Hawaii is experiencing a major winter storm. More than 14 inches of rain has already fallen, and the power is out in parts of Honolulu. Flooding is a concern across the state.
More than a foot of rain has fallen and power is out across Hawaii due to storm — National : NPR
Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Says More Donated Christmas Presents Needed Amid Pandemic Spike In Child Abuse — CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The elves have been busy at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Holiday of Hope gift drive – sorting, packing, and shopping for 2,000 children who have been victims of abuse. But their North Pole isn’t nearly at capacity. “Even though this looks like a lot, it will not be enough. We will…
Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Says More Donated Christmas Presents Needed Amid Pandemic Spike In Child Abuse — CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
U.S. Soccer Is Offering The Same Contracts For Its Men’s And Women’s Teams — National : NPR
The U.S. Soccer Federation is offering the men’s and women’s senior national teams the same pay structure, years after the women’s team filed a major lawsuit over equal pay concerns.(Image credit: Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
U.S. Soccer Is Offering The Same Contracts For Its Men’s And Women’s Teams — National : NPR
Nicholas Crawls Into Louisiana From Texas, Dumping Rain In Areas Struck By Ida — News : NPR
Forecasters said Nicholas would slow to a stall over central Louisiana through Thursday, with plenty of water still to dump, drenching the Gulf Coast as far as the western Florida Panhandle. (Image credit: Gerald Herbert/AP)
Nicholas Crawls Into Louisiana From Texas, Dumping Rain In Areas Struck By Ida — News : NPR
Forget Instant Gratification, Age Of COVID Teaching Shoppers You Can’t Always Get What You Want — CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
ATLANTA (CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — The rise of online shopping trained consumers to expect everything from groceries to furniture delivered to their doorsteps at the click of a button. But the pandemic is teaching them to change their expectations and realize… you can’t always get what you want. While the pandemic introduced many to online shopping for…
Forget Instant Gratification, Age Of COVID Teaching Shoppers You Can’t Always Get What You Want — CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
Never Have I Ever………
Stopped watching a show I love.
However, to explain further, I have loved Grace & Frankie, a Netflix series, since it started a few years back. This most recent season was delayed in getting a release date because of the pandemic situation and I have been patiently waiting for this final season. They recently released a few episodes with the remaining episodes to be released in the near future.
I absolutely love the seasoned actors, and the writing has been very good (from the writers of “Friends”). Lily Tomlin and her sparkling eyes has always been a favorite of mine, lighting up the screen on Laugh-In, and then in her various movies and other projects.
Lily, Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston, and Jane Fonda are the focus group of this show, but their “kids” are also being given story lines to round out the show. A few well-known actors and actresses have been in injected into the show to punch it up and add some interesting story lines. They have all been perfectly cast.
Getting back to the “stopped watching” reference, I have put these new episodes on pause until I can come to terms with the main character, Grace, played by Jane Fonda, being all plumped and Botoxed in the face to just create an unsettling vibe for me. She’s starting to look like her friend, Dolly Parton, but it appears it’s gone too far on Jane, who usually has a pleasant slim face that should not be plumped. Embrace your age! No one in their 80’s should be trying to look 30,. I adore Lily because I am not seeing any “enhancement”. If she has had any help, at least she keeps it under the radar and natural looking. Same with Sam and Martin. I haven’t seen any obvious signs of help. Thank goodness. One freaky person is one too many. Let’s keep the freak out, and the natural in.
Meanwhile, maybe I can watch without looking directly at her. But, she’s the main character and there are a lot of close ups. I’m just not ready yet. Maybe I’ll wait until Halloween, when freaky is in.
Hurricane Ida Leaves Hundreds Trapped by Floodwater and 1 Million Without Power — TIME
(NEW ORLEANS) — Rescuers in boats, helicopters and high-water trucks brought hundreds of people trapped by Hurricane Ida’s floodwaters to safety Monday and utility repair crews rushed in, after the furious storm swamped the Louisiana coast and ravaged the electrical grid in the stifling, late-summer heat. Residents living amid the maze of rivers and bayous…
Hurricane Ida Leaves Hundreds Trapped by Floodwater and 1 Million Without Power — TIME
Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington’s Bainbridge Island — Free Autocad Blocks & Drawings Download Center
A 1960s dwelling in the Pacific Northwest has become the first renovated home to achieve Living Building Challenge certification following an overhaul by US firm The Miller Hull Partnership. Located on Bainbridge Island in Washington, the Loom House is perched on a bluff overlooking the Puget Sound. Built in 1968, the residence was designed by the…
Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington’s Bainbridge Island — Free Autocad Blocks & Drawings Download Center
Updating is a challenge
So, after much thought and arguing in my mind, I updated our dining set from the 80’s. I loved that dining set, it was expensive, but it didn’t really fit our 7 year old “new house”. Yes, it”s taken me this long to make that decision. Part of the reason is, it’s solid, solid oak. They don’t make them like that these days. I didn’t want to have to slog through product after product that was flimsy and something I would regret spending money on. So, I trolled for months through all the dining tables and sets and chairs.
Here is a photo of the old set as I was getting it ready to be moved out.
Let me just say, there is. a. lot. out there. And, what’s also interesting, a company can make a style of table and then it’s sold to multiple name brands that attach their own name to it and you can’t easily track them all down to compare prices, which is something I do.
The decision was then, do I buy a matching set of table with chairs, or buy separately so they aren’t all matchy matchy. I decided not to be matchy matchy, plus I wanted to get away from being too much wood that would clash with the wood we already have in our house. I wanted to lighten up the dining area.
So, I found the chairs first. I had a lot of criteria to meet. It was slow and there was a lot of note taking, description reading, and alway “reviews” reading. That is the most important place to get a feel for the product and the company that is selling it. Found them, bought them. These are the Homepop Parsons chairs and I really, really like them for my space. Dove gray with a gray washed leg.
Next, it was finding the exact type of table. I decided on round to contrast with all the hard edges in the kitchen area, and it would make the space feel more open. With tape measure in hand, I measured to make sure table and chairs would fit in my space. I needed to seat 6.
I also wanted to have something unique, with a unique patterning on top. I then had to decide what base, whether it was a single pedestal or 4 legs. I wanted the chairs to be scooted in and out easily without any obstacles, so the single pedestal won. Now I zeroed in on the search results. The price was next to consider. And along with that were the reviews, because usually price dictates how quality a piece of furniture is.
Finally, I found the table. Against my usual thriftiness, I did not buy one on sale. I didn’t want to take the risk and wait for it to go on sale and be out of stock, or worse, be discontinued. So I ordered. And I paid additionally for the delivery guys to assemble it. Based on reviews, it would take 2 people to manage the flipping it over after installing the base. I could easily assemble it myself, but I didn’t have two people, plus they hauled away every scrap of packaging so I didn’t have to mess with that either. In this case, it was worth that cost.
My table is Kelly Clarkson HOME Cheatham solid wood Table. It just arrived and it is exactly what I had hoped for. It has a hefty base without too much frou frou. It does not have a shiny top, but a smoky gray wood finish with distressing. The intricate pattern top may not be a good idea for all. There are cracks and crevices that could be crumb catchers. A tablecloth during meals might be necessary if you have kids. Otherwise, I hate to think of covering up that pretty top. The chairs and table came from Wayfair.
I donated my old set. It has served us well these past 30! years.
And here is my new set in the dining space. I have 6 chairs, but show 4 so the base can be easily photographed. It is almost 60 inches and 6 chairs fit easily.
It was a tedious search process, and at times I didn’t think I would ever find something that fit my vision. Some weeks I didn’t troll at all because I was just tired of thinking about it. I was fearful of having any regrets of making a new purchase that would not compare to the quality of my 80’s solid oak set. I think probably, if you want that same quality these days, it will cost a pretty penny. What I did find, though, is quality and I don’t have any regrets.
I am ready for our next family meal and game night at the new table.
My doggie’s DNA test
I am heavy into my own family’s genealogical history. I have had my DNA test done and it has been the most interesting journey to see where my own family came from. We knew Ireland, but I had no clue that the split is between Scotland ( over 1/3) and England/Northwest Europe (almost half). The rest (17%) is a smattering of Ireland, Wales, Norway, Germanic Europe.
So, when DNA tests for dogs came about, I really didn’t feel the need to spend the money. In 2017, I rescued from a local shelter and adopted a pretty cute little girl. She is the best tempered and lovely companion. They had named her Violet and I kept that name. She was about 9 months old and everyone was her friend. She had no fears, and flopped onto her back every time for a belly rub. To this day, she is not afraid of thunder or lightning. She will be wary of gunshots (we have a few gun lovers/hunters in our rural area), but she will not run to hide, but will get close to me.
Some of her behaviors have been interesting, so now I know where they come from. Rabbits and squirrels are her areas of interest (Mountain Cur characteristic, and probably Beagle), and when we walk around the pasture, her nose is always to the ground (Beagle); the swallows drive her crazy when they come back here in the spring and she is out in the yard running and chasing after them as they fly overhead. We have had a couple snakes in the yard, and she was VERY aggressive to them. She would not leave them until they left the yard. On one occasion, one was curled up near a tree, and she positioned herself between it and the deck where I was. If I made any movement that direction, she absolutely growled menacingly at me so I would stop. She was protecting me, and letting me know it was dangerous to get any closer. She stayed near to that snake until it left. Another time I took a video of her pouncing around a snake coiled up in the corner of the fence. She would dart in to quickly menace it and she antagonized it until it finally left. She was relentless.
Otherwise, her demeanor is quiet and peaceful. A very low maintenance dog with no fears and is not clingy with me or nervous when I leave the house. She is happy to get in her kennel and wait for my return. She never barks when I return, or whines to be let out and has never been a “pacer” in her kennel. She is as quiet as a mouse and patiently waits for me to come in and open her door. I always give her a treat. She quietly beds down in the car when we go anywhere and is never anxious, or barks, or whines. Like I said, she is the most perfect pet we’ve ever had. I tell people she’s a lover not a hater, and will most likely lick them to death.
She just recently was treated with a disc issue that meant keeping her from jumping on and off furniture, and no stair running, which she liked to do for playtime and I would throw her toys up for her to chase. It took several weeks on pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds with a couple of follow-up vet visits before she was finally pain free. But, absolutely no more stairs and limited furniture jumping.
So with those expenses, and a couple other small expenses like ear infections, I decided to opt for pet insurance as she may be the first dog we’ve had that has cost us any money with health issues. I also decided to do the DNA test as I had absolutely no idea what she was.
Well I got those results back today and I was so surprised to find she is a mix of over 40% Mountain Cur (never heard of it, but a dog bred for treeing and has a good temperament) and also of Beagle (which we have had a Beagle before and Violet looked nothing like a Beagle), 22% is labeled as SuperMutt. And she has 3% Japanese Chin. Mountain Cur is where she gets her features from: her ears, her black mask around her eyes, her size, the brindled brown markings, and the way her tail curls over her back.
In addition to the breed results, they provide very in-depth reporting on potential health issues and known identified potential health risks to keep monitored. Her most serious health concern was a potential for a disk related issue, which is exactly what she was treated for before I submitted her DNA for testing. Had I known about this risk, I would never have started her on the stairs play time that she loves. It is a most definite no-no for this inherited risk. She is very healthy, but there are a couple of things that the vet can monitor and can be managed as needed. I am sooo glad I decide to invest in this test.
We were also linked up with her closely linked “cousins”, mostly Beagles at this time. There is only one closely matched Mountain Cur mix in that bunch right now, and that will change as more people get their dogs tested.
The Embark website sets you up on your own page showing all the pages of intensive results for your pet, and you can also take some of their surveys that help provide information gathering for their researchers.
I highly recommend getting your dog DNA tested. It can be a very life saving, as well as potentially money saving, test for your family pet.
I used Embark for the DNA test, and I found Pumpkin Petcare had the best packages to choose from.
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