Weekly Chat, 6th December 2009

Annette

Best wishes to your daughter for her op.  Hoope all goes well and she's soon 'fighting fit' again.

OG:  Perhaps a mre appropriate name would have been 'shepherdless pie?''

While AQ is having a nice damp, cool morning, we seem to be heading into a hot day.  A hot wind has sprung up from the nor-nor-east, and I'm feeling uncomfortably warm already, at 9.50 am.   A friend comes around on Tuesday mornings and we do marchment craft and chat, and she's just about due, so this is short. 

Having made my oven almost unusable because they got into the insulation and wee-d there, mice went on to our washing machine,  Unbeknownst to us, they set up house in the control panel, and the machine 'blew up' on Sunday.  I spent yesterday on the cmputer and phone organising a new machine and a new stove!   Much as i hate doing it, we'll be laying baits for mice from now on!  They're too clever for traps, and their exploits this time have cost us nearly $1,600!  I won't even mention the time they got into my linen press!!

Thanks for the info OG. I can't imagine a vegitarian SP being a "real" SP!!!

Wattle, sorry about the costly mice. They get past your traps as well. Very sneaky.

Annette:  I so hope that your daughter's operation goes smoothly and that she recovers completely and quickly. I'm very sorry that she must go through this -- especially at this time of year.

Oh, Wattle, so sorry about the expensive mouse damage. So frustrating for you!!!

AQ: Your research sounds just fascinating. Is there a special reason for gathering the names of deserters, etc.? Back in the 1870s, California also had an amazingly diverse population that included folks from all over the world who were initially drawn by the Gold Rush. OG: Thanks for pie history; adding veggies sounds good.  TerrM: Potatoes under the meat - yum!  Wattle:  I've heard of rats eating the insulation around the wiring in cars, but never heard of mice setting up house in a washing machine's control panel?  What expensive guests!!  "Shepherdless" pie? :-))  Thanks to all for good wishes for daughter and don't worry Gary, no danger of details!  :-)  

Very cold and blustery, tho' dry, tonight; temps just above freezing here at the coast and at freezing over the hills in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Stay warm (or cool if you're Wattle) and safe everyone,

That is a very nice picture Gary.

Some real replies later - but just a bit of news - 8 o'clock roof trim guys arrived at half past - not bad!!!

Pleased to hear you have progress with the roof, OG.  Thanks for interesting info on shepherd pie/cottagepie. I just dashed off a bit of a recipe the other day following a request, but could have gone on longer:  my mother used to put bits of carrot in hers, or even small bits of sliced green beans. Also have heard of others including baked beans, to ring the changes. Darn't tell my OH about the cheese on top idea- or he'll want some!

Welcome back, Tiger, where have you been. We've missed you. 

Annette:  Sorry to hear about your daughter- hope all goes well as I'm sure it will.

Wattle:   Horror story of mice- they can do so much damage, you are right in saying that there's no alternative to traps, unfortunately, or things will just get even worse.

Gary:   Burnt the carpet with a heat 'gun' which I use in paper crafting: you heat up some glitter to emphasise an image you've stamped on a card or picture, and it gives a pleasing puffed up appearance. Was playing with this on the dining room table, when I dropped a piece of card on the floor, & as it was hot, carried on with the heat gun- then found a nice black outline on the carpet!!!  Husband said 'Glad it wasn't me, you would have killed me'  which I had to admit is true!  We decided to leave it as the dining room is a through room for 3 other rooms, and gets a lot of traffic, also dogs feet when he traipses in from the garden, so its never going to be a thing of beauty & we'll just replace it eventually, later on.

Dry here today!  Sun is trying to glimmer through. Must get on with enormous 'To Do' list now.....

Morning all

I've just been disturbed by the noise of a LEAFBLOWER! The council are trimming the grass edges and what they can't (or won't) pick up they are blowing away !!

OG - glad your workmen have arrived roughly on time ... that's a good start ... hope it continues well

Lindybird - I have to laugh about your burnt carpet ... I have exactly the same on my dining room carpet ... from exactly the same cause ... you are not alone!!

Annette - I echo everyone's thoughts about your daughter

Wattle - awful about your mice problem

And I hope everyone gets the weather they would wish for today