USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Probably more rocks and less plants.

I love the plants though. We have all rocks now and no green except for the trees. Even though we live in the high desert, I still want it to make me happy when I look out at it.

 

[Nosmo King]

The hydrangeas and rhododendrons are finally in bloom. With Memorial Day right around the corner, the next blooms to pop are the peonies. The peony is the Vegas showgirl of the flower world. If you see My Fair Lady, you might note that the opening credits are shown on a background of peonies.

When Mom and Pop bought The Big House back in October of 1966, the previous owner, Mr. Mullins, had an extensive bed of peonies he sold commercially to local flower shops. The bed was at least 75 feet long by 30 feet wide and served for the first few years of our occupancy as the 'out of bounds' line on our makeshift football field on the lawn. The peonies were pollenated by black ants. I remember watching ants crawl from bud to bud to extract the nectar. The blossoms came out in brilliant white, hot pink and magenta. They were the strutting stars of the lower lawn.

But an invasive 'pea vine' began to grow and eventually choked off all but a dozen plants. Pop struggled in attempts to control the vine until it overwhelmed him and the peony plants. He dug up the last few plants and transplanted them to the upper lawn along a fence bordering the driveway. They are about to bloom again there this week.

When we moved into The Big House, the neighbors were skeptical that we could match Mr. Mullins' standards of beauty and caretaking of the property. What they found instead was a young family including two elementary school aged boys, a stay at home Mother in the mold of June Cleaver and a mild mannered, but tired Father.

Pop did his best in those early years tending the lawn and cultivating a massive vegetable garden. There was a garden shed that must have served as a chicken coop on the site. The shed was shot when we moved in and merely stored Pop's mower and rototiller. It was in bad shape and, in 1969 was demolished by me, my brother and Pop using crow bars, sledge hammers and profanity. Two years later we built a bigger, better lawn shed as Pop's growing fascination with lawn care meant the addition of bigger and better equipment.

Mr. Mullins left us quite a legacy. We failed to maintain his prized peonies, but we did improve the lawn to accommodate football games, softball games, Red Rover, tag and sled riding.

 

[Foxfyre]

I saw this and just had to post it. It does not apply to nutrition labels on processed foods or OTC meds or other things that we need to know about various products before using them.

It DOES apply to things like instructions to remove the candy from the wrapper before eating it.

 

[Sherry]

I saw this and just had to post it. It does not apply to nutrition labels on processed foods or OTC meds or other things that we need to know about various products before using them.

It DOES apply to things like instructions to remove the candy from the wrapper before eating it.

That reminds me of a Brian Regan skit about directions on the Pop Tarts box and removing them from the pouch before toasting.

 

[Foxfyre]

I saw this and just had to post it. It does not apply to nutrition labels on processed foods or OTC meds or other things that we need to know about various products before using them.

It DOES apply to things like instructions to remove the candy from the wrapper before eating it.

That reminds me of a Brian Regan skit about directions on the Pop Tarts box and removing them from the pouch before toasting.

Exactly!

 

[Gracie]

Well, I finally sold the damn bird dresser. Also sold my hand made footstool and my wrought iron hallway stand. She is coming back next week to buy the dresser I am currently using and a couple of canvas paintings.

My house is now almost empty except my room and MrGs room. I have patio furniture in the den now, two end tables, couple of vases and that's it. In the patio room...another patio chair and a plant stand of fake flowers.

Just thinking about what my house used to look like 5 short years ago.....wow. Bald compared to then.

Any future roomies better have their own furniture cuz I don't have any left that they can borrow. But..it's money for moving time whenever moving time comes.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. After midnight here and I think I might finally be able to sleep. No changes in the vigil list. Everybody have sweet dreams.

 

[gallantwarrior]

It seems that every other night I'm awakened by rain pelting the roof. A steady, soaking rain falling at night. I think it's the remnants of the severe thunderstorms plaguing the Midwest.

By the time they march east to the Crotch of the Tri-State area, the danger has been wrung out of them but the rain remains. Such is our little geographic advantage.

I'm quite sure that denizens of our valley would be clueless about how to handle a true drought. High Summers here always feature a 'dry spell' when the lawns turn brown, but a drought of Biblical proportions is unknown in these parts. Mist rises each warm morning from the river and the valleys where creeks and springs flow. The hardwood forests are verdant, except when plagued by an infestation of insects like the notorious gypsy moth or a 17 year locust. There are some underground springs that pour out of the steep ravine sides and I've seen folks armed with gallon jugs gathering unchlorinated drinking water.

Winters can be harsh, as we saw in 2014-15. But this winter passed was amazingly mild and relatively snow free (at least the occurrences of the Big Snows totaling 14, 16, 18 inches at one time). Instead last winter we got six inches at a time every other day for weeks. There are hard facts that must be faced every Winter.

But this Spring has been a head scratcher. It started out warm and pleasant only to devolve into a damp and cool spell that has gone on since late April, or just about the time greenhouses opened up offering annuals and perennials. The only safe purchase at most of the farmstead stores has been asparagus. Buying flowers, especially at the rate I buy flowers, id a fool's game.

Meanwhile Daisy the Mutt will vacuum out my wallet this Saturday as it's time again to have her vaccinated against rabies, distemper and Lyme disease. The vet, who must have a boat payment due this month, also recommends that she have blood drawn to assure the heartworm medicine prescribed is doing its thing.
there is no Obamacare for dogs.

mom is still quarantining us from the Big House as the cat she stole from someone else was spade last week. Mom insists that the cat rest easy for at least another week. Anyway, the cat is doing what a cat supposedly does; sleep 18 hours a day and lounge around in feline luxury.

but the vet is still a lot less expensive than people care, mostly. I only vaccinate my "outside" animals. The cats stay inside and the vet did assure me that as long as they did not mingle with the local ferals, they were probably OK. With the five cats remaining, vet bills cat get pretty pricey. The dogs are kept up because they do go outside and have contact with other dogs. I vaccinate the goats myself. Heartworm and fleas are not a problem around here, thank goodness. I haven't had problems with lice, either. I suppose that's an upside to living in these climes. I sure hope that doesn't change.

Vets must be cheaper where you are. Around here having a cat or dog is equivalent to having a child so far as medical costs go. Those of limited means simply cannot afford it in many cases.

For an extraordinarily pampered pet like Daisy the Mutt veterinarian's bills are just part of the quotient. Factor in groomers, prescription flea and tick and heartworm medications, and packages of chicken jerky treats exclusively for our walks, Marrowbone dog treats for 'cookies in the cookie blanket', dog shampoo (that costs 13 times what I pay for my shampoo), and the occasional Rachel Ray's Soup Bones dog treats (her favorite) and maybe I should be paying tuition at my alma mater for a daughter instead.

But I think, and everyone she meets agrees, she's worth it.

For farm-folk, vet bills are a necessary evil. Most of my livestock, I handle. Only really bad emergencies can go to the vet, and my vet really hates dealing with livestock other than horses. The LGT, Roxie, lives out with the goats but I am bringing a groomer out later this summer when she starts to molt. Since she hates the truck/car, I had to find someone mobile. Because I've been with this vet since 1988 and have so many critters, they do give me a discount "litter rate". That helps.
I know loads of spoiled dogs like Daisy. She sounds absolutely adorable. Generally well-behaved dogs are OK in my book. I prefer not to be licked, though. None of my dogs like or jump up on people. Roxy is a leaner, though.

I don't like being licked either. I LOVE to cuddle and kiss HER, but not have her lick me back. She knows this just by my body language cuz I have never said "no" to her, so once in awhile she will do a quick tongue touch on my hand, lol. Which means she gets bombarded with face kisses from me and a really good butt scratch.

Having just 2 dogs is a first for me, but I just can't afford to do it any more. My vet lets me make payments when the bill is over 500 bucks, but damn..if I had another dog or two....we would be in deep trouble finance wise.

We also cut back on their dog food (58 bucks for California Natural...good stuff, specialty dog food store, but DAYUM!) and now just mix a bit of that with their chicken stew. We buy huge packages of chicken thighs when they are on sale...add white rice, canned carrots, canned green beans, chop it all up and freeze the packets. Karma has to be on low fat diet due to pancreatis flareups. Thankfully, Moki is doing well and no major probs except his cancer, which seems to be taking its sweet time in claiming his life. He is just as spunky as ever although his back legs are getting weaker. He's a trooper, that's for sure. Karma's hip dysplasia is slowly rearing its ugly head, but not really bad yet...thankfully.

I wouldn't be able to take on any more pets..nor will. I can't handle telling them goodbye when the time comes.

I'm really picky about my dog chow, too. The mini doxie prefers cat food, but the Pyr get the best I can find. The "pet" cats also get the best I can find, but the ferals get the cheapest kibble available. I suspect they supplement their diet with birds and mice, or whatever...

 

[gallantwarrior]

Okay, I'm freshly back from the laundry room, and all I have to say about that is:

Also I have some decisions to make and would appreciate some thoughtful insight.

In reorganizing and culling the stuff in my kitchen, I realize that decades of baking, broiling, toasting etc. have left a lot of my baking pans and sheets looking pretty crappy.

So the decision is:

1. Leave them looking crappy--they still do function.
2. Expend the considerable elbow grease necessary with stainless steel cleaner and Brillo or S.O.S. pads to clean them up.
3. Throw them away and get new ones.

What do you think?

How about a decisive n tree?

Here we go: do you serve the baked goods in the same dish or pan they were baked in?.yes, throw the pan away and buy a new one.

Did you decide to throw away the dish? How about PMing Nosmo about a new Fiestaware dish?

If no, you do not serve in that dish, keep it.

Is that pan beyond the point of a thorough cleaning?

If yes, throw it away for hygienic reasons.

If you throw it away, why not PM Nosmo about getting a new Fiestaware dish?

See how some simple it is?

I sense a trend, not much is getting clean...

I posed the same question on Facebook and got about 40 responses. The overwhelming vote was to have one or two pretty oven to table dishes or pans and keep those old crusted seasoned pans because they cook like no other. For sure a well seasoned cornbread pan is going to cook that wonderful cornbread like a shiny new pan cannot. One old classmate said she used all that elbow grease and shined up her mom's cornbread pan so that it looked like new. It never cooked that wonderful crusted just right cornbread again.

So thanks for your input everybody. Just keeping them is certainly the cheapest and most pain free option.

I usually "clean" my well-seasoned cast iron by scraping it vigorously, if needed, and applying a new coat of oil. It doesn't even always need the oil, either. Can't be the taste, it's practically non-stick, and no amount of copper cladding can beat cast iron on a cast-iron wood-burning cookstove (or propane, for that matter)! Extra tough, burnt on stuff can be removed by applying a coat of salt with a half a potato, rinse in water and apply a light coat of oil, bake the oiled pan.

I miss using cast iron, but I can't use it any more. Just flat out can't lift it. My wrists would break in half.

Oooh! That sucks.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Daisy the Mutt had a tough day yesterday. As did my credit card. We went to the vet in the morning. She LOVES going to the vet. There are other dogs there in the waiting room. Dogs to be sniffed and played with, dog owners to charm and amuse, scents of dogs and cats to explore.

But she had to have some of her blood extracted to test the efficacy of her monthly heart worm medication. That's where the trouble started. It seemed the veterinary tech mistook Daisy for a pin cushion. She applied a torniquet to Daisy's right front leg and jabbed a syringe into that leg trying to draw a blood sample. Again and again and again all with no success. I held Daisy steady until the tech said she would have to take Daisy in the back to try to get that sample from her jugular vein! As the tech took Daisy from me, I saw the spot on her leg running with poodle blood.

After three or four minutes, Daisy was returned to my arms wet with rubbing alcohol. Then the vet herself came into the exam room with four more syringes. Rabies, distemper and Lyme disease vaccine were then jabbed into Daisy's trembling flesh.

Daisy, a miniature poodle, is susceptible to 'hot spots', little areas of inflammation on her skin. So, another syringe filled with cortisone was jabbed in. A prescription for an antibiotic was given to me along with the $187.00 bill for services. It rained all day yesterday. Daisy and I went to the grocery store for bread and milk and promptly retired to the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estae for a nap.

It's now after 11:00 Sunday morning and Daisy has yet to come out of the bedroom. It was a tough day for poodles.

I experienced a similar difficulty once and ended begging for a lab tech to take blood. How horrible for Daisy.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Imagine how I feel when I see shipment after shipment of Boeing aircraft parts "made in China" shipped through my job?

 

[gallantwarrior]

We're leaving on our cruise tomorrow, I am running out of time. So, should I wear my red sparkly cowboy hat or my black sparkly cowboy hat to meet gallentwarrior?

It's been warm enough...speedos and coppertone will work best. Sheila.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we keep vigil for:

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
TK, and TK's grandma,
Becki and Becki’s hubby,
Mrs. O and SFCOllie,
GW's daughter, her friend Sachendra, and Sachendra's husband Bob and son Gary.
Noomi!!!
Nosmo's mom,
Ernie's stop smoking project,
Sherry’s Mom,
Gracie's fur friend Karma,
Mr. And Mrs. Gracie in difficult transition
Gracie's eye surgery and stop smoking project,
Sixfoot's bad back,
Rod, GW's partner,
IamwhatIseem's bad hip,
The Ringels in difficult transition,
Mr. Kat and Kat's mom,
All of us and those we care about who are looking for work,

And the light is left on for Alan, Noomi, Freedombecki, Oddball, and all the others who we miss and hope to return

And Bon Voyage to Mr. and Mrs. Againsheila

View attachment 75690

Thanks Foxy, as you can see, I'm so excited I can't sleep. Can hardly wait until we're under way. Talked to Gallentwarrior today and it's going to be a fun time in anchorage.

Holy crappoly! I hope I can deliver! Sheila is jazzed about her trip. I hope I can deliver.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well, I finally sold the damn bird dresser. Also sold my hand made footstool and my wrought iron hallway stand. She is coming back next week to buy the dresser I am currently using and a couple of canvas paintings.

My house is now almost empty except my room and MrGs room. I have patio furniture in the den now, two end tables, couple of vases and that's it. In the patio room...another patio chair and a plant stand of fake flowers.

Just thinking about what my house used to look like 5 short years ago.....wow. Bald compared to then.

Any future roomies better have their own furniture cuz I don't have any left that they can borrow. But..it's money for moving time whenever moving time comes.

aHHHH, Gracie...that is so sad....

 

[Gracie]

Well, I finally sold the damn bird dresser. Also sold my hand made footstool and my wrought iron hallway stand. She is coming back next week to buy the dresser I am currently using and a couple of canvas paintings.

My house is now almost empty except my room and MrGs room. I have patio furniture in the den now, two end tables, couple of vases and that's it. In the patio room...another patio chair and a plant stand of fake flowers.

Just thinking about what my house used to look like 5 short years ago.....wow. Bald compared to then.

Any future roomies better have their own furniture cuz I don't have any left that they can borrow. But..it's money for moving time whenever moving time comes.

aHHHH, Gracie...that is so sad....

Meh. It's just stuff. As I keep telling myself "if it won't fit in a tipi, I don't really need it". And...I can always replace it with more stuff once settled.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Morning Folks...

 

[Ringel05]

Morning Folks...


View attachment 75830

You'd be surprised how true that can be in some contract and blue badge jobs...........

 

[saveliberty]

That reminds me of a Brian Regan skit about directions on the Pop Tarts box and removing them from the pouch before toasting.

Did you listen to Brian's advice?

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we keep vigil for:

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
TK, and TK's grandma,
Becki and Becki’s hubby,
Mrs. O and SFCOllie,
GW's daughter, her friend Sachendra, and Sachendra's husband Bob and son Gary.
Noomi!!!
Nosmo's mom,
Ernie's stop smoking project,
Sherry’s Mom,
Gracie's fur friend Karma,
Mr. And Mrs. Gracie in difficult transition
Gracie's eye surgery and stop smoking project,
Sixfoot's bad back,
Rod, GW's partner,
IamwhatIseem's bad hip,
The Ringels in difficult transition,
Mr. Kat and Kat's mom,
All of us and those we care about who are looking for work,

And the light is left on for Alan, Noomi, Freedombecki, Oddball, and all the others who we miss and hope to return

And Bon Voyage to Mr. and Mrs. Againsheila

View attachment 75690

Thanks Foxy, as you can see, I'm so excited I can't sleep. Can hardly wait until we're under way. Talked to Gallentwarrior today and it's going to be a fun time in anchorage.

Holy crappoly! I hope I can deliver! Sheila is jazzed about her trip. I hope I can deliver.

Sheila like many of us hasn't had the easiest time of it. I'm thrilled for her and hope her trip is all she hoped for. And I bet she will enjoy meeting GW and will appreciate him as tour guide just fine.