Thread Drift

[Nanci]

Fish, sorry to hear about your pup. That's sad. Is it too late to treat? I have a people friend who just got done being treated for his second bout of lymphoma- he had to have that bone marrow transplant where they make you grow a bunch of stem cells, then take them out, then kill off all your bone marrow, then put the cells back in.

Salsa, that looks like the Okeetee Corn from North Carolina.

I rode a 200k down on the mid east coast of Florida yesterday, and saw the shuttle take off! I also had my best 100k time ever, 3.5 hours, but then the second 100k was 4.5 hours. It was windy- very strong wind from the east all day, so since the route was south to north to south, crosswinds all day. Pretty, though.

Nanci

[betagirl]

Great ride Nanci. How cool to see the shuttle take off.

I just spent too much time on iTunes using a gift card I got. Best song I downloaded:

Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand

[KnottedYet]

the last thing I got from iTunes was "How we operate" by Gomez. I heard it on the radio at work, and HAD to get it. A banjo in a pop song! (well, it was a pop radio station. I guess that counts)

You can get Bones episodes from iTunes. Bones and House are the shows I try to catch on TV. I first saw them this summer in re-runs. Now I wanna know what's going on.

And I missed the 1st episode of House this season. Why in 'ell is House RUNNING and WALKING and SKATEBOARDING?!?!

[Bruno28]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZkhdFH2vJU

Hi Beta - Plastic Bertrand - enjoy.


I was 21 when I bopped to this. I feel very old....I'm off to lie down in a darkened room.

[maillotpois]

We leave for Hawaii in one week... Yay!!!

[snapdragen]

We leave for Hawaii in one week... Yay!!!

Oh shaddup! What island?

[betagirl]

LOL Bruno. Thanks.

Those wacky French. My first exposure to the song was back when European Vacation came out. There's a fine film.

Oh shaddup! What island?

Ditto

[betagirl]

Hey Lise and other Chicago ladies....

What a FINE day weather-wise we're having eh?

[Lise]

Hey Lise and other Chicago ladies....
What a FINE day weather-wise we're having eh?

And yet, I see people out riding in it. WHY? It's Sunday! Go back to bed! That's my plan! (for those who don't live here: 62 and raining. In the spring, that sounds like heaven. At the end of summer, it sounds like.... )

[Nanci]

I'm uploading my Blair Witch Space Shuttle video to YouTube right now. It's ok. Here's my explanation- I'm riding along, riding along, watching for it, then, yikes!! It looks like a fire in the sky- it takes me a moment to stop, get out the camera, decide whether to take a picture or a movie, oh no, it's set on macro, does that matter for a movie, thrash around, finally start.

I did so much yard work this morning- killed weeds in sidewalk cracks, poisoned I mean fed the fire ant mound that had to start up right in my new little flower I planted, take the torts out to graze, mow about an acre around the house, weed out my poor azaleas in the front that couldn't even be seen for the weeds. Got two thirds of the way through before the weed wacker died. Two loads of laundry. Trimmed pine that was almost reaching the ground. Why, in the south, do trees grow down, not up? Found a slug for Fagalo. Got the last nightcrawler out of the fridge for Fagalo. Found a Katydid for Fagalo.

Maizey shed last night, now she is prowling around looking hungry and gorgeous.

I forgot, on the way to Indian Harbour Beach Friday, my friend drove. We left about three hours later than I wanted to. Got a flat just out of reach of calling her DH to help. She calls AAA. I locate the spare and tools, just in case. She calls AAA back- after 30 minutes (we were supposed to be "red-flagged, at the top of the list" since we were on the shoulder of the Interstate, not even pulled off, which, BTW, is what caused the flat in the first place, pulling off to get her bike seat off because it was starting to rain. I can't stand waiting, so think I will just take the lug nuts off the tire. And get the spare out. (It's one of those stupid spares that you can only drive 50 miles on, at 50mph...) So then I get the jack, and can't find a good place, and finally get the jack under the _round_ axle, which is where the manual says to jack it up, change the tire, friend is amazed because she has never shanged a tire in her life, an hour after getting the flat we call AAA to say never mind. Head to the only gas station there is, a truck stop, they don't do cars, and hem and haw and finally locate a guy who knows how to do car tires, and finally get it fixed, and the manager says it's free, so we give the surly mechanic $20 anyway...Then we get there, at 8:00 PM, and she discovers she has forgotten her entire bag of clothes- all bikeclothes, pajamas, cosmetics, etc. Calls someone to borrow bike clothes from his wife. Goes to Publix to buy lotion, a T-shirt to sleep in, socks, etc. Then, in the morning, discovers the missing bag stuffed down between two seats and is very happy.

We get to pick up the new baby tonight!!

So we will have:

Two feral pigeons- Dillbird and Milly
Cornsnake- Maizey
Eastern Box Turtle- Fagalo
Two Desert Tortoises- Koko and Buttercup
Glass Lizard- Russell Junior
California Kingsnake- not named yet

[salsabike]

Phew. I am back in Seattle after a month in Albany NY with my mom in hospital. I think and hope she is stable and a little better, although she has no appetite and accepted a feeding tube last week in the hopes it would let her rebuild strength, energy, get some exercise, maybe get hungry again, and get out of there to a rehab place. Had many 10-12 hour days in the hospital seeing very scary stuff happening to her and tugging on staff sleeves whenever necessary. Was feeling awful about having to return here and asked her over the phone this week if she needed me to come back, and she said, enunciating clearly, "It is not necessary." Made me laugh--it was clear she meant it. Came back here to Seattle having to start work last week (school psychologist) and move out of the house this week as they are taking off the old roof and putting on the new one in this crazy house expansion we're doing. And then Mr. Salsa left at 0:dark:30 this morning for an east coast work trip. Wonder how I'd score on that stressful-events point system? Don't want to know.

Fish, we lost a really beloved cat named Sara some years ago, at a very young age. Our vet, who also adored Sara, sent us a card with this on it: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan..." The Once Again Prince from Separate Life Times by Irving Townsend. The card made us cry, of course (still does), but was also a great comfort, so I offer it up here hoping the same.

Got several 50 mile tandem rides in over the last month and got back on my own single bike on Thursday, was very glad to see I could still do that hill I added to my ride without a lot of difficulty! Thought in the last part of the 28-mile ride, "Damn. I really, really need to be back on the bike. This feels so good."

Sheesh.

SK and chickwhorips, thinking about your dads...

Nanci, that is an Okeetee. Snakes look like some kind of fantastic jewelry to me, except for that ewe-eating boa, which looked more like a hog. What an oinker.

Yeah, which Hawaiian island?? I plan to get to the PO tomorrow to send out that TD book to you so you can read it on the beach!

By the way, my extremely convenient brother in law, who is in the State Dept., has just become Deputy Chief of Mission in...JAMAICA!!! Hallelujah. I'm a big reggae addict. Can't wait to visit. (Previous visits to him have included Paris and multiple trips to London. Sadly we were grad students when he was stationed in Ankara, so missed Turkey totally). WE'RE JAMMIN'...JAMMIN'...I WANNA JAM IT WID YOU...WE'RE JAMMIN'...JAMMIN...HOPE YOU LIKE JAMMIN' TOO

[Bruno28]

Yippee - I've finished packing and am off to Prague on vacation tomorrow.

All of you with health issues, sick relatives and pets - take care and I'll be thinking of you.

It's been a beautiful sunny day here (quite uncharacteristic for the time of year). I was out for a gentle bike ride with my 75 year old mum who is fearless and, therefore, quite scary sometimes.

Y'all be good while I'm away.

[Nanci]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH1NI4RaM3o

[KnottedYet]

Nanci - very cool!

(dang, Florida is FLAT!)

Hee hee, as I was watching that I was hoping your camera would point back down to your bike again so I could scope it out...

[Nanci]

Sure looks desolate, too, doesn't it? Oh, you should have seen the jungly neighborhoods by the Indian River, which is what is between the mainland and the sand spit islands like Satellite Beach and Indina River Harbour. I can't even imagine how many millions most cost. I saw two peacocks out in someone's fornt yard!