Norms Bait and Tackle

[angelface555]

Good morning from a beautiful but cool October day. This weather is what our September days were like years ago. The snow we had has long gone, even from the foothills, And while in the thirties and forties, there is a lot of outside activities with the rain seemingly gone.

Farrah is still very affectionate and playful. She loves to get under the tablecloth and attack her toys from underneath.

Yesterday, the smaller group of nine flew off to a ten-day visit to Anchorage and parts of Wasilla and Lake Louise. Tomorrow Tamra leaves on a month and a half trip to Ukraine so that it will be very quiet here.

Since I no longer have classes, I've been rereading some old favorites on my kindle and interjecting some housework here and there. I need to get back to more PSP, but it seems the morning is all I have time to be energetic.

[Mary Ann]

Beverly, I'm glad you put in an appearance.  Speaking of pictures, as you did, I have put some in family order but I have a lot to do yet.  I have a few montage frames with pictures and I think I probably am the only one who knows who is who in them.  Norm had one and I identified people in that one for Tom, but I have others.  I know one has an aunt of my dad; she was a dear little lady and was almost 100 when she died, however, her mind had left her by that time.  She would write us occasionally. 

Wasn't it fun to meet a cousin after 50 years!  I had that happen too and that was the only time I saw him since he went into service, then married and lived away from his birth family.  We did exchange Christmas messages and information so we still had contact. 

I'm sorry about your "bad week"; I hope they don't happen often.

Jan just brought me some flowers.  She had been attending a Hospice meeting and I don't know how she came upon the flowers, but I am the recipient.  She is no longer involved with Hospice because it was too much of the same when her dad was dying.  She is now a Triage nurse and loves it.

Patricia, I call the nice days of October "October's Bright Blue Weather".  Of course, yesterday was not so nice, but today is lovely - sun shining and 50 degrees. 

I wish Kendrick would be more playful.  Yesterday I threw a small ball at him and he pushed it around a bit, then managed to get it under the desk.  I am uneasy on the floor and I have no idea how far back the ball rolled but that is the first playing he's done in ages.  I'll look for another ball.

I'm sorry you couldn't go with the group to Anchorage but I know travel is hard for you.  I am hoping Saturday is nice here because Tom has said he'd take me for a color tour in the area.  He's up north now and I hope has no rain.

I know I can enlarge the print on my computer and sometimes do and other times don't, but I am wondering if I had a Kindle if I could read posts better.  I'll have to talk to Tom to see what he thinks.  He is my guru!

You know, it isn't the S&F posts that need enlarging for the most part because most everyone posts in BOLD and large enough for me (and others) to read.  If the posts are such I can't read them, I just go on to the next one.  It's the articles I might want to read where some can be enlarged and others cannot.

Mary Ann

[Marilyne]

PATRICIA - Ten days is a long time for your group of friends to be gone on vacation.  I can understand why you were reluctant to join them for that length of time.  Not only expensive, but boarding Farrah for so long would be hard on her.   Tell us what you're reading on your Kindle?   I'm always interested in what books people are enjoying. Also, consider joining us in the Library~Bookshelf folder.

BEVERLY - good to see you back with us, and nice to hear that you spent time with a cousin that you haven't seen in so many years!  I only had two 1st cousins - both gone now.  However I do have a number of second and third cousins on my mother's side, and I'm in contact with lots of them.  A few live here in Northern CA, but not close enough that I see them often.  Most live in Nevada, AZ and Southern CA.  We all try to stay in touch through Facebook.
You didn't mention Donna, so I'm hoping that that's a good sign, and that she is feeling much better?

MARY ANN - You just have one more night of being alone, so that's good.  I looked at my AAA Atlas, at the UP, and it didn't look like there were any cities up there that I recognized the names of? I guess it's not as heavily populated as the rest of Michigan?  Where does Tom stay, when he goes up there? 

JENNY - I was thinking about you this morning, and hoping you're have a great time!  The weather is usually mild and sunny this time of year, along the Southern Cal coast.  A nice time to visit.  I had friends in Oceanside, many long years ago, and I really loved it there.  I think Carlsbad is just a little further South?  Lots of interesting places to visit in that area, like  San Juan Capistrano Mission, the avocado orchards in Fallbrook, and the inland town of Temecula.  When my cousin was still here, I used to visit her in Seal Beach, and we would drive down to Temecula to spend a day in that cute little downtown area.  Lots of antique shops and lovely boutiques.   

[Mary Ann]

Marilyn, I really don't know all of Tom's plans.  There are places to stay in the UP as it is a tourist area.  St Ignace is at the Strait across from Mackinaw City.  I don't think they will go too far into the UP, not up to the Soo.  My thought is they stayed with a friend of Tom's in the Boyne City/Petoskey area, go across the Mackinac Bridge (Big Mac), then return this afternoon to either that friend's or another.  Tom lived in the Boyne City/Petoskey area for several years and has lots of friends there.  If he had his wish, he would still live up there but he knows there are no job opportunities in the area.  He doesn't have a paying job down here, either, but he has more contacts here to make money.  He isn't driving for Uber right now, nor is he sub teaching, but both are available to fall back on from his web-site work.  I know how he feels about the UP and upper lower Michigan because I have traveled in the area a lot but I don't have to have a job what with SS and my pension.  Tom does know which side of the bread the butter is on!

Besides St Ignace, there is Drummond Island, Naubinway, Newberry (near the Tahquammon Falls - Upper and Lower Falls), Houghton/Hancock, Marianet, Lake of the Clouds, Ontonogan, Norway - lots of places to stay.  Houghton/Hancock is the home to Michigan Tech, an engineering school.  My nephew, Terry, went to Michigan Tech.  Winter sports are big up there.  Wisconsin would like to have the UP but so far Michigan is hanging onto it. 

Mary Ann

[Beverly]

Mary Ann - My favorite aunt use to "preach" about adding names to the backs of pictures. The ones she left me are all identified. She was left with a lot of pictures and no way to know who was who. I haven't always followed her advice but I'm trying while my memory is still good.

Marilyne - Donna had her 6th chemo treatment on Monday. She gets very sick to her stomach but the end is getting closer. Two more to go. My son told her to "keep her eye on the prize!"

Our family is having its share of health problems. Our son is battling carcinoid tumor cancer. He gets monthly injections hoping to shrink an inoperable tumor. 10 years ago he had surgery and was cancer free for many years, but then it returned. Now Chape has been diagnosed with some type of myeloma. He's been through many tests and next Monday they're doing a bone marrow biopsy. That should tell us what it is and what treatment he'll need. Throw in my problems for good measure.......I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop!

Last night we had a six way text conversation on the I-Phone, our four children and us. It's a great way to talk things over and exchange information. I'm not looking for sympathy (We're an optimistic bunch) but it gives everyone an idea of what's going on in my life.

[Mary Ann]

Beverly, it seems when it rains in your life, it pours.  A lot of "I don't knows", but a friend of mine had Multiple Myeloma and lived for over ten years with it.  I read in the obits about people having it for more than that, so there is hope for Chape and maybe they'll find a cure for it within a few years.  I'm glad Donna has only two more chemo treatments and I hope that is the end of it. 

Tom just called; he is in Boyne City and the rain has stopped.  He expects to be home in late afternoon tomorrow.  I have been getting along fine and had offers to help if I needed help.  I give Tom credit for knowing he can leave his 95-year-old aunt alone for a couple of days.  We both have confidence in me!  Dot is close by if needed, Robin said if I needed help I should call her and Jan, this morning, said she is available if I need her. 

The wind is blowing at a good clip so I looked at Lake Michigan at Grand Haven and there are a lot of whitecaps.  I didn't see any kiters now, nor surfers, but I have seen some on previous days.

Mary Ann

[CallieOK]

Lunch with son was very nice.  I got there about 20 minutes early because I'd anticipated red lights and traffic - and didn't have either one!  Texted him to let him know and he was able to come right away. When he arrived, he confessed he'd forgotten and had been wondering where to go for lunch!!!!!! 

Usually manage to have lunch with my two sons individually about once a month.  Don't see the dils individually that often but we're in touch via text and phone.

Beverly, so very sorry to learn about your multitude of issues. The six-way text conversation is a great way to keep everyone informed.  Hugs and prayers for you, Chape and your family.

I had 7 first cousins - all from my Mother's side - and all gone now.  I only keep up with the children of one.  The oldest cousin nicknamed the two of us "Alpha" and "Omega" because she was the first and I was the last.
Relatives were pretty good about labeling pictures - except one "sassy" Aunt who always put 1492 as her birth year on the back of her baby pictures.  She never married and would sign her name as "One Moore".  All the nieces, nephews and greats absolutely adored her and that love was returned.

An e-mail from the HOA manager told us that the insurance company would be doing roof inspections this week and was also going to take pictures of each duplex building.  I saw two red trucks parked on the street as I drove in from lunch but haven't heard anyone on the roof.  Guess there'll be a cameraperson around tomorrow.  Can't decide if I should leave the blinds pulled or not. Ha!

I haven't seen very many ships on any of the web cams lately.  Chat sounds as if I've just missed them and I haven't had good luck rewinding the new YouTube videos.

That's it from this corner...for now. 

[Mary Ann]

Callie, you beat me by one first cousin - I had six - two on my mother's side, four on my dad's side.  I have one cousin left - on Dad's side.  We don't keep in touch well, but we do correspond at Christmas and/or if anything important arises.  She's three years younger than I am. 

It's a good thing you called your son or you would have been eating alone. 

I've watched my Wednesday night TV and now I'm going to see about something to eat.  I have a tomato I'd like to use, however, that would be good for lunch tomorrow. 

I have a cat who would like some attention.  Poor neglected cat!

Mary Ann

[MarsGal]

Not a whole lot going on this week aside from reading, playing on the computer and being bombarded by  's, mine and George's. New cafe curtains for the kitchen are to arrive today and new cat furniture comes on Monday. I think that will go upstairs. They already have furniture on the porch and in the living room. Today Sue and I are planning on eating at Red Lobster for lunch. That catfish dish is calling me.

Callie, what fun your aunt must have been.

There has not been much to watch on the river cams, but I did enjoy seeing (it is still there) the Manitou tug docked at Algonac, right where Picton Castle had docked in August, under the live webcam. Last night I noticed a tug and dredger set up near where Hollyhock moors in Port Huron. The BoatNerd cam was parked on it for quite a while. It wasn't there this morning, I don't think. More tall ships clips have been popping up on my YouTube recommendations page along with very recent drone footage Paul Murray has been doing at Port Huron, so I have been watching them. Callie I don't seem to be able to zero in on rewind very well either.

It is 49^oF now and only getting into the mid to high 50's today. Lots of wind with up to 40mph is forecast. That will sure make a fun trip across the bridge this afternoon.

[Mary Ann]

Kind of a so-so morning so far.  Tom will be home in time for supper and I'll bet he'll want to eat out instead of fixing something.  They probably will start down around 1:00 or 2:00 this afternoon because he said he'd be home by 5 pm.  Mary has another one hour trip home to Holland. 

MarsGal, Rewind isn't easy, but I've been able to do it.  I can't tell you what I do, but it's kind of like cut and paste - or touch and go!  I find the ships are  "feast or famine" - some days lots, other days hardly any.  I haven't been there yet today so I don't know what will transpire.

Kendrick doesn't have a lot of cat furniture, however, I'd like to get him a larger tower.  When he was a kitten, Annie got one at a garage sale for $5.  He barely fits on the tower because he is a BIG cat.  He does like to be up in the world to see what is what.  Often I'll come into the living room and he's on the back of a chair.  We moved the chair so now he isn't getting up there because the scenery isn't so good!  He's at the foot of my bed right now. 

Mary Ann

[Marilyne]

Thirty years ago today, October 17, 1989, we had the strongest earthquake I have witnessed, in my long life.  It was a 6.9, and the epicenter was only about 5 or 6 miles from here, in the SantaCruz Mountains - so you can imagine that we had a good shaking, with lots of damage.  Here in the town of Los Gatos, many of our older buildings collapsed, (brick) as well as streets buckling, and of course all power going out instantly. 

It was a little after 5:00 PM, and AJ was in our Volkswagen bug, on his way home from work, Sandy was living here, but was at work at The Wherehouse Record and Music store.  I was sitting here in the living room,  watching the beginning of the World Series game, just starting in San Francisco.  The TV rocked a few times and then fell to the floor, along with lamps, and a large china cabinet, filled with china that was instantly crushed  The fridge "walked" across the kitchen into the middle of the room, and the door flew open and everything was dumped to the floor.  The cupboard doors few open and all contents landed on the floor.  And so it went, throughout the house.  Fortunately, the house itself remained securely on its foundation, while lots of other houses and buildings were knocked off and collapsed. 

The roof collapsed inward, at the music store where Sandy was working, and of course the stacks of record albums, musical instruments, cash register, were knocked to the floor. She was unhurt, and all the young people working there at the time were okay.    Chaos reigned in the entire Bay Area, where bridges collapsed, roads buckled and houses fell over.  Almost the entire downtown area of Santa Cruz, was leveled.  I knew we lived very close to the San Andreas Fault, but never knew we were only a few miles away from the main fault line!   

I could go on and on, but will spare you the details.  Everybody has their own personal story to tell, about where they were and what they were doing.  Lots of community observances and commemorative events going on around the Bay Area today.  Earthquake drills at the schools, and many reminders that the next one will likely occur at any time.  We had two separate small quakes last week, so everyone is wondering if they are foreshocks?  Mixed opinions. 

[Mary Ann]

Marilyn, that sounds like a scary experience.  I've never been that close to an earthquake but we have been on the fringe of a few.  The "funniest" one I remember was when the quake was centered somewhere in Ohio and I was still working, so it would have been in the early '80s.  We who were sitting could feel the quake and commented on it.  A supervisor was standing at my desk and felt nothing at all.  We never could figure why he felt nothing standing and he was only about three feet from me. 

Our bugaboo is tornadoes and fortunately we've only had two of record - one in 1956 and another in 1965.  I do think Lake Michigan diverts a lot of storms coming across the lake as Chicago will show a bad storm and by the time it crosses the lake, it's nothing.  I hope your two small shocks do not foretell a big one.  The one I remember reading about in CA was when the bridge collapsed.  You really had a lot of loss with that quake even heirlooms, it seems.  You can't anchor everything in anticipation of a quake. 

The mowers are here now and I know they have only one or two more sessions before the mowing year is over.  The last time here, they will blow leaves from their hiding places but more leaves will fall and cover things until Spring.

We're staying around 50 degrees this week.

Mary Ann

[angelface555]

Good morning from the Interior where its dark 7:18 and everyone is fed, showered, and eyes open.

Farrah is much more playful now that she only has a couple of pounds left to lose. I need to ask the vet if she needs to stay on the Iams weight loss. He has both feral and abused cats of his own. He told me that both types tend to eat as much as possible because they've learned not to expect the food to be there. He also said not to leave the bowl empty because that only encourages them to eat more. She gets one-half cup daily, and instead of a dish, it goes in a cat puzzle feeding box, so she works at it. This satisfies their prey drive.

In the past, back in the nineties, August was rainy, and the hot summer temperatures cooled. September was cooler, the thirties and forties and clear. October was autumn colors, falling leaves, and snow around Halloween. I expected this for forty-nine years, even if I spent thirteen of those in the US South. From 2002 through 2006, we had fire, drought, unusual temperatures, and surprise ice storms we'd never had before. Some winters you only needed a tablespoon to shovel your driveway, and some you had perhaps four or five inches all year, and then March buried you in snow.

We have new vegetation, new animals, changes in current weather, in animals, and significant loss of sea ice. The decline has changed the majority of Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut traditions. The changing habits of Northern animals, notably, the loss of sea ice has stopped polar bears going out in the summer ice to breed and hunt. They've moved South into grizzly range, and we see more and more polar/grizzly hybrids. In other words, two of the most giant, smartest, most agile bears are combing into a larger, smarter, fiercer one.

Locally our weather is becoming milder, summers cooling, and many animals are no longer migrating. Without the colder winter weather killing pests, we see more Southern trees and pests such as coyotes, biting flies, and prairie dogs. Garter snakes have been seen in Juneau. This change is only in the past nineteen years. There are active and strict laws and actions statewide, such as the law permitting only seeds grown instate allowed to be sold and many decorative plants and trees destroyed by Fish and Game. However, these practices, while necessary, are merely a finger in the dike. Climate change is not only a political football but a reality.

I've read some books on the Holocaust about children and twins used in medical testing, notably "The Rabbit Girls" by Anna Ellory. Also, the "Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris and a collection of other children's diaries besides Ann Frank's pulled from trash, ashes, and mass burials.

Another book I would recommend is "An underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin" by Gad Beck. We have absolutely no idea of what institutionalized hate can do to a world, even those who know only of men and women leaving home to fight. The past with Columbus and the Colonial Era, the Civil War, the two world wars, and ethnic atrocities today show that little if anything has changed and seems to be gathering strength.

I'm also reading some nineteen forties-fifties cookbooks and rereading Oscar Wilde, Nietzsche, and Sylvia Plath's autobiography. For fun, I read Nora Roberts, Lara Adrian, Kirsten Ashley, Katie Reus, and Rebecca Zanetti. I have very eclectic tastes.

[angelface555]

Marilyne, I cannot even imagine. Earthquakes are unpredictable at present. I went online and saw videos and reports on damage and written accounts. I know that the San Andreas fault runs directly beneath Anchorage's Fourth Street, so I looked for that and no sign of any issues on that date. So how do you establish a system to better prepare? We are further North, so we rarely have major aftershocks from the State's coastal areas. That had to be terrible with family spread in so many different directions.

MaryAnn, Here it is wildfires. Anchorage and the lower coast commonly have extremely high winds and earthquakes, while the Western side of the state has volcanic eruptions such as Sitka's Redoubt. Up North along the two coasts (Chukchi, Arctic Ocean); they have cyclones and intense low-pressure storms coming from out to sea. To me, the Northern Coast is similar storm wise to the lower 48th East Coast Hurricane season. The Tanana Valley is surrounded by three sets of rugged foothills and four mountain ranges, and we're protected from the bad weather in other areas of the state.

[Mary Ann]

Patricia, I feel our weather pattern has changed with fall lasting longer into the winter season, however, this year could be different - who knows.  I think our summers have been warmer but I haven't looked at statistics.  I just stay inside in the a/c.  It really has only been the last 38 years that I have had a/c and prior to that I suffered along with everyone else in the heat. 

Kendrick has a cat-set for eating - one for food and one for water.  I delve into the food bag each night to give him new food and he anxiously waits while I do that.  I do not measure the amount except by eyeball.  He never empties his bowl of food and I expect he knows when he's had enough.  He doesn't empty the water but he does drink a good amount during the day.  He seems to stay the same weight but I don't know because I can't pick up 15+ pounds, especially a wiggly cat who doesn't like to be held.  I am going to have to get on the floor to see if I can find the ball he was batting around yesterday and see if he'll continue to play with it.  Things that move interest him, if only for a short time.

Patricia, I remember the year I was in Alaska, we were on Fourth Street and our guide pointed out that with the earthquake, there was a four-foot difference in the road - where we were!

In 1976 Norm's first wife and I flew to Guatemala shortly after they had an earthquake and there were many visible signs of the earthquake.  It gave one a lot of emotions.  People on our tour could only stay in certain rooms of the hotel because of damage. 

We have had wildfires in the UP because it is heavily forested and I think in the northern part of the lower peninsula.  Mother Nature is not very kind sometimes.

Mary Ann

[Tomereader1]

Marilyn, I was watching, or "going to watch" the World Series, and they started showing what was happening.  It was awful.  Sorry to know you were kind of right in the middle of it, and lost all your china & more.  Glad you and your family were safe.

[angelface555]

"Here Are the Urban Highways That Deserve to Die
The Congress for New Urbanism once again ranks the most-loathed urban freeways in North America—and makes the case for tearing them down."

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/here-are-the-urban-highways-that-deserve-to-die

[angelface555]

MaryAnn, other than a near-drowning incidence as a young child, I have been in only one life or death incident. We were managing some apartment buildings in Anchorage during the eighties, and one of my daily duties was unloading cash from 18 laundry rooms in one separate complex.  Anchorage had over one hundred mile winds that day, and I was in a ten-story L shaped building. At the lower point at the L's straight edge, there was on each floor an open walkway between the long set of apartments and the laundries.

I was on the fourth floor and not paying attention, attempted to cross the narrow open area. I was blown or sucked if you will, six feet to the other end, only stopping due to a four-foot barrier. Below that building was a downslope of several yards. I dropped everything and clung, halfway over the fence, until a tenant crawled out to drag me and the money bags back to safety. I have never forgotten that sense of inevitability and helplessness.

Other than hearing about or viewing disasters much worse than mine, I've never been in danger. That is the only time I was terrified.

Fairbanks has always been where others came for safety. Even with the 1967 flood, I was in no danger due to our house being on a hill even when it was only one street away from the river.

[angelface555]

"California to launch nation's first statewide earthquake warning system"

https://tinyurl.com/y2h2vjwu

[Marilyne]

Patricia - The earthquake early warning system would be a wonderful thing!  That's the scariest thing about Earthquakes, is that they are totally random . . .  not connected to any season, but can occur day or night, in all kinds of weather, twelve months out of the year.  They just come out of nowhere.   Scientists have been trying to come up with a warning system from as far back as I can remember, so looks like it's finally here. I will definitely download the AP.

The weather event that I think would be the worst, is a tidal wave!  Videos of the tidal wave in Japan a few years ago are downright frightening to watch.   Usually they're triggered by a quake out at sea, or somewhere on a shore thousands of miles from where the tidal wave happens. You just can't get away, as those waves rush in and engulf everything and everybody, and wipe out houses, buildings, cars, trees, and of course, people.   Everything that was once there, is now gone!

Tomereader - I find it fascinating, that you and I were both sitting and watching the World Series on TV, when the earthquake hit us here, way back in 1989.  Hard to believe, thirty years ago, and here we are, both remembering that moment.  Just think - I was only 55 years old, and you were about five years younger! 

Mary Ann - I wonder if your Gr-nephew in Southern CA, is concerned about a quake?  Probably not, as the big ones are so few and far between.  The little ones happen quite often, and people hardly notice them.  I noticed that the wildfire last week in LA county, was close to where he lives in N. Hollywood.  Not dangerously close, but both in the same area they call the San Fernando Valley. I would guess that he had lots of thick smoke where he lives.

[Mary Ann]

<sup>Tom is home now and both he and Mary had a good time.  Mary did not get to ride her bike because of the weather.  It wasn't rain, it was wind and chill.  Now Tom has left to go pick up a friend at a hospital and when he returns, we will go out to eat - I know not where! 

Marilyn, if the earthquake warning works, it will be worth having.  I haven't talked to Geoff about the latest fires.  I usually do e-mail him to see how near or far from him they are.  They're expecting a child in November so I am sure they're sticking close to home.  I think they're in an apartment, not a house.  When his kids are older, I wonder what they'll do for housing.  I think California living is entirely different than Michigan life, although I know people live in houses there.  I did not see enough of CA when we were there for their "superwedding" in 2014. 

Patricia, I'd have been scared to death with the experience you had between buildings.  Because we don't have mountains around, our winds act differently.  We do have high winds and we have hills, but nothing like mountains to stop the winds or accelerate them. 

Mary Ann</sup>

[CallieOK]

Marilyne and Tomereader,  your comments about the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco triggered a memory.
At the time, my son was working in the Customer Service department of the Hertz Corporation facility here in OKC.  He began getting frantic calls from the Hertz rental centers in SF and discovered that he could hear them but they couldn't hear him replying.  I remember his telling about how frightened the callers were.  (He still works for Hertz but is now a manager in the Data Base Retrieval Department. Something to do with their computer programs but my eyes cross when he tries to explain it. Ha!]

Oklahoma has had lots of earthquakes in the past several years.  Although there's a Fault Line under quite a bit of the state, "They"decided the quakes were caused by the fracking process used during drilling for oil and gas.
I don't totally understand the term but it has something to do with forcefully ejecting wastewater deep into the earth. It's been outlawed but we still have quakes now and then.
Other son finally took mementoes off open shelves in the kitchen because they were afraid the items would be shaken off and broken.  I remember hearing/feeling one that rolled under my house.  Not terribly shaky but it sounded like a huge truck coming and going away.

No hills in the western half of Oklahoma to break the winds!  Saying is "There's nothing between here and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence - and it runs north and south."    Long ago farmers planted red cedar wind breaks and now that tree has taken over like Kudzu does in the South.  Quite a few prairie fires are caused by lightning striking a grove of red cedars because they instantly flame up.

Guess we all have our Natural Happenings to deal with.

[Tomereader1]

I have noticed cedar windbreaks up into Kansas and Nebraska, don't know if they're red cedar, but obviously cedar of some kind! 

[Mary Ann]

I notice when riding in rural areas that farmers have planted trees (variety unknown to me) to cut down on wind - I have seen that in both Michigan and Indiana. 

With Tom home, I knew he would not want to fix supper so figured we'd eat out.  And we did.  We went to Cheers where I had a sandwich and he had some chili.  He's ready for bed now (7:50 pm) and he'll be glad to sleep in his own bed which is adjustable.  He'll be busy tomorrow as Friday is always a busy day for him.

Almost 8 pm and it's dark out.  In a couple of weeks, it will be dark sooner, then in another five weeks it will start getting lighter at night.  We're never satisfied!

It's neat now looking at Grand Haven and seeing the catwalk lit up.

Mary Ann

[MarsGal]

Good Morning everyone! Lots of interesting posts yesterday.

Mary Ann, the description of the cat furniture I ordered says it is made especially for larger cats. It is not a tall thing, only around 33" tall. There is a corner spot by a window in this room that looks like it will be a good place to put it. Shan likes to look out that window, and has damaged some of the old, brittle blind slats there.

My sister, her husband and I had a lovely lunch at Red Lobster yesterday. I did indeed have the cat fish, blackened, with fries, salad, and the cheese biscuits. We got a lobster salad stuffed roll and the stuffed mushrooms for appetizers, and Sue and I tried out the new Paradise something or other mixed drink. As usual, I was too full for desert. The curtains arrived late in the afternoon. I plan to put them up today and do a little interior caulking around the sills and molding.

The temp at 6:30am is 47^oF, warmer than I expected. It is mostly cloudy.

[Mary Ann]

MarsGal, I'll look for something for a large cat.  I looked in Amazon recently and asked for large cat toys.  Everything that interested me was for kittens.  Kendrick is not a playful cat so I took one thing to Indps with me last month and the kittens loved it.  My slider is not at a corner but in the winter we don't go to the deck anyway. 

Your lunch at Red Lobster sounds delicious but it is way more than I could eat.  When Tom and I go out, I order a sandwich and eat half of it then bring the other half home.  I have my lunch already for today. 

Tom is at his Bible study now but will be back by at least 1 pm to take me to the doctor to check my recent skin cancer surgery.  As far as I am concerned, it is coming along fine - but I'm not the doctor.

I looked at Lake Michigan and it's like a mirror, not a ripple.  That won't last long.

Mary Ann

[Marilyne]

MARY ANN - The reflection of the lights at night on the lake at Grand Haven, is a beautiful sight!  Last night I sat here for a long time and looked at it before I went to bed.  The water was very still and calm, and the lights were almost hypnotic!  I slept better than usual also!

MARSGAL - We used to like Red Lobster, but then they suddenly closed the restaurant that was  close to us.  The same thing happened with Outback and Olive Garden.  Now they're all located in San Jose, which requires driving through horrible traffic at commute time.
I see that your temperature of 47 degrees at 6:30, is exactly what mine was, this morning at 6:30!

PATRICIA - I've aways been interested in hearing about different books that people enjoy reading. You definitely have a variety of interests, in many subjects.  I keep a list of what books, fiction or non-fiction, that members favor here in S&F, and I often order something from the library that I had not known about before, and usually enjoy it very much.  I'm always up for any book dealing with the Civil War.  I read The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, many years ago, but I didn't know she had written an autobiography?  It must be a sad commentary, as I know she was quite young when she died.

Well, 7:45 here, and time for more coffee, and hope to see you all posting later, and also looking forward to a messages from all others who post here in B&T.

[Mary Ann]

It is a pleasure to look at Grand Haven at night now with the catwalk lights on and reflecting in the water.  I'm glad you could enjoy it. 

I had a couple of books I read twice, but it has been quite a while since I could read because of my eyes.  One of the books was "Seven Years in Tibet" by Heinrich Harrer.  It told of his entering and crossing Tibet, mostly in the night, then becoming friends with the Dalai Lama (I think the present one).  I am not sure of the title of the second book I read a second time but I think it is "For All the World", where a  young woman with a young son, signed onto a Merchant Marine ship in San Fran, met up with four young men sailing from SF to wherever and she convinced them to let her and her son sail with them.  She and her son left in Calcutta.  There was no hanky panky in the story, but she did end up marrying one of the men.  And I don't remember her name; I think her husband was Ivor ---.  It has been many years since I read either of the books.

Mary Ann

[FlaJean]

We are in for some rain for several days.  The storm coming in is supposed to be to the east of us and coming through tomorrow.

We have an answering machine and don't answer the telephone unless we know the caller.  We got a call several days in a row telling us that $70.95 had been charged against our VISA Card and to dial 1 for information.  Of course we didn't but my husband checked with the credit card company and it was not true.  It is definitely a scam as the next time the woman called it was $70.95 against our Amazon Visa card.  We don't even have an Amazon card.  You really have to be on guard against those crooks.

Marsgal, your meal at Red Lobster sounds good.  Red Lobster is quite a ways from us in Fort Walton Beach so we don't usually go there unless one of the kids give us a gift card for that restaurant.  Our town is small and mostly has just fast food places so if we go to a restaurant we go to Destin which is right across the Midbay Bridge.  They have lots of restaurants.  My favorite is Outback at present.

We noticed when we were eating breakfast this morning that a bluebird was looking over one of the bluebird houses.  I don't think this is the time of year for mating but maybe she was just planning ahead. 😊.  It is chilly here today and we had to put on the heat.  I miss the sunshine but glad for some rain—-just don't want too much.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

[angelface555]

Good morning from the Interior, where its presently +36, and our low today will be freezing at +32. The weather for the past while has been enjoyable. I gave away my dining set yesterday and a small table to a new tenant. With it gone, the white, fuzzy mouse toy hangs straight down about five feet. Farrah had ignored it before, but with the table gone, it is open season. A few times last night, she'd grip the mouse in her teeth and head under my computer table, or attempt to. At the end of the elastic, it would snap back fast enough for it to wrap around the curtain rod.

Marilyne, I misspoke as it was a biography of Sylvia Plath. My tastes are eclectic in the sense that I tend to read about subjects in cycles. For example, I read about an ongoing project where they are trying to identify many of the people in photos en route to the gas chambers. They attempt to contact people that survived the various points of origin and attempt identification. Sometimes they're able to identify the people in line, which humanizes the sometimes constant photos. That article led me to "The Rabbit Girls" and the "Tattooist of Auswitch." What most fiction and nonfiction I read are histories or futuristic, which is history yet to be.

MaryAnn, I tried a search engine for your book but was unable to locate it.

I hate the almost constant spam I receive altho, my antivirus does an excellent job on my cell and my computer. The ones I hate the most are ones targeted to seniors, as it must be lucrative judging by the amount I get. For example, one saying, "Free yourself, oxygen anywhere," etc.

Last year I had to delay some autopayments for two weeks as my card was held and they issued me a new one. Someone had attempted to charge twenty dollars on my account in a way that wasn't my regular purchase. They promptly denied the charge and froze my card. Since it was one I only used at the grocery store, it was easy to spot the attempted bogus charge. That made me glad that it was located and angry that it was tried online. Since I use that particular card for quarter rolls at the bank inside the grocery store, it may have been an attach spycam on the atm or some clerk at the register.