Thank you, Canada, for the cold air mass

It's shaping up to be a very cold winter. The latest arctic blast from our friends up north ... and to think I used to like the Canadians ... has us below zero for a high today. The other day, it was -10 degrees when we went to the Y, but it wasn't windy. Today at -4 or -5 degrees, it's just brutal out because of the wind. Because of wind chill, school is cancelled. Bob, the Chicago boy that he is, said, "We used to walk to school in weather like this."  Well, I remember waiting for the bus in Atascadero, Calif. on +17-20 degree mornings, and that was quite enough, thank you. (That was back when little girls wore dresses to school and our legs were frozen by the time the bus arrived.) I've included some pictures of "things I didn't concern myself with when I lived in San Luis Obispo." I hope you enjoy them.

This is the "schmutz" that collects in the wheel wells (ice, dirt, salt) and falls out on the garage floor.

Frozen condensation on the inside of the bathroom window.

A bit out of focus, but what happens if rain freezes on the way out of the downspout.

Dry, itchy winter skin? We've got a product for that.

Again, out of focus. But you get the idea.

Frozen recycling!

Merry Christmas from a state that can't decide if it's rainy or snowy

We've had the weirdest weather. December, by and large, was abnormally cold and snowy. Normal snowfall in Dec. before Christmas in the Dayton area is 3". We had 14". Yowza. Along with this snow came very cold temperatures. There were days when we had highs that were lower than the normal lows. Yes, you read that right. Then a few days ago, it warmed up to the mid-50s (California winter temperatures!) and rained and rained. The higher temperatures melted any snow, plus we had lots of extra water because of the rain. And where do we live? In an area with a big river running through it. There was major flooding in the Miami River Valley. We were fine, because our house is on a hill (they don't call it "Hunter's Ridge" for nothing). Others were not so fortunate. We saw lots of flooded cars (at least one woman had to be rescued because she didn't remember that tip about not driving over a flooded road), flooded houses, and backyards that disappeared under water.

Don't go down that stairway!

The Miami River decided to inundate the road to the covered bridge.

What trail?

A Merry Christmas greeting from one of our visiting cardinals. And from us, too.

The animals are thankful for ....

It's 3 days before Thanksgiving, though with all the Christmas decorations up, you'd think it was 3 days after. Our squirrels are thankful for corn and black oil sunflower seeds on cold mornings. Isabella is thankful for the "wall of flames" (i.e. the fireplace) and heater vents. We hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving.

I have cornstalks and Indian corn on the front porch as autumn decor. The squirrels have found the Indian corn. I'll soon have only cobs left. It's OK - I was going to give it to them anyway.

Here's one of the little corn-stealers.

Almost as good as the "wall of flames."

Bronchitis 1, Pat 0

Sickness reigns supreme. I'm slowly getting better from lung crud. My advice: don't get it. If you do, go to the doctor sooner than 8 days into the coughing fits, which is how long I waited. "It's just a cold!" Well, sometimes it isn't. On the weather front, we've had two little snowstorms. The first was in mid-October, which is unusually early. The second was the other day, which makes more sense. But, temperatures in the upper 50s are predicted for this week. Gotta love Ohio. We're all over the place. Mom keeps asking when spring will come. "Mom, it's only November. We still have to deal with January."

My meds. I'm so happy.

The downside of fall color. Eventually all those pretty leaves fall off.

Our neighbor Braden and little Shelby, their puppy.

I've been remiss

Okay, I admit. I've been lazy. It's been 2 months (!) since my last post. In Ohio, that's the difference between "what do you mean I have to mow the lawn and it's 90 degrees?" and "let's light the fireplace." We've had a weird autumn. Some trees are in full color and others are ignoring the entire autumn thing. "I believe I'll remain green" is their motto. We think after some freezing temperatures, they'll change their minds. I found some pictures on my camera from summer. So, enjoy some wildflowers and tomatoes.

Summer: bergamot (pink) and a member of the carnation family (red). I think I posted a picture of the bergamot in July.

Summer: one darned big tomato (our brother-in-law Jack grew this).

"Me" and "hemming": two words I never thought I'd use in the same sentence. Moving to Ohio is a game-changer. P.S. These are pj's - not "real" pants.

But the real me still comes out: my Ikea plates in wave length order. P.S. My new countertops in the kitchen are on view. Silestone "Lyra" - meant to look like marble.

Hard to swim

Our beloved YMCA pool is empty for annual cleaning and painting. It won't be done and ready for swimming until the day after Labor Day. We're taking AOA aerobics and AOA strength classes during the swim break. AOA= active older adults, and the classes aren't as wimpy as you might think. Just ask Bob how his triceps are feeling after Thursday's strength class. :)

No one is in danger of drowning! Aren't those lane lines beautiful?

Early summer

I'm a beetle. Not a fly, not a bug.

Fireflies are back. Okay, they're not flies. They're beetles. This is apparent from the photo above. It's summer. Fireflies (or lightning bugs, as you prefer - but they're not bugs, either) love warm humid nights. They out in the yard signaling to one another.  Other summer things we're seeing and doing: making iced tea (thank you, Fred and Beth, for the iced tea maker), going to Ikea (the only one in Ohio), and watching my calla lilies bloom.

Iced tea! Invented just for hot, humid summers.

We saw the stop sign. So, we stopped.

My pink calla lily - also have some yellow ones.