Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
message 2551:
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Nina
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Jan 02, 2012 02:26PM
I figured out how to post my comments in between cooking most of the day. A close cousin died and I am cooking mostly for the "gathering." Ironically, I just posted my review of "The Gathering."
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I made an old recipe of my mother's: Apricot Bread. Everyone seems to like it. Also, cooked some butternut squash and Meatloaf. I thought it might be comforting food for my mourning cousin's daughter. Nothing fancy.
Good choices, Nina. Nice of you to do that. I'm sure it was appreciated.
Did you read my review? It seems to be under the words MY Review. It is our book selection for my book club this month. we will discuss it next week.
Yes, Nina, I read your review. You posted it in the comment area instead of your review area.From your review I got the impression that the book lagged in spots but was worth reading anyway. There's a short sample of the first pages of the book available to read online at Google ebooks:
http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader...
Can you believe, sixty three degrees tomorrow is the predicted temp. We'll take it. And in January. Next week is supposed to be in the forites and fifties. Soon we will pay the piper. Got a recommentdation from a friend who says, "Lost in Shanghi," is a non-fiction winner. What do you know about it? Soon we have our nominations for our book club selections for 2012 for each month. I sent in three; Cutting for Stone, The Painted Veil and Night Circus.
Nina, Cutting for Stone would be at the top of my list too.As for Lost in Shanghai by Howard Turk, I don't know anything about it at all. It doesn't seem to be non-fiction.
Perhaps you mean Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff. I see that is was a New York Times bestseller (Nonfiction, 2011). A reader at LibraryThing wrote: "A great 'human interest' story about a minor incident in World War 2, but a really enjoyable book to read. No battles, no shooting, but a good insight into another part of the war."
FROM: http://www.librarything.com/work/1088...
Full title: Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
PS-At the following link there's a video of the author talking about _Lost in Shanghai_ on The Daily Show:http://www.earlyword.com/2011/06/23/t...
"The WWII survival story, _Lost in Shangri-La_ by Mitchell Zuckoff debuts ... on the 7/10/11 NYT Print Hardcover Nonfiction Best Seller list, two months after publication, a result of the author’s appearance on The Daily Show. ... Amazon’s editors selected it as the best book of 2011 (so far [as of 7/1/11] )."
FROM: http://www.earlyword.com/2011/07/01/l...
I am sure you are right Joy, as I got the title from my friend who said my husband would like that book. She said, "Lost in Shanghi, but the book description that she gave matched the Lost in Shangri-La. I have, "Cutting for Stone," is on my kindle but am now reading, "Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools," which I am thorougly enjoying. After finishing "The Gathering," I needed some relief from grim. It is the story of a British couple who decide to retire in Spain; like the Frencn and Italian genre type books we have all read, but I think it's fun to read of their travails.
Nina, here's the GR link: Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Tuck Into a Slice of Andalucan Life. Sounds like an enjoyable read.
Another frigid day here. It was 12 when I woke up & got up to 14 by the time I took the dogs for a walk. At least the wind stopped & now it's close to freezing.On the plus side, the cold has brought out a lot of birds. I saw 6 pairs of Cardinals in the back while 2 other pair were eating out front. Lots of Gold Finch, Chickadees, Dark eyed Junco, & Tufted Titmice around, too. I don't know that I've ever seen so many Cardinals, though.
Jim, I'm jealous of all your birds, especially the Cardinals!They keep predicting colder weather here but so far it's been only a bit below freezing. Right now it's around 25 degrees. Stay warm, Jim!
Here's an interesting article about the worth of a dog. I'm sorry to say, but I agree with the pet industry since our sue happy legal system will screw this up.http://dogblog.dogster.com/2012/01/05...
Jim wrote: "Here's an interesting article about the worth of a dog. I'm sorry to say, but I agree with the pet industry since our sue happy legal system will screw this up. http://dogblog.dogster.com/2012/01/05... "Oh boy Jim, something else to worry about.
Nothing for us to do about it, I guess.We just got back from going out to dinner. We went to an Italian place named Corino's. I gave the waitress the best tip I could for wonderful service. The entree arrived just after I finished my salad & before Marg had. All was delicious & she sat down to go over the menu with Marg to see what she could eat. Instead of handing us boxes, she took our plates in back to take care of them. Even labeled & dated them & handed me the check right away. (I HATE waiting forever for the check.) We were in & out in 30 minutes or so without even rushing. Wow!
That was quick service, Jim. One of the downsides of eating out is the waiting. My sister and I went to a local dinner movie last week. We arrived too early and had to wait to go in, but that was our fault. However, after waiting, we watched a group who arrived after us, go in before us. I spoke up. My sister said it didn't make that much difference. In reality, it didn't because the dinner theater wasn't busy, but it was just the principle of the thing. I believe in speaking up in a circumstance like that. My sister, on the other hand, thinks it's a bit rude to complain. I say that perhaps the young hostess at the restaurant might have learned a lesson about fairness when I complained.
It's another cold one today. We haven't been above freezing for a couple of days, but we've been lucky in not getting much precipitation. Just enough mist to freeze & make the back deck look wet & slippery enough to break your neck. I went out this morning to walk the dogs. Lily & Pixie wanted to get a chipmunk, but it was hiding in a dead tree. So they climbed it! I got some great pictures & posted them on Facebook, here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...
Jim wrote: "... I went out this morning to walk the dogs. Lily & Pixie wanted to get a chipmunk, but it was hiding in a dead tree. So they climbed it! I got some great pictures & posted them on Facebook, here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s... Jim, your dogs are amazing!
Our temp early this morning was two below zero (-2F). When the temp is this low, I put a doggie coat on Romeo when he goes outside. It fastens with Velcro, so it's easy to put on him.
For some time, Barb and I have been planning to reduce our intense regimen of in-house support for our daughter Deborah and her family, and get back to a more nearly normal schedule. That's finally happened; the last glitch was resolved yesterday. So I'm home this morning, for the first time in nearly three weeks, and can stay until I leave for work; and I'm planning to sleep in my own bed tomorrow night, for the first time since mid-August. (Hooray!) We appreciate all of the support and encouragement from this group, and other friends on Goodreads, through all of this trying time. The worst of it is finally over!
Glad to hear you're getting back to normal, Werner. That must have been a trying time.
Thanks, Joy; yes, it's been a rough patch, but all of us go through trying times once in awhile! On the plus side, though, I'd been trying unsuccessfully since 2007 to lose ten pounds. When I weighed today for the first time since August, I found I've lost eleven! So I'm now the proud victor in the Battle of the Bulge. :-)
Nina, my condolences on your cousin's passing, belatedly. Sorry I didn't see your post about that before now!
Glad to hear things are returning to normal, Werner. Congrats on the pounds, but I've been finding that gravity keeps working. I lose weight in muscle tone & the pot keeps growing. I'm going to have to start exercising. Yuck. I hate getting older, but the alternative is worse, so I guess I'm stuck with situps. ;-)
On gaining weight:"In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains. Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the bathroom scale."
-Stephen Phillips
Werner, good on ya for losing 10 pounds. Now the hard part will be keeping them off!Around 2000 I dieted and lost 60 pounds. Now I've gained 40 of those pounds back! Below are links to how I looked back then:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...
Those days are gone forever! :)
Here I am in 2006:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...
And in 2011 (at the Wax Museum in NYC):
https://picasaweb.google.com/Sea1934/...
Time marches on! :)
Joy, thanks for the picture links (and don't worry; you look good in all four of them!). Yes, once our metabolism slows down as we age, it's harder to lose weight --and keep it off-- than it was when we were younger. (I find that walking a lot helps.)Jim, for exercise, I recommend a stationary bike, which enables you to read while you exercise. When you can do that, excercising isn't quite such a pain. (I'm counting on this to keep my muscles toned --but we'll see! :-) )
Werner wrote: "Joy, thanks for the picture links (and don't worry; you look good in all four of them!). Yes, once our metabolism slows down as we age, it's harder to lose weight --and keep it off-- than it was when we were younger. (I find that walking a lot helps.)"
Thanks, Werner. Walking is great if you can do it. As you get older, your back and your knees and your hips start to give you trouble. So walking isn't as easy. HOWEVER, I find that I have no trouble walking through Wal-Mart's and the Dollar Store while shopping around looking for bargains. LOL It's a matter of mind over matter! LOL
Hang in there, Joy! (That'll give you a good excuse to shop a lot; it's good exercise for you. :-) ) And seriously, any kind of exercise comes easier when we can combine it with something that we like doing.
Werner, walking is easy. I take the dogs for a walk most evenings & often wander around with a back pack sprayer (40 lbs or so) not to mention riding, which is a good work out. I've just been very active all my life & ate like it without showing any effects. I've cut down on the eating, but the battle is for the bulge & sag in my front. Situps help that, but they're so boring & hard to remember. Need to make a habit out of them.
Yes, Jim, once you incorporate something into a habitual routine, it gets to be second nature to do it. Hang in there --I can't do situps, because of my hernia, but I need to get back into my regimen of other daily calisthenic exercises, too. (Those went overboard along with the exercise bike riding in the past several months. :-( )
Thanks, Werner. My cousin was an interesting lady. She was truly beautiful; in spirit and looks. Interestinly, after raising three children almost alone as her husband died of cancer early in the ensuing years she worked at a bank, as a waitress and as a real estate agent but then decided what she really wanted to do was clean people's houses. And she was quite good at it. Not many suburban wives/mothers do that.Her clients became her friends.
With the recent events here, Nina, I can relate to your cousin's situation with her husband and kids. I'm sorry for her passing, but glad that you had the privilege of knowing her during her lifetime!
Glad to be "home" again, Werner. Perhaps the last few months will just be a glitch in your memory bank and good days are now ahead. Take Care of yourself. No one ever takes my exercise advice but believe me it helps. Get an Irish Setter and he/she will walk you. Pounds disappear.
Thanks for the advice, Nina! Our dog Princess isn't an Irish setter (she's half beagle and half mutt); but she's big enough not to be a lapdog; when I walk her, she basically takes me for a walk, so I know just what you mean. :-)
Well, today my wife bought me a pony. His name is Nexus, a 6 year old POA (Pony of America, which means a pony size Appoloosa). He was broke to ride when he was 2, but hasn't been ridden since then. He seems like a really solid citizen, though. He hadn't been on a trailer since he was bought as a yearling & walked right on when we loaded him. He took a bit of coaxing, of course, but was very brave & rode back here for an hour without any problems at all.Once he got here, he didn't flip out at all & even put up with Speedy being a mean little bugger & didn't beat him up. Nexus was cut late - just a couple of years ago - so he could be a lot meaner & then Speedy would have been in trouble. Speedy is 33 or so, Nexus is 6 & 6" taller. Anyway, here are some pictures.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...
(Apologies to my friends that see this several times in my feed.)
Good luck and congratulations to you and to Nexus. Looks like Nexus has found a nice home with lots of friends! I love the way they nosed up to each other. Where was Nexus before this?
What kind of horse is Speedy?
PS-Is there a meaning behind Nexus' name?
I have heard of a lot of reasons for getting another horse; mostly from my daughter, but never for the decor. That's a new one. Hope you enjoy your new found decoration.Looks like fun is in store for you, Marge and the other horses.
I was just teasing Leslie about the decor, Nina.;-)
Thanks, Joy. Nexus was south of us near Bardstown in a horrible place. The girl meant well, but she had horrible hay & the fields were never mowed. As you can see from the pictures, the buildings were shacks of roofing tin & there were gates laying over where a horse could easily break their leg. It was awful.
We got him for a good price, but now have to get the vet out to see him. There are a few issues we need to look into before he's ours for certain. We should know in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, Speedy is trying to keep all the hay, feed, & water for himself. Nexus hasn't gotten upset yet. I'm not sure that's a completely good thing, but I'm sure all will work out.
As for the name, I don't like it & he doesn't seem to know it. We may change it if we can think up something better. Anyone have any ideas?
Merlin was a good name for our daughter's quarter horse.Her other horse's name is Dasher. Strangely when the stable where she used to keep Merlin and where she rode him was sold and was later developed into a shopping ctr it's name was Camelot.
Hope Nexus gets a good report from the vet, Jim.I have no ideas for another name. I looked up the word "nexus" and one of the meanings is "the center of something". Not a bad meaning.
He's not very center of anything except possibly self-centered & composed. Marg suggested "Chip" last night, short for "Chocolate Chip", my favorite cookie. He is sweet, but I'm not sure he's perky enough to be a Chip. Speedy is being really mean. He's trying to protect HIS water, hay, shed, etc... He's running himself ragged. Nexus is just hanging back & getting what he wants as he can. Eventually Speedy will wear down, I guess. I've never seen him so lively before 5am, though.
;-)
Jim wrote: "... Speedy is being really mean. He's trying to protect HIS water, hay, shed, etc... He's running himself ragged. ..."Our son's dog, Alice, does the same thing. She spends all her time trying to protect her "stuff" from the other dogs when they're all visiting us. She also TAKES their stuff and guards it! It's bred in her; she's part German Shepherd. I guess that's why they're used as Police Dogs.
Why is Speedy so small? What kind of horse is he?
Animals are mean to one another. They're like mean little kids.There is actually no difference between a horse & pony except size, that I know of. They're measured in hands (h) of 4" each at the whithers, so a 10h pony is 40" at the point above their front legs where the neck joins. Speedy is right on the border line of small & medium. Up to 12-2h, they're a small pony. Over that & they're a medium until 13-2h, then they're a large up to 14-2. Horses start at either 14-3 or 15h (15h = 60" or 5'). The in between size, 14-2 to 14-3 is called a cob, usually. Most of that varies depending on breeds & area.
Shetlands are often around 10h. Speedy is a Welsh pony & they are generally large small to medium ponies, so at 12-2h, he's perfectly sized. Nexus - now named Chip - is a POA, a Pony of America. This is another way of saying some sort of mutt pony with certain characteristics like mottled skin & hair. They tend to be medium or large ponies & have less mane & tail than a lot of other breeds, too. If Chip was horse sized - over 14.3 in this breed - he would be an Appoloosa. We used to have a POA that was 14-2.5 & she was considered a 'pink papered' POA. IOW, she couldn't compete as a POA or Appoloosa, but she was marked correctly & her children could be papered as either one, depending on how big they grew. We had several foals out of her, one App & 2 POA's. It depended on who we bred her to.
When you get into what they call miniature horses, they have a light horse conformation & are under 8h, I think. Why they're not miniature ponies is because they're not as chunky, I think. It gets confusing, I know. You should hear people argue about some of it.
;-)
Marg says that Chip is NOT a Perfect Pony, but only a Practically Perfect Pony because he's not very high in the whithers & has a straight shoulder. This is horse talk for having a conformation more conducive to a smooth gait without much jumping ability. She's right if we wanted to train him to jump 3' or higher fences & resell him. He'd command a high price, like Speedy did in his day.
Personally, I think that's a good thing. High whithers also mean an uncomfortable ride bareback since they tend to try to cut you in two at the crotch - a high backbone. If I jump anything, it will likely be a log in the woods or maybe the small jump between the barn & north fields, if I'm really in a hurry. Otherwise, I'd prefer something that doesn't rattle my teeth when I kick him into a jog or canter. I also don't plan to sell him.
Jim, thanks for the lesson in ponies/horses. There's a lot to it.I like the name Chip. It's better than Nexus.
PS-As far as animals being mean to one another, it probably depends on the animal how mean they are. Boogie is really laid back and wouldn't hurt a fly. He lets Alice have her way and never bucks her. Sometimes I feel sorry for him when Alice takes his toys and guards them.
Well, Chip is as laid back as they come. Speedy isn't. The vet pretty much passed Chip today, we have to wait 2 weeks on a Coggins, but everything else was OK. So tonight OK we had another major breakthrough. I actually rode him. We weren't planning on it since he was barely broken & hasn't been ridden in 4 years, but one thing led to another...https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...
Congrats on the ride, Jim. Poor Speedy. He needs a little extra attention. He may be jealous of this new competitor who's getting so much attention from you.
Sounds as if you and Chip each have found a mate. Enjoy!
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