Looks like we could use an open thread. This is my current view. We’re six inches and still snowing. We could definitely use the moisture. The ducks are not happy because it’s only about 16 degrees F and they’re cooped up, literally.
Bitching about it to me every time I go outside. Yesterday, once it was in the mid-twenties, I let them out for a few hours.
They made a beeline for the patio door and continued to bitch about the weather.
It’s going to be a long winter….
Open thread
TaMara
I’m off to shovel, again. Want to keep a bit ahead of it, sounds like it’s gonna be steady most of the day.
OzarkHillbilly
@TaMara: No heart attacks, please.
zhena gogolia
I don’t blame the ducks. I bitch about the weather all winter too.
Almost Retired
Leftovers. Ugh. With God as my witness I will never eat turkey again (shakes fist at refrigerator)!
Tom Levenson
Your ducks speak for me.
Except for the effect on the summer mosquito population, I hate subfreezing winters.
dmsilev
@Almost Retired: We’re having the last of it tonight; turkey barley soup. Make stock from the bones and some carrots and onions and herbs, then cook with the last of the meat and some pearl barley and whatever leftover vegetables seem appropriate. Good for a cold day.
JPL
A neighbor’s cat jumps over the fence and scouts my backyard for chipmunks. He’s pretty good at it. Anyway, Puffy saw one of the grand imps at the backdoor, and decided to see if he would let him in. Yup I have a dog, so not a good idea. Fortunately Carter asked me before opening the door.
Miss Bianca
Yeah, we got about 6 inches or so down here in the central mountains. I have to roll down the hill to take care of my boss’s critters, so I’ll be rolling…carefully.
And hey, TaMara – just wanted to let you know that the maple-bourbon-sauced turkey was a big hit, but you know what was even better? Maple-bourbon-bacon bits Brussels sprouts! They were so good, in fact, I’m going to have to get another bottle of bourbon to make more this weekend!
pat
Open thread..
I had my second cataract surgery on Tuesday. Long-range lenses, astigmatism corrected, old trifocals totally useless.
So I bought two “cheaters,” one for reading and one for computer. Work well but then I’m always looking for one or the other (fortunately I got two that look different). So where did I leave the computer glasses….. oh yeah, they are on my head. Have to take them shopping if I want to read any labels. Nuisance.
Glad that at least I can drive because it will be several weeks before I can get new glasses. Trifocals!! Yay! Put them on when I get up, take them off when I go to bed. See near, see far. :)
cain
@Almost Retired: This is why we just stick to chicken. :)
kindness
Pretty pics. I miss snow. I have to drive up to the Sierras to be in it.
Sure Lurkalot
About 3” of very dry powder snow in my Denver backyard. The sun is trying to peek out and the squirrels are romping around and chasing doves.
The thanksgiving beef bourguignon was a hit and there are leftovers but we didn’t eat them last night. Too rich for back to back. I ate very little yesterday and accomplished even less (could have been the wine imbibed).
Harrison Wesley
It was a brutal 69 degrees here in Bayshore Gardens just an hour or two ago.
NotMax
Phrasing!
:)
Ohio Mom
@pat: From what I’ve observed, the secret is to buy multiple readers so there are readers everywhere. In every room of the house, coat pockets, car, wherever. You will still lose all of them but it takes longer.
When I had my cataracts done I asked to remain slightly nearsighted. This way, I am always wearing my glasses (bifocals). I have worn glasses for over half a century and would feel weird without them.
The Pale Scot
Soup/stew w/ lotsa celery, onions, carrots and egg noodles, then into the freezer
MomSense
No snow but the wind yesterday and today has that winter chill. Today and tomorrow I’m back to chores.
The ducks look cold – like they could use sweaters. Hmmmm
TaMara
@MomSense: Maybe capes? I’m just trying to imagine putting sweaters on the prehistoric beasts.
I follow a woman in Canada (more like stalk: youtube, FB, IG, TikTok) who has a rescue farm (Useless Farm) and she’s forever putting her critters in clothing, including a cranky Emu and her ducks. We won’t discuss her injuries, but the costumes might be a reason why, LOL
Almost Retired
@dmsilev: For years my wife would make soup from the leftovers and divvy it out to three different elderly widows up and down our street. The tradition was such that if the soup was late, a mildly irritated widow would show up at our door. Alas, all three recently passed away. It was not from the soup.
Eunicecycle
@Ohio Mom: Even when I had multiple readers, they somehow would always end up in the same place, by or in the chair I usually sit in. At least I knew where to look!
Scout211
TaMara, Thank you for the cranberry-apple sauce recipe. It was well received, even by those who prefer the jelled cranberry sauce from the can. I will make it again the next time I am hosting a houseful.
As I mentioned downstairs, we had a smoked turkey this year. My daughter and SIL ordered it through their favorite butcher/meat market and drove it down with them from Washington as their contribution. All we had to do was heat it up on low for 4.5 hours inside the butcher paper it was wrapped in. It was so moist and so tasty. And so easy!
It was a good day with warm sunshine and plenty of outdoor activities like badminton and tetherball to work off the meal.
TaMara
@MomSense: OMG, and just like that, she’s got “ducks with arms” video
citizen dave
@pat: My wife has been told she needs the surgery, and put it off, at least for this calendar year. Thanks for the report. She has really bad astigmatism and a whopping prescription for distance.
eclare
@TaMara:
Very cute! And yes, your ducks need coats or sweaters.
narya
I have so much pumpkin filling (pumpkin, mascarpone, and Italian meringue) left–this morning it went onto French toast. Tonight I’ll toast some leftover bits of joconde and make a dessert with that plus more of the filling. Meanwhile, I still have the pear-poaching liquid AND the syrup I used on the joconde; I think I’m gonna mix some of one or the other with soy and miso and marinate tonight’s salmon with that, then cook in sesame oil. (There’s a lot of ginger and lemon in the syrup and poaching liquid, and I’ll add some lime, and maybe some heat.) I hate throwing things out, but I fear that some of this stuff is gonna end up down the drain; there’s only so much I can use. Usually sugar syrups will last forever, but they can mold if anything gets in them. And I have a jar of ginger ale mix, too . . . I managed to give away a VAT of that last night, but there’s a medium Mason jar of that, too.
RaflW
Monarch & Eldora ski areas have done well in this storm hitting Denver. Alas the places I frequent west of the Continental Divide are at about 50% of normal snowpack.
It’s early days, but it’s also been warm till a week ago, so snowmaking has been slow, too.
Saw a YouTube of insanely crowded conditions at Keystone just before Turkey Day.
Ruckus
@pat:
Glasses.
Are you like me, have needed glasses for over 60 yrs? Since I had lasik surgery about 25 yrs ago I didn’t need distance glasses but about 20 yrs ago had to start wearing reading glasses. Then one of my meds affected distance vision and I had to start using distance glasses again. But since stopping that my distance is back and so I only need reading and short distance glasses. Have reading glasses all around the house so that I don’t have to hunt for them, plus a pair I carry with me when I’m out and a pair in the car.
This getting old crap is getting old…… however it does seem a tad better than the alternative…….
TaMara
@narya: I suspect the jackals would support a monthly-ish recipe post with photos if you wanted to showcase some of your creations. I’d be happy to guest post it.
TaMara
@RaflW: It was weird the other day when I realized I was looking at a snow-less mountain range last week.
If it gets up to the 40s as promised tomorrow, this snow will be gone (foothills elevation) by the time I head to work on Monday.
BlueGuitarist
I can’t help but hear Here Comes the Sun when I hear “long winter”
Here’s a link to a lovely quarantine version by The Midnight Callers, with cameos including adorable baby and pets.
(video is just under 2 minutes)
the smiles will be returning to our faces!
https://youtu.be/jZJmXwJoqFo?si=T5zqSBncRxtowuFz
narya
@TaMara: that’s tempting . . .
dmsilev
@Almost Retired: Michael Dukakis used to (maybe still does) make large amounts of soup from the leftovers, and one year he did a newspaper interview in which he said that if anyone had turkey carcasses that they didn’t intend to use, they could bring them to him and he’d make more soup.
He ended up with something like 25 carcasses. That’s…a lot of soup, which he gave to a local senior living building.
cain
@Ruckus: Getting younger?
TaMara
@narya: Well, you know where to find me. And it would relieve some of the guilt I have for falling off with the recipe posts.
Ruckus
@citizen dave:
As someone who has had lasik eye surgery I can say with experience, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
Yes the recovery takes a few days, but there is zero pain and my distance vision has remained very good, other than that one medication that affected it, which no doctor has ever heard of as a side effect. (I believe that the medical term for that is I am a freak. I don’t think so but then I’m not a doctor….) (close vision goes out for a different reason, I’ve been told)
Jackie
@BlueGuitarist: Thanks for the smile! We’re currently socked in with freezing fog.
narya
@TaMara: Okay–I even took a picture of the pear tart, so . . .
I used to fantasize about competing on Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star.” (I did not really want to do that, but I did fantasize about it.) My point of view was going to be “use shit up,” because I hate to waste anything, and I use scraps of this and that to make a one-time-only meal. It’s a state of mind, to me–I have these bits and pieces, what can I do with them? Is that something that would appeal? So many here seem to be accomplished cooks and bakers, I’m not sure how much interest there’d really be, but it could be fun!
Ruckus
@cain:
Yes.
That seems to be the only alternative and I don’t believe anyone has figured out how to accomplish that.
Many have tried and all have failed…… Maybe it’s time to rethink this living thing and try to do better at what we get, rather than try to change how long we get.
JPL
You might need an account to see this, but next year my turkey gets the google eye treatment. Mastodon
BlueGuitarist
@Almost Retired:
thanks for this lovely story.
MomSense
@TaMara:
OMGOODNESS
The ducks look so cute in those coats and the sweater vest is ridiculous in the best way.
Jackie
@JPL: Oh my…!😳
Jackie
Remind you of another short-term GQP congress critter?
JPL
@Jackie: My family has a group message where we share photos and such. Everyone shared pics of the bird before cooking, and I hope I remember to put googly eyes on it next year.
trollhattan
@Jackie:
Wish to note that George Santos (inventor of water and Britney Spears) did not fleece poor, low-information voters to gain his congressional seat, he won over some very, very wealthy voters.
Had not realized this until recently.
Jackie
@trollhattan: Those wealthy, wealthy voters turned out to be really dumb suckers!
pat
@Ohio Mom:
I got my first glasses when I was 12. I am quite happy to wear them all the time and can’t wait for the new trifocals. I can’t believe how OLD I look without them. Hate to look in a mirror!
JoyceH
The GOP just stopped doing oppo research in the primary phase of the election. I think Trump convinced them that backstory didn’t matter. Just another way that Trump damaged the Republican Party. ETTD.
scribbler
@narya: Lots of interest from me! I love to read about what you’re cooking and baking.
pat
@citizen dave: I paid extra for the astigmatism correcting lenses and they were not cheap. But as I said, I can drive now without glasses and when I get the trifocals I’ll be wearing them every day all the time.
pat
@Ruckus:
As I mentioned a bit ago, I got my first glasses at the age of 12. Got contacts when I got out of high school. Hard contacts, could not wear the soft ones.
Later I needed glasses to read, and got prescription glasses (bifocals) to wear with the contacts and that worked pretty well and then I stopped to ask myself, why am I sticking contacts in my eyes and then wearing these bifocals all day long?? So no more contacts.
Eventually I got the trifocals. I want glasses! I look better in glasses! Not so many wrinkles visible!
Cheryl from Maryland
@pat: After my spouse had cataract surgery and eagle eye lens, he bought cheaters for every room in the house AND cars, travel bags, etc., as he would put them down somewhere and then forget. I’ve been told to expect cataract surgery in the next few years, so every successful surgery is a balm to me.
CaseyL
Another Lasik alum here! Also absolutely the best thing ever, although I’ve heard it can complicate getting cataract surgery. (I was very very astigmatic, so they had to carve the hell out of my corneas.)
I’ve also lost most of my close-up vision over the last few years (and now wear readers) but that might have happened anyway with age.
I still recommend lasik unreservedly
Another Scott
A hawk just lightly bumped into our patio door. Dunno if s/he was chasing something. S/he flew off before we could get a picture, of course.
That happened maybe a couple of years ago, also too. I wonder if it was the same one.
Cheers,
Scott.
dmsilev
@Jackie:
LetThemFight.jpg. If George wants to go out like Captain Ahab and his colleagues in the GOP Caucus are his Great White Whale, I for one see little downside.
Baud
@Jackie:
“I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message.”
JoyceH
This is a new topic. Tuesday I’m getting a puppy and this is the first time I’m bringing a puppy into a house with another dog. Everyone who’s had multiple dogs say that the older dog will love it, but I can’t help worrying that she will feel neglected and/or supplanted by the newcomer. Can dog owners with multiples reassure me?
Sandia Blanca
@narya: Do it! I also love to find creative ways to use up small amounts of random ingredients. Your desserts sound heavenly!
JPL
@JoyceH: Maybe Tamara or Betty will give you some helpful hints. Truthfully, I would just bring another one home and deal with it. I did have a slight problem when the SharPei would toss pillows down for the Golden to chew up. Oh and once they enjoyed edges of the Oriental rug, but that’s it. They plotted whenever I left the house
Dan B
@Miss Bianca: I’d love to have the Bourbon, Maple syrup, bacon bits, Brussel sprouts recipe, even a rough description will do for me the retired chef de cuisine.
trollhattan
@Another Scott:
As Larson taught us: birds of prey know they’re cool. Except for the whole colliding into stuff bit.
In my backyard by the fishpond, was startled when a bird landed near my feet. We pondered one another for a few seconds then it flew off in a sprint–I think mortified that it had not noticed the hooman. Very distinctive looking bird, not large, and I had to pore through the bird ID tools to learn it was a merlin.
Merlins are small, fierce falcons that use surprise attacks to bring down small songbirds and shorebirds. They are powerful fliers, but you can tell them from larger falcons by their rapid wingbeats and overall dark tones. Medieval falconers called them “lady hawks,” and noblewomen used them to hunt Sky Larks.
oldster
TaMara — sorry to have lost the plot, but:
Where do you live?
I’m just looking at that snow, and wondering how far away it is.
(From upstate NY).
trollhattan
@JoyceH: Our old lady Dalmatian Gracie was appalled when we brought a puppy home, and wanted nothing to do with him. She caused no trouble, just wanted to be elsewhere and would exit when he was around, which we learned to honor.
He, of course, wanted her to play, play, PLAY and didn’t understand why the feeling was not mutual.
She was given her own territory and we for the most part, but not exclusively, separated them. This was greatly aided by crate-training the puppy.
Ruckus
@cain:
One thing I’ve learned, if nothing else in this life, is that as much as we may want to, we never, ever, in any way, get younger. We may feel better, we may even look better, but get younger? Not gunna ever happen. At least I still look younger than I am. But. As the days roll by, even my youthful looks are slowly fading away. At least when people look at me they don’t think I’m as old as I am. Laughs on me though, as I am as old as I am, well into old fart territory.
lowtechcyclist
@Cheryl from Maryland:
I haven’t had eye surgery, but I wear the same pair of bifocals everywhere except at my desktop computer, so that’s the only place I need to leave a pair of different glasses.
After half a century of this, I’m pretty used to it: I put on my glasses when I get out of bed in the morning, and wear them all day. No thought involved. If laser eye surgery gives me good enough distance vision so I only need glasses for close work, but I have to have them on me to, say, read a restaurant menu or my laptop screen, then things are easier now than they would be then.
WaterGirl
@JoyceH: I do usually bring the current do to meet the potential newcomer ahead of time, but I’m sure that’s not possible here because I think you said it’s a 5-hour drive.
But it’s nothing like bringing a new cat into the house, which can be very complicated.
Henry was very happy to have 2 dog visitors last weekend, and he was crushed when they left. If only we could explain things to our dogs and cats.
I say don’t worry about it. it will likely be just fine right away, but if it’s not, it should be just fine in fairly short order.
Congrats again on the new puppy.
Ruckus
@JoyceH:
Just another way that Trump damaged the Republican Party. ETTD.
He just brought it out in the open, they have been damaging themselves for decades, trying to turn back time, to a point that they could get their hate and racism on again. But the world has changed. It still has a ways to go and needs work to continue to improve the lives of not just the rich but of everyone, even those that do not fit into their tiny, specific boxes, with limited boxes for only their ideal of themselves, trying to create a world that has never existed in human history.
Ruckus
@pat:
Yeah, 12 here as well and have been through all of that, including as I said, lasik surgery and my distance vision is good, but with the screen approx 4 ft away, I have to wear distance glasses to read the computer, reading glasses to look close and don’t need them for longer distances, such as TV or outside/driving. The human body is not a bad contraption but many of us need things to help us actually have a decent life and not hurt others because we can’t actually see or hear well enough, or use our brain in constructive and non hateful or selfish ways.
JoyceH
@WaterGirl:
One thing I’ve found encouraging is that when Jazzy and I took a walk recently, we encountered a very young and bouncy peekapoo, and Jazzy seemed quite interested in it. She’s always lived with cats that just ignore her. Before the pandemic, we went out and did things, went to dog classes and so on, but we’ve been such hermits lately and I think she’s bored. I just hope I’ll manage the adjustment, always having been a one-dog person. And haven’t housetrained a puppy in ten years!
JAFD
@citizen dave: Had cataract surgery, both eyes, about three years ago. Definitely worth it, can do without glasses much of time.
Anyway, got prescript for new lenses, last month. Trying to find place that has frames I want – 160mm earpieces, so can bend into ‘hook’, not worry about sliding off. Got current ones from Zenni.com, but don’t especially want to repeat.
JAFD
@JAFD: On subject of optics: Have a swing-arm magnifying lamp, with 4 1/2″ magnifying glass surrounded with 8″ round florescent tube. Mount to workbench starting to fall apart, old age and metal fatigue. When I replace it, if any handyperson wants to do something with the light fixture and/or magnifying glass. let me know.
Jackie
@Baud: Yes, indeedy!
stinger
@JoyceH: Having the initial meet-and-greet on neutral turf can reduce any territorial conflicts. So, for example, you can take your current dog for a walk down the street and have someone else bring up the new dog. Let them sniff each other a bit, so that they aren’t complete strangers, and current dog sees you pet new dog. New dog is acceptable to Mom, rather than a threat. Then they should be able to meet on your home grounds, and new dog can enter the house without being attacked.
If new dog is literally a puppy, most adult dogs do accept puppies pretty well in any case. Good luck! Post pics!
TaMara
@JoyceH: It took about 6 weeks for the oldster in my house to adapt to the new puppy, or even the older rescue. So don’t be concerned if it isn’t “love at first sight”.
As we speak my current three are romping around the yard like they were still puppies, playing together in the snow
TaMara
@oldster: I live in the Front Range of Colorado, just east of the mountains. We get absolutely weird weather patterns – a ton of snow while the mountains get none, blue, sunny warm days while the mountains get blasted. Fun times.
ColoradoGuy
I’m in a town nearby TaMara, and yes, the Front Range in Colorado gets weird, very changeable weather. 50F swings in 24 hours are not unknown. Also, where I am, roofs have to certified for 120 mph winds, since we get microbursts, hurricane-strength winds that last a few minutes then go away. This can happen on a clear, windless day, with no warning.
Unlike Back East, the air is so dry, and the sun so bright, the snow just evaporates most of the time.
Tdjr
@TaMara: That’s hysterical! I may have to check out her feed.
oldster
@TaMara:
Ah, thanks — not an east-coaster, then. We get some weird weather up in Upstate, too, esp. the so-called “lake effect” snows caused by the westerly winds picking up a ton of moisture from the Great Lakes and dumping it just east of them.
But so far we are having a mild early winter — flurries, but no measurable accumulation.
trollhattan
@ColoradoGuy: [note to self: if relocating in future, only move to Back Range.]
ColoradoGuy
@trollhattan: Known as the “West Slope” around here. I know, weird. Very different than the extended city/suburb/exurb that goes north-south from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne, Wyoming (which is right on the border).
The West Slope is scattered, quite rural towns. The Front Range are a collection of rapidly growing towns and cities mostly about 15 miles from the actual foothills, for some reason. The towns follow the routes of the first branch railways extending south from the Transcontinental Railway going through Cheyenne.
The bizarre weather is the result of the warm, wet Gulf of Mexico winds colliding with cold, dry air from Canada, and acquiring a spin when the two air masses push against the 14,000 foot peaks of the Rockies. The tornadoes of Oklahoma and Kansas start here, and yes, we get occasional tornadoes. Most houses have basements for just that reason.
No earthquakes, so there’s that. And we don’t get the sticky, humid summers of the East and Midwest regions.
StringOnAStick
We used to live in the far West side of Denver, in Golden. The local car lots had to install canopies as demanded by the insurers after a couple of car destroying hail storms in two year span. Unfortunately they just did shade cloth on rigid frames instead of solar panels on rigid shelters, but since the owners of car dealerships are invariably wing nuts, there’s no way they’d install solar unless forced. Their lobbying group is one of the most powerful and funded in DC.
We now live in central Oregon, where hail is a lot less common. We paid to replace our roof last year, after having had 5 roofs paid for as hail damage claims in 23 years in the Front Range. Lots of hail-flattened gardens there too.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@TaMara:
sab
@JoyceH: We were given a pupy years ago wil we already had three older dogs. The pack leader was an 8 year old german shepherd. She adopted that puppy as her own, and the other two dogs accepted that decree. We didn’t get to do much with the puppy because it was hers!
Miss Bianca
@Dan B: Hi, I didn’t see this till just now – our sprouts recipe is pretty much improvised every time, but certain elements remain the same. We marinate them in a peanut butter jar, or some other wide-mouth jar with a screw-top lid. Wash and cut in half about 1 lb* of sprouts and pile them into the jar. For the latest marinade iteration:
olive oil
maple syrup
bourbon
bacon bits
salt and pepper
(we pretty much just eyeball the amounts going in – probably can’t go wrong with about 1/4 cup each of the liquids/lipids**).
Seal the jar and then – we tend to take it on a little journey, either in a backpack hiking, or down the road on a car trip, so that the sprouts roll and slosh around and get thoroughly coated, but a good shaking/storing sideways in the fridge ought to do just fine.
Then put them in a baking pan, seal tightly with aluminum foil, and roast at 400 degrees for anywhere between 30-45 minutes (depending on your elevation – we’re at almost 9000 feet, so we tend to cook them at higher heat for shorter periods of time.)
Total experiment, but wow! Were they good!
*or however many end up fitting in the jar :)
** or however much looks like it will coat the sprouts properly
SWMBO
@narya:
Can you freeze it in ice cube trays? Take out a small amount to use later?