Wednesday, October 31, 2012

SANDY WAS HERE

Loud winds disturbed Terri Monday night but she calmed down once I put her thunder-shirt on her. The snug wrapping makes her feel and act less edgy. The electricity started going off and on before 11 PM. By then, I gave up watching TV and went to bed, pulling power cords out of the wall outlets on my way.

We didn't get rain, despite the appearance of thick clouds in the NASA image below. Luckily, the storm winds slowed down before they arrived in eastern Ontario.



The wind was powerful enough to knock down the dead tree behind my back yard. I was relieved that it didn't fall on the fence that lies along the back of my yard.





All is peaceful now except for noises such as car doors slammed shut. These prompt Terri to make "quiet" annoyed barks as if she disapproves of people making unnecessary noises to disturb her rest. ;-)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

STORM COMING ?

Luckily, the rain held off Saturday so Terri and I had time to play games, shop for groceries, and prepare for rain and wind. I should be preparing for power outage too, just in case. The list of things to have ready is available at the link in my previous post. I sure hope I don't need any of these items, especially things for power failures. However, it doesn't seem to take much to lose power on my road. I wonder why.



The following map shows the probable turn west for the storm into the Atlantic states somewhere between NY and SC. The storm itself is huge so it will cover a wide area wherever it lands.

I hope it lands far south of New York since that would be better for the greatest population but I don't know how badly it would affect states such as North or South Carolina. [More details to come as the storm continues up the coast.]

Saturday, October 27, 2012

GREAT WEATHER

FRIDAY, OCT. 26: What a beautiful day today! I knew it would be pleasant but the temperature and sunshine was just perfect. Flower enjoyed the deck for a couple of hours before taking her regular afternoon nap curled up on her big chair. Terri and I couldn't get enough of the perfect day so we stayed outside, even after dark. It's a good thing we made the most of this 18C + weather — a weekend of rain starts tonight or tomorrow morning.

A hybrid storm - part hurricane, part cold nor'easter - may head inland to parts of Ontario and eastern Canada in a few days. The mixture of cold air and wet storm could result in snow. "While winds would not likely exceed Category 1 strength, the size of the storm would mean that a huge area would be affected by winds strong enough to bring down thousands of trees and leave millions without power. Heavy rain could trigger flash flooding." - The Weather Network

Your Emergency Preparedness Guide Guide

Friday, October 19, 2012

LOSING WEIGHT

It is very difficult for me to lose weight. I suspect I have a slow metabolism. I love tasty foods and tasty foods always have some sugar and/or fat. Tempting photos of food abound on TV and even in Facebook posts! I have a huge appetite — I'm sure I could keep up with hungry teen boys if I allowed myself to.

Despite that, I have managed to lose 5 lbs. You laugh. I understand, it's not much; but it is a start! I've cut down on margarine, butter, animal fats. I try to use just olive oil and only when really needed. I've stopped eating chips, cookies, cake, etc. More recently, I've stopped eating candy — WOW! For snacking, I've made a fresh fruit salad in a large glass bowl which I keep in the fridge. Canned peaches and/or pears chopped up, grapes, pineapple, cranberries. When there is room for more fruit I should add orange or apple. I don't like melon except for watermelon.

The best motivation for losing weight is sharing the plan with friends. We are on a 5 lb loss for October plan. Next month we'll have a new motivation. It's a good thing ;-)

Saturday, October 13, 2012

FALL COLOURS

Terri and I enjoyed some sight-seeing around Russell Township Friday afternoon. I drove along country roads without caring where I was going — I figured I couldn't get lost since I wasn't trying to get to any particular spot.