Callie, it's obvious I did not watch the Weather Channel much the last few days because i had not heard about the 13" of snow in Okla the last couple of days.  I did have to double check your post to make sure it was inches and not feet!

MarsGal, I watched a bit of the USS Indianapolis ceremonies, but had to leave so missed everything.  There was a box where I could watch it from the beginning, but at 5 pm, I have not checked to see if that is still available.  I'll try in a few minutes.

We left about noon to drive to Sheridan to pick up Carol, Tom's former MIL, to take her to lunch.  Usually when we tell her we want to take her to lunch, she fixes something.  She has the wet Mac D and is legally blind.  She was widowed 20 years ago so lives alone, way away from anything.  Sheridan is a small town about 45 miles from here.  She has a son in Greenville MI and she is going to sell her home and move to an apartment in Greenville - when an apartment is available.  She is one of those people who everyone loves - as we do - and we are fortunate that she is in our family.  My mother was also one of those people. 

We were fortunate with the weather today and we saw some color on the way to Sheridan and back but the sun was not shining.  It tried, but just could not get from behind a cloud.  But at least the rain held off until we were on our way home to GR.  We drove to Stanton, a short distance from Sheridan, and ate at a restaurant there.  We had a nice visit there, then went back to Carol's home and did more visiting.  She has a male cat named Rascal; I forget how old he is, but he is very thin.  She says he barely eats and she's afraid he won't be around long.  He is the opposite of Kendrick, very friendly and goes to everyone for attention.  On the way home, it began to rain.  Nothing hard, but it was wet.  Both Tom and I were tired so took naps when we returned and I think he is still napping.  He is supposed to go out where there is a band playing.  He said the band is too loud wherever you sit.  A friend is in the band.

It is a damp cold now - 45 degrees and raining.  Fall is definitely here and we were able to get in on the last good day for a while.

Mary Ann

Hmm - no one posted since my post at 5:30 pm EDT.

I was just thinking about the fires in northern CA where Marilyn lives.  She hasn't posted since 5:30 yesterday.  I wonder if she and AJ have been evacuated.  I can't imagine having to leave your home with the possibility of coming back to nothing.  I hope all is well with them.

It is raining hard here and I understand we are to have high winds.  Better rain than snow.

Mary Ann

Good morning everyone, on a soggy morning. Rain today. It is 54^oF and is supposed to go up to around 74^o this afternoon. It looks like a good day for sorting through more stuff to get rid of and read.

Mary Ann, after ceremony actually started, I only watched about a half hour or so. I turned it off shortly after Father (forget his name already) did the invocation. I noticed that the XO is much older than the Captain, a nice looking young man. After that, I several ships on the St. Clair, but didn't wait for Paul to show up coming off the lake.

Last night, just before I turned off the TV, I saw that evacuation orders were given for 50,000 up in Sonoma County/Northern CA. This morning, the SF Chronicle is reporting 90,000. I guess this is going to put a squeeze on CA wines for a while.

Oscar has taken to the new cat furniture and has ensconced himself on the top perch, spending lots of time there. I am a little surprised because that corner is the one Shan likes to sit and watch out the window, whereas Oscar and Lucy like the bookshelf under the other window.

I have received an email from  Angelface -Patricia's phone that her computer crashed. She probably will not be available for a few days.

Bubble, thanks for the note about Patricia's computer.  I usually expect a post from her in early afternoon and realized she had not been heard from.

I got out of bed a bit earlier this morning but I won't do much, if any, posting, other than here because in half an hour I have to start to get ready for church.  I've heard it rain off and on this morning which doesn't bode well for a nice day.

MarsGal, I'm sure that was a meaningful ceremony, but probably very boring, too, if there were a lot of speeches.  When I got back home, I did turn on the link and it seemed things started up where I had left off so I went elsewhere on the computer.  If I hear from my cousin and it's anything interesting, I'll let you know - but don't hold your breath!

Where we were yesterday, she had a tall thing for her cat and I've got to look into something for Kendrick; I'm sure he'd like it.

Mary Ann

Very quiet here today—-a sunny warm day.  October is almost gone and it felt more like spring than fall.

Mary Ann, you have probably been to church and had your tuna melt and cream pie by now.

I was thinking about GloriaDe last night.  Larry and I were watching one of those Christmas movies on Hallmark channel, and I remember how much Gloria loved those Hallmark movies, especially during Christmas season.

I hope Marilyne and AJ didn't have to evacuate.  It is bad enough just being without power.  These problems are harder for us seniors.  I read this morning that these Calif fires will be a problem for another 10 years.  The weather is so changeable I wonder how they can be so sure.

Jackie, I hope you are doing OK.  Jenny, it was good to hear that Michele was able to have a few good days.  Hi to all the rest of you.  I think of you and hope all is good!

Jean, you're right, Dot and I went to church, then went to Mr Burger and had our Tuna Melt and honest-to-gosh real Coconut Cream Pie!  When we got to the restaurant, it was not too busy, but by the time we left, it was more busy.  We have a system - we look to see where we will sit, we both put our coats and purses where we will sit, Dot gets in line, I get the water, knife and fork, then sit down.  Dot places the order and gets the coffee and pie, then she has someone bring the tray to our booth.  The receipt has our number on it and when they call the number, Dot gets our Tuna Melt.  They furnish two plates for our pie and tuna melt and she can carry the two plates of tuna melt OK.  I split the pie in half and when the tuna melt comes, we each have half of that.  Then we eat and talk!  We get out of church around 11 am and it is about six miles to Mr Burger and with eating and talking, we leave for home about noon to 12:30.  We're both ready for a nap then.

I had my nap sitting in my chair and shortly after I woke up, Tom came home and he is now napping.  Kendrick was napping on my bed when I got home and I am sure he's napping again. 

That takes care of things here and it's almost 2 pm.

I'll have to look at a map to see more where Marilyn lives.  I know she lives in Los Gatos and it is near San Jose but they talk about counties and I'm not sure which county she lives in.

Mary Ann                                         

It's been a fun time on the St Clair River, but those schedulers really know how to hurt a person.  For one thing, it's a beautiful day there with the sun shining and the river is calm.  But Paul was coming into Marine City as Arthur Anderson was leaving Lake Huron to enter the St Clair River.  It turned out that Paul was a bit earlier than Arthur so I was able to see both.  Paul saluted twice in MC and even came out of the pilot house to wave.  Those operators and the pilots have a special bond.

Tomorrow (Monday) is the last day I have to have a bandaid on my nose surgery.  I feel it is coming along well and I won't see a doctor until January.

Mary Ann

I missed the Paul Mary Ann. When I was watching it was still a little out from PH and I didn't want to wait the 15-20 minutes to see it. Oh well. Right now, I am missing Algoma Enterprise, but I did watch Joyce L. Van Enkenvort a while ago. I don't know if you  saw it or not, but CSL Tadoussac has been docked close to the marina for a few days now. There was mention, two days ago, that she was surrounded by those spill things and there were were divers working under her. Got a leak somewhere. Damia Desgagnes is just coming into Sarnia. Think I'll go over to BoatNerd and watch her dock. Well, that was kind of a bust. No cam operator, so by the time it swung bak, she was pretty close to sliding right up to the dock.  So, it is off to Marine City for the sunrise.

MarsGal, I've only been up since 7:30 and I've worked my way this far.  I haven't even looked to see what ships are near yet.  Those operators aren't always around, then one will surprise you when the automatic (Otto Matic) is on and steer the scene. 

I had not heard that the CSL Tadoussac was having trouble, but I did notice it was in the same place for many days and the speed was 0 knots.

I found that Los Gatos is in Santa Clara County, so if you read something about the California fires and Santa Clara County, think of Marilyn. 

Mary Ann

GOOD MORNING 🦋

It is cold and snowy here in the Mile High City❄️❄️❄️ There is a good six inches of snow out there but it snowed pretty much all day yesterday and it did not accumulate on the ground as it was too warm from our nearly 70degree day on Saturday.  The snow is to end this afternoon however there is another storm coming and we will have more snow from it, the weather guessers are saying😩. For someone who is not into cold and snow I sure wonder just WHY I am here, but then I could be running from the terrible 🔥 in California.  Those poor folks, my heart just aches for them 🙏

JEAN, I have a feeling MARILYNE is in the black out areas and is unable to post because of that.  I do hope she is safe, and I do not think she is in any the evacuated areas.  I do hope she can post soon.  I had to smile when I read Gloria de's name in your post.  Goodness, I sure miss the friends that have passed😩😢

MARY ANN, I had forgotten about your nose, so thought the band aid was long gone already.  I do hope the wound is doing well.  You and Dot have quite the system for getting your meal at the Cholesterol Pit....opps, I see that it is Mr. Burger where you go on Sundays after church.  Your drive and visit with Carol sounded very nice.  Happy you were able to get out and see the country side and visit with her. 

Thank you, BUBBLE for letting us know about Patricia's computer problems😩 I do hope she will be up and running again soon. 

CALLIE, Iam not sure if we are sending this storm down to you or not, but if we are,  hang on because it is going to last awhile!

I am going to try to spend time this morning in my closet getting the summer things out and the winter things in! 

Enjoy your day.

Jenny

Jenny, I was so happy to see your posts both here and in the Soda Shoppe.  Each time I'd check in, there were no new posts in any of the forums, but especially the ones I read. 

I did find that Marilyn lives in Santa Clara county so when I read about the fires, I look for that county.  No news is good news, but I'd hate to be living in the state and worrying about the fires.  I haven't e-mailed my great-nephew who lives in North Hollywood but I will.  I think his mother is out there now because they are expecting a second child in November. 

We are in the low 50s now and the sun is not shining, however, we are not expecting rain. 

I cheated with my nose by taking off the bandaid last night.  The wound is not open and has not bled from day one.  It isn't too obvious, but there is a 1/4 inch square that is closing up and that is good.  Jenny, thanks for mentioning it.

Mr Burger is the official name of the restaurant where Dot and I go after church on Sunday.  Several years ago Norm coined the phrase Cholesterol Pit so they are one and the same.  After all, it is a hamburger joint!  I will say on Sunday mornings, their specialty is eggs and toast and whatever else someone wants.  We're there from about 11:30 am and that is why we get Tuna Melt and pie. 

I'd just as soon you "middle of the country" people keep the snow there.  Radar shows we will be clear for a few days, however, it doesn't show sun or lack of it.

I was partially dressed when Dot called for some information.  I'm all dressed, but I have things to do to get ready for the day - like put on shoes!

Cute picture of Jonah in the pumpkin (I assume it is Jonah).

Mary Ann
[/b]

Merry Monday,

Jenny, looks as if your storm will clip the panhandle and northwestern part of Oklahoma....again!  Wind chills in this area are supposed to be terrible for the next few days but precipitation will be rain.  (We're grateful for that....but not this much!!!! )

After miserable weather on Thursday and Friday, the past two days have been absolutely gorgeous Fall days.  I cleaned "gunk" out of the bird feeders, pulled annuals out of a planter and also enjoyed some "patio time". 
The Lunch Bunch went to Arby's yesterday after church and, since that was near Crest, I went on to get groceries even though I didn't have my list.
Glory Be!  I remembered every single thing I had written down and left on the fridge.  Amazing!
So glad I did because today is once again a raw cold day and I only plan to go as far as the mailbox.

Desk Work calls.  Turn around, Callie, and Get Busy!

Wishing each of you an Enjoyable Day.

Callie, it looks as if you will escape the very worst of the weather and I hope you do.  We've been in the mid-50s all day, dreary, but no rain. 

I just e-mailed a great-nephew who lives near LA to see what his situation is.  I'm more concerned about them because they are expecting a baby in early November. 

Tom has done some subbing today up at Cedar Springs, about 25 miles north.  It is a charter school and he has enjoyed teaching there previously.  I'll bet they called him because they have before.  If he likes a class, he and the teacher will exchange info so they can call him directly.
 
Mary Ann

Mary Ann, would there be a web site one could go on to check the status of the area?

Amy, I had not tried, but I am sure Santa Clara County would have one.  I'll see what I can find.  I don't watch the news too closely, but I know if I heard the county name, it would be near Marilyn's city.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Mary Ann

Amy, from this article, I would say Marilyn is in the dark, maybe for a few days.

Mary Ann

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Restorations could begin Monday for the public safety power shutoff by PG&E which began on Saturday, leaving thousands of Santa Clara County residents in the dark.

The dangerous wind gusts that led to the power outages were expected to end by around 8 a.m. Monday, the county said. Once the wind event is over, PG&E will inspect its power lines and repair any damage caused by the winds. After that, the utility can re-energize the lines.

But Santa Clara County may lose power again early Tuesday morning due to another strong, dry wind event set to hit California, PG&E said. Tuesday's wind event would last until midday Wednesday, and the shutoffs would affect parts of 32 counties, including Santa Clara.

The current shutoff began Saturday evening, affecting more than 27,000 customers in Santa Clara County. PG&E opened a resource center at the Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 E Calaveras Blvd, open until 9 p.m. Monday, providing restrooms, bottled water, electronic and medical device charging and seating.

PG&E posts continuing updates about the shutoffs at pge.com/pspsupdates. The utility has also posted a map of the planned outage areas for the upcoming Oct. 29 shutoff.

Hello Everyone!  Thank you all for being concerned about AJ and me!  Our power went out Saturday afternoon, and came back on late this morning. (Monday). It was a rough two days and two nights, but we did okay. 

Because we have electric appliances, we were unable to cook, make coffee, etc., and of course all food in the freezer thawed, and will have to be thrown away.     AJ got bags of ice, which helped a little for the fridge, but not the freezer side.  No TV, phone or computer of course.  We also lost our Wifi, so I could not access the internet from my smart phone.  However, we were able to text with our kids. Our furnace is gas, but is activated by electricity, so it got mighty cold over night!   

I'm not complaining, as I know we are very fortunate that no fires got started in the Santa Cruz mountains. We're in a valley, surrounded by heavily wooded mountains that are extremely dry, and the wind was extreme!  I can understand why they decided to shut our power off.   I feel so bad for the people who live in the towns in the North Bay Area, as they got the brunt of it, as they have the past couple of years.  I know my sister-in-law was evacuated from her home in Forestville, according to the news, but I haven't been able to reach her by text.  Also, I'm worried about three or four cousins who live in Santa Rosa, and Sandy's friends in Napa.

Thank you all again for thinking about us!         

Mary Ann , thank you for finding the information. I do believe that all in that area need prayers. Just cannot imagine living under the conditions of not knowing if one has a home or not.

Marilyn, good to see you in here!Happy to read you are doing ok.

Marilyn, it was so good to see a post from you.  I had the feeling from what little I read that you were offline because you were powerless, not homeless.  We'll keep our fingers crossed and prayers going for you.

Mary Ann

Good to hear from you Marilyne.  I feel so bad for all those people who have lost everything.  I sure hope the fire does not get close,

Hallelujah,Marilyn and AJ.  So glad you are safe, but sorry you lost all your refrigerated food.  It's awful being without power when everything is electric nowadays.  Don't think I could make it without my morning coffee!

MARILYNE, it is so good to see your post, but so sorry to read the news.  I felt quite certain that you were without power and I sure hoped it was not for long periods of time so that you would not loose your frozen food and that you would be able to get by, but sadly this has not been the case😢😩.  Sadly, I guess we can assume that the power outages will continue to happen in your area?  I am so sorry.  The fires are just terrible and the worse may not be over yet😩😢

YES, MARY ANN, that is my Jonah boy in a carved pumpkin🥰

Pleasant dreams to all. 

Jenny

 

That is a great shot of Jonah in the pumpkin, Jenny. It makes me smile.

Mary Ann, I missed this bit at the commissioning ceremony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hn1UZ_K3oI  I finally got to see CG Hollyhock on the river at Marine City. It is the first time I've seen her underway since her repairs were finished. I also saw her passing Port Huron and out into the lake after dark last night.

Yesterday I ended up most of the day on the computer. Today, I am going to try to at least rake the front yard. I should probably mow it tomorrow. Today and tomorrow are supposed to up in the mid to upper 60s before rain again on Thursday.

Thanks for that clip, MarsGal, I did not see that part either.  It looked as if it was part of a Navy tradition. 

It is barely daylight here and radar shows us to be in the clear as far as rain is concerned, but that doesn't show sunlight.  We may get snow in a day or two.

I sent an e-mail to my great-nephew who lives in North Hollywood.  There are fires around LA now.  He said the fires are closer than the last time but still far enough away that they are not in danger.  They are expecting their second boy next month.

Mary Ann

Well, Mary Ann, it appears that USS Indianapolis is underway. Unforturnately, the last position it shows (no time stamp) was near Marinette. Now it has disappeared with Marine Traffic reporting it is out of range. Bummer. I did so want to see it pass by on the St. Clair.

MarsGal, keep on trying to find it and I will too.  I don't know how long it takes to get from the bottom of Lake Michigan to even the Straits but it would seem after at least 2 1/2 days, it should be near the St Clair River.  Maybe they'll turn on their AIS by that time.  I'd like to see it on the river too.

Mary Ann

Good morning, Bait and Tacklers.  It's rainy here this morning and the sky is dark, so I'm expecting more rain today.  So far I've had breakfast and cleaned up my kitchen, but am not dressed yet--just too lazy to think about it!

I hope all are well and you'll have a nice day, regardless of the weather where you live.

Sue

Sue, I'm glad you don't always get dressed first thing in the morning because I don't.  It is just after noon here and I've been dressed about 15 minutes.  We don't seem to be as dreary as yesterday, but it is overcast.  No rain is expected today, maybe not even tomorrow, but by Thursday, we may have some snow.  Not much, but enough to get us on the way to winter.

While bandaging my nose one day, I discovered a metal box of bandaids.  I had a mixed box of them, plus I had ordered a new box.  Now bandaids come in cardboard boxes, but I have two large and one small metal boxes and I'd like to keep them.  However, I do have bandaids coming out of my ears!

Mary Ann