Jenny - Glad to see you are back and just as busy as ever! My life was like that when we lived in Vermont. I couldn't do it now! Time marches on! Happy Anniversary to you and Bob!

Mary Ann - I'm afraid I'm not as good as you about going to the dentist. I was very unhappy with my previous dentist and an implant he did, and haven't found a new one. There is one I plan to make an appointment with. Most of the teeth I have left are crowned.

Jean - Have you seen the long range weather forecast? It's supposed to be cooler (in the 80s) after tomorrow. Any change will be welcome!

We had a big thunderstorm late this afternoon with plenty of rain. I worry about lightning hitting one of the houses in the neighborhood. It happened before not far from here.

I've decided that since Chape got this I-Phone for me I should try to learn more about it. Today I took a video of the front yard during the storm. It actually worked and I was able to send it (on the phone) to my daughter! Next is to take some photos.

I haven't felt much like cooking lately, but today I made a vegetable-beef soup in the slow cooker. It turned out great. Then we had strawberry shortcake made with biscuits. The strawberries from California are still pretty good. Our Florida berries are long gone!

Joy - I remember Sylvia. I used to keep track of many of the forums.

Hope you all have a good night.

Beverly, I've just gotten up so I'm not awake yet.  I get up when I feel like it so I don't know if I'm too early or late.

At the dentist yesterday, they took a full head x-ray which gave them a picture of all of my teeth and roots.  I didn't remember having had one before but the hygienist said I'd had one about 10 years ago.  Anyway, I counted 17 crowns and I know I had one tooth crowned twice because of a root canal.  I did not look for root canals but she said I had two.  I had a horrible looking mouth and teeth on the x-ray.

I had mentioned my TV quitting and Tom got it to working OK.  The problem was in the remote.  Tom didn't know what I should do about turning it off last night but we decided to turn down the sound and I put the sound on Mute.  This morning I heard music so I don't know how long the mute held.  I have the sound on very low anyway because my music is not anyone else's music and it wasn't on loud enough for me to hear this morning. 

Mary Ann

Jean, I walk every morning in my neighborhood, but still am not driving.  My sons have let me keep my car which my son who lives nearby uses to take me to appointments (yesterday I had to go to my annual mammogram!  Fortunately all was well.)

Mary Ann, I'm with you as to not being the early morning person I used to be!  I do like to snooze if I do not have to get up early.  I usually walk in my neighborhood right after breakfast, but I am the hostess tomorrow for my Thursday bridge group, so I need to finish some outdoor weeding soon and get that cleaned up.  I also need to get out my card tables and set them up--so a busy morning here.

Have a nice day, Every one.
Sue 

MARY ANN - Your comment, "I have a horrible looking mouth!", give me my first laugh of the day!  I know exactly what you mean!  I had one of those all-around x-rays a couple of years ago, and I was pretty shocked to see what my teeth looked like on it!  Mostly a jumbled mess.  One would never know that my parents spent thousands of dollars to have my teeth straightened in the 1940's. At the time, my mom went back to work to pay for the orthodontist.  Back in those day, they didn't extract four teeth like they do now with kids, to prepare for the braces. So, I now have too many teeth that are crooked, capped, etc.

BEVERLY - I'm wondering what went wrong with your implant?  Our youngest daughter recently had one implant, and so far looks like it's successful?  I know she will need more in the future.  Your strawberry shortcake, sounds delicious.  I haven't had the kind with the biscuit, in many years.

JENNY - Wonderful that you're having such a nice vacation in Boston.  It's good for you and Bob to get away for a short break, from all the sad health problems in your family. I'm glad your dad is still doing reasonably well.  Did you say how Michele's pet-scan turned out?  If so, I must have missed it?  I'm still praying that it showed that she is in remission?

SUE - Have a nice time tomorrow at your bridge group. I remember that hosting those bridge parties took a lot of preparation.       

Still only 7:35 here, but I hope to accomplish a lot today, so I'd better get a move on.   

Marilyn, I never had orthodontia for my teeth.  I do have a slight overbite but I don't think it is bad.  I was in school in the '30s and my folks could never have afforded it, then my mother died in 1941 and Dad never did recover financially from the Depression until the late 40s.  By that time, I was working.  It never was suggested for either me or Norm.  Norm's teeth were bad and he had his out when he returned from service in 1953 and he had dentures early in life.  As I recall, none of my school friends had braces; it just wasn't done then because of the Depression. 

MarsGal, I hope you were watching the Port Huron site this morning or I hope you saw something similar.  I have not watched the other site you showed because the camera would bounce around from site to site but today after the Canadian ship Algoma Guardian went out of sight at the curve, I thought I'd see what the other site had to offer.  I think they must have fixed it because I was able to watch the Guardian all the way down the river as far as they could show it and then I noticed the superstructure of a ship going north.  It was the American Integrity and I was with that ship until after it went under the bridge.  Everything was so clear and up close. 

Tom is headed for Holland for the afternoon and he'll be back after suppertime.  It may be too cool for Kendrick and me to sit on the deck, but I'll wait until later to see how I feel about that. 

Mary Ann

Good morning from the Interior! I'm feeling a bit better as we're heading into August's cooldown of rainy weather. I'm sure the firefighters are glad as well. Besides Marilyne's state group we've had crews from all over participating including those from as far away as North Carolina and Kentucky. We still have sixty active fires, but they've lowered the preparedness from the highest response to midlevel responses.

Today is my birthday, and the hospitality committee will be showing up with their lighted cupcake and song. We used to have a monthly dinner honoring everyone in that month, but the new management stopped that. Next week I'll be going to Alan and Dora's for dinner and will get a better idea of the local burns. The managed greenbelt behind their and their neighbors' homes is a sodden,  smokey black tangle. Dora told me that it came within 30 feet of their next-door neighbor's house. After three years of rainy summers, this was not exactly what everyone was hoping for!

I remember getting a full head x-ray at one time, and while I don't remember why I remember waiting for the doctor and staring at the photo of my skull. All I could think was that old quote, "Vanity all is vanities."

Patricia, you are catching up with me... Enjoy your Special Day...

Oh yes, i too had a full head-neck x-ray ( my MS diagnoses ) and was just glad they found my brain..I had always said that i had one...

Angel

Patricia, Happy Birthday to you and I'm glad you're feeling a bit better so you may enjoy the day.  It's nice your management recognizes your birthdays, however they do so.  You will have a long birthday as many of us have by going to Alan and Dora's later.

I'm disappointed with Boatnerd.com because another ship went south in Port Huron and there was no camera operator available so it was on Preset and hopped all around, most times not on the ship at all.  I was just lucky before.

I am enjoying the cooler temperature and I think the heat had a lot to do with the blahs yesterday.  It is cool enough that I am not sure Kendrick and I will go out on the deck.  Of course, I could always wear a sweater and Kendrick already has his fur coat on. 

Tom tried to program the second remote so it would turn the TV on or off but he could not.  If Annie stops by, I'll see if she can do it because it is supposed to work that way.  It was just that no one programmed it when we got the cable box so I used the remote that came with the TV.  And that is the one that isn't working.  I put the TV on Mute but there seems to be a limit to that because after a while, I have sound and the mute is not active.  I'll bet if I put things on mute again, it would be quiet. 

I took a nap in this chair and I slept hard!  I'm really just waking up.

Goofy is quite a dancer.  I am sure he likes participating in birthday celebrations, Bubble and Patricia.

Mary Ann

Jean, reading under the screen, I see where Boatnerd leaves it on a Preset when there is no operator available.  While the scene is on YouTube, I don't think it is connected with the other sites.  The Preset is like automatic (Otto Matic) on the other sites. 

When we had some Michigan strawberries, I made biscuits from a Jiffy biscuit package and they were good with the berries.  I'll have to order some berries next grocery order.

When I was in Florida, Dot said if the berry was red throughout, it was fully ripe.  Monday, eating out, Tom got a fruit plate and I stole a strawberry.  The berry was red all through and I was surprised to have a CA or FL berry red throughout in Michigan.

Mary Ann

 

Patricia - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!  I'm glad that you're feeling better today, and hope that you'll feel well enough to get yourself a special treat, besides the cupcake provided by management.  Now  you can look forward to having dinner next week, with Alan and Dora. Prepare to be shocked, when you see the fire devastation up close and personal.  No matter how many picture you see before hand, nothing prepares you for the real thing.

Jean - Thanks for asking how I'm feeling.  Right now I'm putting my health problems aside, until after AJ's surgery is over and he is home again.  I had a bizarre reaction to antibiotic #3, so I'm not wanting to try anything else at this point.  I know I still have the UTI, so it will have to be addressed fairly soon.   
Enjoy your shortcake today.  I wish I could get strawberries that were red and juicy, and had the familiar old strawberry flavor that I love.  We live only about 50 miles from Driscoll Strawberry farms, so you would think we'd have a good selection.  However, the big factory farms like that, pick the Berrys before they are fully ripe, so they can be shipped across the country and overseas.  Driscoll is a huge operation, so I have heard, but I've never been there.

Mary Ann - I was fortunate that my mother was willing to go to work and pay for my orthodontia, on the installment plan! Otherwise my parents couldn't have afforded it either.  My teeth were large and crooked, so it was a blessing for me that they were straightened and looked okay during most of my life.  Now they look large and crooked again! ha ha 
I've been meaning to ask you about the Marine City Cam? (the one on YouTube with the chat to the side). I can no longer get it - just a box that says "This camera is no longer available".  If you know of a new one, please post it? 
   

Patricia,      Hope you're feeling better and continue to improve.

Jenny,  Belated Happy Anniversary.    Sounds as if you're having a great time in Boston.  Always special to "make memories" with the grandkids.

Mary Ann and Marilyne,  I, too, have crooked teeth. No orthodontist within easy reach of the small town in which I grew up and, although we often came to OKC, I doubt my parents would have made the trip just for straight teeth. 
My mother never needed dentures.  When she was almost "under" before cataract surgery in her 80's, she heard the nurse say, "We forgot to take out her teeth".  She startled them by clapping her hand over her mouth. 



Last time I tried the Marine City webcam on YouTube, the screen said "removed by user".  I noticed it's no longer listed on the side but Port Huron and Al.....(can never remember that name!) are.

Lots of boat traffic on Superior and Huron today going in both directions.  Ports will be busy in the next few days.

Hot and humid in central Oklahoma.  I've been all around the town doing errands today.  Temperature says the heat index is "only" 98º.  That's better than the 110º predicted for Friday.  Unfortunately,  I have a doctor's appointment early that afternoon.  Think I'll skip watching the noon news so I won't know how hot I feel. 

Should do some desk work.  Turn around, Callie, and Get Busy!!!!

Jenny, Happy Anniversary to you and Bob!

Thank you, Bubble for the card and everyone's BD wishes! I did want to point out that the Hospitality committee, as well as others, are self-financed. Management is not involved other than to shut down anything they might have to pay for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDCd7G2N0Qs

This is the latest Marine City site.  It was working when I copied it.  There was another that worked for a while, then bit the dust.  They don't know what causes the problem.  I got this address from the Chat below one of the sites.  The same people chat on the three sites and the same people operate the cameras by remote.  It amazes me that a man in England and another man in Southern California are two of the camera people. 

Patricia, thanks to the Hospitality committee for being kind enough to fund the cupcakes you receive.  We have something similar at Christmas when several of the women get together and bake cookies to distribute to the older people in our complex.  I've been fortunate enough to receive them for several years.  I don't think we have any place where we have to declare our birthdays.

Mary Ann

Thanks, Mary Ann. I've added it on my pc.  Will try to get it on my Tablet, which is where I usually watch the ships.

Haven't been able to get the Soo Locks in a while, either. However, I'd pretty much given up on that one because it didn't show ships moving through.

Callie, the Soo has a note that they are working to repair the camera.  I am surprised there aren't more ships shown at the Soo when you consider all of the ships have to go through there to get to somewhere else.  I check the map occasionally and if a ship is shown that might show up in the cam shot, I will look - or I will when the camera is fixed. 

A ship is supposed to enter Duluth canal soon.

Mary Ann

 I see it coming!    Interestingvto see the tugs guiding the ship.  Don't remember seeing  the Ruddy before.  Maybe new to the harbor?

Patricia, have a super birthday. BTW, Patricia, it was a while back but did you see that LiveStream has a webcam up at the seaplane base in Anchorage? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi3fDDNZ95I

Jean, I did get to see a smooth pan on the BoatNerd site this morning. I do find the jumping around thing annoying when no one is catching a ship. Each stop is only long enough for the camera to get clear, and then off it goes again. If the operator can pan, I don't see why they can't program the auto to pan like Live Stream or at least leave each stop for a little longer than the few seconds it is now. I do like the around the bend shot and especially, the look down onto the deck which we don't get a good look at from the LiveStream cams.

Mary Ann, I saw a little comment from one of the moderators that it had something to do with the YouTube site itself, but I forget what. At any rate, he didn't sound as if he was too clear on what happened either. RailFan and the site at Hvar, Croatia both routinely close out their cam links and put up a new link. Maybe there is some kind of limit that YouTube sets for number of hours watched or the chat feature fills up allotted space? That is purely a guess. 

I hope you have many more healthy and happy years to come❣️

THANK YOU ALL for your nice anniversary greetings.  I feel extremely blessed to have been married to my best friend for 52 years and pray that we will have many more wonderful years to share 🥰

It was a HOT one here in Boston today, however a storm came through and has cooled it down a lot.  Our son and DIL are going to the Red Sox Game tonight, so Bob has just dropped Kurt off at the train station so he and Heidi will only have one car to drive home in. The boys will need dinner very soon, so I only have a few minutes to just say HELLO.

I am one that needed braces, but it was not something that my parents ever considered and I have been self conscious of it my entire life.  Our four boys all needed braces badly and they had them. Would you believe I went to work as the front office manager for their orthodontist right after we finished paying for the last sons braces?  Bad timing on my part! 😩  I guess I could have started treatment at that time, but then we were paying for college!  I hired Michele, my future daughter-in-love to help out on a mechanization project when she was in collage, and then ended up leaving the job as she needed the joy more than I did, and Bob was considering taking a job in Indonesia.  Bob did not take the job and eventually the periodontist office that was next door called me and offered me the office manager job and I went to work for him.  Dave and Michele eventually married and they moved to Tucson AZ when Dave started medical school and Michele went to work for Dr. Andrew Weil, the famous Intergrative Medicine Doctor, as his executive assistant until Dave graduated from The University of Arizona Medical School, then did his 5 year surgical residency there.  When they moved to California where Dave opened his surgical practice in Healdsburg, Michele said audios, even though Dr. Weil told her he would set her up there if she would please continue to work for him.  She wanted to be a homemaker and start their family, so she declined.  More than you ever wanted to know from me just because I had crooked teeth and needed braces too🙀🤪

MARILYNE, I am so sorry that I have not answered your question about Michele.  I thought sure I posted this, but..... The CT scan showed that there was no change, meaning no new cancer, so they just continued her current chemo plan, but the doctor did prescribe a new steroid as he was very upset about the awful acne she has on her face, neck, shoulders, back and all over her head.  She is scheduled to have chemo into the month of September which is the original time frame she was told.  We were so hopeful maybe they would change something or cut back on some of the meds, but I guess not.  She has chemo this coming Monday....we get home Tuesday....maybe there will be new news then.  Thank you for asking💞

I have to go......have a good evening. 

Jenny

Callie, this may apply to foreign ships regardless of where they are, but someone on one of the St Clair River posts said all foreign ships required a pilot (or guide) because they would not be familiar with the channels and US and Canadian ships do not require the pilots because they travel the routes more often.  Did you wait to see the Boland follow the Ruddy into the harbor?  The Ruddy is from Cypress. 

MarsGal, one of the Marine City sites was "removed by user".  I don't know if the user would be the MC site, probably not YouTube.  There were two sites that went down and this is the third one; I hope it keeps up OK. 

Jenny, what interesting information we get when we start on one subject and wander off to another - from braces to family moves. 

I'll have to see what is available for my supper.  Tom is in Holland and will return later.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann,  yes, I did see the Boland following the Buddy into the harbor.  Thought it was going to catch up.
Then I caught Paul coming out of the channel into the harbor - and switched to the canal cam in time to see about 20 sailboats heading out for the Wednesday Regatta.  They all turned left after leaving the canal and were nowhere in sight when Paul came through.  Good idea for both, IMO.
Duluth Harbor is a busy busy place this evening!

I also got the new Marine City site onto my Tablet.  Thanks.

Jenny, you've had an interesting life and now your sons are having adventures of their own. I enjoy hearing about the experiences.

Patricia, your mentioning cupcakes reminded me I have some in the freezer from the batch of mini cupcakes I made last week.  These are "full size" and I'll get some out for dessert when son comes over tomorrow after work to help with some things I can't figure out on this new computer.

(Do I get the prize for the longest sentence of the day?  )

I love the way this forum wanders around from subject to subject! 

My bird bath is on the ground because "critters" kept knocking it off the pedestal.  So there's always grass in it after the yard crew mows....which they did today.
Sun is almost behind the trees.  Out I go to clean the bird bath and see what else needs to be done.

Enjoy your Evening, sleep well and have pleasant dreams.

Happy Birthday Patricia!

Kendrick and I spent a half hour on the deck in comfortable temperature.  When we got inside I unwrapped a scratch pad for his Lounge Scratch pad and he scratched it already so it is broken in.  When I left the living room he was lying in the Lounge and he often does sleep there. 

Mary Ann

Jenny and Bob...wishing you both a belated 52 years of... HAPPY MARRIAGE...

Yes, Mary Ann, the user is LiveStream. Something happened at the YouTube end, so LiveStream had to reconnect with a new web address.

I am sorry I missed all the activity at Duluth, but I did see a clip of the Ruddy and the two tugs from two different angles. Interesting that the two tugs pretty much matched colors with Ruddy. Oh, and the clip included a small close up in the corner of a gull posing and preening.

Most of the tall ships are at Kenosha, WI until the 4th, but the St. Lawrence II is in the Georgian Bay and heading to the Midland (Ontario) Tall Ships Festival also being held Aug 1-4. I am surprised she isn't already there. She doesn't seem to have gotten very far from when I checked her position yesterday afternoon.

Looks like we may get rain this afternoon. It is a bit muggy now, at 72^oF. Got more housework planned for today.

About an hour after my previous post, Lucy had a seizure. Freaked me out bigtime. Took her up to the vets where she got a blood test. It came back that she has Hyperthyroid. What happened this morning was a Thyroid Storm. So, now she is to have thyroid medicine twice a day, I assume for the rest of her life. Took me two hours to calm down; Lucy calmed down when I got her home. 

MarsGal  -  So sorry to hear about Lucy's problem.  That must have really scared you when she had the seizure!  My cat Winnie, had hyperthyroid, but to my knowledge, he never had a seizure?  I read online that tabby cats are prone to thyroid disorders.  I'm sure you've posted a photo of Lucy, but I don't remember what she looks like?  Winnie, was a typical orange and white tabby.  I hope you don't have any problems, giving her the thyroid pills?

I'll return after breakfast, and kitchen clean-up.  in the meantime, hope you are all having a nice, normal Thursday morning. 

Good morning.  A pretty sunny morning, but I have not heard any weather report yet this morning.  They have been calling for scattered storms all week, but we have had very little rain.

First, a Belated Happy Anniversary to Jenny and Bob.  Sounds like you are having a wonderful Boston vacation.
 Glad to hear that there was no changes in Michelle's PetScan.  That is good. I know you were looking for better news, but no changes is still good

And, a Belated Happy Birthday to Patricia.  I am glad to see you back. You were missed.

I am another one who needs to go to the dentist.  But, more serious things seem to get in the way.  I had started back last fall, and then wound up in the hospital. So, the dentist appointments were put on hold.  And, that is where they still are? 

I have kind of lost interest in the web cams for the shipping canals.  Several of them tell me my browser doesn't support the webcam and I just don't want to fool with making changes myself.  And, I keep forgetting to ask my son for some help. I can get into the cams for the canal and the lift bridge and the boat launching place.  So far, this season, I think I have only caught one ship coming through. Just keep forgetting to check on them.

Jackie, I am glad to see that you have been able to get to your church service now and then.  You do seem to be doing better, I sure hope so.  However, there are going to be special times throughout the year, where you will have some sad remembrances.  But, I think you will be able to handle them.

Mary Ann, glad you have been able to spend some time on your deck.  I really miss my balcony that I had when I lived in the condo.  It was just so easy to go out there whenever I wanted to.  It sat back into the building and I could go out there early in the morning to have my coffee and nobody could even see me.  Where I live now, I have to make sure I am dressed and have to go down on the elevator.  Some times it isn't worth it. LOL  We do have  a sitting area out front of the building, and usually people will sit out in the evening. And, in the afternoon if it isn't too hot.

I need to get on with the day and get some chores done.

Have a good day.

Joy

First, thanks everyone for the birthday comments! I knew it was this week but had to check the computer date when I received a birthday email yesterday. I'm looking more to the chance to see Dora and Alan this next week and how their place fared. When they went to the fairgrounds to collect their two cats, Duchess was missing but later found as simply overlooked. They were upset about that as pets are family, and the cats were in stacked cages.

Today and the next seven are in all day steady drenchings with temps down from highs of the eighties and nineties to sixties. This is basically August's norm with September usually in the fifties and beautiful.

Shovel Creek is our last local large fire as of yesterday;  "More than 20 firefighters are continuing to mop up and patrol the Shovel Creek Fire (#319). The 22,453-acre wildfire near Murphy Dome about 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks is 55 percent contained. The fire was started by lightning on June 21.

Command of the fire was transferred from a Type 3 to a Type 4 organization on Tuesday with Thomas Krock as incident commander.

Firefighters are monitoring 65 miles of the perimeter around the fire by air and ground. Interior portions of the fire continue to smolder with occasional torching of trees but most fire activity is well within the perimeter of the fire and does not pose a threat. There was a roughly 1,500-acre gain in acreage over the past week but that is mainly interior pockets of unburned fuel that are being consumed by the fire. Occasional smoke will continue to be visible as the fire smolders and pockets of green fuel are burned, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry."