The One Ring Forums: Off Topic: Off Topic:
Hello Friday, and hello Fiesta!



Altaira
Superuser

Sep 19, 4:14pm


Views: 1162
Hello Friday, and hello Fiesta!
Come in! Come in, everyone! Let's celebrate another Friday and another Fiesta.

This week we had the exterior of our house painted. I hate it when you do your due diligence, find a company with high ratings, then it turns out to be a nightmare. Thankfully, the house looks great, but the sub-contractor either ignored what the supervisor was asking them to do, or they didn't understand a word he was saying (I think a bit of both). The result was paint flakes on both our cars because they ignored our requested window *not* to paint the garage door, and them thinking it was okay to turn the power on and off to our entire house, several times, when an outside outlet wasn't working.

Thankfully, the paint flakes came off with gentle fingernail rubbing, and other than having to reset all our electronics, they were all undamaged. They did give us a discount, but added insult to injury by trying to tell us they were doing us a favor. Sigh. Needless to say, they won't be getting a good review. Unsure

This weekend, we'll de-stress with more rugby and football to watch, and glorious Fall weather to go outside and enjoy.

What will you be up to over the weekend? Did you have a better week than we did (hopefully, lol). the buffet and the Fiesta bar are beckoning, so settle in and let us know how you're doing!!

*puts quarters on juke box* a soothing song, please!! Laugh

Wishing a wonderful weekend to everyone!! HeartCoolHeartSmile




(This post was edited by Altaira on Sep 19, 4:17pm)


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 4:30pm


Views: 1134
What a pain-t you went through!
Sounds like a lot of mis-communications there! But glad it all came out right in the end. One more big job out of the way!

I'v made a buttermilk peach bread to take over when we visit friends this afternoon. Peaches galore still! What's your favorite peaches recipe?

I'll have an iced mocha, please, Altaira, and will claim a slice of veggie pizza. It's been typical September here, warm days and cool nights and low humidity. But we would like a bit more rain. I need to browse through the plants this weekend and see if I can start Fall trimming on any of them.

How about a bit of Chuck Mangione for an easy feeling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7dg8vRDM68

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


Meneldor
Doriath


Sep 19, 4:55pm


Views: 1123
By Neptune's beard!
'Tis Septembarrr 19!




They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107


Altaira
Superuser

Sep 19, 5:13pm


Views: 1121
*groan* clever!
Between your puns and Meneldor's memes, there's never a dull moment at Fiesta. Crazy

Mmmm, peaches!

My fav recipe is Easy Peach Cobbler from myrecipes.com (which I can't seem to find anymore. luckily I printed it out). You basically pour a batter of flour (1C), sugar (1C), milk (1C), and baking powder (1 Tbsp) into a baking dish with 1/2 C unsalted butter melted in it. Cook 4 C peaches, another 1C of sugar, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, a dash of cinnamon, and a dollop of cognac until liquid and syrupy, pour it right onto the batter and cook for 30-35 mins at 375 f. It forms it's own crusty top and is delicious!

It works just as well with apples too. In fact, this weekend I'm going to combine the two and make apple-peach cobbler. Yum!!

Have fun with your friends, and enjoying the outside whilst looking for things to trim! Smile


(This post was edited by Altaira on Sep 19, 5:20pm)


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 5:24pm


Views: 1118
Mmm!
Oh wow, that recipe is very close to mine, it's as if it splits mine into two layers with a very peachy crust. Thank you, I'm going to have to make this! Smile

May your teams all come out ahead this weekend! Cool

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 5:29pm


Views: 1118
Well, it DOES depend...
What will she be serving for breakfast? Second breakfast? Elevenses? Luncheon? Tea? Dinner? Supper?

Fissssh? Shocked

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


Altaira
Superuser

Sep 19, 5:30pm


Views: 1119
Oh dear. I'd definitely be taken in by that one.
If they threw in a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and some crackers and cheese, I'd really be in trouble!


Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 7:01pm


Views: 1105
I reckon a hot chocolate with a shot of Baileys would go down well this cold morning.
It's clear blue skies so the day has dawned cold but beautiful. I have a large load of washing that I'll be getting on the line to dry - we haven't had much in the way of dry weekends for a while!

I'm currently watching Canada thump the Black Ferns in the Women's Rugby World Cup semi-final ... so maybe double that Baileys shot. Crazy
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


Annael
Elvenhome


Sep 19, 9:14pm


Views: 1088
A nice week for me personally
Sadly the fire in the Olympic Mountains has blown up; we're getting gorgeous sunsets, but it's burning a beautiful area I've hiked in. Breaks my heart. The rain comes back next week, hopefully it will be "season-ending."

I have a window between jobs that I hadn't expected, so this week I "automnized" my patio, took down the sunbrellas, swept it all out, and moved three plants indoors that won't be able to handle the cold. Didn't realize those plants were hosting Pacific chorus frogs, a/k/a tree peepers--little dudes about 1.5 inches long who are capable of making a very loud creaking sound. First indication was the cat yowling, as he does when he sees something in the house he wants to catch but it's out of reach. I went to investigate and there is a little froggie climbing the wall. Out he went to the garden, to the cat's dismay.

About two hours later, I hear a frog. Followed the noise and finally found him inside my sunhat! At first I thought the same one had come back in -- hadn't twigged yet that they'd been on the plants. Out he went. An hour or so later, another "creakit!" noise; this time the froggy was smaller, so clearly a different one. Out HE went!

Silence until 3:30 am, when I am awakened by "CREAKIT! CREAKIT!" Go out to the kitchen: silence. Can't find the frog. Back to bed. An hour later, croaking resumes. Still can't find it. No more sleep for moi. But it wasn't until about noon--after I'd cleaned the entire kitchen--that I spotted the li'l dude on one of my Christmas cacti. They'll all out now (I hope) and I've heard happy croaks from the garden.

My niece said "It was like the second plague of Egypt, except cute." True.

Apart from many, many emails with a client negotiating the next project, it was a fairly quiet week, and I got some writing of my own done. Tomorrow I'm going to see the last Downton movie with a friend, and on Sunday I have an equinox online gathering with a bunch of mythies. We do a check-in every three months to see what everyone's up to; very casual and enjoyable.

I'd like a milkshake while we're still in the warm weather, which ends tomorrow. Sweater weather! I love it!
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 10:08pm


Views: 1081
Oh, dear.
Were the Black Ferns able to recover?

Happy Equinox, a "cold but beautiful" morning seems perfect for it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 10:20pm


Views: 1081
Hopefully
there were no tree frogs inside your home that, ah, "croaked"! Tongue But your niece is right, that is very cute. Except of course, for the sleeplessness.

That is so sad, about the woods fires. We know the trees and all will eventually recover - but not for a long, long time. Frown

Have a fun Equinox gathering, getting together at every sun-event seems appropriate!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


Kimi
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 19, 10:48pm


Views: 1086
How vexing!
Especially when you'd done all you could with due diligence. I hope the actual paint job was satisfactory, after all that.

Our big news for the week was that we bought a new fridge. I'm all for keeping old appliances running, but with fridges there's the issue that modern ones are *far* more efficient, and our decades-old one was well and truly past its use-by date. The new one's lov-er-ly - French-door style, well-designed with lots of room, ample fresh produce compartments, and handy pull-out compartments in the freezer section (we have a big upright freezer, too, as we preserve a fair bit of home-grown produce, but we get lots of use out of a smaller freezer section as well).

Two burly young men delivered it to the door, then getting it inside was interesting. We'd measured it (of course), and it was a close fit but a fit nevertheless. But then we found the door (which is quite thick, and only opens 90 degrees) made it a little too close a fit, especially since it had to change angle just after coming inside (memories of "Pivot!" from "Friends").

Nothing daunted, Mr Kimi said, "We'll take the door off its hinges." Which we did. Installed the fridge, moved everything out of the old one, manoeuvered the old one outside (musical fridges was fun), and re-hung the door, which was a little more fiddly than taking it off. Quite a sense of accomplishment when it was all done!

The Mr's lovely niece and her equally lovely partner are coming for lunch, bringing their dog, whom we'll be meeting for the first time. Fortunately the weather is nice, so we'll be able to lunch outside, and Chester (doggy) can wander around. I'm not sure if he's ever met sheep before!

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

(This post was edited by Kimi on Sep 19, 11:10pm)


grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 1:40am


Views: 1080
Shiver me timbers! How DUMB!
It sounds like the whole outfit has fallen into some very bad habits. Word of mouth references can sink 'em as easily as raise 'em. Dumb. Only one chance to make a good impression. *KABLOOIE!!* I'm glad nothing was damaged; but that was pure luck!

It's a weird season developing here, too. Two g-sons have some serious health issues surfacing... as well as a few other family members. So the prayers are flying and the good vibes are creating a force field around all!!! We're a tight team, this family. So we hunker down and charge ahead together :D

Meanwhile... I've been trying to figure out why Coffey kitty sleeps halfway down the hallway every night. It's not a very comfy spot and there's no venting (cold or hot) running along the floor underneath. Then it was obvious. There's a small nightlight in the outlet right across from where she's laying. When I took her in a year ago now as a small kitten, every night I kept here in a kennel cage in a back bedroom with food, water, cushions, and litter. She felt quite safe, but would cry if I turned off the light. She's apparently still afraid of the dark! Sweet little soul. :)

I've got to gather up my Baggins Birthday game to post over on Main! Come on over and join in the fun everyone! :D

Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for taking such great care of us, Altaira! ENJOY THE GAMES!



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(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Sep 20, 1:43am)


grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 1:48am


Views: 1078
You've got to swatch out for slackers!
Can't be too careful! ;)

Ooooo... peach bread sound so great! I can imagine the smell of it cooking gets the mouth watering :D

I'm glad your weather is changing into the temps we look forward to. Same is going on here in Michigan, though this past week has been hot out during the day and very cool at night. We're promised the milder temps are moving in over the weekend. *grabs sweaters* :D

Have a wonderful weekend! And I hope your trees are turning as quickly as ours just in the last couple of days!



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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 1:50am


Views: 1076
Oh... I'll join that group, no problem! ;) //
 



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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 1:53am


Views: 1075
Nice enough outside to hang laundry :D
FINALLY! And I hope you're feeling better every day. If you're lifting laundry stuff, it sounds like things are going great! :D

Baileys really is a perfect answer to cold mornings. *raises mug* Here's to a great weekend and a greater game!



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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 2:00am


Views: 1073
Now you've done it! And THANK YOU! :D
I was literally bursting out laughing by the 3 frog! #1 frog = big smile w/teeth showing... #2 frog = delighted chuckle... #3 frog = full-blown laughter!!! I really needed this! DANKA! Laugh

Oh, I hope the rain moves in sooner and helps with the fire. Rats! But I'm very much with you on the sweaters being hauled out. Comfy cozy :D

Have a GREAT weekend and enjoy storming the castle... such as it is :)



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grammaboodawg
Elvenhome


Sep 20, 2:08am


Views: 1072
Old vs New
I hear you on the fridge. I had the same thing very recently. The old one was running fine; but it was over 30 years old and I didn't want to wait for it to break down. I like the new one; but I know they're not built to last 30 years anymore. Then again, I queried, was I built to last another 30? I'd be in the hundreds!!! *shakes head* ;)

Quote
Fortunately the weather is nice, so we'll be able to lunch outside, and Chester (doggy) can wander around.
 As soon as you said this, I wondered if the pooch had any idea what those creatures were!

Have a GREAT weekend! :D



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cats16
Gondolin


Sep 20, 6:55am


Views: 1038
That's a bummer!
Glad it wasn't a catastrophe, but still frustrating. I've had to deal with quite a few subpar contractors around here (even as a renter), so I feel your pain. It sometimes feels like many local companies - in larger metro areas at least - stretch themselves too thin and care more about having an over-booked business, rather than delivering quality work people will rehire them for years later.

Enjoy your Fall weather! We had an offshore storm arrive mid-week, bringing a drop or two of rain and quite a bit of humidity. So far this September hasn't been as hot as usual (normally our hottest month), so I'll take the win there.

I took today and this coming Monday off work for some R&R. No plans, just letting my brain de-stress by wandering around the city and seeing where my feet take me.

Otherwise, we're attending an early morning soccer game tomorrow for one of the nieces, and dog sitting for a cousin on Sunday. And hopefully a date night somewhere for us in between. Ah, and the Dodgers! They managed to win the night we attended and are doing better this week, so fingers crossed they can go into the playoffs on a good streak.

I'll please have some lemonade in a to-go cup to fight this humidity. Wishing everyone a happy weekend!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!




(This post was edited by cats16 on Sep 20, 6:56am)


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 20, 12:55pm


Views: 969
That's a common problem
with appliances being hard to fit through doorways. But All's Well as Ends Better, and at the next electric bill you'll be very pleased with the new 'fridge!

I'm laughing at the thought of that pup encountering sheep close-up! Do let us know his reaction! Laugh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 20, 1:01pm


Views: 949
How interesting!
Little Coffey was originally in the wilderness, but once inside she associated safety and comfort with a bit of light at night. So you can use a night-light to let her know other places in the house are "safe" to sleep!

I'm sorry to hear of the g'sons health issues, I do hope they're things which can be easily resolved. Prayers out for them!

More games? Oh good! Happy Equinox weekend, gramma!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 20, 1:09pm


Views: 941
It's pleasanter to
have rain than humidity, but fortunately you're not having the high temps to go with it.

Mental-health days are necessary. Did you feet take you to any bookstores?

We keep cringing with the Sox, it seems in too many games they've acted like inept Little Leaguers. But last night's game against the Rays, a nail-biting 11 to 7 - now, that's the kind of baseball that makes a great game! And best of luck for the Dodgers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 20, 1:14pm


Views: 938
Peaches, peaches everywhere!
That reminds me, I've got a blueberry-peach cobbler to make...

There's a few trees starting to put on their Autumn colors, by the start of October they should be in full swing. I need to get in a woods-walk and enjoy the smells of the season!

Enjoy your walks, gramma, I bet you're keeping track of certain trees and noticing every bit of change! Smile

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


Greenwood Hobbit
Doriath


Sep 20, 5:14pm


Views: 910
Oops, what am I like?
I think I missed last week completely. I spent a few nights in a caravan on a campsite I love in North Wales Sun/Mon/Tue; didn't love the weather though, as my stay coincided with very high winds and a lot of rain. I don't know about 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'- more like season of splash and sulllen sogginess!! Still, I sewed up knitted squares into a blanket and I did have one lovely sunny day.
I can sympathise over the house-painting business; last autumn my house had the cracked portions of rendering dealt with and the whole lot repainted. It was serviceable and weatherproof but the finish wasn't quite what I hoped for; rather disappointing, but nothing to be done about it.
Those little creaky frogs sound delightful! Maybe not when you have to evict them in the middle of the night, though...
Enjoy what's left of the weekend, folks - cheers!


Altaira
Superuser

Sep 20, 5:23pm


Views: 904
Now you're talking!
A double shot of Bailey's sounds like just the thing you need right about now. Keep warm and try to forget about the rugby. Smile


dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 21, 12:55am


Views: 972
Yes, I do believe you did
miss last week, but you have a fine excuse! Your weather during your holiday reminds me of one of my favorite lines from "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain": "What happened to the flagpole?" "Dry rot." "Dry rot? in Wales?"

That's sad, that the final coating on your house was not what you had envisioned. After going through all that!

Do you have any "peepers" in your garden?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"


Kimi
Forum Admin / Moderator


Sep 21, 1:26am


Views: 971
Chester's Day Out: an update.
(I typed a message that got swallowed up, but I'll try again, probably more succinctly).

Chester the dachshund had a marvellous day! He was very good, staying within sight as he snooped around the garden and nearby grass. He spent a lot of time trying (without success) to catch frogs without jumping in the pond. Eventually he wore himself out and went to sleep on a lap.

L and D (niece and partner) said he's typically standoffish with strangers, but he took to us right away - helped by D giving us treats to offer him as soon as they arrived. We were officially all right after that.

As for the sheep: Chester only met them at the end of the visit, which turned out for the best. He barked and wanted to chase them, but was on his lead by then, and they looked on from a safe distance, signally unimpressed.

Niece's mother, Mr Kimi's older (by quite a lot) sister has recently moved house to be closer to niece, and in going through her things niece unearthed an old photo album from Mr K's grandfather's time in Africa in the 1910s. We have some of his writings, but this was new to us, and wonderful to see. Mr K will scan the pics so they're available to the wider family.

A lovely afternoon all round.

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


Sep 21, 10:37pm


Views: 877
Sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon. :)
I laughed at the doggie treats being your 'in' with Chester. My brother's previous cat didn't want to have a thing to do with me ... until one weekend when bro was away and I was on cat-feeding duty. Suddenly, I was equated with food, and she was much more friendly after that. Laugh
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


Sep 22, 12:48am


Views: 865
What a busy day for such a small dog!
His little legs must have been quite worn out - and I hope he has pleasant dreams of all the new smells!

That photo album is a treasure. Almost as if one could write a story from it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"