oddest thing

Yesterday was a beautiful fall day in my neck of the woods. Of course, a huge part of our country was enduring Hurricane Sandy. After looking at video and reading news reports throughout the day, I almost expected stormy weather when I left the office. I wasn't alone. Several folks commented that when they'd get a glimpse of the outside, it was weird that the sun was shining and the sky was clear.

So often when we watch the weather news, it is about weather that is happening to us or will happen to us once it travels a bit further inland.

Very strange to see a hurricane and know that we aren't going to get any of that water or wind.

rain, rain go away

It has been one rainy, stormy, nasty, tornadic Spring.  The ultimate was, of course, a trip to the basement of the building I was training in yesterday. Yep, the gal in the central part of the state didn't quite believe us when we said the sky was looking ugly and if the sirens started we were heading down those four flights of stairs for the safety of the basement. Not five minutes later, the sirens started and off we went. We stayed down there for a good 20 minutes before getting the all clear. Yuck!!

We are still under a severe weather watch and the flooding that may come as a result of all this water could be devastating. The small Missouri town where my mom is from was evacuated because the levee broke. Old Man River might crest in the 44' range which means major flooding, dangerous waterways and lots of damage.

Looking forward to Thursday and the sun!!

mid week melt

Yes, the snow came in last night, preceded by a very rainy day. So, while the white stuff coated all the grassy areas, it did not stick to the streets and the temps never fell to the point where ice formed. The streets and sidewalks are dry this morning. The sun is trying to peek through the clouds as the front moves east. It looks like we could have a pretty morning, made all the better for me as the kids will be attending school today.

Yeah!!!!

Not sure what I will be doing today as I had mentally prepared to have them all underfoot yet again. Now I have a 'free' day to enjoy.

I did start to watch a BBC miniseries via Netflix yesterday. I just love watching those British productions and it is always fun to see actors from major movies like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings playing other roles. I may watch another episode, I may read a book, I may go out to lunch.

The sun is shining. The day is full of possibilities!  Enjoy.

southernized

Our temps, like most of the country, have been unseasonably hot well into September. That steamy trend was finally broken over the weekend and the kids left for school yesterday with the thermometer reading a nice number in the 60's. Today it is even cooler, and my laptop weather bug is saying we are at 54. Wooooohoooo.  Cool. Crisp. Fall.

Freezing!!!!!  Yep, we actually heard our darling daughters say they had their heater on full blast yesterday for their morning drive to high school.  It was Freezing. Not Chilly. Not Cool. It was the "F" word.

We've been Southernized.  After 8 years in the south, or as this region is called, the mid-south, our blood has thinned to the point where 62 feels Cold.  Yikes!!

So, how much will out of state tuition cost us to send them back north so they can experience the land of their birth and be reintroduced to the concept of Yankee/Northerner? How much will it cost to let their bodies adapt to the concept that 62 is not Freezing? In fact, 62 is exactly 30 degrees warmer than Freezing and is just a lovely early Fall temperature.

Maybe I should start playing the lottery.

brrrrr

When I woke this morning our temp was at a whopping 9 degrees. Brrrrr. Well, I have a good coat and all the appropriate cold weather gear, so I will be heading out to the store this morning to do some pantry restocking and then home to snuggle up with a good book, a cup of tea and one of my mom's quilts.

Perfection, or at least as close at it gets to that state.

My brother will be arriving back in the states today from his most recent deployment to "the Stan" as he calls it. My parents along with his lovely wife will be there to greet him at the airport. I wonder if the kids know he is getting home today or if they will have a wonderful surprise waiting from them when they get home from school.

Got an email newsletter from Michelle Moran yesterday. I've blogged about her novels and she has even commented on a few of my posts. Pleased as punch that Target has picked her debut novel, "Nefertiti," as one of their book club selections. Spiffy new cover for the book along with lots of other neat things inside. She has a spruced up website, a facebook page and other fun things going on. Congrats to her for starting of 2010 in such a fantabulous way. She so deserves it. Michelle travels a lot and has interesting posts on her site about her excursions. Can't wait for her next book!

Looks to be a good weekend! Enjoy.

hey, beginning to mold over here.

Okay, waking up to the sound of rain, yet again. It stayed dry yesterday, unless you happened to step into the yard and then you'd sink up to your ankles. We are so waterlogged at this point; I'm beginning to fear what may happen when the temps truly begin to drop and the precipitation stays with us. Hmmmm. Cold air plus lots of moisture usually equals that dreaded white stuff that I thought I left well north of the Mason-Dixon line. I may not be a Southerner by birth, family history or anything else, BUT I do enjoy the weather HERE much more than the weather THERE. I need sunshine. I need dry breezes.

I also need to find some new books to read. I finished the delightful Hester Browne series and am in need of some new titles. After I dropped the girls off to Youth Group last night, big scavenger hunt activity to participate in, they came in third place by the way, I hit the library. Found two Jim Butcher books, his Dresden Files series. Thought I would give those a whirl. The problem is, I'm not sure what I'm in the mood to read right now.

Watched the movie 'Push" yesterday. It was okay. Neat concept, but not that great of a movie. I wasn't glued to my seat. Think I will watch "Defiance" today. Daniel Craig is always entertaining to watch and this movie is set in WWII about Jewish resistance fighters.

Feeling a bit scattered today....I think it is lack of sunshine! My brain just doesn't operate at peak efficiency when subjected to these weather patterns for days on end.

what a cool breeze can do

We had a very busy weekend with the girls refereeing a slew of tournament games at our local parks. Then hubby and I had to put in four hours each of volunteer time for the girls' competitive soccer club. We knocked that out early on Sunday morning by selling tee shirts at one of the venues.

I've never seen so many smiling faces and just plain, happy looks on people. The weather this weekend was perfect, sunny, breezy and comfortable. The mornings have been cool with little humidity. The evenings are comfortable as well. We are having perfect patio weather and hubby and I looked at each other and remarked, this is mid August in the midsouth, right?!

It is just easier to get things done when the weather is this pleasant. Even if the thing getting done is sitting in a comfy lawn chair and reading a book!