The Cupcake Muskateers Tavern welcomes You

[Aelonwy]

That has always been what we do best here. We may not be able to fix most things, but we're always here to listen.

Amazing how many things can be fixed with a simple 'Rt-Click + Ignore'. It works on sisters, too, tho might have a little more fallout than the hub doing it.

On the other hand, if she's stressing ya out without being of any real help, maybe a day or two on time out is just what the bartender ordered.

Not much she can do from New Jersey but berate me and take satisfaction that for once she has some kind of high ground. This is why my sister and I go months without talking to each other.

On a happier note, my daughter turned 8 this weekend, and we threw her a very small birthday party. She was allowed her two cousins (of the same age - all other cousins being 10+ yrs older) and her best friend and best friend's little brother which live right down the street. I figured mixing the germs of two houses plus ours was more than enough. They had cake, ice cream, pizza, water guns and 300 water balloons. There was much screaming and laughter. I am now finding icing smeared in weird places all over the house, inside and out, but everyone seems to have had a lot of much needed fun. She will not be playing DDO for awhile, she has 5 new dolls and various craft sets, games, and puzzles to occupy herself and a cosmetics kit (her first, from a great-aunt). Not too happy about the last... I would have waited till she was 10, but it cleans up with soap and water and a good thing too because she was practicing on stuffed animals and baby dolls already. *sigh*

[cdbd3rd]

Not much she can do from New Jersey but berate me and take satisfaction that for once she has some kind of high ground. This is why my sister and I go months without talking to each other.

High ground? Naw, only in her head, if anything.

On a happier note, my daughter turned 8 this weekend, and we threw her a very small birthday party. She was allowed her two cousins (of the same age - all other cousins being 10+ yrs older) and her best friend and best friend's little brother which live right down the street. I figured mixing the germs of two houses plus ours was more than enough. They had cake, ice cream, pizza, water guns and 300 water balloons. There was much screaming and laughter. I am now finding icing smeared in weird places all over the house, inside and out, but everyone seems to have had a lot of much needed fun. She will not be playing DDO for awhile, she has 5 new dolls and various craft sets, games, and puzzles to occupy herself and a cosmetics kit (her first, from a great-aunt). Not too happy about the last... I would have waited till she was 10, but it cleans up with soap and water and a good thing too because she was practicing on stuffed animals and baby dolls already. *sigh*

^smile worthy^ ...with a side of icing-fueled chuckle.

[Tscheuss]

Not much she can do from New Jersey but berate me and take satisfaction that for once she has some kind of high ground. This is why my sister and I go months without talking to each other.

On a happier note, my daughter turned 8 this weekend, and we threw her a very small birthday party. She was allowed her two cousins (of the same age - all other cousins being 10+ yrs older) and her best friend and best friend's little brother which live right down the street. I figured mixing the germs of two houses plus ours was more than enough. They had cake, ice cream, pizza, water guns and 300 water balloons. There was much screaming and laughter. I am now finding icing smeared in weird places all over the house, inside and out, but everyone seems to have had a lot of much needed fun. She will not be playing DDO for awhile, she has 5 new dolls and various craft sets, games, and puzzles to occupy herself and a cosmetics kit (her first, from a great-aunt). Not too happy about the last... I would have waited till she was 10, but it cleans up with soap and water and a good thing too because she was practicing on stuffed animals and baby dolls already. *sigh*

If the cake is good enough for Vin Diesel...

[Aelonwy]

High ground? Naw, only in her head, if anything.

^smile worthy^ ...with a side of icing-fueled chuckle.

No. There is a smidgen of high ground. I was supposed to keep the dog for two weeks. Other than sleep downstairs I really don't know what I could have done differently but it doesn't absolve me of the responsibility/blame because I certainly don't still have the dog. Yes it was my addled father-in-law that let it loose but it doesn't change the fact Lady went missing from my care. Does it give my sister free range to cuss at me? belittle and bad mouth me? No, no that part is only in her head but its not stopping her. I haven't blocked her calls... yet... but I reserve the right to immediately hang up on her as soon as she starts her toxic bs. It doesn't change her behavior but it makes me feel better.

Despite the extra work of cleaning up, I almost wish I could throw another party for the kiddos - there is a certain catharsis in watching unfettered joy.

Love the cake Tscheuss. Not sure I'd want to eat it though, fondant is blech.

[cdbd3rd]

No. There is a smidgen of high ground. I was supposed to keep the dog for two weeks. Other than sleep downstairs I really don't know what I could have done differently but it doesn't absolve me of the responsibility/blame because I certainly don't still have the dog. Yes it was my addled father-in-law that let it loose but it doesn't change the fact Lady went missing from my care. Does it give my sister free range to cuss at me? belittle and bad mouth me? No, no that part is only in her head but its not stopping her. I haven't blocked her calls... yet... but I reserve the right to immediately hang up on her as soon as she starts her toxic bs. It doesn't change her behavior but it makes me feel better.....

I do understand the feelings you're having, and I was mainly referring to it not being her place to bad-mouth you.

I also know all too well how not knowing Lady's safety/status makes it worse than anything else.

(I added an extra nudge through other channels over the weekend as well.)

[Aelonwy]

Thank you.

[Bekki]

That has always been what we do best here. We may not be able to fix most things, but we're always here to listen.




Amazing how many things can be fixed with a simple 'Rt-Click + Ignore'. It works on sisters, too, tho might have a little more fallout than the hub doing it.

On the other hand, if she's stressing ya out without being of any real help, maybe a day or two on time out is just what the bartender ordered.

The Bartender agrees with that...
I’m so sorry about the drama, I too am still lighting a candle to help Lady find her way home.

[Bekki]

No. There is a smidgen of high ground. I was supposed to keep the dog for two weeks. Other than sleep downstairs I really don't know what I could have done differently but it doesn't absolve me of the responsibility/blame because I certainly don't still have the dog. Yes it was my addled father-in-law that let it loose but it doesn't change the fact Lady went missing from my care. Does it give my sister free range to cuss at me? belittle and bad mouth me? No, no that part is only in her head but its not stopping her. I haven't blocked her calls... yet... but I reserve the right to immediately hang up on her as soon as she starts her toxic bs. It doesn't change her behavior but it makes me feel better.

Despite the extra work of cleaning up, I almost wish I could throw another party for the kiddos - there is a certain catharsis in watching unfettered joy.

Love the cake Tscheuss. Not sure I'd want to eat it though, fondant is blech.

I can understand how you feel. I’m an old Jarhead.
It’s a variation of ‘Survivors Guilt’, it is the feeling “Lady was lost on my watch.”

I still have issues with the death of a friend during the Gulf War.

But, I also agree with the fact that you can’t blame you self.
You did all you could, but there are some things that you can’t control.
There was no was no way you could have known your father in law would react that way.

I can understand how upset she is but, I agree, it is not fair how she is treating you.
She needs to understand how bad you feel, she has to know this hurts you as much as her.

Sending prayers your way, that she will see how much she’s hurting you and making this worse.

*keeping a candle lit...

[Aelonwy]

Sending prayers your way,

*keeping a candle lit...

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[doomboyv2]

got a +20 lesser heart from today's roll


hoping for the best for Lady, been following the posts.

[cdbd3rd]

got a +20 lesser heart from today's roll...

Nice hit!

Gold, I assume? You remember the number?

-----------

I was watching for that "5150". Gonna give ya a /nab on that one. Because...

5150 is the California penal code for the 24 hour observation hold for mental evaluation.

As noted by the great Van Halen in the 80s:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5150_(album)

-------------

...and more recently by Dierks Bentley:

[cdbd3rd]

On a separate, more somber, note - watched one of Burt Reynolds' last movies last night.

Small part by Chevy Chase, and Burt's sidekick being Ariel Winter (Alex from Modern Family) tho I didn't even recognize her at first cuz she's certainly 'grown up' since those days.

It's a good watch, but made more poignant given the topic of dealing with becoming old and looking back on everything he used to be. Cut scenes where he's talking to himself in shots from his old movies was a neat concept.

I caught it free on Demand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Movie_Star

[issiana]

*A faint disturbance in the ether slowly increases to a ghosty visible form*

Nice to hear of your success Doomboy
Best wishes to your warrior Bekki, Us down here are now bug free and back to normality once more so it is possible, hang in there all.
Familys..... yeah sometimes you wish you could pick your own - I know mine's caused me a lot of pain and grief. Hang in there Aelonwy, here's hoping the dog makes it back.

*a ghostly hand slowly materialises and places a block of belgium dark chocolate on the table*

Have fun all

[cdbd3rd]

....
Best wishes to your warrior Bekki, Us down here are now bug free and back to normality once more so it is possible, hang in there all.....

That's it. I'm moving. Iss, you still hiring? Heck, eldest daughter's mum is already down there....

**Current wife adds input**

Dang it. I'm not moving. /whispers, "yet."

The stupid is getting so... stupid here. Everyone go free now, oh wait, no, go back, no, now *everyone* put on masks or be fined/fired.... And that's not even including the verboten topics like statues, etc. I don't know how bad the stupid is getting in some other non-US countries, but I'm about to give up on ever seeing any scrap of common sense salvaged here.

[Aelonwy]

but I'm about to give up on ever seeing any scrap of common sense salvaged here.

*hugs* I wish I could say I had hope of it getting better... but I feel almost like this is the eventual result of extreme PC culture, good people with common sense are hog-tied by the demands of "triggered" masses of people that feel they have the right to do whatever they want because someone made a joke, is wearing the wrong color, has the wrong hairstyle, wants to work or go to church, has the audacity to punish their own child for misbehavior in public,etc. Its getting downright scary how people aren't allowed to even verbally disagree about something anymore however minor without the other side trying to trash their reputation, social media, family, friends, and workplace opportunities.

I want to go back to when people were allowed to think for themselves instead of this mob mentality of you're either with us or you are instantly evil. What happened to agree to disagree?

Its starting to make me think of Cabaret, how people against the popular movement or perhaps just parts of it were afraid to speak up, because then they were targeted for all sorts of shenanigans that got increasingly damaging as each successive behavior was made acceptable and allowed.

That its happening during a pandemic only makes the possible shenanigans more possible, prevalent, and worse.

[cdbd3rd]

yep ^^

-------------

And now, for something completely different...

This evening way back at the back edge of the yard. Couldn't get any decent shots as these two fox pups were wrestling around. Even the few times they sat still the shots were obviously so-so.

[doomboyv2]

Nice hit!

Gold, I assume? You remember the number?

-----------

I was watching for that "5150". Gonna give ya a /nab on that one. Because...

5150 is the California penal code for the 24 hour observation hold for mental evaluation.

-snip-

Yep, weekly roll courtesy of my sub, thanks to Sebastian. Rolled a clean 100.

------

apropos considering what a smoothie my brain is

[cdbd3rd]

*sigh*

Weather last night: Slight chance of light showers overnight from storms to our North.

5:30 AM: All phones in the house start going off with a weather alert, Tornado warning in our area. I kick on the TV, and the radar shows the rotation directly over us. Heh.

I get everyone awake and heading for the basement, then go outside. Finally gonna get to see one! Pre-dawn light and lots of lightning, I'm getting a fairly good view of the clouds. Could even hear some roaring wind nearby.

watch, wait, listen to wife chastising me for being outside, usher her back to the basement...


...and...

Nothing.

Keep poking my head back in the door to see the radar and within minutes the line is past us leaving just heavy rain and wind. Dangit.

[Aelonwy]

*summons Mindflayer Fred*
*Fred appears in puff of swirly purple stuff*

Me: Please come check out my friend Cd, he seems to have this strange desire to get up close and personal with dangerous Nature at its most unpredictable.
Fred: Perhaps he has an unfulfilled desire to reincarnate as a druid? Has he been playing too much HC? That can overwork the risk-taking instinct in the prefrontal cortex... here let me see...

*Fred approaches*

[Phoenicis]

*sigh*

Weather last night: Slight chance of light showers overnight from storms to our North.

5:30 AM: All phones in the house start going off with a weather alert, Tornado warning in our area. I kick on the TV, and the radar shows the rotation directly over us. Heh.

I get everyone awake and heading for the basement, then go outside. Finally gonna get to see one! Pre-dawn light and lots of lightning, I'm getting a fairly good view of the clouds. Could even hear some roaring wind nearby.

watch, wait, listen to wife chastising me for being outside, usher her back to the basement...


...and...

Nothing.

Keep poking my head back in the door to see the radar and within minutes the line is past us leaving just heavy rain and wind. Dangit.

*summons Mindflayer Fred*
*Fred appears in puff of swirly purple stuff*

Me: Please come check out my friend Cd, he seems to have this strange desire to get up close and personal with dangerous Nature at its most unpredictable.
Fred: Perhaps he has an unfulfilled desire to reincarnate as a druid? Has he been playing too much HC? That can overwork the risk-taking instinct in the prefrontal cortex... here let me see...

*Fred approaches*

*chuckle


CD, I've seen a tornado. Up close and personal (well, it was about 5 miles away and moving parallel to the road we were on). NOT something I would recommend.