Happy New Year Everyone.  We had a rainy night and it continues to rain today with a high probability all day long.  I am going to Sunday School and Church and then will pick up my granddaughter and take her to lunch and then out to do some shopping.  She came here with only a small bag so basically needs everything.  Pat had put together a basket of personal type items that she had already sent home with Scott to give to her.  I will give her a dollar limit and let her shop.  I expect it will be to Walmart we will go and I can sit inside on the benches and let her shop and then pay for the things when she has finished.  I will be ready to rest when she has finished shopping and I get home.  I did watch the college football games yesterday where Alabama and Clemson won.  Clemson is a South Carolina school located about 90 miles from here.  These teams were ranked number one and two in the nation and had been throughout the year, if I remember correctly.

Marilyne,  I have always been a sports fan but have never understood hockey so don't watch those games.

Mary Ann, I sure hope Tom had a good night of Uber driving last night.  I have to admit I don't understand why people want to get themselves drunk.  I am sure Tom is a good driver on ice and snow but what about the other drivers out on the road. 

JeanneP, your parrot wouldn't get to use the Happy New Year often even if you did teach it to say it.  I didn't stay awake to see in the new year.  We did have a lot of fireworks bangs over the evening but none seemed to be close by. 

Got up to a white world this a.m.    Oh and about 23 degrees

Larry, we have talked about the other drivers, but something could happen even without bad weather.  Tom did OK last night, but it wasn't as productive as he expected.  Even so, it is money he made that he wouldn't have made without driving. 

Joan, we had 17 degrees at 6:45 am and by 8 am we were up to 18.  It is about 35 degrees now at 11:50 am.

Dot and I went to church and we had about 2/3 of the regulars there.  When the minister shook my hand, he said, "ah, two of my favorites", meaning Dot and me.  We were going to go to Mr Burger, in fact, we drove there and they were closed, which was not surprising since they also were closed Christmas Day.  We were going to go to Cheers and I suggested we table it for this week.  After I had been home a while, Tom woke up and we went to I-Hop for breakfast and just got home. 

Tom said he was going to take a nap and I think I'm ready for one too.

Mary Ann

I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2017!

We stayed up to watch the New Year come in on TV at Times Square. Spent a quiet evening at home and today has been the same.

Larry - Enjoy your granddaughter! How long will she be with your son?

Temps are back to 80 after a couple of cool days.

Mary Ann - Looks like Tom is doing well, driving for Uber. I know so many people who have adult children or gr-children working for Uber or Lyft.  It's a great way to make some extra money.

Larry - AJ became hooked on ice hockey about 25 years ago, when the Sharks opened their franchise here in San Jose. Up until then, very few in this area were familiar with hockey, and didn't know the rules or how to score, etc. However, that quickly changed . . . people here were so thrilled to have a professional sports team, that just about everyone became an instant hockey fan.  Also, tickets and season tickets were reasonable then, (not now!), so lots of us went to the new arena to see them play, and learned to love the sport.   

Larry.  Oh! the parrot would just keep saying it over and over. Once it starts saying a word it never forgets it.  Not like me. Must have a better memory.

I managed to make it last night up to 11pm to watch the Ball fall in New York. Was midnight there.  What a crowd. Over 2 million . Can you imagine . Not for me.
Daughter use to take the train from Connecticut down into the city day before. Get a hotel right by where the Ball is in Times square and stay until the next day.
Now the children and Husband prefer going Sking over New Years so that is where they are now.

I stayed up long enough to see the ball drop, then headed for bed.  I was tired enough that I did not take all of my pills; I just brushed my teeth.  I got back on schedule this morning.  The sun has been out, but is not right now.  Our temperature is 39 degrees.  I've often said that if I got through November and December as far as weather was concerned, I could take January and February.  So now we'll see how I do.  We have very little snow on the ground. 

Mary Ann

Still snowing here.

Feb. is usually our worst weather but this year with having it in December I am hoping that will miss us. Will have to see.
Not bad right now. Next few days rain but in the 40s.  I think as we age we talk more about the weather. Never use to bother me.

Good morning everyone.

I had an interesting trip back from my sister's house last evening. First of all, it was almost, but not quite dark, so the skiy was a shade of dark blue with some faint orange overtones on the very few clouds. The sliver of a the Moon and Venus, very bright these last few nights, really looked gorgeous against the sky.

On the ramp off the expressway, the car that was ahead of me decided to stop dead instead of blending in with the traffic ahead like it looked like it was about to do. I wasn't that close to it, but it stopped when I looked away to check my speed and distance to slide in behind a pickup truck on the main road. Since I was already starting to accelerate, I did a quick swerve onto the main road rather than try to stop in time behind the car ahead. I do hate having to make such instant decisions. I would have preferred a more centered location between the pickup and the car behind it.

And then, and then, a little way up the road, two deer started across the road in front of me necessitating a quick stop. We have a few small wood lot spots and the rail yard, but it is always a surprise to see deer in such a built up area.

Hi everyone.  We have had a very rainy last 24 hours with a lot more possible per the forecast but the temperature is in the mid-60's already today.  We didn't have many folks at either Sunday School or Church yesterday.

I did enjoy taking my granddaughter shopping yesterday.  I was shocked at how quickly she accomplished the task and I was home by 2:30.  I took her to a shoe store where she got a pair of dress boots and a pair of tennis shoes.  Then we went to Walmart where she found some clothes she liked.  We had stopped at Firehouse Subs for lunch.  She had heard of them but never been to one and she liked it.  As I think back over the many years that may have been the first time that just she and I had ever done anything together or spent any time alone.  It was pleasant. 

Today Pat wants to put away the Christmas decorations.  I also plan on attending my Monday noon meeting.  I will turn over the books and money as the treasurer of the group to a new person for this new year.  We have left over roast and vegetables for dinner tonight so that will be easy today.  I may make up a salad to go with the meal.

Mary Ann, glad to read that Tom had a good night of driving on New Year's Eve.  It has been a very long time since we ate at IHop but always found their food tasty. 

Beverly, our son went to Albany to rescue his daughter and she has moved here to stay with him indefinitely.

Marilyne, I guess no professional sports team has inexpensive tickets anymore.  I have often wondered how people can afford to attend these events but the stadiums and stands seem to be pretty full for most games, particularly if the teams are winning. 

JeanneP, I can't even imagine being in a crowd of 2 million people.  that is not for me either. 

MarsGal, I started reading your posting and was almost afraid to read on fearing that you were going to say you had experienced an accident.  I bet you were relieved to pull your car into your own driveway.  Glad you were able to take defensive actions to avoid an accident.   

Thanks Larry. This is only the second or third time I have had to drive the car at night since I got it over a year and a half ago. One of the nice things about being retired is that I don't have to drive at night or in bad weather most of the time now. I used to work second shift but I was not usually out in traffic. My shift didn't end until 11pm or after all the overtime which normally took me up to 1 or 2 in the morning. Not a lot of traffic at that time of night to worry about, especially in bad weather.

MarsGal, I was afraid you were going to tell about an accident too, but thankfully, you did not have one.  I quit driving at night many years ago, but when I was working it was necessary to drive both to and from work in the dark sometimes at certain times of the year.  I had to drive mostly on Expressway in fast traffic.  I don't drive now and let Tom do the honors.

I've let the kitchen go the last couple of days so I have that job ahead of me today.  Because of my height, or lack of it, it is hard to scrub pans etc in the sink and that's why I postpone doing it. 

Nothing else on my agenda, except to sort and pick up.

Larry, how old is your granddaughter?  It will be good for Scott to have someone else in the house and maybe now you and Pat will see her also on Wednesdays.

Grand Haven is quite calm this morning but someone is in the water near shore.  I can't make out what he is doing, but he's not wading for pleasure!

Mary Ann

Good morning. It's already 73 at 10 a.m. so looks like it will be another warm day.  I keep wondering when (or if) the winter weather will hit us. So far we haven't had a real frost.

MarsGal - Your experience is one of the reasons my husband had the new gadget added to our car. We were thinking of driving on our last trip to Vermont (1400 miles). We drive I-95 much of the way and I think it would be good for a long trip like that. We also have a light that comes on the rear view mirrors if someone is in our "blind spot" on either side. I like that feature.

Larry - Sounds like a good plan! I hope it works out well for both of them.

Mary Ann - I would suggest using a small stool but that might not be a good idea!  (Or better yet, get Tom to do that job.

My New Year's resolution is to "organize"! Everything from photos (a HUGE job) to dresser drawers and my area of our "office". My husband's area is hopeless!

Woke up to a white, white world this a.m.  Looks pretty deep out there this morning.  Glad I am not going out in it.

Mary Ann, water is very calm today.  That person is probably fishing.  It looks like he has a fishing rod in his hand depending on which way he turns.  I enjoy looking at the web cam.

Jean, I didn't notice a fishing pole, but I felt he was after something - maybe minnows for ice fishing at another lake when another lake might freeze over (before Lake Michigan would).  He was too close to shore to be fishing for fish.  But he was after something!

Mary Ann

Beverly - Good luck with your News Years resolution!  I'm determined to get my house in order this year, which will be a tall order!!  We've lived here for 45 years, and have four bedrooms and a full basement, so you can imagine the stuff that has accumulated over time.  Some is ours, some of it belongs to our adult children, and some belonged to our parents. I was an antique dealer for many years, so much of the basement is filled with boxes of items I packed up when I  left the shop.

Something has to be done this year, to eliminate almost everything!  None of my plans have worked in the past, so this year I'm trying something new.  I bought the best seller book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo.  It's been on the NYT bestseller list for about a year.

It's not the same old advice . . it's different!  I think that I'm already making a difference!  

Good morning from a very snowed in Interior! We had several different blackouts but never for more than a couple of hours and only a few trees down in the outskirts of town. "FAIRBANKS â€" The winter storm lifted Saturday morning, leaving behind heavy snow drifts throughout Interior Alaska and hundreds without power.

The Fairbanks area saw between 10 and 15 inches of snow and whipping winds that gusted into 30 to 40 mph range, National Weather Service meteorologist Ed Plumb said Saturday afternoon.

“Wind peak gusts occurred last night, early this morning and as most people probably heard the howling out the window,” he said. “It’s basically pretty much exactly what we forecasted.”

Plumb said the highest wind speed was recorded at Fairbanks International Airport at 52 mph, which he said was unusual and was stronger than gusts seen in the hills. The airport recorded 14.5 inches of snow.

Plumb said the next few days are expected to be pretty calm in the Interior but a few inches of snow could fall Tuesday and Thursday.

“Looks like a chance for some more snow not until Tuesday night and there’s another chance on Thursday,” he said. “There’s the chance for a couple small snowfalls this upcoming week, but it’d be our normal inch or two.”

Thousands were without power through Friday night in dozens of small, localized outages throughout Golden Valley Electric Association’s grid. Winds appeared to clear most trees of built-up snow, reducing the risk of them falling.

Crews worked throughout the night and day, and power was restored to many customers. By Saturday evening, the outages were reduced to about 200 homes and businesses, according to an update GVEA posted to its Facebook page.

The update said eight crews will continue to work on restoring power through Saturday night.

“Our crews and contractors will continue to work hard until all power is restored, to bring in a bright new year,” it said.

Though the Interior appears to have escaped the worst of the snowstorm, Plumb said storm conditions are still hammering the coast and communities on St. Lawrence Island, but the storm isn’t expected to affect the Interior.

Plumb said Savoonga was experiencing gusts of 80 mph and there were reports of roofs being blown off some structures.

That storm is not going to impact the Interior,” he said. “It’s just going to be impacting the west coast with strong winds, heavy snow in the western Brooks Range, blowing snow and freezing rain and more coastal high water and ice.”

So the Interior had an interesting 2017 debut!

Patricia, do you suppose Alaska is living up this year (or season) to what uninformed people think of Alaska?  Pictures never show Fairbanks in the winter, but outer areas that have heavy snow. 

We have two weeks of ascending temperatures for three or four days, then having the temps plunge 10-15 degrees the next day, staying that way for three or four days, then repeating the cycle.  But I'd say we in Michigan are used to that. 

Mary Ann

Good afternoon, I am waiting for a ride to the hematologist and see if I need a shot. The next 3 Mondays I have doctor appointments.

The year has not started out well for my friends. I told you my Red Hat friend fell in front of her house, now her daughter died over the week end., My neighbor Paul on the corner died Friday night, and now my good friend Lisa, who came over Thanksgiving has had a stroke. I know I live in a senior development.

Well it is now night and I am still writing , I have been to the doctor, and I did need the short. He said maybe next month I will not need it
Right now it is raining hard.  Could be snow.

Prays and hugs to all my friends.

MaryAnn, the news media goes for the stories and not always the truth. Look at Fox News that readily admits they lie; only they excuse it by saying they're "commentating." And this only during lawsuits or multiple regulatory hearings. People seem to have two views of Alaska, the North Slope or the S.E. rainforest climate complete with cruise ships.

The Interior only becomes news during multiple large forest fires and then only if it is a slow news day. Hawaii has the same issues, look at how many places, news or events only speak of the contiguous continental states and or show Alaska and Hawaii as small bits of land right next to each other in the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior isn't a newsworthy place. Case in point, did our storm even becoming newsworthy down south?

What was huge to us is that for the first time in recorded Alaskan history and from Native oral historical accounts as well; these storms engulfed the entire state. It was to varying degrees due to the different climatic areas and to the different barriers such as mountain ranges and waterways, but still, the entire state and now, weakened, is heading south to the lower 48 and west into British Columbia.

Now when I think of Michigan, it is colored by what I have heard from Norm and from you. The upper and lower peninsulas, boating, marine shipping and pleasure craft.  Also a plethora of franchises.

Gloria, I do not know what to say other than I am so sorry to hear of your friends' news. It does seem as if this year is not starting out on a high note. And I regret the fact that you needed an expensive shot but I do hope it does what it needs to and that your doctor is right and that you will not need another one next month.

Becoming older is harder than getting older it seems.

Patricia, to paraphrase our State motto - "if you see a pretty peninsula, look about you".  Living away from any of the big lakes, as I do, I don't think so much of the recreational aspects of Michigan.  Much of the UP is forest.  It is poorer than other areas of the State and tourism probably is the largest money maker.  But we have a lot of manufacturing in the State.  The auto companies have continued to make cars, maybe not with the amounts of old, but they are still in business.  Detroit's population has decreased along with the decrease in auto manufacturing and it used to have a population of well over one million, but it is more like 750 thousand now.  Grand Rapids has a population of approximately 200 thousand, but West Michigan population has increased and I don't know the amounts.  Kent County alone probably has about 600 thousand.  Grand Rapids itself is landlocked by its suburbs and cannot increase in size unless they take over one of the other towns and those other towns would not let that happen.  I do not live inside the City of Grand Rapids, but in Plainfield Township and I am about four or five miles north of where I grew up.

Mary Ann

My neighbors down the street are not having a good morning. A little more excitement than I am used to so early (4am). House fire a little over half a block from me. Altogether, there must have been around 16 fire and ambulance vehicles (including two ladder trucks, only one in use) strewn all up and down the street. They are just now rolling up the fire hose and many trucks have left already. Power was restored at 6:15am. It sure is fortunate that there was no wind this morning. I hope my neighbors got out okay. Still some trucks on the scene at 7:42am. PPL truck here, so I wonder if power will be cut again, briefly. When I drive by later this morning, I guess I will see the damage

Oh, NO! One person died in the fire. So sad.

Hi everyone.  We have really had the rain the last 24 hours or so.  Our chances of more rain today are not high and I see a little clouds and sun forecast for later today.  I am awaiting the termite man to come for his annual inspection.  Then I need to make a quick trip to Aldi's for a couple of items.  I think we will go out to eat this evening as Pat has been house bound for almost another week.

MarsGal, I am also trying to avoid night driving.  My night driving is basically between the church and home on Wednesday evenings after the meal, although my son has been coming out doing the driving after dark.  I learned Sunday of members of our church who lost their home and cars in a house fire last Thursday and they were rescued off of their roof by a passerby at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning who was able to get a ladder and get them off the roof.  Sorry to see that one of your neighbors lost their life in that fire. 

Mary Ann, our granddaughter is in her mid-30's.  We are looking forward to seeing her often now that she lives here.  In fact, we will probably invite her to have dinner with us tonight. 

Joan, sure glad you don't have to get out in all of that snow. 

Marilyne, the longest Pat and I have lived in any house during our over 54 years of marriage is 19, which is where we lived before moving here.  We thought that was going to be our retirement home but life didn't work out that way.  I can't image trying to sort out things from living in a home for so long.  Our son's home has been lived in for over 100 years by his wife's family.  He and his wife bought it from her mother and then her mother passed away and now Scott is left with a house stuffed with things.  I am going to check out that book to see if it might be of help to Scott.

deAngel, so sorry that you have lost your neighbor and good friend  and the other friend having the stroke. 

Patricia, you are right in that we get very little news of Alaska on our national news.  There has to be a plane crash or bad earthquake up there to get much coverage. 

It is dry here today, however, overcast.  Radar shows rain, but I haven't seen any yet. 

MarsGal, that is a bad start for that family so early in the year, losing a family member.  Larry, it is fortunate that no one died in your church member's fire.  That is the one thing I worry about here, living in attached units, but we've gone 35 years in this building, so I'll hope for 35 more.

Mary Ann

Larry, me too.  I grew up in San Franciisco and it almost never saw snow there.  Twice when I lived there <most of my life> is about all.  Here we usually get snow ONE day a year.  Snowed all night and we are knee deep in it here.

Well, we've had snow every year since I've lived here.  Our average is about 75 inches per year but I remember 1951-52 when Norm went into service and was in Germany, we had close to 150 inches.  Of course, being in Germany, Norm could get in some skiing there.  We are in the last day of warm (?) weather at 38 degrees and tomorrow our high is to be 19 degrees.  We have not had much snow this year, but we have 2 1/2 months ahead of us. 

Mary Ann