USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Dajjal]

I will keep at it, fox spotting for the rest of the summer. Hoping that I will eventually get the perfect picture of the mother and cubs. I got some pretty good ones last year, but this year the foxes are not coming from next doors patio, they are coming from another garden over the back fence. So I do not see them much during the day. They mostly only make excursions into my garden at dusk, too late for good pictures.

 

[Dajjal]

there are those who have lived prudent, careful lives, eaten only healthy stuff, no alcohol, never smoked, etc. etc. etc. and find themselves one day dying of nothing at all.

I was trying to drink myself to death, but I started throwing up every time I had a beer so I quit. That was years ago now, and now I am not supposed to eat cheese because I have high cholesterol. But I eat it anyway, so I might be committing suicide by cheese and biscuits.

 

[Hossfly]

I dreamed it was the mid 1970s. Jerry and Betty Ford's America. Mary Tyler Moore's America. A time racked with inflation and clever WIN (whip inflation now) buttons to combat it. A time when we waited for gasoline and butcher shops played footsie with selling us horse meat rather than take a loss on expensive beef. A time when people loved to see John Travolta strut down 86th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn swinging paint cans and eating two slices of pizza at a time.

It was very much my time. A freshman at The Ohio State University with my whole life before me. We were a generation caught between Vietnam and Calvin Klein. Girls were divided between those dressed in bell bottom jeans or a whale embroidered on their skirt. We drank beer and smoked marijuana with gusto. We shunned fraternities and sororities until John Belushi showed us an earlier era when they were 'fun'.

We drove Chevies and Fords and giggled at the flimsy Japanese cars suddenly showing up on the streets. The more affluent among us had FM car radios and 8 track tape decks installed in the dashboards of those American cars. Others were content with a Sparkomatic FM converter wired to our AM radios. We listened to Jetho Tull and Jefferson Starship whenever we we lucky enough to have a girl in the front seat. Life was good.

The specifics of my dream are unimportant. The era my dream took place in was essential. Patty Hearst, the last of the rebels, was on the run so that provided enough romance for the sixties we college kids could still at least feel relevant, but we could tell the times were changing. Tanya could shoot up banks for us. We were never tear gassed.

The Steelers were winning while the steel workers were losing. The valley had giant mills spewing rust colored dust on everything. Whole towns adapted by painting homes and businesses the same rusty orange-brown so the stains were not so apparent. But gradually those mills shut down, along with the towns abutting them. Grand Fourth of July celebrations with parades and fireworks that went on and on into the night eroded to more private affairs with a modest picnic and a few sparklers.

The Bicentennial came and that red, white and blue star logo adorned everything from water towers to taverns. Jerry Ford clumsily danced to Lady is a Tramp with Queen Elizabeth in the East Room. I was 19 and could not fathom the world I would live in by the time our nation's 250th birthday would happen.

I could not imagine a world where a telephone would be in your pocket. And that telephone could provide all the information in the world. I could not imagine televisions the size of billboards in the living room or movies on a silver disc. I could not imagine a person going by my name as an older man with aches and pains and absolutely no need to provide identification to a clerk at a store selling beer and wine.

And again, life is good.

It is flattering to be carded these days isn't it. I once did a safety inspection on the beer and wine concession at the State Fair when the insurance company was especially concerned how the beer concession was making sure they weren't selling to minors. I couldn't resist deviating a bit from my usual impersonal and very professional stodgy matter of fact report by commenting that the management in the beer garden was not allowing beer or wine to be carried off the premises, and they were carding everybody including little old ladies who were tickled to death.

I sometimes have to buy my wife some cooking sherry or rum for baking and I get carded. I'm going on 78. No big deal.

 

[Nosmo King]

I dreamed it was the mid 1970s. Jerry and Betty Ford's America. Mary Tyler Moore's America. A time racked with inflation and clever WIN (whip inflation now) buttons to combat it. A time when we waited for gasoline and butcher shops played footsie with selling us horse meat rather than take a loss on expensive beef. A time when people loved to see John Travolta strut down 86th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn swinging paint cans and eating two slices of pizza at a time.

It was very much my time. A freshman at The Ohio State University with my whole life before me. We were a generation caught between Vietnam and Calvin Klein. Girls were divided between those dressed in bell bottom jeans or a whale embroidered on their skirt. We drank beer and smoked marijuana with gusto. We shunned fraternities and sororities until John Belushi showed us an earlier era when they were 'fun'.

We drove Chevies and Fords and giggled at the flimsy Japanese cars suddenly showing up on the streets. The more affluent among us had FM car radios and 8 track tape decks installed in the dashboards of those American cars. Others were content with a Sparkomatic FM converter wired to our AM radios. We listened to Jetho Tull and Jefferson Starship whenever we we lucky enough to have a girl in the front seat. Life was good.

The specifics of my dream are unimportant. The era my dream took place in was essential. Patty Hearst, the last of the rebels, was on the run so that provided enough romance for the sixties we college kids could still at least feel relevant, but we could tell the times were changing. Tanya could shoot up banks for us. We were never tear gassed.

The Steelers were winning while the steel workers were losing. The valley had giant mills spewing rust colored dust on everything. Whole towns adapted by painting homes and businesses the same rusty orange-brown so the stains were not so apparent. But gradually those mills shut down, along with the towns abutting them. Grand Fourth of July celebrations with parades and fireworks that went on and on into the night eroded to more private affairs with a modest picnic and a few sparklers.

The Bicentennial came and that red, white and blue star logo adorned everything from water towers to taverns. Jerry Ford clumsily danced to Lady is a Tramp with Queen Elizabeth in the East Room. I was 19 and could not fathom the world I would live in by the time our nation's 250th birthday would happen.

I could not imagine a world where a telephone would be in your pocket. And that telephone could provide all the information in the world. I could not imagine televisions the size of billboards in the living room or movies on a silver disc. I could not imagine a person going by my name as an older man with aches and pains and absolutely no need to provide identification to a clerk at a store selling beer and wine.

And again, life is good.

It is flattering to be carded these days isn't it. I once did a safety inspection on the beer and wine concession at the State Fair when the insurance company was especially concerned how the beer concession was making sure they weren't selling to minors. I couldn't resist deviating a bit from my usual impersonal and very professional stodgy matter of fact report by commenting that the management in the beer garden was not allowing beer or wine to be carried off the premises, and they were carding everybody including little old ladies who were tickled to death.

I sometimes have to buy my wife some cooking sherry or rum for baking and I get carded. I'm going on 78. No big deal.

But still you have to wonder how many 19 year olds look like you or me.

 

[Foxfyre]

there are those who have lived prudent, careful lives, eaten only healthy stuff, no alcohol, never smoked, etc. etc. etc. and find themselves one day dying of nothing at all.

I was trying to drink myself to death, but I started throwing up every time I had a beer so I quit. That was years ago now, and now I am not supposed to eat cheese because I have high cholesterol. But I eat it anyway, so I might be committing suicide by cheese and biscuits.

I rather tend to think high cholesterol has very little to do with our diet and a lot more to do with our genes. Hombre and I eat pretty much identical diets, for instance, and he has high cholesterol and I don't.

I do include chia seed and freshly ground flax seed in my diet more than he does though and that does wonders for cholesterol. My nephew had high numbers recently and his doctor suggested he include some chia seed in his diet before they went to any kind of medication. Took care of it.

 

[Foxfyre]

I dreamed it was the mid 1970s. Jerry and Betty Ford's America. Mary Tyler Moore's America. A time racked with inflation and clever WIN (whip inflation now) buttons to combat it. A time when we waited for gasoline and butcher shops played footsie with selling us horse meat rather than take a loss on expensive beef. A time when people loved to see John Travolta strut down 86th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn swinging paint cans and eating two slices of pizza at a time.

It was very much my time. A freshman at The Ohio State University with my whole life before me. We were a generation caught between Vietnam and Calvin Klein. Girls were divided between those dressed in bell bottom jeans or a whale embroidered on their skirt. We drank beer and smoked marijuana with gusto. We shunned fraternities and sororities until John Belushi showed us an earlier era when they were 'fun'.

We drove Chevies and Fords and giggled at the flimsy Japanese cars suddenly showing up on the streets. The more affluent among us had FM car radios and 8 track tape decks installed in the dashboards of those American cars. Others were content with a Sparkomatic FM converter wired to our AM radios. We listened to Jetho Tull and Jefferson Starship whenever we we lucky enough to have a girl in the front seat. Life was good.

The specifics of my dream are unimportant. The era my dream took place in was essential. Patty Hearst, the last of the rebels, was on the run so that provided enough romance for the sixties we college kids could still at least feel relevant, but we could tell the times were changing. Tanya could shoot up banks for us. We were never tear gassed.

The Steelers were winning while the steel workers were losing. The valley had giant mills spewing rust colored dust on everything. Whole towns adapted by painting homes and businesses the same rusty orange-brown so the stains were not so apparent. But gradually those mills shut down, along with the towns abutting them. Grand Fourth of July celebrations with parades and fireworks that went on and on into the night eroded to more private affairs with a modest picnic and a few sparklers.

The Bicentennial came and that red, white and blue star logo adorned everything from water towers to taverns. Jerry Ford clumsily danced to Lady is a Tramp with Queen Elizabeth in the East Room. I was 19 and could not fathom the world I would live in by the time our nation's 250th birthday would happen.

I could not imagine a world where a telephone would be in your pocket. And that telephone could provide all the information in the world. I could not imagine televisions the size of billboards in the living room or movies on a silver disc. I could not imagine a person going by my name as an older man with aches and pains and absolutely no need to provide identification to a clerk at a store selling beer and wine.

And again, life is good.

It is flattering to be carded these days isn't it. I once did a safety inspection on the beer and wine concession at the State Fair when the insurance company was especially concerned how the beer concession was making sure they weren't selling to minors. I couldn't resist deviating a bit from my usual impersonal and very professional stodgy matter of fact report by commenting that the management in the beer garden was not allowing beer or wine to be carried off the premises, and they were carding everybody including little old ladies who were tickled to death.

I sometimes have to buy my wife some cooking sherry or rum for baking and I get carded. I'm going on 78. No big deal.

It is to me. I like it.

 

[Dajjal]

there are those who have lived prudent, careful lives, eaten only healthy stuff, no alcohol, never smoked, etc. etc. etc. and find themselves one day dying of nothing at all.

I was trying to drink myself to death, but I started throwing up every time I had a beer so I quit. That was years ago now, and now I am not supposed to eat cheese because I have high cholesterol. But I eat it anyway, so I might be committing suicide by cheese and biscuits.

I rather tend to think high cholesterol has very little to do with our diet and a lot more to do with our genes. Hombre and I eat pretty much identical diets, for instance, and he has high cholesterol and I don't.

I do include chia seed and freshly ground flax seed in my diet more than he does though and that does wonders for cholesterol. My nephew had high numbers recently and his doctor suggested he include some chia seed in his diet before they went to any kind of medication. Took care of it.

I see a doctor once a year for a check up and blood test, and they usually tell me I need to diet, and not eat cheese. They mention statins, and I always decline the offer.

 

[Dajjal]

Well, fox spotting is finished for today. I watched the cubs after it was too dark to photograph them, and one fell off the neighbours garden wall. Its at least four foot high, and the cub did not land on its feet. I hope it did not get injured because it will not last long if it was.

 

[Ernie S.]

Hi Ernie! How you doing?

Actually I'm doing pretty well. After last week's therapy swelling and pain, my last session went a lot better. I did have a bit of swelling, but that was gone by the next morning. So, the morning after therapy I wheeled myself into the kitchen to make coffee and stood up, supporting myself on the counter. I needed something on the island behid me, so I turned around and walked a few steps and picked t up.
It took me a moment to realize what I had done, but I got into my truck, headed for Doc's and walked through the door holding my crutches over my head. It's only a few steps at a time, but I'm getting there!

 

[Dajjal]

I won on the euro millions lottery tonight. Five lousy quid. The top prize was estimated at £99 million pounds.
And all get is five measly pounds.

 

[gallantwarrior]

There would be money in rats that could actually pack, just saying.

There is money in rats in China.

A delicacy there.

I used to date this Chinese babe and she told me about it.

She said Americans are just too finicky eaters !!

Yah that's you and me !!

I never thought myself as finicky eaters, but yes, I'll pass on the rat cuisine.

Rats are food here too. You can find them in many markets.
I've never eaten them because I don't think rats are food

It would depend on how hungry I am and what else might be offered. I might consider rat before eating a cat, or dog.

The Chinese eat dogs, they even boil them alive. As for rats, you would need more than one to make a decent meal. I wonder how they are served. Do they have rat on a stick, or rat tart?

Like most Americans, and Westerners, I suppose, I cannot imagine eating dogs and cats. Rats, well, I've eaten squirrels and possums in my time. I cannot imagine rats being too much different than some of the critters we ate when I was young. What people eat depends primarily on what is available as a source of protein.

 

[gallantwarrior]

View attachment 128175

The best of tonight's photos. I hope for better, but the buggers mostly wait until dusk before showing up.

Awww factor high!
When I am close to a fox den around here, in the wild, they smell a bit like skunk. Do your foxes have any distinctive odor?

 

[gallantwarrior]

These last few days have been bad, coughing so bad anytime I recline that I can't lay down to sleep so I've taken to sleeping in my office chair sitting almost straight up. I'll sleep for a few hours, get up to drink some water then sit down and go back to sleep for an hour or two at a time. Slept in my chair half the night and most of the day, woke up actually feeling better so God willing this flu is starting to break.
Had to take the wife in for a crown this morning, she chipped a tooth while flossing of all things and she needs a new bite guard so $2300 later.........
I have to get better because the Pack Rat trailer shows up Wednesday and there's still lots to do even though the wife has stepped up and taken on most of the final packing that's left. We have until Tuesday because of the three day weekend to fill the trailer so that's a good thing, we'll also see if we can get some labor on Monday to finish loading the big and heavy items.

Damn! I hope things improve for you all soon...

 

[gallantwarrior]

I won on the euro millions lottery tonight. Five lousy quid. The top prize was estimated at £99 million pounds.
And all get is five measly pounds.

That's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I will keep at it, fox spotting for the rest of the summer. Hoping that I will eventually get the perfect picture of the mother and cubs. I got some pretty good ones last year, but this year the foxes are not coming from next doors patio, they are coming from another garden over the back fence. So I do not see them much during the day. They mostly only make excursions into my garden at dusk, too late for good pictures.

Still, the photos you've been posting are primo! Momma seems to have your nummer, though, doesn't she?

 

[gallantwarrior]

A great day here. Temps in the high 50s and low 60s. I got a couple of foundation fence posts set, the tractor loaded, and some other things done. Every week now will include a run to the land fill and moving stuff to Willow. Of course, the fences have to be in place with some rudimentary shelters before I can move the goats up, but I am on my way there. The toughest part of this coming year will be keeping fresh water available, despite freezing temps.
I tried some new recipes this weekend and the best was a cauliflower Alfredo. Delicious!

 

[Hossfly]

I will keep at it, fox spotting for the rest of the summer. Hoping that I will eventually get the perfect picture of the mother and cubs. I got some pretty good ones last year, but this year the foxes are not coming from next doors patio, they are coming from another garden over the back fence. So I do not see them much during the day. They mostly only make excursions into my garden at dusk, too late for good pictures.

Still, the photos you've been posting are primo! Momma seems to have your nummer, though, doesn't she?

Mama is giving him the evil eye for sure.

 

[gallantwarrior]

I will keep at it, fox spotting for the rest of the summer. Hoping that I will eventually get the perfect picture of the mother and cubs. I got some pretty good ones last year, but this year the foxes are not coming from next doors patio, they are coming from another garden over the back fence. So I do not see them much during the day. They mostly only make excursions into my garden at dusk, too late for good pictures.

Still, the photos you've been posting are primo! Momma seems to have your nummer, though, doesn't she?

Mama is giving him the evil eye for sure.

I wonder how momma fox knows exactly where to look?

 

[Ringel05]

These last few days have been bad, coughing so bad anytime I recline that I can't lay down to sleep so I've taken to sleeping in my office chair sitting almost straight up. I'll sleep for a few hours, get up to drink some water then sit down and go back to sleep for an hour or two at a time. Slept in my chair half the night and most of the day, woke up actually feeling better so God willing this flu is starting to break.
Had to take the wife in for a crown this morning, she chipped a tooth while flossing of all things and she needs a new bite guard so $2300 later.........
I have to get better because the Pack Rat trailer shows up Wednesday and there's still lots to do even though the wife has stepped up and taken on most of the final packing that's left. We have until Tuesday because of the three day weekend to fill the trailer so that's a good thing, we'll also see if we can get some labor on Monday to finish loading the big and heavy items.

Damn! I hope things improve for you all soon...

So do I....... Woke up feeling a little better this morning, no longer walking around in a fog but by midday the exhaustion and coughing returned. Slept for another hour or so but that only helped a little. Looking like we might have to bite the bullet and get some moving labor to load the trailer, at least with the really big and heavy stuff.

 

[Foxfyre]

These last few days have been bad, coughing so bad anytime I recline that I can't lay down to sleep so I've taken to sleeping in my office chair sitting almost straight up. I'll sleep for a few hours, get up to drink some water then sit down and go back to sleep for an hour or two at a time. Slept in my chair half the night and most of the day, woke up actually feeling better so God willing this flu is starting to break.
Had to take the wife in for a crown this morning, she chipped a tooth while flossing of all things and she needs a new bite guard so $2300 later.........
I have to get better because the Pack Rat trailer shows up Wednesday and there's still lots to do even though the wife has stepped up and taken on most of the final packing that's left. We have until Tuesday because of the three day weekend to fill the trailer so that's a good thing, we'll also see if we can get some labor on Monday to finish loading the big and heavy items.

Damn! I hope things improve for you all soon...

So do I....... Woke up feeling a little better this morning, no longer walking around in a fog but by midday the exhaustion and coughing returned. Slept for another hour or so but that only helped a little. Looking like we might have to bite the bullet and get some moving labor to load the trailer, at least with the really big and heavy stuff.

I definitely think you should get some help to load the heavy stuff. . .and hire others to unload it when you get to your new home.