Good morning, all. Another beautiful day.

I read 33mm Christmas trees are cut down annually in the US and 55mm in Europe.  But 3-7 Billion trees are cut down from deforestation. And Christmas trees mostly come from farms, so they are replanted. 

In the city tree stalls pop up everywhere after Thanksgiving. You need a license to sell anything on the street (not that everyone complies) but there is an exception for Christmas trees in December. When I was younger it was mostly young Canadian guys who drive down with 100 trees to sell. I'd talk hockey with the ones near my apartment. But now it seems to be people from everywhere.  Two 12-hour shifts for the month. They'd rent apartments with a dozen sellers. Can't be much fun but I guess the money is good. 

our temp is 70.....quite warm for Nov......hope everyone's day is great  thinking of you all....

Yes, quite warm. Probably not the best for the marathon runners. I think they prefer 50s.

Good morning Kitty and Paul.  Cool down today, cold front came through yesterday but did ride

my bike down to the PA farm and rode around my old home town.  Think my battery is going,

had trouble starting once and again when I tried after getting home.  Have to look at my records,

this battery seemed to last years past the others.  I got light rain as leaving our town but that was

it, lots of sunshine during the day.

Lots of movies that include Christmas tree street vendors, picking one out and working there.  I've

never bought one off a lot on the street.  Always cut one or bought an artificial.  We've been using

artificial ones for many decades.  One of our daughters like to get real ones. 

I went into my brothers old home on the farm trying to find stuff her wants to rescue.  Found one

of his old ammo boxes full of shotgun shells so worth $200 to 300 I think, 8 boxes,  He's looking for

some other rare rounds he bought once but I haven't found it,  Thief might have gotten them. 

Hope everyone is doing well, think today is 50s and sunny.  Still pretty good.  Supposed to be high

in the 30s next Sunday and chance of snow. 

Ernie.

Good morning to Kitty, Ernie and Paul,

A rather picture perfect day here by the shore of Lake Erie.  Many leaves have fallen from the trees and are blowing across the street and lawns.  I would imagine, sooner than later, the HOA crew will come to clean them up.  I am not troubled by then ~ it's quite picturesque.

A balmy 54 degrees and sunny.  Finn loves to recline for hours on our patio ~ sleeping and basking in the sunshine.  I would imagine with his fur coat, he likes the cool air.  I have an appointment before Christmas for his bath and haircut ~ 

My Granddaughter came home with her new miniature goldendoodle named Willow this week-end.  She spotted two ticks and they had him bathed and combed at a Vet here in Bay Village.  I never realized that ticks show up so vividly on an all white dog that looks like a mop!  

Halloween items are being put aside and only the Fall corn, and decorations will remain until December.  Our beautiful flocked Christmas tree (lit) had a string and a half of lights that did not work last Christmas.  So.....any advice.... Guess we will CUT all of the lights out and just use regular small white lights.  Reminder to self:  NO MORE pre-lit trees.

That's all the gossip here.  Hope everyone is having a lovely day.  Wanted Philadelphia to win.  Sad face.

Susan

Good morning Susan.  Cooled down here also, 36 now and high 50 for the day but some sunshine.

I might make it north to walk Dixie, Brandy's sister, and her friend Charlotte.  Last bike ride of the

season up to see those dogs on, on the bike.  Thursday looks like our last day in the mid 60s without

rain, we've been blessed with all this nice weather.  The way Fall started didn't think we would get it.

I will mulch leaves again with the riding mower now that the rest have fallen, all I do with leaves. 

Hate ticks, bigger deal now with the old Lyme Disease and the newer ones that's worse.  We have

to use Advantix on the pups for now.  We have natural flea and tick collars for them but they bite

and pull on each others collars until they calm down.  Can't afford to have them ruin collars daily.

We have to make an appointment with our vet doctor months in advance, pay the emergency visit

fee, $100 used to be, besides the cost of the visit, or call in each morning checking for a cancellation.

They only have 2 doctors we will take our pups to at the clinic so that makes it tougher.  Cocoa's

doctor went to Cornell for a better job.

We still have a couple Halloween decorations to take down, many Fall decorations are good for a

while also.

Our granddaughter didn't make it to the pumpkin farm with our grandsons, she is working now

besides going to college.  She has two dogs, I haven't met them yet.  I miss seeing her.  She would

spend weeks with us back in the early days when I first stopped smoking and for years after.

Our Christmas tree has white lights built in but my wife rarely uses them, puts colored ones on.

Walking our pups on the road at 4:15 AM until almost 6 now.  Ran into game cameras out in the

woods from people preparing for deer season starting the 19th.  Belle hurt a leg from raring wirh

Chloe so she gets brought back after about 20 minutes until stops limping.  She gets better each

day.

Enjoy the tail end of warm weather all.

Ernie

Very nice picture.

A cloudy day.  I did not rise to see the blood red moon~ some pictures are appearing on Facebook.

Jim and I sent in our ballot!  An important day for ALL Americans .   It should be an interesting evening listening to the results!

Susan

Good morning Susan.  Very cold this morn at 26 here.  Next few mornings a little warmer. 

We get heavy rain Friday into Saturday from another hurricane, coming into Florida's east

coast this time.  Predicting flash flooding for us, so we will probably get it on the side of

this mountain.  At least we aren't down in the valley where they get flooded up to their

ceilings.  We built lots of drainage, couple burms to keep water away from the basement

area, and we have two large sump pumps in one window well.  One pump quit but I got it

going again.  One is automatic with an electronic control and the other is switchable with

a wall switch in the house. 

I will probably take the dogs out soon.  If it seems to cold for them I will turn around.  Belle

is still limping from raring with Chloe last Saturday night, but getting better each day.  It

usually takes a week to get completely better from past experience.

Was fixing a 12 vdc cigarette lighter socket in the Baja but a insulating washer in it cracked

and broke so had to go to the salvage yard and get a replacement.  I was using a portable air

compressor in it and they put a fusible link in the back of the sockets besides the main fuse

for the circuit in the fuse box.  I usually use both of them for a ham radio and GPS.  Found the

socket I needed and will probably get it replaced today.

Glad Finn is getting some sunny days to lay out in. 

Hope all are enjoying the week.

Ernie

My dad, D-day survivor. 

Hi Ernie,

Thanks for sharing your Dad’s picture. A nice looking man. Where did he serve?

My Dad was drafted in 1941. Served in the Army Corp of Engineers~ I believe clearing forests for airplane landings in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. Came home after the War with malaria. He rarely spoke of it ~ many black & white photographs.  Can’t imagine young men of today going off for four years!!

 Sunny here. Expecting rain and snow by the weekend. We may golf tomorrow.

Susan