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Oh those pesky algorithms.
You click on one pickle martini recipe for blog fodder and then bam! Before you know it?
You’re pickled.
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My Jameson will never be shot out of a hollow pickle.
Nope. Not happening.
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For the love of all that’s holy.
No.
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I beg to differ.
🤮
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was eyeing our Bradford pear tree the other day during his walkabout.
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If you recall this did not end well the last time.
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Because while His Lordship likes the idea of climbing trees, his experience with execution is decidedly lacking.
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But the blooms must have been calling his name because up he went.
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It started with a pre climb scratch.
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And then a jump.
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And that was basically it… because the daft bugger has no idea what to do once he’s actually on the tree.
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So, yeah.
He literally just hangs there until he falls off.
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And then walks off the embarrassment on the rock wall.
🤣
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Yesterday was a sad day for our immediate neighbors.
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The row of willow trees that have graced the front of their property for more than 80 years…
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Were deemed a nuisance to the power lines and cut down by the state.
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As a rule willow trees don’t live that long but these were glorious and well cared for.
We will miss them.
😰
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Squirrels.
Nature’s seed stealing acrobats.
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My husband was thrilled when he received this red seal five dollar bill as change the other day. I made the mistake of asking why it was special but zoned out after the first 17 minutes of rambling explanation. Here’s a more succinct recap.
On June 4th, 1963 President Kennedy signed executive order 11110 which allowed the US government to make it’s own money and bypass the Federal Reserve. The 4+ billion dollars of United States Notes (backed by US gold and silver) were put in to circulation in denominations of $2 and $5. The $10’s and $20’s were printed but never released as he was assassinated and the program was shut down.
How thrilled was he?
The man actually ironed it.
😳
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Every night when the sun starts to set?
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We have a visitor. Sometimes two…
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Apples, berries and some taurine rich grain free dry dog food are the reason.
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They come to nibble seed that falls from our bird feeders but I can’t resist putting out a better snack.
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❤️
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The used car shopping continues. Miles upon miles of traveling only to be disappointed by condition or mechanical problems.
Funny part of this saga? We met up with a friend of ours on the journey who happens to sell cars on the side. When the husband told him what we were doing he gave me a strange look and said, “No offense, but I know money isn’t the issue. Why don’t you just buy new?”
To which I rolled my eyes, pointed, and said “Ask him”.
That launched my husband into his usual diatribe about how new cars are an over inflated rip off that depreciate as soon as you drive them off the lot. Then he got started on the car salesman two step. You know the dance… spend half an hour dickering on price only to be told to have a seat while he talks with his manager. Husband hates the whole process.
Because really, used car salesmen are so much better.
🤣
Our last stop of the day was a dealership almost 2 hours from home.
I immediately spotted the car I wanted him to buy.
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Don’t recognize the logo?
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Yeah.
Just a snazzy little runabout in which to do the weekly grocery shopping. Did it cost more than our first house? Sure. But money’s not an issue remember.
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Someone came in right behind us and put a down payment on this thing. To which I thought… what a giant waste of hard earned dollars… but hey, whatever floats your boat.
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This was the vehicle we came to see and might seriously be a contender.
To be continued…
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Because it’s required, that’s why.
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Not being a ketchup fan I usually eat mine plain… but if I have to dip?
Pass the garlic and herb aioli and then stay out of breathing range.
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How about you…
What’s your go to dip?
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If you care nothing for the feeding and rare sightings of our fine feathered friends please feel free to skip this post because I’m about to gush like a horny ornithologist.
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Yesterday evening at 7:41pm I walked by one of the windows that looks out over our backyard and saw this.
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We’ve lived in this home for over 20 years and I’ve only spied this elusive creature twice.
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They’re big, usually 20 inches long.
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They like deeply wooded areas and though we hear their jackhammer like drilling occasionally it’s rare to see them out in the open no less hanging on our suet nugget feeder having a nosh .
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To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
There was a female pileated woodpecker in our backyard!!!!
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The sexes can be distinguished by the amount of red feathers on their heads. Red halfway down the face to the eyes? Female. Red all the way down to the beak? Male.
River the bird nerd at your service.
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Not exactly a riveting video, I know.
But I had to share.
❤️
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A little bit of this and a whole lot of nothing.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten … taking a break from strolling to survey his domain.
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You either get it or you don’t.
My husband went to the original Woodstock, then turned around and left… saying it wasn’t his scene.
Clearly he didn’t get it.
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Book banning?
Huge pet peeve.
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Funny how that works.
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King Eider’s is a fun pub on the coast.
Their sign is always equally as fun.
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I walked outside this morning to fill the bird feeders and found this.
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A pile of feathers.
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Having a hawk who uses our backyard as his personal hunting ground, this isn’t unusual… but seeing this around noon was.
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A young starling made numerous trips to the pile and gathered all the feathers in his (her?) beak.
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I’m sure they make wonderfully soft nest liners…
And are the perfect example of Mother Nature’s ability to recycle.
❤️
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We visited my husband’s uncle in the hospice last week. He was in good spirits…. laughing and joking with the nurses.
When we visited yesterday? We were met by a nurse who said we weren’t allowed in his room and then ushered into the chapel.
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We were told to wait here for someone to come talk to us.
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We waited and a woman we hardly knew, someone my husband’s uncle called ‘niece’ but wasn’t actually related, came in to inform us the uncle had taken a turn for the worse a few days before and was totally unresponsive. The end being near, his son was flying in that day from Florida and left instructions no visitors were to be allowed.
Needless to say we were beyond shocked.
Barred from seeing him. Barred from saying goodbye.
It was all I could do to stop my husband from storming the beachhead.
Since the son is legally next of kin and has power of attorney, the facility listens to him. There was nothing we could do.
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Except cry.
I did a good bit of that.
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River's world..... 