Girls Week Out at the Beach: An MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

First things first – I was going to do a belated drive-by caking yesterday but I worried that it would be missed by the intended target, it being near the end of the week’s MMP, so I made a special one to make up for the tardiness:

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HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY, ROSIE![/center]

Excellent OP, Tigs! There’s some mighty fine scenery there in Oregon – great big rolling hills, forests, and beaches. What more could you ask for? Sounds like you lot had lots of fun! And might I say, that the focus of this picture looks like the Giant Squid (or maybe a Kraken) poking its head out of the water? Because it does. Screw the buffalo, there’s good reason to be afraid of that thing.

So I’m vertical and caffeinated and in fairly good nick for a Monday. We finally made up our mind and decided to attend the family Thanksgiving the weekend after next. We were hemming and hawing because it’s going to take place at the BIL’s new house. There’s nothing wrong with his house, mind you – until you plan a function wherein 22 people will be showing up in a place that isn’tset up tyo handle that many people. There are 4 place settings at the small kitchen table, 6 at the dining room table, another 6 or so can be seated at the outdoor patio table, and there’s room for 4 on the one couch and two chairs gathered round the television. That’s 20, so there’s going to be at least two people standing at any given time. That will probably end up being us because we usually end up being the afterthoughts at family functions. (Well, that’s not entirely fair in this case as some of the family in attendance will be the BIL’s girlfriend’s which are of no relation as yet, and we really don’t know them.)

I’m going to have to make something to bring with us. I was thinking of doing the crab-stuffed mushroom caps, but I’d have to either prepare them that day and broil them when we get there, or I’d have to make them the night before and reheat them there. Neither will work because the oven will be occupied, and mushroom caps probably won’t keep too well, given that they contain fish. They’re really best experienced fresh out of the oven; storage will just make the fish taste stronger. Instead we might just do a veggie and/or cheese and/or meat and/or bread platter, with a spinach dip in a pumpernickel bowl (or two), plus maybe some other various dips/condiments (mustard, ranch, bleu cheese, etc.) No cooking required and it can be prepared and wrapped up the day of. I’ll have to buy a really big serving platter, though.

VBob - Ha! Gay. Perfect way to deal with that particular problem. :smiley: Glad everything worked out OK though – at least as far as it went.

Bah! Phones won’t stop ringing.

22

So do I. The girl lives along the road I take to work, and I’m tempted to stop tonight to find out what happened. If she did deliver, there may be a teddy bear and a bag of newborn diapers that magically appear on the doorstep… :wink:

23

Some brat from the neighborhood? :stuck_out_tongue:

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Hey! I resemble that remark! (Even if I do or don’t resemble you!)

Morning, all. I’m up and caffeinating now. Thanks for the nice things you had to say about my OP. Haze, this is actually mostly a bunch of internet friends – I’ve known Vicki and Margaret for about 12 years now from IRL meetings, but the rest are a bunch we’ve gradually picked up online. And our friend in Tillamook has fibromyalgia, so has good days and bad days; fortunately, she had several pretty good days while we were there, although she had to take one day off and stay home and recupurate on a bad day. Every time I get annoyed with my physical frailties, I’m reminded of what other people go through and decide maybe I don’t have it so bad after all!

BBBobbio is gay? Snerk! Has anybody told Swampy? He might get another burly boyfriend outta the deal! :smiley: Hey, if it gets you the clinical experience…although I’m a bit surprised the girl was reluctant to have anyone examine her at that point – I remember being happy to let anybody look as long as they got that kid outta me! :eek: It’s not exactly a good time to get modest.

It’s another beyootiful morning here, which is good since I have a couple errands to run but mostly piles of work to do. But more caffeine must be ingested first. Off to take care of what’s truly important.

25

Nah…the chihuahua was getting on my nerves. :wink:

26

Awww, the cake has little roses on it!!

Olive gave me a scare yesterday - I let her go out on the tiny porch we have outside our windowsill (really, it’s like four or five feet across and maybe a foot or two wide) and somehow she managed to jump from there to the narrow ledge above our front door! And then the stupid cat was too scared to jump back. :rolleyes: I coaxed her to try, but instead of leaping, she reached over to rest her paws on the railing and then pushed off with her hind legs, intending to scramble over, but instead she lost her footing and ended up clinging for dear life as I tried to haul her over (not easy with her claws digging into the railing). Cloud Maiden was stoned at the time and would not stop laughing. It was pretty funny - we’re only on the second floor so I don’t think she would have been seriously hurt. I was still terrified for a moment though. Stupid cat.

27

This really has nothing to with anything - but I guess this is the right forum for finding very tenuous connections. Just wanted to say that the neighbor has a chihuahua/husky mix. A “chusky”. :smiley: The chihuahua was the mommy!

28

Great MMP, Tigs! I’ve never been to Oregon, but I loved Washington state’s coastline. Sorry to hear your beach has been discovered–I think more people live in Oregon than when you did… It’s nice when friends can get together. And who does keep that stuff in a drawer? I’ve never unpacked in a hotel room. :eek:

It’s rainy, humid and damp here today. It’s nice after weeks of no rain. It’s misting right now. I want a cup of hot tea, some scones and a British murder mystery. But I’m washing windows (inside only) and doing other odd chores.
VBob-you gotta do what you gotta do. I suppose you could be an honorary gay guy-we’ll have to clear that with Swampus. I hope she and the baby are ok.

29

It would be hard to imagine the chihuahua was the dad… but it is a funny visual!

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Ugh, I’ve been up for an hour getting the kids up and ready and off to school. The Son is still here, he leaves in a half an hour, and then I think I am gonna crawl back into bed for a bit, 'tis cold and blustery and wet outside, and another hour or so of sleep will suit me nicely.

Great OP Mama Tigs, and you have succeeded in making me even more homesick than I already was! I love the Oregon coast, I am well acquainted with both Arcadia and Cannon beaches, among others, I love the long stretches of sand as the beaches in Washington (okay, the beaches of Puget Sound) are mostly rocky. Blue skies and Douglas Firs…I wanna go home! Anyway, I am glad that you were able to spend some time with your friends, and that the weather cooperated.

My weekend was uneventful, skiffman is out on an elk charter. Bit of trivia, the elk here were transplanted back in the day (can’t remember, too sleepy to look up) from Washington State to Afognak Island. There is heavy management by Fish and Wildlife, and in order to take one you must be drawn for an elk ticket (just like the goat ticket from last week’s hunt) and there are all sorts of regulations as to where and when you may attempt to get your elk. Skiffman will be hunting deer, Sitka Blacktail, another introduced species with less regulation. The season opens for deer on August 1st and runs through January 1st, so he has plenty of time to fill up the chest freezer.

Well, I need a cuppa tea, so I am off for now. A good day to all!

31

I remember that stretch of beach well even though it’s been seventeen years or so since I was last there. Gorgeous and yeah, I too hope it gets its “solitary” back.

Did you find any of the long kelp whips washed up? If so, did you play “Lion Tamer”?

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It would have to be honorary. My sense of decorating style stinks… :stuck_out_tongue:

33

I’m so glad some of you know that stretch of beach! When I was a kid and we lived in the Northwest (first outside Portland, and then in Walla Walla) and my dad was teaching, every spring break we’d head over to Arcadia Beach, where in those days a nice little old couple rented out crummy little cottages on the bluff where the parking lot now is. We’d stay in cabin No. 1 for the week, and we’d get it free by my dad handymanning for the little old couple. My sister and I would put on our boots and raincoats and go spend all day every day down on the beach.

And yes, we played with the kelp. And we poked the sea anemones. And although it’s since long gone (whether washed out by a storm or taken by humans, I have no idea), we used to make “caves” in the massive stacks of driftwood stacked against the base of the bluff. And when we were feeling really stupid, we’d climb the rocks. And we’d build bridges over the little streams. I know every lump and bump and tree root in the trail down to the beach; I could walk it blindfolded, I swear!

So although we had sunny weather while we were there this time, my preference is for cool and rainy. (That probably would have also kept the crowd down!) I told Papa Tigs that we need to go spend a week out there in January and enjoy the beach the way it’s supposed to be enjoyed, i.e. freezing our asses off but not having anyone else around to annoy us!

Can someone please kick my ass and tell me to get to work? I’m really struggling to get going this morning. I’ve been trying, and thus far nothing is happening. Apparently I really do have a case of the Mondays. :frowning:

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:eek: ::tries to wrap mind around that one. Can’t.:: :eek:

35

Even harder is imagining the chihuahua as the mom. I doubt that even wrapping her in duct tape to keep her from exploding would help. :wink:

36

I love walking through Ecola SP near there; the HUGE old growth trees and understory that’s pretty open except for the MASSIVE ferns. Absolutely storybook.

I’d like to take an alphorn to the cliff, stand on the edge and sing out “Eeeeeeecolaaaaa.”

37

Howdy all! Noor is asleep, but I think from what I’ve been reading that we need to (somehow) push her bedtime back. According to what I’ve read, she only needs 10-11 hours sleep a night, so putting her to bed at 7pm means she will wake up sometime between 5am and 6am. Problem is, she has 3 naps a day (awake for 2-3 hours, then nap for 45 minutes to 1 hour) and by 6:30-7pm, she is just conked out! I don’t know the extent to which her medication affects her either (Phenobarb causes drowsiness). Oh well, we’ll just have to wait and see.

My sister has a Rhodesian Ridgeback-Jack Russell cross. Note from the links that your average Rhodesian Ridgeback is 25 inches tall and weighs 80 pounds, while the Jack Russell is about 12 inches and 18 pounds! That must have been an interesting coupling!!!

ETA: I wasn’t finished!!!

Haze, my brother’s cat fell from their 3rd floor balcony once (he was showing off on the railing) and survived with only a canine tooth knocked out as a result!

Oh BTW, interview went okay but they want to see my academic record, which is not exactly stellar! I got a good pass degree, but I really think it’s ridiculous that, 12 years after I graduated, the darn fools still want to check my academics, rather than judging me on my recent deals and work experience! GRRR! :mad: Anyhoo, you can uncross your appendages for now, as I don’t want to be blames for any of swampy’s inappropriate appendages turning blue and falling off! :eek:

38

Bother. I’ve puked twice this morning. First just before leaving to do laundry, and once at the coffee shop next to the laundromat. I’m not sure if it’s just a weird thing, or I need to scale back up on my meds. I was hoping to go off them entirely this week. :frowning:

Explaining, “That was our breakfast you just made me throw up”, to the baby doesn’t seem to have any effect.
Oh, well. I’m hungry now.

39

I was always so afraid our cat would do that. She LOVED to look at the ledge over the building’s front door like she wanted to jump and occasionally would even put a paw or two on the rail like she was going to do it. We finally got some bird netting stuff (look in the garden section of a hardware store) and put it around the inside of the porch rail. It’s usually not visible at all from the ground (although when the light hits it just right and you stand in the right place it is… but I can’t get worked up over that!), and it keeps the cat from trying to jump off the porch. And we’re on the 3rd floor! :eek: I’m not so worried about fall injuries, although I do worry about those, it’s more that if she fell, she would freak out and run away and I doubt we’d be able to find her. There are far too many places where a cat could disappear, and Lily’s such a 'fraidie cat that she’d never come out. :frowning: But the fencing works great, and it’s stayed in place since about May without needing to be replaced.

We discovered yesterday that the hamster is a little predator. We saw a large-ish bug (~3/4") on the screen door so KeithT grabbed it and we put it into the hamster’s cage. After a couple minutes of general confusion since we woke him from his nap - ::whiny voice:: “Waaah! What are you doing?? Why did you wake me up?? Leave me alone! What’s that? It’s moving! Waaaaaaaah!” \end whiny voice - he figured out that it was edible and went for it with gusto. He’s quite the little hunter, and there were only legs and a piece of exoskeleton left when he was done. :stuck_out_tongue:

How does a chihuahua manage to carry a half-husky pup? How big a puppy is it?

40

MamaTigs, it looks like you had a lot of fun. I haven’t been through that part of Oregon since I was a baby, but it looks beautiful. I know what you mean about having “your” beach discovered. My family has a tradition of going to the beach on Christmas Day, when you can enjoy it like Og intended - with no one else around. It sure is cold, though.

My landlord had the trees around my house cut back this weekend. I now get lots of sun. It’ll be nice in the winter, but I’m not looking forward to summer without shade! It took them about 10 minutes this morning to load up all the limbs and branches. At least I don’t have to worry about a limb coming down this winter. One of the “limbs” was the size of a small tree, and it could have taken out the living room in a storm.