The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[NotWise]

Cloudy day here, but no real chance of rain. The cold weather is slipping by to our northeast.



Photo's aren't so dramatic without morning sunlight. The flower in back is "Amigo," which was part of the last photo I posted. The one in front is "Apple Blossom."

"Apple Blossom" is one of the oldest amaryllis varieties that's still in commercial production. If I remember right, it was patented in the early 1950's. It's been one of the most popular varieties ever since. This one was a gift from my mother-in-law. I'm not sure when, but about 25 years ago.

I take these pictures mostly to document the condition of the plants, the order of flowering, and the container they're in. I post them because they're pretty.

I'm down to rewriting the last scenes of my WIP. I have some specific changes in mind that are needed to explain some of the drama. I think I'll add a scene just because I foreshadowed it.

 

[MrPixel]

Winter.... gawd... really brutal here. We've lived in our small town for 19 years, and I don't recall a previous winter where we've had weeks of sustained sub-freezing temperatures and snow always present, although quantity does come and go. I have an important outdoor construction project that was supposed to be done around Thanksgiving, and since early November it has either been raining or unbearably cold, becoming snowy and unbearably cold.

TV weatherperson last night was discussing the upcoming snowstorm last night, and was carrying on about having never seen a forecast ranging from "a trace" and >12" of snowfall at the same time in their broadcast region. We are somewhere in the middle, and the amount keeps changing. Yesterday I cancelled tonight's orchestra rehearsal based on the forecast at the time of 4-6" falling during rehearsal hours - now it's barely an inch. I'm taking some solace that I did the right thing in that some of the members live in areas that are still in the 12+" weather bands.

Relief is supposedly in the winds... pun intended. Starting next Sunday mid-50s are forecast for the entire week. It'll take probably until Wednesday before the ground dries out enough to resume work on my construction project. Fingers crossed.

 

[NotWise]

Relief is supposedly in the winds... pun intended. Starting next Sunday mid-50s are forecast for the entire week. It'll take probably until Wednesday before the ground dries out enough to resume work on my construction project. Fingers crossed.

And I'm trying to keep enough moisture in the ground so that the grass can grow when its time comes.

 

[MrPixel]

And I'm trying to keep enough moisture in the ground so that the grass can grow when its time comes.

No no no! I'm not ready to start mowing lawns! Too many other things to get done!

Mowing season here usually starts around May. But given the weirdness of the weather so far, don't know if I can still depend on that.

 

[Duleigh]

Cold? You wanna talk cold? I went to put the garbage out this morning and foolishly took my morning coffee with me. It froze so quickly that the ice was hot

It was so cold in Florida we had to thaw out the snowbirds so we could hear them complain about how cold it is up north.

 

[MrPixel]

C and I have come to the conclusion that our dog likes classical music, particularly from the Romantic period. "Charms to soothe the savage breast" I believe is the saying. We've just noticed consistent behavior patterns that coincide with whether we have Pandora on our usual station. He gets a little agitated if not demanding when we turn on the evening news instead, but I can't yet separate that ambiance from the coincidence it's near his dinner time.

 

[Belegon]

well, after my regular 90 day check up.... all good news. Weight is staying steady between 185-190, Blood pressure is right where they want it, and NO changes to my Chemo regimen... no new meds, which hopefully means my side effects will continue to subside. The darker side of that is, of course, that if they thought they could make a significant impact, there would be changes... but being stage 4 I don't expect that aggressive approach. It's not about curing me... It's about maintaining my quality of life while also hopefully extending my time by a little bit. And honestly, I'm good with that since I know the alternative.

Based on my latest scans, I seem to be holding firm. Not seeing much growth in my existing trouble areas. That's a very good thing. And I got referred to a surgical office visit to check on the timeline and possibility for reversing my colostomy. That would be awesome, although more surgery is a burdensome thing. But I'd love to get rid of this damn bag. It just depends on what's going on inside my gut and how "repairs" are proceeding... Doc obviously feels I'm in a good enough place to bother with checking into things, which means that he feels I would survive and heal from the surgery. Back in July, when I was a skeletal looking (my words, not his) 153 lbs, that wasn't the case.

 

[Rustyoznail]

C and I have come to the conclusion that our dog likes classical music, particularly from the Romantic period. "Charms to soothe the savage breast" I believe is the saying. We've just noticed consistent behavior patterns that coincide with whether we have Pandora on our usual station. He gets a little agitated if not demanding when we turn on the evening news instead, but I can't yet separate that ambiance from the coincidence it's near his dinner time.

Our pup likes Paw Patrol...

 

[Rustyoznail]

A question from the peanut gallery. Could you deliberately get the back end of a 65 Chevy Impala with a powerglide loose in the wet?

 

[MrPixel]

Yes. I drove a close cousin, a '64 Pontiac Tempest with a 215 wimp of an I-6, and could reliably get the rear loose throwing it into 'L' on wet pavement. It was not pretty.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Thanks MrP. Confirms what I thought. I was looking for scary.

I've only driven later automatics - mid 90s and more stable in the wet.

 

[Belegon]

I've only driven later automatics - mid 90s and more stable in the wet.

If the millenials ever take over the world we cn get it back.... we just make all the military vehicles manual transmission and write out our plans in cursive.

 

[Belegon]

Our pup likes Paw Patrol...

My corgi barks at any animal that comes on the tv. He even barks at Dogmeat when I am playing Fallout. My blue heeler doesn't understand the concept of screens. She ignores them completely, but she "gets" voicemail. She will start happy howling or barking if I play her a voicemail from Grandma or my daughter.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Another frigid morning and more snow on the ground. The coffee is brewing and the teapot is hot. I'm having some Irish Breakfast this morning and there are scones and blueberry pancakes on the counter. I'll be over in the corner writing and questioning my role in the creative process with my Muse.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

CK - Thanks very much for your efforts in keeping this place coffee'd and, especially, fed!

 

[MrPixel]

I was looking for scary.

If you want "scary", let's talk about the fact that it could not get out of its own way. Slippy-slidey in the wet on the rocks it had for tires was bad enough, 0-60 in the dry was... get this... 19 seconds. The guys at school called it "the green weenie".

And here's a useful IRL plot bunny - my father bought this car for his mistress, my mother's sister, 12 years younger. Mom eventually wised-up and sent her packing.

 

[Duleigh]

I don't think these are really Australian ads. Nobody is named Bruce
(But I do want to get a Hilux)

 

[jaF0]

I get angrier by the day, with less and less hope things will ever be different.

 

[Duleigh]

I get angrier by the day, with less and less hope things will ever be different.

What exactly do you want?

 

[Rustyoznail]

@Duleigh, they are all real ads. Some of them are a bit old now.

This explains Bruce
https://revolver.ws/project/bruce-everyday-insurance-woolworths/

And this is the latest Hilux ad

 

[Rustyoznail]

And more Bruces...

 

[Duleigh]

@Duleigh, they are all real ads. Some of them are a bit old now.

This explains Bruce
https://revolver.ws/project/bruce-everyday-insurance-woolworths/

And this is the latest Hilux ad

Buggah!

I'm not sure I would trust car insurance from a five and dime.

And more Bruces...

I worked that into Enchantress where they journeyed to "The Land Way Over"

"Won't that be confusing?"

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I just came across a Literotican who has 69987 favorite stories.

I am boggled.

-Annie

 

[Rustyoznail]

Yep. I get excited when someone favourites a story, then I see how many others they have, and I get a bit depressed. One of 14000 isn't that special - but 69k? Wow. That's a lot of reading.

 

[NotWise]

I just came across a Literotican who has 69987 favorite stories.

I am boggled.

-Annie

When I see lists like that I figure that they don't know about, or at least don't use, their home page.

In this case, he probably didn't read very many of those stories. Can only imagine why he'd favorite them. Maybe as a compliment to the author?