Monday, August 31, 2015

Rain, Rain, Don't Stay Away

Our rain is back and the plants are ecstatic. Now we can get back to our usual green.

Tamara

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Calm Sunday

After yesterday's crazy weather today started off a bit gray, but ended up to be a beautiful day. A tad cooler than we have been having but felt great and the sun with a light breeze was nice to see. Overall a splendid day and good news for me I have another week of vacation.

Enjoy your updates.

Elisa

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Are you sure we're not in Oklahoma?

We've got wind...up to 35 mph with gusts up to 70 mph. That's high for this area and the trees don't like it one bit. E and I are lucky in that we have power. There are plenty of folks who don't have any power thanks to the high winds.

We just got back from walking Max and there are quite a few limbs littering the streets. Lucky for everyone in this neighborhood none of them were huge.

I'm looking forward to the winds abating and the rain returning.

Tamara

Friday, August 28, 2015

Vacation Begins

The moment I left the building today was the best moment of the week. Been a very long stressful one and I am glad to have the next 10 days off. Time to rest and not give a hoot about my job. Staycation is a good thing.

Enjoy your updates.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa


Thursday, August 27, 2015

Happy birthday, Cal!

Today my youngest son turns 13. He's one of the youngest in his class but has for several years now looked like one of the oldest. Sometimes that's a good thing and other times it's a pain.

He has a great weekend lined up. He'll be attending PAX Prime with his dad and brother.

Tonight we head out for dinner to Black Angus (Cal's request).

Tamara


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Not Sure I Want to Live on This Planet Any More

What the hell is wrong with people?? If you lose your job the proper reaction is to find another one.

It is not to grab a gun and shoot a couple of former colleagues - and a member of the public...

What with the archaeologically important - irreplaceable - temple at Palmyra being destroyed by a bunch of evil thugs, who also manage to twist the words of their holy book to justify the rape of children.

And then the right-wing press (and vast numbers of our politicians) foaming at the mouth about the desperate refugees, who are fleeing war, civil war, and oppression - these are human beings for crying out loud!! They could be any one of us. Refugees whose desperation is exploited by scum making a fat profit from their misery. Frequently abandoning them to their fate - or worse.

I'm really not sure this planet is worth saving.

Some days the world is a magic place, full of wonder. Some days it's not.

Stay safe people. Good night and may your God/s go with you


Ze

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Eventful Weekends

Been a bit busy over the last couple of weekends.

A fortnight ago I went down to see Barbara. She was pleased to see me. We all (Barbara, her mother, her new step-father, and me) went to the aquarium for the day. It was pretty interesting, though I'm always a little uneasy about keeping living things, used to roaming across vast oceans, in captivity in small tanks.

Barbara loved it. And though she's a little older now, doesn't skip along, doesn't want to hold her mother's hand - she still talks nineteen to the dozen when she's excited.

The weather wasn't the best, but we had a good day.

This past weekend I went to an airshow.

There are dozens of airshows in the UK. At least one a week through the summer. Sometimes two or three. They have stunning displays by The Red Arrows, or The Battle of Britain Flight. They might have wing-walkers, or displays by vintage jets, WW1 replicas or WW2 museum pieces.

They are, as a rule, safe. You get accidents from time to time, but usually no-one is hurt. Sometimes unfortunately the pilot doesn't make it, but the spectators are safe.

This past weekend it all went wrong for one of these shows.

A Hawker Hunter jet didn't pull out of its dive in time. It crashed onto a busy A road (major highway but not a motorway/freeway) and burst into flames. The pilot is critical in hospital.

And eleven people who were driving along that road are dead.

Not a good day.

Ze

Monday, August 24, 2015

T's Turn

Tamara was doing some dishes and washing our new sharp knife. Her knuckle is going to take some time. No doctor (probably should have) but we did use those nifty butterfly strips and some lovely gauze and tape. Which needed to be replaced today. However the stubborn woman just put a band-aid on after her shower. So today while cleaning it's gotten bumped a few times and broke open and bled a bit more. So the next time Ze or I get hurt T should be really really quiet.

Enjoy your updates.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa


Sunday, August 23, 2015

Two More Weeks

Not many links for you. Quiet weekend here. The kids and I are getting ourselves squared away for the start of school.

I'll let you get to reading.

Tamara

Saturday, August 22, 2015

A Slow Saturday

It feels like lately that go go go is what we do. Today was a nice slow one. Or, at least, it felt that way to me. Slept in, shopped for some jean for our daughter and then a nice lunch with all the kids and Mike. Dog got a bath and we are doing a lot of laundry continuing our path of flea destruction. When I write all this down it doesn't seem like a slow day but at least it felt that way to me.

Here is hoping all in your land is well. That hope includes our very dear third grunt who went to see an air show in the UK, but we read all did not go well. Ze, we are thinking of you.

Also I have one serious hope that the firefighters that endanger their lives to save our forests and homes be safe and well. I think all of us send much hope and best wishes to those families that have lost their loved ones. May the fires come to an end soon.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa

Friday, August 21, 2015

Driving

Duncan came home Monday and my week has been filled with hanging out with him and running errands. Lots and lots of errands.

I've been trying to get him into cooking a few meals a week at his dad's house. For Christmas my mother gave him a recipe book and we both put some of his favorite recipes in it. This activity, of course, has necessitated many trips to the grocery store.

Grocery store trips and errands I needed to run meant we drove a lot. Being together helped both of us. He's adjusting to the meds and has periods where he needs to be out and moving. I know our errands managed to tire him out. I've enjoyed spending time with him.

Today he met with a social worker to begin the process of meeting with a counselor. His Peer Bridger met us at the clinic and helped him through the interview process.

Afterward we stopped at Archie McPhee to look around. Of course we bought a few things.

Then we made it back to his apartment to put on the soup Duncan wanted to know how to cook. Now I'm home and happy to be out of the car. I know my weekend will involve a lot less driving.

Tamara

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Old Pets

We love our dog and cats and so do the vets. As our pets are now solidly in their golden years they have become fragile and expensive. I continue to hope we catch a break, instead we are making sure the fairly new emergency vet can continue for years to come.

Back to the updates, tiny so got any thing let us know. Also have some words to share? Again let us know.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Updates Galore

Masses to read these past couple of days, so I'll let you get on with it.

Goodnight and may your God/s go with you

Ze

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Can't Think

Can't think of much to say tonight.

Feeling a bit drained.

A teenaged girl is stabbed to death in Israel, by a religious zealot, simply because she was watching a Pride parade.

A bunch of religious zealots seem to think their God approves of rape. I can't find anything in the Qu'an to suggest this but apparently they can.

Another bunch of religious zealots have bombed a market in Syria - the death toll looks set to be more than 100. A similar bunch are killing indiscriminately in Yemen, Iraq, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, Sudan...

All three monotheistic world religions use the same basic commandments. So what part of "thou shalt not kill" is ambiguous??

A whole load of religious zealots feel that they have the right to say what their God approves or disapproves of - whilst completely ignoring other things in the list - and not paying attention to the commandment "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain".

Those same zealots - of all three branches - really seem to hate women if their ever-more- restrictive statements are anything to go by.

Whatever happened to love?? Love thy neighbour as thyself. Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Ze

Monday, August 17, 2015

Home

Duncan is back home. He's tired but happy to be out of the hospital. Right now he's ready to do what it takes to stay on track.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

Tamara

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Easy Sunday

Work tomorrow and I will be dragging Tamara along with me. She will get dropped off at a courthouse reviewing her son's progress.

Hoping you all have a good week.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Comics

For the past three days I've been involved with my twice yearly project of inputting new comics into my comic book database. Our living room has quite a few piles of comics lying around. Now I just need the short boxes I ordered to arrive and I can take a few more boxes to storage.

I know E will be happy to see a reduction in the comic boxes next to my side of the bed. The only drawback to fewer boxes is now I won't have any place to sit my stuffed sheep. Oh well...I can always count on new boxes of comics appearing as the weeks go by.

Tamara

Friday, August 14, 2015

Rain Rain Rain

We needed it and I am happy to see it. It brought lots of thunder and lightning with it. Here is hoping those features are not creating more fire hazards in our mountains. The dry conditions up there really do not need any lightning. However, the mountains could happily use some of that rain. While nature is at it, share with California and give the UK a break.

Enjoy the updates y'all.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Life

My son is still in the hospital but he's doing well. If he keeps on this path he may get to come home Monday.

He's got a lot of work to do when he gets out. Right now he's willing to start that process. Once he gets back to reality I hope he keeps his resolve to get better.

Not a lot for you tonight. I'll let you get to it.

Tamara

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Painkiller Sleepy

There you go folks - masses to read.

I'm not going to see the Perseids this year either, am I?? As always I look forward to the best annual display of meteors we see. And as always we have thick cloud every night and I don't get to see even one.

I overdid things at work today so my everyday ache in my shoulder has gone from "yeah it aches but I can cope" to "f*k that hurts, ok, I give up, I need a painkiller". So I took a couple with my evening meal and now I can barely keep my eyes open. So I'm going to sign off now

See you next week. Goodnight and May your God/s go with you

Ze

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Ouch Again

First - Xena fans - a fellow Xenite needs our help. If you can donate please consider it. Di will be incredibly grateful. If you can't afford to donate - send good thoughts or prayers her way. Thanks

.........................

I was hoeing the allotment at the weekend, getting rid of the weeds between the curly-greens - and ripping up the lettuces that had bolted - and picking strawberries (the crop is looking quite good this year).

Trying to do three things at once when you're as accident-prone as I am is not a good idea.

The hoe hit a stone. And as I was only giving it half my attention I wasn't holding it properly. The shockwave from the impact caused my grip on the handle to slip. And it caught my little finger, dislocating the knuckle.

Many rude words were spoken.

It's happened before and as is common with joints with a history of dislocating, it slips back in easily. I put it back. But boy is it sore. I've been taping it to the next finger in order to be able to work.

I hope it heals by next weekend because I've a date with little Barbara. Who's not so little these days. I'm heading down to where she lives, and the me, her mother, stepfather, and her are off to the aquarium. She's looking forward to it. So am I.


Ze

Monday, August 10, 2015

Monday Gone By

The day seemed to slip by quickly and that is a good thing on a work day. Busy week ahead (actually next couple), hopefully that will make it go quickly at work.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Quiet

It's been a quiet weekend for us. Not much for you to read. Ze's Tuesday is just around the corner, however.

Tamara

Saturday, August 08, 2015

Humid Saturday

We went and saw Ricki & The Flash. I thought it was fun, not academy award, but fun and our weekend could use all the fun it can get. Tonight we get a cord of wood delivered so that will keep us a bit busy. They say rain is coming, we have had clouds all day and it is humid so let the rain fall. We are in need.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa

Friday, August 07, 2015

The Hardest Thing

It's been a rough couple of days here. It's hard to write about and I don't want to go into details right now. Yesterday Mike and I took my oldest son to the UW Hospital ER where he was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. He was transferred to an in-patient facility today where I hope he will get the help he needs.

The road ahead for him is a long one. Considering the miserable state of mental health care in the US it's not going to be an easy one for him or for us. That said I will approach this with a fierce determination to do everything I can to help my son find some peace and healing. Good thoughts our way would be appreciated.

Tamara

Thursday, August 06, 2015

Long Day

Been a long day and I am hoping for some slowdown soon.

Enjoy your updates and thanks for coming by.

Peace, Health and Happiness.

Elisa