I'm glad you found the place up and running, Callie, I hope others will show up soon.

Mary Ann

The weather here was down in the 30s toward morning but has been beautiful all afternoon about 60 degrees.

I wonder what happened to seniors and friends.  Anyway, it is good that it is up and running again.

I had emailed Patricia and she said the sight was down.  She is still off line and I hope she can get her computer fixed soon.

Been keeping myself busy with a couple of good books which came in handy as we had a couple of rainy days.

Have a good day everyone.

Whoo Hoo.....we are up and running once again.  I have to admit not being able to get in nearly caused me a panic attack 😩😩

So happy to see you all. 

Jenny

It's good to be back!  I missed everybody who posts here in B&T.   We were gone all afternoon, and just returned.  Out looking for some items from Bass Pro, as well as the Medical Home Supply Store, and Ace Hardware.    Didn't find what we were looking for at any of the three, so will check Amazon. 

Halloween was a disappointment here. Only two costumed trick-or-treaters, and that was all.  I noticed that most of the houses on my street had their porch lights turned off, so I guess this neighborhood wasn't too welcoming?  We have two unopened bags of candy - Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joy. I saw on my Next Door messages, that you can take unopened candy to the library, and they will forward it to a place that sends packages to overseas military. sounds like a good idea.

I am back in, well we never realise how much we miss our S & F's forum, until it goes down...

Marilyn, I will take the peanut butter cups!  I had some chocolate bars and bought little bags of Animal Crackers for the little ones that usually come by, with parents in tow.  They didn't show.  I had four trick or treaters.  I was about 40 degrees with wind, so that probably cut down on the fun.  I think a lot of the schools have Halloween programs, where the kids and parents can go, be indoors and be safe.   So glad S&F is back on-line.  I sure missed it.

We had no kids come by last night.  There are kids who live in the apartments across the road, but "the road" is a very busy one and traffic goes fast right up to the light.  We have had no one for several years and this is the first year I did not buy candy.  I do not know what I would have done if we had any.  I asked Tom to leave the light off and he forgot. 

Today has been relatively quiet.  I was able to take a nap but I'll be ready for bed in a little over an hour.   The cat sleeps a lot but would sleep less if I gave him more attention.  I did go to sit with him before Tom and I went out to lunch and he stuck around me as much as he wanted.  I feel sorry for him being an "only" cat.

I'm glad S&F is back and I wonder if we'll hear any explanation as to what happened.   Jackie, you're right about missing everyone; I felt helpless and lost.

Mary Ann 

Good evening from the Interior and I'm back!

I had purchased a small laptop today as my desktop, (Only purchased last April!); fell victim to a virus, my first since 2000. I have McAfee, and the scan said it couldn't delete it. So until I get that desktop figured out with McAfee or without, I needed a new PC.

It's not nice when you pay for a service, and then they want you to pay extra for fixing the virus that came under their watch!

After two previous falls of snow that quickly melted, it started snowing very early in the morning today, and it looks like this may last.

"In the developed world, industrial combustion arranges agriculture, built environments, peri-urban settings and reserves for wildlands — all the stuff available for landscape fire. Societies even fight landscape fire with the counterforce of industrial fire in the form of pumps, engines, aircraft and vehicles to haul crews. The interaction of the two realms of fire determines not only what gets burned, but also what needs to be burned and isn't. It changes the road fire drives down.

Add up all the effects, direct and indirect — the areas burning, the areas needing to be burned, the off-site impacts with damaged watersheds and airsheds, the unraveling of biotas, the pervasive power of climate change, rising sea levels, a mass extinction, the disruption of human life and habitats — and you have a pyrogeography that looks eerily like an ice age for fire. You have a Pyrocene. The contours of such an epoch are already becoming visible through the smoke.

If you doubt it, just ask California."

https://www.livescience.com/earth-has-entered-pyrocene-fire-age.html

So nice to know that I can come back in and say goodnight!

I am thankful that many are finding their way back.....

MARILYNE, according to our local news they say there were many less trick or treaters this year than normal.  Here it was the frigid temperatures and the ice and snow on the ground to deal with.  My hubby loves those peanut butter cups.....so he would be very happy to have some left over.  Marks neighborhood in Rancho Cordova was packed with little ones and then even ran out of candy after having over 150 trickers!  Brian said they had 150 kiddos as well and that is down 50 from last year.  Both sons live in newer family friendly neighborhoods. 

JACKIE, I think your take is how we ALL were feeling when our sight was down.  Sure makes me sad to think what we all would do if something happens and our sight is not able to continue😩

PATRICIA, I am sorry to read that you had to purchase another laptop after such a short time of owning the last one. You are right in that it seems very unfair that you should have to pay more for the repairs when they should have been covered in the warranty that you purchased from them. 😤😤

We did go meet with the lady about the property I mentioned a couple of nights ago.  We did put our money down to start the process on the new condo that we are thinking about buying.  At this point we can get ALL of our money back at any time, and if we did not want to take a chance that someone else would buy it and then we would not be able to get in this building.  We have the paperwork to read through and all the information about what choices we have for the cabinets, flooring, appliances etc.  I must admit it is a bit frightening to think about actually doing this as we have so much stuff to get rid of, but we have at least 8 to 9 months to get it accomplished.  We have to make our choices before the end of the year for the inside.  That is going to be a job in its own right deciding how much extra we want to add to the original investment.

Pleasant dreams to all. 

Jenny

I think you will all enjoy this

Patricia ,great to see you back. That seems to be the way of purchases, they want your money but are lax on following up on their mistakes.

Bubble, the cartoon is right on the spot. Like the lady that was asked did she have any enemies and she said no I have out lived them all.

Bubble, both your cartoon and Amy's joke are so true, especially when you get way up there is age. 

We should have a decent day today, possibly some rain and/or snow. 

I'll be back when I'm more awake.

Mary Ann

Good Saturday morning.  It has gotten very cold, all of a sudden. Had to push the thermostat up a bit.

Glad to see that everything seems to be back to normal. I had planned on calling Jane if I couldn't get in here today.  Nice to be back again.

A friend is stopping by a little later , and then I am supposed to go out for supper this evening.  So, I am just marking my spot right now. I will try to get back later.

Jenny, I sure don't envy you getting ready to move. I would like to move to a different place, but just can't do that big job anymore.  But, sounds like you have a long time so take your time and just plan on doing a little bit each day.  It will all work out, I am sure.  I am sure your family that is around will be very helpful. BUt, I can understand how you feel. I have heard that next to a death occurring,  moving is the next traumatic thing to have to go through.  You will be fine!!

Hope everyone will have a great Saturday . Hope you will be doing something very enjoyable.

Joy

Joy...
...i have been through the " death " ( my Richard ) next i too shall be going through the " move " and i shall have to be doing this all by myself and with my MS body...

Good morning, Bait and Tacklers.  I've had breakfast, read the local paper, cleaned up the kitchen, but am still sitting here in my P.J's.  I will dress and get out for my morning walk around the neighborhood (uphill most of the way!) and then back down.

My young friend, Eddie, took me to the library and to Kroger for grocery shopping yesterday.  Afterwards he helped me bring in the groceries and we each had a piece of the Kroger Apple pie I bought in the Deli section.  Eddie is a friend of my son Tim and he does lots of errands for elderly people (and now that I'm 82, I guess that I'm one of the elderly!).

I try to walk a good bit daily to keep my legs going.  My up-hill walk causes me to puff and pant, though!

Have a nice day, Every One!
Sue

Oh happy-happy, joy-joy, we are back together again.

I filled in the time, yesterday, with ship watching, reading and the ever present housework.

USS Indianapolis was going through the Welland Canal early this morning. I haven't checked since I got home, so them may be on their way out by now. I really thought there was a live cam at the Welland, but I couldn't find one. I must have got it confused with the Soo Canal.

Sue, are you sure your walk isn't uphill both ways?  Yes, at 82, I think you can consider yourself elderly.  I don't feel old mentally, but I know I am elderly.

I've just finished my shower and shampoo.  I have trouble toweling myself completely dry so I am sitting here in my robe and I let the robe absorb some of the moisture I did not get with the towel.  In about a half hour I'll get dressed for the day.  Tom is in Holland baby sitting, a job he loves and the girls like it too. 

MarsGal, I tried to track the USSIndy and could not find it anywhere.  I'll go to the Welland Canal area now to see what I can see. 

Mary Ann

Good Saturday morning to everyone!  Looks like the typical early November day here in the Bay Area. Cold nights into the high 30's and low 40's, then warming up into the low to mid 70's during the day. Supposed to be 78 degrees here today, but I doubt it will be that warm.  The humidity is low, and the winds are gone.  The fires here are under control, but not so fortunate in Southern Cal, where they are still raging. 

PATRICIA - Good to see you back again!  I enjoyed reading your comments this morning on climate change, and the overwhelming power of fire on our environment.  We fight it every year, but no matter - it always returns to take it's toll.  I haven't read your link yet, but will look at it when I finish this message.

BUBBLE- I loved the cartoon you posted! So true, so true. It's getting harder and harder to find anyone out there who is older than I am. Even in my family, it's a running joke, because I'm one month older than AJ!

AMY - Your comment was so funny, and put a smile on my face!  Even though I don't think I had any actual enemies, there were some friends who knew things about me, that I would just as soon would be forgotten! ha ha   Now those friends are gone, so no one left who knows anything, positive or negative,  about the long ago.

JOY - Nice that you have something to look forward to today . . . going out for supper with a friend.  Now that Daylight Savings is almost finished for the year, it will be very dark in the evenings for a couple of months. Neither AJ nor I can see well anymore for night driving, so we will avoid going out after dark, unless it's someplace very close.

JENNY - Yes, the newer neighborhoods are the ones who have the young children out Trick/Treating for Halloween.  We live in an older area near town, and the children who once lived here, are long grown up and gone.  Still a few of us oldsters around, as well as lots of young families from foreign countries, who work in Silicon Valley tech companies. Some do have children, but we never see them out playing or riding bikes anywhere.  Times have changed, as far as how children are raised now-a-days.  Wonderful that you're planning to move to a different location.  I wish we had made that decision many years ago, and had moved into something smaller and easier to manage. 

JACKIE - Good to hear that you will be moving soon also.  With your MS, it will be difficult, but not impossible!  I Hope you can get help from whatever is available for you.

MARY ANN - I'm looking forward to hearing about your day, and hope you return soon to tell us more about what you'll be doing?  Now time for me to stop and take a breakfast break!  Seems I have been working on this message for about an hour, with a few breaks for coffee, and checking the newspaper for the latest on the fires.  I hope to make a quick run to Walgreen's this morning, so I'd better get going.  I'm not even going to proof read this long message! 

Good Morning,

Dare I say it?  Third sunny day in a row!  No OU football game today;  guess I'll cheer for All My Children's Oklahoma State Cowboys (which I do, anyway - except when they're playing my Sooners).  This is a standing family joke - lots of pictures of 7 orange shirts and one red one 

Really have no other Plan du Jour - other than to make up a bag of slider buns into sandwiches with deli meat/cheese and brushed with melted oleo/Worcestershire sauce/honey-mustard spread and baked.  So easy to heat a couple for lunch - especially now that "soup weather" is here.

Wishing Everyfriend Everywhere an Enjoyable Day.

Hi to everyone!  Mary Ann I haven't been keeping up with the ships lately.  It seems the day is gone and I think of it too late and it is already too dark.  Days are getting shorter and will seem even shorter after this weekend.  The time is changing tomorrow isn't it?

Marilyne, your weather is very similar to ours at present.  It has been going down to the high 30s or 40s during the night and will get to 65 by afternoon.  We did have a couple of days of rainy weather earlier in the week so everything is still nice and green.

Bubble's cartoon is so true, especially in our neighborhood as most of the neighbors are much younger.  We sat out a very large bowl of small Hershey bars and we had a few left.  Most of the trick or treaters were young.  It was cold and I don't think there were as many out Thursday night.  They set a time limit here 5:30 to 8:00 for trick or treating.

Hardly seems possible that it is almost time for Thanksgiving.  There is a big American Indian (or Native American) festival going on in town this weekend with their dancing and demonstrations, etc.  I would like to go and see what it is like but not sure I have the energy.  This is their 32nd year of having this festival sponsored by the Air Force base here. 

The day is turning out to be a pleasant sunny day in the 60s and we do need to go to Walmart for a few things.  I'm glad you were able to get a lap top, Patricia, until such time you can get your desktop computer fixed.  I did see that pretty picture of Farrah although I don't think I made a comment.

Jackie, I think of you often and sure hope things work out for you in the best way possible.

Have a good day everyone.

Good morning from the Interior! It's the second day of snow, and I don't think it's going to go up into the plus thirties and melt this time. We had a low of 13, going up to a high of 24. Right now, it's plus nineteen.

Farrah is having a second breakfast after some fierce playtime with the mouse hanging on the curtain rod. She's become very demanding about shared playtime and belly rubs with many vocalizations. She knows whose's boss in this house, and it's not me! Or so she believes! She no longer comes out to visitors like she used to, but that may be just her feelings on that matter.

It's the first Saturday of the month, so I have my food box deliveries to a bedridden tenant. I used to have two others, but they passed. The food is delivered to the first-floor common room and those who can pick it up there and those who can't have volunteers who take it to them.

 It's Federal commodities, and usually twice a month, they receive two cans each of meat, vegetables, and fruit, plus a box of cereal. There is also a holiday extra box for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. Their CNAs, for some reason, are not allowed to pick the boxes up for them.

Time to put our clocks back this evening.  Good morning Jean!

Yesterday I said the first thing I was going to do this morning was set my bedside clock back the hour.  Famous last words because at 1:45 pm, the deed has not been done.  I wish I could train Kendrick to set clocks.

Today is beautiful, so far, with the temperature at 42 degrees.  I'd like a few days of no rain because I want to put covers on the deck furniture and I want the seat cushions to be dry when we do that.  The furniture stays on the deck.  The larger, back cushions are in the storage room now.  The cushions have weatherproof material on them, but we bought covers to protect everything.

I've been watching golf; this morning it was from Japan and now it is from Bermuda. 

Tom asked what I thought about having Thanksgiving dinner here and I agreed.  He will do most of the work but I can do something.  James, Alicia and the girls would be here along with Annie.  I doubt Chris, her SO, would come, mostly because he is very allergic to cats and Kendrick has a lot of fur.  Whatever, he is welcome.  So there would be only five adults with the two girls.  Our menu would be the usual - turkey, potatoes, green bean casserole, green salad, dessert of probably pumpkin pie.  I can bake the pie using the Pillsbury crusts.  I also like cranberry sauce (I like the texture) but I'm not sure everyone likes it.  I really will suggest that James and Alicia bring what they want, just let us know ahead of time what it will be.  We will furnish the turkey and I have done that for several years (pay for it, let someone else fix it). 

Kendrick is sleeping away on my bed.  I laugh at his places to sleep because I am likely to find him anywhere.  He has a bed and sometimes sleeps there, but he sleeps on his scratchpad lounge, on towels on the couch or chair, on the floor in this room when I am here, in a corner in the bathroom, under the workstation in this room, my bed.  He is not particular where he sleeps but likes it better if I am there. 

Lots of whitecaps on Lake Michigan and I also saw a couple of kites. 

Mary Ann

The best laid plans oft go astray - Tom walked by and I mentioned planning for T-day and he said Annie wanted to have it.  I will offer to buy the turkey, however, Chris, Annie's SO, has money and I'll let Tom and Annie make the plans.  I still can bake a pie.  Tom will make the green bean casserole.  I'll wait now to hear plans.

I have four clocks changed now to EST.  Fortunately the computers get changed without any help from me, so I have only three clocks to change yet.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I was all set to tell you I thought it was a good idea to have Thanksgiving at your place.  Now I see the plans have been changed, and Annie and her SO, will host the dinner instead!  That will be different and of course will be easier on you and Tom.  Maybe the plans will change a couple of more times before the big day arrives!   (Just kidding - I'm sure it's now a sure thing!)  We haven't made any definite plans yet, except that we will have Shelley and Claire, and their two cats here for the long holiday weekend.

Marilyn, I would just as soon have the T-Day dinner here because everyone does some of the preparation.  There were days in the past when I hosted it and did more of the work but I'm not able to do that much now - and it isn't necessary with having the next generation doing much of the work.  A big problem with having it here is the lack of space because I have a small unit.  Where Annie lives, there is more room.  Not only that my place is not child-proofed but that hasn't been a problem.  Where Annie is, there are no doo-dads for the kids to get nosy about.  Annie may live there, but it is Chris' place and it's a man's house!  No curtains, big furniture (for a tall man).  I like being there in the summer more than now because there is a huge deck out from the dining area, but we would not be able to sit out there now. 

If plans do get changed, Tom and I would host the dinner, but I doubt they'll change.

Mary Ann

Our UK clocks went back the hour last weekend...

We had atrocious weather this morning, rain and very strong winds, and it was our put out rubbish bins day, of course one of my bins that neighbour ( she never comes to my door to speak to me, to check on me ) never needed to put out for me this week was the tin cans, plastic bottles, recycling paper, part torn part shredded and this was the bin that the winds blew over so you can guess what a mess i had to go out the back as the winds blew it all over the back pathway and onto my decking...In these flimsy ( non bricks and mortar ) parkhomes, we feel it, and it was quite frightening with the branches swaying near to my windows....

Jackie, it sounds as if you had a mess with your rubbish.  For our recyclables, Tom bought a container with a cover.  There are certain things we can't put in recycle but the container cover helps keep other things in it.  I take care of the regular trash and that goes in a plastic bag.  Plastic bags are not to go in the recycle bin.  We can mix different things, however. 

Mary Ann

Mary Ann...
...We have two large plastic wheelie bins, ( supplied by our local council ) one for recycling the other for normal waste, we also have a smaller glass recycling, plus a small food waste bin, they dont all go out on the same week, nothing is straightforwards anymore...at one time many years ago we just had the one tin dustbin with a lid for everything, now we have large plastic swing top lids that dont seal, yet we have to close them so no rubbish is showing, that get collected every other fortnight...I haven't a clue which bins go out this week or next week...They dont collect garden waste..

Jackie - our hauler furnishes tubs for recycle materials - paper, glass, metal and I don't know what else.  What doesn't go in the tub can be along side, in a paper grocery sack if possible.  The recycle stuff is picked up every other week (fortnight) but trash is picked up weekly.  The trash people do not pick up yard waste, but the mowers pick it up every other week (the same week as recycle) from a particular location within our condo complex.  There are rules for everything but I haven't heard of complaints from the mowers, haulers or Association.  I remember when everything was put in a garbage can that was left at the back door for the garbage men to pick up.  Now everything must be put in front of the garage.  That's progress!!!

Mary Ann