Compliments to master gardener / photographer Ozark Hillbilly:
My wife has long wanted to get a red amarillis, and this year she finally did.
Worth it in this season of cold and gray.
Bonus pic of Woof and Percy.
***********
What’s going on in your garden (planning), this week?
Baud
Nice.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: I guess you and I are the only ones around this early.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: Let’s be honest. It’s better this way.
JPL
Just beautiful. It’s so nice to wake up and discover that the asshole hasn’t nuked anyone. A little color is just icing on the cake.
JPL
I’ve been watching Mahoghany with Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: JPL just crashed our party. I guess that’s OK. She’s not all bad.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: Fine. I’ll put on some pants.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: I don’t think she’ll care.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: Oh, right. It’s JPL.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: As long as you’re wearing them when when Ms Cracker shows up.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: Absolutely. Ms. Cracker would point and laugh. I don’t need that.
satby
@Baud: pantsless Baud is our favorite Baud.
@OzarkHillbilly: very pretty pics Ozark. Percy and Woofmeister lookin good too.
I’ve been up since 4, but my router seems to have given up on connecting to any of my devices. So I’m on my phone and not happy about it.
Baud
@satby: I’ve had that happen to me with some devices, but I’ve never had my router fail to connect to every device.
satby
@Baud: every single one I’ve tried (two tablets and the phone). I reset the router and tried reconnecting, but no go. ATT will want me to replace it, but I think I want to replace ATT instead. I had such a horrible experience with its main competition though that I hesitate to switch.
satby
Today is the day I act as tour guide to my friends trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Going to be a really long day, and though I know I’ll enjoy it I’m so entrenched in my lazy Sunday routine I’m having a hard time getting going.
raven
Aw look at them pups!
eclare
@satby: Moar coffee
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: Percy and Woof were not at all happy with me Thursday. A couple stray* beagles showed up and stayed all day so I kept the boys inside. The next morning they were still here. Went over to my neighbor who knew of a no kill shelter in House Springs to get the number and by the time I got back they were gone.
*I think they actually belong to somebody down in the valley. I’m pretty sure this is not their first visit here but can’t be certain. They’re well fed and their coloring seems right. Either way, I’ve decided the next time they show up I’m taking them to the shelter (if they can take them) as they both show signs of abuse.
eclare
That is an incredible photo of Percy and Woof, so still. Beautiful.
raven
How old are they?
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: You’ll have fun.
@raven: Lazy damned mutts. They can’t even be bothered to get off the couch when the UPS man shows up. ;-)
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: We will have had Woof 10 yrs come May or June and he was estimated at 1-2 years then. Percy came to us 17 months ago and was thought to be around 5 then.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Mine can’t hear the UPS, or anything else, anymore!
JPL
@satby: That does sound like fun though.
Steeplejack (phone)
Good morning, everyone. ?
Checking if my browser is doing something weird or everyone has disappeared for 20 minutes.
JPL
Has anyone checked to see if the asshole has started WWIII by tweet yet?
charluckles
Amaryllis is my favorite winter pick-me-up, but I hope everyone knows you can do this with a lot of different bulbs. And thank you for sharing. For those of us that find the garden cathartic, this can be a lifesaver in these blah days.
Amir Khalid
An idle question about Jedi masters: if they leave their clothes behind as they die — Obi-Wan, Yoda, Luke — how come their post-life selves show up fully dressed?
@OzarkHillbilly:
They don’t know what they’re missing when they don’t greet the UPS driver.
OzarkHillbilly
@Amir Khalid: I think they’ve just decided they don’t need a reason to bark their fool heads off so why interrupt a good nap when it can wait?
Raven
@satby: Is the coal mine still there?
Mo MacArbie
@Amir Khalid: Midiclothiers
Steeplejack (phone)
This year feels like it’s having trouble getting started. I was commiserating with a friend yesterday, and we figured things will reset on Monday, when the first full week starts.
Anyway, I found this funny in a slightly heartening way: Gary Gulman: The Great Depresh. There are some clips at the bottom of the linked page. Try “Basketball Is Sensitive.”
scribbler
@satby: Enjoy the coal mine! And do they still have the incubating eggs and baby chicks? So cool!
Steeplejack (phone)
Here’s another odd gap—18 minutes so far. This is not usual for Balloon Juice, especially the garden chat. I wonder if something is going on.
MomSense
Pups and flowers! My pup is still sound asleep with her tail over her nose. I swear I don’t keep my house that cold.
mrmoshpotato
@satby: Come for the science, stay for the industry. :)
mrmoshpotato
@Amir Khalid: Someone doesn’t care for baby Yoda. He needs naked Yoda. ?
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ? ??
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack (phone): You know you’ve just cursed the coming week(s) to be crazier, right? Right? :)
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
mrmoshpotato
Wonderful flowers. And Woofmeister and Percy ain’t bad either.
zhena gogolia
I love Woof and Percy.
OzarkHillbilly
@Steeplejack (phone): It’s a Sunday morning in January. I think people are just starting slow.
ETA: I just finished reading about Morrison literally playing cricket while his country burns. I wonder if he has a fiddle?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Steeplejack (phone):
I’ll be happy if I know at last what day of the week it is.
I love how many BJ dogs are rescues.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@satby:
Oh have a good time!
Quinerly
@OzarkHillbilly: great pics, Ozark!
Just around long enough to say “Good morning” to everyone. Right much on my plate today as I kinda hibernated yesterday. Want to thank everyone for their kind words on yesterday’s AM thread, but don’t want to hijack this thread with Poco stuff. If sab shows up… . I saw your sweet words from yesterday this AM. Thanks so much!
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@satby:
I’m in that position right now. AT&T’s competition here screwed up the cable install so badly that we lost cable any time it rained. Not the service, the cable.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
Everything’s out of whack because of Christmas/New Year’s being on Wednesday. That’s the worst.
Everything will continue to be Trump horrible, but maybe it will feel more like the usual Trump horrible.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: Nice pics. Red is a good color for the day(s). I am glad to see the Woofmeister and Percy are layabout friends. Someday, we will see that many-named cat of yours too?
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
A cricket bat is more authentically Oz.
Immanentize
@satby: I have ATT and had some horrible experiences with them on the phone. I called trying to get rid of some devices and phone numbers I don’t use and the guy spent five minutes trying to sell me more. I hung up on him. Got my butt off the couch, went to the ATT store and they were helpful and kind. Just take your router to a store (is there one near you?) and they will replace it without (I hope) hassle.
Steeplejack
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Yes. I have gone through almost two weeks of “This feels like Sunday, but it’s . . . Thursday?”
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: She’s pretty camera shy, but I caught her napping behind the woodstove the other day. It’s nice and warm there for some reason or other.
JPL
Isn’t it Paella day at the Ozark’s? It seems that Paella day is happening more and more.
OzarkHillbilly
Hmmm, over 50 comments and nobody has yet told me I need to wash my windows.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: isn’t that what rain is for?
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: (looks at first picture again) You got lucky that the vibrant color just breaks through all the grime. Oh, and wash your windows.
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: Indeed it is Paella day, for the 2nd time in less than a week as daughter and SiL get their shot at one. Sucks to be me.
ETA I am the official broth taster, testing for flavor and salt. The sacrifices I make for my family.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Is it cold and gray? Here in the DC area it has been gray, but nowhere near cold. Was home in Michigan until mid week for the festivities and it wasn’t even cold and gray there.
Looking at the 10 day forecast for DC you’d think it was March already, and even Grand Rapids Michigan shows highs above freezing, and on a lot of days well above, for that entire period. My entire winter wardrobe feels aspirational rather than practical.
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize:
@mrmoshpotato:
The dirt serves a purpose as it reduces the number of bird strikes, or at least that’s what I tell myself as I ignore the feathers stuck to the glass.
Amir Khalid
@OzarkHillbilly:
TV chef Keith Floyd once described paella as a sort of Spanish biriani — which, given the great influence that the Middle East has had on Spain and its culture, makes sense.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:
It’s going to be in the low 40s here today. We’re going to pay for this. We have someone else’s weather and they’re going to want it back.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: last week someone inspired me to whip up some sausage gravy and bake some biscuits. Yum, (plus at least three pounds around the middle.) Now you are goading me into making paela?! Let’s see, I have shrimp and fish in the freezer…. But then I will need to buy new pants.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: Feathers on glass = art.
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: Don’t forget the crab legs, squid, and mussels. Also the beef bone for the broth and some chicken breasts for flavor balance. And most especially the Bomba rice, anything less is sacrilege.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: I actually had to order Bomba online as the only store that used to carry it stopped.
OzarkHillbilly
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Not cold and gray enough. I’ve been putting up some low fencing around the Zen garden and sidewalk flower beds so I can let the chickens roam and not worry about them digging up my perrenials while dusting themselves. Yesterday I found green shoots coming up thru the loam.
debbie
@satby:
Fun trip! I used to love taking people to places they hadn’t seen because I got to see it all through their “new” eyes.”
mrmoshpotato
@Dorothy A. Winsor: LOL My thoughts too. A Brit who lives here in Chicago did a video about winter stuff they don’t have in the UK, and I commented that he was trying to get us hit with a blizzard.
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
We’re polite people here. Anyway, that’s a springtime activity.
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: Pants new or old do not belong in paella.
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: That’s where my wife gets it. I think today is going to clean us out, so she’ll have to order some more.
@Amir Khalid: I’m not a foodie so I can’t really say about the cuisine (if it’s good I’ll eat it. if it’s not good I’ll probably eat it anyway) but architecturally speaking, the Muslim influence is all over Majorca.
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Also, the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and the utility sink.
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie:
Not at my house it isn’t. ;-)
OzarkHillbilly
@mrmoshpotato: Not the utility sink, I scrubbed encrusted dog and chicken shit off my boots there last night.
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Ok then, leave it out of this batch.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: ok, maybe I don’t want paella anymore ….
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: LOL I’m sorry.
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: Yeah, it’s my cross to bear anyway.
Steeplejack
I want to thank everyone who helped me out with jacket suggestions a couple of months ago. I ended up ordering one from L.L. Bean. There were other contenders, but there’s a store near me if I needed to return it, and they hit me with a 25% off coupon. It’s still a little bit heavier than I needed, but it’s good quality and I no longer look like a seedy ’70s Bulgarian soccer coach.
The suggestions here were invaluable. I might still look for a light windbreaker, but I’m set for now.
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: it’s interesting that so many rice dishes call for the lid to be kept on during cooking while you cook paella uncovered in the paella!
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: I have not come, to testify. . .
https://youtu.be/szdKx9O31A0
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack:
We’ll be the judge of that. :)
ETA – did you get navy, green or traffic cone?
MomSense
@Steeplejack:
I love those jackets. They last forever. A little bit too heavy?
Sigh.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven: My MiL was an artist. She had the tiniest kitchen and to watch her put a paella together was something to see. Her paella might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
debbie
@MomSense:
I know! Just flannel? In winter?
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: This was the paella my man made for my birthday gig.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Sweet
Steeplejack
@satby:
If you end up buying a new router, take a look at the TP-Link AC1750 Archer A7, $58. I need a new one; I discovered that my current one is just as old as the 2011 cable modem that I had to replace a few weeks ago. I did some research and settled on this one. Probably ordering it this week, once the new year settles down. ?
JPL
@OzarkHillbilly: Except for your wife’s paella.. right
raven
@Steeplejack: My google mesh setup rocks.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
God, the old one was awful—gray and with those accent lines that screamed “retro Adidas.” Probably made entirely from petroleum byproducts.
I went for “moss khaki”—green—on the new one. It’s pretty neutral. Might go for blue if I had it to do over again.
Steeplejack
@MomSense:
The jacket isn’t super heavy, but I’m a hot body and almost all jackets get too warm at some point, especially just for going from door to car and back. But it’s a nice jacket.
Ultralurker
I haven’t posted here for many many years, though I check the site daily. I’ll admit it hasn’t always been the best place to visit (when I’m in a certain mood, or when the comment section gets particularly contentious) but the love for pets here has always been a positive thing.
I’m posting now because my ten year old mutt just died unexpectedly — he was a twenty pound Maltese/something mix who was loving and smart and uncomplaining, and he was the emotional heart of my family. You don’t know me, but I really could use your condolences. Thanks.
Steeplejack
@raven:
Cool. My place is small and I just need the basics.
Aleta
@Steeplejack: Another good thing about those: when it gets older if the zipper breaks you can take it in. They replace the zipper free or can do it for something like $7. My partner is on his 3rd one (the fleece lined). Constant wear, many years. They wash easily and get real clean.
satby
@Raven: it is! And the sub.
japa21
Trying to see if this works. Hopefully so.
https://safr.kingfeatures.com/api/img.php?e=png&s=c&file=Qml6YXJyby8yMDIwLzAxL0JpemFycm9faHQuMjAyMDAxMDVfMTUzNi5wbmc=
ETA: It did. Says it all.
satby
@Steeplejack: well, it’s the att router/ modem thing I was just going to replace. But I probably still need the att modem too right?
I’ve lost most of the hardware knowledge I used to have now that I don’t work with it daily anymore.
Steeplejack
@Aleta:
Thanks, good to know.
Random song for the day: First Aid Kit, “My Silver Lining.”
donnah
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I know what you mean. My sister, who lives in Fremont, CA, visited us here in SW Ohio over Christmas, and it was warmer here than at her house most every day. Freaky.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Nice.
Steeplejack
@satby:
You can replace a router and a cable modem separately. But if you have some sort of combined unit, it’s probably better to get ATT to give you the replacement model.
I have a separate modem and router. My provider is Cox. I bought my old cable modem from them in 2011, but when I went to the store a few weeks ago to buy a new one I found that they only rent them now. Hmm, $10 a month vs. $78 to buy . . . I bought one on Amazon and installed it myself.
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: Actually, no. My wife’s tastes every bit as good but my MiL had presentation down pat. My wife would not argue.
kindness
Here in the central valley in N. Cal I have roses beginning to bloom. This shouldn’t be happening the first week of January. Usually December is our coldest month. This year we only had 2 days of freeze. Normally it’s 2 or 3 weeks. You know what that means? A bumper crop of insects the freeze never killed.
Marigold
(First time commenting on the new site. Fingers crossed.)
I mentioned in a Garden post months ago that I’d made a leap of faith and bought a Meyer lemon, even though I’m a novice gardener and citrus are finicky. Best purchase I have made in a long time! I did have to buy a grow light, but the scent of the blooms has filled the living room since the beginning of December. I don’t seem to notice the gray dreariness outside after a few minutes of fussing over it and the rosemary each day.
Aleta
@Steeplejack: Thanks for the lift.
bemused
Has anyone tried reading glasses with lights? I have sleep issues and reading in bed works works the best for me to fall back to sleep again. I don’t want to disrupt my husband’s sleep and other lighting devices, clip on book lights, etc, are just too awkward.
Steeplejack
Here in my corner of NoVA it’s a little colder than it has been. It’s 43° now, not going up much higher today. Gray and gloomy. The past few days it has been warmer, up in the high 50s, but with rain and a raw feeling. Supposed to stay in the mid-40s this week, but with sun. That’s all right.
Steeplejack
@Marigold:
How big is your lemon tree? Are you going to move it outside at some point?
Steeplejack
@bemused:
Slightly wacky, but have you thought of trying a camping headlamp? Might work.
RedDirtGirl
@Ultralurker: I’m so sorry. Thank you for letting us know.
schrodingers_cat
OT:
Another day, another university campus is under attack from ABVP, the student arm of the BJP-Sangh. IIRC Modi got his start as a politician in ABVP in the 70s.
The police have blocked the main route to the campus, students have been beaten and are bleeding.
Please retweet Modi and his men are self-conscious of what the West says about them. Like all bullies they crave respect.
#SOSJNU
StringOnAStick
@Ultralurker: I’m so sorry about the sudden loss of your furry companion; they’re never with us long enough.
RedDirtGirl
I’m not a gardener, but I saw this the other day and thought this crowd might appreciate it.https://www.davidwolfe.com/greenhouse-home/
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Ultralurker:
I’m so sorry. That’s hard.
OzarkHillbilly
@Steeplejack: Not wacky at all. Back in my caving days, I read and sketched by headlamp all the time.
OzarkHillbilly
@Ultralurker: Sorry to read this.
Immanentize
@Ultralurker: I am so sorry. That is rotten. I hope you can take a deep breath and think of your pup in the great moments.
CarolPW
@Ultralurker: I’m so very sorry – losing a younger dog suddenly is particularly shocking. With older pets you can sort of ease into the idea of their death. It’s always hard, but your family just crashed into one of the worst ways to lose one and you have all of my sympathy.
Steeplejack
@Ultralurker:
Sorry to hear it. My condolences to you and your family.
bemused
@Steeplejack:
We have those for walking in the dark but not what I had in mind for reading in bed.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@Ultralurker: Losing my old dog Tyler was one of the hardest things I’ve gone through. I’m so sorry for your loss. Our beloved dogs have very special places in our hearts, and it hurts so bad to say goodbye.
Marigold
@Ultralurker: From one lurker to another, I’m so sorry. He sounds like a sweet boy, and I can imagine how much his absence is noticed as you go about your day. I’ll be thinking of you and your family today.
Steeplejack
@RedDirtGirl:
That’s . . . interesting. I wonder how practical it is. Like if some weird humidity differential makes all the glass fog up. ?
JPL
@Ultralurker: Nona was a seven pound Maltese that died when she was ten years old ,several months ago. Although she was my son’s dog, I still miss her. Maltese are special dogs, and I’m so sorry for your loss. Hugs.
Steeplejack
@OzarkHillbilly:
I mean wacky in the context of being in bed with someone sleeping next to you. I wonder if it would be more noticeable than a clip-on light.
schrodingers_cat
The attack is still ongoing
Swara Bhasker’s appeal (she is an outspoken actor in Hindi movies, she is JNU almunus and her parents are professors there IIRC) to anyone in Delhi to save JNU students.
Its about 9.30 pm on a Sunday in India right now.
JPL
@Steeplejack: Nope .. That’s a Stephen King novel waiting to be written. Oh never mind, he already did and it was called Under the Dome.
laura
@Ultralurker: please accept my condolences on the sudden loss of your wee boon companion. I’m sure that your love and affection made his life so sweet and that the phrase lucky dog applied to you both.
Aleta
@Ultralurker: I’m so sorry. ‘Heart of the family,’ that’s it exactly. No wonder there’s no cure for the loss, only a hard wait until a new one might grow. Deepest sympathy.
bemused
@RedDirtGirl:
I would feel a bit claustrophobic even though it’s all clear glass. Washing windows in the spring is a pita in a northern climate. I can’t imagine how grimy that entire enclosure would look in time. I watched the video curious how it looks with winter snow covering top but didn’t see any clips showing that.
debbie
@JPL:
Over the years, I’ve been “aunt” to a number of dogs. I still miss each of them. In one case, I believe I still miss the dog more than the owner (who now has two dogs) does.
ETA: To Ultralurker, I’m sorry for your family’s pain and hope it is eased soon with the happy memories of your pet.
Amir Khalid
@Ultralurker:
It’s never easy to lose someone so dear so suddenly. My condolences to you and your family.
SectionH
@Ultralurker: I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s extra-hard to lose a beloved pet suddenly like that. And yes, they are family members.
OzarkHillbilly
@Steeplejack: I say again, not wacky at all. Some of the camps I was in were very small and after being underground for 4 or 5 days everybody’s sleep patterns would all become disjointed. I always brought a book (most wouldn’t want the extra weight) because I always woke up hours before everybody else. Besides, most headlamps have at least 2 brightness settings.
Another Scott
@Steeplejack: I’ve got a lot of TP-Link stuff. It works well (for me) and is pretty painless to setup.
We’re using their Deco M5 mesh stuff now. It works very well all over the house, and it’s great not to have to worry about multiple SSIDs, setting up wireless bridges, and all the rest. It just works. There’s probably faster and more powerful versions now.
Good luck satby!
Cheers,
Scott.
bemused
@Steeplejack:
The glasses I have been looking at have a light on each side of the frames. When I get finally get drowsy enough reading, I just take off my reading glasses and drop off. A headlamp would be a little too bright, bother my spouse, I think and more disruptive to my drowsy zone taking it off.
Another Scott
@Ultralurker: Welcome. I’m sorry that you’re posting under these circumstances.
It’s always hard. Remember the good times. Take care.
Condolences to you and yours,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@bemused: I had a pair a while back, which I broke. I break glasses like a toddler breaks… something toddlers break a lot (childless here). I found they worked best to amplify poor light, rather than in the dark. But I don’t remember trying them all on their own. The pair I had were off the cheaters rack at Walgreens, IIRC they cost about $25. I don’t know if your looking at something better.
(any front pagers lurking? there’s some shit going down– could we get a non-respite thread on this one-time political blog?)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I try to respect the non-political threads but: The Iraqi parliament just voted to expel US troops from Iraq, Marco Rubio is calling for an independent Kurdistan, and Mike Pompeo is saying there may be “a little noise here in the interim” in the wake of the Suleimani killing.
Baud
@Ultralurker: I’m very sorry about your loss. That’s tough.
StringOnAStick
@Steeplejack: Try to find a light source that can be set to remove blue light; all that bright light right before sleep can be very disruptive to sleep patterns, something age does to us anyway with no help. I’ve made a resolution this year to no longer read my kindle in bed, even on the “blue block” setting because reading here and other news is ruining my rest.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Seconded. Terry Gilliam is being a dick.
pat
@Ultralurker:
So sorry about your loss. “the emotional heart of the family”
What a tragedy.
thalarctosMaritimus
@Ultralurker:
I’m sorry. I hope that your memories of him will be a solace.
Steeplejack
@OzarkHillbilly:
No argument here. But it seems like bemused has ruled it out.
Amir Khalid
In the FA Cup third round match between Liverpool and Everton, Jürgen Klopp has named a side of second-stringers and youth players, as he did in the Kerbau Cup. It’s kind of obvious that his priority this season is the League, which Liverpool haven’t won in 30 years.
Jeffro
Breaking news: after years of saying we’d go check out CPAC together – him for the um ‘fellowship’ I guess, me for the zoo-like aspect – RWNJ dad now doesn’t want to go(!) And in an election year no less!
I guess when Judge Jeannie and Diamond & Silk are the featured attendees, it’s not quite the festival of deep conservative thought he was envisioning. LOLOL
JPL
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m hoping that Adam weighs in on what it all means.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Non-binding.
OzarkHillbilly
@Steeplejack: It’s all personal preferences.
Steeplejack
@Another Scott:
Thanks for the tip. As I told raven, my place is small and my needs are modest: computer, TV (for streaming), Chromebook, tablet, cell phone, Nook, Kindle. The housecat mostly sticks to butt-typing on the notebook keyboard—not a wi-fi issue usually, although she does seem to like to turn on airplane mode. I think the A7 will be perfect.
. . . Oops, I did buy an Echo Show 5 around Christmas. Haven’t installed that yet.
OzarkHillbilly
@Jeffro:
I had no idea there was such a thing.
RedDirtGirl
@Steeplejack: yeah. I wondered about that too.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steeplejack: “Alexa, install the Echo Show.”
WaterGirl
Is it wrong, in a garden thread, to say that may favorite photo is Woof and Percy?
Amaryllis are awesome but I can’t have them because of kitties. I give them as gifts, though, so I can appreciate them vicariously, through photos.
Steeplejack
@StringOnAStick:
I’m not sure it’s the blue light that’s the problem. ?
(Joke. I get what you’re saying.)
schrodingers_cat
If professors at India’s premier university in the nation’s capital can be beaten up with impunity, who is safe?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud:
Guess they’re not into S&M.
sab
@OzarkHillbilly: I was just about to comment that clean windows kill birds.
OzarkHillbilly
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Isn’t that sorta the epitome of an S&M relationship?
Another Scott
@StringOnAStick: As usual when dealing with humans, light sensitivity is complicated.
PNAS:
UManchester:
There’s still an awful lot that isn’t known, and most of the studies to date are very small. Everyone probably needs to experiment to see what works for them.
Cheers,
Scott.
OzarkHillbilly
@sab: It would certainly be worse if I cleaned it. I have the feeders on that side of the house and they really scatter whenever they get a hint of a hawk.
MomSense
@Ultralurker:
I’m so sorry about your sweet mutt. Sending you a big hug.
dww44
@Ultralurker: So sorry for your loss of your beloved pet.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
New state polls from CBS, three-way tie for first between Sanders, Buttigieg and Biden in Iowa. Sanders 27, Biden 25 in NH.
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack (phone): Thanks for the hot tip on the gaps. We had been good fro 7 days, but I am checking in with the developers.
Steeplejack
@Jeffro:
You’re wearing him down! You and Trump, that is. Okay, mostly Trump.
Marigold
@Steeplejack:
I do plan to ease it outside once the weather warms up. Our back yard faces south, and it tends to stay warmer against the house there–maybe that will keep it from stress-dropping too many leaves.
It’s a shrub right now, honestly: about two feet wide and a foot and a half tall. I want to take off the lowest branches in the spring to give it more of a trunk, but for now I think the leaves are better feeding the plant. I’m not even sure that it can support fruit yet, but there’s one the size of a pea that seems to be trying.
Steeplejack
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
I don’t have a relationship with Alexa yet.
I might be hitting you up for advice on smart switches, light bulbs, etc. And I need to get a new shade for my desk lamp, because the harp is not tall enough to allow smart bulbs. (Talk about a First World problem.)
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
I don’t know that there’s anything wrong, but I have noticed the pattern at times over the last week. It’s not “usual.” Maybe it’s just a function of lower site traffic? I hope people would
complainreport if they’re getting errors.WaterGirl
@Immanentize: We have a local store that sells the Bomba rice, so yay for that!
Another Scott
@Steeplejack: The only problem I’ve had in the last few days was last night when I tried to post an excerpt of an AP story that mentioned Iran’s internet attacks on Adelsons’ sandy place in Las Vegas. Apparently dungeon words still exist here.
It looks like Adam (?) was able to free it.
Otherwise, everything’s been good when I have tried to comment.
Cheers,
Scott.
J R in WV
@Ultralurker:
But we do know you. We’ve all been there with a loved one suddenly gone. My last loss was last January, when Happy dog was listless a little too long. I took her in, after a while they told me she was bleeding internally from a tumor. I sat with her for a little while, she wasn’t suffering, just weak. Then they did the deed, and I went home without her for the first time in years.
What was your mutt’s name? I’m sorry for your loss, recommend a visit to a shelter ASAP. You won’t forget your lost dog, but you’ll have a new one to take care of.
Barbara
@Ultralurker: I am very sorry. Few things hurt as much as the loss of a furry friend.
Quinerly
@Ultralurker: oh… .I’m so, so sorry. My heart breaks for you. Hugs.
Barbara
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Misogyny lives.
WaterGirl
@raven: Wow!
J R in WV
@bemused:
Me too, and i use Amazon Kindle books on my Samsung tablet for reading new books. There is some light spill from the tablet, but I keep it pointed away from wife, she never has trouble sleeping with it on at 4 am. And after 30 or 45 minutes, I shut it down and curl back up under the covers. Wish it wasn’t Amazon, but the house is full of books and this way I don’t have to put them away in shelves that are already full.
debbie
@Another Scott:
My only issue has been not getting returned to either my comment or the comment I was replying to. It still seems to be a random thing.
Steeplejack
@Another Scott:
I think that one got snagged because there are some alphanumeric strings (such as in the AP News link) that WordPress doesn’t like (or didn’t before). Used to see it mostly in YouTube links.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: Hey Scott, I wrote you about this earlier this morning. All 3 of the same comment went to Spam. I freed you, but I had a question.
J R in WV
@bemused:
Regarding reading late at night in bed:
All of our headlights, we have several, have a setting for red light, which is dimmer and less prone to wake up the spouse. I use them for reading physical books and magazines, and to get up for a bathroom break. Wife uses one also, keeps us from stepping on a cat at 4 am, or cat debris. Colors are weird, though, in photos and art work, if that matters.
They also don’t bother your night vision, so if you want to look at the sky, it’s all there for you when you turn off the headlamp. Great for meteor showers.
Another Scott
@WaterGirl: Thanks for the ping.
Replied.
Cheers,
Scott.
Amir Khalid
Liverpool academy player Curtis Jones scores a beauty for the Reds. 1-0. As things stand, Everton’s senior squad are losing to a Liverpool youth team.
Amir Khalid
@Amir Khalid:
Full time, and a Liverpool academy team has beaten Everton’s senior side. It must hurt to be a Toffee right now.
bemused
@J R in WV:
I don’t doubt the lighting would work but I could not wear that on my head and reach my drowsy zone at the same time.
Ultralurker
Thanks everyone for the comments. It helps. We’ll probably adopt another pet sooner rather than later.
satby
@Ultralurker: I just got home after the entire day away and saw your comment. Deepest condolences to you on the loss of your dear companion.