Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
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Nina
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Mar 31, 2017 12:44PM
Two quotes from my paper towels: "The flowers of all tomorrows are the seeds of today" and "Gardening is a way of showing you believe in tomorrow."
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Very hopeful quotes, Nina.
I was in a funk yesterday. I was ticked off about my lawnmower. After finally getting the correct belt & getting it installed, I goofed & one of the retainer bolts got in between the belt & the pulley, so it tore up the inside. An easy fix, but just irritating as hell.Anyway, besides dealing with that, it was cold. It was supposed to be a pretty day, but wound up being in the 40s with an amazingly raw & cutting wind. I wasn't exactly feeling bad, but I just didn't feel like being an adult. I pretty much sat around all day & just read a book. The whole, 500 page book from start to finish. I finished it at midnight.
Marg asked me who I was & what I did with her husband. The kids dropped by & wound up having dinner with us & she told them, too. They agreed with her. Oh well, I just didn't feel like adulting yesterday. All agreed I was allowed. Good idea on their part. I retreated into my book & snapped off no heads. I guess we all need days like that occasionally.
Today is supposed to be gorgeous so hopefully I'll get the lawn mowed which I started doing last Wednesday. Maybe I'll get a ride in on Chip & some weeding done, too. Lily was quite put out with me yesterday for not taking her out properly.
Jim, hope today will be better for you. Consider yesterday a day to re-charge your batteries. At least you got some reading done.
Was the five hundred page book any good. I guess my husband felt like you did yesterday when he was working on a fence post and broke his saw. Hope your today is better.
Today was great. Got a lot done, although not everything I wanted to. Chip & I splashed in the pond, though. I love it when that time of year rolls around. The book was good, Nina. It's in the middle of a fantasy series I'm reading by L.E. Modesitt Jr. called Imager's Battalion. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It's interesting that I had just read one of our Kansas City Star editor's was asked what his current reading lists were and he said he mostly doesn't read Science Fiction but the exception was and he named the book you just reviewed and he gave it five stars.
Nina wrote: "It's interesting that I had just read one of our Kansas City Star editor's was asked what his current reading lists were and he said he mostly doesn't read Science Fiction but the exception was and..."Which one? The book I just reviewed, Imager's Battalion, is a fantasy, not SF. The last SF book I reviewed was a classic, Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. The one before that was The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.
It was Imager and is there one just called that? I remember the word Imager was definitely in the title of what he said he liked. I think what he said was that he wasn't interested in science fiction but this really wasn't science fiction. I have thrown out the paper and so it is gone in the trash pick up but it just struck me when I read your review and saw the title with Imager in it. It seemed like the same t title to me but I am not sure. Sorry I don't remember it clearly.
Imager is the first book in the series, Nina. It's a fantasy by L.E. Modesitt Jr., not SF, although he does write that genre as well. I explain the series somewhat in my review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I find it confusing when people mix fantasy & SF. To me, they're distinct genres, although some of my favorite books mix the two. I've seen arguments about defining them that make my head hurt. Some say SF is a subset of fantasy. As a rough guide, if the basic rules & forces of the universe are knowable, it's SF. If not, it's magic & thus fantasy.
Jim wrote: "Today was great. Got a lot done, although not everything I wanted to. Chip & I splashed in the pond, though. I love it when that time of year rolls around. The book was good, Nina. It's in the mi..."
Glad you got out of your "funk!"
Unlike Joy, I had a good day today. It started out rough with a weird laptop problem when I was upgrading one from a 256gb SSD to a 1tb SSD. Halfway through reimaging it, the laptop shut down & would restart. Turned out to be a heat issue. I tend to stack them & for some reason the air flow aligned perfectly so the one I was working on got all the hot air from the one below it. Took me a while to figure that one out.But then I got home a bit early & it was gorgeous out - 78 degrees. Storms rolling in, but I got over half of the road side gardens weeded now with some annual flower seeds planted. The Purple Martins arrived here today, too.
Then, the Chicken of the Sea tuna customer service impressed the hell out of me. We noticed way too much water in the can, so I contacted them through their web form to complain. A very nice lady called me less than 5 minutes later & assured me she was forwarding the info to their QA department AND sending us coupons to replace the cans we'd bought. Wow! Speedy!!!
The storms tonight are supposed to drop the temps down. The high tomorrow is mid 40s with a chance of snow Friday morning & then it warms up again. That will be a roller coaster ride. Very strong winds out tonight & there is a tornado warning. They're saying a very strong possibility of hail, too.
You did get Purple Martins! Excellent news. Our pair of Cardinals showed up today. Every year I wonder if they will come back. Smile on my face when they do.
78 degrees. Oh someday soon we will be enjoying those nice temps .... Ah, but now read your weather is changing. Here's hoping you do not get the tornado. Stay safe.
78 degrees sounds like heaven to me at this point, Jim.Hope a tornado doesn't come your way.
The storms came through, but they were east of us, thankfully. We got some wind & rain, but no hail nor did I see any damage. It started off at 47 this morning with a cold, light rain & winds. The high today is supposed to be 48 with freezing temperatures tonight & tomorrow night. We'll have to cover the peonies with a blanket. They're just about to bloom. Tough on the poor Purple Martins, too. They rely mostly on bugs who will not be out in this weather. It should warm up on Saturday, but it will be a hungry couple of days for them. No, we don't feed meal worms. We get flocks of cowbirds & starlings that come through & strip the feeders too often.
Jim wrote: "The storms came through, but they were east of us, thankfully. We got some wind & rain, but no hail nor did I see any damage. It started off at 47 this morning with a cold, light rain & winds. The ..."Darn weather!
Thank goodness no tornado, Jim. Enjoy your rain.
Good news on not having a tornado, Jim
Went to work this morning. This afternoon hubby going for an endoscopy. Had an issue with his voice for the last 2-3 years. Been taking Braggs Apple Cider vinegar and we've seemed some improvement. Let's hope they find nothing when doing the endoscopy.
Hope all works out, Linda.My boss is moping around here. His dog has Cushings & that's led to liver problems. She's been at the vet's for a couple of days & things aren't looking good. He's single & she's been his significant other for 14 years or so now. Very tough.
Sorry to hear the bad news, Linda and Jim. Hope things will work out.
Hope the news is good, Linda. Will keep your husband in my evening prayers.
Jim wrote: "Hope all works out, Linda.My boss is moping around here. His dog has Cushings & that's led to liver problems. She's been at the vet's for a couple of days & things aren't looking good. He's singl..."
Very tough indeed. Pets are very special.
Fred's endoscopy went very well. Dr. said he couldn't tell why his voice left and now is coming back (with the vinegar). Suggested he see an ENT but that was done 2 years ago. He had his throat stretched to make it easier to swallow pills.
Fred was fine; I was stressed! Glad that's over.
Thanks, Linda. Birthday greeting to you too!
Joy, When was your birthday? Are you an April too? And now that the news is good about your husband Linda that could be your belated birthday present.
Joy's birthday is April 7th and I'm April 2nd (figured I could answer for her since the info is on her profile). You are April as well! Jim, I believe your birthday was close to St. Patty's Day. What a wonderful birthday present indeed.
Yes, it was April 7. Happy birthday!
I love having an April birthday too and mine is almost into May/the 29th. Hope your birthday was a happy one, Joy and Linda. Busy planting today as it is 80 degrees but really strong wind. It isn't too bad for where I work as my garden is small and enclosed with a fence that I hang baskets on, It is like a secret garden. That's what my garden friends call it.
Thank you, Nina. Enjoy your garden! Today is full of sunshine and the temps are mild. A good day.
Happy birthday, Joy. I put out the hummingbird feeders this afternoon. It seems about time with the Purple Martins back & all. I've seen 4 or 5 pairs of the latter so far all in one house, none in the other. I kicked the sparrows out this morning. They had one bay stuffed so full it was incredible. Plenty of insulation for the 2 eggs I found. Lily ate them both.
Jim what kind of food do you put for the hummingbirds?
Thank you, Jim. Enjoy your birds.
Jim wrote: "Happy birthday, Joy. I put out the hummingbird feeders this afternoon. It seems about time with the Purple Martins back & all. I've seen 4 or 5 pairs of the latter so far all in one house, none i..."
Jim, I had originally planned to wait for consistent warm weather before I put out the hummingbird feeder. Reading your posts is encouraging me to put the feeder out today. Around here they have arrived as early as April 7th (that I've seen) and as late as May 7th.
Hummingbird feeder - 1 part sugar and 4 parts water. Stores sell the red mix/dye which truly isn't good for the birds. Having a red feeder will attract the hummers and the red dyed water is not necessary. Or so I've been told. My favorite feeder doesn't have the fake flowers - seems the flowers attract bees and ants. A few $$ more but to me its worth it.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product...
Today, we are grabbing the fishing poles, cameras, snacks and heading out to go fishing. Where is not yet determined.
I agree with Linda on the food. I put 1/2 cup sugar into a 2 cups measuring cup of hot water. I fill it about half way, put in the sugar, stir, & then finish filling & stirring. I put it in the microwave for 3 minutes & let it just come to a boil. Once it is cooled down enough, I pour it into a clean Gatorade bottle marked with an 'H' on the cap that we keep in the fridge. I never use any food coloring. Even a tiny bit of red is enough to draw them in.It's best to put hummingbird food out early & leave it late. That way early & late ones have a source of food, especially on bad days. Of course, they need to be changed regularly. I start off with small amounts & change it at least weekly. I bring it in at night if there is a chance of freezing, but try to put it out before dawn & leave it until after dark.
Linda wrote: "Today, we are grabbing the fishing poles, cameras, snacks and heading out to go fishing. Where is not yet determined."Have a great catch.
Joy here is a quote I like: "Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." Marcel Proust.
Nina, thanks for the lovely quote.
Jim wrote: "I agree with Linda on the food. I put 1/2 cup sugar into a 2 cups measuring cup of hot water. I fill it about half way, put in the sugar, stir, & then finish filling & stirring. I put it in the mic..."Jim, you just reminded me about the raccoons. In the summer, we have to bring the hummingbird feeder in because our local raccoons like a sweet drink!
Good advice on putting feeders out early. We do take them in late September sometimes even October depending on the weather. My feeder is out today and hopefully a hummer found it - even though I wasn't able to witness the activity.
Coons are such pests. They occasionally get into our feeders, too.
Fishing was good. Didn't fish long as many were families were out today. Perhaps off for Passover. We were able to watch a group of windsurfers on Lake Champlain. Very cool to watch. Something I could never do. Need to be of strong body! Colorful.
Just looked it up on line and found there are a few varieties (kite surfing, parachute surfing for instance.
What we saw today was windsurfing with kites a/k/a kite surfing.
Were they wearing body suits? The water must be very cold.
My husband and his fellow sailors used to wind surf on ice using sails. Yes, it was cold but they warmed up with hot toddies from a crock pot
Joy H. wrote: "Were they wearing body suits? The water must be very cold."Yes, they were wearing body suits.
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