Small Talk: I Like Them All, I Just Can't Choose!

[Thumper]

I would love that, ennui!

[SentimentalLady]

@Bronx Babe.  Check your pm's when you get a chance.

[SuprSuprElevated]

47 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

Excellent suggestion.  I would like a scene of a cozy cabin the the woods with a gentle snowfall.  Any other ideas?

Add me to the list of well wishers and congrats.  

I appreciate it, thanks.

[Booney]

49 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

Excellent suggestion.  I would like a scene of a cozy cabin the the woods with a gentle snowfall.  Any other ideas?

 

Here are a couple I'd like to see -

A beautiful garden on a sunny day, flowers swaying in the breeze, with butterflies and birds gliding by.

A forest scene, all deep green, with a babbling brook.

[Booney]

Well, my redbud tree is gone (sniff, sniff). The tree company came today and said it couldn't be saved because too many major roots had been severed. They will come back with another piece of equipment to grind the stump.

I'm not going to do anything until the fall. I have 5 other large trees on the front lawn, so I'm going to live with the empty space where the redbud was for a couple of months to see how I feel about it. If I do decide to plant another tree, I'll do so in the fall when it's cooler and conditions are better for planting.

[Booney]

3 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

 

Lovely! Except Brooke isn't babbling in that photo...?

[Coffeecup]

Booney, sorry your tree is gone. I agree about fall being the best time to plant trees. In the meantime, you have a new open sunny spot (I'm assuming your large trees are not close together). Maybe you will want to plant something different there, like a big flowering shrub, or a rosebush, or something.

I got a new big sunny spot in May when a huge old tree got uprooted in a storm. Actually this tree was not on my property. It was in the wooded buffer zone behind the houses on my street, between our back yards and the creek (the one that floods us once in a while). The city owns the property, but they never seem to pay any attention to it. I try to look after "my" part of the buffer zone, such as keeping ivy and kudzu vines cleaned up. I have also planted some extra shrubs back there. Now that there is so much sun, I could plant a new tree. I have a four-foot-tall maple tree growing in a pot because I ran out of sunny places to plant it.  The maple would be nice back there in the buffer.

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 minutes ago, Booney said:

Lovely! Except Brooke isn't babbling in that photo...?

Gimme a break, I worked hard on that!  lol  ( ;

I'm going to edit mine out, since your reply shows the photos.  In the interest of ~ahem~ brevity.

Edited June 27, 2017 by SuprSuprElevated

[Booney]

3 minutes ago, Coffeecup said:

Booney, sorry your tree is gone. I agree about fall being the best time to plant trees. In the meantime, you have a new open sunny spot (I'm assuming your large trees are not close together). Maybe you will want to plant something different there, like a big flowering shrub, or a rosebush, or something.

I got a new big sunny spot in May when a huge old tree got uprooted in a storm. Actually this tree was not on my property. It was in the wooded buffer zone behind the houses on my street, between our back yards and the creek (the one that floods us once in a while). The city owns the property, but they never seem to pay any attention to it. I try to look after "my" part of the buffer zone, such as keeping ivy and kudzu vines cleaned up. I have also planted some extra shrubs back there. Now that there is so much sun, I could plant a new tree. I have a four-foot-tall maple tree growing in a pot because I ran out of sunny places to plant it.  The maple would be nice back there in the buffer.

Planting something different there is a good idea, @Coffeecup. A rose bush might be nice.

That sounds like a great spot for your maple tree!

[TexasTiffany]

21 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Since I disparaged the surgeon profession upthread, I should also share when they do something right.  This particular surgeon is and always was wonderful and we're lucky to have him, but still.

So my hubs had his 3rd annual scan since his lung cancer was found and they removed a lobe of his left lung.  Generally the scan is followed by an appt. with the surgeon's Physician Asst. a week or so later.  They called hubs today to let him know that since there were no changes (yay!!), he could skip the appt.  So they actually saved our insurance and us an expensive appointment, and for that (but mostly for the good news) I am grateful.

My hope is that everyone experiencing these issues enjoys a similar experience, and the sooner the better.

SSE, congrats on the good news! I'm glad it things are going well. 

Edited June 27, 2017 by TexasTiffany

[TexasTiffany]

10 hours ago, Fishy said:

These would make AWESOME jigsaw puzzles..... just call me Lisa for short..... LOL!!

Lisa doesn't have anything on us! I've been doing these puzzles for years. I play on iWin.com. I purchased their Jigsaw Mania game years ago. I add my own images that I google and can set the piece count to whatever. It's fun... pieces will never go missing. 

[Raspberry Streusel]

19 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

Charles Wysocki "Mabel the Stowaway"

This is wonderful! I do online puzzles, too. I can hardly wait to do this. I've already saved it. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

SSE, congrats on the good news! I'm glad it things are going well. 

Thanks a lot @TexasTiffany.

[TexasTiffany]

On 6/24/2017 at 5:22 PM, HissyFit said:

Hi, Small Talkers. My first post away from Shopping Channel forum. Yes, I'm a two-timer.

I'm also a member of the Tank Half Empty club. Here in Hurricane Alley, it's just smart.

On Tuesday, I had a list of errands to run before the heavy rains of TS Cindy moved in (gas, cash, food, water, wine), and my car wouldn't crank! The clickety-clickety sound said "battery." Thinking my battery was only two or three years old, I checked my file. My, how time flies. I had purchased an Interstate battery guaranteed for 65 months on January 19, 2012 ... and Tuesday was June 20, 2017 ... 65 months and one day!  Oh, well, I got my money's worth, although I can't shake the suspicion that many modern products are equipped with computer-chip timers and tiny self-destruct bombs.

@HissyFit, I'm glad you made your way over here. Sorry you've had battery trouble. Been there before, too. 

About the Tank Half Empty Club - I was driving to Alabama in a rental in one stretch for 15 hrs. I'd take stops along the way. I'm convinced that God was watching out for me. I had to make a pit stop for other reasons and had over 1/3 tank full. I wasn't thinking "I really need to get gas NOW". On a whim I went ahead and filled my tank. I had been seeing towns and gas stations all along my way for 8 or so hours. Well. After I left that gas station with a full tank I did not see another town, another gas station, another bait'n'fine dining establishment for a very long time. It was all highway. If I hadn't filled my tank at that VERY LAST STOP I would have been stranded in the middle of nowhere where the kudzu menace would have overtaken me. It scared me how close I was to making a HUGE mistake. There should have been a warning sign like "Last Chance Gas Station - won't see another for 200 miles!". 

[TexasTiffany]

17 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

I adore Charles Wysocki's art.  I have a puzzle we made of a two small boys in a boat laughing.  We had it framed.  It makes me smile.  I change the prints according to the season.

Some of my favorite Wysocki landscapes are his Spring orchard scenes and Autumn pumpkin farms. His kitty scenes are beautiful, very detailed, and capture the essence of a cat. He's got more than what I posted. I debated about whether to post "Maggie the Messmaker", I think that's the name. It's Maggie the kitty in the sewing room. All of his are perfect for puzzles. I don't think he did any dogs, which is a shame. 

Edited June 28, 2017 by TexasTiffany

[Bronx Babe]

6 hours ago, SentimentalLady said:

@Bronx Babe.  Check your pm's when you get a chance.

Thanks, I did, but am having technical problems responding.  To those who pm'd me (I'll keep you anonymous just to be on the "safe" side, whatever that exactly might be), thanks so much.  My answer is I don't have a clue what was/is going on in respect to that matter.  Very confused but will carry on.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Bronx Babe

[TexasTiffany]

29 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

@TexasTiffany Is this It?  Adorable.

I've made both of these and still have them. 

 

Yes, that's Maggie! And, the pumpkin patches.

To show the diversity of style and color in Wysocki's art, here's another one that has a different feel to it. As if it's from the 1950's. 

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by TexasTiffany

[Bronx Babe]

On 6/24/2017 at 11:58 PM, TexasTiffany said:

This makes me cry. I'm so sorry. 

Take time to grieve. When you are ready to branch out, think of it as a new opportunity for happiness. 

Oh death, never return to us.

Thanks so much, @TexasTiffany  I actually cried when I typed it. 

LIfe is for the living but it's a bit difficult now.  However, I will carry on with hope in my heart and a determination to move forward and not get "stuck" in the past even though the pangs of nostalgia and longing are strong at this moment.  There is a website called Back In The Bronx that I might join in order to connect with the people and places of my youth in the "old neighborhood".  And thank goodness for Virtual Pike.  I actually saw my childhood apartment and street!  Sobbed for hours afterward.

[Thumper]

That sewing machine in the cat painting above looks just like my mom's old machine, which I now have!  I think hers is from the 1940's.

[Bronx Babe]

On 6/24/2017 at 6:09 PM, PearlClutcher said:

@Bronx Babe. Geez, it's so very good to hear from you.  It sounds like many of your Sparkly Snarkers were with you in spirit.  I hope this wasn't said before as I tend to read the latest post and then go upthread.   Anyway, I like your Bronxoni prediction about no return of EOS.  Being a SAHM would be good for her and the little one.  I do hope you are correct!

@PearlClutcher  You'll forgive me if I don't remember responding to your post (I think I did but can't find it)  Thank you so much for your kind words.  So many of youse guys have been wonderfully supportive and I'm grateful.  A great group!

I'm actually happy for Shawn with her new domestic direction and, playing armchair psychiatrist to myself, I'm now certain I wrote about missing OES's "old" self as a sort of displaced reaction against any and all types of change in life, probably precipitated by my mother's death.   

[HissyFit]

Good Tank Half Empty story, @TexasTiffany. Much more, I believe, than a happy accident.

I also brought back a vivid memory.

22 minutes ago, TexasTiffany said:

..... If I hadn't filled my tank at that VERY LAST STOP I would have been stranded in the middle of nowhere where the kudzu menace would have overtaken me. ....

My grandmother was a wonderfully strong woman in many ways, but she was afraid of kudzu! When she had to drive past areas where the vine had swallowed trees, power poles, abandoned houses, she would keep her eyes on the pavement and grip the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. 

Maybe she was among your guardian angels that day. 

[SentimentalLady]

1 hour ago, PearlClutcher said:

@TexasTiffany Is this It?  Adorable.

I've made both of these and still have them. 

The last one kind of reminds me of Warren Kimball.  I have some artwork and pillows with lighthouse scenes.

[Bronx Babe]

Might someone tell me how to create an avatar?

I am very technically challenged.

[Bronx Babe]

@Chica0812, if you are lurking here I just want to say thank you so very much for your wonderful pm to me which I've just seen -- I'm having some weird problems on the tech side with responding to comments posted there.  Your words were very generous, kind and comforting.  So sorry about your own mom; please accept my condolences.  Our hospice experiences were a blessing.

[Bronx Babe]

On 6/25/2017 at 0:37 AM, TexasTiffany said:

I wouldn't miss Shawn. I've only seen the new host NewMary when she co-hosted with Rachel. Even then I only saw her for 30 minutes. These newbies will probably give us new things to snark about. Right now we don't know what they are. And, Martha Stewart is coming! Suzanne Somers! We've got fresh snark-on-tap coming our way!

I'm hoping Shawn is financially able to stay at home with her daughter, sparing us her presence on the Q, but not sure this will be the case. 

Ugh, hags Stewart and Somers.  And those lackluster newbies.  Plus personality-challenged Jeff Moseley, who has all the charm of petroleum jelly....What a line-up, lol.

[ennui]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

Might someone tell me how to create an avatar?

I am very technically challenged.

In the upper right corner, click on your name ... it brings up a drop-down menu, "edit profile," click on that ... next screen, click "cover photo," and it prompts "upload photo."

Or something like that.

10 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

I'm hoping Shawn is financially able to stay at home with her daughter

Nope. Now they need to start saving for horseback riding lessons and college tuition.

[Booney]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

Might someone tell me how to create an avatar?

I am very technically challenged.

It's been a while since I did mine, but I think this is what I did. Go to your profile. To do that, go to the top of this page and on the right, you'll see your screen name and current avatar. Click on that to take you to your profile. On your profile page you'll see a picture of your current avatar. In the lower left of that picture is a little white box. Click on that box and you can upload a photo to be your new avatar.

If anyone has more more/better instructions, feel free to add to this or correct me!

[Bronx Babe]

Thank you @ennui and @Booney! 

Edited June 28, 2017 by Bronx Babe

[Bronx Babe]

8 minutes ago, ennui said:

 

Nope. Now they need to start saving for horseback riding lessons and college tuition.

Yes, you're probably right.

I can also see boarding school in Switzerland, London or Paris.

[Coffeecup]

3 hours ago, HissyFit said:

Good Tank Half Empty story, @TexasTiffany. Much more, I believe, than a happy accident.

I also brought back a vivid memory.

My grandmother was a wonderfully strong woman in many ways, but she was afraid of kudzu! When she had to drive past areas where the vine had swallowed trees, power poles, abandoned houses, she would keep her eyes on the pavement and grip the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. 

Maybe she was among your guardian angels that day. 

Ugh, I hate kudzu!  "The Vine That Ate The South." It is starting to creep around in my back yard. Yes, it's unsettling to see "kudzu castles." You have to keep after it all during the growing season or it will take over your property.

 

 

[Thumper]

I didn't even know what kudzu was!  Never heard of it in MN.

[StaceyNotStacie]

9 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Ugh, I hate kudzu!  "The Vine That Ate The South." It is starting to creep around in my back yard. Yes, it's unsettling to see "kudzu castles." You have to keep after it all during the growing season or it will take over your property.

 

 

OMG That is creepy. It reminds me of that old History Channel show "Life After People" where they'd show landmarks years after people were extinct. 

[Fishy]

56 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

Ugh, I hate kudzu!  "The Vine That Ate The South." It is starting to creep around in my back yard. Yes, it's unsettling to see "kudzu castles." You have to keep after it all during the growing season or it will take over your property.

I saw kudzu with my own eyes when a friend of mine moved to South Carolina and I visited her or maybe it was North Carolina?  she lived in both places.  I had heard that it was good material to make wreath forms out of - similar to grapevine wreath forms and that it can get out of control quickly if you don't keep after it.

I think there's a poster at the Shopping Channel whose name is Kudzu.  I think of it everytime I see that poster post.  Hee 

[Booney]

12 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Ugh, I hate kudzu!  "The Vine That Ate The South." It is starting to creep around in my back yard. Yes, it's unsettling to see "kudzu castles." You have to keep after it all during the growing season or it will take over your property.

 

 

My sister and BIL live outside of Atlanta and kudzu is everywhere there. They've managed to keep it out of their yard though.

[ennui]

3 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

OMG That is creepy. It reminds me of that old History Channel show "Life After People" where they'd show landmarks years after people were extinct. 

If you like scary books, read "The Ruins." A vine plays a major role. They made a movie out of it, but the book was better.

[CarpeDiem54]

13 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Ugh, I hate kudzu!  "The Vine That Ate The South." It is starting to creep around in my back yard. Yes, it's unsettling to see "kudzu castles." You have to keep after it all during the growing season or it will take over your property.

Which is one thing that makes The Walking Dead so unrealistic (besides the zombies wandering around) - everything would be covered in kudzu.  I had some ivy from a neighbor's yard that "attacked" a snowball bush of mine.  I had to hire someone to come out to get my shrub out of the clutches of that nasty vine.  I tried, but couldn't do it myself.  Ivy is a wimp compared to kudzu.

11 minutes ago, PearlClutcher said:

I know if I waited until her age to finally have a child, I sure would stay home and be a full time mom and get JJ hitting the streets with his resume.  They may not have the option of having her quit at the Q.

I get the impression that Jobless' "consulting bidness" is on the order of the Sofa (really a mattress) Shopping Channel.  He probably has a home office where he screws around on his computer part of the day.  He probably doesn't bring in enough to cover the groceries.  And since they don't eat at home, that's not much.

[HissyFit]

7 hours ago, Thumper said:

I didn't even know what kudzu was!  Never heard of it in MN.

In the U.S., kudzu grows primarily in the southeastern states. It can grow up to a foot a day. Everywhere it touches ground it puts down new roots, so you can't kill it by "cutting it off at the head" or even burning it. If any roots survive, it starts again. By any definition, it's creepy.

[kittygirl]

Kudzu was imported by the government from Japan to stop roadside erosion in the southern states. I suppose it works but no one can tell since ground is not visible under the kudzu. It's all over Alabama, that I do know.

[Coffeecup]

5 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Which is one thing that makes The Walking Dead so unrealistic (besides the zombies wandering around) - everything would be covered in kudzu.

 

Yes! This is more like a true dystopian Southern landscape would look. Unless the surviving live [non-zombie] humans kept herds of goats. Goats will eat large amounts of kudzu.

 

Edited June 29, 2017 by Coffeecup

[seahag]

I first met kudzu in AL.  Holy crap, it was EVERYWHERE!  It grows over everything including street signs, mailboxes, and traffic signs.  

Cricket, check your PM.

Edited June 29, 2017 by seahag
Damn merge

[TexasTiffany]

Kudzu looks like random topiary on a huge scale. I saw 200 miles of it along the highway. Some of it looks ghostly creepy. It can be so thick that I wondered if animals become trapped in the woods. 

Quote

Goats will eat large amounts of kudzu.

Why doesn't the south turn loose herds of goats on the it? That would make an interesting reality show. "Kudzu Kids" "Today, the goats will attempt to eat their way to the Hollingsworth mailbox."

Would vegetarians eat it? I could sell kudzu soy burgers on HSN. 

Edited June 29, 2017 by TexasTiffany

[Coffeecup]

1 hour ago, TexasTiffany said:

Kudzu looks like random topiary on a huge scale. I saw 200 miles of it along the highway. Some of it looks ghostly creepy. It can be so thick that I wondered if animals become trapped in the woods. 

Why doesn't the south turn loose herds of goats on the it? That would make an interesting reality show. "Kudzu Kids" "Today, the goats will attempt to eat their way to the Hollingsworth mailbox."

Would vegetarians eat it? I could sell kudzu soy burgers on HSN. 

Goat herds are available for rent, and yes, they're used by city governments and private landowners used to clear kudzu and other weeds. (Trouble is, the goats eat everything, so you wouldn't want to use them if there any plants you want to save.)  Here's a video of goats eating kudzu in North Carolina.

I've seen a couple of cooking shows where the chef prepared kudzu, but I wouldn't want to eat it. It looked yucky and slimy.

[Fishy]

5 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Goat herds are available for rent, and yes, they're used by city governments and private landowners used to clear kudzu and other weeds. (Trouble is, the goats eat everything, so you wouldn't want to use them if there any plants you want to save.)  Here's a video of goats eating kudzu in North Carolina.

I've seen a couple of cooking shows where the chef prepared kudzu, but I wouldn't want to eat it. It looked yucky and slimy.

just mind boggling to me. 

[ennui]

Cricket, you're not alone in the hospital bill nightmare -- http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/26/two-in-three-patients-cant-pay-off-their-hospital-bills.html

Lifted from a friend:

Quote

 asked a hospital billing agent how they handled large medical bills for people with no insurance. She said they would negotiate. She discussed some of the details of negotiating down a bill. To make a long story brief, a rough rule of the thumb is that they would settle for about 25% of the total bill.

Edited June 29, 2017 by ennui

[TexasTiffany]

17 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Goat herds are available for rent, and yes, they're used by city governments and private landowners used to clear kudzu and other weeds. (Trouble is, the goats eat everything, so you wouldn't want to use them if there any plants you want to save.)  Here's a video of goats eating kudzu in North Carolina.

I've seen a couple of cooking shows where the chef prepared kudzu, but I wouldn't want to eat it. It looked yucky and slimy.

 

@Coffeecup, I like your goat video. What a good idea! Goats for rent to clear kudzu. I've heard of farmers using goats to eat the thistles from their pastures. @hummingbird says they will eat poison ivy, too. they really eat anything. 

[Cricket]

Hello all. Been a busy few days... storm came through day before yesterday and I just got home when I heard a huge crack! The winds caused my Bradford Pear to split up the middle! The branches came down on the power lines to the house so we had to wait for the power company to come and chain saw them off. Fortunately, power lines are intact. Not so with my pear tree... Booney, I feel your pain. Took the bird house, which was occupied, with it. :(  Yesterday I spent over an hour with loppers cutting off the limbs and DRAGGING them a good distance to the woods. About 20 trips... I was beat. The idea was that Joe would use the chain saw and cut the rest for firewood.

Well... while I was outside, he was in the ER. Now he has a deep vein blood clot behind one of his knees. they said it is from the chemo. He has to take injectable blood thinners now twice a day. But he has to reduce the dose a bit because he is scheduled for surgery in two weeks. If he makes it in at this rate, I will be surprised. One thing after another. Now I have my wood guy coming over to give me a price to take down the tree!! Joe thinks it can be saved. It can not.  Wishful thinking, we lost half the tree! It needs to come down as soon as possible before another storm brings it down completely.

Anyway, that is why I have not been here... or there.... will tackle there tomorrow night LOL. 

[ennui]

I'm glad they found the blood clot. They can be fatal. 

Hang in there, Cricket. Sorry about the tree. 

[Cricket]

Wow.... 30 mins later I got a picture to fit. Problem is, I tried so many times to do this, I don't know exactly HOW I did it! Ha! Oh well... it's on my lines!

[Booney]

19 minutes ago, Cricket said:

Hello all. Been a busy few days... storm came through day before yesterday and I just got home when I heard a huge crack! The winds caused my Bradford Pear to split up the middle! The branches came down on the power lines to the house so we had to wait for the power company to come and chain saw them off. Fortunately, power lines are intact. Not so with my pear tree... Booney, I feel your pain. Took the bird house, which was occupied, with it. :(  Yesterday I spent over an hour with loppers cutting off the limbs and DRAGGING them a good distance to the woods. About 20 trips... I was beat. The idea was that Joe would use the chain saw and cut the rest for firewood.

Well... while I was outside, he was in the ER. Now he has a deep vein blood clot behind one of his knees. they said it is from the chemo. He has to take injectable blood thinners now twice a day. But he has to reduce the dose a bit because he is scheduled for surgery in two weeks. If he makes it in at this rate, I will be surprised. One thing after another. Now I have my wood guy coming over to give me a price to take down the tree!! Joe thinks it can be saved. It can not.  Wishful thinking, we lost half the tree! It needs to come down as soon as possible before another storm brings it down completely.

Anyway, that is why I have not been here... or there.... will tackle there tomorrow night LOL. 

So sorry about the Bradford Pear, @Cricket. They're beautiful trees. I had one in the yard many years ago that I also lost in a storm. The trunk cracked about 6 feet up from the ground and the rest of the tree - about 25 feet of it - fell over at that crack. Fortunately it fell away from the house. Bummer about your tree falling on your power lines. I hope your birds made it. 

I second @ennui's comment about it being a good thing that they found Joe's blood clot. Hopefully he'll be able to have his surgery on schedule. One step at a time...

[Cricket]

Ha... well did it again.. still not confident to do this again tomorrow but here is my poor ol' tree...