Welcome to GameBoomers Break Room #12

Time for a shiny new thread!

Come one, come all, share your daily thoughts, conversational chit-chat, maybe a joke or two and all the little things that really don't need its own thread.

There are plenty of seats available, so don't be shy and come chat!

To see where we left off, click HERE.

Happy chatting!

Good Morning everyone and Welcome to the "refurbished Break Room...curtsey of our beloved Ana!

As usually I've put on a pot of double dark Wide Awake brew to start the day. Enjoy it with Connie's breakfast goodies!

Have a Happy Relaxing Sunday!

Thanks Ana!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Shopping is on the agenda today. I have my desktop computer back nicely upgraded. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

I see Ana has sneaked into the break room and spiffied it up for us!

Dragging myself in after staying up much too late reading and that Wide Awake brew is going to be just the ticket.

Have fun with your "new" computer, connie! Did you upgrade to Windows 11?

Had a wonderful visit with our granddaughter yesterday. She is heading back to her base in South Carolina Wednesday morning.

Dreary cold start to the day, but they say we MIGHT see some sun later this afternoon!

Shiny new Break Room thread...thanks Ana. I am loving the double dark Wide Awake brew and bagels Gerry and Connie. Have fun with your new computer Connie. Glad you had a wonderful visit with granddaughter Draclvr. Cool day down here too, but was able to enjoy blue sky and sunshine this morning on my walk with Max. Have a relaxing Sunday everyone.

Sun! We have sun! And two cats stretched out on their backs in a big patch of light on the living room floor. They are such a source of amusement. The other night I was reading and they were both at my feet, chirping at each other for about half an hour, making blinky-eyes. Then Dude darted in and smacked Willow on the tummy, whereupon she smacked him in the head and chased him down the hall. Dude is fully recovered from his operation and his fur has almost grown back, and he is now basically an overgrown kitten.

Today, unfortunately, I have to set up a new printer. I've been using one of John's old printers but the scan doesn't work and I need it to do that. I'll be needing some of that coffee.

Thanks for the all singin’ , all dancin’ , new thread, BET 🌟🌟🌟

Good Morning Connie, Draclvr, soot, hagatha, Mad and everyone. The Wide Awake double dark brew awaits you early risers. Yesterday it rained, sleeted, and even snowed here. Got 1.25 inches of rain. No sun expected today either...can't remember when I last saw sun and blue sky!

Connie are you able to play all your games on the upgraded computer? Draclvr nice to hear you had a nice visit with your Granddaughter. Soot what have you been up to lately...enjoying your walks with Max? Hagatha good to hear Dude is recovering well and both kitties are entertaining you! Good Luck with the new printer...usually a printer can almost set itself up and automatically link to your computer without much effort.

Have a Great Monday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Yes I now have Windows 11, and not to thrilled with it. I'm still learning what will and won't work wit it. So far the games I've tried have been ok. Joint meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Monday. The WADDB helped to cope with it. Still normal winter here. Today gray. I have a win 11 too. Not thrilled because they have done some rearrangements. It doesn't behave like I'm used to from win 10. I switch between two computers nowadays. Mostly use the Linux one but sometimes windows is necessary. Win 10 is still usable but not future proof.

Happy Monday GameBoomers

Oops. Took s some nighttime Advil Sinus last night and it kept me awake all night. It doesn't normally do that to me. Seems like a good day to shlepp around, drink coffee , and read.

Good morning everyone. The coffee and bagels are wonderful Gerry and Connie. Enjoy your shlepping around today Hagatha. Gerry, I take Max for a walk every morning unless it's raining and then we'll wait for a break in the weather to get our walk in...otherwise I have a list of projects to keep me gainfully employed. I've got a mix of Win 10 & 11...am very comfortable with 10 and put up with 11. Have a good meeting tonight Connie.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning! I see... what is that? The sun? Yes! It's the sun! I read that it's been 9 days of dark and dreary here. Cold, but that's OK.

I have Windows 10 on my desktop and will need to enable a hardware module on my motherboard before I can upgrade to Windows 11. Putting it off for now. I have Windows 11 on a laptop and it's OK, but I'm not a fan of things like One Drive being enabled by default. I'm sure hagatha knows what I mean!

Schlepping around, drinking coffee and reading sounds like an excellent plan, hagatha!

Happy Monday!

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday! The usual dark Wide Awake brew awaits!...on my 2nd cup! Slept in this morning up late puzzling. Seems like everyone is not too happy with Windows 11. I have an Apple iMac computer and find its operating system is much easier to use.

We are expecting dry weather till Friday! Finally a break from the dark dreary weather. Still mostly cloudy, but the sun will poke out now and again...hopefully when I take my walk.

Hope everyone has a most enjoyable day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. A routine visit with my Oncologist this morning. Lunch out with a friend after the visit. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday. The dark wide awake brew is marvelous Gerry and with a cinnamon crunch bagel from Connie is the only way to start the day. We've got sunshine here too and we're lovin it. Off for errands and groceries shortly. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Happy Tuesday all!

Missed the break room this morning as I was down at Longmeadow, the horse rescue for a meeting.

I'll just have to make a quick cup of Starbucks Pike Place from a pod.

Enjoy your Tuesday and sunshine for those of you who have it - we only got a teaser yesterday.

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day Connie, soot, oldbroad, fogfighter, hagatha, and everyone! More of the Wide Awake dark brew is waiting to start your day.

I never saw the sun yesterday...cloudy all day...expecting another cloudy day again today all day...hoping for at least a glimpse of blue sky...it would be so nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my walk too!

Connie did your appointment with the Oncologist go well? You are so lucky to have sunshine soot! Draclvr hope you see the sun today!

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning everyone. The DDWAB made wonders again. The round yellow shining thingie in the sky is missing today too. No doubt hiding behind the clouds. A good day to be somewhat productive. Happy Wednesday GameBoomers

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Gerry the Dr. said everything looked good, my bloodwork was good too. Lunch and Netflix with a friend today. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone and Happy Hump Day! Gerry, Draclvr and Fogfighter...I will send some sunshine and blue skies your way. Great news Connie. The coffee and treats are marvelous! Chores and projects are on my docket for the day. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good morning! Always good to have great news from the doctor, Connie!

Hubby picked up our Granddaughter at 4:30 am this morning to take her to the airport to catch a flight back to her Army base in South Carolina. No traffic at that hour, so he was there and back in only 2 hours.

Step-daughter's partner was taken in to surgery for a triple heart bypass at 6:30. Tom has been having a lot of issues for some time and chest pains while loading his truck for work finally put him in the hospital. They are out in Virginia, so all we can do is text back and forth.

Enjoy your hump day!

We've had two days of wild weather and power outages. I woke up this morning to no power and the consequent prospect of no coffee! Off to do some errands.

Good Morning Fogfighter, Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone. Wide Awake dark brew is ready...I'm on my 2nd cup.

Fogfighter on our local weather they talked about the lack of sunshine...it has been 10 days in a row without a glimpse of the sun! Tonight and tomorrow morning we are expecting more rain, but we are expected to see the sun over the weekend!

Connie that is good news on your blood work. Soot it is always good to have projects and chores to keep you busy...makes you feel good to get things done. Draclvr I will send healing prayers for your step-daughter's partner.

Wishing the sun will shine on your day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Drac, prayers for your step-daughters partner. Pedicure and lunch out with a friend today, Trivia at CVI tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Gerry Hagatha Draclvr Connie Fogfighter OldBroad Mad and all that follow. The coffee hits the spot this morning Gerry and I'll bet you're looking forward to the weekend sunshine. Will keep Tom in our thoughts and prayers Draclvr. Hope your power is back on Hagatha. Happy Thursday to one and all.

Good morning Gerry Hagatha Draclvr Connie Soot OldBroad Mad and all...

The DDWAB was great as usual. Even the Sun briefly appeard and nodded approval. However already cloudy again.Time for venturing outdoors to try to grab some eggs. They are getting eggspensive, but still available in the local supermarket.
Also been working on a new crossword puzzle for the upcoming weekend.
Happy day of Thor everyone.

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday! Wide Awake dark brew awaits you all. Lots of chores today so I have the weekend free to relax...with some gaming and getting out in the fresh air with hopefully the sun shining!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Still no sunshine. But no blizzard and DDWAB in the cup. Not to mention it's Friday.

Happy Friday Gameboomers

Good morning! Hope you get sun, Gerry! We are sunny andf 65 degrees F today. Feels wonderful... Especially because it's Friday, Fogfighter!

Just date night tonight... not sure where to go tonight, but we're grilling tomorrow night!

Happy Friday!

Good morning everyone.

I'm going to put up some more pictures and art today, try to get this place more or less finished. I have some room in the garage now, so I can start to set it up properly. I really miss my basement, though. I have a massive crawl space, but it's only 3 feet high, and although it's bright and clean and dry, and I can easily manoeuvre down there, I can foresee it being an issue when I'm 80.

Good afternoon everyone. I see there's still some wide awake dark brew and bagels ... today must be my lucky day ... thanks Gerry and Connie. Hope you get some sunshine this weekend Gerry and Fogfighter. We are enjoying nice weather too Draclvr. It'll be nice to get more pictures hung Hagatha. Have a great weekend everyone.

T.G.I.F.

Hagatha, this made me think of you!

Catio

Good Morning and Welcome to the Weekend. Lots of dark Wide Awake Brew is ready to start your day Connie, Fogfighter, Draclvr, hagatha, soot and all who join us this morning.

I'm sorry to say we did not see the sun yesterday...I think that makes 12 days in a row without sunshine or blue sky! Today the local weatherman said we will see it! I envy you such nice weather Draclvr! Hagatha, I am 80 so I can say I think it will surely be a problem to walk around bent over with only 3 feet of head room!

I hope to walk in the sunshine today...my weekend walks are 3 miles each day and during the week 4 miles a day...weather permitting. I love getting out in the fresh air even when it is cold!

Have a fun day everyone!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. A Sam's trip is on the agenda today. Dinner and Trivia at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. The coffee is wonderful Gerry ...fhope you find sunshine on your walk today. I'm up for a Danish today Connie, have fun at the Eagles tonight. Have a great Saturday everyone.

Good morning everyone. We've had some sun lately and I'm looking forward to resuming my daily walks after all the snow and rain.


Draclvr, a couple of weeks ago Dude resumed the pacing and howling to go outside. He chirps or howls every three or four seconds, and jumps up and down off the windowsill with a loud plop every 30 seconds or so. It gets so bad I literally can't think and the simplest mental task becomes impossible. I had a cat flap installed in the garage man door last week, but the lock doesn't work and I'm not letting them out without an escape hatch that can be used to lock them in, too.

I've given up on the catio idea. The big metal one I put together just makes them frantic. They both see it as a cage. I'm going to take my chances with them as outdoor cats. I'm at the end of a road with very narrow streets and people drive slowly because there are deer on the road.

Hagatha, i was wondering whether part or all of your crawl space could become new territory for the feline duo!

Now there's a thought, Lex!

Hagatha, would something like this make you feel better about letting the little rascals outside? We have a similar one for our Bloodhound.

GPS Tracker for Cats.

Lex, the crawl space would be a novelty for about five minutes, but the biggest problem is that the metal hatch is very heavy and difficult to open and close. It literally has to be hauled up and over the rim of the hole. I only go down there to store things and to let the HVAC guys in.

Both my previous cats were outdoor cats in a coyote-infested neighbourhood. Both of them lived to 18 and died of old-age-related diseases. There are no coyotes on Vancouver Island. I have heard that there are racoons around here but I've never heard or seen one. The biggest problem would be other cats, and there is one that comes into the garden regularly. I think if it was two against one it would stay away. Willow won't stray far from her food bowl anyway, and Dude will do what Dude does. There's no way he's been an indoor cat all his life.

I'll ask the vet what she thinks about those tracking collars but I don't like collars on cats; I'm afraid they'll hang themselves.

I kind of feel the same way about collars on cats. None of mine - indoor or outdoor - have them.

Good Morning and Welcome to Sunday Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, Fogfighter, Lex and everyone! A fresh brewed double dark Wide Awake Coffee is ready! That first cup is so good!

It was a beautiful sunny, but chilly day yesterday. I was able to get in a nice long walk...about 4.5 miles. I try and walk 3 to 4 miles every day.

Hagatha raccoons can be vicious when it comes to cats...one of my neighbors cats was attacked and killed by a raccoon. If you let your cats out just don't let them out at night...not usual to see raccoons in the day time.

Hope you all enjoy your day.

Gerry

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, Gerry, Lex and everyone!

Sunday but no sunshine. Could be worse. No arctic blizzard and warm coffee in the cup.

Happy Sunday

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Going to be a stormy day here today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone.


Coffee ☕️ and Bagels 🥯!!! Thank you Gerry and Connie.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Good Sunday morning! Our lovely warmish days are over for a while!

Gerry, you are so right about raccoons. They are beautiful and cute, but they are also deadly. They killed a couple of my neighbor's chickens night before last. I wonder if Hagatha even has raccoons on her island.

A good day to be lazy and maybe do some gaming.

Good morning all. It's another nice day, but the sun is bringing the cold temperatures back with it. Still, it's a nice day to go for a walk.

We do have raccoons on the Island, though I have never seen one in the years i have been here. In the old coyote-infested neighbourhood in North Burnaby we saw and heard raccoons all the time. As a side note, when my cat Rachel was still young, she used to play with a raccoon kit, which was pretty darned cute. But wildlife is one of the reasons I want a cat flap with a locking system, so when the cats arrive for their dinners I can lock them in.

A friend had a raccoon stroll right in the house through the cat flap! They had quite a time getting it back outside! Definitely a locking system!

Ah, yes. The raccoon-through-the-cat-flap. We had that happen once. Rachel was sitting on the top of the couch looking astonished when we came home, and the garbage can was not only opened and turned on its side, the garbage was strewn everywhere. Fortunately after the shenanigans and eating the cat food, the beast had left the premises before we got home.

Basically, raccoons are cats with opposable thumbs.

LOL! What a mess! And they are also vicious killers. They can wipe out a small flock of chickens overnight. A friend who lived in St. Louis had a small coop with 4 chickens. They got in one night and killed all of them. She had the little monsters on camera.

I also seem to remember John chasing a raccoon out through the back door with a broom once. They were everywhere in that neighbourhood. Basically, they were friendly to people and pets all summer, and then became predators in the winter.

Finally Monday again. Since it's morning already I made some double dark wide awake brew. Should be enough for all of you. No racoons over here, fortunately. Happy Monday Gameboomers

Good morning Fogfighter. I don't know if I've ever heard anyone say "Finally Monday again".

Good Morning Fogfighter, oldbroad and everyone. Thanks for putting on the Wide Awake brew! Oldbroad you are up early...how are you doing? What is your weather like today? We are finally in a "no rain or snow" stretch! Nice to see the sun finally!

Hope you all have a peaceful day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Rude awakening this morning. The garbage truck caught the cable and phone wires, pulled the wires and pole down in our back yard and across the street. We have police, fire dept, power, cable, and phone people here. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Oh my Connie, sounds like quite the event at your place! Enjoy the sun Gerry. Thanks for the coffee Fogfighter...the perfect companion to one of Connie's cinnamon crunch bagels. Yes, racoons are cute little critters but they will wreak havoc with chickens. Have a wonderful Monday.

Good morning. Connie, now THAT is a rude awakening! Sounds like a real mess.

oldbroad, I agree - don't think I've ever heard anyone say, "Finally Monday again!" Although in retirement, Mondays are a good day for me!

Gerry, did you say SUNSHINE in your part of the country?! Woot!

Sunny and chilly here... I'll take it!

Good morning, all, and a lovely morning it is, sunny but cold. It's great weather for walking.

When you're retired every day is Saturday, I find. In this neighbourhood, many people are retired so the Monday morning rush past my house takes about three minutes.

Hello everybody!

Gerry, I wasn't up early; I had not yet gone to bed. Now I'm up.

Connie, sorry to hear that. It sure does sound like a mess!

I don't know what our forecast is but it's cloudy right now. The last couple of days started cloudy too but ended up sunny.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, oldbroad, Fogfighter and everyone! I have that delicious dark Wide Awake Brew ready!

We had a beautiful sunny day yesterday with a brisk wind that added a chill to the air...but the sun felt so good! I had a great walk...long and warm in the sun.

Connie I hope you have power back...sounds like it will take a while to clean up! Oldbroad you stay up very late...

Have a great day all!

Gerry

Good morning and happy Tuesday everyone. Still no sunshine and no racoons but it's getting colder again.

Thanks for the DDWAB Gerry. Just what was needed to start the day

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Everything finely got back to normal about 8 last night. We do still have a shattered power pole laying in our back yard. Lunch and watching Sanctuary, a Witches Tale on AMC+ today. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone.

The coffee and bagels are marvelous Gerry and Connie

Connie, good news you're back to normal ... don't let them forget the pole. Fogfighter...will attempt to send some sunshine your way. Hagatha, I remember my mom always commenting on it didn't matter what day it was as every day was the weekend to her : ) I imagine you enjoy the peace and quiet OldBroad. Stay warm Draclvr...hope you and the gang have sunshine today.

Off for groceries. Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!

Good morning everyone.

The landscapers will be here today to prune my large shrubs and hedge. I'm hoping they can spare some time to show me how to use my watering system so that I don't have a repeat of last year's near-death of two large evergreens (which will never be the same). It looks as though my late-Fall lawn feeding has worked pretty well, though there's a lot of moss in the lawn. I'm starting to think about reducing the lawn space in favour of something else. Perhaps more patio. I don't want more beds. That's just more work.

Good Morning Fogfighter, Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr and everyone. Double dark brew Wide Awake Coffee is waiting for you all!

Connie glad to hear all is back to normal. Soot is right if you don't get after the power company it could take months before they remove the broken pole.

Have a great day everyone!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. I called the power company yesterday afternoon and the pole is gone. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone...it's Hump Day! Connie, glad to hear they cleaned up everythinig for you...I"m up for donuts this morning with Gerry's double dark brew. Hagatha, were you able to get some tips on your watering system from the landscapers yesterday? Have a wonderful day everone.

Good Morning Gerry, Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr and everyone

Chilly again. And dark already, because evening. Coffee is dark too. Doubly so.

Happy Wednesday Gameboomers

Soot, the landscapers did a great job, even cleaning up some of the leaves and detritus left from the Fall. They'll be coming back later in the Spring to set up my watering system and give me a tutorial. The pond maintenance crew will come at the end of March and get that all cleaned up, too. I'm looking forward to my Wisteria blooming. I haven't seen it in flower yet.

Good day everyone; every Wednesday starting at 8 o'clock till 11 I watch the Chicago three: Chicago PD then Chicago Med & followed by Chicago Fire. I love these shows but it's the last year for them. Oh well, everything comes to an end.

Good Morning and Welcome to Thursday everyone! My dark brew is ready to make you "Wide Awake"!

That was fast Connie getting that pole removed! Fogfighter glad you enjoy the coffee. Soot how are you doing? Hagatha sounds like your yard will be ready for Spring! Judith enjoy your programs.

Happy Day to you all!

Gerry

Good morning everyone. I am ready for your Dark Brew Gerry and will catch Connie later for a bagel. I am doing well and staying bust Gerry...hope you are too. Hagatha your yard will be a marvelous sight and keep your busy. Sorry to hear your series are ending Judith...I wonder if you can find them on a streaming TV channel? I'm off to establish today's To-Do list. Have a wonderful Thump Day everyone!

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning! Ah... thank you for the dark brew, Gerry! Perfect...

We have a local amateur weather guy who has a Facebook page with 79,000 followers. He runs circles around the so-called pros at the TV stations with his weather predictions and explanations. Yesterday, he made us all laugh by issuing a "blowing trashcan warning!" And, indeed the wind is blowing so hard, there will be trashcans rolling around!

Night off from league bowling tonight.

Happy Thursday!

Good morning everyone.

I forgot to turn the heat down last night. CONS: the fan blower is very loud and it woke me up a couple of times. PROS: It's so loud I couldn't hear Willow yowling at my door.

LOL! So, you got to sleep in to make up for waking up a couple of times!

Exactly.

We're having some really lovely weather, cold but sunny and clear. Great days for walking.

Good Morning and Happy Friday soot, Connie, Draclvr, hagatha, and everyone. I'm enjoying my first cup of dark Wide Awake Brew...plenty here for everyone!

Spent half a day yesterday at the car dealer getting repairs done on my old car, but all is well with it. Grocery shopping this morning...it will be busy over the weekend because of Super Bowl Shoppers!

Enjoy your Friday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Karaoke at Hacienda tonight. Tomorrow is our Mardi Gras Party and karaoke at the Eagles, yes I am dressing up. Sunday is our Chili cookoff / Super Bowl Party, no I'm not making Chili. It is a busy weekend. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone and T.G.I.F. to you all! Gerry, I'm off to get groceries too and will grab a dark wide awake brew to go with a cinnamon crunch bagel from Connie. Wow Connie you do have a busy weekend...have fun. We'll be watching the Super Bowl too. Have a great day everyone.

Good morning. I'm also making a small grocery run in town after I enjoy some of this lovely coffee Gerry brewer earlier! It is a tradition that I make home-made pizza for Super Bowl. We don't do anywhere because we'd rather watch the game and it's usually so damned noisy at a bar. Being from Missouri, this year we have a team to root for again! Go Chiefs!

Connie, that IS a busy weekend! Party animals, right!

I just received word from one of my sisters that my mother is in hospital with COVID complications. She's been fighting it on and off for three months now and has been having chest issues for the last few years anyway. It's very worrying for me since I have nobody to look after my cats if I need to go to Hamilton on short notice.

No advertised pet care people who would come to your home once a day? Or boarding facilities? Could a neighbor come by once or twice a day to make sure they have food and water and clean the litter boxes? I do that for my friend and her partner when they go camping in the spring and summer. They return the favor when we go somewhere except they have to take care of chickens too!

What a worry for you hagatha on both fronts: hoping it all works out okay!

Afterthought: might there be a reasonably mature young person locally you could employ to move in to house and cat sit?

I don't really know any of my new neighbours well enough to ask and I'm not willing to hand over a key to all my possessions to a young person I don't know. There is someone up the road who could at least feed them for 2-3 days but she has her own health problems and has mobility issues. Anyway, let's hope it doesn't come to that.

hagatha, I'm sorry to hear about your mom. As you know, I am a pet care provider/boarder for a living. I'm a member of Pet Sitters International and they are the leaders in training, insurance, bonding etc for pet care providers. There is one in your area that is also a member and she has good reviews. Membership is not free and it helps separates the hobbyist from the real providers since most hobbyists throw little money into continuing education, insurance etc. YOu can contact them Here or here.
It may give you some peace of mind.

Hi everyone! hubby had his 2nd total knee replacement yesterday so juggling work and caring for him. It's been busy!
Happy Friday!

Ana

Thanks for that link! I will get in touch with them and sign up. I do already have an account with Trusted Housesitters, it turns out, but I'd much rather go with a known entity.

My mother is 92 and is showing signs of heart failure -- not unexpected at her age. She insisted that my sister and I should not get on a plane; she visited us both recently and would be just as happy with a Zoom call. We'll both be at the ready anyway. By tomorrow morning the doctors should have a good idea which way things are moving.

Good luck, hagatha. I hope your mom will be okay.

Ana, I hope your husband recuperates quickly. Work some rest time in there!

Have a good weekend all!

Edited to add the word "husband" which I apparently missed.

hagatha, you don't need to sign up, the link should take you direct to the company of the lady that services your area. It's a private company like mine, and she is a member of the same organization as I am (Pet Sitters international). You just need to reach out directly to her. Both of those links are for the same lady.

Thanks, oldbroad. He's a little short tempered today, but I have thick skin.

Ana

I do hope all goes well for both your Mother, hagatha, and your Husband, BrownEyedTigre.
And will also be thinking of you both and your families

Thanks, Mad! One day at a time!

Good Morning and Happy Super Bowl Weekend Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, Lex, Ana, oldbroad, Mad and everyone. Dark Wide Awake coffee is brewed and ready to start your day!

Hagatha I am so sorry to hear about your mom. Ana has a great solution for your need for a cat sitter. I will keep your mom, you and your sister in my prayers.

Ana wishing your hubby patience while he recoups from his 2nd knee surgery. It will be a challenge for you too...and as you said "one day at a time".

Enjoy your day everyone!

Gerry

龙年大吉

Time flies. Already new year again. This time the year of the Dragon. Not the Welsh dragon but the East Asian one.

Happy New Year to Scarlet Dragon and those who celebrate.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Hagatha, prayers for your mom. Ana, wishing hubby a speedy recovery. Shopping is on the agenda today. Mardi Gras Party and karaoke at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning. Just fixed hubby his weekly big breakfast and just have time to sit down for a cup of coffee. We are going to a visitation for a friend who passed a few days ago this morning.

Back to cloudy and chilly. There is even talk of snow Monday morning!

Happy Saturday!

I'm waiting for news about my mother, but also trying to figure out how to get to Hamilton if needed.

Hope you get some good news about your mom, hagatha.

We've all been calling all day and nobody ever answers the phone at the nurse's station. We have no idea what's going on.

Well, that's not a good thing. How worrying... does she have an attending physician you can contact?

There is no way to reach a specific doctor at the hospital, or at least the operator isn't willing or able to put me through. My sister Hannah has the doctor's name but he didn't give her any contact information; you are automatically transferred to the nurse's station, and nobody ever answers the phone. Hospitals in Ontario are severely understaffed, it seems.

Well, SUPPOSEDLY, no news is good news, but I certainly agree that is frustrating!

This is just not acceptable when you are trying to get information on a loved one!

I finally heard from the nurse. There's been no real change; she's stable for now but they had to drain her lungs yesterday so it's not great. My Victoria sister will be there tomorrow.

Oh, I certainly agree that you should be able to talk to somebody, Drac!

Good Morning everyone! Wide Awake dark brew awaits!

Hagatha keeping your mom in my prayers.

Draclvr we are expecting snow Monday night thru all day Tuesday...it may be the same weather heading this way.

Hope you all enjoy a peaceful Sunday and those who stay up late enjoy the Super Bowl!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Going to a Birthday Party for a friend today. Chili Cookoff / Super Bowl Party at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone and happy Super Bowl day.

The coffee and treats are marvelous Gerry and Connie.

Hagatha, will keep you, mother and family in our thoughts and prayers...good news that your sister will arrive today. I understand many medical facilities are short on staff and the nurse (RN) shortage is not any better down here in the states.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning. Stayed up too late reading, so I'm late to the break room this morning. Yup, there's coffee left!

So glad you finally have some news about your mother this morning, hagatha. Hope they can get the heart failure stabilized for her.

Just me and hubby for the Super Bowl game today... making our traditional home-made pizza. We don't go to a noisy bar because we actually want to watch the game!

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. My mother is 92; she's had a full life and isn't afraid of death.

Good Morning and Welcome to Monday everyone! A very close Super Bowl score! Wide Awake dark brew is ready!

Hope everyone has a good start to the week.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Quite the Super Bowl! Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. My timing is great ... coffee and bagels ... thank you Gerry and Connie. Hagatha, were you able to get your planning done--how to get to Hamilton? Draclvr, we enjoyed the game at home too with homemade snacks ... congratulations Chiefs. Wishing you all a wonderful Monday.

Good morning. Whew! What a football game. A cliffhanger to the very end. And I don't care what the haters say, I think Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is the sweetest romance ever. It's just nice to see some joy and happiness. Not a fan of her music, but she is one very talented and savvy woman.

We are supposed to have snow today... shouldn't stay around as the ground temps are too warm.

Happy Monday!

Soot, my mother has actually stabilized and they're talking about her going home in a few days once they have her medications tweaked. She doesn't want us coming out to visit right now. In the meantime, I can get my house ready for having a stranger come to stay; I need a safety deposit box at the very least. It would also mean finding a way to secure all of my financial records, which is not easy given that there is no basement here. I can't lock the crawl space since the furnace is down there. I have some time now to get all of that ready.

Draclvr, I feel the same about Swift; I really (really) don't like her music but you have to admire her accomplishments.

Who is the stranger coming to stay with you, hagath?

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, and everyone. Come join me for some dark brew Wide Awake coffee...it awaits!

We are getting snow...big snow flakes coming down right now...beautiful to watch. Snow will end early this afternoon...we are expecting 4 to 8 inches in the latest update. I might be able to take a short walk if the snow stops early enough this afternoon...may be too slippery though.

Hope you all have a good day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. My next to the oldest son is taking me to get a new phone today. The one I have works fine, but it is no longer supported. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Gerry, Connie, Draclvr Hagatha and everyone. The coffee is a must Gerry...thanks...enjoy the snowfall...I miss it...but be careful if you go walking. Have fun shopping for a new phone Connie. Grocery shopping is on my docket today. And I imagine I'll chip away at my To-Do List.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!

Good morning. The coffee smells heavenly, Gerry!

The snow we were supposed to get yesterday stayed south of us. Sunny and cold today - seems like a good day to plant my pepper seeds. Some of the pepper seeds take a month to even germinate!

The closest I will get to snow is playing a little more of Flake The Legend of Snowblind - I can throw all the snowballs I want!

Happy Tuesday!

Anyone I hire to housesit. I have a friend who has people house-sit for her and she knows the ropes. Even with a company like Trusted House Sitters she's had a couple of horror stories; she was looking in with her camera app on her phone on one occasion and witnessed a wild party going on in her house. Another time the woman who was supposed to be housesitting was only there a couple of times a day. I'm not a very trusting person. I worry about theft or even worse, identity theft.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, and everyone. The usual dark Wide Awake coffee is brewed and waiting!

We got over a foot of snow yesterday and overnight the slush on the roads froze so no walking for me today. Temps in the 20s today with wind chills in the teens.

Enjoy your Valentines Day...

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Lunch and Netflix with a friend today. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Happy Valentines Day. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning! Had to go with hubby to a hearing aid follow up appointment. He wanted me to be there in case there was some tech stuff he didn't understand. Of course it wasn't necessary! These folks are used to dealing with older people who are not tech savvy.

I'm like you, hagatha. I would definitely NOT be trusting for someone to house sit. A friend actually DID trust someone she knew to house sit and take care of her dogs. When she got back, the dogs were traumatized, but the woman said she didn't do anything. Obviously, she did, but nothing could be proven. Luckily we have our closest friends who we trust to take care of the chickens and the cats. Although Andy is scared of Bob the rooster and takes a broom into the chicken house with him! Bob doesn't like strangers! We just board Bella the Bloodhound.

A FOOT of snow, Gerry! Holy smokes!

Happy Hump Day!

Good morning Draclvr Gerry Connie Hagatha and all who pop in later this day.

The Wide Awake coffee was brewed to perfection Gerry and is the perfect companian to Connie's Danish this morning. Wow Gerry, a foot of snow and it sounds like you won't be walking until the sidewalks are cleared. Have fun at Eagles tonight Connie. Draclvr, I'm with you and Hagatha when it comes to caring for our little buddy's or our home.

Happy Valentine's Day

It's a gorgeous sunny day and Dude has not stopped pacing and chirping since I got up. I can't think straight. It's a good thing he's so darn cute.

My mother went home this morning, so I guess she's stable and her medications have been tweaked properly. I suspect she'll need some in-home care if we can find any for her.


EDIT: I finally opened the French door and let Dude out. He just walked around the garden sniffing plants (probably the P-mail left by other cats). Willow decided she wanted out, too, so I let her out. All she wanted to do was chase Dude back in. Not sure what that was all about.

Good Morning Connie, Draclvr, soot, hagatha and everyone. The Wide Awake dark brew is on! Today will be a welcome sunny day. I have an appointment at the car dealer...hoping all goes well...I love my old Subaru Forester...don't ever want to buy a new car again...so much to learn just to start one!!

It is going to take a long time for all our snow to melt with the cold temps we are having. More snow expected tonight and again Saturday, but only a couple inches.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Gerry, I miss the snow, but not that much snow. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Thanks for the wide awake dark brew Gerry ... hope your car appointment goes smoothly like mine did this morning. Connie, I'm up for an asiago bagel today. Hope you all have a great day.

Asiago bagels sound wonderful. In fact, I think I'll see if the nice bakery in Qualicum makes them. If not, there's always the asiago focaccia at the local organic store, but a nice, chewy bagel is the best.

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha and everone. As always Wide Awake dark brew is ready to enjoy.

Connie the snow is beautiful when it's falling, but messy roads and icy patches in the driveway can be treacherous for us old folks!

My appointment for the car went well soot. The mechanic said my car is the cleanest Subaru he has ever worked on and has been doing it for over 10 years! My hubby always took pride in taking care of it.

Hagatha hope your mom continues to do well.

Enjoy your Friday and the weekend!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Getting used to my computer upgrade with Windows 11, and my new phone. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

T.G.I.F. good morning everyone. Glad to hear the appointment went smoothly Gerry...the coffee is marvelous. Enjoying the donuts this morning Connie...I am still getting used to Windows 11 on one of my computers too Projects and chores on the docket today for me. Wishing everyone a great day!

It's almost good afternoon here! Had to drive hubby to an eye doctor appointment. He gets injections in one eye for macular degeneration and can't see a thing afterwards. Then had to deliver meds down to the horse rescue.

It's snowing like mad here! It isn't supposed to amount to much, but it sure is pretty.

It's a good day to stay snuggled by my computer and my little heater and do some gaming. Since I finished Flake, I'll have to see what else I have on the pile.

Happy Friday!

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday! I smell the Wide Awake dark brew...it's almost ready!

Hope you all have a relaxing day. It is snowing here this morning...expecting about 2 inches...may not be able to walk. It will be a good gaming day.

Enjoy your day everyone!

Gerry

Good morning Gerry and Draclvr. Thanks for putting the coffee on this morning Gerry. Wishing you, Draclvr and neighbors a nice relaxing, snowy kind of day. We'll be gaming later today also ... but think I have a grocery run to make first

Have a great Saturday everyone

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Dinner and Trivia at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning. Just sitting down to enjoy my Saturday morning breakfast. I don't normally eat breakfast because I really don't want food until much later! But when I cook hubby's big breakfast on Saturday, I have a slice of bacon and a small glass of orange juice! Now, ON to that wide awake brew - thanks Gerry!

We got about 3 inches of very pretty snow yesterday. My hummingbird porch is full of birds at the bird feeders... mostly cardinals, but lots of others too.

Not too much on the agenda today, but hubby is going to a local butcher to pick up some beef we ordered from a farmer. We split a side with my son. Good timing because I only have a few things left from the last one we ordered about this time last year. We had gotten half a hog from the neighbors last year too. The meat from these local farmers is SOOOO much better than anything from the grocery store. Plus, they don't come from factory farms which makes me feel better too. I'm nearly a vegetarian in the summer when the gardens are growing, but hubby MUST have his meat!

Happy Saturday!

Good morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone. Wide Awake dark brew is on as always.

It is a cold morning here only in the teens. We had about 3 inches of snow too Draclvr...it continued off and on till late afternoon. Didn't get to walk...to slippery.

Hope you all enjoy a relaxing Sunday.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Another rainy day here. Shopping is on the agenda for today. Enjoy your day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. That wide awake brew is marvelous Gerry and with Connie's bagels I am set for breakfast...thank you both. My grocery shopping was slipped to today with errands tacked on while I'm out and about. Hope the conditions improve and you get out for a walk today Gerry. The birds have been enjoying our feeders too Draclvr and I look forward to the hummingbird's return. Have a great day everyone.

A bit late for the wide awake double dark brew for me now but I had a cup earlier today. Made wonders.
Over here still snow but no arctic blizzards anymore. Days are getting longer and the big yellow ball in the sky made an appearance again.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Good morning! Snow will start melting today, but it sure was pretty while it lasted!

Working on taxes today. I'm always so glad to get THAT over with!

Happy Sunday!

Good morning, everyone.

I've been having the worst asthma attack of my life. My doctor has changed my prescription, so hopefully it'll clear up soon. The problem is that there are so many wood-burning fireplaces and furnaces around here. Going out for a walk sometimes sets me off for a day or two. I may have to start walking somewhere other than my neighbourhood.

Today is the start of weeding around my property. Now that the pruning is done, I want to get everything ready for Spring.

It's tax season here, too. I'm waiting for two more documents and then I'll get to my accountant.

That sounds awful, hagatha. There were a couple of ski resort towns in Colorado that had to ban wood burning stoves and fireplaces because of the extreme air pollution. I'd like to start weeding here, but there is still too much snow and it's too cold for me!

Good Morning Connie, soot, Fogfighter, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone! Double darkd Wide Awake coffee awaits to start your Monday.

Glad you enjoyed the double dark Wide Awake brew Fogfighter, even if late in the day yesterday. Draclvr, I am glad to say I filed my taxes a couple weeks ago...one less stress to deal with.

Hagatha my daughter has a problem with asthma and when she walks on those days that the air quality is bad she wears a mask...it does help filter out the pollutants...maybe that would help you too.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Gerry

Good Morning Connie, soot, Gerry, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone!

Finally Monday again! Over here new snow but also warmer. The tax season will soon begin over here too. Those with complex tax situations have, or ought to have, already begun the paperwork. I expect no drama so I can still enjoy the DDWAB in peace.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good Morning Connie, Gerry, Fogfighter, Draclvr, Hagatha and everyone else who pops in for coffee and treats. The Double Dark Wide Awake coffee is wonderful Gerry and will couple nicely with Danish from Connie. I've always enjoyed a blanket of new snow FogFighter. Footprints and tracks are temporarily erased. And the air feels crisp and clean inviting you to step outside and experience the peacefulness of winter.

I can only imagine what the air quality was like back when the only heating options were wood and coal Hagatha and Draclvr.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Gerry, unfortunately when I wear a mask I feel like I can't breathe at all. COVID was difficult for me because of that, especially when I had to spend hours in the hospital with John. Hopefully the new medication will do the trick for me. This is definitely the worst asthma attack I've ever had. I'm coughing all night and I just feel like staying in bed all day. I have no energy, not even for gaming.

Some municipalities in BC have banned woodsmoke, but most of the older rural and semi-rural homes here on the Island all seem to be wood-heated and people burn leaves in the Fall, too.

So Dude is now Outdoor Boy. He's happier than I've ever seen him. I can't get him to understand the cat flap into the garage but I'm working on it. Until I can get another flap installed, I want him to at least have a protected spot if he can't get in because I'm out. Willow has decided she'd rather stay inside with me. It's cold and there's no food bowl out there.

Where I live in Eastern Missouri there was a time when we did not meet Federal air quality standards. St. Louis is the major metropolitan city and all the contiguous counties were included in a very strict regulation to mitigate the air quality. One thing that was banned was leaf burning in addition to ALL open burning during the months of April through September. That along with special pollution reduction on vehicle gas pumps and strict limits on factories on their emissions slowly but surely turned things around. When I first started working for the Department of Natural Resources enforcing these regulations, the air was orange in the mornings in the summer. My eyes would be burning by the time I got home about an hour west of the office. But the air is clear now even in the metropolitan area.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to a new week!

Way back when I was young, I used to love to file my taxes. For about the last 5 or 6 years of my tax filing days, I used a service. I don't have any reason to file taxes anymore though now.

I also love a crisp winter day with fresh fallen snow, soot.

I don't know about the air quality, but I do remember my grandparents having a coal furnace and the house I grew up in had an oil stove which kept us quite warm. When we had to get rid of that, all we had was a space heater that really only heated the living room. All other rooms, we froze, and we used to use the kitchen stovetop burners a lot!

Well, enough reminiscing. Have a good day all!

oldbroad, I remember being terrified of our old coal furnace which had been converted to fuel oil! I had to walk by it to get to the storage room where mom had all her canned goods and potatoes in the burlap bags. I guess I thought it was some kind of monster in the basement!

Drac, I thought I was the only one! And we had to get past it to go our canned good storage too! What a flashback!

Hey everyone!

It didn't help that there was no light in that back room - after I had to walk past the terror of the old furnace, I had to go into that dark room to pick up potatoes to bring upstairs! I always prayed it wouldn't kick on while I was walking by it!

You too, eh!!

Bates Motel 😱😱😱

Grandma's coal furnace and coal room didn't bother me a bit but the oil storage room in our basement did. No lights in there and all the way at the far end of the basement; 3 barrels of oil, if I remember correctly, transferring oil by flashlight from a barrel to some container that then got poured into our stove in our living room.

Our lighting was a pull light that you needed to go right next to it in order to turn on and yes, heaven forbid it turned on with it's loud roar and flames! That was scary as heck!

My paternal grandmother had a grand old house with a huge, very dark and spooky basement that had a monstrous old boiler in a back room that had no light. None of us would go in there when we were kids.

I'm starting to think this isn't an asthma attack, or at least not entirely. I can't stop coughing. My luck may have finally run out on the COVID thing, even with all the boosters. It's a good thing I loaded up on cat food when I went out yesterday! I've got my priorities straight.

Oh, my, I hope not! Can you take a COVID test? I have at least 6 of them here which I got when the government was sending them out for free. I am so grateful for the vaccines and all the boosters. If Trump did nothing else, he did that for us in record time and I am grateful to him for it. My husband would have been one of those who had to go on a ventilator or would have died without them according to his doctor. He was just extremely sick for about 5 days. A good friend who refused all of them and was a super healthy 62 years of age and died.

Even if it is COVID, you will be fine since you are vaccinated and boostered! Just maybe miserable for awhile. Hang in there and maybe it's just a cold!

I do have to go to the pharmacy tomorrow to get some cough medicine so I'll grab a box of COVID tests while I'm there. I've been coughing and feeling low for a few days so I doubt I'm contagious at this point. Also, my new asthma medication should be ready soon so I'll be able to try that, too. I almost never get sick, but unfortunately when I get something in my chest it tends to stick around for a while.

I keep my fingers crossed for you Hagatha. Be better soon.
I'll make some double dark wide awake coffee for you and for the rest of the boomer team.
I'm not sure it helps against coughing but it's a good start of the day.

Good Morning and Welcome to Tuesday Fogfighter, Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, oldbroad, Ana, Mad and everyone! Happy to hear you are enjoying the double dark Wide Awake brew soot.

I also grew up with the "pantry" in the basement near the big old oil burning furnace, but we did have a light in the pantry!

Hagatha you should ask the pharmacists about taking the asthma medicine if you have Covid...you may need the therapy meds for Covid and it could cause a reaction...check with your doctor too. Lets us know how you are doing...sending healing prayers your way too.

Enjoy a peaceful day everyone.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Lunch and Netflix with a friend today. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Hagatha, hugs and prayers are on the way. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

hagatha, hope you feel better quick. We have a lot of prescribed burns here and yesterday was brutal where I had to hike with 100+acres burning next to where I hike my client dogs. The only real trigger I have for my asthma is wood/leaf smoke. I was shocked I had no reaction yesterday, even one of my dogs I was walking was having issues. My daughter, grandson and 2 clients are all home with covid right now. At least it's like a cold for them all but I am still staying far away! Hope your meds help!

Gerry, hope your snow is better and you can get out for a walk! We have frozen grass in the morning and then it is springlike in the afternoon. Finally!

Connie, anything good on Netflix? Enjoy!

fogfighter, have a great day!

Drac, we will have to agree to disagree on the vaccine. I thank God every day that I stood fast and refused them all given all the health issues coming to light from those that took them. Thankfully, we still have the right to choose for now.

Have a great day oldbroad, soot, Mad and all to follow!

Good morning Ana Connie Gerry FogFighter Hagatha Draclvr OldBroad Mad and everyone else who pops in for Break Room double dark wide awake coffee. The coffee is a hit with me FogFighter. Hagatha, I hope you get well soon. I remember my grandparents furnace in the basement and their huge attic which was fun to explore as a kid. Enjoy lunch and Netflix Connie. Glad you made it past your burns without too much trouble Ana. That's good news the air quality is better Draclvr. Happy Tuesday y'all.

Good morning! It's prescribed burn time around here too. It's an excellent way to control underbrush and exotic plants. It's the way good old mother nature used to do it! But the smoke can be awful - even when the burn is many miles away.

Yes, as with any medication there are always potential side effects. I laugh when I see commercials on TV for medications which always end up with long warnings about a chance of the most horrible consequences and I wonder how people are brave enough to take them! Luckily no one in my huge circle of family and friends ever had any issues with the COVID vaccines and boosters. Other than a sore arm - when was less than a tetanus booster - I never even knew I'd gotten it. And my hubby is alive because of the vaccine. So, any risk was well worth it. At our ages and health issues, we weren't taking any chances. It's why we always get a flu vaccine every year too. Thank heavens we can all make choices that are best for us!

Hagatha, hope you can get your coughing sorted out!

Happy Tuesday!

Good morning and thank for the good wishes. As soon as I've had coffee I'll shoot down to the little local pharmacy and grab whatever I need. Then It's curling up with Willow and a cup of chai for some Netflix in front of the fire. I have nothing on my schedule for a couple of days so I'll just take it easy.

Dude is outside so we won't have to listen to the pacing and chirping. He's started to understand that once he's in for his dinner that's it; he doesn't go out again. It's nice to see him so happy and stress-free, and he's very affectionate when he's at home.

I had no reaction to the COVID vaccinations either. The one that really got me was the Shingles vaccine. That one hurt for about ten days. Having seen how much John suffered with shingles, I'm glad I got the shot.

The Shingles vaccine wasn't a big deal for me, but hubby was like you. But I've seen how a couple of people have suffered with shingles. Nope, I'll take the vaccine!

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day everyone. I am so ready for a mug of double dark Wide Awake brew this morning! It is chilly in the house!

Lots of budget, insurance, and paperwork issues to get to today. Looking forward to a nice long walk this morning.

Hope you all enjoy a stress free day!

Gerry

Good morning boomers. I'll make some DDWAB for the room. Over here snow and fog but no blizzard. The furnace in the basement runs on electricty. Which can be scary when bills arrive.

Happy Wednesday!

Same to you Fogfighter!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Nothing special on Netflix right now, just whatever strikes our fancy. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. It's so much fun, we all sing and get up and dance. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Gerry FogFighter Connie and all who follow I am ready for your double dark wide awake brew Gerry and will enjoy it all morning. Music bingo sounds fun Connie. Headed to the library this afternoon with grandson to research Fourier transform for a school project. Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone

LOL, Fogfighter! I'm sure my 6 year-old self would NOT have been afraid of an electric furnace 70 years ago!

Hubby is going fishing today at our small lake on the family farm about 15 minutes from here today. Supposed to be 70 degrees today!

Happy Wwednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm just now enjoying some of that coffee!

I am reading a detective book right now soot, that deals with students studying Fourier transform. Before this, I never heard of it.

Hard to believe we're almost through February already. Where do the days go?

Good Morning Foffighter, Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, oldbroad, and everyone. A fresh pot of double dark Wide Awake Brew awaits! It is going to warm up a little here today, but we are expecting some mixed precipitation overnight.

Hope you all enjoy a stress free day!

Gerry

Indeed a very unscary furnace. Very useful too. Nice to be in a warm house when there's snow outdoors.
There may be some spring this year too, but not yet.

I'll make some DDWAB for the room. Makes wonder. Happy Thursday GameBoomers

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Draclvr, it's warming up here too...we hit the low 70s yesterday and expect the same today. Fogfighter & Gerry, I'll be enjoying the coffee all morning and early afternoon. Connie, I'm up for an asiago bagel this morning! OldBroad, we found a good book for grandson's project...my advanced math days are long gone

Have a great Thursday everyone.

Good morning! So nice and peaceful sitting here with my Wide Awake coffee...

Another warmish day ahead. Hubby didn't catch many fish, but they had a good time anyway. I got my oven cleaned, so it was a good day yesterday.

League bowling tonight. We advanced to 3rd place last week, so hope I bowl well tonight. I never know if I'll bowl a 190 or a 90!

Happy Thursday!

Good Morning Fogfighter, Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone. Welcome to Friday!

I am so glad you all are enjoying the double dark Wide Awake coffee! It has become my favorite brew.

It is raining here today and will be all day. A good day for gaming.

Enjoy your start to the weekend!

Gerry

Good Morning Gerry, Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha and everyone.

Enjoying the Friday already. DDWAB makes it even better.

Over here the sky is gray, the snow slowly melts away, but no bare ground today.

Happy Friday

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Karaoke with friends at Hacienda tonight. Enjoy the day and Hug someone.

Good morning everyone. You are spot on Fogfighter, Gerry's double dark wide awake coffee makes every day a great day. And with a bagel or two from Connie's treats...it just doesn't get much better than that. Hope you did well last night Draclvr ... maybe even 200+ games to advance. We had rain last night Gerry but the skies are clearing for sunshine this afternoon.,,have fun gaming. Connie, have fun at the Hacienda tonight.

Have a wonderful T.G.I.F. everyone

Good morning. Ah, Friday - even though I've been retired for almost 15 years, I still look forward to it. Some Wide Awake brew and I'm set for the day.

Fogfighter, I think you have make a little poem there!

I've bowled over 200, soot, but it's been a very long time! We all did quite well, but the other team out did us and we only won one game. A young lady in our league on the lanes next to us bowled a 298! The Bowling Alley was there filming her last ball just in case she threw that last strike and got a perfect 300 game. But she missed that last strike... it was still pretty exciting!

Enjoy your Friday!

Good morning, all. I'm just starting to recover from the worst asthma attack I've ever had. Last night I was actually having trouble getting enough air. Fortunately my pharmacy in Comox couriered my new medication yesterday so things are starting to subside, but it got me thinking about who would take care of my cats if I ended up in the hospital. I'd better make sure that a couple of neighbours have a key to my place. There are two who I would trust to take care of the beasts if I was out of commission for a couple of days.

The weather here is quite lovely, getting warmer. My garden is looking great except for one Rhodo that, although its leaves are a lovely dark green, is drooping badly. No idea what that's about, so I'll grab a picture and take it to the local nursery as soon as I feel able to leave the house.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, Fofighter and everyone. Glad you all enjoy the double dark Wide Awake brew...it is ready to start your day this morning!

We will have a cold day with wind chills making it feel like it is in the single digits today. Hope to get a walk in any way...have to bundle up for sure!

Have a great day!

Gerry

Good Morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Karaoke at the Eagles tonight. Hagatha, positive vibes this medication works for you. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. I'll have a coffee and danish this morning Gerry and Connie. Wow, 298, I can imagine that was very exciting Draclvr. Hagatha, I glad to hear you got the new meds and are improving. I'm off to prep for the family D&D game. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Just described the local weather, threw a bunch of words together



Happy Saturday everyone!

Good morning everyone.

Yesterday's Gentle Yoga session really helped clear out the lungs as it's mostly about the breathing. The studio is in the instructor's home nearby, so it's pretty handy.

Later this morning I'm going to the local nursery to pick up some plant food and see if I can track down what's wrong with my Rhodo. I was going to do some weeding but it's raining again and will be all week.

It doesn't sound like any of these apply, but I found this for a droopy rhododendron. It also says they usually come out of it.

Rhododendron leaves can droop due to several reasons:

Extreme heat: Drooping foliage on a rhododendron is common in extreme heat. If the air temperature tops 95 degrees F, the foliage will often droop. To help prevent this make sure the shrub has sufficient water. The soil should never be soggy wet, but it should be moist to the touch. Spray the foliage with a fine water mist every day during extreme heat.

Cold weather: Drooping leaves occur when the temperature drops. The leaves begin to droop when temperatures reach zero. Below zero, rhododendron leaves curl. That’s a defense against sun damage because surprisingly, shrubs can be exposed to more light exposure in the winter, despite shorter days.

Drought: The most common cause of wilted leaves on Rhododendrons is usually drought or cold weather. They usually recover once conditions are ideal again.

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, Fogfighter and everyone! Double dark Wide Awake brew awaits your arrival in the break Room. It will be a sunny but chilly day here...a nice day for a long walk. I so enjoy them!

Hope you all have a relaxing, peaceful Sunday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Shopping is on the agenda this morning. Going to a Birthday party for my next to the oldest son this afternoon. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Looking forward to enjoying the double dark wide awake brew all morning Gerry...enjoy your long walk. Connie, I'm going to enjoy donuts today...have fun at the birthday party. Hagatha, glad to hear you're on the mend ... yoga is a great mindfulness activity. Have a wonderful Sunday Draclvr, Fogfighter and all who pop in later.

Happy Sunday to all of you and thanks for greetings. Already dark over here and most of the Sunday gone. The DDWAB was as usual a hit. Now too late to have any more of it. Going to have a look at the quizzes and anagrams.
Enjoy the Sunday boomers.

Good morning everyone.

Draclvr, thanks for the information on Rhodos. I think the cold snap might have been the issue. This particular Rhodo also sulked all summer, so I suspect it's less tolerant of extreme temperature changes. All of the other Rhodos in the garden are very happy.

Doing not much of anything today. I just had a long chat with my mother, who is starting to sound her age all of a sudden. She's got Home Care people looking in on her every day now, so we don't need to worry so much.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, Fogfighter, hagatha and everyone! Wide Awake double dark brew is ready...so glad you all enjoy it too!

I just realized daylight savings time is almost here...less then 2 weeks and we change the clocks..."spring ahead". It is always a difficult adjustment for me. I wish we didn't have to change the clocks.

We are going to have mild temperatures this week so hopefully the snow starts to melt...Spring is almost here...at least on the calendar!

Have a stress free day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning! I don't have any problems with the time changes, but I still absolutely hate it! They keep talking about getting rid of it, but nothing ever happens.

I also really don't like this weather we have coming up... mid-70's and then tomorrow in the 80's. It's just unnatural - it's still February! I've been reading in my Farmer's Almanac that this could be a brutal summer.

The British Columbia government has been promising us that the time changes will end, but we're still waiting. I hate it, too. It throws off my sleep for weeks. At least the early morning tragic opera singing outside my bedroom door will be at 6:30 instead of 7:30, for a few weeks, anyway.

It's a glorious but very cold morning and yesterday afternoon we had hail. Only one problem with all that sunshine; it shows how very dirty my windows are! When it warms up again I'd better wash them. This is the first house I've ever owned that has windows I can reach all around.

My windows are on my list this year too. They haven't been done for at least 3 years and are awful. I only do the downstairs windows as I'm NOT getting on any ladders any more! I have lots of windows, so I use my power washer set on low to spray a cleaning solution and rinse; then I wipe them down to dry and hope there aren't any streaks!

Oh my goodness where did the day go? Time sure flies when you're busy ...

Wow, speaking of time, I can't believe it's time to spring ahead already...I agree Draclvr, I wish they would drop it and/or just keep one time setting all year. Seems to me folks got along just fine before we started changing the time twice a year...too many special interest groups lining pockets I guess Gerry and Connie, I've been enjoying your brew and bagels all day! Best wishes with your windows Drac & Hagatha ... I'll get to mine this spring. Wishing everyone a wonderful Monday...take care!

It was snowing earlier on. That's after days after day of very warm weather. It's a good evening to curl up in front of the fire with a cat and a good book.

Good Morning Connie, Draclvr, hagatha, soot and everyone. Special double dark brew Wide Awake is ready to enjoy. Another sunny day ahead...great for a nice long walk.

Hope you all have a super Tuesday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. I don't like the time change either, it throws me off for days. I also have to many clocks to change. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. The special double dark brew wide awake coffee is wonderful Gerry. Connie, enjoy bowling tonight, in the mean time I will enjoy some asiago bagels today. Snow, a warm fire, cat and good book sound like the perfect combo Hagatha. Tootin Toosday to you all ... enjoy the day!

Same here in Europe. Already B.C. (before corona) we were promised an end to this abomination but it's still here. One side the powers in charge can credibly claim to have been busy with more pressing matters.. on the other hand they are missing an opportunity to improve our lives with only minimal efforts.


Anyway.. thanks for the coffee and happy Tuesday everyone

Popping in to say Good Morning since I'm actually up pretty early today. I don't even bother changing my clocks anymore. I just have to adjust how I look at them. I don't do much of anything that relies on what time it is anyway and my computer is always on with the correct time and date. I have a harder trouble with what day it is but that shows on my computer too.

Have a good day all!

Good morning everyone.

We're back into winter this week! It's supposed to snow today. Not enough to shovel, and it will probably melt by tomorrow.

The problem with the cancellation of time changes is that every country is waiting for every other country to do it. It feels like it will never happen.

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day Connie, soot, Fogfighter, oldbroad, Draclvr! Extra dark Wide Awake brew is ready. We are having a stormy, rainy day today...temp right now is 50 degrees, but will drop as the day goes on and the cold front moves in. High winds may cause power outages here too. it will be a good day to puzzle and some gaming.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Today is the 10th Anniversary of the day I lost the Love of my life, also his Birthday. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Thinking about you, Connie

Good morning everyone. Enjoying Gerry's coffee and Connie's bagels this Wednesday. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers today Connie knowing your memories are now treasures. Take care everyone and have a wonderful Hump Day.

I woke up this morning to howling winds and driving rain -- so much for that snow! Dude went racing off out, only to come back soaked to the skin and outraged at the weather. He's stomping around complaining right now.

Connie, I'm told that as time goes on the memories become sweeter. I hope that's true, for you and for me.

Good morning! Howling winds and temps dropping over 60 degrees overnight to well below freezing. Yesterday we had 85 degrees and a little further south it hit 90. WAY too hot. We are sending our cold out to you, Gerry! So glad my ancient old barn kitty is inside now with this weather...

Peace to you today, Connie.

Happy Hump Day!

Good morning all.

We had that weather yesterday. Upper 60's, storms, and today low 20's.

Hugs to you Connie. I had a dream last night about one of my deceased brothers, but (as usual) I can't really remember what it was about. I really enjoy seeing my departed loved ones in my dreams.

Have a good day all.

Good Morning Connie, Mad, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, oldbroad and everyone. Welcome to Leap Year day. The double dark Wide Awake brew is ready.

Connie it has been almost 5 months since I lost my Bill, the love of my life...you are in my thoughts and prayers as are you hagatha...I hope you are right about memories becoming sweeter hagatha.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Thank You for all the kind thoughts and prayers. Today I will go and listen to a friend and her group sing at a nursing home. I can't explain what it's like to watch the faces of the residents and see recognition of the songs being sung, it's so Beautiful. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Connie, Gerry, Draclvr, Hagatha, OldBroad and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in for a visit. Thank you for the coffee and bagels Gerry and Connie...my daily morning treat here in the Break Room. We had the warmer weather too yesterday and then temps dropped last night and today...anticipating rain tomorrow and next week which is good as we can use it. Have a wonderful day everyone.

I've finally received the last of the tax documents I need so I have to knuckle down and spend a couple of hours on my tax return. Last year it was an awful scramble and I'm trying to avoid that this year.

Good morning and it's a cold one here again. Gerry, that Wide Awake Brew is just the ticket.

I got the last of my tax documents this week too, hagatha. But I will wait to finish doing them until this weekend.

League bowling tonight. Happy Thursday!

Good morning everyone.

Unfortunately, I have to leave my house today for about a half hour. I cannot wait to be back home.

See you all later!

connie, I meant to post yesterday to send you hugs, but it got away from me.

Hey everyone! It's been crazy busy here between boarders, and my clients needing extra walks and hubby healing from surgery. I do read every day though and wish you all well!

I just look forward to your smiling dogs on Facebook! They make my day!

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr, oldbroad, Ana and everyone. Wide Awake extra strong dark brew is ready...I've already had 2 cups!

Ana nice to see you pop in to the break room. Sending healing prayers for your hubby and prayers for you, Ana for a stress free weekend.

Good Luck with your taxes hagatha and Draclvr. Soot your extra large mug of double dark brew awaits!

Wishing everyone a peaceful Friday!

Gerry

Greetings: hope you are all doing okay apart from what has been mentioned above.

Is anyone else spicing up Wordle by playing Victordle (previously called Cowordle)?

Something to make you smile:

I finally stopped drinking for good. Now I just drink for evil.

They say we can have gatherings with up to eight people without issues. I don't even know eight people without issues.

Friend: "Look! Your husband is talking to another girl." Me: "Let him. I want to see how long he can suck-in his stomach."

I have opened a can of worms. They just sit there, the worms. Hardly the chaos that's been advertised.

I think the proper name for older women should be "Queen-agers". That's it. Carry on.

I went line dancing last night. Well ... it was a roadside sobriety test ... same thing ...

Theme parks can snap a crystal-clear picture of you on a roller coaster going 70 mph, but bank cameras can't get a clear shot of a robber standing still.

Did you know that people who look after chickens are literally Chicken Tenders?

The fastest land mammal is not a cheetah ... it's a toddler who has just been asked "what's in your mouth?"

Dear paranoid people who check behind their shower curtains for murderers ... if you do find one, what's your plan?

The more I get to know people, the more I realize why Noah only let animals on the boat.

Facial recognition software can pick a person out of a crowd but the vending machine at work can't recognize a dollar bill with a bent corner.

Research has shown that laughing for two minutes is just as healthy as a twenty-minute jog. So now I sit in the park and laugh at all the joggers.

When my wife is mad at me, I tighten all the jar lids, so she has to talk to me.

Covid-19 Fact: 87% of gym members don't even know their gym is closed.

Every day, thousands of innocent plants are killed by vegetarians. Help stop the violence - eat bacon.

I never make the same mistake twice. I do it like, five or six times, you know, to make sure.

Someone just honked to get me out of my parking space faster, so now I just have to sit here until both of us are dead.

My train of thought derailed. There were no survivors.

I know it's time to clean out my purse when my car assumes it's an extra passenger who isn't wearing a seat belt.

In the 1980s I fell off my bike and hurt my knee. I'm telling you this now because we didn't have social media then.

Some people seem to have aged like fine wine. I aged like milk ... I got sour and chunky.

I still have a full deck; I just shuffle and deal slower.

Crafter’s philosophy ... why pay $7 for it when you can make it with $92 of craft supplies?

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

T.G.I.F. good morning everyone and welcome to March. I really enjoyed yesterday's extra leap day and I am ready for Gerry's extra large coffee and a cinnamon crunch bagel from Connie. We're starting a much needed slow rain soak today. Most excellent thoughts for today Lex which put a smile on me. Take care everyone.

Good Friday morning! Lex, the last one about crafters spending $92 on something that should cost $7 is 100% spot on!! LOL!

We had a little snow shower about 4 am this morning, but it's mostly gone now.

Looks like a lazy day ahead today - time for a little gaming! Just finished a Tomb Raider from 2013, so will have to pick something else from the pile.

Good morning all, Snowing here in ORegon. Happy March to us all.

Lex, your funnies really made me smile.

We are getting a lot more rain here at this time along with some wind and possibly a lot more snow - the snow level is somewhat unclear at this point. The worst is supposed to hit us tomorrow. Hopefully no power outages but it's always a possibility around here. We had a nine-and-a-half hour outage a few weeks ago after the rough weather had passed through.

Wishing all a pleasant Friday!

Thanks for the morning laughs, Lex. I can't decide which is my favourite. I think it might be this one: My train of thought derailed. There were no survivors.

We've got more rain. I'm off to yoga this morning and then I'll work on my taxes for a while.

Good morning! Friday and a new month - unbelievable! I think the "aged milk" one fits me, Lex!

Have a good day all!

Good morning everyone; I have a question for Draclvr (or anyone who knows) I've noticed while reading your posts that you are quite a good cook & baker; my family does love my pastry recipe but while checking out recipes on line, I came across a pastry recipe that uses very cold unsalted butter instead of shortening, I was wondering if you ever used this or your thoughts on it.

Hi, judith! When you say pastry, I'm not sure what you mean. Is that the same as a pie crust? "Pastry" can mean several different things in the US! If so, after years of using shortening or lard for my pie crust, my go-to recipe now is one using very cold unsalted butter and my food processor. If you mean something other than a pie crust, just give me more details! This dough could also be used to make any number of pastries.

Perfect Pie Crust

Thanks Draclvr; yes, I do mean pie crust. So you use unsalted butter, I'm going to give it a try & see how it comes out for me. I don't have a food processor, I just use a pastry cutter to cut the shortening into pea size pieces, it works probably not as good as a food processor. Thanks for the info.

It will work just fine with the pastry cutter too - just takes a bit more work with the super cold very hard butter. I still use my pastry cutter for a lot of things. I think it specified unsalted butter because it uses salt in the recipe. I've used salted butter too and it turns out fine.

Good Morning Lex, Connie, soot, Draclvr, BeaSong, Marian, hagatha, oldbroad, judith, and everyone! I've put on an extra pot of Wide Awake double dark brew for everyone.

Lex I'm going to share your funny "things to make you smile"...they are great! Thanks for sharing.

Marian I hope your weather calms down. We are expecting up to 1.5 inches of rain today. This winter has been the rainiest on record here...just under 19 inches for December thru February!

Draclvr and judith my mom made her pie crust from scratch using lard. She never measured her ingredients, but just knew what and how much she needed. It was the best pie crust I ever had and I could never make it come as good. It was flakey, thin, and the bottom crust was always cook...never "raw" like so many bottom crust are.

Hope everyone has a Super Saturday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Shopping is on the agenda today. Dinner and Trivia at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone... the coffee is marvelous Gerry and the bagels hit the spot Connie. We are wet too Gerry, but need the rain to refill our acquifers. Getting ready for some DnD game action and then chores and projects. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good morning and happy March everyone. Time flies and the snow is gone. Though further north King Winter still reigns.

The DDWAB tastes great as always. Makes the day. New month and a new crossword puzzle. This time kind of French themed.
Happy solving to those of you who do crosswords

Gerry, it's so far so good here. No outage yet. Lots of wind, hail, and rain which is now getting slushy. We have more rain/snow on the way but I believe the worst is over. Fingers crossed. We seem to be breaking records all over the country.

We had 30+ inches of rain here last winter! I read that it was the most rain in the winter that California had seen since Abraham Lincoln was in office!

Wishing everyone a pleasant Saturday.

I've been watching your weather, Marian, and hoped it would at least leave your power alone!

Made hubby's big breakfast and settling down with a cup of Gerry's coffee! Supposed to be back up in the 70's today. Might actually work up the energy to start cleaning out the perennial beds. The chickens have done a pretty good job already!

Happy Saturday!

Good morning everyone.

It's snowing. Wet, horrible snow. It's dark and gloomy. I doubt it will last, but it's derailing my plan to get some 25% vinegar to kill the millions of tiny weeds along the verge of my property. I need two dry days. Looks like I'll have to wait. In the meantime, the weeds are spreading.

Drac, I forgot to mention that we also had a tornado warning yesterday, which is just nuts! Fortunately the funnel cloud was about 20 miles away. That is the first time I have ever seen such a warning here.

Marian, there is just bizarre weather across the entire world. I think Mother Earth is crying for help!

Finally spring over here. But a bit north there's still snow. Today one of the greatest Nordic style ski races is ongoing in Sweden. The hundreth Vasa-race. ~90 km on ski with thousands of participants. Allegedly Gustaf Vasa, a very real king, skied that distance as an important part of the internal Nordic power struggle half a millenium ago. A nasty and violent affair. Not the race but the civic war, or liberation war, depending on how you view it.

I on the other don't ski, and certainly no 90 km. Instead I will start the day with a DDWAB. There's enough for all of you. Later today I will fight my way through the white whipped cream of a pastry. That's quite a challenge too.

Happy Sunday Gameboomers

Good Morning everyone! I hope it is a peaceful Sunday for everyone weather wise! Time to enjoy the Wide Awake double dark brew...it awaits you all!

So far we have had almost 3 inches of rain since yesterday...hoping it will stop soon. It seems whenever any of us get a change in the weather these days it is always extreme!

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Rainy stormy day here today. We need to go to Home Depot for some yard supplies today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Holy smokes, Gerry! That is a lot of rain in just one day. Warm and windy here. My daffodils are getting ready to bloom!

Grabbing another cup of coffee while I put the finishing touches on our taxes today and get that transmitted. Man, I'll be glad when they are done.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Happy Sunday all!

Drac, our daffodils started blooming about a week ago. I was afraid they were going to get buried in snow, but happily that did not happen this time - we just had a light dusting of snow. Whew. We really dodged a bullet on this one.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

Good afternoon Fogfighter, Gerry, Connie, Draclvr, OldBroad, Marian and everyone else that gets the chance to pop in. Fogfighter, that sounds like a grueling cross-country race. Gerry, I enjoyed your Wide Awake Double Dark brew all morning and am finishing the last cup now with another one of Connie's cinnamon crunch bagels...feel free to send the rain down here we can always use it to refill our aquifir, springs and wells. I hope you get a break in the rain. Congratulations Draclvr...that's a good feeling to get that paperwork done and in the mail. Marian, I hope you keep dodging the snow. Happy Sunday to you too OldBroad. Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Our power has been out 3 times today! It's out now. Good thing I charged my Kindle and got new batteries for the
Coleman lanterns!

Good Morning everyone! I'm enjoying my 2nd cup of Wide Awake double dark brew...come join me in the break room...plenty for everyone.

It turned into a beautiful sunny day yesterday with temps reaching the 60s! Spring is coming...all the snow has melted!

Hope you all have a sunny day!

Gerry

Good Monday morning all!

Some sunshine here after several days of rain, but quite cold for us (which only means a few degrees above freezing).

A bit of silliness to kick off the week:

Squirrel Infestation (or substitute your own choice of small rodent)

The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrel infestation. After much prayer and consideration, they concluded that the squirrels were predestined to be there, and they should not interfere with God’s divine will.

At the Baptist church, the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistry. The deacons met and decided to put a water-slide on the baptistry and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide and, unfortunately, knew instinctively how to swim, so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week.

The Lutheran church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God’s creatures. So, they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist church. Two weeks later, the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water-slide.

The Episcopalians tried a much more unique path by setting out pans of whiskey around their church in an effort to kill the squirrels with alcohol poisoning. They sadly learned how much damage a band of drunk squirrels can do.

But the Catholic church came up with a more creative strategy! They baptized all the squirrels and made them members of the church. Now they only see them at Christmas and Easter.

Not much was heard from the Jewish synagogue. They took the first squirrel and circumcised him. They haven’t seen a squirrel since.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Lex, thanks for starting my day with a smile. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Hagatha, I hope you get your power back soonest. Lex, thank you for the week's kick-off humor Gerry, the coffee is perfect...glad you had a sunny day yesterday. Connie, I'm going with asiago bagels today...best wish for your meeting tonight. Have a wonderful Monday everyone.

Good Monday morning. Got all the kitties taken care of and now it's time for some of Gerry's Wide Awake Brew. Another warmish day ahead - it's already 65 degrees F.

Finally got the taxes done yesterday. I will run them through the checks again and then transmit today.

That squirrel story made me snicker out loud! Each one is funnier than the last!

Happy Monday all!

I have to renew my state ID card soon. What a hassle setting up an appointment was! They make everything so difficult these days. Now I just have to hope nothing goes wrong with it.

Good morning everyone. It's a cold, bright day here.

I'm still pulling together all of the documents needed for my taxes. I do have an accountant take care of it, but I still need to make sure it's all in order. I sold two properties last year, one of which will have capital gains tax. Thankfully, John was always very methodical and while his paper filing wasn't perfect, he did scan all of the important documents so I can just print them out once I've found them on his backup drive. I was all set to start creating the summary document to send to the accountant and ran out of ink. Classic. I guess it's a trip to Staples next.

Hello and Happy March, hope the lamb part gets here quickly. It's actually quite nice out there right now.

Hubby, son and I solved a mystery box this morning. I brushed my pup and hung out in the sun a bit.

I think a movie might be next.

Lex, loved the squirrel stories. We feed so many squirrels and birds and apparently, a huge racoon.

Taxes are on my agenda for this month. Each night I say "tomorrow" and each morning, I say "nope!"

Hope you all are having a great day

Good to see you, looney4labs!

Nice to see you, looney4labs!

Hi, L4L!

I hope everyone is having a pleasant day.

Good Morning Connie, Lex, soot, Draclvr, oldbroad, hagatha, L4L, Marian and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake is ready to enjoy! It's back to rainy day today, but such a nice warm day yesterday! my daffodils are also coming up...a sure sign of spring!

Lex thanks for sharing the funnies! Hope everyone gets there taxes done.

Have a great day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Good to see you L4L. Lunch and Netflix with a friend today. Enjoy he day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Lovin the coffee and bagels. Grocery shopping is on my docket for today. Wishing you all a Tootin Toosday!

Good Tuesday morning. A little storm blew through last night, but it was just some wind and no rain. Lots cooler today though! Really the first cloudy day we've had for some time... I was growing used to the sunshine!

Taxes done, filed and already accepted by the feds and the state. Whew! Always glad to have that over with.

No snow. Cloudy outdoors. DDWAB for breakfast.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

It's a lovely morning here, and the snow is melting. I'm off to see a lawyer to redo my Will and grab some paper and ink for my printer so I can get my taxes off to the accountant.

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day everyone. Wide Awake double dark brew awaits! We had another rainy day yesterday and another rain storm coming this afternoon...expecting over 2 inches of rain. Flooding is expected throughout the state as the ground is saturated.

Hope you all get to see the sun today.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Enjoying sunshine with my coffee and bagels. We've also started the tax prep process, compliling documents, organizing, and printing so we can complete this annual event. Wishing everyone a great Wednesday.

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, and everyone.

Happy Birthday Connie!

Homemade Birthday cake for everyone to celebrate and extra dark Wide Awake brew to go with it...some ice cream too!

Enjoy your special day Connie!

Gerry

These made us laugh but I am not sure whether they will all get past the censor...

Rules for Living

There are three things that cannot be easily hidden: The Sun, the Moon, and the Truth.

The following are 2 Simple Truths, 5 Rules of Life, and 3 Bonus Rules:

SIMPLE TRUTH 1:

Lovers help each other undress before sex.

After sex, they always dress on their own.

Moral of the story -- In life, no one helps you once you're screwed.

SIMPLE TRUTH 2:

When a woman is pregnant, all her friends touch her stomach and say, "Congratulations."

But none go up to the man, touch his pen** and say, "Good Job."

Moral of the story -- Hard work is rarely appreciated.


FIVE RULES TO REMEMBER IN LIFE:

1. Money can't buy happiness - but it's far more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy - but remember the ass***e's name.

3. If you help someone when they're in trouble - they will remember you when they're in trouble again.

4. Alcohol does not solve any problems - but then, neither does milk.

5. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.


BONUS RULES:

1. Condoms do not guarantee safe sex! A friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot by the woman's husband.

2. I think all politicians should wear uniforms. You know, like NASCAR drivers, so we could identify their corporate sponsors.

3. Also, all politicians should serve only two terms -- one in office and one in prison.


This was a public service announcement...

Have a great day everyone, especially birthday girl Connie!

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Gerry Thank you for the Birthday cake and ice cream. Thank you for all my Birthday wishes. Lex, Thanks for starting my birthday with a smile. I will be celebrating with friends at CVI Trivia tonight, we are last months champs. Enjoy the day, have some Birthday cake and hug someone.

Lex, some of those were LOL.

Good morning, everyone. My asthma is finally almost clear after a few false starts. That was a bad one.

Nothing much on the agenda today. Just finishing up the tax package.

Good morning everybody!

Lex, great rules.

Enjoy your birthday celebration, connie! I'll have a piece of that delicious looking cake Gerry made, thank you both.

Glad to hear you are finally on the mend, hagatha!

Good morning everyone. Happy Birthday Connie...good luck tonight!! Coffee, cake and icecream ... thanks Gerry. We are set for today! Thanks for today's wisdom on rules Lex. Hagatha, I hope your asthma totally clears and you finish your tax package. Happy Thursday everyone.

I'm just about to leave for league bowling tonight, so totally missed the break room this morning. Had to go to a funeral for my daughter-in-law's father in St. Charles which is about an hour away this morning. Made it with the burial ceremony just before it started raining and the temps dropped.

Hope to read Lex's funnies tomorrow morning!

I had to reheat some food on my stove top tonight as I believe my microwave has bit the dust. I've only had it since mid 1995.

Good Morning and Welcome to Friday! Wide Awake double dark brew is ready!

Hope you all have a great Weekend and are ready to "spring" ahead with the time Saturday night!

Gerry

DDWAB is a great way to meet Friday.

No springing ahead for us Europeans this weekend. That will have to wait until last Sunday of March.
It's getting colder again over here. But read my lips. No new snow.

Happy Friday everyone

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Thank you for all the birthday wishes yesterday. We won trivia at CVI for the second month in a row, we also won at the club Sat. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

T.G.I.F. good morning everyone. Oh my, don't know if I'm ready to spring ahead I agree with Fogfighter, thank you for the coffee and bagels Gerry and Connie. Congratulations on your win Connie. Take care everyone and have a wonderful day.

Good Friday morning! Smells so good in the break room! Sounds like you had a great birthday, Connie!

Oldbroad, I was crushed when my old microwave that was about 15 years old died! But I have to admit that I do like the new one much better... it does a much better job of thawing things without cooking them.

I always like "springing ahead" because the extra daylight in the afternoon is welcome. But the weather is so icky, it doesn't really matter! At least like Fogfighter, we have no new snow!

Good Friday morning all!

It is a rainy and dreary day here. I already turned two lights on in the house. I usually wait as late in the day as I can.

Have a good day everybody!

Good Morning Connie, Fogfighter, soot, Draclvr, oldbroad, hagathe and everyone. Welcome to Saturday and lots of Wide Awake double dark brew in the break room!

Hope you all get to see some sunshine today!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Deep cleaning the Eagles today, as we are hosting District meeting tomorrow. Dinner and karaoke at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone ... Woo Hoo the weekend is here. I will definitely enjoy the coffee and bagels during my project breaks today -- yard work today. And then this afternoon will gather the crew for some DnD action. We had 3 inches of rain yesterday so doing well to keep groundwater aquifers filled. Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday.


ps...don't forget to "spring ahead" your clocks tonight when you go to bed

Good morning. A cold, but sunny start to our Saturday. Heading to a 60th birthday party about 2 hours south of us later this afternoon. It's always a pretty drive down there into the Ozark foothills.

But first some laundry!

Enjoy your weekend and hope the time change doesn't mess you up!

We're having another wet day with the added excitement of a high wind warning. Some of the rooms in my house have skylights, and if I look up right now I see very tall evergreens blowing madly about. I bet some of the ferry sailing have been cancelled.

Already Sunday over here in Europe. Too early for the double dark wide away brew. In fact it's rather late and time to sleep.
Happy Saturday or Sunday GameBoomers.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, oldbroad, Fogfighter and everyone. Welcome to the first day of the time change! Wide Awake double dark brew awaits!

You are up late Fogfighter! Hope you sleep well.

It is raining here this morning, but it is supposed to stop by this afternoon. Tomorrow we are expecting very high winds too hagatha...local weather is already talking about a high wind warning...just hope we don't lose power tomorrow.

Hope you all enjoy a peaceful Sunday.

Gerry

Good morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, oldbroad, Gerry and everyone.

I did sleep well, Now I'm eager for that DDWAB. A good start of the day!

I keep my fingers crossed for your power situation Gerry.

Good morning all! A wet weekend here, so perhaps an excuse for some gaming...

I am enjoying an interesting consequence of a scam email trying to make me renew a non-existent Norton security subscription: for some reason it had been sent to a very large number of people sharing my name, Kevin, and we are now in touch with each other to compare notes.

Some more silliness to raise a smile:

Being a little older, I am very fortunate to have someone call and check on me every day. He is from India, and he's very concerned about my computer.

I choked on a carrot this morning, and all I could think of was, "I'll bet a doughnut wouldn't have done this to me."

Nothing spoils a good story more than the arrival of an eye witness. (Mark Twain)

I finally realize why I look so bad in pictures. It's my face.

It only takes one slow-walking person in the grocery store to destroy the illusion that I'm a nice person.

It turns out that when asked who your favorite child is, you're supposed to pick one of your own. I know that now.

It's fine to eat a test grape in the produce section, but you take just one bite of rotisserie chicken and it's all, "Sir, you need to leave!"

One thing no one ever talks about when it comes to being an older adult is how much time we devote to keeping a cardboard box because it is, you know, a really good box.

If you dropped something when you were younger, you just picked it up. When you're older and you drop something, you stare at it for just a bit contemplating if you actually need it anymore.

I like to make lists. I also like to leave them laying on the kitchen counter, and then guess what's on the list when I am at the store.

My grandkids say they want a cat for Christmas. Normally I serve turkey, but, hey, if it will make them happy.

Ask your doctor if a drug with 32 pages of side-effects is bad for you.

I re-labeled all of the jars in my wife's spice rack. I'm not in trouble yet, but the thyme is cumin.

I just read a book about marriage that says treat your wife like you treated her on your first date. So, tonight after dinner, I'm dropping her off at her parent's house.

The best way to get back on your feet is to miss two car payments.

I love bacon. Sometimes I eat it twice a day. It takes my mind off the terrible chest pains I keep getting.

As I watch this generation try to rewrite history, one thing I am sure of is that it will be misspelled and have no punctuation.

Driver: "What am I supposed to do with this speeding ticket?" Officer, "Keep it. When you collect four of them, you get a bicycle."

I asked a supermarket employee where they kept the canned peaches. He said, "I'll see," & walked away. I asked another & he also said, "I'll see," & walked away. In the end, I gave up & found them myself in Aisle C.

I told my physical therapist that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places.

I put our scale in the bathroom corner & that's where the little liar will stay until it apologizes.

When I was a kid, I used to watch the ‘Wizard of Oz’ & wonder how someone could talk if they didn't have a brain. Then I got Facebook.

I want to be 14 again & ruin my life differently. I have new ideas.

Apparently RSVPing to a wedding invitation with "Maybe next time" isn't the correct response.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. District meeting at the Eagles today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone ... I survived spring-ahead-wake-up #1 Gerry, the wide awake double dark brew is a must for the adjustment this week; sure hope you don't lose power tomorrow. Lex, I get those scam renewal emails on a regular basis...thanks for the smiles today. Connie, hope you have a good meeting tonight ... I'm up for a danish this morning. Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday.

Good Sunday morning everybody!

Lex,

Happy Mother's Day to our friends in the UK!

Lex Made me laugh out loud!

I hope everyone has a pleasant Sunday. Glad I don't have to do much today, because this messing with the clocks thing bothers me more the older I get.

Gerry, I hope your power stays on!

Good Morning Connie, Foffighter, Lex, soot, oldbroad, Marian, hagatha and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake coffee is ready to start your day!

So far I have not lost power, but with the high wind alert all day today it could happen. We had a snow shower this morning...just a light dusting thank goodness. Feel like temp this morning is in the teens.

May not be able to walk with the high wind alert...too many trees and the danger of falling limbs.

Enjoy your Monday!

Gerry

Good Morning Connie, Gerry, Lex, soot, oldbroad, Marian, hagatha and everyone.

Time for a new crosscountry trip by train. Chilly over here too but no heavy winds. Hopefully the limbs will be safe.

Happy Monday GameBoomers

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. District went well yesterday. Regular meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Hagatha OldBroad Marian Gerry Fogfighter Connie and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in. Enjoying your double dark wide awake coffee Gerry and hope your electricity stays on. Enjoying a cinnamon crunch bagel Connie...thanks! Enjoy your cross-country trip Fogfighter! Enjoy the day everyone.

Good morning everyone.

Dude's going in to the vet for removal of a large fur mat that I've been trying to snip off for weeks. I have to sedate him for this one because they'll be shaving the little monster, so I had to roll him up in a towel into a kitty burrito and administer said medication. He's stomped off somewhere but pretty soon the Gabapentin will kick in and I'll find a snoring cat somewhere in the house.

I need to get the handyman back here to install another cat flap in the garage so Dude can let himself in later at night. It'll lock behind him when he does finally show up. He's a roamer, unfortunately, and has taken to rushing the door whenever I open it, so the cat is out of the bag, as it were, and he's an outdoor boy now. If I don't let him out during the day he howls all night. I surrender. But what I don't understand is this; where is the lazy old cat we were told by the SPCA we were getting? This is not that! It's a good thing they're cute.

Good Monday morning! Hagatha, I laughed because I just had a similar conversation with my friend whose cats I take care of when they go camping. Our final comment was, "Why is it we have cats again???"

My ancient barn kitty continues to do fine. She sleeps about 22 hours a day! She loves to be petted and scratched, but doesn't understand the concept of laps. When I'm done, she gets down and waddles back to her little nest in the shower in the bathroom.

Hubby is going fishing with some guys at the lake on our old family farm near here this afternoon. It's pretty chilly this morning, so they are waiting until it warms up a bit.

I'm getting a small box of books together to send out to my grandson in Colorado who has social anxiety issues. He's into historical fiction and I have a bunch of old books such as Shogun which he has to wait months to check out from the library out there. While digging, I found an ancient dog eared hard cover copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin. I'm thinking this edition is from the early 1940's because it has my mother's maiden name inside. The pages are so yellowed it would be hard for me to read, but maybe his young 20 year eyes could make it out!

Dude was such an easy cat at the old place. But one look at the garden and the forested area around here and he was obsessed. Ah well. He'll have a rich life, get a few scars, and maybe live a long life and maybe not. He was out until midnight last night. What was interesting was that Willow got quite concerned that he wasn't home and she parked herself in front of the French doors, anxiously looking out into the garden.

Awww... she worried about Dude coming home late!

Willow cracks me up sometimes. It's cold and very windy outside today and Dude is crashed from his Gabapentin, so I quietly let her outside. She was only out for about 10 minutes, but when she got in she raced around the house for about ten minutes with her tail in the air. She's a bit of a lazy fat cat so the ungainly thundering around is hilarious. But if ten minutes outside revs her up like that, it has to be a good thing.

I was cross at myself for not getting my taxes done and sent, but today another three tax documents arrived so it's all good and I can pretend I planned it all along.

I SO enjoy the plethera of stories that appear on this board, even IF I don't get to post here as much as I would like

Mad, it's good to see you here!

Good Morning Fogfighter, Connie, hagatha, Draclvr, soot, Marian, and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake brew is freshly put on. Spring is getting closer...we are experiencing March winds again today...lost power briefly yesterday. The next couple of days our temps will reach the 60s and we will actually see the sun!

Have a dentist appointment this morning...need a small cavity filled.

Hope you all enjoy a sunny day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels, in the Break Room. Bowling at the Eagles tonight. Getting ready for our Keys trip, leaving Sat. early morning.. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Mad Hagatha Draclvr OldBroad Marian Fogfighter Gerry Connie and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in. The double dark wide awake brew is marvelous Gerry; hope the dentist visit is quick. I’m up for donuts today Connie; have fun bowling tonight. Oh my goodness Hagatha, your cat-burrito brought memories and tears of laughter to my eyes 🤣 Wishing you all a Tootin Toosday … enjoy the day.

Good morning Mad Hagatha Draclvr OldBroad Marian Dan Gerry Connie and everyone
No dentist vistit for me today. I enjoyed some DDWAB instead. Much preferable.

Happy Tuesday everyone

Good morning everyone. It was still dark when I woke up this morning and I was convinced it was still very early. Then I checked my phone and realized it was 7 am. Way more pleasant than having sun in my eyes at 5 o'clock. That coffee is just right for a lazy morning, then it's off to get cat supplies and look at power washers and lawn treatments and some grass seed for a bald patch.

I think I might be developing webbed feet

Although a mainly mild Winter, in my area of the UK anyway, the rain has been constant and at times astronomical.

But rumours are now abounding of a blistering Summer to come - and heat, for me, is worse than the dratted rain.

However, the USA certainly suffers more extreme weather than the UK and I don’t know you folk over there cope 😱

Good Morning and Welcome to Hump Day Connie soot, Fogfighter, hagatha, Mad and everyone! Double Dark Wide Awake coffee is ready to enjoy!

It is going to be a sunny day today and in the 60s! A beautiful day after all the rain we've been having.

Have groceries to get early this morning and then an appointment with the Subaru dealer for my car at 9am...having an issue when turning to the right...I can feel an awful chatter in the steering wheel.

A Happy Day wished for you all!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Music bingo at the Eagles tonight. We will be leaving Sat. morning for the Keys, I can't wait. I am sorry I will miss our St. Patrick' Day party at the Eagles. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning Connie, Gerry, Mad, Hagatha, Fogfighter Draclvr Marian OldBroad Lex and all who get the chance to pop in for coffee, treats and a chat or two. Gerry you definitely want to make that appointment to fix your car ... thinking your bearings need a lube or even replacment. Music bingo sounds fun Connie ... how long will you be visiting the Keys? I would love to make a trip there one day. Mad, hopefully the weather will not be "too" dreadfully hot this summer for you ... stay dry. Yard work first on the docket for my day.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday.

Good Wednesday morning! I was laying in bed this morning listening to so many birds singing... such a welcome sound in the spring! Hubby got part of one of the big gardens tilled up with his big 5' tiller on the back of our tractor. He planted the early stuff like potatoes, onions, peas, beets, radishes and carrots. He got injections in both his knees last week, so was hopeful he could use his garden kneeler bench and not hurt them. Yay, this morning they don't hurt. He's driving the tractor down to his friend's clubhouse down by the river to till up his garden this morning. It's only about 5 miles away, but still a long drive on a tractor!

And I saw some asparagus popping its little head up yesterday! I very nearly turn into a vegetarian in the summer.

We are supposed to have some spring-like weather here for the next week. Mad, I hate to think what the summer is going to be like. It seems that we go from summer to winter and winter to summer now with only two seasons - it would be so nice if this year was different!

I hope everyone here has a pleasant Wednesday. Good luck with your car, Gerry! Hopefully it's an easy fix.

Good morning Connie, Gerry, Mad, Hagatha, Dan, Draclvr, Marian, OldBroad, Lex and all.
Started the day with some DDWAB. Then spent the day cloning the SSD on my 10 yo Win 10 computer.
Not totally easy but also not impossibly hard. Always a risk to mess something up when opening a computer but the surgery was successful and now I have doubled the disc space to brave 500 GB. Should be enough for Riven and some other old software. In a year or so when Win 10 is no longer supported I better disconnect that machine from the internet. But It can still be useful for legacy games and possibly running old printers and stuff.. I also now got the old 240 GB SSD as backup for that machine.

Happy Wednesday.

I just made it back home from my very frustrating trip to the DMV to renew my ID card. They have made it so much more difficult and disorganized than what it was the last time I was there. Thankfully, this ID doesn't expire and I won't have to go back again - EVER!! (Unless, of course, the hard copy doesn't make it into my mailbox.) I was literally in tears when they took my picture. The woman kept telling me to calm down; I told her "I can't, just hurry up!". She was just making it worse! I'm sure for those of you who keep up with the technology (I can't even think of the word I am trying to use here), it would not be a problem.

Hopefully there will be no reason for me to leave my house from now until Autumn. We are expecting billions of cicadas this year and I cannot go out of the house with those all over the place. I already told my brother that I won't even be getting the mail out of our (in the closet) mail slot once those are out.

Anyway, enjoying my coffee now.

Mad, my brother in law in Southampton has been telling me about the weather over there. He gave up on his once-lovely garden a few years back, after my father-in-law passed. He found it to be too much work keeping everything alive through recent hot summers with no sprinkler system in place. It's a shame; it used to be a passion of his.

Fogfighter, I used to have a Win XP laptop around for all those legacy games, and especially for Thief Fan Missions. It finally gave up the ghost a couple of years ago. I did manage to get Thief Gold working with a couple of tweaks a while back, so I can still run through a game every now and then.

Oldbroad, that's great if the photo ID won't expire from here on out. Here in California it's good for five years and after that you are given one online renewal. At the end of ten years, it's back to the DMV in person. I think that the senior IDs last a little longer but they still have expiration dates.

Really glad you got that out of the way and now to try to kick back and relax.

Oldbroad, whew! That's done! I hope you never have to go back to the DMV too. Far too many don't understand anxiety and how it is nothing you can control. Lock the doors and throw away the key for awhile!

Now, I LOVE the cicadas even though they are terribly loud sometimes. But they are such beautiful little creatures with their big red eyes. They only live for a few weeks, mate and then die. Of course, my chickens are in heaven! I saw one running with a small lizard in its beak yesterday!

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr., Marian, Fogfighter, oldbroad, hagatha, Marian and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake brew awaits you all.

Connie 70 years ago my parents took our family to the Florida keys...we drove over all those causeways and if my memory serves me...there was nothing till you got to Key West...and I do mean nothing! How time changes everything! Enjoy your trip!

Soot I had a slight leak from a gasket on the power steering a couple weeks ago and had that fixed and the fluid changed. The noise stopped for about a week and is back. The mechanic said it is the power steering pump that needs replacement...its on back order...not sure if and when it will be in. I was told my car is safe to drive for now...not sure if I agree. I was thinking it might be a bearing too but apparently not.

Draclvr glad to hear hubby got the garden started and no issues with his knees! Marian I agree our seasons are changing dramatically! Fogfighter I still have my old Sony computer running on XP and play all my old games on it...still have the CDs from the original games. Hagatha I have a couple Thief games I can play too.

Oldbroad I understand how you feel...the older I get the harder it is to handle any stress...life is supposed to be easier in retirement...whoever said that must not have been retired!

Hope you all have a Good Day!

Gerry

hagatha: Glad you got the games running. I'm in a similarish situation. The XP machine gave up a long time ago but some software can run on Win 10.

Gerry: Congrats to still having that XP computer.

All: New Thursday, new coffee. Have a wonderful day

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Soot we will be in the Keys for a week. This will be my 4th trip there, the last time was before the Pandemic. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good Thursday morning everyone 😊 Yes indeed Fogfighter a new day with Gerry's DDWA coffee ... the best way to start the day. Gerry I hope that part comes in soon...hopefully you won't have to drive it. We used to keep one or two older Windows systems functioning for gaming but stopped years ago...no room to keep all of old PCs starting with our commodore 64 🤣 OldBroad, I'm glad you are done with that process. Connie, wishing you a safe and wonderful week! The Asiago bagel is great...thanks.

Have a great day everyone 😀

I've finally got all my tax documents together so I'll be getting those off to the accountant tomorrow morning.

After tomorrow's Gentle Yoga class ( I call it Kitten Yoga because the instructor has 2 four-month-old kittens who attend the class and "help.") I'll be switching over to Pilates at the same place. Apart from walking I've been sitting around for the better part of 6 years and it's time to do something about it. The women who attend that class all look pretty strong. Since I'm on my own now I need to make sure I keep up my strength. I'm not ready for a gym yet.

Hope you all have a good Thursday!

Yes .... The rain continues .... Had to go out today and got wet through AGAIN

When I lived in Ireland there was also plenty of rain there, too, but then you can't have their famous "40 Shades of Green" without it !!

Good Morning and Happy Friday Fogfighter, Connie, soot, hagatha, oldbroad, Mad and everyone! Double Dark Wide Awake brew is ready to enjoy!

Hope to get a walk in before the rain arrives this morning.

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. I will finish up my packing today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

T.G.I.F. good morning everyone. The coffee and bagels are marvelous. Groceries are on my docket today. Hagatha have fun at pilates today. Hope you get your walk in Gerry. Hi OldBroad, have a good Friday. Take care everyone 😊

Good morning everybody. Hi soot! Making a grocery list is on my docket today and that's it!

I hope you have a wonderful trip, connie!

I see Ana has been busy clearing the clouds to let our rainbow shine through. Thank you!

Enjoy Friday and the weekend all!

Love that rainbow - so thanks from me, too, BET 👍

Good Morning Connie, soot, oldbroad, hagatha, Mad and everyone. Wide Awake double dark brew awaits the early birds.

It is going to be a nice day here...good for a long walk. My daffodils are ready to bloom!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. We will be leaving in a little while for the Keys. It's about a 6 hour drive from here. I thoroughly hate that long bridge we have to go over. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone...the weekend is here. Have fun on your trip Connie. Enjoy your walk Gerry...you earned it. Ah, the weekend, coffee and bagels ... it doesn't get much better than this. Wishing you a great day OldBroad, Mad, Hagatha, Fogfighter, Draclvr and Marian. Recycles and good will run are on my docket today. Take care everyone.

Good Saturday morning! Just finished hubby's big Saturday breakfast and am sitting down with some of Gerry's coffee.

Today will be moving my little pepper plants down to the basement under the grow lights. Then I will be starting my tomato seeds.

Making our corned beef and cabbage St. Patty's Day meal for supper tonight. Can't wait!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

It was 15 degrees and sunny here. I was lazy today but tomorrow I really have to out and take care of some weeds. We're supposed to be getting a lovely week, unseasonably warm and regrettably giving me no more excuses for avoiding the garden chores. I have some 25% vinegar for the worst offenders, outside my fence on the verge, so that should be easy. It's also time to clean my deck chair cushions and get them out on the patio since the cats are spending a lot of time in the sun out there and would probably like something comfy to sit on.

Good Morning and Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Wide Awake double dark brew is ready.

I will be making a corn beef and cabbage dinner today. How was yours Draclvr...any leftovers?

It is going to rain here this morning then clear later so while the corn beef and cabbage cooks I will get in my walk.

Have a great day!

Gerry

The winter made a comeback. All white and sunny today. Saint Patrick´s is not at thing over here but I had some clover in the coffee anyway. Happy sunny Sunday everyone.

Top of the morning to one and all the coffee is wonderful Gerry...enjoy your walk later today. I brought a loaf of oat, honey and roasted pecan soda bread for the Break Room today. Fogfighter, I always enjoyed a winter's comeback with the sun shining on a fresh blanket of snow and all the sparkles. Hagatha, get your chores done and then enjoy the day. Happy St. Patrick's day!

Good morning

I made some corned beef yesterday but no cabbage. I'm going to make a recipe called "Quinoa with Latin Flavors" to go with it. Leftovers may have a fried egg also. We'll see.

Have a good day all!

As I woke up very early this morning I went out and did a couple of hour's work, mostly spraying the weeds outside the fence and in my gravel parking area with vinegar. I was pulling some weeds in the back beds and noticed that the landscapers broke off pieces of my watering system when they pruned the hedge, so that will have to be repaired. On the other hand, my halfway decent cleanup last fall means there's not all that much to do right now apart from pull out the little weeds in the beds and get rid of the last of the leaves from last Fall.

Now it's time for a nice pot of Chai and maybe a walk later on.

Also, I kept running into Dude outside and he kept running away from me. Apparently Outdoor Human is not the same person as Indoor Human, and Outdoor Human is terrifying! Starting to think my boy is perhaps not the smartest cat I've ever had.

Hagatha, your catscapades are always fun to hear about, and I suspect Dude just wants to play and/or fears you will shut him inside again!

Hope you have all enjoyed the weekend.

Some more gentle humour:

Subject: Mensa Convention

Last year, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco.

Mensa, as you know, is a national organization for people who have

an IQ of 140 or higher.

Several of the Mensa members went out for lunch at a local cafe.

When they sat down, one of them discovered that their salt shaker

contained pepper, and their pepper shaker was full of salt.
How could they swap the contents of the two bottles without spilling

any, and using only the implements at hand?

Clearly -- this was a job for Mensa minds.

The group debated the problem and presented ideas and finally,

came

up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty
saucer.

They called the waitress over, ready to dazzle her with their solution.

"Ma'am," they said," we couldn't help but notice that the pepper shaker
contains salt and the salt shaker pepper."

But before they could finish .......... the waitress interrupted.

"Oh -- sorry about that."

She leaned over the table, unscrewed the caps of both bottles and

switched them.

There was dead silence at the Mensa table.

Kinda reminds ya of the government, doesn't it.

Solutions to our problems should be so simple, but the brilliant

minds in Ottawa (or pick your alternative capital city) always seem to make them so difficult.

Hagatha, maybe Dude was running away from you because he thought you were going to pick him up and take him inside?

Nice and quiet here today - just the way I like it!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Since we lost our beloved Pita cat a year ago, it has brought into the light what a clever cat she was! These two in the house now are dumb as a box of rocks compared to her!

Good Morning Fogfighter, soot, oldbroad, hagatha, Lex, Marian, Draclvr, and everyone. Wide Awake double dark brew is ready to wake you up on this Monday!

Not sure what I will be doing today.

Enjoy your Monday everyone!

Gerry

A good Monday morning all!

Drac, perhaps your cats are smart enough to recognise that acting dumb can have advantages...

Good Monday morning! A hard freeze last night... 25 degrees F when I got up.

Lex, Pita could open doors and the bag of cat food in the kitchen would have been knocked over and clawed open weeks ago. These two idiots just sit there and look at it!

Same here, Gerry! Caught up on laundry, floors were mopped and got my tomato seeds started. Maybe a good day for some gaming!

Good morning Lex Gerry Drac and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in ... thank goodness for your dark roast coffee Gerry as the best way to start the day! Yeppers Drac, your cold weather is headed our way and we'll be dipping below freezing tonight. I'll be working projects and taxes today.

Have a great day everyone!

Good morning and welcome to a new week!

I think all of my cats were pretty smart but my last little boy was also a bit "special" . I really miss them.

No, Dude is really terrified of me when I'm outside. He goes all low and slinks away. In contrast, Willow loves to see me outside and actually prefers to have me out there with her. I guess that's a holdover from the days when I used to leash-walk her. But then again, she really just wants to sit on a deck chair and think about whether she might, maybe, someday, if the stars are aligned properly, get up and try to catch a bird. They are so very different. Dude sees the fence as a stepping stone to the rest of the neighbourhood. Willow sees the fence as the boundary of her life.

Anyone who thinks cats are all just cats... has never had a cat! They are singular creatures. I am probably more of a "dog person," but I do like the personalities of cats enormously! Bella the Bloodhound has definitely expanded my "dog person" horizons! LOL!

Oh, yes! Each one has their own (often weird) personality!

Good Morning Lex, Draclvr, soot, oldbroad, hagatha, and everyone! Wide Awake double dark brew awaits along with fresh made pastry, donuts, and barels!

I agree about cats. They all have there own unique personalities. I had many cats over the years...they were all strays that showed up on my doorstep. They were happy to be indoor kitties and when we took them outside they were perfectly content to view the yard from the safety of the deck...never ventured off the deck.

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning everyone. Thanks for the coffee and treats Gerry. Yes indeed, cats and dogs all have different personalities and we've loved them all. wishing you all a Tootin Toosday ... have a wonderful day.

Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for filling in for Connie while she's away in the Florida Keys, Gerry!

Not much on the agenda today. Thoroughly enjoyed my gaming day yesterday and finished the new game REVEIL. Haircut this morning followed by groceries. Have to run down to Longmeadow, the horse rescue, to pick up our caretaker's little step-daughter from the school bus. Her mom is working late today. It's almost 2 miles from the main road back into the woods to the 165 acre rescue where they live on site! These days, I'd never let an 8 year old walk alone that far.

Today is also the first day of SPRING! Woot!

Oh my, that's right Draclvr it is the first day of spring. We are looking forward to the spring weather

Happy first day of spring to all!

Have a good day all!

I'm off to Qualicum Beach for a haircut and perhaps look around for a decent place for lunch. I really miss having someone to go out with for lunch or dinner. John and I went out at least two or three times a week for all the time we were together. it was a big part of our lives. Nobody I know here seems to be inclined to do that here, not even to go to the pub for lunch, and the last time I went out was when my sister was here in late December.

It's been lovely here this past few days. We'll be back into rain on Friday, but I've had a chance to spray vinegar on the weeds around my property. If I have the energy I'll bag up the few remaining piles of leaves and get them into the organics bin.

Good Morning soot, Draclvr, oldbroad, Marian, hagatha and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake brew is ready...I've already had a cup.

Spring has arrived here and I know because my daffodils are up and blooming! I just hope with the cold nights ahead this week they will be okay. I have at least 2 dozen in bloom and ready to open!

Draclvr and hagatha, I had my hair cut yesterday too...we must be on the same schedule. Looking forward to a nice walk this morning...hoping the wind calms down.

Enjoy the first full day of Spring!

Gerry

Good morning Gerry Hagatha OldBroad Marian and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in. I hope the winds settle for you too Gerry. I brought a box of mixed bagels from Panera Bread this morning to go with Gerry's Double dark Wide Awake brew...enjoy. Off to grocery shopping and other projects and chores for the day.

It's Hump Day 🐪

I've been getting haircuts more frequently lately because I am finally growing out the grey. I have a good colourist who is able to transition the colour quite well, but anyway, it turns out that after all these years and years of colouring my hair, I haven't got all that much grey! For that I have my mother to thank.

I have hummingbirds coming to drink from my waterfall feature now. I'm not worried about the cats because they won't go near the water, so I can enjoy the little flying jewels.

Good Morning soot, hagatha and everyone. Wide Awake dark brew awaits.

I've never colored my hair hagatha...like my mom my hair hasn't grayed, but it has thinned out...just have a couple of stray grey hairs! I am lucky.

Have a great day!

Gerry

Good Thursday morning Gerry Hagatha OldBroad Marian and all visitors who pop in for coffee and treats. I brought a box of mixed Krispy Kreme donuts this morning to go with Gerry's Double dark Wide Awake brew...enjoy. Off to the dentist this morning and then a movie this afternoon ... part 2 of Dune. Have a wonderful day everone.

Good Thursday morning! Already made a trip in town this morning. One of the cats has not been feeling well and yesterday puked at least 8 times. I just dropped her off at the vet's office for them to look at her between appointments.

This afternoon I have an appointment at the hearing center for new hearing aids. The last UAW - United Auto Workers Union for those of you not familiar! - contract included hearing aids. I will have to pay a little extra for the top of the line ones, but I paid over $2000 each for my old ones! I really only use one in my nearly deaf right ear. They even did an MRI to rule out a tumor. But they figured out it's nerve damage caused by an extremely high fever when I was little. I had the measles and was so sick the Dr. actually came to the house. That was before the measles vaccine.

Then league bowling tonight!

Can't wait to hear what you think of Dune 2, soot! I just watched Dune 1 on Max. I read all the books a very long time ago.

No grey hair here either - I think it's genetic. I can remember someone asking my 70+-year-old grandfather if he dyed his hair because they were so puzzled that he had no grey hair. Dyeing his hair was about the last thing you ever would have found my grandfather doing, so we all thought that question was pretty hilarious.

I hope your kitty is okay, Drac!

Happy Thursday to all! A nice spring day here but rain is forecast for the weekend.

We've all gone grey differently in my family. My mother's hair was mostly jet-black until she was well into her 80's. Her mother, a redhead, dyed her hair Lucille Ball red until her death at 90. My older sister is almost completely grey.

A friend of mine stopped colouring her hair during COVID and looks absolutely stunning with her pure white hair; she never wore makeup before but now she wears a Chanel red lipstick and is quite the bombshell at 72 years old.

Happy Thursday all!

I don't think that, looking at me, you'd say I have grey hair, but my hair is thinning and most of the ones that fall out ARE white. Maybe I'M just not seeing grey hair when I look at myself in the mirror - you know still seeing myself as younger or something. I have not had my hair cut at a salon for around six years now. I just take my kiddie scissors (round tip) and cut some on each side and I'm done. I know there is a section in back that is longer but I don't really care. Nobody sees me and if they do, I still don't care! One of my grandmothers had red hair but thinking back, I think it might have been a wig. I was never good at knowing that kind of stuff.

Hope you all enjoy your day!

I envy older women with beautiful white, silver or gray hair. In all my years, I've never colored my hair - too lazy to keep up with it! But my color change is sort of a yucky gray brown color. But like oldbroad, I just kinda don't care! I do have to go to a salon to get my hair cut as it is straight as a paintbrush and since I work outside a lot in the summer could never stand it hanging in my eyes and sticking to my neck. It's still super thick, so is a real PITA in the summer!

Maybe it's all the brain cells we have used in gaming that makes us not go grey! I am the only one of my friends who has not gone grey except for a tiny splash right in the front that got there in my late 30's. 35 years later no difference!

Good Morning everyone and Welcome to Friday! Double dark Wide Awake brew is ready to start your day!

Soot I love crispy creme donuts! Draclvr how is your kitty doing? Oldbroad my hair is thinning too...getting "baby fine".

Hope you all enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning to T.G.I.F. Friday! I believe I'm losing more hair than it turning gray The coffee is wonderful this morning Gerry...and I brought another box of Krispy Kreme donuts this morning for you and the gang to enjoy. Draclvr, we didn't make it to the movie yesterday and not sure when we will but am very confident I will 'totally' enjoy it as I am a big Dune fan and enjoy the movie versions/interpretation of Herbert's Dune. Drac, Marian, Hagatha, OldBroad, Ana, Gerry and all who follow...have a wonderful day!!

Today is another vet day, with Dude going in for his outdoor shots and to pick up some flea prevention. Willow goes in for the same next week. Otherwise, it's raining and I think I'll do some gaming. I've been jumping from one game to another lately; can't seem to find one that's just right at the moment.

Good Friday afternoon! Missed Gerry's coffee this morning as I had to run in town to pick up kitty. She has pretty significant kidney issues and after over $600, was sent home with two meds and yet another special kidney food which cost $57 for an 8 pound bag! I'm not positive how old she is because she was a feral stray who showed up pregnant one winter. Best guess is that she is 8 - 9 years old which is pretty young for this level of kidney issues. She's feeling better and has already eaten a small can of the new food along with one dose of meds.

Wish it was a little warmer... tomorrow is our first Wagon Days event at the horse rescue. Almost 300 people have expressed interest, so I hope I'm not the only volunteer down there like I was last year! Going to be a chilly day outside all day!

Kitty is lucky to have you, Drac!

Wishing everyone a pleasant Friday and an enjoyable weekend.

Well all the best with your cat care, Draclvr, and for your stint on "Wagon Day".

[I remember you being the only one last year ]

Good Friday afternoon! It is snowing here. So much for !

Draclvr, glad the kitty is doing better.

When I think about how much I've spent on my cats in the past year... Especially Dude's surgery. But they're worth it.

Same here, hagatha! I have a feeling we are just going to be delaying the inevitable with the kidney issues with Mama Kitty though.

My Moggy, my first cat, lived for 1 1/2 years with advanced kidney disease. I had to give her Ringer's solution every night. She was diabetic for 4 years, too. She was such a good girl; took it all in stride. She lived until she was 18 years old, almost 19.

Good Morning and Welcome to Saturday! Double Dark brew is ready.

Hagatha and Draclvr those vet bills get expensive! I have had many cats and a couple horses over the years and spent a lot of money on vet bills, but wouldn't have it any other way. They all were loved and got the care they deserved...all my creatures were a comfort and a joy to have around.

Draclvr you have taken good care of mama cat and given her a happy life. Hagatha, Duke and Willow have enriched your life as you have theirs.

It will be a rainy day all day today...a good day for gaming and indoor projects. May even watch some figuring skating this afternoon on USA channel.

Have a Peaceful Day!

Gerry

Good morning everyone and see spring starting in fits and starts... some warm days punctuated with rain and others with winter's remnants of snow. Yes, the vet bills get expensive but like you Gerry we wouldn't have it any other way when it comes to the care of our companions. The double dark brew is marvelous this morning Gerry...thank you. We had a rainy evening but think we'll be dry now for a day of two with 'sunshine' this afternoon. Draclvr, we had to delay our Dune 2 movie session to "possibly today" due to illness. Will let you know when we make it...I've seen the trailers and I am excited for the theater experience! Take care all and have a wonderful Saturday.

We're back into fairly heavy rain. Dude is undaunted and has scarpered off somewhere. He'll come home soaked and complaining in about 2 hours.

I had Willow weighed yesterday and she is going to have to go on a diet. Though she's always been a big cat, very tall and very long, she's hit 15 lbs. and that's just too much. She's addicted to the dry food our Campbell River vet insisted she should eat, plus when John died she started stress eating and becoming very noisy, very early in the morning with food demands. Hopefully this new vet has some suggestions. Willow is a cheery girl most of the time, but she is just too fat.

It'll be a quick trip out to the store today for some food and milk, and then on to gaming!.

Good Morning/afternoon everyone. Thanks for the coffee. Always tasty and helpful.
No pets for me but the other day it rained cats and dog over here.
Today somewhat sunny again.

Happy Saturday GameBoomers

Good Morning soot, hagatha, Fogfighter, and everyone. Fresh brewed double dark Wide Awake Coffee is ready!

I got your rain all day yesterday soot...just under 4 inches! The wind is picking up this morning too...hopefully we don't lose power. Hagatha the cats seem to put on the weight as they age just like we do! Enjoy your sunny day Fogfighter.

Hope you all have a great day!

Gerry

Good morning Gerry, Hagatha, Fogfighter, Draclvr, OldBroad, Mad, Marian and all others who make it in this Sunday morning. I brought a tray of Panera Bread Bacon, Scrambled Egg & Cheese on Brioche to go with Gerry's fresh double dark wide awake coffee. I hope you don't lose power Gerry. We'll enjoy a sunny day with you Fogfighter. And, will try again today to make the Dune Part 2 movie as part 1 was most excellent. Enjoy your weekend eveyone and have a wonderful day.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. We had a great time on vacation. The only down side was they only caught one fish. We went to Key West one day and a sea turtle hospital another day. Now it's time to catch up on all the stuff back home. We are having a BBQ for family and friends next Sunday. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone.

Soot, that bred sounds rather yummy.

Gerry, Willow weighed in at 15 pounds the other day, and she won't even be able to get through the cat door I've installed in the garage. I could get a larger flap, but the door is already cut, so that would mean I have to get a new metal door....It really never ends.

Since it's another rainy day, I think I'll make a big pot of tea and start watching 3 Body Problem.

Good Sunday morning! Anything from Panera bread will be awesome, soot!

I'm so happy to have done really well with my knees and back yesterday! It was cold - like 48 degrees - but sunny and was quite tolerable. According to my Fitbit, I covered 2.55 miles and conducted 6 wagon tours to the back of the property. I was tired, but nothing hurt more than usual. That's a WIN for me! So, I told our events coordinator I would go ahead and sign up for all the upcoming end of the year school tours. I was totally peopled out by the end of the day though and had hubby just run in town and get pizza for supper!

Good morning all! It's too early for me for that Panera spread but please put some aside for me, soot. It sounds good! I've never been in a Panera but I think a co-worker brought us bagels from there now and then.

Welcome back, connie! Glad you enjoyed yourself!

Good Morning soot. Connie, hagatha, Draclvr, oldbroad and everyone! The Wide Awake dark brew is ready to go with Connie's tasty treats!

Soot I love Panera food! Thanks. Connie welcome back! Hagatha Willow is a big girl! I can see why she would have a problem with the cat door. Draclvr, you do so much for the horse rescue it must be very satisfying knowing your volunteering is helping those magnificent animals!

Oldbroad Panera bagels are the best!

Have a Super Monday everyone!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Woo Hoo Hoo ... welcome to Monday Connie, Gerry, OldBroad, Draclvr, Hagatha and everyone else who gets the chance to pop in later for coffee, treats and a chat. It's good to have you back Connie and glad you enjoyed the vacation. Coffee and bagels for me this morning ladies.
Glad to hear the tours went well yesterday Draclvr

Chores and projects scheduled today. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good morning.

Nothing much on the agenda today, since it's raining. I'm off to yoga this morning. I might tackle the closets today; I never really unpacked properly and things are in a bit of a muddle.

New week and new coffee. Thanks for the DDWAB. Over here snowing all day. But it melts when hitting the ground.

Happy Monday everyone.

Good morning. I hope you all have a good day!

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, Fogfighter, Draclvr, oldbroad and everyone! Extra double dark Wide Awake brew awaits!

It's going to be a cold, cloudy, windy day today with a few sprinkles of rain expected. No sun is forecast for the rest of the week. Heavy rain is coming on Thursday...2 to 3 more inches of rain!

Grocery shopping early this morning. My walk later will be cold without the sun!

Enjoy your day!

Gerry

Good morning Fogfighter, Connie, Gerry, OldBroad, Draclvr, Hagatha and everyone else who pops in for coffee, treats and a chat. Thank you for the coffee and bagels this Tootin Toosday morning. Hope your walk is not too blustery cold Gerry. Hi OldBroad. Did you tackle the closets Hagatha? We've got rain and gusty winds headed for us today and then sunshine for the rest of the week. Hope you all have a great day.

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Lunch and Netflix with a friend today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning, all.

Soot, in the end I decided to make some room in the garage. I've got a lot of stuff that needs to go somewhere that isn't cold all winter - I haven't been down to the crawl space for a while, but if it's reasonably warm in there (the furnace is down there) I can put the boxes of John's slides and my CD's down there, allowing me to use the garage shelves for the things I really need in there, like the gardening tools and my lawnmower and my two ladders, which were out under cover all winter. Yesterday I made a pile of things for one more Junk removal.

Good Tuesday morning! Gerry, we finally got some good rain yesterday - 2 inches in the rain gauge. We really need the rain as we were in a severe drought last fall and had virtually no moisture this winter. So, dreary as it was, it was a good day!

hagatha, when I thing of a crawl space, it's only a space about 2 or 3 feet tall under the floors! Is yours something you can walk around in?

Picked up more of the special kidney care for the ancient barn cat and Mama Kitty yesterday. Good grief! One cat needs special urinary care food and two cats need special kidney care food. $50 for an 8 pound bag and $60 for a 24-count case of small cans. I told the vet clinic my household grocery bills were rapidly being outpaced by my pet food bills!

Hagatha, when you store CDs be sure to seal them in an airtight container. My better half has me working on junk removal too...which will take quite some time and "numerous" trips. Yes indeed Draclvr, we've been the special animal food arena for our little ones off and on over the years.

Excellent advice, soot. CD's definitely deteriorate...

Good Morning Connie, soot, hagatha, Draclvr Marian and everyone!

I made double dark Wide Awake brew and nice hot tea and Birthday cupcakes to celebrate Marian's birthday today!

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday Marian!

Gerry

Good morning all!

All this junk removal talk is a not so welcome reminder that we have an enormous loft which looks like the contents must belong to an obsessive hoarder, and that's before I look in the garage...

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Happy Birthday Marian. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and Hug someone.

Good morning everyone.

Lex, you and I must be kin hoarders.

Gerry, the coffee and tea hit the spot! Love the bagels Connie...have fun tonight.

I'll be decluttering, running errands and other working other projects on demand

Have a wonderful day Lex, Gerry, Connie, Draclvr, Hagatha, OldBroad, Fogfighter, Marian and other GB's who get the chance to pop in.

Thanks for the Coffe Gerry.
And good morning or good day Lex, Gerry, Connie, Draclvr, Hagatha, OldBroad, Dan and everyone.

Over here sunny springweather today. Time to prepare for upcoming Easter. Decluttering is on the todo list but I'm afraid that has to wait.

Happy Wednesday

Good Wednesday morning to all! I'm enjoying the coffee and tea now. Maybe I'll go for one of the cupcakes later.

I received my ID card in the mail so I am good to go!

What a relief to get that ID card in the mail, ob! Hopefully you won't ever have to go to the DMV again! I had to renew my driver's license this year and it was so good to know when it showed up in the mail that I wouldn't have to think about it again for five years.

Thank you all for the good wishes for my birthday.

Wishing everyone a very pleasant Wednesday.

Good Wednesday... afternoon!

Yay, oldbroad. Now lock the door and throw away the key and stay home as long as you can!

Good afternoon everyone.

Today I took Dude in for his outdoor shots. The vet also wanted to give him a thorough checkup as she was the one who discovered Dude's hernia and organ displacement, and she was excited to see how well he's doing; she gave him clean bill of health, in that regard. Everything seems normal now.

Willow has to go on a diet. This oughtta be fun.

OldBroad ... congratulations!!

Draclvr, we saw Dune 2 this afternoon ... most excellent movie! Loved it! Be sure to watch Dune Part 1 before you go see part 2 to connect all the threads from 1.

We took Max in for his shots and vacines this morning Hagatha ... good luck with Willow

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

I watched Part 1 on my computer on Max last week. I'm so glad to hear Part 2 was most excellent! Not sure if I'll make it to a theater to watch, but I'm going to try!

Good morning Lex, Connie, soot, oldbroad, Fogfighter, hagathe, Marian, Draclvr and everyone. Double dark Wide Awake is ready!

Lex I really need to start getting rid of "junk". I have a shed, barn, storage area over the garage, basement, etc that all need to be emptied of clutter...so much collected over 50 years of living in the same place!

Oldbroad glad you got your ID in the mail. Soot I need to rewatch Dune Part 1 before I watch Part 2...I don't remember Part 1 it has been so long...I just know I enjoyed it.

It will be raining all day today already have almost 1 inch of rain.

Hope the sun shines on your day!

Gerry

Good morning Lex, Connie, soot, oldbroad, Gerry, hagatha, Marian, Draclvr and everyone.

Over here sunny and Easter rush. Now when you mention Dune I think I got a DVD with the David Lynch Dune somewhere. Pretty good, as I recall it. Anyway.. Happy Thursday Gamers

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. A manicure is on the agenda today. Enjoy he day and hug someone.

Good morning Connie, Fogfighter, Gerry, Draclvr, Hagatha, Marian, OldBroad, Lex and everyone. Grocery shopping on the agenda today but first double dark wide awake coffee and bagels. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone.

Good Thursday morning, everyone! Wide awake brew for me - thank you, Gerry!

I attempt to keep clutter down in the house, but hubby is a border-line hoarder outside! He has multiple outbuildings to cram with all manner of junk. I pity those who have to clean it all out when we are no longer able to be out here!

I think I saw some little asparagus heads poking out yesterday! Still cold here though, but sunny. I'll take it!

Happy Thursday all!

Had my pond and fountain cleaned today and it looks lovely again! Next is the power washing, and I've decided to have a monthly landscaping contract. Now that I have no view my garden is my refuge and I want it to be as nice as it can be.

Good Morning everyone and Welcome to Good Friday. I glad you all are enjoying the Wide awake Double dark brew to start your day...it it ready now and smells so good!

Draclvr my hubby collected all kind of farm equipment and tools and "things" over the years...including lawn tractors he like to restore...one is sitting in the barn in parts waiting to be put back together.

Wishing you all a peaceful day.

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning. I'm off to Pilates and then the day is open for cleaning and sorting out a couple of shelves in the garage.

Good Friday morning! Gerry, I think our husbands would have been kindred souls! Mine has a barn, a machine shed, an old hog house and two grain bins to STUFF full of junk!

Going to be worrying all day about one of my little step-great grandsons. He was hit in the forehead with a golf club and has an absolutely horrendous injury. He is heading into surgery this morning with four teams working on him. He's only 4 and looks so tiny in that big hospital bed. Going to be a long day...

Oh dear, Drac. Sending prayers and good wishes for your step-great grandson and the family. I hope he will be okay.

Gerry, what are you waiting for? Can't you put that lawn tractor back together? LOL! I wish my brother and I had some hobbies like that, but involving house stuff.

Have a pleasant Good Friday all!

Oh my goodness, my thoughts & prayers are with you Draclvr.

Greetings all, sunshine here today interspersed with showers, but for once no gales!

As always, enjoying (and identifying with) the various feline antics and troubles: thank you for sharing.

Drac, what horrible news about your step great grandson, and what a worry for you.

I hope you all have a great Easter weekend, and here is a topical news item you may have missed
https://news.sky.com/story/orkney-s...akenly-ordering-720-easter-eggs-13103714

And here is some tom-foolery to hopefully raise a smile

A man was working on his motorcycle on the patio, his wife nearby in the kitchen. While racing the engine, the motorcycle accidentally slipped into gear. The man, still holding onto the handlebars, was dragged along as it burst through the glass patio doors.

His wife, hearing the crash, ran in the room to find her husband cut and bleeding, the motorcycle, and the shattered patio door. She called for an ambulance and, because the house sat on a fairly large hill, went down the several flights of stairs to meet the paramedics and escort them to her husband.

While the attendants were loading her husband, the wife managed to right the motorcycle and push it outside. She also quickly blotted up the spilled petrol with some paper towels and tossed them into the toilet.

After being treated and released, the man returned home, looked at the shattered patio door and the damage done to his motorcycle. He went into the bathroom and consoled himself with a cigarette while attending to his business. About to stand, he flipped the butt between his legs.

The wife, who was in the kitchen, heard a loud explosion and her husband screaming. Finding him lying on the bathroom floor with his trousers blown away and burns on his buttocks, legs and groin, she once again phoned for an ambulance. The same paramedic crew was dispatched.

As the paramedics carried the man down the stairs to the ambulance they asked the wife how he had come to burn himself. She told them. They started laughing so hard, one slipped, the stretcher dumping the husband out. He fell down the remaining stairs, breaking his arm.

Still having a bad day ?

Just remember, it could be worse.

The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.

Still think you are having a bad day?

A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

STILL think you're having a bad day?

Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany . Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence, stampeding madly. The two hapless protesters were trampled to death.

What?STILL having a bad day??

Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with 'return to sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits.

There now, feeling better?

Love that walkman one, Lex!

I've never seen a Kit Kat Easter Egg.

Drac, sending prayers the little ones way. How horrible and scary! Please keep us posted.

Hey all! Spring break here and working like crazy! Finally getting some breathing room!

Horrified to read your news, Drac! Positive thoughts and prayers heading your way. I hope he'll be okay.

Thanks for the funnies, Lex! I needed them today. And thank you everyone else for the good thoughts... I needed those today too. Little Beckett is out of surgery and has an excellent prognosis. No injury to the eye or neurological/brain damage. If you saw the wound, you would be amazed that it wasn't the worst news possible. Lots and lots and lots of stitches and little man has a long road to recovery ahead. But mom and dad and grandmas and STEP great grandmas are so very relieved.

Thank goodness that he has an excellent prognosis, Drac! May he have a smooth road to recovery. He has a lot of people who really care about him, and that should make a very real difference in his journey.

Very good to hear that, Drac!

Thanks, Marian and oldbroad! A very relieved great grandma!

Draclvr, that is such a relief.

Good Morning Connie, soot, oldbroad, hagatha, Draclvr, Ana, Lex, Marian, and everyone! Wide Awake double dark brew is ready to start your day.

Draclvr that is such good news that little Beckett is doing well after surgery. I'm sending healing prayers his way. Lex enjoyed your "stories! Ana good to hear you are finding time to relax. Oldbroad I could open a hardware store with all the tools, compressors, welding stuff...you name it...I bet it is here somewhere.

Enjoy your day everyone!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Drac, prayers and positive vibes for an easy recovery for the little guy. Shopping today, Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Lex, thanks for starting my day with a smile. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good Saturday morning!

The little guy is cranky and in a lot of post-surgical pain, but they removed the drain this morning and brought out the big guns with pain meds. But this is all good news as he starts to heal... LOT of healing from the inside out because it was so deep. So, poor mom and dad, but they hope to go home tomorrow or the next day.

Heading in town this afternoon for an Easter dinner with family. This will be an eat and run thing as hubby is so down in his back he can barely function. Doc got him on a course of prednisone to get him by until he can get in to see the pain management folks for a back injection in mid April. Our granddaughter is home on leave from the Army, but we got so spend some time with her earlier.

Gerry, I laughed! You and I could open TWO hardware stores!

Have a great Saturday all!

Good morning OldBroad, Draclvr, Connie, Gerry, Hagatha and everyone. Draclvr, so happy to hear grandson is on the road to recovery, I will be keeping him in my thoughts and prayers. The coffee and donuts are much appreciated Gerry and Connie. Have a wonderful Saturday everyone.

Wishing everyone a great start to the weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Well, I had the worst day I've had in a long time. Dude went out yesterday at about 4 pm as usual, and normally he comes in at 10 for his dinner. Last night I waited and waited...finally at midnight I curled up on the couch by the door in case he came home very late. At 3 am I realized something was wrong. All day today I've been frantically waiting. My friend posted on a local FB site and I posted a couple of posters. I was really in a panic by 7 pm., imagining him hurt or lost or dead.

7:30 he appears at the door. Very hungry, of course, but no sign of wear and tear. Fur not even ruffled. In fact, he just wants to go back outside.

I guess I just have to accept that he's a roamer and he'll be doing this all summer. I thought neutered cats were supposed to be home bodies.

I wonder if there's such a thing as a tracking microchip for cats? I'd love to know where he goes.

I was afraid this would happen eventually. What an awful day for you. Yes, there are GPS trackers for cats. Don't know if these are available where you live. We keep a GPS tracker on our Bloodhound at all times.

Tractive

The one thing is that I am at the end of a small, narrow peninsula, so there's a limit to where he can get to, and there's very little traffic. My guess is he's able to hear me calling him and just chooses to ignore it. He's just obsessed with the outdoors, and as the vet suggested, he was neutered late in life and has the roaming bug. I'll get used to it. My outdoor cat in Toronto used to be out for 24 hours all the time and we didn't think twice about it. She would be down in Black Creek Ravine with racoons and foxes and god knows what else. She lived to 18.

And I've had two cats that met bad (early) endings outside. You don't need a lot of traffic. The only other thing I'll say on this issue is that one of those cats was neutered at a young age and was a very loving cat BUT he got crazy mean and attacked both me and my brother when he wanted to go outside. We originally were trying to keep him inside but our other brother left the door open all the time and he got out and that was the end of trying to keep him in.

Yes, that's always the risk. But he is very happy, so I guess it's the chance we have to take.

Willow is very house-bound and never leaves the garden so I don't worry about her.

Good Morning and Happy Easter everyone! Wide Awake dark brew is ready to start your day!

Enjoy a peaceful day!

Gerry

Drac, great news about Beckett: I hope he continues to recover well.

I had to laugh at hagatha's experience with Dude, reminding me of a number of panic filled times when one of our cats (usually younger ones) would suddenly disappear for an unexpectedly long period, only to turn up again safe and sound as if to say "well, what is all the fuss about?" Fortunately on the few occasions when they have come to harm, we have at least seen known what happened to them.

Pets can be just as worrying as children, if not more so!

Irrelevant afterthought: someone just forwarded me some posts on statuskuo which had me busting a gut with laughter, so if you like political humour it might be for you
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/just-for-xeets-and-giggles-033024 (I had not heard of it previously)

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. We are having a BBQ for friends and family today. We are all excited as it's been awhile since our last one. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good Easter Sunday morning!

Great news - I was shocked when my little grandson was released from the hospital yesterday giving two thumbs up from his carseat! His mom said he is already being sassy!

The WWDB really hits the spot this morning, Gerry. Other than a little yard work, nothing going on here today.

I agree, hagatha. There has to be a balance between a happy cat and a safe cat. My friend's cats are perfectly content to stay inside. But if I had a Dude, I'd have to let him be happy too. He may meet an untimely end, but then he may just live a long life as a happy kitty too.

Lex, it seems like the only thing you CAN do with politics any more is make fun of it!

Have a great Easter Sunday, y'all !!!

Good morning and Happy Easter everyone. Gerry, the WADB brew is wonderful. Connie, I'm up for Danish today...have fun at the BBQ. Hagatha, glad Dude made it home safe. Draclvr, most excellent news on little Beckett...keeping him in my thoughts and prayers...and agree with your assessment of politics. Hi BeaSong and Fogfighter. Yes indeed Lex, there are some very creative folks in this world.

Lex, that was a genuinely funny compilation.

Re: Dude; yes, I will be worried about him from time to time. But he no longer paces from window to window, chirping and howling, all day long, which is what the first 7 months living in this house were like. There were days when it was so bad I honestly thought I'd have to rehome him because I couldn't hear myself think. The vet agreed with me that some cats just gotta be cats and i have to make sure he's got his shots up to date and his flea medications applied and whatever will be, will be.

It's a lovely day here. I'm waiting to hear back from the landscaper to find out what their quoted monthly fee includes; as I believe I mentioned earlier, I have decided that I would much rather sit in my garden drinking tea than working in it. It could be a really nice gathering place for neighbourhood happy hours.

to you all!


Drac, the gave me a good smile!

Yes! Happy Easter.

everyone, enjoy your day.

Good Morning and Weclome to Monday everyone! Wide Awake dark brew is ready and I'm on my 2nd cup. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

There will be a full eclipse on April 8th...it will be almost full here...92 or 96%.

Have a great Monday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Meeting at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Gerry we're hoping for clear skies on the 8th for the eclipse and I'm on my 2d cup too. A good day for donuts it is Connie. Hoping your Monday is a good day and not a moanday!

Good Monday morning and don't get fooled today!

Got a lot done outside yesterday, but barely made a dent in getting everything cleaned up in the perennial beds. I'm having to get fencing to keep the chickens out. I don't mind them scratching the mulch out as I just go along with the leaf blower and blow it back in. But they scratch my plant into tiny shreds! We've had so little rain here over the winter that the chicken poop is epic everywhere.

Severe weather predicted here this afternoon and tonight, so maybe it will wash some of the chicken poop away!

Congrats to the eclipse. Over here we won't get anything.

It's well worth the effort to get into the very narrow 100% zone, if possible. There is an enormous difference between an amazing 100% eclipse and the pretty dull 99.x%. And that's no April fool's joke.

Good morning everyone.

It's another beautiful day. I'm off to Pilates and then I'll spend some time clearing up the garage. It's been a huge job because I have no basement in this house so I have to pack everything up carefully and put it down in my 3 ft crawl space, which is thankfully well-lit, clean and dry.

Good Monday everybody!

Regarding this from Fogfighter "It's well worth the effort to get into the very narrow 100% zone, if possible. There is an enormous difference between an amazing 100% eclipse and the pretty dull 99.x%." I guess I've only seen the 99.x% of eclipses because I have never quite understood the fascination.

Happy day to you all!

It's about the corona. It doesn't appear until 100% The Sun's corona that is. Not the virus.

I can understand how an eclipse would have scared the bejeezus out of our primitive forebears, though. It feels odd, even if you know what it is.

Odd and rare

Several years ago, we had 100% here. I've never been through something quite so eerie. Don't even know how to describe how strange it was. We were in the pool as it was a hot summer day and light and sound just got so strange and unnatural. I agree, hagatha... I can see why it would have scared our forebears!

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, Fogfighter, hagatha, oldbroad and everyone! As always the Wide Awake double dark brew is ready to start your day.

Looks like the weather across the country is going to be stormy today thru late Wednesday.

Hope you all have a good day.

Gerry

I can remember seeing a near total eclipse from Africa when I was a boy, and the sudden unnatural hush as all the birds and animals went into nighttime mode for several minutes.

Good morning everyone. I got to experience a 100% eclipse once and it was awesome! For a few minutes during the day night returned and the stars came out and then slowly the night faded and the day returned. Just as Lex noted "the sudden hush of birds into nighttime mode" it was incredible. Yes indeed Draclvr and Hagatha, I well imagine it would scare our primitive ancestors. Thanks for the coffee Gerry!

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Lunch and the season finale of The Way Home with a friend today. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good Tuesday morning! Wow, what a night. Storms everywhere in the state. I've heard of at two tornados on the ground last night, but haven't heard of any damages. We had 3 big storms go through at 11, 1 am with tornado warnings going off and one at 3 am with constant lightning, but no thunder. I got up at 7 to let Bella the Bloodhoound outside as there was no way she was sleeping outside last night! Then I went back to bed for awhile.

So, that WADD brew REALLY hits the spot this morning, Gerry!

Thank goodness I got the grass cut yesterday. The first cutting always takes so long - almost 3 1/2 hours on the little tractor to cut about 3 acres. Some of the grass was so tall I had to go over it 3 times - I said we should have baled it! Hubby just hates to have to watch me do it, but his back is so bad right now there is no way he could ride that little tractor. I did it all myself for years after my 2nd husband died, so it's not like it's new for me!

Can't wait to walk down to the road and see how much rain is in the rain gauge!

Good afternoon everyone. I was happily and mindlessly playing Fallout 76(which really is a remarkably mindless game) and the power went out. This place has experienced more power outages in 6 months than I experienced in Campbell River in the whole 8.5 years I was there.

Not sure what it's all about -- could be the fact that people let their hedges and trees grow right into the power lines; for example, my neighbour across the road has a 40-foot evergreen hedge, totally overgrown and weaving in and out of the power line. Not sure why the Municipality doesn't do anything about it -- maybe there's just not enough resources. Nanoose Bay is not a one-horse town. It's more like a miniature pony town.

Hagatha, I like the idea of a miniature pony town, but that hedge makes me think more of a mule...

Perhaps you should try to get everyone together to hire someone to trim the hedges!

Good Morning Connie, soot, lex, Draclvr, hagatha, Fogfighter, and everyone! Wide Awake Double Dark brew is ready to start your day.

It is raining here again and will continue all day and thru Thursday. High wind advisory too. Probably won't be able to go for a walk.

Hope you all have a good day!

Gerry

Good Morning Connie, soot, lex, Draclvr, hagatha, Gerry, and everyone!

Thanks for the WADDB Gerry.

We got an April surprise yesterday. Pretty much snow and accidents and delays on many roads. Now it has stopped snowing and hopefully back to normal soon.

Happy Wednesday Gameboomers

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. I will be in Ruskin without my computer this weekend. Four of us are going to an Eagle Trustee school and Officer school. Music Bingo at the Eagles tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Good morning everyone. Wow, off to school in Ruskin...that will be a fun weekend Connie...enjoy. Gerry, the wide awake double dark brew is marvelous this morning...hopefully the rain will break enough for you to get in your walk. Fogfighter, you should see this area when we get snow or ice ... it is total choas! Hagatha, I don't imagine Nanoose Bay has the budget for that trimming work but I imagine the BC Hydro company does ... might be worth a call or email to them suggesting they trim tree's to save frequent repair costs if you can't get enough folks to hire someone local to trim as Lex suggests. Draclvr, it's getting to be that time of the year again as I cut my lawn last week.
Have a great day everyone

Soot and Lex, I live in a "special" neighbourhood, and by that I mean it's one of those places where people love the way of life and resist change of any kind. It's got a sort of exclusive enclave mentality. One does not fink on one's neighbour! As to hiring someone collectively -- that would be a several million dollar proposition. And without the property owner's wishes, that hedge isn't getting pruned any time soon anyway. It's one of the long-term residents, there's a semi-run-down trailer on the property, and I've never seen the person.

I've been told that a few years back there was a plan to put streetlights in the neighbourhood. Everyone was absolutely up in arms about it. Result; no streetlights. It's quite possible that the Greater Nanaimo District has just given up and BC hydro attends when needed.

I had an exceptionally lazy day yesterday so today is chores day.

Happy Wednesday!

I am with this "One does not fink on one's neighbour!" because my house is not well taken care of and it is not the business of my neighbors (although, of course, I might appreciate it if they'd like to come and take care of it themselves). I have trees up in the power & phone lines (just to my house I think) too but they actually seem to protect the lines from swinging all around in the high winds. Hopefully I will not put a jinx on us by saying that, we have not lost power due to storms or anything else for many years now. I am thankful for that and hope it stays that way.

Enjoy your day!

Where I live, the utility company comes by every 10 years or so and cuts or trims the trees away from the utility lines as it is also a huge fire hazard. Anything that grows under the lines is in their utility right-of-way/easement. And one of the main reasons I would not do well in a neighborhood where property values are a consideration. I like being by myself out in the country where we can do as we choose... although both hubby and I do take some pride in working hard to have a beautiful place out here.

I do worry about fire and roof. I had pride of ownership for only about 5 years and then _ _it happened, unfortunately! I kick myself a lot these days!

oldbroad, sorry to hear. Hindsight would be great sometimes.

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