Stray Thoughts 2.0

[Cooking Goddess]

Mosquito bites

Himself refused bug spray when he was headed out to grill the steaks. He told me he'd just give the mosquito bites to me. I stayed inside.

Just started to scratch my right wrist. Looked down and found a mosquito bite! How the heck did he do that???

 

[Cheryl J]

Make him take it back.

We don't get many mosquitos here, thank goodness. The folks with swimming pools and ponds may get a little more, but I'm not usually bothered by those evil little critters.

 

[Dawgluver]

DH is almost as good as bug spray. He attracts gnats, so they avoid me. He sprays himself down, but they still like him better. No mosquitos yet this year, but they're expected shortly. I'm more of a tick magnet.

 

[Dawgluver]

First time I've ever seen a butterfly drinking out of my hummingbird feeder. I thought it was a dead leaf, it sat there for a long time, then it flew away. We also have a pair of downey woodpeckers who figured out how to drink from the feeder. Glad they like my cooking!

Oh, and we also have hummingbirds, but they keep kicking each other off the feeder.

 

[Addie]

If they have a choice, skeeters prefer thin folks over those who might have more poundage on them. It seems like the fat gives off an offensive odor to the little critters. A perfect excuse to eat heartily during the summer months.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I call BS on that, Addie. I am FAR from thin, but mosquitoes love me to death. I'm pretty sure it's because of all the hot air I exhale.

*************************

Dawg, we have a feeder that is enclosed by a wire cage to keep squirrels away from the seed and suet. We have both downy and hairy woodpeckers that love the suet - but only the downy can fit in. And the squirrel-proof feeder (soooo misnamed!) has all of the smaller birds feasting happily...until the squirrel shows up. Caught one in the act today. Meanwhile, at the Oriole feeder, no orioles but a couple of cat birds that love the grape jelly! And, alas, only hummers at the hummingbird feeder. No flutterbyes.

 

[Addie]

I call BS on that, Addie. I am FAR from thin, but mosquitoes love me to death. I'm pretty sure it's because of all the hot air I exhale.

*************************

Dawg, we have a feeder that is enclosed by a wire cage to keep squirrels away from the seed and suet. We have both downy and hairy woodpeckers that love the suet - but only the downy can fit in. And the squirrel-proof feeder (soooo misnamed!) has all of the smaller birds feasting happily...until the squirrel shows up. Caught one in the act today. Meanwhile, at the Oriole feeder, no orioles but a couple of cat birds that love the grape jelly! And, alas, only hummers at the hummingbird feeder. No flutterbyes.

CG, when we lived in Texas, some idiot planted a banana tree right next to the door. Every morning my whole door was covered with skeeters. I used to have to call the city to come spray my door so I could safely get out. It seems the banana tree was the culprit. Every night the leaves would collect all the dew and create puddles in them. I tore that fauna up so fast when the city pointed that out to me. Problem solved. About a week later, the city called me and asked me why I wasn't calling for the spray truck anymore. I told them, and they said that they would send out a bulletin to all the households regarding the problem with banana trees.

Regarding feeding habits of those critters, it was a report I read when living down there. My personal thought to that stupid information was, "Well I am going to stay as fat as I can for the rest of my life." Like you, it didn't help me either. I could die from either an infected bite or being overweight. Or both.

 

[Dawgluver]

Fireflies! I just saw a firefly outside my window!

 

[Addie]

Fireflies! I just saw a firefly outside my window!

That sounds like the first sign of summer.

 

[siciliana]

I like your signature, Dawgluver

 

[Dawgluver]

Thanks!

I love that the original band from the first Hawaii Five O from the '70s was put back together for the remake. Of course, I have to dance to it!

 

[cinisajoy]

This forum should be labeled hazardous to your wallet.
Looking at all the fun stuff, I would need a bigger kitchen and a bigger wallet.

 

[Addie]

Just Wondering

My kids after watching numerous shows from England, are fascinated with the names of things that the English use that is so different from American usage. Such as Bonnet and Loo. Going to hospital really amuses them instead of using "to". They remember very well their father using so many of them.

So for our good Canadian neighbors, are there any expression from England that have crossed the pond to the soil of Canada?

It is getting a bit difficult watching these great shows from England. And even some from Canada. Every time they hear a word in the English shows, all I hear are yells and hoops of hollering of "Dad used to say that!"

Even though their father lived here for many years and eventually became an American citizen, he refused to give up his native language. And I can't say I blame him.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Well D*#!@$

Looked up at the microwave display when I put my water kettle down to boil water for tea. The display showed ":". Um, there are supposed to be number either side of that colon. Tried the Microsoft Restart Trick: unplug, count to five, plug back in. Didn't work.

Now I'm thinking I shouldn't have given the vent hood to Salvation Army after the garage sale...

 

[Andy M.]

Looked up at the microwave display when I put my water kettle down to boil water for tea. The display showed ":". Um, there are supposed to be number either side of that colon. Tried the Microsoft Restart Trick: unplug, count to five, plug back in. Didn't work.

Now I'm thinking I shouldn't have given the vent hood to Salvation Army after the garage sale...

I've been using my Sharp microwave without a display for years. It's really not much of a problem. The real issue is you can't easily tell how much time is left or if you pressed the wrong buttons.

I can't replace it as it fits in an 18" space because the control panel is across the top of the microwave rather than down one side.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Thanks for the good news, Andy! The numbers aren't displaying only when the microwave is resting. I actually ran a couple tests on it - I love doing the troubleshooting to try and find the problem before I have to turn something over to Himself . However, I tried the timer - it displayed the time remaining and worked. I nuked something on high - same results. Also in the defrost mode. I'm guessing the quick-cook buttons may all be non-functional at this point, since one or two of them went out when the "5" button stopped working almost a year ago. No "5"? No problem. 61 seconds works for me.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Numbers! I see numbers! Himself wandered into the kitchen to see what foods I was playing with, and to look at the microwave. He asked "did you try setting the clock?" Why, no, I didn't. He said since the number buttons (except the 5) were working, why didn't I try that? I hit the clock button, look at the clock on the stovetop and...see 5:55.

I waited until the time rolled over to 6:02 PM, tried it, and it worked! Bonus, one minute later is showed 6:03. At least the micro provided amusement - after annoyance, that is.

 

[GotGarlic]

CG, is it still working? What does it say now?

How about now?




? :runs and hides:

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Right now? It says that you should be hiding good.

 

[taxlady]

I was going to suggest setting the clock time. My power goes off often enough that it was actually my first thought. I see that display every time the power goes off.