November Snow!

We had several COLD days last week where the temperature did not get above freezing even with the sun shining. Then the forecast indicated a storm from the south and it appeared we would get rain. However, another storm hit us from the west and we awoke this morning to snow - but not much more than a dusting. The local news showed many schools in the area either had a delay of 2 hours or were closed. And the snow kept falling through out the morning. We went out several times to brush off the cars or just take Honey for a walk. Then B went out with the leaf blower (back-pack) and cleared off the driveway and cars.

In the picture above, you can see a bit of the railing that shows we didn't get a lot of snow. This morning the snow was light and so using the blower was a great way to quickly clear the driveway and cars.

Here is Rocket Man going down the drive.

Our local road guy was by earlier pushing the snow off. The middle of the road is clear. It did keep snowing and B kept clearing the car off as we planned to go out to dinner. This afternoon the snow got heavier - almost sleety. While the driveway looked clear it was also a bit icy. So, we cancelled the dinner reservation and will stay home. A smart decision! Rain is on the way and hopefully the mess will be melted by tomorrow.

So, what to have for dinner??? We agreed on Sloppy Joe sandwiches on a hoagie roll. Easy,  rather quick to make and yummy. 

And should the rain be icy or snow, I'm set for Thanksgiving dinner! Turkey is in the refrigerator defrosting. We got a 9 pound Butterball as it's just us and while we like leftover turkey there is a limit to how much! Tomorrow I'll make the cranberry relish. Thankfully we were out shopping late last week so there is really no reason to need to leave the house.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

It's Saturday Already!

We are off to a warm start - it was 37 out when Honey and I took our first walk go the day. After the below freezing daytime temperatures this past week, it was a nice change. 

Yesterday we took a trip to Costco and to get Hess trucks for B. The ride to Jersey is a bit over an hour and after the stop at the Hess Station, another 15 minutes got us to Costco. While we have a Sam's Club closer, we really enjoy Costco.  Found several great things including a set of white china dishes at a very reasonable price. Service for 6 for $99. So, I washed them after we got home which led to a kitchen clean out.  More to do today. It's one of those things that one clean up/neaten leads to another. 

My "to do list today includes raking up acorns. We have a LOT of them and this year Honey has decided they are he go to treat. When we take her out to play in the "play-pen" she eats acorns instead. Can't imagine that too many are good for her so ill do a bit of raking today while B washes a car.  Today should get into the upper 50s and a good day for some outside work. 

A cold start to the new week

Our weather continues to be ever changing - one day warm and the next cool. We finally got some rain this past week which we really needed. The ground is now brown with fallen leaves. Some trees are bare, others still colorful. We were out for a ride this past week and the skies were awesome! I was taking pictures with my phone from the car and am pleased at the quality considering it was taken through the front windshield.

I've been working on using my iMac better. Many (I mean MANY) years ago I had Macs. Then, due to work needs, I had to switch to a PC and I've continued to use them. However, Windows 8 was the straw that broke the camels back - I purchased an iMac. Of course I still have Windows 7 PCs and the bouncing back and forth between the two formats is not making things easy! So I have focused this past week on all things Mac! I've figured out some things, Googled and read to learn other things and am now moving on to understanding iMovie. A new movie camera prompted this and a book from Amazon arrived. Desire and a book should do the trick. 

This morning was COLD - 28 degrees. There was frost on the deck railings but the steps were fine. Moving from daylight savings to standard time has been "interesting" as Honey can't figure out why we aren't feeding her at the "right" time. Even getting up earlier and going to bed later hasn't helped. Yesterday at 3:30 she was asking for her special treat she gets when we move into "happy hour". However, 3:30 is way too early. So, we will adjust slowly and she had her treat at 4 and B and I waited until 5 for drinks. Dinner was rump roast done in the oven. I had forgotten to put a plate under the meat when we it went into the refrigerator after a shopping trip Saturday and the juice made a mess of the bottom shelf in the refrig. I got out the book to be sure I was removing the glass shelf correctly. Of course I had to first remove the produce drawers and then that led to cleaning out the drawers (amazing what I found) and then washing and putting it all back. So, thankfully the meat was in the oven and a glass of wine when done was very appreciated. 

First Weekend in October

We have been having unseasonably WARM weather - and because of that we have been working around the house doing some end of summer chores including blowing leaves and acorns. We also took several "trips" taking my car (a convertable) and driving to various places close by just to enjoy the beautiful weather! Sun, lovely clouds, and a road we hadn't travelled. We went 12 days with no rain, warm days and cool nights.  Friday was gloomy and muggy and we got rain Friday evening and Saturday. This morning it was still muggy and the ground and cars were full of leaves and pine needles. While it hasn't rained today it's been very gloomy and turning cooler. In "honor" of this, I took the day off! And after watching two episodes of "The West Wing", a series I'm viewing since I missed the entire show when it was on TV, I worked on putting pictures on the Mac and organizing them using iPhoto and Elements 11. While not done by a long shot, I at least figured out a few things and have decided upon a system for uploading pictures and then editing and organizing. I find that fun!

Below is a picture I took a bit ago of a tiny frog. We often see these little frogs on the driveway. I've never seen a large frog so I guess this size is about as big as they get. Honey is very interested in them as we often run across them on her potty walks. She just sniffs them and they just hop away. This time, I found one on the leaves of the coleus plant located at the bottom of the steps to the front door. I quickly grabbed my camera and took a lot of shots. This one is rather clear, and I think good!

Isn't it cute???

Shopping at Wegman's

Another cool morning in the 40s however it did warm up.  We had planned to go out on the boat but it was still cool mid morning. After lunch, B suggested a trip to Wegmans which I thought was great! I love Wegmans as they have interesting things and reasonable prices. We got a humongous cauliflower  locally grown, several of the store brand canned soup, some lunch meat, Gorgonzola cheese and a hoagie.  Now hoagies up here are NOT a Jersey hoagie. We even got pepperoni on one hoagie we got. Wegmans has a good hoagie on a tasty roll and we do enjoy it.  That's dinner with some potato chips 😃. It was a nice ride and now I get to make the pork chops for dinner tomorrow. This weekend is the last weekend of the summer of 2013 😱 the leaves have started to fall and we have been having chilly nights. Maybe we will boat sometime over the next few days