Now I really did it :((

[Scandinavian]

The Rhubarb restaurant


Church

 

[Scandinavian]

Edinburgh castle

 

[missy]

Good morning girls! Just a quick note because I am sort of running late and need to leave soon for our annual physicals and my GYN. Not my favorite appointments LOL.

Sharon, thank you for your dh's (and your) perspective. That is sound advice and makes me see it a bit differently and feel better. I appreciate you sharing that with me, thank you! I hope the snow is not ruining your lovely spring blooms and that milder sunny weather is on your way very soon.

Junie, feel free please to lean on us and share and ask for support. This thread is helpful in many ways. Not just to vent and ask for advice but to give it too...a wise person told me (Rainwood ) that it is helpful to help others. Something so basic but so true. So by sharing with us and allowing us to support you that way it is actually benefiting us too. Reminds me of the saying nothing is truly altruistic because giving back to others gives back to us in huge ways.

Marcy, your sister's sapphires are lovely. I am with you and Marty. Don't love spiders or (Miller or any) Moths. Love that eternity band you tried on and I can see why you are enamored of it now.

Scandi, love all the Edinburgh photos. So romantic and beautiful. And I love that you bought some beautiful souvenirs to take back with you. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

OK I'm off. Have a good morning girls and I will come back later today if time permits. (((Hugs))).

 

[MarionC]

Scandi, thank you for the visual tour of Edinburgh! I am Clan Wotherspoon and now want more than ever to visit the "ould sod".
Glad you had a great time and it's fun to have a glimpse into that world. It must have been magical to walk through the old underground foundations that were once houses.
Banana whiskey - who knew?!?! Share more...and please send one of those scarves to North Carolina as well haha.

June, after your comment... I so hate to realize a bit better just how stressful your life is now. I don't know quite how one does it [having never been here before that I know of lol], but please take care of yourself in every moment that you can. You sound like such a dear soul that I know things weigh heavily for you while you are in the thick of it.
Yes, doesn't Missy have good ideas! [like thinking of the not-ready ring as a come-home present]. We must stick with her and stay on the sunny side. The power of positive thinking. yay!

Marcy, love that wide eternity and have always admired that style. It looks great on you...is it at the top of the list? We need to review our lists! It's been a while. What's on yours? That band would be a great alternative with your solitaire.

Today I have my last French lesson before the trip and also my Prolia shot. Then on Wednesday...tada!! I get my braces off. Incroyable! Two years!

Missy, I can hear you LOL Goodmorning!

 

[Scandinavian]

...and good lunch, lol

Trying (!) to catch up. A bit hard, lol. Anyways:

Log update: it will take approximately one more week before we get the results from the lab, so the waiting game is on..

Missy, first things first. I think the racoons can find food elsewhere if they want to, so perhaps you could try to reduce the "door" to make it so that they are too big to get inside? At least it might reduce the number of cats if they are just cats that are cats, lol. Second, if your neighbours complain, buy them a feeding station of their own for Christmas, pretend you think they are jealous Third, this will work out! Fourth, if you should ever sell the beachhouse, sell it with the cats An advert here did almost the same, they sold a dog (they were moving to Singapore or Dubai or something like that) with a cabin. So they basically gave the cabin away to make sure the dog got a great new home and could still enjoy the mountainside. Greg will love that idea... LOL.

Marcy, love the pictures. I want to go and find such treasures too!!! Please take me Glad Marty is back home and that you had a nice weekend. LOL to Gibbs smacking the staff!

Rainwood, the Scottish humor sure is a thing of its own, I'll try to find you one more picture

Jimmianne, your trip seams to be shaping up nicely whether you would like it to or not, lol Oh I do hope you will have a wonderful time!! I hate that your ring is not ready, but then again it is much better that it gets perfect than ready too fast Good morning! Very sorry that I did not buy any scarf in your tartan, or I *would* have sent it to you for sure!

Good morning Missy! Your dad looks like he loves you to the moon and back, and your mother is oh-so beautiful!!

June, sorry things are stressful!!

CJ

Sharon

 

[Scandinavian]

Scottish humor

 

[MarionC]

Scottish humor

oh dear, perhaps I was too hasty in revealing my Scottish heritage!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Junebug, I totally get what you said about unloading - the few times I’ve done that it’s like a can’t stop. it just comes gushing out. However, it does you good so this is a good place to unload whenever you want. We’ll listen and care and hopefully offer you some words of wisdom to help you out. I like what Rainwood said (as Missy pointed out) about helping others helps yourself. We are here for you any time.

I am still laughing at how perfect that card would be for my sister. Marty was the smart one to make sure I didn’t buy it.

I always laugh at the I Love Lucy shows. They are classics in every sense of the word. A lady we interviewed at work today is from Cuba and I swear I heard her say “splain” it today like Ricky would say it.

Scandinavian, the history of Edinburgh castle is awesome. I immediately went to the movie of Braveheart. I loved hearing about the sights and history of the area. Beautiful pictures. Thank you for giving us such a wonderful description of your sights and adventures! It was wonderful like we were there with you.

Crossing my fingers and toes on the log update.

I still want to Gibbs slap some people at work. It’s like that dream birthday card - it can only happen in my dreams.

Importanter. LOL.

Missy, I hope your appointments went well.

I found an ering that looks very similar to that eternity band but it’s YG not RG so I doubt it would look quite the same. I’d rather have the band.

Jimmianne, positive thinking is a wonderful thing. I wish it was catching.

Congratulations on getting your braces off. How exciting. Marty had his check up today and they are doing well. It sounds like you are getting ready for your big trip. Good luck with your shot.

Good question about what’s on my list. What’s on your list? I think that band is on the top of my list right now mostly because I don’t have anything else like it. I don’t know I’d get that exact one but I sure liked the size and gold combo. I’ve been toying with diamond dangles (pear or PC), if I got pear dangles I’d want a pear solitaire pendant. I always check for a larger ruby to upgrade but I want another EC with the same color and quality. A peachy-pink sapphire is always on my list. But I can’t look for a while - I just did those sapphire upgrades. If only money grew on trees.

Do’h I just noticed the knick on my hand looks nasty in my pictures - I am a KLUTZ.

I started my “chat” with my team today about improving their accuracy and met with the usual naysayers. I loved this circular logic - this one lady says no one likes to be told about their mistakes, isn’t it our job to fix them - so I said well how do you know you make a mistake if someone doesn’t tell you, isn’t that the idea to learn from your mistakes. Then I heard all we ever hear is what we did wrong. Sigh. I think I am going to throw it to them - you spend the summer figuring out how to fix this. My nagging, reminders, tracking, etc. hasn’t worked so far.

I am off again tomorrow to hopefully get my car fixed.

Have a great evening and Tuesday.
Marcy

 

[MarionC]

Marcy, I don't have a list right now. Well, not exactly. My dream would be a 7-8mm perfectly cut asscher. Probably not going to happen any time soon. I am always hopeful that one will show up in a Ma & Pa pawn shop in Podunk, USA. lol

My favorite episode of Lucy is where she and Ethel are working on the candy line wrapping bon bons and the conveyor belt keeps going faster and faster until they are so far behind that they are stuffing candy in their mouths and pockets.

I am going to vent now. No need to say much, please. I just need to say. My horse was diagnosed a potentially life-ending hoof issue yesterday. It might be a tumor or it could also be an infected chipped bone. Either way, it would require expensive surgery and a hospital stay with no guarantee of success.The fact that I am going away in two weeks makes the situation more complicated. I will have to decide what to do before I leave. Right now he is on antibiotics and painkillers with the vet coming back at the end of the week. He is totally lame. A big beautiful athletic animal, and my youngest big horse. This horse & farming stuff is not for sissies.

On a curious note: Two days ago a young friend of my DD wrote a touching post on Facebook. He said that he had been living a life of quiet desperation and thought of ending his life last year, but that something divine had come into his heart that gave him the courage, the wonder and the awe of life that saved him. He said it was an unexpected and instantaneous shift. I read it and reached out to him and we had a conversation.

I had not seen him in at least two years, even though he lives less than a mile from me.
So. After the vet left last night I rushed to the feed store for medicine. I should have waited until today, but on a whim I thought I might get there in time. When I got there they were closing, but in the parking lot, standing next to the car he had locked himself out of was the young friend. It was just so odd. He had no phone, no way to get help without a long walk. And there I was - right on time to take him home! LOL sort of mysterious, yes?

I'll be back later. Woke up at midnight and decided to try the jet-lag thing of changing the awake time prior to the trip.

 

[rainwood]

Missy, I hope it was an uneventful day/night for the ferals. I know the raccoons are concerning and they are extra clever and with those dexterous fingers, it might turn out to be a battle of wits between them and Greg on the feeding station. Good he got his workshop done so he can devise the perfect anti-raccoon apparatus. I have a funny work-related story about raccoons I'll have to tell when there's more time. And I hope your appointments went well. You have enough on your health plate already!

Jimmianne, my thoughts are with you and my fingers are crossed. And it was so great you were right where that young man needed you to be. Isn't life wonderful when it works out that way?

Marcy, it really is a shame you can't use the Gibbs head slap at work! Every time I see him do it, I think 'Only on TV!' That would be an automatic trip to HR anywhere else. And it's so sad when someone really isn't in doing a better job. I haven't run into any of those types at my office, but I certainly get them when dealing with other places.

I spent a half hour on the phone with Visa trying to resolve a problem and all they did was keep giving some canned apology straight from their script. And I kept saying I needed a solution, not an apology. I'd done the required contact to advise I'd have charges from certain foreign countries, and they still declined (not even a call or text first to ask if the charge was legit). I ended up spending half an hour and getting nowhere until they transferred me back to my bank which did come up with a solution and took the information so I wouldn't have to make another phone call. She cared, the Visa people did not. But I still had to spend another 15 minutes rebooking the fjord trip they'd declined. So there's an hour of my life I won't get back!

Scandi, glad you had a good time in Edinburgh. I didn't comment on the city before you went because I liked, but did not love, Edinburgh and didn't want to influence you. It wasn't that it wasn't nice, we'd just been to so many other places in the UK that I liked better. We did enjoy our trip to a whiskey distillery as my husband was a Scotch drinker (we call it Scotch here because whiskey tends to refer to certain types of hard liquor made in the US). And I loved going out into the countryside. I have a great close-up photo (pre-digital) of one of those long-haired West Highland cows who was part of a group blocking the road. We had a time for me to get a shot, but we were also nervous we'd miss our ferry which ran only twice a day!

Junie, I will give you one technique I use when I'm feeling kind of down. I've collected a series of videos (mostly youtube) that make me laugh or smile. Some of them are from the Graham Norton show, some are animal videos, some are Downton Abbey spoofs, some are completely different. The only criteria is that I find them funny and that I find them funny multiple times. When I'm sad, I'll often watch a few of those and it does just enough to lighten my mood. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it works a lot of the time. Five or ten minutes of those and I'm often feeling better. I like it because it's a quick and easy solution and sometimes that's all the time we have.

Sharon, I hope you had a great holiday weekend!

As for my wish list, I would like another ring, a big custom-designed solitaire. That's the one I can't quite pull the trigger on. I know EXACTLY what I want, but never seem to buy the stone. I don't know that there's much else on my list. I do sometimes think about a pair of diamond hoops - had the Costco ones which were pretty but the post was too big and made the earrings uncomfortable. If I were to try again, I'd get a certain style from Brian Gavin and make sure the post wasn't any bigger than on their studs. And I sometimes think about a pair of AVC bezel studs because my friend has some really lovely ones I always admire, but the problem with earrings is that I can't see them most of the time! But I really like that really big crown for earrings because it catches the light so nicely so they're on the wish list at lest mentally. I'd love some pear shaped drops to put on my larger studs, but where would I wear them? I'm not likely to be on the red carpet at the Oscars anytime soon! So I guess the ring is the most likely if also the most expensive.

I'll check back in on everyone tomorrow.

 

[Scandinavian]

Hello beauties
And good (early) lunch from Scandinavia! (In other words: I was hungry, lol)
Hope you are all having a good morning - soon The world can be a challenge sometimes, and as I read some of your posts, I feel bad about worrying about stupid log issues. And I needed to feel that right now, so thank you. There are so many things that are so much more important! I hate that health issues might be bothering you or your animals. Same thing really, in my world.

On a more positive note: A little story from our Edinburgh adventures: At the castle, the waiting line to get tickets to get in was sooo long, maybe an hour or so in line - because we did not pre book tickets. So the DH's offered to stand in line whilst we girls went to the souvenir shop, lol. But girls are so much smarter than boys! So whilst they were in line, we took up the phones and pre-ordered tickets, and got them in the prepaid machine, lol. "Oh hello there - would you like to enter the castle with us instead of just standing there or would you prefer to wait a bit longer...??" LOL

Missy, I hope your appointments yesterday went ok? I hate such tings, not fun at all. Any news re the little baby kitties? I know they will be ok, I just really hope it will be soon

Marcy, I'll stick my nose in and suggest that you make a competition for having the most perfect work performance. A cake (or coffee) or something to the one who does best each months! We had a similar ting before, but I think that was the other way around - the one how did the worst had to bake a cake for lunch last Friday of the months, lol. Fingers crossed for the car!

Jimmianne, Hugs.

Rainwood, I'm sure you will get your solitaire when the stone is just right one day

All the rest of you - all my best! S

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Jimmianne, oh no, I am not going to say much because I know there is nothing to say and it will only aggravate you further but I hope it is OK to say how sorry I am and how I am sending good wishes and healing vibes to your sweet horse. I am praying it doesn't turn out to be a life altering/ending issue for your sweet horse. So sad for you and your horse and I hope things turn around somehow. Sending your horse bucket loads of healing dust. (((Hugs))).

That was good luck (universe pulling you to that parking lot at that time?) you were there for your DD's young friend to help him out when he needed you and give him a ride home. And glad he also had an epiphany of sorts and turned his life around from dark despair to hope and optimism. Did he share with you what made the biggest difference for him? That quote "Men lead lives of quiet desperation" always haunted me. Mainly because I know it is true for so many and it does make me sad thinking of so many people suffering in different ways. Life is not for the meek. And we all know old age isn't for sissies but many young people have challenges that are heartbreaking too. Glad your DD's friend is doing so much better.

That's my favorite I Love Lucy episode too! Haha hysterical with them stuffing chocolates in their mouth when the conveyor belt starts moving too quickly. Tears streaming down the face funny for sure.

Rainwood, glad you were able to finally straighten out that problem. How frustrating that was I know. So much credit card fraud that they just go overboard and drown us in red tape. Many times I have been relieved AmEx declined charges from us because they really weren't from us and were fraud. AmEx has saved us many times that way. I am happy you were able to re-book the Fjord trip because that sounds like a highlight of the vacation to me. I know we don't all "know" each other extremely well (though I feel like we do much of the time) but I cannot help but think wouldn't it be a great NIRDI trip. Traveling the Fjord. I will settle for diamond shopping and sightseeing and cruising the Hudson river with the NIRDIs though. See how flexible I am?

I like your method of cheering yourself up. Maybe I should start putting a collection together. Though like Marcy I LOVE I Love Lucy so perhaps just watching reruns would be enough? I am throughly saturated with Seinfeld reruns and cannot watch them anymore as I know most of them by heart but it has been a while since I watched I Love Lucy and I remember how hysterical that show is. And OMG I do love Lucy too.

I love your idea for a big custom diamond solitaire. I'm here if you want to go bling shopping...
As for earrings you know I am an earring girl and since I wear my hair back all the time or in a pony tail some of the time you can always see my earrings. But I have to be careful and only wear lightweight earrings so my earlobes don't sag. That's the challenge. I find earrings under 5 grams total (2.5 grams each max) are super comfortable and easy to wear. And with them I feel glamorous so they work for me. Rings while I love them are more difficult to wear since I am always washing my hands and remove them to do that and then moisturize and it is a nuisance. So usually I am only wearing my solitaire and bands on my ring finger. The other rings don't really get worn often at all. But earrings I vary that all the time.

Marcy, Well we have lots more in common. We are both klutzes and we both love "I Love Lucy". In fact I often feel as if I am starring in my own version of "I Love Lucy" lol. The Ethel person varies however.

Your employees are a big pain in the butt and if you don't mind me saying so behave like little bratty kids. I don't know how they think this is acceptable behavior. Ugh. Sorry you are dealing with this though I am confident you can handle it and will whip them into shape however gently you go about it. I would take the gloves off at this point and probably not be as nice as you are being to them but they (whoever they are) say you get more flies with honey than vinegar. The problem is they should know better (than flies) and take more pride in what they are doing. But I hear Greg's voice in my head telling me shoulda woulda coulda deal with what is and not what you wish it was so OK. I get that. Your employees are the way they are and now you have to make them do the job right the first time and not after many repeats. You know that definition of insanity. Good luck and hoping you get them to just do it right.

Hoping your car is all fixed and running by the time you check back here and that you have a good day Marcy.

Scandi, your log issue is not any less upsetting than everyone's issues. It is your world and your experience and our issues big or small don't diminish your problems OK honey? Thinking of you and hoping a good solution is being worked on right now to solve this problem for you and your family.

LOL Love that Edinburgh Castle story. Yes women are quite smart and can figure out solutions where men just accept and take the (easy or hard?) long way to do it. I can relate to your experience. We love our men but they do need us don't they. Your trip sounded wonderful and I am so glad you all enjoyed yourselves.

Medical appointments went OK. Getting blood results in a few days or after the holiday weekend.
There were 2 new cats overnight (Rainwood, Greg is giving me updates I am not looking I swear and not allowing it to upset me I promise) and they seem like younger cats. Hard to say on the night pics as they don't give color or details. One cat looks black with white paws and the other cannot really tell. Sharing pics of Rootbeer and Fresca (daylight pics) and one of the night pics of the new kitties. And also sharing another Ginger Ale pic from yesterday.

Hope you girls have a wonderful day.
First pic are the new kitties from overnight. They look young right?

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning Missy

A NIRDIs fjord cruise would be wonderful, come on over and I'll arrange everything

Rainwood, I assume that it is the Norwegian fjords? You will not be disappointed! (I truly hope not, at least!!) The Norwegian fjords and mountains are spectacular and majestic and mysterious - can you tell that I'm a fan..? LOL

EDIT: Rainwood, can you remember where the boat is leaving from / ending up? I might have a few tips

 

[missy]

Thanks Scandi! Can you arrange a cruise from NYC there so I don't have to fly?
I'm a scaredy cat (meow) when it comes to flying.

One day though because it sounds like a beautiful experience!

 

[Scandinavian]

Thanks Scandi! Can you arrange a cruise from NYC there so I don't have to fly?
I'm a scaredy cat (meow) when it comes to flying.

One day though because it sounds like a beautiful experience!

How about a cruise in the Caribbeans? I have been hung up on that ever since watching the movies Pirates of the Caribbeans

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Jimmianne, wouldn’t that be fabulous to find the perfect asscher at a great bargain? I absolutely love step cut stones. I was coveting an asscher aqua for a long time but decided I liked darker colored gems.

That is a fabulous episode of I Love Lucy. One of my favorites too.

I am so sorry to hear about your beautiful horse. What a difficult decision. Hugs to you. Ranching and farming is definitely not for sissies.

I am glad to hear that young man had something turn him around. I bet he enjoyed hearing from you. How strange you ran in to him at the store and gave him a ride.

Rainwood, it is so true a Gibbs slap would land me in HR but maybe it would be worth it. Just once. There certainly is some people with poor worth ethics out there.

What a hassle for you with Visa. One of our credit cards has a place online you can add foreign travel information which I faithfully did when Marty was overseas and you guessed it they still called me. Luckily I was home so they allowed his charges.

Verizon was just as bad. When Marty was overseas the international data charges are astronomical and Verizon has a cut off of about $866 due and then they’ll start threatening to shut off your phone and they want payment NOW. I finally called and asked to talk to a supervisor and asked her to pull up our account. Then I said what in our history with your company makes you think I won’t pay me bill? Quit threatening to shut off our phones. They must have made a note on our account because they quit doing that.

I love your idea of funny videos to watch to cheer yourself up. One clip that always gets me going is from Young Frankenstein when Peter Boyle is singing “Putting on the Ritz”.

Your solitaire sounds great. What carat weight do you want? I bet AVC are pretty as studs so it’s nice to keep those in mind. My earrings are hardly ever visible but I know they are there. Pear shaped drops to wear with studs is a fabulous idea. Those sound great too. That’s a great wish list.

Scandinavian, yea for an early lunch. The only drawback for me on those days then I’m starving by 3. Loved your story about getting tickets to get in the castle. That is terrific.

I love your idea for a reward or competition at work. I might have to contemplate what might help inspire them.

Your log issue is a big deal and we care so please keep us posted on how that is going.

Missy, life is definitely not for sissies not matter what the age. Good thing we have sparkly jewelry and sweet fur babies to help.

That I Love Luck episode is so funny. They are just cramming that chocolate in their mouths. I can easily see you having some Lucy moments. I think I’ll record some I Love Lucy episodes at work so I always have something funny to work. I know one network has several episodes on in the morning

I agree my employees do act like spoiled little brats. One of them is totally negative and you could tell them 100 times a day thank you or good job and all they’ll remember is the mistake you pointed out to them. I’ve honestly reached my saturation point and plan on telling them so.

Glad to hear your doctor’s appointments went okay.

Yes, the new kitties look young.

I did get my car fixed and it brakes very smoothly now. They had a new sensor they had to install which they forgot to tell me about on my estimate ($95) and then charged me $4 each to rotate my tires so they gave me a discount that worked out just right to pay for the new chip and tire rotation. I still had to pay for the brake pads, rotors and labor. Rats. I tried to get them to throw in a free Teddy Bear but didn’t get anywhere with that.

I got back to town in time to meet Marty for lunch. Then we stopped at the grocery store on the way home.

I downloaded a documentary off Discovery to watch this afternoon. It’s about the Sherpa and focused mostly on 2014 when 16 of them died in an avalanche. It was interesting.

I found a very inexpensive WG & RG band at a mall jewelers I might go check out. Considering how often I’d wear it I don’t want to spend a ton of money on it. It isn’t an eternity band like the one that lady had but I’m fine with that. It has 1/2 ctw.

Have a great evening.
Marcy

 

[rainwood]

Hi, NIRDI's! I said I'd check back in, but it's been a long (though lovely) day and I'm tired. Today was a conscious exercise in making lemonade out of lemons (no relation to Beyonce and her album) and the lemonade turned out to be delicious! I'm pretty proud of myself and I don't say that very often.

I have so much I want to respond to, but I'm pooped. I'll try to do it late on Wednesday after I get home from work. Have a great hump day!

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning from Scandinavia!

Rainwood, please forgive me, but I'm going to do your travel guide in several posts, so please copy paste to somewhere if you see something you like. I had planned to write something perfect, but it never seams to happen, so here goes.. I did plan to do Sweden first, but will do Norway today, as you mentioned the fjords.

PLEASE PLEASE ask me if you have any specific questions. Scandinavia is not that big, so I might be able to answer you (or I'll just make something up, as the tour guide at Edinburgh Castle said... lol).

Oslo. Capital of Norway, and the biggest city in the country - or Kingdom actually. Norway (as well as Sweden and Denmark) is a Kingdom, all though the royal family is generally well liked and respected, it is not (really) a big deal like in England. Security is a bit more relaxed in Norway (I actually quite literally bumped into the Crown Prince once when I was on holiday..), normally nothing really bad happens (you do get pick pockets and taxi drivers taking the long route on slow days, but nothing too seriously). One exception: 22 July. The Norwegian version of 9/11 where lot of children were killed by a very disturbed Norwegian man who wanted Norway to take the threat of immigrants more seriously. Oh well. On to the fun parts. Oslo is by US standards a small city. The "main street" is called Karl Johan. It is mostly car free and goes from the train station to the Castle. If you are interested in the Castle, there are tours I think, but you need to look them up beforehand, they are not exactly like clockwork.. I would not make it a priority, the Swedish one is perhaps better so if you like Castles, I would do that one instead I think. So: what to do in Oslo. As you are doing a "guided tour" I guess a lot of these are on your itinerary already. Personally, I think Karl Johan is ok, but not nice. Just your standard shops and people. Shopping is expensive in Scandinavia, but if you want to look for some new clothes, your best bet in Oslo is a place in the middle of Karl Johan called "Eger" with a shopping mall. 3 min to the south of that one, you have another one called "Steen og Strom", and 2 min towards the castle, you have "Paleet". All ok, but "Eger" has by far the best service. Don't buy the typical Norwegian knitted sweaters that you find in "gift shops". They are a tourist trap

If the weather is nice, you can go to Aker brygge and Tjuvholmen for a walk and an ice cream - the Oslo version of seaside restaurants and shops. Museums, I think other countries are better at art, but The viking ship museum is spectacular. Don't get me wrong, it is a bit dark and brown, but it is spectacular to see the old viking ships that they have found

http://www.khm.uio.no/english/

Do not eat at the museum, there are two much better alternatives for lunch out there very close by

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/boroughs/bygdoy/cafes-restaurants/?TLp=181354&Lille-Herbern
http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/boroughs/bygdoy/cafes-restaurants/?TLp=181100&Lanternen-Restaurant

Frognerparken is also nice, but it *is* after all just a park.

All restaurants in Oslo (and indeed Scandinavia) is a bit expensive. In Oslo, my favourites are these - a bit pricy but not overpriced by Scandinavian standards. All in the middle of town.

For lunch, best view, best if you can sit outside: http://www.ekebergrestauranten.com/english
for lunch, http://www.festningenrestaurant.no/english
For lunch, good food, but no outside option: https://pascal.no/Restauranter-menyer/Tollbugata-11 (couldn't find this one in English, but it is one of the best places, not too expensive, and actually also a listed confectionery and has a famous French chocolate maker so you can buy sweets also - even to go

For dinner, these are IMO the best in ascending order and price..
http://www.brasseriefrance.no/english
http://statholdergaarden.no/en/restaurants/statholderens-mat-vinkjeller-2
http://statholdergaarden.no/en/restaurants/statholdergaarden-3

These are also good
http://hanami.no/en.htm
http://nodee.no/en/

And ok
http://gateofindia.no/

If you have a bit more time, I would venture out of Oslo. The "zoo" (not really a zoo, more like a park!) in Kristiansand is spectacular! Not sad at all, I promise!! The animals are very well cared for and part of some international program to ensure that the species survive. 4 hours drive from Oslo, or you can just take the train from Oslo to Kristiansand.

If you like history and old buildings, Maihaugen is a nice daytrip from Oslo. 1.5 (?) hour drive from Oslo, a bit less with the train. http://eng.maihaugen.no/Experience-Maihaugen/The-Open-Air-Museum Shows the traditional log buildings and way of life in Norway through the ages back to the Vikings or at least something like that, can't remember the exact date.. No need for a reservation, you can just take the train to Lillehammer and then a taxi (or a local bus?) to Maihaugen.

The fjords are a must, and if possible you might also consider venturing in to the mountains. The glaciers are really good IMO. There are many options there, so then I would need to know where you are going more specifically. One that is easy accessible for show more than hiking is this one:
http://www.briksdalsbre.no/
The national glacier museum in Fjaerland is also good, but not spectacular. A bit to distant from the ice itself. The glaciers close by are great (!) but does require 1000 m uphill (from the fjord to the ice - 1000 m difference in altitude) to actually touch the ice

Nigardsbreen (NineFarmsGlacier from when it took all nine farms that used to be there..) in Luster is also a great option: http://en.sognefjord.no/things-to-do/nigardsbreen-glacierguiding-p832523 I'm not sure if I'm allowed to copy the pictures, so please just click on the links

If you are in the neighbourhood, Eidsbugarden (by the water Bygdin, in Jotunheimen mountain area, close to Sognefjorden (one of the fjords), just where the Sognefjord ends in mountains) is nice. So is Geiranger, where Geirangerfjorden (another of the fjords) ends.

Other cities: Bergen and Trondheim are nice, so are Stavanger and Aalesund. (Btw: do you know the letter Å? It can be spelt with 2 AA's instead)

Bergen has a nice seaside area and some old wooden house streets (both city centre at the seaside, very colourful houses, and the old town going up the hill, very pretty) that are well worthy of a look. Bergen dates back to approximately 1000 AD and is still famous for being the "landing sight" of the black plage entering into Norway in 1349, poor city. Bergen served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a bureau city of the Hanseatic League - a city for trade and shipping. So the people of Bergen are still a bread of their own, with a lot more influence from f.ex. Germany than other parts of Norway - or Scandinavia for that matter. They like rules in Bergen

Trondheim has a very very nice church - Nidarosdomen. Nothing else in Scandinavia compares. http://www.nidarosdomen.no/ Couldn't find this in English, unfortunately, but I think the pictures speak for themselves. The church also has a very (!) famous choir, so turn on the sound

I probably have forgotten a lot, but just to sum it up - I think that Norway is the Scandinavian country that is least about the cities and most about everything else, if compared to Sweden and Denmark, at least.

EDIT: forgot about http://www.eidsvoll1814.no/default.aspx?aid=9060947 Eidsvoll! Norwegians would kill me Norwegians are very proud of their constitution and 1814 when it was made, here in this building. The tour guides tells the whole story of how all the families sent their representatives by foot and on horse, and how some of them could not write and left a finger print or x instead of their name, and a constitution was draftet that is still in place. A very big deal in Norway. Here is the story, told much better than I could, so I will not try, lol http://www.eidsvoll1814.no/default.aspx?aid=9068283 If you are interested, it is very close to Oslo (30 min?), again, just take the train to Eidsvoll Verk stasjon.

 

[Scandinavian]

Thank you girls for caring about my logs. I really really appreciate it!

Marcy, love the bling picture Hope for hand pics if you go to try it on

Missy, glad the appointments went ok! Thinking of all your cats!

Jimmianne, fingers crossed for good health for all your farm animals and horses going forward! You - and the horses - sure deserve some good luck now!

Rainwood, for making lemonade! I might try apple jam this year.

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

Rainwood, you go girl! See? I told you that you are one of my role models. Grace under pressure and making lemonade out of lemons. Glad you turned your day around yesterday and I hope you had a good night's sleep and that today will be a good day.

Scandi, wow that's a great list. Thank you for compiling that for Rainwood. I bet it will be a big help.
Waiting for some good news re the log updates. Fingers crossed.

Marcy, glad your car got fixed even if it needed a little bit more to get there than you thought. Drat on no teddy bear being thrown in to the deal. Time to find a new garage/mechanic perhaps?
That documentary sounds a lot like a documentary we recently watched about a similar (or the same) event. Darn I cannot remember the name of it. We saw it on cable. Excellent documentary. Hmm maybe it was called Everest? Just googled it and cannot be sure. I'm sort of sleepy still as I just woke up. Perhaps the one you watched was called Sherpa because that popped up too and sounds similar. We haevnt seen Sherpa yet but now I want to. Sounds like a good documentary.

Junie, are you going to the beach house for the long holiday weekend? How's your mom? Any updates? Thinking of you and hoping all is going smoothly for you and your family.

LLJsmom, I am off to check your thread to see if you added more pics. How are you feeling? Are you in love with your beautiful OEC? I hope you are loving it more each day and enjoying wearing such a gorgeous piece of history.


Spoke with Ann and she is releasing Squirt and Pepsi today as they are recovered from their spaying and vaccinations. They are both girls. Ann said that of 24 cats she has trapped this spring only 3 of them are males. Weird ratio. She is also concerned that someone might have dumped/abandoned cats near us because of all the new ones showing up. She said lots of bad people do that this time of year. Isn't that just awful? That people just dump cats to die. I am not checking the security camera overnight but will await Greg's report as necessary.

On a happier note Ann said Sprite's kittens are doing much better and that at the vet's office all the techs were oohing and aaahing over how cute they are and Ann is confident they are going to be socialized soon since they are not scared of people. Fingers crossed. Sprite on the other hand is getting annoyed at being in captivity and has also had enough of her kittens. Ann thinks at the next spay/neuter appointment end of June Sprite can finally be spayed and released and the kittens can survive without her.

And the trap we ordered arrived yesterday so we are bringing it with us to the beach house this Friday and ready to trap when Ann gives us the go ahead. She is taking a short break but hopefully she will resume not to far into the future. We have lots of neutering/spaying to do!


OK today's a work day so going to start my workout soon. Have a good day girls and looking forward to hearing what everyone's holiday plans are.

 

[MarionC]

shoot! my post disappeared.
Hugs to you all and back later.

 

[missy]

Presenting our newest addition to the soda gang. Cola. A black kitty with white paws. Greg named her. I say her because that seems to be our speciality.

 

[Scandinavian]

Presenting our newest addition to the soda gang. Cola. A black kitty with white paws. Greg named her. I say her because that seems to be our speciality.

I want this one! Please send her to me I'm almost serious!

 

[missy]

Presenting our newest addition to the soda gang. Cola. A black kitty with white paws. Greg named her. I say her because that seems to be our speciality.

I want this one! Please send her to me I'm almost serious!

Ha, Scandi, if you are serious I will gladly pay someone to personally take Cola to you. Happily pay all travel expenses. Just sayin.

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Rainwood, how wonderful your lemons turned in to delicious lemonade. I am excited for you.

Scandinavian, thank you for the info about Oslo and Norway. Very cool.

Missy, if I find a dealership that throws in Teddy Bears with purchase I’ll be going there for sure. Why would a smart dealership not do that anyway? You should find a place that gives away free kitties.

I watched Everest a few months ago. That is what peaked my interest in watching Sherpa. Kind of timely too since there have been some people who died this week on Everest. I get the thrill of reaching the peak but the risk is so high.

How awful that people will just dump pets off somewhere. Grr to some people.

Glad to hear Sprite’s kitties are doing well and friendly to people.

Jimmianne, I hate when I lose my post. How are you doing?

Work was hectic today. I felt like a hamster running around on a wheel. We had a BBQ by the local Ford dealer so I at least got a nice long walk in. I went out to the BBQ and then decided I could navigate steps with a plate, a bag of chips and a soda so I walked all the way around to the main building so I just walk up a ramp. Not a bad thing. The best part of lunch was the dill pickle. I love those things.

Laters,
Marcy

 

[Scandinavian]

Good morning from Scandinavia!

Not much happening here today. Stopped by the coffee shop and bought a coffee on my way to work, I think that will be the highlight of my day, lol. Yesterday, a lot of money came in from a client that has been due for a while, so I celebrated by buying a pergola style pavilion for our summer house, hoping it will look like this in a few years... :

I shop too much.... I know...

I also bought a lot (!) of really good food, because we had invited guests for the summer house this weekend. They cancelled just after the shopping trip (not their fault, so no hard feelings, but still annoying) So I called one of my best friends and told them to come and help us eat it all. I hope they can make it The food includes some Jamón ibérico cured ham and matured French cheeses, so I hope that will do the trick.. LOL Never actually bought that ham before, but could not resist when I was given a sample to taste in the store. So so delicious! You can really taste the acorns that the pigs are raised on. If any of you are foodies, I thought this was an interesting read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam%C3%B3n_ib%C3%A9rico Apparently, the ham was "illegal, but delicious" in the US until 2007, lol. I almost never eat cheese, my stomach can't handle milk very well. But once every few months, I might cheat a little. This time, I think I was really smart! Bought cheeses made from goat and sheep milk They tasted wonderful too! I got to taste all of them before purchasing, the store is really nice, they let you taste everything before you buy it. You just describe what you want, and they find alternatives for you to taste and choose from

Missy, I'm sooooo happy to hear that the baby kitties are doing well and that they like people!! If you are lucky, they will be adopted by the vet people Fingers crossed for a safe and fast release of the two that are going back into nature, so to speak, Squirt and Pepsi. I know they will love to be free again - they do after all have a very fancy restaurant near by - much better than prison food For Sprite - fingers crossed!!

Marcy, don't you just hate that hamster wheel? LOL Hope today will be a better day and much more interesting! Hmmmmmm... then again - interesting can turn out two ways, can it not..? The barbeque sounds really nice, I love barbeques, especially when I'm not doing the actual cooking, lol. Was the food good? My breakfast today was the soymilklatte-coffee that I picked up, so not really one to speak about good food, lol. All gone now too... sigh... Maybe I'll get a new one for lunch

Wishing everyone a good day!

 

[missy]

Good morning girls!

We are starting vacation a day early...weather prediction is less than favorable starting Friday for a number of days so decided to get a head start on a nice weather day so we could get some cycling in today while the weather is sunny. Though hot- supposed to hit 90 today again with more humidity than yesterday. It's crazy weather because before yesterday I don't believe we hit 80 this Spring yet and then yesterday we hit 90. Crazy weather for sure. Part of me feels a bit guilty for calling out today but a bigger part of me says SEIZE THE DAY and enjoy! And that's what I intend for us to do. I read a book recommended by Kristie and I am taking it to heart and starting a more positive less anxious mindset. I am doing pretty good as this is day 3 of putting it into practice.

Now i just have to figure out some last minute what bling/shoes/clothes/pocketbooks do I pack from here that I might not have at the beach house that I might need. Haha I am such a girl. I wish I could bring all my earrings!


Scandi, love your inspiration pergola style pavilion. Pretty and romantic.
Sorry your friends canceled on your weekend especially because you bought so much delicious food. I sure hope your best friends can join you and make up for it. I bet you will have a terrific weekend. We would love to join you and wish you lived closer! I'm another one who has to avoid cheese (though I love it) so I feel ya but glad you can cheat a little bit once in a while! As for ham I never eat it because (and stop reading if you don't want to hear anything that potentially might upset you though this probably won't upset you anyway and you probably know it)....pigs are very smart animals. Smarter than dogs.

And LOL there is no such thing as shopping too much girlfriend. Wipe that thought right out of your mind.

Marcy, your work BBQ sounded delicious and yes ramps have a useful and practical purpose. All buildings should have them for people who need them. Sorry work was like a go around yesterday and that it was hectic. Hopefully today is a calmer day for you. I love dill pickles too. I cannot handle the high sodium content of pickles but I really LOVE them. Half sours are my favorites. I loved Everest and based on your rec we are going to watch Sherpas. Thanks!

We saw such a great movie yesterday and now I cannot remember the name. So moving, so sad but wonderful. It is animated and I usually don't love those movies but this one is a MUST SEE IMO. Greg also loved it and actuality had tears in his eyes when it was over. OK looked up the title. It’s Such a Beautiful Day. Director/Writer: Don Hertzfeld. A wondrous movie. It's on Netflix and I hope some of you can watch it. it's worth it.


Junie, just checking in with you and have a safe travel weekend and enjoy!

LLJSmom, glad you are loving your gorgeous OEC! Welcome to the OEC family. Only a few NIRDIs left who don't have one I think...
Something to look forward to. Getting a beautiful OEC for each NIRDI!

Rainwood, hey there. Hope your week is going well!

Kristie, thank you for the book rec and onto the next book.

Callie, hi and hope you have a good holiday planned. I don't remember what you said you are doing but I hope whatever it is you will enjoy a lovely weekend.

Jimmianne, how are you doing? I am keeping you and your horse in my thoughts and prayers and sending healing vibes and love your and his way.

Sharon, hello and how are you doing? Thinking of your neighbors affected by the wildfires and hoping life is getting back to normal for them or at least calming down and on the upswing.

CJ, hi, hope your week is going well.

Ann emailed me yesterday right after she released Squirt and Pepsi and said they ran like a bullet to the beach when she let them go on our lawn. Hoping they are OK. No sightings yet. It took Sammy a few days to show up at the feeding station after she was released so hoping they do come back. Though goodness knows we have enough cats eating there lol. Doing what we can and that's all we can do.

Hope you are all doing well and hope I didn't leave anyone out. Have a good Thursday. It's almost the holiday weekend!

 

[MarionC]

Scandi - nice pavilion! I could use one of those, really!
Of course you do not shop too much. lol None of us do!

Missy, what my vet said made me think of you. I told her I wished I had never gotten all these animals because it is so painful and she said - " painful for you, but just think where they would have been without you! Not everyone takes good care the way you do".
So that's a good thing to remember. Painful yes, but what a service you and Greg are providing for the kitties. Where would they be without you?! Our pain=love for them.

My horse Pom goes in for surgery this coming Tuesday. He is feeling more comfortable now since wearing a pair of thick foam boots and the antibiotic is working. Luckily I have the BEST vet and horse sitters.
They will be there when he comes back home and they will care for him.

My mini-asscher arrived yesterday and I love it! They said it was gold, but it's gold & platinum and the little stone is very clean & pretty. I like it much more than I had anticipated and for $250?.......
My gosh, with the trip and the equine surgery that's probably an OTT bling purchase for May [[[sigh]]]
I leave the NIRDI bling acquisitions to you guys for a while!



Marcy, don't you think some of the glamor of being an Everest climber is diminished by the sheer number of people who have accomplished it? It seems more of a tragedy to die in the pursuit now that it did to the first explorers. Does that make sense?

SEIZE the DAY! heck yes

 

[junebug17]

Hi girls! I've really fallen behind so I might not completely catch up but I did want to check in with everyone -

Missy, glad to hear you're starting your vacation! Yes, the weather really heated up quickly. It's going to be hotter here than in SC. I'm hoping you get some much needed rest and relaxation these next few weeks, I'm happy that you're going to get a chance to relax and spend a lot of time with your wonderful husband. Thinking of you and hoping you have a great weekend.

Happy to read the kittens are doing well, I'm so hoping they're adopted quickly. Keeping Squirt and Pepsi in my thoughts, I'm sure they will be ok. The new kitties are so sweet. I'm glad to hear that you are working on staying more positive, I am trying as well and hopefully we can at least keep our worries at a manageable level. At least we can give it the old college try lol.

Marcy, the bands you're looking at are so pretty, love the rose gold I can't believe one of your workers started arguing with you, completely inappropriate imo. Sorry you're dealing with so much frustration at work. Glad to hear your car is running well now. The bbq sounds good and good for you for getting all that walking in lol - and yes I love pickles too, yum.

Scandinavian, I really enjoyed reading about your trip, you saw and did a lot. I love history and learning how people lived long ago and the history of the low houses is fascinating. The church and castle are just beautiful. And yes, the Scottish certainly have their own particular brand of humor! The whiskey bar sounds like it was a lot of fun. Glad you have a great time and ended up loving the city. Thanks so much for sharing your trip and the pics with us.

It's a shame your friends had to cancel but sounds like all that delicious food won't go to waste.

I love the pavilion you bought, what a beautiful way to enjoy spending time outside during the warm weather.

Please don't feel that you shouldn't share what's going on in your life Scandi! The oil situation is a big deal and I want you to feel comfortable sharing all aspects of your life, not just the good but the things that concern you as well. (((hugs)))

Jimmianne, I'm excited to hear you're getting your braces off, great news. Wow, so amazing that you ran into dd's friend after contacting him on fb and hadn't seen him in several years. What are the odds of that?

Sending tons of dust to your sweet Pom for a successful surgery, so glad he's feeling more comfortable and it's s great he's in such good hands while he's recuperating.

Oh I love your ring! Wow, what a great find, excellent choice and always fun to get something new to wear.

Rainwood, thank you for the tip, it's a good one and I'll do it. I do notice my spirits lift if I watch a funny video. I really like the comedian Jim Gaffigan, I should watch his dvds more often. Sorry to hear about the annoying experience with Visa, things like that are so frustrating. Love the idea of a large solitaire, would be so beautiful, I hope you go for it someday. Glad you had such a good day, here's to more like it!

LLJsmom, I'm so excited about your OEC upgrade, it's absolutely gorgeous and I'm just thrilled for you! I know you must be enjoying every second of wearing it - congratulations!

Leaving for the beach tomorrow morning and will be back Monday night - will check in with everyone soon!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDIs!

Scandinavian, I hope your pergola style pavilion looks like that picture in a few years too. It is beautiful. Looks very peaceful and relaxing. Is there such a thing as too much shopping? That’s great to have a grocery store where you can taste the food first. I was on the hamster wheel again today but I think I was going in the opposite direction. The BBQ was okay - really basic burger, fries, assorted condiments, chips, and cookies. I was thinking today some BBQ ribs sound great. I hope you had something good for lunch.

Missy, good deal to start vacation a day early to get some cycling in while it’s nice. That is great you enjoyed the book Kristie recommended. Dill pickles are pretty salty and I don’t have them often but I like pickles with burgers. I used to buy ones they had in a deli here but they closed. They were the best pickles ever. I hope you like Sherpa; I found it very interesting. I’ll watch for It’s Such a Beautiful Day. Thanks! I’ll bet Squirt and Pepsi took off once Ann let them out. I am sure they’ll show up for dinner soon.

Jimmianne, you vet is very wise. It is all about perspective right? Give Pom a hug for me and I am sending him best wishes for successful surgery and recovery. I love your new asscher. It is perfect and looks fabulous on you. I agree the glamor of Everest is diminished not only by the number of people doing it but they don’t do it on their own anymore. That documentary on the Sherpa said those guys carry stuff up to the next camp so the climbers don’t have to and sometimes that means 10 trips during the night. Also the volume of people on the mountain with less than peak climbing skills slows everyone down which sadly means someone could die from exposure or the altitude.

Junebug, I am becoming quite a fan of rose gold. If I get off work early tomorrow I am going to see if they have that band at the mall. I think I should make up some flash cards for work and the top one is going to say “Suck it Up, Buttercup!” Ha! Every time I put on my brakes I am kind of surprised how smooth the car stops. Wow, that was bad. I am glad to hear you are having nice weather too. Have a great time at the beach.

Yes SEIZE the day!

I tried my new report today - it printed out in about 50 pages but worked pretty slick. I couldn’t get the report to eliminate duplicates which was my initial idea. I messed with several different formats and I am sure I’ll figure it out but it honestly wasn’t bad going through that many pages. I looked in things in clumps of 3 to 4 items at a time.

I met a friend at DQ for lunch. We sat outside and we were pretty cold. We said screw the weather we are setting outside. Then I was cold all afternoon. I cranked on the furnace when I got home tonight.

Since I ate ice cream for lunch (with a burger and fries) I had strawberries, peaches and cottage cheese for supper. Then I was hungry by 7. I had some crackers.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
Marcy