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dernwyn
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Jan 28, 5:04pm
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*gets keys, unlocks doors* It's the Nor'easter edition of Fiesta Friday!
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Welcome, all and sundry, to Fiesta! Our esteemed barmistress, Altaira, is away today, so I shall be your hostess.
We’re prepping for a regular good ol’ Nor’easter here in New England, so with the temps dropping I’ve prepared a variety of hot soups – minestrone, tomato bisque, corn and potato chowder, home-style chicken noodle, and many others, with fresh-baked breads. So grab a bowl, and let us know what you’ve been up to – and what your plans are for this weekend!
(Mine will be staying inside and catching up on my reading, with occasional assistance with the snow-blowing, and keeping plenty of hot chocolate on hand…)
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Annael
Immortal
Jan 28, 5:22pm
Post #2 of 84
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No nor'easter in the PNW (although we do get our own version sometimes when arctic air blasts down the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia), but it's frosty out so hot soup sounds lovely!
Did the major move (all the stuff in storage) last weekend; on Tuesday we took a truck & my car with more stuff up; today I am packing up the very last of the stuff I needed to have with me in my temporary place, and tomorrow all that and the cat and I will make the last trek up I-5 to our new home! And the great unpacking will then commence. After which I will have fun shopping for a few things, like a new couch and a floor-to-ceiling cat pole for Charlie Moonshadow to play on. And an enormous monitor, because I have decided to free myself from having to have a television and pay for that and go with streaming instead. (And my wifi package includes Peacock so I can still watch NCIS and Jeopardy.)
Love corn & potato chowder! *loads up bowl*
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Jan 28, 5:40pm
Post #3 of 84
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Plus biscuits for all, right here.  
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Jan 28, 5:44pm
Post #4 of 84
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Just one more load to go - what a feeling that must be! Are you going to put the cat pole near the big window? Charlie will be in kitty heaven!
I can understand going to all-streaming. We're debating going that direction also - especially now that the UConn games are mostly unavailable via our current cable company. 
Happy sofa hunting!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Jan 28, 5:45pm
Post #5 of 84
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Thank you! I've got some butter and local jams for those! Or how about some honey? 
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Greenwood Hobbit
Tol Eressea
Jan 28, 6:25pm
Post #7 of 84
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Yummy goodies for cold weather!
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I love the look of those biscuits (scones, to me) as well. I haven't baked them for ages as the last lot I made were more like ice hockey pucks. I need to try again - with cool surfaces, a light hand - and hope!'There is always hope...' 
Have a good weekend, folks - cheers!
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Ataahua
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Jan 28, 6:42pm
Post #8 of 84
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involving a pet kakapo (awww), snails in shoes (eurgh) and a man trying to kill off tourists (OK I'm up, I'm up).
It was my first week back at work after holiday leave. It's been a glorious summer and I did very little with it, and loved every second - although I did pop up to Auckland last weekend for a friend's birthday and while there saw an exhibition on Michelangelo's paintings from the Sistine Chapel and and an exhibition on Mary Quant (which was surprisingly excellent. I discovered that my childhood Daisy doll had clothes designed by Quant! I must dig out that doll from storage).
Since I've been back at work my sleep's been off again - usually waking up about 3am - whereas during leave, I slept right through. Who knew that work is bad for you?
While in Auckland, we learned that Omicron had broken through the border so we're prepping in earnest, waiting for the inevitable surge. BUT we all but beat Delta, getting down to just six people in hospital in the entire country, so that's something. I'm still in the workplace but once Omicron gets into my local community, I'll work from home.
To end on a happy note, my home region took out the Sunniest Place in New Zealand for 2021! There's been controversy in the past: we do get decent rainfall and in 2012ish the national body NIWA was so sceptical about our high sunshine hours that it *removed the measuring equipment for calibration*. When similarly high numbers were recorded the following year (with the recalibrated equipment), NIWA didn't include it in the official numbers. Jerks. Locals know that we get a lot of sunshine with the rain so there's a tone of "told you so" going around.
Happy end of the week, 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
(This post was edited by Ataahua on Jan 28, 6:45pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 28, 7:10pm
Post #9 of 84
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I've been worriting about you and all our sibbies in the path of this "bomb" storm! As long as you don't lose power and have plenty of that soup and hot chocolate, it's definitely a good weekend to stay warm and cozy with a good book. I hope you didn't have any plans you'll try to sneak out to ;)
Here in Michigan we've only got the sub-zero cold moving through my area. I've tried to prepare my outdoor cat, Wizard, with outdoor heating pads, a fortress of straw bales and a heating lamp with lots of food and water in an electric-warming bowl. The thing that got me concerned is the stray that's come around for the last month.
  Wizard
He (I HOPE!) has let me pet him for the first time a few days ago and comes when I call, and he's very sweet. He (Kitty) also has a straw bale safe place and a heating lamp, but he doesn't like the light/lamp and stays away from it. Wizard has finally let him share the food bowl, but Kitty still has his own.
 
But yesterday ANOTHER stray showed up that's also very sweet and seems to know Kitty. OMG! WHAT HAVE I DONE!? At least they like to cuddle. There's No Way I can bring them all inside. I do like it that my bumper sticker addresses how each of these 3 cats have come around... "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" ;)
Have a great and safe weekend everyone!
We have been there and back again.
Join the "Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project"
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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Jan 28, 7:11pm)
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cats16
Valinor
Jan 28, 10:11pm
Post #10 of 84
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*graciously grabs a bowl of chowder* Soup sounds lovely today!
Seems like quite a dump of snowfall is coming your way, dernwyn.  Some NE coworkers were logging off early to presumably prepare themselves for the weekend. I hope the snowfall ends up on the lower end of the predicted range.
Looking like a quiet weekend here as my girlfriend is filming a web series or something like that, with a friend. So I'll likely be reading and watching movies too (which isn't too much of a deviation from my normal weekends, to be fair!). I'll try to get a good walk in too to get some sun, which I've been doing a poor job of lately.
And before I forget, it appears yesterday was my 9th TORniversary - oof, where does the time go?!
Have a great 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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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Jan 29, 2:06am
Post #11 of 84
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Come to think of it, they do have just about the right size for hockey pucks! 
Have you been doing any quilting lately?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Jan 29, 2:24am
Post #12 of 84
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I hate when dreams go weird like that! If only the kakapo had been able to put those snails in that man's shoes...
Mary Quant! That's a name I've not heard in ages! Wasn't she the originator of the mini skirt and fantastically patterned and coloured clothing?
Crossing fingers that the Omicron variant will fade out instead of surging over there!
What? I do believe that's sheer jealousy, this disbelief that your region gets both lots of sun AND rain. Hmph.
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Jan 29, 2:42am
Post #13 of 84
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Oh my! Are you running a cattery, gramma?
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It's said that when hobos wanted to alert one another that a kind woman who would give them food lived at a house, they would draw a simple picture of a cat on the gate.
Aww, the sweet kitties, they've found a human they can trust! You've got the best places for them, the bales themselves are good insulation, even should the electricity go out for the heating lamps, pads and bowls. Word of mouth - er, maybe meow? - is getting around that safe, snug dozing areas are available! Do you stack the bales against the back of the house?
The town sent everyone a phone call: do not go anywhere tomorrow! Got the birdfeeders and suet holders all filled. Picked up pizza and salad tonight for leftovers tomorrow, just made some lava lumps, got fixin's for sandwiches and jugs of water and the flush-bucket is full (it's a tall wastecan in the power room, used for refilling the tank so we can flush that toilet if the well pump goes out). Got lanterns and fleecy blankets and plenty to read, and board games galore, bring it on! Snowblower's going to get a workout this time!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Jan 29, 2:51am
Post #14 of 84
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Number nine - sounds like a Beatles song! Time passes too quickly, doesn't it!
The latest forecast has us in the 10"-16" range, snowfall 1-3" per hour. Fluffy stuff. The big problem will be the wind gusts over 50 mph, and along the shore here the flooding.
Yes, do get out in the sun! What movies are you planning to watch?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Jan 29, 2:53am
Post #15 of 84
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my heart, if not the reluctant cat. Glad they are warm and safe, and hoping Pickles doesn't take exception!
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 29, 3:39am
Post #19 of 84
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Back to work? No wonder you're having awfu dreams!
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Yes! Work really IS bad for you! My Baltimore daughter & her family have just gotten over covid, and she just returned back to work after 2 weeks! She announced she's ready for retirement!!! ;)
It's nasty enough that you had to go back, but to have omicron AND waking up at 3am both hitting you really makes the work return all the worse. I'm so happy you got to enjoy Michelangelo's work AND Mary Quant's exhibit! I haven't heard her name in decades!!!
I hope the latest virus surge is quickly under control so you can enjoy getting out a lot more! Sweet Dreams!
We have been there and back again.
Join the "Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project"
TIME Google Calendar
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Jan 29, 3:47am
Post #20 of 84
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That water is specially important ;) I have 3 thermoses I fill with very hot water, just in case. I'm glad they made it official to stay home!
Yeah, the straw fortress is built over a basement window well lined with straw, so he's even getting heat through the window. Threw a tarp over the whole thing to keep the straw dry.
We have been there and back again.
Join the "Tolkien Fandom Oral History Project"
TIME Google Calendar
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Jan 29, 6:40am
Post #23 of 84
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I've been carrying cat kibble in the car
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so that when I stop at my house to get mail, I can feed the neighborhood strays. None of them are feral. I daren't leave the electric shelters and lamps out unsupervised for days; maybe a local feed store will have some straw.
For a meeting with human friends, I bought 6 boxes of Girl Scout cookies this afternoon. There's a new flavor this year -- Adventurefuls, "brownie-inspired cookies with caramel flavored cream and a hint of sea salt." They've sold out in much of the US. I gave one box of them to the military and kept the rest. I'll stick to the Thin Mints, which are vegetarian-friendly.
Hotel life is boring, but at least we have hot breakfast every day and dinner three times a week. No proper tea, though; I've bought an electric pot for making my own.
Stay warm around the globe!
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Jan 29, 6:42am
Post #24 of 84
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which I'm taking for a sore throat
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Mother always put brandy in it. Wish I had some now.
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Jan 29, 6:46am
Post #25 of 84
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Every year for Super Bowl (TM)
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my parish has a Souper Bowl of Sharing, with three kinds of homemade soup and all the bread you can eat. All proceeds go to the parish food bank serving the entire neighborhood.
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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