Got a queasy seeing the words "apron gut" again, so I'm starting a new thread.

Had an exciting day yesterday. Did search and rescue in the kitchen to find the source of the vile smell that's been growing in intensity day by day... Threw out some amazing things: an old hard drive I had saved in case dd wanted to take it apart, a large balloon sized papier mache ball that dd was supposed to make into a head or something, a poor old wool sweater that was only waiting for a hole to be mended but got eaten by mousies. Anyway I finally found the smell and gave it a decent burial.

This is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, isn't it? Well,

Happy Thanksgiving, CanadaCows!!

La di da, la la. oh well. (Having an Annie Hall moment)

Enjoy a day off, hopefully.

Kiwi

P.S. I posted a topic under the General/Food category, if you'd care to contribute.

Hi Kiwi! If the smell wasn't the hard drive, the paper mache balloon or the sweater, what the heck was it? I'm dying to know! Well, not really. I'm just seeking shelter in here from The Visitors. Don't know when I'll have time to type up a full report of my activities - we're just having toooo much fun.

We had one that died in a furnace duct. I still don't know how he got in there - maybe he was what made the fan go around.

Our summer is gone. The weather changed overnight and now it's kind of gray and rainy. Oh well. At least I can now wear my hip new boots.

There is a website that I visit that has online journals. I've gotten hooked on reading one particular woman's journal. It's so funny. Every day she reports the time and the fact that she is still in her jammies. She's kind of shallow, but in a hilarious way. She's either madly in love with her DH or she's reporting what a jerk he is and how she's having fantasies about finding a boyfriend. She's a stay at home mom and she loves to decorate and garden. I don't know what brought all this up, but maybe it's because I have nothing interesting of my own to tell you.

For example this was my Sunday - DH and I drove to a little farm community about 20 miles away because that's where he can buy his favorite work jeans for cheap. Then we took the long way home through the country, upon arriving home I took a 2 hr nap, then got up, went to the grocery store where I bought a take out chinese dinner, we ate, watched tv and then went to sleep. Snore. We're getting so boring.

I wrote a long message and my puter cra**ed out on me.

Let's see, can't possibly duplicate the sparkling witticisms I wrote before... Twasn't a leetle cheepmunk, twas just the usual mousey. Although horribly, caught in a trap and not in the same place where the trap was set... Yuk.

I wanna read this lady's journal too. send url. My dd keeps a diary online; I can't imagine why she would want to share stuff like that with the whole world, but there you are.

Are you still in Denmark, Sug? Did you bring me anything?

I have some pics finally from the beach trip we took in June (got them from my mother). Trying to decide whether to post or not. If I post group shot, I should probably block out dd's friend, and my sil and bil, who would no doubt get p-o-ed at me if I posted them. Must post their boys though, gotta do it. But how to block them out? Black bars over their eyes? Blur their faces? Draw mustaches?

Kiwi

Here we go:

Are you sure this wasn't 4th of July weekend? DD no longer looks like a pre-teener. She looks like a full fledged teenager !!!! The boys are adorable. They must have gotten their good looks from their favorite aunt. I'm assuming DH was behind the camera.

Well, the t-shirts were my stepdad's idea. He wanted to do a theme picture, even though it was in June. And no, DH was not behind the camera, was home avoiding vacationing with his in-laws. He flatly refuses to go on these beach trips because it would cut into his sitting on the sailboat doing the crossword puzzle time...

Yep, dd definitely hopped the great divide between pre to teen. We don't get to look back, do we?

Just too bad Yours Truly looks like an evil rodent, eh? DH and I are thinking of getting a professional family portrait done and I'm wondering how on earth do I manage to look less than hideous in it? Good pics of me are few and far between. I suppose makeup might be used to advantage (I tend to forget about the existence of the stuff). Or a face lift...

Where's our little Peachball? She told me about that addictive game and then disappeared. She has a lot to answer for.

Kiwi

Kiwi, I think you look lovely and youthful. No facelift talk. I'd really like to have a family portrait done too, and even though I hate to do it, I know that I'll probably never look lovlier than I do now, which means to say that the wrinkles, sags and bags will probably only get worse, and it's probably either now or never. Besides, our loved ones think we're beautiful, right?

I'm reading a really good book "The World Below" by Sue Miller. The main character is a 52 yr old woman. She has a sex life. There is hope.

Kiwi, if I tell you the url for Monique's journal, you'll know what latest plastic surgery I'm considering. Are you ready for the shock? Actually I don't think I'm serious about it, just curious.

I don't know, Wabbit, I'll try not to panic if you send me the url (you can send it my email if you want or on here by private message). I'll pretend not to notice the plast. surg. parts.

I think I read a book by Sue Miller. It was really good. Oh yeah, While I Was Gone. I was very familiar with the settings (used to live in Cambridge, Ma), but in general I was blown away by her writing. I should read more by her.

DD messed up the 'puter this morning (totally by mistake)--she got into some mp3 site that downloaded files onto our desktop, changed our browser home page and, worst of all, apparently downloaded a Trojan virus. The antivirus software caught it and supposedly dealt with it, but it makes you wonder. I think I pinpointed the site that was the main culprit (she was going to several sites to search for music files) -- it asked her if she wanted to "enable downloads" of music files, so she innocently said yes, thinking she had to, even though she didn't find any music she wanted so didn't try to download anything. Apparently that was the signal for the site to dump all kinds of stuff onto our computer. Just a warning, folks!

I suppose I have to make some dinner or something. Later
Kiwi

Hey! I read that one, too, Kiwi. Good book. The edition I read had questions about the book, designed for book study groups. Did yours?

I'm having family troubles again. Not my immediate family. Family of origin troubles. My parents absolutely drive me batty. My oldest sister is an alcoholic, methamphetimine addict (supposedly recovering, but I don't trust it) who has "borrowed" a small fortune from my parents over the last couple of years, because she's too screwy to work. My parents keep contributing to the problem because they are the champion enablers of the world. The latest thing they did was give my sister their 5 yr old car that only has 28000 miles on it. Supposedly she is paying them the trade in value for it, of course she only works part time and has borrowed a small fortune from them already that she's never going to pay back. Five years ago they gave her the same deal on my mom's last car. $1500 for a 5 yr old car. OK now here's where it po's me - When my mom was talking about buying a new car, I told her that my DD would be interested in buying their old car. My younger sister also told my parents that they would be interested in buying their trade in. Did they give either of us (the 2 DD's that work every day, pay our bills and generally live decent lives) the opportunity to buy the car? No. You only get this kind of deal if you are a total screw up. Geez. I'm starting to think it's not healthy for me to hang around my parents too much. Thanks for letting me vent. Or scrolling if you didn't feel like listening. And yes, I know it's not my parents duty to help me (or my DD) out, but for some reason this really chaps my *ss.

It was Wabby's eloquent phrase that finally made me realize that I am part of this group,not just one of the readers.That really chaps me arse---I LOVE that ---can't wait to use it at glass class----wabby---it is ALWAYS that way with parents---the only way to understand it is to put yourself in the position----if you had a ne'er do well child{which you don't} maybe you would be a poor sucker for the child---that is the sympathetic version to your parents---sympathetic to you is-----WHAT A RIP!!!!!!!I obviously think YOU deserve first option on the car,but we all know that co-dependent people are very hard to reason with----now that I have blabbed on about something which is none of my business,I will apolgize and head to bed----loved your picture KIWOOOO,and our family DID have a professional pic taken this summer----will send the minute I figure out how to!!!LOVE you guys!!!!!!Tell FATSO Peachbutt that tomorrow is THURsday.xoxoxoxxoBAGZZZ-o-GUTS

What's up with you, girl? NB just gorgeous this time of year? On clear days when I wake up, I can look out the window and see these branches of leaves this color against the blue sky. Takes my breath away. DD thinks it's boring. Kids.

No, Wab, I got that book from the library, wasn't a study group ed. I've had those before, tho. Sometimes I look at the questions, and I get that tired, I don't have the energy for this, feeling.

Wonder how Sugar and Peaches and Lush and Cranberry and Cherry are doing. Apparently they have lives. Not me, that'll never happen.

Kiwi

Hi darlings! Just checking in.

Went on another road trip today, but this time only to Hamburg and back. It rained. We took a boat tour around the harbour and ate overpriced tourist food. Dh was driving on the freeway at 150 (count 'em!) km an hour. I have no idea how much that is in miles. Can you say panic attack?Tomorrow the ladies do downtown while the men check out the aviation muzzzzzzeum. I was there once. It's boooooooooring. More planes than you can shake a stick at and they're not even in nice colours.

Vocabulary of the day: The German word for "bagpipe" is "Dudelsack". Sounds vaguely obscene, doesn't it?

Mummy just finished While I Was Gone so I'm next. I am also reading something called Dropped Threads - an anthology of Canadian women writers. Anyone read it? If you're DAM it's for you.

Oh, did I mention that my parents are driving me insane? Gotta love 'em, but really! It's like having two extra kids. "Don't forget your jacket, Mum" "Don't you think you've had enough wine, Dad? " You get the picture.

Off to bed now.

Sugar P

I had to tell myself, get over it, get over it, get over it about a zillion times, but it finally sunk in. Oh, and did I mention it, Sugar P, that my parents drive me insane too?

The difference between Maine and Oregon is that we have leaves this color with skies that are this color Although even that takes my breath away too, Kiwi. My kids have always had to put up with me pointing out to them how beeeuuuutiful that flower, that sunset, that tree, that color of leaf, the way the sun shines through the grass is. I figure that someday they can appreciate it. Maybe not now, but someday. My DD actually invited me to go hang out at the bookstore with her. So all my blathering on about books has rubbed off on her. I bet she gardens when she has her own house.

Hey! just don't let anybody ask you to play their doodlesack, Sugar!

Bagzie, I'm happy you enjoyed my eloquence. Anytime, dearie.