Patricia - I clicked on the link, just as the kittens were being placed back in the cage - followed by Mama.  The white one with the perfect gray markings on the ear tips, tail and backs of legs is very distinctive looking.  Right now, the two white ones are nursing and the tabby who looks like Mama, is still playing. I just realized there is one missing kitten?  Hope he's okay?  I’ll check back later for another look.

Marilyne, the two white ones have the Lilac Siamese markings which are just beginning to darken, where the other boy is the gray tabby. The fourth tabby mentioned died a week ago of a diaphragmatic hernia. There are now only three kittens. The Siamese with the darker markings is the only female.

One thing of note genetically is Mama cat's seventh toe. It is just an empty skin sac, no bones or tendons,  with only a claw at the end. They will be removing it later, probably when everyone is neutered.

Patricia - I'm wondering why I don't see a litter box anywhere? Are the kittens too young to use one?  Right now they're all cuddled up around Mama, and she's busy giving them each a "bath".  I definitely see the Siamese markings, now that you called it to my attention.  I should have known that those gray ear tips, tail, etc . are too perfect to just be random markings.  It will be interesting to see if they look more and more Siamese, as time passes.  The other little guy is adorable too.  I'll have to go back and look at their names again, and try to remember who goes with what name.  I wonder why they named them such odd names??

Hi Everyone. Here in South Carolina we are awaiting the impacts that Hurricane Michael may have on this area.  We are to get a lot of rain, wind and the possibility of tornados.  I see on the Weather Channel that the Hurricane now has winds of 145 MPH.  I am glad we are as far away from the coast as we are.  It is a warm and humid 75 degrees here already.  Pat is up and plan on attending her craft group this morning and I will go on down to the restaurant and have coffee with any of my friends that are there today.  This evening we plan on eating at the Church and Scott plans to come out afterwards. 

Marilyne, glad they were able to control the fire near you.  Are the big washers in the laundromat up on platforms so they are at a height you don't have to stoop to put in and remove the bigger items?  I know this was the case where Stacey lived. 

Sandy, glad you are so happy with your Rollator.  Pat hasn't ventured out much with hers, only the last two Wednesday evenings when she went to the dinner at the Church. 

Mary Ann, I lost one pair of my reading glasses last Sunday at Church.  I had used them there but when I got away from the Church I didn't have them.  Fortunately I have another pair exactly like that pair, which are half size plus another pair that is like regular glasses so am not in danger of not being able to read.  Plus if I hold things are far enough I don't need them.  I also thought of Jean in Niceville as well as a couple from our Sunday School class who moved their last year.  I mentioned above how we expect to be impacted from the Hurricane.  I already notified the fellow I take to coffee on Thursday that I am not leaving the house tomorrow as that is when we get the impacts here. 

Patricia, I will have to try to look at the web cam to see the little kittens.  My money is on Farrah to someday find a way to get to those plants.  We thought we had our 4-leaf clover plant where our cat couldn't get to it but he eventually made it up to it and ate off all of the leaves, leaving us with a pot of stems. 

deAngel, I hope your DIL and husband do decide to seek higher ground so they are good and safe. 

Joy, I just heard that the Hurricane is the worst one ever to hit in October and the worst one ever to strike the Gulf area.  Surely Jean has evacuated as sure wouldn't want to live close to the water.  Enjoy your nice weather.  I am not aware that Florida has very much high ground. 

Good morning from the Interior! I'm beginning to believe we may go back to having our first snow on or about Halloween. Or I may have just jinxed myself. 

Nothing new here, it's 5:11 AM and I'm waiting on that first cup of coffee and Farrah is noshing on her fresh bowl of kibble. Larry, you may be right about my plants but they are right under the ceiling on the top sixth shelf and there are file boxes and baskets blocking her way.

Larry, Jean, and everyone in the path of this newest storm be careful secure and stay safe!

Marilyne, the litter box for Mama is outside the kennel. There is an opening above where she can jump in or out of the kennel and the kittens are too young to go on their own. In what to me, would be a supreme act of motherly love, momma cat bathes them stimulating them to go and cleans them afterward.

The names are from some science fiction story. He gives each litter a theme and after 62 litters, I'm sure he has to range further out for names. The name of the previous litter, Five Guys, came from a hamburger chain. This litter's theme is the Fantastical Kittens.

The wind is howling here this morning!  I looked at my local Weather Underground page, and see that the wind is coming from every possible direction.  My area says S/W, which is good, because that means it's coming from the direction of the ocean, but other areas here and all around the Bay, say East or NE, which presents the highest danger for wildfires.  We shall see! 

Larry - Looks like you're in for some wild weather too!  I do hope we hear from Jean today, and that she and Larry are okay?  I remember when the last hurricane hit Fl, she said she was inland, and would be safe.  Another member that I'm thinking about this morning is Shirleyn.  I pretty sure she lives on the coast, but I don't remember which one?  We haven't heard from her in a long time?   Yes, the machines at our laundromat are up on platforms, and we also have rolling metal baskets on wheels, so we can pull the items right out of the washer without lifting.  The dryers are also at two different heights, so you can use whichever ever level is easiest for you to manage.

Patricia - I'd like to suggest that you put the link to the kittens, along with some background information, in the Pet folder.  I think there are lots of S&F members who will click on it, and be interested . . . MarsGal for one, and Sasha, for another.      

  

Right now I have not been able to locate my DIL, first she said, she was not going to leave, last time she was going to see what others did. she lives about 2 miles from the ocean.  My grandson, had to stay at the hospital where he works.

We decided not to ride out the storm.  Although it will be a little east of Niceville no use taking chances.  We are in Hattiesburg, MS, and hoping for the best.  My daughter and husband decided to stay and we are praying they will be all right.  It is a beautiful day here.

Jean, so glad to see you left. as I wrote above I hope my DIL has gone to Eglin AFB, according to the news the storm is going to cover a large area.

Jean, I am so glad you left and are away from the hurricane.  I hope Gloria de's DIL has left too.

I'm not sure but I think Shirleyn lives around Winter Haven.  She and Danny used to drive to the Strawberry Farm near Sun City Center where Norm and Dot lived, to meet us for strawberry desserts - YUM!  I can't think of others in the panhandle area who would be in danger, but I am sure I'm missing someone.  Sun City Center is near both Tampa and Bradenton, also Sarasota, and I don't know if they're in the path or not.  I guess I'd better turn on the Weather Channel.

I looked at my radar site as well as turning on the Weather Channel.  The radar site is very colorful and while they might have some rain, I think the hurricane will not go to Winter Haven.  It is going in a more northerly route and likely to give Larry Hanna some moisture.  Most of the moisture is in the eastern part of the country but there is snow in the Dakotas and up into Canada. 

Mary Ann

Just checked the Duluth/Two Harbor web cams.  Those waves are FIERCE!!!!

Hurricane Michael news was replaced with news of several "pop down" tornadoes in Oklahoma yesterday.   According to the weather gurus,  two systems "collided" and caused all sorts of havoc. 
The tornadoes that did considerable damage came down so suddenly and lasted so briefly that neither the warning sirens nor the t.v. stations knew what was happening soon enough to get warnings out.  The weather apps on cell phones did sound an alert but things were over before most people had time to react.  Fortunately, there were no injuries but one twister even tossed three cars from the parking lot into the front of a department store.

Crazy weather!!!!!!

Hope everyone in the path of Michael - and now a storm moving northeast from Baja California - is safe.

Callie, the weather is indeed crazy.  Think of all the storms and floods in the east while the west is baking under hot suns.  That must have been some storm to toss three cars in front of a store. 

I haven't looked at Duluth lately because none of the ships were leaving or arriving when I did look.  I did see two ships go through the Soo however.

Lake Michigan is rough, but with few whitecaps.

Mary Ann

Callie and Mary Ann - I just looked at the Duluth Canal Cam, and it's really wild!  The water/waves are rolling over the wall, and flooding the area where the boat watchers congregate.  Nobody there today, of course.  I'm sure they have a sign posted or more likely, a barricade up,  to prevent people from entering that area.  I know how it is here in CA when there's a storm and the waves are high . . . people hurry over to Santa Cruz, and then perch on piers, wharfs, and even cliffs overlooking the ocean, to get a close-up and personal view of the waves!  So very dangerous, but lots of people search out thrills like that.  I've never been a thrill seeker.

Callie, Cathie and I were driving up to Sulphur Sunday afternoon. Our first stop is always at the Arbuckle Fried Pies place south of Davis. Just as we pulled up, our cell phones announced a tornado warning for Murray County. We were standing in line to order when the owner made an announcement that there was a tornado heading this way and to either drive south or north as fast as we could.  There was a mass exodus out of the store naturally.  We headed north and as soon as we got into Davis, the sirens were going off.  We pulled off into a parking lot and Cathie started taking pictures.  She got one of the funnel touching down and going back up. It was a small one and touched down in the mountains so no damage.  It was the first one I have ever seen in person so to speak.  There had been a couple that passed over while we were living in Sulphur, but we were always in the cellar. 

We spent the night in Sulphur and naturally, on our way home we stopped and loaded up on fried pies.  They are cheaper by the dozen . They are always the first place we stop in Oklahoma and the last place we stop on the way home.

Mary

A little late getting in here today.

I had been waiting for one of the OT therapist to come to re-evaluate me and he was late coming.  When my regular one left here on Monday, she said that would be her last day and someone would be here to discharge me.  Now, the one who came today, said he had me down for 2 more weeks.   Somebody sure had things messed up.   He said that he would like to see me take the laundry to be done before he discharges me.  The other girl had mentioned it and I said I didn't think it would be a problem.  I sure hope they are not going to be coming back. 

Jean,  I am so happy to see a message from you today.  I have checked several times yesterday and was hoping to see something today.  You made a good choice.  They keep saying it is a fast-moving storm, so maybe you won't have to stay away for that long. 

Larry,  I wasn't even thinking about you being in the way of the storm as you are inland.  But, then I saw the path that it might be taking and it does get close to you.  Our weatherman seems to think that only the southern part of Maryland will get a lot of rain and along the beaches.   We are just supposed to have a short spell of rain and then a very nice week end again,  although a lot cooler.

Yesterday when I looked at the Duluth Canal cam,  it looked like a miserable day with rain.  I will have to go check it out when I get finished.

Have a nice afternoon.

Joy

Mary,  these "quickie" funnels have been happening all over the state for several days.  I know we have a "second" tornado season in the Fall but don't remember having these types.
Oh, YUM about those fried pies!   I know what store you're talking about.  There used to be a fried pie place in OKC but I haven't heard about it in quite a while.

MaryTX, that probably was more excitement than you wanted, but what a memory!  We had a bad tornado in 1956 and the only thing I remember seeing prior to it hitting was a green sky but I knew that wasn't good.  I was at the bowling alley near home and my dad had just bought a new-to-him car - and I had it.  I got home as soon as possible (about a mile) and we found the tornado had gone from SW to NW of our city.  That was as close as we wanted to be.

Joy, I hope your therapy days are over but it sounds as if someone's schedule is wrong. 

Marilyn and Callie, I also saw the Duluth chanel and it was fierce.  I looked down the rest of the area and saw there were slight whitecaps on the Harbor site, but the other sites are protected by land. 

Lake Michigan can be treacherous and I think authorities keep people off the pier in high winds because the waves can sweep people off the pier.  However, people are able to stand on the beach to see the sprays from the waves against the pier and also the red lighthouse.  It is spectacular to see.

Mary Ann

Hi Everyone. Still dark here in North Augusta, South Carolina but it looks like we have been very lucky so far from the Hurricane. It started raining about 2:30 am and then some wind and at 4:30 we lost power for about 20 minutes and then another very brief outage a little later. The Weather Channel has a reporter over in Augusta, Georgia, and he said we have had about 2 1/2 inches of rain in the area and we will get some more rain and moderate winds this morning but nothing severe is expected and then will clear off this afternoon. I am seeing some of the pictures that are showing the terrible destruction that some of the communities in Florida experienced. I am sure a lot more destruction will be visible as the sun comes up and the reporters can get around more.

Pat did go to her craft group at Church yesterday and then we stopped at Zaxby's for our lunch. The Wednesday evening activities were cancelled at the Church so Scott just came out and had one of the meatloaf dinners Pat had put together that we taken out of the freezer. I had gotten a new utility cart like we have in the kitchen that is so handy to use in the garage to get groceries from the car into the house and he put it together for us. I am taking a pass on going to coffee this morning as the old gentleman I pick up on Thursday isn't sure on his feet and a big gust of wind could blow him over plus it will still be raining. I just plan on a nice quiet day here at home.

Patricia, it does sound like your plants are probably safe.  I would think the man with the cat shelter would be having difficulty coming up with new names for the kittens after that many litters. 

Marilyne, we have been very fortunate with the impact of the Hurricane coming right over our area.  I just checked and we have only about 10,000 power outages in our county and right now the winds are very mild and the rain has stopped but there is more rain to come.  I was happy to see that Jean and Larry had been cautious and evacuated. I do hope Shirleyn and her husband are safe.  That sounds like a nice laundromat that had a lot of thought put into its design.     

deAngel, I sure hope you are able to hear from your DIL this morning and that they have escaped serious damage.  The pictures and reports from Panama City are pretty dire. 

Jean, I sure hope Niceville missed the brunt of the Hurricane.  I heard a little bit ago that the Hurricane stayed at category 1 for about 250 miles inland doing a lot of damage in Georgia as well as Florida.

Mary Ann, the radar site sure was in the two different shades of red for a long time.  That has now moved further East from here. 

Callie, glad you didn't get any of that Tornado damage.  Before we moved to Moore, Oklahoma we lived in an apartment in Midwest City.  That was so long ago I can't even recall very much about either of those places. 

Mary, I grew up in NW Missouri and there were always some tornados in our county it seemed.  There were also some really bad tornados in the Kansas City area that were close to where we lived for nine years.  My dad was an insurance agent and was always called out to assess the damage for his policy holders.  Glad you were able to stay safe.  It sounds like those fried pies must be something special. 

Joy, I feel so fortunate to have had two Hurricanes here in South Carolina within weeks and our area has basically been left untouched.  There is going to be some really shocking pictures today as they can get in to areas not now accessible.  They were just showing a freight train where all of the cars had been blown over and off of their wheels and they said it went on for probably 2 tenths of a mile. 

Good morning, Larry  and  all the others who follow.

Larry, I saw pictures this morning on the news and there looked pretty bad.  I hope you won't have too much of the remnants of the storm to hit your area.  It seems to be moving pretty quick.   One of the reporters this morning was in Hilton Head.  And, they were getting some of the storm.  My oldest son and DIL are on a trip to Italy with friends from Hilton Head.  They had just gone through the last hurricane, but didn't have any damage, except a lot of rain.  I have not heard anything from my son since they have been away, so I sure hope their friend's place will  not be affected.   This is the third time they all have been in another country, when there was problems with the weather in Hilton Head.   

I have been up a while and have had breakfast,  but not sure what I will get into.  We are having some sprinkles early this morning,  but still in the low 70's.  But, it is supposed to cool down in the next few days.  I think out nice warm days are probably over.  I think the coastal areas and southern Maryland will be getting more rain and wind than inland. 

Hope everyone will have a good day.

Joy

I got up about 5:30 because I could not go back to sleep, then went back to bed  about 7 am and did go to sleep and got up again about 8:30.  I am happy to see that Larry had no damage other than power outages.  I am watching the Weather Channel now and they're showing a picture of the train that was pushed over by the wind.  Unbelievable.

Joy, I hope your visits end when you want them to; you seem so pleased with your progress so far.

I can tell it's Thursday because the mowers are here.  I think they finish the first week of November and that's when they clean up any leaves that have fallen and do any final clean up.  They start in April, but both months are "weather permitted". 

Lake Michigan is quite rough this morning with white caps south of the pier as far as the screen shows.  With the sound on, you also can hear the waves. 

Mary Ann

Good Morning Everyone,
from the rainy and cool, rocky coast of Maine.

Much better then yesterday which was
very hot and humid,  and our AC's have
been removed until next June...    So it was
very uncomfortable.   

Today is fine,  even though it is raining a bit...
Nice and cool...    (Hooray!)

I hope that any in Michael's path,
survived ok...      He sure was a powerful
hurricane...  The good news being that he
move through very fast and didn't stop
to linger.   

Have a good day,  everyone!
Sandy

Marilyn, Paul just went through the Soo heading for Superior.  It is interesting to see the construction of the various ships; not all are the same design.  Paul's hull (I hope that's the right term) is straight from stem to stern and at times is parallel to the bridge between the US and Canada.  Vehicles on the bridge at a certain place looked like they were driving on Paul. 

We are windy here today but nothing major like in the south.

Mary Ann

Good to know that two of our S&F friends in the path of Michael, are safe . . . that would be Larry, and FlaJean.  I hope that those we haven't heard from are okay?  It's been a long time since Shirleyn has posted a message here?  Also wondering about Johanne? We used to have lots of members who lived in Florida, but now I can't remember anyone else except for Joan, when she was in Melbourne. 

Mary Ann - every time I've seen Paul up close (or as close as possible) on the Duluth cams, I've thought that he looked to be a different shape than the other boats.  I figured it was just his large size . . . always looks like he's barely squeezing between the two sides of the canal.  I assumed that all the large boats were shaped the same, but now I can see that they are not.
I'm curious as to what bridge you're talking about, where "the cars look like they are driving on Paul"?  That must be a cam that I don't have?

Marilyn, the bridge is the one that goes between the US and Canada.  It is that long line you see in the middle of the screen and it starts at the left of the screen.

I've noticed that most ships are different one from another.  They have different uses - some coal, some iron and other things. 

I'm heading in a few moments to a retiree luncheon at the Beltline Bar which is famous for Wet Buritos.  We used to go there when I was working and I haven't been there since.  There will only be four of us, maybe five.

Mary Ann

We came home last night.  If we had gone to New Orleans, we would have stayed a couple of days.  Bur where we were is not really a vacation place, and we were anxious to get home.  There was no damage in Niceville.  Our daughter said that they had one scary moment but other than that everything was OK.

Weatherman said the hurricane acted almost like a tornado in some areas.  One of the worse hurricanes to hit in this areaâ€"-almost a 5.  Thankfully for us, it went far enough to the east that we received no damage.

Glad everyone is doing well.  I just hope and pray that Mother Nature stays calm for awhile and no more fires, tornados, floods, etc.

Jean, I'm glad to hear you are home and everything is OK.  I could tell by the pictures on TV that Michael hit east of you.  Banners on the TV would say that the storm devastated the Panhandle coast and I guess it did.  I think the storm was light where Larry Hanna is, too.

Today I met four retirees for lunch and we all ordered Mini Wet Burritos and I don't know why, but it took forever for our food to come.  Burritos are a specialty at this restaurant and you'd think they'd have them ready to heat, but I don't know what is necessary to put them together and probably every other person ordered them.  We really were gone a little more than an hour so that wasn't bad, but it seemed it took that long for our order to come.  I doubt I'll go there again because I'm not that fond of burritos and there wasn't much else that appealed to me.

We don't have rain but the sky is overcast and my chairside thermometer reads 48 degrees. 

For those wondering about Shirleyn, she lives in Winter Haven, which I believe was not in the path of Michael.  They might have gotten some rain, but I think no storm.

When I get done here, I think I'll take a nap.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann- I just looked at The Soo, and watched the Algoma Harvester, enter the locks.  It looked very sleek and newer than most, so I clicked on it, and saw that it is Canadian, and was built in 2014 .  That’s the newest ship that I know of, but there are probably others as well.

I don’t like this new camera angle at The Soo.  It doesn’t show enough of the bridge in the background and not enough of the locks.  Is that the bridge where you saw Paul go under ?

Quote from: Mary Ann on October 11, 2018, 09:29:56 AM
It is interesting to see the construction of the various ships; not all are the same design.  Paul's hull (I hope that's the right term) is straight from stem to stern and at times is parallel to the bridge between the US and Canada.  Vehicles on the bridge at a certain place looked like they were driving on Paul. 
Mary Ann

You must have a different cam, in order to see a boat under that bridge? If you do, please post the link.

Marilyn, Paul did not go under the bridge, it was parallel to it but it looked as if a vehicle was driving on Paul.  It is the angle of the view.  Actually, the bridge is far from the channel the ships use.  You can tell by the sizes of the vehicles, even semis look small.  You might not realize it is a bridge, but it is the road/route between the two countries.  After a vehicle gets on the bridge at the left, I think there is not much to see because of the framework around it.  You can see the supports for the road; they look like two posts and are at intervals as the bridge goes along.  I was not talking about the bridge at the left but the road as it continues to Canada because it is on supports for a long time.  And, yes, after the ships are out of sight at the left, they do go under the bridge, but that is not the bridge I meant.

I enjoyed the Soo view we had for a short while because there was more activity.  I notice a structure at the end of the first pier is missing.  I know it wasn't removed so we could see more of the ships, but we can.

PS  Marilyn, I thought of another term for the part I called a bridge - I was referring to the elevated road way which I think is on supports for much of the way.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, thank you . . . that explains it!  I thought there was another cam of the bridge itself, and that you had seen Paul and others going under it! I just took a look, at the Soo Cam, and now I can see the road approach to the bridge, and can see what you meant.  I hope that you also happened to see the Algoma Harvester?  It's a beautiful ship.  I don't remember if I've seen it on the list for Duluth, but now I'll make a point of looking, in hopes of seeing it again.

Jean - good to see you checking in, and that everything is okay in Niceville!  I agree with you, in that it's time for Mother Nature to give us all a break . . . no more hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, erupting volcanoes, tsunamis, or floods!  Enough for now, and into the future!