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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 5 2025, 5:04pm
Post #1 of 17
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*THROWS OPEN DOORS!* It's time for FIESTA FRIDAY!!! :D
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Happy Fiesta Everyone!
Our wonderful Altaira is off on an adventure, so I'll be your server for today!!
As the Winter weather has moved into the Northern Hemi, and the Summer weather is embracing the Southern Hemi… how are you all coming along? ;) I hope the weather is being kind wherever you're standing.
Shopping for gifts is in full swing since we've stumbled into December. Have you started crossing things off your list? Are you one of those who actually enjoys the chaos?
For those who still have some leftover turkey in the freezer, I'll be sharing ideas of what to do with that very versatile foodstuff.
THE DRINKS ARE ON THE HOUSE!!! I've got loads of hot chocolate, tea, cider and all warm potions.
DO TELL how this past week has been for you and what your plans are for the weekend.
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Dec 5 2025, 5:11pm)
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dernwyn
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Dec 5 2025, 8:27pm
Post #2 of 17
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Hot chocolate for me, please, gramma!
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I awoke to a crisp, clear 13F/-10C outside today! How low have the temps gotten in your area? I'm thinking of little Pickle having to confront both snow AND cold when he must go outside, poor pup!
I've been wrapping and packing gifts to mail out next week. Gotta start working on cards, though! I like the summertime chaos of outdoors craft fairs and late-Fall chaos of indoors craft fairs, but NOT the chaos of places like Costco when I'm trying to just get the usual groceries. 
I DO have a small piece of turkey that has not yet made its way into a sandwich!  I've been pulling off smidges of it for a treat for Midnight, my "void" kitty. 
And how have YOU been faring lately, gramma? Ready for Christmas yet? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Kimi
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Dec 5 2025, 10:03pm
Post #3 of 17
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We've been having hassles with our car's air conditioning recently. It went wrong just in time for us to endure the long, hot drive home from our holiday last month. Until what doesn't seem like so very long ago (maybe 15-20 years?) air-conditioning for cars did not exist in Aotearoa - how soft we've become since :)
Getting things repaired can be complicated when one lives in the country. It was beyond our local garage, but they referred us to a place in the next town over. After three abortive (and time-wasting) attempts, they gave up, and pointed us to a place in the Big City (fortunately on our side of it, so not requiring us to brave the entire chaos of the place). They ran some tests overnight, and believe they've identified the issue, and have ordered new parts. So fingers crossed that it *might* (depends how generic the parts are - brand-name parts can take many months to arrive these days) be repaired this coming week, though that will mean more trips back and forth to the Big City.
Today I woke to a nice sight: my new book has on the basis of pre-orders reached #1 in its category on Amazon.com! It's by no means a huge category (Australasian Historical Fiction), but it's very nice to see my wee book up there with (in fact above!) some big names like Geraldine Brooks and Jojo Moyes. Definitely worth raising a glass to.
Other than that: a wearing dose of humidity this week, along with lots of wind, so it's been tiring weather, with sleep a bit of a struggle. Hoping for a nicer week ahead. The garden is looking okay, though I need to redo the tomatoes' supports after all that wind. Still harvesting asparagus and increasing numbers of strawberries, and had the first raspberries - small in number, but quite delicious.
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
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 5 2025, 11:31pm
Post #4 of 17
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Here's another way to use that slice of turkey. Get a slice of ham or bacon (optional) and your fav mustard, cheeses, etc. Butter and season 2 slices of bread (Italian or other) and put the slices of ham & turkey on there and start baking/broiling it. When you've got it going good, thrown the cheese on there and finish up till the crust is the way you like it. Sort of an open face sandwich :)
We've been missing the bad weather, but it's turning COLD!! Pickle really does move fast when he goes out; but he gets real stressed when I try to put a vest on him. He'll come right back in and crawl under his blanket and on top of the heating pad on his beanbag. ;)
Oh... I much prefer the craft fairs (inny & outy) whenever I can find them!
I'm faring good considering we're living in a cyclone of activity right now. We were in Cadillac yesterday where daughter is moving, and the weather was perfect with clear roads! It was a really good albeit LONG day ;)
I hope you have a great weekend and that you and yours are all faring well, too! :D
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 5 2025, 11:50pm
Post #5 of 17
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Oh Wow!! Congratulations!! *woot!!!*
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Here's a tub 'o drinks to choose from; but you definitely need a proper toast of some bubbly! #1.... WOW! :D Gotta have some turkey quesadilla, too!
But what a bummer of fate for you auto air to go on the fritz! Hopefully when they ran the computer check on the car, it was acting up or nothing would register. They've just gotta get it running right! You've got places to go and things to do other than going to town by force!
Hang in there... and congratulations, again! Outstanding!!! 
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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dernwyn
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Dec 6 2025, 12:37am
Post #6 of 17
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About the book, that is, it helps balance the hassle you've been having with the car's A/C. Congratulations!
The plants must be enjoying the humidity, but we humans were not designed to be very tolerant of it. It's too bad the wind can't be used for some sort of de-humidifying contraption.
Hurrah for the abundance of berries!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Dec 6 2025, 12:47am
Post #7 of 17
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an open-face sandwich, sort of a turkey cordon bleu! 
A blankie on a heating pad on a beanbag? What a wonderfully comfortable place! Hmm...has he ever tried using the cat's little box, or would Coffee be highly offended?
Will you be able to do the move in one swell foop - er, one fell swoop?
It's going to be a musical weekend, there's a local handbell choir concert tomorrow night and a favorite local chorus and orchestra are giving a concert on Sunday (featuring Bach's Magnificat and "holiday favorites"). 'Tis the season for music, and lots of it!
You all stay warm out there!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 6 2025, 6:31am
Post #9 of 17
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This season brings the most soul-filling music and holiday warm fuzzies :D ENJOY!
The move could be all at once, but finding a reasonable company is proving difficult. As it is, I'm anticipating Hobbity and Sam (trailer) doing more trips than anticipated. The weather is the most anxious factor. *bites fingernails*
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 6 2025, 7:20am
Post #10 of 17
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Gotta load them up with turkey jerky and some hot stuff before sending them out on the icy Road!
And here's something to keep you warm, too :D Have a GREAT weekend!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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dernwyn
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Dec 6 2025, 1:51pm
Post #11 of 17
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Got your ice skates handy? Or do you go ice fishing?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Elvenhome
Dec 8 2025, 4:36pm
Post #14 of 17
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Been trying to get on since Friday!
Had a wonderful "birthday outing" Saturday. Two of my friends and I have been doing this for a couple of years now. We went to a mushroom class and walk in the woods for the last one, in October. For mine we rode the train to Seattle, walked from the station along the waterfront, had lunch at the Pike Place Market where a big caroling event was happening, groups all singing different songs all over the place. Then we rode the Monorail to the Seattle Center (former site of the 1962 World's Fair) and looked at their annual Winter Village which is a very large train set. Every year they add something new; this year we enjoyed the suffragette having an earnest conversation with Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Back to downtown where we hit the shops. It wasn't raining, it was even sunny most of the day, but very windy and eventually we found a little creperie/espresso place tucked into a corner of the market where we sat and had tea. And then the guy behind the counter came to us and said "I made an extra crepe by accident, do you want it?" it was a sweet one with chocolate and lots of sliced strawberries and bananas, with whipped cream. We said yes. It was delicious! So of course we left him a huge tip. Which may have been his plan, but who cares, it gave us the energy to walk back to the station by way of Pioneer Square which was lit to the nines, and the big Asian store Uwaijamaya where we picked up sushi and Thai curry for the trip home. The conductor teased us by saying "oh no, a bunch of little old ladies, look out!" I blinked a bit because although I realize that I'm definitely in LOL territory now, I still don't quite think of myself as one. I asked my friends if they did, and one said "well, my daughter does, because she tracks my phone and she's been texting me saying 'what are you doing in that part of town, it's dangerous!' "
The holiday events are coming thick and fast now. I'm also lunching this week with a neighbor and the step-daughter of my upstairs neighbor, because we are the ones most concerned with how upstairs neighbor is doing at 95 and what might need to happen next. And I have a lot of work -- finishing up the book project with my French client, and getting a new one Friday from the publisher, and another in January -- they don't usually pile it on like that, but I told them I could handle it. Saving up the money for a trip to NZ in 2027!
All shopping is done. I have a real tree this year, not tall but wide, and the house smells wonderful. Niece & I have a baking date weekend after next to make gingerbread cookies and macarons.
We're being slammed with rain this week. It's snow in the mountains, all good, and will fill all our reservoirs, also good, but there's a big threat of landslides and flooding. When our river floods I have waterfront property, it fills up the wetland below us.
*pours very large glass of eggnog*
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 Dec 8 2025, 4:40pm)
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Annael
Elvenhome
Dec 8 2025, 4:44pm
Post #15 of 17
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congrats on your book presales!
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How very nice.
Yes, growing up in my usually cool & wet part of the USA, we never had air conditioning in our cars or homes. And now we need it! 
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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dernwyn
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Dec 8 2025, 10:54pm
Post #16 of 17
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That was a fun-packed birthday outing! And never refuse an "accidental" crepe, I bet he did make it special for you gals.
How is that book for the French lady going? I'm assuming you've been able to smooth out quite a lot of its roughness!
The best thing about making gingerbread is how wonderful it makes the house smell. I'll be making gingerbread cookies this week for giving out at the town's Light Parade next Saturday. It's an old recipe, uses a cup of molasses and "strong coffee" and "enough flour to make a soft dough".
And I'm still quite happy that your niece made it through all the studies and now lives near you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Dec 11 2025, 5:11pm
Post #17 of 17
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What a fabulous outing! I can imagine the energy level of your group was palpable! At least it was for that server that brought you that luscious treat!! :D SWEEEEET!
I was wondering if you were feeling that storm I saw on the news yesterday. STAY SAFE!
Oh, I hear ya on the thick and fast holiday events / activity! Mine, however, is more focused on getting my daughter and her son moved to their new home an hour and a half north AND my Balti daughter healed up to go back to work after her surgery last month. *sigh* My girls have ALWAYS had incredible timing when it comes to needing attention. *shakes head* ALWAYS competing even now ;) Not really... it just seems like it :D Thankfully all is ending up well and good :D
Hang in there! And good luck on conquering your projects!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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