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As the shadows lengthen, the waiters bring out the carafes of wine and the trays of tapas. . .
Any lurkers or newbies here? Please pull up a chair, place your order and tell us a little about yourself. We’d love to meet you!
FOR THE RELAXED ANIMAL GALLERY. . .scroll down.
Wow, you have been really busy today Kansas! Coffee and treats this morning and now wine and tapas! I’ll check back more this evening…a little more work here on the left coast.
Hey! Who cut the cheese?? 🙂
Great photo LOL
I think I’ll pop my second to last bottle of this years “Beaujolais Nouveau”. (Saving the last one for thanksgiving dinner!)
Gonna share?
Sounds GREAT!!! Each year I mean to get some and I always…. don’t.
A friend said I should and call it my birthday wine.
So, damnit, I will this time 🙂
ooops… I might be in jail on my birthday.
and we’ll wire up the bail money… 😉
Just listened to the “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” and now I want to put together a CD of protest songs… 🙂
Hmmm….I think I have some good stuff still hanging around…on vinyl…but it can be recorded to disk!
there are many other fine choices that are just as good (some even better, depends on your taste buds?) in and around the same price range, BUT still available right now. And, contrary to what most people believe, most of the Nouveau wines will keep on the shelf for a few years without losing their flavour, so don’t hesitate to buy a bottle of last years if you see it on a shelf at liquor store.
I have even had some “Nouveau” from California that was as good. (IMHO)
You can have a glass of mine while you wait for next years batch…
Watching the sun go down, it happens very early here…too close to the mountains…nah!
No wine thanks, but a pitcher of margeritas, rocks, no salt, and plenty of limes, for me and my friends would be welcome.
Enjoy…later.
Peace
Hi kansas/everyone. I’m gonna plump my rear-end on a stool and waste my evening away with a few glasses of virtual scotch. It beats having to wince every time I read the headlines/atrocities of the day. We need a BostonJoe sig-line moment, don’t you agree?
Want a good laugh? Over at Big Orange there’s a diary in the rec list about how Ronnie Earle has asked a Republican judge to remove himself! Sometimes ya just gotta love Texas.
Ronnie Earle for President.
That’s actually what put me in a somber mood. While I can appreciate the tit-for-tat/fire-with-fire tactics it makes me sick that we’ve come to this point. DeLay is a thug and I hate what the Republicans have done to my emotions. [sigh]
I’ll flash the screen!
Hey… my screen just cracked! Damnit!
LOL, thanks for making me crack a smile. 😀
cue “Blue Moon” music (my “actual nick” is Luna Azul”)
(!)
Oh, dear! I picked exactly the wrong thing to cheer you up. Have some dead flowers, too. 🙂 You’re so right that it’s a shame things have come to this, but on the other hand I do think tit for tat is the only thing that can stop these guys.
Janet, you’re crackers!
Hey, Kansas – you are on my Christmas wishlist 🙂 My husband and kids need a steenking list for me. As if. I am easy cheesy to buy for. But … they need a damn list. 😉 And you’re it.
I am so flattered! But ask them not to shove too hard when they’re trying to get me into the box, okay? And if they plan on leaving me under the tree for very long, may I say just two words? Air holes.
like this dude.
Umm…
What the hell is that thing?? 🙂
My thought, exactly! He looks like a cross between a raccoon and Tom DeLay. And what’s that thing in his mouth? A fish tail?
It was right along the trail and could have cared less that people were around; just lay there eating flowers.
Okay. A marmot… (why do I feel like Alice in Wonderland??)
But he does look pretty laid back. 🙂 I like him.
He’s stoned. What kind of “flowers”?
But… he’s eating those flowers – therefore it’s not being stoned but until they legalize it – it’s known as “pain management” 🙂
“poppies” but it just doesn’t work without the exact intonation. We need audio comments!
Or – don’t “Marmot” that joint my friend!
But he does look so laid back and peaceful! Content. No wonder the feds want no part of flower power! LOL
a copy of the record “A Child’s Garden of Grass” for an excellent “trip” into the very mellow days of flower power.
lol! “Don’t Marmot that joint, my friend.” I will never hear “Bogart” again without thinking of this! Good ol’ Humphrey Marmot.
Ha, that’s funnier than you know. I was feelin’ under the weather last week and stopped at the Tucson Herb Store on Saturday. It was my first time there, it’s basically a house converted to a shop. She had tons of jars of dried plants and herbs, I gravitated over to the “tea” shelf and bought the Cold and Flu Brew:
Bonset, Lemon Balm, Orange Peel, Hibiscus, Chamomile, Ginger and Hyssop. It looks like the leftover greenery you find after sweeping weeds from a walkway, but it makes some GOOD “tea”
Marmots Unite!
did all those flowers make you — on a scale of 1 to marmot?
I’ll bet this is the longest thread on a marmot in the entire history of bootrib.
as the Soothe “Tea”:
Nettles, Desert Plantain, Malva, Chamomile, Marsh Mallow, Plantain, Slippery Elm, Comfrey Lf. and Rose Pedals…
What can I say…I was desperate for a cure 🙂
I’ll see your Marmot and raise you a Kitty.
Kitty always looks like she’s stoned.
that’s a devil cat — I’ve seen those eyes in zillion horror movies.
Ha! That truly is one of the most relaxed creatures I have ever seen. But those eyes. . .who’s really in there?
two very relaxed dogs
This is the funniest competition. Wouldn’t it make a great book. . .nothing but photos of supremely relaxed critters, each one more zonked than the last.
This one looks just like my husband’s cat…
you a moose!
They say… getting high can make some “antlery”!
. . . these two.
none of my dogs will cuddle with any of the others.
Really sweet picture.
Most of the cat cuddling around here involves two cats who are too stubborn to give up a particular spot, but I think these guys (Bob and Hagrid) really are fond of each other.
and raise you a pootie with x-ray vision. Do not, I repeat, do not look directly into her eyes!
HIGHBEAMS!!!! 🙂
My timestamps are screwy — everything’s an hour off… 🙁
It’s getting dark out already — I hate the fall time change (but I love getting out the fall/winter nightwear and all my cozy sweaters — a good sweater can cover a multitude of sins…). Got a lot done today; found the yarn for my project, will probably get a good start on it tonight. Tonight is “fend for oneself” night (aka “I have no frickin’ idea what I want to cook”); I had a very hearty lunch, so will probably just have something light for dinner.
Okay, running over to the office to drop off the rent check and pick up a couple of packages…hopefully one is the Vierne “Solemn Mass” CD I’m waiting for! Nothing better for a chilly evening that to curl up on the couch with a good crochet project and classical music in the background…well, I can think of one better thing, but the spouse is still at work… 😉
Cali, you should make a couple shawls or ponchos since you like to knit/crochet and then post a pic in the cafe and see who wants to buy it. I’ve actually been looking for a poncho (talk about covering a multitude of sins!) even though I know they are soooo 2003, but all the ones I’ve seen this fall are hideous. Not being very schooled in the feminine arts, the furthest I advanced in crocheting is the basic chain stitch. I can do scarfs, but follow a pattern?…pfft!
Lion Brand Yarns has the free pattern for the “Coming Home” poncho that Martha Stewart wore when she got out of prison; I’m making that one because (a) I liked the look, and (b) they have a Plus Size pattern available (a lot of poncho patterns I looked at only came in S, M or L, and I don’t know how to adjust patterns for larger sizes without them getting waaaay out of proportion). Oh, and I’m doing mine in sort of a denim blue instead of the grey, since I’ll probably be wearing mine with blue jeans.
Lion Brand honored the crafter by donating yarn and crochet hooks to the prison; I thought that was quite cool. 🙂
I think Bud might win this one:
That is ADORABLE. Okay, I have to add this to the headline for the cafe somehow.
if I could relax like that.
That is one zonked out dog!
What kind is he?
he’s a full-blooded Basset Hound
Hi!
I want a big, lazy, cuddly dog that doesn’t drool too much. What are basset hounds like? He’s so cute.
He’s big, lazy, cuddly, cute and is only mildly ‘drooly’, let’s see….he’s always hungry, a decent watchdog and very picky about his sleeping place–he requires a pillow (or in the case of the pic, a soft couch). I love him, highly recommended breed 🙂
I’m going to seriously consider getting one. I love my cat but I’d really like a big dog again, and one that’s not quite as energetic as my labs were. I just wish they would invent a big dog that had teeny little craps, like a chihuahua!
Does he like to go on walks?
walking his human on occasion, you might want to see if there are any Basset Rescue Operations in your area.
extra points for ear placement…:{)
Peace
Bud isn’t stoned or relaxed….
Bud is PASSED OUT! the Nascar throw pillow proves it, too.
🙂
Bud’s a cutie though 🙂 The ear flop and butt shot are dead giveaways that this dog got his name from the King Of Beers.
And frazzled.
I just got off the phone from talking to my sister who is totally panicked. Her x has been hounding her with e-mails everyday demanding everything from changes in visitation with the kids to money that she supposedly owes him from before they were even separated. And this is all 2 years after their divorce was final.
So she lives with the divorce decree handy so she can compare his demands to what it says in the decree. And reads it to me, asking how I interpret it. And I’m not a lawyer. And. And.
I can’t calm her down. When I do, she’s panicked again the next day. She’s got her fiancee helping, but she can’t get past this panic.
I don’t know how to help her.
Thanks for listening.
How awful for her, katiebird. He sounds nuts. Could she afford to forward all inquiries to her attorney?
Nope, she is scarily in debt. Part of the panic is that while she’s pretty sure, even very sure that she won’t have to pay this stuff, she might have to pay more than that in attorney fees if he gets this stuff accepted somehow for consideration. She thinks all this stuff was presented already at the time of the divorce, but he’s got all the money in the world (this is almost literally true if family money is considered), so attorney fees are nothing to him.
for a legal aide attorney?
Are there any divorced women’s support groups in the area? Or battered women’s shelters (emotional abuse is just as much a problem as physical abuse)? Either of these might be a good source of advice and might also know of an attorney that would provide some low cost assistance.
You know, I’d completely forgotten about legal aid attorneys! And me, used to work at a law school?
Thanks Andi!
And I think I’ll see what I can find by hunting on the Internet for similar situations so I can get more suggestions for her.
Andi,
Thank you so much for these suggestions, I really hadn’t realized that if her lawyer is too expensive, she needs another lawyer. She’s got to have someone who can intrepret the seriousness of this stuff.
kansas, I was still so rattled when you responded, I didn’t thank you properly. Thank you. I’ve been telling her to pass this stuff on, but she totally freaks out at the idea of incurring more debt. (and I’m sure he knows this)
When my sister was going through her very ugly divorce, she used to call me all the time in tears and tell me all her problems and I never felt like I was doing anything to help her. But she told me much later that she just needed to say all the things she was feeling because keeping them inside was too hard and too painful.
On the practical side, I think kansas’ advice sounds right. She should ignore the emails and give them to her attorney.
I totally agree, and she does have her fiance intercepting them (he’s even told the x that she doesn’t see them). But now he’s sending stuff through the physical mail and sometimes she sees it.
It’s weird, they’ve been divorced for 2 years, he remarried almost immediately after. If I was his wife, I’d really wonder about all this contact with her.
I can so relate to your sister. Her state bar association may have a service that refers for a low-cost consult. I’ve used this in California more than once. Give her my addy if you think it might help.
I really think I might. If you wouldn’t mind, or maybe send a message introducing you both to each other and letting it go from there.
She’s so broke and has no health insurance so she’s feeling boxed in.
I find it hard to believe that anyone is going to reopen a divorce that took years to settle, but anything’s possible I guess — this being Bush World and all.
Although she’s in Seattle so maybe it could be worse.
this link for free legal resources up in Washington state.
If the divorce was filed in another state, try Googling “[Name of state] Bar Association” to see if anything comes up under free legal advice (it was about the second listing on my Google page).
IANAL — just a Googler-at-large…
I wouldn’t mind at all.
lil, Thank you very much, I’ll send the message this weekend, I’m in too post-frazzled a mood to write a coherent message tonight.
I did talk to her to tell her the Legal Aid, Bar Association ideas & she really, really liked them.
So this is progress. Thank you so much!
librarylil,
Thank you for the state bar association idea. And for the addy offer, this is so generous of you.
that’s close to her, yet distant from the situation.
That may be what she was (is) looking for today.
Blessings and peace to her and to you…
Thank you Cali, I think I have been pretty staunch for her. But there was something different in her voice tonight that really has me worried. And it was going to be over an hour before her fiance came home (he should be home anytime now).
I wish you could take lessons in holding yourself strong against evil-crazy people. Because it does wear you down.
It sounds like there’s alot more going on there than visitation and money. He’s not been able to move on and he’s dragging her along with him. She should just say “all that was settled at the time of the divorce” and then hang up.
If he reopens it and it’s considered at all frivolous I’m pretty sure he has to pay for her legal fees to defend herself.
Well, she’s told me some fairly shocking stories about his decision making processes. It sure isn’t really the money, it’s a relatively puny amount (not that you can tell her that right now), and the visitation changes are puny as well taken individually and she used to accomodate him. But, they are endless — it’s really, really weird he’s constantly tweaking the time.
I’ve never known anyone who wanted such constant contact with an x as that man.
It’s a way to keep control over her. He wears harasses her, wears her down, and makes her spend money (and I’m sure he knows that money is tight for her) — all of which serves to both strengthen his position and make him feel that he gets to determine what happens in her life.
Yep, I think that’s exactly right.
AND, and, I just called her to tell her the Legal Aid, Bar Association, Battered Women ideas and she’s going to start calling around tomorrow. I could hear the relief in her voice. And she asked me specifically to thank you all.
Wow, what great friends you are!
I knew I could come here for help — I did & You gave it!
Thank you, thank you.
when I say we are really glad to be of help.
If she hasn’t already, she might want to tell him she needs communication in writing/by email only. That way she can distance herself a bit and have documentation too.
She has done that, and her fiance has been monitoring the email for months. But he still has to run the content past her & it’s been adding up.
She was emotionally hammered by him during the marriage and the steadiness of this contact hasn’t let her recover from that.
I don’t normally tell people this, but my ex-husband sounds a LOT like your sisters ex. This book was invaluable in helping me figure out how to deal with him and stop him in his tracks. I also might add that a good attorney is worth every penny when you’re dealing with a crazy-maker.
It sounds to me like he’s just screwing with her, but can’t really do anything. A final divorce is a final divorce; the only thing you can revisit forever is custody (okay, 18 years, but it could feel like forever). When is she marrying the fiance?
I tell her everyday that a final divorce is final. And all these bills were from before the divorce. He’s claiming they’re for a business she was trying to start at the time, but it includes the family Internet bill and Home Depot bills. And everything was paid off before the separation even.
And, he presented them at the time of the divorce, so I really believe it’s settled. But that’s kind of a Bush idea isn’t it? To keep revisiting horrible ideas that have been discredited?
Thanks for the book link, I’ll buy her a copy. I’ve put it in my shopping cart until I find enough to get free postage.
Thank you so much for everything!
Excellent advice.
Yes, And I’d take the stuff that comes in the mail from him and stick in in a dark corner. I don’t think she needs to read 3 inch think letters from him. Unless there is a court order involved. But what court is going to reopen this divorce?
I think it costs very little to get a restraining order to stop the harassment. Then when he harasses her again (and he sounds like the kind who can’t resist, and doesn’t cover his tracks well), she can smack him in court if necessary.
that she or anyone else has to go through this crap. It is all too common. I won’t go into a “what I’ve learned from my divorce” routine but it isn’t pretty. I’m sure many others here have had similar learning experiences. I wish your sister well and will be glad to lend her a virtual ear, when/if she wants.
If the divorce is final and her ex is continuing to intimidate her regarding the judgment, she should call the local DA’s office and consult with their citizen advocate, assuming one exists. This sounds very much like Harassment, and there are laws against this type of behavior in most places.
A call from the local prosecutor to her ex might change the dynamic considerably.
Peace
My sister just called again, the opened this message from the mediator and he says that he’s reviewed the husband’s claim and it appears that he is required by the divorce decree to mediate the issue.
Then he says that it appears the items in contention were incurred before the financial agreement was finalized.
What does THAT mean?
I have only my personal experience to guide me and I am not a lawyer. That being said, when my ex and I were divorced (Colorado Statutes), all issues were resolved, and individual responsibilities and obligations delineated, in detail, at the time the divorce decree was granted.
There was a waiting period, the duration of which I do not recall, from the time the decree was issued until it became final, during which any issues or additional objections to the agreement had to be raised. It was my understanding that once the decree was finalized there was no further recourse for either party, the primary exception being the failure of the other party to adhere to and complete all the conditions required.
As the statutes regarding divorce vary widely, it would appear that your sister would be well advised to seek legal counsel through whatever avenue is available.
Peace
Click to enlarge.
Our 13 year old ‘baby’ Toto asleep with his Mr. Monkey doll jammed into his mouth.
It was our late giant Toto’s toy his first year. In year 2 we got the little guy mainly so the big guy would have company during our 9 hour work day. It was a really good idea to have two, with Cairn Terriers they’re definitely easier to manage than one.
The big guy had surgically removed the manufacturer’s label and then both arms from the monkey. Within a month or two the little guy had taken over Mr. Monkey as a sleeping buddy, and they’ve been inseperable at night ever since.
Just today during a break I happened to see him snoozing so for the first time in 13 years I caught this picture. I wasn’t sure it’d work; the camera flashed 4 times and he woke up & was looking at me when my vision cleared.
Here’s our 13 year old rescue Toto we got after the big guy passed on and little guy needed company. He’s napping on the couch with Puget4. Click to enlarge.
That is so cute. I absolutely love all these photos.
I’ve always loved that one!