Kitties knocked my Greek-English lexicon into their water dish, drat the luck of how it fell. We have it in the freezer being dried out (a technique used in document rescue: freezers extract moisture.) But it wasn’t their fault. They are climbers. We have 2 cat trees in there with them. Tanner is being a glutton for petting now, loves it. Tracker just hides. I didn’t give him his med last night because he was out of his hidey-hole and I didn’t want to upset him, but I think he needs the little calmative dose for a while, so he will get his treatment.
And….Shu got into the room and came within sight of Tanner. Fortunately it WAS Shu, who is actually fairly easy-going except with people. It’s gentle Seishi you have to fear, though I can personally attest, if Shu gets his teeth into you, it’s doctor-bill time.(we had our set-to the morning of the eclipse, when he nearly broke my control getting into the car. I could save my arm, or him, and I wasn’t about to let him get away from me.)
We’re starting to get the pond into operation. It’s a mess. We’ve also hired a gardener, because Jane just isn’t up to taking care of the yard this spring—we’re both pretty well at our wits’ end re schedule and stuff there is to do. But we’ll handle it. And the guy is doing a good job.
I don’t remember any kafuffle with a gardener on the eclipse trip; wasn’t that Shu attempting a Houdini?
Lol, yes. I’m still very tired, and attached that edit to the wrong paragraph. Makes me wonder what I’m doing in the manuscript.
I wrestled the five-way hose connector into place and activated the topoff for the pond, a fifteen minute wrestle with a faucet that has too few threads for an easy catch.. We are trying to get the pond cleaned up.
Oh dear, was it your Great Scott or Middle Liddel (as we call the dictionaries in our house) that took the plunge?
I’ve patiently used the freezer technique for a knitting pattern book that went, I believe, also into a cat water bowl, and the pages themselves returned (after weeks of freeze drying and caaaaarrrreeeefffuuulll, ssssllllooowww daily separating of one more, frozen page from its next in line) to perfectly fine usability. The cheap, card binding under the plasticy overlay cover never regained its prior integrity/muscle tone, I’m afraid, but works well enough.
Gaah. I shudder to think what a big, specialized dictionary like that would cost to replace these days. I really hope it is salvageable. Books are a treasure better than gold. One cannot read gold, it has no literary or sentimental value, and it’s bad at being warm and snuggly. Well, books are not quite great at the warm and snuggly part either, but better than gold at that, certainly. Though one admits gold is useful for paying for needed things. Still, books win. See? There’s that romantical dreamer side again. Well, what the heck, I’ll just let my freak flag fly, darn it. 😀
There are times one can be, oh, sorely tempted, regarding the oddball critters known as cats. Or humans, for that matter. However, yeah, cats are cats, and so, frustrating as it can be on rare occasions, sometimes, ya just gotta shrug and go on. Smokey has a way of trying my patience now and then, but, well, as the saying goes, he’s been washed too many times to send back.
Tanner and Tracker sound like good fellows, despite the unfortunate incident. I can definitely sympathize.
Nice to hear that the one is getting comfortable. Maybe the other will feel better once his treatment’s done and he sees he’s truly welcome in the household, amongst the humans and cats in residence. And…of course, they have their own way of dealing or not dealing with a big change in their lives. Once he sees he’s loved, it will likely make a difference.
Cats are funny about their strengths and weaknesses and flip-flops of traits. Smokey is the only cat I’ve had that can have his aggressive tendencies misfire at times. But over the years, he has (mostly) learned better, and I know better now how to read him and deal with it appropriately. Goober is probably the most non-assertive cat I’ve ever had, but yet he has this brave side to him too, that shows up in certain situations. He also has a sense of humor and a great deal of loyalty. Smokey is also very loyal and has some fine traits, as oddball as he can be occasionally.
Hey, getting a gardener for a while, or permanently, is not a bad thing. Jane and you sure have ample reason lately to need a breather. — And hey, rest if you need to, so you don’t feel so scattered. You’re surely feeling it, the connection with Jane, empathy, and you’re both still tired. Take care of yourselves. Your fans and friends would certainly rather see you both happier and rested, than worn to a frazzle by work and by personal events and health needs. so come on, you two, take a little more time for yourselves, so you can really recharge and get the jump on things.
Yeah, I have a mother hen side, I know. 😀
Possibly the two new cats have more interest in Greek literature and language than one might expect of the average feline? But apparently, the usual feline disinterest in swimming and water usage generally. — OK, that doesn’t help when you’re worried about the fate of your lexicon. i hope it’ll end up in good shape. At least you caught it in less than 24 hours.
hmm, for Tracker’s hidey-hole tendencies, it sounds like he needs an extra big dose of togetherness. Poor guy. — And possibly things are looking better for Sei and Shu to accept Tanner and Tracker, and vice versa. Hope so, anyway.
Actually my lexicon is the salvation of any student of Ancient Greek, since the language is made up of particles of meaning. For instance, kata meaning down, downward, to the bottom, or entirely… ana meaning back, lav or lam meaning take, and anti meaning against, pro meaning before, pylos meaning gate, therma meaning hot. So the propylaea is the gate to the acro (high) polis (city) and Thermo (hot) pylae (gate) refers to the hot spring that used to be in the pass, there, but is no longer, and the beach is much wider. If you learn Greek, a lexicon, or compendium of particles like this, is a lifesaver. After you’ve struggled to understand it for several months, the particulate character of it dawns on you about 3 am some morning and you are thereafter able to make up your own words at need, or at least guess they might exist.
That is what fell in the water dish. Along with my Hebrew studies book, which I had when I was taking elementary Hebrew, in which I can manage a handful of sentences. Greek is easier. [footnote: composed while watching A Series of Unfortunate Events.]
Good — and very smart — call on hiring a garden guy. The situation is what it is, the guy could no doubt use the money and the work, and both you and Jane need a chance to recoup and marshal your strength. You’ve just had stress upon stress — losing the fish, the long, drawn out kitchen remodel, and now this. You desperately need some breathing space. Hang in there. 2018 is shaping up to be the year from Hell for you and me both. I think you would be entirely justified (and smart) to coddle yourselves and cut yourselves all the possible slack you can.
Before I started chemo, I bit the bullet and hired a cleaning lady who comes in once a month to dust, vacuum, and thoroughly wipe down and clean bathrooms and kitchen. She has been a lifesaver. (Of course, after she has left, Ms OCD/ASD has to go through the house and straighten all the objets d’art and put the whatnots back the way they go . . . .)
Hopefully all this sturm und drang will very soon ease up for all of us and things will settle down and get back to normal. I, for one, am so done with alarums and excursions. Dull and boring would be such a refreshing change.
Here’s hoping you can maintain kitty detente a while longer and that everybody will soon hiss and make up. Look on the bright side. Water damage to a book is a somewhat lesser evil. One of my cats, the late and mighty Emperor Pu An Yu, ate paper — paper towels, paper napkins, toilet paper, brown paper sacks, mail, papers off my desk, books. . .
Gives a second meaning to me saying, “I can easily eat a book a day”!
I do like the Emperor’s name and the fact that he would not wear new clothes if they were offered.
If the lexicon is Liddell-Scott-Jones, you can find various copies online.
The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae site at the University of California, Irvine has a good online copy of LSJ, among plenty of other ancient Greek materials. You have to register (free) to use it. You can type using beta code (normal keyboard -> Greek) and it shows the possible Greek words as you type. You can also browse by clicking on headwords at the side.
Thanks for that!
I dare say after drying the wrinkly paper could be ironed flat again.
Usually we use a book press at the library: a screw like an old-fashioned printing press, and several boards to ensure the book is pressed flat. After a few days, if the pages could be flattened they will be. If you are on good terms with your local library, you might ask if your book could reside in their press for a stint.
I suspect that one could expound most extravagantly about day-to-day kitty politics. My “estranged” wife (we’re still pretty good friends) has set up quite a complex situation with rescue cats and dogs living in her house together. There are a couple of female cats, a couple of male cats, dogs of a few sizes and genders, all neutered but all having sad or troubled pasts, and all pretty much getting along together. I suspect there’s a grand novel in there somewhere, maybe even anthropomorphized.
Off-Topic:
Ouch! Some months after my last dental visit, part of a split tooth, whose filling had come out months before, had come out. This was a benefit, as the remainder was in there stronger and no longer bothered by the lost portion. — Then Saturday, I was eating, nothing too hard or crunchy, and, ouch, aggravated the remaining portion of tooth. Careful brushing and eating on the other side of my mouth, a little more careful about food texture. — This morning, the tooth is loose. It’s not seriously hurting, just a minor annoyance, mildly sore. It feels OK, loose, but I don’t think it requires a dentist visit. I expect it will work itself out this week sometime. As long as I’m careful to keep the site clean, I think it’ll be OK. But it’s sensitive, and I’m having real trouble not letting my tongue fiddle with it. I guess that’s old instinct, knowing something’s wrong and it needs to come out. But man, is it tough not to let my tongue wander over to it and fuss with it. Silly, right? Or maybe instincts have good sense sometimes. I am _not_ going to try to pull it out. I’m going to let it do its thing and come out when it’s ready. (For one, I’m a wimp about tooth pain. For another, I do not want to mess around with it and cause a problem, when at present, I don’t think there is one.)
So…owie. I will be eating more carefully until it’s out and for a bit after, so it can heal up fine.
I have some (mild to moderate) painkillers left from my last dental work, but at present, I don’t need them. I have an aversion to taking anything unless I really need it, but hey, I am no superhero when it comes to pain and sickness either. So I’m fine for now, and if need be, there’s medicine for pain.
It feels like it’s OK, so I’m not planning a dentist appointment unless it tells me otherwise.
So…ouch, dang it. Loose tooth trying to work itself out, soon to be gone. — I may or may not skip an appt. tomorrow, in favor of nursing the tooth at home. But I may feel good enough to do the appt. So we’ll see.
——
Chondrite, I will remember your suggestion about library services. I don’t expect I’ll need that with remaining books in storage. (Sure hope not.) But still, a good point to keep in mind, if need be, for important books. Things like that lexicon, or family Bibles, heirloom or out-of-prit larger books, for instance. I would think a home freezer, with a book in a big enough ziplock baggie to keep it and food safe and separate, and weighing down a book with boards and a big C-clamp, or otherwise weighting it down, could work fine. — Do you interleave book pages with paper towels or anything, while drying? Is there any different procedure for color print books (coffee table books, art display, etc.) versus quality HB books, versus the usual trade PB books? — What should the book-loving public know about proper book conservation? — Where I am, Houston, just like in Hawaii, humidity and fungi / mildew and potential insects are the highest risks, even in a well-maintained home or office environment, potentially. (I am very glad my present apt. has good temperature / humidity control, and as of yet, no pest problem. But given our climate, it’s always a concern. Our humidity rarely goes below 50%, and our temps are usually above freezing.)
In regards to helping books that have run afoul of water or some such, initially you will want to fan the pages out and let them air dry as much as possible. This is especially crucial for books with color plates or photographic illustrations, as the glossy varnish most prints get on their last pass through the press is very prone to sticking when it gets damp. Unfortunately, chances are good you will end up with rumpled pages, regardless; this is where the book press comes in once the pages are no longer perceptibly damp to the touch. You may wish to put something like plastic or waxed paper between color plates and other pages, to ensure residual moisture doesn’t make them stick. Keep alert for bindings and covers that have gotten wet, especially hardbacks, because they retain moisture far longer than the thinner pages and will frequently mold if not completely dried, and mold spreads. Eeewwww.
The freezer treatment also works well, especially in instances where mud or other contaminants are involved. We had a big flood about a decade ago; the bottom level of UH’s Hamilton Library was contaminated with muddy water, which got into the magazine and map archives, and some other books stored in the basement too. Many of the waterlogged materials were successfully saved by being put quickly into a reefer unit on site, before they could start getting moldy. I don’t recommend plastic bagging or weighing down the afflicted book in the freezer. You want to take advantage of the freezer’s desiccating characteristics, and compressing a wet book will create an ice block, not dry it.
Duh, about the baggie. Oh, I was not thinking, there. Thank you.
Hmm, but I would also think if someone had either a large tome or several books, it would be a better idea to put them in a freezer altogether separate from one’s food; a dedicated freezer. Because, eww, any contaminants in whatever got into the printed matter, and eww, any food-related contaminants that could affect the printed matter additionally. Eek, not good.
I am very, very glad that I don’t currently have such a situation. — I was very unhappy, some years back, to have to get rid of damaged printed matter (books and collectibles) due to water damage and ensuing risk or presence of mildew or insects into them. Just…ugh.
What’s still in my storage unit, though, I will be going through to be sure it hasn’t gotten any damage, and if/when I find something not in good quality, I’ll have to make a tough judgment call. Thankfully, I don’t think that’s the case, though.
And — If I wouldn’t keep it in my own library, I would surely not dump it on anyone else or a library or used bookseller. That would be literally dirty pool playing.
(I notice there’s no mention of heating applied, which I would think would risk curving (bowing) the pages, plus the too-risky fire hazard. it might seem tempting to apply mild heat for a limited period, but wow, I’d think you’d have to babysit it to be sure you didn’t create a problem best avoided altogether. Also, that could lead to weird fumes or to ink smearing or any coating or glue doing very bad things. Therefore, avoid heating.)
I’m not a book conservationist, but I think if it’s just one book, or a few, and you haven’t got room in a freezer, you might blow-dry it (standing it up with all the pages fanned out) using your hair dryer, if you’ve got one. That’s a mild heat plus airflow to dry it quickly, and you’re on hand wielding the blow-dryer to constantly check how it’s going.
The one time I was at home when my aquarium sprang a leak, I saved my wooden floor from having the planks go all bent by blow-drying it for hours, as soon as the aquarium was emptied to below the leak.
The next time it happened I wasn’t home so didn’t see it until the planks had started curving, and they never recovered…
I don’t have an aquarium anymore.
My tooth is still loose, slightly more sore, and not yet out. I had really hoped it would come out this week. Still time. I had to dare some meat, got too hungry. I fixed mashed potatoes and added parsley and spices, so I’m good there, plus other leftovers. But the steak I had thawed has been cooked and is going in the freezer until I can think of eating it. Ow.
I don’t have veggie, chicken, or beef stock on hand, or bouillon, or deviled han or chicken. I’m likely going with the tuna I have. Ramen, some soups, some sauces, I do have, and aha, some pudding and diced fruit cups. So I’m OK. — But I’m likely going to order either a carton or so of stock or else bouillon, and some deviled meat, something similar.
Tomorrow, I’m going to haul out the hand blender / mixer and see if it’ll help.
Just…ow. This is not serious, I’m not in any severe pain, but it’s aggravating, and I don’t want anything hard to chew or crunchy untill the tooth comes out. It’s being stubborn. However, I think it’s still healthy around the site, so I’m counting it all AOK.
Oil of cloves is reputed to be a poor man’s fix for dental pain.
Today we had a book come in that had accidentally gone into some poor lady’s pool, along with her deck chair and iPad (D’oh!) The book was practically dripping, and was already falling apart, but as it was a current release, no need try to salvage it; no historical value there. We save our best efforts for things we cannot replace and want to keep.
Consider keeping an emergency supply of Ensure or some other supplemental food. The strawberry isn’t too bad and it is best drunk chilled. My husband lived on this for the better part of 3 years when everything else tasted awful and he didn’t feel like eating.
Target and Walgreen’s (and undoubtedly CVS) have house-brand versions that are as good and a little cheaper. I haven’t tried the strawberry; it’s not one that appeals to me.
I have a couple of jars of bulk bouillon in the cupboard, for adding to soup and the like. (Some brands are better than others: I hear good things about “Better than Bouillon” and “Superior Touch”, but haven’t tried either.) I have single-serving dried soups, too.
Oh! Also look for packets of powdered miso soup, with or without little dried tofu cubes. If you’re in the mood for vegetarian, that fills the bill nicely, and they come in several savory varieties (extra garlic, spicy. etc.) If you don’t mind cluttering up your fridge, you can get miso paste in bulk, in a container like margarine; just dissolve to taste in hot water.
The Ensure and the miso soup are both good ideas. — I just ordered some bouillon and stock and deviled chicken and ham, to have on hand. — I’ve only had miso as an ingredient once before in a prepackaged frozen meal (It was good, tasty, I’d get that again.) — I’d have to ask where they keep the miso paste in the refrigerated or dry goods sections at my local grocery store, or else order online. — But miso soup, etc., sounds like a good idea. I’m not big on hot/spicy (whew, one of the ramen brands, I got their hot chili in a variety pack, haha, had to dilute the flavoring quite a bit after I tasted that!) However, other flavors, vegetarian or meat / seafood, would be fine. Guess I’ll be expanding my palate some.
I’m a goof. I cannot remember the Japanese name of the dried seaweed or kelp that’s used in some soups and one of the basic broths used. I had tried this with a soup mix once a couple of years ago now. Whew, with the dried fish ingredient, this was way salty and fishy. (Possibly, I did not fix it right, or else I’m just not used to Japanese tastes yet. But I’m interested in trying again. My wok is incredibly useful, and I tend to simple meals or one-pot meals a lot lately. (Lazy, sometimes, fixing for just me.)
I saw, on YouTube, a really nice recipe for “Shoyu Ramen.” Most of this looked pretty easy, except for the pork involved. Hah, and it looked like I’d need to put it up in serving containers (the broth, etc.) as it made way more than enough for four people, it looked like. — The pork pieces were cooked a long time. The other ingredients were simple, pretty basic, I thought. I’d just have to get them from the store. (Have to find the recipe again and copy down ingredients.) — The cook is a Korean woman with an American husband, showing a Japanese recipe. 😀 Oh, America, great melting pot / salad bowl that it is. I believe her recipe also involved a basic soup stock with that kelp/seaweed as one of the ingredients. (Daishi stock?)
I also ordered an immersion blender, hand-held, and will be trying out the new blender.
My tooth: No real change today, not bad unless jostled when eating, and today, I didn’t have the urge to fiddle with it with my tongue, thank goodness. So I still have the tooth, not out yet. Taking it easy food-wise, but doing better today than expected.
There are several kinds, one is called nori but I forget the others…
Nori is the stuff that comes in sheets, and is used to wrap sushi, or as a snack. (Teriyaki nori isn’t bad!)
The one usually used in soups is wakame. (Warning: Japanese soups can be fairly fishy.)