The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[Gabe1]

For after the driving is done for the day
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Thanks. The bonus of having a designated driver that doesn’t drink hardly ever. Maybe a couple times a year. Blessed.

 

[Gabe1]

I don’t care for fixing a truck and leaving the next day on a road trip but all worked well. Phew.

Back. Road Trip Complete. Good food had. It was 22 degrees when we awoke this morning vs the 14 back home and 1.5 inches of snow. We missed snow so woohoo! So much fun but so tired.

 

[Songbird76]

Well then, @MinnieM123 should be quite pleased today.

Wait, WHAT??? That is nuts! So even if you have a US license, they won't honor it? I guess it keeps people on their bikes, which is probably their intention. Charge an arm and a leg for something and people will be less apt to do it.

Well, what they don't tell you is that you can transfer your American license within 6 months of moving. I did not know this, and by the time I found out, I had been here for more than a year and could no longer transfer it. And now my American license has also expired because I was not there to renew it in person every so many years. So...no license.
But yes, they do want to keep people on bikes, and if the cost of the license isn't prohibitive enough, gas is somewhere around $8 or $9 per gallon. Well...it may be down around $7 now, but still...expensive. Plus there is a tax each year to own a car, even if it doesn't run, and the tax is calculated based on the weight of the car. The bigger the car, the more you pay. It's really expensive to drive over here.
BUT, we got our first coal check the other day, so we're headed in the right direction to be able to get me a license. The paperwork for the estate should have been filed Wednesday, and my brother says the buyer is still wanting the cows, so we'll get those sold hopefully next week, and we can get the mineral rights transferred into our names. Once all that is in order, I can start taking lessons to learn how to drive a stick shift.

 

[Figgy1]

I just received a phone call from my primary care doctor, and my echocardiogram came back normal. The doctor still wants me to keep my cardiologist appointment in January, and I have an appointment with her in December. I will then have my normal bloodwork, and she can see how my new medication is working. Good news on this Friday.

May you get nothing but more good news.

 

[Figgy1]

Wearing my Land’s End parka. Fffffreezing. What happened to November? Feels like it is the middle of January.

More like Siberia Sympathy like Welcome to our Golden girls lottery club

 

[Figgy1]

Just recovering from dinner at Chuy's this evening. No pics, as y'all've seen it all before...!
Elvis Memorial Combo Platter tonight...!!!!!

Does that come with a side of cardiologist?

 

[Figgy1]

After a long day of work I made the drive over to Minneapolis and had dinner at Margaritaville before heading to the hotel to just hang out for the night before I fly out tomorrow. A San Adams beer and a bacon cheeseburger with BBQ aioli.

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I may or may not be a Margaritaville fan Safe travels and have a great long weekend

 

[Figgy1]

My mom was happy when I got my license so I could start grocery shopping for her. Back then, I was happy to be going somewhere and she was happy not to have to shop. Now that I've had my license for five, almost six, years, I'd rather just stay home... Although if she gives me the choice between dishes and grocery store, I will pick the grocery store. Every. Single. Time.

My moms were both the same way. Not only did I do the grocery shopping but I did the cooking at which ever house I was at that week. I'm sure that was also one of the reasons they became friends, all of us wound up having dinner together on a regular basis

 

[Songbird76]

When our friend moved to NC from MA, his wife thought he was insane to bring his big plow...until they quickly realized that an inch of snow in NC is nearly the equivalent of a blizzard up here in terms of reactions from people. He made a FORTUNE plowing for the town they moved to.

When I moved here, I got a kick out of what Dutch people call "A lot of snow". Coming from Wyoming, I'm used to storms where we get 3 feet dumped on us and there's "no unnecessary travel". Here, we got a dusting and everyone FREAKED. My MIL freaked because my husband and I wanted to walk into the centrum...it was only a 10-15 minute walk..we were really close. And she was like "but there's so much SNOW out there!! You could fall!" Well...it wouldn't be the first time. I told her if I stayed inside every time we got snow like that in Wyoming, I'd be inside for more than half the year. I remember we had a choir performance the next week so we had a dress rehearsal and it was the last rehearsal before the performance and half the people didn't show up because the " roads were so bad". It was kind of comical to me, but it really is dangerous because people don't know how to drive in it and they MAKE it dangerous.

 

[Songbird76]

I just received a phone call from my primary care doctor, and my echocardiogram came back normal. The doctor still wants me to keep my cardiologist appointment in January, and I have an appointment with her in December. I will then have my normal bloodwork, and she can see how my new medication is working. Good news on this Friday.

Fantastic!! That's so great to hear! Do you feel better about it now? I'm sure it was worrying until you got the normal result.

 

[Figgy1]

And this too shall end. Though my son never ate the volume your sons do. Is your hubs tall that they have a long growing spurt in store? DS His Dad is 6 foot son is 5 11. Given I’m 5 2 not a bad growth curve. DD not so much. 5 4 to my 5 2

My dh 5' 10 1/2, my pop 5' 9, father in law 6'2 one bro 6' 3. Thanks to my younger ds' gorilla arms my older ds is getiing younger one's coat from last year and I'm heading out to get younger one a new one today. My baby wears the same size shoes as my dh and is just about as tall and he's only 15 HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pixieish]

When I moved here, I got a kick out of what Dutch people call "A lot of snow". Coming from Wyoming, I'm used to storms where we get 3 feet dumped on us and there's "no unnecessary travel". Here, we got a dusting and everyone FREAKED. My MIL freaked because my husband and I wanted to walk into the centrum...it was only a 10-15 minute walk..we were really close. And she was like "but there's so much SNOW out there!! You could fall!" Well...it wouldn't be the first time. I told her if I stayed inside every time we got snow like that in Wyoming, I'd be inside for more than half the year. I remember we had a choir performance the next week so we had a dress rehearsal and it was the last rehearsal before the performance and half the people didn't show up because the " roads were so bad". It was kind of comical to me, but it really is dangerous because people don't know how to drive in it and they MAKE it dangerous.

HAHAHAHA! Yeah...and we here in Boston complain that locals can't drive in the snow.

 

[MinnieM123]

You'd love it

What's wrong with Minneapolis?

 

[Figgy1]

Happy farm market Saturday and gazillion errand to go with it. This week I changed from making sure there's lots of ice packs in my cold bags and coolers to putting the cold bags inside the car with the delicate produce

 

[Figgy1]

What's wrong with Minneapolis?

The weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Well then you will love the long range forecast. By me I don't see any temps even close to 60. Mostly upper 40's. That is probably too warm for you though. But then it should be colder in Boston than here in southern PA.

It's 22 out this morning. Love it!!

 

[Songbird76]

Hmmm...how snotty of you. Rough day in 'Merica at a job you hate, sport...?
As I posted, that is just the beginnings of a massing model. It's now being rendered with topography, existing trees, colors, textures, landscaping, a pool, etc. I'll post a pic of the more highly developed model next week.
Although, it still may not be your thing, I assure you, it has more than enough "character" IMO.
Have a drink or two and calm down...or ten.

I just can't imagine what I'd do with all that space....and I'd have to CLEAN it...I think I'd prefer a regular sized house, as nice as the mansion looks. I know...if you can afford a house that big, you probably aren't cleaning it yourself, but I would also have a hard time letting a stranger into my home to clean it. I'd like a slightly larger house than we have now...one with a bit more storage, but a mansion is just too much for me. I remember telling my mom when I was little that I was going to be rich and own a mansion and she'd have a wing for herself. Now it seems so silly...Why did I ever want a mansion?

 

[Figgy1]

It's 22 out this morning. Love it!!

Stifle and seek help!

 

[MinnieM123]

I just realized I forgot to take more pics of the home design I was working on.
Oh well, Monday isn't that far away...!!!!!!!


In the meantime, here's a partial 3-D model of that monster one I worked on recently...!

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Oh good lord . . . donaldtoo is at it again -- it's jaw drop time!!

 

[Songbird76]

Oh my. Yea, ya' kinda' gotta' factor the stair width into the design...!
Most big homes we do these days have minimum 12 ft. ceilings on the ground floor. We always compensate for larger staircases. 4 ft. wide minimum in most cases, sometimes as wide as 5-6 feet or more, with 12" treads. Whatever the client wants!
"They got the money honey, we got the time!!!"

It's probably a stupid question, but you've posted a few drawings of really large homes you've worked on...do you do exclusively large homes? Like...is that a specialty? Or do you ever do standard family homes like just a 4 bedroom house in the suburbs type house?