Got the willow tree in, lots of other stuff taken care of, had a nice Mexican lunch at around 3pm, took a nice nap, got some stuff done in the yard after the nap, AND IT WAS 75-85 with no humidity. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as nice.
A while back Tammy have Thurston the nickname “Thirsty” because he is the neediest, clingiest dog I’ve ever met. Some part of him always has to be touching someone, and he is a constant space invader. Exhibit A:
Every other animal would be content to just be on the Ottoman. Thurston is not every other animal. Here’s a bonus Rosie picture for you. I got her to stop long enough to glare at the camera:
And just like that she was gone:
How are you all?
lahke
Whoa: there’s some serious evil eye being given there. Glad that you had a nice day, John.
L85NJGT
Alright…. it’s Friday night I have no date, a 2 liter bottle Shasta, and my all rush mix tape. Let’s rock!
Eljai
I’ve noticed that in a lot of the photos of your yard, there’s Thurston sniffing around. I love that. It’s like he always has to be where the action is.
brendancalling
How am I? Mixed. My live-in gf of the past year is moving to NJ for work in September. I’m a country musician who moved to Nashville for the music. Not sure how I feel about moving back north or if I will, but I sure don’t want to lose my gal.
So I’m mixed.
Yarrow
Awwww….Thurston looks so sweet in that picture. Rosie, however, looks like she’s had one too many Coronas and no she’s not going to talk to you, she’s going to bed. Is that Steve in the background? His eyes are so glowing they’re reflecting off the floor!
NotMax
Somebody appears in need of a pedicure. And it ain’t the hooman.
Yarrow
@brendancalling: Well, that’s kind of sucky. Tough decision.
khead
For anyone who missed him in the last thread. Have some Mittens kitteh.
rikyrah
The eyes are so creepy.
Thurston looks sweet ?
Schlemazel
Mine was . . . interesting. I got to see the inside of my bladder on TV in the Dr office & man it is an even worse mess than expected. But the upside is they were able to do some things that make life a little better now and in a couple of weeks will do a medium bit of work that my turn the whole situation around. But the major work will come in 3-4 months. While I am not looking forward to the process every indication is that after a couple of months rehab I should be in very good shape. I always feel better when I see a way ahead and know the odds so better overall. Recently that is as good as it gets
rikyrah
@khead:
Awe…
So cute ? ?
PJ
I didn’t even have to use my AK . . .
Kay
People like Lilly but I like Rosie. My cat is like Rosie. I tell people “don’t try to befriend her- she has a bad personality”
Schlemazel
@brendancalling:
well that sucks. really no good decision there as both have significant downside.
Sctrojan90
Worst…photographer…ever
mattH
If only you could take him to a therapist, sounds like he has some issues.
@brendancalling:
Make the right decision for you, regardless of what it is. *stupid platitude from a drunk guy*
BTW, I really like Gimlets.
Yarrow
@Schlemazel: Wow. That sounds…interesting. Glad they are able to help you and you have a path forward.
Yutsano
I’m in a hotel room in Tacoma for the night. A good friend is getting deployed (again) and I needed to get him a good-bye present and talk over some stuff before he left. Going home tomorrow. And trying not to cry.
Schlemazel
@Yarrow: WARNING: TMI TO FOLLOW!
It has been a few years & I really try not to talk about it here much because I could go on about several issues. I was born with Spina Bifida, minor case but it messed with the nerves that tell me when I need to go. AS a result I built a diverticulum that can hold 4 liters of urine. (As an aside the doctor said he worked with a guy that could hold 8 !?!?!). Anyway this is not healthy & has had a lot of negative consequences. Sometime this fall they will perform a diverticulectomy with augmentation. The augmentation involved taking 5-6 inches of small intestine and using it to patch the damaged area so I have a normal sized bladder.
SectionH
Melting. NOAA sez records highs set all over including San Diego. It was 96F (that’s 96 fucking degrees). And that was basically on the bay. Places even 2-3 miles inland were well over 100. It’s supposed to be cooler tomorrow, but damn. There are still so many places in the central city which have no AC at all. I feel so,lucky to have a swamp cooler which works.
Still fighting fleas too.
Having a terrible time posting “out”
Yarrow
@Schlemazel: Wow. That’s fascinating. Sorry you have to deal with it, though. The surgery sounds quite involved. At least there is a path forward and steps to help you along the way.
Mnemosyne
@SectionH:
I’m in the San Fernando Valley, as is Bill (Ruckus and Roger Moore are one valley over in Pasadena). We hit a record high of 114 fucking degrees today.
When I turn on the cold water tap, it comes out warm.
Mary G
It was only 99 for a high here today, but it still sucked. I basically spent the whole day in my bedroom with the window AC. Was going to take the teens to see Incredibles 2, but my cough has come back and I didn’t want to piss off all the other people in the theater.
Major Major Major Major
How do you always get laser eyes on your pet pics? I never do.
I am good. Had a fine dinner, worked on the take-home assignment for a promising job opening. Not even pretending to get off of west coast time, so it’s only now approaching bedtime for me in nyc.
The cat sitter found our weird looking Japanese cat treats. Dr. Voice’s Snack For Cat. Sam loves the stuff!
CaseyL
@brendancalling: Oh, that’s a hard choice. My two cents: you can (hopefully) do your music anywhere, so move to stay with your girl. Is the job she’s taking a permanent one? Also depends on what part of NJ; some areas are very “country.” And there are lots of music festivals all over the state.
@Yutsano: Is this the same fellow you’ve been keeping company with for the past few years? How long is his deployment going to be?
Today was a good day. I’ve been working on another deep glass piece (snow leopard, for my aunt) and it just went into the kiln about 30 minutes ago. Now I get to fret over whether the layers will stay in place, if the glass will stay inside the mold, and did I put enough clear frit between the layers to minimize bubbles. Won’t know the answers until tomorrow afternoon or evening, when the firing is done.
sfinny
@Schlemazel:I have no knowledge of your particular condition, but I just wanted to say that having had serious surgery last year, I highly recommend getting some post-surgery physical therapist consultation. I had some through the visiting nurse service, but until I was diagnosed with a secondary condition I didn’t get a physical therapist treatment plan that included 12 Physical Therapy visits. Most of it was to address my lymphedema, but the PT therapist gave me additional exercises that helped with my whole range of motion issues from the surgery. Made a world of difference.
Mnemosyne
@brendancalling:
I’m kind of thinking along the same lines as CaseyL — depending on what part of New Jersey it is, there may still be music-making opportunities. It’s not like she’s having to go to, say, North Dakota. Can you start asking around Nashville and see if any of your contacts there have contacts in NJ?
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
Have you read A Gentleman In Moscow? I just finished reading it and feel like it’s the perfect book for our times.
At one point, two characters know that they’re going to have to part the next day and will very likely never see each other again, so the older one wisely chooses to have the serious conversation early on (the day before, in fact) and then they spend the last evening having a great dinner and conversation together so they have a happy memory of that night.
Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ
@Schlemazel: I hope all goes well with the procedures.
ruemara
@Schlemazel: Oh wow. Sending you the healing & good health vibes.
Glad there’s a clear surgical solution.
I’m anxious. Still trying to figure out what to do about citizenship, the future etc. Plus side, the vanilla cake with cherry pinot noir syrup, whipped cream & blueberry compote, turned out delicious.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mnemosyne: That’s not just a record for the day, or the month; that’s an all time record.
Aleta
My great dog had a bad day that has ended OK. Two big thunderstorms this morning, too soon after the 4th, turned him a frozen puddle. He wouldn’t move for hours, not even tremble. Unusual and extreme. Fortunately my cousin showed up around 11 tonight to help carry some things, and the dog (and all the animals since the beginning of time) is bananas over him. My cousin sat on the couch with the 65 lb dog nestled in his lap (he’s usually not clingy) and they both fell asleep. The dog woke up happy and hungry, and my cousin got a cure-all dose of pure love.
Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ
I had a long day. 10 hours of work. Over my lunch hour a tiny car accident with very little damage at 2 mph, literally, but the other person just HAD to call the police. Then I get home and find a Gamble’s quail baby bird stuck in a scorpion trap. I freed it with a stick and it runs into some bushes where they have a nest. I can only hope it survives. Then I enter the house and find my kitten , Lottie (a tortoiseshell polydactyl female) is attacking Mouse, my older sweet American shorthair cat, with a viciousness. Time outs for Lottie that result in her biting the ever living crap out of me. Just another Friday. I hope my fellow Jackals had a better day.
SectionH
@Mnemosyne: Jeebus. Sorry. I don’t generally post about weather here (the occasional “sigh, we’d love some rain” kinda thing) because it’s usually relatively better. But damn, we’re like Seattle – so many ppl here don’t have a/c. My kids don’t. It was 110 near their house today, and they’re only ~2-3 miles from us. They at least have an a/c unit they patch through a window in one bedroom. Temps are coming down for us next few days, but I’m worrying about when our real summer starts.
First time I was ever in LA, well mostly in Anaheim, we were busy until after the convention we were attending/working at. So next day we went to That Place. It was “only” 112 that day, but damn. Gotta say, there were No Lines, for any rides, or anything else. Short wait for Pirates of the Carribean ;-> which I think we went on 3 times. Space Mountain, there were like 15 ppl in line at the bottom of all those ropes and stanchions, we all got on next train, no worries. The next morning, we fled to Phoenix, where the temp was only 107.
SectionH
@Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ: Oh shit. Hope you can have some good days for a bit.
Aleta
It’s been incredibly hot here too. We have a swimming spot on the river, and a cute gang of the neighborhood little kids come to swim there too. Ride their little bikes down, bringing their little swimming masks. They spend most of the time going underwater looking for bits of old broken pottery to bring up. And harvesting mud that they shape into mud ware and leave drying on the rocks in the sun. It’s been so hot all week that they come to swim 3-4 times during the day and once more before bed. Usually it’s one of the dads who escorts them. They’ve learned the trick of ducking underwater just as he’s telling them it’s time to go.
NotMax
Weird subtitle muck up just now in a history program, talking about Smoot-Hawley.
Actual dialogue: The most notorious piece of legislation…
Subtitile: The most neurotrosis piece of legislature…
Neurotrosis? Calling Dr. Kildare!
:)
Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ
@SectionH: I’ve been having a run of bad luck. I’m hoping that some good training will cure my stubborn kitten. As for the rest, sh*tty kharma. I must have been a real a$$hole in past lives. If weren’t for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. I live for the positive stories and encouragement I read about here every day. Bless you all, my Jackals. Keep up the snark, the beautiful garden posts, and The Resistance.
otmar
No complaints about the weather here in Austria. Vienna saw a bit Thursday, but we got some downpours and clouds since.
Anyway, very strange weekend for me: the kids are in the middle of a two week stay at my MIL, and my wife joined them for the weekend. So I have I’m home alone for two days.
That’s a rather strange feeling. I’m not used to this level of freedom and silence any more.
NotMax
@otmar
Go wild; run with scissors.
:)
opiejeanne
@SectionH: I heard it was 108 on the field at Angels Stadium in Anaheim at game time. 108 at 7pm. My God.
opiejeanne
@CaseyL: Be sure to show us the results; I really liked the pictures of earlier projects.
opiejeanne
@ruemara: That sounds amazing.
opiejeanne
Trying to go to sleep after unwisely having a cherry coke with supper. Whee!
I’m enjoying my new eyes immensely. Had the second cataract removed on Tuesday, July 3rd, and it’s behaving much better than the first eye did. My vision is better but still a little blurry; I hope it will improve a lot more over the next four weeks.
I spent part of the day being helpful with the watering because I can’t do much else without being a danger to myself, and part of it trying to recreate a chapter of my book that got lost somehow. I was sure I copied it to myself on email as well as printing it out, and it was nowhere. Can’t find it. Half of the previous chapter disappeared too but I had a printed copy of that so I just retyped it, editing as I went along. That helped me when I got to the recreation of the missing chapter.
It was a beautiful day just outside Seattle, only 75, but we’ve acclimated to the point that the sun feels brutal at that temp.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne: Yes it was, it’s still 89 here.
M31
@brendancalling:
good line for a country song, at least
Amir Khalid
I’m nursing a strained thigh muscle. On Monday I had the misfortune to slip and fall twice, both times landing on my right knee. The scraped skin there has scabbed over nicely without any sign of infection, but for now it aches when I flex my thigh. Nothing to do but wait for it to heal.
Worse, the mishaps happened while I was carrying Lady in a gig bag. We were going to a music store to get her a pro setup. The first fall put a ding in Lady, right at the edge of the elbow carve, that exposed the primer under the white finish. I had to replace the gig bag when we got to the music store. The second fall did her no further damage, fortunately. I think I’ll just cover the primer with a dab of paint marker.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: Good to hear that neither you or your guitar were seriously injured, that’ll teach ya not to try to play the gui-tar with your toes.
JPL
@Amir Khalid: It’s a good day to stay put and watch the world cup.
opiejeanne
@Amir Khalid: Ouch! I’m sorry you’re still hurting from this.
donnah
I took my classic ’53 Pontiac to a cruise-in last night and met a couple who are about my age, early sixties. We chatted a while and they said they had just come back to Dayton, moving here from Pittsburgh. The woman said she grew up here and we figured out that her parents went to high school with my dad. Both her mom and dad have passed, as had my dad, but I called my mom when I got home and she was very pleased to know that her friends’ kids are here. Small world!
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@M31: Yeah the whole situation sounds like a country song. Just add a broken down pickup truck and stir.
MoxieM
Here is a cheer-everyone-up. About 5 weeks ago a very pregnant dog came into the Newf Rescue I support (get dogs from, lucky me!) etc. She whelped 8 lovely Landseer meepers. At 4 weeks they are beginning to really explore their world. (For reference, their mama is about 173 lbs. She’s very patient, devoted and attentive. I reckon she’s having a little “me” time while this video is being shot :) )
Mom & babies could not have ended up in more loving, capable hands. (No, it almost never happens–newborns. And yes, I guess there is an application list about 6 ft tall right now!)
JWL
Going with a willow tree was an inspired choice, Cole. I’ll look forward to seeing where you planted it in that big yard..
Steeplejack
@JWL:
There was a big-ass picture in his earlier post, helpfully titled “Achievement Unlocked: Willow Tree Planted.”
jharp
Do not plant a willow tree in your yard.
And if you really did, kill it. You will be very unhappy some day should you decide to let it live.