Bigmike911

We in Texas and much of the US are experiencing a full eclipse of by the moon of the sun. Where I am east of the cone of Totality we experienced 94% of Totality. At 1:15 c.d.t., as we waited for the exact moment here at 1:34 c.d.t., a massive thunderstorm arrived, so we watched the actual eclipse on Television from the Johnson Space Center about 75 miles to our southeast. It was very interesting.

But to get some sense of the event, we went onto the screened porch over looking the back garden and pool and watched the the sky darken under the clouds until the detail of the trees and bushes in the yard were hard to see. 

After about three minutes, the sky lightened like an early dawn where the light arrives ahead of the sun. Charlie the cat was unfazed with the eclipse, but a couple of close claps of thunder caused him to seek the comfort of his favorite chair in the living room. 

We will have another eclipse here in 2044, right after my 100th birthday. I can hardly wait. 

On 3/28/2024 at 2:19 PM, Lanky Lad said:

1. A damp day here, but no more work for me until Tuesday. 

Happy Easter to those celebrating this weekend. 

Happy Easter to you LL. And all our pals. 

On 3/7/2024 at 12:47 PM, NE John said:

I can’t get away from Britishness! At a pub in San Antonio, Texas. 

Is that on the Riverwalk? It looks like it might be.

March First. I have received and planted two citrus, an Arctic Frost Satsuma, and a Citron-Buddha's Hand. The Satsuma can take 15 degrees (f) and the Citron is in a light weight pot that can be moved indoors during freezes.

The deciduous trees all have buds or leaves including the Pecan's which I will treat today pre-emergent for thrups their buds are fat and will soon be leafing out. I got two Scarlet Hydrangea's for pots by the front door, and will also pot them today.

Since I am in my dotage now with a bum knee I am hiring a service to feed the lawn and kill the turf insects. They wanted to come eight times a year, but I got them down to four. We will see how they do this year, and I can make a decision for the long term.

I find Spring a very energizing time of the year and I need all the energy, I can get. After a couple days following a cold front, we will be back in the 80's (f) today, with sun and relatively low humidity. So today is a good day to "play" in the yard. 

The first signs of Spring are here along with a couple of days of cold nights, but nothing below freezing. Driving through the Woodlands, to the barber last week I noticed there is a definite green haze on the deciduous trees, and my Red Maple is already leafing out.

I removed the dead  potted citrus and prepared the pots for new plants and trees. I added a Republic of Texas Orange and a Citron "Buddha's hand" to the citrus order for delivery early next month. 

I am replacing my potted Hydrangea flanking the front door with another cold tolerant pair, this time in a brilliant red. 

The pots that previously held citrus on the pool deck will receive hot and cold tolerant Encore Azaleas in red, pink, purple and lemon yellow. 

In a continuation of my Oak tree collection I have a Cork Oak on order. I am going to grow it in a pot for the first year as it is very short and young. I had one when I lived in Southern California and it was a very interesting attractive tree. 

The underperforming plum trees and an Eastern Redbud have been removed from the rear garden The redbud was lovely in the spring and then after blooming develops seed pods that look like bats. Enough of that. 

Because of the heat last summer, I moved all of my Japanese Maples that were in the yard to the protection of my fern garden which is heavily shaded. The relocated trees have nice fat leaf buds already, and my green Fig is leafing out as well.

Yesterday as my Cat Charlie was sitting on the top of the sofa in my study which backs up to windows, he started making a guttural sound. I got up to look and saw a herd of ten Roe Deer crossing the front lawn. They live in the woods surrounding my house and will eat any thing they can. Last year, one gave birth in the area between my house and a hedge in front of the house. 

Life in the country. I love it. 

On 1/29/2024 at 10:52 AM, alc13 said:

That's a shame, Bigmike911.  I remember when you lost citrus trees a few years ago.  Your new Satsumas sound promising, hope they live up to their name.

If it can't take high heat or freezing cold, it probably won't grow in South East Texas. I am ordering re-blooming Azaleas for the pots. If not fruit, then at least some color. They love the sun in summer and the ones I have in pots now have wintered well. Not a lot will grow in zone 9 so it is quite a hunt. But if they can grow in zone 4 they should be fine for anything winter throws at them. 

Well February is nearly here and this January has been a doozy. Two weeks ago we had a Siberian cold front that took overnight lows to 11 degrees (-11.67c) for several nights among the lowest on record. I lost all of my citrus trees.

The last week 7.25 inches of rain over three days. There is still a pond of rainwater in the back garden. Warm and sunny on Sunday and I began the task of taking out the trees. I grew them in large pots on my pool deck, and was able to remove all eight of them. All but one came out with some dirt left in the pots. In one old tree, probably in the pot ten years or more, had the roots completely filling the pot and it came out with no dirt left. 

I have two Arctic Frost Satsuma Mandarins on order for March delivery. They will go down to 10 degrees and with some wrapping should survive. My days as a citrus planter are pretty much over, between the freeze of Feb 2021 and this year, the desire to replant is nearly gone. The Satsuma's are the last call.

The weather forecast for the next two weeks more like normal 70 high and 40 low. Once we get to mid Feb, we should be home free and I can begin to work on the yard again. 

It looks like it's been a tough winter all over the Northern Hemisphere. 

On 1/27/2024 at 4:00 PM, Host Hattie said:

The Sleep of the good. 

Queen Mary 2 has begun her 2024 World Cruise. Outbound she is traveling around the Cape of Good Hope and then to the east. On her return she is scheduled to travel through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean and then back to Southampton. At present there is a very hot war going on at the Strait of Hormuz at the Southern entrance to the Red Sea. 

I cannot imagine that Cunard would risk the Vessel, Crew and Passengers to bombardment just to maintain their scheduled route. That being the case, and unless something radical happens, the conflict will likely not be resolved by the time for QM2's return. What might Cunard do?

Go back the way she came around the Cape of Good Hope, which would likely add days to the voyage. And that might cause a ripple effect on future voyages in 2024, or cancel some of the stops in South East Asia to be able to return to Southampton on schedule?

Any thoughts?

12 hours ago, alc13 said:

We had our first real snowfall yesterday here in Maine.  This morning I saw 3 mourning doves warming themselves on the heated birdbath.  Smart birds!

Heated bird bath, You are a generous host. Well done.

On 1/2/2024 at 11:18 AM, Host Hattie said:

Just as I was reading this earlier the wind strengthened and the power went off !

It was back on within about 20 minutes and fortunately the wind had dropped by the time I drove home. This was the road between our village and the nearest town. 

I hope the weather improves for you, all. We have been having back to back storms a couple of days apart, they then head northeast over the Eastern Seaboard, across the pond to you. We have one more to go of this series, tomorrow, Monday 8th Jan, and I hope they use all their energy on this side of the Atlantic. 

Good Luck. 

Merry Christmas to All, and may good health return to those feeling poorly. It's cold (50 f) in southeast Texas, but dry and sunny today. The feast preparations are underway. Have a wonderful day, everyone. 

17 hours ago, techteach said:

Golly @Bigmike911, l’ve never tried to buy them. How about Etsy? Amazon provides them when you order an item from them and have it gift wrapped.

And the actually sell them too. I ordered a set of 12 and should have then tomorrow. I doubt they will be as elegant as your hand sewn ones, but likely better than my gift wrapping so far this year.  I still have four gifts to wrap, so I am counting on them working

1 hour ago, techteach said:

@Bigmike911 After filling many trash bins with wrapping paper I decided we were going to really take to heart Reduce-Reuse-Recyle. I bought lots of beautiful fabric and started sewing gift bags of all sizes. For many years I had purchased wired ribbon, so I attached them to the bags. It has really made getting presents under the tree an easy process. I wish I could say mine were all under the tree, but we don’t think we can do it until closer to Christmas because the 3-year old would want to open them immediately. I bet you’ve got your Christmas dinner all planned. Are you doing chestnut soup again this year? We’re having dinner on Wednesday at a restaurant with wonderful chestnut soup and I plan to order it. Happy Holidays!

Yes, it's cream of Chestnut Soup again this year. Along with Prime Rib with au jus, individual Yorkshire puddings, asparagus with Hollandaise, Waldorf Salad and Pecan Pie. The only change is instead of twice baked potatoes. Which have disappeared from the markets, I and doing English style roasted potatoes. With plenty of Vueve Clicquot to wash it down.

I like the idea of reusable gift bags, I will have to see if I can find some fancy ones. I have zero sewing skills. A loose button requires a trip to the tailor. Maybe Amazon?

Well, it's the week before Christmas. All of the decoration is done, but there are still gifts to be wrapped. Years ago when I was still at university. I got a Winter Break job at a local department store wrapping packages. I got quite good at it too. However sixty years later my skill or my dexterity seem to have failed me, so now just basic wrapping and tagging. No fancy ribbons or bows.

It will all be done by tomorrow as my cleaning crew comes Wednesday and the dining table, my wrapping station, needs to be cleared for them. My offspring declared that Amazon Gift Cards would be welcomed, and they come pre-wrapped and Amazon delivered. 

There are some good things about the modern age we live in. 

22 hours ago, ronpes said:

I hope most of you have escaped the snow today.

We did, but unfortunately, the overnight rain froze and turned the tracks down to the ponies like an ice-rink and too dangerous to bring them in over that. So,...we had to humph thier feed and medication down to them for a change. Oh well,,..it.keeps me busy. 

Not saying it was cold yesterday but,...I had 3 pairs of socks, a thermal vest, long johns, 2 shirts and two fleeces on lol,.....

There are reasons, I live in S.E. Texas and ice is one of them. Every three or four winters we might get snow, but never that kind of Ice. In the fifties when my dad was chasing oil and gas in Alberta and Montana, I got all the snow, Ice and cold this fifth generation Texan could stand. Here is to warmer times. 

The dishwasher tales continue. The repairman arrived promptly on Thursday, Actually a bit to prompt at 7:45 am. The diagnosis. The unit can be repaired for US$500, but the recommendation is to replace it. It is ten years old and the 'effective life' is seven years.

So following the idiom that doing the same thing over and expecting a different result, I ordered a new one. The white one which matches with the cabinetry, is no longer manufactured so I am going stainless steel. It is the path of least resistance. They have a built in version, but I would have to find a cabinet maker to create panels for it. I have  stainless ovens, built in microwave and cook top, so it won't be a big deal. The new one is due to be installed on Tuesday.

Christmas decorating has begun, a series of tasks that will take us til Sunday. Happy Weekend All.

On 11/27/2023 at 9:30 AM, techteach said:

We have stemless glasses for everyday wine, but at dinner use the stems. The Irish crystal hasn’t been out of the china cabinet for several years! We usually serve two different wines during a dinner party, so 6 people means 12 glasses to wash by hand. DH washes and I dry. We ran the dishwasher 3 times on Thanksgiving. I hope you didn’t have floor damage due to the dishwasher mishap @Bigmike911.

No floor damage, the kitchen floor is tile, and being in Texas the house has a slab so problem with the floor. I had a bit of good news today, my SubZero has been showing a wrench in the information panel indicating an issue. It also has a problem with water leaking and turning to ice. I had the SubZero repair guy out and he said the problem is a design flaw and is covered under warranty (on a ten year old refrigerator) The part has been ordered to fix it properly and the cost of the repair and the service call is fully covered. I doubt I will have the same luck with the Dishdrawer tomorrow. But these days every little bit helps. 

33 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

If there were a route to cheap varifocal specs, that would be a useful thing.
Also nearly all our knives are bone handled, which does not help the dishwasher’s cause.

You are right, there are some things that cannot go in the dishwasher, bone and wooden handled knives are a couple of them. But if I can get the rest of the stuff dealt with automatically, I can hand wash a few things. I also hand wash Crystal, because over time it will cloud from the heat of drying in the dishwasher. 

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to our American pals. I was so busy preparing for the event, as I am chief cook and bottle washer in my household. My Sister and her Husband joined us, and my son Jeff came down from Dallas to spend the weekend, so it was busy.

A sixteen pound Willie Bird fresh pre-brined turkey arrived from Petaluma on Tuesday and was roasted to a fair thee well. chestnut cornbread dressing, wild rice with mushrooms, green bean casserole (one of those American things) a Waldorf Salad, yeast dinner rolls for the meal. My sister baked a Pecan Pie a.k.a. as a Pecan nut pie in the U.K. and a couple bottles of Vueve Clicquot. Any one remember the Vueve Clicquot Champagne Bar on Queen Mary 2?

The low light of the day was the lower dishdrawer of my Fisher and Paykel dish washer leaked all over the kitchen floor as I was finishing the dinner. Well it got mopped quickly and the meal went on. The clean up after took longer than usual with only one dishwasher in service, fortunately the top still worked,  but it's all done, and on to Christmas. 

Happy Black Friday to all.

On 11/5/2023 at 11:23 AM, D&N said:

With my wife away, my prime task has been to integrate Coco-Canel and Ursel without sustaining scars on their noses. Still the odd hiss but they're getting on very well.

When not resting they madly chase each other around, which should be good for Ursel, who's tummy is probably a few inches bigger than she'd like after 3½ months with Carmel who wasn't fit to play.

On Coco's ears and tail; the photos of her alone make her seem larger than reality. I suspect the tail may fill out rather than get any longer, and likewise her ears may not grow at same rate as body, which is tiny considering she weighs more than Ursel did when a month older.

Ursel is Thai, more old style Siamese, her limbs aren't as long and slender as Coco's.

 

They are quite a lovely pair. I inherited a Siamese mix some years ago when a pal who buys and remodels houses found her abandoned in a house. The "creatures" who lived there burned a nick in one of her ears, and while not harming her looks it did give us her name Nickus. She was a spry small girl and the last of the three who accompanied me from California to Texas to go on to her next voyage. She loved to drape herself over my knee for warm naps. They make lovely companions, don't they?

I am sure she will settle in quickly. Ursel will no doubt advise her of her luck in finding two doting new parents. Congratulations. 

On 10/24/2023 at 5:26 AM, D&N said:

Sadly we had Carmel euthanised yesterday morning.

She'd suffered various respiratory problems from end of July on top of her long term treatment for heart and kidney condition. She stopped eating last week and her vet thinks her kidneys failed.

Her last photo taken Friday evening. She seemed reasonably happy for Ursel to have most of her bed.

 

I have been away for a few days, and was sorry to read today of the loss of your precious animal. Over the years several cats and a few dogs have come into my life to love and be loved and to go on to their next voyage. Each one has been missed, and now Charlie our black rescue cat fills our lives with joy and happiness. We will treasure him as long as he is with us. Again, my sympathy for your loss. Mike. 

Good News. The Banyan tree in Lahaina Maui which was potentially killed by the fire, has begun to put on new leaves. It will be a while before it is known that the total tree with it's 50 plus trunks has completely survived, but this is a great start. 

12 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Our day in Hamburg went well. Because of our late arrival (about 3:00pm), I didn't plan anything specific. I took the Cunard shuttle to the Rathaus to explore on my own. I decided to walk to the Elbphilharmonie which I had only seen from a distance before. I managed to get this photo.

 

 

I suspect our day in Southampton tomorrow will be similar. We'll probably take the Cunard shuttle to Westquay and visit the nearby parks.

If you have not already been the Solent Sky Museum is interesting, especially if you are interested in aircraft and boats. If you are at the Ocean terminal, you can walk, if you are at the Mayflower you would need a short taxi. (Solent Sky Ltd Albert Rd S, Southampton SO14 3FR, UK). I thoroughly enjoyed it.