COLD DARK ROOM

[Maro2Bear]

Good day all

Hot and humid again here in Maryland. Low 90s and humid! Area schools, most without A/C, decided to send kids home early. Just too hot inside without a/c.

We were out crabbing early this morning. The Md Blue Crabs are now rather active, large and heavy with meat. So from now until waters get cold, crabbing should be good. We got about 8 nice ones, enough for a few crab cakes.

And, since it’s been nice and hot, Sully got another nice soaking and walkies about the garden.

Looks like we are in for another round of heavy thundershowers....better check car windows are up.


African Sulcata Soaking, September 2018

 

[Moozillion]

It passed us to the south.
Its headed towards @Moozillion

We've been watching this one pretty closely, and are not really very worried.
The storm is small, moving quickly and hasn't become a hurricane yet.
Our house is not in a flood-prone zone (although the entrance and exit to our subdivision are occasionally inundated from really big, rainy storms).
I WILL bring Elsa inside to her "winter enclosure" just for tonight as as precaution, mainly from tall pine trees in our neighbors' yards that could fall onto our yard and her enclosure.
Fingers crossed that we're right!

 

[Maro2Bear]

We've been watching this one pretty closely, and are not really very worried.
The storm is small, moving quickly and hasn't become a hurricane yet.
Our house is not in a flood-prone zone (although the entrance and exit to our subdivision are occasionally inundated from really big, rainy storms).
I WILL bring Elsa inside to her "winter enclosure" just for tonight as as precaution, mainly from tall pine trees in our neighbors' yards that could fall onto our yard and her enclosure.
Fingers crossed that we're right!

Good luck with the storm....maybe it will bring some additional rain, but no damage. I guess it’s heading north and east of you.

 

[JSWallace]

Thanks for the reminder! I just booked mine. The online booking system at Boots, a UK pharmacy chain, works well

Hi all, that would be me doing your flu jab Linda if you were more local to me!!!

 

[Moozillion]

Good luck with the storm....maybe it will bring some additional rain, but no damage. I guess it’s heading north and east of you.

Yep. Sure looks that way! [emoji2][emoji106]

 

[CarolM]

It was! I can’t get the look on his face out of my mind!
He has an appt Wednesday afternoon.
I’m pretty sure he’ll get his first blood draw.

Shame. I am sure he will handle it like a champ!

 

[CarolM]

Yuck!! I guess it’s about time for us to get flu shots.

Work sounds tough right now! Hopefully it gets sorted soon!

Thank you Kathy.

 

[CarolM]

Nice to not see you back in the CDR. Sorry to hear about the gastro bugs; they are truly awful

Cutting out vaping too! You are a woman on a mission!

I love both your photos. The cloud on table mountain is very atmospheric and Rue is just cute

Thank you Linda.

Do you guys know about the story of Jan Van Riebeeck and the Devil and the cloud around the Mountain?

I was always told it was Jan Van Riebeeck, but in this one I found on the net says it was Jan Van Hunk. At least the first name is the same: Anyway whenever we see Table Mountain surrounded by clouds we always say that Jan Van Riebeeck and The Devil are at it again.

Old Jan van Hunks was a retired sea captain who liked to smoke his pipe of a morning and, for some reason, used to do so on the slopes of the mountain we now call Devil's Peak. This was long before our current anti-tobacco laws so perhaps he was just a considerate old fellow. Or perhaps it wasn't tobacco he was smoking? Whatever. One day, as he was sitting comfortably puffing away, a strange-looking fellow turned up and asked him for a light.Being a friendly sort, Van Hunks obliged. Then, for reasons that only highly competitive testosterone-driven men might understand, the stranger challenged him to a smoking competition and Van Hunks accepted. They both refilled their pipes and started puffing away, blowing smoke rings and generally trying to out-macho each other. After a while, the cloud of smoke grew so thick it covered the whole of the mountain like a giant tablecloth, which it still does today when the famous Southeaster is blowing.Eventually the stranger conceded defeat and stumbled, coughing and spluttering, off the mountain into the nearest thoracic Intensive Care Unit. As he was leaving, Van Hunks caught sight of his red, barbed tail sticking out from underneath his jacket and realised he had been puffing away with the devil. There's supposed to be a moral of sorts in this story but no-one's sure exactly what it is - and, of course, no-one is entirely sure what the competition's stakes were either.

 

[CarolM]

They really aren’t edible for/by humans... all sticky and very “pithy” with tons of seeds. Apparently the wood is as strong as “steel” and logs were made into fenceposts (in the day); the trees were planted as natural hedges.

Well glad to know that thye do have some use. LOL

 

[CarolM]

Hi all, that would be me doing your flu jab Linda if you were more local to me!!!

Good Morning.!!

 

[CarolM]

Good Morning To Y'all !!

It is a chilly and overcast day here today. But at least it is the middle of the week.

Here is to wishing you all a fantastic Wednesday.

 

[Kristoff]

The other way round. My Dad was an engineer by trade, but a watersports instructor as a hobby.

I grew up sailing and kayaking. I was particularly good at canoe slalom on white water (rapids)

As a family, we were asked to help out with the geese by a friend and that started us on wildlife and Bird watching

Kayaking introduced you to geese? Glad we took a gander at that story!

 

[Kristoff]

Wow, an impressing building of art from a little spider.
When you see spider nets every morning with little waterdrops in and the color of the leaves turn into warm red and yellow we say it is:
"Altweibersommer". A nicer word for autumn signs is "Indian Summer".

I could understand “alt” (old) but had to google Weiber (woman). We call it the same in Russian — “bab’ye leto” (бабье лето)!

 

[Kristoff]

Lol!!! Can’t seem to help myself

About getting in new torts or sending the kids away? Both are perfectly normal, of course [emoji85][emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

We’ll be fine, thanks for thinking of me.[emoji2][emoji173]️
We always watch storm development closely. So far, this one appears small, still just a tropical storm this morning and moving really fast so won’t have time to build up strength and get organized.
And our house is very high: in the best flood areas.
We often shelter friends here during storms if they expect their homes to flood. [emoji2][emoji106]

I guess Elsa won’t be outside anymore if the storm comes.
Had no idea. Thank you, Kathy, for the alert! @Momof4
Thinking of you, Bea! [emoji173]️

 

[Kristoff]

Lol. I was teasing you. [emoji6] I don't care whether you are rich or poor. It's all the same to me.

It’s a million-dollar difference to me!

 

[Kristoff]

Lol. I would choose skinny. [emoji6]

Skinny wine?? Never heard of that...
[emoji23]

 

[Kristoff]

Why don't you ask the school if you can keep the mini piano there. Then daughter can practice and they can keep it when you move. Obviously only if it is being given to you for free.

Thank you, Carol! I was in touch with daughter’s class teacher, who is also a music teacher, and am waiting for a response from the school’s international department. I’m also looking into a couple of give-away piano options.

This is huge for us. In this rented house we went for the minimum number of furniture. We don’t even have a couch (sofa) — three armchairs and sheepskins on the floor. And no dining table — just a large coffee table (slightly bigger than Montgomery [emoji23]) with small wooden stools instead of chairs. And now we might get a piano.

 

[Kristoff]

All caught up. Yes I am still alive. [emoji6]
Last week was super busy with one disaster after another happening at work. So I have been trying to sort it all out.
Eldest son was down with gastro on Wednesday and Thursday. Then Hubby got it Friday morning. And I came down with it Friday night. So me and the porcelian bowl were very friendly over the weekend. The only one to not get it so far has been Jarrod. Yesterday at work was just as hectic. Hopefully it will start to settle soon.
I am still not drinking caffeine. No pain tablets and have gone two whole days without vaping at all. I have been eating less bread. Take carrot, cucumber, greenpepper, celery sticks to work to eat all day. So it seems that things are starting to come right as far as my health is concerned.
Missed you guys.
Thought of you all this morning when i saw this. A pic of Table Mountain. Jan Van Riebeck and The Devil were obviously smoking their pipes this morning.
Hope the rest of your Tuesdays is a good one.
And just because I can - a pic of Rue super relaxing. View attachment 250508View attachment 250509

Oh dear, hope you’re all much better now.
Do you envy Rue or what on hectic days at work? [emoji23]
I’ll need to google your Table Mountain. Looks beautiful!

 

[Kristoff]

There has been so much activity the last few years, I think that most of us could handle a strong tropical storm of even a CAT 1 hurricane pretty easily. We've been forced to upgrade our houses, fences and supplies.
I've recently reinforced my privacy fence and patio. And purchased new metal shutters.

It’s good to be prepared. Probably a bit of snow and ice on the roads would be a more serious hazard, right?