REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

NIKI cursing rain?!

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 08:34
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:05 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Unbelievable, eh? Well, maybe not cursing, but bugged by the timing. We have a demonstration at BofA this afternoon, and while the original forecast was for the heavy stuff to hit Saturday (which would be unpleasant enough for the regular Saturday rally), they kept backing it up until now it's to hit this afternoon. Yuck. I'm whacking up some simple signs, 'cuz if I took the ones I work hard on, they'd be a mess. Taking some of the simpler ones that I can just remake if they get trashed, and cardboard and markers so people can make their own.

Busy week; tomorrow is the second anniversary of Citizens United; there are protests and demonstrations happening nationwide. OccupyMarin is supporting OccupySF, so going in to join the march there...I can't go 'cuz I can't do the march, tho' I'm getting pisseder and pisseder and probably will eventually give some march a try. Very frustrating, and I've got a good number of anti-corporate-personhood signs, few of which I can send because they are really good and would take ages to reproducs. Then there's Saturday, tho' the rain's supposed to be light by then, and we now do a table at the local farmer's market on Sunday...still forecast for rain.

Knew this time was coming, and was caught between wishing for the rain and hoping it wouldn't come on a day we have to be out there. Except for a few, it's not a huge deal; the simple ones are easy to reproduce, I can just trace the text and recreate them, don't have to start from scratch. But it amuses me that I'm not tickled to see a storm finally come, which has NEVER happened before!

Such is life. Not to mention that the kitchen floor is BLACK already; light rain and the dogs have been out playing in it. Will go over it with a wet mop now and again until this rain passes, but I've been working on cleaning up the several-inches-deep pile of leaves in the back-back yard, as well as cleaning up all the trash back there. I put up a smaller "outback" for Jim a few years back; he ignored it during a couple of last year's heavy rains and it collapsed because he didn't clear the rain pockets. Idiot. So there's a lot of crap out there, and I picked exactly the wrong time to clean it up. Pulled up a board I put as "flooring" (which had rotted), and oh gosh, all kinds of little tunnels (rats of course). So the dogs have got a new "playground", which they've been enjoying, and of course have "excavated" where the tunnels were. Black huskies = black floors in the house...sigh.

I got no right to complain, really, given what the rest of the Northwest is enduring:
Quote:

A monster Pacific Northwest storm coated Washington with freezing rain on Thursday and brought much of the state to a standstill as the Seattle airport temporarily shut down, tens of thousands of people lost power and hundreds of cars slid off roads a day after the region was hit with a major snowfall.

The storm claimed at least one life — a child whose body was pulled from an Oregon creek in which a car was swept away from a grocery store parking lot. Rescuers also searched Thursday for an adult missing in the creek in the Willamette Valley community of Albany, about 70 miles south of Portland, said fire department spokeswoman Wanda Omdahl.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency, authorizing the use of National Guard troops if necessary.

On the icy interstate north of Seattle, a transportation department worker responding to an accident was injured in crash. He was taken to a Seattle hospital; no details were available on his condition or how he was injured.

Freezing rain and ice pellets caused numerous accidents in the Seattle area, where drivers are mostly inexperienced with driving in snow or ice. The last widespread freezing rain in Seattle was in December 1996, said meteorologist Jeff Michalski at the National Weather Service office in Seattle.

The weather service used the Emergency Alert System to break into Thursday-morning broadcasts with an ice-storm warning until noon for the Seattle area and southwest Washington. Among the concerns were widespread power outages and the threat that structures could collapse under the weight of ice. The Washington State Patrol said some if its troopers brought chain saws to work Thursday so they could quickly remove downed trees on highways and roads.

Authorities also are worried about flooding in the coming days as temperatures warm up
Ice closed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport completely in the early morning before one runway was reopened, but taxiways remained a problem even as runways were deiced. Many morning flights were delayed or canceled. Forecasters expect up to 0.4 inch of ice before temperatures rise above freezing by afternoon.

The state Transportation Department closed one highway because of falling trees that also took out power lines.

Oregon didn't fare much better--they got rain rather than snow for the most part, but it's a mess up there, too:
Quote:


A Pacific storm packing hurricane-force winds battered the central Oregon Coast on Wednesday, arriving with a howl of wind and lashing rains around 4 a.m.

In Newport and Lincoln City, the wind whipped the sand into streamers, creating massive surf and spindrift.

Normally bustling U.S. 101 was mostly empty as the storm intensified through the morning.

Wind gusts as high as 110 mph in some areas uprooted trees, brought down power lines and forced the closure of several main highways connecting the coast and the Willamette Valley. They also toppled a tractor-trailer rig that was trying to cross the Yaquina Bay Bridge, blocking U.S. 101 for several hours.

Along Oregon 18, trees were flung across the highway about 10 miles east of Lincoln City, causing numerous delays for commuters and commercial truckers alike.

Every major roadway either has a delay or is closed due to water on the roadway, downed trees or power lines," said Jenny Demaris, Lincoln County emergency manager. "It's a mess," said Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin, who noted he was supposed to be in Salem to testify on a bill to make it easier to remove dangerous trees, but was unable to get there.

The county will next turn its focus to the potential for flooding in coming days, she said.

So. Ca., naturally, will get almost nothing out of it...they who need it MOST.

My heart goes out to you guys up there, and I will quit bitching as of right now. ;o)

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:25 AM

BYTEMITE


At this point, I'd be happy to take all your winter storms. We only have a 50% of normal snowpack in the mountains right now.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:03 AM

STORYMARK


Yeah, after this insanely dry winter, a lot of the country is going to be facing drought. Cherish the rain you do get.

And really, it's just rain. I dont understand why its so vexing to Californians.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:09 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Mother nature is NOT happy w/ you Occupy folks.


You'd better listen!


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:21 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


We in the middle of La Nina, and having the wettest couple of years I can remember. Huge deluges, winter and summer. Our gutters can't cope and we've had rain come in endlessly over the past few months, despite our best endeavours to prevent it.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:05 PM

FLORALBUNNY


Steadily wet (and cold) in Northern CA. Burble!
To paraphrase:
"It is better to open an umbrella than to curse the precipitation."
But yeah, tiresome when there isn't an intermission every few hours.
Yewall keep your feet dry and your boat bailed.

bun

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:24 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Hey Bun, where in No Ca are you? I wonder how close you are to Niki?

Here in Portland we had a tiny dusting of snow on Sun. morning, just brushed the tops of the grass. On Tue. night we got a half inch which melted away the next day, nothing significant there. We're having lots of rain though. I was soooooo annoyed that we didn't get good snow, teaser snow makes me irritated because I want it to really snow so I can go sledding. In Portland we get good enough snow to sled once every two or three years, so its a treat for us.

So the situation in Albany, an hour and a half south of me, is that a car was in a grocery store parking lot and it went into a flooded creek, no barrier between the creek and the parking lot and since the creek was so high it was nearly level with the pavement. The car went in and got sucked down into a tunnel thing that the creek goes through under the road and stuff before coming out the other end. A man and his little boy survived, but his girlfriend and her baby did not. A sad story.

Some places in OR got good snow, my nephews in a little an hour and a half east of us got a foot of the stuff to play in so I'm happy for them.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:39 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


The flooding has gotten really out of control in the cities and town to the south of me. If you go south about an hour everything's dangerous. My grandma's city is starting to have problems now.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 3:56 PM

FREMDFIRMA



Speakin of Occupy, the local forces did take a bit of a hint from me for once, and chose to protest some of these rapacious bastards at their own personal homes, making it kinda personal.

http://annarbor.com/news/images-from-the-superior-township-rally-again
st-gov-rick-snyder
/

Not quite as personal as I'd make it, but then I still don't think they have the guts to go the distance or do what it's gonna take, myself.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012 5:55 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


Had between 1000 and 1500 Occupy folks show up in D.C. on a cold and rainy Wednesday for protests when Congress went back into session.

(Then again, the rednecks I shoot with will go out in a storm to hunt or fish or have a shooting match...just for FUN. I've been to rifle matches where we had to hold up because you couldn't see the targets for the blowing snow. When the match director asked if we wanted to cancel, the answer was "Hell no!!!" (I was shivering too hard to answer ))

The Occupy encampments here are beginning to draw some criticism from the D.C. government for sanitation and rat infestation in their camps. D.C. can't take action because the camps are on National Park land, but they're figuring that the protests are hurting local business and requiring D.C. police presence (and expense) when they hold protests outside the Federal jurisdiction.

It's interesting because a lot of D.C.'s elected officials, including the Mayor, were leaders during the Civil Rights movement, and the Mayor was arrested last year at a D.C. voting rights demonstration.

A lot of the comments attached to news about Occupy around here seem to be about the lack of focus or agenda. There doesn't seem to be anything positive for folks to get behind.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Friday, January 20, 2012 7:55 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Story, darlin', you got it backwards...we RELISH the rain! We had that one storm when we don't usually get rain, months ago, and everything turned green. Now it's brown again...this one will start the green over, but we need MUCH more, we're way in deficit. Luckily, as always, we have our lakes, and most of the Bay Area's lakes/reservoirs are still full from last year, so we'll be okay. Unless it's dry this year AND next year (please no!). Oh, and OUR snowpack is way, WAY below normal too, which will hurt because there won't be much when it melts...

Yeah, I knew you guys were suffering, I'm so sorry. Hopefully it's past you now (?) and you can clean up. But it's bad times here...heard an ad on the radio yesterday; Yosemite got no snow, so they've got all kinds of "deals" going on and are begging people to come! When you consider you usually have to book into Yosemite at LEAST a year in advance, that tells you how bad it is!!! They're advertising "miles of beautiful trails" which should all be closed for snow about now. They'll be hurting, as they LIVE on tourist dollars.

The Occupiers are out in the rain because we won't be stopped and we feel strongly about what we're doing. We got a decent crowd last night, which is pretty good for a rainy, cold, windy night, so we did okay. Got LOTS more honks and waves and hollers of support, plus frozen toes and fingers, and the one sign I wanted to save and kept under my umbrella got wet anyway and ran. Pfffft...easy to replace any of them, and two I'd whacked up quickly actually made it through (did them on foam board with a different kind of paint). Gonna have to do more that way, and spend the day looking for plastic I can put around the "good" ones for Saturday.

You'll see lots and lots of Occupiers around the country today, whatever the weather, it's a national action against Citizens United, and it's gonna pour in S.F. Wish I could go...sigh...but I wouldn't have time anyway if I want to save the signs which are irreplaceable Saturday, 'cus it's supposed to continue through then and into next week. You guys oughta be out there with us (like I would even hope for that!), because I can't imagine ANYONE who approves of this SuperPac bullshit. On the subject of which, Colbert continues to do a WONDERFUL job of satirizing Citizens United and educating the public...huzzah!

LOVED it last night, going to bed with that familiar pitter-patter on the tarp, but the dogs are BLACK, as are the kitchen, hall and living room floor, but Choey will help with that. Gotta get them out right NOW or they'll play in the mud all day... At least the tide is with me so I can take them to the dog park, which won't be awash until three or four days of this stuff. Maybe they'll run it off there or go for a "wallow" in the Bay, then they'll be pooped enough to sleep the day away and I'll keep them inside so we can clean up. Hopefully!

I guess it's like what you guys experienced...thus far it's just been a steady drizzle, no real pounding stuff (which I miss), but today is supposed to be the worst, so we'll see. Sounds like that was the way it went for you...first light, then a pounding.

Hey hey hey! Just checked the weather, and it's forecast to BREAK by noon Saturday for a while. That would be a blessing, as our rally is noon-1:00. Can't take the chance tho', so will be a full day; given there will HOPEFULLY be more rain this year and I'll need protection for the signs down the line...hopefully. We need LOTS of rain to catch up; I doubt we will.

My best wishes to all North of us and hopes you recover quickly...AND that we get more storms, but kinder ones!

Riona, I think Floral said she was up North of us, in true redwood country...when you asked her before, I remember something about where she was reminding me of Arcata, where I spent a lot of time. Eureka-ish I think? An area I adore, and wish we could move there...sigh. I love Marin, but it's GORGEOUS up there!



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Friday, January 20, 2012 8:34 AM

FLORALBUNNY


Hey, Riona & all, my big post from the other day seems to have been eaten. Lazy me for not checking!! I had wolf news, gripes about our noisy coyotes, all that.
I am in glorious Redding, wondering how the heck that happened, but here I am and it could be far, far, FAR worse.
Our latest house is on a slope (slam-bang gorgeous view of Shasta, that seductress) where we are less liable to freeze than down closer to the river, and it's too low to snow in this system (got some in the other place last year) but we are getting a load of rain. Which we need.
Wolfie's collar, last I saw, had been tracked into Shasta County, and back out into Lassen. I feel for the guy, because he hasn't much of a future as a solo. There are more than a few around here who'd like to have his pelt, which just adds to the peril.
Our cats are hibernating and I'm ready to join them!



bun

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Saturday, January 21, 2012 6:09 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Wow, Redding, eh? Must have been someone else who said they were up North-North. Well, Redding's practically as far North as Eureka, just in the middle of the state rather than the Coast. Pretty area; been to Lassen--Shasta get snow from this storm? Hope so...she purrrty. My mom spent some time up there in her youth and I spent some Summers on a farm up there. Can't remember a damned thing.

Bummer your post got et, I'd like to have read it. I hope Wolf makes it to somewhere safe; food, etc., no problem, but you're right about the pelt. Here's hoping...

How'd you fare in the storm? Man, that was a doozy! So much rain so fast last night I had to put boards down to get INTO the outback to go to bed. Have to do something about that! Was delish, fresh breeze (I know, it was a wind elsewhere, but I'm semi in the redwoods. POURED until midnight or so; I can sure see why it wrought so much damage for you Washingtonians and Oregundians! Whew!



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Saturday, January 21, 2012 5:46 PM

FLORALBUNNY


Wet, and loud on the roof.
Grey morning but when it cleared up we could see snow cluttering up the mountains. Purty.
We expect more wet.
Camellias are brown mush but we need the water...

bun

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Sunday, January 22, 2012 6:36 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Yeah, there's another one moving in tonight, apparently...you won't get it much earlier than us probably. Yesterday was lovely...t-showers in the morning, including HAIL!, then it broke by noon and lovely (if windy) the rest of the day. My kinda weather!



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Sunday, January 22, 2012 10:30 AM

FLORALBUNNY


Too many trees around for us to love the really stormy.
But yes, it's coming down some more.
Loved looking out yesterday when it finally cleared and we could see snow on those mountains!

bun

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Sunday, January 22, 2012 7:53 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Things are better up my way. Portland proper didn't get hurt at all, but those to the south of us were feeling it. I've driven through Redding and spent the night there once on the way home from San Fran, I remember it was deserty looking in summer time.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, January 23, 2012 7:12 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Yeah, it's HOT in Summer, I do remember that! And being inland, EVERYTHING would look "desertish" to someone from Oregon...we're a pretty dry state except for the Coast and the mountains.

We're getting the last rag-tag bits of the storms; rained HARD and long last night, but after this morning, no more rain in sight for at least the next ten days (sob). At least means I can get the sulky out in a few days when it dries up AND we can get the muddy dogs out somewhere to run. Getting them out, but few dogs to play with at the dog park and everything is awash anyway. Me, I LOVE storms--we don't get nearly enough thunder and lightning (which, if I remember, Redding DOES!) and I don't worry about the wind; redwoods are pretty hard to knock down!

So far we've gotten about 3 inches. Annually we should have 22, and if normal, whatever rain we get from here on will be long gone by May. Sigh...

I'd love to see the snow (but not be in it!)...we went to Lassen once and got stopped at the entrance; closed because of snow, and I remember it was almost Summer then, which is why we went. I love Lassen; never been to Mt. Shasta, just admire the heck out of her.



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Monday, January 23, 2012 7:49 AM

FLORALBUNNY


For years I lived in what is classified as "Coastal Desert" from Pacific Palisades through Santa Barbara* and on into the area just south of Pismo Beach, so Redding is nowhere near desert-y to me in terms of vegetation, but oh sheesh it can get hot.
I don't remember the date (before I had to move here)but it was in media one evening that Redding and some place in Morocco had tied for hottest measured temps. on the face of the earth. Reminder to self: need to look up date/temp. There is egg-on-sidewalk-frying action here some summers, and my family reported that a radio station tried it that day.
Right now it's too sorta cold.
Coyote song at 900 sharp last night.

*I hope to gosh nobody who watches "Psych" thinks that's really Santa B. except for the overhead shots! That's British Columbia, all that lushness, rain, running rivers...

bun

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Monday, January 23, 2012 8:00 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Well, the area you mentioned was never supposed to be anything BUT a desert; Like most of LaLaLand, it WAS a desert until mankind came along!

Am I right in remembering lightning and thunder storms up there? I VIVIDLY remember lightning in Idaho Falls once on the way to Yellowstone when I was young, but I seem to also remember lots of thunder storms during the time I spent in Redding. I was just a kid, so could be wrong. I do envy you that; we rarely get ANY here in Marin (tho' the rest of the Bay Area does).

As an aside: When Jim and I bought our pizza parlor, we had the choice of Long Beach, Redding and San Rafael. I put the nix on Long Beach (ewwwww!), and Jim decided on San Rafael. I'm eternally grateful he did; your Summers would kill me and if I recall, you don't get the rain we do here.

I'm surprised to hear what you said about Redding and Morocco. Do you have muggy heat? Because Morocco does, and I thought Afghanistan was one of the hottest places on earth: desert heat, dry, in other words. But I wouldn't be surprised to have Redding right up there. You're welcome to it; I'm a cold-weather gal, Oregon and even Washington are more to my taste. The way I look at it, you can always bundle up against cold, but there's only so much you can take OFF (and I HATE air conditioning!)... ;o)

P.S. Never watched Psych (never forgave Dule Hill for going from West Wing to idiocy); but what you described SURE isn't Santa Barbara...tho' I do love that city, and "we" No. Californians consider that the furthest South we'd like our state of "North California" to go.



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Monday, January 23, 2012 11:00 AM

FLORALBUNNY


Yes, to the thunder and lightning though it's not a patch on what we got when I was a little kid back East.
And was really muggy there, too. Here not so much, though we have the mighty Sacramento chugging majestically through town. Depends on elevation, I think, like snow.
You could have sold a lot of pizza in Redding, I'm sure, but if you hate the heat it would have done you in. I spend as much time in the A/C'd house as I can.
Am also sick of freezing, though. We try to save energy, and the house is 1960, with little in the way of double-glazing or insulation. Fixing up the previous house first, and then onward to do some stuff to this one. Meanwhile I don't watch Out of Gas...

bun
Took me a while to get into Psych. You can forgive Dule now; WW is gone all gone.

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Monday, January 23, 2012 1:31 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


I love thunder too Niki, I wish we got more of it here too. We get thunder and lightning about once a year here in Portland, its a treat. I wish we had it more because it makes me excited, all that raw power is amazing and really neat to be part of. I didn't know you guys owned a pizza parlor, that sounds like fun, I love pizza, how long ago did you finish up with it?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8:20 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Yeah, Bun, I think I'd have hated it. San Rafael turned out to be the PERFECT climate for me...if we hit the century mark at all, it's only a couple of times a year, and we only get down to freezing a couple of times a year, too. I know I'm spoiled.

Oh, Riona, our pizza-parlor days were HORRID! We had Jim's teenager daughter (only ten years younger than I), his pre-teen, angry son who had all kinds of emotional problems, and his alcoholic brother living in our home and we all worked the parlor together. When you don't have money, employees cost and family doesn't. Jim and I lived in a camper behind the parlor for the first year, and we all ate a LOT of pizza, hamburgers, etc. to get by. A good number of the customers were regulars who only came in to drink beer, and that's it's own story. It was right next to the bus stop, and I HATED working there.

I won't go into it--it was the worst five years of my life, and probably theirs (except his brother, who was so out of it he once left the till in the pizza oven and turned it on!). We've always referred to it as "Days of the Pizza Parlor or As the Pizza Parlor Turns"...it was that much of a soap opera. We try to forget about it and have pretty much succeeded...the ONLY things we miss are the dough (bought our flour from the franchise, secret recipe, as was the sauce) and the pizza oven. NOTHING else! It's true, by the way; Round Table IS the last "honest pizza"; they were adamant about the quality of the food, and we were proud of our product. It changed hands several times after we sold it, and finally became a bagel house, which has succeeded ever since.

Yeah, much as I love cold weather, we're not enjoying it either. Jim and I are of an age where we're ALWAYS cold, and we've always kept the thermostat at 60, so we bundle a lot!

I've forgiven Dule insofar as I'm glad he's got a steady salary, I wouldn't begrudge him that. But every time I see him on an ad for Psyche, the stupid looks on his face always remind me how low he's sunk. I won't go into WW either, or I'd be here all day!



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Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:23 PM

FLORALBUNNY


Pizza parlor days sound like Lynette and Tom from Desperate Housewives.
Glad you survived.
Maybe you should write a book.

bun

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:07 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Niki, I knew Jim had a son but I didn't know about the daughter. Do you guys have contact/a relationship with either of them? If not are they close with their mom, wherever she is? It sounds like the pizza parlor days were stressful for everyone.

You guys hit 100 degrees sometimes? That surprises me since you always talk about how cool it is there. We get 100 once to three times a year, depending on the year.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, January 26, 2012 9:37 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Riona, Jim's daughter lives nearby and he sees her once a week (when they're not traveling; she married money and is a runner, only has a few states left to marthon in to reach her goal of all of them, and they travel the world a lot). Ironically, she ended up leaving our home because she's one of the three people in my life I've smacked. I discovered she had been bad-mouthing us to our franchise rep when she worked the parlor and we weren't around, a young guy Jim had trained when we worked for the franchise. I went home and yelled at her then turned to walk away and she hollered "FUCK YOU!", so I smacked her...once...and she called the cops. One of the few times Jim stood up for me to his kids, he said "nobody calls the cops on my wife" and she left. I spent the next six months trying to get the two of them back together again (he can be pretty stubborn, to say the least!) and was successful in the end. Lisa came to us at 16, when I was only 26, so being a "mother" was impossible. She and Jeff both pretty much played Jim and I against one another, which wasn't hard back then because Jim wouldn't deal with anything and just isolated in his bedroom when he wasn't working (he put in about 100 hours a week).

I go over sometimes when their daughter is around; given Meagan's almost a teenager, that's less and less. We have a fine relationship with Lisa; she married a yuppie with money, however, so tho' we have a cordial relationship with him, we know he doesn't like us.

Jeff is the miracle child. It took him into his thirties, but he's turned around completely and he and Jim talk weekly on the phone, are really close, and he visits when he gets down here (which is rarely; like my friend Paula, he prefers the mountains to "civilization"--meaning any town of more than 100 people). While he lived with us it was really frustrating--I could see what a wonderful person he had inside, but he couldn't get past his rage, and did some pretty awful things while living with us (including threatening me with a gun). I kept hoping he could overcome it; he'd lived with his mom after Jim and I moved to Marin and felt abandoned, blamed his dad and at the same time wanted his love...you know how that can go with kids. I kept trying to get Jim to deal with it, but back then the Old Jim didn't deal well with ANY emotional stuff. I told him if he could just sit and allow Jeff to get all his anger out, it might have worked wonders, but Jim just said he couldn't do it, would probably punch him out. He was a real asshole back then. It's been a wonderful dream come true that Jeff turned around, he did a lot of damage to everyone while he lived with us. Now he actually IS the person I saw inside back then, which is so wonderful.

Their mother is a nice, if cold, person, and they've stayed relatively close with her. She never really related to Jeff, but they have a cordial relationship, as we do with her. Jeff kept "bouncing" back to us after he initially lived with us (he kept losing jobs, tho' he was a great hard worker, because of his homophobia, xenophobia and rage); when he went to live with his mom, she made him sleep in a tent in the back yard when she was working. When he initially returned to her after we gave up trying to help him...early high school...she left him to his own devices completely, he drank, used drugs, sat around watching TV and didn't finish high school. I was so proud of him when he got his GED later on!

That's already too much...it's a pretty long and hairy story and I won't bore you further.

Yes, we do occasionally get up to 100--very rarely, and not at all this last year, thank goodness. Right now I'm disgusted; having learned we're in a La Nina, I can't expect any more rain this year (tho' we might have a little) and last night when I went to bed it was 55! That was our HIGH two weeks ago! Yuck...sulkied the dogs this morning and it was too warm for them; back to getting up before dawn so it's cool enough, and I was JUST enjoying sulkying later in the morning...sigh.

I'M actually surprised to learn any place in Oregon gets to 100 EVER! I tend to think of you guys as even cooler than we are, and WA colder than that. Interesting. By the way, around here we NEVER have our weather show up on the news unless it rains. Because of the way the storms come, Tam punches a hole in them and we get the most rain of anywhere in the Bay Area...Kentfield got EIGHT INCHES out of that last one! Oh, how I wish we could get more, even eight inches is pathetic compared to our normal annual 22...sigh...

Damned La Nina! I want my El Ninos back, and a whole BUNCH of Pineapple Expresses!! Maybe next year...



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Thursday, January 26, 2012 2:04 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


That's good that you guys have a relationship with them and they behave themselves like nice people these days.

In Eastern OR it gets to 100 routinely all summer, it is deserty over there, I don't like it, I don't do well in deserts I just feel exhausted and the baron ground sucks my energy out of my toes. Some people thrive on that kind of environment but not me. I avoid going there, The Dalles, is the furthest east I go willingly. :)

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Friday, January 27, 2012 7:06 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I'm the same way about heat...totally enervated, drained. I just put on a sarong and try not to move until it passes, so it's a good thing it doesn't get hot much here! I guess it didn't bother me that much in Afghanistan, where it gets TRULY hot, but then our house, the Shah's wife's sister's husband's which was rented for us (there is no reference for "queen" and of course the men owned all property) was floored entirely in marble and built to withstand the heat and the cold. I don't remember much, partly because as a kid I didn't pay attention to the weather and ran around the bazaars on my own. But now? I simply can't handle it.

I was shocked as a teen to discover there were places in America where it was GREEN in Summer--it really was a shock, which shows how little I knew of the rest of the country!--and then when I asked what people DO in weather like the South, was TRULY shocked when I was told "They live in air-conditioned houses, drive to their air-conditioned offices or malls in their air-conditioned cars". I couldn't conceive of not being able to go outside all the time; I'd die, I really would! At least sleeping outdoors I ALMOST enjoy the few hot nights we get every year...or at least it's better than sleeping indoors.



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Friday, January 27, 2012 1:01 PM

FLORALBUNNY


Cold and very windy today, but clear as can be, with The Mountain sticking up white behind the melted-back-to-blue foreground hills like a beer label.
(We buy frozen blueberries, "Scenic" brand, with a white mountain on the bag, but it's Mt. Hood, LOL)
The squirrels are plopping heavily onto this end of the roof and running up-over-and-down to the other end, where they leap into an oak tree and shimmy down to the happy hunting ground. SO fat they'll be needing Spanx by the end of Feb. to keep from being mistaken for cats.
We have color in the buds on our manzanita, but also a lot of little dead-looking ends, as if the freeze had killed buds and pounding rain had knocked them off. Or possibly they're persistent from last year? This is my first in-the-yard manzanita, a big old thing.
I could stand another 5-10 degrees F. and a total stoppage of the wind, thankyaverymuch. There is a ton of stuff to do outside.

bun
wishing you all well

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Saturday, January 28, 2012 6:51 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

The squirrels are plopping heavily ... SO fat they'll be needing Spanx by the end of Feb. to keep from being mistaken for cats
Hee, hee, hee, so are ours. My own fault because I have bird and squirrel feeders right out the back door. They're up earlier than me, waiting impatiently for me to put them out every morning.

Manzanita or Madrone? Manzanita is the bush; Madrone is the tree. I love them both, but especially the Madrones with their beautiful, soft, orange "skin". The Mountain is COVERED with both on East Face (and blackberry bushes, blackberry bushes, blackberry bushes!). The hummers make it through the winter here by going up high on Tam and living off the Manzanita berries, 'cuz they're around all year. Well, except for the hummers I feed through the Winter (yeah, that too, plus the unshelled peanuts I toss out every morning for the Stellar and Scrub Jays...).

I'm on the other side; it's been way too HOT for me! Ended up at the dog park in t-shirt and shorts (well, that's what I wear all the time, but no more jacket or sweater) and was too hot! At least last night it went down to 40, but the days are mid-sixties. YUCK! The wind is a "breeze"...just when I would welcome it back, dammit...

Neat to compare here with where you are; wish others did so (like Riona and the "Up-North" folk. We're off to Crissy Field...the dogs are INSANE this morning! Enjoy...



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Sunday, January 29, 2012 7:22 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


So when does spring come for you all in your towns/cities? For me in Portland, its when our daphnes open and we can smell them from on the porch. this can happen anywhere from mid Feb. to early Mar. That's how we measure spring. What about you guys?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, January 30, 2012 8:16 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


illegitimate Well, we don't have a real "Spring", as our weather fluctuates so much. We have gotten really warm periods in January and the fog makes it pretty cold any time from June to September. We kinda gauge by the wind, which is most notable in Spring, and the lack of fog. What you might call "Spring" can happen anytime from February on, here...Summer is easier to delineate, as we get fog regularly in Summer but not as much in Spring. Mostly it feels like we go from Winter to Summer, given temps don't get really low until December/January, and from then on can go up any time. As is always said of us (and moreso LaLaLand!), we don't have real "seasons" in CA.

We can't gauge by the Magnolia trees, either, because they might bud or bloom if we get a warm spell, which might only last a week or so.

"Fall" is just as much a quandry, as our Indian Summer (what we consider the real "hot" season) is pretty regularly in August or September, but can linger into October and sometimes even November. We don't have a lot of native trees that turn color, either, and those we have do so after the first "cold" weather, which can be a short cold spell, after which we go back to higher temps. It's very confusing for people like Jo, who come here from places like England where they have REAL seasons (or Choey, who comes from Back East).



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Monday, January 30, 2012 6:02 PM

FLORALBUNNY


Manzanita for sure. We have at least two, very old. More little buds today, and a few open. I got to finger-pruning the one nearest the house and have decided the tiny twiggy things were left from last year.
The rain seems to be gone for the week, but we need it and now that a few things are done it can come down if it wants to.
Well, unless we have to dig up the plumbing to the sewer line. But that's a story for another time.

ETA: Spring here is the five minutes between turning off the heat and turning on the A/C

bun

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Monday, January 30, 2012 6:36 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by RionaEire:
So when does spring come for you all in your towns/cities? For me in Portland, its when our daphnes open and we can smell them from on the porch. this can happen anywhere from mid Feb. to early Mar. That's how we measure spring. What about you guys?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya



Atlanta sorta straddles the border, because of its elevation, of northern tropical and southern, more temperate regions. What that means is, come spring time, we get a double barrel of pollen. Really sucks for those who have allergies, ( of which, I'm not one )

Spring usually shows up around mid-late March. There's almost always a brief warm period, early on,then a blast of cold weather, followed by a warming trend that heralds the start of spring.

And back to the pollen... for 2-3 weeks, it covers EVERYTHING. The yellow pine pollen is the most visible, and you can forget about washing your car during that time. In a few hours, it'll be covered again, guaranteed. But the flowers that follow... are pretty damn amazing. Dogwoods and Azaleas, will start to open in late March. By the time of the Masters, down in Augusta( 2nd weekend in April ), they're in full bloom. Particularly around Amen Corner. ( Holes 11,12, and 13 )


" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012 7:42 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


Quote:

Spring here is the five minutes between turning off the heat and turning on the A/C
Hee, hee, hee; I love it!

Ahhh, pollen. Choey suffers greatly from allergies so I notice it now when I didn't used to. All I notice anymore is when the goddamned acacia trees go yellow, because when I was asthmatic as a child, seeing that usually brought tears, as I knew what it portended for me. My heart goes out to all those who suffer from such things...what little my memory hasn't blocked out about asthma, I will never forget!



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Tuesday, January 31, 2012 3:28 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht


Niki, you're lucky you grew out of asthma, some people do and that's a good thing. The people I know who had asthma as kids have mostly grown out of it too. I know some aren't so lucky though.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:34 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


I didn't "grow out of it", Riona. I was "cured" by living in Afghanistan's desert climate for 3-1/2 years! One of the (very minor) good things to come out of our time there, the desert air fixed me. I'm told if I keep smoking it might come back, which of course hasn't stopped me from smoking any more than any of the other warnings. But as a child, I spent a LOT of time in hospital under oxygen tents, virtually from birth, and missed a lot of school. Never forgot that part of my life!



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