Shirebound's LiveJournal

We're getting strong winds today, with unseasonable warmth of 77F/25C -- which will be dropping crazily to 37F/3C tonight. It sure feels lovely while it lasts, and Pippin and I just took a nice long walk... with her little ears flapping in the wind. I even opened a window!

In an effort to distract myself briefly from the news, I watched 2021's "House of Gucci", which is an interesting film. I thought the performances of Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, and Jared Leto were stellar, and the story certainly held my interest.

I cleaned the kitchen floor this morning, a rather futile and short-lived task (along with dusting and vacuuming) in a doggy household. But like today's weather, it's lovely while it lasts!

Does anyone else play Wordle? :)

Pippin and I spent yesterday evening huddled in my tiny concrete basement for about an hour and a half while a line of severe thunderstorms, including two confirmed tornadoes, headed straight for us. Before crossing the Delaware River and entering New Jersey, one of the tornadoes struck the small town I grew up in (Trevose, PA), about a half-hour from here, and caused a great deal of damage. My brother and I enjoyed a parade in that very neighborhood just a few weeks ago! As the storm front approached us, everything outside was calm and still... until we suddenly got slammed with unbelievably loud and torrential rain that went on and on and on, but thankfully the damaging winds missed us.

What a relief when a severe storm finally passes! I'll tell you, it's quite sobering to turn on the Weather Channel to see a scary-looking map with an arrow pointed at your town.

Today dawned clear and calm, but I'll check around for any water damage. A friend of mine I was frantically texting in Trevose last night lost power just before the tornado touched down near her, but she's otherwise okay.

So that was our unusual evening! I'll be heading up to Princeton in a few hours to spend time with my niece and her little boy. I'm very grateful that all is well here this morning.

Oh my gosh, where to begin? I haven't been online (or had access to TV) for more than a few minutes at a time since last Tuesday morning, so there's a lot to share. I think I'll divide the past week into four separate posts over the next few days: The Storm, Landscaping, Family News, and Mushrooms. Today is the Storm Story!

I was glued to the news about Hurricane Isaias, which had lessened to Tropical Storm Isaias by the time it arrived in our area last Tuesday. I was able to get Pippin outside twice before the torrential rain started in the late morning, and what followed was a long day of incredible lightning, thunder, rain, and very strong wind... probably the strongest wind I've ever experienced, but thankfully not hurricane force. Around noon my brother and sister-in-law, who live about five miles away, lost power and wouldn't get it back for two days. The wind knocked down huge trees, which brought down power lines all over the state. There are still households in New Jersey without power! In my brother's area the lines are underground, but he lost power and I didn't. So bizarre.

Right around 1:00, the Comcast outages began. (Comcast is a major internet and cable TV provider.) For the first three frustrating days, their automated phone message gave varying times for the resolution of the outage, until finally it just said service would be restored "as soon as possible". For some people it was a day, or four, and in my case, seven. My signal didn't come back until yesterday, and it was THRILLING. I was so happy to be able to turn on the TV last night, I almost hugged it. And internetz! I adore you! Why couldn't I use my smartphone for internet, you ask? Because T-Mobile (my carrier) also had an outage! That first day I could still send and receive texts, but nothing else. Service eventually came back, but it wasn't reliable.

Wow, the wind was howling that day, so loud it often drowned out the thunder. Then, right at the height of the storm, there was a crashing, grinding sound. Not good! I ran outside as soon as possible, and was relieved to see that my roof was fine. But a brand-new metal shed that a neighbor had put in his backyard had apparently been ripped to pieces by the wind. (See pic, below) That evening, when Pippin and I could walk around the neighborhood again, there were branches and trees down everywhere, and my across-the-street neighbor lost some shingles from his roof. If I hadn't had my ancient and leaky roof replaced two years ago, I'm sure it wouldn't have held.

It was unnerving not to have TV or internet for so long, but I sure got a lot done around the house. I also read two great books: Candice Bergen's autobiography A Fine Romance, and Mark Burnett's Jump In! Even If You Don't Know How To Swim.

You folks who go through stronger and more frightening storms than this have my admiration. Losing internet and TV for a week was annoying for sure, but that's all I lost. PLEASE point me towards any posts you'd like me to read, since I don't think I have the energy to go back through a week of them!

( three pics! )

After the wet, windy storm this afternoon, we got a big fat rainbow! It isn't easy to see in this shot, but there was a nice band of purple at the bottom. So beautiful.

The temperature here is 97F, unbelievable. And what's more unbelievable is that the forecast is for mid-60s tomorrow. What is up with this crazy weather?

We watched "Pumping Iron" over the weekend, after not seeing it for decades. What a great documentary. :)

I was scared by a pop-up message on my cell phone this morning that said my phone had been infected with 2 viruses, and I needed to go to the Google Play Store to download a certain app to clean my phone. CLICK HERE. Don't worry, I didn't click! I'm sure it was a scam of some sort, and will do some research on it.

I'm so happy to be almost ready to post chapter 4 of my story, leaving only one chapter to go before this dwarf-and-hobbits fluff-fest is complete. I've taken my time, and thoroughly enjoyed writing this one.

There's more to talk about, but my brain is all melty. Must go splash some cold water on my face. Will it really be cooler tomorrow? *fingers crossed*

Someone's dreaming of crisp, cold morning walkies.....

engarian assigned me three topics:

Farm Animals

Sadly, I've had very little exposure to farms except for a couple of class trips when I was very young. When I go to county fairs I always gravitate to the pigs (big or little), goats, and lambs, so those can be my 'go to' farm animals. :)

Favorite Scenery

Of all nature's many glories, there is *nothing* that captivates and delights me more than waterfalls, whether a few feet high or looming from great heights. Years ago, when I visited Maui on a special trip, I went with a group of folks to a beautiful waterfall. I determined that I was going to stand under that thundering thing, and... I did! I waded waaay out to it, and ducked underneath. Eeeeee! It was really cold, and pounded down on my head, and nearly knocked me off my feet, but it was a totally exhilarating experience and still a memory that I treasure.

Best Thing From the Past Year

Without a doubt, the fact that no one in my family broke any bones this year! In 2018 I broke my ankle (April), Shiredad broke his hip (September), and Shiremom broke her shoulder (December). How was that possible?? It still boggles my mind.

I'm going to close my eyes now and re-immerse myself in that waterfall experience, because it's 94F/35C degrees today and just awful. Tomorrow and Saturday will be just as hot (if not hotter), but the weatherfolk PROMISE that Sunday will be more bearable.

Is it Sunday yet?

Today is trash day, so all the neighbors put out our full cans this morning. Meanwhile, it's hard to describe how strongly the wind is blowing out there. It howled all night, big trees are bending, and it's supposed to continue into tomorrow. It's really cold, too. Well, apparently the mighty trash-truck guys finished picking up on our street, because I suddenly heard a loud rumbling, scraping, thunder-y sound. Was it the clatter of the truck? No, it was the sound of all the neighbors' (and my) now-empty trash cans blowing into the street, up the street, and into and across the big empty field across the street. I saw some neighbors running out of their houses, and I pulled on my parka and joined them. Between us, we corralled most of the rolling cans, but when I tried to carry mine home, the wind blowing against me was so strong I could barely make any headway towards my house! It took me quite awhile to battle my way home with the big can trying to wrestle its way out of my hands. I finally got it stowed at the side of the house with a rock on the lid, but you better believe I'm going to check in on it later today.

Shirebound = 1, Determined Escapee = 0.

Pippin, watching from the front window, wanted a treat as soon as I blew back into the house because she had been excitedly barking at all the people running back and forth. (I like to encourage her watchdog tendencies since Shiremom and I live here alone.) One treat = given.

It was 10F/-12C yesterday morning, but the high winds made it feel way, way colder. Shiremom was supposed to start physical therapy yesterday, but I just couldn't take her out on such a cold, windy day. We're rescheduled for the 30th. Our house cools down overnight to about 44F/6C when it's this cold outside, which makes morning a frosty affair. I can't keep the heater running all night because it's so expensive the clicking it makes going on and off wakes me up. Ah well, it's supposed to be back into the balmy 40s outside starting tomorrow, which will be lovely.

Shiremom and I watched "Operation Finale" yesterday, a very good (but grim) story about the hunt for and capture of Adolf Eichmann in 1960. We're glad to have seen it, but I think it's time for something a bit lighter next. Maybe a re-watch of "Moonstruck", which I haven't seen in far too long.

I'm way behind in reading posts, so will try to catch up today.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Yesterday morning around 6 a.m. I heard a loud "thud!", followed a few seconds later by Shiremom calling my name from her room. I raced in and found her on the floor. She had heard the 'thud' also, gotten up to investigate, and tripped over a little stool that's been at the foot of her bed for years. She had fallen on her left shoulder and was in terrible pain. I ran for my long winter scarf, made a sort of sling for her arm, and called my brother (a medically-trained volunteer fireman). He came over and helped me dress mom a little against the 25F outside air, then drove her to the hospital for an x-ray. Hours later, they came home with the news that Mom had fractured her shoulder. Seeing Mom in so much pain breaks my heart. We can't quite believe there's been another injury! Thankfully, Shiredad is independent enough now not to require my full attention, but Mom sure will.

(The initial "thud!" turned out to have been caused by the window shade suddenly coming loose and falling from Mom's bedroom window and landing on the desk next to her bed. What brought that shade down suddenly (since she never raises or lowers it) will always be a mystery.)

And THEN, during a very hard rainstorm around 11 p.m. last night, I heard a loud "drip... drip... drip..." and discovered that not only was water was dripping down from the living room ceiling for the first time ever, water was also streaming down the wall next to the front door. We haven't fully solved the roof leakage in the kitchen that workmen have been trying to track down for a year, and now there's another one, even worse. I put out pots to catch the water, toweled up the wet rug and floor, and was thankful neither Mom nor Dad knew about it (yet). I'll start calling roofers tomorrow - when it's supposed to rain again.

If I'm around even less than usual in the next few weeks, this is why. My goodness, I hope our family is finished with injuries for a loooong time, and that I can finally find a competent roofer. This is a lot to deal with. Can 2019 come quickly, please, and be a very peaceful and boring year?

I have friends in both South and North Carolina, and have my fingers crossed that Hurricane Florence doesn't impact them too badly. I'm very thankful that our area isn't forecast to get any of the heavy rain coming from Florence, as I'm still getting estimates to repair our leaky roof.

Shiremom and I watched "Book Club" a few days ago, and we both liked it. It's been many years since I saw Diane Keaton in a movie, and I still love her work on screen. At first, I was a little squirmy and embarrassed watching this film with my 86-year-old mom (to whom I had to explain the basic plot of 50 Shades of Grey which is central to the movie), but then I realized I was thinking of her the same way Diane Keaton's character's daughters think of her in the movie -- a woman who's past the age of dealing with certain things. THEN I realized that I'm only 10 years younger than Diane Keaton, and my 30-something nieces probably feel the same thing about me! So I relaxed, enjoyed the movie, and let the writing and acting and sweet story charm me. Loved the ending, loved the whole idea behind the film.

And the good news about the strange, intermittent fluttering sound I've been experiencing in my left ear for two weeks is that my doctor didn't see a thing in or physically wrong with my ear canal. So now I have an audiologist appointment on Monday; hopefully they can diagnose what *is* going on with my ear! I'm currently being treated for a mild outbreak of shingles, and can't help wondering if the two are related somehow. I got the shingles vaccine 12 years ago, but still get itchy rashes once in awhile. This one is fiercely itchy!

Wishing you all an itch-free and peaceful weekend!

Tuesday night was the scary loud thunderstorm.
Yesterday it rained all day.
It rained last night and today it's supposed to rain.

And here's the forecast for our area:

Friday: Rain
Saturday: Rain
Sunday: Thunderstorms
Monday: Showers
Tuesday: PM Thunderstorms

The grass will be taller than I am before this soaking is over! What a change from the severe drought where I lived just a year ago.

This is crazy! What's the latest in the year you've ever experienced snow in your town?

This is the forecast for our area tomorrow, the first official day of spring:

Periods of snow and windy. Temps in the low- to mid-30s. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 5 to 8 inches. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

*sigh*

I enjoyed a lovely hike with lbilover and her four dogs a few weeks ago. She drove us all down to a nature preserve, and for nearly the whole time we walked we were the only ones there! The dogs had a marvelous time running loose and sniffing all the wonderful smells but never roamed far from their mommy. lbilover's 17-year-old whippet, Pippin, trotted happily with us for hours, and the new pup, Wren, expended lots of puppy energy and hopefully enjoyed a nice nap after they got home. Hiking is so good for me. I just have to get some sturdy and supportive hiking shoes that hold up better than my everyday (rather worn) 'walking Pippin' shoes. I also have to get a pair of comfortable, waterproof boots before the winter snows give way to the spring rains. Of the three pair of (also rather worn) boots I own, I've discovered that none of them are completely waterproof.

I'm very happy that in the seven months since we moved to NJ, I've been able to visit with my dad in Philadelphia six times (with another visit planned in a few weeks). He'll be 90 in June, and before we moved I was only able to see him once a year... sometimes once every two years. That wasn't enough.

We've had two huge storms in the past few weeks, one with winds up to 60 mph, and one with over a foot of snow. I shot a video of the snowstorm, but for some reason my phone won't let me upload it to Youtube. Next time I'll also take some still pics just in case a video won't upload! The snow from the recent storm was over Pippin's head, so I shoveled a path for her in several places to get her to go outside. We also ended up with a tree bent so far down from the weight of the snow that the tip touched my car. I have it propped up with long sticks, and will figure out a more permanent solution soon. Living in a house is so different than an apartment. So much to think about and maintain, inside and out! It's a whole new life, and no mistake.

Shiremom and I watched "Darkest Hour" the day before Gary Oldman won his Oscar for Best Actor, and thought it was really good. I have to admit that I didn't realize the full extent of how pivotal to history, prescient, and courageous Winston Churchill was. Our next scheduled movies are "The Man Who Invented Christmas" and "I, Tonya". We also watched "The Bucket List" on TV, finally, and while I liked it a lot, I felt the ending was missing something...

( Don't read this spoiler for the final scene if you haven't seen the film )

Okay, that's enough typing for now! I still have to be careful about that.

*Monday hugses*

I just went outside to shoot this video. A commonplace event for many of you, but it's quite thrilling for me!

It's one of these links, I can't figure out which. Youtube mystifies me.

https://youtu.be/pM8TxboeWZ4

(or)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM8TxboeWZ4