Now I really did it :((

[rainwood]

Just time for a quick pop in!.

Missy, love Wally in place! Excellent choice. And thanks for your ESP on Tuesday.

Marcy, sorry to hear about more snow. Winter is supposed to be over by now! And what they did at work sounds both unwise and poorly handled. Can you pull a Kelly Ripa for a few days?

Scandinavia, I love how the sides of the logs are squared off, but the ends are round. The best of both worlds!

Jimmianne, glad to hear things may be working out well for your DS. It must be a relief to see that at least his short-term path now has a direction.

Junie, hope the continuing efforts to prepare for your mom's arrival are going okay. Remember, you are a saint among us.

Had a nice birthday this week and will be celebrating with family this weekend. Still haven't decided on the new bling though I told myself to fish or cut bait by my birthday. Maybe tomorrow! Am off to the island for a quick trip to meet someone about issues with the heating/cooling system. Now, if I could just get a plumber to call me back.

 

[Scandinavian]

Good night from Scandinavia
Work is crazy this week and with the construction work as well, I'm a bit overwhelmed and the day has too few hours. I'll try to do better. But for now, I really hope you are all doing well.
Marcy, please stay extra safe in the snow! Not worth it to risk anything for that nice job of yours with such wonderful coworkers... grrr... not to worry. You'll get back at them eventually, good work pays off in the long run!
Rainwood, yes, the logs are super nice! They are made by hand the old fashioned way with an ax hope you will have a good time at the island! Plumbers are a special breed aren't they..
Jimmianne, logging on - good one! LOL! Giving the doh a pasture is such a good idea! I dream of buying a field from our neighbour so I can fence it for our dog! Would be perfect for this time of year when they are not allowed to run free.
June, everything ok? Did you find a door?
Missy, I miss you! Sorry. Bad joke. But I really have missed you girls the last few days! How are all the kittens? Will the feral go back soon? The whale is so nice!! How fun at a beach house! Good luck to them tomorrow - or am I mixing dates perhaps..
Work and meets tomorrow. And girls night - read dinner - at a friend. I have convinced DH to get me afterwards, hate taking a taxi home by myself. Had forgotten about dinner, luckily she reminded me...

Night!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, I have my one on one with my boss Monday. I plan on asking him about what is going on. I think he is generally honest with me. I wish I believed our company rewarded people for hard work. Sometimes it seems like it’s screw up and move up. Trust me I am spreading out all across my big double wide cube - if they take that away from me I am out of there. I hope you have a nice time visiting with your friend.

The logs are stacking up and looking great. I bet you are so excited.

Missy, I can’t say I am surprised at how things turned out for me at work. If they gave me bad reviews and told me you need to do x, y, z, etc then i’d know where I stand. But they tell me they have no problems, I am doing fine yet then stuff like that happens. I like your Just Stay Home campaign.

Jimmianne, I hope you had a wonderful time with your friend at Duke Gardens. Is that a park? Oh no to a freeze in French wine country.

Rainwood, winter is never really over in Wyoming - it just stays at bay for a few weeks in the Summer. I should pull a Kelly - it sounds like she got an apology too. Happy belated birthday! That’s great you will be celebrating with the family this weekend. Good luck with the heating / cooling system problems and plumbing. Ugh I hate things like that.

I was dining off other people all day. Someone brought in donuts. I like yellow cake with chocolate frosting so that is always my determining factor if I’ll take a donut - it has to be my favorite or forget it. They had my favorite in there. Then corporate bought lunch for some of us as a thank you for a big project we worked on with them. They ordered in pizza and had soda for us.

Then for supper a friend of mine was going to come over to play cards and have a glass of wine; it ended up she picked up take out for us at Olive Garden. I had to work about 30 minutes late so she waited for me until I got home.

We played 3 rounds of cribbage and she won 2. Darn it. We had one of my mini cheesecakes with fresh strawberries and whip cream. I sent one home for her husband.

Marty used our debit card at Zales corp today for $64. It better be a teddy bear if it’s for me. Otherwise we’ll need to “talk”.

I reset one of our webcams last night because it kept going off line. Now I have no idea how to pair it up with our system again. Darn. I liked watching the weather outside and no I can’t see how much snow is out there. I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way - walk over to the window and look out.

Have a great Friday.
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning from the train
Snow snow snow today so I'm taking the train to work - car + train + subway, more specifically. Lol. Life's fun. But still be ter than driving, the news say that there are plenty of cars upside down on the roads today and that's no good... lol. Not exactly perfect for construction work either..
This is what you get when you try to take a picture through the window of a moving train..

All the other people looked at me kind of funny, so decided that the one try was enough, lol. Not my fault if I have never seen snow before now is it??? Lol. Marcy, I totally sympathise with the horrors of having to look out the window to se the weather! Now, I even had to turn 90 degrees to get a picture and it was hard work!! Jimmianne, that new house of yours sounds fun! Renovating might be nice? We have one of those maybe-call-the-firedepartment houses in our summer place. But it is on a conservation list, so no fires there...
Any good plans for the weekend? Missy, you always have such big-city plans, always sound so exciting compared to my snowy woods, lol. Rainwood, bet there is no snow on your lovely island and June, take care of yourself! You deserve a break or three

All my best!

 

[junebug17]

Hi all! Wanted to check in quickly with everyone -

Missy, it's so funny your dad made a face for his passport pic, he sounds like such a great and fun guy! It's wonderful your friend is enjoying being a mom and it will be fun getting together with her. Wally the whale looks great, I'm sure he'll be very happy in his new home lol. Thanks to you and Greg for the recommendation for the door, I appreciate it!

Marcy, glad to hear you ended up going out to dinner a few times with friends, sounds like it was fun. I'm glad you had some company while Marty is away. It's great you saved so much on your glasses, good deal. Sorry to hear about the snow storm, that stinks and I hope it isn't as bad as predicted. I'm really sorry about the situation at work, you deserve to be treated better and the whole thing was handled very badly. I think it's a good idea to talk to your boss about it. You're not whining at all, I'm glad you shared how you're feeling with us and please know all your nirdis are here for you!

Jimmianne, congratulations on your latest real estate purchase! Love the pic of your step-dad, what a wonderful person he must have been to be around! Lol to your play on words, well done! Hope you had a good time celebrating your friend's birthday.

Scandinavian, love the pics of the progress of your extension, it looks great so far! Best of luck with all you have going on, you are certainly very busy these days and I hope you are also getting a chance to rest. I'm glad you have a nice dinner planned with a friend, you deserve a break! Missy had a good suggestion for doors so hopefully we'll have this figured out soon.

Rainwood, Happy Birthday! Glad you enjoyed it and that you have a family celebration to look forward to. Good luck deciding on the bling! Of course you know what my vote is Hope things went smoothly with the heating/cooling repair.

Thanks to all for the good wishes for my son! I've noticed a change in his mood, he seems in better spirits. Fingers crossed it works out well for him.

Will write more tomorrow!

 

[Scandinavian]

Oh June, I totally forgot to write that it was such good news to hear about your son and his new job! Hope he will like it, it sounds like a good opportunity and something that he can build on later

EDIT: and Missy: the baby racoons! Totally utterly gorgeously adorable! If I were you, I would never get any work done, all I would do was look at the security camera.. LOL They are not dangerous for kitties are they..? I know that badgers are dangerous, at least for dogs, but.. hmmm... Hope you don't have any badgers. We have one living under the barn (yes we have a barn, lol, where else to keep the tractor?? LOL LOL) but she is very shy, so that is ok. She is only there to hibernate during winter, so I think she has left us for now . Last year she had babies, we could hear them whining under the floor, but could never see them. Probably for the best. We need them to be scared of us, as they are dangerous to dogs an children, can bite clean through a leg. Sorry. Rambling. Easier to type on my computer than on the phone on the train, lol.

Hugs. S.

 

[MarionC]

Looks like I'm the first one up - except for you, Scandi' ! I like your train photo. How long is your summer, by the way?? and in what months? Does it get hot there?

Marcy, snow report??

Duke Gardens is a beautiful place for strolling at Duke U. Probably typical of large gardens with various theme areas, a lake, a koi pond, fountains, etc. The roses and peonies were in bloom yesterday [my favorites]. I didn't get any great photos, but I do like this one because it looks like an impressionists' scene.


I made my B&B reservation yesterday for at least two weeks in June with a woman I met at a Christmas party. Her husband is a chef and gives cooking lessons at the B&B, and the room comes with a bicycle : ) The place looks charming. Most importantly they speak English, which is handy for functioning on this first time on my own.
Slowly the trip is taking form.

Back later - it's time to clean before the cleaner!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Marcy, glad you have your friends to feed you and keep you company even when you are working a bit late. Yay for good friends!
We all know they love you at work but they still suck. (((HUGS))). When is Marty coming home? Oh that mini cheesecake sounds awesome and sorry your friend won at cribbage but she really won when she got to take more cheesecake home. Which coincidentally Greg is baking for my dad for his birthday this Saturday. Cheesecake. Yummy. Oooh Zales teddy bear. Cannot wait.

Don't leave us hanging...snow day today perhaps?

Junie, Looking forward to hearing more about your mini reno project. Please do not hesitate to contact me for anything. And we are not that far away... Glad things are going well for your DS. Big hugs to him and you and your whole family.

Scandinavian, we miss you too and always look forward to hearing from you. LOVE the newest pics. Greg loves your logs and explained to me all about chinking...sealing the space b/w the logs. Is that what you guys call it too? Love that snowy photo through the window on the train. Hope you had fun at dinner last night at your friend's home. Raccoons can be mean but generally leave others alone but rabies is not unheard of so if there is a rabid raccoon they are more likely to attack. We are getting for the kitties that are trapped rabies vaccinations as well as neutering and other vaccinations and flea and tick treatments. Raccoons also don't scare off at all. Before Greg figured a way to keep them out from the feeding station I would try to scare them away by flashing the porch light and stuff like that but it didn't phase them in the least. LOL. They are smart and tough and while I have nothing against them I just don't want them taking food away from the feral kitties. Raccoons are more adept at getting food and surviving whereas the feral kitties are just more vulnerable in every way. That is why I am more protective of them than the raccoons. I want all of the wild animals to get enough food and shelter believe me. I feel badly for all those struggling on their own just for survival. And I wish we could save them all.

Jimmianne, love that Duke Gardens photo. Does look like a scene from a painting. Beautiful. Gypsy progress report?
That B&B sounds wonderful.

 

[missy]

Rainwood! I didn't want to let the cat (meooow) out of the bag about your birthday since I wasn't sure you were cool with me sharing it. But now that you have, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

And here's a little off the cuff poem just for you.

Dearest Rainwood
We want to sing from high above
Wishes coming from our hearts
full of happiness and love

This is your birthday week woohoo!
We are coming here and wishing you
Lots of love and all the best
and may all your future dreams come true

Sending you so many happy vibes
Lots of NIRDI love and biggest hugs
And though we have all yet in real life to meet
You have already seen some of our ugly mugs
And again so very sorry about this lol (my very) ugly feet
Yet somehow miraculously that hasn't turned you away
and you know we are keeping you in our happiest of thoughts
and thinking of you each and every day

Lots of fun adventures are coming your way
Safe and happy travels with new places to explore
Each day bringing something different and interesting
And wishing you all that and so much more

This is a new road you are traveling
and though there are challenges galore
We know not only can you manage it
You wil come through with flying colors and more

Your positivity and encouragement
always wonderfully shine through
Your joy at living to the fullest each day
Brings us all inspiration anew
Always offering support and wisdom
no matter what you are going through

Bringing others happiness and joy
helping everyone along
And for this reason but so many more
we had to share this (poem) song

To go on and on (as I always do)
would just be the biggest bore
so instead I am just going to say
We love and cherish you but really so much more
You always make the most of everything
And that is why from the highest mountains we just want to sing

You are enjoying life as it comes
taking it all day by day
Dearest Rainwood you are awe inspiring
bringing joy with you to us all along the way
You are the very best and really what is left to say...

Except wishing you the best and happiest week of your very special birthday!!!!

We love you Rainwood!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MarionC]

Missy, resident poet. You are amazing!
{is there cheesecake under that frosting?!?! ]

Gypsy: not better, not worse. Eye is open but still tearing. I've heard it can take weeks, but will call vet on Monday if still no progress by then.

Happy Birthday, Rainwood! What is the plan for your day?

 

[missy]

Jimmianne, sending more healing vibes to sweet Gypsy. (((HUGS))).

And for you and Rainwood here's the last cheesecake Greg baked albeit pumpkin cheesecake. For tomorrow's birthday celebration for my dad he is baking straight cheesecake though sadly without the graham cracker crust because my sister is being a PITA about it being the last day of Passover and we cannot bring anything with the verboten for Passover ingredients. Annoying because well the graham cracker crust is so delicious! And also annoying because she is a hypocrite. I mean OK she is "Kosher" for Passover I guess but she is not kosher in general yanno? OMG ridiculous IMO. And I am going to try tempting Greg not to be such a "good" boy. He is too accommodating sometimes! I want my graham cracker crust. LOL.

And just because I'm adding a gratuitous pic of his apple pie too. Rainwood we (Greg haha) would happily bake this for you (and all the NIRDIs) when you visit in person...

 

[Scandinavian]

Rainwood, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't have a picture of a cake, so this will have to do


Wishing you a very nice summer trip, and PROMISE that I will make a good and long recommendation list!

Missy, if my DH made cakes like that, I would not be able to fit through the door... luckily, he doesn't cook, LOL

Jimmianne, that picture and that garden!

 

[missy]

NIRDIs may I ask for more good thoughts for the soda gang today (and all the ferals) because today is Neutering/Vaccinating etc day and the kitties are there right now waiting for their procedures. Ann brought them over to the animal hospital last night. I am nervous for them all.

One of the ferals (not one of ours) is getting part of his tail amputated so that is upsetting.

Ann said that Sammy and Sprite (who is not getting neutered today because she is nursing the babies) are the calmest ferals she has ever seen and that is because they never have to worry about where they are getting their next meal or shelter and that for ferals they have a pretty nice life. I sure hope that is true. But in any case my mind and heart are with all of them and that poor sweet feral who has to get part of his tail amputated today too. So please girls continue your good wishes and thoughts for them all.

And no truer words were ever spoken LOL

“When my cats aren’t happy, I’m not happy. Not because I care about their mood but because I know they’re just sitting there thinking up ways to get even.”
—PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Scandinavian, pretty photo. Very peaceful. And believe me it takes a LOT of self control on my part. I really really love Greg's baking. But I love having calmer skin more so I enjoy his baked goods but in small amounts. Better than nothing right?

 

[junebug17]

Will be back in a bit but I am keeping the ferals in my thoughts missy and hoping so much that everything goes smoothly for them all. I agree with Ann that you have helped the kitties tremendously and have definitely improved their quality of life!

 

[Scandinavian]

All my very best thoughts and wishes to the ferals! You are doing amazing things for them! Before you know it, they may decide to move in with you

Missy, the photo is from our summer house, you are always welcome to visit

 

[rainwood]

Missy, thank you for the beautiful birthday poem! I am so touched and teared up reading it. You're the best! And the cake and cheesecake and pie - all gluten and dairy-free!! Thank you, Greg! And it's nice to hear confirmation that your feeding program has given the ferals a better life. The neutering will go fine though it's hard not to worry. You and Greg are doing much good in the world.

Scandi, I hope I can call you that? Your photos of the snow and the summer place are gorgeous. I can't wait to see such a beautiful part of the world!

Jimmianne, your trip to France is sounding wonderful! A B&B and cooking class sounds like a great way to become grounded in the culture and still give you time to explore other parts of the country. Viva la France! And the Duke Gardens do look like a French impressionist painting. You have a good eye.

Marcy, hang in there on the snow. I loved your description of Wyoming as being winter interrupted by a few weeks of summer. Here, we say the rainy season runs from October through June!

I had a quiet birthday on Tuesday but will celebrate with my sister this weekend and my BIL early next week when each comes into town. Birthdays have always been more of a family thing for us so it's been hard the last few years. On my 60th, my husband was in the hospital, and my 61st was the first without him. So I tend to keep them low-key these days. It's weird to know that I could actually collect Social Security now! Gah, how did I become a senior citizen?

My quick trip to the island was pretty close to a waste of time. He was supposed to be there between 3:30 and 5:30 but rolled in after 6. He's not the person who usually comes and I could tell from the minute he showed up he was not going to be able to fix the problem. And he didn't have the right batteries to change the thermostat. So nothing really got fixed. And he cancelled out the message on the thermostat that said what kind of battery was needed so I can't go buy them! And forgot to turn the system back on. If I hadn't checked, the house would have been without heat for the next few weeks. But I did end up seeing the plumber in the grocery store parking lot so I'll be able to schedule something with him later. Island time. It's a real thing!!

Enough about me. I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

 

[MarionC]

Rainwood, it's your BD - it's your day - all about you! : )
bask. write more. collect accolades
Hurry up and collect that SS before it runs out lol
Age is a good thing, yes? not only for getting SS, but for getting to pull rank on annoying cheeky whippersnappers!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian you view out the window of the train looks like the weather here today. Your view was more pretty though. Stay safe today; I hate to hear there are so many accidents. Your summer place looks gorgeous.

Junebug, it was good for me to spend some time with some friends this week. It keeps me occupied and gets me out of the house. That is awesome your son seems so happy with his new job. I think that would be an interesting job.

Jimmianne, so far we’ve had 1/2 inch of rain and 3 inches of snow. The roads are starting to get icy and the snow is sticking now. More snow through tomorrow evening. Duke Gardens is beautiful. I love how green it is and all the flowers in bloom. That B&B sounds perfect for you since they speak English and you met the lady at Christmas time. Your trip is shaping up. Oh poor Gypsy. Sorry it takes so long for her eye to heal.

Missy, I bet Greg’s cheesecake is fabulous. I might go dig out another little cheesecake for tomorrow. One wasn’t enough this week. I tried to get Marty to tell me what he bought at Zales but he wouldn’t tell me. I bet it’s Teddy Bear related. I didn’t have the snow flu today because the roads were just wet this morning not icy and it was still just wet when I came home. Too funny that Jimmianne called you the resident poet because that is what I was going to say. Your poem to Rainwood is awesome. Rats your sister insists on no graham cracker crust for the cheesecake. I’ve used Oreos or chocolate wafers before they aren’t graham crackers. Ha! I generally use teddy grahams anymore. Greg’s pie and cheesecake look fabulous.

Best wishes dust heading out to the kitties today and this weekend. That is great the obvious impact you’ve made on the feral kitties life.

Rainwood, it sounds like you have a lot of rain there. I sure hate ice anymore but snow is pretty if only it stayed on the lawn and off the street and sidewalk. I know birthdays and holidays are really tough so keeping them low key seems to be a good idea. I hope you have a nice time with your sister and BIL. Sorry that guy wasn’t any help to you at your beach house. Grr. One of our local grocery stores has 10% for seniors once a month - I try to remember to take advantage of it. Too bad they don’t offer those on diamonds.

Thank you for all your support and commiserating with me about work. I plan on talking to my boss on Monday.

The snow is starting to stick and get icy. Hopefully Marty’s flight gets in to Denver okay tomorrow then he’ll have to drive home. It should be above freezing during daylight tomorrow until he gets to Wyoming so it shouldn’t be too bad.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, that weather is so inconvenient, especially with Marty travelling. I know you seasoned snowfolk can drive in anything and yet I will be glad to get the report that he is home. Then you, we and the bears can start the games.

I woke up too early, but my date for today had to get up too - he has to have his car delivered to the car show by 6:30am and will then wait around for me until the gates open at 9am. It's a little road trip for me to get there so it's an adventure and I do love looking at old cars. While I was on the tractor this week I was musing about my love of machines. Maybe a hold-over from another lifetime lol
At least from childhood - I wanted a Jaguar and an MG Roadster from the time I could talk. Go figure. I do think it is somehow related to love of bling - beauty, pure and simple.
oh I just had a terrible thought - I'll bet some of those cars are for sale omg! nonono

Scandi [I never asked if I could call you that! do you mind?] Eagerly awaiting progress photos of the log walls. Again, those logs are so beautiful. My log house was sort of brownish-yellow. Will your house have some sort of wood treatment? What will the final color be?
Are things going smoothly now?

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Junie, Scandinavian, Rainwood and Marcy, thank you all for your good wishes and love for the feral kitties. Ann said all the cats she brought to the clinic yesterday were female except for one who is named Stubby and he is the one who had to have part of his tail amputated. They are all doing well woohoo! Extra healing wishes being sent to sweet Stubby. Ann will release them when they are stronger and the weather is better as we have a lot of cool rainy days ahead. Spaying is a major surgical procedure not as easy as a neuter. So Sammy is a girl just like we all thought!


Scandinavian, thank you for the invite and same to you. We would love for you and all the NIRDIs to come and visit. How is the house coming along? Really love how it is coming together and love the photos too.

Rainwood, I'm sorry the handyman who met you at the beach house the other day was not helpful but glad you have this under control and that you found someone who is going to fix it and fix it right. So glad you enjoyed the poem. LOL I know it's corny but it is from my heart. And woohoo on being a "senior citizen" because first of all you are one cool and rockin senior citizen and a double woohoo on being able to get social security. Get it while you can! I keep getting AARP stuff in the mail. Maybe I should look at it before I toss it in the garbage first next time...
Have a fantastic weekend celebration with your friends and family!

Marcy, I have to check on the cheesecake this morning. Greg put it in the fridge last night so no clue how it looks. He hasn't made straight cheesecake in years. We serve it straight but my mom puts cherries or strawberries on top of hers. I don't need all that adornment. Just give me delicious cheesecake straight up please. Hope you enjoyed your mini cheesecake last night and woohoo on Marty coming home today! Wishing him safe travels! Glad your commute to work yesterday wasn't too bad and good luck with your chat with your boss on Monday. What are your weekend plans?

Jimmianne, what's going on with you? Thoughts about your new property? Demolition happening soon? When are your young friends moving to your land? Weekend plans? And lastly but definitely not least how is Gypsy today?

Hope all of you have a great day and a great weekend. Going to my sister's this afternoon and today is my dad's 82nd birthday. And an early Mother's Day celebration. So happy in advance Mother's Day to everyone. All the NIRDIs! Because even if we don't have human children we have fur baby children (alive and the stuffed variety and that counts in my book hahaha).

And Rainwood enjoy the rest of your birthday week and weekend!!!

 

[missy]

 

[marcy]

Marty's FB post

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, I am certainly less enthused to venture out in bad weather the older I get. You are trying to get me and the bears in trouble aren’t you? Of course I love a good gag. I hope you have a blast at the car show today. Pictures please. Good point about loving beautiful things. Maybe you’ll buy a great car today. Sweet. A jag dealer in Denver had an Aston Martin in a car bay and we asked if we could look at it. The salesman follows us in there so we are checking it out and Marty’s friend asks “can we pop the hood?” The salesman says “sure” so he opens the hood and the car alarm goes off. We are in this enclosed cement room and the alarm was piercingly deafening. I swear that sound is still bouncing around in my head. We all walked out of there and everyone in the show room was starting at us.

Missy, I am glad to hear Ann said the surgeries went well and she’ll keep the feral kitties until they have recuperated and it’s warmer. Nice. I am with you on plain cheesecake; while I don’t mind the fruit on top it’s all about the cheesecake to me. I don’t know yet about our weekend plans. My cleaning lady is here right now. Marty should get home about 6:30. We talked about going sapphire shopping tomorrow but if the weather is still nasty maybe we’ll wait on that. I know Marty isn’t thrilled about coming home to snow. Have a nice time at your sisters celebrating your dad’s birthday and early Mother’s Day. Wish your dad a Happy Birthday from your PS friend in Wyoming. I absolutely love the crazy cat lady starter kit.

Yep it’s snowing sideways here today. Yippee!

I got up about 7 today since I had to be up and dressed when my cleaning lady got here at 8. Maybe I will sleep late tomorrow. My cleaning lady likes to listen to oldies so I have on Sirius 60’s and I am loving this music as well. Nice.

Have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

Here is my present from Killer. It is a Snoopy charm. I think I'll put it on my keychain.


Marcy

 

[junebug17]

Hi everyone!

Missy, I'm so glad about the good update from Ann, very happy that the ferals are doing well so far and I hope their recovery continues to go smoothly!

Your poem for Rainwood is adorable! I love it, it's really good!

Greg's cheesecake and pie looks amazing! Lol on your sister being a bit of a stickler about keeping kosher - couldn't she just look the other way on this one? I hope you had a great time with your family and I'm sending your wonderful father lots of good thoughts for a very Happy Birthday!

Love the crazy cat lady starter kit!

Scandinavian, thanks for the good thoughts for my son! I'm really hoping this goes well. The pic from the train is so pretty! I hope you have a fun weekend and you get a chance to relax a little.

Jimmianne, love the pic you took at Duke Gardens - You should do a painting of it! The B and B you found sounds perfect, great find; sounds like you'll be comfortable there. I hope you had a wonderful time at the car show. And hopefully you didn't leave the show in a new car!

Rainwood, I hope you have a fabulous time with your family this weekend! I hear you on wanting to keep birthdays a bit low-key, I don't really like making a big deal out of my birthday these days myself. Although I'm happy to acknowledge the day by getting some bling ha!
Sorry the heating/cooling situation wasn't resolved, I hate when that happens! But at least you tracked down the plumber so something good came of it. Meant to thank you for your nice comment in your other post, but I don't feel very saintly these days lol - I'm trying to do the right thing (even though most of the time I'm not really sure what that is) and I'm hoping this all works out and I can take good care of my mother while maintaining my sanity at the same time!

Marcy, I love the Snoopy charm, it's so cute! I like the little paw prints - who knew Killer could be so thoughtful ha! - Lol to Killer not wanting to come home to snow, I can't say that I blame him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is decent enough for you to go sapphire shopping. Dh and a few friends were planning on going golfing tomorrow but unfortunately it's supposed to rain - they are all very bummed needless to say.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far!

 

[MarionC]

I want me some of them starter kits! meow! I mean Now! Pls send 6 boxes right away!

What a nice present that Snoopy charm is. I guess the rabbits aren't all bad?!

The car show was fabulous. A big deal, much bigger than I realized going in. Hundreds & hundreds of people, parking a mile from the show and catching a shuttle, then finding out I was signed in for a day-long thing. I lasted about an hour and came home, being a countryfolk. haha I'm terrible. I was like - this was cool, thanks. bye.
Here is some bling.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello
What do you do when one of the construction firms bail on you? You do the demolition part yourself... So that is what we are doing this weekend... tearing of old boards from the walls, and taking down a few windows. Oh the joys of building... and its raining / snowing, did I mention that?? LOL

Off course you can call me Scandi, it sounds almost like candy, and what more could a girl as for???

The BB for France sounds like a good idea Jimmianne. I like food

My friend made dinner the other day, and she went all in with scallop carpaccio, porcini risotto with fish, duck filets, and chocolate macrons. How do I top that?? LOL I think I will try even though it is a bit hopeless, she and her DH are a bit of foodies, and so I think it might be nice to make an effort when they will be visiting us at the summerhouse in June. Maybe grilled tenderloin from wild reindeers... hmmmm... Any ideas for something impressing?

Jimmianne, good morning the pictures are gorgeous!

The logs are made and put together the old fashioned way (as is the way we do it here), without any "artificial" stuff - so nothing between the logs, they are made to fit together perfectly, and no cracks inbetween as the pure weight of the logs make them "set" as one. In the corners, there may be added some wool in the inside pockets between the logs. Kind of like this:
http://www.mesterlaft.no/lafteteknikk.jpg
Here you can see the hole / pocket that I tried to describe
http://www.hytteavisen.no/getfile.php/898227.973.wydccxybfs/2000x2000lafteknute+630.jpg

The snoopy charm is so wonderful! So nice of him ehhh of the rabbit.

Please send me a crazy dog woman kit... My DH says that if I live in the woods and have more than seven dogs, I'll be crazy-lady even if they are not cats... LOL

Rainwood, hope you had a nice birthday / celebration?

On the outside, the walls will be dark brown (requirement for the building permit, but that is ok, we would have chosen brown anyway). Probably something like this:
http://www.tyrilin.no/fargevelger/#close
I need you to click "eksteriør", then the last of the colour samples "antikkbrun", then "vindski" out on the left, and the same colour "antikkbrun" again, and then finally (so sorry, the page is in Norwegian but it was the only one I could find with the typical tar brown colour) "vindu" on the left and the second of the colour samples, "gylden". If you had the stamina and perseverance to go through that, you should see a house with dark (dark!) brown walls and orangey windows, LOL. The yellow is not the correct one, but it gives you an idea.

So funny that you clean before the cleaner comes Jimmianne, all my friends do that too. I don't have a cleaning lady, so I don't clean, LOL LOL LOL

Got to go. I have probably missed a lot of good stuff and I'm really sorry.

All my best! S

 

[missy]

Good morning girls and happy Sunday!

Junie, thank you for the happy birthday wishes for my dad. Wish you and the other girls could come and have some of the cheesecake Greg baked. Next time and it can be any baked goods your heart desires. Just ask for it and you know Greg will make it happen. HA that's how he initially won my heart you know. Baking for me after dating for less than a month. That man is smart.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend despite today's gloomy weather by us.


Marcy, I am happy Marty is home safe and sound and love the charm he bought you. So thoughtful. Thank you for enjoying some cheesecake in honor of my dad's birthday yesterday. LOL. It was a success and the cheesecake quite delicious as you could imagine.
How's the weather by you today? Snow or rain or gasp maybe some blue sky? What are your Sunday plans? Hope you are sleeping in today.


Jimmianne, love the cars! Greg and I used to attend the yearly auto show at the Javitz Center in NYC but haven't been for a few years because the crowds are quite rowdy these days and just not as much fun as it used to be in the past. We now get to see more antique cars at auto shows all over the Jersey Shore in the Spring, Summer and Autumn and love that even more. Thank you for sharing these cars with us. So much fun.

Scandinavian, hello! Glad things are going well. Will check out your links later.

I will happily send the cat starter kits to all you girls. Complete with kitties! You know I have the supply so just say the word. LOL.

We had fun yesterday. I cannot believe my dad is 82. Sigh. I wish I could turn back the clock just a little bit.
It was a long day with traveling back and forth to Long Island because there is always traffic but glad we went and also glad to be back home LOL. Will share some pics I took yesterday but maybe in another post because they are on my phone and my phone is not near me right now. I have to send it to my computer and download it and all that jazz. So will do it a bit later. Have a good day girls!

 

[missy]

OK sharing the pics I took yesterday. Sorry that some of them are so big.












My nieces make faces in every single picture so just capturing one for your amusement.





This photo needs no introduction lol. We added some fresh blackberries because my dad loves blackberries.





My Uncle was able to join us even though my Aunt wasn't able to since she is taking care of a good friend in Florida and sadly her friend is not doing well.

It is my Uncle's birthday May 3rd so of course we included him in singing happy birthday when we brought out the cheesecake. I think he is almost 70. He is a few years younger than my mom. Isn't it funny how I cannot remember everyone's ages and the only reason I remember my dad's exact age is because I am cherishing every single year with him dearly and so it is fresh in my mind.

The blackberries were picked over before we could serve the cake LOL.




Dessert that is Passover safe. This probably won't come as a surprise to anyone but the cheesecake was way more popular.




My BIL and nieces rescued these doves years ago. There was a little boy kicking them and my BIL put an immediate stop to that and rescued them and my sister saved them and then the girls didn't want to part with them as they weren't OK enough to be released but could have gone to an animal sanctuary. But the girls loved them so much by then and so they adopted them.










Alexa was climbing everyone and everything yesterday. Kids.



End of long day and leaving with spring pan that held the cheesecake. Cheesecake went home with dad of course.

 

[MarionC]

I am loving all the photos here and want to study them more closely. Obviously we are a visual bunch who must be catered to with many photos!

My mechanic just sent me this .
He said it's proof that I finally have an advanced degree in "farm equipment".
Missy, if Greg happens to see this, please tell him I am not cleaning my tractor port because I am hoping you guys will visit and that I think he would enjoy getting me organized much more than I would enjoy doing it myself.

What a grey and rainy day here! perfect for eating, napping and watching TV AND hanging out with ya'll.

I hope everyone chimes in with what they are up to today!

ps. May day! when I was a little kid I used to pick huge bunches of wild violets in the woods for my neighbors for May Day.