I'm doing well on this rainy evening on Vancouver Island. I'm just glad not to be enduring the trials of northern BC and eastern Canada right now!

Yeah its a little wet but we're okay here ...

Cheryl and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

We had a cold and sunny day here today. It was -14 or so with bright blue skies and white sparkling snow....a lovely December day. Oh wait, it's still October and we've had 2.75 feet of snow since the 19th.....I get my snow tires this week. 

Been a wet October here in Southwestern Ontario. Fortunately, didn't get as much rain from Sandy as they thought we would (it stayed East of Ontario) but the winds were blowing pretty hard last night.

In general, all is well around here, though. Counting down the days until my new Internet connection arrives. My current Bell connection has sucked even more than usual the last few months so I ditching them and trying out cable.

Recently we've had snow - ground covered, and it has been cool.  Today, it decides to warm up a bit, but lots of precipitation - RAIN!  So, this means tonight when it freezes that it is going to be super slippery tomorrow.  I'm not very happy about that.  I prefer it to be cold, and winter to set in.  Then it can snow all it wants, as long as it doesn't melt and become slushy and slippery.  I worry about the seniors in this type of weather - falls and slips can be terrible for them.  I also worry about my daughter - it is so much harder for her (and therefore me) when it is slippery.  If I go down - she goes down!  If she goes down, I go down!

Happy Anniversary, qwerty!  Wishing you and your wife many more years together!

Thinking of those facing disaster from recent weather phenomenons - too many losses of life, and I'm sure many injuries.  Also a long job of clean-up and restoration in the months ahead.

Happy anniversary qwerty and Mrs qwerty. 

*raises a glass to Qwerty and Mrs. Qwerty*  Happy Anniversary!

Pretty similar to Northwind here, although warmer.  Enough of a breeze and memories of 30C aren't so far away though that it felt quite chilly!  It's also pretty slippery, although they have been out sanding.

I've had a bit of a virus for a month.  Mainly just in the throat, but it's wiped my energy the last few days.  I'm thinking maybe some hot chocolate and then bedtime for me.

7 degrees here-rain most of the day-but at noon I saw a bunch of people out golfing!

my mom's Celebration of Life* on Sunday was perfect -- my mom taught Dressage so of course it took place at a horse barn waaay up valley, with all the sweet smells and muck so while i wore nice pants i wore some old runners that she had bought for me

it was pretty cool seeing all those people there

we all sat in folding chairs or stood

her brothers MC'd

it was a short service with simple eats -- crackers & cheese & coffee & jooce

there were three Dressage rides -- the last was my favourite  because the music was so lively and funny -- think Mission Impossible & Austin Powers themes

so neat getting to share in the common human experience

and to get what remains of my mom in a container that i am calling Parmesan to everyone

it was great seeing one of my poor nephew's face so swelled up that he looked like a pirate -- even so, he was having a great time -- he is so good with the violin now; he played a song to my mom on her death bed that he composed hisself

the family problems that i perceived before turned out to be "part of grief"

it's hard to believe that it is almost Novemeber -- it is so warm here

rider down...

tot morgan which means "until tomorrow" (my mom didn't say goodbye)

* apparently my mother said what she wanted and my sister, the great artist that she is, enacted it

Sounds like your mother had a perfect send off Inanna. I'm glad your part of the province got decent weather for the event. I imagine you were the only place in BC that was decent.

well, my version of decent isn't necessarily other BCers version of decent...my ideal weather is 6-10 degrees, overcast with a breeze :3

for the event it was that way, with sporadic drizzles...yesterday it almost got sunny, but soon reverted to drenching rain :3

i also got to see my wife off to the bus today, spend a little time with my dad and a bit at the Library downtown -- the one that looks like a colosseum

Inanna . . . glad that you found the Celebration of Life for your mom to be perfect . . . caring thoughts continue to be with you.

I see a skiff of white snow on the ground - I hope it is not sheer ice underneath.

Chemguy got a call saying that there is to be no driving in this city today, due to the road conditions.  *sigh* Too bad he's not actually in the city.  Hopefully things will be better for his drive home tomorrow!

Thought I should check in.  Basically I am ok but seriously starting to wonder whether the sun actually exists.  It hasn't shown its face around here for weeks!

Same here Kay. My solar lights quit - no sun

Now that IS getting desparately short of sun!  I don't have any solar lights but I expect they would be dark too.

Only hav 3 or 4 Kay but I was counting on them at the back door for Halloween.No sun again today and Fog for tomorrow for the whole province,

crazyheart,

i remember fondly the times when my elementary school would be socked in with a fog so thick, when we all were playing soccer on the gravel field, we would be bats or Jedi's in training because we couldn't see each other but just hear...

i haven't experienced a fog that thick since those days...

there also used ot be a lot of brightly-coloured slugs in Stanley Park; i remember yellows and spotted and black and reddish ones...

there also used to be these types of (millipedes? centipedes?) that were mostly black with yellow spots that, if you picked them up, would make your fingers smell like nutmeg...

a lot of things change...

like it looks like that we are living in an unusual time of relatively calm climate, not fluctuating between too cold and too hot...

That's quite the norm here on the BC coast this time of year, until...oh, May or so. So don't feel too bad! Hang in there! I used to go to the tanning beds from time to time just to get a bit of UV light (not enough to turn into a pumkin...lol). I stopped...but, yeah, the dreary weather can trigger seasonal depression in some people.

Doing okay...got a job for two weeks, but got laid off already because the manager hired me as an extra staff to cover people on sick leave (it was never meant to be a secure job...just a temporary job until Christmas anyway and I knew that) and was ordered from head office to cut back on hours...so based on seniority I got choppedfrom the payroll before I really got started...so it was short lived, but it was something to help with the bills this month. A little frustrating...but onto the next thing.

I'm glad your mom's Celebration of Life was a good one Inanna and that you seem to be doing well under the circumstances. I hope you continue to have good supports around and ask for help if you need it.

Sunday Morning. Time hasnt changed for us. WE are covered in ice. Freezing rain all night.

8:30

so warm outside yesterday, even though completely overcast and constantly raining, i could wear shorts...it felt like spring t'me...

I am finding centre again, after being sent reeling.

The weather here has been cold and dreary. The clouds start to lessen or part and we hold our breath. A peek of sun, no matter how short lived, and we jump for joy like we have never seen a glowing orb in the sky before and it is worthy of our praise.

The snow will be a relief.

it's definitely NOVEMBER!!  I'm at a chalet about 2 hours north of Toronto - grey days ...no sun,  no stars.  Up on the escarpment, the ground is snow covered, and the trees have a coating of snow on them - quite beautiful actually - but a little early for this area I think!   Down near Georgian Bay, there is no snow on the ground, although a few flurries. 

It's been nice to be away from home for a few days - just relaxing - reading, puttering around, cooking, watching movies ... back home tomorrow and back to work on Wed.

We have had a Chinook so what was -20 and snowing last week is now +6 and melting. And a big wind blew it all in. I had fun walking across the parking lot this morning, across the wind-polished ice while being blown by gale force winds.....I did make it across without falling.

I also won a small battle today. I am now working part-time and my new employer has forms that you send to your previous employers that help recognize previous employment and help decide where you fit on the pay scale. My last employer would not provide the proper information and that would have cost me two steps on the scale.Well that got me fired up. I talked to someone from HR and did some other work and learned today that they were suddenly able to provide the necessary information. Imagine. It all reminded me why I did not stay there long!

bleah...

i haven't seen the sun for weeks, it feels like... if we had snow, that would be great. 

but just overcast and grey. 

so, well, depressing.

Agreed sighsnootles - I think November is my least favourite month of the year for that grey depressing weather.

Hooray for Northwind & for fired up women going after what is right!! 

sighs, please take some of our snow!  I had a doctors appointment this morning, and since chemguy was working from home today he said he would take me because of how rough I've been feeling.  Good thing!  I don't know if we would have made it without the truck, there were many vehicles that went off the road

I love a good fight....and better, I love winning a good fight.....must be the red-headed Irish blood in me.

I hope you feel better soon chemgal and stay safe. Better yet, stay inside and keep warm.

Thanks Northwind!  I don't plan on going out much.  *sigh* Another test to come though.  Damn sore throat might be something a little more than a virus.

Glad to see you back, stevieg.  It's snowing here and good weather to step up the fall cleaning.  I just moved the stove and decided I'd have a nap, first.  I can't imagine why this is taking me so long

Hope you get behind the stove cleaned before it is time to cook supper :)

As for me, I'm working at cleaning the living room. I can still find a little space to sit and watch the telly during breaks even though everything is pulled out from the walls.

Hope you are feeling somewhat better today chemgal.

Our walk today revealed snow in some shady places. Rosie misses it so. You ever see a dog try to frolic and play in a handful of snow? It is pathetic.

Here's a picture a friend posted of the University:

Thanks Beloved.  This has been going on way too long, but it is at least on and off so I do have better days.  I just need to get rid of the headache I woke up with today.

So pretty Chemgal! 

I wonder if I should mention that I wore my sandals today or that the temperature is in the double digits (above 0) here? Things to ponder... 

lol Somegal.  I remember about a week ago going out for something.  There was very frozen freezing rain, it almost looked like little small pieces of hail.  When I went back to my car about an hour later, it was covered in heavy fluffly snow.  It was so pretty that day I considered playing Christmas music!

If it would just actually stop snowing so the roads and sidewalks remained clear, I wouldn't mind if it stayed around -5 so the pretty snow would stick around.

Nope, don't mention that somegal :)

Snow also seems appropriate to me for Remembrance Day.  It's peaceful.