Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[valleycliffe]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Hummingbirds migrating from Canada to Mexico. They are so tiny, it just amazes me.

we have hummingbirds all year long..i have a feeder outside of the picture window...i will typically not fill the bird feeder when flowers are available..

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, valleycliffe said:

we have hummingbirds all year long..i have a feeder outside of the picture window...i will typically not fill the bird feeder when flowers are available..

We do too, right where you have yours sounds like. They don't migrate here any more because people feed them but in Eastern Washington they still migrate. Ever since I found that out I feel so responsible for them. We don't really see them in the spring but they practically camp in the rhododendron in the front window all winter. I love them dearly. They're such fierce little creatures, they seem to fear nothing and no one. When I go out to bring in their feeders, they yell at me from about an inch  away from my ear.

Edited November 8, 2018 by peacheslatour

[valleycliffe]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We do too, right where you have yours sounds like. They don't migrate here any more because people feed them but in Eastern Washington they still migrate. Ever since I found that out I feel so responsible for them. We don't really see them in the spring but they practically camp in the rhododendron in the front window all winter. I love them dearly. They're such fierce little creatures, they seem to fear nothing and no one. When I go out to bring in their feeders, they yell at me from about an inch  away from my ear.

are we living in a parallel universe?  i have a rodo there too.

i also have a feeder at the back of the lot and feed seeds to the squirrels and jays as well as the little birds.

[OhioSongbird]

I'm jealous!  We don't see that many and I've tried feeders.

One of my favorite birds.  To compensate I have 2 stained glass ones in my windows.  We put out regular feeders in the winter.  See a lot of Jays and of course Cardinals (our state bird), finches, sparrows, etc.  Watch them from the breakfast table.

Edited November 9, 2018 by OhioSongbird

[peacheslatour]

Are you me? I too feed the jays and the squirrels and the little birds. And the stupid rabbits, although that's not intentional. Little bastards. I love that you have a rhodo in your front window too! I have pruned it until it's basically a tree. The squirrels and jays use it as well. It's mine and the cats front row seat to the outside. 

[valleycliffe]

yes, we have rabbits also...haven't seen them lately tho...my terrorist cat just watches them now and leaves them be...mellowing in her old age i guess.  she's 5 now.

maybe cause it's darker outside and doesn't get lighter until later.

[bannana]

I live virtually almost downtown and we have many rabbits, big ones.

[valleycliffe]

i hope you cali preverts are all ok and the wild fires aren't near you...........

also heartbreaking is the mass shooting at the borderline bar............r.i.p.

[boes]

33 minutes ago, valleycliffe said:

i hope you cali preverts are all ok and the wild fires aren't near you...........

also heartbreaking is the mass shooting at the borderline bar............r.i.p.

The Camp Fire, the one that destroyed the town of Paradise is far, far away but the smoke from it was so bad that all outdoor events in the Bay Area, East Bay were cancelled.  We had to keep our windows closed and stay indoors.  The winds yesterday were incredible, blew down our greenhouse.  

In November.......

[peacheslatour]

Huzzah! My Peaches was diagnosed with feline dementia and there was nothing we could do. I have been mentally saying goodbye to her for weeks. She came due for her rabies shot and our regular vet was out of town so we took her to his partner and guess what? She doesn't have feline dementia- she has an inner ear infection!! All she needs is some antibiotics and she should be her old self by Thanksgiving. I'm so relieved I'm in tears. Thank you sainted vet! Woohoo!

[PatsyandEddie]

I’m crying with joy for you! How wonderful! ?Too bad you’ve both suffered unnecessarily. Yes, bless your vet ??

[ByTor]

Well that is certainly a relief!  I was at the PA Conference for Women in Philadelphia last month, and one of the women there was a dancer who was diagnosed with ALS (I get tears just hearing ALS)...there was a lot she wanted to do, and accomplished, while she was still able, but then it turned out she had chronic Lyme disease and she is fine now.  

[boes]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Huzzah! My Peaches was diagnosed with feline dementia and there was nothing we could do. I have been mentally saying goodbye to her for weeks. She came due for her rabies shot and our regular vet was out of town so we took her to his partner and guess what? She doesn't have feline dementia- she has an inner ear infection!! All she needs is some antibiotics and she should be her old self by Thanksgiving. I'm so relieved I'm in tears. Thank you sainted vet! Woohoo!

 

55 minutes ago, ByTor said:

Well that is certainly a relief!  I was at the PA Conference for Women in Philadelphia last month, and one of the women there was a dancer who was diagnosed with ALS (I get tears just hearing ALS)...there was a lot she wanted to do, and accomplished, while she was still able, but then it turned out she had chronic Lyme disease and she is fine now.  

How completely wonderful!

[OhioSongbird]

Human or animal...always get a second opinion.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, OhioSongbird said:

Human or animal...always get a second opinion.

Boy, is that a fact.

[crowsworks]

On 11/2/2018 at 6:04 AM, OhioSongbird said:

I'll help you dispose of them!  I loooooove Heath bars.

ever make the cracker candy (3 ingredients) thats like heath.

I loved pepper pops and clove lifesavers so they don't make either anymore.

[peacheslatour]

Recipe for cracker candy, please?

[Capricasix]

Clove lifesavers? ?

[OhioSongbird]

I love clove anything.  Beeman's or Teaberry is what we used to get.  Is that still around?

[jewel21]

On ‎11‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 11:22 AM, ByTor said:

Letting everyone in on a little secret...I'm terrified of butterflies.

OMG, me too! But even worse are moths. *shudders* I also dislike ladybugs. But only when they open their backs and those demonic wings come out. Gah. 

Basically every insect freaks me out, heh. I got stuck going to the Insectarium a month ago and I was horrified the entire time I was there. You should have seen my face, heh. 

I've never seen a firefly. I would like to at least once. It sounds pretty, even though they're bugs, heh. 

Edited November 10, 2018 by jewel21

[boes]

Cupid Stunt, how are the awful fires in SoCal affecting you?

I hope you're all okay.

[Cupid Stunt]

It's been hectic. We're safe, but the traffic is terrible with evacuations and emergency vehicles.

Mr.Stunt's grandmother lives in Pacific Palisades and can see the fires in Malibu (about 25 miles as the crow flies). The northern part of PP was given an evacuation order today, so Mr.Stunt picked up Nana and her housekeeper. They're staying with us until the fires make their way to the sea or are put out. She had her property and house sprayed with retardant last week (she had a dream). 

I came home to a hot meal and cold martinis -- It's not all bad.

[crowsworks]

4 ounces saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or milk choco)

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optionalish)

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.

In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread it cover crackers completely. (It spreads more in the oven)

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips (I Use MILK choco chips for a more heath-y taste ) over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

[ByTor]

6 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I got stuck going to the Insectarium a month ago and I was horrified the entire time I was there.

UGH that's a nightmare!!! 

I guess I blocked this out of my memory, but the Philadelphia Flower Show this year had a butterfly room.  Needless to say, I didn't enter & was a little scared the whole time that they would escape *shudder*

@crowsworks do you prefer to use  the salted or unsalted crackers?

[AngelKitty]

14 hours ago, crowsworks said:

ever make the cracker candy (3 ingredients) thats like heath

My mom made this once and it was delicious. Every time I see the recipe I want some, but I know I'll never make it. Not when I can just buy Heath Bars.

[Cupid Stunt]

There are observances of Veterans Day (November 11, formerly Armistice Day), also known as Remembrance Day this weekend.

Please show your respect and support to our veterans and active military personnel.

[peacheslatour]

I took my dad to lunch. He talked more about what happened "over there" than he ever has before. It was brutal.

[Cupid Stunt]

Your being there, listening to your father is the purest love.

(((Peaches)))

 

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, crowsworks said:

4 ounces saltine crackers

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or milk choco)

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optionalish)

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.

In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread it cover crackers completely. (It spreads more in the oven)

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips (I Use MILK choco chips for a more heath-y taste ) over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

My mother makes these with salted crackers, and  sprinkles her version with a mix of milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Mmmmm.

 

The Stunts are coming for dinner to visit Nana -- Thank goodness her housekeeper is visiting, too.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Cupid Stunt

[valleycliffe]

cupid stunt, is your home in any danger from the fire?  it looks awfully close to la....

[Cupid Stunt]

1 minute ago, valleycliffe said:

cupid stunt, is your home in any danger from the fire?  it looks awfully close to la....

No. We're in beautiful downtown Burbank. The fires are west and many miles of concrete canyons away.

It's hard to visualize the size of Los Angeles -- If you want to follow the fires in California, check out the CalFire website for updates and maps. 

[peacheslatour]

30 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

No. We're in beautiful downtown Burbank. The fires are west and many miles of concrete canyons away.

It's hard to visualize the size of Los Angeles -- If you want to follow the fires in California, check out the CalFire website for updates and maps. 

Are you getting much smoke?

[Cupid Stunt]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Are you getting much smoke?

The wind is primarily going west. The air quality isn't too bad, but you can smell smoke, with ash devils in sheltered areas. I closed up the house Thursday when I got the fire notification on my phone.

[OhioSongbird]

Good.  Stay safe CS!

War time....my Grandfather was in Germany during WWII and would never talk about it.

[peacheslatour]

26 minutes ago, OhioSongbird said:

Good.  Stay safe CS!

War time....my Grandfather was in Germany during WWII and would never talk about it.

I understand the misery was not something our boys and girls like to remember. My dad was in the Air Force in Korea. He has a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Yesterday was the first time he talked about killing. He used to just talk about the good friends he had and the pranks they used to pull. And how much he loved Japan. I just gave him a big hug.

[valleycliffe]

37 minutes ago, OhioSongbird said:

Good.  Stay safe CS!

War time....my Grandfather was in Germany during WWII and would never talk about it.

my dad was wounded on d-day....a bullet went thru his arm and into his side and lodged mm from his heart..they never took it out cause they said it was too close..my mom had a dream the night before she got a telegram from the army...she just about fainted but was relieved that he was still alive and would be coming home..he had been gone for 5 yrs.  my mom was pregnant with my older brother when he left....so ray was going on or just turned 5 when he came home.

he never talked about it either.  at least not to me...

[peacheslatour]

Wow. D-Day. I've been to the American Memorial at Normandy Beach. It's staggering what those guys did there. Just standing on that cliff and thinking how the Germans must have felt when they saw that armada approaching from the west. Chilling. I was walking around with my mom and my dad strolled up. I asked where my DH was and he said "taking pictures....and crying."

[peacheslatour]

Is your dad still around? 

[PatsyandEddie]

Dad was a tail gunner in the RCAF. The average rate  of survival was measured in weeks. We felt so blessed to have him as a survivor. He refused to say much. Bomber Command was viewed as mass murderers because they blanket bombed over Europe on nightly missions. It wasn’t until many decades later that they were applauded and medaled for flying into the dangerous night sky. Unfortunately, my father didn’t live long enough to not feel like a killer. Sad to think about. 

[valleycliffe]

12 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Is your dad still around? 

no, he passed away in 1981 while we were living in northern bc...my brother phoned me and said dad was in the hospital with bronchitis..i said should i come home and he said no, he'd be fine...he died 2 days later from cardiac arrest...i have felt guilty ever since and i never got to say goodbye.  

[peacheslatour]

Just now, valleycliffe said:

no, he passed away in 1981 while we were living in northern bc...my brother phoned me and said dad was in the hospital with bronchitis..i said should i come home and he said no, he'd be fine...he died 2 days later from cardiac arrest...i have felt guilty ever since and i never got to say goodbye.  

I understand feeling bad because you didn't get to say goodbye. But please don't feel guilty, you did nothing wrong.

[valleycliffe]

thank you peaches (((((hugs)))))

my dad, before he passed, was an honour guard with the legion..

[Petunia13]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I understand the misery was not something our boys and girls like to remember. My dad was in the Air Force in Korea. He has a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Yesterday was the first time he talked about killing. He used to just talk about the good friends he had and the pranks they used to pull. And how much he loved Japan. I just gave him a big hug.

My late grandpa was in Korea. Your dad sounds like a real hero ???

So... I shattered a plate glass door at work yesterday. It was tremendously amusing to all the men on the store staff. 

[boes]

1 hour ago, Petunia13 said:

My late grandpa was in Korea. Your dad sounds like a real hero ???

So... I shattered a plate glass door at work yesterday. It was tremendously amusing to all the men on the store staff. 

Are you okay?

[AngelKitty]

12 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

My dad was in the Air Force in Korea.

My dad was also in the Air Force and got shot down over Korea. After that, he was grounded and became an intelligence officer. Growing up, where ever we lived there was always some crisis. We lived in Germany when they started building the Berlin Wall, then Florida during the Cuban Crisis, then the Philippines when Viet Nam was escalating, then the DC area during the race riots there. I thought my family was a jinx until I realized that was my father's business.

I forgot to mention Mr. AngelKitty is also a Veteran. He was in the Army for a few years. It was during peacetime and he was mostly in Texas, but he did serve.

Edited November 11, 2018 by AngelKitty

[PatsyandEddie]

??

[valleycliffe]

petunia13 how did you shatter a glass door?  and are u ok?

also, how is george doing?  is he still going to daycare?

[pearlite]

15 hours ago, PatsyandEddie said:

Dad was a tail gunner in the RCAF. The average rate  of survival was measured in weeks. We felt so blessed to have him as a survivor. He refused to say much. Bomber Command was viewed as mass murderers because they blanket bombed over Europe on nightly missions. It wasn’t until many decades later that they were applauded and medaled for flying into the dangerous night sky. Unfortunately, my father didn’t live long enough to not feel like a killer. Sad to think about. 

My girlfriend's father joined the RAF by faking his age [15], was also bomber command, and ended up with the Victoria Cross and other medals. He escaped from German prison camps three times, and always made it back to England. Reg was one of a kind--kind of a dainty, witty little Englishman who drove a convertible and held a perfumed hanky to his nose while driving past the stockyards area in TO.

Ex-husband's father was a bomber pilot, first in RAF, then in RCAF. He was shot down over Morocco during coverage of Montgomery/Rommel, had his spine shattered and spent the last year of the war floating in circles around Africa on a hospital ship, teaching himself advanced math...

Years ago, while in Normandy and Brittany doing some travel and food writing, I went to the memorials and trench displays--gut-turning.

Edited November 11, 2018 by pearlite

[Cupid Stunt]

100th Anniversary of Armistice Day

Poppies: Weeping Window at the Imperial War Museum, London by Andrew Tunnard

 

 

Thank you for your testimonies. They served with honor. 

[peacheslatour]

8 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

My dad was also in the Air Force and got shot down over Korea. After that, he was grounded and became an intelligence officer. Growing up, where ever we lived there was always some crisis. We lived in Germany when they started building the Berlin Wall, then Florida during the Cuban Crisis, then the Philippines when Viet Nam was escalating, then the DC area during the race riots there. I thought my family was a jinx until I realized that was my father's business.

I forgot to mention Mr. AngelKitty is also a Veteran. He was in the Army for a few years. It was during peacetime and he was mostly in Texas, but he did serve.

 

I was born at Lackland Air Force base, Texas and my dad was in Air Force Intelligence. What a generation!

Edited November 11, 2018 by peacheslatour

[AngelKitty]

I was born at Loring AFB in Presque Isle, Maine. My dad was stationed at Iceland and pulled red tape to get transferred so I could be born in the USA. My mom said it was colder in Maine than Iceland.