Boom on the left foot

All the cool kids are doing it

drumher — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:12:28 GMT

PAY IT FORWARD 2012

My pledge? I promise to make something handmade for the first 5 people who comment on this post. The catch? You must then post this on your own LJ/DW/FB/Twitter/Tumblr (wherever you like) and make something for the first 5 people who comment on it.

The rules? Items must be handmade* by you and the recipients must receive them before the end of 2012. So what are you waiting for?

*when it says handmade, it doesn't have to be anything major. It can be anything as simple as some graphics or fic (if you don't want to give out your address), or a card, or origami, crafts, sewing, knitting, food related, anything at all.

Yeah. I don't have anything to do this year so I can do art or music videos or custom tee shirts or come over and tile your bathroom. Forget that last one but let me know if you want to play.

Now I'm off to tile my bathroom.

Happy Birthday, Shimotsuki!

drumher — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:50:37 GMT

I don't know if it's a coincidence that a third Series of Downton Abbey was officially announced today, but I think that's a pretty nice birthday pressie!

I still owe you an illustration of a scene from one of your R/T stories so I'll just use this occasion to re-up my pledge.

have a lovely day!

iCons

drumher — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:02:10 GMT

icons for Team Anna/Bates at lovebelowstairs Battleships challenge.

On the good ship

drumher — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:38 GMT

Spent almost as much time learning how to upload this video as it took to make it! For the Battleships challenge over at lovebelowstairs Go Team Anna/Bates!

As i was saying...

drumher — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:11:14 GMT

Despite appearances to the contrary, I am not in a "fewest and farthest between" LJ post competition with gilpin25 (Which I won, BTW.) I can't tell you how many posts went through my head that never made it to the keyboard. They were all brilliantly witty and full of charming stories and I'm sorry you'll never get to read them.

So what, you may ask, have I been up to since last my last post in November? Well, for a while, I spent an awful lot of time (many people would say wasted) seeing The King's Speech. My final in theater count came to 12 as I decided not to jinx Colin's Oscar chances by seeing it a 13th time the same weekend as the Academy Awards. It worked out pretty well for him too! TKS elevated Colin from looks-sexy-in-wet-breeches-romantic-comedy-kind-of-guy, to full blown I-have-to-see-everything-he's-done NOW! That went on for awhile until I finally got to watch Downton Abbey and met (not in real life sadly) the lovely Brendan Coyle. My Netflix queue now looks like this: Colin movie, Brendan movie, Colin movie, Brendan movie. You get the picture. Some lovely person posted all six episodes of True Dare Kiss on You Tube which saves me having to buy the european DVDs and convert it NTSC format. It's funny when I think that when I was younger, I went for the older men in my celebrity crushes but now the older men are my age! Or in Brendan's case, 5 months younger!

Music always take a huge chunk of my time that I could be using on the internet. I've been working on improving my skills with the pitched percussion (ie: xylophone, bells, vibes, etc) to make me more useful to whomever may need me and wants to pay me. although I will work for free... or at least food during intermission. Got to put my skills to the test for a two week run of Little Women which debuted on Broadway the same time as Wicked but didn't quite catch fire. Still, it's a good show and the music is catchy and easy to listen to (Probably because the composer stole freely from other popular musicals like Les Mis.) Playing it, is another matter! It didn't take us long to realize that the orchestrator had no idea of the range and limitations of the various instruments. In the case of the percussion book, I think they may have though I'd have four hands because that was the only way to play some of the parts. But, once I figured out the best way to set up the instruments (which spanned the length of the pit) to keep the dashing back and forth to a minimum, I only had to drop a few bars here and there to play, what I decided were the important parts.

Beauty and the Beast was next and was almost a complete opposite. The ironic part is I got paid more money for BB. Or rather, I got paid for Beauty. Go figure. Next up are a couple of concerts this weekend and then perhaps, Once Upon a Mattress in July. It'll be nice to have some free time because...

I have started on my next DIY project! Yay! It's been a while since I've done anything that involved any kind of demolition. This time it's the master bath that's getting the full on treatment. It was the first room I renovated after moving in 12 years ago, back when I was just learning how to do things and compared to the rest of the house, it's looking rather dumpy. A lot of ideas have been going through my mind for months but I never could decide what to do and where to start. Then I found this vanity...

...and it kick started the project. I wish I could've used the recent 3 day weekend to make more progress but I have to wait for the faucet to be delivered next week (which was yesterday since this post has taken almost a week to finish) before I can finish the install and move on. I did go ahead and demo the old one and replace the water valves. If you look at where the edge of the vanity meets the wall, it doesn't. Not evenly, at least. That's because the cheap builders didn't care if the wallboard lay flat and level over the water pipes. I addressed this problem tonight and only need another layer of plaster and some paint and I'll be ready to install the vanity.

Had life gone as planned (and when does it, really?) I would have been in England this week, but my travel buddy decided it was about time for him to buy a house and couldn't commit the funds to our trip. Last week he signed off on a lovely 3 bedroom, with a yard and all that stuff for the price which would barely get you a one bedroom condo in California. I suppose I can use some of my vacation time to go visit him in Pittsburgh but I've told him we're crossing the pond in 2013 providing the world doesn't end in 2012. As a consolation price, my sister-in-law is in Oxford for a family wedding right now.

I'm sure there's more I could tell you but it's taken me three (now five) days to get to this point and if I don't post this tonight, it'll take another two days before I have time again. But let me introduce you to Gomez before I go. This big boy was living on the streets for quite a while until I finally gave in and liberated him. He took to being an inside cat quickly but has a sketchy relationship with the others. Often he'll stretch out on the stairs and I'll find Fran or Ulysses waiting a few stairs down (or up) trying to figure out how to get past him. He also takes up too much space on the bed but he's a love and let's me rub his tummy.

So, was it worth the wait? ;)

Non-sparkly Birthday wishes!

drumher — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 01:45:07 GMT

Hey shimotsuki ! It's still your birthday so I'm not too late to wish you a happy one... or to hope that it was a good one! I'd like to offer you some Remus and Tonks birthday art. You should realize though, that it may not arrive until your next birthday. ;) You can either give me some prompts or request a scene from one of your stories.

Happy Birthday!

Because everybody's doing it

drumher — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 02:57:23 GMT

I'll be getting to the Meme that's making its way 'round in a moment but there's this movie coming out in of couple of weeks that I am super excited about and wondered if any of you are too? No... it's not Deathly Hallows though I am sort of getting excited about that too.

If I've done this right, you'll get the trailer for "The Kings Speech". Cross your fingers...

I have to tell you that I've been watching the various trailers way too much. I mean come on... it's got Colin Firth! In a uniform! I've already got four of my girlfriend's lined up to see it but I have a feeling this is going to be one of those movies that I see over and over an then watch constantly when the DVD comes out.

Meme time.

A is for age: 47. I may be old but I'm certainly not going to act like it!

B is for beer of choice: Don't drink it so, with mrstater 's consent, I'll have to answer Root Beer.

C is for career right now: Graphic artist for a sportswear company. Been doing it for sometime now (25 years) and I think I may just have the hang of it.

D is for your dog's name: No Dogs but Cats named Ulysses, Fran, Murphy and Dora

E is for essential item you use everyday: iPod for music in the car and at work. iPad for reading during lunch or before bed.

F is for favourite TV show: Favorite of all time or now? Now would be Fringe. All time would have to be Star Trek, the original series.

G is for favourite game to watch: Baseball. Unfortunately, the Giants just won the World Series so no more Baseball until April. :(

H is for hometown: Torrance, California.

I is for instruments you play: Percussion and if I were to list everything I play, you'd probably lose interest and miss out on all the rest of the answers below.

J is for favourite juice: Apple

K is for whose butt you'd like to be kicking: My own to get on that treadmill everyday and work off some of that flab!

L is for the last place you ate at: Home. Left over spaghetti from Halloween party at my bro's.

M is for marriage: Nothing in the works at this time.

N is for your name: Sandra... but call me Sandy, it fits me better.

O is for overnight hospital stay: Never and I'd like to keep it that way.

P is for people you were with today: I know there were other people in the building where I have my office but I didn't interact with them today.

Q is for what your best quality is: compassion for others... especially those of the furry kind.

R is for what you're currently reading: The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchet. The 22nd Disworld novel I've read since gilpin25 got me started.

S is for your relationship status: see M

T is for the time you woke up today: 4 AM. Then went back to sleep until 6 AM when I really had to get up.

U is for type of underwear you have on: black thongs (not lacy black, though)

V is for favorite vegetable: Vegetable? Can I change this to fruit and say Apricots?

W is for worst habit: drink too much Pepsi.

X is for x-rays you've had: various broken bones from my more active years.

Y is for some yummies: Homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Z is for zodiac sign: Cancer

I hope to get started on another Remus and Tonks piece that's been on the back burner for quite a while. It's had a few starts and stops but the sketch is pretty much ready to be scanned in and then the real fun begins.

Vote tomorrow, those of you Stateside.

Birthday Art for Gilpin (still 25?)

drumher — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:41:07 GMT

So last year at this time, I asked gilpin25 to choose a canon Remus/Tonks moment and I would illustrate it for her as a birthday gift. I didn't say which birthday so here, a year later and in honor of this year's birthday, is Remus and Tonks bringing Harry's trunk to No. 12 Grimmauld. I should point out that I did not re-read the section so if there are any glaring canon points I missed, chalk it up to artistic license.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday Karen, with lots of awesome presents (some of which may or may not be a horse). Hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed putting off doing it until the last minute!

Contrary to what it states, LJ is not linking this thumbnail to the full size picture in my gallery so until it magically fixes itself, here's the direct link.

http://pics.livejournal.com/drumher/pic/000cqet9/

Happy Happy Joy joy

drumher — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:02:44 GMT

To sspring92 , our resident R/T cheerleader, the very happiest of birthdays to you. :)

I wanna go back to my little grass shack

drumher — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:29:13 GMT

I'm back from my holiday on Kaua'i and have been sorting through the over two thousand pictures taken by me and my siblings since I got home. Fortunately for you, I am not going to post all of them. Unfortunately for you, I am going to post quite a few. ;) Once I'm done, I need to get started on my Summer Hallows Jumble entry. I've got the beginnings of an idea and very few obligations for the next few weeks so I should be able to contribute some art. Wish me luck!

We haven't even boarded the plane and I've already lost my iPad to the niece and nephew!

As soon as I got to my room, I put on my suit and dove in for a quick swim before dinner. Ahhhh...

Mom and Dad keep an eye on the kids from the beach.

First the kids take over the iPad, then my skateboard!

I missed my own kitties but there were four living around the Pono Kai that gave me my daily cat fix. This one was the friendliest of the bunch.

Kayaking down the Wailua River.

Found my future home. As soon as I can scare up a couple a million dollars.

Had to turn around when the reeds got too thick and met our third boat coming down stream.

A cool, refreshing Shave Ice after a hard day of paddling. The start of a daily ritual.

The obligatory family photo session. Interrupted by a rain shower.

We arrived at Po'ipu Beach to find that a Monk Seal had claimed a section of the beach.

Monk Seals are protected and all people are required to stay at least 100 feet away from them. Tell that to the one that nearly swam over me later that day on the way to his nap on the beach!

Best pre-vacation purchase (after the iPad) was the Kodak Play Sport underwater camera. Got some great underwater shots.

Like this one of a Moorish Idol.

And these guys, whose names escape me at the moment. They're pretty though.

Hawaiian beach boy I picked up in Koloa Town.

Finally wrestled my board away from the boys!

Entertainment on the boat on the way to the world famous, Fern Grotto.

Or as I call it, the Fern-less Grotto. Sadly, Hurricane Iniki devastated the grotto (and island) in 1992 and it will take many years to return to it to its former glory. Due to safety issues, you can't even hike up to the grotto.

Leave me alone. I'm on vacation.

What did I just say? Kids. They never listen.

I did not set this up but Woody had such a great view, I felt I should take advantage of it. Lydgate Beach Park. Notice the man made reef protected swim areas to the right.

My brother, the great scavenger, gathers driftwood.

Kamalani Kai play bridge just south of the beach is a wonderful wooden maze.

The younger of two Honu's (sea turtles) we swam with at Anini Beach.

Don't know the names of these trees but they're very cool.

The "sand" at Glass Beach. Located in an industrial area by Port Allen, this beach is mostly made from auto glass and bottles dumped by local businesses decades ago. Most of the large chunks have been taken, leaving just small bits.

Old lava flow on the other side of Glass Beach.

Mostly Chinese and Portuguese from the 1800's buried here. Overgrown and not well kept. It's also a hang out for undesirables after dark.

The remains of the pier used to load processed sugar cane on to the ships. Naturally, I had to climb on it, giving my mother a heart attack.

Kitty comes inside for some lovin'

Finally found a perfectly good pier I could jump off.

And so did my brother...

and niece.

This is Francis, a shop cat in Hanalei. He didn't even bother to wake up when I pet him.

Off for a bike ride along the 4 mile (not yet completed) coastal bike path. How I wound up with the pink bike, I'll never know.

Our flight home didn't leave until 9PM so we had the whole day to hang at the pool or beach.

This is sunrise over Kapa'a beach. I've never seen one so I have to look at pictures. Heck, when I'm on vacation, I'm not waking up at 5:30 AM to watch the sun come up!

So, now I'm well-rested and ready to get back into some R/T art. And I've got some catching up to do around LJ.

Aloha and Mahalo for stopping by.

London calling...

drumher — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:17:15 GMT

Just got back from Lowes where I was placing my order for carpet on the stairs....finally. Once that's done, the major home renovation projects I've been working on for a few years, will be done. You think I'll be able to live here and just dust and sweep? Probably not but the next project that is going to be done is the master bathroom and that'll require some major down time (and money) so I'm going to hold off for a while and just enjoy the rest of the house.

Besides, I have a super awesome guest bathroom which I've been using quite a bit. Some pictures...

The frameless glass shower with a rain shower faucet replaces old, crappy boring tub.

Looking from the shower to pedestal sink and tasteful mirror. When I bought the house, the mirror in this bathroom went across the entire wall! I don't need to see that much when getting out of the shower!

Found this little storage unit at Target.com. Very sturdy and holds a ton of toilet paper! A small glass block window lets in some natural light from the living room.

Ulysses demonstrates the proper use of the water bowl. Better than having them drink out of the bowl!

From start to finish, it took about four months. Most of the work was done by myself except for the plumbing, installing the shower base and walls. Now I need some guests.

I have a short break this week before I'll be back in the Pit playing Hello Dolly. Just finished Mame, which was written by the same guy and many of the songs are interchangeable so doing Dolly won't require much in the way of practice. In July I get to play The Producers, which I'm very excited about. It's got a great score and is just a terrific musical. Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the final show (and cast party) because I'll be heading over to Kauai for the family gathering. This time I'll be there for 11 whole days! I'll have my new iPad with me so I can post daily pictures to make y'all jealous.

But really, the most exciting news to report is that I'm planning a trip to England next May. I've a cousin who just moved into a larger place with a guest bedroom so I'll be using her place as base camp. I've begun my list of things I want/need to see and have enlisted gilpin25 and jdbracknell as tour guides. I hope to be there almost two weeks, unless some Icelandic volcano gets in the way, then it could be more. If you have any suggestions for things to do and see, lay 'em on me.

Well, I have to get on the treadmill now if I hope to be in shape for Kauai.

Food Meme Day Five...Tacos es bueno!

drumher — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:00:20 GMT

Seeing as how tonight's dinner was way more exciting than last night's PB&J, I'm going to count today as Day 5. Okay? Right.

It's Friday and the weather's fine so I decided to make something that required a little bit of effort (and most of my pots and pans). Besides, I had leftover ground turkey from Pasta night that I needed to use.

With most Mexican dishes, the ingredients are the same. It just depends on how you put 'em together. Tonight, I'm making Taco's with Rice and Beans on the side. Timing is everything so get the rice started in the cooker. That'll take about 20 minutes so get the veg or corn oil heated in a deep pan for Taco shell making (unless you want to cop out and buy ready-made shells). Meat can also be cooking. I added some taco seasoning to the meat, which gives it a little kick.

Insert tortilla in taco shell holder and immerse in hot oil. Be careful! Length of time depends on how crunchy you like your shells. Mine need to be somewhere between soft and crunchy. I let the shells drain a bit on a cookie sheet with a paper towel.

The rice was finished at this time so I microwaved the refried beans, scooped the meat into the shells and added taco sauce (mild) cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

And there you have it. Tacos tonight. Tostadas tomorrow?

No cooks were injured in the making of this meal.

Just a quickie

drumher — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:46:05 GMT

Just got home from a long rehearsal and I'm goin' to bed so I'll have to save the Food Meme day, whatever, for tomorrow. I know you don't want to miss out on my PB & J recipe, so make sure to come back!

Food meme day four...enough pasta to feed a small army

drumher — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:02:52 GMT

Tonight I made one of my favorite pasta dishes which I'll have for lunch and dinner over the next few days until I get tired of it. So let's get started.

The basic Italian ingredients. 12 oz of Penne Pasta. 1LB ground Turkey (or beef or sausage), 1 can Tomato Sauce, 1 can Diced Tomatos, 1 can Tomato Paste. Cheese (should use Mozzarella but I only had Monterey Jack). The sauces come in a variety of flavors so I get ones with italian herbs or whatever.

Preheat the oven to 350 and get the water boiling for the pasta. Cook the meat in a sauce pan. Add chopped onion, if you've got any. Add all three tomato sauces to the meat and let simmer while the pasta is cooking. Grate your cheese. You'll need about 4 cups.

When the pasta is done, drain. Then layer half pasta, half sauce and half cheese in baking dish. Repeat. Cover and bake for 20 minutes in 350 oven.

Please note, and this is VERY important, when the timer goes off make sure you grab a hot pad before reaching in to pull the oven rack out. I don't know what I was thinking but I didn't and my tender fingers are paying for it. :(

I tend to overdo it on the cheese, but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. ;) Serve with salad and or garlic bread. Makes great leftovers.

Now, I'm off to get more ice. Not sure what's on the menu for tomorrow. I've got a rehearsal so it'll probably be PB&J.

Food meme day three...crazy chicken

drumher — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:10:47 GMT

The way things are going, I'm not going to impress anybody with my culinary skills. I had to work late tonight so I dropped by my favorite "fast food" drive through and picked up some El Pollo Loco marinated, grilled chicken. Since I had to share, I got the four piece meal (dark meat) with the traditional Spanish Rice and Beans on the side and flour tortillas.

First thing I do is to remove the meat from the bone & toss the skin. Then I cut into edible size and distribute into small dishes, leaving enough for myself.

Distribute bowls amongst cats. This not only makes them happy but gives me enough time to start eating before they come begging for more.

First I grate a little Monterey Jack cheese over the warm chicken and then spoon meat, rice and salsa onto tortilla.

Oh no! Looks like Ulysses has finished his and is on the prowl for more. Bad kitty.

Tomorrow night I'll be cooking my fav pasta dish, so come on by.

Food meme day too..in which I demonstrate how to use the microwave

drumher — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:29:52 GMT

I feel a little ashamed to post this one after seeing hrymfaxe 's spring rolls today, but I think I mentioned that I don't cook often and so without much ado, I give you day two! (Sorry. I still have Seussical on the brain...)

Supplies: Tomato Basil soup by Progresso. Hebrew National Kosher Beef Franks. Hot Dog Buns and various condiments.

Pop open can and pour contents into microwave safe bowl. Heat for 3 minutes. Remove and place one hot dog on a paper towel in microwave and heat for 15-20 seconds. Remove and place in bun (toasting optional). Add condiments to hot dog. I'm a mustard and relish girl.

Arrange artfully on a plate. Add chips, if desired. These are Sun Chips French Onion. Fat Free milk to chase it all down.

No cat's helped in the food preparation tonight. They were all napping by the fire or in Frans case, on my light box.

I'm thinking take out tomorrow as I have to work late. Stay tuned!

Food, glorious food...Meme Day One

drumher — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:40:31 GMT

Just spent a busy two weeks in rehearsals and performances of Seussical with a super talented youth theater group. The weather has been cold and wet with back to back to back to back arctic storms dumping on us poor, unprepared southern Californians. But the sun finally came out saturday and we have a few days to dry out and prepare for the next storm which is due to hit us on Tuesday. The snow in the mountains looks good, though and I need to check my calendar and see about getting some snowboarding in soon.

So I thought I'd give this daily food meme, courtesy of hrymfaxe & jdbracknell a try. If nothing else, it'll force me to actually eat something different every day for a week.

On tonight's menu (and probably breakfast for the next few days too) is Quiche.

I like to make my own pastry crust rather than use a store bought one so that's the first thing is to do. Bake it for 8-10 minutes in the oven at 450, until it's nearly done. Remove and reduce oven temp to 325.

Meanwhile, stir together 3 eggs (removed from their shells of course) 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1/4 cup diced green onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Stir in 3/4 cup of chopped, cooked ham. (Chicken and Crabmeat can be used too). Shred 1 1/2 cups of Swiss cheese (or monterey jack or cheddar) and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour. Add to egg mixture; mix well.

Pour in hot pastry shell and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes. Eat. Yumm.

And now the photographic proof that I actually cooked...

Supplies at the ready.

Ready to pop in the oven.

TaDa! Dinner's served

Cat is not required to hold your place in the cookbook but Fran likes to be helpful.

Dora (the new one) wants some!

And Ulysses waits patiently.

Join us tomorrow for soup and sandwiches.

What, me post?

drumher — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:19:37 GMT

Whew! It has been a busy two months! I've been rehearsing for three November concerts with three different groups and played the last one yesterday so I've no more musical obligations until next year! It's a good thing too cause I did something today I've never done before...slammed my finger in my car door! Got it good, too. It's my right index finger, which would have made holding a drumstick a bit tricky. Typing ain't easy either.

I'm not here for sympathy (but I'll take what I can get so go ahead) but to let y'all know that I am alive and well (except for the previously mentioned boo boo) and looking forward to participating in metamorfic_moon 's Christmas event. I hope it won't take me 6 months to finish my piece this time!

When I wasn't rehearsing, I was in my guest bathroom working on a complete redo. Had the tub removed and am installing a shower. I'll post pictures later but I've got most everything done and am just waiting on the people who are going to install the solid surface shower walls. Then I can put up the glass walls and install the shower head and faucet. I'm crossing my fingers that I can get it finished before Dec 19th when my best buddy Steve arrives for his Christmas stay. Otherwise, we'll have to share my shower (He's gay, so no comments from the peanut gallery.)

Finally, I have a new kitty. I thought I had turned on the No Vacancy sign outside my house but this one obviously can't read. She's a young one, as I noticed her hanging around so naturally I started feeding her. Took about two weeks to coax her into the garage where I grabbed her, shoved her unceremoniously into a cat crate and took her upstairs to be sequestered in the guest room. There haven't been any problems with the others and she's starting to explore a bit more so it looks like she'll be staying. Unless I can find someone who's looking for a cat.

I haven't given her a name yet, so suggestions are welcome. Here are a few pictures...

Oh yeah...Been watching Star Trek almost non stop since I got the DVD last Tuesday. Listening is more like it, and I did get the digital version to put on my iPod so I can have it on at work.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody and for those of you braving Black Friday, stay away from the stampeding Walmart crowds. Don't want to lose you!

Birthday wishes for Mrs G!

drumher — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:00:29 GMT

I can't say enough about gilpin25 , but I'll give it my best shot.

The author of some of my favorite (and best) Remus and Tonks (and Chalion) stories.
Amateur Tour Guide to the English countryside.
Rosie's mum.
Exceptional book recommender.
Endlessly supportive. Witty. Smart. Keen fashion sense.

Have a lovely day. I'd like to offer you some art. If you want to pick a favourite scene from the HP books featuring Remus with or/without Tonks, I'll see what I can do to get it done before your next birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jess P!

drumher — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:44:04 GMT

Jess,

If it wasn't for your Portal Verse, I would probably have gone postal on JKR for killing Remus and Tonks. So, a big ol' THANK YOU from me and Rowling and best wishes on your milestone of a birthday!

(Just in case you were concerned, I wouldn't really have gone into a murderous rage over fictional characters...really)

Birthdays are good for you, Godricgal.

drumher — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:35:00 GMT

Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.

I come bearing no fic nor nekkid Remus art with which to wish you a Happy Birthday but I have ducks. Not just any ducks, mind you, but Disneyland ducks.

Saw these guys and immediately thought to take some pictures for you. I wish I could have gotten a shot when they'd come flying in from the left and skim across the water. I imagine living at Disneyland's a pretty good gig for a duck.

Have a great birthday!

You say it's MrsTater's Birthday?

drumher — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:16:47 GMT

Hers was the first good Remus/Tonks fan fic I ever read. She coaxed me out of annonymity to get my own LJ. My first bit of fan art was based on one of her stories and she ships Spock/Uhura...well, nobody's perfect. ;) But! She also has one of the cutest cats ever and is just a warm and wonderful person.

She is mrstater , hear her roar.

Happy Birthday, girl! Make it a great one!

Thought some of you might be interested in this column that was in my local paper this weekend. My maternal Grandfather is 101 and isn't planning on leaving this earth any time soon. I certainly hope I get his longevity genes.

Centenarian enjoys fruits and veggies of his labor
By Meredith Grenier

If you ask Torrance centenarian Charles Ferguson the secret to his longevity, he will shrug as if it's no big deal to be 101 1/2. But when pressed, he points to a lifetime of being involved, staying positive, eating well and liberally entertaining his two passions - golf and gardening. "I just go out there and putter around," he says, waving at his backyard collection of fruit-laden trees and vine-ripe vegetables. "And I don't dwell on things."

When not puttering he's putting, chipping and driving - three mornings a week at Alondra Golf Course in Lawndale, where he walks the 18-hole course, pulling his clubs on a cart. And yes, he still drives his own car the 10 or so miles to the course. (His license is good for three more years.) On mornings he's not golfing, Ferguson begins the day with an hour's walk through his Hollywood Riviera neighborhood. He used to make the trek rain or shine, but after he fell and broke his hip five years ago while carrying groceries into his kitchen, he decided to stay put when it rains.

Until he fell, he also mowed his lawn each week, pushing a hand mower. He still digs, rakes, prunes and prepares the ground for planting, however, and harvests crops, using his cane to hook fruit high in the tre

On a recent Saturday morning Ferguson led a tour of his "back forty," along with his daughter, fellow gardener Jean Nitchman, and son-in-law, Paul. The couple lives nearby as does Ferguson's son, John, and daughter-in-law, Janene Ferguson. (A third daughter, Jacquie Arnold, lives in Montana.)

His family, along with neighbors, often are the recipient of his lemons, apples, apricots, peaches (he grew the tree from a pit), oranges, tangerines, boysenberries, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, zucchini and peas. Most of Ferguson's vegetables started from seeds, saved from the prior year's crop. His favorite tomatoes are Early Girl, Better Boy and Brandywine, which he planted last winter and grew indoors in pony packs on top of his kitchen television, where they stayed warm and received indirect light from a nearby window. By mid-spring, he transplanted them outdoors into the garden and shared the rest of the young plants with family and friends. By spring, his peas began to bear, and he planted Kentucky Wonder pole beans, zucchini and other summer crops along with the tomatoes.

When asked, Ferguson happily reflects on his long, rich life. He was born Jan. 31, 1908, in the Bronx, the middle of three sons. When he was 9, he moved with his family to Norwalk, Conn., to his grandparents' chicken farm. That's where his decades-long interest in plants began.

In 1931, he drove solo to California, settling in Long Beach and visiting Yosemite and other tourist attractions. After a year in the Golden State, he went back East, vowing to return.

In 1936, he brought his new bride, Millie, to Southern California. He worked at Lockheed Corp. in Burbank as a rigger and final assembler on airplanes such as the Constellation, U-2 and SR-71, until he retired in 1972. In 1973, Ferguson and his wife moved to Torrance to be closer to their adult children and grandchildren.

They lived there together 29 years until Millie died seven years ago. Her paintings, framed needlework, photographs, even a collection of porcelain dolls which she made (down to designing and sewing their clothes), are on display.

During the couple's long retirement, they planted fruit trees and created vegetable beds, enjoying the fruit of their labors. Millie even gave her husband a few tips on pie-making, using bounty from the garden. "When she would go play golf on Thursdays, I'd bake a pie," Ferguson said. To prove his point, he opened the refrigerator and produced a picture-perfect and delicious lemon meringue pie, which he made from scratch, including the crust. "It's easy," he said. "I use a little more lemon juice and lemon zest and one more egg than the recipe calls for."

As Ferguson led a group of visitors around the garden, he shared tips honed over years of gardening. Pointing to the asparagus bed, which bears in the spring, he recommended leaving stalks that are wider than a pencil so they can return energy back into the roots - much like spent daffodils and other bulbs do.

With an engineer-like mind (he has built grandfather clocks from kits), he keeps meticulous notes on when and how many seeds are planted and the number of crops produced. He also has a calendar that tells him what's next on his planting schedule. For example, Ferguson is scheduled to plant his peas Dec. 11. He's already planning on staggering the next two pea seed plantings for Jan. 15 and Feb. 15 so the peas won't all come in at once. Once they bear, he will shuck them at the kitchen table and freeze extras to use with dinners throughout the year.

Ferguson's summer harvest is now well under way. His Beverly Hills apple tree is loaded and dropping apples. "They make great applesauce," he says. Tomatoes, zucchini and beans are bearing and life is good.

Jean Nitchman, his daughter, drops by to assist with planting and weeding, but on the whole, Ferguson is a self-sufficient gardener. "He's always talking about what's next in the garden," she says. "He's already planning for next year. He just keeps plugging away. We enjoy gardening together. As you can probably tell, I'm very proud of my dad."

Photo Phinish

drumher — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:37:44 GMT

Two posts in a week? That must be some kind of record for me. I hope you won't be too disappointed but there will be no partial nudity in this one.

For those of you who have stuck around anyway, here's the results of the photo meme that's been going round. Makes it sound like a virus.

jdbracknell wanted to see : something I'm working on for work, my kitties and the last thing I bought that really pleased me to buy.

Working up different color ways for a new design. Soon (hopefully) to be seen at a resort near you.

Ulysses presses my clean laundry.

Fran and me having our post-bath quality time.

Murphy sleeping off his tuna OD.

And Remus taking advantage of the warm roofing tiles.

This is the first coffee table I've ever bought. I've either inheirited, swapped or scavenged all my previous ones and finally decided not to refinish the current one and get something nice. It's Mission-style and matches the buffet table seen just behind Murphy's butt.

Next up is gilpin25 and she wanted to see my favorite TShirt or Jumper, my desk at work, something I bought on holiday and as many kitty photos I'd like to throw in.

The Tee I bought at the Quiksilver store in Kauai. I love it for the design because it's obviously a very friendly shirt. The sweatshirt is one of mine and I love it because our Bomber Hoods are the just the most comfortable, longest lasting, coolest fleece in the business.

At shot of my office and one of me actually working at my desk. Notice the classy work clothes I'm forced to wear on a daily basis.

Bought this anklet from a local vendor in Kauai last year. It's made of Koa wood and all the girls in my family ended up getting one.

I'm throwing in this shot of Murphy just to prove he does more that eat and sleep. He also gets stuck in ~~bushes~~ trees.

Moving on to shimotsuki 's requests.

My favorite spot to sit and read is on my loft (which I built a few years ago). It faces east and gets a good bit of sun in the morning hours but I often have to compete with the cats for it.

This is a view from my bedroom window. Not a picturesque neighborhood but on a clear day I can see all the way across the Los Angeles basin to the San Gabriel mountains. Today, however, the smoke from the wildfires is obscuring the view.

I made this trellis a couple weeks back to brighten up the planter box just outside my living room window. So far, I've been able to keep the hibiscus alive and they've been putting out some very pretty blooms.

mrstater wanted to see my skateboard, something I need to clean (I'm not showing you the fridge) and my favorite shoes.

Here's my board (top and bottom views). It's made of bamboo which is way cool.

I'm refinancing my home loan and getting some cash out which I'm going to use to finish the guest bathroom project I started a long time ago. The tub is going to be replaced with a shower and so I'm starting on the demolition before I hire someone to do the really hard part. I probably won't clean it up just yet, as i have more mess to make.

My Vans. They rock.

And finally (I can hear the sighs of relief from here) sspring92 wanted to see my shiny new 'puter, my mode of transportation and my makeup.

The Mac. It's so nice and fast and the keyboard (when it's not being stepped on by a cat) has a soft touch. I love it. A lot.

My 1998 Jetta. I'm a Volkswagen gal. First car was the Family '68 Van, then bought a '67 Squareback from my uncle, which I had for 15 years before this one. I haven't named it but most of my friends call it "Drumher". I don't, tho'

I don't wear makeup so I'll round out this photo meme with a group photo of the kitties. This has only happened once and I was quite amazed that I was able to quietly run upstairs, get my camera and take the picture before anyone woke up!

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into my life. Thank you for playing.

A little less clothing...

drumher — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:29:50 GMT

Photo meme coming along but I need to wash some windows before I can take pictures out said windows. It really shouldn't take a photo meme to get me to wash them but there you go. So, instead of pictures of sleeping cats, something they do a lot in this current heat wave, I give you Remus and Tonks art.

There's no backstory to this. No prompts were used nor was it inspired by any particular fic. I supposed if I had to set it up, I'd just say that it takes place sometime after "the hospital scene" most likely not while they're still in the hospital, and involves R&T taking Minerva's words about "a little more love" to heart. It's a bit risque so use appropriate caution if viewing at work or around husbands and/or small children.

Hey! I'm tryin' to work here!

drumher — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:38:44 GMT

I'm beginning to realize that I should've gone wireless when I got the new Mac. The cats think the best place to sit is on my desk between me and the keyboard, forcing me to work around them. Now, non-cat owners will say "just toss 'em off!" but the rest of you know that's not an option. If I had a wireless keyboard and mouse, I could move to wherever the cat isn't.

Murphy got a little pissy with me for interrupting his nap. I told him that there were not-a-few rabid Remus/Tonks fans who might be interested in having me finish my current project and if he insists in getting in the way, I won't be responsible for the aforementioned rabid fans kicking his little furry butt! I may have to resort to opening a can of tuna, if I want to make any more progress tonight.

So, art. Kinda got inspired after the recent metamorfic_moon challenge so I've resurrected some old ideas that I never got around to finishing due to one reason or other, and finishing them. The one I'm doing now is titled "A Little More Love" but could easily be "A Little Less Clothing". The next one has even less! But, always tastefully done and mostly work safe. ;) I hope to post this one before the month is out.

Until then, I thought I might play the photo meme if anyone's still interested in that sort of thing.

List up to three (3) things you would like me to take pictures of. Once I've gathered up all the requests, I'll make a post with the pictures I managed to take.

Enjoy the rest of the week.