The Coffee House

SquarePeg · Jun 17, 2022

Robshoots said:
Sorry to hear about your loss, Sharon. I hope you have a few days to recoup before returning to your regular routine.

Warhorse said:
My condolences Sharon.

Fujidave said:
Sorry to hear of this Sharon, my thoughts are with you and family.

snowbear said:
I'm so sorry, Sharon.

terri said:
Oh, I'm sorry for your family's loss, Sharon. It does sound like a trying time. I hope you were able to get some enjoyment from the trip before coming back unexpectedly. You posted a picture that looked like a beautiful area! Hope you got some rest today.

limr said:
I'm sorry for your loss Lubec and the surrounding area is beautiful, and I'm also sorry you had to cut your time there short for such a sad reason.

CherylL said:
Sharon sorry for the loss in your family.

Thanks all, much appreciated.

Dean_Gretsch · Jun 17, 2022

Sorry for your loss. Hope everyone is healing spiritually and emotionally.

limr · Jun 18, 2022

Hey hosers. I've been doing AP scoring for...going on 9 days now. I started on Friday the 10th and was supposed to be done on Thurs, but they had problems scanning essays and loading them into the system, so we're behind and are being asked to keep scoring until Monday. I was committed to 8 hours a day during the regular scoring period - 56 hours total - but beyond that, we are not required to keep scoring at all, though most people are because, hey, more money! I took a bit of a break yesterday and only scored for 2.5 hours, but will try to ramp it up again today. Two hours done so far this morning and now I have to go mow the lawn.

I'm kinda shot.

cgw · Jun 18, 2022

limr said:
Hey hosers. I've been doing AP scoring for...going on 9 days now. I started on Friday the 10th and was supposed to be done on Thurs, but they had problems scanning essays and loading them into the system, so we're behind and are being asked to keep scoring until Monday. I was committed to 8 hours a day during the regular scoring period - 56 hours total - but beyond that, we are not required to keep scoring at all, though most people are because, hey, more money! I took a bit of a break yesterday and only scored for 2.5 hours, but will try to ramp it up again today. Two hours done so far this morning and now I have to go mow the lawn.

I'm kinda shot.

Somewhere in Hell there's a place...

limr · Jun 18, 2022

I'm at 63 hours and 810 essays. There are people who have read more than twice as many essays as I have, and I don't know how they do it. I know I am a slow reader and I probably think too much about the score than I should. I do read faster in the second half of the week because you start to just get a feel for what the score should be. But still. Damn.

Also, I mowed my back yard for the first time! I mean, for the first time by myself. Last summer, Buzz did it for me because the mower I had is gi-effing-normous and there was no way I would be able to handle that thing through my whole back yard. I did half of my small front yard and was sore for two days. But my new electric self-propelled machine is fabulous!

(I mowed the front yard, too, which is good, but it's a lot smaller and flat, so I'm more proud of the back yard

)

terri · Jun 18, 2022

limr said:
I'm at 63 hours and 810 essays. There are people who have read more than twice as many essays as I have, and I don't know how they do it. I know I am a slow reader and I probably think too much about the score than I should. I do read faster in the second half of the week because you start to just get a feel for what the score should be. But still. Damn.

Also, I mowed my back yard for the first time! I mean, for the first time by myself. Last summer, Buzz did it for me because the mower I had is gi-effing-normous and there was no way I would be able to handle that thing through my whole back yard. I did half of my small front yard and was sore for two days. But my new electric self-propelled machine is fabulous!

(I mowed the front yard, too, which is good, but it's a lot smaller and flat, so I'm more proud of the back yard )

View attachment 257244

Your back yard is gorgeous, Leo! It looks so lush. Have you had a lot of visits from the local critters?

I know you do these essays every year, and every year it sounds brutal. :lol:

I think I would be more like you in grading - really trying to read each one and get a feel for it, which would slow down the process. I'm a deliberate reader regardless of what it is.

Hang in there - sounds like it will be a healthy check when you get paid, and it's almost over!

Warhorse · Jun 19, 2022

Limr, I too love your backyard, you could put a great pistol range there!

Though I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that. :friendly_wink:

SquarePeg · Jun 19, 2022

what a great yard. It needs one of these

Haha jk I know that’s not your style!

limr · Jun 19, 2022

terri said:
Your back yard is gorgeous, Leo! It looks so lush. Have you had a lot of visits from the local critters?

I know you do these essays every year, and every year it sounds brutal. I think I would be more like you in grading - really trying to read each one and get a feel for it, which would slow down the process. I'm a deliberate reader regardless of what it is.

Hang in there - sounds like it will be a healthy check when you get paid, and it's almost over!

Thanks! We still have more vines to cut away from the apple tree and I'd eventually like to put up some kind of trees at the bottom, like rocket junipers or something, to mark the end of the property and provide perhaps some tiny bit more sound isolation from the highway sounds (which aren't too bad but less noise is always better!) I'd love to have the trees put in, then clear out the brush a bit to create a small meadow. Lots of work to get there, but at least in the meantime, it's still pretty to look at

And yes, I have my regular critters! There are the bunnies, of course.

And there's a pair of groundhogs who have decided that Zelda is just bee-yoooo-tiful, and they like to hang out at the back door with her sometimes. And Zelda eats it up, gets all flirty and purrs her fool head off.

Warhorse said:
Limr, I too love your backyard, you could put a great pistol range there!

Though I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that.

Why would anyone ruin a backyard for something as silly as that? And even if I wanted to, I would never want to be the jackass who ended up pissing off all of her neighbors with the noise of a gun going off in the back yard over and over again.

smoke665 · Jun 19, 2022

Well here's a public service announcement that might save others some grief. We have those red reflectors on a fiberglass pole marking the end of the culvert at a drive. Decided to pull them up and relocate for better visibility. Wrong move!!!!! Apparently sun causes the gel coat to deteriorate leaving tiny glass fibers (smaller than a hair) exposed. Both palms were on fire from all the tiny fibers stuck in the skin. Managed to get all but a few of the more embedded fibers out with soap and water. Guess the rest will eventually work their way out.

snowbear · Jun 19, 2022

Nice critters, Leo. I went to the back of the house a couple weeks ago and we had a yard kitty lounging on the back steps. That's kind of cute, Sharon. I don't think I'd want one, but it's cute.

We're working at the house all weekend. The living room is mostly done, the small bedroom is mostlky cleared and being set up as a staging area for the various boxes we're packing (keep, go through, save for others to look through). Also a place to get some of the furniture out of the way for when we move our stuff in. We started in the chaos referred to as the basement, and made some progress, though ot will look a whole lot better after we've called someone to cart away the junk. The truck is loaded for a trip to the landfill (tomorrow) with stuff from the main floor. I'll get a second run in, but it's quicker and less hassle to let the pros take care of everything in the basement. Tomorrow I think we'll concentrate on the area that will become the office.

I took a few shots, today.

The front of the house. Ada's Saturn and the Gladdie are in the driveway. I started on some yard work, trimming the crepe myrtle (the round bush to the left) back yesterday, and cut down some of the weeds and small saplings (oak and maple to the right).

Side of the house. I have to pull the ivy. I'm glad the ferns and hydrangia are stiill alive.

These are the original 1955 hardwood floors, a nice warm oak.

terri · Jun 19, 2022

The place is going to look great, Charlie! You shouldn't have to do too much with that yard, I agree the side bushes look pretty good already! And a maple and oak tree? Wonderful!! Nice brick house.

@limr : That picture of Zelda and the groundhog is hilarious! :biglaugh:

I love it!

snowbear · Jun 19, 2022

Thanks, Terri. The flower beds need some TLC. I'll probably relocate the crepe myrtle: it's too close to the flag pole. I found three azaleas in among the clutter, We're also thinking about cutting down a couple trees close to the house in the back so we can put in an herb garden.

I'm hoping for the open house in October or November; definitely want to host Thanksgiving this year.