Coffee and...Part 25...! :-D

Thanks Maria, it works well and wasn't too costly, so it served my purpose. Of course I would rather have stained glass, but that's out of my budget at least for now. I've paid so much in vet bills recently that I'm watching my pennies like Scrooge. At least until Uncle Sam sends me a SS check....and right after that I'll get my energy bill which will be astronomical after a month of the A/C going day and night.

I don't know what LCR is either, so enlighten us!!

Europeans have been paying high gas prices for years, that's why they are driving those little compacts. But we had to have the big SUVs, and trucks, so we are hoist by our own petard. Wouldn't you think we might have remembered the 70s and the lines at the gas station? We must be truly stupid. Or gullible. Or both.

I can understand those who need a heavy duty vehicle, but when I see some ditzy blonde whipping around in a tank, with a cell phone stuck to her ear, I just see red!!

OK hopping down from soap box. going to empty washer. get dressed. I know. I said I was doing that before but I got distracted!!

M5- that is good looking!! However my windows have 6 panes (the kind with the plastic insert thing) I supposed I could take it out or even get a frame to go on top of it. I will have to go take a look at things!!

I haven't accompolished a thing today other than: Made two beds, did the dishes, picked up the papers = wandered the gardens and hunted japanese beetles AND eaten a load of cheese and crackers! No wonder I am up in weight!! In fact, I need another plate load -then a visit to the grocery store and library.

Morning all! Been lurking more than contributing, sorry. Just don't have much to say, usually. Just work, eat supper, water a few flowers, go to bed. Not much excitement, thats for sure.

Picked up my sweetie (DGD) after work last night and she promptly got sick. Threw up, temp over 101. Finally got ahold of DD about 11:30. She came and got her and didn t bring her back this morning so apparenty it's not a super fast bug. I ll call her in a bit and see how she's doing. Poor thing - she felt so awful last night.

Have to take MIL to phych doc today - we need a different or increased meds for her. She is getting worse and worse - very argumentive, messing with her meds...I feel so sorry for her but also frustrated cuz she won t listen to anything we tell her she needs to do. Her antiphyschotic is no longer helping like it did or her illness has progressed. Dunno, just know the last couple months have been a trial!

Saw a poster at work last week for a fall fest. Sept 14 - think I might pot up all my volunteer plants and get rid of them for 50 cents each. I just hate to hoe them out! Figure somebody can use them. I bought a big bag of potting soil and am ready to start digging...

On another note - been thinking and praying for u and ur mom, darius. Praying for a quick release for her and peace for u. Oh, it is so hard.......

LCR game. I looked all over town for it - Meijers, Target, Toys R Us etc. Finally found it at a teachers store. LCR stands for L-left C-center R-right. You have to buy the game although I think I could make one by copying the one i have. It is a dice game with chips. We plan on playing it for nickels and probably something higher when the big boys want to join. It can be played by all ages. We're gonna play tonight, so I'll let you know how it goes.

I heard about it listening to a radio program during the middle of the night (insomnia often) The gal on there always tells how much fun it is - over and over, so I thought I should get one!!

Comes in a little tube about half the size of a cigar case (never smoked them, but DD did) It costs 5.95 here in Mich. I LOVE to play games and am always on the look out for something new. We play tons of rummeycube, sequence, kings in the corner, golf and a zillion other card games - keeps the old mind a chugging along!!

I'm ashamed of myself - have eaten ALL day and am having company tonight, so that means more food! (I keep sampling the baked beans trying to decide if I need to add more bacon ) And tomorrow going to a get together of old teacher friends- another pig out.. woe is me and my fat body....

Betsy, I think you and I were sitting at the computer at the same time!! Only I was so long winded you got your post in first, I'm sure we are thinking of the same thing. Sarv, you should go look, and see if you might not even find an old window frame you could put the decal on, and hang or prop it in front of the window. Or you could lose your sanity and cut six little itty bitty squares out of an overall patterned sheet of decal. LOL I was wondering where that five pounds went that I lost with my flu bug, keep 'em safe, I'll need them this winter when the temps drop....

Just got home from lunch with DIL, yummy coconut shrimp/fruit salad at the Pie place, (Baker's Square) which I think I've mentioned before. Yum. Then I did minimal grocery shopping due to my damaged budget, we'll be cleaning out the freezer this month, and now I've lost my get up and go, so I'm going to plop in my fat chair and read.......or snooze, whichever comes first.

Well, told you that we had rain this morning. We have had a total of 1' 2/10. This is more than we have had all summer. Just went out and walked the gardens, the plants are sighing happily.

You all have got me absolutely intrigued with the stained glass thing. I am looking in the paper for the ad for the classes!! Or until I take the classes a trip to Lowes for the decals!!

Going to the kitchen to start the evening meal. Until the garden stuff is gone, it is strictly vegetarian here. So won't be much trouble. May make some corn bread to go along with the veggies.

Will check in later.

Hi everyone. It's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday I got the garden mostly irrigated, helped my neighbor bring his lambs to the corrals after dinner last night, then this morning while it was cool helped him sort out 70 to sell and a bunch to keep, and take the rest back to the pasture. I was back home before 10 am. My farrier was here shoeing my 3 endurance horses so I got back before he needed to work on the one I was riding. After he left I unloaded my farm truck that had a load of loose hay on it from the day before, and went to town to have lunch with my hubby and do some grocery and other shopping. My laundry is drying on the line in the sun and I'm enjoying a few minutes in the cool house. 88 outside (probably close to 100 in the sun) and about 75 inside. I was out long enough this afternoon finishing up the garden irrigation. The weatherman says our temps are headed up again into the 90's in a few days, and some thunderstorms are in the forecast for the next couple of days.

The nearby forest fires are not sending us any smoke today so I am guessing that some of them are well under control. The nearest one still has a sign at the intersection where the forest service road meets the state highway that says Fire Camp, so at least they have a minimal crew on it to work the hot spots. We don't see any more smoke coming from that one.

When we lived in Alaska I learned to do stained glass but haven't done much with it since. I have a lot of 12x12 inch sheets of pretty glass in my basement, a box of tools, a grinder, etc, but never have set up a shop to work with it. Maybe I can use part of my hubby's shop for a project this winter. M5, I like your windows. From a distance at least who would know they aren't the real thing? If I was looking into my neighbors house, or them into mine I would want something to block the view.

Dinner tonight is corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, sirloin steak (marked down bargain I picked up today) and some pasta salad. Not much to cook, the salad is already made. After dinner I will mow the lawn when it cools off a little and there is some shade out there.

You all have been asking my secret to how I keep going and going and going. Well, in about the late 1960's I got into health food stuff, started taking vitamins, limit my sugar intake, eat mostly whole grain breads and cereals and lots of fresh fruits and vegies, hardly ever eat junk food or any processed instant type stuff that passes for food, drink fruit juice, lots of water and milk instead of pop. It has paid off quite well I think. I'm 63 and haven't been to a doctor in at least 35 years, probably closer to 40. About once every 2 or 3 years I get a cold or some other kind of bug. I think it helps to have picked healthy ancestors, too, although some of them had the right genes to live long but smoked and drank so heavily they overrode their good systems and died earlier than they should have. My mother and father were in that category.
Time to get off my computer chair and do something..... Everybody take care.

This message was edited Aug 16, 2005 5:16 PM

Mary, I admire you so much eating all that healthy stuff. I just love food - the junkier the better. I could eat cookies and cakes all day long. I wish I could cut it outta my diet, but I just crave the stuff - bad as a smoker I think! Would you tell us what vitamins you are taking? I take a multi vitamin (to help weight loss it says LOL), two glucosamin chrondroitin, and a fish oil capsule. I need to pop a couple of calcium tabs too, but they tend to plug up the old pipes if ya know what I mean!! I go in phases where I cut out all pop and only have water. Right now I have one glass of pop a day and the rest water. I actually feel better drinking more water.

I try and make myself eat more fresh fruit and veggies, but I actually sometimes feel like I could gag eating them.

We played the LCR game tonight using chips and it was fun. DGS and mom thought it was more fun using dimes, so we did that (me furnishing the dimes...) Cute game and kids can play along with adults.

Gotta to checkout the chat room - forgot it was Tues!!

Hi all, was in the chat room earlier, some wierd conversations going on there, nothing that held my interest for long. It was like I got on in the middle of the conversation and couldn't figure it out.

Mary I really do admire you!!! I'm 58, and honey you could do more in 1/2 day than I get accomplished in a whole day. My energy comes and goes, so have to take advantage of the days when I am hyped!!

Sarv, I don't do cookies or cakes, but do have a taste for the salty stuff, give me the chips anytime over the sweets. However, DH loves the sweets, but also eats the chips and things!! I told him he only has 1 meal a day, but it is all day long!! He can eat more than any one human I have ever seen. Just recently it has started piling up around the waist too!! When we married, he wore a size 29 waist, now he wears a 34. Of course when we married I weighed a whopping 101. Since then I got up to 149, but presently at 122.

Sarv that game sounds like fun. However, since it is only me and DH, we don't do anything but watch the tube and I read, while he watches sports.

Wow defoe - if I could weigh that I would be SOOOO happy. I started out at 113 and am well over 50 lbs heavier (won't tell ya the exact number as you would fall off your chair!!) DH is even worse...started out with a 34 inch pants and now we buy 40 and they are below the belly - not a pretty sight, believe you me!!

Our 50 inch tv blew last night. I could have cried. We just finished with the wedding expenses, boat going bad, and new brakes on the car. Now this. We both love TV and have it on for hours at night. It caused a big booha rah between the two of us - nasty words spoken. (he wanted to take the tv otta MY bedroom - forget it!!) Said in front of our DS and DGS - not appropriate at all. After DS left, I let him have it with both barrels. He left for work without saying 'bye' even- he'll get over it..

Had a nice downpour yesterday - plants were slurping it all up. Moved the car from the garage to the outside - just in time for the rain to turn to a few drops. Now all I have is mud streaks on the car. We have such hard water that if you wash it outside, you have to dry it to get the white junk off it- too much work for me!!

Time for a jammie garden walk - I've noticed we're having a ton of dew in the morning - sure sign of fall.

I don't know about you all, Mary gets me exhausted just reciting her daily chores, and Sarv makes me want to head for the donuts!! LOL
Mary has chosen an excellent diet,and I'm sure that helps her to maintain her schedule and keep her energy up. I kind of fall in the middle, stay away from processed foods for the most part, whole grains, lots of fruit (helps with that pipe condition Sarv mentioned), but I do have a sweet tooth. I've been buying bottled water which is ridiculously priced, but I find that if I have it at hand, I drink much more water, which is good for your "pipes" as well as ridding your body of toxins.

I take glucosamine-chondroitin too, plus vitamin E, CQ10, folic acid, and the daily heart regimin aspirin, along with my cholesterol and high blood pressure meds. The pharmaceutical industry would fall into bankruptcy if not for me! The glucosamine has helped my knees a lot.

I can still put in a pretty full day, but I do drag my little garden bench out if I'm going to do a lot of weeding. Prevents the "I can't get up syndrome" after being on my knees in the garden! Bending over is hard on my back so I can't do that for more than a couple of hours. I think overall, I'm not in bad shape for pushing 70, but I certainly could stand to lose more than those measly five pounds.

Remember that hutch I picked up?? Today I'm stripping that little table that was standing next to it in the photo, so I can try to match the finish. I'm good on the stripping part, the matching the finish may be more of a challenge. Too bad the legs aren't a better match but you can't have everything. Keep you posted as I trudge along.

Molly, I missed answering you about the lilies. I got four from you but hesitated to get more from others, because of this miserable drought, fearing they wouldn't survive. I'll probably try again in spring. I plan to give these a good layer of mulch after frost. Hope we get snow this year, last year was tough on perennials with no snow cover to keep their little feets warm through winter.

Out to the garage, get out the gloves and chemicals, more later!!!

M5,

I believe I saw someone jump in there and post to mulch your daylilies now and for the winter.

Certainly it's a great idea to mulch now if you are having dry weather. Keep the plants watered for the rest of the summer, the mulch helps to retain some of the moisture.

And for the winter, it certainly makes sense if you have a lot of cold, without snow making a blanket. Mulch those babies when you put them to bed for the winter. Keep an eye over in the Daylilies forum. You will pick up a lot of useful information there just by lurking a bit.

I re-mulch my beds twice a year. Mostly because it pretties things up, but also because we have a lot of sand mixture in our soil, drainage is great, maybe too great, so mulch helps there.

Molly
:^)))

M5,

I forgot to say about your refinishing project. I saw the picture a long time ago of the hutch you are trying to match. Now I can't remember what color it was. Can you re-post it or post a link to the old one? I might have a suggestion on your project.

Molly
:^)))

Molly I think I outsmarted myself! I started stripping, and it is a beast of a job, although I will finish in due time. I use the old George Grotz' fabulous wood alcohol/mineral spirits combo which is so easy to use, finish just washes right off and it doesn't raise the grain on the wood at all. But, out of curiousity, I went on Ebay and found a perfect little table, and it was under $25 including shipping,so I bought it! Now the old one will go in the guest bedroom, and the new one next to the hutch! LOL

I'm going to go look and see if I saved the photo of the hutch .....nope, didn't, but here's another shot. If you go to Ebay, the item # is 4399513208. In fact the seller has a number of these. The legs are a better match, too. I think I will replace the drawer pulls, to make them all alike.

I've done a lot of stripping and refinishing. I'm still using my old maple dressers. I bought an entire maple bedroom set in the eighties, for $75. Brought them home, stripped them with George's recipe, in the back yard on a couple of hot days with temps in the 90s. They are solid, roomy, and apparently indestructible. This end table was one of the pieces. I had used tung oil for the finish, which I liked very much.

Time to go turn it over and start on the inside of the legs.

Well M5,

You certainly have things well under control with a great plan!!!!!

Show us pictures when you finish please?

Molly
:^)))

Just a few spots to touch up, most of it came off with elbow grease and steel wool, the easy parts were real easy, the others, not so. I also need to reglue the joints, everything is pegged except the bottom shelf. If it had been all screwed together, I would have taken it apart, but nooooooooo. I'm all sweaty and puffing. That's it for today. I quit.

Back to the store, for the things I forgot to pick up yesterday....lol. If I ever got everything in one trip, I'd be shocked. Need to check for pulls, anyway, so, better get cleaned up and hit the road.

Nice job, meezers, do you have any idea how old it is?
Maria

M5. looks like a good project, and a good job stripping! What's the ratio of mineral spirits to wood alcohol? Where do you get wood alcohol, or is that just denatured alcohol?

Arrrrgh! Last evening after class, I drove the 40 miles to my storage units, and picked out a suit and blouse to bury my mother in when the time comes. Went to get it out of the truck this morning, and I got the wrong fabric skirt! They were hanging together in the wardrobe box, and the light was dim. Got a raw silk jacket and a polyester skirt. Rats.

Now I have to go back again and gas is dear. Up another 13¢.

Also found there is a roof leak in one of my units and 2 boxes of books are ruined. One box I must try to save, using clorox on the black mold. They are paperback out-of-print solar design/construction books. The books are not too wet, just the bottom edges where they have molded. Yuck.

Don't y'all get tired of my trials?

This message was edited Aug 17, 2005 1:29 PM

Julie, you started this string of threads on Dec 27, 2004!

No Darius, I don't get tired of your trials. Keeps my mind off mine. Just different problem, different person, different day!! When everybody on this forum runs out of problems, then it means I have to concentrate on mine!!

Been having trouble with right arm all tingly and aching, went to Ortho 2 weeks ago, he thought it was carpel tunnel. Well last week my neck and back started hurting, so went to chiropractor, as I had an injury several years ago, and do have trouble every once in awhile. Well x-rays showed 3 degenerated discs, in the neck area, no cartlidge whatsoever. These discs are collapsing on one another. He gave me an adjustment, I don't think it helped the neck & back pain, but my arm isn't hurting. I told DH this morning, that it is getting to be an adventure just getting out of bed in the morning and trying to figure out which parts are not going to work today!! Wish everything would happen at once, take a year to recouperate, and then just get on with living.

Went to Garden Ridge after the chiropractor, to buy the plates glasses, napkins utensils and table cloths for our fish fry. Can you believe I spent 70.00 on that stuff. And mind you these are paper plates, plastic table cloths and utensils.

Well gotta go the Fed Ex man just pulled in, now trying to figure out what I ordered.

LOL, Bonnie, you are a hoot!

Well the Fed Ex man delivered some veterinary supplies that DH had ordered. I thought I was loosing my mind as I couldn't remember anything I had ordered.

Sarv, you will be interested to know that, yes, DH cancelled his plans for Thursday. Had to call and cancel the load of dirt. But as I said, I WILL have that load of dirt, just don't know what day it will be. He ought to know that when I want something, I will find a way to get it, do it or whatever the situation is. I know what you mean about disagreements. They are bad enough, but they don't have to have their tantrams in front of other folks. The last time that happened here, I told DH that it had better not happen again. That if it did, and he couldn't show respect by us discussing it in private without involving other people, that he could just pack up and leave. I don't do him that way, and I demand the same from him. I think sometimes that if I had a honey to take me out to eat once a week, someone to come to do heavy chores on a regular basis, and some bedroom "toys", a man would become obsolete at my house. Give me a good dog, who loves me and doesn't talk back!!

WOW! Didn't know that all that was coming. Just venting.

Now what's your problem, since I got that off my chest,I promise to shut up and listen. LOL
|

Egads, what a MESS I just made! I put a cup of sugar in 4 cups of water to make hummingbird nectar and forgot to set the timer before I came back here to the computer. Do you have ANY IDEA how big a bubble of black burned sugar that can make? TWICE the size of the pot! My whole house is full of smoke making my eyes burn, and I probably have ruined my 4 quart Calphalon pan.

Some people should NOT be allowed in the kitchen.

Darius, that sounds like something "I" would do. Oh well, I guess we can allow you a mistake once in a while, maybe...............heehee

Bonnie, ya took the words right out of my mouth. Oh wait, I already have that world you speak of. And it ain't all that bad. I can leave the TV on as late as I want....in the bedroom, eat crackers and cheese while I'm watching it, sleep on any side of the bed I wish, no one complaining about the heat I generate. Companionship? the walls listen to me speak just as well as any fella who I let stay around longer than 2 years and has an equal amount of intelligent comments spoken back to me. Well.....today, I am a woman with an attitude. Ok, I won't speak again of this for another 6 months now.

:^)))

Yeah, I guess "Woman with an attitude" describes me today. I won't promise that I won't speak of this for another 6 months, because the source of irritation lives here too!!

Darius, what a mess. I agree, there are days when the kitchen police should be around just to keep me out of it! Do you put all your stuff together, then put it on the stove? I just heat my water, have sugar in a pitcher, and then just measure in the water. I can't do much to that, except spill the boiling water on me!! I am over run with the hummies the last couple of weeks. When I go out, it is almost dangerous, was thinking last night that I almost needed a hard hat. I have 7 feeders in my yard, and believe it or not I fill them everyday. DH was supposed to feed them while I was gone 3 days to Gatlinburg. When I got back all the feeders were empty, and he was complaining that the hummies were bombarding him when he went out. I told him that they were just trying to get his attention to tell him they needed food. It won't be long before they head south. I have really enjoyed them this year.

Well, going to the kitchen to find something to fix for the evening meal. Still have fresh veggies, so just a piece of meat for DH and it is done. In summer, I am strictly vegetarian. Can't get any better than corn, squash, beans and tomatoes.

Darius, your sugar story hits home. Thats what I did to my 3 qt. Le Creuset pot, but then it was rhubarb sauce. Never could get it all off the bottom, even with an orbital sander. Well the sander did get a lot off, but ruined the pan in the process. Now it resides in the shop, full of screws, washers and bits of stuff that also should have been thrown away. Does the Storage place have liability insurance? They should cover any damages due to faulty maintenance shouldn't they?
DFC, sorry to hear you are in such dire straits, physically and matrimonially. Us guys are really a pain in the backside most of the time aren't we. Sometimes we get it right though. It just takes a bit of child psychology now and then to get what you want. (if that doesn't work there's always 'the door', or the lawyer) Hope things get better for you.
M5, those are pretty nice looking pieces of furniture. You sure do nice work. Time to refill my cholesterol stuff too. The 80mg Pravechol and 500mg Niacin seem to work better than all the other stuff they've tried over the years. Wish it wasn't so costly.
Off to the store for some paintbrushes. Quit using the good ones that have to be cleaned with a wire brush and solvents in favor of disposable ones, except for the few cases where quality counts. Hope everyones tribulations are resolved and the day turns out perfect for you all.

I can relate to all this. But I'm so old it no longer figures in the equation. During the last 10 years of my Dad's life, he kinda was a kink in my social life and by the time he was gone I'd forgotten how to be social.

Now I'm too old to attract any one I'd spend time with. LOL and have become accustomed to changing the channel at a whim, mid word as well as mid program. eating whatever I want wherever. the other side of my bed is stacked with this months magazines, books, and extra pillows.

I go out to the PO and don't come back for hours because I decided on a ride in the Park or to the mountains. And no one wants to know !WHERE! I've been. Which could also be a sad thing if I wanted someone there. So I'm lucky 'cause I don't.

Darius, I understand the pickle of not being able to move, yet needing to for your health, ... AND the paralyzing effort to do just the things that have to be done to get thru a day. AND the day after day accumulation of just one more thing gone wrong. Like both the skirt and the wet books.

And I am so sorry about the books. I'm a book hoarder. Hate it when anything happens to them. Especially the older soft cover / semi hardback / big books I've collected that can't be replaced.

Robert, no liability ins. coverage for items in storage, as I was told today when I reported the roof leak. I suspect I could sue but it's not worth it in a small town nor for the money. I do hope to wrangle a couple months' free storage.

Bonnie, I usually boil my hummer feed for two-three minutes to be sure it's sterilized. Keeps the mold down if I forget to refill one.

Blooms, my books that are the worst damaged cannot be replaced either. Fortunately the other box on the bottom of the next stack which has fantastic children's books (didn't make that kind when I was a kid!) are probably salvageable, I think. Cannot say the same for my good pot that held hummer feed!

All I can say is it's a good thing I don't have a bird, he'd be deader than a door nail from all the teflon frying pans I have left to die a horrible death on a hot burner! Did it to one of my Le Creuset pans too, but there's just a bare spot on the bottom where the enamel burned away. It's cast iron underneath the enamel, so I still use it but try to keep an eye on it so I don't do any further damage. Bought my original set of Le Creuset when I was working at Gimbel's waaaaaaaaay back in the 60s, got the dutch oven, 8" frying pan, 10" saute pan, small dutch oven, and a 9" frying pan for $39.95, and employee discount of 10%. . It was almost what I made in a week after taxes, but it was worth it. Lovely stuff. Sometimes I see odd pieces at TJMaxx, that cost as much as I paid for the whole set!

Maria, I put the wrong date in when I was talking about buying that old maple bedroom furniture. I reread my post, I refinished it in the eighties....I got it in the early 70s, or maybe late 60's, hard to remember, I know my kids were all still living at home, so it had to be before 70. Anyway, I'm guessing it dates from the thirties,when maple was so popular. All the pieces are not from the same mfgr., the table is pegged, the dressers are not, one dresser has veneered sides, and the secretary is from a different maker. I guess it's about my age which makes it an antique. LOL

Darius, since it's a sugar burn, you might try letting it soak for a long while (think days not hours) as the water will eventually dissolve the sugar, but if the pan is coated with teflon, you might as well throw it out. I'm becoming an expert on burnt food....! My Calphalon is just anodized aluminum, and I haven't tried to destroy it yet.

Denatured alcohol=wood alcohol, same diff. The mixture is half and half, and I use steel wool to cut the surface and then finer grade as the finish sloughs off. It takes a while but is less work in the long run than the strippers that sit on the surface and raise the grain. Won't use lye, I'm too sloppy (note the garage floor mess...) If the piece has been polyurethaned, forget it, because nothing touches it. I don't use it unless I'm never planning to do anything with the piece again. It's amazing to see the old wood grain appear after the finish is gone.

I often have fantasies of living alone, but the heavy lifting and occasional (and I do mean occasional) companionship keep me cohabiting. Life is much simpler as a single. Nobody to pick up after, nobody's moods, or job worries or aches and pains to think about other than your own. Watch what you want on the tube, lurch around all day in your nightie, polish your toenails at 3 a.m. eat popcorn in bed, invite your gals pals over for a slumber-not-party to watch Paul Newman or Richard Gere movies, hang on the phone ......ahhhh I remember it well.

As my daughter said after she got married/pregnant/exhausted....."I traded my freedom for regular s_x!!! I snorted, and said, "I told you so!!" And, my guy isn't all that bad....he doesn't need to know where I am every minute, he digs where I point, he's a passable gardener, blah blah blah.......but ahhhhhhh....temptation lurks when he gets me ticked off!!

December 27th will be our first anniversary here on Coffee and...we should do a secret Santa gift exhange just for fun. Anybody else interested? We surely know enough about each other by now to find suitable surprises!! If the idea stinks, just go ahead and say so.

Now I'm going to look for an old toothbrush and take care of the corners and crevices on that table. ( If I can't find one, there's always the highlighting brush from my last hair fix. LOL Everything comes in handy at some point. Surprised I didn't throw it out!!)

edited to add: Molly there's two or three inches of wood chips and a layer of grass clipping around all my garden beds, so they stay reasonably moist even in the drought.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2005 3:53 PM

M5, I am generally against secret santa exchanges since last year's disaster(s) with the craft and ornament exchanges, as Kooger will probably agree. HOWEVER, limiting it just to our group who by now know each other well might be FUN, and successful. I'd think everyone would send out their obligation, and everyone would post what they got. Afterall, we all have become friends! Wanna handle it?

My Calphalon pan is the old anodized aluminum, not teflon. Years ago I burned another pan (or maybe the same one!) and after a couple of weeks of soaking it, it cleaned up.

I have no teflon in the house. Well, that's a lie. I do have one LARGE skillet I use maybe once a year, and I'm careful with it. Don't have birds, but it's as bad for us if overheated.

I used to have a Le Cruset set of pots and pans. The enamel eventually cracked and started chipping away (novice cook in those days) so I trashed them. I do have a black special edition Le Cruset pot I've had a long time and seldom use.

Inside view of my Le Cruset pot:

ooooooooo that's a keeper!! Some of mine have chips on the rim but since I seldom cook there............I don't care!

DH helped me with the stripping. NOT.

Lets wait and see if other GOBs want to participate. I'll be glad to do the tracking, etc.

You will all have to explain Secret Santa to me - remember I'm a foreigner!!!
I thought I had the title for 'champion pan wrecker' , Now I see I have competition!! I've had pans soak for up to a year before i gave up and threw them out. If you boil potatoes for long enough they have a dramatic effect on your pans, I wonder how many hours sfter the water boils away before a hole appears in the pan?
Tidying up has never been my strong point, but I've had less trouble since we moved to a single story - no trogging upstairs to put stuff away. With the master off the living room, and the doors open so the ac works properly - its a great incentive to keep the bed made at least!
I just haven't worked out how to keep my desk so I can find the top - if I put the stuff away I NEED it 5 minutes later!!
Dh's can be a pain, but I'd miss mine if he wasn't here. He's been away for a week, thats great, peace and quiet and control of the remote, but I was glad to see him back, and not just 'cos the lawn needs mowing.
Carol

Secret Santa works like this: We all throw our names in the pot and the organizer pulls names. You get to know who's name you got and their address, but the recipient doesn't know who got their name until they get the gift. There is always a structure to the gifts, like price, or handmade, or whatever. We all have to agree on that part.

Last Year I got a lovely handmade cross-stitch pillow (10" x 10") from Kooger in the Craft Exchange.

Have overdone it in the pea patch and trail - too achy and sore to think straight right now - so hope those i ignore in this post will be patient with me.

BetsyBug, I wish I was in the market to buy stained glass, would love to buy from you. But all those vet bills went on the credit card, etc. so we are living pretty frugally right now. But I do enjoy that stuff vicariously, and love the way morning glories light up the puter screen - will post later with links of morning glories from old Japanese prints, Dutch masters, etc.

Would an old Heloise trick for cleaning removable oven parts work for pots? The trick was to put oven parts into a 30 gallon plastic bag with about a 1/4 cup of amonia overnight, and then the mess was supposed to hose off easily in the morning. I tried it, and it works as easily as making the mess in the first place. Any thoughts for pots?

I think a Xmas thingy would be very nice to do. We're book hounds, too. Wouldn't it be evil if we all cleaned out our shelves and sent the discarded books to each other? I'll bet it's the ones we would hate to part with that would probably make the best gifts.

My DH is definitely my better half and I must have wracked up an awful lot of bad DH karma some when to wind up with such a prince (not quite the word I'm looking for, because there are no hierarchical power games of control here), but the things I've noticed you GOBs do and overcome and accomplish with your independence have caused quite a few twinges of jealousy.

Happy, where have you been since I offered to share a bag of dry ice?

Darius, whether it's the trial and tribulation trouncing you or vice versa, there's no way you're boring any of us. At one time or another, many of us will find ourselves paddling in the same ship against the same cosmic joke. This is companionship of deepest essence.

HUH? What.......Where........

Thanks, Karen.

LOL - Hap

I'm just a GOB wannabe-hopetobe - but I'd participate in a Santa exchange.

Bsprial - I couldn't get you anything made very fast anyway - so post some pictures you like, or dmail them to me - and I may doodle up a pattern - and we maybe could work something out for next year. I'm really trying to build my portfolio - and need the experience - so I'm willing to cut a deal so to say - get it - "CUT" like cut glass???? LOL

No other real news for now. We've still gotten no rain. Went out to set up the sprinkler and put my foot in a hole that I KNOW is there and ended up falling. I can't remember the last time I had skint knees! Oh well - no serious damage. I'm filling that hole this weekend.

Have a good night all!

Marcia

Misery loves company - I love hearing what everyone else is going thru - makes me feel not so alone!! And normal!! LOL

I left at 1this afternoon for a gathering of several of my friends that I taught with. Two of the eight of us are retired. We had a ball - it was good to see everyone again. I got home at 9pm. Walked in the house and the tv that blew up last night was on. The bill was on the bar. Seems DH called a repairman from work and met him here this afternoon. (he took the $$ from my stash I have hidden...wonder who is gonna replace it.) Of course he acts like he did me a major favor! The funny part is, he cannot figure anything out with tv's and now he can't figure out how to get the dish thingy to work. So he is forced to watch the three local channels we get! LOL I have to keep the smirk off my face...wonder what he will do now??

Darius- sorry to hear about the moldy books -I have a ton of them here too. (but not moldy) In fact in one bedroom dresser, I have the whole thing filled with them. I am gonna sell them at my DIL garage sale for 10cents each - just to get rid of them. (they are mysteries..) They are from my aunt and I will be making $$ getting rid of them. The only books that I can't part with are my garden books.

M5 - that refinishing looks good. I have tried that strip it stuff and always ended up with such a mess. I have the cedar chest my grandpa gave my grandma. It has several coats of paint on it and also a trio of cracks. I would love to refinish it. Any hints on what I should use to remove paint and fill in cracks? . It was painted with a garish blue, shiny floor paint, plus a zillion of former coats.

I never cook my hummingbird nectar - just use hot water/sugar and fill up the containers. Has worked for years.

I will pass on the secret santa stuff- it stresses me out buying gifts for others - I worry, will they like it??? Used to exchange gifts with 4 friends - finally just told them I was too frazzled to do it - I think they were all relieved to forgo it too. But please - everyone else do it!! I'll send ya a xmas card!!

Went to a new Target 4.5 miles from my house - just to check it out. I left with two complete work out suits and 4 sweaters all the same style - just different colors. Now I could kick myself - I didn't really need any of it, but I just love buying clothes- you'd think I was made of $$ or had a paying job!! LOL I may return things tomorrow....

Hopped on the scale and was shocked to see that I was up another 3.5 lbs = something is wrong... I am having terrible hot flashes thru out the day - sheesh, what's a gal to do?? Plus I noticed my hair is thinning terribly - have one practically bald spot in back. Good things the eyes are going too - hard to see all my faults..