Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
>
What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
message 151:
by
Nina
(new)
May 15, 2009 04:30PM
Jim wrote: "We found that bird baths are one of the best ways to attract birds. Most people don't realize that just food isn't enough for them. They need a ready source of water, especially in the cold winte..."I love the idea of getting a dog heated bowl to use next winter.. thanks for the tip. nina
reply
|
flag
Glad to help, Nina. I'll tell my wife. I thought it was a brilliant idea. We placed them fairly close to the house so electric wasn't a problem. The birds didn't mind, but we couldn't see them using them, which was a bit of a bummer. I didn't want to run an electric cord across the lane, though.It's raining again! I guess I'll mow tomorrow. This morning we are going to buy a trundle bed for Erin's room. She has too much in her room to normally keep a double bed & doesn't need it. We could use a spare bed for guests, though. I hope they're not too expensive.
Jim wrote: "Joy, it doesn't work with Firefox. Typical Microsoft garbage. I used their Powerpoint to make the original. It will work with any version of IE from 4.0 & up. You need to accept 2 different Act..."Jim, I'll see if my kids can help me with your webpage. Thanks.
Thanks again for the info re the heated dog water bowls. Actually, our bird bath doesn't hold a lot of water, probably not much more than a dog water bowl, but of course it has more of the water surface exposed to the air. I wonder how much difference that would make in the cost of heating. Our birdbath has a thermostat, but we suspect it doesn't turn off until the water is a higher temp than necessary.
About the book I said was set in the south during the Civil Rights time and that I almost thought the characters were so real I was hunting for their house in Jackson, MI. You can look it up on Alibris.com and look under book search..It is 1.99, used..I have gotten books from them before with good results. The book is titled, "Civil Wars," by Rosellen Brown..It is the story of two civil rights activists, man and wife who are the only whites living in a segregated neighborhood with their children..The husband's racist sister and her husband are killed in an auto accident and they must take over their children to raise..Hope this helps. nina
Another book suggestion: This one I haven't read although I intend to do so after reading the review of it in our paper this morning. The title, is "The Zookeeper's Wife," by Diane Ackerman..It is a true story about a sanctury for 300 Jewish people that were saved during the bombed out Nazi occupation of Warsaw by, actually, the zookeeper's wife..She hid them in animal cages and also right under their would be captors' noses.. As a poet and naturalist, a close observer of nature and human nature, Diane Ackerman coudn't have found a more intriguing story to explore.
Nina wrote: "About the book I said was set in the south during the Civil Rights time and that I almost thought the characters were so real ... The book is titled, "Civil Wars," by Rosellen Brown"Nina, thanks for the title and author.
Below is the cover-link for anyone interested:
_Civil Wars_ by Rosellen Brown
Nina wrote: "Another book suggestion: This one I haven't read although I intend to do so after reading the review of it in our paper this morning. The title, is "The Zookeeper's Wife," by Diane Ackerman..It is..."Nina, thanks for the recommendation.
Below is the cover-link:
_The Zookeeper's Wife A War Story_ by Diane Ackerman
Happy Memorial Day to all."... to the men and women who are serving around the world, to the families who support them, we thank you."
ABOVE FROM: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...
I'm enjoying our beautiful weather and giving thanks for it... and for the day.
Hope you are too.
Busy weekend! My son came out & we spent most of Saturday putting nylon netting up under the trusses in the horse barn to stop the starlings from nesting there. It was quite a job. The netting stretched to 12' wide, but came in a roll about 2' wide & it was only folded once! As it stretched sideways, the length shrunk & it had to be stapled on every 1" hole. We put up 92', so lots of staples, all above our heads. Once that was done, I got the lawn out of the way because they were calling for rain yesterday. Never did get it.Yesterday & today, we worked on a hammock stand for my son. He's decided he won't sleep in a bed, but a Mayan hammock, which doesn't have a crossbar. (Yes, he's weird.) Regular hammock stands don't work. The ends need to be 6'-7' tall & the spread is about 14'. A decent wood one costs about $400, so we bought $90 of oak fence boards, planed them down & built our own. We're almost done.
Since he lives in an apartment on the third floor of an old house, we designed it in 6 sections; 2 risers, 2 feet & the main beam is in 2 parts. The steps up are steep & narrow, lots of twists. The main beam is about 11' long, 3" x 5", so it wouldn't fit as one piece. The 2 sections are 7' long, so they will fit & one person can carry them much easier.
Kids can come up with such interesting projects.
Jim wrote: "Busy weekend! My son came out & we spent most of Saturday putting nylon netting up under the trusses in the horse barn to stop the starlings from nesting there. It was quite a job. The netting s..."Do you still believe the theory that KIDS KEEP YOU YOUNG? I don't think I felt old until I had six..nina
Jim wrote: "Busy weekend! My son came out & we spent most of Saturday putting nylon netting up under the trusses in the horse barn to stop the starlings from nesting there. It was quite a job. The netting s..."Jim - You do jobs I never even DREAMED of! (lol)
Speaking of projects, we finally put a clothes line out back. Trying to be green these days. Will we be seeing more clothes lines around the country? Back to the old ways.
With this nice weather, I spend a lot of time opening all the windows around the house. Nice to let the fresh air in. Then we make the rounds and close all the windows at sundown. Developing our arm muscles. :)
Hope your son enjoys his hammock. I remember our first hammock when I was a kid. It hung from a frame. First time we got it, I wanted to sleep on the hammock, outside on the front porch. I woke up in the wee hours, freezing! I had a blanket over me, but none under me and the cold air came through the bottom of the hammock! B-r-r! Lesson learned! :)
Nina wrote: "Do you still believe the theory that KIDS KEEP YOU YOUNG? I don't think I felt old until I had six.."Nina, I never felt really old until the pains set in. Now Eddie and I laugh as we walk like the character Tim Conway played on the Carol Burnett show, all bent over and mincing our steps, shuffling along. That's when we feel stiff. Fortunately, when we limber up, we do better. But just getting up from a chair, it takes time to limber up. That's what I call OLD. LOL Fortunately, we don't need a cane yet.
PS-I found a hilarious YouTube video with Tim Conway and a wheelchair. He does the "shuffle" at the end. Below is a link to the video: ====>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5BMVm...
Bet you can't stop laughing! LOL
Kids certainly keep me from getting bored. Interesting critters. The dogs are less expensive, though.
Jim wrote: "Kids certainly keep me from getting bored. Interesting critters. The dogs are less expensive, though."I agree with your last two lines; Kids are interesting critters and yes, dogs and cats are less expensive. I once wrote a book of poems for children, titled, "Kids and Other Critters."And speaking of not being bored; long ago I told my to be husband that if he married me he'd never be bored..Much later he added, "I didn't know then boring is beautiful." "nuff said." nina
Nina wrote: "... And speaking of not being bored; long ago I told my to be husband that if he married me he'd never be bored..Much later he added, "I didn't know then boring is beautiful." "nuff said."Nina, I'm sure your husband was only teasing. Reminds me of a plaque I once gave my dad. It said "Bald is beautiful." :)
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "... And speaking of not being bored; long ago I told my to be husband that if he married me he'd never be bored..Much later he added, "I didn't know then boring is beautiful." "nuff sa..."Yes, he was teasing and fortunately he only teases those he likes or loves, as the case may be..I am almost finished with my round the world tour(A Year in the World) by Frances Mayes..Mostly, I just love this book but once in a while she goes into too much detail and I want her to move on to the next place on her list. Also, strangely I found a mistake. She wrote that a bookstore in Napa valley was the first bookstore in US to introduce coffee and food into it. And that was 1978..I went to a bookstore in 1978 in a shopping area near Carmel, CA and they had coffee and freshly made popovers..I have never forgotten how good they were..you have to be careful what you say and especially what you write..nina
Nina wrote: "Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "... And speaking of not being bored; long ago I told my to be husband that if he married me he'd never be bored..Much later he added, "I didn't know the..."Hmmm, Nina, that book, _A Year in the World Journeys of A Passionate Traveller_, does sound like it would be interesting. The Goodreads description says:
====================================================
"An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs. ...
"An illuminating and passionate book that will be savored by all who loved _Under the Tuscan Sun_, _A Year in the World_ is travel writing at its peak."
====================================================
Very tempting... as are those "freshly made popovers". :)
We've been getting a wonderful amount of rain. Yesterday, we got 3/4" in the morning & we had thunder storms last night around 9pm that dropped another 1/2". The grass is growing like crazy. I mowed the north field for the second time Wednesday night. That's a bit of a drag because it takes all evening, but I got in for dinner by 8pm so it wasn't too bad. I got one backpack full of 2-4-D on that field last night about 6pm. That gave it 3 hours to soak in to kill the broad leaf plants before the rain - about the minimum. Oh well, fingers are crossed. I have really knocked the weeds down in there since we bought the place, but I have to keep after it. Lots of weed seed still in the ground.
Today, I'm taking a half day - leaving work about 10:30 - to pick up my son's dog. She'll stay with us for a week while he's visiting in MD. I have to get right back home because the state forester is coming out to see my woods & how much I've retaken from the invasive plants. I have a couple of issues for him to look at, like clearing out a bunch of maple saplings to allow some other trees to have an opportunity. Hopefully, he can identify a few plants, too.
Jim wrote: "We've been getting a wonderful amount of rain. Yesterday, we got 3/4" in the morning & we had thunder storms last night around 9pm that dropped another 1/2". The grass is growing like crazy. I m..."We've had several days of rain here too.
We have our son's dog, Alice, here for a week too.
Alice is a German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix. Looks mostly like a German Shepherd.
Romeo and Alice love going out into the yard together... like playmates.
They're so cute. Mutt and Jeff. :)
Click on photo for larger picture.ON WEEDS:
Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do.
~Slim Acres
Baby sitting dogs seems to be going around. Alice is a nice looking dog.No more starlings are in the barn. Yay!!! It seems the netting is working to keep them out. I am so tickled. It was a lot of work, but worth it.
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jim wrote: "We've been getting a wonderful amount of rain. Yesterday, we got 3/4" in the morning & we had thunder storms last night around 9pm that dropped another 1/2". The grass is growing like..."Cute couple of dogs, Joy/ Nina
Hummingbirds finally found our feeders a few days ago. Unfortunately, so did the night critters - racoons. Chewed the perches right off and tossed/spit them on the lawn! Seems everyone needs a sweet drink.
Speaking of racoons; when our neighbor at Lake of the Ozarks had trouble with them raiding his garden a friend suggested putting speakers in the garden at night and turning on loud music and he assured our neighbor it would scare them away..He told us he did what he was advised; turned on the music and put it into the loud speakers and then he went out for the evening.. he said when he returned around midnight there were the racoons in the garden dancing up a storm..end of story..nina
Linda wrote: "Hummingbirds finally found our feeders a few days ago. Unfortunately, so did the night critters - racoons. Chewed the perches right off and tossed/spit them on the lawn! Seems everyone needs a swee..."Hi Linda! Welcome to our group. It's great to see you here and nice to have another local in the group too. We have an interesting mix here of locals and folks from all around the world. It adds to the diversity.
Those racoons are devils! Nervy little things. I remember hearing a noise in our carport one night. I looked out the window and there was Mr. Racoon staring right back at me. They have such cute faces... it's hard not to love them.
Nina wrote: "...a friend suggested putting speakers in the garden at night and turning on loud music... when he returned around midnight there were the racoons in the garden dancing up a storm..end of story"LOL - Musical racoons! Ya gotta love 'em.
One time when camping on the Lake George islands years ago, we left plums on the picnic table at night. In the morning I found all the pits in a neat pile on the table. We suspected it was the theiving racoons. Neat little fellows!
Who stole our warm weather? Planned on camping this weekend but threats of rain with cold temperatures changed our minds. May go canoeing this afternoon - supposed to be sunny.
Linda wrote: "Who stole our warm weather? Planned on camping this weekend but threats of rain with cold temperatures changed our minds. May go canoeing this afternoon - supposed to be sunny. "Linda - Canoeing sounds like fun, especially if the weather turns out to be better than expected. Good luck! The sun is shining here right now at 10:40 AM, 5/30/09, but it seems to be going in and out.
Current weather report says:
====================================================
"TODAY: Mostly cloudy this morning...then becoming partly sunny. Scattered showers with isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s."
"NOW: Scattered showers will continue to move across the southern Adirondacks...west central Mohawk Valley...and into the Lake George northern Saratoga region between 830 am and 1100 am. The showers will be most numerous north of Route 8...and west of Interstate 87. Rainfall amounts will generally be 5 hundredths of an inch or less."
FROM: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/f...
=====================================================
Also see:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick....
Heh, in SE Louisiana, we are expecting a high of 89F today. Ya want some? lol
Ugh! 89?!!! It's headed our way, too. Supposed to be about that warm tomorrow. Of course, I'm taking the day off to do a lot of weedeating, mulch & such...
Pontalba wrote: "Heh, in SE Louisiana, we are expecting a high of 89F today. Ya want some? lol"Pontalba, I'll take some! :)
Our current temp here in northeastern NY is reported at 57°F at 1:26 PM-ET, but the sun is shining and it seems warmer. There's a nice breeze. Our home-thermometers read 70 degrees. Actually this is the ideal temperature and weather for me.
Today I'm recovering from yesterday's cataract surgery.Today's follow-up visit to the eye doctor indicated that things are progressing normally.
Glad all is going well, Joy.I didn't get ALL my chores done yesterday, but got a LOT done. It was 91 degrees & by lunch time, I was whacked. So I took a nap. I got back out after 3 & worked until about 7. I ran out of gas, both figuratively & literally, so I have to make up another batch tonight, but I think one more tankful should finish up the fence lines.
I made the mistake of leaving my truck in the horse field with the weedeater & its harness in the bed. Dumb. Halfway through my lunch, the horses found it & started to play. Cutter thought the weedeater harness was a great toy. I must have been tired to leave toys out for them to play with.
Jim, granted I know absolutely nothing about horses, so what a great peek for me into the unsuspected playfulness of the gorgeous critters! :) I can imagine how irritating it was for you though.
Joy, sounds good to me, glad you're doing fine. :)
Joy, sounds good to me, glad you're doing fine. :)
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Today I'm recovering from yesterday's cataract surgery.Today's follow-up visit to the eye doctor indicated that things are progressing normally."Good news on your eye situation. nina
Pontalba wrote: "Jim, granted I know absolutely nothing about horses, so what a great peek for me into the unsuspected playfulness of the gorgeous critters! :) I can imagine how irritating it was for you though. ..."Jim and Pontalba - I feel the same way about watching horses play. I never thought they did, but now I'm beginning to realize they do. One time at a theater in the south I watched a dramatization in a rodeo-type setting with horses as part of the act. After the show, they let the horses loose in the ring. I was amazed to see so many horses roll on their backs with their legs in the air like huge puppies! What a sight!
While watching the bonus section of movie, "The Mask of Zorro", yesterday, I heard the director tell how Zorro's horse was played by five different horses, each horse being trained for a specific action like kicking, rearing up, or bursting through a fence. Very interesting stuff.
PS-Thanks to all for the good wishes for my eye.
Horses play all the time, a lot like dogs. Actually, the dogs & horses often fight over who gets the jolly balls. Do a google search for "jolly ball for ---" & you'll see that both horses & dogs pop up. We have 2, one is old & about 1/2 a ball now, the other we got new for Xmas. It's a 12" rubber ball with a handle on it. You'd think it was too big for the Jack Russells, but they like it, too.I wish I had a camera about a month ago when Pixie, our JRT pup was trying & eventually succeeded in stealing the old ball away from Cutter, Marg's young horse. She's about twice the size of one of his hooves. It was a sight to see.
Jim wrote: "Horses play all the time, a lot like dogs. Actually, the dogs & horses often fight over who gets the jolly balls. Do a google search for "jolly ball for ---" & you'll see that both horses & dogs ..."Jim - What fun! I googled for "YouTube horse jolly ball" and found some good videos of horses playing with jolly balls. See the links below: ====>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Uxyj...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62edi...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPHOJn...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUqQLU...
They're just like puppies. :)
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jim wrote: "Horses play all the time, a lot like dogs. Actually, the dogs & horses often fight over who gets the jolly balls. Do a google search for "jolly ball for ---" & you'll see that both ho..."Thanks for the info on Jolly balls..I will pass this on to my "horse" daughter..nina
I'll watch the videos tomorrow when I'm on highspeed. I'm sure they'll be great. Good idea searching there, Joy. I'm happy to pass it along, Nina. One of the things we designed in to our new place was being surrounded by the horse pasture on 3 sides with a view of the barn out the back patio door. It's so neat being able to watch them. Much better than TV!
Jim wrote: "I'll watch the videos tomorrow when I'm on highspeed. I'm sure they'll be great. Good idea searching there, Joy. I'm happy to pass it along, Nina. One of the things we designed in to our ne..."Jim. the last time we were at my daughters home it was Easter and pouring rain and looking out her French doors in the kitchen you can see the stable..Both horses were looking out of the opening looking sad that they couldn't go out and "play" and it remimded me of The Cat in the Hat with the two little children looking out the window with nothing to do. Once I was writing a children's story about dogs and I read some literature for research that said, No One should have chlidren that hasn't raised a dog and no one should have a dog until they have raised children.. Maybe the same could be said about horses and children..Do you agree? nina
I do agree, Nina. I always thought of kids as little animals. Both have to be socialized in pretty much the same way. Kids go a bit further & take longer, but it's a very similar process. It's why I've never understood people who say they won't spank a kid. They try to reason or appeal to the better nature of something that hasn't learned to have one yet. I always figured a swat on the fanny got the point across a lot more efficiently whether it was a puppy, foal or kid (goat or human).
Once kids get to an age of reason (5 - 10), talking is often better than a swat, but those first years... Well, pain has been teaching all life for millions of years.
Those were fun clips, Joy. Thanks. The pony in the first one looks like a young, fit version of our old pony, Speedy. Speedy is now in his mid-20's & fat. You feel like you're doing the split when you hop on him.
Jim wrote: "... Speedy is now in his mid-20's & fat."Jim, most of us get fat sooner or later. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jim wrote: "I do agree, Nina. I always thought of kids as little animals. Both have to be socialized in pretty much the same way. Kids go a bit further & take longer, but it's a very similar process. As my husband used to day, "A swat gets their atttention." ninaIt'..."
Mom flew in with my oldest last night. He should be over today to pick up his hammock stand that we built & his dog. It will be nice to be down to a mere 5 dogs...
Jim wrote: "Mom flew in with my oldest last night. He should be over today to pick up his hammock stand that we built & his dog. It will be nice to be down to a mere 5 dogs... "My nieghbor up the street has four..and it is a treat to pet and watch them without the responsibility but you have the youth and place for five so enjoy while you may. nina
Jim wrote: "Mom flew in with my oldest last night. He should be over today to pick up his hammock stand that we built & his dog. It will be nice to be down to a mere 5 dogs... "Jim, it must be nice to see your mom. I hope she has a good visit. Will she stay long?
My sister has always had multiple dogs. I get a taste of it when the kids visit overnight with several dogs. They're big dogs and you know they're there! (lol) But I love them.
We had a chance to acquire another Maltese (free) a few years ago. Sometimes I'm sorry we passed up the opportunity. I would have called her "Juliette" just so we could say our dogs' names were "Romeo and Juliette".
Doggone. I missed my chance. But the upside is that we have less vet fees to pay with only one dog. Vet fees can add up. Our last visit for a simple exam and shots, etc., added up to over $200 dollars.
At least we can buy love... a real bargain when you think about it.
Mom is here until early Tuesday morning. I'll drop her off at the airport & then go to work a little late, but my boss doesn't care if I get in at 5:45 or 6:15. Security doesn't open at the airport until 6am.5 dogs is at least 2 too many. We just sort of goofed. Marg tried to breed her oldest bitch & it didn't take. The breeder gave her a puppy instead of returning the fee. We also figured that Munchkin wouldn't be with us. He turns 18 in a month. Oh well. There's room in the beds for them all...
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jim wrote: "Mom flew in with my oldest last night. He should be over today to pick up his hammock stand that we built & his dog. It will be nice to be down to a mere 5 dogs... We once had two cats named Bonnie and Cylde and my daughter had two dogs named Smokey and Bandit. ninaJim, it must be..."
Jim wrote: "Mom is here until early Tuesday morning. ...."Jim, I hope your mom has a nice visit.
Is Munchkin in good health at the age of almost 18? Hope so.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Educated (other topics)Pride and Prejudice (other topics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (other topics)
The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
War and Peace (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Tara Westover (other topics)Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
More...
