There is. It's MONTANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've got icicles forming on my nose just thinking about it! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

t&l

Two points here, Neakie darling:

1) I find it interesting that you're perfectly willing to offer your sister up to a fate that you consider worse for yourself than death or dismemberment! After listening to your sister squeeing like a stuck pig on the phone, I perceive this little bit of hypocrisy hasn't escaped her notice, either! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> No offense, Neaksis, it was a very cute stuck pig!! Really.

(2) You'd better explain that it's not living with Ma Clam again that makes death or dismemberment a more desireable option for you than moving home temporarily. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> And furthermore, you'd better mean it when you say it, too! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

t&l

They have a lot of wheat farming related jobs, and another interesting possibility would be to purchase several homes for short term rental. Apparently there are a lot of hunters who go to that area and pay as much as $500 a week for a furnished house.

In a place where you can live decently for $1,000/month, it wouldn't take too many rentals to have enough for the entire year.

I'm thinking of opening a pie shop. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My, I missed a lot during my last post.

Of COURSE you are not the death/dismemberment deterrent.

I still would not choose to live in the same house with you unless there was some necessity, but only because even after 9+ years I still feel really weird doing those <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> things in 'your' house. If necessity arrived for us to live in the same house as just you, except for that one little detail it would be a nonstop round of hilarity.

Life with Dad would not.

PS My IL's can live frugally on $5-700/mo.

So are we all turning green yet?

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

And yet somehow, if push came to shove, I'm betting that you would (eventually, no doubt, after prolonged, agonized hesitation! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />) be able to force yourself to overcome your <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> and <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />, and carry on. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

t&l

And on. And on. And on. And on.

Here are 2 Hawaii pictures I DIDN'T post before:

Soy Barbecues at the Food Fair


I froze several of them and brought them back on the plane to Neak and Neaksis. Also the recipe so they can now make them for themselves. Oh, and for me, too. Incidentally! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


Hawaiian Fauna


As good as those soy barbecues were, I still found that tray of them to bear an unfortunate resemblance to this friendly little Hawaiian creature I'd caught earlier on the trip. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

t&l

LEMONMAN---------

If you're still peeking in here, I have been meaning to tell you that I think the whole alien/fog thing on here is a lot like the Santa story.

It's funny and makes you smile, it's an easy way to explain something that is a bit mysterious, but nobody really believes it. Oops, not quite nobody. There are a few who buy into a 'literal Santa', but for most it's just a story.

I know I sure felt better when I heard it; it gave me a way to laugh at what wasn't funny, and to let things slide off my back without taking them personally.

*airily* "It's not my DH saying those hateful things - it's just some stupid old alien that looks oddly like him."

Of course I didn't believe that literally, and I don't t-h-i-n-k most of the people here do either, though I would not blame you for being suspicious of a few of them, lol.

Just had to get that off my chest. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

OMG neak...are you telling me Santa ISN"T real???????

As B says ..... Bwaaaahaaahaaaaaa!!! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Neak how are you travelling girl? Are YOU well? what about AJ & the kids? and of course mom!


Ok I have the answer to the lot.

You WON'T have to move to Montana and the snowdrifts.. nope I have it solved. You can live in a commune type thing no probs or just around the corner from the family so they can drop in ANY time, tell you what you are doing wrong, let you know how to do things, and give you unsolicited opinions, doesn't that sound GREAT! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

All you have to do is move ..oh about 10,000 km to Western Australia..... mild weather, friendly wildlife in the backyard [see photos], beaches, mild winters, sun, surf, swimming, AND you can buy a nice 4bed 2 bath home for about $300,000 BUT your $US is worth about $2 AUD so thats only $150,000. OR you can move to the bush & get a big home for half that again Seee? solved

6 foot roo

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />


LM could be right about the Alien thing you know...I was pretty way out there and said some really wierd things ...ok ok a lot wierder than I do now! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Because I know you always wondered about my reference to drop bears ...here is the info from a expert....

Drop Bears: Terror of the Australian Bush

The Western Blue or Common Drop bear is quite well known in the deep southwest of Western Australia and I have been fortunate enough on several occasions to witness their movements and study their habits first-hand.
On a recent trip to the Nannup hills, not far from the once-flourishing ghost town of Ellis Creek I encountered two young male Dropbears and was able to take life drawings of these magnificent and misunderstood native marsupials.
They are only dangerous if you go under he trees or they are hungry. Otherwise perfectly safe. I've often compared them to the misunderstood whitepointer.

I have attached the afore-mentioned sketch and a colour rendering of one of the males dropping from his tree for your edification and enjoyment.

Drop bear sketch

db photo

survivor

tree nest

The Drop Bear is described as an arboreal, (tree dwelling) carnivorous mammal of Australia, Phascolarctus Hodgsonii, growing to around 6 feet in height. This description is not far wrong. Believed to have evolved from a similar line to koalas, Drop Bears vary from 3 to 6 feet in height, but are extremely strong. They are covered in a dense fur, which can range from almost black to the Alpine Drop Bear's snowy white coat. They have broad shoulders and razor sharp claws on all four limbs. They are able to walk for short distances on two legs, but are much faster on all four, being capable of bursts of speed approaching 60 km/h at full gallop. Their heads are similar to those of koalas, but with enlarged canine teeth, not unlike those of Polar bears or other carnivorous animals. There are few reported photographs of them, and only a select and very lucky few have laid eyes on them and lived to tell the tale.
There are several war-time incidents in northern Australia, the dead shattered bodies of 12 Japanese POW’s who attempted to escape in Western Australia in WW2, the disappearance of a group of cross-country skiers in the Victorian Alps, and the deaths of a number of hikers, canoeists, 4WDrivers, campers, sunbathers and swimmers throughout the country.
Drop Bears are not cuddly and friendly, like their cousin the koala. They are vicious, calculating, cold-blooded killers. Their usual method of attack is to select animals which stray from their group, including humans, dropping down onto them from above. They then proceed to wrap themselves around the body of their prey, squeezing them to death, often crushing the rib cage and breaking the neck. Occasionally when hunting, and when threatened, the Bears will drop down in front of, and then challenge their prey, snarling and flashing their sharp claws and teeth, before ripping their prey to shreds with their powerful arms and legs. Of all the ways to die in the bush, this would have to be the most horrible. Arms and Legs are torn from the body, along with huge slabs of flesh, which are greedily consumed while the victim still lives. If seen, Drop Bears should NOT be approached, as they are easily agitated and likely to attack. Vehicles are known to have been attacked, and being in one is no defense. An adult Drop Bear is able to easily break windows and enter vehicles to extrude would-be meals.

Sub-species

The Common Drop Bear is found in wooded areas all over the Australian continent, including Tasmania, and is thought to in fact venture as far north as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. It lives in trees, dropping down to feed on kangaroos, wombats, and anything else that walks beneath it.

The Burrowing Drop Bear is slightly smaller in stature than the common variety, though just as ferocious. It is known to inhabit the drier arid regions of the country, including the deserts of central Australia. It is also fairly common amongst wooded areas, and burrows have been found everywhere from beaches to desert plains. The burrows vary in size according to the individual animal, but the entry hole may be considerably smaller than the actual living space. Holes 30cm in diameter have been known to house Drop Bears 5 feet tall. The animal's extraordinary contorting ability means it is able to crawl through extremely small spaces in search of wombats and rabbits.

The Alpine Drop Bear grows a special winter coat of almost pure white for camouflage in snowy areas. They have been spotted at lower elevations when the food supply is short, but unlike Common and Burrowing varieties, are able to hibernate for sustained periods. They live in larger burrows than Burrowing Drop Bears, being less able to contort through small openings. During the summer months, they remain in their mountain environment, shedding their white coats and adopting darker furs for camouflage in the lightly treed and grassy plains of the high country.

The Aquatic Drop Bear, as its name suggests, feeds in and around bodies of water. Lakes, rivers, dams and the Australian coastal waters are home to this variety of Drop Bear. With webbed feet and an water-resistant coat similar to a seal, they are ideally suited to marine life, though still retain the unmistakable Drop Bear physique of four legs, broad shoulders and sharp claws and teeth. Aquatic Drop Bears have attacked canoeists, rafters, fisherman on the bank and in boats, sunbathers and swimmers. Cases such as these are often falsely reported by the media as crocodile or shark attacks, in an effort to avoid the mass hysteria which would almost definitely result from an admission that we have a Drop Bear problem.
Regards, Dr Rick ‘Rusty’ Sella


Now there you are,, hope you now know what you need to know about these creatures ...... remember …………….DROP Bears, cute but deadly <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hmmmm. Freezing cold or drop bears. AW - I just googled drop bear, and it says you can smear vegemite all over your body and it will repel them.

Doesn't vegemite repel almost anybody? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Actually, I shouldn't make fun. A similar product in the US is what I use to make the veggie gravy brown and give it a rich taste. My mom used to make a sandwich with vegex and butter. I'll try one every now and again. My kids are all, oddly enough, repelled by it! And by me, whenever they see me make Grandma's sandwhich! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

t&l

All right, AW, that kangaroo picture was just plain nasty. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Neak, you need to send it to Flard, with those technosavvy skills of yours. I'm sure Mr. Snake Lover will find it fascinating. Is that how Sport tied the kangaroo down? Somehow all these years, I've just had a different mental image! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

t&l

t&l,

Gee, I had forgotten how "funny" (haha) you all are! And I really have missed all the emoticons!! I think we need to devise a way to have them floating above our heads, so we can guage others moods from a distance!!!

This thread cracks me up! Comedy Central!

And it's even better with the international flair! Aussie, you're a scream!! Plus it's fun to hear about other parts of the country.

SS, waving Hi! to you! Sorry to worry you. I've almost showered as t&l suggested after my extended time of wallowing - I'll be refreshed and back soon!! I told Q to give you more detail by e-mail if you're interested.

Unlike t&l, I'm not brave enough to air it all out here! She's way more brave than me!

You know there is one trouble smearing your whole body with vegemite ...

Aussie likes it <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


Mmmmmmmmmmmmm well lets not throw the idea out YET! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I only saw one foot and the tail of that six foot roo.

Oh, and an Australian commune sounds like great fun!

Hi there....first time poster here I think.... <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I thought this might be a good place to post my "cosmetics" question.

Due to all the stress and crying I have aged like 5 years in my face in the last 2 weeks! A lot of wrinkles here....I've never been much into all the right products, but now I think it is time to get on the ball. What do you girls <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> use out there? I just use nivea Q10plus....is there maybe something better?

Thank you <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Daisy