D. Downton Abbey

I watched the first two seasons of Downton Abbey, and even though it strikes me as an Edwardian soap opera, I do like it.  (Of course, I could watch Maggie Smith read the telephone book and most likely enjoy it, but I digress.) So, season 3 rolls around, and I start watching.

I am also involved in a Renaissance reenactment group.  I think any period piece seems to 'gel' with this group, and Downton is no exception.  We had a meeting a bit ago, and we all started discussing if we'd watched the latest episode.

Now, with this group, there are some that can watch it the day it airs, some that record it, and watch it later, and a few, like me, that watch it catch-as-catch-can, because I get it  only online, and forget to make time to see it.  There were even about three that were sacrilegious twits didn't watch at all.  :)

Someone started saying, "Oh, did you see last night's episode where Bates-", whereupon about 2/3's of the group yelped "DON'T SAY ANYTHING!!"  The poor thing looked as if she'd been shot at.

We then had some bright soul say, 'Who has seen only episode one?"  " Episode 2?" And so on, until the latest episode at that point.  We all filtered out to our respective groups, able to talk Downton, spoiler free.  Even the ones who didn't watch had fine conversation.  At least I think they did.  But I did notice the buffet seemed to be missing quite a few cookies by the time the rest of us joined them...

The irony of this, I never finished this season, I am going to have to download the episodes I missed.  Or wait and buy the first 3 seasons, so I can marathon and have my poor husband wonder where his wife went again...

(Downton Abbey)

*****

We now return you to your regularly scheduled stuff and nonsense blog.

I am going to be helping some more at the Sheriff's Office.  I have been skating around the edges of the Neighborhood Watch group, going to meetings and talking to the Liaison   Thought nothing more about it than that.  

Lo and behold, I get a phone call from him.  He was talking to X, Y, and Z about getting someone to help with Liaison work.  (It amounts to being a sub.)  So, this afternoon, I sat down and chatted with him, and was more or less accepted for the task, pending approval of his boss.  I found out that I would have an email account, some access to  office files... I mean, this is more or less like a job type job!  I keep hoping that if I keep sneaking a toe in the door that it could lead to something more job like.  You know, with money coming in...  It would be awesome if it were with this agency, but even if it would lead to a job somewhere else, it's still nice.

But even nicer is that 3 people right off thought I would be great for the job.  (I also think my own official email address is pretty cool, too, for that matter.)  But one of the folks that recommended me has been mentoring me a bit for my book, when he can, so that makes it even nicer.

News updates as events happen!  

Birds, brush, and buzzing about.

 We have new chicks!  I want to show you them...  But this is Taurus.  She is not going to give way to let me take any pictures. 

And since Husband and I have nearly lost parts of our persons trying to transfer her to the 'new digs', I decided that she can sit there, I will take a picture of the chicks later.  If we counted right, there are 6.  I will confirm that later.  When I won't lose a finger...

I thought we had some new birds over at the neighbors.  It had been raining, and I kept seeing orange 'birds' in the the trees.  I could NOT figure out what kind of bird 'round here would be orange.  And they never went to ground. 

Huh. 

Then I got out the binoculars.  And realized there was a logging clean up crew next door.  So, now my neighbor is delighted to know she has "Orange Headed Timber Trimmers" in her trees... Yeesh. (And I just bought some glasses, folks!)

Orange Headed Timber Trimmers in their natural habitat...

In other news, I do not have gooseberries.  I have Wild Hawthorn.  And I was told that it needs to be treated like Scotch broom, or it will spread and be as obnoxious. Groan... 

I am half tempted to see if I can get a burn permit!  (That won't happen, Oregon has all but outlawed field burning. Sigh...)  So, I guess I will be getting more upper body workouts, because I will be doing a lot of cutting brush. 

Unless Husband decides to help. 

I love my husband, but he can be the largest pain in the... ahem.  He is really having problems with his eyes, he is highly allergic to pollen from whatever that is blooming right now.  I came back to get a saw to cut brush, as some of the stuff was larger than my wrist.  Some bigger than my upper arm.  So what did he do?  AFTER I ASKED HIM NOT TO, he goes up the hill with a chain saw and cuts down the stuff.  It was a help, I admit, but he then paid for it for several hours with swollen eyes, and needing to put a washcloth over his face to keep the swelling to a minimum.  He doesn't want ME to use the blasted saw, though, I could hurt myself. 

(He has this @#$%@ pink and blue job thing, and while I love the man, this drives me up and back down the proverbial tree!) 

I also found out I am the slightly surprised new owner of a (sorta) new washer.  He'd traded the in-laws out of a dryer (that WORKS! HAPPY DAYS! I can dry a load of pants in less than 3 hours!!!)  So, he says he wants to look at getting a matching washer.  Uh. My washer is fine.  I can look around if you want, but just need a new faucet for the cold water.  Oh, no, no, no, we must get a new, MATCHING washer. 

Uh. 

Yes, folks, that is my Husband's attitude.  He wants them to be the same age (which sort of makes sense, I guess), and that they MATCH, (which makes no sense at all to me, dang it, the washer isn't the PROBLEM!!)

So the next day, I told Mom we'd to to some places to look at washers.  I called that afternoon, letting Husband know I was shopping, and did we need anything?

Oh, yeah, some milk, and by the way, we will be getting the washer Wednesday.

What washer???

I found one at Xityx's Shop through Craig's List.

Oh.  Well, I guess we don't have to go look for washers...  (I've noticed I have been getting a strange tic of late, I have no idea where it's come from...)

I will be having some Ambassador duties coming up soon, so I will be able to tell you about the great and mystic secrets of people watching as a Law Enforcement Representative.  (And get this, I get to go fishing!  More on that later...)

I am also going to be doing a presentation for my Renaissance group for another school.  I am not overly looking forward to it, only because it's a year end thing, so I know the kids will be as focused as a broken projector lens.  But, I will get paid, so that's a plus. 

And I get to watch the Indianapolis 500 with Dad, that's cool.  Our one big sporting day together.  We compare drivers, stats, strategies, eat breakfast, and I knit.  This works until the last few laps.  I have painfully learned to put down my knitting, or I either stab myself with a needle, or manage to pull out looots of stitches when I yell at the television...

So, posts will show up a bit later, but if I am not on as often, I am still thinking of my blog friends.  (A note on that, I have been trying to write responses on people's posts, but Blogger won't let me put them on.  I will keep trying, though!)

When it rains...

Short, short post, will actually put a real post up tomorrow, hope...

So, we have had a windstorm that knocked down a tree (no one hurt, no damage, pics soon), power was out for about a day and a half, finally finished with the nasty cold, except for a tickly cough, sooner that leaves, the better...  Invited, and took a class at a government facility for my Public Information Officer 'stuff', and learned a lot, and met some people (the technical term: networking.  My term, cool, I get to see what other people do...)

So, I am trying to catch up on laundry, dishes, houseworky stuff, and tomorrow, I will do Sheriff's Office stuff.  But that's only part of the day, so I hope to get at least a few other people's blogs read!!

(Whew!)