And Now It’s Friday

[Colliemom]

Good Morning. Beautiful sunny morning out this morning, temperature is 79° with 52% humidity and low dewpoints, nice breeze blowing. I think we are supposed to go into the 80s again today and last I heard I think the humidity will start riding around about tomorrow. Then we are supposed to have some severe weather possible Tomorrow night and cooling down. Yesterday was picture perfect too. Sorry that so many of you I having such hot and humid weather.

I just got home from a nice drive up to Saint Ignace across the Mackinac bridge. Left early this morning and it was a perfect morning for the drive. I came home the owner of a piece of history, a piece of the original Grating from the road bed of the Mackinac Bridge when it was built in 1957. The Bridge Authority replaces the original grating when it needs to be replaced and they are selling off pieces of it to the public. I will sand this down a bit and repaint it. Will do the sanding outside, because it has lead based paint on it. I’m kind of thinking about maybe mounting it onto one of those log slabs and just had refinished. Two pieces of history together. They also sell huge pieces of it, that some people who do blacksmithing or things like that will melt them down and manufacture some beautiful knives.They are for show and not for use and not cheap by any means.



BJ, I posted pictures and info in General Talk about my Generator installation so you can see how it as done. Martha you cannot use a generator on your home unless it has been wired specifically into your homes electrical system. You might be able to run the cord to your refrigerator through a a window or something like that but, I don’t think I would risk it. Velda, thanks for the suggestion about the homeowners insurance. I will have to check with my insurance company to see if they cover that. I don’t worry about anybody stealing it, because it’s hooked up to power lines, a gas line and it will take at least two people at a truck to get it out of here. Plus they I have to come into the yard to do it. And my electric guy said that there is a Heater in it that keeps the battery warm when temp drops below 35° And that line is a hot wire all the time, since the current is running to it. Shock hazard. Neither he nor I have ever heard of anybody ever stealing them. I can’t believe that California is not allowing so much stuff. I realize that it is emission issues, but what the heck are you people supposed to do out there. I think they are getting a little carried away. What the heck are the power companies operating on? They need something to run the turbines to make electricity. Karen, that generator isn’t just for the winter it’s for all year around. One never knows when one is going to lose power.

So I am going to go and do up my dinner dishes from last night as I discovered that my hot water heater did not come back on after they put the gas on from installing the generator. Made a quick call to the installer and he came over and got it going for me because I could not get it going. I really didn’t wanna wash the dishes last night anyway Have a great day all.

[Cudedog]

What the heck are the power companies operating on? They need something to run the turbines to make electricity.

Good morning, Sue. What a wise idea to install a generator! In your neck of the woods (no pun intended!) being without power for an extended time could be life-threatening, especially in the winter.

As for "What the heck are the power companies operating on? They need something to run the turbines to make electricity.", well. . . out here in the West a lot of electricity is generated by the turbines being turned by. . . water. Hydropower is a Very Big Deal in many places out here in the West.

To name just one, Hoover Dam generates electricity for 675,000 people (this is down from about one million, due to the "change in weather patterns" and thus lack of rain to replenish Lake Mead - which is currently at an all-time low water level. And dropping. . .).

Here in northern California, PG&E (which serves most of the northern part of the state, is primarily based on hydropower. PG&E's hydroelectric system of Sierra dams (comprised of more than 100 reservoirs), both large and small, generate a large bulk of electricity here.

Of course, as the "weather patterns change" and rainfall totals (and thus runoff into these dams. . . well, evaporates) all bets are off. Simple math: no water = no electricity.

It is a major worry in the West, but with so much other stuff going on, I think this slow-moving train wreck of a disaster is kind of slipping below the radar for many people.

Anne

[JudyJB]

I had trouble sleeping last night with body aches from falling, plus my knee really sore. But I am up and eating a toasted bagel with cream cheese, while a couple of flies are driving me nuts. For some reason, they are very friendly and like to land on me. I got a new electronic bug killer wand because the old one was broken, and I did just get one fly, but there is another one I need to work on after I eat.

My schedule was really messed up yesterday. Forgot to eat breakfast other than a glass of milk and did not eat lunch until 3 pm. After I fell, dinner was an apply and another glass of milk, so I am really hungry this morning.

No hookups here but everything is charged up, and as soon as I finish eating, I am headed out to take the shuttle somewhere here in Rocky Mountain Ntl Park. Will head for visitor center. It has been about 7 years since I was here and that was with kids, so we drove around then in two cars.

Also, Anne, a lot of people in "Up North" Michigan will have fireplaces with wood stove inserts or wood stoves that they can use in winter if power goes out. Don't know is Sue has one of those, however, but the generator is a great idea.

Hope nameless kitty is braver today!

[asirimarco]

Good morning to all, We are in for another HOT day - the area we live in could get up to 117 - every where it will be over 110. Humidity about 6% so our heat index is lower than the temperature by a few degrees. At least there are clouds today. We are not venturing out for anything. By Monday though it is supposed to be only 98 for a couple of days and rain. Of course that is the day we have to drive across town for Bills CAT scan - haven't heard from the doctors office cancelling it so guess the ins okayed it.
Judy glad you caught the noise from your tires and stopped before it got really bad. And hope you heal quickly from the fall.
Barbi - enjoy your new kitty. We had one cat called Mouse, because when she was born she was so tiny and pink and furless. And another called Dog because her coloring was like a dalmatian. Some times I think I want a pet, but just don't want to be responsible for one any more.
Bill is insisting we will be going to Mazatlan this year, but until all his doctor appts are over we can't make any plans. RV parks are already starting to fill up in the states in Arizona.
I've been sewing up a storm, now have three of the Christmas tree wall hangings done, have to figure out what to do with them.
Nothing going on around here.
Here are pictures of Lake Mead from space - they tell the story. A couple hundred more feet of loss and the generators won't be working.

[Cudedog]

Also, Anne, a lot of people in "Up North" Michigan will have fireplaces with wood stove inserts or wood stoves that they can use in winter if power goes out. Don't know is Sue has one of those, however, but the generator is a great idea.

Hello Judy, thanks for your post. A very large number of people here in northern California also have wood stoves or inserts. I can tell you from long experience, that wood stove heat is a wonderful kind of heat. When I lived in the Sierra foothills, we heated - exclusively (we had no other source of heat) with wood for seventeen years, so I am very familiar.

The problem with wood heat, here in northern California and elsewhere is that the burning of wood is very polluting. I don't know about Michigan, but wood stoves here are being outlawed in many cities and counties, due to the pollution factor.

Anne

[Irmi]

Good afternoon Sue and all that check in!

Sue, you will love having the generator. Since our motorhome sat in our driveway when we were in MD, whenever we lost power, we'd get in the motorhome and turn the generator on and would stay there until we got power back. Sometimes we never got the power back until late at night, so we would sleep in the motorhome. We've done the same thing here in FL. We'll leave our casita, go in the motorhome, turn the generator on, the a/c, the TV and enjoy life. You won't have to leave the house. It turns on automatically and you're set. The electrical contractor I worked with for 34 years sold and installed generators and we had lots of happy customers. During that time frame, no one had theirs stolen.

We're going to a winery this evening for their weekend steak dinner to celebrate Steve's birthday. That's not until tomorrow and we'll continue the celebration then also. Whatever he wants for dinner and dessert is what he'll get.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning gals!

Kitty didn't come up on the bed last night but that is OK. He is out exploring more this morning but if he hears any little noise, he skedaddles right back under the bed! At least he is curious and wanting to check things out more. I am trying to switch him to the food I was giving Lola but it is giving him diarrhea, so will have to back off a bit on that while he is still a bit stressed out. For his name, I am down to Oliver, Sammy, and Romeow (because he is such a loverboy ).

I picked up a cordless leaf blower from a neighbor this morning. I will use that on Sunday to clean off the stuff in my storage unit before taking it all back to my place and going thru it.

Working from 1-6 again today, and 9-2 tomorrow.

Still slowly working on my proofreading stuff. It is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be but I am enjoying it.

Happy birthday to Steve!

Sue, I love that little piece of metal. That would look great mounted on a piece of wood!

Judy, I hope you heal quickly! Be careful and enjoy RMNP and the cooler weather!

Enjoy your day!

[Colliemom]

Anne, I agree with you about People being so wrapped up in other things that they are not paying attention to other important stuff and that yes, that disaster about to happen it’s definitely going to be a surprise to them one of these days. Nobody is noticing the writing on the wall. We have hydroelectric dams up here on the River’s. But in the southern part of the state and other areas away from the rivers they are pretty much natural gas fired plants. Most of them have gotten away from burning coal now.

Nope, no fireplace or any of that, one of the reasons why I wanted a generator. I did have a gas stove in my living room in my other house which did a good job of keeping the house warm if I needed it. But there are a lot of other implications with power outages here in the north. Keeping refrigerators and freezers cold, no water because a lot of us are on private wells, and inability to do any cooking if you have electric stoves, although there is the barbecue grill if you have one and the weather allows you to use it. Worry of frozen water pipes in Winter. No lights. Some people have sump pumps that need to run too. We were very lucky in that the tornadoes path was such, that it missed a substation in Gaylord. If it had hit that, things would have been much worse. You don’t rebuild those things in one day. I was talking with my audiologist on Monday and mentioned that I was getting a generator and she said they have one. She lives over south of Traverse City and she said they had a storm there one time and were without power for two weeks. Since I moved into this neighborhood 25 years ago I don’t think I have lost power maybe a half a dozen times over that time span and most of it was because somebody hit a pole and took a line down or a transformer shorted out. But this year we have had three outages so far, the tornado being the longest at 27 hours. The other one was for 10 hours and the otber a bit less.

Barbie, I forgot to congratulate you on your new furry companion. He is really pretty.

[BarbaraRose]

Just relaxing after work.

I decided on Romeow for the name. He is such a lovebug so I thought it fit him well with a cute twist on the spelling.

Romeow has discovered toys! I had some little mice out for him the other night when I got him but he ignored them. Too many scary distractions, I guess. Well he discovered them tonight and is batting them all over the bedroom now! So cute. I tried out the laser toy on him and he loves chasing that too. I have some other toys for him too but will just introduce one at a time so I don't overwhelm him. He seems to be getting a little more comfortable and curious, but still startles easily. Baby steps! It has only been 2 days and he is already making a lot of progress.

I got some coupons from PetSmart thru the animal shelter I got him from, so will use them as needed. They are good for a year. He also gets a free physical exam at a local vet so I will set that up for about a month from now. He came with all his shots updated, a microchip, and was neutered. Otherwise was very healthy when he came into the shelter.

Time to go watch my show. Have a good night! Judy I hope you are feeling better!

[snowball]

worked on my granddaughter's treasure box today got the stuff on that I want to put on now to use the mod podge a couple times on the paper things I put on the box then I will put poly stuff on the whole box a couple of times...hopefully will be through by this time next week as I want dd to take it home with her when they come next week I might have to stain a bit more of the inside floor of the box as I was putting the stain on I didn't plan on putting it all over as I was putting a piece of felt to cover the floor it doesn't quite fit so will stain what will show it would just be too hard to make it look good but cutting and pasting other piece in we are talking about a very small amount less then a 1/3 of an inch
fixed a water bottle of water with lemon strawberries and mint.... I taste the mint
made a baked potato and ham steak in the A/F nuked the corn on the cob it all tasted good... and it didn't heat up the kitchen... still haven't found that recipe even went to pockets food area wish they has a search spot but didn't see it or the recipe
have a friend stop by tomorrow haven't seen her for years maybe 2008 maybe... anyway it will be good to see her
the hummer was enjoying the natural plants tonight always like seeing that...
hope you feel less sore tomorrow Judy
Glad you choose a name although I was going to go with Sammy
my dd put an offer on a house in WA it was accepted... I went through the pictures and could just wonder how much the window cleaners charge up there... lots of huge windows
wanted to comment on something but don't remember what it was....
you all have a great day
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

OMG! It is bedtime and we have zoomies going on!! His inner kitten has come out to play!

[MandysMom]

You and Romeow have a good night. Sounds like he is figuring out this is home. Don't forget to gradually introduce a harness once he gets more comfortable, so, someday, when you two travel, you will have that safer than a collar option. I am so happy for you finding each other.
We are watching a very bad fire start south of us near Yosemite that began around 5 and is seen from 30 miles or more. Pray fire personnel get a break because it's already destroyed some structures.
Have a good weekend. Sure hope they get my iPad fixed in morning. I'd rather it be "day surgery" than a longer stay!
Velda

[Pooker]

Barbie - I think Romeow is a delightful name. Didn't think of that one. Sounds like he is gradually settling in. Pets are a lot more adaptable than people give them credit. Looks like you have a great roommate.

We have certainly covered a lot of topics in this post. I think we all have to face the fact that global warming is truly real and there is no one great solution to the problem. We had a variety of heat sources back in New England, started when heating oil became scarce years ago. Remember the odd/even gas days? If you had two cars you spent a good amount of time filling one or the other. In our neighborhood, everyone got together and exchanged solutions - some opted for solar panels (which were hard to come by and very expensive back then), others chose portable kerosene heaters, still others had expensive wood burning stoves, fireplaces, etc., and most of us had more than one alternative. When you are freezing and spending hours sitting in front of a fireplace with a kitty in your lap just to stay warm you realized that most choices were damaging to the environment, but they were the only choices available at the time. Now I'm in Southern California and have a similar but opposite problem - months of over 100 degrees every day. I hold the thought that there are greater minds than mine working on the problem. Hope they come up with more alternatives.

Now I've forgotten what else we talked about. Such is life over 80!

Evie

[Cudedog]

We have certainly covered a lot of topics in this post. I think we all have to face the fact that global warming is truly real and there is no one great solution to the problem. We had a variety of heat sources back in New England, started when heating oil became scarce years ago. Remember the odd/even gas days? If you had two cars you spent a good amount of time filling one or the other. In our neighborhood, everyone got together and exchanged solutions - some opted for solar panels (which were hard to come by and very expensive back then), others chose portable kerosene heaters, still others had expensive wood burning stoves, fireplaces, etc., and most of us had more than one alternative.
Evie

Good morning, Evie.

Excellent post! I do remember those gas rationing days!

Please check your PM's.

Thank you.

Anne