1802. bubbaette - Feb. 17, 1999 - 10:08 AM PT
Thanks Glendajean
The roses look quite healthy and are putting on leaves and buds, so I didn't know whether to put them out so soon (I have no experience with roses.) I'll plant them this weekend in a sunny spot near my veggie garden that I've reserved for them. A friend says that this will bring pollenating insects to my veggies.
1803. glendajean - Feb. 17, 1999 - 10:24 AM PT
The recommended companion plantings for roses are members of the alluim family (e.g., chives, garlic, onions). I keeps chives around all of my roses. They re-seed easily and they have nice flowers. I think the reason is to keep aphids away. It doesn't necessarily work, but they make for a nice grouping.
1804. glendajean - Feb. 17, 1999 - 10:26 AM PT
sorry about the "keeps"...I keep chives...
1805. bubbaette - Feb. 18, 1999 - 6:00 AM PT
Glendajean
I looked up Roses in my flower garden book and they said the best time to plant and prune in the Spring is when the forsythia blooms. It's already blooming here in Richmond in mid-Feb! So the roses definately go in this weekend. Maybe I should plant my spring onion sets around them?
1806. Ronski - Feb. 18, 1999 - 6:26 AM PT
Weather alert: Good chance of a snowy Nor'easter on Saturday, from Virginia to Cape Cod.
1807. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 6:33 AM PT
I wish it were April so I could go dig in the dirt.
Amazingly, my dianthus survived the winter. My herb garden looks really good, too. I'm thinking about putting some lavender along the back (near the fence), and maybe one more flowering herb.
In the summer, the leaves from the cherry tree shade the lawn for a good part of the day, and take most of the water as well....soooo I'm thinking about giving up on the damned front lawn and just planting thyme along the walk and in front of the bushes. And also some hosta near the foundation where it's really shady.
1808. Judithathome - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:08 AM PT
For no particular reason:
My house smells delicious right now as a huge pot roasts gurgles away in the oven; it's simmering in herb gravy laced with red wine, covered with onions and chopped garlic and green peppers. Baby carrots and tiny new potatoes, too... I'm supplying this feast as part of a customer appreciation pot luck supper at my Antique Mall this evening.
1809. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:18 AM PT
*SOB*
serves me right for ridiculing OhioS in the Sports Thread.
Here I sit, Judith, trying to pretend that my Healthy Choice frozen agglomeration is LUNCH, and there you are talking about simmering beef in red wine, etc.
*SOB*
Email me some, willya, hon?
1810. bubbaette - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:20 AM PT
Ronski, you kill-joy, it's getting cold and gloomy out. If I can't plant a garden this weekend, well then I'll just stay inside, cuddle with my honey, and burn the rest of the firewood.
1811. bubbaette - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:21 AM PT
Diva
I know whatchamean. I have a salad with fat-free dressing. Bleah.
1812. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:26 AM PT
Why the hell don't we just let ourselves go to seed already? Why do we care?
Oh yeah. Fer health reasons. I fergot.
1813. bubbaette - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:30 AM PT
Shitfire, Diva, my warrenty's already run out. Gotta cig?
1814. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:34 AM PT
In that case, here ya go. Pass the Wild Turkey.
1815. Judithathome - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:39 AM PT
Hey, you two:
I used to eat everything so fat free, I felt like a monk or something. But I began to notice my hair was dull and my nails were brittle and my bones were achey at the joints. I was also a strict vegetarian.
It wasn't working and I wasn't getting any thinner, either. So I started eating meat again and tossed the fat-free stuff, too. Lost weight, feel great, look better, and am able to exercise those achey joints enough to work off the extra fat I ingest, whereas before, I could hardly move.
I now believe my body was storing fat because I wasn't eating it...like my body thought I was in starvation mode. I also began to notice how women, young ones, are developing deep lines in their faces from lack of proper intake of fat, which the body needs. Look around, chances are you'll see it too...women too young to have them have these deep parenthesis lines in their cheeks.
Toss the fat free junk and eat in moderation...you'll look and feel much better.
1816. bubbaette - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:40 AM PT
Diva
Here ya go -- and a tequila chaser. But I draw the line at sniffing glue.
1817. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:41 AM PT
Judith
Bubba and I embrace fat most of the time. That, and Prozac, has given me a cleavage to die for. The way I eat, I'd be a size 26 if I weren't careful.
1818. TheDiva - Feb. 18, 1999 - 10:42 AM PT
LOL @ BUBB!
No, none of that fer me. Strictly the herbal variety, thankyouverymuch.
1819. bubbaette - Feb. 19, 1999 - 7:38 AM PT
re: 1817
Actually, it's DH that embraces fat.
1820. TheDiva - Feb. 19, 1999 - 7:42 AM PT
(snicker) ummmmm....Sweetie, too.
1821. Ronski - Feb. 19, 1999 - 8:17 AM PT
86 on the nor'easter for New York, at least. A dusting on Eastern Long Island at most. May get some snow in interior NC and VA, though. Probably rain on the coast to the south.
1822. PsychProf - Feb. 21, 1999 - 9:33 AM PT
I haven't seen any...has anyone?
1823. Judithathome - Feb. 21, 1999 - 3:48 PM PT
Psych:
I live in Texas and I guess the robins I see are "wintering" here? I'm in North Texas....maybe they are confused?
1824. bubbaette - Feb. 22, 1999 - 5:22 AM PT
I got my garden started this weekend -- DH and I tilled it and I planted 2 double rows of english peas, a double row of onions sets, and a row of brocolli. I planted the two don juan roses DH gave me for Valentines and transplanted two other roses that were too shaded.
Then the temp. dropped to 20 degrees last night. Though I covered them up, all the little leaves that were coming out on the don juans froze stiff, but the transplanted ones are doing fine. Guess that's what I get for rushing the season. Oh well, the garden stuff's still fine and my tomato sets have their second set of true leaves.
1825. Judithathome - Feb. 22, 1999 - 9:09 AM PT
Well, here are the results of my Shower Cleaner tests:
I used two different cleaners in two bathrooms. In my husbands shower, we used Lysol Daily Shower. The tub and shower are porcelain and tile; while he showers daily, I can't swear that he used the spray daily on the tile. There are only so many reminders you feel comfortable with delivering before you begin to feel like a nag so I would say, judging from what's left in the bottle, he wasn't rigorous in spraying down the shower every time. But his shower and tub are very clean, cleaner than they would've been without the spray.
My shower is one of those all-in-one-piece plastic(?) jobs with a glass door. I used Dow Shower Shine and I DID use it daily. My shower and door look fantastic. I think I like the Dow best. The only problem with the Dow product was the smell. It was gagging, just awful, so I poured in a dose of perfume and shook the bottle... viola! It cut the gaggy aroma and wasn't noticable as *perfumey* at all.
I think these products are a good idea...they eliminate the need for a grubby scrub-down of the tub and shower, and they are easy to use. They are not expensive, either, and most have large, re-fill sized bottles offered.
1826. bubbaette - Feb. 22, 1999 - 9:23 AM PT
Judith
I got the Tilex brand for DH's tiled shower and he uses it fairly regularly. It works very well, and even took up some stuff on the floor I'd been scrubbing with little result.
1827. Seamus - Feb. 22, 1999 - 12:41 PM PT
bubbaette, a chara,
[this in response to a question of me in the corner].
imh and unschooled opinion, zapped pre-spring growth leaves will not hurt--it's a vibrant cane you are wanting. As long as you have some green there in the cane at the soil level, or at least, the hope of some, you will be astonished at the proliferation of new leaves as the soil warms. Just as you see this greening/growth is a good time for the first fertilization.
mine is a suitable though less than ideal climate for roses--though the sun is eternal, the temperatures never get as hot as most roses would like.
1828. bubbaette - Feb. 22, 1999 - 1:01 PM PT
Seamus
The canes on all four plants still look swell. I think the climate should be good, because the ones I trasplanted have been hanging on for at least a year with no sun. Thanks for the reassurance -- I would hate to have killed DH's valentines roses.
1829. elliot803 - Feb. 22, 1999 - 1:48 PM PT
Is it okay to let a declawed cat out into your back yard from time to time, or is there a real risk that he'll get hurt by other cats in the neighborhood? Only the front paws are declawed; he still has his back ones.
1830. TheDiva - Feb. 22, 1999 - 1:54 PM PT
Elliot
I wouldn't let him stay out for any great length of time if I were you. Though he can still defend himself with the back claws, he'll be outgunned.
We have a fenced-in yard, and occasionally I let Aretha roam the garden when I'm out back. Can you do something like that?
1831. elliot803 - Feb. 22, 1999 - 2:11 PM PT
Diva:
Yes, I plan to let him out only when I'm out there, so I can keep an eye on him. I also have a fenced yard, but I'm sure he could climb the fence if he wanted to. A friend suggested I put a long leash on him the first few times I let him to try and teach him the boundaries.
Aretha. Cool name.
1832. Seamus - Feb. 22, 1999 - 2:16 PM PT
Elliot,
I agree with Diva's assessment--we have five, three with all claws intact, and two with only the back. The latter two are out in an enclosed area, only under a watchful eye. For defence, the hind claws are the more important, but the front ones are needed for quick escape.
1833. TheDiva - Feb. 22, 1999 - 2:23 PM PT
Elliot
Thanks....guess who she's named after? ;-)
Is he very intrepid? You may not need the leash. Aretha sort of wanders around sniffing at various plants. She's never tried to make a break for it.
One summer day, when she still had her claws, she was sitting on the front windowsill(screened window.) Another cat walked into the front yard. Aretha, all 5 pounds of her, actually popped out the screen charging after this cat. She's calmed down considerably, thank God.
1834. elliot803 - Feb. 22, 1999 - 2:31 PM PT
Diva:
Yes, Ivan is quite intrepid. I've never seen such a curious cat, although I guess they're all pretty curious. So I'll be careful with him.
1835. Raskolnikov - Feb. 22, 1999 - 2:34 PM PT
we used to have a declawed cat, and it loved to go outside. Could even climb trees using just its rear claws. It never got in cat fights, despite the many neighborhood cats, so the lack of claws was never a problem.
1836. TheDiva - Feb. 23, 1999 - 8:34 AM PT
Yeah, Rask, but this is *your* cat we're talking about here. I can see it now....RasKat, under the threat of inevitable attack from various and sundry neighborhood thugs, skillfully and wittily reasoning his way out of the encounter with nary a scratch.
1837. glendajean - Feb. 23, 1999 - 6:45 PM PT
I have 3 housecats, all de-clawed on the front paws. Only one of them goes outside, and it is usually just to eat a little grass before she comes back inside.
She is very good about not leaving the yard, and in ten years has never gone out to the street. It's been my experience that male cats roam a wider area than female cats.
De-clawed cats can usually still climb and jumb and even fend off other cats with their back paws. But I would be very nervous (and feel quite guilty) to have such a cat out for long periods of time without my being with it.
1838. Raskolnikov - Feb. 23, 1999 - 7:16 PM PT
Diva: I forgot to check this thread today and missed your post until now. Quite funny and flattering, although I can think of an exchange or two that have left me a bit bloody.
1839. TheDiva - Feb. 24, 1999 - 9:21 AM PT
Rask
I calls 'em as I sees 'em.
1840. thoughtful - Feb. 24, 1999 - 2:52 PM PT
I would be really concerned about letting a declawed cat outside unless under careful gaze. My cats are all outsiders and have all their claws. Most of the wounds they've received over the years were inflicted by front claws of other cats as they face and swipe at each other -- or when one starts to turn its back and slink away and the other attacks from behind.
A leash may be a good idea as long as you are out there with the cat. I can picture a cat climbing a tree on a leash only to try to jump down the other side and getting hung (hanged?) in the tree. Not a pleasant picture.
1841. elliot803 - Feb. 24, 1999 - 3:01 PM PT
thoughtful:
Yes, I thought about that myself (Ivan hanging himself from his leash). I guess there's no easy answer. I don't plan to let him out unless I'm outside myself, but even then if he's not on a leash he might scramble over the fence before I can grab him and get into God-knows-what kind of trouble.
1842. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 3:14 PM PT
I would be more nervous of a male cat, even a neutered one, than a female. But I haven't had a cat in years since I finally realized I didn't have a chronic cold or sinusitis, I was allergic to them.
1843. thoughtful - Feb. 24, 1999 - 3:49 PM PT
Calling all chocolate lovers!
Let me suggest the following link:
Chocolate!
1844. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:28 PM PT
Cats are usually resourceful devils. If they want to go out, they'll let you know. If he's still got his teeth and back claws he can take care of himself long enough til you can rescue him. Chances are, if he puffs up and hisses, most domestic animals will back down. The exceptions would be when there's more than one dog.
1845. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:32 PM PT
Cat horror story:
My husband's dog(from before we were married)ate the neighbor's cat. I don't mean just killed it, I mean ate it.
1846. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:34 PM PT
Arky
Were you there? When I was a kid we were waiting for the bus and our two dogs ran down the neighbors cat and killed it. I couldn't imagine that one of my pets could kill a little kitty cat.
1847. Seamus - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:36 PM PT
arky,
That's horrible! Large dog? Any grief to come to the dog or your household?
1848. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:37 PM PT
No, thank goodness, but my husband was and saw it all.
1849. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:38 PM PT
Howdy Seamus!
1850. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:39 PM PT
Haha. The previous was to Bubba.
Hey, Seamus! The dog was a big white beautiful German Shepard and hubby felt he was following his natural instincts and just scolded him. Nothing else to do at that point, really.
1851. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:39 PM PT
And then the dogs ate the two baby bunnies we were feeding with eyedroppers because the dogs also ate their mom. I wouldn't speak to either of them for a long time.
1852. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:44 PM PT
Kind of affects your image of them for awhile, doesn't it? Except my little wiennie dog with the moles she struts around. Makes mama proud.
1853. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:46 PM PT
My cal gal is more daschund than anything else I can figure and is a great rodent dog. She also catches and kills snakes. I've got no problem about that. I also don't care if the cats kill mice or bunnies -- they caught them fair and square. But I hate it when a cat kills a bird. Is that hypocritical of me?
1854. arkymalarky - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:51 PM PT
My cat from college now lives at my parents' house and she has to be almost 20 years old, though I don't know her exact year of birth. She still loves birds, and once I was walking up their drive to the door and saw a pair of beautiful bird wings, placed just as if she'd eaten the bird from between them and left them where they were.
1855. elliot803 - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:56 PM PT
Oh yeah? Well a dingo ate my baby!
Not really.
1856. bubbaette - Feb. 24, 1999 - 4:56 PM PT
Yeah, my cat Bubba used to do that. I especially hated to find cardinal wings. They're efficient little carnivors. When I was in college I had a yellow tabby -- Elmo, who used to carry the parts he didn't want into the house so I could see his skill. It was a real treat to walk down the hall to the bathroom at night and step on a bird head or some mouse entrails.
1857. thoughtful - Feb. 24, 1999 - 5:24 PM PT
How did we go from chocolate to eating birds?
1858. Raskolnikov - Feb. 24, 1999 - 8:01 PM PT
If you want a chocolate induced orgasm, there is this guy I know who makes brownies in Brooklyn, amd sells his brownies over the web. I finally broke down and bought an order, and the things are incredible. The ain't cheap but the only chocolate experience I have had which rivaled them was some flourless chocolate cake I paid 8 bucks for at a restaurant.
Bob's Brownstone Brownies
1859. Raskolnikov - Feb. 24, 1999 - 8:03 PM PT
elliot: please don't joke about such things. I Dingo tried running off with my baby once, and it took six boomerang tosses to bring the damn thing down. I am still traumatized about it.
1860. Raskolnikov - Feb. 24, 1999 - 8:04 PM PT
I mean, six tosses? I almost blew my reputation as the best white 'ranger in the Outback.
1861. thoughtful - Feb. 25, 1999 - 6:03 PM PT
Speaking of chocolate, hubby bought me 2 lbs. for valentine's day. He went all the way to Bernard C. and bought a heart-shaped box made of solid dark chocolate that was filled with assorted chocolates. Delicious. Bernard C. knows his stuff!
1862. thoughtful - Feb. 25, 1999 - 6:52 PM PT
Any chocolate lovers on a diet -- I have a suggestion for chocolage comfort food. Warm chocolate pudding. Get the diet pudding to make with skim milk -- the cooking kind, not the instant. Make it and eat it while it's still warm. There's something incredibly yummy about it, tho low fat & calories.
1863. bubbaette - Feb. 26, 1999 - 5:59 AM PT
Arky
True chocolate lovers go for dark chocolate. The best readily available is Dove dark chocolate.
1864. bubbaette - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:00 AM PT
I mean Thoughtful.
1865. Jenerator - Feb. 26, 1999 - 12:50 PM PT
I like Lundt dark chocolate, and I love Godiva truffles. S. Africa had the best candy selction I've ever run across. I actually bought something like twenty different kinds of chocolate bars and ate them all by myself within a week's time!! I thank God for a fast metabolism!
1866. Fraaank9 - Feb. 26, 1999 - 1:09 PM PT
He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-elp anyone !
Expecting colder weather this season to materialize this season,I have been negligent in the pruning my rose bushes this year.
Guess what ? They are starting to provide buds,with the Double-delights a day away from providing me with a flower or two.
Question: Is it too late to prune them,or should I even want to given the aforementioned ?
I live in southern California if that helps,and lately it hasn't dipped below 50 degrees farenheit.It will only get warmer is my guess,but we are known to get some nippy temps in April and May.
My favorite chocolate is of the drinking kind -- Mexican Hot Chocolate! Yum,yum.
There are two major brands that most places sell down here,but to be honest,I can't tell the difference...They taste great!
1867. Judithathome - Feb. 26, 1999 - 4:25 PM PT
My vote for excellent adventures in chocolate is Lindt dark. It is so rich, it starts to melt in your hand and practically liquifies in your mouth. Got the best in Switzerland but I've seen Lindt here, too. I also like these truffle-like sea shells from Belgium, a slag of dark and milk chocolate all swirled together.
1868. adrianne - Feb. 26, 1999 - 5:28 PM PT
CHOCOLATE!
SO brought me a bouquet of daisies and a box of Godivas today.
1869. thoughtful - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:09 PM PT
Lindt used to make a good chocolate, but I think they combined with another firm and the last time hubby brought truffles home they were a pale comparison to the real thing. Very disappointing. He wasn't surprised as he said the price was much lower too.
That's when I found Bernard C.
1870. trouserpIlot - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:10 PM PT
Last night was catfish from Honey Bear's.
Tonight was what I like to call "vegetarian paella."
1871. thoughtful - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:13 PM PT
tp, what is it with you and that cap key? TiMe To GeT yOu A nEw CaP.
1872. trouserpIlot - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:14 PM PT
Great site, Rask!
Hey, did you know that Mrs. Fields has a website? It's here ... but make sure your browser accepts cookies.
Hahahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha hahaha hahaha hahahahahahahaha hahaha haha hahahahaha hahaha haha ha hahahaha!
1873. trOUsErpIlOt - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:15 PM PT
Hi, thoughtful!
1874. thoughtful - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:23 PM PT
tp, I liked it best when you were pronouncing it the french way:
Troo zair Pee Low
Has a certain je ne sais quoi.
1875. trOUsErpIlOt - Feb. 26, 1999 - 6:25 PM PT
Merci.
1876. thoughtful - Feb. 26, 1999 - 7:23 PM PT
I was visiting folks in Fla. this past weekend and got a chance to go to Home Depot's Expo. If you haven't been there, you should go. It's fabulous. They have a tremendous selection of everything from rugs to light fixtures to ceramic tiles to tchotchkies. It's not the typical Home Depot stuff -- rather it's the kind of stuff that you used to need a decorator to get at. They sell some antiques too. The place is huge and lots of fun to look at. We saw about 20 baths and 20 kitchens all set up. Lot of fun. See here and click on EXPO.
1877. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 6:54 PM PT
A nice Sunday breakfast: buttermilk biscuits, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, coffee made richer with just a touch of chickory, orange or grapefruit juice. I did that yesterday for guests.
1878. DanDillon - March 1, 1999 - 6:57 PM PT
Very nice. I didn't discover the joys of buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy until I went to university. And I've never turned back.
1879. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:03 PM PT
I learned to cook as a bachelor only because I had had experience of good food while living abroad and would not forsake the pleasure, I was too poor to eat out at good restaurants while at university, and the available cafateria food was just moderately inexpensive but tiring. I first turned to recipes in McCall's magazine. I've hunted down good, practicable recipes ever since.
1880. DanDillon - March 1, 1999 - 7:07 PM PT
I'm proud to say that my mother taught me everything I know about getting around in the kitchen. And I cook a great deal. Plus, I've always figured if you can read, you can cook. (My apologies to the Charlie Trotters among us.)
1881. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:08 PM PT
I learned to cook when thrust out of my fine-eating household to attend college. For a year I carried milk-crates of prepared food from home (and was the only student in recent New England history with a freezer in his dorm room). Then, having moved to places with kitchens, I tested some simple recipes. I too have never turned back.
1882. DanDillon - March 1, 1999 - 7:11 PM PT
Hmmm. University students across America apparently use milk crates for just about everything, except for toting milk around. Stands to reason.
1883. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:14 PM PT
Like Loar, I have been greatly influenced by living abroad and by living with "foreigners". My Italian roommate in London (who is now unsurprisingly a chef in Treviso) remains my most significant influence. What that young man taught me in terms of appreciating vegetables, fresh ingredients, good olive oil, good cream, good sausages and good bread is indelible. Life lessons of the highest sort.
1884. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:17 PM PT
Marjoribanks, you're on up on me, as my mother was a terrible cook. Experience overseas rescued me from the culinary blahs as I realized with a terrible vengeance that life need not be a succession of mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables and overcooked meats. I did retain breakfast cereal though, and consider the magicians of Battlecreek, Michigan, contributors to world civilization.
1885. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:19 PM PT
I think I was less inspired by a capable cook than the desire to impress girlfriends by inviting them over for a meal. Yes, visions of that eating scene from Tom Jones danced in my head.
1886. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:21 PM PT
Loar,
For the early years of my childhood, breakfasts at my grandparents old-style colonial home was a ceremony that I wish someone could have filmed. The highlight ( For me at 5, 6, 7 and so on) was my grandfather taking this large prized box of imported Kelloggs cornflakes from its position and serving me a portion, then signalling the bearer to pour me the requisite milk. Since then, cornflakes have possessed a certain aura for me.
1887. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:25 PM PT
And I confess that, yes, the smell of coffee, eggs and bacon early on a frosty morning does lighten my age by half. And half again.
Marjoribanks, where was your colonial home? I'm thinking Georgian but you probably intend British colonial ca. 1890.
1888. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:30 PM PT
Loar,
My grandparents "colonial" homes were in India, a bungalow in Pune and in an old rambling apartment in South Bombay. My grandfather was one of those Brit-educated Indian civil servants who wore a white or beige linen suit everyday, kept horses and insisted on wearing a solar topee well after he developed Parkinsons.
1889. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:31 PM PT
_even_ after he developed Parkinsons, well into the 1970's.
1890. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:34 PM PT
Actually, I've got the February 8 edition of India Today with an article of the new Pune which is booming for the young. I had known of the place only through the Puna Horse.
Hm, south Bombay. That's not near the Taj, is it?
1891. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:37 PM PT
Loar,
As one goes South even further from the Taj Mahal hotel, Bombay suddenly turns quite empty and colonial especially as you enter the southern tip of the island which is very green (believe it or not) and dominated by military barracks. I grew up on the verge of that strip, in the near vicinity of my grandparents flat and the famous Afghan Church.
1892. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:38 PM PT
My own grandfather shaved with a straight razor and smelled of leather and bay rum. He also kept a pocketknife, an oddity now when the things we use needn't be refreshed or repaired with a cut or splice. And to the wonder of any little boy my grandfather chewed cut tobacco and used a spittoon. A world so far removed from my daughter's that I regret she could never see his dignity.
1893. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:39 PM PT
Poona Horse. Pune still is charming, and has a nice little cantonment area which includes several bakeries famous for "Western" pastries including Shrewsbury biscuits, Ginger Snaps, Macaroons and so on. I love the place.
1894. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:40 PM PT
Sorry, I don't know Bombay well enough to follow you, but I may return to Delhi for a week later this month. If so, I'll need your suggestions on local pleasures.
1895. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:42 PM PT
Loar,
It's funny you mention the things you do wrt your grandfather. I remember mine too in terms of things like shaving, grooming and Brylcreem, since he tried mightily to impart lessons about these rituals to me before he died.
1896. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:43 PM PT
Yes, Poona Horse, for I caught myself writing Puna yet remembered it was Poona Horse.
1897. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:46 PM PT
Loar,
I can suggest interesting things and worthwhile off-the-track stuff in Delhi, but I will not be able to give you the intimate detail and insider once-in-a-lifetime tips as I can about Bombay.
1898. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:49 PM PT
I remember the most severe lesson I ever learned by my grandfather's hand. I was crossing the street - no, not even a street but a lane, just wide enough for cars to park along the curb and still allow the occasional car to pass by without slowing - when came a car and I, midway, turned back. My grandfather was so alarmed that I did such a stupid thing that he took me by the arm and slapped me across the rear. I was stunned that he would do that. "Never do anything half way!" he roared, and made me cross the street. He never mentioned it again.
1899. ScottLoar - March 1, 1999 - 7:51 PM PT
Just for the sake of your tutorial will I again visit Bombay. Soon, soon.
1900. marjoribanks - March 1, 1999 - 7:55 PM PT
Loar,
You are right about your daughter missing out on the lessons learned by spending time with the fold who went before us. I consider myself incomparably lucky because I had the chance to spend a great deal of time with my own two sets of grandparents who were institutions to be reckoned with. One grandmother remains, fighting fit and adorably turn-of-the-century in her manner, attitude and English diction. She symbolizes the British Raj to me me, and I am so happy she's still around to see us, her grandchildren, move on to other things.