Went to visit Chester and his parents last weekend and there's a new light over the dining room table. It's not a formal dining area, as the table seats four and it's immediately off the kitchen island. It's a nook area, so it's not meant for large groups. It's big enough to sit comfortable and be able to quickly get up and get plates washed when done eating.
The fan and light that is now over the table is different than what I've seen in various rooms. The fan is super quiet and gives off just enough wind that you know it's on, but it doesn't freeze you. The light bars are circular and it looks like a drawn out atom. However, upon trying to image search a photo, the common answer is it's more like Saturn in its design than an atom. Which makes a little more sense once you compare the two. The fan inside would be the planet and the main center light ring would be the ring around the planet. The other rings are bonus lights.
For reference, Amazon has a similar one in brushed nickel from a company called Fanimation and it's called "Fanimation Obvi 3 Blade Ceiling Fan 19.96 Inches Tall and 22 Inches Wide with Brushed Nickel Finish and Clear Blades". It's not "cheap", as it's listing for $649.99. There's a black version as well, with the same price point.
Overall, it's sleek and a conversation starter because it's not an every day, "normal" ceiling light you see. It's unobtrusive in a way, so you barely notice it unless you're directly under it while the fan is going. You can feel the blades going, but they're not that powerful where everything is moving or it's too noisy. However, it gives enough light, that the table was very well lit as we ate. It didn't matter if it was breakfast or dinner, we could all see everything as we sat at the table.
Yay for new things?
As it was a weekend of a fur baby, he not only got a new toy, he got a haircut.
Chester doesn't sit still for one minute, so trying to take photos of him, I get very interesting side eyes and poses. On one of the nights, I happened to get a video of him slowly moving his head towards me to give me the stink eye but when he realized I was filming, he quickly moved his head back. It was all in the matter of 5 seconds, and really not a long enough clip to post on Youtube and link here. It was a funny thing because he was sitting down, waiting for me to throw a toy down the hall for him.
Other photos I was able to get are below, and like always, I did some minor editing and they were taken on an iPhone 11.
The photos of him on the bed is part of his night time ritual. First he knows what time it is (8pm) and starts clawing and barking at everyone, as if to say "time for bed!!!". If there is company over, he's told "it's too early; go play". So he plays for a little while and by 8:30, he's trying to go to bed again. If a movie or show is on and is over at 9, he's told to continue playing. By nine, he's had enough and the whining happens. So now everyone is sick of him scratching and complaining, so it's off to bed.
Obviously, Chester runs the house.
Once everyone is off to do their own nightly routine, the first thing that happens for the dog, is he gets lifted onto the bed (because he sleeps with his parents). From there, he looks for a sock (or two) on the bed, which may have "accidently" been left.
As Chester loves stealing sneakers / shoes and socks, there's always one he magically finds under the covers. It's like a final game at night, and once he finds it, it's like his binky; he never lets go of it.
The other photos of him are his foofy haircut and an expression of a demands man. He wants to play and he wants a toy and he wants it all now, instead of having his picture taken.
It's always a long, draining weekend because Chester likes to annoy everyone if he's not the center of attention. He does have his moments when he's calm and hanging out with everyone, but sometimes he gets the spurts of wanting to do things.
The life of having a pet... never ending!?
When I went to the library the other day, for a pickup, there was some setup on the information counter about the day. Every day is a different theme. The librarians research what day it is and offer books to read about that particular thing.
For example, I went in last year on September 17, and it is not only my friend Cat's birthday, but it's also Cassandra Peterson's birthday. If you don't recognize the name, maybe you'll recognize her "alter ego": Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. When I saw all the books at the desk, along with the placard, I texted Cat and said "you share a birthday with a famous goth girl". Cat liked hearing that. She thought it was cool.
This year I didn't go in on that day, so I don't know what they put up. But I was in on the 25th, and the sign said "It's National Lobster Day" with some shellfish books around it.
The books looked good; if we ate more shellfish, I would totally think about purchasing them on Amazon to have on the cookbook shelf.
The pages I took photos from, were out of the "Lobster: 75 Recipes Celebrating the World's Favorite Seafood" book by Dana Moos. Only because the publication company is from Maine ("Down East Books") and it talks about everything relating to Maine lobster, including other ways you can add seafood to your diet. I wanted my mom to see what was out at the library that day.
I had to giggle at the publication company name because not a lot of people will get the underlying reference of "Down East" unless they're from (coastal) New England (primarily Maine) or have been around long enough to understand where the term comes from. As I've lived the first part of my life in Massachusetts, traveling to coastal areas, I enjoyed seeing a company call themselves out for what they do and where they're located. It's a nice opportunity to "keep things local".
Off topic for a second but relating to Maine: there is a podcast I listen to, where it takes place in the home state of Stephen King. It's from Realm and called "Undertow", which every season is a standalone series, even though there's a small connection early on. It's got so many other seasons and spin offs, it's hard to tell what's airing now, especially since it's been a while since I listened to it. I have a lot of shows to catch up on. But with the Amazon link, try to sort from "oldest to newest" and you'll get the first few seasons. If you listen in other podcatchers, do the same there. You'll not regret it if you're a horror fan.
There's also QCODE & Endeavor Content's "Blackout" which takes place in New Hampshire and is voiced by Rami Malek.
Anyway, back to the book.
One of the things it talks about is the ratio of meat to pounds (yield) - "One 1¼ to 1½ pound lobster = 4 ounces or ½ cup". No wonder they seem small. They may be meaty, but once you start chopping them up, they're not as plentiful as you think. That's why there's always something to go with them.
Noted: I put my name on the photos simply because I took the photo. I do not own the copyright to the text on the pages. Just that I took the photo.
The other book takes place in the Seattle Washington area: "Shellfish: Recipes with the Fresh Taste of the Sea (A Seafood Cookbook)" by Cynthia Nims. The publication company is, rather fittingly, "Sasquatch Books". I didn't get any pages from that book photographed as I was more interested in the lobster one. I don't think I looked through it enough to want to do anything with it. I don't know enough about the Pacific North West to make any viable comment on how good or bad their seafood is.
This weekend marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Ian. A lot of places are still suffering the consequences of that storm and when we got Helene and Milton last year, it pushed back a lot of the rebuild. South Seas resort on Captiva is finally reopen and is doing a triathlon thing this morning. Or they were, because at the time of this writing, it should be over. The resort finally opened last month, I think, after being completely destroyed since 2022.
Not to jinx anything, but we haven't gotten a blink of a storm this season so far, so everyone may be a little on high alert, especially while the rebuilding from Ian is still happening. Too many people are reporting they're still living in shambles because it's so hard to find work, get work, obtain materials for their homes and businesses. Fort Myers Beach is not even a quarter built back up. I'm told they're still looking messy. They can't win out there. But with tourists and snowbirds coming quickly, something has to be done. At least Margaritaville is there (I haven't seen it)?
I can't say much about what's going on with everything and the storm. I haven't traveled anywhere to see what places look like. I see the news talk about it and it was mentioned this morning we're three years into it. The area I am in looks okay to a point, but there are some spots that are still desolated. The mobile home parks are somewhat flattened and RVs are in the spots where the homes were. It's harder for those people to get their lives back, than it is for someone in a regular house. The insurance is bad for everyone, and if you own a double wide (or any other mobile home), no one is quick to insure you because of what you're in and what the storms are. It's rough and people are actively trying.
I don't know what else to comment about with it because I am not actively in it. So rather than try to make something up or report on old news, I'll end it here.
Plus, it's late enough in the morning where it's time to go do some errands.
Until something else piques my way into here, take care and stay cool (it's still lower 90s here).
Cheers;
