Good morning Kitty and Paul.  32 here this morn.  I looked out on the deck for the mums but not there.

Must be here in the house somewhere, from wife bringing them in last night.  Her eye surgery at 6:30

this fine morn.  She is very nervous but she will be so happy to get this out of the way and done.  So

will I be so happy for her.  She is getting the laser surgery in both eyes and the enhanced vivid lens.

I've been so lucky to have her for a wife.

Happy birthday to Brian.  I remember him working at the store on Sanibel Island until he reached 65.

The two of you cleaning up after storms.  Palm branches but you called them something unusual to me. 

Paul, glad you're getting out to the country to enjoy the Fall foliage.  Fall came down fast and will be gone

soon.  Hope Winter isn't so intense.  I mulched the lawn leaves today and pushed them to the road bank

with the rider mower.  Think we are 175 miles from your city.  Know a guy that works there online some

of the time but drives down there every other week or so for a few days.  Saturday is 65 and sunny here

so you should have a great time.  Sunday is nice here also.  We have 3 cold days getting there though.

I might go to the PA farm to cut that hugh tree this weekend, nit sure yet.  I got the 8200 pound test rope.

150 feet, might be able to double it.  Tree is very big around with very large branches.  Don't know why

it was planted so close to the house and basement.  The branches touching the roof have to be 30 inches

around.  I don't have the equipment to remove them without destroying the roof.  The roots have to be

up against the basement wall anyway.  The trunk has to be at least 20 feet around.  I got my brother's saw

working after it sat for 5 to 10 years and will take my saw also.  Costs thousands to hire someone to do it

for you, probably very expensive insurance, like roofing companies.  Somehow some get away not having

insurance but wouldn't get a lot of jobs from people that check.  They would be able to bid much lower.

I enjoyed riding my bike around the country a few days ago.

Enjoy the day all.

Ernie

it is 40 here right now and still dark.....I always called Palm branches fronds cause that is what they are never called branches....the Island really got slammed....temporary fix to the bridge so that people can go home....can't even imagine what they will find.... 

Good morning Kitty.  28 here this morn, first one in the 20s that I know of.  Some of our plants died last night.

Was out front mowing during the day and saw how beautiful they were, now they are brown and black.

I saw the temporary bridge to Sanibel on TV. 

Wife got the 1st eye surgery yesterday and went fine as far as we know.  I got some natural calming treats for

the pups but they don't seem to do much.  We only need a little though so natural should be good.  If I stop and

sit down in the woods they try to chew up every stick and bark within reach.  That's with the calming treats, at

least they aren't trying to pull me away.  Rifle hunting season starts in a month so will have to go back to the road

then for walks.Need the pups calmed while wife can't see to well.  I'm so happy for her.  They wanted $12k to 13k

for the laser surgery with enhanced lenses without medicare and advantage.  So we ended up waiting until about

half that price.

Enjoyed going out for a bike ride in the Fall leaves, haven't done that without a destination in years.  Was a short

day with the tasks I needed to complete before I left but still enjoyable.

Didn't do much yesterday except taking the dogs out for walks.  Grandson is also here to help his grandma.  Have

these days earmarked to help her.  She has to go back in for a checkup this morn.

Paul, hope the leaves are still up in the area you're going to this weekend.  Lots got blown off and knocked off by rain

here. 

Cold few days here but still enjoy them, warm says for Winter coming soon.

Ernie

Best to your wife, Ernie.

Starting to feel the chill in the air, though it warms up a bit later this week. 

Enjoy the day all

We have returned from our short trip to Hilton Head.  Wonderful 70 degree temps and sunshine. The drive through the West Virginia Turnpike was beautiful.  The time share pitch was brief and painless.  Each night included delicious meals; all seafood for both of us.  Sea Pines, Coligny area, Palmetto Dunes have exploded with new residences.  
 

Returned home to 30 Degree temperatures and rain/sleet.  Our beloved Cleveland Guardians fell to New York last night.  
 

Carry on….being smoke free every step of the way!

Glad you enjoyed it, Susan. Looks beautiful.

Not a good game tonight for Yanks. 

who did they play?

Good morning all.  A little warmer here this morn at 38.  Supposed to get 4-5 good days coming up.

Sunny in the 60s and 70s.  It's good because I haven't adapted to 40s in the daytime. 

Glad you had a good vacation Susan.  Looks nice there.  Also, the time share spew wasn't bad.  I rode

my bike on the old dirt roads I used to ride when I was 14-15 but the leaves didn't really fly up around me.

There are homes on the roads now so leaves aren't piled up on the dirt roads.  When I was a kid there were

only a couple hunting cabins there.

I got natural calming treats for the pups but if they work it's just a little.  Called Composure. 

We got a couple freezes here too.  The plants outside the pool fence died but the ones in the pool area still

going, just don't look as vibrant. 

Probably staying warmer in NYC, no freeze nights yet.

Learned the cinnamon sticks I've been chewing on are the wrong kind, cassia cinnamon, instead of Ceylon cinnamon.

Cassia thins blood and doesn't help lower glucose.  Unfortunately, Cassia is what I've been using since childhood and

tastes much better.  Still, got a pound of Ceylon.  Have learned that fish oil capsules and aloe vera capsules also help

lower glucose, so made a note of this for when my body works around turmeric root and cinnamon.  As it eventually

seems to do with everything I do.  A life long war from now on.

Glad everyone is doing well.  My wife's check up on her eye surgery went well, so happy for her.

Ernie

Hay hooks we used to pull bales up on the wagon from the hay baler decades ago. 

I’m happy your wife’s surgery and check up went well.  Does she speak that everything is so much brighter?  I believe they did the worst eye first and I remember walking outside and seeing the bright colors and thanking God for the beauty. The eye drops that follow are a bit tedious but well worth it to see better.  Did you say that it was or wasn’t covered by insurance?

I saw the Dr. Upon my return for on going sinus infection issue and also some wheezing. Between the antibiotic and prednisone pack it was quite a bit of change. Seniors need a better break with a health care! 
 

On we go, warmer this week. Thanks for the picture of the hooks. I’m sure they are still used by rural farmers!  
 

Susan

jim likes to take us on rides in his mustang convertible. This Is at a place called Gore Orphanage Road -  on a remote one way road. I can’t imagine what happened there with the kids so many years ago…..

The bridge to Sanibel has been repaired and I saw a news clip of the hundreds upon hundreds of trucks going onto the island. 
 

I continue to think of your home there and wonder if the damage!  Molly, my eldest and Chris, just bought a home in Santa Rosa Beach by Destin. Near the Panhandle and five minutes to the Gulf. Purely for vacation rental now but when they retire, they will live there!
 

Cold here now… trees are at peak.

Susan