Primarily Japan, with one port in South Korea. This was a trip we booked years ago that was cancelled several times due to COVID. We wouldn’t have taken it now, but the ancillary costs, like hotel and airfare, have been creeping up.
Lots of torii, big buddhas, and gardens. Other than a credit card charge we need to dispute (we bought 25 postcards, not 253), and one train that turned back instead of going to its stated terminus, all was very smooth.
I used to do this in Boston where I could really good crusty bread still warm from a little bakery at the corner. It is food of the gods. Of course I roasted those garlic cloves low and slow in a sea of butter…
Susan! Welcome back! I’m so glad you got to finally take the trip!
I love this. I imagine her delight at finding the clover and flowers and it makes me smile. Just think, when she got this Bible, Teddy Roosevelt was president, and WWI was still 9 years off (12 years before US involvement).
And I just now realized my grandmother (not great-) was married a few years earlier. Her firstborn, my uncle, was one years old when your great-grandmother got married. Oh, and her husband, my grandfather, was born during the Civil War. Crazy. The men on that side were late bloomers, I guess.
No, I never got to go. I think Mom’s real reason for excluding me was probably that the trial involved murder or S-E-X. Later on,Dad lost an election. (His opponent way outspent him.) One political party wanted him as their candidate for state circuit court, but it would have meant moving, and his health wasn’t great at the time, so he declined. I did get to work for him at his law office, though, and that was a blessing. I learned a lot from him and really savored our time together.
I was so surprised when I lived in Boston years ago. Lots of high schools didn’t even have a football team. Hockey or BB was the big deal there. I never quite got used to that. My 3 Texas girl college roommates brought me up to speed on Level 11 football there in short order. Two of their boyfriends were big, strapping ranch boys and got recruited by UT. “Hook ‘em, Horns!”.
Hoosiered is a kind, considerate word for what happened to my Cornhuskers today. Painful to listen to on the radio. I was for once glad to not have a TV or to be not able to afford Big10 football streaming coverage. Yikes!
And sorry about Ali-bama too. At least the N.C. Wolfpack hung in there for a win and the Georgia Dawgs seem to be hoosiering the Texas Longhorns so far (into the 2nd quarter). Here’s hoping the Mumpers tackleball score is 2:2 when the lights go out in the Longhorn stadium tonight. Go Dawgs!
We were surprisingly slow today. What the HELL, people?
Had my salad on my lunch break, so I’m thinking a juicy burger is in order tonight to balance all that healthiness out. It just so happens that the food truck that showed up a couple of times always appeared on Saturday, so I’m reeeeeeally hoping that guy comes back tonight. He did a flame-grilled burger with spicy BBQ sauce and grilled onions, and I have a few bucks in my wallet I’d like to re-invest in a local entrepreneur.
I’m late to the party and I hope your ruffled feathers are a bit smoother already, but for the record, I thought your answer was beautifully written.
The papery skin.
Probably they saw “poppy” and thought “opium.” (Yes, I know it’s a different species of flower. But postal employees aren’t known for their expertise in botany.)
I didn’t know, either, and frankly there have been a few dark moments in my long-ago past when this could have helped.
So thank you again, dear Night Nurse Boo for providing us with good knowledge.
I snerked.
@nelliebly I should just butt out since this didn’t involve me, but I have to say, that was one of the warmest and best-written apologies I’ve ever encountered.
You really could teach a class on How To Be A Damn Decent Human Being. ™
I hope you got a gold star sticker or at least a lollipop for this achievement.
Boo I am sure something can be arranged. Elderly cats in particular don’t do well in the noisy chaos of a shelter environment.
I SAID, “Hook 'em!” \m/ and I meant it, dammit!
When I was in a rehab facility after surgery a few years ago, the place had a resident cat. There was also a small bird enclosure just off the day room. Gracie the cat spent a lot of time bird watching. 
I may need to #988 myself soon. Shit has not been going well. I took a walk by the nearest waterfall and felt the pull of the gorge. It’d be a spectacular fall, but I don’t want to be a difficult recovery.
Please don’t reply to this, I just needed to get it out of my system instead of keeping it bottled in. I really love all of you.
I’m ok.
Back atcha.
I hope venting a bit helped.
You know we’re here for you, however we can be.
DAMMIT.
Now I hafta cook for myself, like some peasant.
I’m sorry you’re in pain. I hope things ease up.
I totally get it. Whatever we can do to help, we will.
I am so damn tired of being drowsy. I could sleep 10 hours and wake up to feeling drowsy within the first 10 minutes. Bah humbug. Why did that psychiatrist have to try to teach me a lesson? There was no reason to take me off my meds and now I have to get used to them all over again.
If everything happens for a reason, I’m trying to figure this one out.
Like I said, bah humbug.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’ YAWN ‘Tis 46 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 78 and N.O.S. The dig item on today’s agenda ijs deheathenization wherein I get to plop in a pew as I have no duty this mornin’. There will also be a baptism, which I always enjoy seein’. OYKW will elect to stay home, as he thinks baptisms take too long. The heathen!
I didn’t even read the thread yestiddy. Sinuses acted up, and I spent a lot of the day in nappage. However the beast stew turned out great and my DAWGS hooked’ ‘em some horns, so all is well. WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then purtifacation for deheathenization must commence.
Happy Sunday Y’all!
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 15c/59f with a predicted high of 16c/61f, and cloudy. Weather app says “All of the fucking clouds can go and fuck all the way off.” Sounds good to me - it’s dank and dreary out there, it’s been raining and just now there’s a bit of drizzle going on. Good job I have no plans to be outside today, unless I have to stick my nose out of the front door in order to take a bag of rubbish out to the biiiiiig bin.
I’d be happy to, but I also have a friend who’s a proper genuine Blue Badge tour guide who knows much more stuff than I do 
I’ll wait for those lottery winnings to roll in, shall I?
It’s extra frustrating for him because he didn’t pass enough credits in his second year to go straight into final year, so he had to remain in China for the last academic session to re-take the assessments for those credits. He passed them and got his results in September so he should have re-applied for his study visa immediately but I think he left it too late. If he can’t get here by Monday, his only option would be taking a year’s leave of absence and trying again for the 25-26 academic session.
The great Cat Consciousness always knows when there is a vacancy in a good home, it’s just a matter of finding the right feline friend to fill it.
Lily lovely pics, I hope you had a fabulous trip!
That sounds like an excellent plan - I’m in!
Very fitting! We have an insurance company called Hastings Direct, who also managed to get 1066 into their phone number. And produced an ad with a statue called Harry Hastings and of course, Stephen Seagull.
I agree - BBBoo has the right approach there, acknowledging the fact someone is potentially in pain (either physical or mental) and directing them to professionals while you’re getting the emergency services involved at the same time.
I have a very simple recipe for a quick version - chicken (we always use thigh meat as it’s got more flavour), onion, mushrooms, garlic all browned in a pan, then add a tablespoon of your favourite curry spice mix, a teaspoon of turmeric for colour, a chicken stock cube (or broth), and a tablespoon of tomato purée. Mix it all together, put enough water in to cover the chicken, simmer for 20 minutes then turn the heat right up for 5 minutes and stir to thicken the sauce. Simples, as the meerkat would say!
Likewise - and I hope that little vent did you some good. Just remember, we’re always here when you need us!
Yesterday was a very busy one for me - I went to the gym in the morning for a spin class, then found I was the only person booked on the kettlebells class so I got a kinda person session with the trainer. That was fun. Then a quick trip over to my friends’ place to feed and poop-scoop the ferret before heading home again for a shower and tidy up. We had lunch at home, then went into town to do errands.
Back home to deposit the results of erranding, then a couple of hours to top up my tea intake before we headed out again. We went for dinner at a relatively new place, the food was good although the service was a bit iffy but we got fed and did get poisoned so that’s a result! We popped to a pub up the road to meet someone for birthday drinks, had a natter with them and then went off to the Giff to see a couple of bands. It was hot as usual upstairs but the place was pretty empty for a Saturday night. In between band, we lurked on the fire escape and chatted to a couple of friends.
After the bands had finished, we bought a couple of CDs and went downstairs to the main part of the pub, found ourselves a seat (a clear indication of a very quiet night, the place is usually packed) and had a very pleasant rest of the night. The birthday drinks crowd arrived after the other pub closed, more nattering was done, saw a couple of other pub friends, had a few drinks and we were home not long after 2am.
Got up late, tended to the mogs, and am topping myself up with tea. I’ve already had a nice soak in the bath, I’m spotless and sparkling, and I have no plans for the day. Slothage and a good book I reckon. Just so happens, I have a brand new book that needs to be read.
dogbutler: < attempts sleep >
Spot: < pokes dogbutler’s face repeatedly >“Hey, are you awake?”
dogbutler: < awakens, gets out of bed >
Spot: “Hey, get back here, you malodorous mandrill! I was seeing if you were asleep, so I could nap on your cranium!”
So I’m up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off today, so the usual morning cleaning, afternoon handegg, with scattered Screaming Tuxedo Zoomies.
Dawgs hooked the Horns.
{{{{VanGo}}}
“We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!”
Looking forward to seeing pictures
My mom hates hazelnuts. Really hates the taste. Every time someone mentions that there’s a chocolate croissant, I remind her to ask if it has hazelnuts, because that’s the default around here. I like Nutella in small doses. I’ve recently “discovered” that 1 tsp of Nutella to 2 tsp peanut butter makes a nice spread for a piece of toast.
Just one day, and still got 33 to go!
Very glad.
{{{VanGo}}}
Yesterday was garden work, today is interior.
Our windowsills are actually window ledges - they are about 8" deep. Before they got painted, they were concrete. Concrete hides a lot of sins, and the dirt basically blended in, so cleaning the window ledges ever so often (twice a year, maybe?) was plenty.
Now they are pale blue. And all the dirt, spider poop, fly crap, etc, really shows up well. So the ledges need to be cleaned more often, if I want them to look as good as they were before they were painted. Grumble. So that’s added to the chore list, because I’ve been ignoring them.
Cleaned the bathroom sinks, made cookie dough (baked half, made balls to freeze with the other half) and made lunch.
Decided that an Algonquin cocktail, with about 6 dashes of orange bitters, is they only way I’m drinking this bottle of Pikesville Rye. My parents say it’s my own fault for buying rye made in Maryland.
And the sun’s out! Woo hoo! Probably should go for a walk and enjoy it. It’s a cozy 15 C / 59 F. Might be the warmest it will be all week.
“Pikesville Rye” sounds like a euphemism for something even more dubious.
When I lived around there, UMBC was said to stand for You Must Be Crazy, and Catonsville Community College was UCLA for University of Catonsville Left of Arbutus.
Goodness knows we all need a pressure release valve, and this place is wonderful for that. Good thoughts headed your way…
Just don’t hold your breath, as I have yet to buy a ticket. In fact, I saw on the news that MegaMillions is raising their ticket price from $2 to $5, and supposedly improving the odds of winning. I guess PowerBall will follow suit?
MIL had a helluva dream - she came out certain her youngest son was dead and we had to go to the hospital to take care of the detaiils. I didn’t have enough luck convincing her otherwise, so I dragged FCD out of bed and let him try. He checked all 3 phones - no calls from the hospital. Then he tried calling the hospital, but no one was answering for some reason. They’re going over for the 2-4PM visiting hours in the Behavioral Unit. MIL is now asleep on her chair. It’s a weird morning.
In lighter news, a few pics to share.
The grands (Roxy is Poppy from Trolls - they had to explain it to me):
The grands on the ramp:
Everyone taking a break. MIL was cold - those blankets and gloves weren’t just for show.
Tobias copping an attitude (and me enjoying it.)
Not sure what today holds. I need to do my shoulder stretches (they’re working well so far) and tread the mill. Then shower, dress, and the rest of the day. May it be drama-free.
Happy Sunday!
Good morning.
It’s 55F, dark, and partly cloudy at the moment. It is supposed to shift to fully cloudy with periods of rain. I never got to mow the lawn because it was wet and kind of mizzly throughout the day, so it never dried up enough to cut grass.
VanGo, I hope the venting helped. We’re here for you.
Lily, I enjoyed the pics and am glad you could finally take the trip.
Nellie, I hope the computer can be repaired.
My son-in-law unexpectedly contacted us yesterday and asked if he could drop by. It seems he was in town for work and had some free time. It was really good to see him and catch up.
He caught us up on the house building, and it seems there were a series of problems that resulted in a two-month delay in getting started on the construction. Additionally, building the house has become more costly than intended due to increased labor and material costs. Ultimately, it’s become as expensive to build there as it is here. But the kids are thriving; my daughter has been promoted (again!) and is a director just one step below the C-suite. My son-in-law is now a senior engineer on a different team responsible for making over a billion dollars in systems function. The grandkids are doing very, very well and growing like weeds.
I am not a fan of Nutella; it’s much too sweet. But, to each his/her own.
I’ll finish up the last load of laundry today and probably pull the roll-suck around. I know, it’s so very exciting.
Morning all. Up early and dressed to get my Sunday NY Times, then decided to take all the plastic bags from shopping to Wal-Mart (they collect them for recycling) and while there get a couple of new belts…the ones I have are on the final hole and even then the pants feel loose. So of course the first one I stop at didn’t have my size at all. Then got clever and decided to stop at BJ’s nearby because surely they would have them…nope. By now I should have just come home but there is a stubborn streak in me so I drove 15 minutes to the other Wal-Mart nearby and not only found the belts but also picked up a couple pair of gloves for the colder weather. So now home with my new possessions and waiting till it’s time to head to Longhorn for Sunday dinner, then we’ll see what the afternoon holds. It’s 57F heading to near 80F later today and no rain in sight–and that’s pretty much the forecast for the next 10 days.
That’s neat. My Dad worked as a dock foreman for a trucking company while I was growing up and I doubt that it would have been safe for my body (or my ears) to be there.
You don’t have to be, I was born and raised in Ohio so OSU is about the only team I half-pay attention to, and that doesn’t include watching them.
VanGo, life screws with us now and then; sometimes badly. But we’re here for you and always will be. Take care.
swampy, happy plopping.
boo fae, unless he is on a plane now, your Chinese student is probably done for this year. And having restaurants and pubs relativly close like you is a nice change from the American suburban life, where the closest business to me is 2 miles away and is a drive-thru coffee shop…
FCM, lovely pictures, don’t know the troll character either but Roxy’s eyes…
Taters, sounds like the away family are doing well, I know it’s not fun for them to be distant but sounds like they are managing well enough.
About an hour until I need to dress nicely and head out to get my steak. Take care all and have a good Sunday.
You still get hugs. Please do call for help. You matter a lot to some of us.
Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP / Sunday chores.
Y’all talking about roasted garlic inspired me to roast a head this morning for the poke stew in the crock for Sunday dinner. The apartment smells so good!
I had a weird dream (and actually remembered it) last night. In it, I was living in an upstairs apartment and had just come home from a trip to find that someone had attempted to flush trash down my commode, flooding my bathroom. The production maintenance crew from when I worked in the auto industry (30 years ago. Yikes!) were the apartment maintenance guys who came (yes, they had not aged). I had to hold Nelson from attacking them in the dream. Weird!
Stay safe and healthy y’all!