notinKansasanymore

Glad to hear that those down-under types have their heads together.

Our next three days look like this: Thursday: 90 / 62, 15 - 25 mph winds Friday: 90 / 64, 20 - 30 mph winds Saturday: 88 / 66, 20 - 35 mph winds We haven't gotten enough rain for this. There will be high fire dangers. Gee, it's only the middle of April. :blink:

I'm staying up most of the night to grade. Spent the day at the Zoo with two first grade classes. But I have Raisinettes. Hey, by the way . . . is it just me, or was there no Spring to speak of this year? Where you live, did it kinda go straight from winter to summer? We had a few days of 70's, and have been hot ever since. I'm not complaining; I love hot weather. But I predict many (MANY) days in a row of over 100-degree heat during July and August. It's okay; I can have Global Warming; I'm a Democrat. Does this mean that Republicans still need to wear sweaters? :blink:

Hello, everybody. Happy Palm Sunday. How is everybody in 9th Corps Land?

Say it, Brother! Preach on. I feel the spi-rit, and am one with the hu-mor. Thank you for reminding me of the scene in the Blues Brothers when Jake gets enveloped with light at the back of James Brown's church, sees the vision "THE BAND," and sets off on a mission from God. All without removing his sunglasses. :B)

Well, it's time for a friendly shout-out to the TWI security personnel whose assignment it is to monitor the 9th Corps thread. How'd you get such a plum assignment? Have a cuppa joe and a piece of pie. If I were still in the way, I'd want YOUR job. I know that you're only still there because you feel it's the best decision for your life. Please reconsider staying with the way; it's kinda fun out here: the air is fresh, and you can clear your head in a very healthy way. love, niKa a hug, too.

Rhino, are you starting a winery? If you pick a wine label, will it be traditional or new age? I can envisage the labels. Reprobate Merlot, for when you want to dine well, but be bad! Troublemaker Vinyard, Wild Child Wines - I could see Rhino, tooling around the vines in a Simon truck. then, of course, there are the more positive names: AngelWing Winery, Harmony Vinyard, or Interlude Grape Company. Anyway, if you make any wine this year, I'd love to buy some!

We got a bit 'o hail late one evening; I got drenched putting a tarp over the garden. The hail stopped without ever really getting started, but the next morning, there was about a hundred pounds of water on the tarp, sitting on some of the cabbage plants . . . they've gone to Heaven, and there are little lettuce seedlings in their places. Sheesh.

I think he may just be on a walkabout . . . he comes back every now and again, to keep us in line. Where's Rhino? Did he get the grapes pruned? Where's Excathedra? How's she doing this fine Spring? Inquiring Minds want to know!

Where is that crazy-about-life Armenian girl? What a bright spot in the galaxy!

Hello, the Tuttlemeister! If we're really going to enjoy ourselves, we need pie. Welcome back; here's some heated Southern Pecan, alamode.

Storms? When I read your post, Tom, I checked the weather site. It appears that we're in a tornado watch until 2:am. I had no idea. :blink: Of course, in this part of the country, we pretty much spend the entire Springtime in various tornado watches. But I will keep an ear out for the sirens, in case they blow. Thanks, bro.

Okay, this is just my opinion. I believe that state-supplemented public universities are in place to help society. Benjamin Franklin understood this when he pioneered the concept of public school, and state universities are simply an extension of that idea. Stay-at-home mothers are also in place to help society. The state universities and the stay-home moms both cost society in terms of dollars, but both pay back society in terms of better citizens. Should society pay a penalty to people who grew up in daycares, so that both of their parents could work? Somewhere, somebody's got to make decisions based on more than just the dollar. The value of a well-brought-up child is . . . what? This whole proposal sounds to me like somebody's trying to keep young women out of college if they want to have children some day. Big Red Flag. Let's say a man has a degree, but ends up driving a bus (not using his degree). Would he have to pay the fine, as well? Would an educated stay-home father have to pay the fine? State colleges are not just a gift to the students. The student's parents and families who pay any sort of taxes have helped to provide this "communal" education. Everybody is invited to the table. This whole "fine for not using the education" thing is absurd. What if a student got the degree, but was then killed in a wreck? Who's going to pay THAT fine for the un-used education? We could really get picky here . . ..

Happy Saturday, and Happy April Fool's Day, everybody! You may remember that about a year and a half ago, we moved out of our old house to put it on the market, and moved into what had been our rent house. Yesterday, after all those months of two house payments, the old niKaPad finally closed. Somebody bought it for his daughter and several of her sorority sisters, for their senior year of college. Today, I'm dancing debt-free.

Just sending this back to the top, one last time. Thanks, niKa.

Austin. If God were a city, He/She'd be Austin, Texas. I called my sister yesterday; she was basking in the sun at Barton Springs. I could hear the birds through the phone. If Jealously weren't so beneath me, I'd be seriously green. Trying . . . so . . . hard . . . not to be green . . .. Oh. For the uninitiated, Barton Springs is a swimmin' hole in Zilker Park, in Austin, Texas. The water was too cold for the summertime air-mattress flotilla, but they did okay just lying on a blanket and catching some serious Vitamin D. I don't know if they still do Shakespeare in the Park at Zilker Park, but the seventies were magic in Austin.

Sorry, TommyStrange! But at least your team lasted longer than our team did! Even our girls lost today, with the Amazing Paris Sisters. It was not to be, Cherie!

Texas in overtime with LSU - Go, Texas!! (biting my nails)

Oh, somewhere there's a snappy AnnieOakleyish response to that, but I've only had the first cup of coffee this morning. I hope that your tomato seedlings made it. Seedling snowcones would need a lot of grape syrup . . .. Happy Saturday morning, everyone. Good evening, Fellowshipper.

OOOOH! I was wrong! The sun came out, and the garden is fine. Silly me. Such drama.

Well, my sister, for one . . . maybe 5'11" or six feet, but the same weight. Not surprising, though, because she's a triathlete. She's the fittest 48-year-old in my universe, that's for sure. Our garden was wet from rain when we had to cover it for the cold. It looks like a head of lettuce that's gotten too cold in the refrigerator: all glossy and translucent, and the green is too deep. Dang. I suppose we'll be hearing from Heaven in another way. Such as the nursery where they sell 1' high plants that haven't become brocollicicles. Brocollicicles. Maybe that's a new word. We also have some very nice collardgreencicles, cabbagecicles, and onioncicles. :P

Woh - We'd better get up at 4:30 in the morning and HIT OUR BACKS!!!

I'm trying to get folks to send that stuff to Pawtucket, who lives in the opposite direction from me. His is the address that you need. love, niKa

Just bringing this back to the top.

Here's a sto-ry, to keep the young peeple awake. Uncle Leo is a sweet, barrel-shaped elderly gentleman with bad knees, a strong work ethic, and a heart of gold. It broke his heart when one of his nephews kept having babies with a crack hoe, and wouldn't raise them properly. The state wouldn't intervene, so Uncle Leo and his similarly elderly wife "kidnapped" the baby of the bunch, who had severe developmental delays due to never being picked up or held, and due, as mentioned previously, to being a crack baby. (One of the other elderly aunts moved in to raise the other two children. A fourth was taken by the state, from the crack hoe, at delivery.) Long story short (too late): the baby is now two and a half, happy, and developmentally caught up. Loves Uncle Leo, since he's the only daddy she's ever known, and since he is always happiest when he's reading to or playing with a child. Leo was having such trouble with his knees that he needed a special chair that raises, in order to be able to get up from a seated position. The day before yesterday, Leo had a heart attack while seated in his chair. He dropped the remote for the chair, and couldn't reach down to pick it up. Couldn't use his lungs to call for help. Couldn't get out of the chair. The baby, who is always hanging out with Leo because she loves him so much, picked up the remote and handed it to him. He was able to get up enough to reach the phone to call for help. He survived quadruple bypass later that day. He's doing fine, but is still in guarded condition. He's at least been given the chance to put his affairs in order, and at best, will live several more years. Here's to the universal law of "What goes around, comes around." A round for the house, on me: in honor of Uncle Leo. And in thankfulness for that sweet baby. He gave her a chance at a decent life; she gave him a chance to live the rest of his.