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CynthiaW's avatar

I found this new band, Hermanos Gutierrez, while I was practicing video sharing on Zoom with Drama Queen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Gc0wdCv3M

Their website says they are "Ecuadorian Swiss". What a world!

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C C Writer's avatar

Not a ghost. Not a violinist. A crustacean with regenerative ability.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Many crustaceans and arthropods can regenerate limbs.

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C C Writer's avatar

We can regenerate our livers from as little as 10% of the organ. Apparently most vertebrates can. I've never had to do it, myself. But good to know that I could.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Yes, I'll put that under "information that I hope not to find useful."

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Phil H's avatar

That's like a parachute -- you hope never to have to use one, but if you need it, you want it.

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CynthiaW's avatar

From John Podhoretz's piece on the murder yesterday of the two Israeli embassy employees, "Two Israeli Embassy officials—a young couple about to be engaged next week in Jerusalem ..."

If you've got two people who have scheduled a "getting engaged" event, aren't they actually already engaged? It reminds me of two fairly recent occasions when people in the social circle of Drama Queen have scheduled social events with guests for a proposal.

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Jay Janney's avatar

Hmmm, what if, only one of the two knew? I had to plan the engagements for both Pam and Katie, and in Katie's case, it required subterfuge on the part of her Mom and two friends of mine. Had the Amish shot and killed us before I proposed, her Mom could say we had planned to get engaged....

BTW, Our anniversary is June 6th, I'll share the story on how I sneakily proposed to Katie.

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CynthiaW's avatar

June 6 is my brother's birthday. I need to send him a card!

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C C Writer's avatar

Well, let's see: People can get married well in advance of the reception (such as for logistical reasons) but it has to be an official ceremony, however private and simple, to count. I suppose couples can get engaged before the getting-engaged event, using at least some semblance of the formula "Wanna get married?/Sure, I'm in." Ring at that stage optional if she will get to choose the design she prefers.

But the crux of the problem is that rather than attend an engagement party (usually hosted by someone other than the couple) to celebrate the private proposal and acceptance, they are themselves going to throw an event at which the proposal and acceptance will actually take place. To be scheduling such an event they must have already had a conversation tantamount to the formula I just cited, making the type of party redundant rather than appropriate. So this tends to confirm your opinion.

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CynthiaW's avatar

"making the type of party redundant rather than appropriate"

That's what I thought.

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C C Writer's avatar

I did the proof as an exercise.

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IncognitoG's avatar

You’ve got to get the brass band and bounce house in place ahead of time for these spontaneous events. That takes some planning and advance notice.

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Jay Janney's avatar

This is for Angie

Last night she commented on liking Fred Thompson when he ran for president, commenting on his acting as well.

One of the tragedies of his running for office is that it cost him a spinoff tv show. In it he was supposed to go undercover in a NY restaurant, where they feature old time songs, especially Cole Porter. The kick was every time his work led to the arrest of some nogoodnik, he had stay undercover, but they'd play the same song over and over. The spinoff was gonna be called.

"𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒆'𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒘 '𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓".

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Phil H's avatar

Fred Thompson would not be caught dead in a sitcom with that title -- 🚪

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Kurt's avatar

That got a good laugh going.

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BikerChick's avatar

The fiddler crab thinks he’s super cool waving that clunky claw when in reality he just looks awkward.

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Kurt's avatar

Men are like that.

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IncognitoG's avatar

But he wows the ladies at the crustacean disco.

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Dsfelty's avatar

Or the "Codfish Ball" (my kids loved the Disney version of that song)

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Kurt's avatar

They're discreet. They get a room.

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Kurt's avatar

Curious, I asked ChatGPT....

The fiddler crab gets its name from the distinctive appearance and motion of the male’s oversized claw, which resembles someone playing a fiddle or violin.

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Phil H's avatar

I knew that long before this morning. . .

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CynthiaW's avatar

I didn't mention that because I thought it went without saying.

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Jay Janney's avatar

They may look it, but they're awful at the fiddle. There's a reason the Devil targeted Johnny and not a fiddler's crab....

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DougAz's avatar

I knee that when LBJ was President. Gwawwlllee WV hillbilly me 😊

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Phil H's avatar

Good morning. 50 degrees here and history. Rainy all day and temps stay in the 50s.

The mothership is reporting breaking news: A shooter shouting Palestinian slogans killed 2 young Israeli diplomats last night in Washington DC. The victims were leaving an event at the Jewish Museum. On a similar theme, the FP is headlining “Attacking Jews at Harvard Gets Rewarded”.

In other news, Ladder Lady comes home from rehab today.

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Phil H's avatar

And I brought her home this afternoon. She came home with a walker and a shower chair.

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C C Writer's avatar

Were those door prizes from the hospital?

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Phil H's avatar

Ah, no.

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C C Writer's avatar

Sorry, just making a little joke. Hope she soon stops needing them.

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Jay Janney's avatar

I am glad she is home but hide the ladders for awhile. You know if you hang towels on them it can look artsy? Katie has quilt blocks displayed that way in her quilt kingdom.

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Phil H's avatar

Let’s just say I’ve decided to invoke my Ephesians 5 authority to keep her off ladders. 🙂

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IncognitoG's avatar

I, too, hope Ladder Lady is recovering well. Will she be independently mobile?

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Phil H's avatar

She will have a walker. She’s still in a bit of pain. Her therapist tells me she should be able to do stairs. But she will receive home PT and OT as well.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Hope it helps her regain her independence.

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LucyTrice's avatar

Best wishes for Ladder Lady's recovery.

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CynthiaW's avatar

I hope she's feeling much better.

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IncognitoG's avatar

“Leptuca pugilator” means approximately “butterfly boxer”, if Google Translate is doing its job. At least the latter half is a good approximation by my non-expert reading.

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CynthiaW's avatar

"Pugilator" is definitely "boxer" or "fighter." Google gives me "lettuce" as the translation of Leptuca.

"Uca," the previous generic name, means nothing in Latin and means "loud" in Azerbaijani.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Yeah. I took “Uca” to be an endearing word clip performed by crab-loving taxonomists.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Good morning. It's pleasant here today and will be sunny later. I'm going to the podiatrist this morning. My foot hurts just as much as it did two weeks ago.

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Jay Janney's avatar

My prayers are that the podiatrist can do something good for you.

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LucyTrice's avatar

I hope the podiatrist can give you some relief.

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CynthiaW's avatar

He's giving me more steroids and said to stretch more frequently and consistently.

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BikerChick's avatar

I have a Morton’s neuroma that flares up from time to time. I have to make sure to keep my laces somewhat loose on that foot.

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Kurt's avatar

What part?

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CynthiaW's avatar

Most of it.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Feet are so complicated…

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Kurt's avatar

Ouch. Gout?

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CynthiaW's avatar

Achilles tendonitis, they say.

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Kurt's avatar

Uh oh... I hit Like to acknowledge, but don't like it. Foot stuff is awful. Achilles tendon related foot stuff is really awful.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Sometimes it hurts all the way up my leg.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Morning. The meaty urologists say it won’t exceed 90 today in Greater Mar-a-Lago-Land. Unlike at home in southern WV, it hasn’t rained a drop all week.

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LucyTrice's avatar

Meaty urologists???

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Jay Janney's avatar

Simmered and slow cooked, cannibals think they are tasty!

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IncognitoG's avatar

[sic]

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LucyTrice's avatar

Ah, I am slow. Groan!

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DougAz's avatar

I love West Virginia spring! We had beautiful flowering everything in our place in Greenbrier County. Dogwoods, Azalea, Rhododendrun. Wild blueberries. We had "deep woods". About a 100 yr old ish some younger. Trunks straight up for 20 feet and even higher before a branch. Ferns, moss, "jack in the pulpit" flowers... delicious!

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Jay Janney's avatar

My youngest is going on a retreat in West Virgina this weekend. It ought to be good.

My oldest attended Jamboree (I think 2013, but could be wrong) in West Virginia, and thought it was awesome. He attended at Ft. Hood and thought West Virginia was far better.

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DougAz's avatar

https://www.summitbsa.org

Is the Boy (and Ladies) National Scout camp. It was a Jim Justice deal. I very much disapprove of this National Camp ground. Girls are fine in Scouting IMHO.

But the entire concept of scouting..or the act and processes of actual Scouting (searching, pioneering, camping, self reliance,) are gone. No tents here. Dorms. Yuck.

In 1968, age 14, I got on my rotary dial phone and called a candy company in… England. I had found them thru research at the Public library. About 20 yrs before the Google founders were born. And on my West Virginia word, this company sent me 1,000 boxes of chocolates. The deal was, sell for a $1.00. Keep $.50. Send them $500.00. We sold every box over 2 weeks!. We bought fabulous tents, backpacks for the patrol. Imagine a company sending a 14 year old, $9,000 of product on trust today.

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Jay Janney's avatar

The troop I was always jealous of met at a church just across the street from the Delaware County (Muncie, 20 minutes from Anderson) fairgrounds. The fairgrounds charged $5 to park, they took donations. They raised over $1,000 annually. I was jealous!

Troop 39 met in Yorktown, Indiana, which is a suburb just west of Muncie.

Businesses dealt with trust much more back then. My Dad did handshake deals all the time, didn't quote bids. He'd tell someone he thought $500 ought to take care of that. If they requested a modest change he did it without charge. If there was a major something, he'd talk to them.

My favorite trick of his. He never bid to take down old wire. They'd ask him to, and he would (it's quick 'n easy). He'd ask where they wanted it, or if they wanted him to dispose of it. He'd tell them about what they'd get if they stripped off all the insulation from the copper, vs. what they'd get if they did not (rarely much). They'd give him the wire. He had a wire stripping machine at home, my brother and I would run (literally) the wire through, stripping 500' in under 10 minutes. Dad would take us to recycling, where he might get $50-75, giving us each $10. A win-win-win-win!

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DougAz's avatar

The handshake deal was big even when I called in GM and Ford and Chrysler. You said you'd do this, for them, for that. Honor your word, and we got $100s of millions of new specs. That Midwest business culture still exists to a degree. More in the same Midwest, also New England. Totally gone along the west coast.

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CynthiaW's avatar

"The fairgrounds charged $5 to park, they took donations. They raised over $1,000 annually."

Our church in Norman, Oklahoma, was 50 yards from the OU football stadium. The Knights of Columbus rented parking spaces for games and never had to hold any other fundraisers. The youth group was allowed to rent the spaces out for a Rolling Stones concert and made enough in one night to all go to Rome.

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CynthiaW's avatar

"No tents here. Dorms. Yuck."

I see your point on that. I expect they do have tents at the National Jamboree, though: it would be impossible to have enough barracks for the numbers who attend that.

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CynthiaW's avatar

My dad and I camped at A.P. Hill once. It had a nice lake.

I recently got an email about staff for next year's Jamboree, which will coincide with my 60th birthday. If I knew I'd be able to get around without excessive pain or risk of permanent injury, I'd apply. Unfortunately, I don't know that.

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IncognitoG's avatar

May apples, fiddle heads on sprouting ferns… 🤩

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DougAz's avatar

You ever make sassafrass tea? It was one of things we'd make on our long camping trips.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Yes—and root beer! 🍺

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DougAz's avatar

Nice!

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CynthiaW's avatar

That seems like the typical situation in FL. Or half of it: the other half is when it's pouring all the time.

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Kurt's avatar

Wuhan is 95ºF, swamp hot, then mega rain so the streets flood. Major thoroughfares with water up to car window depth. What's interesting is it's a freak show flood, people put picture on WeChat and it's a quick social media sensation and by tomorrow it'll all be cleaned up and everyone goes to work.

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IncognitoG's avatar

Yes. And wind. Lots and lots of wind.

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CynthiaW's avatar

Are you near the coast? Wind wasn't so much a thing in The Villages.

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IncognitoG's avatar

I double-checked, and it’s more like six miles to the Inter-Coastal…

🙄🫠

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IncognitoG's avatar

Within a mile. You can definitely perceive the sea/land-breeze cycles.

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