Welcome to Fiesta Friday: special double birthday edition!!

Altaira

Altaira

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Staff member
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a special *double* birthday edition of Fiesta Friday where we'll be celebrating the September 22 birthday of two very special Hobbits: Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! [heart][heart]

Of course, gramma has the celebration organization well in hand over on Main where she, and some clever volunteers have posted some fun party games.

It's a beautiful day and the party tree was decorated by the local Hobbit children (well at least the lower part - Gandalf helped out with a little magic for the upper part). I see Biffins, Boffins, Bracegirdles, Brandybucks, Sackville-Bagginses, and yes, TORnsibs all arriving and mulling about sharing their latest stories.

Of course, we had to add several additional tables to the normal Fiesta buffet with each one piled to the tipping point with all the delectable goodies you can imagine of both the sweet and savory kind. And, wagons are still arriving with extra barrels of 1420, casks of Dorwinian wine, and lots and lots of bubbly!

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*pops corks* Do join in and share a bit of goss about what you've been up to, and what plans you have for the weekend!

*puts quarters on juke box* Play a special song for our birthday boys and have an amazing weekend! [:)][heart][laugh]

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I had all the fun of prepping this week for a colonoscopy*, including a VERY restricted diet, so I'm ready for a bit of a feast! In fact, I'll be cooking up a storm today for a little gathering I'm having tomorrow, an open house to celebrate one year in my new place.

Fall has arrived here, with overnight temps in the 40s (F), so my tender basil and lettuce plants are coming indoors every night, and it's probably time to move the house plants that got to spend summer on the patio in as well. Fall color is happening but not very brightly, no doubt due to the drought we've had - which is ending Monday with a predicted atmospheric river dumping lots of rain of us all next week. That's good because we're still in fire season. But hopefully we'll get more sunshine in October before the real monsoon season sets in.

So I'll have a hot chocolate laced liberally with Bailey's please. Which makes me think of Patty - hoping she shows up for the party!

*I'm fine. Followup after last year's shenanigans.
 
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Wow, has it been a year already? What a wonderful celebration idea. What all are you making? The 'new' home will undoubtedly smell delicious tomorrow.

Glad you survived the rigamarole of the week and are getting into some proper fall weather. Enjoy your celebration and again, congrats on finding a place that's so perfect for you. You deserve it! [heart][heart]
 
Hoping some bubbly Dorwinion (does it bubble, Precious? And did you say wagons!!) will get me speaking normally again! (No, I don't have a cold--just getting into the spirit of the thing.[laugh])
Happy Birthday B&F. BF's forever!
 
Bubbles you shall have!

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Of course Dorwinian comes in the bubbly variety and is one of Galadriel's guilty pleasures. We have plenty on hand, so grab a glass (remember - from the top, please [laugh], and enjoy!!
 
That's a lovely buffet, Altaira! Could I have a mug of proper 1420 to toast the day, please?

It's going to be a rainy weekend for me, so I'll be uninstalling the portable A/C unit and cleaning it. Sunday I'll be enjoying a "ladies' night" with a few girlfriends, one of whom has a hip replacement coming up next week, so we'll be getting her in an upbeat mood for the coming round of final doctor appointments, etc.

A song for "our boys" - hmm, how about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ThUqGSfEI
 
the colonoscopy [:P], so glad everything's looking okay!

A year already? It seems like only yesterday you were prepping the homestead for sale. Why is it the older we get, the quicker time flies! We're in the 40's at night also, so glad to be out of the humidity. I hope the rains don't wash the leaves off the trees before they show their full colors!
 
A fine choice, and plenty more where that came from!

You must be psychic! I was thinking of posting some muppety birthday tune before I decided on an open juke box, so thanks for the smiles.

Your Sunday party sounds like fun! Just what you'll need after your glamorous Saturday plans. Have a good one!
 
*raises glass to our dear hobbits*

I'm flying "home" home this weekend for a couple of weeks, so we'll be mostly hanging out until then. We have a dinner with some family friends tonight. And update on the kimonos for the nieces - they looked adorable in them!

We've been enjoying some cooler temps in SoCal, although the mosquitos are at a level folks here haven't seen before! Basically, all of the rain we've had has unleashed them - apparently the ankle-biters are particularly present right now. And when you're in an area that's relatively mosquito-free (generally), it's a shock to have them attacking you relentlessly. We went to a baseball game the other night and I was spared despite still wearing shorts, luckily.

Wishing everyone a happy autumnal (or spring-like, for NZ sibs) weekend!
 
I bet your nieces absolutely loved the kimonos.

Wow, home for a couple weeks. Now *that* will be a nice change I'm sure.

I'm a mosquito magnet, so I empathize with your plight. Nice dodge to not get bitten at the game. On our Alaska trip I escaped with zero bites despite visiting a wildlife refuge where they were buzzing all around in places, which is just short of a miracle for me. It might have helped that I used a new mosquito spray I found that I'm now going to swear by.

Safe travels and enjoy the time at 'home' home! [:)]
 
I've made a Dutch apple pie and a friend has brought another apple pie and chocolate truffles. Is there room on the tables? (Silly question for hobbits, eh? [laugh] )
[Inline Dutchapllepie.jpeg]

It's a triple birthday today! September 22 was also my uncle's birthday. At this very moment, my sister and I are at a place he loved very much and was, I'd venture to say, his Rivendell. Big Bear Lake, CA was the site of our extended family's cabin on the lake, built by my grandfather and his three sons in 1946. That cabin passed out of the family a few years ago and no longer exists, but Sister found another cozy rental cabin on the same road with the same view we all loved so much. We are re-living many happy memories together.
[Inline BigBearview2.jpeg]

Only one week left of my trip across the Pacific. There are still relatives here to visit, photos to be shown, and connections to be re-kindled. There are still traces to be found of the California girl in her love of the mountains and deserts and beaches - all to be found within a few hours drive, as my uncle and father were fond of reminding us. It is so true.

To Uncles and travelers and friends everywhere and to making happy memories!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR2lvcdKSdU
[laugh][heart]

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It's been a messy week, spring-wise. While a town recorded the highest-ever September temperature for the North Island this week, in the South Island there's been a bush fire, snow, states of emergency due to flooding, and a 6.2 earthquake (no major damage). *phew* The same rain-band that flooded the bottom of the South Island is coming across the North Island today so I'm crossing my fingers that we get through it OK - especially the battered East Coast, which is still digging through the silt from the floods all those months ago.

Aaaand tonight we spring forward for Daylight Saving!

So yes, a frothy mug of 1420 would go down a treat, Cheers, Altaira!
 
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We've had a couple of glorious spring days; one was so warm that we decided to put up the awning over the terrace (we have it up over the summer, and put it away in the winter), as it was almost too warm to be comfortable. Today it's raining, with much heavier rain forecast. The lower part of the South Island has had damaging rains, and at a bad time, as many of the farms down there are in the midst of lambing and calving. My seedlings are coming on nicely, but I'm in no hurry to plant them out. The first of the asparagus spears are emerging, which is a time of great celebration. We rather ceremoniously ate *four*, but a real crop is imminent.

We have satisfactory quotes for painting and carpeting of the apartment, so hope to make some progress on that next week (have to drive down to pick up carpet samples and try them in the apartment to decide colours). We'll need to move out the furniture, which will take some doing and a hired trailer. We wanted some outdoor work done with garden fencing, etc, but it looks like we'll need to do that ourselves.

Remember the surgery I had in March? Well, it needs follow-up surgery. Very different this time, though, as it's not at all scary. In March it was looking very possibly malignant, but lab tests showed that was definitely not the case. Now it's just a nuisance :) But only a minor one. Scheduled for next month.

As I'll be stuck inside all day, some birthday puzzles seem just the thing!

Today was my dad's birthday - the 23rd here, but the 22nd for most of you. So I'll raise a glass to a dear man, the first to teach me a love of books and learning.

Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend.
 
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The pie and the view both :) Enjoy the remainder of your stay, Lissie (may I call you Lissie?)

It's my dad's birthday, so a good day for memories of fine men.
 
I hope the worst of it misses you - and yes, I very much hope it misses the hard-hit East Coast.

Gosh, I'd forgotten all about Daylight Saving. That extra hour will be most welcome.
 
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