd. On telly they were saying we had a couple of days of summer and now it's back to May Gray and June Gloom. Although tomorrow through Tuesday they're forecasting rain and possibly thunderstorms! A good day for doing inside stuff - like researching a new laptop. Spent ages reading about replacing the LED bulb in my laptop and it does sound a tad daunting: The Dell forum folks gave a link to a video, but you apparently - according to several folks who know - have to be "very, very careful." I didn't mind that but was especially put off by the news that the LED bulb (long and slender) was made of a very brittle glass that likely had lead in it, not to mention mercury. Also, do not have the tiny soldering iron or the special tape. Sounds like one of Alan's "Destroy It Yourself" projects! :-)
OG: Poor son with bad toe - definitely not a good time to develop problems - but ugh! - what a nightmare to find his new apartment so trashy. Just awful. So good of your OH to go up and check out the appliances, etc. Don't you hate it when "our" kids run up against this kind of stuff!
patriciat: I suspect there's more than one Mission San Miguel - wonder which one Lonnie Donegan (and U.S. artists) were thinking of. There is an old pueblo next to the mission I visited, which oddly has a Scottish name - The Rios Caledonia Adobe. According to the history page: In 1846 William Reed, Miguel Garcia, and Petronilo Rios bought the San Miguel rancho from Pio Pico, Governor of the Mexican Nation. Rios and his wife, Catarina Avila, had twelve children and moved into the adobe in 1851. In 1862 German-born Warren C. Rickard purchased the property from the state of California on a possession claim. In 1868 George Butchard named the adobe the Caledonia, a Scottish word meaning Scotland. He operated a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn. According to local legend, Jesse James and the Dalton Brothers visited the inn.
Enjoyed reading all the posts; back tomorrow. Take care dear friends!
Lynette, so sorry to read the news about your mother but as others have said, in some ways, a release. Take care
Lynette Sorry to hear your news. No matter how much a death is expected it always comes as a little bit of a shock particularly if it is a parent. I think it is because it reminds us that all our turns will come one day. My parents died closely together about 32/33 years ago. It was really only 9 months after the death of my mother (the second to die) that it sunk in that life had changed forever. There was no longer a place where I fitted in life. It took me quite a while to adjust to the new reality.
Grief can be a strange thing. When my mother died I did not feel particularly upset. It was after the funeral and most of us were back at home that it really hit home. It was the messy cooker and the bag of clothes which brought home the reality of what had taken place. I remember feeling moved to clean the cooker as that was what had so obviously changed. My mother was a very house proud woman.
So take care. The next few days will be will be with you forever.
Tiger Signature
Lynette: I'm so very sorry. My thoughts are with you during this sad time.
Evening all: Went out for walk this evening in brilliant sunshine,a few blocks later I turned a corner and here comes a huge, fast-moving black cloud with more lightning and rain. The weather forecasters had just told us it would hit in about 20 minutes and for once they were right!
Lynette: Sad news about your Mom, but as you say, a relief at this point. Too bad the last few years were so hard. Do take care.
AQ: Thanks for photos - you certainly get about. Are you still doing research at the local library?
OG: Amazing isn't it, how many hoops we jump through to get these kids sorted out! :-) Great that your son likes the apartment, balky locks notwithstanding.
More storms forecast for tomorrow. Think I'll also finally make a decision about a new laptop. I have a bunch of things to do this week since I've been called for jury duty starting next week. I'll have to call the jury phone line every evening for five evenings starting on Sunday to see if my number is on the "show up" list. If so, have to high-tail it downtown with book, crossword puzzle, etc., and see if I get called for a jury. Oh joy.
Take care all; have a good Wednesday.
Annette: Be careful in the storms. You can send them this way. We need rain. I don't envy you the jury duty. I know that a jury trial is the cornerstone of our democracy...etc. But I really wouldn't want to have to serve on one. Are you actively going to try to get out of it, or are you willingly going to serve? Hope it's a short trial for you and not a high-profile gory case. Take care.
AQ: I really enjoyed your photos and the description of your trip. My Dad and I liked the camel wagen. Do some ranchers still raise camels in Australia? I ask because some folks still keep oxen and such here in the states. You can see them at farm shows, tractor pulls, etc. Congratulations on the departure of Jasper. He is a very lovely kitty, but I think perhaps he'd worn out his welcome? LOL
This morning on the Grey Seal Camera (direct stream), you can see seals hauled up on the beach and playing in the water. They are singing. Lovely. Watch full screen. http://www.looduskalender.ee/en/node/2926
Everyone have a good day!
Lynette - if you do happen to come online, I'm thinking of you and your brother and families at this sad time - although t was a merciful release for your Mum, there will still be a sense of loss. Love and prayers.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Breaking news!!!!! Lizarda, the skink, found in Bedroom 2
This morn I went off to library, leaving OH & Jasper home alone. OH decided to wash some shirts, forgot and Jasper escaped out back door. (I close laundry door to form an ‘air lock"). While he was checking J, the skink must have escaped from that nosy cat and went inside the open back door.
About 4.30 pm OH heard rustling in back room. It was not the cat. Then he saw Lizarda. I shut Jasper in another room, closed off doors. While OH worried how he would catch her, she decided to emerge from the piles of stuff. OH shepherded her down the passage, through the kitchen (very little traction on the vinyl LOL), through laundry (oops she took a wrong turn behind the door), and out the back door. By the time I remembered my camera, she was hurrying along the path back to her usual home.
We hope only one came inside - - -
Lynette - my thoughts are with you. Even when death is expected and hoped for in a compassionate way, it inevitably takes a chunk out of us doesn't it? Happy that it was a blessed release for your mum. Take care xxx
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Lynette Really sorry to learn of your mother's passing. However expected and however much it is a blessed release for the person who dies, the loss of one's mother is dreadfully painful. My thoughts are with you.