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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 24 2021, 4:18pm
Post #1 of 44
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Come on in and join us for some Fiesta Friday fun!
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Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's Fiesta Friday celebration!
It's been a beautiful early Fall week here in Colorado with very civilized temperatures around 70-75 f21-23 C), perfect weather for running lots of errands including still making trips to Habitat for Humanity and other donation locations. As we put things back in place after new carpet we're having fun rearranging things and questioning whether we really need this and that. Tomorrow is the big window well drainage project where our contractor will put a drainage pipe in the window well that runs to the sump pit, finally put a sump pump in the pit, with a backup pump to boot in case of a power outage during a storm. They have a lifetime guarantee it won't leak. Take that leaky window well! 
Well.... (haha, get it... well?)... what have *you* been doing this week, and what plans do you have for the weekend? The buffet is stocked with apple and peach crumble made with a bit of lembas in the crumbs, and the Fiesta bar is fully-stocked with all your favorites, as always, so make yourself comfy and let us know!
*leans casually on juke box* I've always really liked the song Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay. I was listening to it yesterday and watching the video which is also very cool. I've always wondered why they decided to do that particular video with that particular song when lo and behold, I noticed a 'making of' video. I was delighted to find out that the official video was made using motion capture! Have a look. Watch the video, then the making of, then the video again, or whatever sequence you like. Oh, and you'll recognize a very familiar face in the 'making of' video.
Hint.....
*kicks juke box* Adventure of a Lifetime by Coldplay starts to play followed by the making of video.
Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend, everyone!   
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
(This post was edited by Altaira on Sep 24 2021, 4:21pm)
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dernwyn
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Sep 24 2021, 4:36pm
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Looks like I've got some videos to enjoy after work today, thanks!
*spoons crumble into bowl* Busy here, but I'll gladly take a bit of a break for some of this crumble (yum!), with a mug of high-test coffee! Some of these elementary kids can be a handful, but the days pass quickly, and I'm more appreciative when the weekend rolls around.
And I'm intending to just relax this weekend! Pull out a few weedy vines that have overgrown in places, and enjoy the cooler autumnal temps. Down into the 50's at night, vanquishing the horrid humidity of summer, yay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 24 2021, 4:57pm
Post #3 of 44
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I also have a few weeds to pull too. Better to get them now then to see them again in the Spring! VInes especially. I've all but given up on some vinca that stealthily crept out of a potted plant years ago and now cover one end of the yard. It actually does make an attractive ground cover and doesn't seem particularly interested in taking over the rest of the yard, so it's staying for now.
Good luck getting through the rest of the school day so you can enjoy the nice weekend weather!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome
Sep 24 2021, 5:04pm
Post #4 of 44
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Well, well, well... a deep subject!
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You're finally getting that window well fixed and tying in the sump well :D WELL DONE! (almost ;)
Those final days and decisions of re-inventing your room(s) is the fun part. NOW you can enjoy the progress and anticipate finally being done. That's so awesome!
LOVE the How To video! Blue-eyed monkeys are always fun to watch ;) Here's a link to the finished Adventure of a Lifetime Official Video that I have to admit was loads more fun to watch knowing what they did, how they did it, and who did it with them! THANKS FOR THE HEADS-UP!
I've had a crazy week. Lots of things I thought were resolved reared their ugly heads. More brakes problems with hobbity (suv) as they started fading again. Got to take in for adjustment. Lobelia (rider lawnmower) literally blew a gasket as smoke began pouring out of the engine where the manifold attaches to the engine block. Got to take it in for new gasket (hope that's all). The 25 ft cedar tree growing within my long run of lilac bushes (grandma's, mom's, friend's mix) blew down on Wednesday in high winds and broke/crushed lots of mature bushes. So I was out there attacking the tree when the chainsaw quit. *taps foot, sighing* Just a bunch of weird full-moon stuff within a couple of days. SO, I'm going to take an ICE CREAM break!! ;)
But all is sorting out, so I'll grab an Ice Cream Chocolate Shake from the stash and head back out with the handsaw ;)
Thanks for taking such great care of us, Altaira! Best wishes on getting your room(s) done and the water directed to its proper wellness. HUGS
We have been there and back again.
Join the "Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project"
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 24 2021, 5:12pm
Post #6 of 44
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Things like that are supposed to stop once they add up to three. Don't they know the rules, lol! Glad to hear the kinks are being worked out and everything is getting resolved, hopefully without too much financial outlay. Here's to some calm, cool, sunny weather for you to enjoy while working out the kinks! 
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath
Sep 24 2021, 6:37pm
Post #7 of 44
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What fun - I'd never seen that vid!
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I really ought to broaden the range of my listening. I had to laugh when they talked about 'monkeys' though; years of reading Terry Pratchett made me think of the Librarian's reaction to being called a monkey instead of an ape. Extreme would just about cover it, I think...!
Today we've had a fine example of good old English panic-buying here. The media started whittering on about fuel shortages due to there not being enough tanker drivers (this was true, of one company BP in certain areas) and of course, loads of people everywhere rushed out to fill their tanks. Cue gridlock around petrol stations, pumps running out etc - which will of course make the situation worse! The media attention has created a much more widespread shortage than was originally the case. Hmph.. I almost topped up yesterday, but didn't, so I'm left with not much fuel in the tank - but I can walk to the local shops and in a few days things should have been sorted out, hopefully.
I have two kinds of vinca in my garden; a lively variegated one with pale mauve flowers which is doing its best to climb up the back fence, and is also climbing through the cotoneaster horizontalis (actually vertical!) in the front garden, and a less vigorous one with smaller leaves and darker purple flowers in the front garden. They're very undemanding and do well in quite deep shade.
Good luck with whatever you're doing over the weekend; the Equinox is past and the year's turning! Cheers,All!
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Altaira
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Sep 24 2021, 7:37pm
Post #8 of 44
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They can be just as bad as actual shortages themselves as your story shows. I'm about to go do some shopping and am preparing myself for limits on how much toilet paper I can buy *again.* Though, that may have just been rumors.
How nice that your vinca flowers! I've never seen flowers on ours, probably because it's a relatively arid climate here. They aren't even classified as perennials here as far as I know, but they don't seem to care, lol.
Have a wonderful weekend, GH!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Kimi
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Sep 24 2021, 9:58pm
Post #9 of 44
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Some progress this week, on both the personal and regional front. The hand therapist delivered a special torture device arm brace to wear for a modest amount of time every day, and it's so improved my wrist mobility that I can actually type with both hands again! Still a bit shaky with the left hand, but it feels like real progress. Next step to aim at is being able to wash my own hair :)
Our region moved from Lockdown Level 4 to Lockdown Level 3, which some people refer to as "lockdown with takeaways" :) Our Level 4 is considered one of the most stringent in the world, with only essential retail open (basically supermarkets and pharmacies, plus a few others like farm/animal supplies) and the only people going out of the house to work being essential workers (closely defined) who can't work from home. Level 3 opens up things like takeaways, and also allows workplaces to reopen, as long as they can do so safely.
I'm not really into most takeaways, but we celebrated Level 3 by:
- Click-and-collect at the hardware store (Mr Kimi needed some supplies to fix a roof leak)
- Click-and-collect at our excellent local butcher's
- Picked up some yummy scones and cakes (contactless payment) at our favourite local cafe.
It felt good to be supporting local businesses, and the baked goods were thoroughly enjoyed.
New Covid cases yesterday were down in single figures, which was a morale boost. Not out of it yet, but feeling encouraged.
Mr Kimi has made scones (we've finished the shop ones :)) for morning tea, to be served with homemade lemon curd. Washing is flapping on the line, the sheep are grazing in the orchard, and all is peaceful. Time to stop for coffee.
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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Ataahua
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Sep 24 2021, 10:10pm
Post #10 of 44
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I'm glad that you're seeing good progress.
Although we're in level 2 our CE is encouraging people to still work from home if they can until level 1. However I got the OK to head into work when I want, so I spent most of Thursday in the office - and it was great to see other people again! Very few people are around but that's still a hell of a lot more than I have around the home.
Also, my body appreciates being at an ergonomic desk with two big screens, rather then me hunched over a small laptop screen in my living room.
I'll work from home on Wednesday though as the arborist has finally confirmed the date for removing three large trees in my garden. Then I'll be able to replant! (I've got two grevilleas and two bottle-brushes, which feed feed bees and won't grow too tall.) First up is removing an invasive vine, which I'm about to start on now. It'll be a big job as this vine has strong, complicated root systems. Ah well - it's the longest job that's never started.
BTW I also put some money into local food businesses that aren't franchises. I felt virtuous as I tucked into some of the best prawn dumplings earlier this week.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
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
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 24 2021, 11:02pm
Post #11 of 44
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Great news about the hand progress! It sounds like it's going not only well, but quickly which must be a relief. j
You and Mr. Kimi must be in the Auckland region to still be in such strict lockdown. Right on the edge I bet. Still, like you've said, you can be mostly self-sufficient, can still get outdoors, and can still work which makes it easier (I know from experience).
Have a wonderful weekend!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Kimi
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Sep 24 2021, 11:12pm
Post #12 of 44
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when it comes to rumoured shortages!
We don't seem to have had such a run on toilet paper, not to mention flour, yeast, cinnamon, etc, etc this time. We haven't been able to get fresh fish, though, but supply is starting up again now.
Happy equinox to you! It always brings strong winds here, but they've settled down a bit today - good gardening weather.
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 Sep 25 2021, 8:27pm)
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Altaira
Superuser
Sep 24 2021, 11:12pm
Post #13 of 44
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Great that you got back to the office
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And great that you have a choice so you can handle important homey-type things like supervising getting rid of those trees.
I used to complain about not having 2 screens like I did at most of my clients until B.G. pointed out we could just buy 2 for home.  Thanks to my personal shopper I'm now the proud owner of a small, usb-based 'docking system' to which my laptop, 2 screens, a usb extender (my laptop only has 3 usb prots), and a backup hard drive hook up to. Headphones and printer are wireless. Of course, you have to have room somewhere for 2 screens, but it's one of the best investments we've made.
Prawn dumpllngs sound absolutely amazing. Enjoy the weekend and all the fabulous local food!
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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Kimi
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Sep 24 2021, 11:14pm
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So many things going wrong one after an another! You must be due a mighty run of good luck after all that. You certainly deserve some ice cream!
Don't break that handsaw...
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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Kimi
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Sep 24 2021, 11:20pm
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having the option to work from home or pop into the office as it suits best. Extra screens for home can be surprisingly modest in price, if you do decide to go down that path. I have one for my laptop, along with a wireless keyboard, and it makes a huge difference. Mr Kimi has two, but he's like that :)
The bees will love those trees! I expect the tui will, too.
Yes, supporting the local food businesses lets you feel virtuous as well as well-fed!
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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Kimi
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Sep 24 2021, 11:22pm
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Almost walking distance, if we felt like a looong walk. But yes, much less of a hardship for us than for many. Now I'm mostly hoping that both Covid and my wrist are being obliging by the time kayaking season starts!
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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dernwyn
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Sep 24 2021, 11:52pm
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I'm imagining you sitting in the mower's seat, staring in disbelief as dark smoke puffs up from Lobelia's innards! And the disappointment of realizing Hobbity needs more work. And the horror of that tree blowing down - I'd heard you had strong winds out there, but to lose a tree like that...!
Did you figure out the problem with the chainsaw? A handsaw is fine for small branches, but hardly a match for the dense stuff!
You need more than one chocolate shake. Take care you don't strain yourself! Can you get Lobelia on to Bill to get her back to the shop?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Sep 25 2021, 12:06am
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a nice advantage, being within an easy walk of things you need!
Interesting how people react to events with panic buying. The day before the last hurricane hit our area, I'd filled the car, taken a short trip, then thought I'd just top off the tank...and all the stations were out of regular gas, all that day people had been lining up to fill their cars and their gas cans to run their generators.
Our school's PTO just had a fundraiser, selling mums. I bought a pinkish-red one for the Library, and two yellow for my front porch. I think you mentioned once that you've got mums in your garden? What else is about to put forth Fall flowers?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Sep 25 2021, 12:22am
Post #19 of 44
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must look like a kind of cyber-tech device! Torture device? I bet it must feel quite comfortable!
So good that you're at Level 3 now and can support the local businesses, especially when that involves excellent bakeries. How are the ol' gals (the sheep) doing these days? Will they have their Spring shearing soon?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Elvenhome
Sep 25 2021, 12:26am
Post #20 of 44
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what a run of bad luck! Ice cream is the right solution at the moment.
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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Sep 25 2021, 12:32am
Post #21 of 44
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are quite nice for separating and decluttering the work - my son even uses that setup for home (I think he uses one screen just for gaming). I use only one at my small desk at work, but our tech guy got me an extra-wide one.
Best of luck with the tree removal, it will be such a change having the small trees in there!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Elvenhome
Sep 25 2021, 12:40am
Post #22 of 44
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just a few more things accomplished on the house
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The appraisal came in okay, things are progressing! Today my brother & I moved the last few things of mine out of the house into the garage, ready to be moved to my storage unit on Monday; took the last of the books to the booksellers; did not manage to get rid of the last box destined for Goodwill as the donation center was closed today; and walked through the house to make sure he knows what is going where of the stuff still in the house as I may not be available when the people we're selling the furniture to can come to get it next week. Since this brother & I have been doing the major work of the taking-stuff-away runs, we took all the money we've made from selling books and had a VERY nice lunch at an upscale restaurant. It's on a side street in a nearby town that has been turned into a walking street and all the restaurants lining it have expanded out onto the street. It was a lovely day and there were lots of folks out enjoying it. We had a leisurely lunch, hit the gelato place across the street, and are feeling pleased with ourselves that we really are [almost] done clearing out the house.
This weekend I'm going to a brunch with my dad's men's group from church . . . a lot of them didn't get to go to his service and they want the chance to express their feelings about him. The rest of the weekend I have nothing planned at all!
My cat's fully recovered which is a big relief. He is becoming much more at east in the house we're now in; he's got the big dog suitably trained to not bother him. They both go crazy when flies get in and the other day they were both chasing the same fly around the dining room. The younger dog comes home Tuesday, so he'll have to go through it all again with her, but hopefully she'll take her clue from Loki and decide not to overreact.
I'm taking care of my own business too. Sold my old car, went to the eye doctor (it had been two years), and have a dental cleaning scheduled next week and a followup with the dermatologist the week after that. Feels good to be checking stuff off the to-do list.
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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Sep 25 2021, 12:52am
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with readying the house, it's good to hear that things are winding down well. You'll have a wonderful time with your Dad's old friends, I should think they'd have plenty of stories to tell you about him!
What a relief that Charlie's back to normal. Have you been warning him about Eowyn?
And it's good to be getting all that medical stuff out of the way before the surgery, so you can just concentrate on recuperating from that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Ataahua
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Sep 25 2021, 1:31am
Post #24 of 44
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I'd be happy just to hook into my single, large home screen
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but after I've plugged in the keyboard and mouse to the work laptop ... there are no more ports available! I even bought a USB adaptor so that my home screen and laptop could connect before I realised the flaw in my plan.
Gah!
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
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Kimi
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Sep 25 2021, 4:30am
Post #25 of 44
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fairly low-tech! Apart from being some clever sort of material. Basically, depending on how its upper section is wound around the hand and arm it tugs the wrist into turning in a direction it's being reluctant to. It actually feels fairly gentle, and I was a mite sceptical as to how well it would work, but it really seems to be doing the job.
The sheep are extremely happy today, as we opened up a new section of grass to them, and it's quite lush spring growth. They're now sitting down chewing cud, which always looks so very relaxed.
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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Sibs! Head over to Main and enjoy Bilbo & Frodo's b'day party activities!! //
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