The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[litfan10]

The storm front is along the east coast now from South Carolina up to Ontario and beyond. Lots of lightning in the Virginia Beach area. LOTS of weather in Canada, stretching from Montreal west to Sault Ste. Marie - that's half the width of the continent.

Yeah, I'm up on the Northern edge and it's getting darker with clouds and quite breezy.
Generally the weather is pretty mild here with a lake on one side that pushes the worst of things over onto Vermont and the edge of a mountain range on the other which takes a lot of steam out of the clouds before they hit me.
Have a great day all.

 

[WrongFrog]

It looks like it's going to stay a little cooler, breezy, and lots of clouds chasing the sun here. I'm planning on doing some gardening and building some frames for a second chicken coop today- if I can motivate myself to put on pants.

 

[litfan10]

It looks like it's going to stay a little cooler, breezy, and lots of clouds chasing the sun here. I'm planning on doing some gardening and building some frames for a second chicken coop today- if I can motivate myself to put on pants.

If it's any consolation the chickens aren't wearing any pants either.
Motivation issues? Drink some of Chloe's coffee. That should do the trick.

 

[WrongFrog]

I spoke too soon- breeze died, humidity ramped up, and it's over 80. Waiting for the work area to be in the shade before I go finish up. The chickens are all puddled up under the porch napping.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I won’t wish anybody a happy Memorial Day, for such is not a day to enjoy. But for those who served and those who came home in the wrong way, thoughts and prayers.

 

[NotWise]

Be careful.

Speaking of heat index, out of idle curiosity I looked-up the weather in my home town last week; I grew-up in the California desert. Highs were in the balmy mid-90s as they usually are this time of year... with heat indexes in the mid-80s. That's right, the heat index was 10° lower than the ambient air temperature. Very low humidity - 12-15% - will do that.

We get the heat index below the actual temperature, but ten degrees is a big difference.

I spent some time outside trying to poison some ailanthus/tree of heaven/stink trees. Aside from that it's been an indoor day.

A couple months ago I was wondering about a high school friend who had disappeared, and I signed up for my high school alumni site. It was quiet until today, with the announced demise of one of the prominent members of the class. It left me with an odd feeling.

 

[NotWise]

Hazelnut is a favorite flavor of coffee over here, especially among Facebook commandos. (I really want to see what put her in FB prison) Hazelnut is either part of the coffee or the creamer. I think it gives the coffee a chocolaty flavor. I prefer adding a drop or two of chocolate syrup and a little creamer instead.

If you even wonder, then you haven't spent much time talking to Chloe.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

If you even wonder, then you haven't spent much time talking to Chloe.

Tex used to say that one was allowed a maximum of two syllables to describe what went into your mug.

 

[litfan10]

Tex used to say that one was allowed a maximum of two syllables to describe what went into your mug.

Tea.....got it in one

 

[jaF0]

I won’t wish anybody a happy Memorial Day, for such is not a day to enjoy. But for those who served and those who came home in the wrong way, thoughts and prayers.

And those that are still in limbo:

Military labs do the detective work to identify soldiers decades after they died in World War II​

Generations of American families have grown up not knowing exactly what happened to their loved ones who died while serving their country in World War II and other conflicts.




Find the cost of freedom
Buried in the ground
Mother Earth will swallow you
Lay your body down.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Basically a whole day's gone by and nobody's touched the pot. Better give it a rinse and get a new brew happening.

Curried steak fried rice for dinner. First time I've made it, and it was pretty good.

 

[orangecurious]

morning/evening Rusty

 

[Duleigh]

Good morning all - Here's your oh seven hundred weather,

In the USA the big line of storms that spawned tornados and hurricane force winds has blown out to sea with only Labrador and Newfoundland left to soak. A line of thunderstorms are waking folks up in a line from Altus OK to Dallas TX then back up to the north east so Idabel OK. There's a string on thunderstorms off shore along the Atlantic coast from Charleston SC north east to Virginia Beach VA so sailors take care.

In Oz it's clear and sunny through most of the land down under. Radar shows clouds over Western Australia with a single line of thunder storms in Western Australia running from Koolyanobbing (don't blame me, I didn't make that the name) to the south east to Esperance. The rest of Australia is experiencing a clear sunny day

In the UK - the whole place is cloudy. I don't know how you guys do that. Radar shows a line of showers from Castlebay Scotland south east to London then across the channel to Paris. The only lightning I can see in Europe is in what used to be Yugoslavia. I lost track of what is going on there now.

The local report:

Coffee

Continuing mostly coffee today with scattered reports of tea and soft drinks.

​

 

[jaF0]

Basically a whole day's gone by and nobody's touched the pot.

I thought this was a coffee shop?

 

[Duleigh]

I thought this was a coffee shop?

It's serve yourself if nobody is behind the bar

But then you get stuck serving others.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I thought this was a coffee shop?

Shhh... That's the magic ingredient in the brownies to keep us all mellow.

 

[WrongFrog]

I'm pulling out my coffee syrups to test on everyone, I swear. This morning it's orange blossom and almond. I'll throw some breakfast muffins in the oven too, I need to use up the last of this summer sausage and some of these eggs.

Morning report from BFE, sunny and sticky already, sticking to indoor chores is advised between the hours of 11am-5pm. The local lake monster has been spotted, so ladies, keep those bikini strings knotted! (Or don't, whatever floats your boat.)

 

[Kumquatqueen]

In the UK - the whole place is cloudy. I don't know how you guys do that. Radar shows a line of showers from Castlebay Scotland south east to London then across the channel to Paris. The only lightning I can see in Europe is in what used to be Yugoslavia. I lost track of what is going on there now.

Yup, today is mostly light grey cloud with intermittent heavy rain. As opposed to yesterday which was blue skies mostly, except once an hour or so a black cloud would turn up, do lightning and thunder and piss it down for five minutes, then bugger off again. Tomorrow may be hazy cloud and some sun and some rain. We don't have climate in London; we have weather. Continental Europe tends to be a bit more stable for a day at a time.

 

[MrPixel]

Let's see... if it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium.

Busy day ahead. With the storms and the holiday now history, it's time to run to the vet's office to fetch dog meds and paperwork for the kennel visit on Thursday, stop by the hairdresser to make an appointment for a long-neglected haircut, drop C off at the guest house to clean out a flower bed, mow lawn at said guest house now that it's dry enough, mow the acre at the studio, phone the realtor who showed us a house on Saturday to tell him "no", and phone the fence contractor to tell him the $21,000 quote for new fencing (plus another $7K to remove three trees) just increased the likelihood that we're going to sell this place and make the whole shebang somebody else's problem.

But first, coffee!

 

[WrongFrog]

Let's see... if it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium.

Busy day ahead. With the storms and the holiday now history, it's time to run to the vet's office to fetch dog meds and paperwork for the kennel visit on Thursday, stop by the hairdresser to make an appointment for a long-neglected haircut, drop C off at the guest house to clean out a flower bed, mow lawn at said guest house now that it's dry enough, mow the acre at the studio, phone the realtor who showed us a house on Saturday to tell him "no", and phone the fence contractor to tell him the $21,000 quote for new fencing (plus another $7K to remove three trees) just increased the likelihood that we're going to sell this place and make the whole shebang somebody else's problem.

But first, coffee!

$21k on a new fence? How much are you fencing and in what style? I do my own farm fencing here, so I'm always amazed at retail prices. $21k would run top boarded field fence around my entire acreage and keep me in Gatorade for the whole project.

 

[MrPixel]

150 linear feet. $8K to remove and haul-off the old cinder block about to collapse (requiring excavation), $13K for 6' vinyl privacy fencing with two large gates. Contractor was apologetic that commercial-grade vinyl pricing shot through the roof in the past year; he's not happy, either, because it's cost him jobs.

No DIY on this one. Those days are over for me.

 

[WrongFrog]

Okay, that makes more sense. I love the idea of privacy fencing, but it's impractical for my mini farm setup. When we moved in a few years ago, I ran field fence on the road frontage and front yard, everything else is three strand barbed. I've been slowly but surely cultivating a living fence of old fashioned multiflora roses and blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I finally got my covered porch built this year to replace the old stoop style, and the rambler I'm training up the columns is just starting to bud. Give me another five years for the orchard and garden beds to mature and I should be able to stop fussing with it.

I'm still trying to talk my husband into letting me build a greenhouse, though.

 

[jaF0]

Okay, that makes more sense. I love the idea of privacy fencing, but it's impractical for my mini farm setup.

Hedges. Either planted, or various native plants trimmed to height.

And it if all has thorns, or poison ivy type stuff, so much less likely for anyone to try to get through or over.

 

[WrongFrog]

Hedges. Either planted, or various native plants trimmed to height.

And it if all has thorns, or poison ivy type stuff, so much less likely for anyone to try to get through or over.

I've been grafting a bunch of really vicious old fashioned roses onto our native wild rose root stock with banks of berry bushes in between. Best of both worlds- I get armloads of flowers all summer long to use both in my tea making and for just enjoying, loads of berries to dry, freeze, and otherwise preserve, and no one wants to try to jump my fences. And I get Rose hips, which are fantastic for all sorts of things.

 

[jaF0]

Aye, Aye I, I can't see my I's.

Typing is not going well and I often miss or double letters and have to go back to edit. Trying to use a mouse to place a cursor between ts, is, ls and js can be a real eye opener.