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Old 12-10-2012, 05:16 AM   #1  
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Default Maintainers Weekly Chat Dec 10 - Dec 16

Celebrating today because I skipped some cookies and some candy offered at a Christmas Arts Fair. That FREE stuff has been known to get me time after time. The cookies weren't even homemade.

We bought our Christmas tree yesterday; it sits in a bucket of water in the back yard until next week. We have a mixed marriage: I believe that a tree should be tall enough to be bent by the ceiling; DW believes that six feet is enough tree so that she doesn't need a step ladder to decorate. Marriage counseling didn't spot this one - we've had to compromise every year for 37 years, LOL.
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Old 12-10-2012, 05:24 AM   #2  
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Bill for skipping the free stuff. There's so much of it around it can be quite overwhelming.

DH and I are also split on tree size but in the opposite way. I want the biggest bushiest tree on the lot and DH always picks the modest one that will actually fit into our small bungalow's living/dining area. We have to remove the one chair with even a small tree but the smell and sight of the glowing tree more than makes up for the 2 weeks of slight inconvenience it causes.

This week is going to be "Dogpocalypse" week for me. So busy it's . But bringing in some much needed $$$ to pay off all sorts of insurance that's all coming due in January.

Good week all!

Dagmar
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Old 12-10-2012, 07:58 AM   #3  
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Bill, how is the broken leg coming along ?
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:11 AM   #4  
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Good morning folks! Happy Hannukah to those who are celebrating this week!

This morning when DH went to put our Netflix in the mailbox he found a box of cookies in there left by our realtor. I wonder when she came by? Last night I guess. I put one into my lunch box and DH took one and we put the rest in the house for later.

I have been so lazy about my holiday shopping. I haven't been getting out much and going shopping seemed like a big pain in the you-know-what, so I decided yesterday to just do my shopping online instead. I found some good stuff for my sister and sis-in-law (cookbooks), but I am struggling with what to get for DH and for my dad. They both say there is nothing they want or need, and they both don't really have any easy to buy for hobbies.

Hey Dagmar, I have a dogsitter question for you. Our dog sitter like to give Carter small treats when she comes to take him for midday walks, I assume as part of the effort to buy his goodwill with food (it's a pretty effective method for Carter). Last time she did a long overnight sit with him, he had diarrhea. I suspect it was because she had fed him some treats that he wasn't used to and that combined with him being stressed by our absence and thunderstorms, but when I asked if she'd fed him anything other than dog food she said no. OTOH when I looked over the notes she left us, she had noted giving him treats. How can I make it clear to her that she needs to not feed him anything other than his dog food next time we're on vacation so that he won't have any digestive issues?
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:13 AM   #5  
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Well done with the cookies, Bill! Our tree is a bit bigger than prior years'; we've had to use a stepladder for the first time. The bunnies have been thrilled - they have been busily trimming the lowest branches and jingling the little bells sewn into the tree skirt.

dagmar, good luck with your crazy week!

Should be dry and cold this week, which would mean some progress with the siding. The materials are all on site and the color looks great. I've only had to make one semi-cranky phone call so far, to which they responded very quickly - somebody had removed the protective covering from one pallet, and then failed to put it back on for our rainy/snowy weekend. Having actually read the manufacturer's installation manual (yes, I really did), I spotted the oversight. My interpretation of "limited exposure to moisture prior to installation" means "cover that stuff". I got some trivial pushback about it being primed on the backside, but then I mentioned the photos I took, and questioned how the manufacturer would interpret them with regard to future warranty claims. End of story - someone made a quick trip down with extra tarps for all of the pallets within the hour. Good thing, too - a few of them have several inches of standing water on them as of this morning!

More choir chaos to get through in the next 7 days, and then a blissful 3 week break.
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:42 AM   #6  
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Jessica~if your dog sitter insists on giving Carter treats, buy some for her to give him that you've tested so you know he won't get the runs. Or if you prefer him to not have treats, suggest to her that she "treat" him with his kibble. There are some treats out there that are mass produced by companies we think are good yet are making our dogs sick because they've imported stuff from China (the worst being chicken jerky).

Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree. Wherefore are thou Christmas tree? We haven't had one up for two years and this is now year three! I'm kind of relieved, but sad at the same time. I did get some various decorations up though.

My kitties are sick. Neither is eating, yet they're both sitting behind me asking for a treat. Both had soft stools this morning, too. I hope they're better tonight.
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Old 12-10-2012, 10:09 AM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alinnell View Post
Jessica~if your dog sitter insists on giving Carter treats, buy some for her to give him that you've tested so you know he won't get the runs. Or if you prefer him to not have treats, suggest to her that she "treat" him with his kibble. There are some treats out there that are mass produced by companies we think are good yet are making our dogs sick because they've imported stuff from China (the worst being chicken jerky).
Allison is right on the money with this Jessica. I have 2 dogs with stomach issues so I carry special bags of treats for them. I don't give anyone kibble as a treat because they know it's not a treat. Not that they won't eat it but sometimes you need something very special (like when the big dead fish beckons) to get the dogs to do what you want. Kibble doesn't cut it!

Dagmar
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Old 12-10-2012, 11:42 AM   #8  
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I'm coping with all kinds of demands to relax my rigidity regarding exercise sessions & food choices this week: A new trainee who'll need lots of attention, including my going to the office a day earlier than usual, and some holiday gatherings, one at a restaurant, one at my gym and another at the office, with a cookie exchange/pizza party/a.k.a. "carb spree."

Also, on a more serious note, my apartment complex and its lawyer is appearing before the city zoning board, requesting a variance to raise our wall higher than four feet to mitigate future flooding risks. We are going to wall off much of the complex, at least the part that slopes & is vulnerable to being flooded from overspill on the highway.

We've been told that many neighborhood associations and complexes near us are opposed to our flood wall.

Also, the politicians are starting to push for a "more global approach." ("Global" amuses me: We're talking about adjacent neighborhoods, not Pakistan, China, Argentina and the U.S.) That is, of course, code for: "Why can't you delay action indefinitely on your wall, because so many of our voters are upset about it, then all sit down & collaborate (talk endlessly) on a solution for three or four years, and then end up doing nothing at all?"

Meanwhile, I want a wall up, like, yesterday. Every time it rains all day & all night, I am looking at water levels. And I can't believe that there are people who would actually want me to stoically accept this situation and just hope & pray that the weather spares us in the coming year, without taking concrete action to defend myself.

Look, no one in my complex can simply move out, not without taking a tremendous loss: The flood and fears of hurricanes to come have decimated our property values.

The zoning board meeting is next Tuesday night. Which will, of course, conflict with my great Tuesday night spin class. But my rigidity ends there: I need to show up as part of a mighty force at that meeting. Still, I will say nothing, because we'll have designated spokesmen, so we don't look like an unruly mob.

Last edited by saef; 12-10-2012 at 03:02 PM.
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Old 12-10-2012, 01:32 PM   #9  
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I will leave her a note telling her that if she wants to feed him treats she should use the green beans in our freezer. Carter gets more excited about frozen green beans than he does about most dog treats anyway. (And yeah, kibble doesn't work as a treat for him unless it's been mixed with a bunch of hot dogs.)

Saef, definitely go to the zoning meeting. It seems to me that a heartfelt appeal talking about how much you lost would be pretty effective against people who are like "OH NO A WALL."
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Old 12-11-2012, 05:39 AM   #10  
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Just got reminded this morning that I'm continuing to ignore some baklava sitting on the kitchen counter, up for grabs. That kind of dangling low hanging fruit calls my name. Hoping visiting DS will scarf it down soon.

saef - Is the issue that your wall will divert the water onto their property? Or even that sealing your property removes the basin that protects theirs?

bargoo - Thanks for asking. My broken leg is almost six weeks into healing splendidly. It won't require surgery, pins, or any intervention. My major problem is to acquire patience for wearing this cast for the last stretch (from one to three weeks remaining). Do you know the secret to learning patience? It eludes me.
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Old 12-11-2012, 06:29 AM   #11  
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Bill, no I haven't learned patience, "I want it and I want it NOW ,"The baklava wouldn't stand a chance in my house therefore it is not allowed in my house.
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Old 12-11-2012, 07:48 AM   #12  
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I'm dogsitting until Friday with no internet access. I think, with the new income from the 2 new clients I picked up, I will have to invest in a tablet w/keyboard and add wireless access to my phone stuff. More and more clients are not allowing the use of their computers. I understand why but it's frustrating to have to pay for something every month that I only use 5-6 times per year.

But I have to be in contact with people. And come here for support when I want to go off plan. So the tablet makes sense to me. As does the unlimited wifi. Most people have no idea how to let me access theirs.

Dogpocalypse Day begins!

Dagmar :
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Old 12-11-2012, 09:32 AM   #13  
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So I sampled the egg nog last night. I bought a small carton at Trader Joe's last Saturday and added a little rum to it. It wasn't as pleasant as I had hoped. I know in the past it's been really, really good, but this was rather bland. I'm probably not going to have any more. I'll keep it in case someone else wants a sample, but my "craving" is satisfied.

Dagmar, I'd think a smart phone would be sufficient for your needs. You can do everything (surf the web, check email, make calls, play games, etc.) without the added expense of the additional hardware.

Glad you're healing, Bill. I have patience, but I doubt I'd have patience for that sort of thing. Can't explain how to get it, either.
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Old 12-11-2012, 10:20 AM   #14  
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Good Tuesday morning all.
I missed checking in yesterday because I got a surprise visit from one of my oldest and dearest friends on Sunday. Her dh had a job in Sacramento and was driving down from Oregon so she tagged along. He dropped her at our house and then I dragged her to work with me yesterday. After work, we got pedicures and went for sushi. I hadn't seen her in several years so it was great to catch up. I had to quiet the demonic voice yelling at me that I was missing my workout yesterday but I figure it was more important to catch up with her. I did drag her out on a big walk Sunday with Dewey to a yogurt place. She lives in the country and has never been to a fro yo place where you serve yourself! She loved it!

In other exciting news, my dd's service dog arrived last night to start team training (with her in Washington). So, exciting couple of days. They'll have team training for about 12 days. She posted a few pictures of getting to meet him, and he was showering her with kisses. He looks to be the sweetest dog ever.

Dagmar-- I second the smart phone. I do everything on mine-- a little too much perhaps!!
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Old 12-11-2012, 10:20 AM   #15  
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Bill, Angie has weighed between 120-125 the 17 years we have been together, no more no less....she is a very responsible eater....but I gotta say if baklava comes into her sight or our home there is only one word.....

GONE!
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