7 Days

Since the last time I managed to post anything here.

Froggy, you must be slipping.  You haven't reminded me once.  :)

Last Thursday, there was a really bad storm.  It was pretty much totally unexpected and it was actually starting to become tornadic at one point.

There was almost no warning.  It was lunchtime and I had thought about going out for lunch but decided to stay in and I'm glad I did.  We had rain chances but nothing bad was expected.  The first hint was when my cell phone started making the Alert sound - it is very loud and very shrill.  The entire screen said "TORNADO WARNING. TORNADO IN THE AREA."  It wasn't raining or anything, I turned the radio on and they were doing the normal mid-afternoon show.  I thought that the cell service provider must have had a problem and sent out a bad message by mistake.  And that's when the Tornado Sirens started sounding.  When they go off, it's best to pay attention and take cover.  The boss was in his office but had heard my phone alert so he was coming up the hallway to see what the noise was, when the sirens started.  He ran back towards his office for his phone and I was already in the area we decided is the safest spot - the bathroom which is on a north outside wall but the center of the building is a glassed-in atrium and the glass makes it a very unsafe spot.  Bill called me at that point, he was at home and was watching the noon news.  They were on the storm warning by that point and they were calling out the exact area of Tulsa I work in as being in the firing line of a rotating cloud.  He was telling me what the news said and I was telling the Boss.  Then the cloud started to move more south and not southeast, and the rotation stopped.  At that point, they cancelled the tornado warning but were still putting out a lot of warnings in the direction the cloud was moving because of the fact the cloud had shown rotation already.

The Boss opened the garage door to check the sky and by that time,the cloud was right there.  It was well east of us and we were safe, but it was still pretty scary to look at.  These pictures were taken with my cell phone and make it look a lot lighter than it actually was.

No, these are not "Hey Y'all Redneck Last Word pictures!

After the cloud had moved a little further south, that's when the real storm hit.  The one that was behind the rotation.  The rain was very sudden and very, very heavy.  The wind was even worse.  There were trees ripped out of the ground all over Tulsa and the surrounding areas, trees that were broken into pieces, limbs thrown everywhere.  It was a very, very severe storm.  I've seen rain forced sideways by wind before, but not like this.  Of course, Otter was at J's house and that particular town was right in the direction the cloud and storm were headed next.  They were aware of the weather and stayed inside, ready to take cover.  J's house was ok, but there were two incidents that were confirmed to be the work of a small tornado in the general area.

When I got home, which took a while because of several street lights that were out and also because of debris in the road in some spots, we still had power but we also had limbs down in the back yard.  But  there was one place in particular, a church in south Tulsa that literally had a wall ripped off just because of the wind.  Bill's dad had a tree limb down in their back yard - but they don't have any trees.  It was split off of a neighbor's tree, then the wind carried it over the fence and into their yard.  It was not a small limb, either.  Parts of the Tulsa area and surrounding area just had power restored today, Monday.  Bill cut up the limbs from our tree Saturday and also helped his dad with the one in his yard.  Most of it is now in our woodpile, Bill thinks we got about 1/3 of a rick out of it.

Yesterday, Sunday, Bill mowed the yard.  I was standing beside the rock garden when a grasshopper bounced by me.  And landed right in the center of a zigzag spider's web on the trellis!  I had not even seen the web, it was so well camoflauged in the honeysuckle.  Pretty much as soon as the grasshopper landed, the spider was on it.  She moved like lightning and had the grasshopper wrapped completely in silk in just a couple of seconds.  It was amazing to watch her.  Then she moved it to another spot in the web and then a few hours later when I was walking around the yard with the beagle I checked on the spider and she was happily consuming the grasshopper's innards which were probably liquified by that point.  I hope she stays around.  She's probably not quite quarter sized yet, and they can get much bigger.  She can stay in our trellis and eat all the bugs she wants!

Mother's Day 2015

Happy Mother's Day!

My day has been a lot of fun.  Otter and J came over for breakfast, we had Monkey Bread and assorted fresh fruit.  They stayed for a couple of hours and we had a nice visit.  Otter gave me kitchen towels, which I needed badly.

Bill gave me a set of craft blades, similar to X-Acto knives but they came from the store Otter works at.  It was also something I needed, I originally wanted another cactus but then I realized that I needed the craft blades so I changed my gift request to that.  I actually went and got that one myself, because I had to pick out the specific set I wanted.

Bill and I went to a couple of thrift stores today.  This is what I bought at the first one, it was a grab  bag (clear plastic bags, not a mystery bag) and it was $6.98.  For all of this:

It's on the couch with a blanket for background, but it was a very full bag.  The next picture is what I actually bought the bag for:

Yarn spools!  8 regular ones and one larger one.  And for what is a ridiculously low price, especially considering everything else that was in the bag.  I've seen these priced (and selling for) for upwards of $5.00 each, sometimes more since they have thread on them and the bigger one would probably sell for more than the entire bag.

The tag says it's a handmade purse, silk fabric maybe.  I'm not sure if it's a keeper for something craft related or it it's going to be sold or re-donated.  It's sort of evening bag size.  I didn't even see it in the bag when I bought it, it was in the middle of everything else but I grabbed the bag as soon as I saw the yarn spools.

These are small hats, hand crocheted obviously.  I'm not sure if they are for dolls such as an 18" doll, or if they might be dog hats.  Because also in the bag were three dog outfits.  (The hats are probably for dolls.)

The orange and pink/blue one are obviously hand crocheted.  The pink one is Martha Stewart brand, which I think is really funny.  I did try it on Maggie Moo so I could text a picture to Otter, but it's wool and I didn't even have to look at the tag to figure that out because I started reacting to it as soon as it came into contact with my skin.  The dog clothes are all in the donate pile.

The blue fabric has a tag from when it was purchased originally, I think it was somewhere around $4.00.  The cotton collar is probably not new, but I don't think it's been worn before.  It's very clean and still has that "stiff" feeling.  Not sure if it's etsy, donate, if Otter wants it, or what.

This might be hand-knitted or it might have been done on a knitting machine, but it is homemade and not professionally done.  It's a vest with a sash.  I thought it was an uncompleted cardigan style sweater but the sleeve openings are too big.  It might fit Otter, for a size comparison - I don't think it's anything she would want, but I might well put it on her and have her model it for an etsy picture if I decide to sell it.  The final yarn ends are still attached but they are tied off.  It has a button on the bottom.  It's clean and there is no smell that I can tell.

Froggy, got any idea what these are?  They are obviously holders for "tape" or ribbon of some type and I think they are sewing related.  Possibly etsy bound as well, but maybe not.

There were a few other things, a bag of small safety pins and some misc. stuff.

The next two pictures are from the 2nd thrift store.

2 square doilies which were marked 49 cents each but then they turned out to be half price so they were 25 cents each.  There is also a very long table-runner size doily, I think it was 79 cents.  It has a couple of spots I need to mend slightly and it also has a reddish stain but I think it will come out.  All three are bound for my doily curtain.  The reddish crochet thing is a hanging towel, it has a granny square front and a backing crochet piece.  Not sure if I'm going to copy the pattern or what, but it was somewhere around 70 cents or maybe less.

This is a clear ruler, used in sewing and also in things like crochet.  I'm not sure if it's an etsy item or if I'll keep it, as I frequently need something like this but I have a clear plastic ruler I use.

I keep talking about etsy, I think I'm finally going to start listing things in the store I set up a few years ago and then never used.  I have a few ideas for crochet pieces that are not scarves & hats, because the market is basically flooded with that sort of thing.

We also bought an old nut cracker that it mounted on a wooden board.  It was etsy bound at first, but now I'm thinking we may keep it.

After the 2nd thrift store, we decided to have lunch at Cici's pizza instead of cardboard pizza from wally.  We also went to a fabric store.

Speaking of flooding, we've had so much rain the last several days that there has been some street flooding in the area.  The ground is over-saturated.  We've had several instances of hard rains the last couple of days, yesterday afternoon (I got caught in it literally and got soaked) and this morning were very strong storms.  My back yard literally looked like a lake, the ground can not absorb any more water and it was beginning to stand - which is really saying a lot.  I've drained the potted plants a few times, Bill had to clean out one of the downspouts because it was clogged and the rain gutters overflowed.  The ground is so soft it's almost like walking in a swamp.  There is water standing in ditches and on the side of the road in places it never actually does, and we saw evidence of a few street areas that had obviously been under water at some point either yesterday or this morning.  Next week is supposed to be dry and warm, it's going to be very humid for a few days and then it will be mosquito season so I'm trying to get rid of any standing water I find.

I'm thinking that Maggie Moo might have another UTI or bladder infection.  She's "leaked" twice in the house in the last 3 days, I caught her at it in the hallway yesterday and she would not stop - even when I yelled at her.  I don't think she could really stop.  She's acting like she might not feel too good, she really acts like she did before when she had one.  She might also need to get her rear glands cleaned out, it's been 2 months since the last time and we did think that 2 months would be about right.  Or it could be both.  Either way, I'm calling the vet tomorrow to see if I can get her in there.  She's perky when I say the W or R words (Walk or Ride) but even when she actually gets to do either of those things (or both!), she's not acting like she's 100%.  I don't think she's moping around over Frasier not being here, she seemed to get over that and she acts like she doesn't feel too good.  She's finally sleeping on the pillow we bought to make her a bed out of, at least.

(I did give in the my asthma last Friday and stayed home.)

Time for ice cream now!

Tornadic Storms in Tulsa Area. We are ok. **EDITED**

There is a little town west of Tulsa called Sand Springs.  It is not where we live, but I wanted to mention it because they have had a tornado go through and there is a lot of damage.  Injuries, but not major.  No deaths, but there are still a lot of people who have lost homes.  Please pray for them, as well as for the emergency workers who are trying to help them.

It's been a rough evening.  We were in the firing line for the thunderstorms that sprouted the tornados (there have been a few) but the tornados themselves went north and northeast of us.  The north track took them over into the areas east of Tulsa and there are still people who are in the track of at least one tornado.  It's 7:02 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 as I type this.

We are now getting the thunderstorms but the tornadic chances are just about gone, at least for us.

But other parts of the state are in danger, specifically the Moore/Oklahoma City area.

Please pray.

(EDIT:  There was one death in Sand Springs after all)

Thursday Evening

No imagination on titles today!

 

I just thought the above was interesting.  It's also correct, by the way.  Star Trek Rules!

 

I like this one, too:

Anyway.

 

Bill got another load of firewood today.  He asked them why they aren't charging him.  They figure that if it's hot weather and people are desperate/silly/brave enough to load it themselves, they won't charge.  However, once the weather gets cold they will start charging.  Seems a little unfair, when the weather is cold is when people might be really desperate.  But that's their policy.  Bill thinks we're at about the amount we were at the beginning of last winter.  We had quite a few fires but we still had some left over at the end of the winter.  However, even though we had quite a bit of cold & icy weather last winter it was actually light by statistical standards.  Which means that we're going to get more.  At least one more load, then we'll look at the amount of wood we have and decide then if we need more, but I think we'll probably actually get two or three more loads total.

 

I've cleaned all the winter/storm supplies out of the area we store them in.  I'm going to start rebuilding our supply, but I rotate stock out in the summer or fall.

 

Maggie Moo never did get that bath we were going to give her last week.  I put the monthly flea/tick drops on them this morning, so no doggies baths in the near future!

You Know What?

I hate colds.  Especially summer colds.  Ok, so it's still spring.  But you get the idea.

 

I managed to work most of the day today.  I went in at 8:00, which was a struggle.  But it was a quiet morning, the Teenager had a few senior moments which involved calling me numerous times over his plans to have lunch with his grandson today.  But when you are 97, you are allowed senior moments!  They weren't bad, mostly he just couldn't decide if he wanted me to come get him or if he was going to have his grandson pick him up at home or at the office (which is what he finally decided on.)

 

I spent most of the morning coughing my head off, or at least it felt like I was attempting to.  But I was still doing better than I had been.  I got back from lunch with Billyboy (Chinese buffet!) and the Teenager got there a few minutes later.  And immediately launched into what we call "Dr. Teenager" mode - which involves repeatedly lecturing me about going home.  I was supposed to be his ride home, so I told him I was able to stay.  I was still coughing myself dizzy at that point, so he called around until he found someone who could take him home.  Then, he ordered me out the door and gave me clear instructions about NOT wanting to see me until Monday.  I left about 45 minutes earlier than I normally would have.  I think I'm probably going to take his "suggestion" and not even attempt to go in tomorrow.  One of his reasons is that he doesn't want to catch the cold, which I agree with and I have tried to stay as far away from his as possible.  Keep in mind that he told me that was his reason for not letting me take him home - but then he thought maybe he should drive me home since I was obviously sick!

 

Otter worked today, she drove Bill's impala since he wanted to drive the White Lightning today.  Of course, that was before it started pouring and UPS notified him that he had a pachinko machine delivered (which is why he took the truck today.)  Normally, he would have gotten it without a problem if he was in the truck but it was too big to fit in the cab and the back is not covered.  Guess who got to go to UPS on the way home?  Yours truly!  I didn't have to carry it, they carried it out to the car for me and it (just barely) fit in the back seat.

 

Bill wanted to take a couple of machines to the booth, so I rode along with him.  I rearranged a bit while we were there.  Then Bill decided to bring a machine home and fix something on it.  I need to seriously rearrange but I was pretty tired, so I just moved a couple of things around.  I'm not sure if anything has sold or not since the last time I was there, which was maybe last Friday?

 

OK, here's the not fun part:  It's Spring.  This is NE Oklahoma, also known as Tornado Alley and that is for a reason.  We might be reminded of the reason this weekend.  Specifically, Sunday is the highest chance and the forecasters sound worried.  Sometimes, that means something.  Sometimes, it doesn't.  But it does mean that we all need to be prepared.  Just in case.

Otter Still Feels Like She's 12

Even though she is 22 today.  To be precise, she feels like a 12-year-old in an adult suit.  But she is, in fact, 22.  She just looks a few years younger is all!  She said that the crew at work all threatened to sing Happy Birthday to her today - however, she convinced them not to.

 

We took her to dinner for her birthday, she chose the Chinese buffet.  It was pretty good.  The birthday candles have been lit (just 4!) and she blew them out.  But nobody had room for cake right then, so it went back into the fridge  and we're probably going to get into it shortly.

 

It's thundering at the moment.  The first "official" spring storm happened this evening.  If you can call it that.  Basically, north of here had a thunderstorm and their was a small amount of hail.  But, it is Spring and it is a storm, and the forecasters are going to spend the entire Season going nuts over the slightest breeze!  Which is not good, because they will panic and cause panic.  Then when it is bad, nobody will listen to them and the potential for injuries/deaths is very high when that happens.

 

After we ate tonight, we went to Big Lots.  We turned off the humidifiers last night and turned on the fan.  Otter used the box fan we have last summer, but it's kind of big and hard to use really well due to the fact that a)  it's too big for her room and b)  the contents of her room are also too big for her room!  So, we bought her a stand fan and Billyboy is putting it together at the moment.  She said it was kind of stuffy in her room last night so she's eager for him to get the fan together.

 

The Aripachi machines leave tomorrow!  Well, the first group leaves.  It might have to be a 2-day operations, there are so many of them.  But the upshot is that they will be out of our (mostly my) way very soon.  Grandpa is going to come help Bill tomorrow.  I took the Goodwill stuff today to get it out of their way, and I loaded the trunk of my car up with the recycling stuff so that they have more room to move the machines out of the garage.

 

OK, cake time!

Somewhat Ready for Winter

I added a few things to our "Housebound/Stuckathome/Icestorm" supplies.  I think we're pretty much ready for the possibility of being caught at home this winter, we have plenty of firewood and enough canned/dried food for several days.  Not that I expect it, but we didn't expect Snowmagedden 2011 either!  Our supplies consist of:  canned chili, canned stew, canned Vienna sausage (for Bill, I personally can't stand the stuff), canned tuna, crackers, ritz crackers, instant coffee (the most important!), tea bags, dried pasta, peanut butter (creamy, because that's the kind I like and I was the one at the store), canned orange juice, canned dog food (can't forget the pupsters!), canned beans (also for Bill), bottled water, and a few other things.  I will probably get a small bag of dried dog food, but I think we're pretty much ready.  I might also get a few cans of soup.  We always have things like batteries, candles, first aid supplies on hand.  It's a Borg Queen thing, I have to be prepared for all contingencies.  More than once, it's been a good thing.  Not just in Feb. 2011, but enough times that prove it's warranted.

 

I figure I've always got enough yarn on hand!  And plenty of projects that need it. :)

 

It was very cold last night and this morning, we hit the predicted 21 degrees.  It got into the low 50's this afternoon.  It wasn't breezy, so it actually felt better than yesterday - even this morning.  Although Otter might disagree, she got the joy of scraping off a frosted car before she could go to work!  I did help her, after I'd finished my car.  It was just frost and not really ice, but it was still a cold job.

 

Bill has a new toy.  It's a sharpener for a chainsaw blade.  He need it badly, the chainsaw was getting pretty dull.  I know, it's a tool to make a dangerous item even more dangerous!  But a dull saw is dangerous as well, especially when it's a saw with an engine.

 

Otter's going to see the new Thor movie tomorrow.  She promises not to spoil it for me.  Which will be fun to watch, especially if it's a good movie and she can't tell me!  It's her turn to rent the movie for Saturday, since she's actually off this Saturday, and she's chosen the new Superman movie.  Which I actually want to see - possibly a sign of the end of the world that I want to see a Superman movie!