Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

We are into our second (third?) week of warm, muggy weather. I'll take cool and wet, now, to be honest. Give my poor AC a break if nothing else.

Good morning. Pouring out the stale coffee from last evening and putting on a fresh pot. Kettle is boiling for tea.

Summer heat and humidity to continue until further notice, with temps well into the nineties this week. The joys of living in the south. It's currently 88 degrees and with 71 percent humidity. I'm not going out if at all possible. As expected, my parents having to isolate for ten days is not going well. My father calls at odd hours, alternating between anger, frustration, and hurt. He accuses me of abandoning my mother. Sigh, dementia. 

It's good to see the changes requested being implemented. It's a process, but I am impressed with how quickly things are progressing.  The forums look great, and having pages load quickly is fantastic. I am sure in time, a lot of the features we love will be reinstated in some way. 

I hope everyone has a good Monday. I'll see if there are any snickerdoodles left. If so, I'll take 2 or 6.

Cheers!

Thanks for the set-up. Mr. Ape.

Low 90s, partly cloudy all week here.  I don't mind, I kinda like the heat. I take a walk every day around 4, when writing is done and the temp has dipped back below 90 (though just barely).

How did the Mets fall 7 games back? At least Baez is back, and led us to a win last night. Too little too late.

Short story critique group tonight. Check your ego at the door. I'm just critiquing, nothing of mine on the chopping block. 

And, that's about it. A boring day in my cats-and-Talia-filled paradise. 

Coffee and exactly fifteen snickerdoodles please. 

Quote by verbal

Check your ego at the door. I'm just critiquing, nothing of mine on the chopping block. 

Nice bike ride this morning. Got fairly sweaty due to the humidity but survived. Just takin' it easy this afternoon. One more week of staycation left to go.

Hi peeps 

A beautiful day here .got some cleaning done now time to chill for a bit.

*Peeks in the cookie jars* we are in good shape.*giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats* 

Hoping to get some writing done but drawing a complete blank . I got a idea and then it ran away from me . Other than that not a lot going on . Hoping to get something on paper. 

Fresh cookies tomorrow. Any requests? 

Hugs  

Stay safe

Quote by DenimAngel

Hi peeps 

A beautiful day here .got some cleaning done now time to chill for a bit.

*Peeks in the cookie jars* we are in good shape.*giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats* 

Hoping to get some writing done but drawing a complete blank . I got a idea and then it ran away from me . Other than that not a lot going on . Hoping to get something on paper. 

Fresh cookies tomorrow. Any requests? 

Hugs  

Stay safe

Iced oatmeal cookies please!!!

Quote by verbal

Quote by DenimAngel

Hi peeps 

A beautiful day here .got some cleaning done now time to chill for a bit.

*Peeks in the cookie jars* we are in good shape.*giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats* 

Hoping to get some writing done but drawing a complete blank . I got a idea and then it ran away from me . Other than that not a lot going on . Hoping to get something on paper. 

Fresh cookies tomorrow. Any requests? 

Hugs  

Stay safe

Iced oatmeal cookies please!!!

Okie dokie :) 

Awaiting Sara's iced oatmeal cookies.

Not feeling it this morning. Still trying to wake up. Coffee, come to me!

We have two really good friends who I think may be getting a divorce. Really bummed. Their kids have just hit adulthood, which is a slightly good thing, I guess. But you can just feel the thunder rumbling on the horizon, like a bad movie.

At least the Mets didn't lose (they didn't play).

Time to write.

Hi people 

A slow start to my day 

Sorry the cookies are late

A large iced coffee sounds good I need the caffeine! 

Hope everyone is having a great day. 

Sorry to hear about your friends Jeff. 

But I do have fresh cookies. *moving the old cookies to the emergency cookie tins behind the counter and filling the cookie jars to the tippy top with fresh cookies* 

In Big Bird  : butterscotch sugar cookies, iced oatmeal cookies, lemon softies and chocolate crinkle 

In Cookie Monster : ginger snaps, iced oatmeal, banana and peanut butter and angel crunch cookies

In Elmo : flourless fudge cookies ,lemon softies, peppermint cookies and double chocolate hazelnut cookies 

*Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats* 

Hugs to all :)

Never had iced oatmeal before, so I shall try a couple with my evening tea (Coronation Street green). Had a lovely day canoeing at the local conservation area. Paying for it tonight with stiff muscles. Canoeing uses a rather different set of muscles than cycling so I guess they were getting a bit "rusty".

Good morning!! Coffee is brewing and kettle is boiling. Seem to have recovered from my adventures yesterday, or at least recovered enough to not feel like crap.

No big plans today, just R&R. Maybe some reading, maybe some writing, maybe just veg.

Hey everyone.

It's No Talia Wednesday. Gonna teach the cats how to whistle.

Also, lunch with a daughter.

My story about the girl in the dog park sucks. Wah. Not gonna even bother to edit it.  I finished it. Sometimes you've gotta know when to throw em back in the pond. I'll try a story about magpies today.

Coffee and seven iced oatmeal raisin cookies (thanks Sara!) please.

Quote by verbal

Hey everyone.

It's No Talia Wednesday. Gonna teach the cats how to whistle.

Also, lunch with a daughter.

My story about the girl in the dog park sucks. Wah. Not gonna even bother to edit it.  I finished it. Sometimes you've gotta know when to throw em back in the pond. I'll try a story about magpies today.

Coffee and seven iced oatmeal raisin cookies (thanks Sara!) please.

I just bought a slingshot and hard foam balls to chase them away from the lawn furniture. They’ve been pulling out the stuffing in our older chairs.

Maybe a story about how they collected and saved everything people have thrown at them, for the day they exact revenge, and kill that person under the weight or suffocation of those items. Good premise. And, we’ll, there it is.

Killer Recycling Magpies - When going green turned everything mean.

Lots going on in PingVille.  Won’t bore y’all with the details except that I did have a basil carcinoma removed. Scalpel to the face. Stitches under the eye. I’ll now have a scarrr. I can officially do pirate jokes with the look of authenticity. Hopefully, the dermatologist got all the cancer. TBD.

Another week and the kids are back in school. Same COVID protocols as before. Excellent compromise for keeping our youngest citizens in a classroom. Our educational system have done a fantastic job keeping everyone safe. But we now enter the era of vaccers vs non-vaccers. It’s already getting divisive and ugly.

Good day for a ride. Sunny. Temperate. No wind. A good chili dog should cure that.

Later…

Quote by Ping

Won’t bore y’all with the details except that I did have a basil carcinoma removed. Scalpel to the face. Stitches under the eye. I’ll now have a scarrr. I can officially do pirate jokes with the look of authenticity. Hopefully, the dermatologist got all the cancer. TBD.

Quote by verbal

My story about the girl in the dog park sucks. Wah. Not gonna even bother to edit it.  I finished it. Sometimes you've gotta know when to throw em back in the pond. I'll try a story about magpies today.

Jane was in my dreams last night - for once. 🖤

She'd moved into a house a few doors down from my parents and every time I was over, I'd spend more time at her house than theirs. Oops?

“Dad, Dad, look! I bought some handcuffs!”

How do I respond to my eleven-year-old daughter after she greets me like that when I get home?

Some iced tea, please. Sweet tea if you prefer. I’ve smuggled in my own limoncello for the summer kicker.

Handcuffs. SMH.

Hi peeps 

A beautiful day here not alot going on.kind of a lazy day. 

A large iced coffee sounds yummy☕

*Peeking in the cookie jars* we are in good shape..

Where in the heck are the cookie bandits? 

*Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats*

Stay safe everyone :) 

I am tired of complaining about the heat, but there isn't much else going on at the moment. My tomato crop is slowing down, and my fig tree is producing a lot of figs. Hmm, I've never combined tomatoes and figs. I'll have to give that some thought. I'll have some lemonade over crushed ice with a couple of cocktail umbrellas, please. 

Cheers Everyone!

Quote by Ping

Quote by verbal

Hey everyone.

It's No Talia Wednesday. Gonna teach the cats how to whistle.

Also, lunch with a daughter.

My story about the girl in the dog park sucks. Wah. Not gonna even bother to edit it.  I finished it. Sometimes you've gotta know when to throw em back in the pond. I'll try a story about magpies today.

Coffee and seven iced oatmeal raisin cookies (thanks Sara!) please.

Magpies?

I just bought a slingshot and hard foam balls to chase them away from the lawn furniture. They’ve been pulling out the stuffing in our older chairs.

Maybe a story about how they collected and saved everything people have thrown at them, for the day they exact revenge, and kill that person under the weight or suffocation of those items. Good premise. And, we’ll, there it is.

Killer Recycling Magpies - When going green turned everything mean.

Lots going on in PingVille.  Won’t bore y’all with the details except that I did have a basil carcinoma removed. Scalpel to the face. Stitches under the eye. I’ll now have a scarrr. I can officially do pirate jokes with the look of authenticity. Hopefully, the dermatologist got all the cancer. TBD.

Another week and the kids are back in school. Same COVID protocols as before. Excellent compromise for keeping our youngest citizens in a classroom. Our educational system have done a fantastic job keeping everyone safe. But we now enter the era of vaccers vs non-vaccers. It’s already getting divisive and ugly.

Good day for a ride. Sunny. Temperate. No wind. A good chili dog should cure that.

Later…

Glad to hear you are doing alright. If you ever come Then-Came-Bronson-ing down to these parts we’ll go to a biker bar, you can flash the scar and scare the bikers.

Wrote a long magpie-related monologue today. No idea what to do with it. Sigh.

*Steals ALL the cookies in a fit of misplaced rage over my own crappy writing*

...god, there's something so incredibly addictive about Jane when she looks extra vulnerable. 🖤

I'm so lost here ..first day back on forum ..and 😂😂😂😃 ..like send out the rescue party 

Quote by etairay

I'm so lost here ..first day back on forum ..and 😂😂😂😃 ..like send out the rescue party 

Welcome to the new forum etairay - you're not the only one who feels lost and bewildered on here.

I don't know how but two people who I am already friends with have received a friend's requests from me, and

the thing is it's not even from me ! And now I can't post pics on profiles any more !

Happy days !!

Do you know what is the most frustrating thing ever? 

No it isn't changes in our beloved site, not even close. In truth I love the new presentation and the forums. Though messenger is not quite BB. 

The most frustrating thing ever is, waiting and waiting and still more waiting. Almost Friday, four days past the time for that which was due on Monday to arrive ... 

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Do you know what is the most frustrating thing ever? 

No it isn't changes in our beloved site, not even close. In truth I love the new presentation and the forums. Though messenger is not quite BB. 

The most frustrating thing ever is, waiting and waiting and still more waiting. Almost Friday, four days past the time for that which was due on Monday to arrive ... 

Well, good morning all. Back from a morning ride on the ole bicycle. Starting to think about writing a story about cycling. Maybe a 'kids with bikes" story, as some call media like Stranger Things and the eighties movies that inspired it.

Coffee is brewing, kettle is boiling, and there's tea in the pot. There's always an assortment of breakfast-y goodies on the side table and, of course, Sara's cookies.

Quote by Mendalla

Well, good morning all. Back from a morning ride on the ole bicycle. Starting to think about writing a story about cycling. Maybe a 'kids with bikes" story, as some call media like Stranger Things and the eighties movies that inspired it.

COOKIES!!!  

Quote by verbal

We actually talked about this genre in my last critique group and started calling it "80s Spielbergian Horror." It was about kids exploring a sewer pipe. We were calling Stand By Me the definitive example of it, though Stranger Things works too.

COOKIES!!!  

* scarfs a lemon softie to have with afternoon tea *

I woke up to the sound of new house construction going on. I love my neighborhood; it is full of ranch-style brick homes built in the forties. Most people have added on to their houses, but someone along the way realized most of the houses are built on two lots. Developers started buying houses, tearing them down, and putting up two houses. Long skinny three-story, orphan townhomes, I call them. They slap on a million-plus price tag on them, and they sell. There are currently three lots next to me and across the street in the process of construction. It makes me very sad. 

Eventually, we will have to leave this area, our house is paid for, but the property taxes are getting ridiculous. One of those silly houses sold for $990,000, and three months later, its twin next store sold for $1.3 million. They loom over everything; I'm not a fan. When we do move, a developer will probably get the house and tear it down. We have one of the bigger two-lot properties, so they can put up a "normal" size house and a skinny house.  It pains me to think of the house we have spent over thirty years in, renovating, adding on, and loving being torn down. Sigh...

Okay, my rant for the day is over. I'd leave to run some errands, but a cement truck is currently blocking my driveway again. Is it too early to start drinking? I hope everyone is having a good week.

Cheers!

Hi peeps 

A rainy gloomy day here

A big cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows will make it all better 

Not much going on planning on getting some writing done .but struggling with ideas now .. big fat blank drawn . 

I do have fresh cookies today since there  was a raid on the cookies yesterday . *Filling the empty cookie jars to the tippy top with fresh cookies*

I hope the cookie bandit didn't get a belly ache

Today's offerings are rainy day shapes sugar cookies that are diabetic friendly and gluten free

They are pretty tasty if I do say so myself 

They are clouds with smiley faces ,raindrops, umbrellas,rain boots , lightning bolts and coffee cups 

*Giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats* 

*Taking my hot chocolate and a couple of cookies and moseying over to my favorite fluffy chair * 

Stay safe everyone

Quote by gillianleeza

Eventually, we will have to leave this area, our house is paid for, but the property taxes are getting ridiculous. One of those silly houses sold for $990,000, and three months later, its twin next store sold for $1.3 million. 

Cheers!

Hmm. We are getting a storm right now so a lightning bolt and a raindrop would be quite fitting. 😋