Neither of my two cats made hairballs though they groomed all the time. Actually it is only in here that I learned about this occurrence.

I've had some hairballs out of Shan. His hair is so long and spider-silk sticky. He gets brushed every day, but I still find long hair bits, especially on the rug, in addition to the occasional hairball. It also accumulates on my cloths very quickly. Since Lucy has been on her thyroid medicine, I have noticed a big decrease in the number of cat barfs (non-hairball) I must clean up.

I woke up to rain and 36⁰ this morning. Later on, my sister, a friend of hers, and I will be going to Perkins for lunch and then on to the local playhouse to see Agatha Christie's Towards Zero,

Kendrick has been brushed when Annie came over but in a week she will be gone and I guess I'll have to do it.  Even when Annie has done it, it has been seldom because she did not stop over often. And the frequency with which she came here was not enough to prevent hair balls, so I don't know why I haven't found any.  Right now he wants attention and he got a little!

I wonder what kind of day we'll have.  Radar shows rain but nothing is happening now.  It is 38 degrees out.

I've just gotten out of the shower and I think I didn't dry my hair because it drips every so often. 

It looks strange to see a black car outside our garage.  The other one is in the garage and Tom would like to sell it.  It runs good and Tom has taken good care of it, getting the oil changed per a schedule. 

MarsGal, I watched AlgoCanada come into Sarnia, then back into place last night.  I think it is done for the season and they'll do whatever they do to the ship this winter.  Iver Bright was headed south and I didn't stay up to see it.  I don't know if it was headed for Detroit, Toledo or Cleveland.

Mary Ann

Good Morning all!  Looks like the sun might shine today, and temps are supposed to reach 60 degrees.  Looking forward to that, as it's been a long cold and dry January.

I hope we hear from some of our missing members, today?  It seems to be either "feast or famine" in this folder, but looks like the others are moving slowly as well.  Last we heard from Beverly, I think she said Chape was not doing so well, so I hope she posts today.  Bubble, nice to see you here, and hope you come back and join us on a regular basis.

Good morning from a still zero Interior. However, we're due to head back into the below zero temps on the weekend. After the minus nineteen to minus forties we had for the first part of January, this is wonderful weather!

Speaking of nature offering areas of protection, Delta, just 95 miles south of us had fifty and sixty below with wind as they're on an open plain. This city built closer to the mountains and partially sprawls on two of the foothills. So our temps never dipped below minus forty. We will continue to have warm weeks and cold weekends. I envy all of your warmer temperatures, but March isn't that far away so we will eventually be warm again. It hasn't been this cold since the late nineties.

The harasser from yesterday seems to know everything or at least he thinks he does and has only one temperament, angry. He is so popular that when taxi drivers hear our address, they will sometimes ask if we know him. He is one of the tenants of that seven apartment stretch by the manager's office. Another one, also male, is a hoarder and is so bad that no one uses the donation tables anymore as he will collect all of what is donated, be it for male or female!

He also will pick up anything lying about and deny to your face that he has it, so you have to remember not to forget your stuff. Security does monthly sweeps of his apartment to keep it manageable. I can't complain, much, as the majority of people from those seven apartments are gentle, friendly souls who have a few mental issues.

One of my favorites is a heavyset man of 59 who continually asks you if he looks good and if he looks young. Then when you tell him he looks twenty, he will proudly tell you his age and birthdate. These seven apartments were and are for adults that are mentally challenged but are able to live independently. They are in an area by the office and security.
 
Farrah has been on a diet since last January 2019 and has gone from 15.5 to 14 pounds. The vet would prefer as she's small for her to lose one more pound to be healthy. So, a treat may not be a good idea if Farrah stops eating her diet kibble. She will not touch wet food.

 She used to enjoy a small bite of tuna now and again but no longer touches it. My doctor also wants me to lose another twenty-six pounds for my own health, so we're both slogging along. I've lost twenty-one pounds since October and have only those twenty-six to go.

Farrah no longer plays with toys, which is why I gave all of hers to Dixie's cat on that fateful day when she,( Dixie, not her cat!); fell. The vet wants Farrah to be active and she wants my attention only for me to get on the floor and give her belly scratches. My doctor also wants me to be more productive so I find our similar situations humorous.

Today will be laundry day. I'm about to run out of towels and sheets. I still have congestion, hear rushing sounds in my left ear, and sound muted. I went to see a retired nurse here who told me it was congestion and that there are merits to being around people, so I build up some tolerances. I was planning on dinner with Alan and Dora with other friends this weekend, but I decided to skip it so my cold and I will stay home instead of being a giver.

Patricia, I'm sorry you still have your "bug" and you're probably better off staying home, but it's too bad you must miss some dinner and conversation.  Farrah obviously has a mind of her own, after all she's a cat and we don't own our cats; they own us!  I'm a stubborn Dane and I don't always give in to Kendrick, but sometimes I feel sorry for him being so neglected that I go into the living room just to sit with him and to give him my company.  He comes into this room often to lie in his bed just to be near me.  It amuses me when I find him in the bathroom with his head on my slipper. 

Michigan has hills and valleys but no real mountains.  We do have a high spot in the UP called Porcupine Mountain but that isn't the highest spot in the state; that is in the middle of the lower peninsula near Cadillac and is around 1440 feet.  In Grand Rapids we are about 560 feet elevation.  Our hills and valleys do provide some scenery and we have lots of trees of several kinds; we are not so flat that you can see forever. 

There is little on the computer for me this morning and I am likely to read my Kindle if the battery hasn't died.  It's an interesting book, but not so compelling that I feel I must read it into the middle of night. 

I read the other day that the state is planning to convert the two main lighthouses into museums within a couple of years.  They still have their beacon lights going and I thought they were active lighthouses.  They may still be active, but are not manned any longer.  They used to have the ice breaker Mackinac based there but the Coast Guard moved that to Cheboygan MI and I don't know if it is still there or not; Cheboygan is on Lake Huron at the top of the lower peninsula. 

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I'm told I need to get out more, but this is a red state, and as demonstrated, I have a "foot in mouth" disease, so I often stay home keeping myself company. It's also more comfortable as I can wear sweats all day   

I agree about the cat ownership, other than her long afternoon nap, Farrah follows me from room to room and often comes up to me, calling for attention and tummy rubs. I wish she would play with toys as I feel guilty when she wants attention, and I'm often doing something else. She did play with toys but no longer. Too bad we don't live close enough for feline playdates! 

Michigan has its lakes for weather protection, where we have mountains protecting us from nasty weather. Our elevation, according to my search engine, is  446.19. So you are higher than us. Since we're surrounded by three sets of foothills and four mountain ranges, we must be in a hole. 

Good Saturday afternoon,  Everyone!

Ah dieting...  I unfortunately am
still doing the yo yo thing....
loose, then gain then loose, then gain,
etc etc etc.. 

Right now I am getting my ducks and geese
in order to return an eating life
style of loosing weight. 
At 76 this is a hard cycle to
break. 

I also can blame it on my
visual disabilities.... 
blame it on anything but the
truth. 

I eat too many calories for the
calories that my body burns. 

Oh well,  I haven't given up yet. 

Sandy

Just for the record, Winnie never played with a cat toy, in all of his 19 years!  I didn't get him until he was three, so I'm sure he DID like toys when he was a kitten. Shelley (older daughter) got Winnie, and his litter mate brother, Buffy, when they were about eight weeks old. I won't bore you all with details, but Buffy got outside, and vanished - never to be seen again.  Claire was heartbroken, and so was Winnie, so Shelley got Jerry, to take his place.  Winnie and Jerry never became friends.  When Shell got divorced and they moved to a small apartment, they were only allowed one cat,  so we took Winnie, and they kept Jerry. 

Sandy - Good to see your post!  I can imagine that it would be difficult to maintain weight loss, when you are unable to get out and about, like when you were younger.  Patricia - Same thing with you, being unable to walk very far, and do the daily things that used to burn calories!   

MaryAnn good idea for you to use. A crock pot and make some good meals. Hot dogs and such not good for you. Amazing what simple thing can be made that you could handle doing. Buy one of the small crock pots cast about 9.95 it's my favourite. It will make a meal up to 2 servings. Makes great rice pudding. I will give you a few easy meals. You could have him just pick up a already baked chicken from the deli. From that you would have the makings of at least five main parts of meals. Then with carcass just get a packet if the frozen veg already made up stews and soups. At store and that another meal.

Jeanne, thanks for the ideas.  I bought one of the original 3-qt crock pots when they first came out and used it occasionally.  I bought it when I was still working and I've been retired 33 years - but it still works.  One year I asked Norm and Dot for a crock pot with a removable insert for Christmas and they gave me a 6-qt which I have used, but for my/our use is too large.  Robin had put both of them on the shelf in the coat closet off the kitchen so it didn't matter which one I used, I could not reach them.  I have a problem with people not thinking of my capabilities and inabilities when they give me something, even though I might have described what I needed; thus the 6 qt crock pot.  Robin is good at putting things where I can't reach them.  Tom is more thoughtful, but he often is not home when I need something.  I manage.  I'm good at postponing things until I can get help with what I want.  I'm not complaining; I'm just explaining.  Anyway, stews are easy in the crock pot because I don't have to do anything except load the crock pot and let it do its thing.

Sandy, good luck with your weight loss.  In Tom's case, the doctor suggested a weight loss clinic affiliated with a local hospital.  Every Thursday he goes to the clinic to get weighed (1 1/2 pounds this past week).  He has a support group and is supposed to report to them each week as to his progress.  I am not sure he has done that, but when he gets home, I always ask.  I am not part of that support group but I am a one-person support by myself.  He doesn't have a lot of recipes from the clinic, but he knows what he should not eat - and doesn't.  He finds salsa is a good addition to things like eggs so it is unnecessary to use salt.  I have cookies for my first breakfast and I have them in this room so Tom is not tempted.  If he finds he does want one, he knows where they are; that is almost never. 

I had suggested to Annie that she get a calico cat, but she ended up with Kendrick who is half Belgian and who knows what else!  And that's the reason he didn't cost a lot.  He was her cat until she moved in with her SO and he has been OUR cat since then because her SO has a severe allergy to cats.  I tell him already that he is MY cat.  Occasionally I will find him playing with a ball or something round, but if I try to play with him, he ignores the plaything and wants my attention.  He's been a one-person cat for so long, I do not think he would be good with children.  He has claws yet and will always have them and they can do damage to someone.  Kendrick will be seven in July.  I'm not even sure how he'd do with another cat around.  I didn't want one, got one, I don't want a second.

Patricia, I think I don't have "foot-in-mouth" disease, but I have a tendency to be sarcastic and I have to watch what and how I say something.  It helps to keep my mouth shut.  What is the saying about opening your mouth and let others see how foolish you are?  Foot-in-mouth and sarcasm don't fit that saying, but you know what I mean.

Tom is enjoying his new-to-him car and already has been to Holland and in and out around here.  He went to the SOS yesterday to get registration for the car and it is officially his now.  He's going out again soon but I have enough stuff for supper.

I've seen several ships today on the St Clair River.

I think it is time for me to shut up!

Mary Ann

Good evening. I am only here to mark my place.

I have been napping most of the day. I had gone to the Urgent care place the other day for my foot, and they gave me an antibiotic and I think it is making me feel half sick. I am trying to decide what to eat, as I have to eat something before I take a couple of my meds. I am thinking some Cream of Wheat.

Then I plan to not be too long going to bed

Have a good rest of the evening.

Joy

MaryAnn
Ask Tom to go and get you a l.7 little slow cooker. About $10
With the high Crocker input. It comes inand out to wash. I keep mine handy over on the side of the stove where  I never use the burners. Even if you just use  to keep something warm you can pop in there and show WARM setting on it. That is just one time going out to MacD.  You will love it.

Jeanne, thanks, but I don't use the one I have often enough to justify buying another.  I do not do most of the cooking, although I can't say what Tom does is cooking either.  I brought home goulash from the restaurant yesterday and there is enough for three meals after I ate some at the restaurant.  The 3-quart slow cooker is fine for what little cooking I do.  And I'm happy with it; it is the 6-quart that is too big.

Mary Ann

We had a lovely time yesterday in spite of the fact that our lunches at Perkins were only warm, not hot. I had the tilapia with rice and asparagus. The presentation of Agatha Christie's Towards Zero at Oyster Mill Playhouse was excellent. I saw the PBS (BBC Masterpiece?) years ago and was not impressed. This bunch of amateurs did a bang up job. The next play the gals are interested in is Barefoot in the Park which I think I will skip. 39 Steps will be presented in a few months. That is a must see for me. I've read the book and seen the TV movie, liking both very much.

I missed all the action on the St. Clair yesterday. But the one I really missed seeing was the Griffon icebreaker on Friday. The darn thing came up the St. Clair and turned around just before reaching Algonac. I just saw bits of it behind the trees as it went back down river. That was ever so disappointing. Doesn't look like anything is going on today but I will check in off and on. AlgoNorth has been at Sarnia for a while so I expect she is getting close to heading out again. Today? Tomorrow? I guess a few of the tankers will continue unless St. Clair Lake freezes like it did last year.

Time to make breakfast and work on a grocery list.

Good Morning Everyone from
the cloudy but not so cold
rocky coast of Maine.  I am
looking forward to milder weather
the next few weeks.   Which is
unusual for Maine in late Jan
and Early Feb.   

We will probably be sorry
later.

In the meantime, I hope to get some
things done out and about here
in the city.  There is no snow
or ice here on the streets,
so walking   with my rollator
should be good.

I sure don't miss the hair balls
now that I no longer care for
cats.   I miss the cats but not
the extra work.   

Can't have it all
unless I am willing to put in the
time, money and work.    I do
miss them,  though.    When I visit
other people I pay a lot of attention
to their animals.  There is enough
to go around. 

Have a good day,  Everyone!
Sandy

Good morning from the Interior where we are back to minus thirty and forty for lows this week and minuses in the teens for daytime highs. This weather is a cold snap we haven't seen since the mid-nineties, so many young folks and newcomers are grumbling.

There was a news piece about how folks in the military were holding their children out of school and were amazed when they were called on it. No matter what, other than actual illness, school, and life go on in the Arctic, you don't get special dispensations.

I remember when I was working for Walmart for five years in their fabric department. You came to work because you were expected to. I walked in those days for several miles each day and wore two pairs of socks, one silk, and one wool, as well as a couple of separate finger mittens inside gloves. I wore a snow machine suit and a neoprene facemask. I need to add that this is a very dry cold and not a wet cold so it is/was bearable.

 I was warm under all that, but that was because I walked a long way, and the coldest I walked in was minus sixty-eight. I used to walk for miles every day until I fell on black ice in November 2014. Now I'm no longer used to being in this type of weather and staying in.

The taxi companies make money in these spells hand over fist, and if you do not call ahead and make arrangements, you may have an hour-long wait. It is the same when the military, seniors, and government paydays all come together, and everyone is calling for taxies. March is when the increased daylight makes a sizable impact and temperatures warm. You have increased humidity, so it's often our snowiest month, with the snow gone by Easter

Yesterday day I spent most of the day doing laundry and waiting for my turns as two of the building dryers were out so everyone was coming to my floor to use the dryers. It was a long, long day.

Surprise! I looked out my kitchen window this morning and what should I see? Three kittens, maybe 2 or 3 months old. Two blonds and one brown/grey. No adults in sight. Other than the black cat I have seen crossing the parking lot several times in the last month and a half, this is the first definite activity down in the brush patch I have seen since last summer. Oh, goodie. They managed to get to the bottom of my yard. Maybe they will reduce the sudden increase in the squirrel population I have seen back there. Mouse and chipmunk removal is also welcome. Just leave the birds alone please.

Patricia, I am sure we had days of heavy snow when I was going to school but I don't ever remember a snow day off either in grade school or high school.  The grade school was a block from home, but when I was in the early grades, snow would be up to my waist and I walked.  I don't recall any temperatures, but I am sure there were some very cold days and we made it OK.  When I went to high school, Dad drove and several of the neighbor kids rode along and somehow or other we got to school, snow or not.  Today I think there are a certain number of days allocated to snow days off.  I think consolidation of schools have a lot to do with that because of the roads where the buses must travel. 

Funny, but I don't remember much about getting to work.  I took the bus for many years, later rode with fellow employees.  We had a couple of blizzards in 1977 and 1978 and by that time I was riding with a supervisor in one of the departments; he had a company car and I got to work.  During an ice storm in 1976, I was going to stay home but my boss called and asked me to come in to help him.  I drove the 15 miles to the building and did the office work necessary for the storm.  We had crews from out of state as happens with every major storm - and our company reciprocated and still does.  I wonder if that is why I like storms because I enjoyed my participation in them at work!?  We did not have your very low temperatures fortunately.  I wore snow suits when in grade school and I don't remember what I wore to high school, except it was what every other girl wore; I do remember we wore skirts, no slacks in those days.

If those cats were in Kansas, Shirley in Soda Shoppe would make pets of them.  I'll bet she doesn't have mice.

Norm thought and Tom thinks that I talk/write too much, so I'll hang up now!

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I think Norm and Tom were/are wrong! Look at how enjoyable Larry Hanna's daily posts were! I don't see this as a chat room but a forum where it's nice to share our lives.

Do you know, those of you using Google and or Chrome apps, that their app store and apps are coming to a close?

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-chrome-apps-1075774/

Patricia, speaking of Chrome and I don't know if there is a connection, but I was watching MS News and a big popup came up telling me they had me blocked, I should not attempt to restart my computer and I should click on Google Chrome (link included).  At the top of my screen were several tags of places I had been and which I usually do not have.  I went one by one and deleted the tags and I'm still here. 

I don't know if we're getting cooler today or not but we started out at 40 degrees and it is now 36.  I'm snug and a bug in a rug!

Mary Ann

I miss our Larry Hanna, i miss his regular daily postings, his personal postings-emails to us...as the well known saying goes..." we dont realise how much we will miss someone until they are gone.."yes they were enjoyable and uplifting..he was goodness in himself, always ready to help anyone who was needing his help or advice..he was one of our best...

Mary Ann...
... like Larry Hanna, i like talkative...

Jackie, I second the motion!  Larry was one of a kind.  I do think he was appreciated when he was with us and people thanked him for his advice - and they took it!

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - Forget what Norm had to say about the length of your posts, and pay no attention to Tom's opinion either.  We all enjoy reading whatever you have to say, including all the details and back-story, on any subject!    I like to read all of the messages on S&F, but especially the long ones. The more I learn about a persons life, their family, their past, or just plans for the day, the more I can visualize that person, and feel like I know them. 

The short posts from members are fun to read too!  There are those who only want to write a paragraph or even just a sentence to say hello.  I'm happy to see any length of message in S&F, and hope they continue on as long as I'm around to read them. 

Marilyn and Patricia, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks so I'll keep writing long messages to explain what I'm talking about.  I am not a mind reader and don't expect others to be that way too.  I know I go into detail so the other person won't have to ask questions.  And Norm and Tom forgot that I lived alone for so long with no one to talk to that I have to exercise my voice when someone else is around!  Ha!  Anyway, thanks.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, I  think we all tend to "talk a lot at times " so just please keep on writing you newsy messages.

Patricia, you sure were a brave sole when you took those long walks to work

It has been a very lazy day. I haven't felt good from the antibiotic I am taking.  Hate that feeling, but it will pass.

Have a good rest of the evening.

Joy

This was posted by LarryHanna long ago

Bubble, that is beautiful.  I don't recall ever reading it before. 

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I've gotten those types of messages with links, and the first thing I usually do is Ctrl-Alt-Del to get out. I've had two computer crashes that cost me a loss of everything — one back in 2006 and one last October. The last one, my antivirus in one of its sweeps, told me I had something on the desktop it couldn't remove, and that was it.

Joy, my walking wasn't a big thing to me as I couldn't drive, and I was tired of spending a lot of money on transportation. It was also an enjoyable start and end to my day — a time of reflection and nature. Plus, I walked a lot inside as part of my jobs. It was jarring in 2014 when I fell on the ice and lost all of that. Nowadays, a trip out to do errands leaves me needing a day of rest! I miss walking, especially in Creamer's Field, a nearby wildlife sanctuary.

I miss Larry and his emails about stuff and those long daily posts too. I enjoy getting a small look into everyone's day and an affirmation on how alike we all are, near or far. Thank you, Bubble, for reposting. It says a lot as to how we feel about him and other past friends.

We are back in the minus twenties for highs and lows, and I keep reminding myself that March is coming and then Spring.

Bubble...
... i have seen and read this before but reading it again just this minute it was as if i was reading a posting directly from Larry Hanna, i could hear him as if talking to us all...Yes he was a true Christian worshipper - and believer...