Sal, I managed to get some pictures loaded. You’ll need to
scroll to the very bottom of the page to see them. Ha! I also
got them to load in the side bar, yay!
My favorite picture was the golden pagoda! It used to be a dive bar but closed several years ago. I’ll see if there’s any YouTube videos that have tutorials on how to reduce image sizes. I’d love to include the dragon mural too!
Sal, did you send me a picture of the golden pagoda.
I don’t recall seeing it. Send it to me again,
I’ll try to put it on. I have the dragon pic
I don’t know how many images I can use in the
widget section. Let’s try and see what happens.
I can resend it again! I attached a lot of photos so I might have missed it but no worries if it can’t be shrunk I really appreciate you posting a decent amount of them on the site.
Afternoon Sal. I like the pictures, they
add a lot of color to the sidebar. I don’t
know how many more I can add in that
area. Send me a couple more pics I’ll
see how many more I can put on.
Uh uh, Bob Newhart died today. I am feeling my
mortality more and more every day
Sal
5 months ago
Guys! I decided to visit Chinatown with my uncle today! I had lunch at Full Moon House on Hill St and it was delightful! Endless jasmine tea served with your meal and the service was top notch for a Chinese restaurant. I ordered the hot spicy eggplant with garlic sauce and my uncle ordered Sichuan shrimp. We both shared our plates and they were super yummy! The eggplant had a nice umami flavor with onions, woodear mushroom, and ginger. The Sichuan shrimp was served on a bed of vibrant green broccoli. The shrimps were big and juicy. Portions were very generous so I took some leftovers home with me. When I came home I crashed on the bed!
Sal! You make me so envious. Your area restaurants
sound so much better than what we have up here.
Everything is so generic. Okay I admit there are a few
places that are okay but that’s it, they are just okay.
Marls! Chinatown is one of the gems of LA! It isn’t very big being on the northern end of Downtown LA but its really fun to stroll along its two main streets. Most of the restaurants have been in business since the 70s and 80s. I recommend anyone visiting LA to check it out. We also passed through Koreatown today which is also a cool spot to check out but it can be a bit rough around the edges.
like marlie I am jealous, we have to drive for 45 minutes to find this kind of yummy food. most places here are over priced, the places down town are fair price and delicious.
Trace! Chinatown is a bit of a drive for me too as it’s 20 miles away from where I live but I’d happily make the trek every now and then. I hadn’t been there in several years so I went with my uncle to check it out. I think it’s one of the few places in L.A. that’s been fairly sheltered by gentrification as a lot of older Chinese residents still live there and there’s no hipster joints aside from Howlin Rays. Sometimes I wish I could live there as it’s very walkable and serviced by several bus lines. If you ever come to L.A. I highly recommend seeing it. Our Chinatown is the second oldest in the country after San Francisco’s. You can also ride on the world’s shortest railway Angel’s Flight in the Bunker Hill district in Downtown.
Sal
5 months ago
Hi guys! Notifications have been out of wack for me how is everyone doing? I had the best Panda Express lunch today!
Marls! I love Panda’s broccoli beef! On my birthday I’ll be going to Chinatown! I haven’t been there in a long time and I want to see how it’s weathered the pandemic. I’ll also buy almond cookies and shop for incense. Is it scorching where you are? LA has been warm but pleasant.
Hi Sal. I like their broccoli beef too. Also, imo,
they make the best egg rolls. We get 3 or 4 at
a time, then cut them into medallions, they go
farther that way. I like the Panda Express Sweet
and Spicy Chili sauce too, it’s pretty much
the best you can buy in a bottle.
Today was a bit cooler than it has been in
the past week or so, only 95, yeah I know
I said only 95.
When the temperatures creeped up over 110
my brain was like, what the hells, when did we
move to Arizona!
You should make it a point to visit on your BD,
it was tradition for us to celebrate each person’s
special day.
Marls! I like Kikkoman Sweet and Sour/Orange sauce for homemade Chinese. I’ve been having a craving for cream cheese wontons will see if they’re on the menu when I visit Chinatown. My favorite Dim Sum are the taro buns and egg tarts. Can I take pics of Chinatown and send them to you to post them here? When I try to upload something I get an error message saying my image is too big.
I don’t believe I’ve seen the Kikkoman sauce but if you like it, it must be pretty good.
Sure send me the pictures I’ll see if I can load them. I’d probably have to do separate comment window. We are
only set up for a single frame at a time.
Feel good story.
I am an atheist. Today a christian church with many smaller branches all around came to our neighborhood to do Gods work. 75 people in our smallish neighborhood. My home is secure, but 18 large old growth trees cracked from the tornado, just twisted, peels and were down. They took out my fence. They cut, put out front for city pickup over half the mess, some trees were near wires so they trimmed the branches off.. They were going to rake up the rest of the mess, I stopped them. The leaders know I am an atheist, gods work does not care about that. I might have to rethink my beliefs.
Ha! You are so funny so early in the morning!
At least you can enjoy your day off, we are still
sweltering here. Yesterday it hit 113 degrees for
the second time in so many days.
Lol, that’s true isn’t it, about the weather there?
We have a couple more days of intense before it mellows out some.
tracey marie
5 months ago
Hello all those who adore marlie. I have had a wild week. Hurricane that turned at the last second and walloped us with rain winds and tornadoes.We had a direct hit from a tornado as well. Lost 17 pines and magnolias over 115 ft tall. What a mess. still recovering and working with Insurance to get it done. So many people are worse of then us.
Okay, I’ll admit I adore Marlie, hehehe.
I was wondering how things were with you.
We are experiencing some wild weather too.
Temperatures soaring to un before seen heights.
We’re looking more and more like Arizona with
each passing day.
So, trace. Have you started packing yet?
We had 2 huge Pines cut down today, Sad to lose such old and beautiful trees. Had to pay for it because all the damage around the area insurance is slow. I will be fully reimbursed. Now we need our fence replaced and the huge mess in the back. Pups have to go outside on leash
That was a hell of a storm that walloped your
state. I wonder when people are going to accept
that climate change is real.
We have been experiencing some of the hottest temps here since forever, if ever. I suppose it could have been getting this hot here but since we lived in the Bay Area we never had temps that exceeded 100º degrees.
113º is the hottest temp I have ever lived through and to further pile on it’s been in
the triple digits for the past week.
I am waiting for fall, it won’t get here fast enough.
Last edited 5 months ago by Marlie
Sal
5 months ago
Hi guys! 30th birthday is about three weeks away. Marls and Trace I met you guys and the rest of the OG gang when I was 21!
Wow, that’s quite a mile stone. Funny, when you
first showed
up and said how young you were, I didn’t expect
you to stick around. I am glad you did, we’ve had
some really fun times.
Marls! I’m just seeing this comment notifications are showing up late. Or I probably need to clean up my inbox. We made LOTS of fun memories. Hard to believe it’s been almost a decade as I remember signing onto MP as if it were yesterday. 2015-16 was one heck of a time I wish I can relive it everyday!
I thought you were probably settling into your
vacation. I figured you’d be back in time.
Almost 10 years. Trace and I go back even
longer. Yeah, I still chuckle about it. We had
other young people show up but they were
all about disrupting the flow.
Are you 30 yet?🍨🍾🍰
tracey marie
5 months ago
Hello everyone, it is hot, sticky and afternoon rain, typical Texas weather. We re getting more serious about selling and moving out of state. Not sure where as of now. We would like to move closer to family, most live in Ct. and one couple in S.Carolina. Somewhere in between but not on the coast Tough to decide where to even look, I hate snow, heat we are used to and we want to be in the ‘burbs but close to a city. We can keep our Opera tickets and fly in when necessary. Hope everyone is well.
I hate snow too but I hate 100 degree weather even more
so the question is? Where can we find a happy medium?
I really like San Diego California but home prices are thru
the roof there. You might like Virginia except for the snow.
What about the Carolinas? NC has experienced a lot of
growth in recent years. What about New York. Ooops,
never mind, I forgot snow. We visited a place called New
Paltz that seemed perfect as far as being out of the
way but not too much so, but again it snows there.
As much as people bad mouth California it’s a
great place, in many ways, to live. If one can afford
to live along the coast, it doesn’t get much better.
I was surprised to learn property taxes are
so high in Va.
What’s funny is people think all of California is
unaffordable but it’s not really, if you research
different areas.
NC is pretty much like Virginia as far as cost
of living. Housing prices are still within reason
though.
I really miss my sister, we talk almost everyday. My niece and nephew and their children are in my heart. I need to be closer, I looked at homes on the Ct shore a couple look interesting
Morning Sal. Happy July! It’s insane up here
temps soaring above 100 every day. Makes
me wish we had heard back from the places
we contacted in Virginia.
What did you get at the mall, or were you
just window shopping?
ttk
6 months ago
Wow just saw that Donald Sutherland passed away. Damn!
Howdy Sal. How is your mom enjoying Dallas?
She might decide she wants to stay, I hear it’s
pretty nice there.
Ramen noodles are my vice, I eat them every
other day.
I like experimenting with different ingredients.
I don’t use the packets too often. The sodium
content is way too high.
Have you taken any assignments yet or are you
settling in for the summer?
Hi Marls! She said it’s OK LOL I wanted to go but I prefer having the birdies under my watch. Maybe in Nov/Dec I might go. I love Korean ramen especially Shin! It’s very spicy though even for someone who has a high spice tolerance like me. Their vegan version is mild though if you want to give it a try. Gomtang is a beef broth soup that’s very flavorful but they’re only sold in Korean markets, I haven’t seen other Asian markets carry them. I’m off for the summer! Got to enjoy every second of it.
Good morning! Yeah, I know what you mean
when you say you want to care for your pets.
I feel the same about Winston. He’s still young
and not quite fully trained. I don’t want to
leave him for long spells again until he is
older and hopefully wiser.
I like to experiment with different ramens.
I tend to like the thinner ones. I actually
watch You tubers who do various versions
of ramen.
Eating ramen is like eating rice to some.
I put all kinds of herbs and spices in my soup so
I don’t need to add prepared broths. Not saying
they are not good but the sodium content is of
a concern to me. Have you tried Tajin, to me, it’s
better than pepper flakes.
I am planning a trip east next month to visit my
family, I’ll be going after the 4th of course.
Does Winston get any special treats for being a good boy? I have a slight preference for thicker noodles. Tajin is huge in LA and you can find restaurants serving it in unique ways. Will you be going to Virginia? Have fun!
We give him Soft Chew chicken
flavored sticks and Milk Bonz. He
really likes the Soft Chews.
We have taught him quite a few
tricks using them. He is going for
his Good Citizen award in class now.
He’ll most likely need more training
he’s still fairly young.
I’ve always preferred the skinnier
noodles except for Egg Noodles,
the wider the better.
Actually no. My daughter and her hubby live in Pennsylvania. We haven’t planned
it out yet.
A friend introduced me to Tajin a few
weeks ago. I bought some right away.
I’ve used it on a few dishes so far. I am
experimenting.
Last edited 6 months ago by Marlie
tracey marie
6 months ago
well, the rain is coming back. I started a walk with the pups and turned back, started to drizzle but lightening, thunder and black clouds were moving fast. the next 3 days will be medium to heavy rain again. Next week will be the same.
Good morning folks. The weather here is still hitting
the century mark but next week should bring us some
relief.
Sal
6 months ago
My AAA insurance bill came today and for liability it’s gone up to $1,000 for a 24 year old car I don’t drive very much. I may have to bite the bullet since it’ll take a few weeks for another insurance policy to take effect but I am completely done with AAA and will be switching carriers mid-policy. CA needs to do SOMETHING.
Funny thing about insurance Sal is that it’s a
racket. Look at it this way, we are in our 70’s
we have had only one fender bender in all
the years we have had insurance, yet we have
been paying since our late teens till now. I can’t
guess how many thousands of dollars we have
paid for insurance that we never get any benefit
from having.
So, in other words, we are paying for other people’s
accidents. I don’t drive at all anymore. We alerted
our insurance to this fact, guess what, our
premium will increase not decrease, because their
wisdom is that women have fewer accidents than
men. Maybe it’s because men make it a habit of
crashing their cars just for sport.
As I said, insurance is a collusion between states
and insurance companies.
Insurance is absolutely a racket! In what sane world would a car that’s a quarter century old cost $,1,000 for liability? It’s not a theft magnet like Hyundai or Kia and the parts on it are very cheap. I drive less than 10 miles a day. Yet my premium has gone up by $200 from last year! No accidents or tickets. This is how AAA rewards customers for their loyalty.
It sounds as though they’re trying to force you
to pay more for insurance than what the car is
worth. Check Kelly Blue Book to see what your
car could potentially sell for. If it’s a 1k or less
find yourself a different carrier.
I spoke with an agent on the phone and she said the premium increase is due to two things. CA lifted its freeze on insurance carriers raising rates during the pandemic and I drove more miles this year which is true. However, for a car as old as mine it shouldn’t have increased by THAT much.
As much as I love California I was hoping to leave. The cost of living
is practically through the roof it’s
starting not to matter where you
live here. I realize that unless you
live in a less desirable area you
are going to pay.
Not much, I am old and drive less so it is an automatic low price. But we pay a bit more to make sure 2 of our 3 cars are well covered. One is a classic and the other is a mercedes. Low mileage on both …WE ARE OLD. lol
Evening Trace. I don’t think of us as old. I think we are people of a certain age (whatever it may be). I don’t drive much because I have a floater that impacts my vision in one eye.
I am sorry about the floater. But we are getting older, we do not drive as much because we no longer work and we fly whenever we go somewhere if the drive is more then 3 hours.
I have had this floater for about 3
years.
I’ve talked to doctors about it,
they all say pretty much the same
thing,
it’s too big to use a laser to
treat it. I pretty much ignore it
but sometimes it can be annoying.
Especially when it covers my iris
and clouds my vision. The worst time
is when I see shadowy images that
dart by.
Other than some aches and pains
I am doing okay.
I love adding kimchi to ramen with a sunny side up egg! Kimchi is healthy because it contains probiotics. There’s a variety of pancakes in Korean cuisine called jeon. Very popular as a street food. Living in LA I have access to Korean markets and they have all sorts of yummy stuff in their hot food section! I pick up kimchi pancakes and fried squash cooked in an egg batter which is absolutely delicious. Korean food can be very rich and corn silk tea is a great way to wash it all down!
Good morning Sal. You sound like a real
connoisseur. Corn Silk tea? Interesting,
never heard of it. I can learn lots about
different foods and cuisines from you.
The area that I live in is just really catching
up to more modern conveniences. I have
plans to ask a neighbor of mine to lunch.
Korean or Thai will be among the first of
my choices.
Evening Marls! Are there any Asian markets near you? If not I can send you the Amazon link for corn silk tea if you’re interested! It’s great for high blood pressure too. They’re also naturally caffeine free so you can enjoy it any time of the day. Living in LA I’ve had the privilege of trying great international cuisine! Next time I do my Korean market haul, I’ll post some pics.
Sal, come to think of it there is a place,
a Thai place that we have
ordered from. They are quite good
but very pricey. I just looked on the
menu we have for them, there is no mention
of Corn Silk Tea, come to think of it,
they may be Vietnamese.
It would be great to see some pics,
I occasionally take pics of dishes I
make myself.
How are the birdies? Any young’uns
yet?
Birds are doing great! Snow White has laid 14 eggs but they’re infertile. I’m amazed by how many eggs such a small bird has laid considering a lot of calcium is depleted in forming the eggs. She has a cuttlebone to replenish her calcium levels.
I wish I had an answer as to why she’s laying so many! They’re infertile because she hasn’t mated with a male of her own species. A canary and zebra finch are too far apart to produce any offspring. We’ve been having mostly overcast days here.
Oh. I see. I thought they were of the same genus and species but that’s not the case. I wonder if she’ll get beyond
the egg producing stage any time soon.
I admit I know very little about birds when it comes to reproduction. It’s a good thing that humans haven’t tried to
cross mate every species on the planet,
at least not yet.
I don’t know her biological age but I’ve had her for three years. Maybe she gets aroused by Pinky singing and that gets her sex hormones going? Male zebra finches attract mates through their singing so she might be thinking a male of her own species is looking for her.
Hi Trace! I have a bell attached to the top of the cage that both Snow White and Pinky love to play with. Sometimes she likes to rip the cage liner as if she’s gathering material for a nest. I don’t have a nest for them, both sleep side by side on the top perch at night.
Sal, there are special foods to give and supplements for birds during estrus. Add some to water and pellets in their food. Is this her first clutch, sometimes they are laid anyway.
She’s laid like close to 100 I’m not exaggerating! I’ve had her for three years. Good idea to supplement the cuttlebone with additional nutrient rich foods. I can’t post pics here because I keep getting a message that my images are too big but if you google white female zebra finch you’ll see exactly how she looks like!
They are pretty little birds. Advice, you might need to separate them when she is in estrus, to many eggs deplete her little body.
tracey marie
6 months ago
My area is part of the old growth pines and oaks. These storms have been hard on the area. I do not flood but the winds and lightening have been horrible
Sal
6 months ago
Hooray for the Florida Panthers for making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals! Trace must be jumping up and down with joy!
We have had some terrible weather. Huge wind gusts up to 60 mph, tree limbs coming down and 3 trees struck by lightening. One pine might be dying. Having an expert come in. The pine is well over 110 ft tall, just beautiful. We might lose it. I noticed dead branches and some brown at the crown.
The worst seems to be over. next 5-6 days limited wind/rain. Will have the horticulterist come back later this month
It’s June our summer is just getting under way.
Temps will be soaring into the 100’s by Tuesday.
We had a chance to get out of here but the window
closed faster than we could. How many
storms have hit you guys, say in the last month
and a half. You’re beginning to sound like the
storm on Jupiter that has been raging for about
200 years.
We have had strong storms and warnings with hail and worse for 6 weeks. Today and the next 4 days we should be humid, hot and limited to no rain or storms. It has been an ordeal for us and so many others for too long. The poor people who flooded have flooded again and again in some areas. So sad. 100 degrees so soon! I hope it holds off for us. feels like is not the same as IS 100 or higher.
Good morning Trace. Yep, 100’s
already for us starting tomorrow.
That’s the bad news but the good
news is it’s only for three days.
I am okay with 90’s but the 100’s
are terrible.
I have relatives in Texas who said
they’d like to leave but it’s where to
go that’s a dilemma.
I still think the eastern seaboard is
a good answer but moving is a
monumental task.
Hopefully the weather will improve
for you, hang in there.
Yup there’s very few assignments during the last week of the school year so I can start vacation early! Looking forward to sleeping in as I’m not a morning person!
Sometimes the simplest things are the best things.
This morning I was out puttering in my garden.
I don’t get bit as much during day light hours
but as soon as the sun starts setting it’s game on.
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-
-
Sal, I managed to get some pictures loaded. You’ll need to
scroll to the very bottom of the page to see them. Ha! I also
got them to load in the side bar, yay!
Well done Marls! You were able to break the photo size limit curse!
Yep, I sure did. It took a number of tries but I finally
got it to work. I couldn’t do them all, but the buildings
all but make up for it.
My favorite picture was the golden pagoda! It used to be a dive bar but closed several years ago. I’ll see if there’s any YouTube videos that have tutorials on how to reduce image sizes. I’d love to include the dragon mural too!
Sal, did you send me a picture of the golden pagoda.
I don’t recall seeing it. Send it to me again,
I’ll try to put it on. I have the dragon pic
I don’t know how many images I can use in the
widget section. Let’s try and see what happens.
I can resend it again! I attached a lot of photos so I might have missed it but no worries if it can’t be shrunk I really appreciate you posting a decent amount of them on the site.
Afternoon Sal. I like the pictures, they
add a lot of color to the sidebar. I don’t
know how many more I can add in that
area. Send me a couple more pics I’ll
see how many more I can put on.
reat pictures Sal and happy birthday. Like marlie said, you are brightening up the place….and making me hungry
Uh uh, Bob Newhart died today. I am feeling my
mortality more and more every day
Guys! I decided to visit Chinatown with my uncle today! I had lunch at Full Moon House on Hill St and it was delightful! Endless jasmine tea served with your meal and the service was top notch for a Chinese restaurant. I ordered the hot spicy eggplant with garlic sauce and my uncle ordered Sichuan shrimp. We both shared our plates and they were super yummy! The eggplant had a nice umami flavor with onions, woodear mushroom, and ginger. The Sichuan shrimp was served on a bed of vibrant green broccoli. The shrimps were big and juicy. Portions were very generous so I took some leftovers home with me. When I came home I crashed on the bed!
Sal! You make me so envious. Your area restaurants
sound so much better than what we have up here.
Everything is so generic. Okay I admit there are a few
places that are okay but that’s it, they are just okay.
Marls! Chinatown is one of the gems of LA! It isn’t very big being on the northern end of Downtown LA but its really fun to stroll along its two main streets. Most of the restaurants have been in business since the 70s and 80s. I recommend anyone visiting LA to check it out. We also passed through Koreatown today which is also a cool spot to check out but it can be a bit rough around the edges.
like marlie I am jealous, we have to drive for 45 minutes to find this kind of yummy food. most places here are over priced, the places down town are fair price and delicious.
Trace! Chinatown is a bit of a drive for me too as it’s 20 miles away from where I live but I’d happily make the trek every now and then. I hadn’t been there in several years so I went with my uncle to check it out. I think it’s one of the few places in L.A. that’s been fairly sheltered by gentrification as a lot of older Chinese residents still live there and there’s no hipster joints aside from Howlin Rays. Sometimes I wish I could live there as it’s very walkable and serviced by several bus lines. If you ever come to L.A. I highly recommend seeing it. Our Chinatown is the second oldest in the country after San Francisco’s. You can also ride on the world’s shortest railway Angel’s Flight in the Bunker Hill district in Downtown.
Hi guys! Notifications have been out of wack for me how is everyone doing? I had the best Panda Express lunch today!
Hi Sal. So what did you have? Are you trying to make
us jealous? The food in your area sounds great where
as the food where I live is pretty so so.
Marls! I love Panda’s broccoli beef! On my birthday I’ll be going to Chinatown! I haven’t been there in a long time and I want to see how it’s weathered the pandemic. I’ll also buy almond cookies and shop for incense. Is it scorching where you are? LA has been warm but pleasant.
Hi Sal. I like their broccoli beef too. Also, imo,
they make the best egg rolls. We get 3 or 4 at
a time, then cut them into medallions, they go
farther that way. I like the Panda Express Sweet
and Spicy Chili sauce too, it’s pretty much
the best you can buy in a bottle.
Today was a bit cooler than it has been in
the past week or so, only 95, yeah I know
I said only 95.
When the temperatures creeped up over 110
my brain was like, what the hells, when did we
move to Arizona!
You should make it a point to visit on your BD,
it was tradition for us to celebrate each person’s
special day.
See you then, if not sooner!
Marls! I like Kikkoman Sweet and Sour/Orange sauce for homemade Chinese. I’ve been having a craving for cream cheese wontons will see if they’re on the menu when I visit Chinatown. My favorite Dim Sum are the taro buns and egg tarts. Can I take pics of Chinatown and send them to you to post them here? When I try to upload something I get an error message saying my image is too big.
I don’t believe I’ve seen the Kikkoman sauce but if you like it, it must be pretty good.
Sure send me the pictures I’ll see if I can load them. I’d probably have to do separate comment window. We are
only set up for a single frame at a time.
Awesome Marls! You’re the best!
No problem buddy, I’ll try to shrink them.
I love the pics you took.
Feel good story.
I am an atheist. Today a christian church with many smaller branches all around came to our neighborhood to do Gods work. 75 people in our smallish neighborhood. My home is secure, but 18 large old growth trees cracked from the tornado, just twisted, peels and were down. They took out my fence. They cut, put out front for city pickup over half the mess, some trees were near wires so they trimmed the branches off.. They were going to rake up the rest of the mess, I stopped them. The leaders know I am an atheist, gods work does not care about that. I might have to rethink my beliefs.
I don’t understand why you stopped them. Were they
trying to convert you or something? That could be pretty
awkward for you under those circumstances.
Such massive damage done by the storm/s and when
you think of it, there’s really nothing we can do but weather it out.
It’s Friday, It’s Friday…Looking forward to the weekend…when I go back to work. (LOL!)
Ha! You are so funny so early in the morning!
At least you can enjoy your day off, we are still
sweltering here. Yesterday it hit 113 degrees for
the second time in so many days.
It’s been cooling down a bit, but Seattleites whine when the temps go anywhere above 60 degrees.
Lol, that’s true isn’t it, about the weather there?
We have a couple more days of intense before it mellows out some.
Hello all those who adore marlie. I have had a wild week. Hurricane that turned at the last second and walloped us with rain winds and tornadoes.We had a direct hit from a tornado as well. Lost 17 pines and magnolias over 115 ft tall. What a mess. still recovering and working with Insurance to get it done. So many people are worse of then us.
Okay, I’ll admit I adore Marlie, hehehe.
I was wondering how things were with you.
We are experiencing some wild weather too.
Temperatures soaring to un before seen heights.
We’re looking more and more like Arizona with
each passing day.
So, trace. Have you started packing yet?
I guess I have to adore Marlie too 😆
Wellll, you don’t have to, but it’s a good
idea to do so.
We had 2 huge Pines cut down today, Sad to lose such old and beautiful trees. Had to pay for it because all the damage around the area insurance is slow. I will be fully reimbursed. Now we need our fence replaced and the huge mess in the back. Pups have to go outside on leash
That was a hell of a storm that walloped your
state. I wonder when people are going to accept
that climate change is real.
We have been experiencing some of the hottest temps here since forever, if ever. I suppose it could have been getting this hot here but since we lived in the Bay Area we never had temps that exceeded 100º degrees.
113º is the hottest temp I have ever lived through and to further pile on it’s been in
the triple digits for the past week.
I am waiting for fall, it won’t get here fast enough.
Hi guys! 30th birthday is about three weeks away. Marls and Trace I met you guys and the rest of the OG gang when I was 21!
Wow, that’s quite a mile stone. Funny, when you
first showed
up and said how young you were, I didn’t expect
you to stick around. I am glad you did, we’ve had
some really fun times.
Marls! I’m just seeing this comment notifications are showing up late. Or I probably need to clean up my inbox. We made LOTS of fun memories. Hard to believe it’s been almost a decade as I remember signing onto MP as if it were yesterday. 2015-16 was one heck of a time I wish I can relive it everyday!
I thought you were probably settling into your
vacation. I figured you’d be back in time.
Almost 10 years. Trace and I go back even
longer. Yeah, I still chuckle about it. We had
other young people show up but they were
all about disrupting the flow.
Are you 30 yet?🍨🍾🍰
Hello everyone, it is hot, sticky and afternoon rain, typical Texas weather. We re getting more serious about selling and moving out of state. Not sure where as of now. We would like to move closer to family, most live in Ct. and one couple in S.Carolina. Somewhere in between but not on the coast Tough to decide where to even look, I hate snow, heat we are used to and we want to be in the ‘burbs but close to a city. We can keep our Opera tickets and fly in when necessary. Hope everyone is well.
I hate snow too but I hate 100 degree weather even more
so the question is? Where can we find a happy medium?
I really like San Diego California but home prices are thru
the roof there. You might like Virginia except for the snow.
What about the Carolinas? NC has experienced a lot of
growth in recent years. What about New York. Ooops,
never mind, I forgot snow. We visited a place called New
Paltz that seemed perfect as far as being out of the
way but not too much so, but again it snows there.
As much as people bad mouth California it’s a
great place, in many ways, to live. If one can afford
to live along the coast, it doesn’t get much better.
N Carolina is an option, Virginia is a state I love but the cost of living is outrageous.
I was surprised to learn property taxes are
so high in Va.
What’s funny is people think all of California is
unaffordable but it’s not really, if you research
different areas.
NC is pretty much like Virginia as far as cost
of living. Housing prices are still within reason
though.
I want to move closer to my sister and brother who live in Ct and S Carolina. S.C is to red for me.
Why not live in a neighboring state
that would put you closer to family
but not too close.
I really miss my sister, we talk almost everyday. My niece and nephew and their children are in my heart. I need to be closer, I looked at homes on the Ct shore a couple look interesting
I am sorry that I let a window of opportunity
to move pass.
If you see an opportunity to go, go.
Congrats to the Florida Panthers for their first ever Stanley Cup! As a Kings fan it’s a great night to see the Oilers heartbroken!
Gee, I can hear the sounds of gloating all the way
up here😀
Hiya Sal, how was your weekend?
Hi Marls! I went to the mall last weekend!
Morning Sal. Happy July! It’s insane up here
temps soaring above 100 every day. Makes
me wish we had heard back from the places
we contacted in Virginia.
What did you get at the mall, or were you
just window shopping?
Wow just saw that Donald Sutherland passed away. Damn!
Oh no! I hadn’t heard, but understandable since
he was 88 years old.
Yeah I know…but damn.
Still getting over Willie Mays’ passing, but he was a few years shy of 100.
Odd when you think about who’s passing and
who isn’t. There are a few I can name that I
wouldn’t mind reading of their passing!
Tell me about it!
Lol, great minds think alike!
Summer Solstice!
Hey there, I just noticed you were on.
Enjoying your day off?
I go to my other job later today. Got an assignment!
Really, did you solve the transportation
issue?
If I leave Seattle at 8:30 p.m. I can make the bus that will take me home. Anytime after that I’m calling a Lyft and/or walking part of the way home
So, is it a concert or some kind of game?
Concert
Okay.
Hi guys! Mom is in Dallas visiting family and will be back Saturday night. I’ve been on a little Philly cheesesteak binge as of late. How is everyone?
Howdy Sal. How is your mom enjoying Dallas?
She might decide she wants to stay, I hear it’s
pretty nice there.
Ramen noodles are my vice, I eat them every
other day.
I like experimenting with different ingredients.
I don’t use the packets too often. The sodium
content is way too high.
Have you taken any assignments yet or are you
settling in for the summer?
Hi Marls! She said it’s OK LOL I wanted to go but I prefer having the birdies under my watch. Maybe in Nov/Dec I might go. I love Korean ramen especially Shin! It’s very spicy though even for someone who has a high spice tolerance like me. Their vegan version is mild though if you want to give it a try. Gomtang is a beef broth soup that’s very flavorful but they’re only sold in Korean markets, I haven’t seen other Asian markets carry them. I’m off for the summer! Got to enjoy every second of it.
Good morning! Yeah, I know what you mean
when you say you want to care for your pets.
I feel the same about Winston. He’s still young
and not quite fully trained. I don’t want to
leave him for long spells again until he is
older and hopefully wiser.
I like to experiment with different ramens.
I tend to like the thinner ones. I actually
watch You tubers who do various versions
of ramen.
Eating ramen is like eating rice to some.
I put all kinds of herbs and spices in my soup so
I don’t need to add prepared broths. Not saying
they are not good but the sodium content is of
a concern to me. Have you tried Tajin, to me, it’s
better than pepper flakes.
I am planning a trip east next month to visit my
family, I’ll be going after the 4th of course.
Enjoy your day!
Does Winston get any special treats for being a good boy? I have a slight preference for thicker noodles. Tajin is huge in LA and you can find restaurants serving it in unique ways. Will you be going to Virginia? Have fun!
We give him Soft Chew chicken
flavored sticks and Milk Bonz. He
really likes the Soft Chews.
We have taught him quite a few
tricks using them. He is going for
his Good Citizen award in class now.
He’ll most likely need more training
he’s still fairly young.
I’ve always preferred the skinnier
noodles except for Egg Noodles,
the wider the better.
Actually no. My daughter and her hubby live in Pennsylvania. We haven’t planned
it out yet.
A friend introduced me to Tajin a few
weeks ago. I bought some right away.
I’ve used it on a few dishes so far. I am
experimenting.
well, the rain is coming back. I started a walk with the pups and turned back, started to drizzle but lightening, thunder and black clouds were moving fast. the next 3 days will be medium to heavy rain again. Next week will be the same.
It’s very sunny but windy here, really pleasant.
Good morning folks. The weather here is still hitting
the century mark but next week should bring us some
relief.
My AAA insurance bill came today and for liability it’s gone up to $1,000 for a 24 year old car I don’t drive very much. I may have to bite the bullet since it’ll take a few weeks for another insurance policy to take effect but I am completely done with AAA and will be switching carriers mid-policy. CA needs to do SOMETHING.
Funny thing about insurance Sal is that it’s a
racket. Look at it this way, we are in our 70’s
we have had only one fender bender in all
the years we have had insurance, yet we have
been paying since our late teens till now. I can’t
guess how many thousands of dollars we have
paid for insurance that we never get any benefit
from having.
So, in other words, we are paying for other people’s
accidents. I don’t drive at all anymore. We alerted
our insurance to this fact, guess what, our
premium will increase not decrease, because their
wisdom is that women have fewer accidents than
men. Maybe it’s because men make it a habit of
crashing their cars just for sport.
As I said, insurance is a collusion between states
and insurance companies.
Insurance is absolutely a racket! In what sane world would a car that’s a quarter century old cost $,1,000 for liability? It’s not a theft magnet like Hyundai or Kia and the parts on it are very cheap. I drive less than 10 miles a day. Yet my premium has gone up by $200 from last year! No accidents or tickets. This is how AAA rewards customers for their loyalty.
It sounds as though they’re trying to force you
to pay more for insurance than what the car is
worth. Check Kelly Blue Book to see what your
car could potentially sell for. If it’s a 1k or less
find yourself a different carrier.
Marlie, liability is to cover if you hit someone.
Yes, that’s true but in my case I only
have to worry about getting hit since
I don’t drive anymore.
I spoke with an agent on the phone and she said the premium increase is due to two things. CA lifted its freeze on insurance carriers raising rates during the pandemic and I drove more miles this year which is true. However, for a car as old as mine it shouldn’t have increased by THAT much.
As much as I love California I was hoping to leave. The cost of living
is practically through the roof it’s
starting not to matter where you
live here. I realize that unless you
live in a less desirable area you
are going to pay.
LIability is to cover if you hit someone.
How much do you pay Trace? Curious.
Not much, I am old and drive less so it is an automatic low price. But we pay a bit more to make sure 2 of our 3 cars are well covered. One is a classic and the other is a mercedes. Low mileage on both …WE ARE OLD. lol
Evening Trace. I don’t think of us as old. I think we are people of a certain age (whatever it may be). I don’t drive much because I have a floater that impacts my vision in one eye.
I am sorry about the floater. But we are getting older, we do not drive as much because we no longer work and we fly whenever we go somewhere if the drive is more then 3 hours.
I have had this floater for about 3
years.
I’ve talked to doctors about it,
they all say pretty much the same
thing,
it’s too big to use a laser to
treat it. I pretty much ignore it
but sometimes it can be annoying.
Especially when it covers my iris
and clouds my vision. The worst time
is when I see shadowy images that
dart by.
Other than some aches and pains
I am doing okay.
It’s summertime!!! Yipee!!!!
It’s steaming here, over 100 degrees, yikes!
If it ever got that hot here, people would explode 🙂
If it snowed here people would lose
what minds they have especially down
here in the flats.
This is actually the first sunny day we’ve had in a couple of weeks. And I’m glad it’s happening on my days off
Looks like Bertha is going strong.
I’m glad you are putting her to good
use.
It’s too hot to do much of anything,
I’ve been watching grade B movies.
Star Trek Discovery is done, now I
am waiting for the return of Strange
New Worlds.
There are some interesting Sci fi shows
streaming, some are good some are
just so so.
Guys! I’ve been on a Korean food binge as of late. Kimchi pancakes are a must try!
Hm, sounds yummy. I love spicy Kimchi, makes Ramen
even more delicious. Never heard of Kimchi pancakes,
is it a special order?
I love adding kimchi to ramen with a sunny side up egg! Kimchi is healthy because it contains probiotics. There’s a variety of pancakes in Korean cuisine called jeon. Very popular as a street food. Living in LA I have access to Korean markets and they have all sorts of yummy stuff in their hot food section! I pick up kimchi pancakes and fried squash cooked in an egg batter which is absolutely delicious. Korean food can be very rich and corn silk tea is a great way to wash it all down!
Good morning Sal. You sound like a real
connoisseur. Corn Silk tea? Interesting,
never heard of it. I can learn lots about
different foods and cuisines from you.
The area that I live in is just really catching
up to more modern conveniences. I have
plans to ask a neighbor of mine to lunch.
Korean or Thai will be among the first of
my choices.
Evening Marls! Are there any Asian markets near you? If not I can send you the Amazon link for corn silk tea if you’re interested! It’s great for high blood pressure too. They’re also naturally caffeine free so you can enjoy it any time of the day. Living in LA I’ve had the privilege of trying great international cuisine! Next time I do my Korean market haul, I’ll post some pics.
Sal, come to think of it there is a place,
a Thai place that we have
ordered from. They are quite good
but very pricey. I just looked on the
menu we have for them, there is no mention
of Corn Silk Tea, come to think of it,
they may be Vietnamese.
It would be great to see some pics,
I occasionally take pics of dishes I
make myself.
How are the birdies? Any young’uns
yet?
Birds are doing great! Snow White has laid 14 eggs but they’re infertile. I’m amazed by how many eggs such a small bird has laid considering a lot of calcium is depleted in forming the eggs. She has a cuttlebone to replenish her calcium levels.
That’s incredible Sal. The amount
of eggs Snow White lays but why are
they failing to develop, any ideas?
Another hot one for us today and
tomorrow temps over 100.
I wish I had an answer as to why she’s laying so many! They’re infertile because she hasn’t mated with a male of her own species. A canary and zebra finch are too far apart to produce any offspring. We’ve been having mostly overcast days here.
Oh. I see. I thought they were of the same genus and species but that’s not the case. I wonder if she’ll get beyond
the egg producing stage any time soon.
I admit I know very little about birds when it comes to reproduction. It’s a good thing that humans haven’t tried to
cross mate every species on the planet,
at least not yet.
Ligers, tiger/lion.
Yeah, I know. It’s actually an affront to
nature to mate animals that would not
not otherwise mate.
I don’t know her biological age but I’ve had her for three years. Maybe she gets aroused by Pinky singing and that gets her sex hormones going? Male zebra finches attract mates through their singing so she might be thinking a male of her own species is looking for her.
That reminds me of an old cartoon from years ago. I wish I could remember which one it was.
y parrot lays eggs that are not fertilized. Does she have a toy she rubs against or nest making from her toys?
Hi Trace! I have a bell attached to the top of the cage that both Snow White and Pinky love to play with. Sometimes she likes to rip the cage liner as if she’s gathering material for a nest. I don’t have a nest for them, both sleep side by side on the top perch at night.
I give them a little toy elephant to play with sometimes. Pinky plays with it more than her but she’ll play with the belly of it.
You have 2 females
Pinky is a male canary! Female canaries can’t sing melodies.
excitement in general, toys she can rub against send her into over drive. Make sure she is getting tons of supplements to keep her happy
She likes apples and for an occasional treat I give her cookies!
Sal, there are special foods to give and supplements for birds during estrus. Add some to water and pellets in their food. Is this her first clutch, sometimes they are laid anyway.
She’s laid like close to 100 I’m not exaggerating! I’ve had her for three years. Good idea to supplement the cuttlebone with additional nutrient rich foods. I can’t post pics here because I keep getting a message that my images are too big but if you google white female zebra finch you’ll see exactly how she looks like!
They are pretty little birds. Advice, you might need to separate them when she is in estrus, to many eggs deplete her little body.
My area is part of the old growth pines and oaks. These storms have been hard on the area. I do not flood but the winds and lightening have been horrible
Hooray for the Florida Panthers for making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals! Trace must be jumping up and down with joy!
Sal, I see you’re still into your sports. Texas has been having
some wicked weather. I wonder if Trace has been following
the games.
We have had some terrible weather. Huge wind gusts up to 60 mph, tree limbs coming down and 3 trees struck by lightening. One pine might be dying. Having an expert come in. The pine is well over 110 ft tall, just beautiful. We might lose it. I noticed dead branches and some brown at the crown.
The worst seems to be over. next 5-6 days limited wind/rain. Will have the horticulterist come back later this month
It’s June our summer is just getting under way.
Temps will be soaring into the 100’s by Tuesday.
We had a chance to get out of here but the window
closed faster than we could. How many
storms have hit you guys, say in the last month
and a half. You’re beginning to sound like the
storm on Jupiter that has been raging for about
200 years.
We have had strong storms and warnings with hail and worse for 6 weeks. Today and the next 4 days we should be humid, hot and limited to no rain or storms. It has been an ordeal for us and so many others for too long. The poor people who flooded have flooded again and again in some areas. So sad. 100 degrees so soon! I hope it holds off for us. feels like is not the same as IS 100 or higher.
Good morning Trace. Yep, 100’s
already for us starting tomorrow.
That’s the bad news but the good
news is it’s only for three days.
I am okay with 90’s but the 100’s
are terrible.
I have relatives in Texas who said
they’d like to leave but it’s where to
go that’s a dilemma.
I still think the eastern seaboard is
a good answer but moving is a
monumental task.
Hopefully the weather will improve
for you, hang in there.
Hi Marls! I turned on notifications so no more late replies!
Coool! Are you done for the summer yet?
Tomorrow the heat will be hitting us head
on. Yay, no, not really,
Yup there’s very few assignments during the last week of the school year so I can start vacation early! Looking forward to sleeping in as I’m not a morning person!
Actually, I am just the opposite. I love getting up around 5/5:30 am so I can watch as the new day dawns.
I get up early as well most mornings. Make coffee and sit on the courtyard watching the day begin.
Sometimes the simplest things are the best things.
This morning I was out puttering in my garden.
I don’t get bit as much during day light hours
but as soon as the sun starts setting it’s game on.
Hi Sal, I really do not care about sports.
Hi Trace! My mom is going to visit Dallas for a wedding in two weeks!
I hope the weather is pleasant when she arrives there.
Parts of Texas has been hard hit by storms.