Good Afternoon all!

Mary Ann, I see that Kendrick had himself an adventure at the expense of your peace of mind. I am so glad he is safely home now.

 MaryAnn,I just came back in here to check to see if Kendrick came home. I am so happy for you.  I know the feeling.  A few years ago, I had another cat, and he fell through the bedroom screen.  He was gone for two days. I think Taffy got scared the day she got out.

Thanks for the comments on Kendrick's return.  Actually, he is an indoor cat, at least, I've tried to keep him that way.  I've had a little competition from his "mother" (Annie) and Tom.  I have found him to be trustworthy on the porch and beside it when I have gone for the mail, but for a while, I'll try to put him on the deck while I go for the mail.  The previous time he was out overnight was probably a year ago and he made his wants known at Tom's window early in the morning.  I felt yesterday that he would return during the day but he did not and that's when I began to worry.  I waited to post about him until my last post.  I do believe he was at the slider downstairs when I went to bed, but I don't go downstairs and did not hear if he meowed.  He has been sleeping more than usual and eating more than usual but he's getting back to normal.  Tom said he was surprised when he let Kendrick in that he did not go into my room.  I'm glad he didn't because I had the first full night's sleep since I don't know when - no bathroom break.

Tom likes to experiment with his cooking sometimes and I think he won't repeat the last one.  He chopped up some chicken and vegetables and added a can of diced tomatoes.  I asked him what spices he used because it was a strange, hot taste.  He said he used diced tomatoes with jalapeno.  I would not be good with southwest cooking because the jalapeno burnt my lips and I could not finish the concoction.  Tom did say it was hotter than he expected.  I know he will not give me anything with jalapeno in it any more.  I boiled a couple of eggs and made myself some egg salad for a sandwich and that was delicious if I do say so myself.

Patricia, if you still have it, would you resize the picture of Kendrick in his scratch pad and post it.  Some day I will try to learn to post pictures since I can do it more easily on Windows 10.

Mary Ann

Here it is, MaryAnn;

https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?topic=11.msg96754#msg96754

Thank you, Patricia.  As anyone can see, he is a big cat.  He's sticking pretty close to home today and I'm not sure he got much sleep while he was out because he is sleeping more than usual - and cats sleep a lot. 

Mary Ann

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Hoping all of you still remember me! It's been a long time since I last posted.

I wonder if any of you have been hit by that scam where a page comes up saying it's Microsoft,  and says you have a serious problem and completely freezes up your computer. They give you a phone number to call, DON'T DO IT! I have a neighbor friend who did and now they are insisting that she pay them $150 for fixing it. My brother clicked on their link and ended up losing his internet and e-mail! Neither of them are very computer savvy. Both Chape and I have had it several times but recognized it as a scam.  Our solution is the 3 finger reset (alt, control, delete), highlight your browser when the box comes up and click on "end task", then shut your computer off the normal way. Wait for about 15 min. before turning it back on. It  happened to me again last night.

We are driving to Vermont to spend a couple of weeks with family. Leaving Tuesday morning. Our oldest daughter has planned a reunion including both sides of the family and extended family.  Hoping for good weather as it will be a barbecue at her house. She lives in the country with plenty of space so should be fun. Lots of room for the younger ones to run and play.

Larry - We will be spending Tuesday night at my cousin's home in North Augusta. Is there any chance you would be available for a short visit on Wednesday?

Mary Ann - So glad to hear that Kendrick returned!  My beloved cat, Calei, disappeared when we lived in Oklahoma but never did return. Still miss him! We looked everywhere. He was an indoor cat but also spent time outside. I went to neighboring houses and at one place when I described him the woman said "Oh, you mean Sunshine"! He used to visit their house afternoons, where her two little girls played with him and fed him! He was leading a double life. 

Hope you are all having a good summer.

Patricia, how cute!  I doubt Kendrick was ever small enough to fit in a teacup, however, the cat in Indps probably could have; she is about 1/3, maybe 1/4 the size of Kendrick.

Beverly, of course, we remember you!  How is Chape feeling?  Hasn't he had health problems lately?  Enjoy your time in Vermont.  Every time our family gets together, it is a family reunion because we're all that are!!!  The last reunion I attended was in 1951 in Wisconsin of my mother's relatives.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone.  We don't expect to be as hot today as we were yesterday.  We did get a little rain yesterday afternoon and a much higher chance of rain this afternoon. 

I just placed an order at Home Depot for a new dehumidifier and will go to the store in a little bit to pick it up.  It will save about $80 by picking it up myself.  I am sure they will load it into the PT Cruiser and if I can't handle it when I get it home I will ask my good neighbor across the street to help me get it out and into the house later this afternoon.  That is all that is on my schedule for today.

Pat did go to Sunday School and Church with me and then we met a couple from our Sunday School class at a restaurant for lunch.  We really enjoyed it.  It turned out to be a pretty exciting golf tournament and another young player now has won a major championship that will forever change his life. 

Mary Ann, I join with all of the other folks here in saying how happy I am to learn that Kendrick returned safely.  He knows who feeds and cares for him but needed to do a little exploring.  I can't remember whether you have said anything about getting a chair lift before but you will enjoy having it and so will Tom.  I guess for one of the four major championship tournament each year the golf course needed to be difficult.  Some of the best players didn't even make the cut.  That was some trophy the winner received and it certainly was a nice check of almost $1.9 million.  Too bad the dish that Tom fixed was too hot for you to eat. 

Patricia, is your area of town in any danger from the predicted flood in Fairbanks?  I liked the little graphic with the kitten in the coffee cup.

Beverly, scams seem to be a way of life anymore.  I am very leary of anything that doesn't look right. I think our folks here are pretty savvy regarding these types of scams.  I am excited about the prospect of meeting you here in North Augusta.  You are most welcome to come to the house or I will be happy to meet you downtown.  I will email you with more information.  Glad you are able to make the trip back to Vermont and the family reunion sounds great.   

Good Afternoon Everyone,  from the warm and pleasant,
rocky coast of Maine. 

Larry,  that dehumidifier should really make a huge difference
in your home.     Lower humidity makes for easier
breathing.     At least it does for me. 

I went out this morning and took my cart to the grocery
store.     What a difference that makes.
My cart is similiar to this one,  with a navy blue insert... 
butlarger and easier to handle.     

It fits easily on the bus (if I go early enough
when there are not other people with carts
headed to the grocery store!)

As I have mentioned,  we are having a beautiful
Summer here in Northern New England.    Wish
that it would last longer.

Have a great day,  everyone!
Sandy

Good morning from a chilly, dark, gray, rainy Interior. Today's high will be 58 and the highs expected for the rest of the month are highest at plus sixty-five. Our days of in the mid-eighties are over but that is expected in August which is normally our rainiest month.

Larry, Fairbanks is bound by five rivers, we aren't only situated in an arboreal forest but in a watershed valley. And there are streams, creeks, ponds and a small lake within the city limits. There is to the south, the main way out to Anchorage, (Out of three ways); that is situated on a flat flood plain. Since that last disastrous flood in 1967, they built Chena River Flood Control Project, a series of dams and spillways. We had four inches of rain over the weekend and are expecting a couple of inches more today and again on Tuesday.

However, the villages and small towns often use Fairbanks as an evacuation point for both fire and flood because we're local and as I said, we've got a lot of timber and a lot of water, in the Interior's different valleys. And we are still prone to flooding in some low lying areas. This building sits on the banks of the Chena, and 12 blocks from the closest loop of the Tanana;  but if any flooding, probably just parts of the river parks, bicycle paths, or parking lots but I doubt more than basements of houses by the river and some areas of the different river parks if that, because of the dams.

Now the people who work or live and serve at one of the military bases and have built homes in the flood plain, knowing of various area floods, may be flooded. It is convenient to bases, sits amid rivers and is lovely to look at, fish from and hunt from. But not so good in this type of situation as has been repeatedly proven. The government has even offered a couple of times to buy out homes but people either stay or repurchase and rebuild.

I understand Texas and other states are going through the same type of weather and floods again this year. It makes more news because one, they are densely populated and two, Alaska and Hawaii aren't seen as part of the same country as the continental U.S.

MaryAnn, I'm glad Kendrick is back, no worse for wear, but remember, contrary to popular myth, cats do not have a good sense of direction, their vision is long sighted and "The human retina has about 10 times more cones, the light receptors that function best in bright light, than cats' eyes have. ... Some experts believe cats' "color vision is limited to blue and grays, while others believe it is similar to dogs', but with less richness of hues and saturation of the colors." And add to that the dangers associated with other dogs and cats, humans, cars, plants, and chemicals around that we never think of such as placed on flowers and lawns or antifreeze.

Patricia, I do think Kendrick knows where he lives, even though he has not been outside much.  I think the last time he strayed was about a year ago.  I'll bet he marked a lot of territory while he was gone.  He knows which window is Tom's because he goes there and calls to Tom.

In the complex, we are not allowed to have dogs and the cats must be inside cats.  Just west of us are commercial buildings, no residences.  We have had raccoons in the area but I have not seen any in a few years.  Even though I panicked, I think Kendrick was relatively safe in his escapade.  I also think he slept little and ate little because he's done a good job of eating and sleeping since his return - more sleeping than usual.  He checks on me often.

I've just spent a lot of time watching some fire scenes in Rockford, a community north of us.  Norm's favorite restaurant has had a very bad fire.  The restaurant really IS Rockford.  The name is The Corner Bar and while it is a bar, it also is a family place and their specialty is hot dogs and chili dogs.  They would have contests to see who could eat the most dogs and after a certain number, the person's name would go on a plaque to be mounted on the wall.  I hope that could be saved.  The GR Press (local newspaper) put the scene on Facebook and even though I don't have Facebook, I was able to view a lot.  Any time someone new came to visit Norm, he'd take them to The Corner Bar and give them the history of the wall.  The owners say they will rebuild.  Right now, the Bar is passing out free hot dogs that they were able to rescue and what better way to use them up!

Mary Ann

Mary Ann you are making me hungry.  Nothing like a good chili dog with lots of onions and a big glass of milk.

Mary Ann & Patricia - Look online, you will find a large number of credible sites about the amazing sense of direction that domestic cats have, and will tell you exactly how they find their way home when they get out and and go wandering.  You will see that they do have an incredible sense of direction, sense of smell and sense of sight.  They will eventually find their way home . . . UNLESS of course they encounter trouble or danger.  This would include getting into a fight with another cat or a dog, or a wild animal such as a raccoon . . . and of course, getting hit by a car.

Here is one of many online cat sites, that will be very reassuring.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Domestic-Cat-Behaviour:-How-Do-Cats-Find-Their-Way-Home?&id=7124048

Thanks, Marilyn, I wouldn't be surprised if cats mark their territory, regardless of where they are.  Kendrick has done this before so I shouldn't have panicked, but I know the possibilities around here and the fact he hasn't been exposed to them.

I was thinking of buying a cat harness so I could take him for a walk but then I realized I would be taking him to unexplored places and I didn't want to introduce unexplored places to him so I think I will not get a harness.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone. We start out the day sunny with expected high temperatures in the mid-90's.  We had some thunder yesterday but no rain and not a big chance of rain today.

I did get over to Home Depot and picked up the new dehumidifier yesterday and Scott will be over later today to help get it out of the box and set up.  It weighs about 50 pounds.  I don't want to turn it on its said as they told me I would have to wait for 24 hours to use it if I did because of something about the Freon.  I am hopeful that Scott on one side and I on the other we will be able to lift it out of the box so we can start using it today.  My friend, who loaned me his dehumidifier will be here before noon to take his unit back home.

I am also awaiting the delivery of a UPS package, which is out for delivery,  of a new small combined Windows 10 and Tablet computer that Kim Komando has designed.  It is relatively inexpensive and if we don't like it we can return it in 30 days for our money back.  I have been wanting to get a lighter weight computer for Pat and while this is smaller than her laptop it is much lighter.  Once it is delivered today I will get it setup like her current laptop and she can try it out.

Sandy, we have noticed a big difference in our house in getting the humidity into the high 50's to low 60's range.  I am hopeful this new dehumidifier will let us get it to around 40%, which based on what I read, is the most desirable humidity for a home. It was running about 75% and things felt damp.  Using the grocery cart is a great idea.  Stacey had a couple of those but don't know how much she was really able to use them.  We often did grocery shopping for her, particularly when she was confined to the wheelchair.  We do have a chromed cart on four wheels, which we use to get the groceries into the kitchen after bringing them into the house.  It is also used for many other purposes.  Glad you are having an enjoyable summer. 

Patricia, getting out of the 80's and 90's sounds pretty good to me.  We are to be in the 90's all this week but August is usually one of our hottest months. From what you said it sounds like Fairbanks is pretty well shielded from the river floods.  Do your homes there have garages?  I ask because that was a shock to me in Anchorage that there were very few garages and was told it was due to the cost of lumber to build them.  It seems a bit unwise to build in a flood plain especially a second time. 

Mary Ann, I bet Kendrick has a safe place he can go to outside but wouldn't have anyone to feed him there.  Too bad about the restaurant burning.  Nice of the restaurant to share their hot dogs rather than through them away. You very seldom see a cat with a harness.  I wonder how successful that would be?

Hal, I also like a good chili dog with cheese and onions.  However, I will give you my glass of milk.

Marilyne, interesting information on cats.  My son has a big cat that he does let out but who always comes back home. 

Following the end of WWII my brother-in-law returned with his bride, from Virginia where they were settling down, to northern New Jersey to get his belongings - which included his cat.  Sadly, the cat disappeared from the Virginia home soon after arrival. 

A month or so later the cat arrived at my mother-in-law's home in New Jersey - alone and very bedraggled.

I have often heard that a cat becomes attached to a place, more than a person.

Larry, I am curious about why your a/c isn't bringing down your humidity.
It should.  I have been told that when an a/c unit doesn't that most times it is caused by too big of tonnage and it doesn't run long enough to take the humidity out of the air.  Mine does an excellent job, although I couldn't tell you what our humidity is in the house, but it stays very comfortable.  My a/c runs a lot, but does cycle, especially at night.

I had a new one put in this spring, I believe Vick put in a three ton, which seems to be about right for my house, around 1700 SF under a/c.  My electric bill has gone down some with the new efficiency of the unit.  Matter of fact last month no bill and this month it was about a hundred dollars less.  We are on a budget plan and I pay a little over 200 a month year round for gas/electricity/garbage.

Jeanne Lee, I can believe about cats and territories and/or people, although I think Kendrick it attracted to both this condo and me.  When he isn't sleeping, he's wandering around looking for me.  I have been marked enough that no other cat would dare to come near me!  I've heard of cats being away from their prime location and finding their way back.  Some after more than a year. 

Hal, I have central a/c and I'm very comfortable.  In the winter with a humidifier, I try to keep the humidity at 35% although I've been known to set it at 45%.  In the summer when I might not have the a/c running, if I feel the air is too humid, I turn on the a/c.  it goes on at 78 degrees.

We should not need the a/c today, or at least for a while.  Our temperature is 68 degrees and very comfortable.

Mary Ann

Our heat wave is gone. We are in the 80's now and this gal is a happy camper now. LOL

It's cooled down here in Northern CA, and actually felt cold here this morning.  My outside temp was 59 degrees at 7:00 am, and the wind is blowing.  I love it for a change - so tired of the 90's and 100's. 

I'm hoping to get a lot done today, now that the weather is more comfortable. I do so admire those ladies in the Soda Shoppe, who accomplish so much every day! (regardless of weather) I remember that feeling of satisfaction, but it's been a long, long time.

joan  - Good to see you have cooled down too!

There's not much going on here today but I do have to print some pages to take to the lawyer Thursday for my Trust revision.  I like to think this will be my last one and I keep my fingers crossed.  Tomorrow I have lunch with my retiree friends, but the only preparation for that is to have enough money in my billfold.  Sure, I could charge it, but I'd rather not.

I haven't looked, but I think our temperature is in the mid 70s and probably won't go past 80 degrees today.  My kind of weather, but I'd still like some rain.  Yesterday the Weather Channel showed a 40% chance of rain last night.  The next time around it showed 30% and we didn't have a drop.  Lake Michigan does that to their forecasts.

The cat is behaving himself.

Mary Ann

Hi everyone. We are in for another very hot day getting up to 96 or above this afternoon with little chance of rain. 

I did get the new little computer/tablet last evening and probably 3 hours working on it.  However, I am very disappointed this morning as it will not start up.  I think it may well have a defective battery as I noticed when using it last evening that the battery kept going down rather than charging as it should since it was connected to the electrical power.  It is a shame as I think Pat would have enjoyed using it.  I will call Kim Komando later this morning but am pretty sure I will have to return it.  Scott did stop by for a few minutes yesterday and got the dehumidifier out of the box and It ran all evening.  I wasn't able to hook the hose up as couldn't get the little plug out and will see if Scott can tonight.  By about 10 pm the tank was full.  I told Pat to just turn it off and I would empty the tank this morning, which I have done.  The unit is easy to move and I could roll it to the bathroom door and remove the tank.  That way if any water spilled it would be on the tile and not the wooden floor. 

We will go out this evening with Scott and Jennifer for the evening meal.  Pat does have a 10 am appointment with the Pain Clinic but I won't need to go with her.

Jeanne, I bet your BIL was shocked when his cat turned up after a month or so. 

Hal, I probably need to get the A/C people here to see if they can make some adjustment to reduce the humidity in the house.  Our utilities are usually in the $250 per month range.  This covers the electric, water, sewer and trash pickup.  This is an all electric home and we use a lot of electricity so am happy with the utility costs. 

Mary Ann, I did some research and found that a comfortable range of humidity is around 40%. 

Joan, nice to see you are having more moderate temps.

Marilyne, I would be happy to wear a jacket if our temperatures came down.  However, in another two or three weeks we should get some milder days.   

Thanks, I am liking it also.

It's chilly here this morning, but very refreshing, after a couple of months of 90's and 100's.

Larry - what kind of computer tablet did you get?  I have the Kindle, but have never become very fond of it, like so many others have.  Difficult for me to read books on it.  I do use it for surfing around the internet or checking my mail, but only when I'm waiting somewhere, and have nothing else to do.  When I'm at home, I much prefer my desktop computer to either a tablet or laptop, mainly because it's more comfortable for my back and neck.  However I do use the others for short periods.

It's already 9:00 here, so I need to turn this off, and get started on my day.  I hope to accomplish something today??  (Famous last words)   

Marilyn, I bought a Kindle, when they first come out, and I watch golf on it when I set on the deck, on the weekends. i find it heavy to try to read on it.  I bought a ebook kindle, and I read my stories on that.

My retiree friends and I met for lunch today at an Oriental restaurant.  Fortunately, Tom was seated close to us so I didn't have to hunt for him when we finished.  I had Orange Chicken and ate half of it and brought the rest home.  It's 82 degrees here today and the air is on.  I am ready for a nap.

Mary Ann

We would like to have some of Mary Ann and Marilyn's cool mornings.  This summer has been hotter and rainier than last summer.

Jean, I just turned on the computer after taking a nap and found the temperature is 87 degrees, not exactly cool.  It is just after 4 pm.  I notice our days are shorter and cooler each day but we have a way to go yet for cold!

Mary Ann