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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 12, 4:23pm
Post #1 of 38
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Fiesta Friday is here! Come on in and join us!
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Hello, everyone! Welcome, to another fun Fiesta Friday!
This week my client confirmed it's likely that they won't have to have the type of audit I'm preparing them for until 2027, or possibly later. So, whatever pressure their auditors were putting on them is off (of them and me). which means after the next week or so we'll go back to a nice, easy, slow, and more intermittent pace, which means I can go back to being mostly retired! I do love them, but I didn't really want to work quite so much. The good news is that they're almost prepared for an audit as it is, now that we did all the work we did, which will make future work that much easier.
More sports for us this weekend, and a few more weeds to pull. How about you? Hopefully, pulling weeds isn't in your plans, but what is? How did the week treat you? We'd love to know!!
The buffet looks especially yummy today, and the bar is well-stocked. So, let's get this party started!
*puts quarters on juke box* a party song, please!
Happy, fun weekend, everyone!!!   
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dernwyn
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Sep 12, 4:41pm
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And a relief, too. You're doing well to stay with them all this time! When we finally closed my Dad's estate last year after ten years, we gave our lawyer, who had continued with us even into her retirement (as her final clients), a nice gift certificate for her and her family to one of the outstanding "heritage" restaurants in her area. A thank-you to you and all who continue with clients, even when you're officially retired!
Ah, weed-pulling. I went out this morning and pulled up our unproductive pumpkin patch. Plenty of flowers, but absolutely no pumpkins! My neighbor said her zucchini and yellow squash also produced tons of flowers, but not fruit. I've heard that it was the dry Spring that messed with our crops. Meanwhile, the Asters, Rose of Sharon, and Lobelia are putting out plenty of flowers! And I spread more coffee grounds around the blueberry bushes.
I'll take an iced mocha, please, Altaira, and are these fish tacos on the buffet? Thank you!
A party song? How about one for September! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 12, 5:05pm
Post #3 of 38
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Isn't that bizarre about the pumpkins and zucchini? It's interesting how plants react to different seasonal weather. Ah well, I hope you enjoyed the flowers while they lasted, though it sounds like you have plenty of other flowers to enjoy.
I had a client who ramped up their internal audit staffing and no longer needed my services. Even though I wasn't retiring other work, they had a a 'retirement party' catered lunch for me in one of their conference rooms and gave me a nice gift card. So, I can say for certain you lawyer was very touched and thankful.
I hope you have an amazing weekend!! 
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dernwyn
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Sep 12, 5:19pm
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How nice of them - and it's always nice to know how appreciated you are!
May your teams do well this weekend!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Elvenhome
Sep 12, 7:06pm
Post #6 of 38
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Nice when the pressure is lifted!
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I've been ploughing through a book that's . . . well, they don't make mistakes as such, but their writing is incredibly convoluted, often in passive voice, and they have their own particular jargon that I find offputting and fear the desired audience will too, so I've written them a fairly long email detailing all the issues and then, in the document itself, have made MANY MANY suggestions for rephrasing. It's supposed to be a self-help book, so I keep reminding them "less is more!" For example, they wrote "[This method] is generally thought of as consisting of three phases" -- I suggested [This method] involves three phases. . .."
But I'm DONE - at least, for now. It's back in their laps and they have two weeks before they have to get it back to me. Hoping they do what a lot of clients do and basically give up early and say "we like your changes, just go ahead and fix everything as you see fit."
This weekend I'm giving a lecture as part of an online series on goddesses; I'm talking about Ereshkigal, the Goddess of the Underworld in Sumerian mythology who is nominally the antagonist of the "Descent of Inanna," but I'm arguing that she deserves a fairer shake than she's gotten from most scholars. I've been working with this myth for 15 years now and that might just be my next book, who knows.
We've been having a mild summer here, by which I mean we've been having the kind of summer we used have here up to 20 years ago or so when temps jumped 10-15 degrees. Mostly mid-70s, although a lot more humid that normal. Bad fires all around us sadly, but rain in the forecast; no "season-ending" rainstorms, but one every few days for the next 10 days so hopefully the fires will get knocked back a lot. I'm ready for autumn! My dahlias have revved up to give us some nice color until it freezes, and I found this beautiful heather I'd never heard of called "African Fanfare" with big pink flowers; supposed to bloom through the fall. The hummingbirds are loving it!
I'll take a hard lemonade as it's still officially summer.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
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NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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cats16
Gondolin
Sep 13, 1:18am
Post #7 of 38
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Sending good luck to your teams, and I hope the weeding goes smoothly.
A busy week at work given the previous week's layoffs, but I didn't reach the "throw the laptop out the window" stage of stressed this time, so that's good! Also found out that I'm getting a pay bump (hopefully finding out details next week). It's an odd feeling: the more I try to get out of here, the more they seem to want to keep me around, lol. Trying to set aside time to celebrate the pay bump nevertheless.
We're going to Disneyland this weekend with some friends, which is much needed! The weather will be relatively cooperative for this time of year too. I also booked some cheap Dodger tickets for next week, so we have some fun nights ahead.
Will say hi to Mickey, Minnie & the gang for you all - have a good weekend, everyone!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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cats16
Gondolin
Sep 13, 1:21am
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Hopefully next year is better for you all. Meanwhile, we've got a billion baby lemons growing again in our garden, so it looks like we're going to have more than we know what to do with (again!) very soon. 
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 13, 2:45am
Post #9 of 38
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What a break for you and your clients! Usually things get more intense. I'm happy for all y'all ;)
We've moved back to the mid to high 80 temps since Wednesday in Michigan. It's going to hang on all next week as well... with no rain since a bit around August 22. There were teaser-spits of drops here and there, but no goodly drinks for the crops and all.
My daughter bought a car this week. A 2017 Subaru Forester. Her car was not safe and beyond being repaired. Luckily, I've been doing most of the driving the past year and a half since her health and medications kept her off the road. But she's doing well enough lately to get to the store and local errands. We were on our way back from a VA medical appt about 30 miles away when she asked if we could stop at a small dealership. I'd been encouraging her to get some new wheels for months! BOOM! There was her 4-wheeled soul mate! It took a couple of days to get everything resolved; but we finally landed :D She's also insisting I drive it when I go to Baltimore later this fall. Golly! Twist my arm! :D
No other plans but doing a bunch of appointments over the next couple of weeks... but it's all good!
Enjoy the games... and thanks for taking such great care of us Altaira!
We have been there and back again.
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dernwyn
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Sep 13, 1:32pm
Post #10 of 38
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Lemon squares? Lemon pudding? Lemon pasta? Blueberry-lemon anything?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Sep 13, 1:40pm
Post #11 of 38
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Yours is definitely not an easy job!
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That can be the hardest thing, training a writer to write for their intended readership. Yes, hoping they'll simply say "go ahead"...
I looked up "African fanfare", it is quite lovely, and what long tubular flowers - no wonder the hummers love it!
Have a great time giving the lecture! Will you be able to field a lot of questions afterwards?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Sep 13, 1:45pm
Post #12 of 38
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I'm glad that your overseers are acknowledging your work for them, I hope it's a decent "bump"!
Say "hi" to the character gang from us, and maybe apologize for us to the Big Bad Wolf, whose tongue our eldest grabbed and pulled when we visited Disneyland during the '84 Olympics, when she was just shy of 2 years old.
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Sep 13, 1:55pm
Post #13 of 38
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I know how she feels with it. When I first saw my 2014 Subaru Forester at the small used-car lot our locale garage has, I said "That's mine"! And then I took if for a drive around town, and knew we were meant to be together. (The car I had at that time was my Mom's Toyota Corolla, which I loved but it was so old they could no longer get parts for it.)
Chitty-chitty-bang-bang, our fine four-fendered friends!
And now it will get happy use conveying you all to those appointments. I'm quite happy for her (and you too!)!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Elvenhome
Sep 13, 6:06pm
Post #14 of 38
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I wish I had one of those older Foresters
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The ones up to 2010 had NO blind spots for one thing, and toted so much stuff! My friends who had one loved them. I looked at them in 2021 when I was in the market, but the recent ones are 1. too big and 2. look like every other SUV these days. So I stuck with a Legacy.
Before I got my first Legacy wagon, I was driving a Corolla All-Trak. Now that was a great car! I once made it up out of a steep, twisting driveway that was coated in ice and said "thank goodness for 4-wheel drive!" and then realized I had not in fact engaged it - I'd gotten up that driveway just on the front wheels. Sadly that car was a lemon in other ways, and Toyota apparentlly decided to let Subaru have the market for small SUVS and stopped making it. My sister also had an All-Trak and loved it--but her 17-yo son totaled it (walked away from the wreck just fine). We both would have bought another if they'd kept making it!
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 Sep 13, 6:10pm)
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DwellerInDale
Nargothrond
Sep 13, 7:08pm
Post #15 of 38
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The unusually warm weather (over 90°F) is still with us, apparently until Tuesday. Must not forget to water all the plants.
This week’s butterfly picture shows a mating pair of Hackberry Emperors who decided to have their tryst on our sliding glass window.
Don't mess with my favorite female elves.
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 14, 1:16am
Post #17 of 38
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Looks like it was made for a hummingbird's long beak. I googled it, and it's hardy down to 28 f. Hahaha, it wouldn't make it through October here.
Wow, that editing sounds challenging, depending on the author/book you get. Hopefully, yes, they'll leave it up to you. I hope the lecture went well. The goddess sounds fascinating. You *should* write a book!
Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Sep 15, 12:44am
Post #18 of 38
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The Corolla had a 4-wheel-drive model?
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I never knew that! But I'm not surprised it performed well with just the front-wheel drive.
I'm afraid that my Subi does look like half the Subarus in every parking lot. The models have changed only slightly from year to year, and you're right that they seem to get bigger and bigger.
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Sep 15, 12:47am
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What lovely markings they have!
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Do you know what kinds of plants she'll be laying her eggs on?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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DwellerInDale
Nargothrond
Sep 15, 4:13am
Post #20 of 38
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She'll lay her eggs on hackberry (no surprise given the common name Hackberry butterfly or Hackberry Emperor). Our next-door neighbor has a large hackberry tree in her backyard.
Do you know what kinds of plants she'll be laying her eggs on?
BTW those lovely spots on the wings are of interest to mathematical biologists such as myself because they can be modeled using reaction-diffusion equations.
Don't mess with my favorite female elves.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 15, 2:17pm
Post #21 of 38
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Nearly ALL of the SUVs look so much alike, it's hard to tell which is what! Even my beloved ESCAPE looks like "a car". My mechanic (a king among men) says I have at least "two or three winters" left in my sweet hobbity... and he most of all knows where I live (dirt roads) and how I drive ;) I'm thinking my next will be a used Subaru Outback... one step down from the Forester but makes me smile :) I haven't told hobbity though. She's sensitive and I still believe in her... my beloved.
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 15, 2:29pm
Post #23 of 38
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Applause to all who "hang in there"
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and continue to support each other on both ends of all transactions & business, etc. :)
So sad and such a tease about your pumpkins and your neighour's veggies. When I was at a garden nursery a few weeks ago, I heard one of the owners tell a customer concerned about how many plants were struggling to perform that the smoke and haze from the wildfires have affected the production by making almost a shield in the atmosphere. The sun can't get to them... like the rain can't get to them around here. *sigh*
I hope you had a great weekend and some fun plans laid out for your week :)
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 15, 2:35pm
Post #24 of 38
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I've got a bad feeling about this...
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And as usual... you're landing is solid! *high five* Party on, Dude!
We have been there and back again.
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 15, 3:54pm
Post #25 of 38
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And here I think I've accomplished something by getting some yard work done!!! *applause*
If I were ever to write something (we all have a book in us ;), I think I'd be one of those you'd pat on the head and say, "Nice try. You're cute." ;) If you're recognizing your next book... GO FOR IT! :D It's not like you're busy or anything! *winkie, winkie*
I'm so glad you've had such a great season like the old days. I keep believing those days will come back with some environmental healing hopefully getting done.
Have a GREAT week!
We have been there and back again.
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