Today was one of those days I just love. Lily and I worked almost shoulder to shoulder for hours outside. We cleaned out our shed, worked in the garage, planted more of the garden, laid out a soaker hose and did the grocery shopping. The weather was perfect and we spent nearly every minute outside.
The garden is planted! (I’ll have a picture later)
Lily was asleep just after 8 tonight and Leo is out too. Nighty-night!
We’ve made our pancakes and done the grocery shopping. We’ve cleaned the house and worked in the garage. Lily has been riding her bike (trike) for a while. It’s nap time and we’ll get back to it. It’s nice outside today – nice cool breeze. I’ll bet we can spend most of the day outside.
We might even have time to work on our underground bunker… Click here for story
Tropical Storm Karen
Tropical Storm Karen has weakened to a minimal tropical storm, thanks to continued high levels of wind shear. Strong westerly winds aloft are creating about 20-25 knots of wind shear over Karen. This morning’s QuikSCAT pass showed a very elongated center of circulation, with winds of minimal tropical storm force to the east of the center. Satellite loops show Karen’s exposed low-level center of circulation, now visible as a swirl of low clouds. Most of the heavy thunderstorm activity that was was on the storm’s northeast side has died out this morning, and Karen may get downgraded to a tropical depression today. A small area of heavy thunderstorm activity has developed near the center on the east side, but Karen is looking very unhealthy now.
Karen has taken an unexpected jog to the north this morning, which puts the storm closer to a region of higher wind shear. A motion to the west-northwest is expected to resume later today. With Karen’s more northerly position, the odds of the storm being torn apart have increased. The GFS model kills Karen by Sunday, and the SHIPS model (which is based on the GFS) is forecasting that 35-40 knots of wind shear will affect the storm tonight through Saturday night. The other models do not kill Karen, but none of them forecasted the northward jog that will bring Karen into higher wind shear sooner. There is about a 50% chance Karen will be gone by Sunday, destroyed by wind shear.
If Karen survives, an ominous possibility arises–a ridge of high pressure is expected to build over the eastern U.S. and western Atlantic, forcing Karen westward towards the U.S. An anticyclone with low wind shear might build over the storm, creating an environment favorable for intensification of Karen into a hurricane. The path Karen might take late next week is highly uncertain. The high pressure ridge expected to build to the north of Karen will be quite strong, which might force Karen westward into Florida, or even west-south-westward through the Bahamas and into Cuba. There will be several small “short wave” troughs moving through the ridge that may be able to turn Karen more northwesterly towards New England, though. Still another uncertainty is the possibility of a new tropical, subtropical, or extratropical cyclone forming off the coast of North Carolina on Sunday or Monday, something now predicted by all of the computer models. Some of the models take this new storm north-eastward out to sea, which would create a weakness in the ridge that would pull Karen northward. However, most of the models predict that the new storm will move west or west-southwest over Georgia or Florida. A storm-storm interaction between Karen and the new storm might ensue, an event the models are poor at handling.
What a nice start to the day so far. Low 70’s, bright blue skies…fresh cup of Starbucks.
Nickelodeon goes dark on Saturday. It’s ashame that’s what it takes to encourage kids to not sit in front of the TV. Sad thing is most parents will just change the channel… Click here for Story
Tropical Storm Karen trying to hang in there… Click here for computer models I’ve never been very impressed with Karen. However, it might pay to keep our eyes on this swirling mass as it might have plans on coming to Florida.
Lorenzo is beatin’ down Mexico. I know you might think these Mexican storms aren’t affecting us…wait until you buy something with Lime Juice in it.
Quit yer pushin’… Two headed Turtle found in PA…NOT SAFE TO DRINK THE WATER! Click here for Story
“These are too heavy people. We’re only human”
Garbage man, Garbage Day, September 27, 2007
I like working from home. Especially on a slow day like this.
Anyways, I’m home today. I should be receiving a new door for the fridge this afternoon, but that turns out not to be the case. Our door had a ding in it and a new door was coming this afternoon. Turns out the new door is also damaged. So no new door today. Instead, they are bringing us a new fridge on Tuesday to replace this one and they’ve given me a $200 cash back rebate for my troubles. Troubles? What troubles? I was taking the day off anyways! But I’ll take the $200! The lady I’ve been dealing with at GE has been positively perfect. 200 bucks? That’s awesome.
So I’m home today and catching up on a few projects. I’m running to Lowe’s after lunch and painting baseboards the rest of the day probably. Might even plant the garden. It’s nice here today – mid 80’s, breeze out of the north. Nice day to work outside!
12′, 550lb hammerhead caught off Florida… Click here for Story
As Joel would remind us…”Not safe to get in the water to retrieve a stinkin’ $3.00 lure!”
I have a lunch to go to today, so I’m on the road for several hours today.
My little Lily is growing up. She jumped out of the car at school this morning and ran in…no kiss, no hug. I had to hunt her down to get a “good-bye”.
Eight ways to relax… Click here for Story
Karen not all that impressive this morning, still struggling. Not welcome in Florida. Click here for Story
Kind of excited about the new fridge! It should be here sometime between 2:30 and 6:30.
I went and pulled weeds this morning at Lily’s school. They are getting the flower beds ready for some fall plants and I’ve successfully convinced them to let me grow some corn, and broccoli. Our garden is just about ready to plant. I’ve bought a few seeds and a few plants. It’s been so wet lately we haven’t really spent too much time out there. Lily and I raked the dirt around Sunday, but it was so muddy.
Looks like the tropics continue to stay active. Karen is full of some hot air, kind of unorganized and getting bigger… Click here for Story I expect she’ll blow herself out and not be a threat to anyone.
Lily’s ballet class was moved to Tuesday this week.
Gas leak suspected… Click here for Story
University in Minnesota to discontinue dial-up service. Click here for Story
Who has dial up anymore anyways? Everyone knows that the cool, happenin’ folks have broadband now.
Saw a bumper sticker on my way in this morning… “I child proofed my house, but they keep getting back in”
So, if Team A beats Team B. And Team B beats Team C. Doesn’t it stand to reason that Team A beats Team C?
Don’t stand between a group of senior citizens and their donuts… Click here for Story
Anyone watch the overtime win in the Alabama-Georgia game? What was up with the announcer? Right before the winning TD, he was seriously asking about Brittney Spears. Not discussing the defense. Not the upcoming offensive play. He was asking his co-announcer about Brittney. That’s the problem with all of these sports channels, the talent is watered down.
Retiree goes on ticketing rampage after cars block driveway during garage sale. Click here for Story
Anyone see the story that the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams stating that home team cheerleaders could no longer warm up near the visiting teams locker room. Seems visiting teams have been complaining about the distraction. Click here for Story
Thanks Darrell! Alaskans get 4th largest check ever for their share of oil investments… Click here for Story
Lily was especially cooperative this morning. She ate a good breakfast, did her chores, and got dressed quickly. We were ahead of schedule enough that I sat down to play with her and her Thomas the Train stuff for a few minutes before we headed off to school.
When we play trains, I always end up building the train and Lily pretends to be the “Train Engineer”. The Train Engineer works in an office in the corner of the room and she communicates with me, the Station Manager, by phone calls and letters.
The train had a “problem” this morning so I wrote her a letter, which I read aloud as I pretend to write. This morning, I really jacked up the letter. Here’s what I “wrote” (I”m reading aloud so Lily can hear)…
Dear Train Engineer,
We, the aforementioned, wish to convey our highest esteem for your expertise as applied during our most recent train inspection.
However, we regret to inform you that our green train, Percy, has failed to execute his duties recently due to an unknown malady. We politely request your assistance in assertaining his situation and hope you can provide a prompt diagnosis.
Sincerely, Station Manager
So, I’m just messing with Lily’s head at this point, adding all kinds of big words, most of which don’t make any sense and making a long, drawn out “letter”, which I “mail” to Lily.
She went to the mail box and gets the letter and reads it aloud…
Dear Train Engineer,
Our train is broken. Can you come fix it?
Love, Daddy
Nice quiet evening. 8:30p and do you know where your kids are? Ours are both asleep!
Lily and I worked the garden a little late this afternoon. It’s been raining a good bit the last several days, so all we really did was rake the mud. It was fun. And muddy. We cleaned up with a dip in the pool.
Leo’s day has been like most of his days are. I guess he’s 48 days old now. I weighed him tonight and he came in at a whopping 12 1/2 pounds. I think we’ve decided he’s outgrown some of his 0-3 clothes, especially his pajamas. I wish I had pj’s that had feet in them.
Bucs win!
Famous French mime now off to that great invisible box in the sky. Click here for Story
Click here for some famous quotes.
I think we should all pause for a moment of silence.
Cause of death, unknown…and no one is talking.
Ok…one more…
Mime dies…trades his invisible box for a pine box!
Somebody stop me!
I usually don’t write on Saturday nights but it appears I’m stuck in “chick flick hell”…so until Diane notices I’m not paying attention, I might be free to write.
It was a cloudy, drizzly day here. Kept the temps a bit cooler. I’ll always take a rainy day.
Lily went to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. She seems to have had a great time despite not eating any pizza. She got to skip her nap but she held on strong until about 8 o’clock tonight and was out like a light. Leo and I played a lot today while Diane took Lily to the party and made a quick trip to the mall. He’s out for the night now also.
Diane’s friend Suzette is coming to visit in the morning. Hopefully I’ll also get some work done in Lily’s room.
Well, have a good night.
Philly celebrates 300th murder of the year…ahead of last years pace.
Pennsylvania gets it’s first NOT SAFE TO VISIT warning.
Further proof that Division III football isn’t really sport.
FSU is off this week so our players have headed to the bars…
The good news is that everyone slept all night. Lily mumbled something around 12:45a but she was quick to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, it was school day, so we all had to get going a little earlier. Maybe we’ll make up some sleep tomorrow morning.
We had to bite the bullet. After I dropped Lily off at school, Diane met me at Home Depot and we bought a new refrigerator. I’ve been putting a thermometer in the fridge for the last several day – it ain’t good. New one arrives Tuesday.
Thanks for your comment Darrell – unfortunately if the censor didn’t block that one, I’d hear from someone on that for sure.
Let’s see…the weekend is upon us. The weather has cleared out a bit leaving us with clear skies and a nice breeze out of the south. It actually feels like late September. Lily has a birthday party tomorrow at Chuck E Cheese. She doesn’t eat pizza, so this should be interesting. I’ll probably get some time in the garden and I probably have some baseboards that need done in Lily’s room. No FSU football this weekend, so my Saturday is really free.
I don’t know what all of this means. Divorce is on the rise. Duh.
Go home, give your wife/husband a kiss. Sit down and watch HGTV together every now and then.
Ok..well, it’s morning anyways. Lily was up at 4:45. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say no one got much sleep.
So I went to Starbucks. I got there late this morning – after 9 o’clock. The after 9am crowd is a whole different group. I’m used to the 8 o’clock group. The 8am group, the Workers, are dressed for work. Some are talking on cell phones and they might have a newspaper in hand. They wear socks. They shaved. The after 9am group, I’ll call them Slackers, are text messaging on their cell phones. They might have a newspaper, but its the classifieds or the comics. And they wear flip flops, which just tells me they might be on their way to a job interview. Which is why they aren’t shorn.
Cloudy start to the day. We haven’t had much rain, just clouds. Might keep it cooler. Speaking of cooler – know what ISN’T cooler? My refrigerator. We’ve been tracking the temperature and it isn’t a pretty sight. Not sure what’s going to happen there.
Happy Thursday!
Kind of an odd ball day in the ol’ juice business… Lychee, Cucumber Juice and Vanilla Beans…
Rain comes and goes. Glad Diane and Lily chose spaghetti for dinner – I don’t have to cook outside on the grill.
I’ve developed a deep rooted hatred for the Travel Channel. And HGTV. They should have a VChip setting for those channels.
Have you talked like a pirate today? Watched any good pirate movies?
Ok..he never really had it to begin with. But he’ll never win Florida with that stance.
Lily is at school today. A theater group is coming in and performing Chicken Little for all of them. I kind of wish I was there.
It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day… ARRGG! I don’t know why I care. I like all things pirate I guess. I’d dress like one if I could.
Cloudy and rainy today. There is a disturbance moving in (and that’s not a crack at anyone visiting) – so we’ve got rain….much needed rain. We walked outside this morning and Lily looked up and said, “Looks like rain today. I guess I won’t be going in the pool”. I can’t figure out what she wants to be more… a weatherman or a comedian. Maybe a comedian-weatherman! Either way, its a tropical system that is moving across the state and is expected to intensify once it makes it into the Gulf of Mexico.
Man loses fight to man with no arms… Click here for Story
AAARRRGGGG – Matey! Check out December 9th…Bucs at Texans…Ahoy!
I love winning a bet.
Lily was in an unusually good mood this morning. Ate a full breakfast, cooperative, pleasant. Maybe it’s the dry air that swept in overnight. Maybe it was roller blading with her mother this morning. She has art class this afternoon.
Leo was just as peaceful and content as he can be this morning too. He laid in his cradle cooing at the ceiling fan while I got ready this morning.
Just saw a Delta Special coming to Tampa. $59 each way. I guess I’d better find some NOT SAFE TO VISIT stories this morning.
Sounds like nothing in the news this morning unless you care about Barry Manilow, Brittney or OJ. It’s too bad, too – I liked Barry Manilow.
I was right…I lost the vote over what to have for dinner. It was take out. Or pick up. Whatever. Either way – I’d just like to point out that not only was dinner just so-so…it wasn’t my order that was messed up.
A lot of plane activity tonight from MacDill. Three fighter jets tore out of here around 8 o’clock in a hurry to get somewhere. I think they were going to Lakeland.
Special note to the lady driving the gold Buick in front of me today on my way home…those big humps in the road – we call those “Speed Bumps”. They aren’t “Stop Bumps”. Your car will make it over them…I promise.
This kind of story almost brings a tear to my eye…
Who are these people sticking gum to the sides of buildings and to the front of gas pumps.
I also think all these people who have to have their bluetooth ear pieces for their phones sticking out of the side of their heads all the time look a bit off. I mean, who needs to be on the phone while you’re shopping for groceries? On a Sunday? Are you really that important?
I don’t like take out. If I’m going to eat the calories, I want to at least get the benefit of someone waiting on my table. Somehow, I think that’s a battle I’m going to lose tonight.
Lily has taken a half hour nap today. She needed three times that.
How about the 96 points scored in the Cincy-Cleveland game? Hmmm…anyone have Carson Palmer this week? Not a bad football weekend, was it? Bucs win…Noles win. It was a big Gator game this weekend – versus Tennessee. I love the DirectTV game mix. They edit Sunday’s NFL games down to about 25 minutes. The whole game – nothing but snap to whistle. No replays, no commercials, no stupid commentary – just football. I watched three games this morning with Leo.
I’d like to point out that this article says nothing about the age of the child…and if you read it – the pointers are applicable for 2 year olds and 20 year olds.
Now that was a weekend.
I’ve got some great pictures of Lily and Leo coming up this week for POTD!
Hazy, hot start to our morning. Lily is off to school. I got to watch Leo for an hour while Diane ran to an appt. What a cutie! He’s making a noise…just one…and it surprises him when he gets it out. I haven’t weighed him in a week or so, but I guess he’s hitting 12lbs now.
So, back to work!
Let me get this straight…. this from our friends in Pennsylvania…
A guy is arrested with a large quantity of drugs, including ecstasy, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana and crystal methamphetamine, as well as more than $1,000 in cash, mostly in $20 bills.
He’s held on $2 million bail.
But gets released because the arresting officer failed to show for the pretrial hearing.
I worked through lunch today on account of the fact that I was late getting here and I’m leaving early to go to ballet.
That really messes up Lily’s lunch because Lily has decided that her mother doesn’t know how to correctly make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don’t how hard it is..and since Diane only does it when I’m not there, I don’t know what she’s doing wrong. The only thing that she could be doing that would make a child not want to eat it would be maybe putting the peanut butter and jelly on the outside?
It messed my lunch up too. I’ve now eaten 5 caramel Rollos and a lollipop.
The cleanup has begun. Of course, some of us were cleaning up last night at 9 o’clock. What a storm. All of our porch furniture was crumpled into one corner on side of the porch. We lost one of the glass tables. Plants were everywhere.
I spent the morning waiting for my car to be serviced…oil change, tires rotated. I had the AC checked and had a nail yanked out of a tire.
Lily has ballet today. She doesn’t know we are hitting the road to see Grandma tomorrow. I think we’ll just wait and surprise her in the morning when she thinks we are getting ready for school.
But it’s Thursday…and the end of the week for me!
We got a messy little storm here this evening…
The yard is a mess – all of the porch furniture blew across the yard. The lizard blew about 50 feet across the yard. We lost one of the glass tables and my 200lb grill is about 10 feet from where it began. I would have had weather information from my instruments outside but that got blown into the trees. The power only briefly blinked but it’s been quite a show. We sure have a mess to clean up.
First of all – let me just say this… if you’re going to get a gig as the FOX News weather gal – you owe it to us to know the names of the hurricanes. I watched Janice Dean stumble and rumble through storm names until she finally, painstakenly came up with the I named storm, Ingrid…and even then, someone had to spot her the I-N-G
Secondly, a few storms making news today. Looks like a bullseye on Galveston for Humberto…ya’ll hang in there. Click here for Story
And finally, we’ve had no water in the building today. And an ambulance just showed up. I don’t know if the two are related.
Today’s Lesson from the Juice Industry:
When dealing with microbe colony counts in juice – the letters TNTC - are bad to see on a lab report.
They stand for Too Numerous To Count
Leo to live forever… Click here for Story
New York football Giants might need a QB. And the Buc’s have one without a spleen to spare… Click here for Story
Tampa Fire Station returns from a call to find their fire house on fire… Click here for Story
