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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 16, 2022 21:14:11 GMT -6
Every now and again, I can hear a lone cricket up against the house. When the crickets move in from the fields, I know Autumn is coming. Also, the cornfield is almost completely brown. The green is less and less. I heard a field being combined the other day, so it won't be long before it will be my field being combined. Temperature-wise, it is still Summer.
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 16, 2022 21:16:00 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Sept 22, 2022 5:21:03 GMT -6
Happy Autumn!!!
Is it the first day of fall? I've been confused about this all week - I thought the first day of autumn was always September 21st. The calendar at work says though, today is the first day of autumn; mine at home says tomorrow is the Autumn Equinox. The internet says the equinox is today. Anyways...
Make it happy. Do something special. Autumn is the best season whichever day it starts.
We had our Fall Equinox celebration this weekend when the family was here - hence our visit to the apple orchard, our randonauting adventure with the theme "Abundant Harvest" (BP's pick), and glasses of mulled wine around the bonfire (the wine was cheap and kinda nasty, but it made beautiful flames of blue and green when tossed into the fire - which was how most of it was polished off!)
Judging by the forecast, today is definitely the start of fall. Our 70s and 80s came to an abrupt halt - highs are supposed to be in the low 60s, and lows in the 50s an 40s for at least the rest of the week. It's like the weather gods flipped the calendar page and said 'Ok. Fall.'
I love the sound of crickets in unison. It's like background music accompanying the night. There is one though - and only one - that's been under the rose bush next to the back porch, for about a week. It is so danged loud when I go out to drink my coffee in the morning, almost like it's yelling for the others to come join him!
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 22, 2022 23:59:48 GMT -6
Tomorrow is to be in the 90s, and then it drops to the 70s. The weekend is supposed to be in the 80s, and then back down in the 70s. The night temps are fairly equal, going up and down from the 60s, 50s, and 40s. Which doesn’t mean there can’t be a day or two of Summer every now and again before the Autumn temps finally stick around for good. And then the tug of war will be between Autumn and Winter. The temps must always be fighting in Spring and Autumn. They are never allowed to give us relief from Summer and Winter for very long. Too bad. These would be my favorite seasons if they were able to maintain consistent temps during their reign.
It definitely feels like Autumn. The weeknights next week are all in the 40s. The weekdays go from the high 70s, to the mid 70s, to the low 70s, and then back up to the high 70s for the weekend. This weekend is still predicted to get back up into the 80s.
There is very little green in the corn. The soybeans across the road are a lighter green, with a touch of yellow here and there. My evening walk to the mailbox was quite chilly. I wore a sundress, but put a shirt over it to keep the chill off of my shoulders.
I never seem to think about those who are experiencing the beginning of Spring. It's hard to imagine that the seasons aren't the same all around the world. If I were super rich, I think I would be a warm weather chaser. I'd have homes I could switch to to always have Spring and Summer on constant rotation. I'd probably linger in Autumn a bit longer before switching, as I wouldn't want to switch to the end of Winter right off of Summer weather. I'd definitely visit my US home to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Enjoy the cooler weather on short trips.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 27, 2022 4:53:49 GMT -6
Our fall so far has been very blustery and rainy, with very little sun. Temperatures though haven't been that cold - 60s for the highs, and 50s for the low, though there was one night it got down to 42 degrees. Our tomatoes are still producing, but the cooler weather has slowed them down a lot. Hubs dug the potatoes the other day - we only had two plants, both volunteers from potatoes we missed when digging them last year. We got a lot more potatoes this year though from just the two plants, than we did last year when we actually planted them!
There is a lot more fall color showing up - my drive to work is dotted with slashes of reds and oranges among the green. Hoping the high winds we've been having hasn't blown all the color away before it had a chance to get into full swing! The turkeys in the field at work are starting to flock - there were about half a dozen of them Saturday, strutting around, doing turkey stuff. Always entertaining - they are such weird-looking birds.
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 27, 2022 12:08:31 GMT -6
It hasn’t gotten cool enough here to turn off the a/c. Although, there have been a few nights when it didn’t kick on. The back porch has brown leaves on it, but that could be due to it being so dry here. The corn is being combined at this vey moment. Which is a tad bit scary, with how dry everything is. Combines have been known to give off sparks and starting fires. Well, when they’re not well maintained, and something happens to cause it to break down while in the field. Hopefully, the farmers are more aware now after that incident that almost got neighboring houses burnt down, to not take chances when it is so dry. The soybeans across the road have more yellow than green now. They’ll be getting combined in a few weeks most likely. Gotta run. Doctors appointment soon.
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Post by Phalon on Oct 11, 2022 4:31:55 GMT -6
Though we had a few days late last week that the temperatures never got above 50F, with lows in the high 30s, for the most part, we've had glorious fall weather. The color is spectacular - it seems to change right before your eyes! I drive to work in the mornings, ooohing and ahhhing over the scenery, and then on my drive home, it's even more beautiful than it was earlier in the day.
Sunday, we had all the kids over for some fall fun. We went to a local winery for a wine tasting, picked pumpkins, and took a walk in the woods. Dinner was a vat of chili I'd made earlier in the day, followed by an apple pie (though store bought) with vanilla ice cream. So stuffed, we should have saved the walk in the woods for after dinner to burn off some of those calories....although we could barely move.
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Post by stepper on Oct 14, 2022 4:02:37 GMT -6
I notice there's a distinct lack of creepy dolls and I'm beginning to wonder what's happened to your Halloween Spirit!!
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Post by Phalon on Oct 17, 2022 12:19:26 GMT -6
Oh, I've got the Halloween Spirit! I've done the drills; I've tripped upon some creepy-ass dolls, even one down in your neck of the Haunted Woods (for all woods are haunted during the 31 Days of Halloween!). I'm just finding a lack of time to let the Spirit out (even with the Imp breathing heavily down my neck, and practically screeching in my ear!).
I, on a whim on the drive to work one day, came up with a fundraiser idea for the Humane Society. Presented the half-baked idea to my boss when I got to work, and she said to run with it. It was not a well-thought out plan - or rather, I did not take into account the amount of my personal time would be sucked up trying to get everything in order, and when not working on getting everything in order, the rest of my personal time is spent stressing that things won't go as planned. The fundraiser is this weekend - I spent all of today running around in the rain and sleet, getting the final details done.
Hopefully, I've got it all finished! Oh, and in-between my normal job and preparing for the fundraiser, I've been chased by an overly excited butt-ass ugly nasty hairless pig, and on a separate occasion, been surrounded by freaky turkeys of death, barely escaping with my life both times!!! I'm sure that's just a slight exaggeration (eye-roll).
It's been a frazzling couple of weeks.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 20, 2022 2:36:11 GMT -6
Three days in the 50s, and three nights in the 20s. Today I broke down and turned the a/c on. The sun cooks my house even when it's chilly outside. So, I guess the temps will need to get down into the 40s during the day before the sun stops heating up my house. Tonight is the last freezing night. The daytime temps will be back up into the 60s, 70s & even 80s for a week or so. Summer is not letting go, but it is fighting a losing battle. Soon the clocks will change. Yuk. I'm trying not to think about it. So far, I've been dealing with this time of year pretty good. Or, I think I have been. It does sneak up on me sometimes and catch me off guard before I realize what's happening. I am keeping a wary eye out though.
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Post by Phalon on Oct 20, 2022 5:01:08 GMT -6
The weather here has been not fit for man, woman, child, beast....or Imp! Or does the Imp fit into the beast category? Nah, She is an entity all to herself!
Four days of endless driving rain, howling winds, off and on sleet, hail, and probably a bit of snow, but everything is so saturated with rain, it's melted before it even touches the ground.
The rain stopped late yesterday afternoon, by the time I got home from work. The wind is still blowing, though not howling, and not hard enough to make even the most mature trees, scarily sway and bend as if they're going to just snap in half. And not blowing hard enough that I can't faintly hear the owl hooting somewhere nearby.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 23, 2022 4:03:48 GMT -6
Three days of Summer, and then back to Autumn. Well, two days, as yesterday has come and gone. It was predicted to get up into the low 80s, but instead got up into the high 70s. Today and tomorrow are to be in the low 80s, but we shall see how that goes. After that, the highs will be in the 60s during the day, and the lows in the 40s during the night. Before hot flashes, I was fine with letting the sun heat my house to a toasty mid 70s, but not anymore. So will need the a/c until the outside reaches low enough temps to not raise the inside temp above 70F.
Might get some rain, which is needed desperately. The river is so dry, you could probably walk across the riverbed to get back and forth between the other states. No telling what wild creatures are crossing over back and forth. We didn’t have coyotes here until I was in my late 20s. I don’t want bears moving into the territory, that’s for sure. It doesn’t appear to be enough rain to help with getting us out of this drought though. Not yet anyways. When it does come, I won’t be surprised if it overcompensates and causes flooding. The river tends to overflow at least twice a year normally anyways. We shall see what November brings.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 15, 2022 6:01:20 GMT -6
Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving??! I cannot.
It's been a flurry of activity around here the past few weeks. Finally...finally, after nearly 23 years, I have a new kitchen floor!!! We also had a concrete driveway poured - which will be nice to shovel when it snows. The old drive was a mix of broken asphalt and gravel, very uneven, and would stop a snow shovel sliding across it dead in its tracks, jarring the shoveler's (me) shoulders with the abrupt halt.
Speaking of snow - we have it! Three inches of it this weekend, and it's snowing again this morning. And this is after an unusual, and kind of unsettling 70F day last Thursday! All the leaves haven't fallen off the trees yet, so it's a wet, snowy, leafy mess out there. The nursery closed a couple of weeks ago, but a co-worker and I are busy trying to get everything put to bed for the winter, while the crews are out finishing landscape jobs and fall-cleanups. My gardens are in desperate need of fall-cleaning, and if I get nothing else done, I've got to get my pots put away in the shed - neatly or not. It seems like we're all in a race against winter - and winter is currently winning!
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 18, 2022 21:37:07 GMT -6
It’s more like Winter now. We got some snow recently, but it’s all melted now. The heat is finally on 24/7, and it’s too cold outside for the sun to cook my house. And it doesn’t look like I’ll be using the a/c for a long while. I can’t believe November is half over. Maybe December will go by even faster, and the holidays will be done with. That would be nice. The sooner Spring gets here the better. I want more daylight and less darkness.
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Post by stepper on Nov 19, 2022 10:31:00 GMT -6
I'm a fan of winter - at least partly because it's not summer and the last one was a bit on the overly warm and dry side. This year tied the record for the number of days with of a high temperature of 100 or higher, and combined it with the second driest year ever recorded here. And during the summer the hottest time is between 5 and 6 PM so there's no good time to work on the garden or the yard, or anything else outside. Going to work at 4 AM and you have to crank up the AC in the vehicle because the low temp for the day is happening and it's 80 (26.6C) takes away a bit of the joy of even waking up. Today is very different. It's 41 (5C) and it's supposed to rain all day. Not just mist for 10 minutes, actual rain. The weather guessers are even saying it might last for most of the weekend and we really need it! Our area of Texas is considered to be in extreme drought so this is great. I know T-Day groceries and Christmas Shopping still needs to happen, but T-Day is good except for the cooking of course, and the Christmas Shopping isn't done yet but that's not exactly my fault. Hallmark didn't have the Thomas Kinkade calendars my SIL wants and my bros will want Red Lobster, Texas Roadhouse cards, or the generic credit cards you can use anywhere so they can get whatever they want. Actually it makes shopping easier. We're all older and there's virtually no "stuff" we want. Anyway, the seasons will continue rolling on. By the end of December things will be on the way back to longer days & shorter nights. Your preferred time of the year is coming - just hang in there a while longer. Maybe try to catch Santa when he makes his yearly visit! Offer him some coffee so he can stay awake, or a chance to visit the rest room. All that milk has to go somewhere and I've never heard about the sleigh having a port-a-potty or other facilities.
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Post by stepper on Nov 19, 2022 11:18:49 GMT -6
I didn't see the Reddit article, but I'm not certain there's an "American food" outside of hot dogs or hamburgers. Maybe Philly Cheesesteaks and I eliminate the bell peppers so it's more of a cheesesteak with onion and mushrooms. I can't comment on the Chicago-style pizza or Cincinnati Chili but I'm not a pizza or Chili fan (that's Steppet) so as far as I know what you are talking about is simply a reference to regional variations. I don't know but I suspect Americans grew up being exposed to higher levels of sweet and that might explain our preferences in that direction. I wonder, is Carrot Cake popular anywhere besides America?
I can! The flurry of activity is part of the reason, but a new kitchen floor isn't normally one of the reasons. Not for me anyway. Congratulations on the new floor and driveway though. I agree shoveling snow is much easier with a level surface. Having the snow removal suddenly stopped by a flipping bump or divot hoovers big time. No snow here compared to your area but that's not a surprise. It'll take a month of cold to cool off enough for snow to stick to something besides the grass and trees.
You mentioned that the nursery closed, but some weeks ago you said you had some kind of suggestion for management without explaining. What suggestion and how did it work out? Another thing raising money for the local shelters?
I had a thought for the future. I decided I'm approaching the point in time where it's time to retire. Steppet's mother turns 100 in Feb but the winter weather in her area is much like living in a freezer that doesn't get defrosted. She was concerned that all the kids would be coming to visit in that kind of weather, and it would be difficult driving so we sort of agreed we'd come calling later. I decided to retire at the end of March and then in April we'll have lots of time to make the trip, we can go visiting with my family for a day or two, and it isn't going to be a problem. Except for the feral cat I take care of. I've got to arrange to have her fed while we're gone and the local cops don't provide that service. Before you make the suggestion I could have asked the next-door neighbors but both of them died within the past year. New people just moved in but I simply don't know them.
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 20, 2022 12:34:59 GMT -6
Stepper: Perhaps I should move a little further south, and you a little further north. That might solve our problems. Actually, I’m doing better this year, so far. Not sure if I’ve beat the Winter blues, or a breakdown is waiting in the wings. I still hate the long nights, but I try not to dwell on it, as wallowing is what causes me to get depressed. Old habits die hard, so I haven’t quite got a grip on my griping. I was told by one person that I was wishing their whole vacation away. Bad me.
What were the temperatures during the dust bowl? Could we be having a repeat of that? Like anything else, weather patterns circle around and around. There are also a lot of active volcanoes that are no doubt helping in heating up the earth and sky. Many of them are up north melting ice and snow.
——
Looks like I spoke too soon. This weeks high temps are predicted to be mostly in the 50s, but there’s a 60s in there. Or was yesterday when I checked. My house may end up being cooked yet again. We shall see. I haven’t been doing as much walking to and from the mailbox this year, so I’m not as accustomed to the cold as last year. But, I’m not as bothered by this season as I have in the past. So, here’s hoping I’ve beat this seasonal depression. February is also when I get even more depressed, as it sometimes warms up, and can be a false Spring before going back to Winter. That’s the worst. I’m aware of it now, so hopefully I can continue to get through to Spring without any depression at all. Or a more mild depression, at least. I’m not having dark thoughts, yet, and hopefully I can keep them at bay.
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 21, 2022 12:34:02 GMT -6
Temperatures going back up into the 60s next week. That’s what irritates me about February. I hate going from Winter to Spring and back to Winter, then Spring . . . So frustrating. Just stick to the one season and be done with it. 😵💫
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 24, 2022 11:38:42 GMT -6
It got up to 63F yesterday. The sun cooked my house, but I refused to turn on the a/c. It’s raining today, so the sun is blocked by clouds. (Funny how before my hot flashes, I enjoyed the sun warming my house during the cold months. But not anymore.)
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Post by stepper on Nov 24, 2022 20:41:32 GMT -6
Happy Thanksgiving! and God Bless Us, Everyone
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Post by Phalon on Nov 25, 2022 6:07:36 GMT -6
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Stepper. Hope you, and everyone else had a wonderful holiday. BP and her boyfriend hosted this year - it was us, LX and the Boyfriend, BP's boyfriend's grandparents, aunt, cousin, friend, two cats, three dogs, and a ferret...all in a tiny apartment (the dogs were guests; two cats and ferret are BP's)! Grand time though, and so much good food to go around. We brought the turkey - I decided to roast it a day ahead of time because BP's kitchen is so small (actually Hubs did the roasting while I was at work), and I was kind of nervous that it wouldn't turn out okay and would be dry, though everything I drilled on-line confirmed it'd be fine. And honestly, I will always do a holiday turkey the day before the actual holiday from now on - so tender and juicy, and a lot more time for cooking other stuff, and visiting.
Now, if only I can figure out how to make deviled eggs look as good as they taste! They don't just not peel perfectly - some of them look quite mangled!
Last day of work today!!! Whoo-hoo!!! My co-worker and I worked our behinds off all week in the snow and ice (we had a Lake Effect snow storm that started Wednesday night and lasted through until Sunday morning). We were the only ones at the nursery this week; the crew decided the weather was too bad. We powered through though because I wanted to be done in one fell-swoop of a week, instead of working a day here or a day there per week, for an extended number of weeks, based on the weather. What a trooper my co-worker is, agreeing to this - I did give him the option to stay home though, although it was my plan that I'd be done, regardless of whether he came in or not.
Gotta go get ready for work now - again, a bitter-sweet whoo-hoo, my last day for the season.
(And speaking of work, Congratulations on your impending retirement, Step!)
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 26, 2022 0:46:25 GMT -6
Thanksgiving was just an ordinary day. Having the family get-together on Sunday instead.
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Post by katina2nd on Nov 26, 2022 20:51:10 GMT -6
Four days away from summer, and it's probably been the coldest and wettest spring I can recall, also doesn't look like improving any time soon unfortunately. Anyway hope everyone had/has a Happy Thanksgiving (it is over right?) By the way, I'm Katina (real name Murray) just in case you lot had forgotten me, and I wouldn't blame you if you had. Not a lot to report here, oh yeah, except the Mighty Cats won the Premiership back on September 24, demolishing the hapless Swans by a whopping eighty one points, making it four flags in sixteen years. I'll try reporting in a "little" quicker next time.
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Post by stepper on Nov 27, 2022 10:06:44 GMT -6
Welcome back Kat! And congratulations on your team winning again.
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Post by katina2nd on Nov 28, 2022 19:06:37 GMT -6
Thanks Step, good to be back. I see you're intending to opt out of the rat race and retire, any plans for how you'll fill in your spare time?
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 29, 2022 0:05:12 GMT -6
Welcome back, Kat. It's always nice to see a roamer return.
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Post by stepper on Nov 29, 2022 3:49:27 GMT -6
I haven't got a clue what I'm going to do Kat. It's been suggested that I should just keep on working but that's not really a consideration so far as I'm concerned. My brothers took up golf but with the peripheral neuropathy I can't walk that far and it's uncomfortable. I suspect I'll need to find something that will occupy my time; I just can't imagine what it is.
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Post by katina2nd on Nov 29, 2022 22:26:43 GMT -6
Thanks Jox, good to be back, been way too long. You can spend more time on here for starters Step, I'm pretty easily satisfied, reading, watching TV, spending time on the computer (and occasionally venturing outside ) fills my time, I'm sure you'll find something to occupy you. Here's something you (and any other discerning person ) may find interesting, first one is highlights, second one the full match.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 3, 2022 13:08:34 GMT -6
Wait.....what???!!!
Is that the faint echo of an Australian accent I hear....and I missed the live version??!!
That's what I get for not checking in for a week. I definitely need a new laptop. Or a new cat that doesn't lay on the keyboard, freezing it to the point where it takes me forever to figure out how to undo what she's done. Sigh, Little Beastie. But I do love that Cat from Hell.
Well, hello Katina!!! And congrats to your Cats! Our Wolverines are one game away from winning the Big 10 Championship, but shhhhh, I don't want to jinx it - the game is tonight.
Check in later. Got dinner cooking early, so we can watch the game.
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Post by katina2nd on Dec 5, 2022 20:54:04 GMT -6
And hello to you as well Phalon, bonza seeing you again, and yeah cobber, that is an Aussie accent you heard. Thanks (on the Cats) was really great, hopefully back up again next year.
How did your Wolverines go?
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