Weather has been so nice here for about 8 days. Felt great. But it is back up to 90 for rest of this week they say. Today it is trying to rain but looks like it has passed us over again.  My grass is so badly burned and dry. Yard man says he will not be doing it for at least next 2 to 3 week.

Larry. That must be quite a good size Dehumidifier if it weights so much. Is it easy to just roll around or do you keep it in one place.?  I was thinking of buying one of the portable A/C. as the one I have is a Window Unit and takes care good of LR. Dining but not All of the kitchen or my main Bedroom. Only thing is the Portable has to have a drain going out of a window and I don't have any windows back in my bedroom that have ever been opened. None that I can install another Window A/C

Great Mary Ann that the cat returned. Now they say that cats will always find a way back as long as they are not hurt. If people have moved then they will return to the last place they lived in. Remember the story on the News where that one cat got out of the Moving van and got lost. I think it was almost a year and the cat showed up at the Old house.
Sometimes people have tried to take a cat that they don't want out into the country and let them out.  Sooner or later they show up back at the house.
Doesn't seem to be that way on Dogs unless they are still very close.

did you not hear about Lassie Come-Home ?

Hi everyone. We are in for another day with over 95 degree temperature and little chance of rain.  I did water my yard this morning. 

We had a very pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon when the phone rang and it was Chape and Beverly on their way to Vermont.  It was a pleasant, although brief visit and much appreciated.  We did meet Scott and Jenifer for our big evening meal at Diablo's Tex Mex restaurant and had another delicious meal.  We then came back to the house and talked for awhile and then they and Pat played several games of Farkle, which they have started doing each Wednesday evening they are here. 

It is going to be a pretty busy day for me today.  I have to get the defective new computer boxed up and dropped off at the UPS store, which is on our way down to coffee.  After I spoke to the customer service (an actual human) he sent me a mailing label and after checking out the unit for themselves they will send me another computer.  After I return my friend back to the assisted living facility following coffee I will go back downtown to Aldi's to restock the pantry.  Our Wisdom group is not meeting today as the Minister took a few days of well earned vacation.  We are going to have a salad supper, which is easy to do and is tasty. 

Marilyne, the computer/tablet I bought was one that Kim Komando apparently designed and the screen is about 12 inches wide, nice display, front and back camera and comes with a basically full sized keyboard and has the Windows 10 Home Edition, which is what I use on all of our computers. It is also a touch screen.  These just became available a couple of weeks ago.  If it was going to fail sure glad it did so before I spent a lot of time working on it.  There was also a money back feature within the first 30 days so felt it was safe to tryout.  Pat needs a much lighter computer than the laptop she now uses at her easy chair.  I think the thing that makes it a tablet is that the screen panel goes clear back where the keyboard would not be used. It cost $299.  We each have a lap board that our laptops sit on and that works very well. 

deAngel, I use my iPad at my bed when I want to watch a program.  I probably will never buy another iPad as really don't need it.  I can do everything on my phone that I can on the iPad the difference being the size of the screen but the phone has a great picture.  Do you ever use the CBS Sports app to keep track of the golf tournaments and read other golf information.  They have an interesting write up today on the tourney starting this morning. 

Mary Ann, that Orange Chicken dish sure sounds good.  Glad you could meet with your friends. 

FlaJean, I think our weather here in South Carolina has pretty much been the same as you have been experiencing. 

JeanneP, the dehumidifier isn't too large and really rolls well.  Fortunately my son was able to remove the protective plug from the port to put in the drain hose and we now have that working so should not have to dump the tank anymore.  I am glad because that tank container is very heavy when full.

Bubble, that Lassie was a special dog. 

Bubble - Don't forget The Incredible Journey!  Two dogs and a Siamese cat, crossed almost the entire country of Canada, to return to their home in Ontario!

Good afternoon, I have read the paper, had my coffee out on the deck, this AM/  Beautiful day, and low humidity.
WE  have Red Hat luncheon to day, but the nurse called and said she would be here between 1 and 2.  So so can not g o out.


Lary, I will have to check out that CBS Sports.  they have just raised cablevision and other $5.00.  I heard there was a discount for seniors. I called and they said no, the only way I can reduce my bill is to drop the golf channel.  I have that on a lot of the time, I go very few places and that is my luxury   enjoyment, So guess I will have to pay.

MaryAnn, I like orange chicken, also sweet and sour . they are the only frozen dinners I like.  I have also got it at the Chinese resturant

We just returned from doing several things.  For one thing, we went to the lawyer with the info on revising my Trust.  That took about 45 minutes.  On the way home, we stopped at Tom's lady friend's so he could let her dog out for a few minutes.  He is a beautiful some-sort-of setter, black, grey and white, 14 years old, going deaf, very hyper.  Tom held on to the leash while I petted the dog and he behaved beautifully.  That done, we drove to Russ' restaurant and had sandwiches for lunch.  Russ' is where all of the "old" people eat; I like it because I don't get a sandwich with so much on it and/or around it and Tom isn't too fond of it because they don't have a large selection of food, but he does like to eat there sometimes - like today.

Comcast Cable is included in our monthly condo fee so I don't know what we pay.  By the condo assn paying for everyone, it is less than if we subscribed individually.  One of the men here is looking into seeing if our Comcast bill can include more, such as phone and Internet.  I get my phone and Internet from AT&T and I think I'd like to keep it that way.  I can't remember when my phone and Internet has been "out" and I've heard about many people who have lost service with other providers, including Comcast.  Nothing will happen soon, at any rate.

It's muggy here today.  Tom said we had a good rain and storm about 4 am and I never heard a thing.  I think we will get more rain; the one overnight was almost an inch so my outside plants appreciated that.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, if we were to have an inch of rain in So. Ca. we would feel we had died and gone to heaven. We did get a drizzle one morning this week, enough to dampen the sidewalks, but even that was welcome.

June, that one inch was hardly enough to wet the whistle.  The sky looks as if we might get more, but I wouldn't bet on it.  Radar shows very spotty rain.  I've seen growers in Northern Michigan using the sprinklers for their field, the same as pictures I've seen elsewhere.  It is muggy here and I haven't gotten around to turning on the a/c which I think I'll do now.

Mary Ann

One inch of rain sounds wonderful to me too . . . but we won't get a "storm" like that in California, until at least November.  We often get a few days of cloudy weather and drizzle in September and October, but it's mostly warm and bland. 

Mary Ann - sounds like you had a pleasant lunch with Tom, and a nice visit with his friend's beautiful dog.  We have Comcast cable for everything, including the land line telephone.  I wanted to keep that line with AT&T, as we had had for at least 50 years - but the Comcast "bundle" was very reasonably priced, so we went with it.  It includes phone, cable TV and high speed internet.  The only problem with having the bundle, is that when the electrical power goes out for any reason, the phone goes out as well. Used to be that we could count on the AT&T land line staying open, when everything else shuts down.     

Marilyn, if the condo association does go for the Comcast bundle, it will be included in our monthly fee and I won't know (unless they publish the amount) how much.  I do know our monthly fee will go up.  Since we already have the cable I won't know how much the entire package is.  My AT&T is almost $100 for phone and Internet.  I've got some time to make up my mind and whatever they are doing is still in the working stage.

We may not get any more rain.  Radar shows light precip and that isn't happening now.  I put another plant outside just in case.

Part of my lunch today was a bunch of seedless red grapes which were very good.  I brought them home and just finished them.

I have Jeopardy on my TV but I'm not listening to it.  It is a rerun from earlier this year (on the first program Alex Trebek wished his wife a Happy Valentine's Day so I knew it wasn't current).  I know they film the shows several weeks in advance, but they're usually quite timely when it comes to dates.

Mary Ann

Larry - I understand about your new tablet now!  I didn't realize that it was a specific PC, Windows device.  I thought you were talking about general ereaders like a Kindle, or tablets like the iPad.   We've always had Apple products, so I'm definitely clueless when it comes to other brands.  Now I'm wondering about the name "Kim Komondo"??  Is that a real person, or an entity like Siri??

I have an ATT home phone and also for my internet connection.  I was paying a local company for my cell phone, but recently learned that I can use my home telephone to call anywhere in the U.S. without paying a toll so I'm enjoying that feature.  It hadn't been explained to me for years!  I still own a cell phone and if I'm ever able to drive again by myself, I'll charge it up if I'm going out of town, but otherwise I don't need to use the cell phone.  If you use ATT for a home phone, you might want to check that out.

SCFSue

Sue, you may want to check out AT&T home wireless phone, all the same features of the land line and works even during power failures and a whole lot cheaper.  Also you can keep your present phone number.  I think that you can even disconnect the thing from power source and carry it with you to some other location if you are going to be there awhile.  Never tried it, but don't see why it wouldn't work.  I use it with my cordless phone and they even work during power failure.

https://www.att.com/cellphones/att/att-wireless-home-phone.html#sku=sku7250257

Hi everyone. It is a bright and sunny morning and headed into the mid to high 90's this afternoon with only a very low chance of rain.  Yesterday turned out to be very busy and accomplished what I had planned to do plus fixing both breakfast for Pat and dinner for us.  I am hoping for a quiet and easier day today. 

I slept for eleven hours last night but still not feeling very peppy this morning.  If I get motivated later this morning I will go and get a haircut and perhaps watch golf later this afternoon. 

deAngel, too bad you had to miss your Red Hat luncheon if you had felt up to attending.  However, seeing your nurse is certainly of a higher priority.  Consider what it would cost to actually go out and play golf in relation to the enjoyment you still get by having the Golf Channel. 

Mary Ann, I see you also had a busy day yesterday.  Glad you got to see your lawyer and hopefully your work on the trust is done other than to sign the papers when it is ready.  I have heard several complaints from my friends who have the combined Comcast services. I think the last six weeks of the summer break that Jeopardy always replays their three Tournaments of Champions. That is not one of Pat's favorite programs so we missed a lot of the programs during the regular season so don't remember seeing the Tournaments when they were first aired.

June, it seems that sections of California either don't get much rain or if it does rain too much at once causing the flooding and mud slides. 

Marilyne, like you I am happy anytime we get rain, which we have been blessed with all summer.  However, our sandy/clay type soil absorbs it quickly and the soon dries out this the need to water a couple of times a week if we have had no rain. Do you have a cell phone to use if your Comcast phone goes out?  Kim Komando is a live person who has had a syndicated radio program dealing with things computer and photography related for over 20 years.  She send out several different newsletters each day and has an online store.  I have followed her newsletters for years and have heard her on the radio.  She lives in Phoenix.  People call her show with questions, which she answers on her show.  She understands the principles of promotion.  This was the first thing I have ever ordered from her. 

Sue, we used to use ATT for our Internet service although it has been a long time since we have had a home phone line.  For several years we have paid for an ATT DSL line for my wife's sister in Missouri so she can use her Kindle device.

Hal, I had never heard that about the ATT home wireless service. 

Hi Larry! It's been more than twelve hours since you posted, and no messages since??   I guess everyone is busy with other things.  I looked in a couple of times today, but I've had a couple of appointments and a trip to Costco, so I didn't have time to think about a message. 

Thanks for telling me about Kim Komondo. Where can I find her program . . . on the radio dial, or on the computer?  I used to have the AM or FM radio playing in the background, most of the day, and sometimes all night, but I rarely turn it on anymore.  The programs I liked to listen to, whether music, local talk or NPR, are no longer available, so I slowly gave up on it.  However, I do listen to a few of the new stations on my computer, but only in the evening.

I hope you all had a nice Friday, and are looking forward to a pleasant  weekend.

Hi everyone. It is going to be another mid-90's day here after it got to 97 yesterday afternoon.  The heat index was 107.  We did get two nice but short afternoon rains.  Today is to be in the mid-90's again but no indicated chance of further rain.

I stayed home all day yesterday.  I did call the AC man who installed our AC unit.  He was able to be here in 20 minutes and checked everything out and found nothing wrong with the unit.  He told me we should keep the fan on Auto during the AC season and use fiberglass filters rather than the pleated filters and to keep the door open upstairs as it is zoned and it helps the air circulate.  He did not charge me for the visit, which was a shock.  The fiberglass filters are much cheaper than the type I have been buying and said they do as good a job but allow more air to circulate. I plan on watching some of the golf tourney this afternoon.   

Marilyne, just go to her website at www.komando.com and you should find a link to find what station broadcasts her program in your area.

Kendrick had his excitement for the day.  Tom's lady friend brought her dog here to stay while she ran an errand.  He is better than yesterday, but she did not want to leave him alone.  Tom took him out on the deck where he promptly pooped.  The cat was inside and we were surprised that he did not make a beeline for the lower level.  He may have thought Luke was another cat, however, a very large one.  The two animals were on opposite sides of the slider screen and you could see the ridge on Kendrick's back.  What was funny was his tail was very fluffy.  He stayed within view of Luke and kept an eye on him all of the time.  When Robin came for Luke, the cat went toward the hallway but still watched Luke until he was out of the house. 

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - Winnie acted just like Kendrick, when Cocoa was visiting here a few weeks ago. He didn't want to make friends or get too close, but he kept his eyes on Cocoa, whenever they were in the same room.  I never let them outside in back at the same time, but when Cocoa was out there, Winnie sat at the door and watched him. 

That reminds me, I was going through some old things of my daughter's, and found a picture of Morris the Cat.  Remember him?  He was the "star" in TV commercials for 9-Lives cat food.  Anyway, he and Kendrick look exactly alike! (If I remember correctly, the picture I saw of Kendrick?) My Winnie is also an orange/pumpkin/gold tabby, but he's solid white on his chest, stomach and legs.  All of his multicolored stripes are on his back, head and sides.

Marilyn, I thought Morris was a white cat.  I think there has been more than one Morris, but I don't see enough TV to remember.  Kendrick is part Bengal and I say he's an orange cat.  He has stripes like a Bengal, but Bengals have stripes and swirls that are more pronounced.  I don't know what his other part is, but Patricia put in an article about cats recently and there was one picture of an Arabian Mau (cat in some language) that looked just like Kendrick.  I have no idea how long ago it was, but maybe a month.  Maybe she can send you a link or you might go back where there was a link to Kendrick in a boxed scratch pad. 

I wonder if Kendrick thought he was the only one of his type until a few weeks ago he saw the cat next door and now he's seen a dog.  His world broadens.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - Here are some pictures of Morris The Cat. I think that many different cats posed for "Morris" over the years.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=mac_bm&source=hp&q=morris+the+cat+images&oq=Morris+the+cat&gs_l=psy-ab.1.3.0l4.1940.8327.0.12930.15.14.0.0.0.0.92.965.14.14.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.14.963.0..0i131k1.niPBIUdfxLg

Tonight we're going to a birthday dinner for Jackie, our daughter-in-law.  She is now 53 years old.  Hard to believe so many years have gone by since we first met her.  She and our son started going together when he was 19 and she was 18.  They got married ten years later.

Marilyn, I can see the resemblance in the two cats, and while Kendrick is not a "smiley", he has a more pleasant expression on his face.  His expression is not grumpy.

Annie came to see us tonight, did some vacuuming, changed my bed for me and took a video of Kendrick while he "coughed".  She's going to talk to the vet because that is something new and I am sure, not normal. 

I am trying to find a big button that I can attach a long string to for him to play with - or I hope he would play with it.  I can't find any buttons in my sewing cabinet and I must have some!

Mary Ann

Hi everyone. Today will be more of the same weather wise getting into the high 90's by late afternoon.  Pat had a not so good day yesterday and last night.  She is feeling better so far this morning but I just want her to take it very easy today. I feel she did too much in the kitchen yesterday.  I will go to Sunday School and Church and bring home our main meal as usual. Then I plan on listening to Don Reid's last classical music program as he is leaving radio after today.  Finally I will enjoy the end of the golf tournament.

Mary Ann and Marilyne, it just sounds like your cats were keeping a protective eye on their domain while those unwelcome dogs were there.  I remember Morris the Cat. 

Marilyne, hope you enjoyed the birthday dinner for your DIL.  The years do fly by and suddenly our children are no longer young. 

Mary Ann, hope there is nothing wrong with Kendrick with the coughing.  Maybe he was just trying to get rid of a hair ball.

Larry, I have thought the same with Kendrick and a possible hair ball.  The coughing is not constant, maybe two or three times a day and it does seem he is trying to get rid of something.  Annie was here yesterday and he coughed while she was here and she was able to catch it on her phone so will be able to show it to a vet.  Otherwise, he seems perfectly normal. 

Dot has company here from Chicago so we did not go to church this morning.  I do like being able to stay in bed later so welcomed that, but when I don't go to church, I seem to lose track of what day it is.

Mary Ann

Nice to read your notes this morning and catch-up with the news.

A grandson is visiting and he and Don have been busy making a wooden sofa table with leftover hockey sticks.  The top is really interesting - they have much to do and lots of sawing. 

wjoan:  Happy to hear that it is a bit cooler for you - same here. 

Carol, thanks. I am enjoying the cooler nights and sleeping longer.

Carol, that must be an interesting project for your grandson and Don.  I remember watching a program where someone made a deck from some surf boards.

Dot had family here for the weekend so we did not go to church.  Usually we go to Mr Burger afterward but Tom and I went there instead. 

Tom's kids are coming later to power wash my deck and that of a neighbor's.  I am kind of going to be in charge of the 6-month-old twin girls but there isn't a lot I can do.  Their mother and father will be nearby in case.  I don't feel capable of taking care of babies now.  Especially since I got up with a backache this morning.  My lifestyle brings on the backache - very sedentary.  Also age, arthritis and another else you want to mention.

What I can see of Grand Haven, they are busy; lots of boats out too.  It's a nice day for it.

Mary Ann

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been here lately.  Just heard the sad news, that I had to share - Comedian Jerry Lewis has passed, at the age of 91. 

shirleyn.

Thanks for the post Shirlyn. I hadn't heard yet.

Dick Gregory passed away just yesterday. I hope this isn't a trend for comedians.

I don't feel so bad when people die at their ages.  I forget Gregory's age, but it was up there.  It is the younger people in their 50s or so that surprise me.  Jerry Lewis provided us with a lot of laughs.  I remember Dick Gregory but I think I did not see any of his routines. 

I'm waiting for Tom's kids to arrive and they are going to power wash my deck.  The deck is of a man-made material and I don't have to paint or stain it, but it has darkened in places and has mold on it.  It is in the sun daily, but also gets whatever weather there is.

Dot just left; she had stopped over hoping to see the twin girls but they haven't arrived yet.  Tom just said everyone is running late and Annie should be here in 20 minutes.  James and family live in Holland so it takes about 45 minutes to get here in addition to having get the girls situated in their car seats. 

Mary Ann

Mary Ann - I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing Eleanor and Johanna today.  I wouldn’t be able to take care of one baby by myself, much less two!  Good that you’ll have Annie and others there to be with you.

We had a nice time at son & dil's house last night for her birthday dinner.  Neither of the kids were there.  Gr-daughter Jessica, is still in Europe, but will be coming home next week.  Gr-son Jake, is taking a class at Oregon State U, so he will be right in the direct line of the eclipse, and will see the sun disappear!   Here in the San Jose area, we will see a 75% eclipse.