Small Talk: "I'll Take Non-Show Chat For $400, Alex."

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, illdoc said:

They have stuff in boxes from the initial Chicago to California move 35 years ago that they haven't looked at in all that time!!!

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I laughed, but then I realized that some of the boxes we have haven't been looked at since we moved here - 20+ years ago. 🤣

I am not the keeping unpacked boxes around type; the last time I moved (which will hopefully be the last time I ever move; other than college, I've only lived two places as an adult, and I'd lived in the same house [in which my parents still live] from birth through college), I had everything put away at the end of that four-day weekend. 

When one of my best friends had a ton of shit to sort through and discard a good percentage of before moving, she asked me to help.  Thankfully, she's just lazy, not a hoarder, so I don't have to deal with any "But I might find a use for that some day!" nonsensical attachment to things; she genuinely wanted to get rid of a ton of stuff, she just would never motivate to do it without me there, so I gave her one day a week until we had it done. 

Her spare room contained at least half a dozen boxes full of things she hadn't opened since her last move, more than ten years prior.  (She agreed that nothing in there was making this latest move; we were only going through it to see what could be given way, what couldn't but could be recycled, and then trash the rest.)  My mind was boggled.  I'll have to tell her she's not alone. 

[shapeshifter]

A bit of a positive story about moving things:
A shamrock plant my youngest daughter bought me for Mothers Day 17 years ago that has moved 4 times——including on an airplane at the height of the pandemic——has just come back again from a seeming dead state.

She stopped at the local Jewel grocery store to buy a Mothers Day gift on her way home after a prom night party hosted by her friend's parents——apparently feeling the need to perform a symbolic redemptive act (she says) after coming home with a different date than the one she left with——and especially because he had arrived at the prom with another girlfriend of hers as his date. I always liked the young man she came home with that morning better than of all her other beaus, but she only dated him for 6 months——and then only so she wouldn't appear to be skanky for leaving the prom with him instead of her date (her story)——while her friendship with his prom date lasted over a decade.

Edited July 19, 2022 by shapeshifter
Replaced image after bloom opened

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

A bit of a positive story about moving things:
A shamrock plant my youngest daughter bought me for Mothers Day 17 years ago that has moved 4 times——including on an airplane at the height of the pandemic——has just come back again from a seeming dead state.
I intend to replace the photo when the bloom opens, but I couldn't wait to share:

She stopped at the local Jewel grocery store to buy a Mothers Day gift on her way home after a prom night party hosted by her friend's parents——apparently feeling the need to perform a symbolic redemptive act (she says) after coming home with a different date than the one she left with——and especially because he had arrived at the prom with another girlfriend of hers as his date. I always liked the young man she came home with that morning better than of all her other beaus, but she only dated him for 6 months——and then only so she wouldn't appear to be skanky for leaving the prom with him instead of her date (her story)——while her friendship with his prom date lasted over a decade.

We have one that's over 20 years old. My daughter planted it during a fifth grade class lesson (her teacher was absolutely the best), and it's made one move. Doesn't look quite as good as yours, but it's still alive and kicking. Truth be told, I would have dumped it years ago, my husband's the one who takes care of it. I have a brown thumb, so I don't do house plants.

Edited July 19, 2022 by Clanstarling

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

We have one that's over 20 years old. My daughter planted it during a fifth grade class lesson (her teacher was absolutely the best), and it's made one move. Doesn't look quite as good as yours, but it's still alive and kicking. Truth be told, I would have dumped it years ago, my husband's the one who takes care of it. I have a brown thumb, so I don't do house plants.

Shamrocks are the perfect plant for "brown thumbs."  
Coworkers used to come to my office and marvel about my so-called "green thumb," but I was just very quick to replace the plants I killed through neglect or overwatering.😉

Edited July 19, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Clanstarling]

33 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Shamrocks are the perfect plant for "brown thumbs."  
Coworkers used to come to my office and marvel about my so-called "green thumb," but I was just very quick to replace the plants I killed through neglect or overwatering.😉

I once killed a cactus by neglect.

[Prevailing Wind]

I used to sing to my houseplants: "Another one bites the dust."

I don't have enough sun in my condo to have plants. And while Bosco was alive, he would have dumped them all on the floor, anyway. Stella's a well-behaved cat; she doesn't knock stuff off the tables/counters.

[PBnJay]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

And while Bosco was alive, he would have dumped them all on the floor, anyway.

Or dug up the dirt and then peed in the pot, as my family house cat was prone to do.

[Prevailing Wind]

7 hours ago, PBnJay said:

Or dug up the dirt and then peed in the pot, as my family house cat was prone to do.

I always hated scented cat litter - it smelled like baby powder. Now, if they'd make it smell like potting soil, we'd be getting somewhere.

[30 Helens]

The only plants I am good with are succulents and corn plants. They both tolerate a lot of neglect, and both can be propagated by just cutting a piece off and sticking it in new soil to sprout roots. This is important because I often forget to water, and even “a lot of neglect” has its limits. I bought a corn plant when I moved into my very first apartment and, while it’s long gone, its descendants are still alive and begging for water.

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I've seen pictures of chiweenies; some are very cute and some are very odd-looking. I hope the weenie part is at least a miniature doxie. I always feel like breeding a tiny breed with a significantly larger breed is probably a bad idea. (I at least hope the larger breed is the mom.)

I moved this from the main thread because it made me think of my sweet tiny Lhasa mix who we adopted from a shelter 14 years ago after she birthed a litter of pups. (She had gotten pregnant either just before or just after being dumped.) I was curious to see the pups, so I went back and was shocked to see a bunch of little Rottweilers who were already bigger than she was. Obviously she survived, but that was definitely a bad idea.

We lost her just a few months ago and since then, I have wondered how those pups turned out. I hope they had good lives, and I certainly hope they had better manners than their father.

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

I moved this from the main thread because it made me think of my sweet tiny Lhasa mix who we adopted from a shelter 14 years ago after she birthed a litter of pups. (She had gotten pregnant either just before or just after being dumped.) I was curious to see the pups, so I went back and was shocked to see a bunch of little Rottweilers who were already bigger than she was. Obviously she survived, but that was definitely a bad idea.

Years ago my friend's sister's male Black Lab and her mom's female Bassett Hound got together (which happens when you have unfixed dogs in the same house...). There were 11 puppies and 8 survived. I saw them when they were about two or three weeks old; at that age two of them looked like little Rottweilers (black with brown markings); the rest were all black and one was blonde (I would suspect my friend's Yellow Lab got in there somehow if she wasn't a girl). They kept one of the black and brown puppies, who grew up to have a long Bassett body, a multicolored coat similar to her mother's, and leg- and ear-lengths roughly in the middle between her parents'. (They never did get them fixed; luckily there weren't more puppies.)

[possibilities]

I met a chihuahua/German Shepherd cross once. I didn't have the nerve to ask her people the backstory. 

It's amazing how varied dogs are, within the species, though. Just looking at them casually, they look more different from each other than most species do. 

[zoey1996]

   7 HOURS AGO,  CLANSTARLING SAID: 

(mutt btw means mongrel)

Mutt is at least more neutral-sounding.  I don't mind that.  My dog is not a purebreed, and I've never claimed he was.

"Mongrel" sounds insulting and judgmental, and I won't have it used about my pal.  Why not just call him a cur while you're at it?

Connotations of words matter.
 

Brought over here…A favorite book of mine is “Beautiful Joe,” published in 1893.  One of my mother’s aunts gave it to her when she was a young girl. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Joe  It was an influential book that helped reduce animal cruelty, similar to “Black Beauty.” Joe was described as a cur, a mutt, and a mongrel.

[Cotypubby]

Someone in my building has a shepherd /corgi mix and it’s just the cutest funniest looking dog! It’s got the big head of a black German shepherd  on a body with tiny stubby legs!

Edited July 21, 2022 by Cotypubby

[PBnJay]

23 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Brought over here…A favorite book of mine is “Beautiful Joe,” published in 1893.  One of my mother’s aunts gave it to her when she was a young girl. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Joe  It was an influential book that helped reduce animal cruelty, similar to “Black Beauty.” Joe was described as a cur, a mutt, and a mongrel.

I have that book! I read it multi times as a kid, I can still picture the cover of that cur, mutt and mongrel named Joe. The book is, I am sure, packed in some box from all of my moves. I have those too!

I've been mulling over the hotbed I lit on fire with my mongrel/mutt post. And I wonder why it's just for dogs. I make my living working for AKC dog clubs and am heavily involved with purebred dogs, hence my sensitivity to people who breed two separate breeds (none having been tested for genetic diseases so the offspring are a mess health wise) together to create some fancy schmancy creature with a made-up name so they can sell it for more than one can purchase a show-quality AKC-registered puppy for.

I have friends who breed and show Scottish Fold cats. Why are there no "hybrid" cats that people pay a fortune for, a kitten with a fancy made-up name like Scot-Pers or Maine Coon-Fold. More people on this thread have cats than dogs I think. So why are dogs the focus for unreputable people to make money with their exploitation? Why not cats?

There are some cross-bred cattle, like Brangus, but those were created to make an animal that can thrive in the heat of the far south while still able to produce $$ steaks. Some horses are cross-bred to make sport horses, but that's for eventing. I am familiar with show sheep and dairy goats ... sheep are cross bred to make market lambs (to eat!) and goats aren't bred out of their lines at all, unless to just make a generic goat to milk, not show or sell for a bunch of money.

As for "adopt, don't shop," I believe in shopping from a reputable SHOW breeder, one with credentials that they have champions and other titled dogs in the pedigree, and all dogs in that pedigree have been tested negative for all genetic disorders known for that breed. That person will stand behind his/her dogs, help the new owner with training, and always take that dog back for any reason, no questions asked. That, plus health is guaranteed in writing.

Although a vet friend says she makes the most money from people who have puggles. She said she could limit her practice to just puggles and become wealthy in a couple weeks.

Edited July 21, 2022 by PBnJay

[zoey1996]

@PBnJay, sad because puggles have medical/health problems. Applause for everything else in your post. And happy that others have read and loved Beautiful Joe too!

[MrAtoz]

14 hours ago, PBnJay said:

I've been mulling over the hotbed I lit on fire with my mongrel/mutt post. And I wonder why it's just for dogs. I make my living working for AKC dog clubs and am heavily involved with purebred dogs, hence my sensitivity to people who breed two separate breeds (none having been tested for genetic diseases so the offspring are a mess health wise) together to create some fancy schmancy creature with a made-up name so they can sell it for more than one can purchase a show-quality AKC-registered puppy for.

As the one who first objected to the word mongrel (and I continue to object to it), let me just say that my dog is a labrador mix, and I did not pay a dime for him.

Edited July 22, 2022 by MrAtoz

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

As the one who first objected to the word mongrel (and I continue to object to it), let me just say that my dog is a labrador mix, and I did not pay a dime for him.

The only thing I've paid for my dogs have been the shelter, immunization, and neutering fees.  I have friends who've paid a lot for their mixed dogs, but even if I could afford it, I wouldn't do it.

[PBnJay]

2 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

As the one who first objected to the word mongrel (and I continue to object to it), let me just say that my dog is a labrador mix, and I did not pay a dime for him.

Good for you (GFY!), Labs are fabulous dogs, nice to live with, I love the breed very much. A mix is not what I object to, I object to people taking two real breeds and creating some puppies, then giving them fancy names like Chiweenie to appeal to the public, then selling those puppies for several thousand dollars. And I really object to Jeopardy "legitimizing" those people. That's what started all of this convo.

Any dog can make a great companion, but they are only as good as the person teaching it ... just like human kids (not goat kids!).

I really don't care what anyone calls any of my dogs. I do try to educate though, especially the vets and vet techs who, when they see one of my AKC champion dogs, they want to know what it's mixed with, or else put down "terrier mix" before I can correct them. You know ... that little rogue terrier is the sire of SO MANY puppies!

I have spent much time wondering why it's dogs, not cats, that is the focus of this unscrupulous breeding. Are dogs a status symbol or something while cats are not? People want to brag about their Chiweenie? But not their Hima-mese cat? I'm serious, I do wonder. What do cat owners here think? I grew up with two Siamese but subsequent cats were ... well, not. 

As a side note, I've owned many AKC-registered show dogs and paid nothing for any of them. Didn't have to pay a shelter or "adoption" fee, just "here's the dog and the AKC papers." One dog I showed for its owner, she paid my handling fee then gave me the dog. Go figure, right?

[Prevailing Wind]

There's not a whole lot of diversity in cat breeds like there is with dogs. The portmanteau words applying to cats is more for the coloring - like a Torbie for a tortoiseshell/tabby mix. People will say, "I have a calico" when they actually have a Domestic Short Hair with calico coloring. (And a lot of people think any tri-colored cat is a calico, which is not true. True calicos are mostly white with ginger & black big blotches. I once had a dilute calico DSH, who was white, grey & beige.)  Tabby is not a breed, it's a style of markings/coloring.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

People will say, "I have a calico" when they actually have a Domestic Short Hair with calico coloring. (And a lot of people think any tri-colored cat is a calico, which is not true. True calicos are mostly white with ginger & black big blotches.

Taffy was a "true calico," right?
Or not?
Here she is in her later years in the 1970s. Mom found her sitting on the front seat of her car after paying for apples at an orchard in Connecticut. Nobody claimed her, so she lived with us for 14 years.

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, PBnJay said:

I have spent much time wondering why it's dogs, not cats, that is the focus of this unscrupulous breeding. Are dogs a status symbol or something while cats are not? People want to brag about their Chiweenie? But not their Hima-mese cat? I'm serious, I do wonder. What do cat owners here think? I grew up with two Siamese but subsequent cats were ... well, not. 

We also have two cats, neither of which are purebred.  The feline term for mixed breeds seems to be "Domestic shorthair" (not be confused with "American shorthair," which is an actual breed name).  That's what the vet has both of our cats listed as.

Searching "lab mix" on Google gets me pictures of all sorts of mixtures with silly names, none of which names I would ever use.  My apologies if I got a bit testy; it's mainly the use of the word "mongrel" that I object to.  I don't have any ambitions to win, or even enter, a dog show.  He's just a household pet.  We got Peanut from some people we knew whose lab had given birth to a litter.  As I said, we didn't pay anything for him.  We believe the father was probably a Corgi, but don't know that for certain.  In any case, he's seven years old now, and he's a great dog.

[PBnJay]

Your Peanut is ADORABLE! And so funny I have a Peanut too. I have no idea why I gave him that call name. He is orange and white with lots of hair ... and he's not one of those rogue terrier mixes! The other side of the duplex I lived in during college had a dog Lucy, a twin for your Peanut. I would spend hours outside playing "fetch the stick" with Lucy, she would keep fetching forever and was so much fun.

Age seven is when dogs officially become a "veteran." So happy b-day Peanut AtoZ!

I looked up the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) that puts on cat shows, and they recognize 45 cat breeds. The website has wonderful photos of each of them. 

Cat photos!

I've been to cat shows and was interested to learn they are judged just like rabbits. I guess that means nothing if you've never been to a rabbit show, but I am interested in them as well.

I was told calico-colored cats are always female. True, cat people?

[Welshman in Ca]

2 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

Your Peanut is ADORABLE! And so funny I have a Peanut too. I have no idea why I gave him that call name. He is orange and white with lots of hair ... and he's not one of those rogue terrier mixes! The other side of the duplex I lived in during college had a dog Lucy, a twin for your Peanut. I would spend hours outside playing "fetch the stick" with Lucy, she would keep fetching forever and was so much fun.

Age seven is when dogs officially become a "veteran." So happy b-day Peanut AtoZ!

I looked up the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) that puts on cat shows, and they recognize 45 cat breeds. The website has wonderful photos of each of them. 

Cat photos!

I've been to cat shows and was interested to learn they are judged just like rabbits. I guess that means nothing if you've never been to a rabbit show, but I am interested in them as well.

I was told calico-colored cats are always female. True, cat people?

Almost but not always.

[MrAtoz]

14 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

Your Peanut is ADORABLE!

Thanks.  There's an even more adorable picture of him, but it also has me in it.  I figure nobody needed to see that on a Friday afternoon! 😀

Thanks also for the link to the various cat breeds.  I love the fact that there is a breed called RagaMuffin!

Edited to add:  I agree with Welshman in Ca.  As I understand it, male calicos are pretty rare, but not impossible.

Edited July 22, 2022 by MrAtoz

[Prevailing Wind]

Bosco was probably a Bombay - shiniest cat I've ever seen. All the other characteristics match him, except for eye color. His eyes were a green-gold. When he no longer was shiny, I knew something was wrong. He's been gone over a month and Stella and I both still miss him terribly. Stella is a Tortie with white accents.

When I was a little kid, we had a tortoishell that had NO white on her at all. That cat (Susie) loved me. Any time I would cry, she'd come running to comfort me. When she had kittens, she carried them out of my parent's closet into mine.  I thought that was lovely until she brought them a full-grown, live frog and let it loose in my bedroom. LOL.

This is Stella...

[Trey]

Peanut is very handsome.  I can tell just by looking at him that he is a great dog.

Stella is lovely.  I would just love to rub her belly.

I have two calicos, both females.  They both moved into our barn (years apart)  from who knows where and were eventually coaxed into the house.  Louie is 12, a muted calico.  Callie is about 5, a regular colour calico.  When Callie moved in, Louie told her she looked like a clown in her bright colours.  Callie countered with telling Louie that she was old and faded, like she had been left out in the sun too long.  They eventually learned to tolerate each other.

[Prevailing Wind]

Stella thanks you and would appreciate a belly rub. She's one of those cats that loves to be held upside down, belly exposed.  Bosco was just the opposite.  I wonder how much sooner I might have found his cancer if he had let me touch his belly.  Stella also would like you to know she is officially "elderly" now - her 11th birthday was on the 19th.

[PBnJay]

I just want to make it extra clear that my "going off" on mongrels, mutts and curs was directed at people who sell cross-bred dogs for thousands of dollars just because they have some made-up name. I was not taking a shot at the dogs themselves, they can't help it. I love dogs, regardless of genetic makeup. It's the unscrupulous people I object to. And I object to Jeopardy giving them publicity.

If you have a dog, it doesn't matter where you got it or how much it cost or did not cost. If you are giving it a loving home and care for its entire life, good for you. If you paid $3,000 for a puggle, however, woe is you. And I stand by that!

So many beautiful cats in that CFA link. I wish I could have one of each!

[Roaster]

Primetimer just created a new forum for Celebrity Jeopardy!

https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/5012-celebrity-jeopardy/

I didn't even know about this new show; I guess it was announced last month for a Sept start. 

[30 Helens]

I have had a variety of mutt/ mongrel/ shelter dogs (they don’t care about the terminology, so why should I) and I have loved every one of them, even if I could only guess at their heritage. I believe “designer” breeds are an offense against nature— my parents paid about $3k for a Havanese/ Lhasa/ Pomeranian/ etc. mix, and it was nothing more than a mutt with a fancy name. Sweet dog, but why encourage such cross breeding when there are so many uncontrolled mixes waiting for a home at the nearest shelter. 

I have also had cats, and didn’t care about their ancestry, either. I don’t understand why people need to put a label on their animals. Lab mix, poodle mix, part Siamese, who cares. Each one is unique and can never be duplicated, whether mixed or purebred. 

Sorry to go off on a rant, but I’m very passionate about this. Adopt from a shelter, everyone. It’s the most rewarding thing you will ever do. To illustrate, here’s a picture of my current rescue boys. No purebred could ever compete, for cuteness or devotion.

Edited August 2, 2022 by 30 Helens

[Trey]

Adorable dogs!

The sandy dog looks like he's little cousin of our @saber5055.

[Prevailing Wind]

[Clanstarling]

52 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

They need another line in the drawing - it looks like he's wearing a medallion and doesn't have a left hind leg. LOL.

Edited July 31, 2022 by Clanstarling

[shapeshifter]

21 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

They need another line in the drawing - it looks like he's wearing a medallion and doesn't have a left hind leg. LOL.

Fixed for @Clanstarling and for Boomer since he didn't bark when I let myself into my daughter's house this week:

[PBnJay]

On 7/27/2022 at 8:52 AM, Trey said:

The sandy dog looks like he's little cousin of our @saber5055.

FOR SURE! A close cousin if nothing else! Love your post @30 Helens, although I do support getting older retired show dogs as companions. They make the best pets, thankful for everything, and vets love them, they are used to being but up on an exam table and poked, prodded, clipped, snipped with the added plus, they won't bite.

ETA: Isn't every day National Mutt Day? Yeay!

Edited July 31, 2022 by PBnJay

[Prevailing Wind]

4 hours ago, PBnJay said:

ETA: Isn't every day National Mutt Day? Yeay!

No. Every day is Hug Your Cat Day.  ;-)

[PBnJay]

1 minute ago, Prevailing Wind said:

No. Every day is Hug Your Cat Day.  ;-)

"Hug Your Mutt Day" sounds pretty cool too though, so I vote we have two daily mottos.

Edited July 31, 2022 by PBnJay

[SoMuchTV]

46 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

No. Every day is Hug Your Cat Day.  ;-)

... Followed immediately, at least in some cases, by "Go Buy More Band-Aids" Day.

[Prevailing Wind]

Even the most ornery cat I ever had accepted a hug. Belly rubs were another thing, however. Bosco hated them; Stella lives for them.

[shapeshifter]

On 7/8/2022 at 6:35 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

I think anything's OK playing Wordle. Lately, I've been playing two other daily games, both geography-based.  Globle-game.com and Worldledaily.com

On 7/17/2022 at 8:57 PM, possibilities said:

Here's the link:

https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/

Because my geography knowledge was dated, I have been keeping both globle-game.com/game and worldle.teuteuf.fr tabs open on my browser with the goal of playing them at least a few times per week. 
I may or may not have let a week or more go by. 
I guess they missed me?
I just played each and nailed the correct country on the first try. 🤔
Dear bots: This is not helpful.😐
I learned nothing.

[Prevailing Wind]

Worldledaily.com is different than the .fr one. I find the second one awfully easy; the first one is challenge, even if you DO google, which is frowned upon.

[shapeshifter]

The NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle clue for 125 across was:  
      “Jeopardy!” fodder
(solve shown in spoiler tags since it’s still Sunday)

Spoiler

Mom and Dad would have both known it instantly, calling it out in unison as they solved it together, as was their custom.

 I, OTOH, had to get most of the crosses first.

Edited August 7, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Prevailing Wind]

[zoey1996]

We’re in Ellsworth, Kansas now! We took four days to make the drive. I did all the driving as Mr. Zoey doesn’t drive anymore. We and our Chin held up pretty well. Our house in Williamsburg should close Monday; all is in place. Our movers should arrive Wednesday, so we’re in a motel for a few more days.

I’ve been missing Jeopardy! due to travel, and missing all of you as well!

[shapeshifter]

Jeopardy! made The NY Times crossword puzzle again:

The puzzle constructor, Patrick John Duggan (Will Shortz is still the NYT puzzle editor but does not construct a puzzle for every day!) said of this clue:

Quote

I submitted this puzzle right around the time of the “Who will replace Alex Trebek?” imbroglio and the Mike Richards brouhaha that followed, so “JEOPARDY!” was very much on the brain. That ended up being my favorite clue to come up with. Thankfully, the editors liked it, too. 
nytimes.com/2022/08/18/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2022-08-19.html

And Mike from Munster, who always posts puns in the comments of The NY Times “WORDPLAY, THE CROSSWORD COLUMN,” offered this pun for that puzzle:

Not one of his best puns, IMO, but maybe I’m missing something?

Edited August 19, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Prevailing Wind]

Actually, it's leaving them outside in the hot sun that's vinyl Jeopardy!

[PBnJay]

The 1940 movie "Kit Carson" is on tonight, Sunday, August 21, on Circle Network. "Frontiersman Carson (Jon Hall) guides Capt. John C. Fremont's (Dana Andrews) cavalry expedition to California."

There will be a quiz afterward.

[PBnJay]

A housewarming gift from Saber and me for Zoey. Welcome to Kansas, my friend!

[zoey1996]

Thank you, @PBnJay and @saber5055! Love the sunflowers!

Our “stuff” arrived Wednesday on schedule, and we checked out of the motel Saturday morning. We got internet yesterday afternoon! Yay!

Jeopardy! comes on at 4:30 pm Central time. It’ll be a nice afternoon break I hope. When the season starts, I’ll need to remember not to post too early.

So far we’ve had three neighbors stop by, one brought brownies, another peach cobbler, and the third chocolate chip cookies. Back in Williamsburg, we knew one of the families next door, waved or said hi to others in passing, over 20+ plus years. Here so far, all have been retirees. It’s a nice friendly town. Lacking in good restaurants, though.

J! question: where is the world’s largest hand-painted Czech egg? Wilson, KS, 15 miles from here. We ate at the Midland Railroad hotel there. Best chicken-fried steak ever! 

[shapeshifter]

From the Sunday NY Times crossword 

😿