The Besttechie Cafe'


Recommended Posts

well it's bright and sunny here. i can see it through my new High Definition Glass Windows.

????? you say

well a group of kids late last night were walking through my neighborhood and just started throwing rocks at windows. they got about 6 houses before taking off. someone got up and recognized one of them and the police rounded them up. insurance will cover it but that's not nice. :mad:

i got an idea for another invention last night right after the commotion. a desk meant to also house the computer tower inside one of the drawers with a removable panel on the side and cooling fans built right in. looked it up and found out that it's already been patented.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 1.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Hi everyone,

bozodog, that was a gorgeous sunset picture!!! Thanks.

We have had some more wild weather. Had to shut down computer so fast the other day I don't even know if I logged out of the two boards I was on. Seems to take fforever to click out of several windows, shut it off, and unplug computer and phone line, with lightning flying around head and a torrential downpour hitting the place. I HATE thunderstorms!!! And we had it easy, with a half inch of rain in a few minutes, compared to some of the metro area that got over an inch of water in 15 to 20 minutes which caused mudslides, and roof cave-ins and trees down etc. Still not as bad as that place in California that lost so many homes, so we are lucky.

Sure wierd to have so many of these storms this past month.

I got my Early Girl (most reliable for here) tomatoes at Home Depot the other day, but still haven't finished getting garden ready to plant, (had to hide the plants in the basement to keep my cat from chewing them, as she decided last year she liked the taste! grrr!) so hopefully Sat will be dry and we will get it done, and stuff planted. With all the cool wet weather they will probably sulk for next week or two, but then take off like crazy with some sun I hope.

My Jackamani clematis finally started growing during the couple of warm/hot days we have had. Yes they do like cool roots and warm upper growth. Some also need judicious fall pruning, but pruning and to what degree, depends on which kind of clematis you have. I read an article a few months ago about that. Didn't know there were several different types of clematis until then. Anyhow mine likes to be pruned to just a few inches from the ground every year which I have been doing ever since a neighbor friend told me that's what he did, and he had the most beautiful clematis around here for years.

We are now into Rose Festival time, so that is nearly always a rainy period, though the weather forecasters think Sat night's Starlight Parade will escape, but with rain expected right afterwards. And several more days of rain to come after that, then dry a day or two, then more rain. So will the Grand Floral Rose Parade on Sat, the 11th, be dry? Who knows?!? The Fun Center downtown is used to being rained out and muddy for the whole festival over the years too. Before I forget to tell you all, the Rose Parade is being carried locally on NBC, and is usually picked up on many NBC affiliates across the country, if anyone is interested in watching it check your local listings.

On another note, the security issues for all the Navy and Coast Guard (both U.S. and Canadian) ships coming down the Columbia river to the Willamette to dock downtown for the festival, is being checked out early and seems to be an ever growing concern for safety for them all since 9/11. Of course there wont be as many ships here as there used to be, plus the public tours on board are more restricted and subject to security checks. I haven't even heard when the ships will start arriving. They usually warn people as to what days and times the drawbridges will be up to let the ships through, so they can take alternate roads.

I'm sorry Mac about the rock damage. Glad they were caught, and that insurance will cover it.

Some one with a very tall truck, or ladder and rope, or something high, broke off the top off the main leader for one of my fruit trees last week. Must have been one of the two hot days that I had my air conditioner on, or I would have heard them and maybe if it wasn't so hot the neighbors would have seen or heard them too. They left the one limb going towards but wasn't over the street that is rotting and will need to be cut off this fall, no they had to take out the the main leader for whole tree. So now my tree is topped and ruined. I am so mad at them for their destruction!!!! They didn't leave a trace of it on ground, just a tiny withered branch stuck in the nearby branches. If they snagged it with their truck, which would have almost had to be up on curb, then I hope they have some damage to truck!!!! No other trucks, including hook and ladder fire trucks and even a few lost drivers of semi's doing u-turns, have ever hit any part of the tree before so they had to have worked at it I think, especially when they missed the next one that would have broken easliy and was closer to street. When people do things so destructive I start in talking about becoming a hermit away from people altogether. At least move out of this town, the sooner the better. I get so discouraged with people sometimes.

God bless everyone.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Bozodog,

A friend who takes your garden leftovers is pretty valuable, huh??? I also hate throwing plants away.

Hi Macmarauder,

I'm sorry to hear about your windows--what a mess broken glass makes--and you'll find it in the yard for years :angry:

I know how that goes being a little late for an invention--I was going to ask you to invent a 6' tall solar yard light (could never figure out why there are only little bitty ones) and last week I saw one at a local store! All I can say is "finally"--now to justify the $100 for something that might get walked off with, although I doubt that would happen in Montague. NOW, a solar light that can be attached to the front of my backyard shed HASN'T been marketed, as far as I know..... ;)

And why hasn't diet grape sodapop been invented????

Hi Sidekickcat,

I grow early girls, too, but we have such a short season, that's the best bet. Wish I could grow grape tomatoes (they're sooo good) but MY grape tomatoes end up being the size of a small egg! For some odd reason, I haven't seen any advice on keeping tomatoes small :P

That's rotten about your tree!! I wonder what happened? Of course, it couldn't be the limb that needed pruning, right?? Wish I had the room for fruit trees on my city lot, you must have a big yard!!

The Rose Festival sounds like our Holland Tulip Festival getting rained out every year!! Doubt it will be on TV this far east, but I'll look for it.

Sigh...in a bit of a funk today. My offbeat humor got one friend mad at me (I sure hope not anymore, I apologized but feel awful!) and another friend got me upset......women!!!!

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

MMMMMMMM!! squiiiiirt

(licks lips and makes noises)

(reaches into fridge and grabs squirt)

(chuggs squirt)

i got more in the fridge, want one. :D :D :D :D :D

on a side note i've got a warning message for everyone out there. do NOOOOT under any circumstances every take a ride with my father when he's driving a car with more than ....... well any amount of horsepower for that matter. after fixing the window this morning he came over and we took a drive to woodland park. i didn't know that he would be driving his new toy :rolleyes: (600+ HP 69 chevy malibu) He may be a 50 year old man and a retired race car builder but god i feel like i just survived a day of flight school.

Edited by macmarauder
Link to post
Share on other sites

Mmmmm, coffee! Hot, strong, and black please. *YAWN* Scrambled eggs, black bread toast, and a bowl of fruit. Eat up folks!

What a week this has been! Must be in the stars for all of us.

Sorry about your window Mac, those kids should be sentenced to 5 years using Windows 95 :P

Thought I would have a nice relaxing weekend off after the 1st week back to work. HA! There is just too dang much to do. Now, since the Brit is a geek, *I* have to give the string trimmer and chainsaw their spring #^$@%$(#&*^*#^@%@ get your a$$ started tune-up. Ya gotta love them dang small engines that are supposed to save us time and effort. Still haven't gotten straw to mulch the garden and weeds are lurking. Have to load up the water canon and continue Jedi campaign against the poison ivy. And all I wanna do is kick back on the patio and watch the grass grow.

Maybe if the Brit is a good boy I'll take him to The Kalamazoo Air ZooI just love all the great planes in this, the worlds largest collection.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello All!

80 degrees+ and humid today, with a light breeze--my kind of weather. Beautiful--and spent too little time in the garden--running errands instead, yuck, but need to get those graduation cards for tomorrow. Expensive side effect of all those kids of "mine". After writing the checks, I'll be like "The Little Old Lady" and have to move into a shoe :P But I feel honored that they invite me to their ceremonies and parties.

Macmarauder, you haven't lived (or appreciate living through it) till you've driven with my son. There is a very good reason why we made him buy my 4 cylinder 190,000 miles on odometer Saturn, other than a good "family discount"--because Moms are mean! He still manages to drive it like he stole it, though. I'm surprised it hasn't gone "poof" yet...

Bozodog, that was a good link!! The Muskegon Air Fair is in July, which I've been to a couple of times (and when the kids were little, we used to drive to a nearby movie theatre and watch from the parking lot, too!) I just love, love, love to watch the F14,16, whatever the numbers are (the noisy ones) planes doing "loopdy loops"--and the sound of those jet engines--pure power. People who know me as the "sensitive-pacifist-environmentalist-artist-mommy" just can't believe me when I say I just love those planes! They all say, "you're kidding again, right?" One year they had the (asks Hubby what it was called...) B1B Steath Bomber fly past--how boring--it was quiet as a car and didn't do any tricks--didn't even go fast......I should have been a fighter pilot!

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Macmarauder, Macmarauder, Macmarauder.....sigh

You've been busy!! Those links were a combination of scary and cute--Baby number 3 looked just like Daughter at that age, awwwww :) but what was on the end of the kite??? On the other hand, I don't think I want to know...

Here's some 30-weight sunscreen. I'm lucky enough to inherit my Jewish-Bohemian Grandmother's coloring--I don't need sunscreen--if I DO burn, it turns brown in 24 hours :)

Spent today playing outside! My "formerly dead" rosebush and hibiscus DID come back to life--hooray! Had to water AGAIN, boy its dry this year, I sure don't like that, can't figure it out, we are surrounded by the Great Lakes, the biggest fresh water puddles in the world, yet our water is more expensive than my sister-in-law's water in....Arizona!! Arizona!! It's a desert!! Why is water so expensive here in MI??

Bozodog, you had some horrendous weather around your area (we were sunny and not a drop of rain!) Did you come out OK? Poor Bozodog's area had tornado warnings, straight-line winds, thunderstorms, trees down, power out, all sorts of havoc. 2 1/2 hours away at the lake, it was beautiful!

Thats about it on my end...boy do I lead a boring life!

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not a leaf down here Blim. I live in the Kalamazoo river valley and most of the storms affect the flatter lands to the south and north. Did get a lot of much needed rain. Too bad you're on city water... I have a well and all it costs is the price of running the pump. But as you know, the plants love rain watering much better then a hosing...

Anyone serious about grilling outside? We just got a gas grill and I have some old recipies that need sharing. Most of my grilling has been on an open wood fire these last many years. So I'm off to plop some BBQ chicken on the gassy and see how my skills carry over.

Banana Bliss

Bananas, semisweet choc chips, miniature marshmallows

Slit bananas lengthwise, in the peel. stuff with marshmallows and choc chips. wrap in foil and heat on medium for 5 mins. Yummy!

Grilled Pinapple

Sliced pineapple rings, honey, (cherry) brandy, lemon juice.

Marinade in honey and liquid in fridge one hour. Cook on lightly oiled hot grill about 10 minutes, till caramelized. Delish!

Enjoy the lazy, hazy, daze of summer.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sup Everyone...

In between the time I have with the move of my company, I haven't had much time to pop in here and see what all the comotion is about. It seems that the topic is tanning, or burning for some, and just plain weather in general. It is about 83* this morning and it is only supposed to get hotter down here in Florida, with (lets hope) scattered showers and some rain to cool this atmosphere down a little bit. The humidity is killer as well...standing in the shade you still sweet as if you were in the sun...that's just crazy talk! Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to throw some choice words together for a little rhyme dime time.

Wish all that is well for each one of you and I'll check back as often as I can just to answer anything I can be assistance of!!!

ENJOY!

Link to post
Share on other sites

(CNN theme music)

this is your action news with macmarauder

(CNN theme music)

in earlier news, Bush Claimed that he was abducted from his royal alien parents when he was an infant and brought to earth. he proclaimed that he would like to renounce his president thingy and return home in the mother ship to claim his throne and fulfill his destiny buy feeding the starving aliens of Narlak Prime

just a few minutes ago the alien mother ship sent a reply to Bushes request to which they denied all claims to Bushes alien heritage and said "not if you paid us in McDonalds Bucks"

(CNN theme music)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi All,

Power went out today, so I decided it would be a perfect time to defrost the fridge. Perfect day, no storms, no idea why the power went out--glad it went kaput before I turned the computer on.

We lose power alot around here, usually due to windstorms. When we first bought the PossessedGateway, I asked the salesrep what happened when the power went out, he said, "nothing, don't worry about it", I asked my techy nephew, he said, "nothing, don't worry about it". 2 weeks later, the power went out (PG was off) and when power came back on, there was this scary flashing red, blue and green screen, saying "check this, check that", and of course, I didn't know what to do! Check Cables?!? Beyond me!! I called Gateway Support, saying, "don't worry about it, eh? So what the heck do I DO??" The tech laughed, said turn the power button on and thanked me for the easiest call he had that day!

Bozodog, those grill recipes sound delicious, I'll have to make Hubby try them, he is our "grillmaster" But I'll skip the marshmallows on my banana, never liked 'em. How do you like the gassy? We're still using ol'fashioned charcoal (but we did upgrade to Spartan Brand Matchlight, just as good as the namebrand and no lighter fluid needed!) Gas grills are great because I hear you can grill when it's cold! Glad you had no damage from those storms, the radar made them look like whoppers!

Vile, nice to hear from you, I'll try my best to keep the commotion level up, and I have a feeling Macmarauder will pitch in for "the cause" (we do read eachother's minds, afterall :) ), check in when you get some time!

Ahh, Macmarauder's been watching the news channels today, eh? :lol: Hmmm, missed that newsflash, must have been during the power kaput. Think they would take BurgerKing gift certificates???

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

A nice sunny morning here....can feel the heat already. Well coffee's on and grill cheese sandwiches are almost done. Have a seat and enjoy if you like.

Today is going to be another yard day. We got a few more things to do (small things) and then it's sit back and enjoy the summer.... :D

Have a good day everyone.....and take care.

B)

Link to post
Share on other sites
We're still using ol'fashioned charcoal (but we did upgrade to Spartan Brand Matchlight, just as good as the namebrand and no lighter fluid needed!) Gas grills are great because I hear you can grill when it's cold!

Hmmmm, never liked the "match lite" stuff, it has wax in it... So unless you let it burn off (like forever) your're introducing the petro porducts to your food.

As I said, most of my outdoor cooking has always been on just plain ole wood fires. I always hated firing up charcoal and waiting and waiting.... Not to mention the mess of ash and grills burning through.

I'm loving the "gassy". Lava rocks give you the even heat and flavor of an open fire, heats up faster, and is easier to keep clean. I am now searching for a free source of hardwood chips/sawdust to add even more flavor. ($120 at WalMart. fill up on the gas tank, $15)

Dinner tonite: Sirloin steak, asparagus-oiled and lemon jucied, garlic-buttered cheeze bread. All on the grill.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Did a bit of weeding this morning, and picked the first batch of raspberries. Nice and big, but not as sweet as they would be if there had been some sun lately. But with some whipped topping they will be just fine for dessert, after bozodog's fine grilled dinner.

By the way, bozodog, have you checked out any local lumber mills for hardwood mill ends, or local cabinet makers too, or even some of the free for the taking pallets which used to be hardwood. I agree with you about not doing petrol products. Liz, what about using one of those upright can charcoal starter thingys? Or a flint lighter, that is what I use to light propane stove in MH. We don't do outside grilling, I figure I roughed it enough when I was a kid. I had all the bonfires I ever want to see, as folks burned stumps to clear our place. And when the days work was done, Mom just cooked on the bonfire. Had enough of that to last a lifetime for me.

Hubby was still working outside when we got a heavy rain downpour, oops! So as he ran to put away the electric weedeater thing, I ran out to grab all the other yard tools he had laying around, so we both got wet. (I bet the Grand Floral Rose Parade got hit by that hard shower too!!!)

Liz, come to think of it, now that you asked about that sweaty, mail delivery impaired, mailman, I haven't heard anything about him lately so don't know if they were able to fire him or not. Last time I called the P.O. supervisor to complain about yet another problem which turned out to not be due to that guy at all, so I asked if he was fired yet. Nope, he had a couple of weeks to go, and they were subbing him on other routes. I said as much as I don't ever want him on our route at least we knew to be on guard, but the poor people on other routes wouldn't have a clue that their mail was in jeopardy. They were trying to build as thorough a complaint log on him as possible from as many people as possible hence the other routes sub duty. Said they have to have tons of complaint evidence to fire someone who is disabled, compared to healthy people who need to be fired. ???? :rolleyes: ???? And that is all I am going to say about that ... ??? :rolleyes: ??? so as to not to get to many "PC" people mad at me.

tenmm, are you one of the "critter getters", for wild animals? Or in pest patrol, as in battling the bugs? or ???

That critter getter thing reminds me to mention don't go near any bears folks, or get between a Mama bear and her cubs! Someone got his arm bit by a rather angry bear up in SW Washington the other day, didn't hear the details of why he got so close.

Liz, I hope you have a surge control for your computer, so your computer doesn't take a hit when power comes back on with a surge as happens once in awhile.

And be sure to uplug computer, phone too, when there are thunderstorms in area. Every now and then I see threads on G4 that someone's computer got fried during a storm.

Well I think I'll get another cup of coffee, and read the rest of the boards here, then head over to the store between showers later this afternoon.

God bless everyone.

Edited by thesidekickcat
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi All!

Nice and hot here again today, I am loving this weather after our brutal winter. Sheets on the line today--a lot of communities are banning clotheslines--sure hope ours never does. I especially feel for the folks who have pools--where do they hang their towels? On their decks--that looks a LOT worse than a clothesline. Can't figure that "new fangled law" out, especially since we should be conserving energy--and in the summer, 20 minutes and almost everything's dry--quicker than a dryer. Our sox and undies go in the dryer (because they're a pain to hang) but everything else goes on the line, except when the farmers are spreading manure on their fields ;)

And I picked my first 2 red strawberries. Did I give them to the kids, Nooooooo, I ate them right there in the garden (perks of organics, no rinsing required!). One of the only times I'm completely selfish :rolleyes:

Tenmm, I was going to ask what you did, too. Hope it doesn't involve skunks! Folks around here sometimes get racoons in their homes and the occasional deer-what a mess they make.

Bozodog, Montague has a "stick pick up" program, where the city picks up branches once a month. Does Kazoo have anything like that? Our guys grind the branches up and pile it behind the maintenance garage--they supposably use the woodchips, but "charming" people like me who ask nicely and promise not to leave a mess can help themselves anytime ;) That place has been a huge source for gardening stuff--I made planters out of sidewalk chunks that I got from their "little dump", find rocks and bricks to line gardens and of course woodchips. Especially for your grill, you won't need "more than a paperbag's worth" (another one of my tricks is the "paperbag"--I just occasionally *refill* it ;) )

Mmmmmm, steak--my favorite!! I'll skip the 'sparegrass, though. I live in MI and don't like asparagus, cherries or fish. Go figure.

Sidekickcat, hooray that at least the sweaty mailman isn't on your route anymore!! I hate to see anyone lose a job, but I'm less sympathetic if they don't earn the right to keep the job in the first place.

So you could predict the weather by the date of the Rose Parade again, 'eh??? I sure hope it wasn't a "wash out" (yeah, very corny pun intended, I just couldn't resist)

And yep, we do have surge controls on the idiot boxes--when the power goes out, I turn the whole strip off, because sometimes we get "flickers" or this on-off-on-off stuff as the electric company is trying to repair what's broken. When the power is on for at least a half hour with no goofieness, then I'll turn the power button on the surge strip.

Still trying to get it through the kid's heads to turn off the computer during thunderstorms. Probably going to take a fried computer, though--and I make sure to tell them that if they fry the computer because of "irresponsible use", they're replacing it, not me!

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

LOL, Macmarauder, and dancing right along with you! (although I have 2 left feet--Son's Dance Team LOUDLY groans when there is an uneven number and I have to practice with them. Shoulda learned to play the Accordian so CoachCarol could dance instead of play the music, but......its the Accordian....) Glad the Martians let you come back to us, I've missed you!

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

Good dinner tonight from bozoddog. Did everyone like the raspberries I brought?

Sure glad I got them picked before the rain showers.

Mac, that sounds like a bit of a foot stomper dance to me!!! We are stomping out sweaty, mail delivery challenged, mailmen!!!

Or what was that song title years ago..."I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair"(mailbox)? That would work with your lyrics and dance too.

I hope everyone is ok with whatever the weather is in your neck of the woods.

I saw breaking news towards end of news tonight of a bad tornado in Wisconsin. I hope no one there was injured, but oh what a 2 mile mess that will be to clean up.

Yep the rose parade had some showers hit it, but not a total wash out like some years. The parade may escape it most years, and can be in the 90's even, but for the whole festival time there is usually some rain.

If anyone wants to watch the entire parade, I started a thread in the On The Web, or whatever it is called, section. Unfortunately you have to sign up with KGW tv to watch it. So I added plenty of spam warnings too.

Time for the cat's medicine, so bye for now.

God bless everyone.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess I should make better posts... Re: hardwood... the best of the best is cherry or hickory... for grilling that is. Apple is good too. If I remembered I could go out to the orchards and pick up the fruit tree trimmings... Oak from palets don't quite get it... it's great for an open fire cookout, but not for flavoring on a grill.

(*makes note to stop by the custom millwork place for shavings)

Hooray for the "sweaty mailman dance" taps toes to the music.

Been very hot here for 2 weeks... storms everywhere around us, but not much here. Ewww, weeding the garden.. dang buggers always grow faster then the veggies.

Blim, if you have a "good" surge protector it will have an equiptment guarentee.. Mine has places to plug in my cable and phone line too... Just need a Smart UPS to keep from the stupid hard crashes.. Need a bigger HDD anyway, but not just yet.

Check this out.....

Flowers make a beautiful and tasty garnish for salads.

Chive flowers: light purple, mild chive flavour

Chrysanthemums: faint peppery to mild cauliflower flavour. Blanch first and

scatter on salad, or put the petals in a vinaigrette.

Daisies: light mint flavour, use petals only.

Day Lilies: Dramatic color with a slightly sweet taste.

Marigolds: mildy peppery flavour use petals on salads or in soups.

Nasturstium: bright color with a nice pepper or radish taste.

Pansies: Multicolored with a grape or clover flavour.

Rose Petals: Tastes as delicate as they smell. Used for centuries in jellies, jams, teas, and over salads.

Squash Blooms: Zucchini flavour, try it stuffed, sauteed, or fried.

Violets: Great purple color, with a sweet taste. Add to salads or mix in honey.

Luv to all.....

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...