Hog's Head

Cottage in Blaise Woods, Bristol, England. Photo by William Cousins.

Good morning. Aberforth, I'll have one of your new butterbeer lattes, please. If you would add a dash of pepper-up potion, that would help! Dobby, how about some grain and nut pancakes topped with berries, please. Perfect for the continuing rainy weather. It's not raining right at the moment but is predicted to be off and on all day.

Yesterday went to an open house at my vet's new location. I had actually been there before when Willow had her annual checkup, but they weren't totally settled in yet. It's an amazing facility, small but really complete to be able to do pretty much anything for small animals. They'd set it up cute, too, with stuffed animals on the examining tables, recovery cages, etc. Made my appointment for Willow's dental work to be done next month. Not looking forward to it, but it certainly looks like the proper care will be provided.

Here's to a healthy, healing, cozy kind of day...

Hello on a sort of cloudy dull day in AZ. The sun wants to come out but the clouds aren't letting it.
My niece left this morning to head back home. My poor sister wasn't able to come at all. She got to the airport Thursday to check in for her flight only to be told it was cancelled. She was so upset and in tears when she called me to tell me she wasn't coming. And my poor niece was already in the air! Katie landed in Phoenix to text messages and a call from my sister to tell her the news then. I have to say this about my niece, she is a roll with the punches kind of gal. We were all disappointed but Katie and I still managed to salvage a nice visit and a good time. I feel so badly for my sister. I hope she will take some time for herself and come down for a visit soon. I was so looking forward to a good visit with her.
The weather was a little cool here, just in the 60's, but at least it was sunny. Katie and I took a drive around Tucson and had coffee downtown. Yesterday we went for a short hike in Saguaro National Park and then out to lunch. The restaurant we went to has good food. Yesterday the service was really really slow so it took way longer than it should have done. When we got back home we went to the pool. You can always tell the Minnesotans. They are the ones in the pool when it is 64 degrees out. Grant you, it was mostly the hot tub! It felt good though. Katie left this morning to catch her flight in Phoenix. I miss her already.
So I'm feeling a little blue today. It will pass.
George is looking good with his haircut and yes, he is giving the cactus a wide berth. I'm so glad he didn't get any needles into his skin. When we did the landscaping we kept the only cactus we planted in the front yard where they can't get to it. I think this bowl of Bob's experimental cactus transplants will have to go out there too.
That's all from here. Hope you are all having a nice weekend!

What a shame, MJS. Was she flying  American Airlines. ..they made our trip home from Kauai a nightmare. Glad you  had a nice visit  with your  niece.

Love the woodland scenes. ...Bear and I  used to wander around the dry creek bed into the woods in late Winter before the snakes woke up and the poison  ivy began creeping  along.

Wish we had simple  icons to post  if we were too tired to do anything but  wanted to respond  to someone 's thoughts.
I'd push one now....see you tomorrow.

Good evening to everyone,

Well, I just got back from the Oscar's and I'm soooo glad that Lois and I went. What a spectacular ending to the event!! Definitely one for the books! If you didn't see the awards by the time you reads this it will be all over the news anyway. What a mix up, from what I saw by viewing the video that was posted immediately after the show, someone handed Warren Beatty a wrong envelope, that's a first for the show.....in any category! I didn't see any dresses that I thought were really fabulous but will check out what the 'Fashion Police' have to say tomorrow evening.



It was an exciting evening ......for sure! But now I need to get some sleep.

Here's a little something to help you in the 'pepper-up' department Always.



Blessings for the start of a wonderful week for everyone! Hecate3fold!

Morning all

MJS glad you had a nice visit with your niece, hopefully your sis will get a chance later to spend time wi you bummer!  Enjoy the fact you moved we are still getting snow and it h been cold for weeks sigh, make sure you post Picts of your cactus when they bloom and we love to see George and Phoebe as well, have a great week, hugs dear!

Hecate I noticed FB was all abuzz about the oscar mixup, unusual for sure, thanks for the pick up potion, it is snowing again and all I want to do is sleep arghhh!  Hope you have a super week, tell Lois, and Laurene hello from me hugs to one and all!

Karentia counting days hope you have a super trip! Hugs dear!

Always great cottages iwish we had a village of them with gentle brooks and shady trees!  Hope you have a super week, give Willow a scratch for me, hugs dear!

Maxie don't.work too hard take care of you as well, hugs dear hope you have a super week!

MM D hope you are doing well, staying safe and dryish hugs dear take care!

Dobby I would love an omelet with loads of spinach and cheese, some sourdough toast and a did of fresh fruit Alberforth a mug of your house blend please, thank you both!

Hello to Whomever else might drop by ,have a great day all !

Fire for a bit, if I doze off Dobby make sure I don't sleep too long I do have errands to run today sigh!

Have a great day all!

Fairytale home in Bloomington, Illinois. Built/photo by Chris Martin / Dornob.

Good morning. Dobby, I'll have a couple of 5 minute eggs with avocado, plus a tall mug of coffee, please.

Oscars? Glad you had fun, but I far preferred my evening with The Walking Dead, which has a far, far better take on reality!

Here's to a healthy, healing, kindly day for all.

I spent the evening with the Long Island Medium, and the show on reuniting family with adopted members, as adults. Sweet. But stayed up way too late.

We had a brief snow flurry, already over.

MJS if I was your sister I would have been hopping mad! Is she getting reimbursed? Given travel vouchers? Grrrrrr. Glad you and your niece had a good time. Yup, hot tub at 64 sounds good! I was in there this morning! Just glad mine is inside!

Finally cooling off. Got so hot after the sauna, even after a shower. Got a little more time for relaxing, then back to the rat race.

One week from time off! I make sure I have a couple of days before and after for laundry and packing, as well as any errands. Woot!

Good Evening Everyone,

Hi. I have been trying new hours with my pills. I think I feel better. I am not always sure if I should take some medications, especially when the effects seem to last forever.
My Doctors were lax about telling me details. I started taking thyroid when I was 19 but no one mentioned that I should not eat with it until maxecat discussed it a few years ago. And I just realized I was taking my blood pressure pills too close together.

I only saw a bit of the Oscars. Can't believe how sloppy the mix-up was. I do like the beautiful gowns the ladies wear.

Too bad about your sister's trip MJS.

Your trip sounds wonderful Karentia.

I am trying to sell some vacation time. However it is harder than I would like. That is what I get for listening to sales people on how easy it is to rent these places.

Hope you are all having a good week.

Good morning and a Happy Pancake Day! Aberforth is taking a turn in the kitchen today and cooking up some special pancakes for the day. You can watch him working on them HERE.

Here's to a healthy, healing, enjoyable day for all...

The timeshare is a delicate delima - it has been such a wonderful opportunity for you and Tony, but yes, it does come down to time to choose something else. I've seen many people advertise their timeshares in the newspaper, I'm assuming you can do it on Craigslist, or other websites? So glad you have figured out about the timing of your meds, MMD! I take all my supplements during breakfast and lunch, and only take my allergy Rx before bed - it makes me very sleepy. Yes, you might want to keep a drug diary, put in amounts, timing, empty or full stomach, and any possible side effects. You could keep the side effects pamphlet from the pharmacy in that as well, it helps when you are unsure of something new - is it me or just a side effect? Good luck! Hugs!

Love the pancakes! Talented artist! How many do you think they went through to get that down? Fun video!

Off to get my hair done - Mr Donald is waiting!

It's amazing how much stuff happens here when you're gone!

I have some good news about my sister. You remember how she's been sick for so long? Well, she has these red, itchy sores all over her body that come and go and no one has been able to tell her what it is. She finally went to a dermatologist last week who said she has a staph infection and the nerves are misfiring making her itch. She's now on an anti-biotic, some anti-itch cream and something else I can't remember to help calm the nerves. It's working! The sores are starting to heal and she doesn't feel like a slug who can't do anything. She's happy someone was able to diagnosis her after all this time but the misfiring of the nerves can't be cured. I was telling her it was like when a got my ASD diagnosis. I knew I had something, went to all these doctors and it was years before I got a diagnosis. You get mixed feelings about it; you're happy you have a diagnosis but then it's not something that can be cured and you have to live with it for the rest of your life.

Her birthday is March 3rd so we're all going out to eat dinner. Now that she's on the proper meds, she feels well enough to actually go out.  My BiL isn't sure what to get he so I just told him flowers. Then later my sister came to talk to me about how he wasn't sure what to get her (he gets stuck wanting to get the perfect gift) and she said she would just be happy with flowers.    So, I told him I would help him order some flowers later today.

I've been working on my brochure and have it practically finished, Just need some input on the text and layout. I've been using Adobe InDesign (the program used to be called PageMaker) which is what the pro's use though my version is an older one. Haven't used it in a while but I pick up using these programs pretty fast. It's much easier to wrap text around a photo then in Word. I feel like you have to fight with Word to get it to wrap the way you want. Sent a PDF version to the president so am waiting for her feedback.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!!        

I see Dobby has prepared us a special King Cake filled with a butterbeer cream. He also made a traditional one which is cinnamon. Enjoy!  

umpteen years as a practicing Catholic never had pancakes on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Love the creative ones.

That's great your sister finally found some relief, shrivelfig. Now she can get on with her life.

Happy Birthday...flowers are always a fun gift.

Rain for 48 hours. sigh....more on the way. Last time Winter was like this the tornado hit just South of here.

Because Larry's flight was delayed until this morning, I had to work his shift. ...he's safely home,but I'm beat.

love to all

Good evening to all,

This has to be quick, i'm so tired............

I'm a little late but we can still celebrate our own Mardi Gras....................









And of course Dobby and Winky have gone all out to create a fabulous feast...................









We also have some cakes and drinks..................











Blessings for sweet dreams and sunny days!  Hecate3fold!

Morning all

Shrivelfig that is great news about your sis, it is hard not knowing and a great relief when there is some results, here's hoping she hope to improve every day! Sounds like things are going well, hope it continues that way hugs dear!

Maxie glad hubby made it home safe and sound, hope your dismal weather doesn't become a tornado and that we all get some pretty sun soon, we have had skiffs of snow every morning but at least it has melted quickly could certainly use some nice weather! Hope you have a great day dear, hugs dear!

Hecate thanks for bringing the Mardi Gras to all of us, I love king cake don't get very often but always enjoyed it hope you have a great day dear, thanks for all the great Picts! Hugs dear!

Karentia sounds like things are going well for you nice you are and that you are feeling more like your old self, hope you have a great day dear hugs!

Always love alll the cottages thank you, hope you have a super day and that you get some pretty spring days as well, give Willow a scritch for me , hugs dear!

Hello to every one else hugs all!

Dobby how about a couple of eggs, some fresh fruit and a slice f the king cake, Alberforth a mug of your house blend please, thank you both!

Fire for a bit, it is quite chilly this morning, have a great day all!

March Cottage, Oughterard, Co. Galway, Ireland. Photo by ChooseACottage.

Good morning. Dobby, a simple eggs and avocado breakfast with a mug of coffee will be perfect, please.

MMD... Good luck with the timeshare. Hope it works out well and soon for you.

Shrivelfig... That's good news about your sister. Must be a relief to know what's going on so it can be treated.

Maxe... I never had pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in my younger years (never even heard of doing it), but now that's the one day of the year when I DO have them! Had a lovely batch of buttermilk pancakes topped with blackberries yesterday which takes care of my annual treat quite nicely.

Had a minor miracle yesterday. I finally managed to put in a new blade on my scroll saw without having to call over my neighbor for assistance! Learned the trick from watching him the last time... namely, get a flashlight so you can see what you're doing.

Here's to a healthy, healing, fresh new month kind of day...

Always, I got a head light - a flashlight attached to a head band so I have hands free light when I am doing things. I love it!

We survived the storms last night. Pretty lucky here, but not so lucky south of here. I do not like tornadoes. But a rolling thunderstorm is ok, as long as the lightning strikes aren't too close. I don't ask for much. We did need the rain though.

I managed to break up a bunch of empty boxes in my basement that were taking up a lot of space and making cozy storage/hang outs for that mouse. I think there was only the one and he's been gone for awhile now, but boy was he busy storing bird seed he'd collect from outside and bringing into my basement. I also found a whole bunch of bird seed in an old shoe! And orange peels! I had dehydrated some orange peels for potpourri and had them in a baggie down there and it managed to get into it. I found slices and bits of orange peel all over the place too. Who would've thought? Now we can get under the steps in case of a tornado. I still need to get rid of a lot of junk, maybe this will give me the push I need.

Never been to Mardi Gras.....bet it's a blast but oh, the crowds!

Glad you're safe muggleborn. It was quite wild today but no tornado warnings. So grateful for a good roof.

Aren't the photos of the party food beautiful? They brighten the day.

What a surprise to find some daffodils in the rubble of the weed garden.Thought they had all died or rotted. It's been so long since I worked that planter. Just in time for St. David's Day.

Must plant some this fall. They are so cheerful and the deer avoid them.

Spring must be coming soon...Maddie has been eating grass. Yeah...Spring purging...last night it was in my bed...yuck. One of the reasons the carpeting bought for the living room is still tightly wrapped in the garaged.

Want to make it an early night. Love to all.

Hello! Happy Wednesday!
After a couple days of clouds and passing rain showers today was sunny and bright. Just what we moved here to see.
I forget who asked but my sister received only a partial refund in the form of a voucher from Allegiant Airlines. I read the fine print and if the ticket is non-refundable (it was) and the reason was mechanical (it was), they are pretty much off the hook. They offered to put her on the next day flight but her return would have to have been Sunday early morning. So less than 48 hours in Tucson. And she has parent-teacher conferences this week that she couldn't reschedule. Here is the kicker, Allegiant won't be flying in and out of Bismarck after the end of March. It is unlikely she will be able to use the voucher. The good news is that this is her last year of teaching and she will retire after school ends this year. She is so looking forward to it and once she is retired she won't be tied to the school year schedule anymore and can travel whenever the heck she wants. I think she and her husband are already planning a trip this fall to Ireland.
After Katie left I got a case of the blues. Must have alarmed Bob as I am not usually a Moaning Myrtle. Anyway I have an idea to fly back to MN and surprise my sister and help her celebrate her retirement. Not to mention see some friends and Michelle. I have enough frequent flier miles to cover the ticket so I will only need to cover a car rental and a hotel room once in a while. Should be doable. I am having Katie check on the actual retirement day for me. I am also having her kind of feel out how a surprise visit would go down. If Kris hates surprises then I need to let her know ahead of time. I hope everything falls into place.
muggleborn I hope you are keeping safe. Looks like MO is getting the bad weather, and maxecat, looks like KY isn't far behind. Stay safe!!
I am excited for spring but all the same, the weather this time of year gets so volatile. Winds and storms. May we all come through unscathed.
Ok everyone keep safe, keep warm (if it is still hanging on to winter where you are), keep dry (if it is raining), and spring will be here soon!!

Good evening everyone,

I checked out the storm front on radar last night every few hours. It seemed to be starting in central OK and the line was moving up and east from there. As it moved it grew and got wider. It must have been a front line at that area because the storms kept starting in the same place and the line wasn't moving east as you might think it should. Weird. Oh, and I read today that this is the first time in 186 years that the Chicago/Rockford area had no snow accumulation for the months of Jan. & Feb. That is really strange too.

Oh! Jeff called and Kelly his daughter had her twins on Monday, both were over five pounds, a boy and a girl, and she had them normally. They were planning on a C section, but her water broke and they were delivered without the extra help. Grampa was thrilled on the phone when he called me the other night. Don't remember what he said the girl was named but I think he said the boy was Austin.

Would anyone like any leftover King's cake??...................



And Dobby made a few more types of cookies and cakes.........................













Need to get some sleep.............................

Blessings for a bright and sunny day! Hecate3fold!

Allegiant... Go figure. I hate that airline. So sorry to hear about the lack of refund, but better to be safe. They pack people in so tightly, ugh. And MJS, I love the idea of surprising her! Hope it works out! Have a great time when you go!

Shrivlefig that is great news! Not about having staph, but you know, the diagnosis. Sounds like things are going better, all around! Hugs!

Maxie, sleep well! Not fun covering for Larry, but so glad he is safe!

No more data diets! I switched us up to the unlimited plan with Verizon. It is more expensive, but so much worth it!

I am taking the day off from working out. I have that bruised spot on my heel, not getting better. Plus my calf is tight, need to work on some hot spots and get it to relax. Also need to get a bunch of stuff ready for the trip, I don't want to do at the last minute. It's so nice getting back to EB bunny life! I was able to get everything done yesterday, but laundry. Will do that this morning, later - still middle of the night for me. Ok, nap time again.

Spring Cottage, The Vatch, Gloucestershire, UK. Photo by Bespoke Cotswold Cottages.

Good morning. Dobby, I'll have a mug of English Breakfast tea and a couple of berry scones, please.

We've still got rain here, not heavy but off and on all day. It's funny to see all my fellow walkers here in the park all out simultaneously during the "off" times getting their walks in before the next bout of rain starts. Batten down the hatches for those in the storm area!

Glad to read everyone's posts. The wrackspurt and nargle repellents seem to be working well.

Here's to a healthy, healing, smooth-flowing day for all...

ah, Alegiant...the airline that cancelled Larry's flight home. No frills, cheap flights, limited customer service.
He got a voucher too. Told him he should have demanded cash.

Hope your surprise works out,MJS. I think it sounds like a great way to celebrate a retirement.

A few minutes of actual sunshine! Looks good,if still cold. Doesn't appear to be many limbs down after the storms.

Trying to hurry a dryer load before heading to the gym. Always uncomfortable about having appliances running when out of the house.

Ahh, now I can put my feet up with some king cake & cookies! Beautiful work, elves! Very festive, in all the beads hanging, and the streamers with the green, gold and purple! I really used to like green and purple together in things, but lately it is so overdone with Mardi Gras every where. But I better get used to it - at Universal, all March is Mardi Gras. Woo. Parade every day. I'll give y'all a report on it. I like our parties better, not as noisy!

Maxie and Always - enjoy the dry spots!

Good evening to all,

You say that Universal is celebrating Mardi Gras all month long?? That's great! What if we continue the party on through the weekend? I'm sure Dobby will have the place totally decorated with just a snap of his fingers.............................











He wants us to think about what type of costume we're going to wear...................this sounds like fun!

Enjoy everyone!



Blessings for a spectacular event!!! Hecate3fold!

Morning all

Hecate thanks for all the great Picts it makes it very festive here, like the Mardi Gras without the noise, and such, the few people I know who have been at the real Mardi Gras in New Orleans say once was enough, way over the top in the worst ways, more fun to pretend, thanks ! You escaped the really hard winter this year and we got more snow Han I've seen since I was a kid, weird for sure, give all your angels hugs for me , hope you have a super weekend, hugs dear!

Karentia hope this years trip is the best one you have ever had, can't wait to see all the Picts, take care of yourself, hugs dear!

Always hope you get some pretty sunny days we have had a few the last few days with temps in the 50's and no wind pretty nice, almost makes up for the lousy winter we had, and as people keep reminding me spring isn't official till the 20th, have a great weekend, hugs dear!

MMD hope you are still having good luck with your meds sand are staying safe and dry, have a great weekend hugs dear!

Maxie I was wandering out in my garden space and the sunflowers are already greening up, way early not that much could kill them, wish I could send them your way they would feed your deer all summer, did any of the wild ones ever sprout for you? Hope you have a great weekend don't work too hard hugs dear!

MJS enjoy and then this summer when it is 110 we will all be thinking of you and your air conditioning, guess not having to shovel snow all winter has to have a bit of negativity, glad you love your new home lord knows you earned it, give the pups scritches for me, hugs dear!

Muggleborn stay safe hugs dear! Hugs!

Dolby, an omelette with spinach and cheese please, Alberforth a mug of your house blend please, thank you both!

Well off and running today as they say lots to do, hugs and hellos to one and all!