Just a Pretty Sky Picture

 

I took this picture the other day.  Our weather here is hot and humid.  We may get more rain later today.  My thoughts are with our friends in the path of Idalia.  Hopefully, the storm misses them.  

I heard one of the emergency officials speaking on the news this morning.  His words were to "stay calm, but run from the water, and hide from the wind".  Good advice.  If you are in a flood zone, move away until the storm passes.  Otherwise, hunker down, and take care of yourselves.

This afternoon I am going to what I am calling a "meet and greet" with the new doctor we have been transferred to.  I have my list of questions all ready.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Smile!

I hope everyone is doing well.  It's a busy time all over for a lot of you.  School starting, adjustments to routines being made, weather events to prepare for and clean up after.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

Larry and Violet came to visit us for a couple days.  It was great to have them here!  Thanks! 

Les and I are doing "okayish".  Trying to take care of ourselves and  keep up with things.

I have an appointment this week to meet the new doctor we have been "assigned" to.  Dr. Putland retired, and it is hard to adjust.  He was our doctor since the very early 1990's.  I will let you know how it goes with the new doctor. 

I just realized I never mentioned the MRI again.  It went well.  The good news is that they did not find any lesions, growths, or issues that were causing the hearing loss in my left ear.  I see the Audiologist again in October - first available appointment - to discuss what is next.  

It's hot and humid here.  As always, there is yard work I would like to get done.  But it is all going to wait until a nice cooler day when I feel like doing it. 😀

Life is good.  God Bless America!  And remember to smile!

Funny from I Can Haz Cheeseburger site.

Ready for Fall!

 

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  I don't know about all of you, but I am ready for some cooler and calmer weather.  I have always loved Fall, the lovely colors, and the fresh cooler air.

C and E were here the other day and they helped Mr. Gnome fix up his garden for Fall.  It might seem early to some of you.  But keep in mind since I like Fall so much, I will be getting out my ceramic pumpkins (not the Halloween ones!) and a few other Fall things that we have.  The girls did a great job with the small garden!  Thank you, girls!

Stay safe, people.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Winter Forecasting

Below are the 20 signs in nature to be wary of ahead of the upcoming winter season later this year:

1. Thicker-than-normal onions or corn husks
2. Woodpeckers sharing a tree
3. The early arrival of the snowy owl
4. The early departure of geese and ducks
5. The early migration of the Monarch butterfly
6. Thick hair on the nape of a cow’s neck
7. Heavy and numerous fogs during August
8. Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
9. Mice chewing furiously to get into your home
10. The early arrival of crickets on the hearth
11. Spiders spinning larger-than-usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
12. Pigs gathering sticks
13. Ants marching in a line rather than meandering
14. Early seclusion of bees within the hive
15. Unusual abundance of acorns
16. Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river bank
17. “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest.”
18. The size of the orange band on the Woolly Bear (or Woolly Worm) caterpillar
19. Squirrels gathering nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
20. Frequent halos or rings around the sun or moon forecasts numerous snowfalls

The above list is from "News Break" that we get from Ohio.  I thought I'd share so you could all think about Winter while most of the country is still having high heat indexes, high humidity, storms, floods, and other nasty weather.  Take care of yourselves!  I have seen some of these listed things over the years.  But I think number twelve is the most interesting.  I have never, ever, seen a pig carrying a stick.  😀

God Bless America!  Life is good.

Thank You, Larry!

 

This is my memory brick.  Les' brother, Larry, got it for me and mailed it to me.  And here is the story.

I was in the high school class of 1967.  We were seniors when Fairless, the new high school, opened and we were the first class to graduate out of the new school.

This was a big event at the time.  Les and I are from a rural area of Ohio.  Each town had their own school.  And those schools were getting crowded.  The plan was for consolidation of the all the towns schools into one school district.  That took a few years.  First the idea had to be voted on and passed.  And it would require a small increase in taxes, which evidently a lot of voters did not want.

I remember in grade school, before elections, our teachers would have us make posters for the school levy and instead of recess, we'd walk around town with the posters.  Eventually the levy passed, but it took a few years.

Each town kept their own grade school, grades one through six.  All of the districts' seventh graders were bussed out to one really small town, Justus, for that school.  All of the districts' eighth and ninth graders were bussed to Brewster.  And grades ten through twelve were bussed to Navarre.  Of course, if you lived close to whatever school your grade was assigned to, you just walked there.

When the new high school was built out in a great open area sort of between the towns, it was quite an occasion.  All of the high school students were bussed.  A few had the privilege of driving, but I don't remember many.

The principal of the high school was Mr. Cain.  Every morning, rain or shine, he was out in front of the school checking to  make sure no one wore any cleats on their shoes that would damage the floors.  He also checked to make sure the girls' skirts were not too short and the guys didn't have cigarettes rolled in their shirt sleeves.

Time passes, things change.  Fairless High school that I knew is no more.  It was just torn down and a new school built close-by.  A lot of things from the school that were not being moved, were sold or auctioned.  And a notice went out that unbroken bricks from the old school could be picked up for anyone who wanted a "memento".  I had mentioned that I wouldn't mind having one and Larry had a chance to get one for me.  So thanks again, Larry!

I have not decided where exactly the brick will stay but for now it has a "place of honor" in our living room.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Ongoing Project

 

When we had a break in the extremely hot weather one day last week, I went out early in the morning and did some work on this back corner of our yard.  I got a lot done, but there is still some work to do.  You can't really see in this picture, but in the middle of the shrubs and bushes, are three shrubs that need to be trimmed.  Our old hedge trimmer is corded and we don't have enough extension cords to reach back there, even if I wanted to take a chance on doing that.  So I ordered a new Black and Decker rechargeable battery powered one.  I have it put together and charged and am ready for the next break in weather and next surge of energy.  😊  You know how it is, we have to prioritize.

The heat and humidity are back up and we are supposed to have some storms later today.  I have my limits for working in the yard when it comes to the heat.  I'll keep you posted.

In other news, we've been having ongoing issues with our TV and Internet.  We have an appointment next week for a Verizon service tech to come and set up the new router and an extender.  We are expecting the Geek Squad people this afternoon to deliver our new TV and set all that up.  Wish us luck.  

Yesterday was Les' birthday.  We went out for lunch and in the evening, Jacquie, Chris, and the girls came over to visit and have cake.  

We are also expecting the generator service tech this morning for the annual generator check-up.  I hope he gets here before the rain starts.

I had my annual ENT and hearing appointment on Monday.  I have had a "significant" loss in my left ear in what is considered a short time according to the Audiologist.  So the NP ordered an MRI to  determine if there was something in my brain causing issues with nerves that control hearing.  Huh. That is scheduled for next Friday.  Then I guess we'll decide what is next.

Our girls are busy, Jordan's job is going well, and the rest of the grandchildren are getting ready to go back to school and classes.  Time flies!

I am doing my best to keep up with things.  Life is good.  Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  God Bless America!

Happy Birthday, Les!

Love you now and forever!

Picture from Myrtle Beach in 2010
Still a favorite picture!

Take Your Smiles Where You Find Them!

The other morning on my way to get our Starbucks coffees, and while I was sitting at a red light, I saw this cloud.  It was so lovely I had to take a picture.  The longer I sat in traffic at the red light, the more it looked like this.

Smile as often as  you can and take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!