courtesy of olivia. How do you get them to land on your hand, btw?
Sorry about my unexpected hiatus from the cafe. I did my 36-hour jaunt to San Diego and back, and haven’t been quite right since. Not enough sleep, a medical emergency (not me, but complete with call for a doctor on the plane and IVs and paramedics meeting us at the gate), and 2 hours of sleep after that before jumping back into real life (Finny, CBs, and clients)…
Anyhoo, I’m feeling a little more normal now. How has everyone been?
I’m thinking that now that my crazy coworkers are no longer with the company, my life might smooth out a little bit and I may get to blog a little more again… 🙂
Glad you’re back! Now go get some rest & we’ll see you later;-) I’m just back from the rally here. Our state senator came by with words of encouragement. We’re one of the few lucky districts in that we have a very good female senator. Maybe a few rally pix later.
We went to Baltimore before I went to Dan Diego. The museum was FABULOUS! One of the artists was there talking about his work, and the main exhibition was “what makes us smile”. Very cool.
Glad to hear that you’re okay CG. Sounds like escaping for a bit was in order, based on all that craziness you were dealing with!
As for the chickadee, they are actually fake birds with pipecleaner legs … 😉
Actually, chickadees are pretty friendly birds. It takes a bit of time, but you can coax them to come land, esp with seeds or nuts. The area that I normally walk is near a bird rescue centre, so we see lots of birds there.
Here’s another of a white-breasted nuthatch, a much more hefty bird comparatively.
Olivia, The “pipe cleaner legs” is quite cruel.
I love the pix of you with the fearless birds at your finger tips.
I didn`t even bother to take a second look, cause I knew you were fibbing.
Great shots. I`m jealous.
I stirred up some of my retired UAW friends and they showed up to support the teachers. Got lots of positive feedback from passers by and only 2 negative. One moron yelled angrily at us from across the street, “Tell your congressman to get back to work!” LOL, talk about yer low info voters;-)
Someone apparently set up a Ductape Fatwa tribute profile on Twitter. I thought it was a nice gesture. Maybe a good idea for those who considered him a friend (and who have Twitter accounts) to become followers of his tribute profile.
thanks, will look at #wiunion, twitter is great for things like this but I’m unlikely to find any sites on my own (hunter gatherer approach to the intertubes and right now keeping to the same old hunting tracks as there are still herds of wooly mammoth out there as I noted before). Using Firefox here too, but 3.6.13 but I have almost everything only allowed on a case by case basis and recently I’m finding “temporarily allow all this page” isn’t working very quickly or well. maybe the technology is now way ahead of my system
Boran at 12 years old you should have him out doing chores to where he gets pooped out. Dad should be sitting in a chair directing all the activity while sipping an umbrella drink. 🙂
In an ideal world, that is how it would work. Somehow that did not transpire with our son quite as we’d planned. However, we still have two daughters who will reach 12 sooner or later. By that time we shall have learned from our mistakes. 🙂
He was quite adept at inciting a number of us to write. I was already blogging before I met him (or whatever the virtual equivalent of meeting anyone is), but he certainly provided much-needed encouragement to write with more passion, and with more willingness to shake things up as needed.
Admittedly it’s a leap of faith made by several of us. What we knew of him was that he was a senior, and he had talked of having diabetes, and had disappeared before due to health issues. He abruptly dropped contact with several of us in the fall of 2006, and never got back in touch – and that was a bit out of character for him. He had been working on a collaborative fictional piece with another blogger (some might remember Dove from back in the day), and that project was left incomplete. Parts of it were later published. DT was known for completing works of dystopian fiction, so that again raised eyebrows. Emails bounced from his account a few months after his last contacts with any of us, and his email account is now completely invalid. I ramble a bit perhaps. The upshot is that he never really struck me as the sort of person who would develop strong ties with others and then just bail. So, right now the working hypothesis is that DT is deceased. If someone has solid contrary evidence, I’d love to see it – I’d be delighted in fact.
Thanks for giving details. I followed some of the twitter memorial links to kos diaries on New Orleans which I recall reading at the time – outstanding.
I came around here in Aug. 2005, so had a pretty good sample of DTW’s writing. Sorry he’s not around anymore, he always had an interesting take on things IIRC.
Good morning Andi! It won’t be long, it’ll be swimming instead of skating. It feels a little like spring out there this morning, what with the rain, wind & higher temps. There will be muddy paws for certain.
It’s March! The temps are below freezing right now but the highs all week are going to be in the 50s so I’m starting to believe that winter is really on its way out.
Now if only daylight savings time weren’t going to take away my morning light.
They’re brighter later here (we really should be on central time instead of eastern) so when the time changes it won’t be light till well after 8 a.m. 🙁
And what a glorious humpday it is – I’m off (comp day for last week’s holiday) and we’re taking Finny to music circle class this morning. I think he’s going to love it.
Now if the temperature would warm up just a little more! I’m ready for spring.
The forsythias bloomed last week and most of the flowering trees are in bloom right now. Daffodils are up, bluebirds are nesting and I have ants in my kitchen. Spring is creeping toward you…
I just had an offer from a friend who has a cabin in northern Michigan to come up at the end of May and experience a second spring this year. I’m thinking very seriously about that.
We used to spend a couple weeks in the UP every summer. It’s gorgeous, but c-c-cold at night. We’d go in mid August and you could feel fall already in the air.
My friends are in the LP, just a bit north of Traverse City. Went up for salmon fishing once and it was pretty chilly then too. Fun, though, lotsa brews & ghost stories from one of the locals:)
Our first yellow crocus bloomed over the weekend. Other flowering plants around my home and workplace are already doing their thing. Of course the flipside is the risk of severe thunderstorms is back as well. Had a few not too long ago. Spring for all intents and purposes is here in my little corner of the universe.
No flowers in my woods yet (and if they know what’s good for them there won’t be any for at least a couple weeks) but I love the gradual arrival of spring and so I’m happy to know other people are seeing it arrive where they live.
Tell you to get out more!?! What kind of person do you think I am to make you shovel out the 12 feet of snow that is blocking your door and then send you into a raging blizzard. I’m sure I wouldn’t suggest you get out more until at least July 4th. 😉
good luck over there. I’m in the climatehawks group (unless they kicked me out) over there, it’s so huge the group organization looks like it could work out well
Good morning all. Actually saw some crocuses yesterday – big surprise! planted next a lamppost, maybe the lamppost kept them warm. In response, the weather went to 20 degress. Family Man, is there anything you can do about this?
Happy Friday! Good to hear more crocus news. Ours have budded but not yet blooming. Got rain in our future for the next two days. April showers come early, maybe.
Here’s what up at a couple of old homesites in the woods. No sign of flowers yet, though — which given the night time below freezing temps in the forecast is probably a good thing.
Isn’t it good to see the green for a change? Flood warnings for our county went out last night and last through today. I guess we will be soggy for awhile. I’m really anxious to get out into the flower beds and get a start!
In other news, I was privileged to meet Dawn Johnsen and her husband John last night. What a loss to our country that she wasn’t confirmed, but I suppose the country’s loss is Maurer School of Law’s gain. I hope she turns out 500 new lawyers with ethics just like hers!
A very nice wine & cheese meet & greet to celebrate their new Dem HQ opening. Our county & theirs is sharing the local OFA coordinator & I’d like to join forces with them in other areas as well.
Eew, wet dog odor! Don’t have that, but no paperwork is safe from muddy kitty paws right now.
courtesy of olivia. How do you get them to land on your hand, btw?
Sorry about my unexpected hiatus from the cafe. I did my 36-hour jaunt to San Diego and back, and haven’t been quite right since. Not enough sleep, a medical emergency (not me, but complete with call for a doctor on the plane and IVs and paramedics meeting us at the gate), and 2 hours of sleep after that before jumping back into real life (Finny, CBs, and clients)…
Anyhoo, I’m feeling a little more normal now. How has everyone been?
I’m thinking that now that my crazy coworkers are no longer with the company, my life might smooth out a little bit and I may get to blog a little more again… 🙂
Glad you’re back! Now go get some rest & we’ll see you later;-) I’m just back from the rally here. Our state senator came by with words of encouragement. We’re one of the few lucky districts in that we have a very good female senator. Maybe a few rally pix later.
Hiya CG,
Glad you’re back too; and Olivia how do you get the bird to do that?
I was worried that something might have happened though. Then again, I’m always worried when someone else or I might fly. 😉
Also sounds good that things are starting to smooth out more. Geeze everything is just going great for you. 🙂
Take care
FM
I think olivia is a bird whisperer.
Glad to hear you are ok – hope work situation is pleasant now! Did you go to Baltimore after the San Diego trip?
We went to Baltimore before I went to Dan Diego. The museum was FABULOUS! One of the artists was there talking about his work, and the main exhibition was “what makes us smile”. Very cool.
It is SO much easier to go to work these days…
Glad to hear that you’re okay CG. Sounds like escaping for a bit was in order, based on all that craziness you were dealing with!
As for the chickadee, they are actually fake birds with pipecleaner legs … 😉
Actually, chickadees are pretty friendly birds. It takes a bit of time, but you can coax them to come land, esp with seeds or nuts. The area that I normally walk is near a bird rescue centre, so we see lots of birds there.
Here’s another of a white-breasted nuthatch, a much more hefty bird comparatively.
wonderful!
Olivia, The “pipe cleaner legs” is quite cruel.
I love the pix of you with the fearless birds at your finger tips.
I didn`t even bother to take a second look, cause I knew you were fibbing.
Great shots. I`m jealous.
Some Saturday afternoon rally shots. We drew a lot of supportive horn toots and waves from passing cars.
Indiana Senator Vi Simpson speaking
Another Mitch Daniels fan
The handmade signs are always good
Glad to see you got a good crowd on chilly, gray day.
I stirred up some of my retired UAW friends and they showed up to support the teachers. Got lots of positive feedback from passers by and only 2 negative. One moron yelled angrily at us from across the street, “Tell your congressman to get back to work!” LOL, talk about yer low info voters;-)
very good!!
For the handful of you who might remember:
Someone apparently set up a Ductape Fatwa tribute profile on Twitter. I thought it was a nice gesture. Maybe a good idea for those who considered him a friend (and who have Twitter accounts) to become followers of his tribute profile.
tried to look for it but I’m not signed up for twitter. must one sign up in order to read? what is involved in signing up?
I just clicked on Don Durito’s link and there it was. Didn’t have to sign up to read. BTW, I’m using Firefox 3.5.16 if that makes any difference.
I’ve been following the activity in Madison on Twitter as well at #wiunion. Got there by Google search.
thanks, will look at #wiunion, twitter is great for things like this but I’m unlikely to find any sites on my own (hunter gatherer approach to the intertubes and right now keeping to the same old hunting tracks as there are still herds of wooly mammoth out there as I noted before). Using Firefox here too, but 3.6.13 but I have almost everything only allowed on a case by case basis and recently I’m finding “temporarily allow all this page” isn’t working very quickly or well. maybe the technology is now way ahead of my system
Good to know that google found those things.
There is a way to see the profile if you’re not signed on to Twitter:
@DuctapeFatwa
Let me know if that works for you. I’ll check back in a few hours.
that worked fine, took me right to the site. thanks
Hello Don and Errol,
Of course I remember Ductape! He was the first one that suggested that I start a blog. I’m not on Twitter and have the same questions as Errol does.
Hi FM! We had 2 of the 3 grandkids overnight, so we’re pretty well pooped out this morning. For Twitter, see above.
Hi ID,
I can imagine being pooped out after watching two grandkids overnight. I’m always that way once my great nieces and nephews are here.
Yep I click on the link and got there too. I’m using Firefox 3.6.13.
My 12 year old has pooped me out this weekend.
Boran at 12 years old you should have him out doing chores to where he gets pooped out. Dad should be sitting in a chair directing all the activity while sipping an umbrella drink. 🙂
In an ideal world, that is how it would work. Somehow that did not transpire with our son quite as we’d planned. However, we still have two daughters who will reach 12 sooner or later. By that time we shall have learned from our mistakes. 🙂
Just watch out for the ‘ol curve balls that seem to come out of nowhere;-)
What ID said. 🙂
He was quite adept at inciting a number of us to write. I was already blogging before I met him (or whatever the virtual equivalent of meeting anyone is), but he certainly provided much-needed encouragement to write with more passion, and with more willingness to shake things up as needed.
has Duct Tape Fatwa gone on to that great internet in the sky? references seem to suggest so, but I couldn’t find anything definite.
Admittedly it’s a leap of faith made by several of us. What we knew of him was that he was a senior, and he had talked of having diabetes, and had disappeared before due to health issues. He abruptly dropped contact with several of us in the fall of 2006, and never got back in touch – and that was a bit out of character for him. He had been working on a collaborative fictional piece with another blogger (some might remember Dove from back in the day), and that project was left incomplete. Parts of it were later published. DT was known for completing works of dystopian fiction, so that again raised eyebrows. Emails bounced from his account a few months after his last contacts with any of us, and his email account is now completely invalid. I ramble a bit perhaps. The upshot is that he never really struck me as the sort of person who would develop strong ties with others and then just bail. So, right now the working hypothesis is that DT is deceased. If someone has solid contrary evidence, I’d love to see it – I’d be delighted in fact.
Thanks for giving details. I followed some of the twitter memorial links to kos diaries on New Orleans which I recall reading at the time – outstanding.
I came around here in Aug. 2005, so had a pretty good sample of DTW’s writing. Sorry he’s not around anymore, he always had an interesting take on things IIRC.
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Good morning Andi! It won’t be long, it’ll be swimming instead of skating. It feels a little like spring out there this morning, what with the rain, wind & higher temps. There will be muddy paws for certain.
The ARE muddy paws (and bellies and noses) for certain.
It’s March! The temps are below freezing right now but the highs all week are going to be in the 50s so I’m starting to believe that winter is really on its way out.
Now if only daylight savings time weren’t going to take away my morning light.
At least for now the mornings are bright. It was strikingly so this morning.
They’re brighter later here (we really should be on central time instead of eastern) so when the time changes it won’t be light till well after 8 a.m. 🙁
10 days left before daylight savings ruins me. I’ve been enjoying the morning daylight lately.
And it doesn’t really affect energy use.
Just another way to torture the masses. 🙂
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And what a glorious humpday it is – I’m off (comp day for last week’s holiday) and we’re taking Finny to music circle class this morning. I think he’s going to love it.
Now if the temperature would warm up just a little more! I’m ready for spring.
A friend announced she has yellow crocus in bloom. Won’t be long.
inspiring, going to look around today, but I think we’re some weeks behind those signs of spring
The forsythias bloomed last week and most of the flowering trees are in bloom right now. Daffodils are up, bluebirds are nesting and I have ants in my kitchen. Spring is creeping toward you…
That’s a good sign!
I just had an offer from a friend who has a cabin in northern Michigan to come up at the end of May and experience a second spring this year. I’m thinking very seriously about that.
We used to spend a couple weeks in the UP every summer. It’s gorgeous, but c-c-cold at night. We’d go in mid August and you could feel fall already in the air.
My friends are in the LP, just a bit north of Traverse City. Went up for salmon fishing once and it was pretty chilly then too. Fun, though, lotsa brews & ghost stories from one of the locals:)
I like the idea of a second spring…
great idea!
Our first yellow crocus bloomed over the weekend. Other flowering plants around my home and workplace are already doing their thing. Of course the flipside is the risk of severe thunderstorms is back as well. Had a few not too long ago. Spring for all intents and purposes is here in my little corner of the universe.
No flowers in my woods yet (and if they know what’s good for them there won’t be any for at least a couple weeks) but I love the gradual arrival of spring and so I’m happy to know other people are seeing it arrive where they live.
Nothing springlike around here alas
Take the quiz. I only got 4 out of 10 right.
Tragically, I got 8 out of 10. I think I’ve been playing with the Charlie Sheen random quote generator too long.
I got 6 out of 10. Are we grading on a curve?
7 out of 10, pretty funny.
4 out of 10, hope we are grading on a curve. all of the lines could be either – 40% is ok for pure guesswork
I’d take the test… but, who’s Charlie Sheen?
And don’t be a tellin’ me I need to get out more!
Tell you to get out more!?! What kind of person do you think I am to make you shovel out the 12 feet of snow that is blocking your door and then send you into a raging blizzard. I’m sure I wouldn’t suggest you get out more until at least July 4th. 😉
Besides, the outside world and its “civilization” isn’t really doing so well anyway. Sometimes I wonder why I’m out in it so often.
Fried biscuits.
Ah yes, there is that and not far from home. Thanks for the reminder;-)
And why is he getting so much attention? Priorities.
Now I’ll peek ay the GOS and see if I can avoid getting attacked for things that I didn’t say.
good luck over there. I’m in the climatehawks group (unless they kicked me out) over there, it’s so huge the group organization looks like it could work out well
I’m not in many groups. I follow a few things but find that there is just a bit too much stimulation. It’s still overwhelming.
It is too much, I haven’t learned how to get around there yet actually.
Good morning all. Actually saw some crocuses yesterday – big surprise! planted next a lamppost, maybe the lamppost kept them warm. In response, the weather went to 20 degress. Family Man, is there anything you can do about this?
Happy Friday! Good to hear more crocus news. Ours have budded but not yet blooming. Got rain in our future for the next two days. April showers come early, maybe.
Here’s what up at a couple of old homesites in the woods. No sign of flowers yet, though — which given the night time below freezing temps in the forecast is probably a good thing.
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Isn’t it good to see the green for a change? Flood warnings for our county went out last night and last through today. I guess we will be soggy for awhile. I’m really anxious to get out into the flower beds and get a start!
In other news, I was privileged to meet Dawn Johnsen and her husband John last night. What a loss to our country that she wasn’t confirmed, but I suppose the country’s loss is Maurer School of Law’s gain. I hope she turns out 500 new lawyers with ethics just like hers!
Very soggy. Wet dog smell and muddy feet are my new (not so) best friends.
So I’m assuming you saw her you in Bloomington Did she give a talk or was it some gathering for you elite political types? 😉
A very nice wine & cheese meet & greet to celebrate their new Dem HQ opening. Our county & theirs is sharing the local OFA coordinator & I’d like to join forces with them in other areas as well.
Eew, wet dog odor! Don’t have that, but no paperwork is safe from muddy kitty paws right now.
It’s would be good if they would share resources, given the greater size of their base.
Looks like Jim and I should consider adding a pootie and turtle to the pack if we want less mess during mud season. 😉
We are totally sogged out here between the rain and the snowmelt. But the turtle smells as sweet as ever.
I’m guessing you don’t have much of a muddy paws problem either.
Nah. His “paws” are always in the water.
Hey, maybe you could get him to do watercolors.
excellent idea – though might be hard to see. how about sand paintings?
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