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Can you say Fiesta? Then you can say PARTY!

Altaira Superuser Feb 27, 5:07pm Views: 277 Can you say Fiesta? Then you can say PARTY! Greetings! Fiesta Friday is upon us, and once again it's time to gather with friends and party a little. Especially since the boards seem to have a little good energy today. Fingers crossed! Our deck is pretty much done! We have the final walk-through on Monday, then they hand us the keys, so to speak. The two workers put our furniture back on the deck way cleaner than it was before they started (it gets dusty in the winter), so this weekend we'll put the cushions on the chairs and have a nice place to spend some time watching winter turns to spring. Once I get everything where and how I want it I'll post some piccies. It would be quieter outside now, except we're having some front drainage fixed that involves ripping out and re-pouring the concrete leading to our porch, so never a dull moment in the Altaira household! How about you? I know you can't possibly have anything quite as exiting (or loud), going on in your own life, lol. But, order up your favorite drink, and have a few passes at the buffet, and let us know how you're' doing! *kicks juke box* anything good to listen to with noise-cancelling headphones will do! Happy weekend, everyone!! (This post was edited by Altaira on Feb 27, 5:08pm)

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 5:49pm Views: 258 Very good! What a great feeling, getting the deck project (almost) done! Will it have an overhang so you can enjoy a rainy day out there too? Might I have a huge mug of hot cocoa, please, Altaira? It took some days, but we've all finally dug out from the Blizzard of '26 in this area. Power stayed on, and our house got 18"/45 cm, which our snowblower can manage, although some drifts required me to shovel off the upper layers onto the ground so our son could blow them away. Schools and town offices were closed for 3 days while streets and parking lots were fully cleared. Now it's sun-shiney and melting the stuff! I've been working on taxes, I think my "first pass" is ready for hubby's review. Would like to get those out of the way this coming week. LOL, how about something lively for listening to under those headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

CuriousG Gondolin Feb 27, 6:45pm Views: 258 I'm just celebrating the abiility to access TORN again And it feels like I dare not tarry too long, lest I once again find that it won't load. But happy weekend, everyone! I'm getting caught up over with a friend over lunch on Saturday, then we will walk the sidewalks of Boston amid the snow piles and enjoy the white wilderness before it melts. Closed for 3 days, Dernwyn??? Wow. You got hit hard. Most things near me were closed 1-2 days, and we had about 18", but it drifted so much, hard to say. My landlord and I shoveled off and on during the day so there were only a few inches to remove each time and it always remained manageable, but I (or my sore shoulders) was happy when evening came and the snow stopped. If you aren't careful, I may steal a sip of your hot cocoa, unless I can get some from the bar. And enjoy the new deck, Altair! Clearly a project that was worth the wait and will provide many relaxing days ahead.

Altaira Superuser Feb 27, 6:47pm Views: 254 Hehe, the blizzard of '26 At first I read that as you got 26". Eeeps, it sounds like it was fun enough to dig out of 18". Glad the sun is finally back and helping things along. Congrats on almost being ready to put taxes behind you for another year! *high five* I filed ours yesterday. I use turbo-tax for home and business, but I always check it with my own calculations. Since I still own a business I pay estimated taxes quarterly so I always need as accurate an estimate as I can get throughout the year for the following year. Come to think of it, I'll still need to do that after I retire completely because we won't have an employer to pay them for us. The deck is about 7" higher than it used to be - almost level with the step out from the house, so yes, we'll actually be able to use the area beneath it without bending over and/or bumping our heads. Thanks for the great song, and have an amazing weekend!

Altaira Superuser Feb 27, 7:00pm Views: 251 Indeed! "low whisper" -- we seem to be off the bots' radar for now. It is indeed nice when you click and something actually happens, lol Walking the streets of Boston after the snow sounds lovely. I commuted by air and worked there during the week for many months during my traveling consulting days. And B.G. and I walked the entire Freedom Trail once. So Boston has a very soft place in my heart. Glad you're all shoveled out and ready for the weekend. Enjoy it!

Ataahua Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 7:45pm Views: 252 Wish me luck - I'm about to go blackberrying. Last year was a bust because my favourite spot became overgrown with other plants, squeezing out the blackberries, so I have to go hunting today. Hopefully I'll stumble across a new awesome spot for picking. *fingers crossed* Yay for your deck! I hope you'll get to enjoy it even at this time of year. Do you have any outdoor heating you can use? Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo My LOTR fan-fiction

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 7:49pm Views: 251 Boston got lucky! I have relatives in Plymouth (near the Canal) and just across the Canal, so they were caught up in the massive power outages and the five-day road travel ban. I think Fall River won the prize for greatest amount of snow, 40"/over 100 cm. Our local public service announcement: "Attention residents: If you woke up, looked outside, and said, “Wow, that’s a lot of snow…” You are correct. It is, in fact, a lot of snow. Roads are currently covered in the cold white stuff known scientifically as “Nope. Stay Home.” Unless you are: A snowplow operator A first responder A hospital employee Or Delivering pizza to the police department Please stay off the roads. Four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop. All-wheel drive does not mean all-wheel invincible. And bald tires do not magically become snow tires because you “believe in yourself.” Help us help you by staying home, staying warm, and binge-watching something dramatic instead of being dramatic. We promise the snow will still be here tomorrow. Stay safe. Stay cozy. Stay off the roads." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 7:54pm Views: 249 Some towns did get that much - and more! I make estimated tax payments also, and it is always a puzzle to figure out how much to pay. I do like the "automatic payment" feature, so we can set up all the quarterly payments well in advance. Looking forward to seeing a pic of that deck! Enjoy the weekend! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 7:55pm Views: 249 Mmm, blackberries! You're making me long for summer! (Well, this dump of snow is, also.) Let us know if you have any luck finding a good patch! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 9:09pm Views: 252 Back from the South! You must be pleased to have your projects making such good progress, Altaira - noisy and disruptive in the short term, but thoroughly worthwhile. We just got back from a very pleasant two weeks in the South Island. One of our quieter holidays, with no equivalent to last year's glacier kayaking highlight, but a really nice break. Main places: - Nelson Lakes https://www.doc.govt.nz/...oiti-kerr-bay-walks/ for some nice walks - we even had a swim. We had ideas of kayaking, but on the one day conditions were suitable a school group had booked all the kayaks. That's fine, though, we enjoyed the walks. - Castle Hill https://www.doc.govt.nz/...tawhiti-castle-hill/ - a place we'd driven past many times but never managed to visit. This time we stayed nearby and had a nice evening walk here. - Arthur's Pass https://www.doc.govt.nz/...-pass-walking-track/ - again, a place we've mostly driven through, just stopping to give the local kea https://www.doc.govt.nz/...birds/birds-a-z/kea/ a chance to attack the car. It really is a lovely spot, and we plan to return and do more walks - Dunedin to finish up - probably my favourite city in Aotearoa. We did a short wildlife cruise, several walks, wandered around the city, and spent quite some time strolling around the lovely old (by our standards) buildings of its university - the latter of particular interest to me, as the next few books of my current series will mainly be set here. Back to the north wonderfully refreshed, to be met with an hours-long drive home from the airport, thanks to a diesel spill on the motorway (no serious injuries, thankfully). There's no place like home, but sometimes I wish it wasn't so hard to get to :) Our milk frother has packed up, and was beyond Mr Kimi's considerable ability to fix it, so we're making do with an inferior old one for now (first-world problem). Also, one of our circuit breakers keeps tripping. We had an electrician out yesterday, and of course it wouldn't do it for him, although he spent ages looking. For now he's split the circuit (there are several rooms on that one circuit) in an attempt to narrow down the problem, and we're enjoying using the bathroom by torchlight after the sun goes down. It was unseasonably chilly (most days it didn't go above 14C/52F) while we were away, but back here it's currently fine and sunny - yesterday reached 32.8C/91F, which I think is the highest temperature I've ever seen at our place. Barbecued tuna tonight, with toms and aubergines from our garden. Speaking of which, it survived our absence just fine (thank goodness for automated watering systems), most especially the weeds. Vast numbers of tomatoes, and I keep finding more cucumbers hiding under the foliage. We can't keep up with them fresh, but I've jars and jars of pickled ones. And feijoa season has started, and is looking like a bumper one - we each fill a bucket in a few minutes. Time to empty the freezer as much as possible (we're currently making quince paste), and re-pack what remains with topological precision, making room for all those containers. A wonderful time of year, with very satisfying tasks. Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend. The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View

Ataahua Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 10:03pm Views: 245 No good patches, but I got enough berries for a mid-winter pie. A small pie - enough to share with a couple of people. I'll have to keep looking for a really good replacement spot. Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo My LOTR fan-fiction

Ataahua Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 10:06pm Views: 243 What a great trip! I hadn't heard of Nelson Lakes before; I may have to add it to my 'future visit' list. I also want to stay at Arthur's Pass at some point - I've only ever gone through it by train. Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo My LOTR fan-fiction

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 27, 10:31pm Views: 241 They're not that well-known (Nelson Lakes, that is). We'd only been there once before, almost 20 years ago. Not as stunning as Manapouri, but with some very nice beech forest walks, and a fairly easy drive from Nelson (we flew into Nelson - what a lovely wee airport it is). Arthur's Pass was *completely* booked out (bar some dormitory accommodation, which needless to say I passed on), even though I tried booking months ago. We ended up staying at Castle Hill, where there were any number of holiday homes available (I think people mainly use their places in skiiing season), and although it's a c. 40 min drive from Arthur's Pass it turned out to be a good choice. The walks around Arthur's Pass are really nice, and you don't have to walk far at all to see lovely beech forest and waterfalls. I saw one walk labelled "Avalanche Peak" - a very challenging, advanced track that goes pretty well vertically up, and Mr Kimi remarked that it was certainly truth-in-advertising. We passed on that one :) The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 1:42am Views: 236 What a relaxing trip! Lovely places to tramp around, and those rocks at Castle Hill are quite intriguing! Circuits can be finicky about how much load they'll take. So he took the bathroom completely off the electric? Rather romantic... Your garden is keeping you busy full-time! Do you make a jam or preserve with the feijoas? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

Annael Elvenhome Feb 28, 2:53am Views: 240 Home ownership - it's a never-ending story of projects! Necessary to take time to enjoy them when they're done. I sent off the last of the books to the publisher this week, then was asked by my private client to please help index her book. I have in fact been trained as an indexer, and she was rightfully concerned that the software program her publisher is going to use wouldn't be any good with nuance. So she sent me their word list and I went through the book and added a whole lot of subheadings for each. Plus, oddly, the program (which I now know is "logiciel" in French) missed some major topics. Other than that I seem to be going to a lot of doctor's appointments. I'm having cataract surgery next month (looking forward to it, I've worn glasses since I was 8 & am hoping I won't need them for distance vision now), I've got an appointment with an endocrinologist to talk about my options for osteoporosis treatment, and my annual dermatology check is coming up. Oh, and also followed up with the hematologist about the anemia subsequent to that GI bleed four years ago now, which seems resolved, but she still wants to see me yearly. Sigh. I remember the days when I just went for a yearly checkup and otherwise only saw the doctor when I hurt myself. Which I did a lot, because I had a very active life! (And that's why one of these years, the knee will need replacing . . . but not yet!) So much for the organ recital. Making plans for a trip to see the nephews and great-nephews (in French that's after-nephews) in April, obvsly still studying French, and yes, I am getting some writing done! Still cold here (no snow alas) but all the bulbs are coming up, and I saw a butterfly yesterday! Frogs are peeping madly in the swamp. I've put up two birdhouses in my little forest (all of four trees between my condo & the next one) and hope I'll get to watch families being raised there. I am a dreamer of words, of written words. -- Gaston Bachelard * * * * * * * * * * NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967 (This post was edited by Annael on Feb 28, 2:54am)

Annael Elvenhome Feb 28, 2:59am Views: 232 what a lovely trip! Castle Hill looks like a place I'd like to visit. Kind of reminded me of the scene in P&P (the 1995 one) where Elizabeth visits the Peaks. I am a dreamer of words, of written words. -- Gaston Bachelard * * * * * * * * * * NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

Altaira Superuser Feb 28, 3:03am Views: 230 Nice that you found some Aren't blackberries prickly plants, or am I thinking of something else. Do you wear gloves? We don't have an outdoor heater, but it's been so nice this winter I've gone out many times with just a sweater, or even no sweater. So a sweater and maybe a nice blankie should get me through until spring. Happy rest of your weekend!

Altaira Superuser Feb 28, 3:18am Views: 229 Lol re the kias I didn't believe B.G.'s kia stories at first, but he has pictures of family trips showing a kia happily trying to munch on their windshield wipers and any other rubbery car bits. I hear they're quite determined, and get belligerent when someone tries to shoo them away. Speaking of automatic watering systems, I found a brilliant indoor one for when B.G. and I are away on trips. My brother used to have to come by and water each individual plant, and now he just makes sure the bucket with the small filters are. Thin, clear hoses run to a pump, then on to each plant. The plants look better when we get back than they do when I'm home. I love your description of trying to fit everything in the freezer. Good luck!

Altaira Superuser Feb 28, 3:30am Views: 229 You'll love the vision correction I had lasik, gosh, almost 40 years ago now and I still don't need reading glasses. I do need really good light to read some things, thus we keep mini-flashlights strategically located around the house, but if I have good light I don't need magnification. Kudos to you for getting that done (as well as everything else). Wow, it must take forever to go through a book in order to index it, even if (I presume) it's digital. I'm sure your client is thanking her lucky stars she asked you to do it. It sounds like you're all ready for spring. I hope the bird parents cooperate and move into your bird houses!

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 3:37am Views: 230 The electrician's theory (warning: a little gross) is that rats have got at the wiring. He sees it all the time, he says. But we none of us want him checking out every bit of wiring in the ceiling, so hopefully this exercise will narrow down the area. We mostly eat feijoas fresh (or frozen and thawed) with things like cereal or pancakes. I've sometimes made jam, and in bumper years we might make wine. I make a delicious feijoa and ginger icecream, too. I'm considering chutney this year. Also we give a lot away to friends and neighbours who express the least interest :) The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View

Altaira Superuser Feb 28, 3:38am Views: 229 OMG, how funny!!! Quote Four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop. When I was very much younger, I delivered pizza for maybe 7-8 month off and on for extra money, often in deep snow. I can't tell you how many times I saw people with 4-wheel drives sail through intersections with wide eyes and utter surprise on their faces. Many more times than people in 'regular' cars. What they didn't realize is: once you take your foot off the gas and hit the brakes, you're no longer in 4-wheel drive. Loved the rest of the announcement too. Thanks for the laughs.

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 3:43am Views: 228 I was a little reminded of that Peaks visit, too. We re-watched the 1995 P&P fairly recently, so it was extra fresh in memory. It's quite an awesome place to visit, and is very significant to local Maori. It's also interesting ecologically, including having its very own, very localised buttercup species. I think it gets very busy indeed at times, so we were lucky to be staying close by so that we could visit in the early evening, long after the tour buses had gone. The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Feb 28, 3:59am Views: 234 Congrats on the finish! Really, it's perfect timing to enjoy the change of seasons. A new front row seat :D When the weather levels off, do you have any bird feeders (hummingbird & seed) to help draw in some live action distraction? It's been a quiet week. *cups hand to ear* Yup... still quiet! It's been a welcome break I used to get my income tax stuff around *upchuck* I've finally got a year-long process that has eased the confusion. A large manila envelope with a list of everything I need to send in. Most of the things I need I have already put into the envelope as it comes in. Even though I have a very simple life, I'm still WAY too challenged to keep thing straight and panic if I have to research possible changes. So I throw everything at a tax preparer my sister uses and just don't worry about anything :D The coming week is filled with appointments, house repairs up north, and the homeshow next weekend! Free popcorn and yard sticks! *geeky hand clapping* I think I'll grab a hot chocolate and a shortbread cookie if there are any about. Thanks for taking such great care of us, Altaira! And good luck on the launch on Monday ;) We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

Altaira Superuser Feb 28, 6:23am Views: 224 Funny you should mention shortbread cookies Yes, we have plenty! So dig in! Every year I carefully curate a holiday goodie bag for our neighbors to each side of us. The one neighbor goes to Costco and gets us a 5 lb. tin of shortbread cookies - layers and layers of them in a huge tin. I mean, how many shortbread cookies can two people eat? It's my own fault because I always thank them profusely. Nowadays they usually go to a local food bank. Glad you had a relatively quiet week. Sorry you had to spend at least part of it on taxes. Drink up that hot chocolate and eat up those cookies. You need your strength for the Home Show (love those)!

Ataahua Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 10:32am Views: 219 One of the 'joys' of blackberrying is carefully reaching past the thorns to get to the soft berries. It can be quite a zen exercise (when the little beggars aren't puncturing your skin). I do have 'blackberrying legs', though: there are a few decent scratches on them. Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo My LOTR fan-fiction

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 3:02pm Views: 158 Indexing is very picky work I'm glad your client is having "human eyes" work on it! And that you've been able to work on your new book. Heh, "organ recital", that is a problem as we age. It is a relief to know you're going for yearly checkups on that GI problem. "Yay" on getting the cataracts removed! Hubby has both eyes done next month also, we've got the chart for eye drop application hanging up & ready to go. He's had to wear sunglasses both inside and in the car for months now, he's so looking forward to getting the "glare" dealt with. For which kinds of birds are your birdhouses designed? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 3:09pm Views: 158 The fun stuff! Is your daughter having to replace very much in their new house, or upgrading? I do like doing my taxes myself, some of the worksheets are such a hoot. But when having a tax preparer do them, you're wise to just put everything into one envelope over the course of the year, no fussing looking for things then! Happy hunting at the home show! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 3:13pm Views: 157 LOL! Like the zucchini bumper crops - those who grow them beg neighbors and friends to take some! Making chutney seems like a great idea! Something different to give everyone... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 8:34pm Views: 154 It's all true! Kea are fiercely intelligent, even by parrot standards, and are always on the lookout for mental stimulation, aka mischief. Here's a small example: https://www.tiktok.com/.../7558419854923959566 Charming with it, though, and they were here first :) That indoor watering system sounds a great idea! The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View (This post was edited by Kimi on Feb 28, 8:42pm)

Kimi Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 9:11pm Views: 153 Indexing is a seriously underrated skill. It's often obvious (and irritating) when it's been done in a perfunctory manner. I find myself having to guess what terms they might have used instead, or looking at *all* the references to a too-broad term to find the references I actually need. Years ago I used to do some IT work for a law library, and that branched into IT support for a (small) firm of specialist indexers they used. That gave me an extra appreciation for when indexing is taken seriously, and the value it can add. The Passing of Mistress Rose My historical novels Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there? - A Room With a View

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Feb 28, 11:20pm Views: 151 That is true! And, here was another local notice: FREE SNOW SHOVELING CLASS At my driveway. Come and join the class and learn proper ways to shovel snow. My actual driveway will be provided, so that the training simulates real world conditions. Bring your own shovel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 2:40am Views: 117 It's like playing hide and seek :D or TAG! (Tig? Tog? ;) Now I like that adventure walking through the snowy walkway to find lunch as a reward :D I hope the snow has receded by now. I know it's about 98% gone from my area with no storms on the way... so far ;) Have a great week! We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 4:38pm Views: 115 What a mess! Wow! That's some serious snow heaving! I'm so glad you didn't lose power. NOW it all gets to melt :D I hope you don't have flooding problems. We never got all that snow. Maybe a couple of inches. But daughter up north did get some good inches added to their existing layer of snow. WILD thing happened to her & son late Sunday night. He was cooking dinner at the stove. For some reason... he suddenly stepped back just as the upper cupboard above the stove with the big microwave attached below dropped down onto the stove right where he was standing. His food went flying and the pot of cooked burger dumped everywhere mixed in with the shatter glass from the microwave door. The thing that saved it from dropping forward onto him was the cord was still plugged into the wall above! I went up and took it all apart and made sure the glass was cleaned up so their 2 cats wouldn't get hurt or try to lick up the burger. She's still limited by her injured (surgery) ankle, and g'son wouldn't know how to fix or deep clean. This is like the 3rd bizarre event they've had since they moved in mid-December! It's now obvious that for years the previous owner just did what he had to for maintenance. After his wife (it was her house over 20 years) passed away 2 yrs ago, he was grief-stricken and only did what he had to for the sale. They're still finding some of her personal items (wallet, jewelry, makeup, shoes, etc.) squirreled away in crawl spaces. I told her the little house was hanging on until they adopted it! It still has that warm, welcoming feel about it (you can feel her presence there)... so there is the "What's Next?!" reaction; but no regrets :) We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 4:43pm Views: 113 I'm glad you found enough for a good helping :) That is so sad that nature took over your berry patch :( Maybe you'll find another crop in a similar area! Good excuse to go hunting :D I hope you're having a great week and that you're feeling awesome now that you and your bike can go on some adventures! CHEERS! We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 5:34pm Views: 112 Your very busy month! How great that so many of your projects are closing out. Good on you for fixing your client's indexing concern. You already know the limitations of the established way it's been done. *high five* Oh... the medical stuff. A plague and a nuisance, but so great that it all ultimately improves your days. My daughter's calendar is a lot like yours ;) I'm excited for you to have your cataract surgery and some new freedom with your vision! It sounds like you busy schedule with all of those appts are all in positive and/or improving momentum. I'll keep sending positive vibes your way :D How fun to have a trip coming along for a spring get-away! Tres bien! (I remember snippets of French from high school ;) You've already seen a butterfly!!!!??? SWEEEEET! Just having that fluttering colour after long weeks of winter is such a thrill! I hope you have a great week and upcoming weekend. KEEP WRITING! *high five* We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 5:38pm Views: 113 What an incredible trip! :D My first thought is how grateful that you both were in such great health to enjoy it all :D Now if I every could move to NZ *sigh* this trip would be on my bucket list! How amazing! Thank you for the links. I'm going to linger there when it's quiet and I can truly escape. Bummer on the electrical and frother problems. Funny how the changing seasons always come with speed bumps like these. But so great you'll have the electrical fixed without any scary problems. I hope you're having a great week and more fun this weekend :D We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 4, 5:56pm Views: 113 Funny you should ask I just left you the latest tale in your post up there! *points north* She's got a list of things that need to be addressed throughout the fair-weather this year. The house started out as a summer cabin on a lake, so it was never meant to be all grown up in terms of foundation (bedroom add-on bounces), wiring for added rooms out back, and heating/venting (including 2 rooms upstairs). They're getting a generator to kick on in outages (she has medical stuff to run), I'm temp-repairing a very leaky (more like waterfall) flat garage roof, fixing extension cord stuff all over the yard, repairing shed, etc. It will need a new roof next year that will include the garage. Stuff like that ;) We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Mar 4, 9:23pm Views: 114 That is sooo freaky! It's as if...the house had been waiting and wanting a family to move into it, and something - or someone - pulled him away from the stove... Are the rest of the kitchen cabinets secure? (Ours starting literally falling apart, after 50 years, it was time to gut and renovate.) So much updating has been done, but you must feel the house getting "happier" with each repair! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Mar 4, 9:36pm Views: 112 The never-ending project! I hope the insulation is adequate, and it will be a great relief once the generator is installed. Make sure the new garage roof is placed on an incline! Maybe it could use some of your special roof-tiles? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"

grammaboodawg Elvenhome Mar 5, 1:00pm Views: 111 Precisely! That's precisely how we see it. The woman who owned the cabin-now-house (Pat) had it for 20 years before marrying. You can see her touch throughout the house, yard, gardens, etc. G'son is 27yo, autistic and not always aware of his surroundings. He can't even say why he was compelled to step back! His food was just ready to plate and no noise came from the wall/units. He was actually more upset that his dinner was ruined (pasta, fried beef, pesto) that he'd made from scratch. The timing of the fall as he was finishing stirring in the pesto was weird. To be honest, they rarely use the stove. We do believe Pat & home watch over them all the time. They can feel it, and I do, too. We never spoke about it until about a month ago when they started finding her belonging hubby hid away we think soon after she died. He was and is still devastated and just couldn't handle it. Finding her things explained to them why they felt such a bond with the home even at first sight! They walked in and felt at home immediately! Pat is where she wants to be... and with people who are already quietly bonded with her. Even their future plans include what she's done (so much to their own taste--fairy statues & wind chimes) and would like. He's in Ohio now and they keep in touch. The rest of the cabinets seem fine; but I'm still going to make sure they're secured to studs and probably add a few more anchors/screws to make sure ;) If only to ease their minds. We have been there and back again. TIME Google Calendar

dernwyn Forum Admin / Moderator Mar 5, 5:34pm Views: 106 What Tolkien constantly wrote: that some things are "meant" to happen. She and her house were waiting for them. And I hope that brings some comfort to her husband. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire"