Let it snow! Let is snow! ...urgle...

Different day, same white stuff.
Probably about 3-4 inches last night.
Shovelled driveway and MIL/FIL driveway...
Dang I'm getting tired of this Winter already.

Wife is in full Christmas freak out mode.. she does this every year.
She bundles everything to give everyone a Merry Christmas, but she
does it all herself and doesn't accept any help, or very little.
I'd prefer that Christmas was a 'family' effort, but my wife has never
felt like that.
She pushed herself too much.

We won't have 'Eldest' and family this year for Christmas (maybe New Year?)
So it'll just be me, wife, dog, son and girlfriend and maybe middle daughter,
baby, boyfriend, his kids visiting.
I think Ashley may move in with us in the New Year.

That's enough details for an open post!  (Thanks NSA).

Saw an item today that the NSA collects kids letters to Santa .. sad.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! (Clue the Music, Maestro!)

I've shovelled about 4-5 inches today so far..

Hard to tell how much has fallen because it's blowing all over the place.

The wind is coming from lake Huron, so now I know what the folks in Muskegan

feel like...

Oscoda MI

7 Day Forecast

Gaylord, MI

NWS Weather Forecast Office

This
Afternoon

Snow

High: 22 °F

Tonight

Snow
Likely

Low: 16 °F

Sunday

Snow
Likely

High: 25 °F

Sunday
Night

Chance
Snow

Low: 8 °F

Monday

Chance
Snow

High: 22 °F

Monday
Night

Chance
Snow

Low: 19 °F

Tuesday

Chance
Snow

High: 30 °F

Tuesday
Night

Chance
Snow

Low: 21 °F

Wednesday

Chance
Snow

High: 27 °F

Yo Quiero Micky D?

Marley at McDonalds tonight. Compare this with Bella at the same place 3-4 years ago... :)

The Frigid MidWest

It's a bad start to Winter and it's still techically Autumn/Fall until 12/21.
High temps in the high teens/low 20s and lows in the single digits, low teens
this week.  We got about 3-4 inches a few days ago, it rained the next night and melted it then
we got some more that froze.
The Au Sable river might very well freeze this week.

On a happier note, my son and his girlfriend have found an appartment
and my wife is putting together a 'starter kit' of items that they are going to need.
We will be able to empty some of the furniture in the garage and give it to them

Lindsey Violet is not handling her switch from breast feeding to formula well.
The doctor put her on a soy formula to ease the transition.

Marley found a new friend at my daughter's boyfriends house. He has 3 dogs, but the youngest
one and Marley really hit it off!...  We'll have to schedule 'play dates' for Mr. Marley with
Dukey (He's a Pit Bull). Marley seems to be the dominant one so far... reminds me of
'Legally Blonde 2'... :)

Today

Chance
Snow

High: 20 °F

Tonight

Mostly
Cloudy

Low: 8 °F

Thursday

Chance
Snow

High: 19 °F

Thursday
Night

Chance
Snow

Low: 10 °F

Friday

Chance
Snow

High: 21 °F

Friday
Night

Chance
Snow

Low: 14 °F

Saturday

Snow
Likely

High: 21 °F

Saturday
Night

Snow
Likely

Low: 17 °F

Sunday

Chance
Snow

High: 22 °F

More Marley and welcome Lindsey Violet

Marley has to be only about 1 year old. He had never seen snow until last week.
Didn't know what to do, whether to walk on it, eat it.. It was pretty funny.
The Snow melted 2 days ago and it's been dry, so I've been taking him for long
walks while the weather is clear. Pretty soon, he'll have to pee in whatever space
of lawn 'Grandpa' can clear out side the door.

It's perishing cold today and tonight. May get down to the single digits and then
more snow Sunday/Monday.

Here's a picture of my new grand daughter, Lindsey Violet, born October 9th, 3:00am

'Eldest' is now preggers too, so I'll have 3 grand children to spoil=bore pretty soon.
Hope the like stories about the 50s, 60, etc...  :)  TIC

There's a new dog in Town

and his name is 'Marley'
We got a little 1y-18mo Chihuaha pup a month ago.

He is very active! ( had to hold him still to take the picture)

He spends most of the day with my wife on her couch/bed, except
when she's out at pottery or I'm taking hme for walks.

He is so active I have to take him for more, and longer , walks than
'Miss Bella'... my legs are getting worn down.
I should take my HP pedometer and document how much .
Still, we have snow in the forecast for the weekend, so there
may be a lot less 'walkies' soon.

It's hard to get a picture of him - he doesn't keep still
here's my best shot so far.

Don't know what we are going to do today - high of 26F and to tonight's low of 11F
no walkies today...

My first attempt at pottery

My wife did a lot of the work, but I actually spun it or whatever they call it.
She trimmed it and picked the glaze. I like it!

I don't know what to call it yet, maybe 'Mr Pots'... just kidding...

Bella Lyn Marie

Today I had to take (Isa)Bella to the Animal Shelter in Tawas.
The cancer came back on the side of her head.
She already had an operation for cancer on her tummy this Spring.
Poor Dog!
Everything appeared to be O.K. at the time but the vet said the cancer could be aggressive and it was.
It's not really operable, especially since she has an enlarged heart and a heart murmer.
We put her through BP medication to stabilize her breathing, but the cancer came suddenly and quickly.
She had a hard early life, growing up in a puppy mill in Texas.
My daughter was visiting relatives and decided to get a dog and picked her up there and brought her back with her to Michigan.

She had heartworm - which was successfully treated two year ago,

She stole out hearts and we got a chance to spoil her to make up for her early years.

She has been a constant companion for my wife, and she brightened everyone's day - unless you are a bad guy, cat, or squirrel in the neighbourhood! :)

So sad to see her go. 'Hers" will be missed. The world is a sadder and emptier place without 'Hers'. It's amazing the impact a little dog can make on those around her. Here are some more pictures. "Hello to Hers" we always said when she walked into the room.

Happy Father's day to all

I really need to post more. On the NSA cell phone data collection, Bruce Schneier sums it up best "Whistleblowing is the moral response to immoral activity by those in power. What's important here are government programs and methods, not data about individuals. I understand I am asking for people to engage in illegal and dangerous behavior. Do it carefully and do it safely, but -- and I am talking directly to you, person working on one of these secret and probably illegal programs -- do it." Meg texted me a 6:21 am to wish me a happy Father's day - how thoughtful! :) Well she has to work. It's 'the eldest's birthday too today. Must remember to call her. My happiest memories are when we lived in Pennsylvania. Of course, it was the 80s and we had money, everyone had money, life was good... Seriously, why no outcry about the price of gas/petrol? It's 4:15 a gallon here in upper Michigan and we hear about the US becoming a net exported of oil next year. The price of gas needs to be high to encourage environmentally friendly practices, e.g. CAFE, but anything over 3:50 hits the working poor most. Those who have to travel to their jobs. I am SO GLAD I can work from home. Been watching old 'ercule Poirot' programs on You Tube for the last week. Got a big gap on Sunday nights now that Game of Thrones has finished Season 3. Here's a fun picture I took of Bella sitting with my while I was working on my laptop... Better than cat videos any day.. I think she was brought up with cats actually, she stretches like a cat, and I saw here try to nose some snow over poop during the winter , like a cat in a littler box. what an odd dog.. She's my wife's comforter and protector (even from me!) but I love her too. She was living in a puppy mill in Texas when Megan found her, so she is a rescued dog, I guess. She had heart worm and we spent a lot getting here fixed up. she has no front teeth any more and has had some cancerous mammary growths removed.. between her and Michael we are broke... :)

February commeth with the Snow

It's been pretty dry this Winter so far, mostly warm, although some days/nights this January were 0, -2 F. Our hot water line froze one time... stupid thing, because we have a solid concrete foundation, the external water pipes go through the roof and the insulation is only 'blown; and somehow the pipe got uncovered - probably when we had a new water heater put in a year ago... Well, today, tonight's finally when we get our snow season, expected anything from 4-10 inches by tomorrow. I've been shovelling today - 4 times in fact - probably an inch or two each time. My wife's poor chihuaha is stressed out, not only does she not like the cold, but she doesn't have much to smell, except snow. I scrape a little spot in the grass so she doesn't have to plough through it. or swim, more like. I got a new phone for work. What a score! a Galaxy S3! Someone are procurement approval must have screwed up, because my boss sent out an email a couple of weeks later telling everyone they had to talk to him before ordering any new phones... but mine was probably 'robo approved' already -- score! Some things I haven't figured out yet - like how to sync with my car hands off. The voice to text demo is pretty humorous sometimes... My blood test message from the Doctor was translated so... Hi mister mccanan this is christina calling you from a corner health center I just wanted to let you know that we did receive your lamb order so it is in the computer ... so whenever you ... need to come in and get your lance on at least your orders here have a good day bye bye. I like the sound of 'get your lance on'... :) Maybe it was really a solicitation call... ha ha..