USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we continue to pray and/or send good vibes and/or positive thoughts and/or keep vigil for

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
Nosmo's mom,
Rod, GW's partner,
Kat's sister,
The Ringels in difficult transition
Dana, Foxfyre's friend recovering from heart transplant
Mr. and Mrs. Gracie in difficult transition and wellness for Gracie,
Mr. and Mrs. Peach174 for full recovery from setback,
Strength and stamina for gallantwarrior in his relocation project,
Ringel's injured shoulder and general wellness,
Drifter for the best job ever,
ricechickie for trouble free healing and wellness,
BigBlackDog for comfort and effective treatment
Sixfoot for an accurate diagnosis and wellness,
Sherry's Mom for treatment to be successful, and wellness for Sherry's daughter, her dad, and family.
And for our students, job hunters, others in transition.

And the light is left on for Noomi, Freedombecki, Esthermoon, and all others we hope are okay and will return to us.

 

[Ringel05]

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Love is in the air along side flu viruses. Mom's 84th birthday was yesterday and I'm happy to report we avoided the starchy fare at Bob Evans. My Aunt Roxie suggested to Mom that she try a newly remodeled Italian restaurant in nearby Salem, Ohio. So my brother and sister-in-law, Mom and I bundled into my brother's Honda CRV and drove the twenty five minutes North for her birthday dinner.

We recalled passed birthdays and St. Valentine's Days. My nine year old nephew was at my brother's house Sunday evening decorating a shoe box as a St. Valentine's Day mailbox. Lots of lacy paper and red ribbons were glued over the Thom McAnn logos and a generous slot was cut in the lid.

Back when I was his age we did the same thing. We would exchange Valentines with all our classmates. Little sugary hearts with trite sayings like 'Oh! You kid!' and 'Be Mine!' written on top as well as foil wrapped heart shaped chocolates were given to inculcate us in the traditions of courtship. Images of cupids and hearts decorated the classroom and we were dressed by our Moms in red and white.

Meanwhile Spring seems to be waiting impatiently in the wings. On our daily walk in the park yesterday I heard birdsong that has been strangely mute for the past few months. Mute except for the crows that flock and take to wing as if they were in an East Liverpool dinner theater production of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Maple sugar production has begun as the sugar shacks are being readied. The maple syrup producers will be out in their sugar bush (a term used to describe groves of sugar maple trees, and that strip club out by the airport). They don't tap the trees as we were taught in the film strips teachers used to enthrall their classes back in the day. Rather they take a cordless drill out to the sugar bush, drill and tap a tree then attach a system of plastic tubing to draw the sap to the sugar shack. No more buckets hanging from each tree and no more horse drawn sledge with a big tank to collect the sap from those buckets.

Sunday marks the first Easter Pageant on the Hillside rehearsal. We will sort through the costumes, take inventory on the makeup and props, repair anything that did not fare too well since last year and maybe even read a few lines. Trinity Presbyterian church closed last month and the congregation merged with those attending Long's Run Presbyterian. The church building itself was sold to a community group which turned it into a community learning center.

That building suffered from some architectural missteps. A flat roof, no central air conditioning and an over abundance of concrete made it leaky, hot in the summer and spiritually cold all year long. The floors are polished concrete. The beams are exposed prestressed concrete. The altar is concrete. The forty foot tall walls in the sanctuary are concrete block. The equally tall clear glass windows in the sanctuary are one foot wide, suggesting the slits in a castle wall archers used to ward off attackers. It is more of a bunker than a place of spiritual worship.

But enough complaining about the old church. It's time now to look forward to Spring and embrace the love February 14th brings.

Let me guess, the church was built in the mid to late 30s out of the miracle building material of that era, concrete.

 

[Michelle420]

I went to dinner and got flowers, and today continues more valentine adventures.

 

[Nosmo King]

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Love is in the air along side flu viruses. Mom's 84th birthday was yesterday and I'm happy to report we avoided the starchy fare at Bob Evans. My Aunt Roxie suggested to Mom that she try a newly remodeled Italian restaurant in nearby Salem, Ohio. So my brother and sister-in-law, Mom and I bundled into my brother's Honda CRV and drove the twenty five minutes North for her birthday dinner.

We recalled passed birthdays and St. Valentine's Days. My nine year old nephew was at my brother's house Sunday evening decorating a shoe box as a St. Valentine's Day mailbox. Lots of lacy paper and red ribbons were glued over the Thom McAnn logos and a generous slot was cut in the lid.

Back when I was his age we did the same thing. We would exchange Valentines with all our classmates. Little sugary hearts with trite sayings like 'Oh! You kid!' and 'Be Mine!' written on top as well as foil wrapped heart shaped chocolates were given to inculcate us in the traditions of courtship. Images of cupids and hearts decorated the classroom and we were dressed by our Moms in red and white.

Meanwhile Spring seems to be waiting impatiently in the wings. On our daily walk in the park yesterday I heard birdsong that has been strangely mute for the past few months. Mute except for the crows that flock and take to wing as if they were in an East Liverpool dinner theater production of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Maple sugar production has begun as the sugar shacks are being readied. The maple syrup producers will be out in their sugar bush (a term used to describe groves of sugar maple trees, and that strip club out by the airport). They don't tap the trees as we were taught in the film strips teachers used to enthrall their classes back in the day. Rather they take a cordless drill out to the sugar bush, drill and tap a tree then attach a system of plastic tubing to draw the sap to the sugar shack. No more buckets hanging from each tree and no more horse drawn sledge with a big tank to collect the sap from those buckets.

Sunday marks the first Easter Pageant on the Hillside rehearsal. We will sort through the costumes, take inventory on the makeup and props, repair anything that did not fare too well since last year and maybe even read a few lines. Trinity Presbyterian church closed last month and the congregation merged with those attending Long's Run Presbyterian. The church building itself was sold to a community group which turned it into a community learning center.

That building suffered from some architectural missteps. A flat roof, no central air conditioning and an over abundance of concrete made it leaky, hot in the summer and spiritually cold all year long. The floors are polished concrete. The beams are exposed prestressed concrete. The altar is concrete. The forty foot tall walls in the sanctuary are concrete block. The equally tall clear glass windows in the sanctuary are one foot wide, suggesting the slits in a castle wall archers used to ward off attackers. It is more of a bunker than a place of spiritual worship.

But enough complaining about the old church. It's time now to look forward to Spring and embrace the love February 14th brings.

Let me guess, the church was built in the mid to late 30s out of the miracle building material of that era, concrete.

Nope! The church was built in the early 1960s. The architect actually won awards for the design!

Redirect Notice

 

[Ringel05]

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Love is in the air along side flu viruses. Mom's 84th birthday was yesterday and I'm happy to report we avoided the starchy fare at Bob Evans. My Aunt Roxie suggested to Mom that she try a newly remodeled Italian restaurant in nearby Salem, Ohio. So my brother and sister-in-law, Mom and I bundled into my brother's Honda CRV and drove the twenty five minutes North for her birthday dinner.

We recalled passed birthdays and St. Valentine's Days. My nine year old nephew was at my brother's house Sunday evening decorating a shoe box as a St. Valentine's Day mailbox. Lots of lacy paper and red ribbons were glued over the Thom McAnn logos and a generous slot was cut in the lid.

Back when I was his age we did the same thing. We would exchange Valentines with all our classmates. Little sugary hearts with trite sayings like 'Oh! You kid!' and 'Be Mine!' written on top as well as foil wrapped heart shaped chocolates were given to inculcate us in the traditions of courtship. Images of cupids and hearts decorated the classroom and we were dressed by our Moms in red and white.

Meanwhile Spring seems to be waiting impatiently in the wings. On our daily walk in the park yesterday I heard birdsong that has been strangely mute for the past few months. Mute except for the crows that flock and take to wing as if they were in an East Liverpool dinner theater production of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Maple sugar production has begun as the sugar shacks are being readied. The maple syrup producers will be out in their sugar bush (a term used to describe groves of sugar maple trees, and that strip club out by the airport). They don't tap the trees as we were taught in the film strips teachers used to enthrall their classes back in the day. Rather they take a cordless drill out to the sugar bush, drill and tap a tree then attach a system of plastic tubing to draw the sap to the sugar shack. No more buckets hanging from each tree and no more horse drawn sledge with a big tank to collect the sap from those buckets.

Sunday marks the first Easter Pageant on the Hillside rehearsal. We will sort through the costumes, take inventory on the makeup and props, repair anything that did not fare too well since last year and maybe even read a few lines. Trinity Presbyterian church closed last month and the congregation merged with those attending Long's Run Presbyterian. The church building itself was sold to a community group which turned it into a community learning center.

That building suffered from some architectural missteps. A flat roof, no central air conditioning and an over abundance of concrete made it leaky, hot in the summer and spiritually cold all year long. The floors are polished concrete. The beams are exposed prestressed concrete. The altar is concrete. The forty foot tall walls in the sanctuary are concrete block. The equally tall clear glass windows in the sanctuary are one foot wide, suggesting the slits in a castle wall archers used to ward off attackers. It is more of a bunker than a place of spiritual worship.

But enough complaining about the old church. It's time now to look forward to Spring and embrace the love February 14th brings.

Let me guess, the church was built in the mid to late 30s out of the miracle building material of that era, concrete.

Nope! The church was built in the early 1960s. The architect actually won awards for the design!

Redirect Notice

Sorry I was kinda joking due to concrete becoming the miracle building material back in the 30s.

 

[Ringel05]

Well the really good news is it's been raining here since last night.

 

[Nosmo King]

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Love is in the air along side flu viruses. Mom's 84th birthday was yesterday and I'm happy to report we avoided the starchy fare at Bob Evans. My Aunt Roxie suggested to Mom that she try a newly remodeled Italian restaurant in nearby Salem, Ohio. So my brother and sister-in-law, Mom and I bundled into my brother's Honda CRV and drove the twenty five minutes North for her birthday dinner.

We recalled passed birthdays and St. Valentine's Days. My nine year old nephew was at my brother's house Sunday evening decorating a shoe box as a St. Valentine's Day mailbox. Lots of lacy paper and red ribbons were glued over the Thom McAnn logos and a generous slot was cut in the lid.

Back when I was his age we did the same thing. We would exchange Valentines with all our classmates. Little sugary hearts with trite sayings like 'Oh! You kid!' and 'Be Mine!' written on top as well as foil wrapped heart shaped chocolates were given to inculcate us in the traditions of courtship. Images of cupids and hearts decorated the classroom and we were dressed by our Moms in red and white.

Meanwhile Spring seems to be waiting impatiently in the wings. On our daily walk in the park yesterday I heard birdsong that has been strangely mute for the past few months. Mute except for the crows that flock and take to wing as if they were in an East Liverpool dinner theater production of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Maple sugar production has begun as the sugar shacks are being readied. The maple syrup producers will be out in their sugar bush (a term used to describe groves of sugar maple trees, and that strip club out by the airport). They don't tap the trees as we were taught in the film strips teachers used to enthrall their classes back in the day. Rather they take a cordless drill out to the sugar bush, drill and tap a tree then attach a system of plastic tubing to draw the sap to the sugar shack. No more buckets hanging from each tree and no more horse drawn sledge with a big tank to collect the sap from those buckets.

Sunday marks the first Easter Pageant on the Hillside rehearsal. We will sort through the costumes, take inventory on the makeup and props, repair anything that did not fare too well since last year and maybe even read a few lines. Trinity Presbyterian church closed last month and the congregation merged with those attending Long's Run Presbyterian. The church building itself was sold to a community group which turned it into a community learning center.

That building suffered from some architectural missteps. A flat roof, no central air conditioning and an over abundance of concrete made it leaky, hot in the summer and spiritually cold all year long. The floors are polished concrete. The beams are exposed prestressed concrete. The altar is concrete. The forty foot tall walls in the sanctuary are concrete block. The equally tall clear glass windows in the sanctuary are one foot wide, suggesting the slits in a castle wall archers used to ward off attackers. It is more of a bunker than a place of spiritual worship.

But enough complaining about the old church. It's time now to look forward to Spring and embrace the love February 14th brings.

Let me guess, the church was built in the mid to late 30s out of the miracle building material of that era, concrete.

Nope! The church was built in the early 1960s. The architect actually won awards for the design!

Redirect Notice

Sorry I was kinda joking due to concrete becoming the miracle building material back in the 30s.

There still is plenty of vintage WPA concrete projects around here. Just down river in Wellsville, Ohio there is a flood wall that was built during the depression. The Village of Wellsville hired a muralist who painted scenes from that town on both sides of the wall. I'm not sure how well that wall will hold back floodwaters, but it looks great!

 

[peach174]

Live cam at Reid park zoo

The giraffe and grizzly bears are enjoying the rains.
Giraffe, Reid Park Zoo

 

[Foxfyre]

Live cam at Reid park zoo

The giraffe and grizzly bears are enjoying the rains.
Giraffe, Reid Park Zoo

How wonderful!

So are we here in Albuquerque. Slow steady rain over night that stopped just a few minutes ago. Hoping we'll get even a bit more. So desperately needed and it came slow enough to actually do some good.

 

[ricechickie]

I know gift cards are very popular, and as a teacher, I get a lot of them. Since parents see me with a coffee cup so often, the coffee shop gift card is a frequent present for holidays or, recently, a get well gift. So I’ve got literally a stack of coffee shop gift cards. I decided to get organized and separate the cards by establishment so that they’re easier to find when I want to treat myself. The most common are two chains. One is a kind of no-frills, homey place that just does coffee well. The other one is known as more pretentious and has every variation on coffee that I think you could ask for. As I was sorting, I noticed something. The cards for the homier chain were often for 10, 15, even $20. The ones for the upscale chain were often for 10 or even just $5. I would have expected that to be reversed.

Of course, I’m grateful for anything, but it’s just something I noticed.

 

[peach174]

Live cam at Reid park zoo

The giraffe and grizzly bears are enjoying the rains.
Giraffe, Reid Park Zoo

How wonderful!

So are we here in Albuquerque. Slow steady rain over night that stopped just a few minutes ago. Hoping we'll get even a bit more. So desperately needed and it came slow enough to actually do some good.

Yes it is wonderful.
We don't get enough of the slow all day, all night soakers, so us desert dwellers really appreciate it.

 

[peach174]

I love the rainy nights.

 

[BradVesp]

It's almost another New Year. Chinese this time. I thought it was weeks ago.

 

[Michelle420]

I went on a scenic train ride and it was fun. I'm watching Psychic detectives on Amazon Prime, it's a series in Wales.

 

[Foxfyre]

Prayers and thoughts tonight extended to the victims and families in Parkland, Florida.

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we continue to pray and/or send good vibes and/or positive thoughts and/or keep vigil for

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
Nosmo's mom,
Rod, GW's partner,
Kat's sister,
The Ringels in difficult transition
Dana, Foxfyre's friend recovering from heart transplant
Mr. and Mrs. Gracie in difficult transition and wellness for Gracie,
Mr. and Mrs. Peach174 for full recovery from setback,
Strength and stamina for gallantwarrior in his relocation project,
Ringel's injured shoulder and general wellness,
Drifter for the best job ever,
ricechickie for trouble free healing and wellness,
BigBlackDog for comfort and effective treatment
Sixfoot for an accurate diagnosis and wellness,
Sherry's Mom for treatment to be successful, and wellness for Sherry's daughter, her dad, and family.
And for our students, job hunters, others in transition.

 

[Montrovant]

I got a B on my latest coding quiz. A lot better than the D of the previous quiz. Also, there are 3 questions I believe I should have gotten correct. One of the questions gave 4 choices, but none were correct (the right answer was actually two of the choices), and I knew there would be an issue when I was doing the question. Another, I know that the given code was incorrect, as the code book requires another character, and I think I gave the correct code. The third, I believe that I was correct to code 'unspecified' rather than the 'other' listed by the program as the correct code.

If I am right about those questions, I will have an A. If I get credit for the one that did not have a correct choice, and either of the other 2, I'll have an A. Fingers crossed I know what I'm talking about with them.

The little one has been having problems with some quizzes lately, which is unusual for her. Her grade in social studies had gone way down. However, my employer looked her grade up this morning to see how it had changed since we saw how low it had gotten, and it has gone up quite a bit. I'm still concerned about the poor scores the little one has gotten on some of her work lately, but at least it appears as though she may have all As and Bs when her report card comes in the next few weeks.

 

[peach174]

Our dirt road is all tore up by our trash truck this morning. Another trash truck came to help and now it's stuck too.
They both got stuck down near the neighbors again and are still there right now.
Our poor road is so tore up, I hope Mr. P doesn't get stranded trying to come home.
That's going to be a mess if I have to lug in the groceries from far away, at least I have my trusted rubber boots.

 

[Montrovant]

Our dirt road is all tore up by our trash truck this morning. Another trash truck came to help and now it's stuck too.
They both got stuck down near the neighbors again and are still there right now.
Our poor road is so tore up, I hope Mr. P doesn't get stranded trying to come home.
That's going to be a mess if I have to lug in the groceries from far away, at least I have my trusted rubber boots.

Pavement for the win!

 

[peach174]

A tow truck came and pulled them both out.
Mr. P got home safe and sound.
He's pretty experienced in how not to get stuck in mud.

 

[peach174]

Our dirt road is all tore up by our trash truck this morning. Another trash truck came to help and now it's stuck too.
They both got stuck down near the neighbors again and are still there right now.
Our poor road is so tore up, I hope Mr. P doesn't get stranded trying to come home.
That's going to be a mess if I have to lug in the groceries from far away, at least I have my trusted rubber boots.

Pavement for the win!

The drawbacks of country living.
At least we don't have this problem too often. The perks of desert life.