The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[NotWise]

I am exhausted from the electrical work for the hot tub. The constant ups and downs from squatting because of so much close to the ground is more exercise than I am accustomed to. There is more in the cards this afternoon, but I'm going to put a lounging chair out in the courtyard and work on the tan during breaks.

Sounds like a plan.

I see you on the ups and downs. I spent about half my garden time on my knees yesterday, and the other half on my feet. Up and down. Up and down. I took ibuprofen last night, because I figured the pain in my back was from inflammation. It seemed to work, but now I have to do it again--and before the Mother's Day get-together this afternoon.

I'm going to stick to the farmer's tan.

Now that I remember it... There was an article about Albuquerque in Time Magazine (you know, that printed thing) when I was in high school. The local police started using helicopter patrols for some residential neighborhoods, and there was a huge public protest. It turns out that a lot of people here tan nude in the privacy of their back yards and roof tops. They didn't like the official peeping tom overhead.

 

[MrPixel]

Flexeril for my back when it gets like that.

Now that I remember it... There was an article about Albuquerque in Time Magazine (you know, that printed thing) when I was in high school. The local police started using helicopter patrols for some residential neighborhoods, and there was a huge public protest. It turns out that a lot of people here tan nude in the privacy of their back yards and roof tops. They didn't like the official peeping tom overhead.

I have long disliked civilian agencies using what is basically a military tool. My modern concern is drones, which are about three magnitudes cheaper than choppers. Thankfully our local PD is stretched too thin for that nonsense as a general patrolling tool, so I'm not that concerned about our outdoor private space.

That said, received the wind chimes Friday, and they're already hanging in the courtyard. Very pleased.

 

[NotWise]

I think PDs usually resort to aerial patrols when they are spread thin. The observer in the chopper or running the drone doesn't have to be a police officer. These days chopper patrols might be cost-prohibitive, but the article was before the Arab oil embargo when fuel prices were low.

 

[Duleigh]

I've got a great idea for the Nude Day Contest
I've got a really good idea for the Summer Fun contest
I've got great idea for Winter Holiday
But for Halloween? I got nothing. I asked my buddy Elisabeth to see if she could come up with something, and she says she does, but she won't say it, she just sits there grinning...
I don't get it...

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Rain is threatening today, but so far, just a few clouds letting the sun shine through.

The coffee is fresh and hot and the teapot is steaming. The cappuccino machine is making noises that sound suspiciously like growls any time I go near it. There are donuts and croissants on the counter. There's some honey butter to drizzle over the croissants.

The hot and steamy sex scene is coming [sic] along just fine. A few more days and I can start editing. Woo hoo!

 

[Duleigh]

Elisabeth says she sees something in her crystal ball, something hot, steaming, black and delicious, and it's not her ex-boyfriend Earl. She says she also sees a dozen Krispy Kreme. The woman is amazing.

 

[_Lynn_]

I'll be done with in-home PT this week. However, because of all my other issues (arthritis in the left hip and the right knee as well as neuropathy in both feet/legs), I'll do outpatient for a while. One day it will be better.

 

[Rustyoznail]

The cappuccino machine has a few quirks, but Isabella assures me she'll get it behaving itself. Which is good, because coffee is wonderful when each cup is lovingly prepared.

I'm sipping mine and considering dog training. Amongst the huge amount of online trainers, I stumbled upon a UK lady who only teaches golden retrievers. Why? Because normal training is structured for the average dog and goldens are way off normal, and to get a good always dog, you need to have a breed specific course (so she says...). She ran a free online training taster course, and what she said makes sense and explains a lot.

It's a long way to travel for class, though.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

It's a little cloudy this morning but at least it's not raining. As far as my knee, it seems to be feeling better but with all of the linping I did, I seemed to have tweaked a couple of ligaments and they are stinging like hell. I have found that ice alleviates that, but it's frustrating that I can't get around easily while glaring at all of the weeds growing in my flowerbeds ...

However, there is a fresh pot of coffee going, a nice medium roast Arabica today. The teapot is hot so you can make some tea. There are some cream filled donuts and raspberry danish on the counter.

My story inches ever closer to being completed. I have some ideas for other stories to write once I'm done. So, I'll be over in the corner working on getting it done. I haven't published anything in six months and my readers are slowly falling away ...

 

[JGittes]

I saw a hedgehog on our early morning dog walk. Well, the dogs probably smelled the hedgehog and pulled me toward it. Once they realized what it was, they scampered home. We were in the middle of High Street, and I watched to make sure the little guy made it all the way across. There was not much traffic at 4 a.m.

 

[MrPixel]

...cream filled donuts and raspberry danish...

Clearly you're the one to blame for these 10 pounds I can't get rid of!

The dog is at daycare and the hot tub technician is busy with the final hookups. So we're off to the hinterlands (i.e., big city) for the Antiques Road Show. See you guys this evening!

 

[Duleigh]

My obsession with Dragons and Brunettes continues. I need to finish the story I'm working on so I can explore this strange obsession

 

[NotWise]

Clearly you're the one to blame for these 10 pounds I can't get rid of!

If I weighed myself right now I'd probably be a few pounds down, but most of that will come back when I re-hydrate.

I dug out the top 2-3 inches from the large in-ground garden bed, removed the old edging, put in new edging, dumped in 3 cubic feet of peat moss and 6 cubic feet of compost, turned it and raked it, turned it again and raked it again. Now I'm soaking it down.

But only after I finished a scene in my WIP, where there's only sex to go to finish the second day of a story that covers three and a half days.

I'll nap.

 

[MrPixel]

We're back! No, we didn't hit the antiques lottery with our paintings. It was a huge crowd, though. I overheard one of the docents tell another guest that this event was by far the largest they were doing this season, with 120,000 applicants for 12,000 tickets. Amazing. Show won't be aired until next year.

We are exhausted. Lots of standing around waiting in multiple lines. I'm glad I brought a chair!

Hit a bit of an impasse on "the next" chapter - actually 4 chapters away. Current scene could easily morph into I/T, but I dunno if I want to go there.

 

[Duleigh]

Welcome back. I always wondered how big those crowds get. I like the British version of the show too, the items that are found in attics throughout Great Britain are much older and cooler than American frippery and gewgaws... but I need a translator to figure out what they're saying.

 

[MrPixel]

I need a translator to figure out what they're saying.

So does C.

 

[AloneTooLong]

I don't know if the shot is already kicking in, or it's the placebo effect kicking in, but my knee seems to be feeling better this morning. I had anticipated that the shot would hurt but had no real idea how much until it was done. Now I know and I hope it really works because it will take me some time to psych myself up to get it done again.

Enough about me. I've got a fresh pot of coffee going and the teapot is steaming. There are pastries on the counter, including some donuts with handles on them for dunking. The cappuccino machine looks lonely so I hope some of you give it a try today and make it happy.

I'll be over in the corner working on the last scene for my story, a steamy sex scene where our hero finally works up the nerve to go out on a date for the first time ...

My daughter (soon to be 65) is on her second round of knee injections; she has both knees done at the same time. I asked her about 'pain' and she said 'no pain' they do first off a numbing and then after that the gel injection (I think it is gel, it isn't a steroid shot). She did mention that it feels 'weird' i.e. squishy in the joint when they inject the actual liquid.

Are you one of those folks that pain medication doesn't work well? Dad, my brother and myself are all somewhat 'resistant' to pain meds. Naproxen doesn't do anything at all for me.

 

[Duleigh]

You see the weirdest things in Florida

 

[NotWise]

To cool or not to cool, that is the question . . .

It's time to start the swamp cooler. I can do it today or tomorrow before it gets hot again. If I do it today then I need to start early because it'll get breezy before noon, and I don't want to be on the roof in the wind, partly because the wind can blow the ladder down.

On the other hand, I'd rather do it today than put it off. It might depend on whether I get wrapped up in my WIP.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

@AloneTooLong - no, pain killers work just fine for me. I think she just hit a nerve...

Another cloudy morning with chances of rain. The knee is feeling better today. The tightness is finally gone and it is moving better.

The coffee is hot and fresh and the teapot is steaming. There are pastries on the counter for snacking.

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. It's coming along good and I should wrap it up by this weekend.

 

[MrPixel]

It's time to start the swamp cooler. ...

Ah, yes. The swamp cooler. I recall chatting about it last season.

Hot tub was commissioned yesterday while we were off at the Road Show. We enjoyed it late last night, and this morning I'm asking myself, "Why in the hell didn't we do this years ago?" Oh yeah - the cabin-in-the-woods. C had a few concerns and was reluctant to try it, like, "It's going to make me have to pee immediately when I get in the warm water!" But I was able to coerce her into the bubbly vat, and she was good, settled in just fine, and is perky and all smiles this morning from the experience. Today's task is setting up some accessories for it such as a towel rack; also cleaning up the tools strewn about the studio in preparation for installation.

So... check that one off the bucket list.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Morning A-list Leteroticers!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Morning Millie! How are you?

 

[MillieDynamite]

I'm behind and need to get back to writing.

 

[NotWise]

Ah, yes. The swamp cooler. I recall chatting about it last season.

I had everything together and working leak-free. I climbed down and walked around the house, and found water running off the roof. Not a lot of water, but there shouldn't have been any, so I climbed up onto the roof again. The 27-year-old plastic bleed-off line was split in three places. I guess when it hit it's end-of-life it went all at once.

Off to the big-box hardware store for parts, and tomorrow I'll open the cooler again and replace the line.

The WIP didn't get much attention, but right now distractions seem like the only thing stopping it.