Jean, I know what you mean, I was in Jacks Beach Florida while my Navy husband was stationed on the Saratoga. Unfortunately, I was having nine months of  24/7 morning sickness and never even got to tip my toes in the Atlantic.

Then we moved to Ft. Sam in San Antonio, and it was too hot, I couldn't handle it along with the pregnancy. My daughter was born in the very early morning of 12/12/1972, and it was 82 degrees with 100% humidity. I have always wanted to go back and explore what I missed!

Still the same here weatherwise. Today I'm taking a break, no appointments or tasks looming on the horizon.

Sensible information from Consumer Affairs on Alternative Therapies;

https://www.consumerreports.org/alternative-medicine/guide-to-natural-cures-alternative-medicine/

Just stopping by to wish you all a nice evening.  It has been a kind  of busy day.  Kept busy, but really can't see a lot of what I did.

Did have a visit from the visiting nurse and I think she will continue for a couple more weeks.  My legs were a little bit swollen and she didn't like that. But, I think it might have been from something a little more salty that I had eaten. But, tonight , the seem to be better.  I do keep them elevated when I am sitting.  I also did get a little exercise today and I also took a walk up the hall.

Joy

Hi Everyone.  It is a damp and chilly morning here with a few showers predicted throughout the day.  I just got back from meeting a friend at a restaurant for breakfast.  It was most enjoyable but I didn't care for the dish I ordered so only ate a bit of it and when I got home I had my usual breakfast.  I plan on a very quiet rest of the day.  Scott plans on coming out late this afternoon and is going to fix our dinner for this evening and spend the evening with us.  We did celebrate his birthday yesterday afternoon late with a meal at Diablo's and then he came out and spent the evening with us. 

Sandy, we are now using Almond Milk in place of regular milk.  Pat got a large container of it and froze half of it and that was a mistake and she had to discard what had been frozen.  It probably tasted about the same but looked terribly unappetizing. It would be hard on us to give up eating cheese as we use a lot of it.  We do what we have to do to take care of ourselves. 

Mary Ann, I sort of left out the "not" from the sentence.  I certainly wouldn't wish anyplace to have a drought.  Marilyne, I hope you read what I met to say and not what ended up in the message.  Good thing you got your plants in when you did as the 26 degrees would have done a number on them.  It is hard to eat out a lot and stay on Weight Watchers.  When we ate last night at Diablo's it was chilly in the restaurant and my enchilada cooled off too quickly and wasn't as enjoyable as usual.  However, I did eat it and it was still good. 

Shirley, you are welcome and was glad to try to help.  I know what you mean about things coming easier when we were younger. 

Jean, buffalo are exactly small animals so the people were wise to stay in their cars.  I have been to Yellowstone and it is a beautiful place.  I got to see Old Faithful in action.  Like you our trip days are over.  We don't even go exploring around here. 

Patricia, we lived in Oklahoma for about three years in the 60's and didn't have air conditioning and it was very hot.  My wife was expecting our daughter that summer and had been ordered to have bed rest and had to deal with that heat.  I went to work at a place that was generally air conditioned so didn't have to deal with it 24/7. 

Joy, it is good you can keep busy as it keeps one from becoming bored.  Getting at least one thing done a day does give a sense of accomplishment, at least for me.   

Larry, I find when writing something that I sometimes leave out an important word and the sense of the sentence is changed. 

We have 45 degrees on my nearby thermometer and we will not go much higher.  I would enjoy 70 degree weather all year - but would I?  I do like the change of seasons, especially the viewing part.  Each season is beautiful in its own way, for a few weeks, that is, then I'm ready for a change.  I don't do much, but I know I'd be more ambitious in 70 degrees.

Either today or next week Tom will take me to Walgreen's for my flu shot.  I've never had the flu and the way I feel these days, I wouldn't need a shot, but I am not going to take a chance.  I discovered the other day that my handicap parking plaque had expired so next week I'd like to renew that.  With Tom or Dot driving, I don't need it because both cars have handicap plates, but when I go to Indps, I need it.  I still have a drivers license but I will get a State ID when that expires in 2020.

Mary Ann

Good morning all!  Larry, one word can change the entire meaning of a sentence! I knew you were not wishing me another drought year! ha ha.  Sounds like you're having some pleasant days with Scott, now that he has some vacation time to spend relaxing. 

Yesterday really got away from me.  I didn’t post here, or in any of the other folders.  It was just one of those days that seemed overwhelming, so I mostly sat around and read and watched movies on TV.  I didn’t do much on the computer except to order a couple of things from The Tog Shop, and Zappos.  That's always a long tedious process! 

I rarely have the TV on during the day, but AJ met some friends for lunch, so it seemed like a good time to just sit and get lost in a movie.  I do have a few of my favorite movies recorded off of Turner Classics, on my DVR, so I watched a couple of old musicals from the 1940’s. 

AJ stopped at Costco on his way home, and got a container of their chicken noodle soup, so I didn’t have to do much to prepare for dinner.  I’m hoping that today will be more productive, and that I’ll get something done here, as well as do a little grocery shopping.

I'll get back in and comment on some messages, as soon as I eat breakfast, and get dressed for the day.

Good morning from the Interior, nothing's changed except every couple of weeks our highs drop lower and lower. Next week those highs are to fall from the thirties and forties to thirties and twenties, all hovering on the lower end of the spectrum. A recent newspaper article was entitled, "Alaska's freakish fall, a record wait for first freeze and snow in Anchorage and Fairbanks."

"While parts of the Lower 48 states are finally cooling down, Alaska is strangely warm. Some locations have yet to record a single freeze this fall. Other locations have yet to see any snowfall. A stagnant upper-air pattern and warm water have contributed to this bizarre weather."

Since we spent so much time dealing with two systems, (Siberian versus Canadian); battling it out directly overhead during late summer and early far, I don't mind the new patterns. Of course, I'm sitting inside and not driving.

The North Slope villages and homesteaders far into the Arctic are probably thankful for the extra time to prepare.

Patricia, our weather patterns are similar, just a bit higher.  We are in the low 50s for highs and mid-40s for lows.  Sometimes the sun shines, sometimes it does not. 

I'm watching some golf now and they are in Mississippi.  I suppose from now on the golf matches will be in the south.  The PGA does not play in Grand Rapids, at least not to my knowledge, but the LPGA has played at Blythfield, north of us, for the last several years.  I know it's there, but I do not watch it either in person or on TV.

I just got my flu shot and I hardly felt it.  I had to fill out a paper with much of my health information.  I was going to Walgreen's, but I mentioned the long walk from the door to the pharmacy and I said Dot had gotten her shot at Family Fare, our grocery.  Tom called and they had the right vaccine and they are situated near the entrance to the store so we went there. 

A friend of Tom Harton (Indps) is coming to GR tomorrow, accompanying a friend whose daughter is being married so Tom's friend is going to take me out to eat tomorrow night.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, enjoy your dinner out with your Indps friend!

(I knew I shouldn't have provoked the weather gods by passing on that article even tho it was mainly about warmth lingering in the Southeast.    Perhaps this, hopefully, will be a false alarm as were the others but generally on or just before Halloween is normal for our first snow).

Now we have this...

Special Weather Statement
Weather Updated: Oct 26 11:42AM
Issued by the National Weather Service
For Middle Tanana Valley, Alaska
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT UNTIL 4PM AKDT FRI ...WINTER FINALLY COMING TO INTERIOR ALASKA THIS WEEKEND... A STRONG COLD FRONT DEVELOPING IN THE WESTERN INTERIOR ON SATURDAY WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN INTERIOR ON SUNDAY. THIS IS EXPECTED TO BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOW SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT TO THE AREA STRETCHING FROM DENALI PARK TO ATIGUN PASS, WITH THE SNOW SPREADING TO THE AREA FROM FAIRBANKS EAST ON SUNDAY. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE UP TO 6 INCHES IN THE BROOKS RANGE, WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN INTERIOR, WHILE THE AREA FROM FAIRBANKS EAST WILL SEE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ON SUNDAY. ON SUNDAY, THE COLD FRONT WILL ALSO BRING WEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH ALONG WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE 20S. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW FREEZING IN THE INTERIOR FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

Good luck with your weather, Patricia.  I haven't looked at the Weather Channel to see what our weather will be.  My radar site looks like rain for a day or so but maybe not Halloween.  I have no candy for kids if they come but we are north of a busy road and parents usually keep their kids on the south side of the road.  I also do not have my porch light on.  Halloween is not my favorite time of the year.  I have had candy in previous years but if I get any, Tom will eat it and he doesn't want to eat it; he just does!

Mary Ann

I am late getting in here this evening.  I was starting to write something earlier and got a phone call and did not get to finish.

MaryAnn,  I hope you will have a nice dinner with your friend from Indianapolis.  Maybe you will catch up about your friend who you visit out there.

I had to go up to Walmart for something and it had really gotten cold and was just starting to rain.  Was a very light rain, but supposed to be hard rain through the night and tomorrow.  I don't have any place to go, so will just stay in and try to keep warm.

Nothing special goes on here over the week ends.  Hardly even see anybody.  The office is closed and it is very quiet.   Sometimes the maintenance man will come in if anybody has a special problem.

I had gotten the flu shot a few weeks ago when I was at my primary care doctor. She didn't say anything about 2 different kinds of flu shots.  I guess I got the one I was supposed to get.  I didn't have to fill out any kind of paperwork.  I do remember a long time ago I had gotten one at Walmart  and did have to fill out some paperwork.

I brought something home from Walmart for my dinner.  I did have some left-overs from last night, but I will have them tomorrow .  I had gotten one of the pre-made salads that Walmart sells, but saved that for tomorrow, also. 

I think today was the day Hallmark started showing their holiday movies.  So, I think I will go change my clothes and see what movie is showing and settle in my recliner with my fleece blanket.  Hopefully, I can stay awake to see the end of the  movie.

Hope everyone has a nice evening.

Joy

Joy, the person (Tom) I visit in Indps is the son of my cousin and he has a brother (Bob) who is the father of quads - now 27 years of ago.  I've watched them grow up.  If you were online and reading here when I took some trips with Jim, Jim was my cousin's husband (she died in 2003) and the father of Tom and Bob.  Tom and I correspond by e-mail quite often and he is the one I stay with when I go to Indps.  Tom and Bob and Bob's family are my second family as I visited Joan and Jim from the time they were married.

I don't remember if I had to fill out a long form at Walgreen's or not - I probably did - and I wonder if I get a shot at Family Fare pharmacy again if I'll have to fill out the form.  While I am a customer of Family Fare grocery, I do not get my meds there.  I think if I got my meds there, I would have been on record so no more info would be needed.  I hardly felt the shot and have had no reaction so far - and I don't expect any problems.

With Tom gone for a while, I had a Marie Callendar frozen dinner tonight - Sweet and Sour Chicken and Vegetables over Rice.  I'm not too fond of rice, so left some of that, but ate everything else.  I really would prefer a sandwich over a frozen dinner, but in most cases my sandwiches are not hot and I like a hot meal sometimes.

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone. After a really rainy and chilly day yesterday today is suppose to be clear and up into the 60's.  Our little town's Halloween Jubilee started yesterday afternoon and evening and was suppose to have a concert but due to the damp weather it had to be cancelled. They were expecting up to 25,000 people to attend but sure that number will be greatly reduced.  Tonight there is another concert with Diamond Rio and Mark Chestnut so expect there will be a large crowd downtown for it. 

Scott did come out late yesterday afternoon and Pat had decided on a change of menu.  He fixed biscuits and sausage gravy for both of them and I don't really care for that so I had some frozen waffles and I had that for my dinner. This morning I will attend my meeting and then stop at Aldi's for some eggs.  This afternoon I will be watching college football.  This is the big annual weekend where the teams from Georgia and Florida Universities play their game in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Mary Ann, I was not surprised that you had to fill out a paper before they give you the flu shot. I understand the flu shot for seniors is a stronger dosage.  I had to do that at Walmart the other day.  In Georgia and South Carolina we get permanent car tags for handicap parking and I think the placard may have been the same.  I didn't get a placard here in South Carolina as really don't need it.  We will either be in our car with me driving or Scott will be driving and can let us off close to the door and then find a parking place. Nice that you will be taken out to eat tonight by a friend for for Indianapolis. 

Marilyne, I was sure you knew I wouldn't wish a drought on anyone but thanks for the reassurance.  We are enjoying this extra time with Scott and he said last evening he plans on spending some time with us each day of his vacation, which runs through next Wednesday.  Generally we get to see him only on Wednesday, his regular day off as he works the other six days.  Good for you taking a day for yourself to read and watch movies.  Pat spent considerable time on the JoAnne's Fabric website picking out a fall wreath to put on our front door and one other fall decoration for the mantle.  She went through the entire process only to find that when she place the order they then advised her the wreath was out of stock.  She was not a happy camper.  We haven't tried the chicken noodle soup from Costco as I haven't seen it before.  However, I noticed they have added a lot more soups and expect that is one of them.  We have several containers of soup in the freezer that we will use before I get anymore. 

Patricia, sound like you need to polish up your snow sled for the weekend.  At least you will be able to stay inside and just enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.

Joy, are the rains you had overnight and are having today part of the Nor'easter hitting the North East?  I am sure Pat will be watching a lot of those Hallmark Christmas movies during the day. It seems really early for them to be starting them.  I saw a banner on the TV screen about favorite programs returning in January. 

Good morning from the Interior, we just had another small earthquake, the third time this past two months but this time it shook only a little more noticeable. My couch was a boat for a couple of moments. This is more of a Southeast type of thing, so they probably felt it stronger there. Still no snow but its expected this afternoon. I'm going to see if I can find where that quake originated.

The quake was centered in the Nenana river area as were the other two, hmmm...

We had blue skies and ice this morning and I just looked out to see the world obliterated at 9:42 AM. There is a heavy, moisture soaked, grey fog covering everything that popped up quickly. Summer mist in this area is normal but autumn fog is not. I guess this special weather report is true.

And no one here to share it with.

    5.3
    18km ENE of Tanana, Alaska
    2018-10-27 16:57:27 (UTC)
    16.6 km

Patricia, I went to an earthquake site and this is what I found.  I think it's closer to you than a southeast quake.

Your information was posted before mine.

Mary Ann

A 5.3 quake?  That's a BIG one!  Hope everything is okay, Patricia.

Still morning here, so I'll say Good Morning!  Not the greatest couple of days, but I guess we can't expect our lives to be care free, as much as we would them to be.  To top things  off, I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore throat and sore nose, so looks like cold season has arrived.  I don't know where I picked this up, but most likely at the doctor's office on Wednesday, or maybe at the grocery store?  Anyway, I'm in for a week of misery.  AJ went to Walgreen's to get me some Cold-EEZE lozenges.  They work well for me, to shorten the duration of a cold.  I highly recommend them. 

Patricia - a 5.3 earthquake will definitely get your attention!  You have probably had some noticeable aftershocks, as well. We're all wondering when we will have the next big one here in California?  Next year will mark 30 years for us here in Northern CA.  Los Angeles had their last big one about 25 years ago.  We do have lots of little ones, like 2.00 to 3.50, but nothing that has done any damage.

MaryAnn, I was speaking of the Southeast's propensity to earthquakes, not so much the Interior because of volcanoes, mountains, terrain, and geothermal dynamics. Anchorage runs some sixes but no concerns until it hits sevens.

The Tanana and Nenana rivers run parallel in some areas, plus there are two villages named Tanana and Nenana after the waterways for further confusion. And a 5.3 is mainly a couch rocker for Alaska. You need a lot more buildup and a saturated population to make a 5.3 significant.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/archive/product/losspager/ak20292186/us/1540661320470/onepager.pdf

It was more surprising as each quake, while minor, has been stronger than the previous ones and also are not familiar to the Interior and are a fact of life in the Southeast. I didn't notice any aftershocks altho the quake seemed to come in two parts right next to each other.

The city, still blanketed in that dense, wet, nasty grey fog but no sign as yet of the heavy snow expected.

Marilyne, I rarely get colds, I tend to really mess myself up, stupidly and go for strep throat, walking pneumonia, or laryngitis, (After 65!?); every couple of years. However, I stick to lots of hot tea and thin broths and Tylenol every four to six hours.

Sometimes I will run the shower, with the curtain closed, at the hottest temperatures and sit on the closed toilet seat as long as possible similar to a sweat lodge or sauna. I've found that this works on my sinus blockages. But I'm sure you do something very similar.

I hope that the Cold-EEZE tablets do the trick and you soon feel better!

It has been a very dreary, chilly, misty day.

Larry, We didn't get a lot of the hard rain that was predicted.  Not unless it happened overnight and I didn't hear it.  The sun tried to come out for a little while this afternoon, but didn't stay long. I think they said it might be a nice day tomorrow.  I saw where a couple Halloween  things were postponed until tomorrow.

Marilyne, I am sorry that you will be fighting those cold symptoms for a few days.  I very rarely get a cold, but have had a sinus infection the past couple winters.  Just cough and cough and cough.   Sure hope that I can avoid that this coming year.

Patricia,  those earthquakes must be scary when they occur.  We had one here on the East coast several years ago.  I had a couple things fall off of my china closet and it took me a few minutes to realize what was happening.  I think the Washington Monument was damaged during that time.  However, they are very rare in this area.

It is getting time to think about dinner.  I have a few left-overs for tonight.  I am thinking about making up some pie crust and make an apple pie tomorrow.  I also have to plan to do a little bit of laundry tomorrow.  Sunday is a good day when the laundry room doesn't get much activity. 

Larry,  you might remind Pat that there is a good Hallmark movie on this evening at 7  eastern time.  It is on the Hallmark Movie channel, which is different than the regular Hallmark channel.   It is called The Christmas Card and it is an old one, but one that I can watch over and over again.  It is just a nice story line with a happy ending. I think I remember you saying that you are not big on watching something over and over, but maybe Pat does.  Ed Asner stars in this one as the father.  None of the others are big name actors.  But, they are in several of the other movies.

Does she also watch the series " When Calls the Heart " and the  " Good Witch " series?  I like both of those, but there is always such a long wait between when they start new shows in the series.  You tend to forget what you saw the last time they were on.

I hope everyone will have an enjoyable evening.

Joy

Joy I have been following the Good Witch since day one.  I like my 3 Hall Mark Channels

Gloria,  I, too,  like that one.  I just wish there wasn't so much time between each new series.  I tend to forgot where the story left off.   I really like Catherine Bell.  She was in another series that I used to watch.  Can't remember the name now.  I didn't like the new boyfriend at first, but I do like him now.  He used to do a Maytag commercial. 

I  like the other one, also.    When Calls The  Heart .   I like the girl who plays the main character.  I was so sad that her husband seems to have died.  I think I read somewhere that in the new next episode,  she is pregnant. 

Joy

Angelface. thanks for the memory.  You brought to my mind a picture of me sitting on the closed toilet with a 3 month old baby boy, who had the croup, holding him in my arms, and the hot water running from both the tub and sink, and me reading from the book by Dr. Spock.  Anybody who lived in that era can identify with that picture, I am sure.   

Also want to thank Joy - I was trying to find something to watch on the TV tonight (there was really nothing that appealed to me), when I read your recommendation for the Christmas story on Hallmark tonight.  I watched and enjoyed.  Thanks again.

shirleyn.

Hi Shirley, and Joy and Gloria - I wish I had seen this message earlier, I would have given the Hallmark Channel a look tonight also. Too late now I'm afraid.

Shirley - yes, I remember Dr. Spock, and his instructions on what to do when your baby gets the croup!  I also sat on the closed toilet, holding a crying baby, while the bathroom filled up with steam! I wonder if that's now an outdated treatment for croup, or if panicky mothers still follow that old fashioned advice?

I remember that earthquake, Joy. Wasn't that the one that originated in VA or WV? I forget which? The darn thing reached all the way up here in Central PA. I was sitting here at the computer when the house started a nice, gentle swaying. By the time my brain connected with "earthquake" and maybe I should go downstairs, it was over. It surprised me to no end that we felt an earthquake from that distance.

Hi Everyone. We have an unclouded sky this morning and no wind.  It is suppose to be sunny all day and get up to 72 degrees this afternoon.  It sounds like a perfect day.  It will start out with Sunday School for me and perhaps Church for both Pat and I.  As usual we will get something for our main meal before coming home to a restful afternoon.  We expect Scott to come out this afternoon.  He is going to put up new curtain rods and black out curtains in our bedroom.  I will watch some pro football this afternoon.  Yesterday was a winning day for the South Carolina and Georgia Universities as Georgia beat Florida and South Carolina beat Tennessee and Clemson beat Florida State.

Patricia, glad you had no damage from the earthquake and know you have experienced those many times in the past having lived in Alaska so long. I will take a cold any day to the things you indicate are what you have instead of a cold.  I can remember as a child sitting with my head over a pan of very hot water and having something to cover my head so I got the steam.  I can't remember but expect mother put something in the water to open up my head.  With the kids we had a vaporizer to put moisture in the air. 

Joy, glad you missed a lot of that heavy rain.  We did a nice day and evening yesterday for the Halloween Jubilee in our downtown area and I saw a lot of cars parked all over.  Fortunately, I now know enough back ways to avoid such areas as several of the main streets were blocked off for the Jubilee.  I remember when the Washington Monument was damaged and it stayed closed for a long time as they did the repairs.  I think I saw a bit of that movie as remember the role Ed Asner played.  I didn't see your posting about it until just now but it will probably be played again before Christmas.  I don't think she watches either of the other series you mentioned. 

deAngel, I don't think we get three Hallmark channels but the regular Hallmark one and the Hallmark Movie one.  Maybe we do as there is a Hallmark Mysteries channel that Pat watches a lot so maybe we do get three. 

ShirleyN, we had the Dr. Spock baby book as well.  It is so hard to see the little ones fight croup, colds and other health problems. 

MarsGal, those earthquake faults run a long ways.  We occasionally feel small shocks here as we are on the Charleston fault, which is considered the 6th most dangerous fault. 

Callie, hasn't Oklahoma has had a lot of earthquakes in the last year.

Marilyne, sorry that you now have to fight a cold.  Sore throats are so unpleasant.  I guess we can't help getting exposed if we leave our homes.  We use the Cold-EEZE lozenges when we get a sore throat and they seem to help. 

Good Sunday morning.   Looks like it will be a nice day.  Sun is starting to appear.  Better day than yesterday.

Marilyne,  The Hallmark Movie, "The Christmas Card"  is on this morning, (Sunday) at 9 a.m. again.  It is on the Hallmark Movie Channel.  That is different from the regular Hallmark Channel.  I think it goes by Movies and Mysteries ??  channel. 

Shirley, glad that you were able to see the movie, also.  It is one of my very favorites of all the Hallmark shows.

Not sure what I will do today.  I should be doing some laundry, so will see !

Hope everyone will have a nice Sunday.

Joy

Good morning from a still snowless, still icy Interior! We were supposed to have another "monster" snow event beginning Friday, but so far all I noticed was Saturday's unusually heavy fog that felt very wet. They are still predicting heavy snow today, but it is beginning to sound like the little boy crying wolf.

Yesterday's earthquake, being felt was an anomaly here. While they are continuous, they usually go unnoticed. The S.E. is narrow strips of land between mountains and sea with a major fault running through whereas we are a watershed valley of forested lowlands. We deal in fires or floods.

A hurricane or tornado would frighten me to death as would the continuous fires of California. It is all in what you've become accustomed too. I remember how the skies in the US plains left me feeling apprehensive and unprotected yet the mountains and foothills surrounding this valley, (the city sprawls along the edge of the valley floor and three of the foothills); leaves me feeling safe and protected. A friend who is from Iowa says the mountains make her feel claustrophobic so we're all different.

I learned something new yesterday, I've said we have a population of 100,000. Now I'm told we are only 32,000. It seems that the 100,000 figure includes the University on the hill and various military installations and not the city proper. Even though one of those military bases merely is across the street less than a block from me. While the University is surrounded by the city. I wonder who decides these things?

That bathroom steam trick works for many things besides the croup. It was recommended to me because I have sinus bouts and to my sister who suffered earaches as a child. It is extremely dry here, (Excepting Saturday's fog!); with little moisture in the winter. There is a local running joke that you do not need a towel after a winter bath. You whirl around a couple of times, and you're dry.

We have several events going on locally including Friendship Day which is when the various nationalities get together with crafts, food and drink and national costumes and crafts. It's a huge event. The University starts the yearly calendar of art shows, orchestras, and plays, and the various local schools have multiple activities.

The museums, not to be outdone are having open houses and various artists available for meet and greets and signing books and portraits. Where summer events are laid back and casual, winter events seem more dressy. I was once all about town but since I retired, not so much. Sometimes it is more fun not to go to the party.

Sorry, I had a phone call and just came back to post.

Since I don't own a TV, and thus haven't seen those shows, and I'm avoiding housework this morning, I'll probably watch a little Youtube and play with some PSP.

Speaking of earthquakes, I just saw this on National Geographic;

"On September 7, 2017, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck southern Mexico, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. While earthquakes are common enough in the region, this powerful event wasn’t any run-of-the-mill tremor.

That’s because part of the roughly 37-mile-thick tectonic plate responsible for the quake completely split apart, as revealed by a new study in Nature Geoscience. This event took place in a matter of tens of seconds, and it coincided with a gargantuan release of energy.

“If you think of it as a huge slab of glass, this rupture made a big, gaping crack,” says lead author Diego Melgar, an assistant professor of earthquake seismology at the University of Oregon. “All indications are that it has broken through the entire width of the thing.”