Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
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What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
Our oldest had to put in some 'face time' at work, so he flew in from RI & spent some time with us. (He's a programmer & works remotely.) It was great to see him & we played the Quoridor game several times with both 2 & 4 players. Wow, it's an interesting game. You can find a 2 player version here:https://danielborowski.github.io/site...
We opened presents & I got a new handle for my oxy-propane torch. I originally bought the set from Harbor Freight & the lower oxygen valve has always been a PITA. It was just a bit loose, so touching it on the side would release more oxygen, a real problem now that I'm using propane. It's a lot touchier than acetylene, especially when starting. My other son sent me a new set of hoses, so I practically have a new set now.
:)
Nice early Christmas presents and sounds like just what you's wish for.
Nina! 72nd anniversary! A belated but heartfelt Congratulations.
Merry Xmas, all. We had lamb chops & my daughter made macaroons, so good food last night. I expect we'll chat with the boys at some point today. I already called Mom. It's best for us to chat first thing in the morning, about 5am, before we get busy. She's got to feed the horses, cut a little tree off a path in the woods, & then she's going up to see my son & his kids. I did my path clearing yesterday. My little chainsaw is acting up, so I need to get to the bottom of that. I had a tough time clearing some dead ash trees that fell across paths yesterday with it, so that's on the list today.
E&J gave me an electric 3" rotary metal cutter. That will get a work out today as I'm going to make up the tool holders/blade guides for the new grinding wheel. Then I'll work on cell phone holders. I made one up yesterday, a rearing horse on a platform about 5" high. It wound up falling off the bandsaw & broke, so I glued it back together with super glue. Erin tested it & likes it, so now that I know what I'm doing, I'll make up some more of those.
It's supposed to be really nice out again. Almost 60 with clear skies! I'll probably go for a ride with Marg. Cloud has gained some weight, so he should be comfortable.
Sounds like your kind of Christmas. Very nice indeed.
Read some of my current book, On Being A Christian, added some more to my current painting, answered and read email, looked at FB responses, advertised my first novel, and sketched some drawings for my painting as well as my next stained-glass stepping stone. How 'bout you?
I'm making some cell phone holders, cute figures on a base that will hold a cell phone either vertically or horizontally for reading or watching movies. My daughter & several others have requested them. I'm making them out of the maple I cut down at her house a couple of years ago.I moved some hay yesterday & the sliding door (12' square oak) to the big barn fell off the front roller when I was closing it. The old bolt that runs from the roller down to the bracket on the top of the door stripped. They're a drag to work on at the best of times since there's very little room & the door is heavy. Thankfully my son-in-law came right up & we got it done. He was down on the ground with the tamping bar levering the door up while I was up on the ladder putting a new bolt back in. I had to hold the nut with a washer balanced on top in a pair of needle nosed vice grips while turning the bolt to thread it on. Very little maneuvering room.
I dug out my fish pond & replaced it with a couple of buckets of dirt. I put it out in the field where I could dump the muck at the bottom & left it there for the horses to play with. They originally thought it was a monster, of course. It was funny watching them snort & blow around it. Eventually Tango flipped it over & they ran away as it flopped, but soon came back to play some more.
I started to replace a rotted post in the board fence & found it was set in concrete. I got half of it dug out on one side when it got dark. I covered the hole with a big, flat rock & will finish it up once it gets light this morning. I do not understand why they used concrete. What a waste & it makes repairs a lot harder.
Happy New Year and I won't add "Don't work too hard" as it would go on deaf ears.
I'll be signing documents, filling my car's gas tank or else I'm going to run out of gas, and I'll probably work some more on my painting. Lastly and if I feel like it, I'll read one or both books I'm currently into.
After a few weeks off from work, today went bowling (on a league) and actually did quite well. Then went off to work. When you haven't worked in a few weeks its hard to get things done in 4 hours. Looks as though I'll be doing some work from home in the next few days. Good to get back in the swing of things - bowling and work.
Nice weather today, sunny & around 50, so we went for a ride. I noticed the bird feeders have been lasting a long time. We have a sparrow hawk hanging around our place, so far fewer other birds.
Jim, that's great. Never saw a sparrow hawk. This winter, the pileated woodpecker has visited the suet feeder every single day - around 730am. Then, a few times throughout the day.
We have a few Pileated woodpeckers around, but they never visit our feeders. We have a lot of others, though. The Downy woodpeckers are constantly on the suet & peanuts. We see the Red-breasted fairly often, but never see a Red-headed during the winter, just in the warmer months. Odd.
Our old window bird feeder went kaput so we ordered a new one that looked very nice/good suction cups among other things and guess what; rarely does a bird venture to it. They don't like their new dining room.
In case you haven't' heard, our Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl. first time in fifty years. Last time they won.
Kathy Kusner is a friend of my mother's & reminds me a lot of her. They're the same age & about the same size (tiny), but a truly daunting duo. When our oldest boy was going for his higher ratings in Pony Club, she gave him one of her saddles, a close-contact Hermes, that she used in the 1972 Olympics. She also helped one of my best friends get sober which isn't mentioned in this great article about her.https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2020/01...
I've been cleaning up my shop. I built it 12 years ago & have been really pleased with how it turned out, but it's gotten full of junk, jumbled storage, & DUST. It's amazing how much really fine dust has managed to coat everything even though I vacuum areas regularly.This hasn't been a short project. I started it over Xmas holidays & work on an area, then do something else for a while. Last night I wanted to put a cord on a fan & wound up pulling everything out of 2 drawers & 4 toolboxes I use for electrical stuff. 2 hours later, it was all squared away & I still hadn't wired the fan.
I did that this morning & in my search I turned up a thermostat! My stepfather bought it back in 2004 & it got stuck in my storage at some point. It turned out it was perfect for my shop heater. It came with a 'thermostat' that's actually more of a timer. I had to nudge it up & down depending on the temps outside since it wasn't one of those things that was real high on my To Do list. I knew I'd have to research what sort of thermostat, run the wire, & figure out how to install it. Finding the perfect one just sitting in the drawer prompted me to finally get around to it.
Nina wrote: "Our old window bird feeder went kaput so we ordered a new one that looked very nice/good suction cups among other things and guess what; rarely does a bird venture to it. They don't like their new ..."Perhaps they are waiting for Spring.
Jim wrote: "I've been cleaning up my shop. I built it 12 years ago & have been really pleased with how it turned out, but it's gotten full of junk, jumbled storage, & DUST. It's amazing how much really fine du..."Jim you have such interesting tasks and stories!
Today its frigid out. Only 7degrees. Our roof shoveler originally said he'd be here at 7am only to text me and say its too cold. Doesn't he check the weather before scheduling? Hmmmmm. We are going to physical therapy for hubby who pinched a nerve in neck area. Think I should have made an appointment for myself as well. Apparently while shoveling 18 inches of snow a few days ago, and the bottom of the 18 inches wet and icy, I must have pulled a few muscles. I can walk but yesterday at bowling …. whoa brother! Difficult walking up stairs. Maybe when we are at the therapist office I'll make an appointment for myself. Or, have a good hot soak later this afternoon followed by an alcoholic beverage. After all it is Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentines Day!
Ugh. Hope you both feel better soon, Linda.I was born on LI, on the north shore, but we moved when I was 5. I had a lot of relatives there & used to spend most summers there. The place sure has changed. The fields we used to ride are now houses packed on tiny lots.
I was born in Manhattan near Gracie Mansion. LI was beautiful with all the farms. Many of the farms turned over to wineries and many turned into home (sad). Houses, stores and more stores. Lots of traffic. Main reason we moved.
No cities remain the same. We once took five kids to NY city and rode the bus as we couldn't all fit into a cab. It was a fun time and not overcrowded with tourists like us.
I gave my wife 2 electrical outlets with covers for Valentine's Day. Pretty romantic, eh? ;)
It's tough to find anything to give her any more & her birthday is just a couple of weeks away, but this year I figured it out. I'm going to replace the 150 watt incandescent bulbs in the horse stalls with 4 - 4', 45w LED lights. I'll have to change over the light sockets to receptacles, thus the Valentine's Day gift. She's excited.
:)
Jim wrote: "I gave my wife 2 electrical outlets with covers for Valentine's Day. Pretty romantic, eh? ;)
It's tough to find anything to give her any more & her birthday is just a couple of weeks away, but th..."
creative ideas!
No fan fare but today is my husband and my 30th wedding anniversary! whoooo hooooo I wanted a party, he didn't. Its ok. We have each other!
Congrats! That's a long time to be married today.
Nowadays, 30 is a long time. Is 30 the new 60? Ha!
American Dirt would be a great book club selection.
UPS lost my order of 10 LED bulbs & that's a costly mess. They went out on delivery & disappeared. They were the only ones in stock that were 'reworked', so they cost $50 less ($81 instead of $130) than new ones. Worse, the new ones went up $10 since I ordered them, so if they don't find them it's going to cost me $60 more if I have to reorder. Of course, that's OK with Amazon & UPS. So I asked for an investigation which can take up to 8 business days. Sigh. I couldn't leave my girls with crappy light in the feed area, so I swiped one of the LED bulbs out of my shop. It's great that the old florescent fixtures can now operate with 1 or 2 bulbs. I goofed rewiring, though. I wasn't feeling great (probably dehydrated) & just cut out the ballast before realizing the electrician hadn't put a piece of tape on the return white wire from the switch. The wires are hidden, so I had no idea which was source & which was the switch. Then I managed to confuse myself. I finally had to sit down & draw the circuit out to rewire it. It didn't help that someone was shooting nearby so I had dogs under foot. The horses & goats were trying to help, too. What should have been a 15 minute job took over an hour, so I had neither the time nor energy to wire in the new LED fixtures I got for the stalls. They're on my list for today now.
Thanks. The stall lights went well. No help & no problems.:)
It was a gorgeous weekend & supposed to be nice today, but the rain is coming again tonight. I had to spend most of Saturday fiddling with the Exchange server, but I could do it from home. Still, I didn't get out nearly as much as I wanted to. I'm hoping to cut out early today.I got 10 LED replacement bulbs & replaced the 8' fluorescents in the overhang of my shop. They're the least used, but the easiest to access. I could stand on a work bench for them while the rest take an 8' step ladder. Anyway, I tested all 10 & they work.
I found a dozen paper wasp nests in each fixture! They haven't hatched yet & I'm sure I'll find them in the barn fixtures as well, so I plan to do them ASAP. I'm allergic. I really want to get the fields harrowed (chain dragged) though. It's a little wet, but getting them done now will allow the rain to knock the manure into the ground faster.
I guess the virus is disrupting all our lives. Mine very little, but the wife & kids have had a terrible time grocery shopping. For some reason everyone is treating this like a blizzard. No milk or toilet paper on the shelves. TP will keep, but I really don't get the milk. Lines in the store are crazy, too.I'm really sad to see so many sporting events cancelled. I'm not a big fan of any, although I do like to catch horse races & eventing occasionally. I'm really sorry for those competing, though. A lot of these competitions are something they've been working toward for years & they've got a limited window. For the Derby, it's this year or not at all. It's probably that way for a lot of the college basketball teams, too.
I know how it's going in my area, but what about yours?
The paper product aisles in grocery stores have been almost depleted. There were only 10 shoppers in the grocery store when I went this weekend. Felt eerie. I work part-time and my employer told me to work from home. Small office. Only half of the staff will go to the office. If someone were to become ill then we will have someone who was working from home go in to office.
Omaha, Nebraska is in a state of emergency until April 30th. No public gatherings of more than 10 people are permitted.Schools; bars and restaurants closed. (No inside dining permitted---take out and delivery still permitted). Exceptions : medical facilities; grocery stores; gas stations. All public libraries are closed. Since the elderly seem at greater risk--nursing homes are not permitting outside visitors.
So far I am well--no symptoms. Have been staying close to home except for grocery shopping.Really sad---the Archbishop of Omaha has suspended the public saying of Mass, til further notice. Since I am unable to drive, I am used to being in---and there is no place to go to. The isolation is wrose now--but I am at double risk for covid-19----elderly,69 and health complications--heart disease. Praying this outbreak is short-lived.
Glad you're OK, Mary. Hope it this mess doesn't last too long. All is well here, for now.
Seventy five degrees on Tuesday but very cold today around thirty degrees and cold wind blowing. Crazy weather. All schools in KS closed. They expect Kansas City will be like Seattle within two weeks. So in spite of being elderly we did last minute shopping this morning and will hibernate for the next few weeks. Everyone so nice to us letting us get ahead of them in grocery stores and giving us a kind word to stay well.
I work for a small manufacturing company, so only a few people can work from home. They've been doing OK, but things have slowed up a lot. That's nice because I have a new server which is requiring a lot of changes. Much easier without users bugging me.I mowed our back yard for the first time yesterday evening. It was barely dry enough after 2 days of rain, but it needed it. Patches were over 6" tall & it was in the low 70s. It's supposed to be dry this weekend, but it's 37 out now & not supposed to get out of the 40s today. Even chillier tomorrow. Too cold to be sitting on a mower.
Nina wrote: "Seventy five degrees on Tuesday but very cold today around thirty degrees and cold wind blowing. Crazy weather. All schools in KS closed. They expect Kansas City will be like Seattle within two wee..."75! Wow. Then to cold weather - would make my sinuses crazy!
sunny today and windy about 34 degrees. My employer is considered essential business - provide care for seniors. Office staff of 10 are rotating working in the office. Two weeks in office two weeks from home.
Stay safe everyone!
Today temp is 35 degrees. Snow expected anywhere from 8 inches up. When it says "Up" we generally get a foot. Nina, I'm going to pull out the blueberry recipes received from you and make a coffee cake later!
My company is shut down for at least a week. I don't mind being isolated at home since that's pretty much what I do, anyway. I worked hard for 50 years to buy my farm & build my shop. Now that I have them, I'm busy with them except when I go to work. Since we live over 20 minutes from town, we always keep a good stock of everything we need, too.My biggest change & frustration is that I the small area for my home computer, so only have room for 1 monitor & computer which can get pretty cramped. At work I use a 6' table for my desk with 2 monitors & 5 computers under it. Access to the server rack just requires turn of my chair. Turning my chair & scooting a few feet gives me access to half a dozen other computers.
The other big challenges are the weather (gorgeous!) & the dogs. Lily, my Pointer, doesn't understand that I've been working. She thinks it's a weekend & we should be out working on the farm so she beats me with her tail & keeps telling me it's time to go out. Thankfully today is the weekend.
At almost ninety three and ninety four we are staying in/except for walks on our cul d' sac and wishing I had bought bedding plants early and kept them in the solarium. Sad to see my empty garden but I hope the azaleas will bloom soon.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Oh, you were so lucky. My day will come.