Lola at the Coffee House

Yes, fm. I'll catch you later. And thanks for your appreciation of my legs. I've been on the treadmill for days, but it's worth the effort. Absolutely

Or step inside one's mouth. I hear time moves very slowly in that case.

home again home again bumpity bump

belch......................oh, excuse me

I seen a commercial while ago. Farmer adjusting weathervane gets struck by lightning. Next he closes the barn door and it collapses around him. Etc. His wife walks in on him later on. "How was your day?" she asks. Farmer eating a bowl of Blue Bell ice cream, smiling happily. "Turned out good." Turned out good for me too.

ed survived Lola. We are not worried about him. Storms move and it might be coming your way. It's you we are worried about now.

OMG not just one glass either, a whole pitcher full Thanks LA... Just what I need.......

Beth, Kia has to have a special diet food for her diabetes... Carrots cut, broccoli cut, kidney beans (don't ask), lean meat, brown rice, a pinch of salt and when put into her bowl? A sardine with a tad of oil on top.. Don't forget the boiled egg to be given at 5pm daily as well, or else she is hungry.... I guess I could use a food processor and make it into a loaf? Mmm food for thought now...

From what I've read about hippos, they're next to blind. Terrible eyesight. A former big game hunter, writing about his experiences in Africa, said that if a hippo is after you, the best thing to do is try and get behind a tree, or even just a stump. The dumb half-blind beast will just keep butting the tree, thinking he's doing you.

Hold on a sec. Now I think of it, maybe he was talking about rhinos instead.

Lovely peaceful atmosphere in here today - almost scared to comment on it in case a heated discussion kicks off while I'm posting! Mmmmm so good to just sit and enjoy - enjoy the company, the food and drink, the music - and to see all the happy smiling faces. What's wrong?

Some of us vonny find wall-to-wall happy smiling faces a trifle boring after a while. I know it is easy to find fault with us for doing so but we see a lot of happy smiling faces in the ads and we know they are all being acted for various reasons.

Some people seem desperately determined to show the world how happy they are as if not being happy all the time represents some kind of failure. As if the rat-race extends to happiness and the winners aggressively display it and claim that those who are not smiling all day long are curmudgeons and need to consult a physician. Or get a life. All the while dressed in bargain gear made in sweat-shops in poor countries, moidered half to death about their health and the antics of their nearest and dearest relations and neighbours. (Having avoided the News on account of it providing irrefutable evidence of what assholes we all are. Most News broadcasts end with a short up-beat item designed to put a smile back on our faces or at least partially defuse the effect of the previous 30 mins.)

I bet that if we all sat here smiling all day long and being really, really nice to each other it would not be long before our estimable proprietoresss would have a "NO SMILING" sign prominently positioned in order to save herself from bolting out of the door and running away down the street like Stan Laurel after a shotgun had been fired into the seat of his breeches.

What do you think Lola? Us all smiling all day long. Visual white noise. Having to go out now and again to relax the tensed-up face muscles.

Washup would soon start watering the beer and diluting the wine. And go from there. Until we stopped smiling. (Isn't that a wonderfully poetic way of conveying modern living conditions in one quick flash?)

Smiling is no good vonny. Flat out guffawing is a lot better.

If fm walked in the door for thin sliced, camp-fire roasted road-kill with Chilean anchovy sauce ( a Washup special made from 1 bottle of brown sauce, 1 bottle of tomato sauce, a few drops of Angostura Bitters and a spoonful of fish paste), looking all knowledgeable and dignified, smiling would out. You can't smile when you're guffawing coughs and splutters and your eyes are watering.

We only come fully alive in heated discussions.

Good day vonny! nice to see you here.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing visit in the cafe with friends today. I spent some time yesterday looking at photos, reviewing real-life cafe and pub visits with A2K friends. Lovely memories.

I rather like the sound of that, Spendius! Pity it isn't available on prescription!

No, I'm not complaining about the lack of tension, or the fact that people aren't arguing - it's rather pleasant to find a serene atmosphere for a change. In a world full of harsh edges, pain and sorrow, this virtual coffee house is a welcome oasis of calm. Smiling faces? Better than angry faces or faces contorted with rage.

Boring? No, I don't find it boring. If I did, then I would quickly move on to another thread - plenty of them! I visit this one for a few moments of quiet contemplation - to chat to interesting people - to dine on virtual food - to have intelligent discussions with other members - to listen to virtual music. I like it like this, Spendius, sorry you find it boring.

Nice to see you here too, ehBeth.

Sounds as if you had a nice time yesterday - you seem to have a lot of A2k memories to look back on. I hope today lives up to your expectations - great to relax in a quiet and serene atmosphere.

If you find it boring to be surrounded by people who are relaxed and smiling, because they are enjoying good food and good company, in a peaceful atmosphere, why don't you just leave and go somewhere more to your liking? Why selfishly disturb the pleasure of others, by creating dissension, as a perverse way of amusing yourself?

Speak for yourself.

I certainly enjoy heated discussions, but, when I'm engaged in them is hardly the only time I'm "fully alive". You may need that sort of provocation and competition to stimulate your sensibilities and emotions, but others might not need, or want, that sort of thing at all times or in all places. There is a time and a place for everything, and, for most people, that generally includes a time and a place to relax and have some fun. And the regulars who hang out here would like this café to be one of those places.

Maybe you're jealous that others can relax, experience pleasure, enjoy humor and amusement, and just feel good, and able to appreciate good company and good food in a pleasant atmosphere. Your almost relentless need to rain on everyone's parade, to be a spoiler, seems like envy to me.

You don't even entertainment the possibility that the smiles you see around here are genuine, and that people here are actually experiencing pleasure and enjoying themselves by being here. You've got to see it as some sort of act, as phoniness, as forced. So you provoke, and provoke, until people no longer are feeling good, and then you think they are being "real".

Again, spendi, speak for yourself.

Feeling good enough to smile is wonderful. Feeling good enough to laugh is great. Just feeling good is highly recommended.

Try finding something to smile about, spendi, try finding something other than being contentious to make you feel "fully alive", try relaxing and enjoying the sociability, and conviviality, that can be found here. And, if this place is "a trifle boring" for you, try walking around the neighborhood and finding some other coffee houses that might be more to your liking for a little while.

That is a much easier way to do it. I used to have a diabetic dog, and that's what I did--I made her a loaf every couple of days so I didn't have all the preparation on a daily basis.

You might be able to omit, or reduce, the kidney beans by substituting oat bran for them--that, particularly with the brown rice, would add fiber and help to reduce blood sugar, and it wouldn't be so gas producing. I always added oat bran to my dog's loaf.

Have you checked out some of the holistic dog foods? Those weren't around when I had my diabetic dog, but the ingredients in those would seem to be very good for a dog with diabetes, and quite similar to what you are preparing for your Kia. When I had my diabetic dog, the only commercial option was a prescription diet she absolutely refused to eat. Had the holistic commercial foods been around, I definitely would have given them a try with her. I've got my new puppy on the holistic food because I'm really impressed with it.

Dying to know - how is your new puppy doing? Have you chosen a name for him yet?

Firefly is right

Strange day this is.

Don't get me started, unless you want to hear me go on, and on, and on, about how cute, adorable, sweet, loving, playful, and brilliant he is.

He's doing fine. And, now that he's feeling more secure in his new home, he's flexing his dominance muscles and getting quite bossy at times. It's really funny to see him, all 4 pounds of him, barking at me, and giving me an argument, because he wants me to do something. I'm glad he's assertive, but it's time to begin some training. We just started working on "sit".

I haven't quite settled on one yet. I'm still spontaneously calling him by different names--like "Macho" when he tries acting tough, or "Hershey" when he's showering me with kisses, or "Cujo" when he's mouthing me too much and too hard.
I do like the name Toby for him, and it seems like a good name for a small dog, and it seems to suit him. He will probably wind up being Toby.

I still haven't found my camera. I may go out and buy another one just so I can take photos and videos of him. Then I will probably become really insufferable by posting loads of "brag" pictures.

I can't believe you just said that, and without following it with a dig, or insult, or snide comment. Wonders will never cease.

It's a nice change, Hawkeye. I hope the day will hold pleasant surprises for you too.

I bet you enjoyed writing that ff. The Velvet Glove is the style. I know it well.

I like cats and dogs frighten cats and sometimes kill them so I hate dogs. Some dogs bit a teenage girl to death here a few weeks ago. There's laws about dogs.

People use the expression "dog eat dog" to denote the vicious world we live in. It'll soon be taking you for a walk so that it can sniff at the lamposts more discreetly than it could if it was on its own.

Have you got a lead for it. I get the impression you like the idea of a lead and obedience training.