|
Post by Mini Mia on Jun 30, 2018 20:40:49 GMT -6
YouTube keeps sharing "Oats" videos on their main page.
Yeah. As little fluid as possible.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 2, 2018 6:13:03 GMT -6
OMG, that smell is the worst!!! Last year I think, either a raccoon or possum - I can't remember which - got hit by a car overnight right at the driveway entrance to the nursery. My co-worker for whatever reason, instead of scooping it up with a shovel and throwing it into the wooded field across the street, scooped it up.....and threw it into the big dumpster out by the barn!!! The company that empties the dumpster only comes every two weeks, and it had just been emptied the day prior! It only took a day or so before the most foul odor - like death warmed over literally - I've ever smelled filled the entire area out by the barn - I couldn't even drive by on a Gator without gagging. No one knew where it was coming from because my co-worker put the animal in the dumpster first thing when he arrived at work, and after that day, had his two days off work. When he returned to work after his "weekend", he'd realized his mistake immediately, and lime was poured into the dumpster to neutralize the odor - except by then, other trash had already been piled on top of the carcass, so it didn't work as good as it should have.
I'm glad for you that your neighbor took care of it, and that hopefully, the cat that is still alive will find a good home there. We've got a new kitten here; LX's Boyfriend's dad's cat had kittens a while ago, and there was one left - they picked him up this weekend when visiting down there. Cute as can be; he's asleep on my lap now.
It seems we are experiencing a slight cool down - it rained briefly but heavily yesterday evening. I'm glad I got out early yesterday morning before the extreme humidity set in and mowed the ravine - it hasn't been mowed in weeks due to prior heavy rains; it's been like a swamp down there. It was still on the squishy side yesterday when I cut it, but not so wet that it couldn't be cut, as I'm sure it is now after the rain.
Have some stuff I want to get done in the gardens today, and better get moving. It may be slightly cooler in temperature, but the humidity is still there as is only going to get worse. Sorry, little kitty - you're going to have to move!
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 2, 2018 19:56:14 GMT -6
I know that smell well. I was the one who buried our dead cats growing up. (I didn't want them tossed into the woods.) A few times it was brick hard dirt in the middle of hot/dry summer. I used the sharp corners of a hoe. One time our kittens rode to Church in the engine, and a couple of dead ones were on the road when we headed home. By the time I got down there to gather them for burial, they'd been run over many times, and I used a paper towel to peel them off of the pavement. Thankfully the blood and guts don't bother me. That stench is bad, but when it's something I loved and wanted to give a proper burial, I just did it.
It's kind of why I don't want anymore pets. I'm done. I need a break. But, somehow I keep getting animals dumped on me. So, when I smelt that stench, I figured it was one of the cats, and I just didn't want to deal with it. I've no idea why the hawks/buzzards didn't take care of it. I was really thankful when the neighbor came over and told me about Tippy's brother, and that he buried him. I wasn't emotionally invested in him. If he saw me first, I didn't see him. I rarely saw him. Tippy is friendly enough, but he doesn't want too much contact.
A co-worker told me that Trounce was a good rat poison, so I bought some and put it under the house. What they neglected to tell me is it wasn't the kind of poison that dried up the dead bodies. I had several mice die under the house, and I had to smell them until they rotted past the point of smelling. Yeah. Fun times. I was soooo glad when it got ate up. I'd rather a skunk sprayed in front of the heat/air.
We're no longer under the heat advisory ... the temps are the same, so not sure what the difference is.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 4, 2018 6:16:21 GMT -6
There has been an occasional dead mouse between the walls or under the shelving in the nursery store - that stench is horrendous! Earlier this season, I kept smelling it, and was sure there was a dead mouse somewhere in the storage room - my co-workers and I could not find anything though, and figured we'd just have to live through the few days of rotting carcass smell. It went away within a few hours though, so though pleasantly surprised, we couldn't figure out why the stench disappeared so quickly...until a couple of days later, when the restroom, which is right next to the storage room, was cleaned. It's the damned air-freshener!!! It doesn't say "Dead Mouse Scent" on the can; I think it's "Fresh Linen" or "Fresh Breeze", but it's anything but fresh! It smells exactly like rotting mouse!!!
Maybe a lower heat index? Monday here was gorgeous - lower temperatures because of the previous evening rain, and though still humid, the lake brought cool breezes instead of the hot wind. Back to the heat and humidity yesterday. Bluck! No "Excessive Heat Warning" but we're still under a "Heat Advisory" until tomorrow.
The fireworks over the lake were last night, and the kids and a big group of friends left here, to walk to the beach. You couldn't pay me to go down there and deal with the crowds and heat - the event has gotten way too big for our small town. The last few years, Hubs and I have just gone to the next door neighbors, and watched the fireworks over the trees from there. I didn't even do that last night - it was still sticky outside, and working out in the heat all day totally wiped me out, leaving me with a pulsating headache.
Working today in the heat too - shortened holiday hours though, so hopefully I won't feel so icky when I get home.
Better get moving.
Enjoy the Forth.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 4, 2018 12:56:56 GMT -6
It’s 94F, but feels like 107F.
The “feels like” temps were still in the 100s, according to my weather app, so not sure how they decide when to put out a heat advisory warning.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 4, 2018 15:27:49 GMT -6
It’s 96F and feels like 110F.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 6, 2018 5:58:49 GMT -6
Working out in the heat all day has been wiping me out - I pretty much crash in the evenings.
It's a glorious 66 degrees right now though!!!
Cooler today? We'll see. Fingers crossed.
Off to the masses. Later, Tater.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 6, 2018 20:24:20 GMT -6
A wee bit cooler here today. In the 80sF ... feels like the 90sF.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 8, 2018 6:48:01 GMT -6
The last two days here have been really nice with lower temperatures and lower humidity - although late yesterday afternoon, the humidity started creeping back up. Although it's nice and cool now, the temperature is supposed to rise this week - but nothing like last week!
Breathing a sigh of relief. Last week was horrid!
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 8, 2018 20:56:31 GMT -6
It's been nice here too. Hot, but not sticky/stifling hot. I know it won't stay that way, but that isn't stopping me from wishing and hoping.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 9, 2018 9:42:21 GMT -6
It's about ten degrees hotter today than yesterday - even early this morning it was 70 already. Yesterday morning it was 57 degrees when I got up; sitting outside with the dog and my coffee, watching the birds and the sun rise was absolutely sublime.
With all the heat from last week, and a pretty substantial and sustained wind on Friday, we could definitely use some rain. We're supposed to get thunderstorms tomorrow - depending on which weather report you read. Three different weather sources all have a different report!
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 11, 2018 4:30:36 GMT -6
Windy and hot, the world looks wilty out there.
Have to be at work about a half hour early this morning. Better get moving.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 11, 2018 17:34:40 GMT -6
It's hot here again. Not as bad as it has been, but still not fun to be outside.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 12, 2018 6:01:11 GMT -6
Same here - near 90 the rest of the week, with high humidity, which is bad enough, but for the weekend back to horrid miserability (yeah, I just made that word up). No rain in sight.
Blah.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 12, 2018 16:14:08 GMT -6
Supposed to be 'dryer' here for a wee bit, but it's still awful to be outside.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 13, 2018 5:10:06 GMT -6
I saw in the local newspaper that the Garden Walk is this weekend. I'm soooo glad my yard was on the tour last summer instead of this summer! There is more blooming in my gardens this year due to our late, late spring, but the wind and heat of the last couple of weeks have definitely taken their toll. I'd hate to be stressed out trying to keep things looking fresh for a bunch of people in this kind of weather. Heck, I'm having a hard enough time trying to not feel too wilty!!!
On the upside - the kids and I counted seven Monarch caterpillars on my milkweed yesterday evening. I think that's the most I've ever had at one time. Now, if the little wren doesn't get them, maybe they'll make it past being fat, juicy caterpillars.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 13, 2018 18:21:38 GMT -6
It doesn't take much time outside in the heat to feel drained. I was out grocery shopping this afternoon, and I feel like I ran a marathon.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 14, 2018 5:15:06 GMT -6
After eight hours a day in it, I swear I've got little energy left!
I hear right now, droplets of rain hitting the roof - scattered showers are predicted for the next three days. I really hope what's coming down now turn into something more. It's very, very dry out there - everything could use a long, cool drink.
A co-worker yesterday was talking about all the nice rain they got Thursday night! We all looked at him, flabbergasted. He lives just a couple of miles inland from the nursery. Not a drop of rain fell at the nursery - not a drop fell here at home.
And those few droplets I heard about a minute ago? It's already stopped.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 14, 2018 20:20:52 GMT -6
We got a little rain today, but you wouldn't notice it. It got soaked up as quickly as it fell. 95F, but feels like 111F.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 15, 2018 15:29:10 GMT -6
We had a tenth of an inch of rain yesterday. Pfft! Not even enough to wet the pavement or settle the dust.
We had planned on all going kayaking on the river today - too hot and humid though. Decided to spend my day off inside in the air conditioning, watching through the windows my gardens outside turn to dust. What to do stuck all day inside? Cook, of course! I made a lasagna in the slow cooker - it should be done soon.
I never would have known you can make lasagna in a slow cooker if you hadn't posted a recipe for it years ago, Joxie. Thank goodness! Using the oven would have made it almost as unbearable inside the kitchen as it is outdoors in the heat!
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 15, 2018 21:19:22 GMT -6
Crockpots and electric pressure cookers are great to have during the hot summer months. Although, I haven't bought an Instant Pot just yet. One is on my wish list ... so is an Air Fryer. I've seen videos though, and the ones I've seen don't seem to have room to cook for a family.
I bought a casserole crockpot for making Lasagna, but haven't tried using it yet. I saw a video where some things just don't cook well in the casserole crockpot, and I was thinking Lasagna was one of the no-no recipes to use in one.
We got quite a bit of rain today. Thunder showers came and went, came and went. The earth and plants are probably happy. Mom's dog not so much. Poor baby has to be under my feet whenever there's thunder. And then there's my company, and her cat under my feet as well. Her a/c went out and is being repaired. She's never disciplined her cat, and it gets on the counters, on the stove, and is into every nook and cranny it can discover. It's been two years since I've had a cat under my feet, and one of us is going to kill the other.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 17, 2018 5:05:54 GMT -6
I don't use the crock pot much - no particular reason, other than I don't like to have something left plugged in heating all day when no one is home. The only crock pots I've ever had, have been the casserole kind like this: www.crock-pot.com/crock-pot/crock-pot-2.5-quart-casserole-crock-slow-cooker-manual/SCCPCCM250-MASTER.html?dwvar_SCCPCCM250-MASTER_color=Gray#start=11I like it because it's versatile - the stoneware can also be used in the oven for a baked chicken, roasts, and stuff. It makes lasagna perfectly fine - the family loved it. We had a very timely and nice little thunder shower yesterday morning; I was just getting ready to go out and water some of the most wilty stuff when the sky opened up and just dumped rain for about 20 minutes. It was just a small cell - I looked at the radar and it was just over our town - but it was much needed. It did nothing for the heat and humidity though. I walked to the post office afterward, and it was just as unbearable as before. It cooled down just a bit in the evening though, and this morning it actually feels quite nice outside with just a gentle breeze. Hoping it stays the same throughout the day.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 17, 2018 13:07:32 GMT -6
I have a couple of those, a 6-quart and 5.5 quart. The one I bought for lasagna is rectangular. A video I watched said some recipes don’t cook well in the center. I can’t remember if lasagna is one of them. They also said to pick up the dish and rotate halfway through the cooking time, because some cook hotter on one end. This prevents one end from burning and the other end from being undercooked.
www.crock-pot.com/slow-cookers/manual/crock-pot-3.5-quart-casserole-crock-slow-cooker-manual/SCCPCCM350-MASTER2.html
Supposed to be cooler Wednesday and Thursday. Stormy on Friday. Looks like I’ve got my house guest for several more days. That cat has to be into everything ... destroying paper and cardboard and making a mad dash for any door I open to dive into before I can close that door.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 18, 2018 5:05:56 GMT -6
As I was making the lasagna, I was thinking it'd be nice if I had a rectangular crock pot - breaking the noodles to fit the oval is kind of a pain.
I'll see your undisciplined house-guest cat, and raise you an old man cat, a rebellious teenager cat, and an itty-bitty kitty! Everywhere I turn, there seems to be a cat or two, hovering, waiting to get into something!
Omg, omg, omg! It is 57 degrees outside now! It feels glorious!
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 18, 2018 23:30:45 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 20, 2018 5:03:47 GMT -6
Tuesday and Wednesday here were great! Fabulous! Mornings in the high fifties, daytime temperature in the 70s, with low humidity and a nice breeze. But it's very, very dry. The Smokey the Bear sign driving into town has a "extremely high" fire hazard warning.
It was hotter yesterday - almost 90 - and the humidity crept back up during the day. Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days, and oh-my-gosh, we need it. Walked around the yard yesterday, and things are looking bad - well-established plants that typically need little attention, looked like they were gasping their last breath.
How can a month be short and long at the same time?? The kids' apartment plans fell through - I had my suspicions that it would from the beginning; the whole thing sounded shady to me, and it seemed they were getting the run-around. Detroit's revitalization is turning the city is turning from an industrial city to technology one, and businesses are courting young professionals. The cost of living in the revitalized part of downtown is astronomical - average apartment prices are $1,500 and upward. The apartment they had their hearts set on offered a steep discount for a year to recent college grads. Sounds good....but the apartment management kept showing the apartment, which to me doesn't seem on the up-and-up. My guess is that management found someone willing to pay full price. So they're here until....? At least they got their deposit back.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 20, 2018 22:14:45 GMT -6
That's a shame about the apartment. I hope they find something better for a price they can currently afford.
It was supposed to be bad here today, but thankfully our area didn't get the weather they were reporting was coming ... yet ... and hopefully won't come at all. We're out of the tornado watch now. I don't watch the news, so I don't know what other areas got today. My weather app is still showing lots of red/tornado watch patches south of us, and some large storms.
I went to a store in a town closer to me than the one I usually go to. They had Grape Nuts, so I got a box. I love the crunch. And the cereal tastes fairly good once sugar is added. I forgot the almond milk, so I'll try it with that when I remember to get some. I got the two small containers of yogurt, so I'll try it with one of them. I think it might work well with the oats ... it will give them the crunch I like. I need to get some raisins to go with it, maybe I won't need the maple syrup once I add the Grape Nuts and raisins.
It wasn't stifling hot today, but then I didn't stay out in it for very long. I swear Monday and Friday come around much more often than the rest of the days of the week. I wonder why that is?
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 22, 2018 8:19:30 GMT -6
I have mixed feelings about them not getting the apartment. It seems to me that they were going about the whole thing backwards, although I talked with a bunch of people and opinions are about half and half - is it better to move somewhere and then look for employment, or better to get a job and then move? I believe the latter is best - it'd be scary to me to have bills and rent, and not have a guaranteed income. LX's thought is the opposite - how can a person start a career in a new place without having a place to live first.
Storm is coming; I keep losing my Internet connection and having to reconnect so I'm cutting this short this morning - in part due to the weather probably, but mostly due to the influx of tourists - Wifi is always messed up this time of day during this time of year.
A bit of good news first though! Lots of rain - an inch and a half the rain gauge says - in the last two days!!!
Back later when the storm passes and the tourists are out milling the town instead of in their hotel rooms hogging up whatever it is they hog up when they're all using the Internet at the same time.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Jul 22, 2018 20:52:34 GMT -6
It's kind of a double-edged sword. Like needing an agent before you can publish ... but agents prefer writers who have sold.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Jul 24, 2018 4:56:17 GMT -6
We'll see how long my Internet connection lasts this morning; it was up and down all day yesterday, and nothing earlier this morning until I reset everything. What makes it even harder, I think, is that the other apartments they looked at required that at least one of them be employed locally for three months; one of them required 6 months local employment. So where is a person supposed to live in the meantime if they're just moving to the city? I haven't done anything with the steel cut oats I bought, except to look up a recipe to make granola: www.homemadefoodjunkie.com/steel-cut-granola/When all was said and done, we got 2 1/2 inches of rain since Friday. It's amazing how everything outside looks refreshed - even the fried grass is green again. The temperatures are supposed to be nice for the rest of the week, but although it's only 67 degrees out now, if feels very humid already.
|
|