Pillsbury + 1 year:

[Sgt. Howard]

"I assume that Jin and Alan are doing well with their little one... And did he ever get his car back?"

"Well," Greg quickly swallowed a chunk of near-raw meat, "... seems the bear that went scavenging after food got real comfortable in that car after he found all the fluids stains and decided it was an excellent place to relieve himself- you will never get the smell out of the car- there was some hassle over the insurance coverage, but in truth the damage rom the impact was enough to total the rig. Besides, they now need a bigger rig anyways, something that carries little Paula as well as May plus a few bags of groceries... I think they are looking at a Forrester..." and he returned to the trough.

[jwhouk]

Instinctively, I braced for a, "Could always get a Land Rover," comment from Al.

Imagine my surprise when I heard it come from Buck instead.

"What?" He gave me a look of surprise. "Engine's basically ours, and what an AHI dealer can't fix, I'm sure Smokey or Johnny Mac at Al's could." He wolfed down a pickled carrot. "Besides, trying to get baby poop stain out of a Bentley interior is damn near impossible - or so I hear..."

Suddenly, Rowdy turned about twelve shades of red, and Daisy covered her mouth.

[Just Old Al]

"I heard about this." Al chuckled, and laid aside his fork for a second.

"Little Rowdy wasn't feeling well - he was what, Daisy - eleven months or so?" here Daisy nodded, mouth still covered, colouring as she tried to avoid braying with laughter "and Mum and Dad were taking him to the doctor's.

Unfortunately, his poor little intestinal system was not doing at all well - and Rock's Bentley paid the price."

By now, beet red was a pale shade compared to Rowdy's complexion, and his brother was laughing unashamedly at him. "Dad's car was never the same after that. Warm days were hell, even with the air conditioning on."

"Eventually, after three separate attempts at exorcism, er cleaning, Dad waited till Winter and traded it in. The quote on having the back seat replaced was just not worth the effort - he never kept his daily drivers all that long anyway. "

Daisy, now under control, added "Yes. He actually, on request of his normal dealer, traded the car elsewhere. They reasoned, quite correctly, that it was better to lose the commission on one car then deal with the irate next owner of that particular trade."

Cinnamon, never one to miss a trick, reached over and gave her brother a big hug, only to recoil slightly moments afterward, nose wrinking. Rowdy paid her back, however, witha solid smack to the back of the head, laughing the entire time.

[Just Old Al]

Al thought for a second, then snapped his fingers.

"Joe, meant to ask you - how was the Wild game? Sorry I wasn't around to go with you - had some business overseas - but I heard later you had some fun - and survived showing up in the wrong team's colours. Do that at a football match back home and you take your life in your hands. "

[jwhouk]

"The most crap I got all night was from your magazine girl," I replied. "She couldn't quite tell why I was braying every time Suter touched the puck."

I took a sip of my water glass. "Little did I know Leipold's box was right next door."

Sarah shook her head and turned to me. "You need to let it go. The team didn't move, and he got a team of his own."

"Yeah, and then Ryan lied to our GM about it."

"Let it goooo, dear."

Suddenly, from the far side of the table, came the sound of a little "stinkweed" singing at the top her lungs: "Let it GOOOO, let it GOOOO, not holdin' back any morrreeee..."

A collective groan was heard from around the table.

[Just Old Al]

When the singing started, Daisy was struck with several thoughts.

1. Thankfully it's not Elvish this time....that just sounded really odd.
2. Definitely need to remind Al about getting Joe dropped in some interesting spot in the Amazon...
3. When extra Wild tickets come up...make sure Joe doesn't hear about it until it's too late.

She smiled, nodded to herself and placidly continued her dinner.

[DinkyInky]

Sterling got an impish grin, and sang,

"Arino mama no sugata
Miseru noyo
Arino mama no jibun ni
Naruno
Nanimo kowaku nai
Kaze yo huke
Sukoshi mo samaku naiwa."

While making snowflakes flutter in the shape of a butterfly over Castela's head.

She then winked at Castela, who giggled and winked back.

[Just Old Al]

Plate nearly empty even with the conversation, Al was settling back contentedly in his chair and contemplating another cup of tea. Dessert, he knew, was right out because of the last-minute timing of dinner - he hoped that his guests would forgive him.

Hmmm...there was the pie, but a pie or two was not going to stretch what ended up to be 16 people or so. Fair enough - and not a problem. This was family - a little thing like dessert was not going to be a problem. A good cup of coffee would go well, though, despite the later hour.

Practically on cue, the chambermaids came out and started to police the table, removing empty dishes and distributing cups for those so inclined to have a hot cup. Edward, looking rested though Al knew he hadn't, came around with the drinks cart for those who cared for a sherry or cognac. The man is amazing Al thought, marveling at the wonderful staff Daisy had surrounded herself with.

Table cleared, the chambermaids came back out with trays - and what trays! Apple pie, slices of chocolate cake, cream pies...a wonderful collection of sweets.

Al was dumbfounded. Where had this come from? He knew VERY well that the larder at Old Alexander had had little in it - deliberately - so this bounty had not come from there. Then where?

Al excused himself for a moment from his guests, and went to the kitchen.

Rosalita, smiling craftily, met him at the door. "So, does Al wish to know where this bounty came from?"

"Indeed. I know you are a miracle worker, but even a mage couldn't manage this. Where...?"

"Simple. You know that little restaurant you like in Maple Grove?"

"Yes. Great place for breakfast - and they make wonderful old-style diner fare."

"Well....their customers this evening are VERY angry with you. That is their dessert selection. While you were entertaining your guests we raided them. The cook there was quite annoyed - until he realized that his pastries were going to be served at an elegant dinner. Then he was the soul of cooperation."

Indeed! Sheer genius. He was thoroughly impressed - to be honest he'd never have thought of it.

"Rosalita, mi amor, you are a genius. I do not know and never want to find out what we would do without you. Daisy would be lost without you, as would I, now. Thank you for making this a success - I know this has been a very hard day for you."

"I'm tired, but it was worth it. Your friends - and you both - will never forget tonight. There have been compensations." She gestured to a large boquet of roses, sitting on the counter away from sources of heat.

"These were a gift from the Senora Sterling, along with a beautiful basket of spices and herbs. She overwhelmed me - I never expected it. Senor Al has some interesting friends - as does the Mistress."

She turned to the counter - and the Bunn coffeemaker. "Kona - brewed as you like it, and the Demera will be coming out to the table with the serving pots."

Al was overwhelmed - and humbled. He didn't deserve this...but was happy to be thought worthy by these people. Nearly inarticulate, he thanked Rosalita again, then headed back out to sit again with his guests.

"Daisy, you will not guess what that genius Rosalita did..."

[Sgt. Howard]

Annie looked cautiously over at Greg's plate- the steak was completely gone, the potato and veggies well demolished and his pace had slacked-
"Safe to indulge in conversation, Babe?"
He gave a sly wink- "The old man has to stoke the boilers if there's gonna be fire tonight, Sassafras. My word... that steak... warm and near blue in the middle... absolutely perfect."
On his other side, Daisy stifled a gag reflex.
"I'm surprised to can taste it for that horseradish," Annie commented.
"Naw... their stuff is pretty tame," he said, loading his spoon off his plate and taking a mouthful to prove the point, "... this stuff (gulp) is a bit stepped down from what we serve. Tasty, but tame. Those carrots... I could eat those to bursting. Now, a bit of Ginger Ale and I'm a happy stomach. Whatcha think of the new digs here, Love? A bit spiffy compared to our place, eh?"
"I'm thinking that staircase cost more than our land... not that I'm worried. This is a mighty fine place for gatherings, but I love our quiet little hillside. Besides, you did a right proper job on that wainscoting in the hallway and living room, the new fixtures look fine and I love my new kitchen."
Katherine, sitting right across the table, caught bits and snatches of the conversation-
"You re-did your home? By yourself?" she asked.
"Well, Annie and the boys helped, especially James, the older one- I mean, the place was dump when I first saw it- one window was Plexiglas and duck tape, the rest were something off an RV. The electrical was all aluminum..."
"WHAT?!" Buck responded, "What are you talking about? What kind of home is this?"
Greg leaned back in his chair and smiled- "A 1969 24 by 48 foot double wide! Two by Four studs in the outside walls- at the time, that was premium build!"
Al, Daisy, Buck, Katherine stared with mouths agape. Atsali had a slightly stunned look on her face-
"Aren't you in... snow country?" she asked.
"Yup," Greg responded, "That's why I upgraded the insulation."
"He re-did the kitchen because it was falling apart... and moved a wall over by six inches." Annie rejoined.
"The most recent effort has been the floor- several sections were giving out, so I used laminated bamboo in the hallway, living room, dining room, laundry and kitchen. Five eights thick, not about to give out. Wiring was a bear... no insult intended there, Atsali... but all the aluminum has been replaced with copper and one gauge up from code at that," he turned to Annie, "... we have, what? Four rooms left with paneling?"
She thought for a moment- "Five- you forgot the south wall of the living room."
"But why... "Al stammered, "why on earth go through that sort of effort? You can certainly afford better,"
"There's no income tax in Washington state." Greg stated flatly... as if that explained everything.
Annie smirked at her husband, then turned to the rest, "... but there's a horrendous property tax! The assessor only looks at the fact that we have a double-wide built in 1969. They don't care what we do to improve it!"
"He told me flat out- "If you burn the coach to the ground, you will improve the value of the land by seven thousand!" - as it is, I pay about $500 a year in property taxes. Anything I replace it with that is better than a teepee will triple my taxes at least!"
"Yup- we'uns live inna doobble wayd mobl' home!" Annie drawled with her front teeth protruding.
"Uh huh!! An' we'uns rayse chickens, an we'uns shop at wallywurld, an' sumtayms we'uns still moonshine! See, hillbillys doan' eat corn, they drink it!" Greg added, his own lower jaw pulled in to create an overbite- they went into a chorus of "HYUCK! HYUCK! HYUCK!" to the astonishment of the whole table.
There was only a slight pause before the whole table erupted in hysterics.

[FreeFlier]

Good point . . . I have a 69 singlewide and a 78 doublewide.

I knew someone who put new siding on their house . . . a year later they gutted one side and installed new studs behind the siding . . . a year after that they did the other side . . . then jacked it up and did the floor . . . the roof was last.

The lot was way under buildable size, so the house didn't meet setbacks . . . if you moved the walls in enough to meet the setback requirements, the size dropped below legal minimums.

In another area, pretty much everybody tears down all but two of the walls - usually the front and back walls - builds a new house inside, then replaces the two walls in a few years . . . if you tear down, you have to meet all of the setback requirements, but if you leave two walls it's a remodel and doesn't.

--FreeFlier

[GlytchMeister]

There you go - create an Uber-like service with Vorping.

Glytch leaned forward to see Joe. "Oh, man, you are in for a show. I've been tinkering with the VORP subroutine of the Library lately. I've got a few assistant librarians trained to maintain the new system I created. It's also saving all kinds of energy now. I think Phix was planning on having a holographic scale model of the multiverse installed with all the extra energy."
"You... improved a part of the Library?"
"Well, sort of. I don't think the VORP engine was an original part of the Library. I think someone else installed it later on... Perhaps after the invention and spread of stargates."
Atsali nodded. "Yeah, the VORP system is pretty recent. It was first developed by the Gear Dwarf Clan around 900 BCE, during the Tech/Tradition Clan Wars, and the current Library VORP Engine was installed two centuries later."
Glytch stared at Atsali. "...What?"
"Yeah, you have a lot of catching up to do still."
"Ugh... I know... At least it's more interesting than most high school or college history classes."

[jwhouk]

Kath had a sardonic grin on her face.

"Now he knows how I felt."

[GlytchMeister]

Kath had a sardonic grin on her face.

"Now he knows how I felt."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to learn that stuff in the thick of it. Your kooky daughter here kinda put you through the ringer, didn't she?" Glytch cast a sidelong smirk at Atsali, who rolled her eyes and smiled.
"We had fun, though, didn't we, mom?"
Buck seemed to be having trouble keeping himself from laughing.

[DinkyInky]

Kath had a sardonic grin on her face.

"Now he knows how I felt."

"I'm just glad I didn't have to learn that stuff in the thick of it. Your kooky daughter here kinda put you through the ringer, didn't she?" Glytch cast a sidelong smirk at Atsali, who rolled her eyes and smiled. "We had fun, though, didn't we, mom?"
Buck seemed to be having trouble keeping himself from laughing.

Smirking, Sterling snapped her fingers under the table, floating a tune over Glytch's head.

[GlytchMeister]

Glytch looked up at the empty air overhead and narrowed his eyes. I'll have to ask her to do that in a schlieren optical setup... I wonder how that works...

Glytch listened for a moment and a small smile came to his face. "That actually brings up something I've been thinking about for a while." Glytch stood and cleared his throat. "We're an odd bunch, but I couldn't have stumbled across a better family than this. Sarge, thanks for pulling me into this mess." Glytch raised his bottle of Vanilla Coke. "To our family of friends!"

[jwhouk]

"Hear hear!" I raised my own glass, as did Sarah.

Cheers were exchanged, and as I sipped on my drink a thought came to my head.

"Say - where are Neil and Phix? I thought I saw them earlier tonight when we came in..."

Just then, a blur flew overhead, and SWOOOFFFFEDDD around the dinner table - then zoomed back down the hallways whence it came.

A rather disheveled Neil appeared in the doorway. "I don't suppose any of you have seen my daughter?"

"AETERNIA! COME BACK HERE NOW!" came a loud screech from another part of the house.

"Uh, I think she went back thataway," I said, pointing down the hallway.

"She tends to get like this after we change her diapers..." Neil said resignedly as he trudged back down the hall.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment.

"Uh, Sarah?" I said quietly. "Maybe... you should see if Phix needs help?" I turned to my wife... and she was already up and gone down the hallway.

[DinkyInky]

Sterling fell out of her chair, utterly freaked out.

"Bloody hell was that all about?"

Rosalita took her by the hand, murmuring soothingly and drew her into the kitchen for some tea to soothe her nerves, and winked at Al and Daisy.

[GlytchMeister]

Glych picked a feather off of the table. "Oh, is she flying now? Hmm... A playpen wouldn't do much good, but perhaps a small aircraft hangar with some toys and soft obstacles..." He mused aloud, then he glanced over at Sterling. "I about pissed myself when I saw this lot the first time. You get used to it, eventually. I'm gonna have fun introducing Xera to everyone..." Glytch took a bite of the chocolate swirl cheesecake. "Ohhh... This is some gooood stuff..."

[GlytchMeister]

I filled in my placeholder here.

[Just Old Al]

"I don't think there was very much 'about' there, young lad - it was a close-run thing. I saw you walk in the door, you did a threat assessment and realized there wasn't a benign target in the room. That was an interesting moment.

I have to say the same - the first time I saw this family I very nearly keeled over myself. Centaurs, sentient plants, vampires, sphinxes, all sorts of lovely immortals..."

Sarge snorted. "And the first thing you ended up doing was falling in love with the grande dam of the family. Smooth."

Al chuckled as well. "Yes, smooth indeed. I recall you having a hand in that, you irrepressible romantic."