...ooo, a severe weather alert !!!

my daily weather check on my pda revealed this startling news Friday...
there is a "severe weather watch" in effect through the weekend...
as several fronts, which will grow in strength, make it through our area...

I'm NOT building an ark...
or collecting canned goods anytime soon...

these warnings always lead us to believe that Mother Nature...
is pissed... and about to exact deadly vengeance on us all...

that there will be "walls of water"...
[maybe .75 of an inch in our area !!!]
and that we needed to know this severe weather was on the way...
so we could be prepared...

well, they've "cried wolf" too often...

in the first place, .75 inches of rain is NOT severe weather...
unless you have NO shelter and are allergic to rain...
and in the second place, most of the time these, "warnings" amount to nothing...
going north or south of us...
or just plain, fizzling out without producing much rain at all...

I lived in Chicagoland for 5 years[1973-8]...

they had REAL severe weather alerts...
not to mention REAL severe weather...
the kind that you HAD to respect...

tornadoes... thunderstorms... downpours...
4 inches of rain in an hour...

and BLIZZARDS... real white-outs...
26 inches of snow... in 24 hours...
[on May 2...]

not to mention the 2 weeks in January when it was -20˚F...
all day... for at least 10 days...
each year of the 5 that I lived there...

then came the "January thaw"...
when the temp finally got up to zero...
& people took off their heavy coats...
at 25˚, they wore shorts...

oh, it was often "raw" into May...
sleet, howling winds & "sideways" rain...
but never again, -20˚ F after the January thaw...

so don't tease me with your lame NorCal "severe weather alerts"...

I'm NOT buying it...

now a "severe foot watch"...

that would get my attention...

...better than the alternative

well that day is here again, sigh...
not that I'm really complaining...
because having another birthday is always better...
than NOT having one...

it's just that I'm increasingly aware of "milestones"...

when I was a kid, there were always milestones to reach...
and you "couldn't wait"...

to be 10, 13, 16, 18, 21...
and to receive the privileges that being 16[whatever] afforded...

and there are the "big" birthdays...
30... 40... 50... 55... 60...

and this year's number, 62...

now I can apply for Social Security benefits...
at 65, I get to apply for Medicare...

somehow, it's not as much fun or nearly as cool, as it was...
to get to ride my bike on the road [10]...
become a teenager [13]...
get my driver's license [16]...
buy cigarettes [18]...
buy alcohol and vote [21]...
[yes, I'm THAT old, I couldn't vote until I was 21...]

and as grateful as I am for every day of my life...
the milestones that I now face...
create more apprehension than excitement...

but I know that God has plans for me...
and I do look forward to finding out what they are...
so I am grateful for all the days and years I've had...
as well as those left to me...

so I think that I'll get some change from my change jar...
and go get myself a birthday cake...
[Raley's has 2 layer cakes on sale for $9.99...
as well as pork roast for $.97 lb...]

let the feasting begin!

...a gentle fall rain

the heat spell of 90 degree days has finally broken...

after some unusually muggy days and a "teaser" sprinkle...
that barely got beyond the drops on the sidewalk phase...
we've had our first gentle, but steady, rain of the season...

I smelled the rain during the church service on Sunday...

and sure enough, it rained lightly but steadily the rest of the day...
washing the summer dust and heat away...

the nighttime temps have dropped now to the point of having windows closed...
any night now, we'll drop into the 40's...
and start only warming to the 60's during the day...
that's when I start my furnace and the remaining leaves will turn fast...

we are expecting rain showers over the weekend...
but no winter storms yet...
which is fine with me...
'cause I'd like to enjoy some fall color...
before the storms blow all the leaves away...

...more fall goodness

the last of the tomato blooms have set...

the remaining creeper leaves are turning...

some dried-up leaves retain color...

while some leaves are just beginning to turn...

most are red, but some turn orange...

and the ripening berries attract lots of birds...

some remain muted...

even in death...

then there's the threadleaf Japanese maple on the front porch...

and when the apples get color, they're almost ripe...

the pomegranates are coloring up now too...

and the lilac from the ranch that almost died, has revived with some watering...

but I believe that this maidenhair fern that was Mom's and Grandma's, is the happiest flora in the yard... I love fall...

...seasonal twitches

my neighbor to the north's Halloween frenzy began Oct.1...

I posted this shot a few days ago...

this is a detail...

as is this...

they've been "adding"...
and last night when I got home from a Ren. group rehearsal...
I took this shot...

to help give some perspective to my claims...
of a bedroom that felt like the inside of a jack o'lantern...

but still, it is October...
and it's the season for this kind of decoration...

however, in my humble opinion, there is just no excuse for this...

which is what greeted me in my local OSH yesterday...
ARGH....

...and now, a Public Servic Announcement

it's getting to be that time of year again...

when getting something "nasty" can be impossible to avoid...

the aforementioned, "something nasty"...

there are "colds"...
and then there's the flu...
when you are doomed to about 2 weeks of misery...
no matter how busy you are or how much you tried to avoid it...

of course, doing the "right things" can help...
but if you are around certain people...
[we all know who they are, though they don't see it...
they get sick, then spread it around...
because they won't just stay home...
unintentionally spreading illnesses to many...
who otherwise, might have avoided getting sick altogether...]

I started getting flu shots[and pneumonia shots...]
after I began my teaching career and got really sick a few times...
so every year, about this time, I go searching...
for a flu shot clinic, usually at a grocery store...
'cause then I only have to pay for the flu shot...
not the deductible for the Dr's office visit...

this year, money is very tight...

so as I contemplated trying to find the flu shot money...
in my change jar or by pawning something...
I received a birthday card from some friends at church...
it also contained a grocery store cash card...
which I'm sure that they intended for groceries...
but I quickly saw other possibilities for...
since it was the almost the amount I needed for the flu shot...

the shot had been $20-25 the last few years at Raley's...
and their flu shot clinic was to be today/tomorrow...
but their advertised cost was now $28[for both strains of flu in one shot...]
Wallyworld was advertising "walk-in" shots for $29.99...
so I decided to check-out SMart since I now had a $25 gift card for them...

there are a number SMart stores around Mudville...
since they bought out both Luckys & Albertsons several years ago...
so I went to the biggest one I could think of...
looking for an "in-house" pharmacy...
[they only give the flu shots in their pharmacies...]

there they told me that they didn't have a pharmacy...
and the customer service person suggested I go to Rite Aid...

as I was turning to leave, a customer, several aisles away at a register...
told me which SMart in town had a pharmacy & where they were...
so I went over there, got lost, finally found it...
went to the pharmacy and asked how much their flu shots were...
and could I use the gift card to pay for it ?

after being told that the shot was $28.95 and yes...
I filled-out paperwork...

the manager of the pharmacy was actually a Dr...
and I didn't feel the shot at all...
[most clinicians I've been inoculated by have been pretty heavy handed...
he was very gentle...]

they swiped my gift card...
then asked for $1.09...

it turns out that the price was really only $26.09...
they lowest price I've seen...
and I didn't have to wait at all...
though by the time I was done, there was a long line at the counter...

I swung by the meat counter as they had cross rib roast advertised at $1.99 lb...

they had 2 smaller roasts[2.5 lb each] which I bought...
then I picked-up almost 4 lbs of ground chuck at $2.49 lb...
which was also reduced another $.50 for a quick sale...

it should be noted that most of the other packages of grnd chk...
were $2.99 for the "Max-Paks" and $3.49 for smaller sizes...

it had been $2.49 last week and the package I got was from then...
the current prices are $2.99/$3.49...
[it's not unusual for them to have "last weeks sale prices" on things...
so I always check for it when I'm there...]

so for about $19, I got a good supply of meat for the freezer...
as well as a low cost flu shot...

all in all, a pretty good day !

...signs of the season[?]

it's still "too warm" to suit me...
[low 90's as the highs, no real marine layer intrusion overnight...]
and the leaf turn has been halted...

while there are a few with enough moisture retained to stay green...
or turn colors and remain attached to the vine or tree...

there is a lot of this...
dried-up, dead leaves, even though a few still hang on...
this is NOT a shot of the ground...
this is on the side of my house...

and then there's this...

my neighbor to the north

it started in late September...
and keeps "growing"... like "Topsey"...

they didn't do much last year...
so I guess they're making up for it this year...
FYI: the mini lights overhead are orange...
they cris-cross most of the the yard...
about 8 ft high and stay on all night...
creating an interesting glow in my bedroom...

another reason that I can't wait for the night-time temps to drop...
so I can close the window AND the blinds...

currently...

I feel as though I'm trying to sleep inside of a lit jack o'lantern...

in the meantime, I'm "going with the flow"...

...this is more like it

the blast of summer heat that dessicated leaves...
and everything else for the last week, plus...
leaving all living things limp & tired...
was blown out by today's strong breezes & scudding clouds...
all that's left of yesterday's muggy threat of thunderstorms...

there are still hopes for some bright creeper color to come...

but the drying heat took a terrible toll...

and the cooling wind has also cleared out much that had turned...
as well as the dried & withered victims of the heat spell...

the good news is that many trees are still quite green...
or like the trumpet vine, just beginning to turn...

my ferns have enjoyed the relatively cool summer...
and are flourishing in the shady back yard...

where a half dozen or so apples are ripening...
I'll have to keep an eye on them if I want any...
the critters got all of my cherries & peaches this year...

there are 6 or 7 pomegranates, high up, close to the fence...
which are still quite green...
they'll probably need at least a month to ripen...
but there was one that needed picking that I could reach...

once they split, and this one was in the direct sun...
they will mold in cooler, damp weather...
and our nighttime lows are heading towards the lower 50's...
maybe even the upper 40's over the next 10 days or so...

so I picked it...

it's not sweet, but it sure looks good...

...more little things along the way

the blast of heat, hopefully the last of the summer...
has abated, leaving us with much more seasonal temps for early October...
everything is now quite dry and wilted...
but I still hope for a colorful fall...

I'm still in "wait" mode on the mortgage modification...
and all else financial must wait on that move...

while waiting, I have had a few "events"...

some of which I don't see the reasons for...
others, I can see the good within, even as it happens...

for example...

I thought that I had cancelled all auto credit card payments...
then one went through, nearly wiping out my checking account balance...
I did notice it right away and was able to hold off spending money...
until I earned some driving MzYBee to Ahnoldtown...
which I was able to deposit before anything bad happened...

then there was the school district health insurance premium payment...
which can be as late as the 5th of the month...
[they pay to me, their share, until I'm 65...
as the entire premium is taken out of my pension payment...]

it appeared in my checking account on Sept. 30, several days early !

and my pension payment not only arrived on Oct. 1...
it was a bit more than normal...
not too unusual, just a dividend...
so I was feeling pretty good...

until I opened my homeowners insurance statement...
asking for an October payment of over $200...

over a month ago, I had re-instated auto pay...
to avoid this balloon payment, a monthly $10 fee...
and to spread out my payments over the entire year...
lowering them significantly to about $58 p/mo...

so I called my agent, who called me back right away...

the auto-pay had just gone through, Sept.30...
so my next payment of $64 would be due in December [!]

no payment this month or next...
then the auto-pay would kick-in from December on...
at a few $ more than I had anticipated...
but I can live with it...

especially since I don't have to pay for the next 2 months...

which will come in quite handy...
seeing that I just paid the final home phone bill...
and the final ADT bill...
and today, I have "paid bills", transferred $100 to savings...
will get my hair cut & buy cat food, litter, groceries...
and choir supplies [water, cough drops & food for rehearsal]

I did get quite a nice donation from various choir members...
which will go a long ways towards paying for much of it...

and then I have $175 to last the month...
[I hope nobody gets sick...]

but I'm hopeful, 'cause so far, things are working out...

God is good, He supplies all our needs...

...happy 2nd dogiversary to Molly & us

Molly, as she appeared in MM's post, late Sept. 2008

it's hard to believe that it was only 2 years ago today...
that I brought Molly home for "a brief stay"...
that turned into "long-term" quite quickly...
after it became clear that both she & the kitties...
could "cohabitate", quite well, thank you very much...

when the Greenthumbs rescued her...
she was pregnant, very thin, but hopeful of finding her place...

a trip to the vet took care of the pregnancy...
a fondness for pig's ears took care of the thinness, and then some...
and God took care of the rest...

with her favorite treat, after her "operation", November 2008

in the past 2 years, we've lost 5 of the kitties...
Gracie, Frick, Creamer, Mattie & Thomas are gone...

Molly still tries to play chase with Mack & Sneaky Pie...
who are having none of it...
especially from a canine who swipes their food at every chance...
has been known to nose about the cat box...
and "hog" the best "perch" in the front window...

Lucyfur & Sneaky Pie will swat at her when she "noses" them...
so she yips at them from either her nest or crate...
especially, if she has a tasty bone to gnaw...
or other cherished treasure to guard...
& a feline has the temerity to come too close...

the others just give her a wide berth...
when she has a goodie to gnaw on...
but she will bark at most passing felines...
when she's "at home"[in her crate]...

*just because*

she also "alerts" me to the presence of anyone at the door...
as well as anyone across the street, especially with a dog in tow...
prowling felines, swooping birdies and sometimes...
[or so it seems...] the wind blowing...

not too long ago, enjoying a freshly cleaned rug...

there are now, several large, LOUD dogs in the area...
and when Molly hears any of them barking...
especially when she's outside...
she always joins in... LOUDLY... BOISTEROUSLY...
when inside and she sees something...
she not only barks loudly, but she goes ballistic...

jumping around, "attacking" the interloper...
by going after the window where the image appears...
things stacked in the way deter her only slightly...
mostly, I just come to where she is and tell her to be quiet...

if I'm busy, I just holler, acknowledging her "alert"...
but only if the intensity and timbre of her alert is not too high...
if she's at "defcon 4", I have to make an appearance...
or she might go through the window...

she doesn't get to that level too often anymore...
since I put her in the crate after a few, too intense, alerts...
so now she generally is content if she knows that I know...
she needs more training outside, which I'm hoping will happen soon...

I stopped giving her pig's ears...
[too many calories & too expensive...]
but she enjoys the occasional bone or "meat gone south"...
the change to diet dog food has also helped...
as she has lost about 5-7 lbs...

so on this 2nd dogiversary, I thank the GTs for rescuing her...
God for providing her as a companion & protector...
and even Molly, herself...
for putting up with a catperson and a houseful of kitties...
who love her and are glad she's here...

hopefully, for many more dogiversaries...