Weekly Chat, Sunday, January 16, 2011

Wow! You have been chatty while I've been sleeping! And more added while I read!

Auntie - Get well soon. Treat yourself to lots of TLC (tender loving care).

OG - Dau’s cat’s rash was on the top of his head, and weeping, so I guess rather messy to pat. He is still vomitting, poor puss.

Dau2 joins the Tour DownUnder today. The main route leaves Norwood (eastern suburb), heads up to Gumeracha, winds thro’ Adelaide Hills (Lobethal, Hahndorf, Mount Barker), down to Meadows & Strathalbyn. The public can ride for all or part of route - Dau is only doing 30 km, Meadows to Strathalbyn, then riding back to her car. She did over 100 km last year and only decided to go again when her work paid for her entry and gave the day off. Forecast is only 28C, perhaps a degree cooler in Hills. I'm off to chill out in archives.

I only have glasses for reading, but this does seem a good idea:-

My face in the mirror isn't wrinkled or drawn.
My house isn't dirty. The cobwebs are gone.
My garden looks lovely and so does my lawn.
I think I might never put my glasses back on.

Hi lynette have you got the link to lily and hope web cam

also Happy Birthday for tomorrow

Hi, all, from the truly frozen prairie. Snowed all day here, but it was a dry snow and we received only about 4 inches. But the winds are howling tonight, and we have warnings posted because the snow is drifting and the roads are awful. Temperature tonight will be -1F (-18C). Wind chill temps will be -15F (-26C). I don't mind the cold, but I'm officially sick of snow. Didn't go out to see if the hawk was around today. Hope the big fella found food.

To all who asked: My Indianapolis friend adopted Dandy, the dog, a few months ago (so she wouldn't be euthanized at the shelter) and she's very happy there. So I'll probably give myself some time to sort my life out and then maybe look around for a doggy. I don't think I could put a fence in right now anyway, because the ground is deeply frozen solid. I sure was tempted to take Dandy, though! Dang! No puppy pictures, Gary!!! LOL LOL

Brenda: To answer your question to me: I couldn't fence my whole property, but I'd fence a nice little area in the backyard/garden. Big enough so that a dog could run and play but be protected from the wildlife and the neighbor's dogs. Hope you're fine tonight.

Wendyb: Your Daisy May is very lovely and looks like she has lots of fun character. She sounds like a totally great dog. I think Dandy was a mix of several breeds. The shelter vet thought she was part Akita because of the eye shape/markings and a curled tail. She was very loving despite a rough life.

George g: Good luck getting your garden fenced. I know you'll be able to find a terrific dog to keep you company! Keep us posted.
dibnlib: Glad you are recuperating, but I'm sure you wish the process was faster. Take your time and let it heal well.
Margo: Sounds like Billy Whizz is warming up to you. I think it won't be along before you hear him purr. Hope you get good news about your sister.
Paul: Nice to have you back here. Lovely moon picture with great detail!
Alicat: Beautiful moon photo from you, too. You folks are all so talented.
TerryM: Sounds like you have fog and poor visibility, too. Good to hear from you.
Lynette: Hope you have a nice birthday. The bird on your card is a Northern Cardinal. The males are bright red, and the females are less colourful. I have a pair living in my apple tree. They are beautiful against the snow. The cardinal is the state bird of Indiana.

Auntie: I hope you are feeling better tonight. I also drink black currant juice when I'm ill -- except I drink it cold. Try to get lots of rest. Make sure that your lungs don't worsen. Sending good energy to you!
Joan: I hope you're better, too. I agree with you about painkillers. I don't like to take them. They make me feel sluggish and rotten. Take it easy and be gentle with your back.
Alan: I hope Hamish is more comfortable tonight. My dog always hated that Malaseb shampoo. Poor Hamish!

OG: I'm having chocolate cake in a minute, so hurry on over and I'll share. The blizzard made me hungry tonight! I'm so glad that your son got the application in on time. Wonderful! And it's great that he went to the gym. Sounds like good progress to me. That photo of the moon in the lavender sky was gorgeous. Would be elegant in a lavender bedroom above the bed. Congrats on getting so much work done. I just can't seem to get motivated.

AQ: The Botanic Garden gathering sounds wonderful. I looked at your link. Great photo of Casper, the owl. I also enjoyed the pic of the Blue-winged Kookaburra. What an unusual bird. Loved him. Are they considered raptors? I'm so sorry about your grandcat. I hope he is recovering now. What a strange set of symptoms. I love the glasses poem. Rather true for me right now. Dang, I'm lazy. Can't seem to summon any energy at all.

Annette: Hey, dearie! Hope everything is going fine for you and the family. Sounds like you've been busy. You are probably posting as I type this. Take care.

Everyone have a good Friday!

Evening all: Wow. Pages and pages to catch up with! Quick update on landscaping: Front yard now 90% complete and it looks lovely.  They added the redwood chips (mulch) today,  which gave everything a finished look. I'm sure the neighbors must be relieved!  We'll be back working on the backyard next week; have some final decisions to make.  Office move finished; chair is comfy; piles have diminished. House is grotty, but waiting until the landscaping's done before I launch into a major clean.  Oh yes, Panasonic telly arrived home yesterday - fingers crossed and all that....

Today, went off on an adventure with my daughter: "They" launched at 23-story high Delta IV  rocket from Vandenberg Airforce Base up the road (well, about 35 miles north). They often test interceptor rockets, etc., from there, but this was the biggest rocket launch ever and very much played up in the local media.  So off we went to one of several good lookout points along with hundreds of other folks; put up our chairs on the side of a hill and had a front row seat.  Was a lot of fun, though we somehow expected more spectacle and more noise than we got!  The launch pad was miles away - we could see the gantries on the hills in the distance - and we saw the rocket rise over the hill. But it took almost 30 seconds before the deep rumble of fthe engines reached us.  Watched it climb high, beyond the point where it left a contrail, then it disappeared, engine exhausts still blazing brightly into direct sunlight... Definitely not a normal activity.

Lynette:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!  So how do you like your hairdo? .

Diane: You were right!  Plowing through pages of posts as  you typed!  My daughter mentioned the Woolly Mammoth caper while we were out today. What next I ask!  Dandy looks very intelligent - think I like her without her hat.  Suggest you go straight back to Indianapolis and get her!  I bet your hawk was wondering where you'd gone - better get his okay before you disappear off again.  Full moon has been spectacular here.  See you've been busy with all kinds of cards (love the cardinal pix).  Chester looks worried!   Did you have any yearnings to move to the big city while away in Indianapolis?

Lindybird: Butterfly preserve is very serene place; people bring dogs, kids, and everyone either stands or sits on tree trunks and just watches...

dibnlib: I do a lot of fish - tend to sautee it with simple lemon/caper sauce or sauteed sliced red/yellow/orange pepper/onion mix.

Heron: Your remark about it being "another quick year" reminded me of my Mom, who used to say, every February: "The year has flown!"  Used to drive me up the wall!!  :-)  (Of course, toward the end wasn't sure which year she was referring to.)  Re the "other" Heron, has anyone ever Googled their own name  - amazing to see how many of "us" there are out there.   Lovely shot of moon.

Margobird:  Have really enjoyed hearing about Billy Whizz; he must be feeling very comfortable at this point; I'm sure it won't be too long before he'll be popping in to say hallo.  Fingers tightly crossed here too for your sister.

Alicat: Thanks for passing on names of Phoebe's chicks and for news of second arrival.  Lovely shot of moon (looks just like our moon!)  :-)

Trish2  Poor Mia, not long before she'll enjoy her walks again.  Use Control + b for Bold; Control + i for Italic and Control + u for underline (assuming you're on a PC).

Djoan: Hope your back gets better soon. Maybe try gently stretching the backs of your legs?  Had back problems several times before a physiotherapist impressed on me the need to keep those muscles loose so the back doesn't suffer unecessary strain.

OG: Bought a "bin" for a guest room? A trash container?  I too was absent while organizing my new desk; now have neat little pile of "things to do" ready for tomorrow.  Chocolate cake, eh?  Living dangerously aren't you? Hmm, very clever of you to take home large slice. I'll have to remember that.  Love to read in bed at night and also with first cup of coffee (in bed) in the morning.  Computer chair is very comfy.  Great that your son got the job app in on time  and off to the gym too!  My daughter goes swimming very early in the a.m.; she's signed up for a weight class too!   Love Imogen Rose!

Alan: Thanks for feeding time at Phoebe's!  That open mouth looks awfully familiar.  Do hope Lady P's BP is under control and that Hamish's eyes improve quickly  - poor little fellow.  NBG cam is brilliant!

AQ:  Nothing would surprise me re wacky weather. Interesting about a tagged gray whale - wonder who's doing the tagging.....   Re male/female survival rates, when the Donner party was stranded by snow in the Sierra  Nevada back in the 1860s (or thereabouts) it was the women who survived the terrible cold and deprivation.  Hope Dau's cat continues to improve.  Glasses definitely have their downside (I always look much better when lenses are smeared and splattered with one thing or another).

Auntie:  Oh no - all those remedies are perfect - agree that horizontal is much better than vertical under the circumstances. Do continue to take care of yourself.

Paula:  Good to see you!

Wendy/dinblib:   The gym I go to (the YMCA) has childcare and special programs for children so parents can schedule their workouts at the same time; summertime it runs day camps for working parents and is packed with kiddies, but they aren't allowed near the adult equipment/areas. It's an indoor-outdoor facility. so lots of room for lots of activities - very family oriented.

George:   Hope all the preparation for the lucky dog goes well.

Hallo to everyone I didn't mention. Take care everyone!

Morning all,

Firstly a very happy birthday to Lynette. I hope you have a great day.

Thanks to everyone else for their chat and pics.

We had a frost early today but now we have sparkling sunshine. It is the sort of day that make you want to dress up like Alan Tracy and say to everyone you meet "Thunderbirds are GO".

And now for something completely different: A hotel made of rubbish in Madrid:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12236156 

No fitness club this am as OH is working and do not feel able to use public transport yet. They usually set off at such a pace before you have the chance to sit down and as I am still a bit unstable not convinced I would be able to stay upright if there was any jolting. I know I could ask the driver to wait till I am seated, so perhaps that is just an excuse. Anyway day off will do me no harm and will be back there tomorrow.  

Done a fair bit of tidying in the garden and am expecting a friend for coffee in an hour or so. think it is time to get out the beeswax.

OG  consultant said it may take a full year from start to get the swelling right down, and in fact the ankle might always be a bit swollen. I have a large collection of shoes and just hope I will be able to wear them all again sometime!!!

ALAN  Thanks for the link, hope people take on board the reason behind it.

Have a very Happy Birthday Lynette have a great day and hope you were pleased with your hair.

Morning, and Happy Birthday to Lynette!

I've been reading but not posting, as busy.  We are off to a funeral in half an hour (very very distant relative of OH, and also many many moons ago, his Sunday School Teacher).  Will report in again later,  Have a Good Day Everyone.