Absolutely Anything Else

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Vinegar: I think it's probably like brewing. Needs all that sterilisation equipment. I suppose soy sauce is also produced by similar methods.  Says "brewed" on my bottle anyway!

Well, yes and no.... 

I usually just put some of my grape juice in a clean and sanitized (not sterilized - which is different) carboy, stick cotton in the opening, and let it be for about 6 months (in the kitchen, not the wine cellar). The mother of vinegar eventually shows up.

I have had some vinegar go "bad" with Acetaldehyde, but more work than don't.

Interesting, I never knew any of that.   When you say sanitised, what do you mean? Just washed out or something a bit more virulent in cleaning terms? 

Is it worth actually making vinegar?  What's the best base?  Wine? Beer? 

Could I just open a cheap bottle of say, white wine and stick a cotton wool in the top.

Might have a go with it.

It's all about the ,"Mother" the natural enzyems in organic apple cider vinegar.

I'd also much rather just drink wine but the 2 or not the same.
I'd use a straw so not to expose your teeth to vinegar everyday.
It would be worth making your own if you had a source for apples and a place to prepare everything.
One bottle from the BIO shop for 1,000F should last an average person one month so it isn't too pricey to buy from the store.
A quick U Tube search will show how it is made at home.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It's all about the ,"Mother" the natural enzyems in organic apple cider vinegar.

I'd also much rather just drink wine but the 2 or not the same.
I'd use a straw so not to expose your teeth to vinegar everyday.
It would be worth making your own if you had a source for apples and a place to prepare everything.
One bottle from the BIO shop for 1,000F should last an average person one month so it isn't too pricey to buy from the store.
A quick U Tube search will show how it is made at home.

I can get lots of apples no problem as they grow in the very large Mrs Fluffy family garden but I'd think possibly it's just go rotten in the container?  Or have I got it wrong?

Is this the same process they use for pickling small cucumbers?  (in the UK, we'd call the gherkins, dunno about the USA).

I see them in jars with cotton wool stuffed inside and the jars left in the sun with a saucer on top.  Same?

Check out how to make organic apple cider vinegar on U Tube, it seems really simple to do.
When fermentation is finished it is strained through cheesecloth.
Forgot exactly how long it takes, a couple of months at most.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Check out how to make organic apple cider vinegar on U Tube, it seems really simple to do.
When fermentation is finished it is strained through cheesecloth.
Forgot exactly how long it takes, a couple of months at most.

Hmmm....I will do.  But I wonder if it's worth it.  We use so little vinegar other than scrubbing the taps, salads and on our chips (US: fries).

What about those cucumbers in the jar?

I often make my own salads but fermenting vegetables
here in HU it is really cheap to just buy pickled veggies and not deal with the hassle.
I usually have several sorts of pickled produce ready for a meal but  more often I opt. for a fresh salad with homemade dressing usually made from oil and vinegar.
Add spices and such to taste.
Today although we have pickled cabbage salad and pickles in the fridge, I made a fresh salad of spinach salad with butter lettuce mixed with grated radish, red cabbage, carrots and celery root. Sometimes we add fresh mushrooms and other times some hard boiled eggs and some bacon bits.
If I had time to shop, I'd of added raw sunflower seeds as well. ( just got back to HU and need to stock my cupboards)
Had barely cooked with a bit of liver and some duck soup, just about one cup per person.
No need to over eat, just need a vitamin bomb with every meal.
I no longer wish to eat out because I do not feel one can  not get quality food and prep in a for profit in a business.
We usually eat our main meal early at or before 3 pm, have a light snack later with fruit and tea and then fast for at least 12 or more hours.
Works for us, never have been a midnight snacker.
Bought some mint tea today, sounds perfect for a evening warm up before sleep.

fluffy2560 wrote:

When you say sanitised, what do you mean? Just washed out or something a bit more virulent in cleaning terms?

See, for example:

https://www.brewplus.com/forum/threads/ … lize.1928/

Basically, I just wash well with a sanitizing solution and cleaner. There are many on the market, or you can also just use ammonia or potassium metabisulfite.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Is it worth actually making vinegar?

It is a hobby thing. Vinegar is cheap. But as a hobby, one's own vinegar can really taste much better that what you can buy. So if you really like vinegar on your salad, for example, then it is something to consider at a really great home made vinegar can be wonderful. If you use vinegar to wash your toilet, then no it is not worth your time to make it.

And like any DIY project, your first try may not be great. It will take practice and experience to get the best results.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Could I just open a cheap bottle of say, white wine and stick a cotton wool in the top.

In theory yes. But there are plenty of online "how to do that" articles and videos to help you from going wrong. But also be aware -- starting with a cheap wine will not make a great vinegar. I use my vineyard grapes -- which make a good wine, so I can make a good vinegar.

klsallee wrote:

[....

And like any DIY project, your first try may not be great. It will take practice and experience to get the best results.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Could I just open a cheap bottle of say, white wine and stick a cotton wool in the top.

In theory yes. But there are plenty of online "how to do that" articles and videos to help you from going wrong. But also be aware -- starting with a cheap wine will not make a great vinegar. I use my vineyard grapes -- which make a good wine, so I can make a good vinegar.

I was thinking cheap wine for experimentation.  My grapes are rubbish but perhaps they could be used for vinegar.  I cannot see I'd use more than 1L a month at the outside. 

The 20% solution is the one that does well dissolving the calcium deposits but that's incredibly strong for putting in salads.

5% strength is enough, might upset your stomach if it is stronger.
Have to mix with water before drinking.
My in-laws had a large batch of wine that didn't take, turned to vinegar.
I used a couple of liters worth awhile ago without understanding what I had on my hands.
I'd only make some for a hobby, not worth it for such a small amount to mix it everyday for months, knowing me I'd forget to stir it up and 6 weeks into the project it would go bad.
I'd much rather try my hand at making wine then vinegar.

Wish spring weather would finally arrive here in Hungary.
Enough of these overcast skies.
We walked over on March 15th to the National Museum to see some live music etc.
We missed the PM's speech.
I love hearing old folk music and they had a few different groups performing.
lots of vendors set up on Astoria in the st.( small kourt)
Even sprang for a shot of strawberry palinka, dang though 600F for a drop of it, guess it was a deci but the way the women was drip-dropping it out it seemed like a teaspoon size portion.
Different in Budapest, last summer we went to a HU event in the
small city where my FIL came from in N. Hungary, they were actually giving full size glasses of wine away for free.
It was nice though to hear the music.
There used to be allot of folk dancing events in Budapest almost every weekend years back in parks or squares but lately I don't see them at all.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Wish spring weather would finally arrive here in Hungary.
Enough of these overcast skies.
We walked over on March 15th to the National Museum to see some live music etc.
We missed the PM's speech.
I love hearing old folk music and they had a few different groups performing.
lots of vendors set up on Astoria in the st.( small kourt)
Even sprang for a shot of strawberry palinka, dang though 600F for a drop of it, guess it was a deci but the way the women was drip-dropping it out it seemed like a teaspoon size portion.
Different in Budapest, last summer we went to a HU event in the
small city where my FIL came from in N. Hungary, they were actually giving full size glasses of wine away for free.
It was nice though to hear the music.
There used to be allot of folk dancing events in Budapest almost every weekend years back in parks or squares but lately I don't see them at all.

I couldn't see much going on during the 15th - people want to do their home stuff like gardening.  But over the weekend, the weather was excellent 22 C and clear blue skies and sun!!  Walked up to Janoshegy (the one with the tower on it  near it, near Normafa).  Dog came along.  It was very very busy - lots of young 'uns, families etc.  Very warm  with just T-shirts.  But now, back to cold'ish-ness and dullness.  Be better at the weekend but I'm seeing quite low lows next week.

Maybe it'll get going more at Easter again.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But over the weekend, the weather was excellent 22 C and clear blue skies and sun!!  Walked up to Janoshegy (the one with the tower on it  near it, near Normafa).  Dog came along.  It was very very busy - lots of young 'uns, families etc.  Very warm  with just T-shirts.  But now, back to cold'ish-ness and dullness. .

The weekend was wonderful. Did not need to heat at all.

Last two days .... Wow. Both ovens filled with wood. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.............

Cold. Could not feel my finger tips when walking the dog this morning. 

Only benefit: I can bake more bread in our wood stove oven. Oops. Just heard a *ding* from the timer. Got to get some bread from the oven!

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

But over the weekend, the weather was excellent 22 C and clear blue skies and sun!!  Walked up to Janoshegy (the one with the tower on it  near it, near Normafa).  Dog came along.  It was very very busy - lots of young 'uns, families etc.  Very warm  with just T-shirts.  But now, back to cold'ish-ness and dullness. .

The weekend was wonderful. Did not need to heat at all.

Last two days .... Wow. Both ovens filled with wood. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.............

Cold. Could not feel my finger tips when walking the dog this morning. 

Only benefit: I can bake more bread in our wood stove oven. Oops. Just heard a *ding* from the timer. Got to get some bread from the oven!

I know! Absolute shocker! I managed to have some windows open and turned down the rads. 

Really strangely variable weather. 

Next week, highest I could see is 16C with sun on Saturday.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Next week, highest I could see is 16C with sun on Saturday.

The long range forecast puts the warmest days on Saturday and Sunday.

i guess the tourist gods (small "g") are hard at work.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Next week, highest I could see is 16C with sun on Saturday.

The long range forecast puts the warmest days on Saturday and Sunday.

i guess the tourist gods (small "g") are hard at work.

Yes, I was looking at www.yr.no - Norwegian Government Weather Service.   Short URL , nice interface and no adverts.  And usefully you get the weather for Svalbard.  Always been interested in that place for some reason.

I was at the BUD airport last week - on Saturday I think it was - and it was jammed packed with what I presume are tourist disciples flying in from the UK for weekend breaks in BUD.  Plane was completely full.   Wonder if that'll continue after the end of next week?

fluffy2560 wrote:

Yes, I was looking at www.yr.no - Norwegian Government Weather Service.   Short URL , nice interface and no adverts.

Nice page. Thanks for the links.

Personally, I never see ads. Use script and ad blockers. Ad Block even lets me select and remove from view any part of a page that may contain ads. Very useful on youtube where stupid ads would appear over videos at the end. I selected ŧhem using Ad Block and no longer see them.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Yes, I was looking at www.yr.no - Norwegian Government Weather Service.   Short URL , nice interface and no adverts.

Nice page. Thanks for the links.

Personally, I never see ads. Use script and ad blockers. Ad Block even lets me select and remove from view any part of a page that may contain ads. Very useful on youtube where stupid ads would appear over videos at the end. I selected ŧhem using Ad Block and no longer see them.

Some of them are hard to avoid.

I also use Adblock and i also use Opera as the web browser.  Opera has a built in Ad Blocker.   But it's not perfect.  The injection of overlays for irritating surveys is a problem Ad Block hasn't solved and many sites are starting to detect blockers too.   I can block Javascript obviously but some sites are non-functional unless it's enabled.

I can get around some sites' intrusions sometimes by looking at the cached pages via Google. Works quite often.  Alternative is to try and block the ad serving sites like *.doubleclick.net.   Trouble is that there are 1000s of them and they change around a lot.   

I suppose we should remember many sites - including this one - rely on advertising so a few ads isn't going to really make any difference to the end user experience but would help providers. 

If you are paying for your gigabytes then bandwidth on overblown adverts is not cool.  They should pay you!    There was a thing in the UK fairly recently where people started to have special paid numbers.  If someone calls them, they get a payment per second to listen to the advertising.    Another thing people were doing was to charge advertisers to accept cold calls, i.e.  I'll charge you $40 an hour to listen to your sales blurb. Amazingly some companies paid up!

Was on FB this morning just checking out what my peeps were up to.
My 2nd cousin posted a new outrageous photo of herself to inform everyone she has been "Banned for life" from TINDER!!!
WTH??
So funny and so insane!
She reminds me so much of my very wild now deceased older sister.
The world should be grateful there were no cell phones or Tinder sites when my sister was living, she would of also been banned from Tinder for life as well.
What a crazy family!
My sister was super smart with a way of stopping people in their tracks if they got too forward.
Once little 120 lbs of her was actually picked up by 2 bouncers in a biker bar and thrown out to the street. How does one get 86'd out of a biker bar?
She also ran the front office for 2 CPA's in Encino, Ca. Daytime lady and night time party animal.
It's interesting to see all the different sorts of personalities in a family tree.
I've never been forcefully removed from anywhere, guess I'm far off from the tree.
I almost can't stop laughing, just way over the top.
My cousin is an extreme extravert, type A person.
Have more then a few of them in the family tree... Thought i was a bit much but in all reality compared to most in the fam. I am quiet and shy...
Sort of now understand why my mom kept us away from that side of the family after she got her divorce...
Anyways if anyone cares my 2 nd cousin has her own U tube channel, she isn't shy otherwise I'd never let on about her video's.
She goes by the name Christina Royale on U Tube... Totally over the top. I really can't watch her as to me she is way too much at times.
Has a very pretty face but I have no idea where she got her larger then life body from, we are all small fires, she reminds me of the old movie star, May West... Just totally out of control.
I met her half sister in Las Vegas, just a normal everyday sort of person... Guess it does take all sorts to make the world go round.

From: Today's Weather (Broken Toe thread)

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Broken or stubbed?  Plaster?

Its broken had an X-Ray, and 2 toes are tapped together. Out of action for 3 weeks.

Oh dear.  I suppose that means giving up the ballet dancing.  You must have really whacked it.

klsallee wrote:

My topic. About today's weather. Only.

Let's try to stay on topic.

Please move the chit-chat about broken toes, etc to Absolutely Anything Else.

To keep on topic over there at the weather thread, I was thinking of adding to my posting that if you have that kind of injury, it might ache in the future when the weather is damp.   Hence you could be a human barometer.  Bit of a stretch linking those two subjects.

BTW, I have a bit of a wonky knee that plays up in the winter.   It's not something to look forward to though!

True the winters here in Hungary are a bit damp, I can tell when it's about to rain also, my knees start to ache.
3 dislocations on one knee and surgery on the other one, I am so grateful to be able to walk without pain most times , forget about running though...
Off soo to lunch with our neighbors, my husband informed me at 8 am that we have a 11 am lunch date...
He swears he told me about it but no, he forgot to mention it....
A bit early to eat lunch but the ladies are ordering food and we are bringing the drinks...Guess you can't look a "gift horse" in the mouth,lunch should be nice they order out all the time and know who has good food.

Lunch with our neighbors was great.
Everyone ordered their own food, I shared 1/3 rd of my dish with my husband, was way too much food for me.
Stuffed cabbage from Troffeca Grill.
Wasn't bad, do like my own version better though.
Guess they are good company since we hung there for over 6 hours.
A long visit really since the one lady is in her mid 80's, didn't want to wear her out by overstaying.
She was feeling good, guess the 2 bottles of Port wine we shared gave her a energy boost.
Sad though, found out her old boyfriend who was 91 passed away a few months back.
He was a real old style Hungarian gentleman who was always kissing women's hands... Was creepy at first but he was harmless.
Got the scoop on what was going on these past 5 months in our building while we were in the states.
A young mom aged 46 in our house passed away from Cystic Fibrosis.
She was on the waiting list for a set of new lungs but couldn't wait on a donor.
Sad I remember her with her little girl.
Guess now it's been 6 people that I know of in our house who have passed away since we have lived here.
Time to move maybe... don't want to get on that list!

Alpaca thread continues.....

Looks like alpaca farming is quite established in Hungary with a few producers.  I cannot see dolphin farming getting a good press.  People don't care about the grey cows. Quite odd looking, nothing like the ones we see in England.  If people prefer these types, pull the udder one.   

I Googled alpacas and some people have been at it for sometime in Hungary and you can even get your wool processed into thread here.    Looks like it's important to be able to produce your own fodder for winters.  D'oh, amateur farmer.

I was slightly put off by mention of the disease Bluetongue which seems to be fairly common in cattle, sheep and also camelids.   Not sure about vaccinations.

Mrs Fluffy is against the idea of alpacas but she suggested ostrich farming as more profitable but I think the winters would be a problem.  I was thinking of Christmas trees as they would need no maintenance but she thinks they'd all get stolen.

Around here, we have plenty of vineyards (well, strips) which look abandoned.   I wonder if anyone actually makes money from vineyards? I'm thinking pedigree alpacas/llamas and so on could be profitable perhaps.   How much space does one need per alpaca to run around?

We often go to Tesco for this and that.
The last 2 times we went in during mid day hours they had no clerks for check out.
Everyone was directed to self service check out lines.
If the line had several people lined up to get to the machines they would slowly open up one check out line with a clerk.
I know there was a strike awhile ago for a wage increase for clerks.
Guess they got their raise but many people must of also gotten laid off from their jobs.
The bakery no longer in open inside the store and the small kiosk that sold sausages and pickled products is also gone.
Not very easy to check out if you have a cart full of items, those fast self serve check outs are great for a few items.
I asked my husband what was next? Perhaps next visit we will have to unload the delivery trucks ourselves as well.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

We often go to Tesco for this and that.
The last 2 times we went in during mid day hours they had no clerks for check out.
Everyone was directed to self service check out lines.
If the line had several people lined up to get to the machines they would slowly open up one check out line with a clerk.
I know there was a strike awhile ago for a wage increase for clerks.
Guess they got their raise but many people must of also gotten laid off from their jobs.
The bakery no longer in open inside the store and the small kiosk that sold sausages and pickled products is also gone.
Not very easy to check out if you have a cart full of items, those fast self serve check outs are great for a few items.
I asked my husband what was next? Perhaps next visit we will have to unload the delivery trucks ourselves as well.

Tesco is a funny one.  In the UK (obviously Tesco is British), their stores have three or four types of in-store checkout - one with an operator, one short queue for a few items with an operator, self-service with scanning machines like here and scan yourself while shopping using a hand held device (you need a Clubcard to use it).  One could add a 5th which is online and home delivery. 

But strange thing is if you go to Lidl or Aldi, there are no self-service checkouts at all.  But people have multiple jobs there.  They monitor the queue size and then someone comes and open another checkout to keep the queue down.  I am not sure how they do that - automatically or someone just watches and signals someone who is on call down for checkout duty.   One thing where it is self-service in Aldi is fuel.  I've only seen one Aldi fuel station in Hungary at a nearby industrial area (click here).

It would be a surprise if Tesco closed their own bakery or pickled goods departments.  I suspect the pickled goods was renting space from Tesco.  Don't know about the bakery. From what I've heard - a guy I knew was selling cosmetics there - suppliers have to rent shelf space but Tesco sets prices. Apparently they are very very tough on sellers operating in their stores and margins are wafer thin.  Anyway, retail is a disaster currently. Everyone is buying online.  Mrs Fluffy bought dog food mail order for 1/2 the price than the local pet shop.

Anyway, you can see the attraction of the self-service terminals as they don't have to pay wages, overtime or anything else.  Works 24/7 and doesn't complain and 1 person can supervise 4 or 5 machines.  McDonalds in the UK is all like that now. It's all machines to order and cards.

However, Mrs Fluffy arrived at a Tesco machine and it wouldn't take her card due to a fault and she didn't have enough cash. She had to leave the shopping there and go to the cash machine 50m away and come back.  So sort of OK when it works and horrible experience when it doesn't. 

My own complaint is that you have to pack/unpack stuff three times - once in the trolley, once on scanning and then you need to put it in the bag at the end.  Some machines in other stores allow you to weigh your own bags before scanning.  Then that eliminates one of the packing/unpacking stages.

Apparently Aldi pay a lot better than other international employers.  You'd think Ikea would be a good one with great conditions being Swedish and equality but it's not, it's middle ranking.  I found that quite odd.  I believe Tesco are quite bad payers - might explain the lack of people.  There's also the government not allowing immigration for these starter jobs - a policy likely to backfire as we know from the moronic tax-free minivans and 4-babies "initiative" (and I used that word somewhat liberally).   

I was reading about Brexit (as I should) and apparently businesses like Starbucks are finding only 1 in 50 applicants is British. Nearly everyone else is from another country, mainly Eastern Europe.   With full employment (in the UK) now apparently it's going to be far worse post-Brexit.  Strange that it's full employment in the UK  even with all this Brexit messing about.

Sooner or later most businesses will be run by AI with perhaps just a very few of us' Breathers" working .
Even the casino's in Las Vegas they now have AI run Baccarat , Blackjack and Roulette  machines.
There is a video screen with an AI dealer and 10 or so players all playing at once.
Min. of a $5. bet each hand.
Some casinos have a "breahter" dealing but still is able to deal to multiple players at once with a screen.
Dealers made good money, far more then one would think they would, at least back when I was dealing.
One casino nearly 20 years back had a steady daily tip of over $250.
An that was a mid level place.Plus our hourly pay with 20 min breaks every 40 mins to one hour with free meals at every break if you could eat that much. Insurance, security to and from the parking lot, some had shuttle bus service to the employee parking lots for security.
Free dry cleaning of your uniform shirts with a weeks worth of different shirts, free classes to learn how to deal new games and they promoted from the inside.
Many of our bosses had started out as dealers so management skills were learned on the job.
After that 9-11 date Vegas got slower and tips went down allot but still was a decent job that attracted US immigrants , probably because most Americans actually are too lazy to work at all at anything even semi- physical inless they are in a good paying construction job or in the health field.
I worked with many ex- doctors and professionals in the own countries who either didn't have their papers to work in their field in the US or couldn't speak English well enough to pass US tests again.
Had to have at least half a brain to be a dealer... have to think fast on your feet, literally.
Seems they want to end this, no live dealers means no more tipping either.
They are even stopping giving out free drinks at some casinos and some strip casinos are now charging for parking.

I know I also dislike hunting down a cart that has decent wheels, Tesco's are getting old and hard to push, many of their carts need new wheels on them,
Have to weigh your own produce, then unpack then repack etc. it's not like they are giving it away for free either, their prices are high on produce lately.
Reminds me, they are opening up a big new Lidel near us very soon.
They started that project way before we took or long US trip and still it's not open.
Last week though it looked like they were almost ready inside, could even have their Grand Opening this weekend for all I know.

I've never been inside a Starbucks and never will, one cup of coffee in the morning is enough for me and my husband doesn't touch the stuff. Way overpriced too.

We walked past a Mc Donalds on the large blvd. in the 8th district.
They are hiring. 200,000 for workers and 300,000 if you work night shift.
Must be a total nightmare to work nights there if they pay that much more.
Guess taxes come off that rate.

I was away for a week with the Fluffy crew and now we're all back in HU.  Upon our return:

1) The dog is moulting and leaving lots of hair around and I'm getting annoyed about it.   Maybe I should have got a golden retriever poodle cross, Goldie-poo?

2) The grass has grown.  No sign of builders coming to do the garden building work.

3) The weather isn't very good.  It's raining.

4)  There's a lot to do everywhere else - fixing stuff, paperwork

5) Easter is almost upon us.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I was away for a week

I was also away for a week.

The grass has grown A LOT. Holly crap. I mowed it just before I left!!!!

Weather is very cold... what the heck happened... It was warm when I left? 

Dog seems to have gotten fatter. Need to check what he was fed during my absence.

Tax payment due tomorrow (15th). Spent the day dealing with that... But it was raining anyway, so at least I did not want to go outside, so it was manageable.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

I was away for a week

I was also away for a week.

The grass has grown A LOT. Holly crap. I mowed it just before I left!!!!

Weather is very cold... what the heck happened... It was warm when I left? 

Dog seems to have gotten fatter. Need to check what he was fed during my absence.

Tax payment due tomorrow (15th). Spent the day dealing with that... But it was raining anyway, so at least I did not want to go outside, so it was manageable.

We've stopped giving the dog lunch now it's not a puppy.  It still looks a bit fat.  It came back from the kennels slightly different. It's a little more confident.

I think grass grows at temperatures above 5 C.   However, I am not seeing my special grasses growing so well - zebra grass and a few others.  I've been collecting ornamental grasses.  I did have a pampas grass but Mrs Fluffy kept running the lawnmower over it despite me putting a stick next to it.  I am still thinking of getting a cold weather bamboo for use as a screen but Mrs Fluffy is thinking Leylandii trees.

Don't miss mandatory lawn maintenance that comes with a house.
Wouldn't mind a hobby garden though.
Son is super happy in Japan, wants us to think about moving there sometime.
Not something I have ever really considered.
Weather is getting nice again here in Hungary.
Almost time in Japan for Cherry Blossom season.
Think it lasts all of 3 days.

When our Doberman was in the kennel for 6 weeks he got out looking good but a lot slimmer.
He was mad at us too.
Jumped all over us when he first got picked up but by the time he got into the car to ride home he was aloof and turned his back on us.
His mad mood lasted a couple of days.
He wouldn't come right away when called, would walk out of the room on us and just looked pissed off.
6 weeks was a long time, we visited Hungary and although my mom was willing to dog -sit him we decided to board him .
It was a good kennel and they gave them daily walks.
My mom had teenagers a alcoholic husband and not much time on her hands.
Thought it best to put him in a safe place while we were gone.
My mom freaked on us, in 1986 the cost was more then $500. for the kennel fees. My mom said you can buy 2 dogs later on for that price, just get another dog.
No way, not even sure why that even was a subject .
Some people see dogs as things and other as family members I suppose.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Don't miss mandatory lawn maintenance that comes with a house.
Wouldn't mind a hobby garden though.
Son is super happy in Japan, wants us to think about moving there sometime.
Not something I have ever really considered.
Weather is getting nice again here in Hungary.
Almost time in Japan for Cherry Blossom season.
Think it lasts all of 3 days.
......
My mom freaked on us, in 1986 the cost was more then $500. for the kennel fees. My mom said you can buy 2 dogs later on for that price, just get another dog.
No way, not even sure why that even was a subject .
Some people see dogs as things and other as family members I suppose.

Plenty of blossoms here, including my cherry tree but I think somewhat finished.  When the wind blows, it's like a snowstorm around the garden. 

As for landscaping, we found out our builder is in the hospital.  If it's true or not I don't know.  If he's got terminal tardiness that's an excuse that only works once.

Trouble with dogs is that they are really clever.  They are really good at ingratiating themselves into your life and become part of the furniture. 

Our dog comes into see me sitting at the computer, sits down next to me, then puts its paw on my lap.  It's like "Hey, I want attention".  But the thing is, what does it actually want?  Just to hang out I think. I am OK for it to sleep on the floor but don't interrupt me!

It also developed a habit of creeping up behind me and licking my elbows!   I'm not in to being licked (by dogs anyway) so I have to go and wash my arms!

fluffy2560 wrote:

[
Trouble with dogs is that they are really clever. !

Well.... There are dogs and there are golden retrievers....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-o7eoMaWMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tygmxpNcQWU

If wanted a lazy dog...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Rl-PW1tdY

klsallee wrote:

..... There are dogs and there are golden retrievers....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3Rl-PW1tdY

Mein Gott, that's OUR dog too in that video.....it's like a complete clone in looks and behaviourally....I am stunned into literary silence.....

p.s.  Mrs Fluffy could hardly watch the video - the dog kept interrupting her.....

I started to watch the vid about Golden's but then switched into looking at Dobermans.
Made me sad so I couldn't watch the whole thing...
Some breeds just seem to have very different personalities.
Dobbies will not beg too much for attention, can be a bit cool and aloof,
Will act very smart one moment then act the fool the next.
Once they show you they can do something they move on and don't like to over do it with attention or too much praise, they walk away on you.
Seek their own company, always on as far as doing the job of watching from afar as a guard.
It's just bred into them.
Let's see what facts I can think of from my foggy memory...
They were bred around the 1880's in Germany by the local tax collector  Herr Doberman who also was a dog catcher.
He needed protection while going around collecting taxs.
He bred several strong, smart bold dogs and over time they became a pure breed with their own look and character traits.
After several generations were bred together they got their distinctive look and markings.
A rather new breed actually .
Without going onto google I think there were German Shepard, Rottie, , German short haired pointer and one or two other breeds that were mixed to produce the Doberman.
Sometimes a mix of the right DNA makes perfect.
If we did this in humans though it wouldn't be PC.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I started to watch the vid about Golden's but then switched into looking at Dobermans.
Made me sad so I couldn't watch the whole thing...
Some breeds just seem to have very different personalities.
Dobbies will not beg too much for attention, can be a bit cool and aloof,
Will act very smart one moment then act the fool the next.
Once they show you they can do something they move on and don't like to over do it with attention or too much praise, they walk away on you.
Seek their own company, always on as far as doing the job of watching from afar as a guard.
It's just bred into them.
Let's see what facts I can think of from my foggy memory...
They were bred around the 1880's in Germany by the local tax collector  Herr Doberman who also was a dog catcher.
He needed protection while going around collecting taxs.
He bred several strong, smart bold dogs and over time they became a pure breed with their own look and character traits.
After several generations were bred together they got their distinctive look and markings.
A rather new breed actually .
Without going onto google I think there were German Shepard, Rottie, , German short haired pointer and one or two other breeds that were mixed to produce the Doberman.
Sometimes a mix of the right DNA makes perfect.
If we did this in humans though it wouldn't be PC.

So I HAD to look up which breeds were mixed to produce the Doberman.
German Shepard,Great Dane, Rottweiller, Machester Terrier, English Grey Hound.
They do not need allot of attention from outsiders, in fact they dislike being overly petted by strangers.
Usually bond to just one person, I was the one really our dog bonded to although my husband was close to him too. Our son often had to compete with the dog as another child. He used to say my brother is a dog and he meant it.
No need to train them to guard it's natural to them.
We had a doggie door put into our back exit to our home.
All night long he would go back and forth if he heard a peep outside.
Not many breeds would get off their comfy warm couch with covers to run outside in the dark and cold to see what was up.
Used to have to put his sweater on before bedtime in case he ran outside in the night in winter.
Of course dogs don't usually need outwear but humans need to put them on to make us feel better.
A Doberman who is cropped and without a collar on is almost impossible to catch by hand.
Short sleek hair, no tail to grab onto and a powerhouse of muscles.
My mother could never get over the fact that I had a Doberman, she thought I was more a lap dog person.
I used to actually place my huge dog on my lap when he wasn't feeling well and rock him to slepp,silly to have a 100lbs dog in ones lap rocking them to nightie night land. People are silly sometimes including me.
My legs would go numb from his weight and I'd have to get help to get him off of me.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I started to watch the vid about Golden's but then switched into looking at Dobermans.

Each dog breed has very different social and behavioral characteristics. And Dobermans are quite different from Golden Retrievers, which I and Fluffy have.

Hi, how are you ?

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I started to watch the vid about Golden's but then switched into looking at Dobermans.

Each dog breed has very different social and behavioral characteristics. And Dobermans are quite different from Golden Retrievers, which I and Fluffy have.

I didn't actually know you had a GR (or if I did I had forgotten).

Ours is losing hair faster than Bruce Willis except ours is moulting and Bruce, well you know the rest.   

Doggy also had a tick which Mrs Fluffy removed.  It wasn't looking right so it was a trip to the vet and she said probably there's something left in there but not to do anything and see if it'll come out on it's own.  This is despite having a pricey "Foresto" anti-tick collar on.

Kids are off school until Wednesday next week.  An excellent opportunity for the doggy to take us for a walk.   Better make the most of it as I have to go to off to work for real next week.

I am wondering what new tricks we can do with her.   We've done: sit, lay down, bark, walk in a circle, fetch, shake hands and stay.

I can only think of walk to heel (need choke collar) and possibly things like creeping along the ground.  But the latter is a bit like being in a circus.  I had thought about an obstacle course but maybe it's a bit ambitious.  What else can we do?

fluffy2560 wrote:

I didn't actually know you had a GR

Yes. I do.

Here he is on our terrace: He is a bit old, but I love him a lot.