The reason it was reported here was that not only hundreds of vineyards, but many historical places had burnt. It was said three large hospitals were evacuated but I don't remember the names.

Marilyn, I'm glad you're okay, but it must be hard for David's family. I hope everything will be okay for them with the fires.

Marilyn, I'm glad you're not near the fires and I hope the fires don't make their way to  you. 

Tom has gone to our Meijer store to see if he can find a plastic table cloth to put on a marble table before I bring in my plants.  We still are having nights in the 50s but that won't last too long before things get into the 40s and then the 30s and that's too cold for my indoor plants.

Tomorrow we will lunch with Jan and her folks; this is our former weekly lunch that kind of ended after Terry died and Jan's schedule changed.  There will be six of us and we're having lasagna for lunch.  How 'bout that!

No mail today - Columbus Day.

Mary Ann

Marilyne, not familiar with it, sorry.  Hope your family is not hurt by the fires.  I have a grandson and  Great granddaughter in Sonora.

If you're into trains and or scenic trips;

http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/a60114/white-pass-yukon-route-railroad-alaska/

http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/a60244/haunted-train-ride/

http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/g3203/best-scenic-train-rides-around-the-world/

It looks like the worst is over in the Santa Rosa fire zone.  All of my relatives, scattered around that area, are safe.  TV coverage of all the different fires, was non-stop all day, and I watched most of it.  A sad sight, to see block after block of homes in Santa Rosa, burned to nothing but ash.  It's shocking, that houses, trees, cars, can be totally destroyed so quickly. 

A huge number of disasters happening around the world in the past couple of weeks.  I'm really starting to wonder what it all means?

Marilyne, I saw some of the damage on national news tonight and I hope your family are all well and have little damage.  They showed one man out in yard with his little lawn hose trying to wet down his house. Poor guy, not sure I wouldn't be trying to do the same.

Hope you are right and the worst is over.

Hi Everyone.  It looks like we could be in for a stormy day later today.  This is finally the morning when I get to see the eye doctor.  The paperwork said to allow up to two hours for this appointment although find it hard to believe it will take that long.  I have my paperwork already filled out as they sent it to me.  That is all that is on the schedule for today.  I will have to be brief this morning as we must leave in about 30 minutes.

Mary Ann, a friend told us Sunday that they had arrived early and the guest organist was practicing.  I expect each organ he plays is a bit of a learning experience for him. 

Patricia, I had in my mind your ground was probably covered with snow already.  All the alerts we get about the weather these days would give a person the idea that all of the weather was something new and never experienced before. 

Marilyne, sure glad to see your posting that your area is OK but so sad about David's brother's family but the main thing is that they are OK.  I can't image what must be involved in evacuating a big hospital.

Hal, I guess the man was doing all he could do with his garden hose.

Good morning from an as yet dark, wet and dreary Interior with no snow seen. The snow can be seen and experienced in the higher elevations but not in the valley as yet.

Larry, Halloween is the usual time for first snow, but with so many young people here with the different military bases, it can be a crapshoot until they learn how to drive weatherwise.

The military seems to delight in sending the southern recruits here and the northern recruits southerly. It has been said that we have worse driving here per capita than in Los Angles or Chicago. The various rivers, hills, ridges, drop-offs, twists, and turns take some getting used to without adding fluffy wet stuff to the mix. And many young people have yet to learn caution or logic. And then add alcohol.

Then to add in the college with people coming in from all over the world via the Polar Route with a significant share from India, Asia, and Eastern Europe and you add learning to drive on the opposite side of the road to the mix. Although with the college students, they have had time to practice before any snow arrives.

Larry, we were honored in 2014 to have the Morman Tabernacle Choir, or part of it come here with their organist to collaborate with the University's Children's Orchestra. And while I was unable to attend, many friends did and afterward raved about the music and evening.

Farrah has grown a thick wooly winter coat and has given up on me learning any smarts. She will go to the closet where her treats and food is stored and meow. If that fails, Farrah will sit in front and stare me down if I so much as look in her direction. She has taken to bringing me a toy or tossing it into my lap; those poor humans just don't catch on as much as you might hope, sad....

And in the evening, all those invisible menaces have been chased out of every corner, and dark nook,  frightened away by raspy, low growls, and mad feints. Humans are safe for another night, and she does this all for scant praise or recognition. She's not looking for honors, however, just doing her job, keeping everyone safe.

Marilyne, I am so glad to hear that you and your family are safe and that the danger of those fires has lessened. That must be a huge relief to you and David's family. I know a small part of living in a fire driven ecology, but where we have plenty of natural fuel, we do not have those hot devil winds. I hope this will be it for the year. No matter what you call it or why weather is different now and it's not going back to predictability.

MaryAnn, I know what it is like to miss a routine you look forward to and enjoy. And I know about long speeches and sermons that go on much too long. It is lucky that our Father Scott has a depreciating sense of humor and likes to engage his audience.

Joan, I hadn't realized Candy was in her sixties. I had a sense of your daughter as one in her twenties or thirties. It must be nice to be able to have another fresh start and sense of adventure.

And now it is time for another cup of coffee. I hope everyone has a day just to their liking.

Angel, My girls are the oldest and Dan is my youngest at 51.  He is getting up there.  LOL

Good afternoon, I will try again to write my post, it the middle of writing it went puff.  sunny but breezy.

Patricia, I enjoy reading about Farrah.  Since I fell the other day and I am using the rollator she follows me around, and she is very unsettled with my nephew staying here.

Marilyne, I am so happy to see you and your family are OK. the pictures from the fires they show on Tv are awful. Parts of this country seems to be destroyed by fire or water.  I feel so sorry for the people who have lost everything. I feel so helpless, prays help a little, but that dose not build a roof over their head.

Larry, I have had long waits at the eye doctor, I set for a while in a dark waiting room  after the drops are all put in.until called back in to see the doctor again.

Patricia, it's always interesting to read about Farrah's antics.  Kendrick doesn't do any teasing, but he does show signs of ESP.  When I turn off the TV music for the night, he meets me at the door.  I decided he hears when I turn off the TV and he realizes it is time for me to change his food.  I had to get up now because I thought I heard a "non kitty" noise but I think he was at his scratch pad and I have my "ears" in and wasn't used to that noise.  He seems to have learned that when I go for the mail, I will let him on the front stoop but that he must come in when I come back.  He loves to wriggle on his back on the stoop.

We went to Jan's for lunch today; Tom, Dot and me.  Jan's father is not well, however, he was at the table when we got there but went back to bed shortly thereafter.  Her mother gets along fairly well, but her memory is failing slowly.  We had lasagna and salad for lunch.  We can't stay long because Tom takes time off from work and as it is, we are gone two hours.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I see your time and temperature widget is flashing 5 PM when I show 1:08? Gloria in LI shows 5:08 so you and she must share close to the same time zone? I have given up on getting my widget fixed.

Gloria, I think Taffy wants to make sure you stay safe at home now! It is also possible she's putting her claim on you for your nephew to understand?

Since cats are basically hunters and indoor cats don't necessarily hunt, all that prey instinct builds up and is dissipated by those growls and mad dashes. But I believe the hoarse growls are her own addition. When I say she meows that is just me using a familiar term as she has never meowed but has separate words for different actions. Even types of toys have different names such as those on a string or those mice or fuzzy.

I'd like to say she is smart and she is. However, I have seen and heard about feral cats that also never meowed. The conventional wisdom is that it was developed as a way to communicate with humans. Especially as it is not used with kittens or other adult cats. Kittens pick it up when seeing their mom and other siblings use it around humans.

Kendrick certainly seems to pick up on your routines quickly and what he can or cannot do or wants to do. Cats are said to be, (Sorry Hal); smarter than dogs by quite a bit. It really isn't the dog's fault as it has been found that cats and other similar solitary animals such as bears are simply smarter for a variety of reasons than pack or group animals.

Perhaps groups or packs simply don't develop as much in a group or pack setting? There are of course exceptions such as elephants, walruses, some birds and of course horses so behavioralists believe. It is thought that the female-dominated groups such as elephants and many birds or the one male, several females as with walruses or horses, tend to develop more practicality and more simple reasoning than that needed for an animal in a pack.

I have been watching Shelby and her kitten Lizzie quite a bit. At 5 1/2 weeks she finally mastered drinking by herself out of the waterdish and so no longer gets a quarter cup of water mixed in with her half cup of wet baby kitten food. At three weeks she mastered pooping and covering.

Patricia, both Glorias (RI and LI) and I are in the same time zone, EDT at present, at least until November when we change.  Michigan is at the western edge of the time zone.  Indiana is mostly in the EDT zone except a few counties around Chicago.  I believe when I was quite young that we were in the Central time zone, but the powers that be decided most of our business had to do with New York, so changed to the Eastern zone.  Considering that we are about 1000 miles from the east coast, to have us on the same time is ridiculous but who am I to say!

I think people have different talents and I think animals do too.  Maybe different breeds master different things.  I'm sure Kendrick has unknown talents but I can't play with him so they remain unknown.  I feel sorry for him that he is so neglected and sometimes I will go into the living room just to sit with him so he has some company.  He seems to be happy when I do that because he will lie on the floor near me and he seems content.  His "mother" comes to see him occasionally and she is the only person where he does not run and hide when she comes.

I would think feral cats would have to develop talents that other cats don't find necessary.  Shirley/Tisie's cats (Soda Shoppe) have adapted to two worlds, I think. 

I have only heard Kendrick make a sound a few times.  I've seen him meow outside but I have been too far from the door to hear him. 

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone.  We have another overcast and muggy day.  Yesterday was very humid but last evening, after dark, we did finally get some more rain.  It is to be in the upper 80's today. 

I did see the eye doctor yesterday and will have my cataracts removed in the coming weeks.  I have another appointment on Oct. 20th at 8 am so they can take more measurements and then schedule the first cataract removal.  Three weeks later I will go back for the second eye.  I am pretty sure this is the normal procedure.  The appointment yesterday took about two hours and I have never had such a thorough exam of my eyes.  It seemed to take forever for the dilation of my eyes to pass.  It was lunchtime when we finished at the doctor's office so we decided to have one of the $5 lunches at Dairy Queen for our main meal.  The main thing on the schedule for today is the dinner at the Church this evening, when we are having fried chicken as our main item with a vegetable, salad, bread and dessert.  Scott plans on joining us and then will come out to the house for awhile. Jennifer has decided to pass on the dinner and coming out this week. 

Patricia, it sounds like a first snow storm would be a good time to stay off the roads if possible.  There is a terrible problem with drivers in snow here in the South.  Having grown up in Missouri and lived in many other places where winter snow is common I did learn how to drive in snow.  However, if we have snow around here I will just stay inside and keep the cars in the garage as it is usually gone in less than 24 hours.  You certainly have quite a mixture of people up your way.  I wonder if you didn't have the same organist in your area in 2014 as we had at Church Sunday.  It sounds like Farrah thinks you are absolutely untrainable. 

Joan, my son is reaching the mid-50's now and Stacey would be 52 now. 

deAngel, so glad to read that your nephew is still there with you and that you are not alone, except for Taffy.  There are six or more eye doctors in this practice and they have a huge and modern facility that seems to be very efficiently run.  They have a separate attached building for the laser surgery patients.  The place was packed but while it took a couple of hours we never really had to wait in any one place very long to go to the next area for more tests, etc.  I was very impressed and really liked the doctor.  He came highly recommended to me by a lady in our Sunday School class.

Mary Ann, cats seems to be very perceptive of what is going on around them.  Kendrick sounds like he is very well trained and minds you well.  I know it is difficult to see people decline in health week by week.  Glad you were able to get together for lunch with Jan and her family.  Can Tom make up for his lost work time but working later into the afternoon?

Larry, your three-week wait between surgeries is what I had when I had my cataracts removed.  We (Norm and I) had a doctor who was tops, too.  I thought he was older when we had our surgeries, but he is still practicing and we had ours done in 1999.  Norm's second and my first were done the same day; Norm was first, then I had mine done.  A nurse said it was the first time she had been involved in a brother-sister surgery at the same time.  I may have to have some laser work done, but I'm not sure, however, it is time for a checkup with my optometrist.

I wish I had about 10 of your degrees today because our temperature is 53 and I doubt it will go to 60.  We have had an all-night rain, badly needed.  I think it will continue to rain until late afternoon.

No, Tom can't make up for time lost with his job, but I know he gets calls much of the day, maybe even into the evening.  His job is mainly phone work and he recruits for getting semi drivers.  It is a bit depressing because semi drivers are a breed apart, very independent.  The company has certain standards to hire men and many do not meet the standards.  Traffic violations is one thing the company has a limit on, also DUIL.  When Tom is finished interviewing and screening a person, he forwards the information to the company who then checks further and they often find the person has not told the truth or if they do qualify, the company will send the person a bus ticket to New Ulm MN and the person may or may not show up.  The company furnishes the trucks.  Tom does have some leeway, in that if I have an appointment, he can take me and he can do a certain amount of work on his laptop in the car. 

I think today is one of the days he has lunch with a friend.  Sometimes he'll bring back a Subway or hamburger for me; I don't lunch until I know what is going to happen.

End of book.

Mary Ann

Looked at the extended weather forecast this morning and I guess it is about time to turn on my heater.  Colder days are coming.

Good morning from another glistening, yet still snowless Interior! MaryAnn, that wasn't a book but a chapter and verse! 

Cats, those who evolved naturally behave differently due to when, and the area they evolved in. Cats who were bred from one breed or a mix, and evolve thusly, will also behave differently from others. The African wildcat is one of the more recent, domestic cat ancestors. Notice in the below African Wildcat photos, how well Farrah resembles her ancestors!

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://d2qtpn53ex22nh.cloudfront.net/uploads/gallery/african-wildcat_gallery_7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mpalalive.org/field_guide/african_wildcat&h=720&w=1280&tbnid=ruNBrVUn-bNC2M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=199&usg=__XcwbpjScg-DN-4AB78VwdAQ7NqI=&vet=10ahUKEwjwjraM_ujWAhUR3WMKHYFYCh8Q_B0IrQEwEw..i&docid=bBX_wwoXc2vrqM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwjraM_ujWAhUR3WMKHYFYCh8Q_B0IrQEwEw



"The African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), is a subspecies of the wildcat (F. silvestris). They appear to have diverged from the other subspecies about 131,000 years ago. About 10,000 years ago some African Wildcats were domesticated in the Middle East and they are the ancestors of the domestic cat. The African wildcat is found in Africa and in the Middle East, in a wide range of habitats, like steppes, savannes and bushland.

The African wildcat, also known as the desert cat, is sandy brown to yellow-grey in color, with black stripes on the tail. The fur is shorter than that of the European subspecies (look for the subscription and photos also on this website) and it is also considerably smaller: the head-body length is 45 to 75 cm (17.7 to 29.5 inches), the tail 20 to 38 cm (7.87 to 15 inches), and the weight ranges from 3 to 6.5 kg (6.61 to 14.3 lbs)."

There are true ferals, abused or reverted to feral and domestic cats. A true feral is born wild and raised in the wild. Sometimes they can be socialized and just as often not. Farrah was dumped as Lizzie's mother Shelby was and I suspect Shirley's cats were.

There are one or two active YouTube sites that run live cameras 24/7 in areas where volunteers are feeding, neutering and returning cats to the colony. These are ones that cannot be domesticated but shouldn't be poisoned or killed simply for existing. Sometimes they are relocated to farms and do quite well. In the wild, like horses and walruses, there is usually one male and several females.

Larry, it probably was the same man. I have seen videos of his performances and he was very good as were the children, many of whom are prodigies.

Larry, Joan, I recently turned 66 which is why I was surprised about Candy and Marie if she had lived, would have been 45 last December. It is hard to believe it has been 26 years since it happened.

Joan, the weather hasn't varied by more than a degree or two since last month when we plunged ten degrees. Generally, our highs are in the early forties and the lows in the high thirties.

In the sixties we'd get on average, 72 inches of snow yearly. Now days, sometimes we get the tempertures and the ice, but little to no snow.

Good morning, sun shinning, but one the cool side.

Patricia,  over the years we have had quite a few cats on our circle, Blackie my neighbor and i have been feeding for over 5 years, he has never looked healthy we also had a mixed color female for quite a few years but she was killed this summer by the dog across the street. They would just stay their distance, when we would put food out.  People have the cats fixed and then just dump them here hope someone will take pity on them. A few have been taken inn, but the others just roam.

Angel, I typed in the info for you to get the weather widget, but when I posted it here in the forum I got the Alaska weather widget instead of what I typed.  So apparently it works.  I think the original that was posted had a missing N in Fairbanks.  If you need a copy, let me know and I will email it to you.  Just make sure you don’t put an s after the http.  I used the info for my widget and just substituted my city and state and it works great.

Patricia, those were interesting cat pictures.  I could see Kendrick in some of the pictures, however, only one or two were about the same color.  Many had stripes on their legs and tails similar to Kendrick's. 

I went after the mail about an hour ago and it has been raining here; but not now.  The air is raw!  I called to him and told him I was going to get the mail.  Usually I put on some dark glasses and he knows what that means.  I didn't put them on this time, but he got the message.  I opened the door and he went out and before I got the door closed, he was back inside; he did not like the damp weather.  I shouldn't have much trouble in snowy weather, should I?

Mary Ann

My little poodles use to love the snow when we lived in MD, but when they came in there were little ice balls hanging from their fur.  I use to put them in the laundry room until the ice balls melted enough so I could dry them off.  What a mess, but it was fun to watch them.

This will be rushed as I have an appointment with Dora to look for Alan's birthday present. He wants an airboat but I don't think Dora will go for it. She is more of the idea that a boat is just one big hole you throw money into! 

Gloria, so many cats are out there because people are either cruel or unfeeling or simply mistakenly believe that they will be fine being dumped. Some actually believe their feline sensibilities require running free among humans, cars, predatory animals, poisons, etc. and you can't convince them otherwise.

I'm glad there are people who feed, neuter and care for the little lost ones. Thank you and your neighbor. Here, we have too many large predators and it is too cold in the winters for ferals.

MaryAnn, I was surprised at how little has actually changed in coloration between domestics and their ancestors. Cats are relatively new to domesticity. Dogs go back at least 15 to 17000 years to the cat's 10,000. Dogs were used for tracking and hunting whereas cats were used to protect the granaries and food supplies.

Jean, yes, please email it to me. I tried so many variations and nothing was working for me. Thank you!

I had a long-haired black cat named Henry that hung out with my black lab, Theodore back when I was a preteen. Both would get those frozen ice balls in their fur. My dad was one who let all the animals out and never did change his mind altho he did train them to stay in the yard and come when called. He came ftom farmers and never did pick up on the idea of an animal simply being a pet. His part time hobbly slash job was to take bird dogs with issues and retrain them for their owners.

Marilyn, I've been following the California fires with many other people.  I found your town on the map and see that the fires are not near you, at least not yet.  Tonight someone said the winds were now coming from the north and I wondered if the smoke was blowing down to your area.  The fires are taking up such a large portion of the state. 

It is scary and I don't know how people can cope with the losses.

Mary Ann

Angel, I sent you the email.  If you see subject “weather widget”, you’ll know it is from me.  I didn’t go through S&F but sent it direct to your gmail.

Jean, you are wonderful to think of me and thank you! Yes, seeing the name Larry might have thrown me off a bit. I just got back a few moments ago and have to report that Alan is getting a boat of sorts. It is a small gold boat with his initials to hang with his keys on the keychain.His actual Birthday gift will be very nice as well.

I have decided to get tough with Farrah. By all accounts, dry kibble as the main food source is not recommended for the often age of the product and the various nonfood items such as insect parts and dust in the food. Vets recommend wet food from a good brand, reminding folks that a cat is a meat eater and needs large amounts of Taurine.

Seeing large amounts of rice, oats, corn or wheat, and other grains listed first means you are paying for filler and not food. Chicken is evidently a cheap meat and if a cat is going to have a food reaction, nine times out of ten, according to vets, it will be from the chicken.

Farrah has not forgotten or forgiven me for not buying her treats again last month or this one so I decided I would buy the canned food which she doesn't like and mix in a little kibble with it. I got her liver which she did attempt to eat before. I'm hoping that she will at first think it is a treat. She only eats about 2/3rds cup daily and does a lot of bounding here and there so I want her food to help nourish not hinder her!

Angel, your post about cat dumping and feral cats brings up a "problem" which I have now. Being a cat lover, I am concerned about the recent appearance of a Mom and her four kittens in my and my neighbor's yards. All five of them are ginger cats. The kittens are just adorable and Mom is sharp eyed and alert; she is also young. There is a small drain pipe between our garages that I see the kittens come in and out in the pre-dawn and just before dark.

I cannot afford to take care of, nor do I want to take on more than I already have, but I am worried about them. I've called the vet and the receptionist didn't have any recommendations other than the humane society (no way, they are a kill zone) or a place nearby that "helps" with neutering costs but is not a cat rescue. They loan traps for you to catch them yourself and bring them in. Here is the catch: they are a catch, neuter and release outfit and will not take any cats destined for a shelter. Also, as far as I know, in PA it is still illegal to do C/N/R. I don't know how this outfit stays in business, but maybe the law is changed or not well enforced. For now Mom continues to reduce the rodent population around the house. There are a few other cat rescue places I have to check out. I am hopeful, but not too, that I can find one that will come get them, because I can't handle it myself any longer.

Hi Everyone.  This morning is starting out to be foggy and muggy and we will once again get into the high 80's that afternoon.  We have to get around fairly early this morning as Pat has a doctor's appointment that is about 30 minutes drive from the house and we will need to leave a little after nine this morning.  That should pretty much be it for the day.  I won't be going to coffee nor to the Wisdom group, although it we get home early enough I might go downtown to the Wisdom group. 

We had a very delicious meal at church last evening as we had Southern Fried Chicken, coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad and a nice dessert.  After dinner Scott came out and spent the evening with us.  While here he put in a couple of light bulbs and changed the furnace filter and we had a lot of good visiting.

Mary Ann, my eye doctor is probably in his early 40's so will likely be around long after I am gone.  You wouldn't have wanted the terrible humidity we had with our heat yesterday and I expect today will be as bad.  I don't think I knew or at least had forgotten what Tom did besides drive for Uber.  It sounds like his could be a very frustrating job. I hope he is paid by the hours spent working and not for each recruit the company ends up hiring. Obviously, Kendrick likes the comforts of living inside and not out in the cold. 

Joan, stay warm. 

Patricia, I bet before long you can write that you now have some of that white stuff on the ground up your way and outside your window.  Cats sure have been around a long time.  I spoke with a lady at our table last evening who had attended the Tuesday organ concert given by Dr. Elliott and she said it was wonderful.  She is also an organist so I expect she could appreciate his talents even more that I did. 

deAngel, I have always found it hard to understand how people could be so cruel to animals.  The cats we had at the farm were always outdoor cats although do remember being able to pet them on occasion. 

Jean, are you having hot and muggy weather down your way?  I see you have about the same temperature at this time of morning that we currently have.

Patricia, I am glad you got your temperature widget fixed.  I see it is below freezing by a couple of degrees up your way. 

MarsGal, too bad the cat problem has landed in your yard.  I don't see any cats around our area although certainly expect some of the houses have house cats.  I do see a number of the neighbors walking their dogs but always on a leash.  Our little town doesn't have an animal catcher but I saw recently they are working on getting that position established as a part of the city government.   

Dan will be here tomorrow and he will turn the heat on for me .  My apt has stayed rather warm but then I  am in the 2nd floor which right in the middle. 

Good morning from a bright and sunny Interior! We are expected to be slightly warmer this week which actually means another heavy snow alert in the foot hills. We are now in that time when it has to actually warm up to snow! Such is life in a dry polar environment!

I read over my last post just now and the stilted unreal tone shows me not to rely on an auto grammar correct. How do I write correctly without sounding less than human?

MarsGal, here is what I could find for PA on Google. We only have a kill shelter here as well and I know litters are routinely killed because they have no one to care for them in many places. Locally we have Pet Pride for cats but it's resources and volunteers are stretched as it is. And the weather and wildlife here is certainly not kind to domestic cats!

I hope some of these resources will be able to help or give you some other answers. Be sure to stress that you are simply unable to take them in. And also that most gingers are male, genetically more than 95% just as Calicos tend to be more than 95% female. So, with four or five male kittens, in less than six months, the amount of feral kittens will increase exponentially.

http://www.pawsofpa.org/spay-neuter/resources

Joan, while I am also in a middle apartment, 4th floor,  I face Northwest and have some air coming in around my balcony doors and side windows. I always turn on a space heater when I am taking my shower and perhaps for a few moments in the evening. I haven't turned on my heat in years but when you go into the public areas here in November or later, the heat is always stifling! I am very glad that they allow us to control the heat in our own apartments!

Larry, I hope Pat's appointment went well and your Wednesday night church supper sounds wonderful! Our usual time for a first snow is Halloween and it is beginning to look as if we might actually hold off until then. The higher foothills have snow but it hasn't come down to 1500 feet as yet.

Marilyne, I'm almost afraid to look at the weather for California this morning. Last night's reports after ten were alarming. I hope it has calmed down overnight. And now we have a new Atlantic hurricane, Ophelia building. Yet there are still those who stubbornly cling to old beliefs that this is just a spell of bad weather which will soon pass....

MaryAnn, cats thrive on routines and are very quick to pick up on them. It is part of their hunter's instinct to be aware of and utilize the routines of others around them. Regarding Kendrick's and also Farrah's coloring similarities to their shared ancestor, while there are many different feline breeds, dogs have had twice as long to develop new breeds and coloration.

Gloria, I thought about what you said about cats being dumped in your area and I think you are subscribing kinder motives than I would to the people that dump animals to fend for themselves. I googled resources in LI and found this. Perhaps someone could help you and your neighbors out without expecting you and your neighbors to handle everything yourselves. Click on the lower photo thumbnail to enlarge it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cat+rescue+organizations+in+LI+New+York&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[attach=1]