DownTheShore

/rant on/ I've just watched several episodes of RBTF, and was coming here to post the exact same thoughts. And thanks for mentioning Diane Keaton - that is precisely who Leanne seems to be modeling her behavior on. She's just too, too cute for my taste. 😒 She seems to default to white and black as her main color schemes in every house she's done, that I've seen. I think her design style is bland and pedestrian; I like a variety of decorating styles so it's not that I dislike minimalist or modern/moderne or whatever. There is just no warmth to her finished products, no "I'd really love to live there vibe" to me. I watched two shows in a row where she painted the entire outsides of two houses black; on one she did the trim and door all in black, too. Instead of giving it architectural interest, she turned it into an uninteresting black hole. I really hated what she did with that Victorian, the one where the wife loves doilies and fringe. That new kitchen and the redone rooms were sooo sterile after she was done with them. I bet that woman cried after the camera crew left. And that white chaise for the kids to draw on - WTH? Yes, like parents want to teach their kids to draw on furniture, and who is going to chance sitting on it and getting color stains on their clothes? Thanks for the chance to rant. I realize that everyone's mileage may vary. 😉😊 /rant off/

Hello again to everyone! I haven't been on this forum for a while - been hanging out in the Shopping Channel forums, though I still watch all the house hunting shows. Hope everyone is doing well. 😊 Taos NM: Apparently single mother who makes her living as a shaman (non-Native American or any apparent flavor of ethnic, so that turned on my BS meter) from VA where she owns a (40+? acre) farm, comes into an inheritance and plans to spend 1.25 million or so on a second home & retreat in Taos NM. She claims that Taos is directly on the other side of the world from Nepal, and that the priests from Nepal make a yearly visit to Taos. Right off the bat, she is lying. Taos is not antipodal to Nepal. It's antipodal point is in the Indian Ocean. So no mystical hoo-doo about a Nepalese connection. She also didn't break any sweat about spending all that money on a second home. She also played up that the eagle was her spirit animal (of course it would be the eagle, that fit her narrative better). My understanding of Native American shamanism is that a spirit animal is a basically private thing, that one doesn't go around naming it to others, out of respect for the honor of being chosen.

I liked him when he had his show on MSNBC. I was sorry when they cancelled it. I don't watch the RT channel, so I don't know how his show was there. ????? I was wondering the other day why Richard Painter seems to have been absent lately as a MSNBC contributor lately, and I think I found the answer: he's now running for the Senate in MN.

Sydney to Cambodia: If he is building a resort, why didn't he build a manager's home first? If they are planning to manage it, then they will be living there. If he's going to hire a manager, then the manager will have to live on the premises to manage those vacation huts - so again, the family can live there while the huts are being constructed before the manager is hired. The way he bitched and moaned about a hour's commute each way to the jobsite, oh brother! It's a heck of a lot closer than a plane ride to Sydney once a month. It really didn't look like that island locale had any infrastructure that would hold tourists' attention. Nor did the work crew seem to make much progress. I wonder if it was all a sham? %%%%%%%%%%%%%% While I'm here and complaining about things, don't TPTB realize that when their "buyers" automatically use the term "shops" for stores and "garden" for yard, that we know that they haven't just wandered over to whatever European country they're supposedly buying a home in?

Cricket, ?love ? and strength and {{{{hugs}}}} to you and Joe. I'm still praying for a miracle.

I'm really enjoying your trip, Booney. Thank you. ???

Yankees fan here. ?

I tried Meredith Lawrence's pressure cooker recipe "Rigatoni, Roasted Red Peppers and Feta", and it was very tasty. I would make it again. A chopped leek, 3 fresh tomatoes chopped (I used plum tomatoes), a 15oz jar of roasted red peppers chopped, about 3 cups uncooked rigatoni, dried basil, a garlic clove sliced, 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 tsp of dried basil, salt & pepper. The leek, garlic, basil, and salt are sauteed in the cooker in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 3 min, then the rest of the ingredients are added. Cook for 7 minutes under pressure, quick release, then add in a cup of crumbled feta cheese and a half cup of heavy cream and stir to blend. Very easy; no need to pre-cook the pasta. Top serving with chopped parsley or basil if desired, but I didn't bother. I've been coming to appreciate leeks and shallots this summer; never really cooked with them much before. ------------ A PSA: Head's up to NJ owners of ash trees: the emerald ash borer is now present in NJ and will likely wipe out most of the ash trees in the state. One of my sisters is a horticulturalist and said that the county systems are trying to take steps to limit the spread by taking down some trees in advance to create sort of a firebreak to preserve some young and old specimens for future generations. But they think that most of the trees in the state will be lost, because by the time the infestation is noticed in an ash tree - it starts from the top down - it's too late for that tree. ? It's basically an extinction event. More info: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/24_million_nj_trees_might_be_killed_this_year_and_we_cant_stop_it.html And http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.php How to identify an ash tree: ???????? damn merge????? Oh, that's cool. I'll have to tell the kidlets. They adore him in Dirty Jobs.

That's exactly what it is - a virtual European trip that we are all enjoying! And I second the compliment on the picture composition. It is so well done that each picture is a pleasure to study and really gives us a sense of the place. ?

Great pictures, Booney! Thanks for posting them! @DH: I showed Baby Girl's picture to ?Sparkle Niece?, and she said, "Aww, she's sooo cute!" ?

I agree with you - even about the shiplap, lol. I've always liked their show and them. They always gave off a tinge of the old Sonny & Cher show to me, only less snarky. They were able to use it as a springboard to grow their business, but now that their oldest kid is probably a tween if not a teen, they need the cameras off the family and a probably a freer schedule. That's like that Alaskan bush family show. When the mother started cancer treatments they pulled the plug on their show. They knew when to end it.

I had never heard of Padre Pio until they renamed St. Bonaventure down in Lavalette NJ after him. Still ticks me off that they did that; they should not be able to rename churches willy-nilly. ?

I'm pages behind, so apologies if it seems like I am ignoring current comments; I just haven't caught up with them yet. I saw "The Women" when it was a revival on Broadway when Myrna Loy was in it. What a thrill it was to see her in real life! The cast also included Kim Hunter, Alexis Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Dorothy Loudon, and Jan Miner. It was a blast seeing all of them up close.

Just catching up, since I'm not often on this thread. {{{Pearlclutcher}}} {{{Cricket & Joe}}} {{{imisspuddy}}} My prayers are with all of you.

Boy, those Texas legislators sure have spent a lot of time officially naming state thingies - lol. We in NJ share the square dance with you as the state dance - why that's our dance, I have absolutely no idea. The only time I ever danced it was in high school gym class. We don't even have a state song. Periodically someone will get some action going to get "Born To Run" named as it, but the stick-in-the-muds in Trenton usually quash it. We do have a state cryptid, though, the Jersey Devil. ?

Cricket - So glad to hear that Joe made it through the surgery well - and that it sounds like he had good surgeons! ? You are both in my thoughts and prayers. I, too, havealways found that praying the rosary is a good way to stay calm and focused when waiting in the hospital for news/results. Thanks for updating us. ------- A bridal chain called "Alfred Angelo" closed 61 stores abruptly due to a bankruptcy filing. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/15/537443368/brides-scramble-for-dresses-and-information-after-alfred-angelo-stores-close-abr I've seen enough of this type of thing happen with bridal shops over the years that if I was one of those brides mentioned, I would seriously consider throwing a brick through the window and going in to get my dress out, rather than just milling around. Or if I was the shop operator, going in there and handing out the paid-for dresses to the customers. It would probably be worth the legal hit to do the right thing by them.?

Isn't it funny how some things we'll try to get the last drop out of (I'm looking at you, toothpaste tube) while other things we'll toss out without a second thought. Watching "The Master of Ballantrae" on TCM. Somehow I never managed to see that one before.

Never heard of him before, so thanks for that! I like R. Carlos Nakai's music to decompress.

@Coffeecup - Thanks for posting that PET scan experience. Sorry that it was such an ordeal for you, and that they didn't provide more info up front to you.

The kidlets finished school today, so next week we will be having Camp CouchPotato™ with Aunt DTS. Which means I have to get up at the crack of dawn and sit in rush hour traffic for an hour to get to their house. ? Only for love, only for love. Sparkle Niece was (tongue-in-cheek) telling her grandmother about our Camp CouchPotato™ activities: "Sometimes we take a trip upstairs, and once in a while we get to go down to the basement to play". LOL I think their community pool will be open next week. That means facing....THE BATHING SUIT!!! ???

I'm a fan of Rachel's show but I don't quite understand what the posting parameters are in this forum regarding discussing the content of her shows in connection with what's going on in the greater political sphere, so I'll remain a lurker to avoid any problems. Carry on. ?

Oh Bronx Babe! I just found out about your Mom's passing. My sincerest condolences on your loss. I'm not usually on this thread; I saw a sympathy post to you on the shopping thread and wondered what had happened. You always wrote of her with affection in the tone of your posts, so I know this is going to be a hard time for you. No matter how old we are, losing our mom hurts. If the hospice offers grief counseling, please take advantage of it. I thought that I could power through my grief when my Mom died, but looking back over the past 10+ years, I can now see how much of a depression I slid into for too many years. You are in my prayers, my friend.?

That sounds like it could be one of those Farmers Insurance commercials!?

That sounds like an interesting show; I'll have to check it out. I remember reading a story once set in early 1950's England and it mentioned the rationing that was still going on and I was surprised, too, about that.

The guys with the zen master - we howled with laughter.