Y'all will be relieved to know ...
...Tackle is safely back in his tank and giving me "the tail view" ... his typical pout-because-I-spent-the-night-in-a-bucket behaviour. He'll get over it in a day or two. He always does. Fortunately, his tank circulates quite well and only needs a major scrubbing out every couple of months. While on the topic of fish, I thought I'd take y'all for a tour of my office at work (This is my computer desk. I was busy preparing the agenda for our next Board of Directors meeting here) ...
... and introduce you to "Rocco" (chief of office security and ambience) ...
... and "Hoover the second" (chief of algae control).
Rocco is a Lion-tail Betta, and beautifully coloured. Mostly brilliant blue with reddish-orange fins. He's quite sociable, and seems especially fascinated by ringing telephones. He can tell time too! He begs for his daily pinch of dried blood worms at 11:00 am precisely every day. Hoover is a Pleco. He will soon outgrow Rocco's bachelor quarters and go back to the Pet Store in trade for a much smaller cousin Pleco (who will become Hoover the third).
...Tackle is safely back in his tank and giving me "the tail view" ... his typical pout-because-I-spent-the-night-in-a-bucket behaviour. He'll get over it in a day or two. He always does. Fortunately, his tank circulates quite well and only needs a major scrubbing out every couple of months. While on the topic of fish, I thought I'd take y'all for a tour of my office at work (This is my computer desk. I was busy preparing the agenda for our next Board of Directors meeting here) ...... and introduce you to "Rocco" (chief of office security and ambience) ...... and "Hoover the second" (chief of algae control).Rocco is a Lion-tail Betta, and beautifully coloured. Mostly brilliant blue with reddish-orange fins. He's quite sociable, and seems especially fascinated by ringing telephones. He can tell time too! He begs for his daily pinch of dried blood worms at 11:00 am precisely every day. Hoover is a Pleco. He will soon outgrow Rocco's bachelor quarters and go back to the Pet Store in trade for a much smaller cousin Pleco (who will become Hoover the third).Would you like to look around my office a bit while you're here?
Yes?
Okay. Please bear in mind I didn't DECORATE my own office. I INHERITED it as is. For example, here's my pen holder ...
... I haven't been to Nanaimo since about 1969, and since that was the 1960s, I certainly didn't bring home a coffee mug. To the best of my knowledge, I have never owned a pencil with a pink fuzzy thingee on the end of it, but there it is ... in my Nanaimo pen holder. This is MY coffee mug ...
... er ... tea mug. I get VERY cranky when someone sticks it in the sink with other dirty dishes (just ask my staff!). I left Douglas College in 2001, and this mug was a gift from my co-workers at the Academic Learning Centre. It keeps my tea hot ... even when I get busy and forget it for awhile ... and it has a nice stable shape that doesn't tip over easily. This is my regular desk ...
... today was a productive day because you can actually SEE the surface of the desk. Well, at least part of it. I can keep an eye on our front office and reception area through that window on the right. We don't have a full-time receptionist, so some afternoons I get to play front desk person. See the chicken in the window? Wait ... we'll step outside my office for a moment ...
... there. This is looking back in at the window sill behind my "IN" basket. I inherited this bizarre-looking chicken. He doesn't do it anymore (I think the battery died), but he used to do a very animated "chicken dance" complete with zany music when you squeezed his right wing! Yes, THAT chicken dance ... the one that everybody's uncle dances at wedding receptions! See those two little dark things between the milk bottle-shaped vases? A bobble head moose and a bobble head bear. Apparently SOMEBODY thought they were suitable knick knacks for a northern office! And if you think THAT'S weird ...
... check this out. It's a TOILET SEAT! It's in its original packaging. It's lived under my computer desk since I started working here. The funny part is, it doesn't even fit the toilet in our building! Somebody explain THAT mystery to me! Believe me, I've TRIED to figure it out ... the nearest connection I can conjure up is to this picture on my office wall ...
... no? Boat in the water ... toilet seat above toilet bowl water? You're right. There really isn't a connection. Have I added ANYTHING to my office decor? Yes I have! I bought this ...
... at our local Farmers Market last summer. I figure a "Shopping Angel" is very badly needed in this very tacky office space! Thanks for visiting. Now go forth and find me a decorator!
... I haven't been to Nanaimo since about 1969, and since that was the 1960s, I certainly didn't bring home a coffee mug. To the best of my knowledge, I have never owned a pencil with a pink fuzzy thingee on the end of it, but there it is ... in my Nanaimo pen holder. This is MY coffee mug ...... er ... tea mug. I get VERY cranky when someone sticks it in the sink with other dirty dishes (just ask my staff!). I left Douglas College in 2001, and this mug was a gift from my co-workers at the Academic Learning Centre. It keeps my tea hot ... even when I get busy and forget it for awhile ... and it has a nice stable shape that doesn't tip over easily. This is my regular desk ...... today was a productive day because you can actually SEE the surface of the desk. Well, at least part of it. I can keep an eye on our front office and reception area through that window on the right. We don't have a full-time receptionist, so some afternoons I get to play front desk person. See the chicken in the window? Wait ... we'll step outside my office for a moment ...... there. This is looking back in at the window sill behind my "IN" basket. I inherited this bizarre-looking chicken. He doesn't do it anymore (I think the battery died), but he used to do a very animated "chicken dance" complete with zany music when you squeezed his right wing! Yes, THAT chicken dance ... the one that everybody's uncle dances at wedding receptions! See those two little dark things between the milk bottle-shaped vases? A bobble head moose and a bobble head bear. Apparently SOMEBODY thought they were suitable knick knacks for a northern office! And if you think THAT'S weird ...... check this out. It's a TOILET SEAT! It's in its original packaging. It's lived under my computer desk since I started working here. The funny part is, it doesn't even fit the toilet in our building! Somebody explain THAT mystery to me! Believe me, I've TRIED to figure it out ... the nearest connection I can conjure up is to this picture on my office wall ...... no? Boat in the water ... toilet seat above toilet bowl water? You're right. There really isn't a connection. Have I added ANYTHING to my office decor? Yes I have! I bought this ...... at our local Farmers Market last summer. I figure a "Shopping Angel" is very badly needed in this very tacky office space! Thanks for visiting. Now go forth and find me a decorator!
After Corrie, I decided to make fruit bread. I wanted something different from the usual "seeds and sticks" whole grain bread I make for myself. I don't make fruit bread very often as I don't always have the necessary ingredients ... I like it with golden raisins, almonds and candied peel. However, I must have been thinking ahead the last time I did a big grocery shop as I opened my pantry doors, and ... voila! ... all the necessary things. As I don't make fruit bread very often, I referred to my favourite fruit bread recipe. All those fruity goodies are expensive, so you don't want to take chances on goof ups. Or so I reasoned.
... it didn't. This pathetic lump should be four times that high. I haven't had a bread disaster in YEARS, and have no idea what I did wrong. Any suggestions to use up this heavy lump of baked sweet dough???
This particular chore usually DOES involve disaster. "Tackle" is a leaper, and if I don't keep a very close eye on him, he leaps out of the open tank ... or net ... or hand ... or bucket ... and goes carpet diving! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to chase him across the carpet, then rush him to the sink to rinse the dog hairs off him before putting him back in the water. For all that, he is still healthy and HUGE.
He's spending the night in a big bucket with an aerator ... and a lid on top ... while his tank circulates fresh water for 24 hours. He is not a happy camper. He's so big ... longer than my hand, finger tips to wrist ... that there isn't much room to play in the bucket. He'll be unsociable for a couple of days after I put him back in his clean tank. Who says fish can't pout!
It's a lovely hand-made wood burl clock. I bought it at a silent auction last summer because I loved the wood. I didn't really need the clock, but I'm a carpenter's daughter, and I appreciate fine wood and skilled wood work and finishing. As soon as I got the darned thing home, however, I regretted spending my money on it because it DIDN'T WORK. I went and bought a fresh set of batteries, and it still didn't work. Dead as dead can be. Not one tick, not one tock. I thought about replacing the clock works, but never got around to going all the ways across town to the Michael's craft store ... a two-bus expedition from home.