My bookcases are ALMOST finished…
Just need the electrician to come finish up…
Been doing anything around your house?
|
The iPod’s loaded and ready to play
|
Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe/Lounge from earlier)
|
May the 4’s be with you
That top picture should be smaller…hopefully I can shrink it easily.
Are those frogs above the tv?
Yes (well, actually, they’re Frog and Toad from the Arnold Lobel storybooks).
CBtY has been a lifelong champion tadpole hunter…so we have lots of frogs here.
CG — I had these books w/ tapes when I was little. I love Frog and Toad!
Beautiful photos — the book shelves are wonderful. Your home looks so warm and inviting. I love the big DREAM on the mantle …!
Thanks, olivia.
We have a claymation frog and toad video with several of the stories on it. It was one of the boys favorites when they were smaller.
Hi CG. You bookcases look wonderful. Home Improvement? Got the lawn done and cleaned the oven. Does that count?
I should put up the before pictures so you can really see the amazing difference they make. Let me see if I have them handy…
Ms GR runs the Ministry of Home Improvement at our house. She’s unbelievably good at it, actually.
Mr. Cat gets to come up with all the ideas and we implement together. BIG however – I get final and solitary veto power. Sometimes he has “unique” ideas! ;^D
Works well…and haven’t been too many issues in 20+ years.
My only problem is I’m no good at home imporvement or repair. I try to make something or repair something and it ends up costing twice as much.
First to pay for what I tried to do and second to pay someone to fix it. ARRRRGGGGG.
They’re beautiful! It seems almost a shame to cover up that pretty blue with books. 🙂
My home would be improved if I left it right now and went to work.
Ta.
Thanks, kansas! I am loving the color of them…so much lighter and brighter than the logs are.
Boo-tiful! I just love your taste, Cabin Girl, all around, from food to music to knickknacks.
:::beaming:::
Thanks, Indy! You have pretty cool taste too…you gonna be around for Random 10 later?
Aww, that’s a kind thing for you to say considering how big of a dork I am. 🙂
I might be around later, and I might not; my health is flagging a bit, and we have a bit of a family crisis going on with a close relative having been diagnosed with lung cancer this week. 🙁 We’re still waiting to find out exactly how bad it is (it has already metastasized but not much) and how aggressive the treatment plan will be (probably very aggressive). Plus we’re barreling full speed toward a cross-country move, so things are kinda hectic around here and I am prone to sudden attacks of the “gotta go lie down for a whiles”.
((((Indy))))) I’ve been missing you hardcore!!! I’m so sorry to hear of the illness and stress in your life. I wish I could blow it all away like the fluffies off a “ripe” dandylion. Poooooof.
XOXOXO
Thanks sweetie. My role in these things is almost always Support Person while everyone else melts down, because I can keep it together in a crisis. So I’m mostly all right, just incredibly busy, way too much to do. But you can blow on me anytime. ;p
Like DJ said I wish we could somehow make it better for you. Sounds like a lot of very stressful things are happening all at once. {{{Indy}}} sending big hugs. It is so good to see you, and come and unload on us if you need to.
Thanks {{{Olivia}}}. (Does anyone ever call you Liv? I always want to and I have no idea why.) I function very well when things are insane, and I will fall apart later (PTSD thing), so for now I’m doing well, but I really appreciate the support from y’all. 🙂
When you start to fall apart and need to vent or rant or just sit quietly or need a hug or even stay away — we’ll be here waiting for ya! :*
And sure — liv works too. I’m pretty easy going w/ the name thing. 🙂
((( Indy )))
Take good care, girlfriend.
I have 10 songs I chose to “pounce” a bathroom to when you’re completely drained of energy and only halfway done.
is to see those great bookshelves and that gorgeous (and so very neat — where are the cabin boys) room.
Won’t be around to do FRT later so here’s my FRT – almost outta here edition
World On Fire – Sarah McLachlan
Sick Of Me – Ani DiFranco
Two Trains Running – Butterfield Blues Band
Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies
Say It (Over & Over Again) – John Coltrane
The Gift – Annie Lennox
Angel From Montgomery – John Prine
Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits
River Of Stone – Bryndle
Talk About It – Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Hey there, Andi! Great to see you pre-departure!
Hope you have an absolutely fantastic vacation.
Thanks WW. And I hope you have pleasant weather, peaceful cats, and an absence of plumbing or vehicle problems.
Very much appreciate your good wishes, Andi. Thank you! As of now we’re looking at 3 out of 4, which is pretty good
🙂
Happy vacation wishes to Jim, too — & extra hugs to the pups, as we won’t be able to pass ’em along when you’re gone.
{{{big hugs}}} 🙂
Thanks olivia. I hope when I get back you can tell me everything you’ve got planned for this year’s garden.
Oh yay, I’ll just do mine early with Andi.
Rapper’s Delight (Radio Mix) – The Sugarhill Gang
Sex Machine – James Brown
I Don’t Wanna Wait – Paula Cole
ABC – The Jackson 5
I Can See Clearly Now – Otis Redding
I Know It – Madonna
Change – John Waite
Sunshine On My Shoulders – John Denver
Smoke & Ashes – Tracy Chapman
Gangster’s Paradise – Coolio
Heh, I was hoping some Indigo Girls or something appropriate for your trip would come up, but no dice.
But it’s list that is mostly folks I recognize so that’s good.
And the Indigo Girls’ song is on the iPod which goes with us.
Take care and don’t stress too much until I’m back to provide mother henning.
I’ve been known to launch into a full Rapper’s Delight routine when I’ve had a few drinks in me. I love that song!!
Heh, I’d have thought you were too young for it.
When it first came out, I was still in elementary school and a few of us were being bussed to some arts program at another school. I was in the music program. Our teacher was really great. She had us doing everything from learning Mozart & Tchaikovsky to singing Simon & Garfunkel choral style and performing Rapper’s Delight street style. We were, like, 9 or 10 at the time.
My favorite bit was always the part about the food (and if we ever wind up drunk in the same physical locale, we are going to have to do a duet of this song):
have you ever went over a friends house to eat
and the food just ain’t no good
i mean the macaroni’s soggy
the peas are mushed
and the chicken tastes like wood
so you try to play it off like you think you can
by sayin’ that you’re full
and then your friend says,
“Momma he’s just being polite,
he ain’t finished, uh-uh, that’s bull!”
Outstanding FRT, as always, Andi. Have a great vacation.
Beautiful bookcases, CG! They look terrific.
I’m sure you’ve shared the story of your cabin before, but I’ve got to ask: did you construct it yourself? Is it entirely made of logs?
I’m seriously considering constructing a log structure for myself in the not-too-distant future, & would love to hear your story!
As of now, any ‘home improvement’ on my current abode will involve leaving it behind. Sadly, the place is a lost cause — most appropriate at this point as a toolshed, methinks.
WW, it was built in 1947, and I’ve loved it since I was a kid…here’s the story of how I came to own it.
Thank you for sharing your story with me, CG!
Amazing how these things happen, no?
I’m personally of the opinion that your story exemplifies the true state of our world — not the horrors we insist on inflicting on each other.
Curious to know, CG: have you had to deal with the chinking between the logs? If so, what did you use?
Thanks again for any info ..
I haven’t had to deal with the chinking in any major way yet. I do know that the folks who make LogJam (I think that’s waht it’s called-the stuff to fill in checking in the logs) have begun making a polymer chink paint, which is sort of a watered down LogJam thing.
I Wood Care in New York is a good place to look into that.
Those are awesome…I love the way they frame the windows!
Need more bookcases here — but the spouse and I have purple thumbs (we hit them with the hammer when we try to build anything), so we’ll probably just hit IKEA once we have the space (meaning when this disaster area is cleaned up)…
Hi Cabin, cool bookcases, did you build them or have it done. I am in a continuous phase of home improvements.
This week I have been doing wardrobe improvements, hemming 10 skirts, taking in numerous tops that were pre losing weight apparel, hemming and taking in pants finally, thanks to the loan of daughters sewing machine as mine went kaput some months ago. After the meetup I will plunge into making curtains for my whole place, one window at a time, that should be fun.
Thanks to olivia for yesterday’s camera Qs, and thanks to the Fs for the As. I couldn’t seem to catch up with you guys till now. Hey there Fs, best wishes for some great hiking weather!!!
Old Bridge Near Blanchard
larger
…in the Improvement Café NDD. 🙂
Wasnt’ that great of Jim and Andi to give us all that info.
Yeah, and your questions were pretty much exactly the ones I’d have wanted to ask.
Are you looking at upgrading your camera — what kind do you use now?
is a Nikon, Coolpix, 3200, which has been my entry to digital, 3.2 mpx.
I’m pretty amazed at what it is able to do. But my favorite thing about it is that it’s little case fits on my belt, so I have it with me almost constantly.
My last couple of photos here at BT, my larger, doesn’t seem to be much larger, and so far I’m stumped as to what I’ve managed to do differently this time. Got any ideas?
You’ve got your settings on the camera set at largest file setting and finest resolution …
If so, it might have something to do w/ photobucket. They might automatically size the photo to a standard size when you upload. I’m not very familiar it, as I use flickr primarily for my photos. With the free flickr they let you post up to 1024×869 — if you pay for your account however, then you can view the original size it was uploaded. Maybe someone who uses photobucket can help us out?
Have your been using the same photobucket account all along — for the photos that did view large?
(And yes, the best thing about the point&shoot is that they’re very handy to have in a pocket for those on-the-spot captures!)
exclusively, and I’ve gotten it to work before, so I think I’ve just gotten some quirk in the brain and done something differently, unless Pb has changed unbeknownst to me.
As to the camera, the first thing I did was to set the file size to max.
So I’m looking at the Canon and the Nikon that you mentioned. Might take a little while to accumlate the $s however. Then I’d like my own photo printer, as I’m quite often frustrated dealing with the local print shop.
Just my .02, dear — but before entering the digital world a few years ago, I conferred with a gentleman/photographer who reviewed cameras for professional publications. He strongly recommended Olympus brand cameras, because they have the best quality lenses going. In his opinion, lens quality is the most important aspect of the outfit.
Ergo, I bought myself a little Olympus D-510 — & worked the hell out of it. She’s still crankin’ along, bless her. I’m very happy with her imagery as opposed to similarly priced cameras & I figure the lens is the key.
…on what you decide to do, or if you have any revelations. As dada and JimF can attest, I like talking about cameras. 😉
Larger was pretty much full screen here. [Safari]
PB, free version, resizes everything to 512K max…go into your account preferences and see if you’re set for that or a lower max.
I haven’t tried Flickr, but based on Olivia’s site links I like the way it’s set up.
Peace
Thanks for the tips, dada, I’ll check into that.
I should have noted that too dada … NDD, your large view linked photo almost fits the screen, so it is larger than the photo you’ve posted in the comment. I hope that makes sense … :
Amazing photo, NDD! Somehow it seems like an image of where we now stand as a nation: do we continue straight ahead on a hazardous, uncertain path — or choose an alternative yet to be seen?
I’m guessing that’s a recend pic; you’ve still got a bit more snow on the ground than we do here. Looks brisk out there!
You’re right, it’s recent, taken last Friday afternoon. I’ve had my eye on it for some time, and just happened by at a decent time of the day for once.
You sure did! The shade & angle of the light is perfect, as well as the smooth contrast of the sky.
Thanks ww.
Also I was thinking it turned out well to have the snow in the background, as a contrast. Originally I was intending to take some shots of it in the summer.
I can see doing that, NDD — & then pairing the images in a diptych! Or even doing a ‘four seasons bridge’ sort of thing — both the weather & the bridge changing in their own ways.
That was one F — Jim — that did the answering. My only contribution is to not interfere with his camera lust.
Thanks for the hiking wishes.
you home is beautiful!!!! I’m packing my bags now, some pink undies and a red beehive blender, and I’m moving in with you. 🙂
My good friend told me last night something that has had me giggling all day. I know it’s so NOT PC but he said, “CodePink was like the FemBots of the Peace Movement” 🙂 LOL
You are welcome any time, DJ!
Well, I did change a light bulb the other day.
That reminds me, I have to go pick up the bulbs for my kitchen lighting…I’ll be back in about an hour.
Don’t anybody wreck the place while I’m gone, okay?
Cleaning to me means – I was able to point out to the dog the bit of toast I dropped on the floor so she could scarf it up. 🙂
Gorgeous bookcases!
I love home improvement projects…except plumbing. Spouse has more power tools than the contractor that lives next door to us in the mountains…aaacccckk!
Oh well, he gets to make me furniture now that all the cabin construction is theoretically done! Rustic tables and all that good stuff.
Thanks, SallyCat.
I wish he’d make me some furniture… 🙂
We’ve been on one long home improvement trek since we started building our house in ’79. This is right after the post-and-beam frame went up which was the one part we did very little on — which is probably why the place is still standing.
May, 1979
I had a friend who did timber framing…did you ever see the Nova episode where the timber framers built a trebuchet in Scotland? He was in that.
I have to run out now (really!) but I’ll be back shortly.
There you go, sending me into ecstasies again, Andi. I love this stuff! Great shot, too.
Don’t think I won’t be saving this one for reference, either!
😉
The frame is red oak (from New Hampshire) and we treated it with linseed oil only — which gave it a lovely golden hue — just for future reference.
Linseed oil — good. Thanks!
Needed to sneak some Irish Frog into this thread somewhere!
and enormous……from hearing you describe them I didn’t imagine them HUGE. That wall though calls for HUGE and I’m sure that all of your books call for the same. I love them
I’m on my way to get Jim.
Bye all and thanks for all the nice send off wishes.
see you all in the next cafe
Wow, beautiful! Huge, too: Is that Blue Dot on the shelf above the fireplace you?
What I do to improve my home…. well… daily I spray this solution of 1 part Fantastic Lemon to 4 parts Murphy’s Oil Soap, diluted 5 parts water, and I spray it EVERYWHERE… floors, walls, surfaces… everywhere….. Then I wipe everything down… well, I try… and if I don’t make it back again… everything smells good…. I usually wash myself mid-house cleaning… but I don’t use Murphy’s & Lemon on me… hmmm….. nah….
Your home, Cabin Girl is beautiful !! Nice to think of you in such a lovely environment.
I’m back…did I miss anything?
And what’s up with this?
that the Koufax awards are losing their innocence. Since it’s a “fun” type of activity, I say just let the judges make the decision on whether or not wrong-doing has happened.
I just don’t understand why someone would want/need to cheat to win an award…winning that way renders it meaningless. I agree that it’s sad.
Have to get pretty in pink and get to the train on time. Katie’s picking me up in the Square and driving me over to the station.
((((TO ALL))))))
Good Luck Janet. I’ll be listening.
Thank you Family Man 🙂 The first 15 mins will be a phone interview with an Iranian delegate. Then it’ll be me and Katie.
I’m cross between excited and mortified LOL that my friends will be listening 🙂
All of us will be pulling for you. Just think of all of us sending out big hugs to you. {{{{{{{{Janet}}}}}}}}.
If that doesn’t work, go back to your first plan and think of us as naked.
Damn! I already giggle too much. 🙂
Best of luck and knock em out, Janet! Too bad I won’t be able to listen in, but I’m sure you’ll do a great job! (((Janet!))) And have a fun weekend too, while you’re at it, you pinko 🙂
to check out Carnacki’s diary and vote in the poll.
New Lounge here