Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A snarling mass of vitriolic vicious jackals

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Lighten up, Francis.

Gastritis Broke My Calculator

I thought we were promised Infrastructure Week

We have all the best words.

This blog is Obama’s Katrina.

No one could have predicted…

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Where tasty lettuce and good mustard aren’t elitist.

Nevertheless, she persisted

Militantly superior in their own minds…

An almost top 10,000 blog!

I showered with Rahm and all I got was this shitty blog.

Yes we did.

This is how realignments happen…

‘Forty-two’ said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Good luck with your asparagus.

Also, too.

Hot Air and Ill Informed Banter

What fresh hell is this?

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Word salad with all caps

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Duck Blogging

Semi-Respite Open Thread: DUCKS!

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Not ducks, just a few Brooklynites failing to observe proper social distancing:

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Respite Thread: Ducks and Kitties

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Respite Thread: Ducks and Kitties

It is a trick of the phone camera lens that Gabe looks like a smushed Jabba the Hutt.

I am in total despair over humanity right now, so let’s take a break and focus on some good stuff. As I’ve mentioned, I’m house hunting, so I’ve been cleaning, packing and paring down.

So one day, I thought to myself, the cats haven’t used the cat tree in a year, I should give it away. One less thing to move. A few days later, Cats in the Tree began happening  Suddenly they were using it every day, several times a day.

They are just mocking me now. Freakin’ psychic, mystic fur babies.

And here’s a short video of duck baths. I give them fresh pool water every 4-5 days (which they immediately muddy up) and they love a fresh pool and I love watching them splash around.

Share some good stuff with me…

Respite open thread

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Respite Open Thread: The Blog’s Three Favorite (Non-Controversial) Subjects

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Like this guy, I am tired of watching Republicans behave badly.

Click on pic for full effect:

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Repost: Ben Afquack

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So ICYMI, I broke the blog. Seemed the cute kitteh photos were the culprit. Watergirl said the only fix was to trash it, then dump the trash. It. Was. That. Bad. LOL

Here is Ben Afquack again. I may try the photos again later to see if I fixed the issue – in a post I can quickly trash if it does it again.

Enjoy!

BTW – it took me weeks to convince Penelope Pearl she was actually a duck.

Open thread

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Respite Open Thread: You Deserve Some Ducks

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I can’t think of a better way to finish up before the holiday season, than with some ducks for you. (Although, I may have a Christmas Eve Menu for you later today, depending on how the house cleaning goes).

The weather has been beautiful the last few days, so I’ve left the patio door open so the cats could spend some time in the backyard. Meanwhile, I’m trying to work. But an open patio door leads to these constant interruptions:

Ducks are not quiet…and there are always duck rumblings in my backyard.

A friend and I are going to start a dedicated Youtube channel for the ducks. She wants to do some graphic art with the ducks. so there may be merchandise, Just waiting for my GoPro to arrive. Because they HATE cameras and my only chance of catching their antics is via stealth.

Here they are, complaining,  after 22 inches of snow was dumped on us Thanksgiving week.

Respite Open Thread: 1

That was after they had to spend a full day literally cooped up, until it was warm enough for them to venture out. And yes, I had to shovel a path and a roosting spot for them. Otherwise, all you’d see would be the little tops of their heads as they scooted through the duck-deep snow.

Respite Open Thread: 2

Bonus Christmas Kitteh:

Respite Open Thread:

It’s his favorite spot this holiday.

I have all my cooking done and have vowed not to venture out again after seeing my clients today and picking up a forgotten item at the grocery store. Had a sweet surprise this morning, one of my oldest clients, who I have worked with since long before Bixby, bought me a nice gift, BUT also went to a boutique pet store and bought beautiful leather toys, and baked goods for the pups. He laughed as he handed the bag to me and said, “I realized as I walked through the store, I had no idea what to buy dogs.” I thought, Great Danes are even tougher to buy for, but he did great and Bixby and Scout love them.

It was the sweetest thing. Buying my pets presents will always win me over.

How are you coping with the holidays? I know it can be a tough time. Last year was the worst for me, but this year, I’m feeling more hopeful. Maybe it’s that nice gift Congress got me.

Check-in in the comments, we’re all in this together.

Otherwise, open thread

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Respite Open Thread: Scout Turns Two

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Difficult to believe, but Scout turned two on Sunday.

Here she is lounging in the sun this summer

And here she is her second day with us.

Hard to believe my gangly legged lapdog is all growed up.  Her training, which got a bit sidelined when Bixby got sick, is going so very well. Don’t tell Bixby, but she’s been such a breeze to work with, I almost forget to do training with her some days. I have put my name in as an emergency foster if needed with our favorite Great Dane rescue group. I think everyone is settled enough and ready for that if needed.

Now the ultimate test. Facebook video:

show full post on front page

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

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I posted this on the book of faces this a.m., still confused how it all came to this:

My mornings now consist of a big white duck following me around the yard, squawking to be picked up and snuggled like a puppy. No longer happy to just get scritches. Once I pick her up and dutifully snuggle her, she’s happy to resume being a duck and waddles off when I put her down.

I just did not see this coming. I kept thinking she’d grow out of it.

smh

white duck

Penelope, mud-covered as always

She’s unique, that’s for sure. Luckily, Maddie and Mabel do not judge her for her weird obsessions, nor have they developed her habit of needing human interaction. They are happy for food, fresh pool water, and afternoon lettuce breaks.

Open thread

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Respite Open Thread: Some Serious Respite

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Okay, before I turn everything off for the night, I needed some respite. And then suddenly babies started showing up everywhere. So here they all are.

And my very own daily cuteness. Sometimes I just sit in the backyard and watch everyone play together. Dogs, cats and ducks.

great dane and duck friends

Feel free to add to the momentary relief with cuteness of your own.

Respite open thread.

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Open Thread: Raft of Ducks

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I assume if I do not post the occasional duck photos, there could be trouble. So here you go. Since Maddie and Mabel run from me whenever I have a camera, this is the best group shot I can get:

Ducks are messy. Happiness to ducks is any and all mud. Some ducks can’t hide it as well as others:

The cutest part of this is she runs up to me like this, wanting to be picked up. She has to be satisfied with scritches.

 

Open thread

P.S. Tomorrow we’ll have another WereBear guest post, so get your cat questions ready!

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Respite Open Thread: Egg-cellent News

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So Penelope Pearl started laying consistently this week. Her endeavors have been adorable. The eggs have ranged from full-sized to fun-sized. I should have added chicken egg for comparison – but the third egg in is about chicken egg-sized.  Duck eggs are much bigger than even extra-large chicken eggs.

duck eggs, tomatoes on counter

You can also see that Mabel and Maddie have been busy, as well (in the bowl). Their eggs are back to being hard-shelled after a few months of soft-shelled eggs. The culprit? Bixby’s dog food. They do love their dog food, so I switched Scout and the ducks back to the old food, while Bixby has to have a beef food because he’s developed a chicken allergy.

Ten days off of dog food and many days of Ducks On Strike and everything went back to normal. Except they still wouldn’t lay eggs consistently, so I relented and give them about 2 cups of Scout’s food to share in the morning. They are eating more laying mix of seeds/scratch but happy to have their dog food back and laying eggs daily.

They are also EXCELLENT bug hunters and I love watching them run around the yard devouring flies, grasshoppers and grubs.

Respite open thread

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Respite Open Thread: Butterflies and Classic Cars

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monarch butterfly on lantana

JeffreyW has been wowing me with his butterfly photos over on our blog. so I had to share.

black swallowtail on lantana

 

 

I tracked down this video because of the telephone car…but the entire video is full of fun classic cars.

I’m still completely tuned out and my energy level is much better. I feel like I’ll better be able to fight for the racist-in-chief’s ouster if I’m not completely overwhelmed by the awfulness of it all.

Yesterday, a full-length mirror fell from the wall and shatter, so I’m assuming I’m doomed anyway.

Respite open thread.

ETA: Bonus ducks because I know what you really want.

mud covered ducks

Ducks are messy. They can make mud in a drought. Here are three mud-covered quackers. Of course, Penelope is the only one it really shows on.

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Respite Open Thread: Formal Protest

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three ducks gathers at door

So the ducks LOVE dog food. I’m assuming whoever raised and abandoned Mabel (l) and Maddie (c) fed it to them. I’ve had little luck moving them to duck crumbles. I finally resorted to very expensive duck seed, so it’s not processed into a pellet. They will eat that, but not until after their dog food is gone.

After discovering Bixby is sensitive to chicken (of all things) I had to change the pups food to a different type and brand. Over the summer the duck eggshells have become thinner and thinner and the only change I could think of was the dog food. So I’ve stopped giving it to them.  Monday.

What you see above is the result. They stand outside my patio door and bitch at me because I have not provided them with the proper nutrition for the day. In protest, I have not gotten an egg from either of them in two days.

Penelope has not been as picky, but in solidarity, she has joined the picket line.

(And there, Cole, are your ducks for the day)

Open thread…

(oh, and I just finished the first cookbook (of 4) over the weekend and should have it up on Kindle by the end of the week. I know I’ve promised many people I’d do it…so finally)

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Respite Open Thread: A Little Bixby and Scout

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great dane lying in the grass

Look at this happy girl. She is ALWAYS happy, even when I’m scolding her. And let me tell you, it’s difficult to discipline that face. But, now that Bixby is his old self, we’ve gotten serious again about training. Nothing worse than a 100+ lb dog who is out of control. Happy, bouncy, jumpy is great, except when it’s aimed at guests, strangers and other animals.

Speaking of the Beast:

great dane splashing in a baby pool

He’s enjoying the pool the ducks shunned. I’ve been filling it because Scout has been climbing in the duck pools, making them very unhappy. She and Bixby both enjoy cooling off in the larger pool. I just have to laugh because I have no children, yet there are 4 baby pools of varying sizes in my backyard (one is the old damaged duck pool that I turned into a “salad garden” for them).

great dane in a baby pool

You can kind of see in the background, my vegetable garden is doing well. Picked my first tomatoes and peppers this week. Plums are almost ripe and I’m not sure yet how the grapes are going to do.  I will not be canning anything. If I can’t prep it and freeze it, I give it away. Unlike our fearless blog leader, I do not enjoy canning.

I’ve been cooking though.

al pastor on crispy tortilla

I made instant pot Al Pastor (recipe here) and Sour Dough Bread (recipe here) with starter a friend gave me.

sour dough breads

And finally, just a snap of the snow on our hike last week:

 

I’m heading out to do some weeding and probably relax in the backyard before it gets too hot. Penelope enjoys that, if I’m reading in the lounge chair, she comes over for scritches. She’s been very, very needy the last few days and wants lots of attention. Me or Bixby, it doesn’t matter. This morning she had an entire conversation with me, following me around while I took care of food and water, chattering away at me. This is all new to me and I am completely charmed.

Respite open thread.

 

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Respite Open Thread: So I Hear You Want Ducks

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Mountain Lake at tree line

Spent most of my week at or above tree line. Mostly hiking, but today on a horse. It has been a perfect week. So I thought I’d end it by sharing some respite with you.

Three ducks in the yard

Here’s the gang. They just finished their baths in fresh pool water and are strutting around the yard. Penelope looks like a gangly teenager. And that’s not an optical illusion, she really is that much bigger than her yard mates.

White Pekin Duck in yard

And of course, as requested by the royal blog host. Here is Penelope.

I know you want video of Bixby and Penelope hanging. I’m still trying.

Respite open thread. Sounds like we could use it.

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Sunday Night Open Thread: Sweetest Couple On The Block

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Gr

I was going to wait until I had video before posting about these two, but who knows when that will be. When I go out into the yard, it disrupts the dynamic.

Penelope Pearl has a crush on Bixby (more photos here) and I melt watching her follow him around.

I mentioned in a previous thread that her hormones have hit hard. She comes to me for skritches when it gets to be too much. Which is adorable.  But her main focus has been Bixby and he’s all cool with it. I just worry about him stepping on her accidentally.

I’ll keep trying for video, because she calls after him as she goes.

Open thread

 

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