StanleyandGus

I’m so glad you started your cruise report early- let us know how the packing situation is. I know how to pack, but I can’t seem to actually 

As an ex-pharmacist, I totally agree about the OTCs!

4 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Made Smash Burgers for Tonight with tomatoes from our Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried smash burgers on Friday- they’re really good!
 

I was surprised at the cost of a cast iron griddle for the barbecue, but it’s cast iron- one of the kids can inherit it!

Fabulous start- your computer illiteracy doesn’t show at all!

48 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

51 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

😕

Would be more intriguing if it was her daughter.

It was my daughter!
 

She enjoyed telling people that she was a hooker…in rugby.

7 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Eat the meal, come back with nothing to clean up and THEN truly have the time to talk and relax. I know it's not the same experience and especially hard with very young children involved to consider going out.

But leftovers are the best part! Especially leftover turkey.

I am firmly in the non-paper plates camp. Although if someone was kind enough to invite me over, and served some of the food that has been pictured in the last several pages, paper is fine!

3 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Does Gus usually try to get the birds? Any success? Hopefully not, but I know that’s what cats do

He has caught a chickadee. He’s pretty lazy, and well fed. Usually he naps under a hydrangea. He’s only allowed out it we’re in the backyard with- he doesn’t (or can’t) climb the fence.

Favourite cities, not in any order, from Chris and me

Vancouver

Rome 

London

Budapest

Barcelona

Ottawa

Jerusalem

Rhodes

Limassol

 
Chris says not Kabul

Thank you for the Singapore pictures, @aussielozzie18. My Dad was born in Singapore before the Second World War. He was in Scotland for school when the war started, but his parents and sister were in Singapore.

4 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

I don't think the thread has gone south personally but if it has,maybe  it's because certain posters like to stir the pot and take a "shot" at others but don't like it  when they are on the receiving end of a "shot". The old saying is still true: If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

 

This is supposed to be a friendly thread where people leave their differences outside. And that is true 99.9999% of the time. If there is any kind of personality conflict between people, they should just use the ignore button or scroll on by their post.

 

Just my opinion. Looking forward to the next cute pet picture.

 

Tahdah!

Gus is hoping for a bird.

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

This is my crape myrtle at corner of patio.  I cannot believe how big it is this year.  

My other black diamond myrtles bloom late summer, early fall.

Please excuse any weeds you may see

That’s so beautiful I googled them. Zone 7-10.

My zone 3 garden will have to do without. 

3 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

Current grand puos. 
 

aka

 

”Feedme”

 

 

They’re beautiful! 
 

The hair from 2 of them must be spectacular.

21 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

think some cute pet pictures are in order. But I don't have a pet. At least, not yet. 🙂

Here you go! 😁

I vacuumed this morning. Sigh.

31 minutes ago, ownedbypets said:

Same with me but I remember the name of every dog I meet!

We’ve been taking Thor to the dog park pretty much every day. I don’t know any of the owners’ names, but Thor is happy to meet Missy, Chloe, Laika, Gunner, Leo, Rocket, Gaeta….

I said that I would take photos of the garden. The circular garden in the front yard we put in last year. The long garden, and rock/ garden-y thing is a month old.

The neighbours are relieved, because it replaced a horrible black fence and a rotting retaining wall.

As a bonus, there’s a photo of Thor being lazy. Staying off furniture lasted about 2 minutes. 

 I don’t know how to organize photos nicely. 

35 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Graham,  glad you can enjoy your backyard.  So peaceful. Our temp today is 107 again with100+ temps predicted for the next 7 days.  Probably beyond that too.  I don't remember when it rained last or when temps were below 100.

That is unbelievably hot. Is that typical for Dallas?
 

Graham does have a lovely garden!

I keep wanting to comment on things, but so many pages have passed, that every one is on to another topic!
 

After a tremendous rain storm, the heat is temporarily over, and today will be comfortably warm. I can’t complain, because we needed the rain, although yesterday morning, with the dog slowly doing his business (or not) and the rain bucketing down… Apparently German Shepherds are totally fine with rain. 
 

The dog park now has a lake, which Thor thought was a tremendous addition!

I think I will take some pictures today of our newest project- we had a concrete retaining wall put in to replace a rotting wood one, and we put a fence on part of it.

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

I seem to be having trouble quoting, but about your son’s dog pulling… I’m not sure how you feel about this, but a training collar works. I’m in much the same position- I am looking after my son’s German Shepherd until Christmas. Thor does listen to and obey James, but I was having trouble going for walks with him. It doesn’t help that he weighs 100 lbs. James agreed to this.

So- the training collar,also known as a shock collar- he wears it, and very occasionally (like once on a 30 minute walk) I press the button, he shakes his neck, and we resume having a nice walk. It has made a huge difference. It’s not terribly powerful, the dog is not seizing or anything like that. 

I don’t like pressing the button, however, he’s much safer if he can be well behaved.

We actually went into Petsmart this week, and he was well behaved. 6 weeks ago, that seemed impossible. That reminds me, it’s time for walkkies!

11 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Happy Birthday Mimi!  Your birthday celebration sounds wonderful.  Wishing you many more!  Love the photos.

 

I'm home from rehab, after almost 5 weeks.  I still can't put any weight (standing, walking) on my left leg until August but I'm home.  Small apt. here and it's a challenge maneuvering this wheelchair, plus we're moving to another apt (smaller!) on Monday.  My sister and bro in law were going to help but they now both have covid!  They were supposed to come visit last week, 3 days before my BIL tested positive.  At that time I wasn't up for visitors even family so I asked them to come another day.  So lucky I did that because one thing worse that being in rehab is being isolated with covid in rehab.  We were tested weekly for covid.  My sister got covid 2 days after her husband tested positive.

 

Happy news is my daughter and grands will be coming for a 10 day visit in August, after camp, before school starts. I should be walking by then.  Can't wait for those hugs.

 Congratulations on being home!

I hope you have lots of help for the move.

32 minutes ago, StanleyandGus said:

I think there needs to be another reaction, besides “thanks” “funny” and “like”.

Perhaps 🤢?

I realized that didn’t sound quite as tongue in cheek as I had intended. 
Confession: my temporary dog eats jackrabbit poop.

32 minutes ago, ownedbypets said:

 I can match your mice story. We had a Lab that ate everything.She was very fast and good at catching things, including squirrels, which we would find in the house, sometimes only half a squirrel. I was able to stop her at the door and she swallowed the entire squirrel while we watched in horror. After eating her wide variety of "foods" she would usually vomit . One night my husband found a pile of vomit only to yell for me because she had eaten an entire family of mice. Closer inspection revealed that our teenage daughter had not closed their bathroom door and it was a pile of regurgitated used tampons.

I think there needs to be another reaction, besides “thanks” “funny” and “like”.

Perhaps 🤢?

Wow, I am exhausted from just reading this! With a 0400 wake-up, the Harrod’s bag seem unlikely!

Yes, absolutely!

I’m sorry that you’re sick, Dani. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

4 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Would love to do a Panama Canal Cruise one day

Serenade of the Seas from Miami to Los Angeles in November 2023…and then at the end of the cruise, you’re almost home. Except for the Pacific Ocean! 😁
 

I just cancelled our TA in November, because we are looking after Thor, my son’s (huge) German Shepherd. I was looking up how much they are supposed to weigh, and he is at the upper end, even for a DDC shepherd. He weighs 100 lbs. 

James is deployed, and we will have Thor until Christmas. 
 

But, on the other hand, we booked a Panama Canal cruise! It’s not until November 2023. After reading accounts of those cruises, we really wanted to try one.