Schatz - That article was SO funny. I love The Onion.

I'm baaack. Did you notice I was gone? The interesting thing about my absence is that I ACTUALLY WENT SOMEWHERE. On a train, no less. And I stayed in a hotel. Whoooo!

It was time for the Annual Whiney Expat Bloggers in Germany Meet-Up and this year it was in Bonn, which is somewhere down south. I just got off the train after a few hours and there I was. Nice city. Lots of museums, lots of restaurants and cafes and bars, many of which we visited. There were 15 people there, one of them a 7 year old girl who is SO cute. Some people I knew from last year, some were new and they were all great - New Yorkers and Virginians and Californians and Pennsylvanians and Londoners and even a fellow British Columbian! Awesome.

The one thing that killed me was the cigarette smoke EVERYWHERE. Oooog. I don't take to that at all. My nose is still stuffed up. And if you book "non-smoking section" on the train, that means there's a thinnny thin thin glass partition with a door between you and the smokers and the smoke seeps through anyway. Yum. Had to endure 4 hours of that on the way home.

And when I was home again, I decided in a fit of stupidity it was high time to get rid of all these trojans that were infecting my computer so I did one of those online scans and deleted them, BUT it seems like I also deleted something else because I can't open any of my "exe" applications. For some heaven-sent reason, my internet connection still works, but I can get into Outlook Express or open anything esle, including anti-virus programs. Can't download, can't install, can't open. I don't know if the file names are all changed or what, but the files are there, they just don't do anything. What should I doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo? Will the Windows XP recovery CD help? I'm afraid to try it. One of you geniuses guide me , please.

Never mind. I fixed it.

Glad I could help.

I missed you, Sug. But the nice thing is that whenever I miss you here, I can go to your blog and there are adorable new things to look at or yummy food pictures, and of course I find out why you are missing and all is well. I am still trying to figure out why that stuffed animal is wearing your shoes, but I'm glad you had a good time in Bonn! Isn't that the capital city?

Should I make green bean bundles or green bean casserole for my in-laws for Thanksgiving?

Our roof is supposed to be done today. Wow.

Flyball tonight. Also DD coming home late. I've got to strip her bed, do some grocery shopping, cleaning. Eww.

Kiwi

The Spirit of Kiwi came over me and I found the solution! Where, you ask? On an old internet message board where no one has posted since 2001. It was some kind of registry corrupting thingie and the guy had a fix for it and now everthing works again. Phew! Thought I was in big trouble for a minute there.

Bonn used to be the capital city, but they changed it to Berlin for some reason unbeknownst to me. I think Adenaur or someone was from Bonn and he chose that location but it's not really capital city material. Very cute and old fashioned. Berlin is more hip, I guess.

Green bean bundles are kind of fiddly with wrapping with the bacon and all that but you can marinate them ahead and then just pop in the oven. The question is, will the guests appreciate your hard work or say "Eeeeew, what's this? I though you were bringing green bean casserole like every year."

I keep forgetting to mention how gorgeous Jett is. The daughter of friends of ours just got a chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier cross and he is SO cute - light brown fluffy fur, little brown nose and blue eyes. From behind he looks just like a kitten. Last time we were there he fell in love with ds10's leg and wouldn't let go.

Good luck with the roof! A guy is coming to measure our kitchen on Dec. 1. Must scrub off 18 years of accumulated goo before that.

Green bean bundles all the way.... I never did care for the green bean casserole.... unless it's this green bean casserole http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._35139,00.html I saw them prepare this on tv the other day and it looked yummy. Cream and sherry are always yummy.

I'm cooking dinner for 14 on thursday. gobble. gobble.

Sugar, I knew eggzactly where you were b/c I read your blog. Did you know that you have an interesting blog? Not too many ppl do, you know. Peaches blog would be interesting but she doesn't update enough. Also she should give knitting lessons in her blog.

Congrats on the roof, Kiwi. I think we should toast it w/ margies.

Oh Contrare mon Peachpie-- I sent you so much of my energy that I doth not pick up a swiffer this weekend.. But I pledge that I sent you vibes to enddust and have your house looking fantastic...(corny eh?) I like Lush am a list maker...I start here:
1) Make a list
Imagine my feeling of accomplishment once the list is complete and I can mark off #1.

Sugar you must send me linkage to your bloggette, as I had to rebuild my laptop and lost all my favorite bookmarks.. (you too Peach and Wabs)..

Kiwi, your blow by blows never bore me ! I love to hear every detail!

Wabby, we are that much closer to getting that 10 acres... the developer filed the plat and we went out this weekend to have a relook see .. I still like it and it will take about 10 years for it to be completely developed affording us peace and quiet! So the negotiations begin!

Did I ever tell you cows about my aversion to sticking my hand in turkey carcasses?? Kiwi, you're in charge... see if there is a name for this phobia.....
Anyway this has led me to creative ways to cleaning out the carcass which I will now share in list form.

1) Using Tongs remove the bags of innards
2) Grabbing Tom's legs, sit him upright using the Sprayer to spray out loose bits.
3) Turn top upside down and shake out the water
4) Wrap a hundred Bounty towels around a potato masher secured with a rubber band, and use masher to dry the innards.
5) Using a long handled spoon, sling or catapult the dressing into the bird
6) Using the un-bountied toweled Potato masher, mash the stuffing into the bird
7) Repeat steps 5 and 6
8) Using my embroidery skills I then use a split satin stitch to secure the neck thingy.

Ok it's been absolutely miserable here with flooding high winds and ice.. Time to hit the books!

Turkeycarcasaphobia????? I have to admit, it doesn't bother me - I think I was a surgeon in another life - do you wear rubber gloves when you operate? I rather like preparing our friend, Tom Turkey for dinner. He always looks so pretty, all dressed up for the meal.

Schatzi, I want pictures of your new piece of ground. That would be so exciting. Developer guy still hasn't given us our schedule so we have an idea when the big move will take place. I hope not too soon, because there isn't much on the market here this time of year.

My blog address is http://www.joyfulpursuits.blogspot.com/, but I don't update very much and I don't really have anything to say. I think Mz. Schatz should start a blog. with lists.

DD & BF blew in last night about 1:00 AM. She with a dozen roses and he with all her bags. Today they both went with DH "hunting" -- which is what you call riding around on bumpy roads in unfashionable clothing.

I will be nursing my damn elbow and cooking stuff for tomorrow. I finally "failed" on 2 medicines so I can start the "preferred" drug. Evil. Thanks for the extra pain and expense, Anthem. Ha. "Anthem". Like you'd sing about them.
Way to go! Yeah, we always do that too when we have a computer problem -- it's a surprisingly useful way to get answers. I don't know how I lived without the internet.
I think capitals should be like that. Well, I suppose maybe not national ones, but lots of US state capital cities are truly minor cities. You should see Augusta, Maine. Small, with a cute downtown.
Oh well, I already bought the ingredients for bean bundles. Let's face it, these folks don't expect much out of me anyway. They like my dip (which is really tricky -- add vegetable soup mix to sour cream... ). Guess they'll put up with my culinary experiments. I'm also foisting stuffing muffins on them. I will enjoy them, anyway. I'm really not crazy about my dear MIL's dressing. I am mystified by it, actually. It seems to be a baked paste of onions, potatoes and glue. I mean it is tasty in its way, but mystifying.
Why thank you. She is a sweetheart. Today I called DD "Jett".
Yes! I think they are actually done. It's lovely.
You're brilliant!


While I don't share your aversion, I do like some of your solutions. And I always sit the feller in the sink on his arse to clean out the cavity. Seems only decent, dontcha think?

Here are some possibilities of phobias to choose from:

1. Catastrophobia -- natural and man made disasters
2. Nosophobia (Pathophobia) - disease
3. Microchemophobia - toxicity in air, water, food
4. Kakorraphiaphobia - failure
5. Katagelophobia - ridicule
6. Decidophobia - indecisiveness
7. Arachibutyrophobia - peanut butter sticking to roof of mouth
8. Giraffeophobia - fear of sticking your neck out

Kiwi

Wabby, please don't tell me your turkey looks like this

(amazing what you can find when you use The Google on the Internets )

Not that I've ever ever done a turkey but Shot's list made me understand why all the Martha's found humor in Lush's list. It's when you hate something SO MUCH you can divide one task into many parts.

DS has informed me it's his anniversary today so they are going to a restaurant before coming here. If you have two teenagers who may be using the same piece of bed furniture, do you make one sleep on the sofa at your house? I mean we only have two beds so no smart remarks.

Hey! that turkey has his shirt on upside down........and no, my turkey is nothing to photograph. We're into taste, not presentation.

Yes, Peach, DS gets the couch.

I'm signing off for the long holiday weekend ---- youz cows play amongst yerselves, now.

cowies!!! Hope y'all have a fun time.



Peachy: Your house, your rules. I say stick one of 'em on the couch for sure.

I outside for 45 mins yesterday. It was cold.

Hope you all had a ! Ours was fun. Only 8 of us at dinner this time, but it was good to see DN who is going to be deployed to Iraq again soon. We ate ourselves silly. We ate so much that we sat motionless at the table for about half an hour after we were done before we even collected the plates. Unheard of! My cranberry sauce was so yummy, it makes my mouth water to think of it. Everything else was good too. Green bean bundles turned out well, thanks Sug.

DD and Bf ate with us at 1:00 PM, and later headed over to his house for another dinner at 5:00! Crazy kids. Of course, Dd can afford to eat that way -- she was sitting at the table after we had dessert (Oh my you don't even want me to describe that!); she had a half a glass of milk and she put a great big dollop of whipped cream in, stirred it around and drank it. She says "well, I've gotta eat more so I can fit into my jeans". Kid you not. I think we should all take up dancing. She dances her butt off. Literally.

Imagine: "eat more" = "fit into jeans" Sounds like some kind of fantasy world, doesn't it?

DH and DD did the shopping thing this morning, so I am blissfully hanging out on the puter. Perhaps I'll do a few dishes later, maybe walk the doggie in this beautiful weather. I heard a bird chirping last time I went outside. I remember getting snowed in on Thanksgiving one year. Don't tell me there's no global warming! One of these days the only way to see snow will be this:

Later gators!

Kiwi

THANKSGIVING AGAIN!!! I ALMOST FORGOT!!!!--- i hope the cowtanks had a grand time--it certainly sounds like misskiwonkers had a grandiose meal!!!---isn't it nice to have your baby home for the weekend--it seems that you have done very well seeing her quite a bit this term---she loves to be home with mamma as well i am sure----as for peachbat!!!! of COURSE someone has to sleep on the couch---we can't let them start that scene this early!!!!----we can't stop them from whatever they are up to offsite,but for the time being ,you can maintain YOUR status quo!~~!!!!---i have been awol for a while cause i am trying to decorate that damn shop for christmas--it's taking forever!!!!!-----aaaaaaaaaaaaah-----i have also been eating BAD things----like chips and christmas peeps====last night my gay friends and i made our fruitcakes----- FUN FUN FUN! SEE YAS SOON