Author Topic: The Library (Read 2087464 times)

Gumtree · « **Reply #4120 on:** February 17, 2011, 10:11:35 AM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not).

Let the book talk begin here!

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Quote

Me too. I've read it, but I think I will read it again nearer the time. The TV adaptation will always "be" the book for me - Peggy Ashcroft and Trevor Howard - wonderful.

Yes Rosemary - the film was great but I rather think it was Celia Johnson rather than the Grande Dame - Howard and Johnston were together in the classic Brief Encounter as well.

And please there's nothing for anyone to be be daunted by in the Odyssey discussion - we're among friends, enjoying ourselves immensely and learning so much. What could be better!

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4121 on:** February 17, 2011, 10:23:09 AM »

Gumtree - you are right of course!! Peggy Ashcroft was the Jewel In The Crown. All this moving is affecting my one remaining brain cell.... Anyway, whoever was in it, it was good!

Will be over to the Odyssey as soon as I have found the book in our temp residence,

Thanks

R

PatH · « **Reply #4122 on:** February 17, 2011, 10:34:04 AM »

Rosemary, that's the advantage of SeniorLearn. Nobody is playing ego games, we're just having fun. Roshanarose, please don't cut down your posts. They're fascinating, and it would be hard for the rest of us to get the info any other way, and your personal approach is irreplaceable.

bellemere · « **Reply #4123 on:** February 17, 2011, 11:44:55 AM »

Taught French in North Cambridge? Used to be a huge French Canadian community there, did you teach at Jeanne d'Arc or Matignon High School?
Boston's winters are always awful, but this year was unbellievably awful. Very confining and depressing and expensive on the heat bulls. It will be well into April before everhtying melts.

roshanarose · « **Reply #4124 on:** February 17, 2011, 09:41:46 PM »

PatH - Thanks for your kind words. Rosemary (and others) you simply must continue visiting and commenting on our Odyssey. It should be fun! It already is!

Steph · « **Reply #4125 on:** February 18, 2011, 06:44:35 AM »

The bad penny is back. The dog show was so much fun. The days are wonderful.. I got to see so many of the breed competitions.. Also went to the Jersey Boys... I loved Frankie Valli.. NY
C is still way too crowded,noisy and pushy for me and the garden is in the middle of massive renovations, so the dog show was all over the place in the building. The best part of the show for me is the benching area. I got to see up close and personal some amazing types of dogs.
I was not fond of the winner.. But he is lovely, but distant.. My personal favorite was the Norfolk (Wich) terrier.. Tiny, feisty and a wiggly bundle of curiosity.. Great fun.. He got second in the Terrier group.. Also like the Westie who got 4 in that group.
Took the train up.. On the way up for the very first time, I had a pullman porter who seemed to be invisible. No fun at all.. I had to get the conductor to get my bed made up..On the way home , however I had the old fashioned tyhpe of porter. A kind older gentleman who also remembered the old time pullmans and loved them. He was everything a porter should be.. But on the other hand, two different couples were in the t iny roomettes with a small child making three in a spot that is really only comfortable for one.. Across my aisle, they had a three year old , a tall man and a woman.. They let the child loose in the aisles... he had a cold, coughed and nose running.. Screaming with temper.. Sigh.. I kept my door closed.. Too old for that sort of stuff.

roshanarose · « **Reply #4126 on:** February 18, 2011, 08:14:23 AM »

Sure enough, I heard on the news tonight that Borders were going into "receivership". One woman who had been given an $80.00 Borders Gift Voucher was told that if she wanted to use the gift voucher, she would have to buy $80.00 worth of books as well. If she chose not to she would need to join a line of people waiting to be recompensed from Borders, a process that could take years.

I have my gift voucher next to me and will be mightily p...... off if it is not honoured. Bah....

CubFan · « **Reply #4127 on:** February 18, 2011, 09:03:11 AM »

Welcome back Steph,

Thought of you while I watched the show. Liked both of the terriers you did but my favorite was the black cocker. Had a similar train experience last fall - Chicago to Salt City. Wonderful porter going, invisible porter coming back. Entirely different clientele each way. I agree - space for one. Kept my door closed on the trip home. Scenery through the Rockies was awesome both ways.

Mary

pedln · « **Reply #4128 on:** February 18, 2011, 09:46:29 AM »

Welcome back, Steph. I'm glad it was a successful trip. I thought of you last night as I watched a moving picture display of all the "best of the breeds" on the NY TIMES. I can imagine that being right up there close to the real animals would be fantastic. Where did you stay when y ou were there?

jeriron · « **Reply #4129 on:** February 18, 2011, 10:48:42 AM »

Me too! I would have loved to be there. As for the choices in best of show I would have picked the Bearded Collie. Absolutely love those dogs. My son has one. The bouncing Beardie...

mabel1015j · « **Reply #4130 on:** February 18, 2011, 11:07:14 AM »

I also thot of you Steph, the whole time i watched the dog show. Too bad you couldn't have blogged your thots as you wandered around.

I love all the breeds, except that hairless one and that huge Neapolitan(?) mastaff that drools all the time. We've had four shelter dogs thru our marriage, all shepard or lab mixes, except for our present boxer/terrier mix. One of them was a great Dane/black lab mix. He was the perfect height to just put his butt on the sofa when we told him to sit.

. We have two steps from our kitchen to our living room and he could sit w/ his hind quarters on the top step and his front feet on the kitchen floor. Some of my sons high schl friends were here for our DIL's birthday and i heard many "new" stories abt our dogs. Isn't it interesting to hear our adult children telling stories we- thank goodness- didn't know abt at the time they were happening?

maryz · « **Reply #4131 on:** February 18, 2011, 11:10:02 AM »

Welcome back, Steph - glad you had such a good trip. Our daughter took a train trip from Chicago to Seattle to Sacramento to St. Louis and back to Chicago. She said the key to the whole trip was having a good porter. Seems to be universal.

ginny · « **Reply #4132 on:** February 18, 2011, 01:53:25 PM »

Welcome back, Stephanie! The trip sounds like a lot of fun. I think the roomette or whatever they call them now is the way to go on long trips. . I took the children, both of them on separate trips from Chicago to Seattle on trains once and it was a grand adventure.

I used to love the trains from Paris to Rome, but then they started going thru Zurich and stopped going down the coast, what a trip that used to be! The entire car would turn into a happy American party, the scenery was spectacular. Sadly the last two trips were not up to standards, any standards, and I heard a couple of years ago the Italian passengers had literally had the train stopped because of bedbugs. Shame, it used to be quite the thing to do.

Pearson, my cousin's dog is a Rottewelier and I was pleased for him to see him listed among those in the Best of Breed which he did not win, but still.

Have you all seen the movie Best in Show, I think it is? hahahaa

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4133 on:** February 18, 2011, 06:18:22 PM »

Ginny - yes, I love Best In Show. Also A Mighty Wind - very funny, I don't know how those actors manage all that improvisation with a straight face, they must really get into character.

Steph, your train trip reminded me of the film "The Darjeeling". Or are the compartments more like those in "Some Like It Hot"? I have never been on a long train trip (the longest has been Aberdeen to London, leaving at 10am and arriving at 4pm, so short by your standards). I have always quite fancied one of those trips across India in a lovely old train - one day. The show sounds wonderful. And even better, now you are back!

Rosemary

serenesheila · « **Reply #4134 on:** February 18, 2011, 10:45:56 PM »

I have enjoyed reading all of the comments about the dog show. I watched it, too. We have a Yorkie, so I rooted for the one shown. My favorites are the Collie, and the Sheltie, though. I told my daughter you had gone, Steph. She would like to know the cost of just the dog show? I hope I am not offending you.

When my children were young, they were in the 4H, and raised Collies. Those were some happy days. Then, my son raised a yellow Lab pup for Guidedogs for the blind. That was a real adventure. We had to socialize him. We were showing horses at the time, and he went to every horse show with us. When my son joined the military, my husband and I continued to go to horse shows. Well, Luke went down and examined the line of the halter class, looking for Scott. The stands burst out laughing.

We took several train trips when I visited my son, and his family in Europe. On one trip there was a 5 year old little boy,who was unhappy during the entire ride. He yelled, screamed at the top of his lungs. I will never forget that trip, mor will anyone on the ride.

Sheila

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4135 on:** February 19, 2011, 02:49:19 AM »

All this talk of lovely dogs reminds me how much I miss our Golden Retriever, who died very suddenly last spring, at the age of only 8.

Do you think it is OK to have a dog in a flat if you are home all day and take him for frequent walks in the park, etc? Or do you think they have to have a garden?

MaryPage · « **Reply #4136 on:** February 19, 2011, 08:43:58 AM »

My personal gut feeling about it, and please totally believe me when I state that I refuse to judge anyone about their choices in this matter; but I prefer to see large dogs have homes and gardens. I just get such a strong sense that they are pent up in flats. Perhaps my emotions are wrong here.

In your place, I would try to rescue a Bichon Frise or some such little dog. Bichons love to get their exercise racing around a coffee table and they are the greatest cuddlers in the world.

joangrimes · « **Reply #4137 on:** February 19, 2011, 08:52:54 AM »

WElcome back Steph...Glad that you had so much fun on the trip and at the show...The train trip sounds good too. I used to travel on trains all over Europe...Joan Grimes

Steph · « **Reply #4138 on:** February 19, 2011, 09:35:46 AM »

Trying to answer questions.. There is a day ticket for the show.. No guarantee for seating other than nosebleed. Our tickets were 60.00 a day.. You can come and go all day.. We hadbox seats, but on the ends, not the middle. The middle is around 75.00 or so.. I could go everywhere and that was the benching area which is my favorite.
Dogs in flats.. I agree that smaller dogs work best, although it was amazing in NY, the number of very large dogs on the streets and not near the dog show either.

We stayed in the New Yorker, it is about a block from Madison Square Garden and it is nice.. Small rooms, but that is typical of NYC.
Oh, I meant to say I dont know the day ticket price. But you cannot leave and come back with that one. Only the expensive tickets allow you free access all day and night.
I have corgi ( two) and live in a townhouse, so dont have a yard. They get walked three times a day, once a very long walk, and then at night, a quick pee break out front before bed. They are older dogs and need that. The Bearded collie was lovely,, I watched him being groomed however and that is an almost four hour process.

Babi · « **Reply #4139 on:** February 19, 2011, 09:38:37 AM »

I hadn't heard that, MARYPAGE. It is terrible. It's always true, though, that it's easy to
stoop to crime and violence in the melee of a mob. It's hardly noticed in all the uproar.

Serendipity, ROSEMARY. Isn't it wonderful when it happens?
Be thankful you can't travel on one of those 'lovely old trains', tho'. The early ones were terribly uncomfortable, and you had a choice between air (window open and losts of dust) or heat (especially in India, I would think). A train tour of the Rockies, tho', something like that would be splendid.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4140 on:** February 19, 2011, 12:08:03 PM »

Thank you for your advice. I would be happy to have a small dog, but my husband always dismisses them as "yappy" - we have only ever had retrievers. I think they are too big for the city (we used to live way out in the country). The other consideration I have is whether the dog would be OK with my cats. They were brought up with the retriever, but he has been gone for nearly a year now. I had thought about a border terrier - but my friend has one and she says he would go for a cat (he's already eaten their hamster).

Do you think some breeds are better than others with cats, or is it more important that the dog has grown up with cats? I would prefer a rescue dog, and on "dogsblog", a website that brings together all of the rescue dogs looking for homes throughout the UK, they do say if they know the dog is used to living with a cat. My neighbour had a springer spaniel who was fine with their cat - cat was v much in charge.

Babi - I take your point about old trains. The Indian one I was thinking about was one I saw that had been totally renovated - total luxury. The trains I used to take to school in the 1970s were awful old things - they had individual compartments with no connecting corridors, and it was really scary if you got left in one with one other person (esp a man) and the train then stopped for ages between stations.

Rosemary

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4141 on:** February 19, 2011, 12:23:56 PM »

RE: Dog Show. I saw a spot on our news where a lady said if you intended your dog to be shown, winning ribbons, and progressing to Westminster, the cost would probably be $1 million dollars, to make Best in Show. Think training, grooming, handler, etc.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #4142 on:** February 19, 2011, 01:07:03 PM »

I saw a feature story that said the dogs and their owner/handlers stay in The Pennsylvania Hotel across the street from Mad Sq Gard. They have a huge room where they have tubs, treadmills, massages, play areas etc for the dogs. It was pretty cool.

serenesheila · « **Reply #4143 on:** February 19, 2011, 07:40:10 PM »

STEPH, thank you very much for the financial info about going to the dog show. I just told my daughter, and she says thank you, too.

ROSEMARY, when my daughter moved in with me, her Yorkshire Terrier came with her. Bella is 3 years old. About 9 monts ago we took in a rescur kitten. The animals love one another!! It is so much fun watching them play, togather. The Yorkie does bark, some. However, not enough to be annoying. A neighbor lived across the street had a Pomeraniam and that little dog barked during every waking hour.

Our rain has stopped for now. We have had a week of it. The upcoming week will bring more. I keep reminding me, that we need it.

Sheila

kiwilady · « **Reply #4144 on:** February 19, 2011, 08:12:44 PM »

I have a bichon frise and she has as much energy as a Jack Russell. She has to have big walks every day. They also need someone home with them for most of the day as they can get quite anxious. They can be yappy too! Currently my dog is 18mths old and we walk most days about 5k. When I got her I was pretty unfit as I have fibromyalgia. You can get quite inactive bichon frise but also you can get really energetic dogs. I had two cuddle bugs before and this one is not a cuddle bug but on the go all the time. Wants to play 24/7.

Carolyn

Steph · « **Reply #4145 on:** February 20, 2011, 06:18:33 AM »

Rosemary,, Terriers are the ones who tend to be hard on cats, but I did have a westie who was a cuddler and loved the cats.. He also did not bark at all unless he got trapped somewhere. Rescues work out well with a good organization. Our Corgi one always tests for other dogs and cats.. and children of course.. Maybe a small to medium,not toy would suit your husband. Some of the small terriers are a good choice..My corgi are great, they are short, but assume they are large dogs..I carefully trained them not to bark unless someone is at the door.. but my old guy at 13 has decided dogs on tv are not allowed, so he barks at them, but this is new.
I dont know about a million, but yes to go to Westminster with your champion and a good handler and groomer is expensive.. At least the getting there. The New Yorker also had the fourth floor for dogs.. saw dust..toys..fire plug..treadmills..The dogs regarded it as a huge dog -park.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4146 on:** February 20, 2011, 06:44:33 AM »

Thanks Carolyn, Sheila and Steph - I really appreciate your advice. Once we have moved and settled in properly, I will think about contacting dogsblog properly. Their view is that the right dog for you may well not be at your local shelter, so they bring all the organisations together under one umbrella and expect you to be prepared to travel to meet the dog you are interested in. I think that's a good idea, as it does mean you have to be sufficiently motivated to make the effort, but I am not sure how they manage the home checks.

Our last retriever was rehomed but not from a rescue centre - he belonged to a family who were being posted abroad, so he moved in with us - we always felt he had "found" us, as he just turned up at the moment that we felt we had been without a dog for long enough (about a year after his predecessor died). Maybe that will happen again.

Rosemary

kiwilady · « **Reply #4147 on:** February 20, 2011, 06:07:13 PM »

I think you are wise! I NEVER want to raise a pup again after this one! I could not believe how different she was from the other two who never really needed serious training. At 17 weeks I seriously thought about phoning the breeder and asking her to find another home. She was so rough she had scratched my skin really badly and my vet nearly had a fit when she saw the mess. I have never given up on any animal so I perservered. She still can be highly excitable and uncontrollable but the roughness is gone and she does try hard not be too exuberant knowing she can hurt me. She is so full of the joy of life she launches herself at me for a cuddle. As she is very sturdy and muscley that can hurt sometimes too.

I think what she has given me is better health. I am much fitter and endorphines from walking give pain relief from arthritis and fibromyalgia for a few hours. She is also happy to sleep in a crate and never cries at night. She is in a big Italian crate in the bedroom and we have a daytime crate in the living area. She loves her crates. If the door is shut she will go and open it herself and get in for a brief snooze.

She is also a great watchdog and growls and barks if strangers come into the property. She also growls at young men in hoodies. (not a bad thing on our walks!) Despite her size she has fearsome looking teeth!

Steph · « **Reply #4148 on:** February 21, 2011, 05:34:16 AM »

I really believe that puppies are best left to the younger generation. They are also good if you have a young child..That way they grow up together. But at 73, I prefer the adult version, so my rescues are older. It will be hard as blazes when they go, but I know that they have a good life now and are much loved. Gracie my younger (11) rescue was so terribly mistreated and abused as a young dog. It has taken her a long time to not be so frightened, but she loves to sleep on the bed..now walks without too much fear and loves to cuddle.. So I think I have helped her with a better view of humans and life.She is still terrified of wheeled things and small children though.

Babi · « **Reply #4149 on:** February 21, 2011, 08:32:33 AM »

Clearly, there are animals that also prefer the 'adult' version. Gracie must have had a rough
time with children as a pup. Then there are some breeds that simply do not do well with children.
And each pet, whatever it's breed, has such a distinct personality. You never know what
the new one will be like.

jeriron · « **Reply #4150 on:** February 21, 2011, 09:34:59 AM »

I have a 4 year old Lhasa Apso. She is the 4th Lhasa we've had over the years and the only one that loves to be in my lap and sleep in my bed. My husband felt that she would be my life saver and he is right. I don't know what I would have done without her now that he's gone.

JoanP · « **Reply #4151 on:** February 21, 2011, 12:14:00 PM »

Steph - what an experience! Both the dog show and the train ride. I have to ask- did you notice the Irish Terriers - red terriers, not small, not large - about 30 lbs? I heard an announcer (Mary Carillo?) say - these pets are not for everyone. Owner must have patience and sense of humor. She got that right. Did you see Mary Carillo there at all - or did she stay in her announcers' booth.

I came in to tell you all that we will be voting for Spring discussions next week - quite a few nominations in the Suggestion Box. Still open. You have time this week to add to the growing list. We need your input. T'is the only way we can tell where the interest lies.

We'll have two votes in March - the first to narrow the list and the second to select several titles to discuss in the spring...

Remember, the titles in the heading are links to reviews - in case you want to learn more about the nominated books.

*Suggestion Box for Spring Discussions

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4152 on:** February 21, 2011, 12:40:06 PM »

Steph - I met someone recently who was walking a border terrier. She said, oh no, he will start now - and start barking he did - at the wheelie bag I use when I go to the library. The owner explained that he was a rescue dog and that although he seemed quite confident he was very upset by suitcases or wheelie bags - I wonder what it is that has happened to these poor dogs to create this fear?

It sounds as though you are giving Gracie a wonderful life. I tend to agree about puppies and would much rather rescue a dog who would otherwise have no home, but I just need to be sure s/he will be Ok with my cats and happy with a park but no garden. I imagine that the best way to do this would be to discuss it all with a good rehoming charity - there is a big dog and cat home in Edinburgh, but all they seem to have on their website is staffordshire bull terriers; no surprise, as these are the chien du choix for all the neds, who think these dogs make them look hard. It is such a shame, as our vet told me they are fantastic dogs, but I am just nervous of what they would be like with my totally spoiled (and in one case dimwit) Siamese. Incidentally, the brainy one of my cats is called Gracie (after Grace Kelly).

Jeriron, I don't know anything about Lhasa Apsos, I will look them up, thanks. Animals really are great company. When my son was a baby he was implacable for the first 12 months, and husband was hardly ever home. I was marooned in the country and didn't know a soul. my retriever, Kirsty, and I used to walk miles (me with baby on my back) just to get him out of the house. She was so placid - when he cried she used to lick him, and when he started to move around and ate her dog biscuits, she just let him. She used to give me a terrible run around when she chased rabbits - and even worse pheasants, as they were bred by the keeper, - but apart from that she was a dog in a million.

Rosemary

EvelynMC · « **Reply #4153 on:** February 21, 2011, 05:30:29 PM »

My black lab/hound mix was an older rescue dog. She was the best dog I have ever had. We had her for 9 years, she died exactly one year ago. Due to arthritis in my feet, I can no longer walk very far so another dog right now is out of the question. However, I am scheduled for surgery in March and hopefully after I fully recover we will get another dog. I plan to get another older rescue dog.

I think a larger dog would be okay in an apartment if you are able to walk it everyday. But then I prefer a medium to large female dog. Usually rescue dogs who have spent any time in a kennel are grateful for a home and will get along with whatever other animals you have.

I absolutely love animals, dogs and cats and cannot wait until I can have one again.

Evelyn

roshanarose · « **Reply #4154 on:** February 22, 2011, 08:15:12 AM »

I am not absolutely sure that this is the correct board upon which to express my concern about kiwilady - aka Carolyn, but I am hoping. I know that Carolyn enjoys talking about her pet dog, and this board seems to devote quite a bit of discussion to pet dogs. So I am hoping she will see this post.

Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand has experienced a destructive earthquake with approx 60 people dead, and the death toll expected to rise. I can't recall where kiwilady lives, but this is a tragedy for the whole country, and to a lesser extent to Australia, due to our close bonds with NZ.

kiwilady - I so hope that you have not been anywhere near the epicentre and that none of your family have been effected by this devastation. My thoughts are with you at this terrible time. Please take care.

jeriron · « **Reply #4155 on:** February 22, 2011, 08:28:59 AM »

Here's a post from KiwiLady from Facebook

Carolyn Stirling: No did not feel anything but apparently it was felt as far as the middle of our island and the quake was at the bottom of the other island (South island)

Gumtree · « **Reply #4156 on:** February 22, 2011, 08:42:39 AM »

I believe Kiwilady lives in or near Auckland - and also that most of her family live within easy reach of her home. Nonetheless my thoughts are with her and her family tonight and indeed with all our Kiwi neighbours.

The quake hit Christchurch and from TV coverage must have been an horrific experience for those involved. It was the second major quake in 5 months centred in or near Christchurch. The Australian govt has already despatched a rescue team - more are to follow overnight and Govt is ready to send whatever other help is needed.

Steph · « **Reply #4157 on:** February 22, 2011, 08:51:04 AM »

Poor New Zealand. Just one thing after another in the pat 12 months. I hope Kiwi and any otherws we might have area all safe and sound.
Irish Terriers ( a medium red type) are like Black and Tans and many others. Really bright, motivated and generally need a strong hand and will to make them understand the house order ( that is you are the alpha dog)
Rosemary.. In the US, we have individual dog rescue for many many breeds. Google the type of dog you might be interested in and see about a local group..I know there must be at least one in Scotland somewhere. They are careful and precise about what they and the dog might need. Would help you , since you could also get acquainted with some of their dogs and see how you might get along.

ANNIE · « **Reply #4158 on:** February 22, 2011, 09:12:36 AM »

Does anyone remember where Carol (kiwi) lives? I just awoke and saw the new about NZ and emailed her immediately. This is awful! Prayers to all the NZ's!

maryz · « **Reply #4159 on:** February 22, 2011, 12:59:02 PM »

Someone had mentioned, Carolyn lives in Auckland, which is in the northern part of North Island, NZ. The earthquake was in Christ Church, South Island. Click here for a map of the country.

News:

Author Topic: The Library (Read 2087464 times)