Snowy Friday

[Colliemom]

Morning. Last weekend befoe Christmas coming up. Have a hard time remembering it’s the holiday season, as I don’t have Christmas shopping or the other Christmas hubub going on here. Jusy keeping busy with the day to day stuff I get into.

I didn’t know there was a fire in Custer till you mentioned it Beth. Such a shame. I’m sure the animals will fare fine as they had areas to get away. Their food sources are another matter. There are appeals out for hay now. But if the snows come and rain appears in spring, it’s amazing how nature can recover, but there will be changes in the scenery, no doubt on that. I’ve witnesed the changes behind a wildfire that occured about 16 miles south of here just about 5 years ago. Been interesting to see how the land has gone from blackened earth and charred trees, the which of were harvested and removed, to new growth sprouting up and new jack pines growing more each year.

Speaking about ads popping up on phones, Verizon here in MI has been having trouble with signals being lost from their cell towers from the Eastern U.P. All the way downstate in the lower peninsula. Cause was unknown last I heard. Some 911 dispatchers are suggesting a land line to call in an emergencies if they can, cause they are losing the callers on cell phones.

Winter Weather advisories out till midnight tonight, so will be momkeying in the house today. Supposed to have between 3-8 inches. Of snow depending on where it lands. Thinking about putting more pipe insulation on some pipes in the basement. It’s heated down there, but not a lot between basement ceiling and floor above.

Was out looking a dryers yesterday. Want something a bit basic and not all the bells and whistles. Just want to dry a load of wash without having to become a computer wiz to figure out how to turn it on My current Roper is 18 years old, but still doing okay. So no rush to change it. But thinking of converting to gas one as they are more energy efficient.

Enough jabbering this morning. Time for shower, make bed etc., Have a nice day out there everyone

[Irmi]

Good morning Sue & everyone!

Sue, our neighbors in the campground returned from a trip to Michigan yesterday, and they said that if they hadn't left then, they may not have made it out to fly here, because of the additional snow coming today and tomorrow. They are so glad to be back in FL.

It is 56 degrees here this morning and we'll get into the mid 70's with lots of sunshine. Yesterday evening, we drove around for a couple hours looking at Christmas lights. We found addresses from awards given last year for the spectacular decorations and those were the ones we went to see. It is amazing the work some people go through for the Christmas season! Christmas Eve Sunday morning, I'll be playing for the service in church. The other organist will play for the Christmas Eve evening service. Homemade chicken noodle soup will be made this afternoon for our dinner with a salad as a side. Have a good day everyone!

[Bethers]

Morning, Sue, Irmi and all to follow.

As soon as the sun gets to work adding more warmth, I'll get back on the road. I'm going to stop and look at a scooter in the Tucson area. Just a 125 cc one like I had before, so no freeways, but anywhere else allowed. I prefer to stay on back roads anyway. Who knows what I'll decide lol. This seller is including a hitch receiver track and ramp like the one I had before. It's doable, but I hated loading and unloading with it. That said, my last rig had the mounted spare tire that made things more difficult... Time will tell. And I'm not sure I'm ready to buy, either.

Have a great day!

[JudyJB]

Still sorting and reorganizing my kitchen slide cupboards. Tossed out a lot of maps and booklets. Also moved books from slide cupboards over couch which is on slide and switched places with DVDs which are much lighter. Cupboards on other side which is not on slide will get books. Need to start reading them and put them in storage.

On my way to brakes redone and then will be in Napa tonight. Will get son to screw new safe into floor in bedroom.

Sorry to hear about Custer. Love the buffalo and other animals there.

[bluepinecones]

Just checking in - nothing interesting going on here. Cold, mostly from wind chill but enough to keep me mostly inside past few days.

[Acadianmom]

It is overcast and raining a little here. Just enough rain to make it messy. It is 48 which will probably be the high today. My feet are cold so should probably go put some socks on. I seldom wear socks but the weekend we camped I needed them. I almost forgot to get gas when I was in town. I could have made it home but would probably have needed lawn mower gas to get back to town. I usually get gas when it's down to half a tank.

I think about going to Lafayette but then think of the Christmas shoppers. My sister and I went to Ross's on Saturday and the check out line started at the back of the store. If she hadn't been buying something I would have put what I had back.

It's been a while since I went driving around to look at Christmas lights. My boys thought that was dumb and didn't want to go. It's not much fun to go by myself. When I would go to Dallas at Christmas time my Uncle would take us to see the lights. When I was young he would take my cousins and I driving around. Sometimes we would park and watch trains go by and read the graffiti on the cars. Sometimes we would go to Love Field and watch planes land and take off. Our drives always included stopping at a soda fountain. I can just imagine what kids today would think of that kind of entertainment.

Martha

[JudyJB]

Martha, your uncle sounds like he really knew about fun. And I think kids today would enjoy that as well.

[Acadianmom]

I always thought my Uncle was great because my dad never did anything with us. He never went to any school activity or graduation.

Martha

[Cudedog]

It's been a while since I went driving around to look at Christmas lights. My boys thought that was dumb and didn't want to go. It's not much fun to go by myself. When I would go to Dallas at Christmas time my Uncle would take us to see the lights. When I was young he would take my cousins and I driving around.
Martha

I have a big dog that I take for at least a 40-minute walk every evening after dark. In winter the walk happens about 5:15 p.m. or so, in summer it is usually more like 8:30 p.m. I absolutely love (and always have loved) looking at the Christmas lights. I look forward each year to viewing the lights in my neighborhood along my walking route. I have lived in my home seven years (hard to believe it's been so long!) this past October, and each year there seem to be fewer and fewer houses decorated with lights. Less than five are decorated in about a 10-block radius of my home. Maybe more will put up lights this weekend.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had ordered solar Christmas lights (colored ones) from Amazon, and these have turned out to be fantastic. They come on at dusk, and (surprising that the battery doesn't run down!) turn off at dawn. They are very bright, and have different patterns of blinking. I am very happy with them - plus no addition to my electric bill, and I don't have to remember to turn them off.

When my children were small I would always pop them into the car to go to look at Christmas lights. As they got older they began to complain ("Mom! We saw the Christmas lights last year already!") and finally they stopped going with me. I have always continued to go to see the lights, usually by myself or with my dog (he, of course, doesn't care about the lights, but he does like to ride with me in the car). The colored points of light look like sparkling jewels to me, hung against a black velvet sky.

There is one of those areas near where I live where the entire neighborhood puts on a show, with lights strung over the street on cables, and Santa passing out candy canes. I will probably drive over to that neighborhood tonight to see the displays, and I think that I might bring my dog along and just walk that neighborhood instead of driving. Less chance of a fender-bender while I am gawking!

I hope they don't have too many of those new "blow up" type nylon figures. I take off "points" for those. I like lights and the reindeer and such made from woven grape vines (even saw a lit grape-vine dog!), but the blow up figures kind of ruin the effect - at least for me. Whoa! I guess that makes me a Christmas-decoration snob!

I especially miss my kids during this time of year more than I miss any other aspect of the Holidays. I used to string lights on my house myself (still do!) because my then (ex) husband refused to do it. I did everything I could to make the Holidays magical for my kids.

Thanks for the memories, Martha.

Anne

[Acadianmom]

Anne, wish we lived close so we could go look at lights together. I live 10 miles out of town so the houses are not close together. There was a subdivision in town that use to decorate but they must have aged out because the night I passed I didn't see any lights. The house that decorated the most had a Class C sitting in the yard with Mickey and Minnie sitting in the front seats. And they played Christmas music. I would aggravate my boys because if we were in town at night I would make a loop through that subdivision. I should get some solar Christmas lights too. My husband wouldn't let us put up lights on the house because he thought they would cause a fire. My son has put up solar motion lights all over and they work great. They will keep me from breaking my neck when I forget to take a flashlight.

Martha

[Cudedog]

Anne, wish we lived close so we could go look at lights together. I live 10 miles out of town so the houses are not close together. There was a subdivision in town that use to decorate but they must have aged out because the night I passed I didn't see any lights. . . . I would aggravate my boys because if we were in town at night I would make a loop through that subdivision. I should get some solar Christmas lights too. My husband wouldn't let us put up lights on the house because he thought they would cause a fire.

Martha

Martha, I think we must be kindred spirits, at least in the Christmas light department. If we lived closer together, I would be walking out my front door right now, keys in hand, to come to take a Christmas Light Tour with you. LOL! Maybe next year - who knows?

When my kids were growing up, we lived in a very rural foothill community, about 35 miles from town. The homes were widely spaced on their own acreage, for the most part, and few decorated anyway. We used to go to town once per week to do errands and to get groceries and, like you, I would aggravate my kids at Christmas time by taking a "detour" through various subdivisions in town to take in the lights.

I did go to the neighborhood Saturday night that I mentioned earlier, that is generally massively decorated each year with lights, but this year it seemed less so. There were even a few houses on the block that were dark - in the past all houses had been lit. Perhaps they had "aged out" as in the subdivision that you mentioned. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper going down the main block, so I just parked my car and walked the blocks (alas, alone). I walk a mile or two every day, so the exercise in the cold air was invigorating and a welcome release from the day's chores. A fun thing that I saw there, though, was about 15 or 20 bicyclists riding around on bicycles fully decorated with lights - as were their riders! Had not seen this before, it brought a smile to my face.

I am wondering about what is going on in my extended community - I don't drive much at night if I don't have to, and on the drive over the the neighborhood the houses that were decorated were few and far between. I wonder if the era of Christmas light decorating is passing?

I am really loving my solar Christmas lights (I got both of these just to see what they were like, turns out the cheap ones were just as bright - if not more so - than the expensive ones. The expensive ones were a longer string.

The link for the cheap ones ($2.99 for a 30-foot string!) has been removed from Amazon.
The link for the expensive ones ($9.89 for a 72-foot string!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LPZ5ZCQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got the multicolored ones. I really like the colors, white Christmas lights not so much.

I doubt there is any chance of fire with these babies. They run on a recharageable AA battery. Surprising how long they both last - come on about 5:00 p.m., still winking and blinking at 6:00 a.m. However, after a cloudy day they only work for an hour or so - not surprising, as there isn't enough solar to charge the batteries on a cloudy day.

I got up on a ladder and affixed the solar panel and lights to my roof gutters.

Thanks for posting, Martha!

Anne